What's Up with This Blog

In case you were following my blog back at the start of the year (which was roughly yesterday and yet somehow months ago), you may be a bit confused as to why I put up this big ol' post about why I would no longer be officially blogging, and yet here I am posting several times since then, along with a new name and design.

Well, the new name and design just makes me very happy, and it also reflects my much more low-maintenance plans for this space--basically my place to share fewer, more important things with you. (Read more about that on my about page.)

But as far as what's up with me posting so often, I won't repeat here why I decided to stop officially blogging (that's all explained here), but I do want to say why I keep posting when I sorta said I wouldn't, at least a bit more so than the unless-I-have-a-big-announcement clause I threw out there.

Turns out, I can't handle the whole posting certain days with certain themes weekly thing. But it also turns out I seem to still have a lot to say, which I did not expect, and where else to say it except here on my own blog? And when I have something to say, I want to just say it, no rules of what day to post on, no number of posts to hit, no obligation to post again after that, and little to no effort social-media-ing my post. So that's what I'm doing.

Because I do finally have small (though huge to me) music announcements to pass along (another to come on Thursday!), and I may have jewelry or design sales to proclaim also. But the longer I live with chronic illnesses, the more I find I have to say about it, in addition to sporadic health updates. So I am. And I will. But this time around, whenever the need hits me, which may be five times in one month and then not for weeks and weeks.

So all that to say, yes I am posting much more lately than I planned, but just know that if you see a post from me, it's not to fill a tired theme--it's because I really, really mean it and must. speak.

Thank you for reading!

200th Post Celebration: Reader Survey + My Biggest Giveaway Yet!

Here we are! Post #200! It really feels like I was just celebrating my 100th post, and on Monday I shared your all's favorite 7 posts since then. Now as promised, I'm back today with a surprise for you guys!

But first: I've been wanting to do this for a while, and thought why not celebrate 200 posts with a reader survey? I'd love for you to take a couple minutes to fill this out. And if you do, there'll be a reward for you at the end! (If you complete the survey and don't see a reward, please let me know.) And, there will be an extra perk for answering this later on in this post!




Now that that's done, if you want to use your reward, here's where to go. :)

And now! I had to celebrate 200 posts with a giveaway, right? As I mentioned on Monday, I don't really have a blogiversary, so this is my version of it and we are celebrating accordingly.

Yep, my biggest giveaway ever! Here we are in that in-between time of the seasons (at least here in NC), so there's a little bit of both in this Katya Valera giveaway:

1~ A chunky, silver tone summer rose on wide silver tone chain. Perfect for layering or wearing alone.

2~ Silver plated dangle earrings that I like to call coffee (or tea) lover earrings. And the best I can tell, that's every. single. one of you reading this. ;)

3~ Fall-colored clay roses and mum on an antique-look silver tone, asymmetric heart charm hanging from silver tone chain.

4~ And finally, a burnt red-orange geometric, wood-look charm on long, silver tone chain. Great for layering!

You'll be set for fall with these four handmade pieces from Katya Valera! Or keep a couple and give a couple as gifts now, or get ahead on Christmas shopping! And yes, you'll see that if you filled out the survey, you get more entries!

This giveaway is open only to the US and Canada (sorry!) and will end Thursday, Oct. 9 at 12:00 AM EST. I will contact the winner by email, and the winner will have 24 hours to respond, at which point I'll pick a new winner. I will verify the winning entry and and reserve the right to disqualify an invalid entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Okay, survey, giveaway, oh and one more thing in honor of the milestone: 

I've got a brand new about page, so be sure to check it out! :)

{Linking up with Little Friday, Thinking Out Loud, Treat Yo Self Thursday, Let Your Light Shine}

Milestone Week + All Your Favorites!

It's a big week for Life, KV Style! This right here is post #198. That means this week I'll be hitting 200 posts! I'll be back for Wellness Wednesday, and then we're having a celebration on Thursday for #200!

I'm not sure I'll ever really have blogiversary celebrations because my blog was technically started in March 2013, but I didn't earnestly start blogging until January of this year, which brought a name change and redesign too. So I really don't know what day to call my anniversary, and I hate to add 9 months to my blog history that really aren't worth mentioning! So my thing might just be post number milestones.

Anyone remember my 100th post back in April? I can't believe I've already had another 100 posts since just April, but I guess it does make sense if you do the math. But 200 is bigger and better, so such will be my celebration. (So be sure to come back Thursday, okay? :D)

For now, I wanted to share your all's top 7 (ish) favorite posts in these last hundred that have passed. And I have to say, my findings make me extra happy. Really, the ones that meant the most to me are also ones that got read most, and that thrills me to death.

#7 - tied

This is one of those posts I am rather proud of and was quite excited to share. So to see so many of you evidently like it too makes my heart happy. :)

And it tied with this post. Just a My Friday Five post you guys extra liked!

#6

As simple as this post may seem, since it's really about an Adam Sandler movie, it was such a personal post for me to write--and to try to put into words why exactly this movie resonates with me so much. It's definitely one of my most favorite posts.

#5

I have to say, I was rather surprised in addition to pleased when I rounded up my most-viewed posts since April's 100th to find this one. I felt like this post might ruffle some feathers because it could appear to be anti-fibromyalgia-sufferers when it's actually anti-lazy-doctors-who-can't-and-won't-do-their-job-to-truly-treat-people-like-me. (Spell check really doesn't like that last sentence.) I know the suffering of those diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and CFS is real--I just firmly believe their diagnosis is just all wrong. And it's our doctors' fault. So I'm glad so many of you took the time to read a post I want to proclaim from the rooftops!

#4

I am so surprised that this recipe made #4! It is so simple, it almost felt silly giving it its own recipe post, but you all loved it and I'm so glad! I continue to use this recipe all the time.

#3

It definitely means a lot to me that this post was so popular. That many people wanted to get up to date on the crap my body's been through?? <3

#2

How many times can I say I was both surprised and thrilled? Another post I want to yell from the rooftops, and it takes #2. Losing weight should not be the end goal--getting healthy should be. And the former will inevitably follow the latter--healthily.

#1

THANK YOU for making this the most read post--by a long shot! When I see people bemoaning not getting to eat desserts and ice cream and cookies and all kinds of yumminess when they consider going gluten-free or sugar-free or dairy-free or Paleo or just healthy period, it makes me feel all kinds of sad, frustrated, and helpless. Because that's nothing but a popular misconception and totally incorrect!

I currently don't eat gluten, dairy, corn, soy, refined sugar, or nightshades, and I have been sticking to that for about a year now. Yesterday (I slept through breakfast) I had a homemade McGriddle (made with pork bacon this time! More on that Wednesday :), later some grapes, then for dinner this amazing chicken salad. I also had ice cream covered in these chocolate chip cookies and melted chocolate for dessert. And I had pizza yesterday... Do I sound deprived? And I'm not overweight or starving myself. I'm eating far healthier than I ever have or even knew I could. If you need more proof that healthy ≠ deprived and that healthy = yummy, you've got to check out any recipe by Brittany Angell (preordering her upcoming book tomorrow!). She is amazing.

~~~

So! Today, I am so grateful to you guys for coming along with me for 100 more posts and for making these posts the most popular out of them all! I've got both a {fun} favor to ask and a big surprise for you on Thursday, so please come back for that! (Of course, like I said, I'll be back to talk about things like ice cream and bacon on Wednesday. ;) Thank you all for caring about little ol' me and my little blog and the things that mean so much to me! <3

{Also linking up with Let It Shine and BeYouTiful Link Party}

 

7 Reasons I'm Not Sure What I'm Doing in Blogland

I'm really not sure what I was expecting to find when I started blogging, and I was certainly not expecting to find this brand new world of tons and tons of people. But over the past several months, I've discovered a few commonalities in many of those who blog. And many of those commonalities are traits, interests, obsessions that I shockingly don't share. I'm not necessarily saying the items below are wrong, I'm just saying they seem to apply to everyone but me!

So because of this, I think it's safe to say I am officially a blogging weirdo, and I'm really not sure what I'm doing here!

1~ Target. We don't have a Target back in WV, so when we moved here to NC, I was excited to try it. Of course I'd been there several times in the past, but not recently, and certainly not to the point that I'm a regular. Seeing everyone and their mother in blogland singing its praises, I was expecting greatness. And now that we've been, Daniel and I agree: we don't really see the big deal. *GASP*

2~ Designer fashion. Okay, I love dressing up and looking nice (which you've probably gathered I don't get to do much), but the determining factor in if I buy a piece of clothing, besides of course its appearance and fit, is its price. I absolutely could not care less about shopping for Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade and even Aeropostale and JCrew, blah, blah, blah. I honestly think even if I had all kinds of money at my disposal to waste spend on designer/trendy clothing and accessories, I still would be living off the clearance racks at Cato and Burkes.

3~ Starbucks. I don't drink coffee. I don't like coffee. Or tea. Of any kind. I don't live at Starbucks and I don't live for the PSL. (But you've already heard that.) I do, however, love the smell of coffee. Does that make it all better?

4~ Fall. Speaking of not liking the PSL, I don't like fall. Like at all. And I've found about 98% of bloggers cannot. freaking. wait to trade in flipflops and tanktops for boots and scarves. Y'all are crazy. (For more on why I almost hate fall, check out this post.)

Fall?

However, I'm starting to wonder if the weather we're having here lately is what you all in NC call fall? Cause holy cow, if it is, I totally see what the fuss is all about! (Except the boots and scarves and pumpkins and all, of course.)

5~ Wine. Beer. Anything. You've probably surmised by now that I don't drink alcohol of any kind. So all this relaxing with wine after work is just bizarre to me. I'm sorry, I relax with filtered water and a bunch of these cookies...

6~ Babies. Though I'm a 20-something newlywed, I don't have any children, and I don't have baby fever either. Now that is weird in these here blog parts.

7~ Pets. Not only do I not have children, I don't even have a pet to overflow your Instagram with. I do, however, really, really want a very certain doggy, who will come someday. But I can't share pictures of my imaginary dog, can I?

So, what on earth am I doing here in blogland?? I'm not quite sure! I'm definitely an oddball. But a few of you are sticking around anyway (at least until this shocking post!), and for you guys who have cared to read my blog and stick around even though I am most definitely a blogging weirdo, I am very grateful. <3

10 Blogging Pet Peeves, aka What Not To Do

In my not-so-long time as a blogger, who is constantly looking at other blogs of course, I've found some reoccurring issues that really get on my nerves. So I'm countin' em down for you--yep, in order. I know 10 seems like a lot. But, I have a lot... And I don't plan to make this kind of venting/complaint post a recurring thing around here, so they're all coming out now!

Now, I'm not saying if you do any of these things, I don't or won't read your blog, cause I still do. ;) But hey, I thought I'd share them anyway! And if you are guilty of any of these, ... sorry! I still love you! ;) (Please still love me, kay?)

10~ Things flashing or changing constantly. || My Instagram feed is about as flashy as I can handle. Flashing text, some kind of feed changing every two seconds--too much, too much! I get visually distracted quite easily and then I can't even focus on what I'm trying to read. Calm, please. Calm.

9~ No Bloglovin' link. || Or a hard-to-find one. You know, down at the bottom somewhere. Bloglovin' is the only way I follow blogs. Is it just me? So if a blog's on there, I want to know. I've had to search for blogs on there many, many times to find they're sure enough on there, just keeping it a secret for some reason. :P

 8~ No home page link. || This may sound weird, but I've seen it. If I've followed a link to a certain post and want to go to the blog's main page, I have to go up to the url and delete all the extra text to get down to the main url. I know typically the header image is a link to home, but this was literally the only way I could find to get there. Weird! Please don't do that to your readers.

7~ No archives. || Or unhelpful ones. Like the kind with only a month with a little number next to it of how many posts were in that month. What if I want to get to a specific post? Or a post from last week? I have to scroll through all the posts for that month just to find it. (Or am I the only one who goes hunting for specific posts? Uh oh.)

6~ Commenters who ask to be followed. || You just don't do that. You just don't. It's in the rules, wherever they are.

Okay, now these are my big ones...

5~ No about page. || When I get on a blog for the first time,  I almost immediately go to the about page. I want to know right away what this person and this blog are all about. (haha) And when I just see one of those automatic blogger profile blurbs over on the side, I get sad. And probably leave. Similarly, when it's not obvious that there is an about page, whether there is one or not. It belongs in the navigation bar, ready to be found within .3 seconds.

4~ Teeny, tiny fonts. || Enough said. Mine is about as small as I'd like to go. There are some blogs--really super popular ones--that have the smallest fonts! Oww on the eyes!

3~ Teeny, tiny pictures. || Okay, I don't have the best eyesight. But this one isn't just me--it's on about every guide to making your blog look better I've read. I want to see--blow them babies up! I think bigger makes even not incredible pictures look better. Especially if it's something you made, a wedding photo, something that's really intended to show us something and not just for decoration. Which is pretty much every picture that will ever be on your blog. I wanna seeee!

2~ Bloggers who never respond. || To anything. Ever. Oh my gosh. I don't know why anyone would do this. But it happens enough that it really bothers me. And it's not just a one time thing. Like, leaving a comment on a post, then another on a post a week later, and another after that. And then I go back to try to check and see if they commented below my comment (you know, if I can find it--see #7), and they haven't. O_O I get it if they have like 20 comments. But when they have a whole lot fewer than that, and I never ever hear from them? Kinda makes me not want to come back... :/ (Which I have done...)

***Fireworks Going Off***

1~ No-reply bloggers. || I promise I'll stop talking about this. When the problem doesn't exist anymore! :P Please double-check if Google still has you under its curse of keeping your email address a secret. Which means I can't reply to your comment by email. Which means you may think I'm #2 above. When really I just can't find you! You can make it all better with the help of this priceless post here.

Okay, those are my 10. Do you agree with any of these? Am I just too picky? 

What would you all add to the list?

P.S. Linking up with Funday Monday, Monday Morning Gossip, Manic Monday here and here, Thinking Out Loud

It's Not All I Am, But It's Still Me

I've talked a lot about Fibromyalgia, etc., this week. And the overabundance of it all may make it seem like all my life is about is health problems. While that's partly true, there is still a whole lot more to me than battling a few dozen dysfunctions, going to the doctor every week, and constantly trying to remember to take the right supplements at the right time.

~ I make jewelry and run my happy Etsy shop, Katya Valera.
~ I am becoming a more and more active member of the blogging world and learning more about it than I ever dreamed existed.
~ I'm pretty addicted to shows like Nashville, Friends, the Bachelorette, and The Voice.
~ I'm also pretty addicted to Instagram.
~ I adore Louisa May Alcott and Lucy Maud Montgomery. Yes, more than Jane Austen...
~ I love writing of all kinds.
~ I love "my kind of" fashion, like hi-lo dresses, maxi skirts, lace, wedges, jewelry, and just about anything coral or gold.
~ I love summer and having the windows open and wearing flip flops and tank tops and being at the beach.
~ I love to laugh and do lots of that thanks to my husband's priceless comedic side.
~ I love rain (as long as I'm not driving in it) and hate snow (which is unfortunate since I live in Four Seasons Country).
~ My favorite foods are pizza, cheese, and chicken, even though I can't eat the first two at this point in time.
~ I dream of owning a yorkie, who has been named for years now. (I miss her and we haven't even met yet.)
~ I only buy clothes and shoes and such if they are under $20. Under $10 is even better.
~ I think if you're going to buy jewelry it might as well be either handmade or vintage. Or dirt cheap on sale if it's from a retail store. ;)
~ And if you're gonna buy something you can buy handmade, you might as well go with that option.
~ I think the mountains of my home state are the most beautiful place in the world. They're in my blood.
~ I'm madly in love with my husband of two years and am both anxious and eager for the new things and places the future holds for us.

My health problems are a very big part of me. But they are not all that I am. There is a balance of what to share and what not to share, as I tried to put into words in this post a while back, and I am compelled to share what I can to both help others and simply be me here on my little blog.

Contrary to how less than human chronic illnesses are wont to make one feel, I am still a twenty-something newlywed who loves chocolate, watching The Voice, and meeting one amazing new friend after another here in Blogland. So just in case, please don't let the former keep you away from getting to know the latter. :) And shoutout to lovely people like Mary, Hayley, Joanna, and Lauren who have already made me feel very welcome to this new world. <3

P.S. Linking up with Thinking Out Loud.

Amazing April: 100th Post!

Well, I somehow missed my one-year blogiversary on March 6. It really didn't feel like it had been a year because my blog got a new look and really got going in January. So Happy Late Blogiversary to us. ;)

But I definitely noticed as my post numbers rose and rose, and here we are now at 100!

For this reason, April has really been amazing, which works out really well with I Am Mrs. K's April blog challenge! You dear readers have responded to posts from this month overall more than ever before (besides a giveaway post in March ;), and I am so grateful!

In honor of April being the best month for Life, KV Style yet, and since there are lots of new readers here who may have missed out on some of these, I wanted to revisit the posts that have been most popular this month:

This post was kind of a whim but pulled straight from the depths of my heart. It was hard to share but something I felt I needed to. And I'm so thankful for the response it got.

This post was also part of Mrs. K's April blog challenge. It was so hard! But I could talk about music all the time ... so you'll be hearing lots more about my favorites on here--maybe even tomorrow. ;)

I was so excited to share this recipe, as it's one I almost totally dreamed up on my own for once. ;) I promise, it's healthy and tasty!

When the fifth anniversary of my great-grandmother's passing came on April 9th, I had to do something special. And the best way for me to do that is to write. This post meant so much to me.

And you all just really liked this one! I think maybe the word "Popcorn" is what did it, and while it doesn't really taste like popcorn, it really is tasty. And goes well with chicken... What doesn't??

So big thanks to you guys for making April pretty amazing here in blogland. It's been pretty hard in reality (skin surgery on Friday, to name just one thing), except I did finish the last stage of the special diet I've been on since November (though I plan to stay on the food part of the diet for a while yet, as opposed to all the supplements), so I really appreciate all of you who have helped make this a happy place.

How has your April been? You can make it even better by winning a Katya Valera necklace over on The Style Worthwhile!

P.S. Linking up with April Blog Challenge, Thinking Out Loud, Wake Up Wednesday, Lovely Thursdays, Little Friday, Be.YOU.Tiful Link Party, and Throwback Thursday

The Balancing Act of Being a Chronically Ill Blogger

In the blogging world, it is pretty well expected for bloggers to be real, at least to an extent. Particularly on blogs in which the writer is honestly trying to gain a following of readers who want to know who they really are. Which is really the goal, I would think, for most of us who have a blog.

It’s easy, to some extent, to just crank out the same generic posts that we feel are expected of us: style posts, food, DIYs, etc. The usual. And all of those are totally fine. But just cranking out what we think is expected doesn’t leave quite as much room for your personality to shine through, when you know there is so much more you need to say. I mean it could, but it’s just not as likely or as endearing to readers.

So the solution to showing the real you is to write about what you really want to write about, what’s really going on in your life—in moderation of course—and simply be real. While it can certainly be a struggle to gauge what is sharing just enough and what is sharing too much for any blogger, that’s a gauge that I’m sure becomes stronger over time.

Bloggers who happen to have a chronic illness, however, meet with an even tougher balancing act.

I want to be real and share what I’m dealing with. No one wants to read a blog about someone whose life is perfect—and I doubt I’m the only one who mentally rolls their eyes a bit when they read an “About” page that totally implies the writer’s life is simply perfect with absolutely no troubles whatsoever. That kind of blog makes me click on the X right away and not come back. But I also realize that those of you who are healthy really probably don’t want to hear what all I would like to say. I really do want you all to want to stick around and not get scared off, but I don’t want to let my invisible illness just remain invisible to you all. I realize that in all these pictures you see of me, I look totally fine (right? ;) so I don’t want appearances to be totally deceiving.

So the struggle becomes: how much do I share and how much do I keep to myself? And the best answer I can think of is: however much I need to share to help you who read this blog. Whether you’re as healthy as can be or far sicker than I am.

I don’t want to complain, and I don’t mean to; I simply want to be honest about my little corner of the world, to let you really see who that girl Kacie is, and not hide what is the most consuming area of my life. To just not write about it would be to have a blog written by someone who doesn’t even really exist. And what’s the point of that?

Yet a further struggle that comes with sharing such things is the danger of alienating myself from those of you who are healthy—which is the majority of you all reading this. Sickness has a definite way of making us feel very less than human, on a daily basis. Yet I do still truly live and breathe just like a human. And I do love pretty clothes and nail polish and curling my hair and going out to eat and listening to music. So even though I’m sick and you may not be, we do still have quite a lot in common. ;)

So when I throw in tidbits about doctor appointments in the middle of a fashion post, just know that I’m just being honest about my life. And when I have a full-fledged post on anything having to do with my health problems, please know that I’m sharing those thoughts not to complain or gain pity, not to scare you off (please don’t go! ;), but to let those of you not familiar with my area of health problems become more educated about life with such things, and to let those of you who do suffer with my or similar health problems (or any at all really) know that I’m here. That there’s another girl across the blogosphere struggling every day just like you, just to live life as a sick person surrounded by healthy people, who knows that the light at the end of the tunnel is some days a nearing beacon and sometimes as dark as the midnight.

All of this to say, I want you all to see the real me, and when you have an invisible illness, it takes more than just pictures to deliver that. So I will do my best to attain and maintain the balance.