Plan. Adventure. Live. – Page 10 of 11 – A blog about planning, traveling, and living this crazy life!

Five of my Favorite things in Fall

September 15, 2017 Leave a Comment

The time of the year I love most is quickly approaching. In rural Tennessee, there are many signs that the season is about to change. The leaves have started to fall and change colors, there is a crisp, coolness to the air every morning, everyone is sporting their favorite football team’s jersey, and the sweet smell of burning tobacco is filling the countryside.

It’s almost Fall, y’all!

My Must Have Fall Products

When this time of year rolls around, there are some things that I just can’t live without.

1. Ochre Malden Filofax

The touch, the smell, and the beautiful color of the leather all scream Fall to me. I will be switching back to it soon, because to me it isn’t really Fall yet if I’m not carrying around my Malden.

2. Boots

A cute pair of lace up boots are essential to every fall wardrobe. They go great with jeans, dresses, and leggings. They are also easy to style for almost any occasion. I’m never a fan of sacrificing comfort for style so I tend to go with shorter heels, but to each their own.

3. Leggings

Obviously if it’s boots season, then it is also leggings season. That’s right ladies! You can put away your shorts and skirts for something a little more comfortable. Whether you are lounging at home or headed for a night out, leggings are a Fall must. You also must have them in multiple colors options, of course!

4. Pumpkin EVERYTHING

Okay, so this is probably a no-brainer, but pumpkins are like Fall’s mascot. Everything from home decor to your morning coffee can be “spiced” with a little pumpkin. The photo above is from my fireplace. I also have smaller pumpkin decorations scattered around the rest of my house. A pumpkin-shaped wax warmer is currently melting a pumpkin-scented block of wax in my living room and let’s not forget the most basic of them all: The Pumpkin Spice Latte. You know you want one.

5. Hot Tea

Given the option I am almost always a coffee drinker. However, there is just something about having a hot cup of tea in the fall, especially a Chai tea. When the temperature outside starts to drop along with the leaves, I switch my afternoon iced coffees for a piping hot, Chai Tea.

So that’s my list. These are the things I start reaching for every Fall. What are some of your must have fall items? Let me know in the comments below!

Much Love,

Adventures

A Day Out in Nashville: Coffee, Goat Yoga, and Soda!

September 12, 2017 Leave a Comment

Hey y’all! Today I am starting a new series that I am super excited about! It’s going to be all about exploring my city: Nashville, Tennessee. My husband and I love to travel and we have gone to several different cities over our short marriage, but there is just something about getting out and finding new and fun things to do in your very own town. Hopefully, by sharing a few of our fun days and nights out, I can encourage you to explore wherever you may be in the world, or even better, maybe it will encourage you to take a trip to Nashville!

I am starting this blog series off by telling you about the plans we had one beautiful August day to celebrate my 29th birthday. They all take place in the magical land of East Nashville.

But first, coffee!

The day started at a trendy little coffee shop, called Bongo East, which is part of the local roasting company Bongo Java. I had a Chai Latte and their PBG Wrap (it’s the delicious combination of peanut butter, banana, and granola all wrapped in a tortilla).

Coffee at Bongo East

Goat Yoga

The next thing on our agenda was a surprise to me. You see, this was my birthday weekend and my husband, Justin, had signed me up for something and I had no clue what it was. I soon found out that my mystery plans were going to take place in the big, open, grassy area next door to Bongo East.

Shenanigoats Yoga

When you hear Goat Yoga, what do you think? Yep. It’s humans doing yoga as goats jump on them and nibble at their hair. No joke. I know I may sound crazy right now, but it was really a lot of fun. Trust me, when I say that I am not very experienced in yoga. YouTube has been my main instructor and I have taken a class at the gym a time or two, but I am very much a beginner.

That doesn’t seem to matter when goats are involved. The class was fairly large and we were spread out in two long rows. It was a mix of different levels of expertise, but when a goat comes to kiss your face (or eat your nose?) even the most experienced yogi will crumble in laughter. I dare you to try holding a plank position while a goat stands on your back and eats a strand of your hair.

More Goat Yoga

The event was held by a company called Shenanigoats Yoga and they have some of the cutest, cuddly goats you have ever seen. They don’t have a website, but you should check out their Facebook page to see more photos.

Yes, that goat is eating my hair.

Soda Shop Stop

After Goat Yoga, we took a short walk around East Nashville and we found ourselves at The Soda Parlor. I was still full from breakfast, but needed something refreshing to drink. This place was well worth the stop! I had the Orange Dream Soda that was listed as “On Tap” and Justin tried the Cream Soda. Both were delicious and really hit the spot. I just wanted to sit and chill for awhile, but the next time I go I will definitely take advantage of their free, vintage arcade games. Pac-Man for the win, y’all!

The Soda Parlor in Nashville, TN

So that sums up our day out in Nashville. We tried two new restaurants and I tried a new activity that was unique and fun.

Baby Goat!

Do you ever explore your own city? Have you found anything exciting that you never knew existed? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time.

Much Love,

Planning

Setting up my Bullet Journal

September 2, 2017 Leave a Comment

Follow my blog with BloglovinApproximately one week ago I was standing in the journal section at Books-A-Million. This is a place that I find myself often. Sure, I come to browse the books, but being the stationery lover that I am, I always gravitate towards the section with shelves upon shelves of beautiful, empty notebooks. However, last week was different. I was on a mission to change up my planning system.

I found what I was looking for. An A5 size, black notebook, with good paper quality and a dot grid format.

My bullet journal and tools of choice.

Making the Switch.

I had already spent quite a bit of time browsing Pinterest and Instagram. Honestly, I have been eyeing bullet journal spreads for over a year now, always contemplating, but never following through. As I have stated previously, I started planning with a personal size Filofax. A little less than a year ago, I added an Erin Condren planner to the mix and for a few months I felt stable. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I started to feel that itch again. If you are a planner girl, you probably know what I’m referring to. It’s that nagging feeling that you need to switch things up. Sometimes that means putting a lot of cash into yet another planner, in this case, it meant simplifying my system and adding my own creativity to it.

The inside front cover of my bullet journal.

The Basics.

The first thing I did was number all of my pages. It was a tedious task, but I felt it was necessary because I was going to be including an index. I went ahead and wrote out a list of what I knew I wanted to include and added it to the index. It will take me weeks to add all of the collections I want, but now they all have a page number assigned so I know where everything will be. After I finished the index and the page numbering, I decided I wanted a “dashboard” of sorts. So I decorated the inside front cover and first page with inspirational stickers from a MAMBI sticker book and wrote out one of my favorite Bible verses.

My September monthly view.

Monthly Spread.

Next, came setting up my monthly view for September. I wanted something simple. I use my monthly spreads as an “at-a-glance” view of what I have going on. Also, I like to list out the things I need to get done before the month is over. Some of those tasks will be added to my weekly and daily spreads as needed.

My first weekly spread in my bullet journal.

Weekly Spread.

Then, it was time to dive into a weekly spread. I used some inspiration from my previous research and just went for it. I have a ton of planner stickers, so I plan to use those as much as possible in my weekly spreads. Also, one of the awesome things about bullet journaling is that just because I chose this layout for this week, that doesn’t mean I have to use it all of the time. Next week I will most likely change it up. That feeling of having complete control over my planner is amazing!

My reading list, bullet journal style.

Collections.

Collections are another reason I am excited to start bullet journaling. I have seen the book shelf layout probably about a million times, so I know it’s not very original, but it was a good place for me to start. Currently, this is the only collection I have, but I will be adding many more over time and I look forward to adding my own style to it.

Decal by MoonAndStarCo on Etsy!

The most recent update I made to my new bullet journal was the decal on the cover. I ordered this from Moon and Star Co on Etsy. Her shipping was fast, and I absolutely LOVE the decals!

So that’s it. This is just the beginning though. I can’t wait to explore bullet journaling more and make more spreads and collections. Let me know in the comments if you have any advice for a newbie bullet journaler.

Much Love!

Living

What’s in my Bag?: Running Errands (The #WIMB series)

March 27, 2017 Leave a Comment

Hello lovely ladies! As you know, last week I started a short blog series based around what I take with me in the different bags I use on a daily basis. The first post can be found here. It was all about my big work tote.

Kate Spade bag that I use for running errands and also for holding my macarons!

This week I will be diving into the slightly smaller bag that I like to take with me on the go. We all have those days where we are out running errands, grocery shopping, meeting up for lunch, and many other various activities. It’s on the these days that I need something large enough to carry what I need, yet small enough to be lightweight and portable.

The Bag I Use.

My on the go purse tends to be either a cross body or a small shoulder bag. These are a few of the different styles I use for when I am out running errands.

Top left: Vera Bradley cross body style bag. Top right: Vera Bradley shoulder bag. Bottom left: Black slouchy, cross body or shoulder strap bag. Bottom right: Kate Spade shoulder bag.

Unlike my work bag, I try to condense my “on-the-go” bag down to a manageable amount of stuff. I start with the very basic essentials and then as I have room I add other items that may be useful or just good to have.

What’s inside?

No matter where you are going you need to have your wallet (with money and I.D.), so that is obviously first. If I am out going to appointments or running errands I know I will need my personal planner at some point to jot down a task or schedule something for the future. These are my two absolute MUST HAVES.

My “on-the-go” personal planner and my Kate Spade card holder/coin purse.

Next up I have a group of useful items to have, that may not be essential, but they could definitely come in handy. That is a small hand sanitizing gel (preferably something that smells good) and a small cosmetic bag with some lip gloss, chap stick, mascara, as well as a few medicines that may be needed.

Clinique cosmetic pouch

A few more items that I may carry with me in my “on-the-go” bag could be:

Phone Charger
Hair Ties/Bobby Pins/Headband
Sunglasses
Hand Lotion
Chewing gum/hard candy
Extra pens

Some other random goodies to go in my errand running bag.

So that’s it! On a typical day of being out and about these are some things you will find be carrying around in my bag.

What do you like to take with you when you are running errands? What do you consider essential? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time lovelies!

Living

What’s in my Work Bag? (The #WIMB Series)

March 20, 2017 Leave a Comment

Hey, Ya’ll! Today I am starting a short blog series based off of the hashtag WIMB or “What’s in my bag?” You will get to see exactly what I carry with me in different situations. I’m going to start off the series by talking about the largest bag I carry: My work bag!

I only work three days every week, but those days are very long. Twelve hours long, to be exact. Once I arrive at work in the morning I am usually there the entire day, from sun up to sun down. That is why my most stuffed bag, is the one I take with me to work.

The Bag I Use.

If I was out on the go a lot during my work day or having to lug my purse/bag around with me I would definitely choose something more lightweight. However, once I get to work I drop my tote off in the break room and it is ready for me to rummage through it when I need to. My go to tote is this gorgeous Isabella Fiore bag that I scored at T.J. Maxx.

Once a week, the night before I start my three back-to-back shifts, I empty out the contents and throw away any trash. Then, I start putting all of my essentials back.

What’s inside?

I like to stay well hydrated at work. After I have my morning coffee, I spend the rest of the day drinking mostly water. That is why I carry a 32 ounce water bottle with me daily. I know if I have filled it up twice and take it home empty, I have hit my goal of 8 glasses of water for the day. Next, I have my little Clinique cosmetic pouch. It’s small, because I have no desire to carry a bunch of makeup to work. It’s also shaped like a cute, little apple. I like to have chapstick, a lip gloss or two, and a few medications like Pepto Bismol tablets and Tylenol with me at all times. You will also see my small wallet that holds my I.D., some loose change, cards, and cash. Oh, and who can forget their iPhone charger? Most days I don’t need it, but you never know when that battery will bottom out!

Planner Supplies, Duh.

Every planner girl knows that you can’t leave home without at least ONE planner. I usually take both of my current planners with me to work. My Erin Condren Life Planner and my personal, on-the-go Filofax. The model changes, but the size never does. Right now I am using a Filofax Domino Soft in Duck Egg for March. (You can look back at my setup of this planner here.)

You can’t have your planners without a few pens, stickers, washi, and other accessories to use if you get the opportunity! That is why I have this super cute planner accessory pouch, by Planner Cuties on Etsy. You can find her shop here. (She doesn’t currently have these cases in stock, but you should still check out her shop.)

The last “category” of items I include are for my other general hobbies. These are things that rarely get used at work, but I always bring them just in case! Some times I like to use my breaks to read my Kindle or get in a little bit of crocheting. If I am having a very slow day at work I may get more opportunities for this.

My Kindle Paperwhite, yarn, and a couple crochet hooks.

There ya have it! That is everything I take with me in my work bag. It may seem like a lot, but there are days that I use almost all of it.

Please check back often or subscribe so that you don’t miss the rest of this series. Next up will be a look into the purse I take to run errands.

As always, thanks for reading!

Planning

My March Planner Setup

March 14, 2017 Leave a Comment

I love Spring! The days start to get a little longer, the flowers start to bloom, and the planner accessories get really bright and colorful! Even though March can still be cold and snowy for most of us, we can at least see the light at the end of the winter tunnel.

As you know, I like to change out my planner every month. I usually keep the same, or at least a very similar system in place, but I like to change out the ring binder that I use and also some accessories. Today I would like to share my March planner setup with you.

The Planner.

I recently purchased this beautiful Filofax Domino Soft in the color Duck Egg. Perfect for March!

The Inside.

I like to start the planner switching process by emptying out all the inserts that came with the new binder. If it’s one that I have previously used, then it should already be empty and ready to go. I gather all of my supplies. Clips, Scrapbook paper, Sticky notes, new inserts, etc. Everything I will need to transform my planner for the new month, season, or holiday.

I like to switch out my planners dividers almost every month also. Sometimes I keep the same basic system and just use different scrapbook paper. However, this month I decided to change things up a bit. I wanted a combination of side and top tab dividers and I also wanted to add some new sections that I didn’t have previously.

The Extras.

I usually finish off my planner switch by changing up my charms. Sometimes that just means adding to or taking away from what I already have. This time I added a cute yellow tassel that I found in the Target Bulls eye Playground.

The final product gives me a refreshing new look, that keeps me using my planner on a daily basis. I don’t get bored with it because I know it will only be a few more weeks before I change it up again.

My March Planner

Keep a look out for my April setup! I have been gathering adorable Easter-themed accessories that I can’t wait to use.

Happy Planning, Ladies!

Crafting

The Joy of Lettering (Review)

February 20, 2017 Leave a Comment

*DISCLAIMER: I was sent a copy of this book at no charge, to read and review it. All opinions are my own.

If you follow me on instagram, then you have probably seen my numerous attempts at hand lettering. I love to incorporate different styles and techniques of lettering into my planner and journal. I would definitely not call myself an expert though. This is something that I really struggle to perfect. That is why I started picking up books and watching YouTube videos that would help to improve this skill.

Last year I purchased a book called Creative Lettering and Beyond, by Gabri Joy Kirkendall. I learned a lot from it and because I enjoyed it so much I decided to do a review on it. After that I was contacted by Gabri and I was so excited to hear she was coming out with a new book. The Joy of Lettering.

I have practiced with this book until my fingers were stiff. I really feel like it has helped my lettering tremendously.

Top: Example lettering from The Joy of Lettering . Bottom: My attempt at practicing the same letters.

Some lettering books are filled with blank pages. I have never understood this. I can use my own paper for practicing. The Joy of Lettering has no practice pages. It is 144 pages full of pure content. Inside those pages you will find everything from simple lettering examples to carving letters into wood!

Some of my favorite things about this book include:

Instructions on designing your own wrapping paper.
Detailed tutorial on taking your hand lettering from paper to digital using a photo editing software.
Examples and techniques used for hand lettering in home design projects

Another gem found in The Joy of Lettering are the examples and instructions on designing flourishes. Bullet Journaling has become a huge trend right now and it is not uncommon to see beautiful banners and spacers decorating the bullet journals of some planner girls on instagram. I spent awhile just focusing on this aspect of the book. Who doesn’t love a pretty banner?

These are my own doodles that I practiced, while reading through the book.

I learned so many new techniques and tips from The Joy of Lettering and I know I will continue to use it in the future. Practice makes perfect and I have a long way to go, but it will be fun to learn more in the meantime!

Examples from The Joy of Lettering About the Authors!

Much Love!

Planning

Finding Your Planning Style (and what to do when it stops working)

September 12, 2016 Leave a Comment

Hey planner babes!

Today I am going to talk a little about my planning style and how you can figure out what works best for you. When I first came to know the wonderful world of planning, I did a lot of research through YouTube and Pinterest. I wanted to know what methods worked best for organizing a ring-bound planner. I heard/read a lot of terms that other planner girls used to describe their planning style. For example: cute, functional, decorated, customized, color-coded, bullet journal, etc. My head was spinning with all of the different possibilities. I decided to take the information I had gained through the great and powerful internet and sit down with my empty planner.

My Personal size, Ocher Malden Filofax.

Where do I start?

When it comes to determining your planning style, the best place to start is from scratch. Do not let any generic inserts or dividers be your starting off point. Now, make a list of what is important for you to have in your planner. Will you be planning by the day, the week, or the month? Maybe it’s all three! That’s okay, too! Do you need to have your planner sectioned off by dividers or would you feel more comfortable using an open and uncategorized format? How do you feel about decorations? Stickers? Washi Tape? Both? Asking yourself these types of questions will help you to start figuring out what style will work best for you.

Personally, I love dividers, but I also don’t need as many sections as some do. My happy place is a personal size planner, with 4 sections: Monthly, Weekly, Goals, Home. I usually make my own dividers using scrapbook paper. If your style is both “cute” and “functional” then the idea of having personalized divider sets probably sounds awesome to you. If you prefer more stickers and washi to actual lists and plans, then you have a more “creative” planning style.

A good way to figure out what suits you best, is by trying it out! Give yourself a trial week. Print off the inserts you have been eyeing online or request some sample pages if its a purchase you aren’t ready to make. Decorate, write out your plans, and just do what comes natural. If you find that you are using it daily and it is accommodating your needs, then congratulations! You found the style that works for you!

My current setup involves a week on one page inserts and a gridded page for lists and habit tracking.

What if it doesn’t last?

So you figured out what you like or at least you thought you had. This is something that I see all of the time in the planner community. Planner burnout. You found the perfect style to suit your needs and it worked wonderfully…for two whole months! Now you find yourself not even using your planner. You can’t even remember the last time you picked it up. Maybe the system that worked for you no longer gets the job done. That is the beautiful thing that I love about ring-bound planners. If something stops working you can dump the whole thing out and start over!

When I get a serious case of planner burnout I don’t just pick and choose sections to remove and “oh maybe I will add this” or “I will take out this last few pages, because I don’t really use those…” No. I start from scratch again. I empty it all out, I write out what is working and what is not working, and I make fresh new dividers. Usually this is the inspiration I need to start using my planner on daily basis again.

In the past my planning style looked like this. However, it is constantly evolving and changing.

At the end of the day, your planner is meant to work for you. It is meant to make your life easier and better. Try not to let any one person’s style greatly influence you. Collect advice and tips from multiple sources and let them guide you towards what style will fit your needs.

Until next time!

Much Love,

Planning

Habit Tracking Tips & Ideas

August 6, 2016 Leave a Comment

I enjoy planning for multiple reasons. I love the feeling and security of having physical, written reminders of what I need to accomplish each day. There is nothing more rewarding than having a completed to do list every evening. In the past I have focused mainly on appointments and tasks. It wasn’t until recently, after discovering bullet journaling, that I wanted to take my planning a step further. Instead of just having a daily “to do list” and my schedule of appointments each week, now I keep up with my daily habits as well. These are things that I really need to do for my mental, physical, and spiritual health. They include, but are not limited too: daily devotional, medications, water consumption, work outs, and calorie monitoring.

What format works best for me?

Daily Page Tracking

When it comes to habit tracking, there are a few different methods you can use. If you use daily inserts that have a large amount of extra space you can track your habits each individual day. If you plan more by the week, but do not have very many habits to track, you can include them on your week-on-one-page or week-on-two-pages inserts. I used to simply include a couple items each day on my weekly inserts as shown below.

This may work for some, but it didn’t last long for me. I was crowding up my daily to do lists, with routine tasks that should really be done every single day anyway. There is nothing wrong with this method, but I personally found that I wasn’t accomplishing anything else that needed to be done because I was so focused on the habits that should be done automatically. Now, I like to save my daily to do list for items that are not necessarily a daily routine, but they need to be accomplished on that specific day. Items such as: home tasks, bills that are due, and business/blog related tasks.

Dedicated Tracking Page by the Month.

I decided to switch my habit tracking to it’s own dedicated page in my planner. I stuck it in under my “Goals” divider, which I thought was fitting since my mini goal is to accomplish these particular habits on a daily basis. Each month got it’s own tracker:

While this method was much better than what I had been using, I still found that I wasn’t accomplishing these habits like I should have been. Not only that, but I would also forget about the tracker completely and sometimes not even document when I had done something on the list.

Dedicated Tracking Page for Week.

This is what has led me to condense down to weekly habit tracking. I still have a designated page and it is still listed under my “Goals” divider. However, now I fill out a new tracker every single week. It’s easy to keep up with, because I just do it at the same time I do my weekly planning. Also, it keeps the tracker fresh on my mind so that I don’t forget to use it daily. I’ve also added more items and I am much better about accomplishing my tasks.

I keep a cute little clip attached to this page, so that I can flip right to it when I’m ready. I am much better about tracking my habits, using this method.

Now, let me know how you track your daily habits! Comment below or send me an e-mail at kimberly.hysler@gmail.com. Also, don’t forget to check out my Instagram for more planner goodness. You can find me @plan.adventure.live.

Later lovelies!

Crafting

Creative Lettering and Beyond (Review)

July 30, 2016 Leave a Comment

This book was on my Amazon wish list for quite some time. I have wanted to improve my hand lettering skills, but did not actually end up purchasing it until I was in a Paper Source store and happened to see it on the shelf. Initially, I flipped through the pages and I was not sure if it would be helpful or not, but it turned out to be the motivation I needed to improve my lettering.

The instructions are very easy to follow and the examples are great. I have spent most of my time with this book just copying exactly what I see. However, recently I have started to branch out and take the skills this book has given me and tried to add my own personality and style to my lettering.

One really awesome thing this book does is instruct you on how to take your own handwriting and transfer it into a digital format so that you can edit it in Photoshop.

There are also thorough descriptions on different writing utensils. There are hand lettering instructions for chalk, marker, pencil, pen, and even paint. You can learn to make a temporary tattoo with your handwriting or create coffee mugs with cute sayings. There is ample space in the book for practice, but I do suggest having a sketch book nearby. That way you can mess up and not feel bad about about having mistakes be forever in your book.

I have been extremely pleased with this purchase! I plan to continue to use this book to increase my creative lettering skills!