…and Blue Sky

Happy Friday, everyone! This is going up so much later in the day than usual! I don’t know about you guys, but the time change has thrown me off all week. It’s been dark for so long; Is it midnight? Nope, just 6 pm! I submitted my invoice to my main writing client a little before 5 pm and then totally crashed for a much-needed multi-hour nap. Beats last Friday when things were too hectic to get a post up at all, I guess!

Here’s what I’m digging lately – a couple were supposed to be on last week’s list (oops), but c’est la vie.

 

1. Apparently its not a Friday Favs up in here without Target birds lately, so I might as well confess right up front that I picked up this little ornament guy ON HALLOWEEN. I am totally a “Can’t they at least wait til mid-November??” person, but I was afraid that if I didn’t grab one then they’d be gone, and I’ve missed out on a few super cute ones in the past thinking I’d just wait a couple of weeks.

 

The wintery birds didn’t really speak to me, btw.  Cute, but not must-have.

 

2. I’ve ridden horses pretty much my entire life, but I’ve hardly ever ridden English. I decided to try a new challenge (and make my poor leg muscles weep for mercy) and started taking Hunter/Jumper lessons! (No hunting involved, it’s just the style of jumping that focuses more on style, vs. show jumping which is about speed). I had my first lesson last week, and it went a little better than I expected. We mostly just worked on me getting used to the different saddle with balance exercises, and started building my leg strength holding jump position at a trot.

The horse I’m riding is SO TALL. If horse measurements mean anything to you, he’s 17.3 hh. If not, that means that his shoulder is level with the top of my head, and I’m 5’11. I think he’s the tallest horse I’ve ever ridden, unless I’m having some weird lapse in memory. I didn’t realize HOW big he is until I was dismounting and it took forever for my feet to reach the ground again. I forgot to ask my new trainer for a photo while I was riding, but I’ll get one next week!

I can only afford to do lessons every other week right now, so progress is probably going to be slow, but it’s fun to look forward to!

 

3. As you probably know, Chewy.com sends the cats two fun new things to try every month. (#ChewyInfluencer for the win!) I’m behind on sharing what they’ve been trying out – they got these awesome wet food trays by Nutro Wild Frontier the beginning of October!

 

I love these little split tray designs for those times when, for instance, Tennyson refuses to eat the food everyone else is digging into, or Bear is off doing bear stuff in the woods and is late for dinner, meaning I only need a meal for one instead of a big can. (Although TBH Ten will happily eat both sides of one of these tray in one go. How is he still so small?)

The package we got had six of the chicken flavor and six turkey & duck flavor, but it’s also available in a Chicken & Beef/Salmon and Trout package.

4. One Tribe Apparel sent me a really cute kimono several months ago, but with how crazy everything has been, I haven’t had a chance to take any good outfit photos to share it with you guys yet! (One major down side of solo travels – your selfies don’t capture much of your OOTD! You can see part of the kimono here, though!)

 

Unlike my other kimonos, this one is quite a bit longer, coming down to a few inches above my knees, which means it’d probably be at least knee-length on someone of average height. It was perfect for transitioning from summer to fall since it’s super light weight, and the pattern features enough colors that you can throw it on with almost any color of top and be good to go.

 

The color is listed on the website as red and black, but it’s really much more of a deep pink than red.

 

Image via One Tribe’s website. Love that it also comes in a gorgeous blue!

 

5. I’ve been taking breaks from writing to do some major house cleaning/decluttering, and I came across a couple of boxes of photos the other day. Behold, a cat lady in training:

 

Happy Friday, friends!

Since last week was busy to the point that I didn’t have time for a normal work day until Friday, I’ve mostly spent this week trying to make up for it so that I can do fancy things like “afford electricity” and “not starve”. Mommas, don’t let your babies grow up to be freelance writers.

Next week is already getting filled up with interesting plans, so hopefully I’ll have fun stories to share in next Friday’s post! But that’s a whole week away, so let’s discuss what I’m into this week. No time like the present! (No day but today?)

 

1. Do you ever find yourself really into a song by an artist you don’t usually enjoy? I generally don’t like Taylor Swift (although her badassness during her recent sexual harassment case deserves applause), but I have been obsessed with this mash-up of Enchanted and Wildest Dreams for over two weeks now. I’m basically questioning my entire identity and going through an existential crisis as a result of somehow now being a person who listens to a TSwift song on repeat. WHO AM I? WHAT HAVE I BECOME?

 

2. Since we’ve been discussing Target birds ad nauseam lately, I had to share.. I FOUND A FALL BIRD AT WALMART.  He looks… displeased to be there. On the plus side, I think he was like $3.88 vs the $5 Target ones. Still, he looks like he’d cut you if you don’t heed to his wishes.

Why can’t I be at Target with all of the other decorative birds?

 

3. Best tweet I saw this week:

I made a typo googling why Orthodox Monks have beards and found something much more pertinent and important. pic.twitter.com/jmm4hrA5oy

— Another Scary Ghost (@stavvers) October 23, 2017

 

4. I finished all of the suite descriptions that I needed to hit my goal this week a solid TWO HOURS before the invoice was due. That deserves celebration given my usual last minute nature.

 

5. In honor of Halloween, here’s a roundup of amusing grave markers. Mine would obviously be #22:

 

In case you missed it, I posted about the National Crafts & Cowboy Festival at Silver Dollar City earlier this week!

Hope it’s still decently warm where you are! The temperatures had the audacity to get down in the 40s today, but thankfully next week is back to a more acceptable “cool but not miserable” range.

 

 

October is kind of the best, am I right? The crazy summer heat is gone, but it’s not yet chilly. Pumpkin spice everything is everywhere. And there’s Halloween stuff out the wazoo. Best month ever? It’s possible.

My plans are packed with all kinds of Autumnal stuff over the next few weeks – going to Silver Dollar City’s National Crafts & Cowboy Festival next week, fitting in as much hiking as possible before it gets cold, and then heading back down to Eureka Springs sometime the week after to catch a couple of events, including (hopefully, if I can make it work with my schedule!) stories of past residents told in the cemetery. 👻

Here’s what I’ve been into this week!

1. This collection of images of protesters getting trolled is delightful.

 

 

2. I stumbled across the airBOSS Closet Odor Eliminator in the closet organization aisle at Walmart, and I’m a huge fan. Pretty much any kind of air freshener makes me sneeze, but this is charcoal-based and has ZERO smell at all. I’ve been keeping one next to the litter box, and it does a great job of soaking up odors. Walmart’s website has it for under $5, but I feel like it’s actually even lower than that at my local store – like maybe $4? I opened it over a month ago and it’s only about half gone (it kinda deteriorates over time).

 

3. WEN sent me some of their summer line of hair care products way back in the summer, but since I’ve been behind on life in general for actual months, I’ve just recently had the chance to really check them out. My absolute fav is this Cucumber Aloe Replenishing Treatment Mist spray. You can spritz it on wet or dry hair for extra moisture, and it definitely makes my hair feel softer. You guys know I can be sensitive to fragrances – it’s really hit or miss if something is going to be fine or make me sneeze all day – but luckily this one has a pretty light scent so I’ve been able to use it without problems. YAY! (I just discovered when going to their website to grab the link that they sell a fragrance-free version of their original conditioning cleanser. I need to check that out! Any beauty product company that offers a fragrance free option is automatically my new BFF.)

They have some awesome sounding Fall scents now like Vanilla White Pumpkin, Tuscan Pear, and Apple Spice that I really want to try out in hopes that I have as good of luck with those ass I did with the spray, and I’m working on a giveaway so that you guys can try some products, too!

 

4. As usual, Chewy.com has been spoiling my cats rotten with food and extra fun clubhouses:

Nothing good ever comes from this look.

 

My little kitty crew is not that picky (except Tennyson, who has declared himself entirely too delicate for dry food. Or most pate. Or anything turkey flavored. Or…) but this week’s Chewy Influencer review item was a serious crowd favorite.

 

First, I’m always a fan of food that comes in little pouches because they at least feel like less waste than big containers (My recycling bags fill up SO FAST.) and it’s easy to squeeze all of the food out. These Wellness Core Simply Shreds are meant to be used as a sort of “side dish”. You can use it to top dry food or serve it as a treat.

Tiny Miss Luna chowing down on the @wellnesspetfood Core Simply Shreds that @chewy sent us to try out. All of the meows have been losing their minds over these little pouches of fishy goodness! #chewyinfluencer #catlady #wellnesscatfood #kitten #kittensofinstagram #greykitty

A post shared by And Blue Sky (@straightontillmorningblog) on Sep 5, 2017 at 4:27pm PDT

 

One thing I love about this food: it has a lot of liquid and a pretty strong fish smell, which makes it ideal to have on hand if your cat comes down with the sniffles or generally isn’t feeling great. Usually when cats are congested they don’t want to eat, so stronger smelling food can tempt their palate, and I’ve always found liquidy food seems to be more appealing if they don’t feel like eating, too.

My other favorite thing about these is that there are literally four ingredients: Chicken, mackerel, fish broth, and water. No crazy multi-syllabic ingredients you can’t pronounce. Just protein-rich goodness.

Pro tip: Don’t leave the empty pouch sitting around while you get distracted by something else. Your fluffy friends will steal it and make it their life mission to tear it apart to reach any last drops that might be hiding inside.

 

5. You are more than welcome to judge me, but I have really been enjoying these lately:

I’ve bought the big jugs (dirty!) in past years but they never tasted quite right.  The new single serve ones that came out this year are pretty acceptable, though. They’re not as delightful as a freshly-made PSL, but they’re also $2, so…

 

As often happens, I’m finishing up today’s post from the library when I’m supposed to be working. (Good thing my boss is me.) Also as usual, I’m feeling totally overwhelmed with all of the things I need to get done ASAP. I took last weekend off and wow was that a terrible idea. The break was fantastic but the “Ahhhh, I’m so behind!” feeling that followed it all week doesn’t feel worth it. I think this might be a marathon “Accomplish ALL the things!” weekend so that I can actually enjoy the fun stuff that I have lined up for the coming weeks.

That said, it occurred to me while writing this that I should totally do a post sharing the good, bad, and super weird hotels I’ve come across since I’ve been writing for a suite booking website. Is that a thing you guys would be interested in reading? (I wrote about a gorgeous hotel set in a Victorian country home yesterday… that offers its event rooms funeral services. WHYYYY?)

Go forth and have a fantastic weekend!

ICYMI: Here are two new posts about recent adventures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. I binge watched most of the first two seasons of Road Rules this week. I don’t think I’ve seen them since they originally aired when I was in high school, but I remembered them surprisingly well! (Kat + Mark 4-ever)

 

2. Target is killin’ me right now, y’all. I need ALL THE THINGS.

This weekender bag was one of the first things I spotted on my most recent trip.

Most of my trips are just a couple of nights, so this would be perfect for when  don’t want to deal with a whole suitcase. (The floral print is way prettier in person, btw!) It’s $35, so I might have to wait for a sale, because the ol’ budget is pretty tight right now. (Had to buy 2 new tires, get my car inspected, and renew my license plates this month. Byeeee, money!)

Also: this dress

 

Also also, the little birds they put out for holidays and seasons are my favorite things, and the newest one are so cute!

 

I need them all!

3. While we’re just freefalling down the conscious consumerism rabbit hole, I also bought these amazing cat-themed Halloween magnets for $1 at Dollar Tree. On brand AND on budget! (And yes, it was impossible to get a pic of the package without Tennyson “helping”.

 

A somewhat better pic of a few of the best ones:

One dollar well spent, if you ask me.

 

4. Speaking of cats, I have to confess that when picking out kitty food from Chewy.com each month since we’re part of their Influence program, I always lean towards salmon flavors because I will never, ever get tired of making jokes to Bear about how he should be out catching salmon from a stream. He’s 5 now… I should be past finding it so funny, but nope. Any chance for Bear to eat salmon, I’m on it.

 

This month, Bear got to be my model for the Halo Grain-Free Spot’s Pate cat food in, you guessed it, the salmon recipe. Its main ingredient is sustainably-caught wild salmon, which is probably the closest Bear can come to doing it himself.

It’s also fortified with vitamins and minerals and all sorts of other ingredients to maintain a healthy Bear, and is thankfully made with ingredients that contain no hormones or antibiotics because holy cow, have you seen how big he already is? I do not need him going through some kind of weird hormone-educed growth spurt and becoming indistinguishable from a panther.  It’s already a fine line.

(Sorry about the not great pic of Bear! Another case of “my phone ate the good pics”.

 

5.  This is another Target item, but it deserves its own number:

I have two black cats, so I’m pretty sure this is how they see me anyway. Possibly even better than my pic is the one on Target’s site…

 

Magnificent.

This is city-wide yard sale weekend in my town, so that my plan for tomorrow. Happy weekend, y’all!

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday! I’m finishing this post up at 3:30 a.m. in hopes of escaping for another day trip later this morning! (What’s sleep??)

 

1. I mentioned in my last Friday Favs post that I ordered some awesome stuff from Etsy. BEHOLD MY TREAURES!

These treasures from #etsy are easily the best $10 I’ve spent in years.

A post shared by Crystal Ward (@crystalward11) on Aug 28, 2017 at 2:55pm PDT

2. Recently picked up this verde enchilada sauce at Target and have made enchiladas an embarrassing number of times since then because it’s so good. I tried one of the red ones, too, which was good but less remarkable. (Not sponsored, just delicious.)

 

3. Y’all know I’m still an Orlandoan at heart, so I’m definitely concerned that Hurricane Irma is headed towards The City Beautiful.

As usual, though, Twitter makes everything better:

 

Governor: Escape this hurricane and evacuate Florida immediately

Publix: we made cakes pic.twitter.com/JimEqxEpDu

— ThingsFloridiansLike (@Things4FLppl) September 7, 2017

…and my own addition:

 

Dear Irma,
We offer you a sacrifice called Mar-a-Lago. Go nuts. #karma

— Crystal Ward (@Crystal11) September 8, 2017

 

4. I totally missed doing a Friday Favs post last week because I took a semi-spontaneous drive down to Eureka Springs again. I’ve been working SO MUCH lately; I just really needed a day to go walk around a cool town. I ended up doing a short trail that connects the Crescent Hotel (which I wrote about here when I did their ghost tour!) with Harmon Park (The trail getting there was short but nice, but I was an idiot and decided to just walk along the street to get back to the hotel – WORST IDEA. It was basically straight uphill for half a mile and I was pretty sure I was about to become the Crescent’s next ghost by the end.) and part of one of the trails at Lake Leatherwood.

 

A post shared by Crystal Ward (@crystalward11) on Sep 2, 2017 at 10:11pm PDT

Plus the amazing butter flavored olive oil I picked up at the Fresh Harvest Tasting Room, which I toured on my last trip but was too poor to buy anything from at the time. Despite being super butter flavored, it’s actually vegan, which is pretty rad. I just got the little bottle that comes with a popcorn gift set, but I really should have bought the full-size bottle because I’ve already used A LOT.

 

5. Science just keeps getting cooler:

 

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! If I can manage a quick getaway today, I’ll probably be working all weekend with breaks to finish my Show Us Your Books link-up post for next Tuesday.  Yay, books!