Busy Bee + Design Updates

Between kiddos, house chores, and making endless future plans with everything, I can't seem to keep my blogging hat on long enough to form a proper post. This weekend was a great refresher. No big relaxing trip or reflection time, just quality time with my mom and little sister and watching my own two little ones grow their own little sister friendship.

A few hours walking around a local art festival was enough to inspire creativity and enliven passion. All while observing the world through little eyes. A sand pit becomes a castle construction site, a public piano becomes a grand piano on center stage, and climbing an art sculpture translates to conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro (which my mom actually did in real life a few months back).

And now a few fun blogs I've designed over the past couple of weeks. Check out these amazing ladies and their awesome blogs.

Abbey at Everyday Champagne has always let do as I please with her blog. She recently decided to branch off from solely food blogging to blogging more about fashion and beauty, so a subtle redesign was in order.

Laura from Sweet Cheeks Photography has a great eye for photography! She captures incredible moments in time during her everyday shenanigans with her two blonde haired cuties.

Sarah from The Baum Squad is a fellow momma with a hilarious daughter and a deliciously chunky baby boy (seriously, this kid puts my daughters' baby rolls to shame). She, like me, blogs about everyday life except she succeeds in her scheduling and consistency far better than I could ever even attempt.

How to Organize Your Photos

For the past 3 years (since I had my first child), I have been struggling with ways to organize the thousands of photos (yes, really - thousands) that I have stored on my computer. Please tell me that you have this problem too.  I have read countless posts on how to manage your digital photos and they have some great tips, like 'delete outtakes that aren't frame worthy or you know you'll never really use'. It's a fantastic suggestion; however, I can't do it. I can't bring myself to delete the silly outtakes of a kiddo photoshoot gone wrong. I feel like I would be deleting one of my kids… totally irrational, I know. I just can't do it. So, all month, I have been transferring photos to Google Drive. It's my experimental solution to my current photo problem. You see, I have a MacBook Air and it appears that I have exceeded the data storage with all of the photos I have stored on here… I know this thanks to a little reminder message that pops up each time I try to load more pictures into iPhoto from my camera. 

Now, I could go buy an external drive, but then I would have to keep track of that and transfer files again once I found a certain photo. Keep track of things is really not my thing. True story: I lost my wedding rings last week. Don't worry I found them… mysteriously hiding under my 3 year old's bed. The best solution I found was Google Drive. I already use it to store documents and printables, so why not photos + there is an app for your phone too! Now I can access my photos wherever I am. You can also use Microsofts rebranded One Drive for this, but chose Google because I already use it so much. If I ever reach storage capacity with Google, I can always buy more storage. It would kind of stink, but it's worth it in my opinion. With the location of where to store all of my photos decided, I am now trying to figure out how to organize the actual photos. I could organize them by occasion, by subject, by year… what is the best way... Maybe all of them? The great thing about Google Drive and One Drive is that you can have folders within folders (a feature that I had always wished was available in iPhoto). So, currently I am organizing my photos by year / month and then occasion within each folder. Not hating the results so far. How do you organize your massive amounts of photos? Any tips to better photo organization?

I'd like to thank the academy...

That is how this works, right? No? Oh well. It's still fun. I was nominated for a Liebster Award last year by Cranes and Clovers and again last week by It's My Life. I don't remember why I didn't write about it last year, but I'm making up for it now. The Liebster Award is just a fun little way for other bloggers to show a some love to their favorite online reads. To go along with the nomination, I get to answer questions from the bloggers that nominated me and I get to nominate some blogging friends of my own. So here goes... Questions from Cranes and Clovers:
1. Where is your favorite place? Hmmm. I'd have to say the beach. Any beach. I hate extreme temperatures, so winter places are not my thing for extended periods of time. Beaches would fall under the same category, but you can always jump in the water to cool off. :) 2. Who do you most admire? My grandfather. He was such an amazing man. He strived for greatness even when his own family told him he didn't really need a college education and he would do absolutely anything for his family. 3. Why did you start blogging? I started blogging to share my honeymoon experience in Korea with family and friends in the US, then continued because… well, I don't know - I just kind of kept writing. 4. What's your idea of a relaxing day? Having absolutely nothing to do. at. all. Waking up at 11, sipping coffee in peace (while it's still warm), and ending the day with a glass of wine by an outdoor fireplace… which I would need to build during the day because we currently only have an indoor fireplace. 5. What inspires you? Witnessing my children's experiences. I've seen rain fall a thousand times, but seeing how my 3 year old views rain just slows things down and inspires me to live life to it's fullest everyday. 6. What's the first thing you do in the morning? Grab the baby from her crib and schlep downstairs for my morning cup of coffee. 7. What's your favorite song? I'm really loving 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams lately. 8. What can't you live without? My iPhone! Most days it acts as my camera, weatherman, nurse, map, secretary… essentially, I would be lost without it - literally. 9. What is your favorite childhood memory? Spending days on the beach during the summer with my sisters. 10. Are you an early bird or night owl? Both. Is that possible? I am definitely a night owl, but I love waking up early and getting things checked off my to do list before the kids wake up. 11. What's the name of the last book you read? 'Pete the Cat'… does that count?

Questions from It's My Life:
1. What's your favorite candy? Anything with chocolate! 2. Do you have a guilty pleasure? please share! Dexter! I'm currently watching the last season and I almost don't want to continue because I know it will all be over and I'll have to find a new show to binge watch. 3. What's your dream job? Not sure of the title of my dream job yet. I want to be able to work from home, do something creative and artsy, and communicate with people daily. Oh, and get paid for doing all of that. 4. What was your least favorite vacation ever? I don't really remember a least favorite vacation. You make the most of what you've got, so I tend to try to have fun with whatever happens on vacation. 5. What's one thing you hope to accomplish this year? Finally figure out what I want to do with my life.
So, now I'm supposed to tag 5 blogs that I love as nominees, but I'm lazy and I don't want to make anybody feel like they have to answer my nomination chain letter style. If anybody wants to participate though, here are my questions to you: 1. What's one of the scariest things you've ever done? 2. Cooking or Baking? 3. Have you ever wrecked your car? 4. If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? 5. What does your last text message from someone else say? 6. What is your strangest talent? 7. Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? 8. East Coast or West Coast? 9. Do you have a collection of anything? 10. What's the weather like right now? 11. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Just a little bit of Spring

Craving the spring, I'm trying to throw good vibes into the universe and a little color on your screen. Enjoy your Saturday and let's all hope for warmer weather soon!

Free iPhone Wallpaper

He's a Keeper, For Sure

My husband can be sneaky sometimes. Normally, he gives away all of his secrets because he's just so excited. Then there are times like this where I suspect nothing and he surprises me out of the blue.
The mailman happened to be abnormally late on Tuesday, so he was home when I went to retrieve our mail. Funny thing happened - there was a package for my husband, but I glanced down to see it was from Fifth & Mae.

Now, Why would my husband be ordering something from a jewelry store? How did he even know about Fifth & Mae? Turns out he was snoop'n around on my blog. Remember when I wrote about my little wish list here. Yeah, he read it too. He ended up purchasing everything on my wish list (except the ring because it's sold out).
Not a belated Christmas gift. Not an early Valentine's Day gift. Just because. Getting all mushy mushy and sweet. :-)
I guess I'll keep him. 

Think Outside the Box | Friday Freebie

Computer | iPhone 4 | iPhone 5

Just stopping by to offer up a little FREE wallpaper for your digital spaces. "Think Outside the Box" Just click on the links below the graphic to get yours + have a fantastic Friday!

Blog Design Inspiration

Christmas is long gone, but things are still rather Christmasy around here. I think it's about time my blog is due for another design overhaul. New year, new design. Sounds about right.
I have about a million images running through my head and no idea how to incorporate everything I love into one cohesive blog design. Things would be a lot easier if I had gotten that design tablet I had on my Christmas list. (sigh) some day.
And don't think that I forgot about you blog design winners! I am far too embarrassed that it has taken me this long to get my act together. You all will be getting an email from me shortly and nothing on my blog will get redesigned until you have a new design first. No need to worry. Your blogs + blog designs are very much still on my mind. They will be completed this weekend (hopefully). Thank you for your patience and I hope you're still on board. 
I digress. Here are a few of the many images that I have managed to get down on paper the screen(?). Please let me know if you have any clue how to incorporate this mess into one design.

1. Glitter + Metallics. Do I really need to justify a love of all things shiny?
2. Real Flowers. Maybe it's because we're in the dead of winter, but I am craving fresh flowers lately. I'd have a house full of them if I had all the money in the world or I could keep plants alive.
3. Watercolor. Love. This one has been on my mind for 6 months, at least. I'm just having a hard time thinking of how to tie it into a blog design and still keeping the design fresh.
4. Mason Jars. Seriously. I don't think I could call myself southern if I didn't have an unhealthy obsession with mason jars. They will be in my design… somehow.
5. Ostrich Sans Inline. I've seen this font (or similar) everywhere lately. Get if FREE here.
6. This Fabric. I bought this fabric for my oldest daughter's crib skirt before she was born. I am still obsessed with it. If you love it as much as I do, you can find it here (P. Kaufmann - Hip Dove).
7. Geometric Prints. Anything with a geometric print is welcome around these parts. Particularly loving triangle at the moment.
8. Color. I took this picture with my iPhone of the inside of my 2 year old's homemade kaleidoscope. All of those different colors just make my heart happy. I think I need more of those happy colors in my blog life.
9. Bombshell Pro. I know this font has made it's way around blogland, but I still love it. I can only dream of handwriting that pretty.
10. Chalkboard + Striped Drop Shadows. Are chalkboards still in? or is that something we need to leave in 2013? Not sure about this one, but I would love a striped drop shadow font. 

So, there it is. Some day soon, that mess of an inspiration board will be translated into a pretty new blog design for Kimchi & Sweet Tea. Any thoughts on the direction I should run towards would be forever appreciated.

Fixing your Blogger Search Box

If you have the Blogger search box widget, then you've probably got a few issues with it. As in, it's not working. at. all. I had no clue that my own search box wasn't working until I received an email earlier today from my cousin, Abbey.
I have worked a few designs into her blog in the past (she's a food blogger over at Everyday Champagne), and she emailed me recently that her search box on her blog was not working at all. I tried a few different things and found the same results every time. Nothing worked.
My own blog search box didn't seem to be working either. Bummer. After doing a little research, I found that forums were filled with Blogger users complaints that this had been occurring for months. Yet, the problem had still not been fixed. A little more digging and I found a solution.
You can quickly fix this problem, as follows.
How to Create a Working Blogger Search Box

1. Go to your Blog Layout page and click 'Add a Gadget' on your sidebar (or wherever you want your search box located).

2. Choose 'HTML/JavaScript' in the pop-up window. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.

3. Copy & Paste in the following code into the 'HTML/JavaScript' pop-up window:

<form action="http://YOURBLOGHERE.blogspot.com/search" name="input" method="get"> <input value=" " name="q" size="45" type="text"/> <input value="Go!" type="submit"/> </form>
Be sure to enter your own blog address where you see the highlighted address and you can adjust the width of the text box by changing the highlighted number.
4. Just save your work and You're done! Now that wasn't too hard was it?

Let me know if you run into any issues and I'll see if I can help you out.
Happy Blogging!

Turns out I do have a New Year's Resolution

So, I have now read hundreds of beautiful words written by some of my favorite blogging ladies on new year's resolutions. You know, those same resolutions that I cursed and sent into oblivion yesterday…
No, I'm not backtracking and listing out my inevitably unattainable goals for the year, but I was so encouraged and refreshed by reading the goals + resolutions other's had set for themselves that I had to conjure up just one little goal for myself. Just one simple and reasonably attainable thing that I hope to accomplish before the end of the year: BE MORE AWESOME!

I have high hopes that I'll finally conquer the dreaded new year's resolution when the calendar is tossed at the end of 2014.
I couldn't leave this post without mentioning that Manhattan Emily inspired me to make the graphic above. Check out her blog. You can't read her words without getting caught up in her positivity.

Top Ten Posts of 2013

Well, hello there 2014. 
Before I dive right into the new year, I figure I should look back on the most visited posts of 2013. This past year has been a big step into the blogging pool for me and I responded by jumping off the high dive and then quickly clinging on to the side of the pool. 
Blogging can be a funny thing. Especially when you catalog your life for years on your blog and then suddenly realize that hundreds of people out there are reading what you type. Yes, blogging can be a funny, crazy thing.
Embracing change does not come easily to me, but I was excited to see my blog grow and discover a wonderful community of blogging ladies in 2013 and I look forward to writing many more posts in the new year.

Top Post 1-10 from Left to Right

1. Nursery Ideas 2. FREE Printables 3. Guest Post 4. Life Without Cable 5. A Korean 1st Birthday

6. Summer Bucket List 7. Green Smoothies 8. Fan Friday 9. DIY Cardboard House 10. Clean Eating

To that I say, Bring On 2014!

Fresh Face Friday

In an effort to get unstuck, I'm shaking up my make up routine. I'm not one that makes a fuss over makeup, especially since having kids. Honestly, I usually stick to make up that I've used since high school. No, I don't have 10+ year old makeup - I just use the same brand / type of foundation that I've used for years whether it still works for me or not.
That's why I was thrilled to receive Rimmel London's Stay Matte foundation for review. I have never tried any of their products + I am eager to find a foundation that actually works for my skin and lifestyle, so this was a fun surprise.

I am not going to pretend to be a beauty blogger here. My review is pretty straight forward. I loved the coverage and it was really comfortable to wear 12+ hours… let me tell you a little secret- sometimes I am so tired at night that I don't wash my makeup off before going to bed. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone. 

There may have been a few days where I knew I wasn't going to see anybody all day, so I left on yesterday's makeup. Don't we all have those days though?

My favorite bonus to this makeup was that a little dab of the foundation covered my entire face AND there was really no need to add concealer because the foundation covered so well. This just might be my new foundation.

What are you doing to shake up your makeup routine?

This post was brought to you by Rimmel London #StayMatte. All opinions are 100% my own.

Just Another Birthday + A Giveaway

It's my birthday! Woot! Woot! 

I turn the big 3-0 today, but my little ones aren't giving me the day off. I'm enjoying a nice spa day by myself in my head. In reality, I'm trying to keep a toddler from stealing the baby's toys while wearing a mud mask. Don't judge… I'm multitasking + it's Halloween week, so it's perfectly acceptable to walk around in the middle of the day wearing a green mask. Don't worry. I have no plans to actually leave my house today. Maybe I'll go crazy later and let the toddler paint my nails while the baby pulls all my hair out does my hair.
To celebrate 30, I'm having a little giveaway! 3 lucky bloggers will win a new blog design. 
I've been designing for friends and family for a while and I absolutely love it. It seems like the trendy thing to do right now in blogland is to go into the graphic design business, but I have no plans to start charging people money for design services anytime soon. Instead, I'll be having these little giveaways every once in a while. 
So, help me celebrate my 30th by letting me take over you blog design. :) Also, stay tuned - big things are planned for November! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Decorating for the Holiday Season

The weather has been dreary all week with rain and now cooler temperatures, so I feel like winter is well on it's way. It sort of feels like we skipped right over fall, but that's probably me just being dramatic. To go along with the chilly weather, I got the itch to do a little decorating around the blog.  

It's still a work in progress and I'm not in love with certain little parts (like the social media buttons), so don't get too use to this look.  Suddenly today, I got this burst of energy to create and redesign.  First, it was my living room. You know, completely normal redesigning… like trying to arrange the furniture to accommodate a nonexistent Christmas tree, in October. 

I love the holidays, but I am not one to rush through fall to get to Christmas. I normally cringe when I see Christmas commercials come on so early or hear 'Jingle Bells' anytime before December. However, this year feels different. I'm ready to skip fall and dive right into winter. 

As I'm typing this, I realize that my desire to skip fall this year might be my subconscious wanting to ignore my fall birthday (the big 3-0). Whatever the reason, I'm ready. Ready for the snow (even if it's only a dusting) + ready for boots + ready for scarfs and lots of layers + ready to celebrate lots of winter holidays with our family of 4.
Are you ready for winter already?

Snail Mail Collective | July 2013

For the past month I've been getting to know a new blogger from across the country - all as part of an amazing little thing called The Snail Mail Collective put together by two of my favorite bloggers, Melyssa + Chelsea. Basically, you are paired up with a blogger and get to know them over the month before sending off a little snail mail package. Oh, and there is a $5 limit of the gifts you choose to send to keep things in everyone's budget. Plus, I think the $ limit really pushes you to get creative with your purchases. There is also a theme each month to help you decide what to send. July's theme was 'Where you're from'. 

I was paired up with Rachel who blogs over at Tossing the Script. I don't know whether she would agree or not, but I've decided that we are just alike and totally different. Let me explain. We are the same age + have similar interest and somewhat similar personalities, but we are on totally different paths in life. Through this tough season of mommyhood, reading her blog has made me think of what life would be like if I had chosen a different path. Not in a bad I-hate-my-life way, just a little curiosity of what my thirties would look like if I weren't married with kids. I'd like to think that my life would look a lot like Rachel's - exploring my city and enjoying the little things with good friends. I guess I'm doing that now, but it's completely different when you have a husband and little ones to think about too. 
You should read all of Rachel's posts, but read this one if you only have time for one post. And can you believe that she has only been blogging for 3 months?! Go show her some love. I know I'll be back each week to catch up on her blogging shenanigans. 

Yummy Moonstruck Chocolate! I just maybe devoured my chocolate bar before snapping a picture, so this is from their website. . . along with some other deliciousness that I may have to order. 

Back to The Snail Mail Collective. Her package came at the perfect time, in the middle of a rough week in mommyhood. I already knew (through our emails) that chocolate was on it's way! The chocolate arrived melted - which didn't bother me in the least. I would have licked that paper clean in my moment of mommyhood weakness, but I had a nosey toddler eyeing my treat. I quickly tucked the chocolate bar away in the freezer and started counting down the minutes until it was time to get the kiddos ready for bed. 

Unfortunately, this meant that I reluctantly had to share my treat with the husband after Ellington was asleep. It was probably for the best. That incredibly delicious chocolate bar was well worth the calories!   Added bonus - Ellington loves the postcard that Rachel sent along with the chocolate. She walks around the house 'reading' it in her toddler talk - entertaining and adorable. 
Read all about Rachel's take on The Snail Mail Collective here. 
If you are a blogger (or just a blog reader - no need to have a blog), I highly encourage you to go sign up for The Snail Mail Collective in August! It's a great way to challenge your creativity + meet new blogging friends + receive some fun snail mail. Just do it! You're welcome.