Favorite Things, Life, Pets, Photography, What I Kept

what i kept – april 2025

Kari

i began writing this monthly post unintentionally in may 2022, motivated by an unexpected and deeply personal loss. your engagement with these posts means so much to me. i wasn’t sure i would continue after that summer, but now, it has become a cherished part of my monthly routine.

thank you for reading along each month.

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@kennathemom

Our children truly feel more than we know. I thank God everyday for my girl. The comfort she brings is indescribable. #realisticmomlife #grief #toddlermom #toddler #toddlersoftiktok

♬ Stuff We Did (from ‘Up’) – Piano Version – your movie soundtrack
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mom and me 🌈💜
at a yoga studio
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the backstory of the song is at the end of this post
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three generations at our favorite spot in door county, wis. — al johnson’s, 1992
my brother and me at the same restaurant in door county, two years later — 1994. and yes, those are goats on the roof.
i asked ai where my dad is. this was part of its answer.
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made me laugh
there is a lot to unpack here. but most importantly, i’ve always loved cake.
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i found this card and it made me smile—so i bought it. i might even frame it.
the sky on my birthday

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40 thoughts on “what i kept – april 2025”

  1. The up close photo of the doggy face is wonderful. What a cutie.

    I agree with the quotes that you cannot understand everything and that even if two people look at the same thing they will see different things. And doesn’t writing a personal blog teach you that lesson right quick?

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    1. That picture is my most favorite I’ve taken of him—so cute.

      Yes, it does, Ally! It’s also teaching me not to take things personally… like that other quote said. Because we aren’t all looking at the same thing, even if it is the same thing. Which can be very scary. 🤣

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  2. Kari, I freaking LOVE the Rumi quote – “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – because I found that to be so true! In 2001, the year I moved back to Philadelphia, my life fell completely apart. And it went on for over two years. But I learned something very valuable – although my life seemed as though it was falling apart, it was actually falling TOGETHER. It was by far, the scariest and most challenging time in my life. But I also look back and see it as the richest time of my life.

    OMG, that guinea pig with your mom is such an adorable photo!

    Loved reading all about Taurus. Did you know that Taurus (you) and Libra (me) are the only two signs of the zodiac ruled by Venus? And Venus is closely connected to – love, beauty, style, harmony, and relationships.

    That three generations pic is stellar! I love old family photos!

    Thanks for sharing what you saved, my friend. Very much enjoyed! Have a great week!

    X

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    1. You are so inspiring. Going through something like that changes people—and not always for the better. Hearing this makes me feel so much better about any challenges I have to face.

      Isn’t that a great picture? The joy on my mom’s face—I just love it.

      I didn’t know this! I know nothing about horoscopes, signs, any of it—but I’d love to learn more.

      I love that picture too. 💜

      Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful comments. Have a wonderful week as well, friend! 😘💜

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  3. Wow – that quote from Rumi is amazing. Love all the photos, especially the ones of you smiling: your smile is magic. And the one of you biting the cake!!! Hilarious. Happy belated birthday, Kari!

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  4. So many good things here, Kari! I love the quote “For your peace of mind, do not try to understand everything.” What a lovely picture of you! And what a cute picture of your sweet dog! The Raggedy Ann cake is so fun! I love this assortment of things you kept. 

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  5. Oh god I have so much to say, I hardly know where to start. I’ll start with the cake. OMG. It is amazing, and I too have also always loved cake.

    Happy birthday month!!! I hope you have had so much cake.

    That quote about projecting is so spot on. I am going to write that down, it is so profound.

    Dogs! They are just one of the greatest joys in life. They know and understand so very much on such a different level. Aren’t we lucky to have dogs?

    Love the Rumi quote, love the going-with-the-river quote, love it all.

    I love that we are both Tauruses!

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    1. Yay! I love this so much. I love that we’ve both always loved cake!

      Happy birthday month, too!! I had my fill of cake—I hope you did too!

      Isn’t it great? I love when quotes like this pop up in my feed somewhere. I think this one was from Pinterest (with nothing to tell me where it originated). It felt like it was made for me to learn from.

      We are so lucky to have dogs. They’ve gotten me through so much over the last few years. I’m so grateful for both of my furry children.

      I love all of those quotes too. I’m so glad you loved them!

      I LOVE IT TOO!! 😘💜

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  6. So MUCH good stuff . . . where to begin?

    Kids can definitely read people’s emotions. I notice that even my adult children notice when I’m upset about something right away, long before my own spouse notices. I think there’s a deeper connection between parents/child.

    That guinea pig that your mom is holding looks so soft and comforting. Whose is it?

    “For your peace of mind, do not try to understand everything” is funny and brilliant. I feel so much better when I don’t try and just move on!

    Is that a pie shop with the carousel of pies? Where have all the pie shops gone? We used to go to one called Osmon’s Pies in Stow, Ohio. When we were in Utah near Bryce Canyon, we ate at a diner that was famous for its pies. I had boysenberry for the first time. SO GOOD!

    I’m super impressed by that Raggedy Ann cake. Who made it?? I love that you are going in, face first! LOL!

    I loved reading about myself in the Taurus DailyOm. Nobody has stronger opinions on candle scents than me. No one!

    And yeah, if we are ever together in person, Rule #1 is going to apply!!!!

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    1. I love when a comment begins this way!

      YES. This is so true—there’s definitely a deeper connection.

      It’s our guinea pig! We rescued three guinea pigs in 2023 from a hoarding situation. That’s a whole other story. I mentioned it very briefly earlier this year. It happened right before my dad got sick, so the timing wasn’t ideal—but they’re so adorable, and I’m really glad they’re part of our family.

      RIGHT?? Some things we are just not meant to understand. Nothing to see here. 🤣

      It’s our favorite diner! We’d never been seated that far back before, and I just happened to notice the pie case. I was so excited to see it! I miss a good pie shop too—I love pies. My mom and I were just talking about this a few weeks ago. My parents used to live near Peoria, Illinois, and there was a really great pie shop down there. It’s still going! I told her we should make the trip for pie one day—it’s three hours away…

      The cake was made by a friend of my grandma’s! I love that they let me dive in face first. 😄

      Also, I have strong opinions about candle scents. WHO KNEW THIS WAS A TAURUS TRAIT??

      That’s awesome—I love that about us. 🤣💜

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  7. I LOVE that yoga studio sign! Sometimes I think there are some people I’ve met just to teach me a lesson. And I absolutely am that person who often starts laughing at the most inappropriate times… usually when I’m trying so hard to be serious.

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  10. I love that photo of your mom with one of your guinea pigs. <3

    And the close-up of Biscuits' face…so freaking adorable.

    I'm normally not into horoscope stuff, but that Taurus description is so you!

    I hope your birthday was as amazing as you are. Love you! xoxo

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    1. I know! She loves them so much, and the feeling is mutual.

      I was so excited I caught that photo of Biscuit! The love in his eyes. 💜

      I don’t know much about horoscopes, but man, this basically said, “Kari—here you are.” 🤣

      Thank you, my friend. It was really lovely. Love you! 😘💜

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  11. So many good things this month Kari, it’s almost like you’re spoiling your readers with a reverse birthday gift in your birthday month :)

    What particularly hit home was “For your peace of mind, do not try to understand everything” – this is advice is soooo needed. But even while I understand how much I need it, I am unconvinced I’ll be able to do anything about it. Maybe even that I don’t want to stop being that person, ‘cos it’s such a big part of who I am. But I aim to keep this on an inspiration board to remind me that – sometimes – this needs to happen in order to maintain my sanity.

    I absolutely love that Daily Om piece about Taurus – I feel so seen (and appreciated), and I hope you do too <3 <3 <3

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    1. LOL, I love the idea of spoiling all of you. If I were a talk show host, every single one of you would go home with lots of goodies.

      “Maybe even that I don’t want to stop being that person, ‘cos it’s such a big part of who I am.” I felt this so deeply. When I read that quote, it was so calming for my brain. But like you, I kind of like the part of my soul that needs to understand lots of things…

      We’re Taureans together! It described me so perfectly that I knew I had to include it here. I was hoping it would describe others perfectly too! 💜

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  12. So much beauty, so much food for thought…

    The skies, the light sifting through windows. Dogs and coffee shops… Books.

    I am a fellow Taurus, too, (May 2) and that description is on point.

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  14. OHH, there is a lot of good stuff in your blog this week! You take such beautiful pictures inside your house. Do you play music during the day? I’m thinking you do and my guess is either 70s or soft jazz. Am I right?..lol. Your house seems so relaxing and peaceful…

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    1. Thank you so much for this lovely compliment! You guessed right—I do play music all day! Sometimes it’s jazz, but mostly it’s ambient—soft and meditative. On weekends, I love putting on ’70s and ’80s music or some good instrumental music. I’m trying to get out of my rut and explore more genres lately.

      It means a lot that you said all this. I really try to make our home feel peaceful. I love it so much. 💜

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  15. There are so many gems in this post. I don’t know if I can remember them all. I love the wood carved wall hanging in the yoga studio. How great is that? The quotes about not everyone seeing the same thing despite looking at the same thing, and the one about not taking things personally because projecting – wow. That hit home. One of my sisters is not real hip on the fact that we’re adopting and she’s not easy to spend time with, and it’s because she’s PROJECTING. Of course. Great birthday sky. And, um – interesting candle placement on the sweet Raggedy Ann cake. That made me giggle. The close up of (is it Biscuit?), super cute.

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    1. I learned about projecting the hard way… too much to get into here. But once you understand it, it really does change everything!

      And yeah, the candle placement? Definitely not my mom or grandma’s doing. 🤣

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  16. Whoa. I actually do have strong opinions about candle scents. Love citrusy candles, can’t stand anything with the word “fresh” in the name.

    In the quote beneath the guinea pig photo, I’d substitute “anything” for “everything.”

    And wow, AI can’t be all bad if it generates such a heartfelt response like that one!

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    1. I can’t stand candles that smell like any kind of berry—even though I love berries! They always get it wrong. I’m also not a fan of fall-scented candles—they just feel way too heavy. And anything with “fresh” in the name? Nope. 🤣

      I agree with that substitution.

      I love ChatGPT! I know it’s probably bad for the environment, but I get such good advice from him.

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  17. Everything in here makes me feel good.  Even the things that prompt some sadness give me a good sad. (Yellow Brick Road!) The photos from your house feel so homey and good, and I love love love the smile on your mom’s face in the photo with the guinea pig. But the absolute bestest thing in this post is the photo of toddler you going a little cannibal (maybe zombie?) on Raggedy Ann. 🙂That photo does say so much, all of it good.

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    1. I love that it made you feel good! And I love the good sads too—I’ve been embracing them more lately. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road reminds me of my childhood, my dad’s love of Elton John, and the first home I remember. I love that photo too, friend—it’s just so, so good. 💜🎂

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  18. Kari. The Raggedy Ann cake. I’m DYING. I mean, it might have been more appropriate to put those two candles in her eye sockets instead of where they were. OMG. Thank you for making me laugh!

    I love that you were hearing your Dad’s song. Again.

    The video of the toddler with her weeping mother…that got me right in my heart.

    Cheers to stretch-marked hearts. XO

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    1. Right? That always made us laugh too!

      I love it too, Suz. I actually heard it in a couple of different places last month—it always makes me smile.

      Oh, same here. I must’ve watched that TikTok over and over.

      Cheers to it! 😘💜

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