Okay, so now you know my “why”, let me introduce myself. My name is Kory and am the Mother of two boys ages 18 and 16. I am also blessed to be the Bonus Mom to three more boys, 20, 17 and 11, as well as a 10-year-old girl. Yep…we share six kids, four dogs and a cat. Our children attend 4 different schools and are in at least 11 different activities so we stay very busy! I wouldn’t have it any other way though!
I couldn’t do any of this without the love and support of my husband, Brian. The last thing he wants to hear about every day is fashion and amazing deals, but he listens and helps and supports in every way possible. If you follow my Facebook page, you will notice that he is my biggest cheerleader…I sometimes question his comments (and spelling!) but love his support.
Thank you so much for checking out my website! I am so excited to share products that I love with each of you and throw in a little inspiration in the process!
Questions? Please email me at KasuallyKLyn@gmail.com!
Want to Know More About Me?
~Here are a few blogs I wrote when I first started my website.~
How Did I Get Here?
How Did I Get Here?
I was a stay-at-home mother for ten years. My two boys were my life and I took my job very seriously. We went on so many field trips to anywhere and everywhere! I was blessed to have a husband that could financially allow me to be with them every day. However, he also travelled A LOT during their childhood so I was very often a “single parent.” Unfortunately, time apart and growing apart took its toll on our marriage and we decided divorce was best for us. Everyone tells me how impressed they are with how we handled the divorce. I firmly believe that we separated before things got “ugly” and chose to be friends no matter what, while continuing to raise our boys with love. My ex is still a very good friend of mine, thankfully.
It was during this time that I took a position as a writer/editor for a local magazine. I was never a writer as a profession, but began to fall in love with sharing stories and facts with our readers. I was proud of my career and stayed with the magazine for three years. It gave me the courage to know that I could get back into a career successfully!
I did a lot of soul searching, cleaning…LOTS of obsessive cleaning, and began reading advice from women bloggers. The biggest pieces of advice were “Do what you love” and “Be yourself.”
Do What You Love
What I LOVE is shopping and fashion so I did so much friggin research on starting an online clothing boutique as well as many late nights spent teaching myself (thank you You Tube and coffee) how to build a website and Facebook page. I had to learn marketing, gain knowledge of good vendors and fabrics and styles. I went cross-eyed digging through the internet on how to accomplish my goal of having my own boutique website up and running (and hopefully successful) before the end of 2018. Mission accomplished! I am now a successful boutique owner with returning customers and have even moved into a brick and mortar “mercantile” type shop/boutique in a very unique area of our city. Bon Bini Boutique is my baby thanks to the overwhelming support of my husband and children. The name Bon Bini means “welcome” in the native language of Aruba, which is our favorite place to vacation each year.Be Yourself
MYSELF is a girl who grew up with little money and started working at fourteen years old in order to buy things I wanted. I worked long hours through college and always had to learn to find the best deals in order to get what I wanted with the little money I had. I still pride myself on being a HUGE bargain shopper and knew that this was something I could help others with. I thought about combining my love of a good fashion find AND my love of a good bargain and becoming a blogger myself! I mean, bloggers are who taught me to get to this point so why not follow in their footsteps? So AGAIN, I spent countless hours figuring out how to start a blogging website, Facebook page (I’m slowly figuring out Instagram…and hashtags! WTH? I’m old!) and how to become a successful affiliate marketer. I started small with any company that would accept me and I began to get a few followers as I went along. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but in order to find success in this field, there aren’t enough hours in the day to research and find those great deals out there. I now live, eat and breath fashion and deals! I love every minute of it though!
Learning to Love the Reflection in the Mirror
I also firmly believe that to be successful, I need to put myself out there and let my followers know the real me, my story, my flaws, my strengths and my favorites. I want to develop a trust so that people will click my links and know that I am not leading them into a poor choice. Affiliate marketing is no cost to my followers (I am paid by the merchant I market for) but I still need you to know me and trust me. Part of that is buying the merchandise and showing what I look like in each item…my size, my favorites, my fails, my thoughts, etc. It was tough at first because I was NEVER a lover of having my photo taken. However, I have learned that every blogger is unique in their own way. We are all different sizes, styles, price-ranges and so much more. I keep telling myself “Own it!” and “You be You!”
Affiliate Success!
After obsessively working my booty off, I have been accepted into several large affiliate marketing avenues! I had to prove myself and apply SEVERAL times, but am proud to say I can now bring so many more deals to the page and have started making a steady income thanks to the trust of my followers and those ever-so-important “link clicks!” I now have over 7,000 followers in less than three months from starting Kasually K Lyn! Shut up…I know!!! I’m so excited and have no plans to stop now!
Thank You!!
I am so thankful for each and every follower and truly hope you like my page and continue to follow me! The only way to keep seeing my posts is to “engage” with each post. That means I would love it if you comment on as many posts as you can…it’s all about the feedback! Also, if you know of anyone that would benefit from Kasually K Lyn links, please let them know about me! I would appreciate it so very much!! I am still working on so many more avenues and look forward to bringing fashion finds, ideas, inspirations, great deals and much more for many years to come!
@KasuallyKLyn
Small Town Girl – American Honey
Small Town Girl – American Honey
June 23, 2019
I grew up in a tiny town. I know a lot of people say that, but I honestly grew up in a TINY town. I had 21 others in my graduating class in one school that was K-12. Everyone knew everyone. I was in my tiny bubble for my first 18 years of life. As soon as I graduated, I was BEYOND excited to spread my wings and get lost in my wanderlust (as my grandma called it). I moved on to a university that seemed HUGE at the time, then to Dallas with $300 in my account and literally the smallest U-Haul trailer holding everything I owned. I found a great job, met a wonderful man, then life took us to my final base in St. Louis where his company brought him.
My life has grown into a crazy, complicated, wonderful mess but whenever I go back home, I get the chance to reconnect with who I am. It’s almost like life leads me there occasionally…like I NEED to be centered again.
As I get older, I am very aware that most of who I am and the values I carry with me…were from my small town roots. It took a while to realize it, but I wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything in the world. You know the song “American Honey” by Lady Antebellum? That’s my life!
American Honey
She grew up on a side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good
She grew up slow
Like American honey
Steady as a preacher
Free as a weed
Couldn’t wait to get goin’
But wasn’t quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American honey
There’s a wild, wild whisper
Blowin’ in the wind
Callin’ out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing’s sweeter than summertime
And American honey
Get caught in the race
Of this crazy life
Tryin’ to be everything can make you lose your mind
I just wanna go back in time…
-Lady Antebellum
I was recently back in my tiny hometown in Iowa to visit my parents, my sisters, niece, nephews, Grandma Flo (she’s 90…I know! I’m so lucky!) and my neighbors that I had my entire childhood, who are quite possibly are the most simple, considerate and kind people I know.
My 10-year-old nephew, Zach, took me on a golf cart ride around town one morning. I noticed so many things that had changed in the 25+ years since I lived there, so many things that “used to be.” However, I couldn’t help but see what still was…the kindness & waves from EVERYONE we passed, the neighbors helping neighbors, the kids riding their bikes all over town, the peacefulness of not a single car or siren around, the simple under-appreciated serenity.
As an adult, I noticed the huge hill we struggled to conquer as kids and the long walks around town that seemed so much smaller and shorter than I remember. The local businesses have changed or are now simply vacant buildings. My childhood friends are grown with families of their own. My friends’ houses belong to someone else if they even exist anymore.
In 2008, my poor hometown was hit by one of the worst tornadoes in the history of Iowa, followed by a devastating 1000-year flood. Homes have been erased but a permanent resilience existed within the residents that replaced each lot with parks, trees and flowers that bloom beautiful each year.
I won’t forget what was there though…the laughs until we peed (Yvette), the baby oil tanning on our black tar roof (Kim), the baseball games at the old ball field, the cruising around a few square blocks…lap after lap (Kristi).
These shared experiences will live on in my heart and mind and have made me who I am today. These and many other memories were possible through a simple girl and her “American Honey” childhood. I now take so much pride in my roots and get there as often as I can to remind myself how to value what is important and who I truly am.
Finding Myself
May 17, 2019
YOLO
You only live once. That’s what I keep preaching to myself after I turned 45 last October. It has become my mantra these days. I’m sure its the same for most women at my age. We want to be our best possible self and decide on ways to get there.
I’ve been working hard on letting go of worry, regret, insecurities, guilt and so much more! It hasn’t been easy and I doubt it ever will be, but I keep telling myself that I have only this life to live and I need to spend the next 45+ years without regrets.
ME TIME
First on my agenda, was trying to get valuable time in for ME. We have a blended family with 6 wonderful, brilliant…but BUSY kids. It is tough to carve out a moment with my husband…let alone myself! I have chosen to commit to a fitness routine as my ME time. I sent a text to my old personal trainer along the lines of “Help ME!” and she has been kicking my butt ever since. I also started on the Keto journey. To be honest, I didn’t fit into my wedding dress 5 weeks before the wedding so I needed something to fix that issue besides a seamstress. I have lost 18 lbs and am becoming a stronger and happier (though often incredibly sore) person. I have just begun a partnership with Keto groups and companies as well as activewear retailers and will be sharing those findings and savings with you in the near future! Hopefully, I can encourage someone to take a turn towards healthy with me!
LISTS ARE MY FRIEND
Next for me was time management. I needed to figure out a way to fit in my family’s needs, my business’ needs as well as my OWN needs. I have and always will be a list-maker. Every morning I sit down and schedule out my day because it is so weirdly satisfying to me to cross each item off the list. C’mon, I’m not the only weird one here am I ??
Most mornings begin at 5am taking my son to his football weight-lifting and they end around 10pm after all kids (and four dogs) are in bed. Each day I am a hugging, loving, caring (at least I try to be…even to my grumpy-ass teenagers) mother, a taxi driver, a blogger, a boutique owner, a maid, a cook, a dog walker, a tutor and a wife. I feel like every mom can fill in those blanks and have a list as long as mine. I just need to remember it is so important to make it a matter of being selfish for only a few moments every day. I know I deserve it and so do you! Make sure YOUR time is added to your list each day.
FRIENDSHIPS
I am extremely close with my family and would give anything to live near them. Unfortunately my husband and I have no family nearby. Therefore, my friends have become my family. I’m not sure where I would be without my friendships. I am lucky to have the many friends that I do and have realized that I need to appreciate and reciprocate the love they have given me. As part of my ME time, I vowed to include more time and energy given to my girlfriends. Some friendships have grown and others have faded as I have changed and sunk in to my new busy life as a wife, step-mom and business owner, but I have also had a huge change in perspective. I love the group of women that surround me and believe I have become a better person because of them. I no longer want to waste time on the constant worry of how others perceive me and want to spend time enjoying my life and my precious time with the amazing ladies that surround me.
PHOTOS OF ME??
Speaking of changing perspective, I have gone “All-In” when it comes to my career! I turned my love of online shopping and deal hunting into my job and I LOVE every minute of it! I almost feel selfish in a way because I am enjoying my work so much! My customers and followers have started requesting that they see my boutique clothing and commission link clothing on “real” people so I decided to give them what they ask for! I have never in my life enjoyed having my photo taken (I think I got that from my Dad) but I decided to put myself out there and post pictures of ME…I’m about as “real” as you can find! It is a very freeing feeling to post those pictures and not give a darn about the critics! Except there was not a critic to be found. What I did find was A LOT of love and, best of all, purchases! So be on the lookout for my typical posts on this site and Facebook where I recommend products and keep you updated on sales and deals…along with photos of me in those items to back it up! Its crazy that I’m actually looking forward to it!
This blog has almost become my therapy! Thanks for reading and getting to know me and my thoughts a little more. Most of all, thanks for your support as I go through this journey! Now go take time for yourself!!
I Finally am Doing What I Want! Lucky you!
I Finally am Doing What I Want!
Lucky You!
Do you ever just find yourself at a place in life that you never thought you would be? Do you ever sit back and wonder how you got to this point? Do you have support?
I do…all day, every day! I thank my lucky stars all the while pulling my hair out! My life is ever so complicated with 6 kids/bonus kids but its also the happiest I’ve ever been. I am finding my place in my home as well as my world. I was recently left my position as writer and editor for a local magazine and found myself at a crossroads. I was getting married to the love of my life who happens to be successful in his career but still needed to find something to occupy my time. However, I had the luxury of digging deep and finding my passions. I have a history of retail and customer service and I love fashion and online shopping so I knew I was going somewhere in that direction. However, I never love to spend a lot of money on what I want. It KILLS me to pay full price for anything. I was raised without A LOT in life and learned how to find the bargains in order to “fit-in” or stand out…as I liked to think. I was never embarrassed to brag about my bargain hunts or finds. THAT is where I belong and THAT is where I am going to help people! Everyone has their own unique style and each of their friends has their own. You get to choose what yours is, just like I do. It’s my goal to help you find the “cheats” to get there!
Don’t get me wrong, there are certain items that I see and just cannot say “No” to, so I will be sharing so many other style finds, ideas and more with you…even if they aren’t on that deal rack.
Now lets get this party started!
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If you just read all of this…Thank you! I wrote these blogs in the very beginning and wanted my readers to get to know me. Now you do!
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