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in Lifestyle &middot May 30, 2016

May Favorites + J.Crew Giveaway

I know, I know – a few weeks ago, the blog was on a holiday schedule, but this week (when there’s an actual holiday), it’s not. Don’t question that strange schedule that is my life! Anyway, here are some of the things I loved in May. It’s a shorter version than usual because I’m working on finals plus my health plus yada yada yada. Check out the things I loved in May and/or enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post! My birthday is next Sunday, June 5, and so I’m kicking off the celebrations now. And at some point there will also be a birthday ad discount, so keep an eye on Twitter!

May 2016 Favorites

Reading

The Time of Singing – This historical fiction novel is about Ida de Tosny, an unwilling mistress of King Henry II, and Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. I love it!

The Royal We – This is based on William and Kate, and while some of it is a little too close to reality (there’s only so many similarities I can take), it’s a wonderful book. It’s their take on what the relationship would be like of a modern prince and an American girl who he marries. Again, very close to reality, but still great.

I listen to books on Audible! It’s a great way to pass the time when commuting or traveling. Get 2 books for free when you sign up for a digital membership (which is so, so worth it to me since I listen to long books that are way more expensive than the monthly membership charge).

My All-Time Favorite Books

Wearing – Style, Clothes, Etc.

May 2016 Favorites

Old Navy boyfriend shorts, Maxi skirt, H&M jersey tees, Jack Rogers sandals, Keds

My All-Time Favorite Clothes, Shoes, Etc.

Wearing – Beauty

May 2016 Favorites

Benefit Consmetics ‘Hello Flasless!” Oxygen Liquid Foundation, Benefit Boi-ing Industrial Strength Full Coverage Concealer, Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara, Sally Hansen Inda-Dri Nail Polish in Set Sail, ColourPop Dope Taupe brow pencil, ColourPop Lippie Six in Frida

My All-Time Favorite Beauty Products

Enter to win $75 to J.Crew!

On June 5, I turn 25. To celebrate, a bunch of us have gotten together to give away a $75 gift card to J.Crew, my favorite store.

J. Crew Giveaway

Kate the (Almost ) Great | Anchored to Sunshine | Briana Mae Morgan | Travelvan | Rhyme & Ribbons | The Girl Who Loved To Write

This is only open to the US (sorry!), and you must be 18 or older to enter. The giveaway runs from 12:00 AM EST 5/30/2016 to 11:59 PM EST 6/5/2016. If you lie on any of your entries, you will be disqualified. The winner will be chosen and their entries examined within 48 hours of the giveaway ending, they will then be emailed, and they will have 48 hours to respond to that email to claim their prize. If they do not respond, another winner will be chosen, etc. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that when you click on them and purchase something, I receive a small profit. You can learn more by reading my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Kate the (Almost) Great!
Kate Mitchell

Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.

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Previous Post: « Lessons My Arthritis Taught Me
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emelia @ Dream Big & Buy the S says

    May 31, 2016 at 10:02 am

    I think I’m going to check out Audibile for listening to books at the pool. I get a headache reading in the sun, and this sounds like the perfect alternative!

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  2. Emily of Em Busy Living says

    May 31, 2016 at 3:04 pm

    Happy birthday to you friend! Thanks for the fun giveaway opportunity!
    The book “The Royal We” sounds right up my alley 🙂

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  3. Sandra Meaders says

    June 1, 2016 at 2:24 pm

    Happy Birthday!

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Trackbacks

  1. What To Do if a Doctor Doesn't Believe You - Kate the (Almost) Great | Boston Lifestyle Blog says:
    June 3, 2016 at 8:01 am

    […] Don’t forget to enter to win $75 to J. Crew! You have until 11:59 PM EST on Sunday. […]

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    Reply
  2. Kate the (Almost) Great | Boston Lifestyle Blog - Gift Guide: Books & Bookish Gifts - Kate the (Almost) Great | Boston Lifestyle Blog says:
    December 1, 2017 at 8:02 am

    […] your friend who loves the royals: The Royal We (here’s my review), Kings & Queens of England and Scotland, The Heir and the […]

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    Reply
  3. 2023 Recent Reads: April-June says:
    August 17, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    […] Check out my review from the first time I read this book here. […]

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There are a lot of reasons why you shouldn't doubt There are a lot of reasons why you shouldn't doubt someone's chronic illness, but this is one of them. ⁣
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I'm always amazed by how people can have the exact same illness or set of illnesses and still have different experiences. Sure, there will be similarities, but which symptoms are the worst, what medications you respond to, and your quality of life can vary significantly. ⁣
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It doesn't mean that one person is necessarily worse off than another; they're just different.⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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ID: Kate takes a selfie. A white text box reads "Chronic Illness Looks Different in Each Person"⁣
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#ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #Endometriosis #Fibromyalgia #POTS
This basically sums up my summer so far: Harley, a This basically sums up my summer so far: Harley, a sewing project, and my foot in a cast⁣
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⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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ID: Harley the golden retriever has his head on Kate's lap. Also on her lap is an in-progress needlepoint project and Kate's leg (in a walking cast) is elevated.⁣
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#Osteoporosis #RheumatoidArthritis #GoldenRetrievers #Needlepoint #Needlework
Week 28 of 2026 Weekly A very busy week! 1️⃣ Foo Week 28 of 2026 Weekly

A very busy week!

1️⃣ Foot checkup! Walking boot is on occasionally from now until September 
2️⃣ Boston 
3️⃣ IVIG
4️⃣ Dentist 🦷 All good! 
5️⃣ Not a filter - this was the Boston area the second half of the week 
6️⃣ Physical time!

⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.

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IDs:
1️⃣ Kate takes a selfie in a doctor’s office
2️⃣ Looking at TD Garden, the bear statue for the Bruins, and Zakim Bridge in the background 
3️⃣ Looking at tubes coming out from under Kate’s clothes. There’s a Kindle on her stomach
4️⃣ Kate takes a mirror selfie before leaving
5️⃣ Medford Square looking like there’s a yellow filter over it
6️⃣ Kate takes a selfie in a doctor’s office

#ChronicallyIll #InvisibleIllness #AutoimmuneDisease #Bostonian #IVIG
Also, if this is how you’re finding out, I’m sorry Also, if this is how you’re finding out, I’m sorry. I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of people who care about me and this is the fastest way to tell everyone. 

Video: Kate talks to the camera while putting on makeup. There are captions. 

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Week 27 of 2026 Weekly (Delayed because last Sund Week 27 of 2026 Weekly

(Delayed because last Sunday was baaaaad)

1️⃣ Due airport difficulties, we got a few more days with Emma. Harley was THRILLED!
2️⃣ Beautiful bird/squirrel visitors
3️⃣ A beautiful Maine summer day

⬛⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.

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1️⃣ Harley the golden retriever putting his front legs up on Emma’s legs to demand hugs.
2️⃣ A bird feeder and hummingbird feeder on a deck. There is a hummingbird at one and squirrel at the other.
3️⃣ A barn, a pond, and the Maine woods

#207 #MaineLife #MaineTheWay #NewEnglandSummer #IGMaine
Reminder: you can be proud of your disability comm Reminder: you can be proud of your disability community while wishing your body cooperated more⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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I don’t know the exact date of my RA diagnosis, bu I don’t know the exact date of my RA diagnosis, but this is from right around then in July 2010. ⁣
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When I was diagnosed, I had been having symptoms for 9 years. ⁣
- 9 years of foot pain (partially from tarsal coalition)⁣
- Arthritic damage in said food⁣
- Carpal tunnel off and on for several years⁣
- And more⁣
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I was finally diagnosed because I woke up one morning and was unable to open my jaw more than 8 mm. It turned out that I had horrible arthritic damage to my TMJs, which got me off the waiting list at MGH rheumatology. I left that appointment with an autoimmune arthritis diagnosis. ⁣
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The fact that July is not only my diagnosis anniversary but also Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month has always seemed right. I may not have been diagnosed with JA, but given the amount of arthritis I had along with my many years of symptoms, it's generally accepted that I had it. ⁣
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This year marks 16 years since diagnosis and this fall marks 25 years since my symptoms started. It's pretty weird that so much time has already passed!⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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ID: Kate at 19 at Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. ⁣
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Dos and don'ts for when someone in your life is di Dos and don'ts for when someone in your life is diagnosed with autoimmune arthritis! What are some that you would add?⁣
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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣
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ID: "So someone you know was diagnosed with Autoimmune Arthritis". Under the Do column (indicated with a green checkmark) is:⁣
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Offer specific ways to help⁣
Treat them normally⁣
Ask follow-up questions⁣
Wear a mask around them when sick."⁣
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"Say “At least it’s not xyz!”⁣
Say that and not follow through⁣
Assume nothing about their lives has changed⁣
Conflate autoimmune arthritis with osteoarthritis⁣
Pass your cold to an immunosuppressed person".⁣
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Weekj 26 of 2026 Weekly Scenes of a summer week Weekj 26 of 2026 Weekly 

Scenes of a summer week in Maine! So glad I work from home, which means I can work from my real home (Maine, if that wasn’t clear)

1️⃣ Lots of Harley time
2️⃣ Working from home means saving my PTO for fun things!
3️⃣ Lots of duck families (📸 my dad)
4️⃣ What a lot of my days look like - Harley and my current project (needlepoint). And, yes, I’m still in a cast.
5️⃣ Learned how to play Mahjong, which my parents love
6️⃣ Lake views on the 4th

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I’m Kate, a chronic illness patient and advocate sharing what my life is like with 10+ chronic illnesses. Follow me for more and check out my blog at katethealmostgreat.com⁣⁣.⁣⁣⁣⁣

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IDs:
1️⃣ Harley the golden retriever on a deck as seen through some plants
2️⃣ Kate takes a selfie
3️⃣ A duck with little ducklings following on a lake
4️⃣ Harley coming up to Kate. Her legs are out on an ottoman, 1 foot in a walking cast, and an in-progress needlepoint project
5️⃣ Looking down at a Mahjong table with the game set up
6️⃣ A kayak on the shore of a lake 

#MaineTheWay #MaineSummer #Needlepoint #MaineLife
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