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in Lifestyle &middot June 30, 2014

June Lovin

I’ve decided to try and make a once-a-month post about things I’m loving that month. Here are the books, articles, website, products, food, and people I’m loving this month!

What I'm Loving in June

Read


– I’m working my way through the Outlander series, which I’m rereading because it’s coming out as a show in August. I’m currently on the fifth book and I can’t say enough good things about the series.

– Teachers: I’m currently reading Reading Reasons: Motivational Mini-Lessons for Middle and High School by Kelly Gallagher, and you definitely need to check it out!

Watch


– They released a teaser trailer of the next Doctor Who series! It comes back on August 23 and I’m so ridiculously excited!


Use

I’ve been testing out a fair amount of mascaras (from Influenster, Ipsy, samples from Sephora) from Covergirl, Smashbox, Maybelline, Mary Kay, and Bombshell.
best mascara

So I tried Maybelline’s “The Rocket Volume Express,” Covergirl’s “Bombshell Curvaceous by lashblast,” Mary Kay’s “Lash Love,” Smashbox’s “Full Exposure Mascara,” and Be a Bombshell Cosmetic’s “Last Out” (not pictured) mascaras. Without a doubt, the absolute best one was Maybelline’s! I have had people ask me if my lashes are real when I’m wearing it. If you are looking for volume and length, absolutely go with that one. 

Eat


– I’ve been super in love with quinoa “pizza” bites. Healthy, delicious, and gluten-free.
gluten free pizza bites

Check Out 


– Finally, I have to acknowledge my incredible sponsors. They have sponsored me over the past month or so, and I haven’t been the best and pointing out their awesomeness (I’m kinda dealing with a quarter-life crisis right now and have been kind of out of it). So, without further ado, go check out these awesome people. 
Marla – A Weekend Crossing

A Weekend Crossing

I’m just a California girl trying to figure out to do with my post-grad life. I have a boyfriend of six years who is pretty swell, two guinea pig children, an amazing family, and an adventurous spirit. I like eating out, reading books, and writing letters, and I’m a HUGE animal lover. My favorite movie hands down is Pride & Prejudice (the one with Keira Knightley teehee).

Angel – Sew Crafty Angel

Sew Crafty Angel

My blog is a variety that is my life.  I post about life, marriage, crafts, DIY projects, trash to treasure. 

I’m a huge Shabby Chic Fan.  I love fun, laughter, inspiration, creating and sharing life’s adventures along my journey.  I am a Christian who loves life and tries to find light in any situation. 

Lena – Shiny Stout

Shiny Stout
Lena over at Shiny Stout is currently reevaluating her blog and what she wants from it, but you should still check her lifestyle blog out!

Natalie – All Things Natalie Christa
All Things Natalie Christa

I started All Things Natalie Christa (ATNC) back in June of 2013 because I started reading other blogs and I saw how much they loved it. All these ideas began popping into my head of what I could write about and suddenly I realized how much I wanted to start a blog of my own. So, ATNC was born, and now a year later it has become not only my hobby, but also a full time job. People don’t realize all the work that goes into having a blog. A day doesn’t go by where I’m not writing new posts, responding to emails, replying to comments, or answering questions. It has been one heck of a roller coaster, with times where I’ve been in love with it and times where I’ve almost deleted the blog completely. But overall its been such a rewarding experience, that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. I’ve made friends who are literally on the other side of the world from me. I’ve learned about marketing and graphic design. Before I had a blog, I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career, or even what I wanted to study in college. After going through this whole experience, I’ve now decided that I want to major in marketing and get a minor in graphic design. I would of never decided those things or been exposed to either of those fields if I hadn’t started ATNC. This blog has opened so many new doors for me and I can’t wait to see where this blogging roller coaster takes me next.




If you want to be like these people, my sponsorship options are from $5-7 (other than the small free one). I swear, I’m usually better at sponsoring than I was in June. I’m also usually better at life than I was in June, soo …

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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kiki says

    June 30, 2014 at 12:08 pm

    I have seen those quinoa pizza bites floating around Pinterest and they look amazing, I need to give them a try soon.

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  2. Blogger Ash says

    June 30, 2014 at 12:26 pm

    Did you get your Bombshell mascara in your Ipsy glam bag? Does it smell terrible? Mine smells terrible! I heard the Outlanders series is awesome!

    ~Ashley @ A Cute Angle
    acutelifestyle.blogspot.com

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  3. Brittney, Breaking Free says

    June 30, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    I haven't had quinoa yet but I think I need to try that!

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  4. Sophia says

    June 30, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    I can't wait for Doctor Who to come back too!
    ~Sophia
    http://plaidismyfavouritecolour.blogspot.com/

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  5. Marla Rogers says

    July 1, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    Thanks for the shout out :] Those quinoa bites look really truly amazing, I'm going to have to try them out sometime! And I'm always in need of new mascaras…I've never tried the Maybelline one though! Next trip to Target I guess! And I've actually never seen Doctor Who…lol don't hate me. I have been meaning to watch it but I just never get around to it because it's going to take me so so so long to catch up.

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Filmed this back in April (hence the sweater) but Filmed this back in April (hence the sweater) but it applies to whenever I have appointments! 

Video: Kate talks to the camera while holding a purse. She holds up individual items mentioned in the video before putting them in the bag. There are captions. 

#ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #Osteoporosis #ChronicPain
There are a lot of medical advancements that I'm g There are a lot of medical advancements that I'm grateful for, but one of them is the ability to do IVIG at home. ⁣
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I'm on IVIG - or, in my case, subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy - because I have to kill the better part of my immune system. There are, in fact, some parts of my immune system that don't attack me, which is why we add them back in. This helps reduce my chance of serious infection and also made my rheumatologist feel comfortable enough to increase my Rituxan dose. ⁣
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This is a weekly treatment that I do, but it's so much better that I can do it at home than going into the hospital. It takes around 2.5 hours from taking my pre-meds to tossing my needles into a Sharps container. While it's another thing that I have to do, because I do it at home, I don't have to risk exposure to infections at the hospital or deal with Boston traffic, which would add another hour to the process. ⁣
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I can finish my treatment and then go about my day, which I'm very grateful for.⁣
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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: A Kindle on Kate's legs. There are tubes for an infusion coming out of her shirt.⁣
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#IVIG #ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #Autoimmune #AutoimmuneDisease
Weeks 23 and 24 of 2026 Weekly! The last two wee Weeks 23 and 24 of 2026 Weekly! 

The last two weeks were prepping for my infusion, having/recovering from my infusion, and getting caught up after. This meant things were very busy but also I don’t have a lot to show for them. 

1️⃣ New glasses! I really like having multiple pairs so I can switch them as I want.
2️⃣ One of my current projects. I got this standing hoop for my birthday and I’m working on an alphabet (uppercase and lower, although I’m still working on the lower) with extra floss.
3️⃣ Infusion time! I got my higher dose so hopefully my symptoms improve a lot in the upcoming weeks🤞🏻

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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 Kate takes a selfie. Her new glasses are thin silver circles
2️⃣ An in-progress cross-stitched alphabet in a special hoop stand that Kate is sitting on.
3️⃣ Kate takes a selfie in an infusion chair.

#ChronicallyIll #RheumatoidArthritis #AutoimmuneDisease #CrossStitcher
Week 22 of 2026 Weekly 1️⃣ Off to see my foot doc Week 22 of 2026 Weekly

1️⃣ Off to see my foot doc … and my foot is healing! Yay!
2️⃣ A very cool notification to get!
3️⃣ This is 35 🎂
4️⃣ Featuring Harley snuggles 
5️⃣ And then it was my mom’s birthday! 
6️⃣ With Harley again 

ID: 
1️⃣ Kate takes a mirror selfie 
2️⃣ a notification from WordPress saying “Receive views from 150+ counties. The United Nations has nothing on you!”
3️⃣ Kate smiles for the camera in a cafe 
4️⃣ Kate in the same outfit with Harley the golden retriever on her lap. 
5️⃣ Kate’s mom smiling in a restaurant 
6️⃣ Kate with Harley again 

#GoldenRetrieversOfInstagram #ChronicallyIll #ChronicPain #InvisibleIllness
Lifestyle Changes I Made for My Rheumatoid Arthrit Lifestyle Changes I Made for My Rheumatoid Arthritis⁣
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While these are not my treatments, they have made my life better in some ways. ⁣
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What lifestyle changes have you made, for RA or another condition?⁣
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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: ⁣
A series of pictures. Each has a text box on them related to the picture. ⁣
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1️⃣ Lifestyle changes I made for my rheumatoid arthritis⁣
2️⃣ Wearing a mask⁣
3️⃣ Using a cane⁣
4️⃣ Changing my diet⁣
5️⃣ Working from home⁣
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#ChronicIllness #RheumatoidArthritis #AutoimmuneDisease #Arthritis #ChronicallyIll
What helps you mentally get through a tough time?⁣ What helps you mentally get through a tough time?⁣
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I'm struggling right now with my broken foot, which brings back a lot of tough memories. That plus being due for Rituxan and the heat starting up has made things hard. ⁣
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Here are somethings I do: ⁣
▪ Stick with my routine⁣
▪ Make recipes that I really enjoy⁣
▪ Work on embroidery projects so I can do something productive that involves stabbing fabric⁣
▪ Cut myself slack ⁣
▪ Get Harley hugs⁣
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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 and Harley the golden retriever hugging. Kate is a redheaded white woman wearing a black dress, pink sweater, and round pink glasses.⁣
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#GoldenRetrievers #RheumatoidArthritis #Fibromyalgia #POTS #SjogrensSyndrome
Week 21 of 2026 Weekly 1️⃣ First real cross-stit Week 21 of 2026 Weekly 

1️⃣ First real cross-stitch project: done! 
2️⃣ The magic machine that is hopefully healing my broken foot 
3️⃣ When your 2 refrigerated medications are delivered on the same day

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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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1️⃣ A completed cross-stitch project, which shows 2 bears walking past a lake, trees, and mountains.
2️⃣ An Exogen machine showing use 13 days in a row
3️⃣ A couple of styrofoam refridgerated containers for medication

#ChronicallyIll #CrossStitch #RheumatoidArthritis #SjogrensSyndrome #IVIG
You guessed it, I'm one of that 25%. ⁣ ⁣ May is Ar You guessed it, I'm one of that 25%. ⁣
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May is Arthritis Awareness Month. Like, comment, and share to spread awareness 💖⁣
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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: Fact or Fiction? Let's Check! ⁣
Fiction⁣
You only have rheumatoid arthritis if your rheumatoid factor tests positive.⁣
Fact⁣
As many as 25% of RA patients test negative, which is called being seronegative.⁣
katethealmostgreat
Things are tough (all over pain, heat with POTS, i Things are tough (all over pain, heat with POTS, in a walking cast waiting to see if I need my 6th foot surgery), but so am I.⁣
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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: Kate takes a selfie. She's a white woman with auburn hair wearing a navy-based floral dress, green glasses, and silver Celtic knot necklace.⁣
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#RheumatoidArthritis #POTS #POTSie #AutoimmuneDisease #ChronicallyIll
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