Dogs! – Page 2 – The Cheerful Times

The Cheerful Times Joined Bloglovin’!

October 18, 2014December 4, 2015 by Kelsey BaRoss, posted in Dogs!, Etc.

Happy birthday, The Cheerful Times!

The Cheerful Times' 2nd anniversary WordPress notification

On Friday, October 17th, WordPress notified me that it was the second anniversary of registering my blog. My first thought was “Yikes… I’m averaging about one post every two months.”

Not the most attentive of me.

However, my second thought was that all things considered, I’m actually doing pretty well! I have a pretty decent amount of subscribers, a steady flow of traffic, and people who tell me they look forward to seeing my next post in their newsfeeds. What more could a casual blogger who just desired a writing outlet to spread joy and craftiness to the world want? Not much, that’s what. I’m very happy thanks to you!

I thought my two-year anniversary was an appropriate time to announce that I’m bringing The Cheerful Times to even more people: I joined Bloglovin’! Check out The Cheerful Times on Bloglovin’ here. You may have seen the Bloglovin’ button I made for my blog, starring a sleepy Abby, in my sidebar.

Essentially, Bloglovin’ is a website that allows you to put all your favorite blogs and their updates in one feed, regardless of the blog platform or whether or not you have a WordPress account. So now WordPress users aren’t the only ones who can easily subscribe and view my content — anyone with a Bloglovin’ account can!

Another update: starting on Monday I’m going to attempt to take part in Blogging 201: Branding and Growth, a course through WordPress’ Blogging University program! It will be fun to see what impact it has, and if I can keep up with the daily tasks 😉

Thank you to all who have visited and enjoyed my content, you made these two years very cheerful indeed. Here’s to many more!

🙂 Kelsey

Have you used Bloglovin’ before, for your blog or for a reader? Share your experiences!

Meet Abby: Celebrating Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month

October 11, 2014June 13, 2016 by Kelsey BaRoss, posted in Dogs!, Etc.

I have exciting news to announce! October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month and Malcolm and I did just that — adopt a shelter dog!

Meet the one and only Abby, the newest contributor to The Cheerful Times.

Abby is a five-year-old chubby wubby Puggle (that’s a beagle and a pug mix), and is the absolute best, cutest little princess.

Wubby wubby — Little wubby! This photo is from one of the shelter’s photo shoots.

Abby likes:

Snuggling humans
Snuggling cats
Burping
Showing her pudgy belly for scratchies
Making cute faces
Her two stuffed toys/dolls
Sleeping on items that are neither of her two beds
Forcibly suggesting you pet her
Soaring through the air onto the couch
Snoozing on the couch
4:30 a.m. sneezing fits
Falling asleep as you scratch the top of her head, behind her ears, on her chest, tummy, neck…
Licking the foundation off my nose to reveal its true Rudolph-like complexion
Frolicking up every driveway and walkway we come across in the neighborhood
Meeting new people
Helping put on her martingale for walkies

Abby dislikes:

Closet doors — those sneaky things look just like a front door, so she waits next to them when she has to go potty
Berkley, the hound dog at her shelter who ate her favorite toy

Continue reading “Meet Abby: Celebrating Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month” →

Life, Lessons, & Being All Adult-y

August 9, 2014December 7, 2014 by Kelsey BaRoss, posted in Dogs!, Etc.

Hello, everyone! I am back and better than ever (and apologetic for my absence, as usual).

Life has been pretty hectic over here in Kelsey Land! So many big things have happened since my last post in January, otherwise known as over half a year ago. Before I post regularly again (as if I ever posted regularly), I thought a little update about my crazy whereabouts would be beneficial.

1. I am officially a college graduate! On May 22, 2014, I graduated Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication, concentrations in public relations and advertising, and a minor in Family Science. I’m proud to say I graduated with Honors in the top 10% of my class, with a 3.9 GPA!

The whole family came to celebrate the momentous occasion with me (as well as the now non-long distance boyfriend, with whom I have recently celebrated a fourth anniversary) — The whole family came to celebrate this momentous occasion with me (as well as the now non-long distance boyfriend, with whom I have recently celebrated a fourth anniversary)

I also won an award for “Mass Communication’s Most Promising Student,” which I was beyond honored to accept during an end-of-year banquet.

2. I got a big girl job! After I graduated, Continue reading “Life, Lessons, & Being All Adult-y” →

How To Be Happy: Give Without Giving Up

July 20, 2013January 4, 2017 by Kelsey BaRoss, posted in Dogs!, How to be Happy

“I wish I could do something like that but I just don’t have the time!”

said every person ever.

Dedicating some of your time and energy to a good cause sounds so ideal to many, but it’s often dismissed–staying just an ideal and not becoming a reality. Whether we’re spending our time working, going through school, interning, running never-ending errands, or doing chores around the house, it seems like there’s no time to squeeze in something that doesn’t have a direct and immediate impact on our lives. Things we all would love to do we just don’t seem to have time for anymore, including giving back to others.

Hey! Cheer up, busy bee! Doing something that makes you feel good isn’t an added stress, it’s a stress reliever! As impossible as it may seem in your life right now, it is entirely possible to lead the giving lifestyle you’ve been yearning to lead without sacrificing a thing that you’ll miss. Do you want to know how and why?

When you’re giving your time to something you’re passionate about and that you really love, it doesn’t feel like you’re giving up anything at all.

About a year ago, I needed a life pick-me-up… I was growing increasingly tired of the “me”-driven behavior that naturally reigns supreme in my collegiate age group. The circumstances surrounding growing up lead us to act in this way, but it’s just not who I am. So, I began my personal endeavor to start donating my time and efforts to places that could use it more than, say, …Facebook.

As a busy college student, I started with a very small commitment that I actually did not complete until recently:

locks-of-love-before-and-after-haircut — Bye bye, mermaid hair! Hello, Locks of Love! My “Before” and “After”

Since that time last year I tried my hardest to grow my hair out to straggly mermaid lengths, getting it chopped off and donated to Continue reading “How To Be Happy: Give Without Giving Up” →

Craftsicles: Sad to Sparkling Sunglasses

June 9, 2013January 9, 2019 by Kelsey BaRoss, posted in Crafts/Design, Dogs!

sparkly pink ray ban sunglasses

I’ve been meaning to do a lot more with my time than schoolwork and professional-related activities, and now that my break has finally begun I can do just that! This summer will hopefully be one of crafts, DIY, repurposing, and other fun things that I’ve been wanting to do with my creative energy.

Sunglasses that I left at my friend’s house almost a year ago just resurfaced last week… appearing that they went through a war. After I saw the chipped paint, I knew that I wouldn’t wear them in their current condition. It was time for my first repurposing of the summer.

pink sunglasses before repurpose, chipping paint — My “before” sunglasses… You can see a little bit of the paint/finish gone along the edges and on the bridge. Seeya!

The first thing I had to do with this dusty demon was give it a little bath.

After they dried off, I picked my (sparkly) poison to give them a brand new finish. The bigger and more concentrated the glitter, the less noticeable the chipped paint would be. Go big or go home, right?