Coffee Table Books: Anthropologie

In this age of paper vs. print, I still find a great stack of books 

the most welcoming sight

I don't really have a need for coffee table or "display" books. I actually don't have a need, let alone space, for any more books. My bookshelves in my room are full and I keep forgetting to ask my mom if I can expand my collection to the family bookshelves... plus that just makes me feel old and more grown up than I'd like to feel. Regardless, when a clothing store has display books out I feel more at home. I could honestly sit in J. Crew or Anthropologie for hours just flipping through the books scattered around. So, the past week when I was at the mall yet thoroughly out of money, I could justify standing in Anthropologie and flipping through the books while my mom and sister shopped around. And, what did I find? 

hundreds of dollars worth of awesome books... as always

Okay, maybe not hundredS. All of these could be purchased for less than $150... but they're all so intriguing! 

To the end of my wish list they go, 

for when I have an actual coffee table and a place to display them.

Wedding Season

As "engagement season" approaches...

As a girl, I feel that it's only natural to fantasize about that day: the perfect dress, hair, makeup and the perfect man at the end of the aisle. I used to hate weddings. They were boring, the food was alright, and I never knew an of the adults. But, now it's my friends and cousins getting married. The weddings have become significantly more fun, and scary. 

It's scary how fast life moves. For some of the friends' weddings I've been to, I can remember meeting them at camp or school. I can remember that day, I can remember vacations we went on and the childhood innocence we built our friendship on. And now, all of a sudden, we somehow are old enough to get married (okay, I am not planning to get married anytime soon. I have many older friends and cousins), move away, do adult stuff! None of my good friends that I graduated with have taken this step, but a few have been talking about it and it's seriously so crazy. The fact that I'm not even close to being in a relationship that could end in marriage, and haven't been in a while, makes me feel so weird that some of my friends have found the people they want to spend the rest of their lives with. Insane. Totally, completely insane. 

But, the good thing about my lack of haste in the wedding department is that I've been able to go to weddings, enjoy them, and make observations. Pinterest can only take you so far when it comes to wedding planning... the best way to tell is to be there and see what works. There's only one chance to make this day reach your extremely high expectations, so nothing should be left to chance... at least in my "over-plan everything in life" opinion. I've had the opportunities- and I'm sure I will continue to have them- to see what I like, what I'd do differently, and what I'd take out completely. Number one: definitely a spring or summer wedding. It's so tough to dress for a wedding without looking like you're going to a funeral in the fall or winter. Number two: there will be great music and everyone will be dancing. Because, what's a wedding without a fantastic reception? 

If I had any more plans, I may be considered crazy.

Plus, not everything can or should go as planned, and that's when you hope to God you've built up enough good karma to make it through! 

Merry Christmas!

I hope that your Christmas is full of Red & Green, lots of smiles, and great time with family.

From my home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Holiday Spirit

There may not be snow on the ground, and the temperatures may feel more like March than December but Christmas is coming fast! If you're anything like me, you wait around for the holidays for a few months and are always astonished at how fast the holidays end up flying by. With all of the internet access that we have, now it's like our holidays can all merge together. I "pin" and "reblog" the pictures and videos of other peoples' holidays, who may live down the street or around the world. It's amazing when I sit back and think about it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've pulled together a few of my favorite holiday and Christmas bits that I've found around the 'net to share with you here! 

What are you using as inspiration this holiday season? 

Adverse Effects

I'm typically a very private person. And, when it comes to this blog I try to keep to a "subject matter" that is inspiring and useful to others. That subject matter typically does not include relationships or boys. Mostly because I hate when others use social media as a place to whine about their lack of attention from the object of their affection. But, sometimes I make exceptions. And this post will be one of them. Not because I feel the need to whine or boast about the guys in my life and certainly not because I'm looking for attention. In a weird twist of events, I've made observations about myself in regards to my recent relationship whatevers that may or may not be useful to others.

Here's what it boils down to: Every move I make has adverse effects.

Let me elaborate for a minute on this. If I actually have feelings for a guy, I try so hard to be sweet and thoughtful and everything that I can to make him like me. I make sure I'm available and would go to the ends of the earth for this guy. The adverse effect? Usually the guy thinks I'm too nice and I'm just a friend to him. If that's not frustrating enough, I do a really good job at pushing away the people that actually care about me. For instance, if a guy likes me but I just don't have the same feelings, I don't have any reason to impress. I'm sarcastic, sassy, and unavailable. For some reason, those guys are the ones that keep coming back. See? Adverse Effects.

 I don't know if it's a game the guys in my life like to play, but it's annoying! The over-thinker in me began to analyze my interactions (even more than usual) and I actually began to panic. What if my whole life I've been handling relationships and interactions the wrong way? It's very possible that I've spent my last 19 years pushing away the people that are supposed to be in my life while clinging to those that should be long gone. As I was thinking about this whole unfortunate idea, I came to a conclusion: if the way that I try to put people off makes them stay and the way I try to get people to stay makes them go away... then why wouldn't I switch the two? But the more I thought about that, the more I understood how disastrous that would be. 

Like most things in the life of a Libra, the key is balance. But this is a different kind of balance. It's not just a simple give a little- take a little. I've been working on being vulnerable, reliable, and more open to those around me. Making sure that I'm treating people the way I intend to (and in the ways I would want to be treated) is supremely important. And, I sometimes struggle with getting my point across... which is proven by the aforementioned adverse effects-

although now that I think about it, maybe it's just life playing jokes on me as per usual.

What I've Had Up My Sleeve

So, I mentioned that I had a few surprises for this holiday season and I am excited (and slightly nervous) to show the first one! After much thought and admiration of other "vloggers", I've decided to try it out! Because I am not a whiz at computers or video, and because writing is my first love, the posts will not be as frequent as here on the blog. Regardless, I have uploaded my first "Hello" video, that I am excited to share! 

I have no clue what the future of my YouTube channel holds... maybe some tutorials or video diary-type things. It's definitely a new element for me and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm going to need to improve my editing skills as well as get more comfortable with the whole process, but it's new and different and an extension of who I am! 

I hope you enjoy my awkwardness in the video! 

No Regrets

if there's one thing I've always been bad at, it's vocalizing my feelings

Whether I'm annoyed, upset, or infatuated, it seems like I can never give off the right impression. If I'm annoyed, I cover it up by being overly nice. If I'm infatuated, I'm anything but flirty. I think it's just the way I'm wired, or maybe just the way humans are wired. We want to guard our hearts and our feelings. And, I know I've talked about being vulnerable- I've been working on it. 

My next thing I've wanted to work on is: No Regrets.

and, specifically, no regrets in what I say.

When I say no regrets in what I say, read that as no regretting what I didn't say. Because I've been working on just speaking my mind. Saying the words I want to say instead of being too afraid of the response. I've overused the "type, deep breath, press send" method, usually to a good response. And I've been much happier knowing the answer instead of always wondering what it would have been- or worse, finding out that I would have gotten the response I wanted if only I'd asked. 

Beyond this, I've been happier. I used to always follow some unwritten rule that I couldn't approach someone (read: text first) to the point that I'd drive myself crazy waiting for people to reach out to me. But, I scrapped that ridiculous plan and I send messages to my friends about how I miss them or how I want to make plans. I make the first move... and the second. And I don't know why this never occurred to me before, but instead of "waiting for people to care" I can now play the part of the friend who cares. And it's pretty fun! 

So I've struggled with reaching out to others. I think my personality- that I feel annoying or unwanted- that always kept me from saying what I felt needed to be said. Somewhere this past semester, I picked up a strangely courageous attitude about life, love, and friendships. I've realized that unsaid words swim around in my head, eventually becoming regrets. And what have I got to lose? Especially with college, many of the people I've met had no idea who I was before so who cares if they think I'm crazy or obsessive or annoying by what I say? I literally have nothing to lose, and that is the greatest form of security for this newfound spontaneity. 

And, in case you want to feel a little better about your life...

Currently Loving

1. Winter Break

So, life has been hectic this past month. I was home for Thanksgiving holiday, back to school for finals, and I am now home free for a month- a glorious month where I have nothing to think about but friends, food, and family (the three most important F's). Because of this time off, I'm vowing to get back on my blogging game. Yes, I've been very consistent with twitter, instagram, tumblr, etc. Those platforms take much less thought and are much easier to just check up on than sitting down and writing a whole post. So, I apologize but I promise to be getting back!

Because I've been MIA for a little bit, I wanted to share a few things that have really been on my radar lately. There are no categories and no organization, which I apologize for. But here we go- a modge-podge of everything on my radar these past few weeks!

2. Music Mashups

Or mainly just this one...

3. Plaid and Monograms

I bought this monogrammed shirt from J. Crew on Cyber Monday, and just got it when I came home. And I never want to take it off. 

4. My Childish Obsession

With this movie, these boys- their accents, style, smiles. 

Definitely my guilty pleasure. 

5. Vogue 2013 vs 2014 List

I try to read Vogue Daily... daily. This is one article that I loved.

I hope that you enjoyed seeing a little bit of what I've been loving. I apologize for being gone but hope I can redeem myself! This holiday season I have a few projects up my sleeve, so keep an eye out for that! :)

When TFM Goes Right

like almost any college student who pays any attention to Greek life,

I am a follower and regular reader of TFM

Typically more for comic relief than actual news, I will visit the Twitter or web page to see what's going on. What pledges have been dragging giant Christmas trees around campus and which chapters are throwing crazy parties. Yes, it's about as much a guilty pleasure of mine as Gossip Girl or eating a whole thing of Ben and Jerry's out of the tub. 

But, this past week Jared of TFM wrote the best article I've ever read on the site. It showed that frat guys actually do have a heart- and realistic expectations of women! Following the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, that I watched white eating cookies and Reese's and feeling bad about myself, Jared wrote an article about why we, as girls, shouldn't want to look like one of those models. I clicked the link thinking "oh, this should be good." 

read the article here

Spoiler Alert: It was good. 

It was better than anything I'd read on TFM to date. Jared's points were valid, but that's besides the point. What he recognized in his article was that girls are real actual humans, who like froyo and is going to be more in life than a supermodel (not that supermodels aren't actual humans... but I think they're nearing their own breed). The girls that a normal guy is going to come into contact with is going to care a lot more about the world and a lot less about an ankle sprain. 

So, I had to document this post by saying, thank you Jared. 

Thank you for making me feel better about myself after your article. 

Always Believe...

I've been in a kind of slump lately

between finals and getting ready to be home for a month, life has been a whirlwind lately. To add to that, I've had my own form of self-induced stress about the most ridiculous things like relationships, food/ weight, and greek life. Yes, believe it or not I am a crazy over-thinker who reacts to stress by... putting myself under more stress. 

I guess this tactic isn't all bad, since my stress over the stupid stuff seems (in my mind) like a bigger deal than the pending exams, so studying is actually a "distraction" and a way to quit thinking about it. Because, if I put my phone on Do Not Disturb, then I won't have to constantly wonder if I'm getting a text- it wouldn't buzz anyways. If I study really hard I'll do well on my exams- something to "brag" about if I go through recruitment again. But, as soon as I put the books down for a break, I'm back to over-thinking. I'm back to measuring whether or not I'm cute based on the number of Instagram likes or comments. I'm back to falling into a Country music- induced depression. 

and through this vicious cycle, I'm forgetting to think beyond this moment

I was taking a much-needed study break when I came across this quote on Pinterest. And I remembered that in one week, I'll be home for a month. I'll have my first semester behind me, and many more ahead.  And yes, right now I have about a million and two thoughts zipping around my mind at a speed too high for me to register. Academic stress mixed with personal mixed with everything in else is a lot, and I have yet to find a way to quiet my mind. But I need to keep reminding myself that my worrying and over-thinking isn't doing anything to help me right now. There is always something wonderful in the future- 

no matter how rough the present or uncertain the future

Reflection

since today is officially the last day of classes of my first semester of college, I thought that it'd only be appropriate to reflect on these past months. Entering this semester, I was told over and over about how much fun I'd have and how much I'd learn. Everyone was 100% correct- have learned so much. Of course I've learned in my classes and from my professors, but I've also learned a lot about myself... and that's what I'm going to share. 

disclaimer: don't take these too seriously- they've got a twinge of humor attached to them

1. I am a morning person. When "morning" is when I wake up on my own and don't have an overwhelming amount of work to do that day.

2. I am definitely an introvert. But that doesn't mean that I'm shy or submissive.

3. I thought I was good at talking to adults. I'm actually not. I get nervous and talkreallyfast and avoid eye contact. All bad.

4. While I don't need Greek Life to define me, there's still a part of me that wants it to be a part of me.

5. I talk with my hands. This becomes a sort of flailing when there's a cute boy in the room and I want him to notice me.

6. While I'm definitely not more productive from 8 pm-12 am, that is when I get the most work done.

7. I hate the cold. I actually already knew this, but walking miles in it daily has increased this hatred.

see 8

8. My life can be summed up into one emoji

9. I have a soft spot for frat boys. I know they're crazy but...

10. I still hate rap music, but Miley Cyrus + Rap is so bad it's good (you know I'm right)

11. It's really easy to get on a prof's good side- go to class and actually say hi to them

12. I learn a lot more from Google and YouTube for my classes than I do from the book

13. I am an auditory learner. I now read my notes aloud to myself & if that's not creepy and nerdy I don't know what is.

14. I instantly feel alive after a brush my teeth- it's saved me a few times from falling asleep studying

15. I do not like doing laundry... or maybe I just hate walking all my dirty clothes down to the basement only to find that there are no free machines.............

16. I have this very sassy side to me that I never let be known in high school but now runs rampant here at Purdue

17. I talk in my sleep.. about chemistry. 

18. I can survive at least 36 hours on caffeine and caffeine alone

19. I can't study in the library... or any place that is too quiet. I will go crazy.

20. I actually am capable of making friends. And darn good ones, at that. 

And there you have it, 20 things I've learned this first semester. I'm sure I could go on and on and on, but I'll spare you the time on that one. Plus, I need to get studying. Finals week is this week. Eek!

Social Media

one of my goals has been to become more socially active using well-known sites

I've had a twitter for a while, and now I'm branching out to Pinterest and Tumblr! 

I've used both platforms "privately"... or for myself... for some time, but now it's time to allow you to connect with me through these great social networks. I use both mainly for inspiration- fashion, writing, baking. I love being able to see what others are interested in and what they pin, as well as draw inspiration from places I certainly wouldn't have looked without the nudge from a friend's repetitive pinning. To make it easy, I have both my Tumblr and Pinterest pages linked below, as well as my Twitter again.

Tumblr

Pinterest

Twitter

I realized that I left out my personal Instagram in the original post, and that's probably the form of social media that I have the most fun with. I'd love for you to follow my Instagram, and just for fun I'll give you a little preview of what you'll be seeing!

College Basketball from the Paint Crew View

she's no Teddy, but she sure is cute! 

Philanthropy Events

My Baking skills... hopefully they will improve

And, of course, selfies galore!

Instagram

Happy Pinning, ReBlogging, and Following :)

Wish List Wednesday: Gift Guide Edition

it's Christmastime, and that means wish lists... everywhere!

I could do a gift list of my own, where I steal ideas scour the internet for the best items on everyone else's lists. Then I'd find the items myself, make my own collage, and replicate what has already been done so beautifully. So, instead I'm going to allow you, the reader (and buyer) to decide what direction you'd like to go by providing you with some of the best gift guides I've found.

via College Prepster

1. 50 Gifts for Him and Her

2. J. Crew Gift Guide

3. PKP's Top 31 Gifts for Men

4. The 50 Best Beauty Gifts

5. Gifts at H&M

6. 31 Utterly Perfect Presents

Happy Gifting! 

Top 5: November 2013

this month was the fastest. Ever. 

It was the first month that I've really loved college since I've been here. I think I've finally found a balance between studying and social life. My sleep schedule (or lack of, rather) has let me survive on less sleep and more fun. Basketball season began and, even though it's cold, campus has just been so much fun! 

Naturally, I have a list of my Top 5 favorites for this month that I'm looking forward to sharing!

.........................................................

5. Benefit They're Real

So I've had this mascara for a while now and I have loved it since the beginning. The reason I have it on this list is because it has passed the test- I purchased it again. In the ever-changing beauty world, going back for the same product twice is what really signifies that it's a keeper. I love the way this mascara opens my eyes. Plus, it doesn't look too done-up, which is perfect for everyday wear.

4. Baking

I have never been one that really likes baking, but something about the holidays has made me really antsy to get in the kitchen! My family always bakes, so maybe it's a way for me to channel home a little bit too. This month I baked twice at school and twice over Thanksgiving break, and judging by my Pinterest, there's more where that came from!

3. Turtlenecks

So, I've had a love/hate... mostly hate... relationship with turtlenecks my whole life. I can just remember my mom pulling them over my head when I was younger, as I cried out to have her take it off. Because of these bad memories, I've avoided turtlenecks at all costs. That is, until the J. Crew look book became flooded with turtlenecks and the seemingly infinite ways of styling them. I took a leap of faith, bought a couple, and am not looking back! I love the two that I bought and am seriously considering going back for one in every color. 

2. Tumblr

I have recently starting using Tumblr on a daily basis. I don't post my own images yet, just reposts of others. I'm trying to figure out how it all works but it's been a fun little learning experience this past month.

1. Holiday "Stuff"

From Michael Buble Christmas album to my favorite holiday movies, I got into the Christmas spirit a little bit early this year. Now that it's December, the ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas will definitely be a nightly event. I don't know what has gotten into me, but I'm just really loving the holidays right now so everything Christmas is a favorite of mine right now! 

what are you loving?

I'm Back!

Where have I been?

Fulfilling another 21 Before 21 goal, of course! I wanted to unplug as much as possible for a week, and what better week than Thanksgiving? It's a time to be with family and be thankful for what we have been blessed with, so I stepped away from my computer in order to enjoy being home with family. 

The up side to this- I have so many ideas for what to post since they've been bottling up in my mind for the past week. 

Down side- I have so much reading to catch up on from all of my favorite blogs! 

but, I am back and happy to have reached another goal of mine

p.s. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S DECEMBER!!