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7 Reasons Why You Should Nap Everyday

posted on : April 26, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
I am a napper; I love sleep, and getting a lot of it. As a child, I was always happy to get my daily naps in, and nothing has changed now that I’m a young adult. Naps help me get through the day, since I often am unable to get a full eight hours in every night. Many people don’t nap, and don’t see why others are so passionate about them, but I’m here to tell you all the reasons why you should be napping everyday! Trust me, it does mean you are lazy whatsoever.

I also made a video on my YouTube channel about my nap routine, so you can check it out down below!

Napping keeps you rested throughout the day.

Even though I try to get eight hours of sleep every night, it’s really hard to do when you have classes, work, or anything else really. Honestly, even when I do get at least eight hours of sleep, I still feel tired the next day. Taking a nap helps me feel rested when I get into the afternoon slump, and feel lethargic, and can’t get anything done. Even a quick fifteen or twenty minute nap helps!

It increases your alertness.
While you might think coffee is the only thing that can do this, a good nap can help you feel just as awake and alert! Allowing your body to rest for a little bit helps your mind just as much, and you’ll feel so much more energized afterwards.
Naps make you happy.
Napping allows your body to basically sort through all of the chemicals in your brain, just as it does when you sleep at night, so after you nap, your serotonin (the happy chemical in your brain) increases. This means that you are happy and in a much better mood than before you napped!

It boosts and restores your senses.
You know the feeling when you are worn out, and just generally feel like a bump on a log? Napping takes care of that, and allows you to restore your senses after you have had a long morning, or are just feeling generally lethargic. This can be really helpful so your reaction times to potentially hazard events is much better.
Naps improve your ability to learn.
There has been scientific evidence that napping keeps your brain working harder and longer all day, resulting in an increased ability to learn. This is especially beneficial for students! I mean hey, I’ll take any legitimate excuse to nap that I can.
Naps make you more creative.
For some reason, napping increases the activity in the right side of your brain, which is the side that is in control of your creativity. By napping, you are able to increase the activity on that side, and you will wake up feeling inspired, and with solutions to problems that you can’t figure out!
They allow you to de-stress.
This is one of the number one reasons why I nap, because I am a big ball of stress throughout the week. With classes, work, working out, and extracurricular activities, I feel like I hardly have anytime to breath, let alone deal with problems. By taking at least twenty minutes out of my day to just lie down and get some shut eye, I feel like I can get a grip around all of the stress I have.
Alright, those are the seven reasons why you should nap every single day! I really hope this helped, and convinced some of you to start getting in quick naps during the week, because it really does help.
Are you a napper?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
Now, I’m going to go take a nap.
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5 Easy Ways to Help the Environment Now

posted on : April 22, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Happy Earth day! Some of you might not know this, but I am very passionate about helping out the environment. Being from the Pacific Northwest, it’s something that kids are educated on very early in their lives, and it’s drilled into them that something needs to be done to help the Earth. This was how I grew up, and I’m very glad that I did. My family has always been really good with separating out trash and recycle, making sure nothing bad goes into our water, and just generally trying to help out the environment. It can seem like a daunting task sometimes, and people often think that it’s a lot harder than it actually is. Anymore, there are so many easy switches you can make now that can help the environment later; here are five!

1. Carpool, walk, bike, or bus.

I know this one is the most obvious, but it’s also something that helps out a lot. It’s super important to try and find ways to cut out the use of fossil fuels because it’s something that hurts the environment very much! There’s so many different options for getting places, so make sure you check out yours before you immediately get into the car.

2. Be mindful about your waste.

This applies to many different aspects of your life, anywhere from plastic packaging to leftover food. Try to remember to bring reusable bags to stores instead of using the plastic ones they give you. If you’re really bad at this like me, put some in your car, or right next to your purse so you’ll see it as you leave. If you do end up forgetting them, use the paper bags instead of plastic since you can end up reusing those for a lot! For food waste, start a compost bin so you don’t have to throw out as much food! There are a lot of great guides online, so I definitely recommend checking those out on how to start one, how to use it, and how to regulate it. There’s also a surprisingly amount of things that you can compost, a lot more than you would think! Also, get a reusable water bottle so you aren’t constantly getting plastic water bottles from the store. This not only cuts down on waste, but is also better for you! Bottled water often sits in a warehouse for long periods of time which allows the chemicals from the plastic get in there, which is not good for you at all.

3. Cut down on electricity use.

There are so many ways you can cut down on electricity use, like getting higher efficiency light bulbs (they’re sold at virtually any hardware stores nowadays), LED lights, putting a sweatshirt on instead of turning on the heat, or opening a window instead of turning on the AC. All of these tricks end up saving you money as well, so it’s really a win-win! I love to use little fairy lights to light up rooms rather than ceiling lights, because they are a lot more energy efficient anymore, they look prettier, and I just generally don’t like rooms with really bright lights. You can also light a couple of candles for lighting, smelling, and general pretty appearance!

4. Use less water

Cutting down on shower-times can be hard at first, especially when you have a lot of hair to wash, but it get’s easier with time! This is a great way to use less water since people tend to use a lot of it while they shower. If you like to leave the water on while you brush your teeth, turn that faucet off! This uses a lot of completely unnecessary water, and adds up over time. If you really want to save more water, you could even install more efficient shower heads and faucets.

5. Be mindful of where you get your food.

Eating locally is something that not a lot of people think about when trying to help out the environment. Not only will you find some yummy food to eat, but you also eat things that didn’t have to use fossil fuels in order to travel to the store. Big name brands ship out their products all across the country, and consequently, end up using a ton of fossil fuels to make it happen. Eating locally also supports small businesses, and can just generally be a lot of fun to find new places. Local food is often organic as well, which most often means that it wasn’t sprayed with any harmful pesticides. It also feels great knowing where your food comes from!

Alright, there are five ways that you can help the environment in honor of Earth Day! This is such an important day, and really helps to bring awareness to the disparities the environment is facing in the world today, and it’s also a great way to celebrate this awesome planet that we live on!

How do you help the planet?
Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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20 Things I’ve Learned by the Age of 20

posted on : April 8, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

It is Friday, April 8th, which means it’s my twentieth birthday! I cannot believe I am twenty years old – two decades! The years seem to go by faster and faster with every birthday, and here we are at twenty of them! I really don’t feel old enough to no longer be a teenager, if that makes any sense. For so long I have identified as a teen, and now I am a full-fledged young adult. I know I’m still young – I still can’t even drink – but it’s crazy to think that I have entered my twenties. Even though I’m pretty nervous and scared to be in my twenties, I’m also really excited to see what the future holds. I still have to get through college, but who knows where I’ll be after that! That’s a scary thought to have, and I can’t believe that it’s one so real and applicable to my life right now.

Since I’ve been alive for two decades on our lovely planet earth, I thought I would share twenty things I have learned thus far!

1. It’s okay to mess up.

2. No one notices things as much as you think they do.

3. You can’t control life.

4. Times spent being crazy with friends are just as important, if not more, than when you were ten.

5. It’s okay to ask for help.

6. Don’t bottle things up, because you will end up emotionally exploded, and it won’t be fun or pretty.

7. Stop to pet the cute puppy (after asking the owner’s permission, of course), you will regret it if you don’t.

8. Cherish the time you spend with family, because it gets harder to do so as you get older and busier.

9. It’s okay if people don’t like you, not everyone will no matter how hard you try.

10. Make time for yourself.

11. Stand up for yourself.

12. Life gets a lot easier when you love and believe in yourself.

13. Your parents advice might seem like they are nagging on you, but they are only telling you these things because they love you.

14. Treat your body well by exercising and eating right.

15. …but one cookie won’t hurt.

16. ‘Treat yo self’ when you need it.

17. It’s okay to need your parents and family, you’re still learning.

18. The first time you have to ‘adult’ is scary, but it gets easier with time.

19. Make time to hang out with your friends.

20. Taking time to appreciate all that you have makes it easier to get through the tough times.

–

I’m not saying that I am old and wise now that I’m twenty; on the contrary, I know I have a lot to learn and many mistakes to make. I just thought it would be cool to list these things out, especially so I can look back on it later in life! The beauty of having my blog and YouTube channel is I can look back on all of the events in my life, and remember how I was feeling at the time. I’m so glad that I decided to start both, and I know I will be really grateful in the future as well. I also want to take this time to thank each and every one of you who takes the time to read my blog, and watch my YouTube videos! I really appreciate all of you, and I hope that you enjoy both my blog and channel.
I’m going to go now and enjoy my birthday, but expect a lot of pictures and a vlog after my birthday weekend! I’m going to the beach with family and friends, and also doing some fun things here on campus, so I will make sure to document them all 🙂
For now, I hope you all have a wonderful day, and as always, thank you so much for reading! 🙂

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DIY Crescent Moon Dreamcatcher

posted on : April 5, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

I have been on Etsy so much lately looking at room decor, and everything else really. You can find some really adorable things on Etsy, and it’s super fun to just browse around! While I was looking the other day, I came across a really cool crescent moon dreamcatcher. I have always loved dreamcatchers, and have had a lot through the years. When I saw this one, I knew I wanted to make one like it! I absolutely love DIY-ing, so I really wanted to make one rather than buy it, especially since I knew I could simply make one myself.

I made a video about this on my channel, and I definitely recommend watching it if you make it, since it’s usually easier to follow along with video instructions!

Here is all that you will need for this DIY (side note: I got everything from Michaels just to keep this easy! This post is in no way sponsored by them, however!)

I used the twine to wrap around the metal loop, and the mini rope to make the long strings that hang off of the dreamcatcher.
I used these metal loops for the base of the dreamcatcher, which my dad cut down for me to create the crescent moon shape. You could also use these wooden ones if you’d like!

How pretty are these feathers?! I saw them and knew I had to use them for this DIY.

I also got these feathers since they are nice and fluffy and large. I also like the natural color that they add to the dreamcatcher since a lot of the pieces are white!

Here is the metal rod cut to the crescent shape!

I have been obsessed with Michaels stone and crystal collection they’ve had in the jewelry section! Everything is seriously so gorgeous, it was so hard to choose which crystal pendants to get. I have this really nerdy rock collection, so the inner rock geek in me was crying when I saw all of the stones.

I got this really pretty shimmery embroidery floss for the web part of the dreamcatcher, and I think it ended up looking so cool! I love how it’s basically a dark copper color, and it really added a cool dimension to the web, especially since they can be kind of bland sometimes.

Here’s a nifty action shot of my dad cutting the metal. He was very proud of himself for making it on the blog, ya’ll (he didn’t realize he wasn’t actually in the shot…poor guy).

These are the little clippers my dad used to cut the metal!

Let’s get started with the actual process:

To get the beginning of the twine to actually stay on the metal, I used a hot glue gun (I completely forgot to take a picture of it, sorry!) to glue the end of the twine down. After it was dry and the twine was secure, I went ahead and started to wrap the twine tightly around the metal.

I first quickly wrapped the twine, and then went back and pushed it all together more.

Once I hit the end of the metal, I did the exact same gluing process as the beginning!

For the strings that hang down, I decided to do slip knots. I first pulled off how much I wanted from the spool, and then doubled it back up it’s length so both sides where the same size. After you have one long string folded in half basically, grab just below the part where it is folded in half.

Fold the loop back behind the base (the metal rod covered in twine).

Put your fingers through the loop, and pull both lengths completely through the loop.

This is how it should look after you pull the whole thing through the loop.

Tighten up the knot, and situate it how you want!

Keep going until you have as many knots you want! I went for eight in total.

Okay, now time for the web! This is the time I definitely suggest watching the video to see exactly how this is done. I completely forgot to picture this on the first “layer” of the web, but it’s exactly the same process. To start it off, wrap the string around the base about five times, or however many you think it takes to anchor it tightly, and tie it off. So take the tale of the string and fold it to the right of the base, or in this case the second “layer” of the string.

Pull the tale over the second layer. You will see a kind of loop form, especially if you are on the second layer.

Pull the whole tale back through the loop.

Pull it tight, and make sure to try and keep it tight to make the next layer! I found this whole process to be pretty tricky at first, so you just have to remain patient, and it may take you a couple of tries to get it down. I had to start over completely twice! My web definitely isn’t perfect, but I like how it looked, anyway. After you are done with the first layer, flip the whole base over so it mirrors how it was initially, and just keep going through the same process over and over, in order to get the number of layers that you want. I believe I did four! After you are done with the final layer, take whatever tail you have left over, wrap it around the end of the base and tie it off!

Now it’s time for the fun part – decoration! My parents had this copper wire hanging around that I decided to put around some of the string (you can also find this at stores like Home Depot if your parents don’t just happen to have some haha), and I absolutely love how it turned out. To keep the feathers on, I hot glued them to the strings, and tied the string around them to make it appear as though I had tied them on rather than glued them on.

Here’s how everything turned out! I love how the gold feathers look with the more natural ones.

The crystals really add a lot as well!

I couldn’t be happier with how this dreamcatcher turned out!
You all know how much I love DIY’s, and this one was so much fun. I really hope you guys make this, and if you do, let me know on Instagram and Twitter!
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Why I’m Glad I Didn’t Choose My Major During Freshman Year

posted on : March 31, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Can I just take a little time to gush about how pretty the weather has been here in Seattle? It’s going to be in the 70s tomorrow. The 70s, people. I am thrilled and have been wearing all of my summer dresses with disregard to the still-chilly-but-sunny weather. However, I did take off my sweater today and only wore a dress! Summer is coming.

On to the post for today; I wanted to talk about why I’m glad I didn’t buckle down a choose a major my freshman year of college. I am a sophomore now, and applied to my major, International Studies, this last quarter, and ended up getting in. I actually came into UW thinking about majoring in International Studies, but changed my mind several different times throughout the year. I’m glad I did this for many different reasons. One, I was able to take many different classes from all of the different majors at my university. Two, in taking many different classes, I didn’t limit myself to only one focus all throughout college. Three, I had the freedom to think about all of the things I could possible do, and in doing so, had the courage to believe in myself, and believe that I could do anything I set my mind to.

As I’ve stated before, I really like to have plans for my life. I had a plan for high school when I was in junior high, and knew all of the classes I wanted to take from talking to my older brother and neighbor. I wrote all of them out on the paper, and while I didn’t take all of these classes, I always had at least a general outline for every term. When I came to college, I fully intended on majoring in International Studies, and only taking classes pertaining to that specific major. Sure, I knew I wanted to take fun classes as well, like dance, but I wanted to be as productive as I could in regards to getting all of the requirements done.

Once I got to school, I realized that maybe International Studies wasn’t the right major for me. The initial requirements for the school of IS were boring classes with content that I had mostly learned my senior year of high school. I wasn’t enjoying myself, and didn’t feel like I could truly engage in all of the classes. After my first quarter, I started to play around with the idea of maybe becoming a vet. I took chemistry, and remembered how much I did not enjoy it in high school, and also that I would never be able to perform surgery on an animal due to my queasiness, or put one down because I would be heartbroken. I absolutely love animals, and still entertain the idea of becoming a zoologist, but being a vet isn’t the right career for me.

After that, I decided maybe communications would be perfect for me. I love to write, and am obviously very involved in the media through my blog and YouTube channel, so I decided to take a communications class. While I didn’t overtly hate the class, it just wasn’t my cup of tea, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy only having a career in communications. The subject matter is very interesting, but it is also pretty straight forward, and contained ideas that most people know about anyway with common sense. I don’t mean to discredit the major in any way; it’s a very important field of study, especially in today’s world, but it just isn’t something that makes me feel inspired, or want to work towards.

Over the summer between freshman and sophomore year, my interest went back to International Studies, and I looked up all of the different career choices you could have after college. One of my dreams is to travel, so the idea of traveling as your job made me very excited. I also looked more into the International Studies school at my university, and I saw that peace, diplomacy, and security are a part of one of the focuses you can choose within the major, which is right up my alley. I want to make a difference in the world, and I really felt like this major and track could help give me the tools to do so. I finished up the requirements for the major in fall quarter of this year, and applied during winter quarter. I got into the school, and now I am starting in on all of the credits required for graduation. After I was done with the prerequisites to the major, the classes have gotten much more interesting, and I find myself really enjoying the subject matter.

Throughout all of these decisions, there was one more thing nagging me in the back of my mind. As you all probably know, I have always wanted to write a book. English has always been my favorite subject in school, and is the subject in which I excel at. It excites me, and keeps me desiring to improve myself more and more. After a lot of thought, I decided I wanted to double major with International Studies and English – specifically the creative writing part of the major since there are technically two different kinds of English majors at my university. I was always afraid to major in English due to the stigma of “never getting a job from an English degree” surrounding it, but it’s what I’m passionate about, and will make me happy.

Double majoring is hard due to all of the credit requirements, and I’m making it even more difficult on myself with a minor in Spanish. Since I am so passionate about all three subject materials, I know that I can do it because I’m willing to put in the work. I’m going to have a lot of late nights ahead of me, but I know it will all be worth it.

As for choosing my major(s) this year, rather than freshman year, I’m so glad that I took the time to find out what I truly want to study and have a career in. I didn’t want to get to senior year and realize that I hated my major; I wanted to be absolutely sure that I was in the right place. Being incredibly indecisive, I think it was important for me to try out all of the different classes I could, within reason. It takes me a long time to come to a decision about anything, so choosing my major my freshman year could’ve been a disaster for me. Through taking a ton of different classes, I also got to really experience all of the different schools that are at my university.

I know I will probably question myself later down the road, as every college student and young adult does, but for now I’m happy with my decisions. I’m excited for my future and to see where my studies will take me. Who knows where I will end up! That’s a scary thought to have, especially for someone who is so anxious about everything; however, I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I cannot control life, no matter how hard I try.

Do you like to have a plan for your life?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂

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5 Shows You Should Be Watching on Netflix

posted on : March 29, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
Classes have officially started up again, and yesterday was my first day back from my two week break. Since I didn’t have any finals during finals week, I had an extra week off, which both flew by and seemed to last forever. You know that feeling? It’s like time is moving so quickly, but when you look back, it seems as though you’ve been gone forever. I can’t explain how weird it felt walking back into my dorm room after two weeks! After a couple of hours, though, it felt like I hadn’t even been gone.
Because I’m back in my dorm and spring quarter has started, I thought it would be fun to do a post about some of my favorite shows I watch on Netflix, since it’s my favorite way to procrastinate on my (already) assigned homework. I honestly don’t watch Netflix that often, mainly when I go to the gym, or while I’m eating a quick snack between classes and work. There have been some really good shows that I’ve been watching, though, so I’d love to share!
Criminal Minds is one of my favorite shows; it is intense, has great story lines, and even contains some comedy. In the last couple of years, I have really been into crime shows, and Criminal Minds is definitely one of the best, in my opinion! It can be kind of scary sometimes, since the whole premise behind it is to get into criminal’s heads in order to solve the crimes that they commit. It is centered around the B.A.U. (behavioral analysis unit of the FBI), a team made up of 6-7 people depending on the season, who are profilers and solve crimes. Each episode is like a mini movie since they are all so complex!
Gilmore Girls is one of my all time favorite shows for many reasons: it is heartfelt in a non-cheesy way, centered around two strong, witty women, and the ultimate feel-good show. I grew up watching this with my mom since we are very much like Lorelei and Rory (plus my dad who is always our trusty Luke), and I recently re-watched it. This show is extremely relatable to many young women, and especially at my age, I relate to Rory so much through her struggles with finding her path in the world. I can’t tell you how excited I am for the four additional episodes that will be coming out next year!
Grey’s Anatomy has been on for a long time, and I recently started watching all of it with my friends this school year. I had watched a couple of episodes here and there, but never consistently. I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised! Sometimes this show can be a little ridiculous, but overall it is really great with an awesome and diverse cast. Shonda Rhimes is a great writer, and all of her TV shows do really well due to her mastery. The show is backdropped by a hospital in Seattle (yay!), and is centered around a hospital with a group of doctors who really seem to have some horrible luck, with everything that happens to them. I’m on season 11 now, the last season on Netflix, so I’m excited to get caught up with current day Grey’s!
How to Get Away With Murder is a truly interesting show. I watched the pilot when it first aired, and I don’t know why I didn’t continue to watch it! I’ve been catching up with it on Netflix, and it’s really fascinating. Professor Annalise Keating is a law professor who teaches the class “how to get away with murder,” and in the first episode, some students in her class are shown struggling with trying to get rid of a body. It isn’t revealed who kills this person, or why the crime occurred, but throughout flashbacks during the episodes, viewers are able to slowly piece together the mystery. The writing is fantastic, and is written by Shonda Rhimes as well. All hail Shonda!
I can’t explain my love for Sherlock. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are a match made in heaven, and make a wonderful Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. The show is centered around the famous story of Sherlock Holmes and his partner in crime (solving), Dr. Watson, but set in modern times. Having been a fan of the original Sherlock Holmes, it’s really interesting to see the story set in today’s world. I am also a huge fan of both actors, and enjoy everything about this show basically! The only bad thing about this series is the wait time between seasons, but it’s definitely worth it.
All of these shows are really great, and I really recommend them if you are struggling with finding a show to watch in your free time! Netflix is great for when you have nothing else to do, and just want to sit back and relax. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I definitely need that dedicated time to let my mind focus on something else!
What are your favorite shows to watch on Netflix?

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Why You Should Reflect on the Things That Make You Happy

posted on : March 25, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s already time for the weekend again, this week (and spring break!) has flown by insanely fast. I’m sad that my break is coming to an end, but I’m also really excited for my classes next quarter! I’ve enjoyed my time with my puppies and kitties – I can never get enough – and I will definitely miss them when I go back to school. It’s been nice just being able to relax and not worry about school and work!

Today I wanted to talk about something that’s super important: reflecting back on what makes us happy. I was really inspired to talk about this by Renee from Lose the Road (seriously, go check out her blog – she’s one of my favorite bloggers!), because she posts about what made her happy throughout the week. This is such an awesome way to think back on the things that made you feel joy, rather than focus on all of the negative things that happened throughout the week. Scientifically, it is in our nature to focus on the negatives parts of life since those occurrences pose the most danger, so it’s really important to combat those thoughts with happy memories.
I fall victim to focusing on the negatives very easily since I worry about things so often. It’s extremely difficult for me to turn off my brain sometimes, and I just end up going over bad occurrences over and over and over to try and see if there was anything differently I could’ve done in order to change the outcome. I know so many other people struggle with this as well, and it really can be the worst. It’s hard to stop worrying about something, especially when it affected you in a negative way. This, however, causes so much unneccesary stress, because there is literally nothing you can do to change the past; it is physically impossible (unless, you know, you believe in time travel and wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff).
Even though it’s easy for me to get caught up in the anxiety of negative memories, I try to be an optimist. My brother is very much a pessimist, so when I was younger I tried to be the one who looked at the brighter sides of things. Being an optimist isn’t always easy, or doesn’t always come naturally, so thinking about what made us happy throughout the week is a great way to start seeing things in a different light. When you reflect back on positive memories rather than negative ones, life really does seem more happy, and optimism comes more easily. Thinking about what made us happy also allows us to be more grateful for those things, and not take them for granted. It puts life in perspective, and helps us understand that there will be ups and downs in life that are most often out of our control.
And while it is important to learn from your mistakes and unhappy events, it is unnecessary to focus on them incessantly. Learning from something and not being able to let it go are two different things – I’ve been there before, and let me tell you it is not healthy. Sometimes it’s best to let things go when they are only making you stress out, and aren’t offering you anything but negative side effects. It took me a long to understand this, and I still struggle with it. I still focus on things that didn’t have the best outcome, and go over them again and again in my head, but it’s getting easier to simply let go of the things that I cannot change.
As Renee does in her posts, I wanted to share a couple of things that made me happy this week!
Sleeping in with my dog until 10 a.m.
I don’t sleep in while I’m at school in Seattle, and get up around 8 almost every morning to work out before class. Since I’ve been home and haven’t had anything to get done in a timely manner, I’ve been able to sleep in more, eat breakfast whenever, and go to the gym around midday. While I really enjoy getting up early and starting my day, it’s nice to have a break from the structure! Plus, I don’t get to have my dogs and cats in my bed while I’m at school of course, so it’s been so nice to be able to cuddle with them all.
Spending the day out in the sun with my family.
It’s been pretty rainy and gloomy for most of spring break, but there was a sunny day in the beginning of the week that my family and I spent outside doing some yard work and general straightening up! Days like these used to be tedious to me as a child, since it meant a whole day of chores, but now that I’m older I really enjoy them. It’s so satisfying cleaning things up, and it was nice to spend the day with my parents because I don’t see them as often anymore. Spending the whole day outside also meant I had a whole day to throw Willow’s favorite toy over. And over. And over. Seriously, the dog does not get tired ever!
Hanging out with my family who now lives close to us.
Since my family moved a little while back, we found out we actually live about 15 minutes away from some of our family that I had never actually met! It’s been really fun getting to know them and finding out all of our similarities. I grew up near part of my dad’s side of the family, so it’s nice to meet part of his other side!
Being able to watch as many Harry Potter movies as I want.
Being on spring break has meant that I have a lot of free time on my hand, so I’ve been spending a lot of it watching Harry Potter. I always tend to do this on breaks from school since it’s something that reminds me of home, and because I’m just generally a huge Harry Potter fan. It also gives me that nice warm and fuzzy home feeling. My parents are saints, and tolerate these marathons, which is a plus.
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Those are just a couple of things that made me happy this week, and some things that definitely were the highlight of my week! These things don’t always have to be huge and extravagent; they can be as little as wearing your favorite sweater and receiving a compliment. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how big or small an event is – if it makes you happy, that is all that matters.
What made you happy this week?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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How to: Incorporate Spring Runway Trends Into Your Wardrobe

posted on : March 23, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment

There are so many spring trends this year that I am loving! A couple of them were present last year, but this year are a lot more popular. Today I wanted to talk about how to incorporate these beautiful trends into your own wardrobe, and how to wear them in an everyday setting!

Cold Shoulder
I absolutely love clothes with cold shoulders because they look so nice, and offer a little bit more warmth than a traditional tank top would. They also have such a cool bohemian vibe, which tend to be the type of clothes that I love, and can be paired with so many different things. This year, there are a lot more options for cold shoulder tops, not only dresses, so I’m really excited for that!
Runway:
From Getty Images.
This look is super chic and I love the royal blue color! While it’s a little too fancy for everyday wear, it would look gorgeous to an evening event!
Your Way
Pacsun
I absolutely love this dress! The orange is so pretty (and is also something that will be big this spring), and I love the boho vibe! This is definitely something I would wear everyday.
Fringe
Okay, it’s taken me a little while to actually like fringe. For some reason I never liked it when I was younger, but now that I’m older, I realize that it’s such a fun and cute trend, especially for spring and summer! There’s going to be a lot of it this year, and I’m really excited!
Runway:
Image from wwd.com
The colors of this dress are so pretty! The whole dress seems to have an Aztec vibe to it, and I love the patterns around the waist. The fringe definitely adds an interesting texture, and really completes the dress!
Your Way:
Jacket from Pacsun
How cool is this jacket?! I love how versatile it is; you could throw it on top of a pretty dress for a boho look, or with a statement T, like the one in the picture, for a more rocker-chic look. Either way, the fringe adds so much to this jacket, and makes it so fun!
Suede
It seems that many of the trends for Spring 2016 are really inspired by the 70’s and I’m loving it so much! Suede is no exception, and is going to be even bigger this year than it was last. I have been loving all of the suede pieces, like skirts and dresses, because they add a new dimension to your wardrobe!
Runway:
Photo from fashionista.com
All of these suede pieces are so cool, and add a really great texture to the overall look. Although suede is usually in neutral colors, it comes in a lot of different ones as well, which is nice to switch it up!
Your way:
Skirt from Pacsun
I absolutely love this skirt! Not only does it have the 70’s vibe from the suede, but it totally reminds me of a skirt from the 90’s, or something the characters in Clueless would’ve worn. The maroon color is so pretty, and the scalloped edges add a really cute touch! The buttons down the front are super cool, too. I definitely need to get a skirt like this for the spring!
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Those are three of my favorite trends that were seen on the Spring 2016 runway, and that are going to be big this year! I’m so excited for spring fashion this year, because it’s so 70’s inspired. For years, my dad has always called me his flower child, since I tend to choose clothes that are more “hippie” like, so this is definitely my year for fashion. I can’t wait to start incorporating these trends into my own wardrobe, and I hope this inspired you to do the same!
What spring 2016 trend are you most excited for?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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Product Empties!

posted on : March 16, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
I am the type of person who gets very set in her ways; I literally eat the same breakfast – oatmeal with peanut butter and dried blueberries – and lunch – greek yogurt parfait with strawberries and blueberries – every. Single. Day. I don’t get tired of it, and usually I end up eating the same dinner on most days, which is either quinoa or rice, edamame or some other type of veggie, and fake chicken (which is so delicious, let me tell you). Beauty products are no different; once I find something that I like, I tend to use it for years and never switch. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, especially since I have such sensitive skin, but it’s something that I’ve noticed lately! I mean, if it ain’t broke why fix it, right?
As I’ve been running out of a lot of my favorite products lately, I decided to keep the empty containers so I could do my first empties post and video! I’ve seen so many other bloggers and YouTubers do these, and I love watching them, so I thought it would be a lot of fun to do them for myself. I adore all of these products – except for one, which we will get into a little later in this post – so I have a lot to say about them!

Make sure and check out the video I did on this, too!

I have used this face moisturizer for a long time, we’re talking like two years. First Aid Beauty used to have just a daily face moisturizer, which I actually liked better than this ultra repair one, but they got rid of it a couple of months ago, and I don’t really know why. It was the perfect amount of moisture for my skin, and this one, I’ve found, is a little too much for my skin. Due to that, I decided to get a different face lotion since I’ve used this one forever, and also because I felt like my face needed something different.

I told you guys about this body lotion in my Keratosis Pilaris post, and I love it so much! It really helps with my KP, and it’s just generally a really great moisturizer. It doesn’t have a smell, which is also really nice for my sensitive skin. I use it right after I get out of the shower, all over my body, and I’m good to go for the rest of the day. Even though it’s meant to help KP, it’s also a really great lotion for your whole body.

This has been my go-to B.B. cream for at least a year now! It works really great with my skin, and has a very slight shimmer that gives my skin a nice glow. It also has SPF 27 which is great to have in order to protect your skin from the sun! I don’t know how much I actually buy into the whole “self-adjusting shade for all skin types” selling point, but the color does match my skin, regardless. It blends in really nicely, and provides a great base for the rest of my makeup, like concealer and bronzer.

Okay, this stuff smells amazing, to the point where I want to bottle up the scent and use it as my perfume. It’s really great for the ends of my hair, which is good since that’s what it’s actually meant to be used for haha. I use about a dime size pump of the cream and put it into the ends of my hair on the days that I wash it – which is every other day. This helps keep the ends of my hair healthy and moisturized, two things that are very important since I color my hair.

I have expressed my love for Tarte before, and this is my favorite mascara! Not only does it make my lashes look great, but it’s supposed to be good for them as well. I actually do think that it helps the general health of your lashes, and helps to condition them. My eyelashes aren’t picky at all when it comes to mascara, however, I found this one and I haven’t felt the need to try any other brands since it works so well! It’s also a huge plus that it’s from Tarte, because as I have preached before, it is a great beauty brand and doesn’t test on animals. The wooden package is also really cool, and environmentally friendly! Yay sustainability!

Usually I get the makeup removing wipes from Burt’s Bees, but this last time I didn’t have time to run to Target, and I was in desperate need for something. I knew that the little District Market on campus had these Yes to Cucumbers facial wipes, so I thought they would be fine to grab. About a week into using these, my face started to get a small rash, and these wipes slightly burned while I used them. In the end, these really messed up my skin because I had a pretty big rash on my cheek, and they just generally stung my face and were pretty abrasive. I thought they would be really nice, because they smelled so fresh, but they were truly terrible for my skin, and it took it a good week to recover from them!

I’m so glad I remembered to not recycle all of these containers after I used them, so I could do my first empties post and video! It felt oddly liberating to recycle all of them at once, and I also enjoyed reflecting back on what I like, wanted to change, and what products I didn’t like at all after using them. I really hope you guys enjoyed this post, and hopefully I’ll remember to do more in the future!

What products have you been using lately?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂

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A Pop of Pink for Spring

posted on : March 14, 2016 posted by : Stnkrbug 0 Comment
The cherry blossoms are in bloom at my university, and everything is starting to look like spring! I am so happy that all of the flowers are blooming – it’s definitely my favorite time of the year. Growing up, I had three cherry blossom trees at my house, and they always bloomed on or around my birthday, which made me so happy. As you all probably know, I absolutely love flowers, so I was always so excited that my favorite trees bloomed on my birthday. I’m so lucky to attend my university, because all of the buildings are so beautiful. It’s even more breathtaking when all of the flowers start blooming – especially the quad due to all of the trees.
For today’s post I was inspired by the Pantone color of the year, and Glossier (by the way, if you haven’t heard of them before, check out check out their unique beauty products)! Both hues of pink are so pretty, so it was a lot of fun to incorporate the petal-pink color. It goes perfectly with my school’s cherry blossoms, and it was a lot of fun hanging out there with Joycie (check out her blog here!) while taking some photos. I’m so glad one of the colors of the year is rose quartz, because it’s a color that I like to wear all the time since it goes with my skin tone so well. I have a lot of things in the color, so it was hard to find only a couple of things to wear in that color!

I’ve had this maxi skirt for a little while now, and I love it so much! I got it from Pacsun, and the pale pink is so beautiful, and goes with so many things. The pleats are also so cute, and the slits give it a nice breezyness. The material is really sheer, but there’s another layer that hits about mid-thigh so there’s no underwear disasters.
 This crop top is from Forever21, and is one of my favorites, because I can pair it with so much. It has a pretty floral pattern with a couple of different shades of pink, so it looks nice with whatever it’s paired with. I especially like it with this outfit, because it has both pale pink flowers, and also darker ones that go nicely with my jacket.
I got my maroon leather jacket from Nordstrom, and it’s definitely a staple in my wardrobe. It can be paired with dresses, skirts, leggings, jeans…the list goes on and on. It’s also surprisingly very warm, so it’s perfect for this time of year, when the weather continuously goes between hot and cold.

 I of course had to wear my favorite lipstick, Angelic Nude from Tarte, since it’s one of the prettiest pink lipsticks that I have come across. It pairs so well with any makeup look, and it’s super moisturizing. I also used some pale pink Urban Decay eyeshadow, which is pretty much my favorite makeup look since it’s so quick and easy to do.
It’s been raining non-stop this last couple of weeks, so we definitely lucked out in timing these photos! Just as I was walking back to my dorm it started pouring again. It seems like March showers are going to bring April flowers this year, which is just as well with me since my birthday is early April!
I also decided to wear my favorite letter necklace with this outfit, because it matches so well! This is definitely one of my favorite necklaces, and I’ve had it forever. I don’t really remember where I got it from since I’ve had it for so long! The poor chain isn’t the best anymore, so I actually need to get another hook to fix it, but it still works.
 It’s a lot more fun walking to class when you get to walk through the quad, and I don’t find myself dreading it as much. Everyone always seems happier, too, since everything is so pretty and bright!
This is one of my favorite places in the quad, because the little path with the benches is so adorable! The cherry blossoms arch over the path, so it’s always nice and shady.
I just can’t get enough of these cherry blossoms!
Well, there you have it – my pop of pink outfit for the spring! I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and love cherry blossoms as much as I do! They are, as I’m sure I have expressed thoroughly, my favorite trees, and I’m so happy it’s almost spring. This year is flying by so quickly; I can’t believe my birthday is in less than a month! It seems like Christmas was just yesterday, and here we are already to St. Patrick’s Day and Easter!
Are you excited for spring?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂