Friday Favorites 10/30

Good Morning Everyone, 

It's Friday and that means it is time for Favorites! 


Beauty: 

A little Halloween inspired beauty by Desi Perkins! Love this look!

Love the purple look. Via the Self Made Palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Fashion:

Not normally my style but I really like this look! Link

Looks super cute and comfy!

Nerdy Girl: 

I need this.

I would totally work out in this!

Funnies: 

I laughed so hard!

Fact.

Song of the Week: This one is for Kyra. We are rocking out to this one in honor of Halloween!

Have a great weekend everyone! If you don't stop by tomorrow, then be sure to have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Gearing Up for NaNoWriMo

So NaNoWriMo is about to begin this weekend and I will be participating again this year. Honestly I really do love the challenge even though halfway through the month I usually regret my decision. However if you are like me and you are gearing up for a month of non stop writing then you might enjoy this past post of mine!

 

So lately I've been having a little trouble thinking of things to write. I cannot tell you how many minutes have passed me by while I stare at the blank page or blank screen. It is so frustrating to know that you SHOULD be writing but there is just nothing that wants to be written. I always feel so guilty if I close the laptop or the journal without writing anything down or meeting my word count for the day. Writers Write!!! They do not give up! 

So I decided that I would put together a post of things that I do in order to get back to writing again! 

1) Get Musical. Find a playlist or spend some time creating one. I like to find classical styles normally for more intense or thoughtful scenes and songs with lyrics that I really like for scenes with more dialogue. Either way music can really help get the ideas flowing! 

My Favorites: 

Lindsey Sterling

Apocolyptica

Halestorm

The Piano Guys

2) Go for a Walk. Sometimes you just have to get out of the house and get some outside stimuli. It helps me clear my head and start to let my mind wander away from all the other things that I am worried about and before I know it I am daydreaming. Daydreaming always helps me come up with new ideas!

3) Check out Pinterest "Writing Prompts". There are so many prompts for both blogs and just writing in general! Sometimes you just have to write something different from your current project to shake things up a bit!

4) Read!  I believe the only way to be a good writer is to be a good reader! So pick up a book, something that you enjoy, something that made you want to write in the first place! Books inspire great thoughts, let them inspire you!

I tend to gravitate toward books about writing when I am having a case of writer's block. My favorites are these: 

Stephen King's---- On Writing

I love this book. Part Memoir and part Writer's Tool box, it really helps me get focused on my work. I love Stephen King's honesty in this book. His approach to writing resonates with me and I am always returning to this book for good advice! Also I love hearing about how he struggled before he became famous, helps remind me that it never comes easy, only with hard work! Also I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook version of this. Stephen King narrates it himself and it is truly brilliant to hear live!

Barbara Demarco- Barret's----- Pen on Fire

I got this book a LONG time ago when I thought I was too busy for writing and wanted to find ways to fit it into my schedule. Little did I know that I had NO CLUE as to what having no time was like! Now that I am a Mom and a Wife, I realize what it is like when you are trying to meet word counts and still maintain the balance of daily life. This book has some really great tips and tricks for fitting writing into your daily life without feeling guilty! (Mommy guilt...ugh)

5) Free Writing. I know you have heard this before, but it really does help. Sometimes all you need to get started is to just start typing or writing. It doesn't matter what you are writing about. It could be the weather, the items on your desk, how frustrated you are that you can't seem to write anything....just write! Even if you don't get anything brilliant written, you still "exercised"  your writing ability and the next time it will come easier and you will break through your block! 

I hope these tips were helpful to you! Happy Writing Everyone!

Confessions 10/28

Good Morning Everyone,

Time to Confess!

I confess that I got all ready and did full makeup yesterday and then...didn't go anywhere. My brother and I were going to go out but it was rainy and cold and I wasn't going to drag Kyra out there in that type weather. I do not need a sick toddler.

I confess that I have not bought any Halloween candy yet. We don't get trick or treaters down our street (its a creepy dead end) so I just haven't seen the point. However I could really go for those mini Hershey bars. The bag of mixed ones? Yum.

I confess I was a little broken hearted to see that Sephora totally sold out of the Urban Decay Set...in like moments. I mean I couldn't afford it really but some part of me hoped I might get it.

I confess that despite that other confession about wanting expensive makeup, I am trying to work on budgeting. There are some actual grown up things that I want to achieve in the next couple years and we won't get there unless we start to do some serious budgeting now. #adultingishard

I confess that I'm also working on scheduling my time better. I want to do NaNoWriMo again this year and also budget, be a mom, cook, clean, etc. So Yeah...I'm gonna need some time management.

On that note I'm off to get some more work done around the house. Happy Humpday Everyone.

Be sure to join the linkup! 

Tag it Tuesday: Fall About Me

Good Morning Everyone, 

So I was tagged by Lolo to do this AWESOME fall tag and I knew it was one that I just HAD to do! 

1. Because Fall is awesome. 

2. Because Lolo is the bomb. (Do people still say that? Am I a weirdo?) 


So Let's Do This! 

favorite candle scent — I am honestly not huge on candles. Mostly because my husband is really picky about smells. He always says they are too sweet smelling or not "apple" enough. However we both really like the smell of this one, Warm Tobacco Pipe. I confess that I love the smell of pipe tobacco and this one smells so masculine and warm. Like sitting fireside with my dad.  (who occasionally smokes a pipe)

  coffee, tea or hot chocolate? — All of the above. Coffee all morning. Tea in the afternoon. Hot Cocoa in the evening. Seriously, in that order just like that. That is a perfect day right there! Though I admit that while I'm not a coffee snob, or a tea connoisseur, I am VERY picky about my hot cocoa! 

what is the best fall memory you have — Most of my fall memories are good ones. Specifically Halloween was always wonderful because my mom made our costumes and they were epic every year!

This is me....though it really does look like Kyra!

best fragrance for fall — I mix up fragrance a lot. On the daily I use a body splash or something light but if I am trying to fancy it up I like Elizabeth Arden's Pretty Hot and Estee Laudere's Modern Muse. Also I am very partial to just vanilla oil on pulse points as that is my favorite scent of all! 

  favorite Thanksgiving food — Sweet Potatoes. Or Yams. Or whatever you want to call them. LOVE them!!! (though to be fair I give lots of love to all of the glorious carbs that Thanksgiving has to offer!)

most worn sweater — For all my love of sweaters I don't have a favorite at the moment. I am always on the hunt for the perfect one that is soft and comfy but still looks like I have my act together. I still haven't found it yet!
 
football games or jumping in leaf piles — football games I suppose. I'm not really into the leaf thing as there are unknown things that could have crawled into the leaf pile. I don't really go to many football games now but when I was in high school and college that was always where I spent my fall days! 

favorite type of pie — Cherry. I love a pumpkin pie but I think that cherry is my real favorite because I always go back for another piece! 

what is autumn weather like where you live — It is a confusing blend of too hot, too cold, and a handful of days that are like heaven. Usually by Halloween it is the arctic around here!

which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged liner — I love them both, but since I have small eyes dark lips is a much easier one for me to accomplish!

what song really gets you into the fall spirit —Actually it is a soundtrack. The entire soundtrack to Practical Magic makes me feel like fall!

  is pumpkin spice worth the hype — Not so much in my opinion. I'm not a PSL girl as it is too sweet but I love a Pumpkin Spice Coffee that I can flavor with my own amount of sweetness! My favorite is this one:

Found here

favorite fall TV show — Supernatural. I am always behind because I don't have cable and have to wait for Netflix but I love that show!

skinny jeans or leggings? — I have answered this one many times but Leggings. Skinny jeans look like leg prisons.

combat boots or Uggs — Both. I love combat boots and have since I was a kid. Uggs (again fake Uggs because who has that kind of money?) are super comfy even if they aren't super cute.

Halloween: yay or nay — Yay! I love to dress up. I love all the spooky decor. I love all the candy. Halloween is the best! 

  fall mornings or evenings — I personally like the mornings because the air is so sharp and crisp. The world feels clean again.

what do you think about Black Friday? — I love it personally but usually by then I have all the major gifts I want to get bought. I just go out to score some deals on small stuff and people watch.
 
one Fall 2015 trend you love —The buffalo check/ plaid patterns. It kind of reminds me of the 90's grunge and I am digging it! 

So now it's time to play Tag! 

Erin @ TexErin

Megan @ CanIDecideAnotherDay? 

Amanda @ Voyage of MeeMee

Steph @ Life According to Steph

Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That!

And anyone else that wants to play! 

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Weekend Recap: The One with the Martian

Friday: There were brownies. Also Dinosaurs.

Saturday: My brother's birthday! We went out as a family and had dinner. I have no pictures of this because we were too busy having fun. Sometimes you just have to be in the moment and not behind your phone! We had an awesome dinner at The Smokehouse and embarrassed him by singing Happy Birthday. 

The birthday boy and his boy Archer.

Sunday: My parents offered to watch Kyra so that I could finally go see The Martian! 

I really enjoyed it but there were some parts that irked me. Hollywood did it's little number on it and I felt like some important parts were left out and some parts were made up. I won't spoil it for anyone but it wasn't as good as the book IMO. 


After the movie we were walking to go and get some food and we stopped so I could take a picture of this awesome sculpture/statue. 

Then we went and got some food and I was very amused to see they offered a doggie menu. We obviously didn't have any of our fur kids with us so we didn't get to see any of them but I still snapped a shot of the menu! Also my own awesome lunch, The Freebird Chicken Sandwich!

During lunch I started getting a headache and it was time to go and pick Kyra up from my parents but as we headed back to the car I stopped to take a picture of these creepy pumpkin people/things. 

The headache I got during lunch turned into a full blown migraine by the time we got to my parents' house. Nausea, light sensitivity, the whole nine yards. So my mom offered to keep Kyra a little longer so that I could go home and rest. My husband took off to go see his mom and I immediately got in pajamas and passed out. After a two hour nap the migraine was finally gone and my parents brought Kyra home. She and I then spent the evening cuddled up together watching Hotel Transylvania and reading her new current favorite book: Green Eggs and Ham! 

So that was our weekend! Hope you had a good one! Happy Monday.

Friday Favorites 10/23

It's Friday Favorite time!

Beauty:

I am in love with this purple!

Yep I need this palette. Obviously.

Fashion:

In love with the whole look!

Yes I need this sweater.

Nerdy Girl:

Last week it was Harry Potter now I need this one too!!!

Funnies:

This is my house.

Right?!

Song of the Week: 

 That's it for me this week! Have a safe and fun weekend everyone!

Thursday Thoughts

1. Today is my parents' 37th anniversary. They are still almost sickeningly in love. It's wonderful.

2.I am super proud that I got my brothers together yesterday so we could surprise my parents  with a group portrait of all of us. It was the one thing that my mom asked for and it took a little work since we all have really varied schedules but we did it and she cried from happiness.

We are a good looking group huh?

3. I am over the term "basic bitch". When did it become bad to like things? When did it become cool to make fun of other people who like things? Why can't I just enjoy what I enjoy? So what if a lot of other people like it? Why does that make it a bad thing?

4. I am once again super behind on reading posts and comments. I am trying to work on it, but man you take a couple days off for sickness/picture taking and you can really fall behind!

5. I still haven't seen The Martian and I am dying inside.

6. I am feeling the need to be crafty and creative again. I predict painting in my future.

7. Pumpkin Pie Blizzards are awesome. IDK what anyone else says. Awesome.

8. Knitting is so relaxing. I wish I had started it sooner!

9. My favorite bra busted an underwire yesterday. I feel so betrayed.

10. I didn't have a tenth one but leaving it on nine felt weird and awkward. So here you go. 


Happy Thursday Everyone!