November 2013 Nature Box

I mentioned last time that I wouldn't be picking my snacks again, but when I received an email from Nature Box stating that I should choose my snacks before they got shipped, I logged in and chose five items.

Once again, I wasn't very happy with my choices.

Flax Fortune Coins :: These are so adorable; they remind me of little pancakes. The above picture isn't the greatest, because it doesn't show that there are actually quite a few visible flax seeds in each little cookie. I don't even really like fortune cookies, so I don't know why I chose these. They're okay. They're crunchy and sweet, with a little kick thanks to the flax seeds.

Cocoa Waffle Wafers :: I really wanted to like these. I mean, they're chocolate. But, in my opinion, they are really dry and taste like they are burnt. Nutella corrects the problem though. (:

Dark Chocolate Berry Trail Mix :: I am on a total trail mix kick right now! This one is pretty good, but I wish there was more chocolate in it. (:

Dried Pears :: These are really good. I like dried fruits, so of course I enjoyed these. I love how the one ingredient on the back of the package is "pears." It does bother me the way that some of these are cut. As you can see in the picture, there is a stem attached to one of the slices.

Cherry Vanilla Granola :: I love granola! I don't have any yogurt in the fridge right now, but I've just been eating this out of the bag. This granola reminds me of the macaroon granola I tried in September. While some of the granola is cherry-flavored, I have only found two of the {super delicious} dried cherries so far.

I'm already looking forward to next month's Nature Box. I plan on trying the dried peaches!

xoxo.

this post contains affiliate links.

alive & crazy.

I bought these mugs at Target yesterday. I want the New York and London ones too. (They also have San Francisco.) I swear I only went there to buy a sweater, since they were on sale for forty percent off. I ended up getting two super soft sweaters - a purple v-neck pullover and a brown heather v-neck cardigan.

I'm currently sitting in my resume-writing class, laughing at all of the things that these people say. Yesterday in psychology class, I ordered my cap and gown, and I looked around to find a dress to wear for graduation as well. I really like this one from A&F. I can't believe I'm graduating in less than a month! I still feel like I have so much to get done. I have to finish my internship, and my last three classes.

In one of my classes, we are putting together the annual talent show for our school. I really have no idea what's going on because I have only been there for the second half of the class.

Thanksgiving is in two days! I can't believe that it's already the end of the year!

I ordered a leather jacket from Boden, and it came in the mail a few days ago, but I ordered the wrong size, so I had to send it back. It is so soft and so beautiful; I hope that the size I exchanged for fits like a glove, because I really want to wear it!

Last night, I ordered some spiral-bound mini books from Printstagram. I've ordered some before, and they are really great quality. I would love to order some actually prints from them one day, because they look to be really great quality.

So that's where I am this morning.

xoxo.

Why Buy When You Can Rent?

{this post is sponsored by CampusBookRentals.com. I have been compensated, but all opinions are my own.}

Transitioning from the public education system to college is quite strange. Before, the taxes that our parents paid covered the costs of our education, but then when you get to college, you have to pay for your classes, your books, and if you go to a larger school, probably your dorm and meal plans as well. This is all on top of the other costs of living, unless you are lucky enough to have someone helping you out or a scholarship.

Life is expensive! Back in July, I posted about Campus Book Rentals, and how they help cut the cost of college textbooks.

As soon as I learned which books I would need for my classes this semester, I looked to see if they were available on Campus Book Rentals. I needed only two books this semester, and of those two books, I was able to find the book that I needed for my Event Marketing class.

I was thankful that Campus Book Rentals has a flexible renting period, because it seems as though my school goes a little bit longer than typical colleges and universities. And did I mention that they have free shipping both ways on top of the savings of 40-90% off bookstore prices? One less thing for me to think about! When I received my textbook much earlier than I had expected, it was packaged with the hot pink bubble mailer that I will be using when I return my Sports Marketing book in a few weeks.

Not only does Campus Book Rentals work hard to save you money, but with every book rental, they donate to a cause called Operation Smile, which helps to save children who were born with cleft lips and cleft palates.

What if you already bought your textbooks from the college bookstore? You can always rent them out to other students using Rent Back by Campus Book Rentals.

I had such a great experience this semester with Campus Book Rentals, and I think this is something that I can use as part of my twenty by twenty goal of being more frugal this year. Do you have any great tips to save money during college?

Fall Cara Box Reveal

I believe that the Cara Box Exchange gets better every time. If you haven't heard of Cara Box before, basically you get paired up with two people who you get to know over a two month period before you send a box of goodies + a note of encouragement to one of them and receive a box from the other person.

I was paired with two awesome ladies this moth. Sonya blogs over at Sea Salt and Caramel, and while she is originally from France, she is currently located in southern California. She is also still in college, but her college is a lot different from mine.

Tiffany blogs at d'Asti at Tiffany's, and she sent me my Cara Box from Louisiana! Like me, Tiffany works at a hotel, but the hotel she works for is much bigger than the one I work at.

I think that it is so cool that this month I was paired up with people who are similar to me, but we have differences in our lives, and I really enjoyed getting to know both of them!

I found that leaf on the ground when I was bringing in the mail the day my Cara Box came in the mail, so I picked it up to use as a prop! (:

neutral leaf-print scarf
candy corn
glittery pumpkin
journal
mouse for Max (:

and a pretty card!

Thank you so much, Tiffany, for the wonderful package! Max loves his mouse too!

Want to see what I sent Sonya? Here's her reveal post!

I really enjoyed getting to know Sonya and Tiffany this month! If you're interested in participating in the Cara Box Exchange with Wifessionals, click the black button below.

{let's file this post under "Teresa uses her kitchen floor to take pictures again..."}

xoxo.

Influenster Rose VoxBox Reveal

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Influenster must really love me, because they sent me a second VoxBox last month!

First look. I had already peeked on Influenster's website to find out what I would be getting, because a few of the questions on the survey that had me curious!

Cheat sheet. I was pretty excited to be one of the select Influensters who got a bonus product.

Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffle - I love chocolate, and this truffle was no exception. I actually received some of these for Christmas last year. They are so smooth and creamy! I've tried a few of the other flavors, and they are also delicious.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam mascara - This arrived at the perfect time, as my old mascara was ready to be thrown away. I am terrible with applying mascara, I always get it on my eyelids! This mascara really does add volume though.

belVita crunchy breakfast biscuits - As soon as I opened this little packet, I could smell blueberry muffins! These were crunchy and delicious with dried blueberries and oats inside.

Kiss Gradation Polishes - I think this is the first nail product that I have received from Influenster that I will like! This looks easy enough, and will be pretty.

Vitabath Hydrating Lotion - This lotion smells so good! I really did not need any more lotion, but I've been using it everyday. My hands get really dry in the winter, especially since I have been washing so many dishes at work this week, so I really appreciate getting this in my VoxBox.

Dr. Scholl's for Her Cozy Cushions - I have used these in three different pairs of shoes now. They make standing for hours at work a lot more bearable. I didn't really like having to trim them down to my shoe size, but it makes sense that they aren't just going to be one size fits all. Another thing that I found annoying about these is that the fluff falls off. They do add some height inside your shoes, so they might be a little bit tighter when you are using them.

xoxo.

I believe in pretty band-aids.

why would I want to hide something ugly with something else that's ugly?

on Sunday afternoon, I was washing some dishes at work, like usual. I was washing a polka-dotted glass that I had washed many times before, in fact, the dish that I had just washed was an identical one! my hand was inside the glass, and I turned my hand and must have put some weird pressure on the glass, because the next thing I knew, a triangular chunk of the glass broke off and my hand was bleeding in two places. I grabbed a clean rag out of the drawer next to me, and applied pressure to my hand while I walked into the other room and stared at the first aid supplies. I thought it would be a smart idea to clean the wounds with an alcohol wipe, but it really wasn't. it stung so much! I wasn't too impressed by all of the ugly band-aids on the shelf, so I went to my purse, where I have some pretty ones stashed. those were the ones I used, of course! these are Cynthia Rowley band-aids that I picked up at Target, but I'm sure they sell them anywhere you can buy Band-Aid brand bandages.

for the record, I previously had Candy Land band-aids {Target dollar spot}, but I used them all.

here's another similar story. when I was a junior in high school, I somehow managed to close my finger into a car door. I still don't even know how that is possible. after a few weeks and a doctor's appointment where a hole was burned into my fingernail to release pressure, my nail fell off. this happened about two weeks before my junior prom, so I made my dad buy pretty band-aids for me. they didn't have any Disney Princess ones, so I settled for a box of Barbie band-aids. and guess what? I just looked through pictures from junior prom, and there wasn't a band-aid on my finger. oops.

blood and fingers lacking fingernails. hopefully that is not a story that will be told again over here.

xoxo.

Twenty While Twenty Progress

{reusing this picture from Hwy 42 near Northport!}

You can find all twenty of my goals on this post!

6. create a Facebook fan page for my photography.

completed on September 19th.

8. read twenty books.

I've read six so far! I'm a little bit ahead on this one, but I need to read some more soon to stay on top of this goal.

9. blog at least twice a week.

there was a week or two where my posts weren't that great, but there were still two there. I also completed Blogtember with Jenni {Story of My Life}.

12. send out one piece of real mail each month.

going strong on this one! August, September, October, and November have been completed!

13. learn how to be more frugal.

working on this one... kind of. I've been trying to not spend as much money on unnecessary things.

14. take better care of myself.

also kind of working on this one. I took a few long walks in the beginning of September, but I haven't been on one since then. I also have been getting my Nature Box with nutritious and delicious snacks each month.

19. drive up north at least four times.

I've already been up north twice! pictures here {Labor Day} and here & here.

xoxo.

October snaps

some miscellaneous shots from October. I wanted to call them random pictures, but then I remembered how my high school prob & stats teacher always said that humans are not capable of random.

I love my Vera Bradley Fringe Scarf in Heather! {Target Mossimo Supply Co. v-neck pocket tee}

let's ignore my neighbor's satellite, and admire their pretty tree.

front porch detail, 3rd Avenue.

White Mountain boots {TJ Maxx} // American Eagle jeggings // Old Navy belt // Mossimo Supply Co. long-sleeve v-neck tee {Target} // Mossimo Supply Co. boyfriend cardigan {Target}

John A. Hutter Memorial Park {as abandoned as Chateau Hutter}

Mossimo Supply Co. boyfriend cardigan {Target} // Old Navy infinity scarf

first snow of the season happened on Wednesday the twenty-third. I tried to take a couple pictures, but it melted so fast! those little white balls (center and lower left of center) are the little snowflakes, I guess.

melted snow & proof that Luna is not white.

so, I brought my camera to work with me in the middle of the month. that's not something that I typically do, because it doesn't exactly fit in my purse, and I don't like to carry around my camera bag, but I wanted to take some pictures in some of the rooms {which I wish I could share! I got an incredibly gorgeous one of one of the rooms! but I don't really feel comfortable sharing too many pictures of the motel at this time.}, so I brought it with me. anyway, we have a tinsel Christmas tree in our lobby year-round, and my hairstylist {everyone here is interconnected, long story.} gave me this ornament for the tree a few months ago. my sister and I actually each have one of these for our tree at home. so that's the long story about this picture.

*********

and those are all of the fun ones for now. tomorrow I'll be recapping on this past weekend!

October Instagrams
October Nature Box
Influenster Varsity VoxBox
October Ten on Ten

xoxo.

The Month by iPhone: October 2013

here are some iPhone captures from this past month!

people sometimes complain about how Luna smells like crayons, so I bought an air freshener at Bath & Body Works, and I got the frosted cupcake insert! (: I think I'm on a skull kick as of late!

I bought a set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls at a thrift store. this is the smallest one, and the largest one has the same color scheme, but the medium one is white with a mustard design. they are really heavy and so beautiful!

I saw this under the Christmas tree at work, and had to laugh, even though I thought it was sad. I think my instagram caption for this one was "broken hearted and lying on the floor." the ornament was a gift from a guest around Valentine's Day, so I was sad to have to throw it away.

I love the things that people write with the magnets on the fridge in the diner.

calavera print from Tried & True! I just love her printables! (:

OPI Goldeneye

my dad gave me this magnet. I couldn't agree more.

xoxo.