fifty questions

the other day, I was scrolling through my posts on tumblr, and I found this survey. I thought that this would be a fun "getting to know you" thing to do over here (:

    1. What's your favorite candle scent?

I love vanillas, apple scents, and dessert scents! (:

    2. What female celebrity do you wish was your sister?

Kelly Osbourne!

    3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother?

Jack Osbourne!

    4. How old do you think you'll be when you get married?

oh God, who really knows. I tend to go back and forth on whether or not I want to be married.

    5. Do you know a hoarder?

I like to keep things. does that mean I'm a hoarder?

    6. Can you do a split?

hahaha no.

    7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike?

7 or 8, I think.

    8. How many oceans have you swam in?

I've swam in the Atlantic Ocean, but I've also been in the Pacific Ocean.

    9. How many countries have you been to?

just the U.S. and Canada.

    10. Is anyone in your family in the army?

my grandpa was in the Navy, one of my uncles was in the National Guard (I think it was that branch), and my ex-brother-in-law was in the Coast Guard.

    11. What would you name your daughter if you had one?

hmmm....I don't know!

    12. What would you name your son if you had one?

Thomas Edward

    13. What's the worst grade you got on a test?

probably a C

    14. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child?

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

    15. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight?

a piece of pizza? was that when I was eight?

    16. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series?

I read most of the HP series. I think I got halfway through book five.

    17. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent?

an American accent, because if I had a British accent, I wouldn't be able to hear it.

    18. Did your mother go to college?

she did not finish college.

    19. Are your grandparents still married?

not to the people they were originally married to, but three of the four are married to the people they have been married to all my life (that includes the deceased and this sounds a lot more confusing than I meant).

    20. Have you ever taken karate lessons?

no

    21. Do you know who Kermit the frog is?

yes

    22. What's the first amusement park you've been to?

Bay Beach in Green Bay

    23. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in?

French, and I'm working on it

    24. Do you spell the color as grey or gray?

grey

    25. Is your father bald?

not quite

    26. Do you know triplets?

no

    27. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook?

Titanic

    28. Have you ever had Indian food?

no

    29. What's the name of your favorite restaurant?

I don't really go out to eat that often, so I don't exactly have a favorite.

    30. Have you ever been to Olive Garden?

yes

    31. Do you belong to any warehouse stores (Costco, BJ's, etc.)?

Sam's Club

    32. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender?

see number twelve

    33. If you have a nickname, what is it?

T

    34. Who's your favorite person in the world?

I know so many wonderful musicians, and they are my favorite people.

    35. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs?

suburbs

    36. Can you whistle?

yes

    37. Do you sleep with a nightlight?

no

    38. Do you eat breakfast every morning?

yes

    39. Do you take any pills or medication daily?

no

    40. What medical conditions do you have?

nothing clinical

    41. How many times have you been to the hospital?

I've never spent the night in a hospital.

    42. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?

yes

    43. Where do you buy your jeans?

American Eagle

    44. What's the last compliment you got?

"you're wonderful"

    45. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning?

sometimes

    46. What flavor tea do you enjoy?

I like chai tea lattes (:

    47. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own?

nineteen

    48. What religion will you raise your children to practice?

Catholicism

    49. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn't real?

I have no idea!

    50. Why do you have a blog?

 to keep the words with the pictures and the memories.

xoxo.

38/52 2014

finally settling into the school year routine of work and teaching at the Y. it was another busy weekend because of a fall festival in Sturgeon Bay, and on Monday I drove down to Oshkosh for some shopping. the sky was so perfectly beautiful during the day and then later as I left the Y and the sun was setting. I wish I had pictures because the colors were just so vibrant.

Wednesday 17 September // day two hundred sixty :: my shoes tend to end up on the floor between jobs.

Thursday 18 September // day two hundred sixty-one :: breaking into a new NatureBox! {check out what's inside here}

Friday 19 September // day two hundred sixty-two :: coloring time. (: {these printables are from Tried and True}

Saturday 20 September // day two hundred sixty-three :: a few years ago, as I was working on the laundry at work, I updated my facebook status to "laundry is a never ending cycle." I didn't even mean for it to be a pun, but it really does never end...

Sunday 21 September // day two hundred sixty-four :: I finally updated to iOS 8, but only because I had some apps that wanted to be updated. I don't really use anything from the update.

Monday 22 September // day two hundred sixty-five :: I drove down to Oshkosh to do some shopping. I really wanted to get some new shirts and cardigans. the only thing that I bought that resembled clothing is this scarf from World Market {also in orange and purple}. and I found the little trinket tray at Francesca's, which I had never been in before. it's really annoying that I want to buy clothes but everything I find is at least one of the following: not something I like, too expensive, or something I like but couldn't really pull off.

Tuesday 23 September // day two hundred sixty-six :: these are a few of my favorite things (you know you just sang that too)

xoxo.

NatureBox :: September 2014

I was a little confused that my NatureBox was early this month, but I am not complaining! This is one of my favorite times of the month.

Cranberry Macaroon Granola :: Well, I was planning on having this granola in my yogurt with my apple (new favorite kind - Zestar), but the chunks of granola were much larger than I was expecting. The granola is really good and crunchy though. It tastes like a granola cookie!

Cranberry Almond Bites :: Last month I tried the blueberry ones, so this month I picked out cranberry. I like the blueberry ones better because these seem to have a pretty bland flavor, but they're not bad.

Strawberry Crispy Chews :: Okay, these sound really weird. They're strawberry fruit chews (like natural fruit snacks) but with crispy rice in them. They're actually really good and the texture is pretty interesting.

Apple Cinnamon Crave :: I really like trail mix, so this was a must. There are two kinds of roasted peanuts (honey roasted and regular), almonds, white chocolate chips, and cinnamon apple chunks. The honey roasted peanuts are the best I've ever had. They look a little strange though. And the apples? They taste just like apple pie!

BBQ Kettle Kernels :: I like NatureBox's toasted corn, and I like BBQ, so these are good. They are a little bit spicier than I would like, but still manageable.

xoxo.

37/52 2014

I got out a couple times this week and took more than just one picture a day. I've been feeling like I'm stuck in a rut, so to speak, so that was really nice.

Here's some color from the past week.

Wednesday 10 September // day two hundred fifty-three :: tugboat on Lake Michigan in Kewaunee on a foggy afternoon.

Thursday 11 September // day two hundred fifty-four :: fall accessories.

Friday 12 September // day two hundred fifty-five :: scheduling.

Saturday 13 September // day two hundred fifty-six :: big clouds.

Sunday 14 September // day two hundred fifty-seven :: lunch, a smoothie with spinach, fruit, and yogurt and a pizza.

Monday 15 September // day two hundred fifty-eight :: why does Blogger always have to make things more saturated? anyway, I took this down by the water in the canal. the sky was so pretty this day!

Tuesday 16 September // day two hundred fifty-nine :: books for Wednesday. I love Oliver Jeffers' work. {The Incredible Book Eating Boy // The Day the Crayons Quit - also reading Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf}

xoxo.

Doing Cartwheels

when I first started this blog, I used to write a lot about shopping, especially at Target. I have been wanting to shop so much lately, but everything I see, I just don't feel like buying. I went to Target with some gift cards yesterday and a plan to spend them. I still have $2.19 left. (;

here are a couple things I bought!

I had to get those mint gloves for this winter, since they are the perfect color! They're touchscreen compatible, like most gloves these days I think. The phone case is a boombox. I've been watching it for a while, and it was now on 70% off clearance. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or give it to someone yet. The blue thing up in front is another cardigan. I used to have a navy cardigan, but I got rid of it. This one is the boyfriend cardigan, which I have in brown, black, and pink. The new one is thinner with different pockets.

One of the things that I had to buy was some new knee high socks. I wasn't too impressed with the selection that they had; there were only about a dozen different ones. These zebra and leopard ones have little ears though! They also had raccoons and they were sold out of the foxes. The other patterned ones were all really boring, like just athletic stripes.

I knew that I didn't need more notecards, but these were in the dollar section. I was skeptical at first because they're usually $3.99, but they rang up as a dollar. And these stickers! I bought them for my preschool class for the week of Halloween, but I kind of don't want to use them because they are so cute!

Do you have Target's app Cartwheel? I love scanning all of my items and seeing what kind of deals I can get. This was definitely a good day, because most of my items had coupons! The sweater was already on sale, but it was another 20% off, and the socks were 10% off. I bought a few other unpictured items, some on clearance, and some on sale plus a 5% off coupon. The best one though was that the dollar spot had a 30% off coupon that could be used on up to four items. Those notecards were only 70 cents! I can't be too mad at myself for that.

Until next time, Target. You know I'll be back.

xoxo.

ps - this post is NOT sponsored, I just really love Target and Cartwheel.
pps - I wish I could do a cartwheel.

and congratulations to Molly for winning last week's giveaway! (:

36/52 2014

it's certainly been an interesting week. it's time to concentrate on the beauty and uplift others.

Wednesday 3 September // day two hundred forty-six :: sorting through my American Girl things to give to a lucky little girl.

Thursday 4 September // day two hundred forty-seven :: storm arrival. hard to tell, but it had just started raining really hard when I took this.

Friday 5 September // day two hundred forty-eight :: I love that the books I picked out for next Wednesday's class are all white with a simple cover.
{Henry's Map // Windblown // Mama Built a Little Nest}

Saturday 6 September // day two hundred forty-nine :: morning light.

Sunday 7 September // day two hundred fifty :: flowers at work.

Monday 8 September // day two hundred fifty-one :: working on responding to mail. {I just love this card!}

Tuesday 9 September // day two hundred fifty-two :: lovely scent of lemon

xoxo.

ps: did you see the giveaway yesterday?

it's the little things + giveaway

first things first, I absolutely love this album. I was obsessed with it when I was like fifteen, and I had to put it on to write this post! I haven't listened to it in way too long, and this song totally goes with the post.

they say {especially according to this song} that the little things are what make life such a big deal.

29 little things that make me happy:

1. remembering the words to songs that I haven't listened to in a long time

2. guessing the correct settings for a picture and having it turn out

3. snail mail

4. being mentioned in a positive review for the hotel that I work for

5. freshly painted nails

6. when that one thing that I need to buy is on sale

7. starting a new book

8. baking cupcakes

9. when my NatureBox arrives!

10. matching my socks to the rest of my outfit {yes, I am that person.}

11. blue skies and white clouds

12. going out to see some of my friends perform {and no longer feeling awkward about sneaking into a bar, since I'm finally 21.}

13. when one of my preschool classes ends successfully

14. fresh flowers

15. getting everything finished at work and feeling accomplished

16. when someone comes up to me and wants a hug

17. decluttering

18. wearing a dress or a skirt and feeling pretty

19. getting into bed after a long day and remembering that you did the laundry in the morning, so they're fresh sheets

20. checking things off the to do list

21. finding the perfect thing at a thrift store when you weren't even looking for anything

22. seeing friends you haven't seen in months or years

23. breaking out the markers and coloring a picture {I love Vanessa's work}

24. pretty handwriting

25. just driving and seeing the beauty of the world

26. scrolling through instagram to see the other people's views

27. reading old journals to remember the seemingly important details of the past

28. learning something new

29. writing in my Happiness Project daily journal

so, my second blogiversary was on Friday, but I totally missed it because I thought that it was later in the month. I'm giving away a copy of the Happiness Project one sentence a day, five year journal. enter with the Rafflecopter below! (:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xoxo.

35/52 2014

Labor Day weekend is of course busy in a tourist destination, especially when you work at a hotel, but I had some time to watch two movies this week! I finished up some prep work at the Y as well, and even had a day off! Here's a little look at the past week.

Wednesday 27 August // day two hundred thirty-nine :: weekly library trip. I finally watched Frozen. A Bad Case of the Stripes is one of my favorite children's books, and Fraidy Zoo is a new favorite! {Also pictured are Elements of Style [current read] and The Bear Who Shared.}

Thursday 28 August // day two hundred forty :: deciding what to wear the next day

Friday 29 August // day two hundred forty-one :: we didn't get a lot of rain until the end of the summer, and then when it did rain, it poured!

Saturday 30 August // day two hundred forty-two :: tomatoes!

Sunday 31 August // day two hundred forty-three :: I reorganized the top of my dresser earlier this week, and now you can actually see everything that's on it!

Monday 1 September // day two hundred forty-four :: I found a reindeer!!!!!

Tuesday 2 September // day two hundred forty-five :: Wisconsin has the best ice cream. this one is salted caramel and chocolate covered pretzels!

xoxo.

Labor Day 2014

Labor Day was pretty laid back. The two holidays that I have never had to work are Memorial Day and Labor Day, so it's nice to know that I have two guaranteed days off during the peak season. And they're great ones to have, because all of the tourists are headed south! (: This means that traffic is much nicer heading up north and there are less people around, which I like.

The morning was pretty relaxing and I just worked on some stuff at home and watched Cupcake Wars. (: Hulu gets one new episode a week, and I felt so bad for the guy who dropped his cupcakes on the floor fresh out of the oven in the first round! I also signed up for Stitch Fix and I am impatiently waiting for my first fix.

After I had lunch, I got ready and drove up north so that I could go horseback riding! I was so excited! The weather app that I have on my phone was predicting thunderstorms, so I checked on the radar a couple times and saw that it looked like there would be an hour or two that was clear. I got to the stable, and I saw some horses and I was so excited! There was only one other car there, but when I walked to the office, I saw that there was a note that said that they were "closed due to weather," and I was so disappointed.

I started driving away, and then I saw a reindeer! So I had to stop and take a couple pictures.

I headed up north a little bit and stopped at a wayside because I noticed that the leaves were starting to change. Some of them are already falling off the trees. We've had a cooler summer, so I'm not surprised that it's going to be an early fall.

I was standing on the side of the highway to take these pictures. Crazy girl with a camera! (;

I went a little bit further up the road, and I stopped at an antique place that I've never been to before. They had these awesome vintage motel chairs outside (I totally want a set, and these are the perfect color.), and I ended up running into my landlords inside.

I drove north again and stopped a couple more times, and then headed back south. The traffic heading south wasn't bad at all around 2:30.

When I got home I made some cupcakes! I found a cupcake mix at Target in Green Bay a couple months back, so I made those. They're chai latte with cinnamon chips and vanilla bean frosting. I used my KitchenAid hand mixer for the first time! (: I generally sub applesauce for oil in recipes, in case you're wondering what's in that upside down matryoshka!

I almost forgot to add the egg. That wouldn't have worked too well.

Then I had to wait for them to cool so that I could make the frosting and frost them.

I was a little nervous at first when I made the frosting, because it was pretty clumpy at first, but it did come together. I tried to pipe them, but that didn't work out too well. I need some frosting lessons.

I lounged around and worked on some blog posts and such, and I had dinner while I watched Tangled. I did eat fruits and vegetables and drink a lot of water today, too!

The sky was starting to turn golden during the lantern scene, and that's when I caught this one.

It was a pretty relaxing night that ended with some laundry, cleaning, and reading!

--- --- ---

Remember the summer bucket list? Here's how it turned out:

1. go horseback riding. - obviously didn't happen. I was supposed to go on an earlier day, but then there were some schedule changes and it didn't work. we're planning on fall, but the stable's hours might not let that happen... we shall see.

2. watch the sunset on the water. - every time I try to plan this one, it doesn't happen. the times I was on the water, it was too cloudy for a sunset. I guess technically I caught a tiny bit of the sun setting on the water one night when I got out of work a couple minutes early.

3. pizza at Wild Tomato in Fish Creek. - this one happened on Memorial Day!

4. Disney/Pixar movie "marathon" - I watched two of the movies I wanted to see: Frozen and Tangled! I still need to see Toy Story 3 and the Princess and the Frog!

xoxo.

ps: I finished writing this while listening to the Beatles (: