Tag Archives: Favorites

#FallEssentials/Favorites

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No, I am not a lifestyle blogger, and this isn’t a lifestyle blog. However, I do enjoy writing a favorites/essentials post every once in a while. I have nothing against lifestyle blogs, lifestyle blogging isn’t for me. Without further ado here are my fall favorites:

Reading- There is nothing better than cozying up with a good book in the fall, or an entire list of  books.

Baseball- If I could watch baseball all year, I would, it’s definitely my favorite sport to watch. I love watching baseball in the spring and summer, but there’s just more excitement in the fall because of the post season.

Tea- Some of my favorites are Pumpkin Chai, and Honeycrisp Apple from David’s tea and Teavana’s Rooibos Chai is always a staple.

Leggings/yoga pants/skinny jeans- These are definite fall staples, all three can easily be dressed up or dressed down.

Sweaters and hoodies- there is nothing better than a cozy sweater or sweatshirt

Footwear- Due to where I live, there are times when I can still wear flip flops late into October, but when it is time for the flip flops to be put away, I turn to my Chuck Taylor’s, Uggs and Beans (those are the classic LL Bean Bean Boots for non-New Englanders).

Flannels- The ultimate fall wardrobe staple

Pumpkin- Like I mentioned above, I love pumpkin tea, pumpkin spice scented oil, and I recently made Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yoghurt and it is delicious. You can find the recipe below.

To make the frozen yoghurt I used the following recipe from the Cuisinart Recipe Booklet:
Simple Vanilla Ice Cream
*1 cup whole milk- I used Fairlife 2% lactose-free milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
*2 cups heavy cream- I used 2 cups of Chobani Plain Vanilla Greek Yoghurt
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the pumpkin, I used one can of pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin pie spice. You don’t have to use a full can, you can use as much or as little as you like.

1. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the yoghurt and vanilla, pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin pie spice. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Turn on the Cuisinart® ice cream maker; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Favorite routines from trials and thoughts on the olympic team

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As a former gymnast, one of my favorite things to do is watch the Olympic Trials and pick my favorite routines.

Last night at the conclusion of the gymnastics trials, the five going to the olympics were announced, I’ll get to my thoughts on the team later.  However, there were definitely some standout routines.  These are my favorite ones organized by the events.

Floor:

Aly Raisman- I love the maturity she shows in this routine, and she also has an unbelievable opening tumbling pass.  The diffluty of her tumbling is second to Simone Biles.

Gabby Douglas- Her routine is so much fun to watch, and I love her music too.

Laurie Hernandez- All I can say about her routine is that it is spunky and sassy.  She really lets her personality shine on floor!

Ragan Smith- Her music is the theme from the tv show The Adams Family and her routine is adorable.

Bars:

Gabby- She didn’t earn the nickname the “flying squirrel” for nothing.  She can still fly.

Ashton Locklear- She has gorgeous, long, clean lines that are reminiscent of Nastia.  Also her transitions from the low bar to the high bar are very elegant.

 

Madison Kocian- While she might not have the height of Ashton Locklear, she hits her handstands and is the world champion.

Laurie Hernandez- She does three releases in a row on the high bar, and she can really fly like Gabby.

Beam:

Aly- She has such a commanding presence on beam, and she has one of the most difficult dismounts in the world.  Another reason why I love Aly’s beam routine is the way she connects different skills.

Simone Biles- She has so much difficulty packed into this routine, I don’t know how she does it.

Laurie- I love her choreography and dance elements on beam.

Vault- I don’t have a favorite, a lot of the gymnasts compete the same vault.

I really love the team that was picked for the olympics.  I am not surprised that Aly and Gabby are going back to the olympics, they both provide veteran leadership, especially Aly.  Gabby’s strongest event, which also happens to be the weakest for Team USA is the uneven bars, it’s where she shines.  Aly is strongest on beam, floor and vault, however it is Aly’s floor routine that really helps the team.  I’m hoping she can retain her floor title.  As for the rest of the team, I feel that Laurie Hernandez is a great all-around athlete, while she might not have as much international experience as a senior elite gymnast as the others, she doesn’t let her inexperience show.  Even on her worst day, Simone Biles is still always better.  There is a reason why she is a three time world champion and four time US national champion.  Madison Kocian’s best event is the uneven bars, even though she doesn’t get as much height on her release skills as Gabby, this is where she will really contribute.

#T5W Favorite Posts

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If I don’t love something that I have written, I don’t post it, or I rewrite it until I do love it.  Picking my favorite posts was somewhat difficult, however I was able to narrow it down to five.

If Miami Wins– This was the first post ever on my blog, so it has a special place.  I felt looking back on this post, I have grown as a blogger, and as I have grown so has my blog.

How do I decide which blogs I’m going to read and follow– I picked this one because I feel that the subject matter is important.  I know sometimes deciding what blogs to follow is a struggle for some people.

Journaling– This was one of my posts for the A to Z April Blogging Challenge, and I had fun writing this one.

2016 Reading/Bookish Goals– I think this one will be most important at the end of the year.  I’ll be able to look back and see if I met all my goals.  And if anyone is wondering, I have already accomplished one of my goals, and I’m in the middle of accomplishing another one.

Inside my blog planner– I know this one is more recent, but I had a lot of fun writing this post.  And I think I may have inspired some of my blogger friends to start planning as well.

Beyond the Book- Favorite room in the house

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This tag is hosted by KissinBlueKaren

I have more than one favorite room in the house.  My three favorite rooms are my bedroom, the kitchen and living room.  It’s hard for me to just pick my most favorite out of those three.  I love sitting at the kitchen counter, on my computer, reading and commenting on the blogs of others.  The kitchen counter is the perfect place to catch up on blogs and snack at the same time.  There is a chair in the living room that I love to sit in and watch tv.  I love spending time in my bedroom too.  Sometimes I’ll go to bed early and watch tv, youtube videos and even do some late night blogging.  I’m actually the most comfortable in my room, it’s my personal space, it’s where I go when I need some quiet time and need to be by myself.  I feel like my room is definitely my favorite room in the house, and it definitely helps that all my books are in my room too.

Skincare Routine

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin: http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14905073/?claim=6kc87d6mp7u

Something that I take very seriously is taking care of my skin and it’s something that everyone should take seriously.  I thought it would be something different for my blog to do a skincare routine, considering a lot of my posts lately have been bookish related.

I have oily/dry/sensitive skin.  Some areas of my skin are more oily than others, such as my forehead, while my cheeks are more dry.  My skin gets irritated from products that contain Argan Oil and Rosemary essential oil.

Here is what I do in the morning:

I use my Mary Kay cleansing brush with some warm water on it.  I read somewhere that you don’t need to use cleanser in the morning if you just used night cream or a sleeping mask the night before.

Here is the list of products I use in the order that I apply them:

Body Shop Aloe Toner-(I love how soothing and refreshing this toner is)

Body Shop Oils of Life Essence Lotion

Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate

Boscia Tsubaki Oil (this is the only oil I will put on my face)

Body Shop Aloe Vera Soothing Moisture Lotion with SPF 15

Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Nude

Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream– (I apply this all throughout the day)

For sunscreen I use the Color Science Sunforgettable Loose Mineral Brush with SPF 30.

I also take Hum Nutrition Red Carpet Supplement

And you may be wondering why I use oil, if I have oily areas of my skin.  Oil is good for oily skin because it adds extra hydration, and when oily skin gets dehydrated it will actually end up producing more oil to compensate for the lack of hydration.

Once a week I’ll use the Boscia Exfoliating Gel Peel and the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask.

Nighttime routine:

1.) Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil– this really helps break up all product that is on my face.

2.) I use my Mary Kay Cleansing Brush with the Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cleanser, this cleanser is gentle enough for my sensitive skin and doesn’t contain any synthetic surfactants.

3.) Body Shop Aloe Toner

4.) I’ll either use night cream or a sleeping mask.  For night cream I use the Body Shop Aloe night cream and I absolutely love it.  It’s really moisturizing.  For sleeping masks I use either the Sephora Collection Green Tea Sleeping Mask or the Sephora Algae Sleeping Mask.

I try to keep my skincare routine as simple as possible and not use too much heavy products.  This routine has been working really well for me and I don’t intend on drastically changing it anytime soon.

Every single one of the products were purchased with my own money, these opinions are my own, and I am not sponsored by anybody nor will I ever accept being sponsored.  Links are not affiliate.

Yellow

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Yellow is one of my favorite colors. It’s both bright and mellow. Sometimes just seeing the color yellow can make my mood a little better, if I’m in a bad mood. It’s one of those colors that has a calming effect. My favorite shades of yellow are lemon yellow, which is bright, and pale yellow, which is more mellow.  I don’t know what it is about yellow, but I just love it.

Oils

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There are a lot of different oils that have many purposes. This post is going to be about one of my favorite skin care products, which just happens to be an oil. I have oily/dry combination skin which is sensitive to a few ingredients, so I have to be extra careful of what oil I am using. My favorite oils are the Boscia Tsubaki Oil and the Oils of Life Intensely Rvitalizing Essence Lotion from the Body Shop. This might be confusing putting oil on oily skin, howver it is worked extremely well for me. A while ago, I read something online that putting oil on oily skin can actually help balance out oil production in the long run. Certain oils are moisturizing and can add extra hydration. I learned by reading online, that when oily skin is too dehydrated, the body actually produces more oil to compensate for the lack of hydration.  The thing that I love about the Tsubaki Oil, also known as pink oil because the bottle is pink, is how light it is and how well it absorbs into my skin. The tiniest bit goes a long way too. The Oils of Life Intensely Revitalizing Essence Lotion, is also really light and not heavy. The essence lotion is half oil and half water that mix together when the bottle is shaken. It helps prep my skin for my other skin care products, and also adds a bit of hydration as well. 
There are two other oils that I have tried, the Josie Maran Argan Oil and the Oils of Life Revitalizing oil from the Body Shop. I normally use the Argan Oil on the ends of my hair, and I knew that it had many uses. I had a reaction to it the second I put it on my face, therefore I knew I couldn’t use it. I still use it on my hair though. When I tried the Oils of Life Revitalizng Oil, it took a few days for the reaction to occur. The ingredient in it that caused a reaction was rosemary essential oil, and  it took a while to figure out this was causing my skin to breakout. 

It is important to try different products to figure out what best works for your needs. 

Top 5 Wednesday: Title fonts on covers

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling- My favorite title font is the Deathly Hallows.  I love the font that was used because it really goes well with the plot and storyline of the book.  There’s something dark about the font too, and the way it was positioned on the cover.

Challenger Deep by Neil Shusterman- I love this font, it reminds me a little bit of ocean waves.  The kerning was also done extremely well, making the title extremely pleasing to look at.

Pedro by Pedro Martinzez with Michael Silverman- This font is extremely similar to the font that the Red Sox use, and it’s one of my favorite fonts.  It’s unique and different.

Finding Paris by Joy Preble- I think this font is really pretty and I love how the “F” is the biggest letter.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas- I love the simplicity of this font, and I feel like with the art on the cover, simple works best.  Sometimes fonts overtake the cover art, but the font used on this cover blends in really well.

Top 5 Wednesday- Favorite things about blogging

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I feel like I have more freedom to say the things that I want to say about any topic that I choose.  It could be books, music, sports anything that my heart desires.

I’m better at writing my thoughts out than expressing them vocally, so blogging is a better outlet for me sometimes.

I can be more opinionated blogging.  There are certain topics that I’m extremely opinionated about so it’s easier sometimes for me to blog them.

With blogging, people can get an idea of who I am just by reading the things that I blog about.  I have two blogs so people get to see what I’m passionate about with both blogs.

My blogs are like my journals that I don’t mind sharing with the world.

My favorite things

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Something that I love doing every so often is a favorites blog where I list my favorite things of the moment. These are a few of my favorite things (Sound of Music Reference 100% intentional):

Clothing:

Aerie Jogger Pants- They’re cute but comfortable at the same time, so they’re good for just lounging around or wearing out.  And unlike other sweatpants, they don’t look dingy.

Makeup, Skincare and Haircare:

Makeup: Sephora Collection Teint Infusion Ethereal Natural Finish Foundation- This is one of my favorites because it’s pretty much weightless and feels like I’m not wearing anything.

Skincare: Boscia Exfoliating Gel Peel- This gel peel is really cool, it’s really gentle so it’s good for people with sensitive skin and does a good job of getting rid of dead skin cells. Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil- This stuff was a life saver this winter, it provided extra hydration and helped keep my skin balanced.  I have oily skin and if it gets too dry it produces more oil, so this helped prevent that from happening.

Hair:

Living Proof is an amazing brand to begin with, but these are my favorites because of how they make my hair look and feel. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Night Cap

Living Proof Restore Treatment Mask

Living Proof Prime Style Extender Cream

Living Proof Curl Defining Style Cream

Living Proof No Frizz Weightless Styling Spray

Side braid- When I want to keep my hair out of my face this is my go to, it’s easy and quick, like 60 seconds quick.

Food and beverage:

Food: Grapefruit- I’ve always loved grapefruit, and I’ve been eating more of it lately.

Chobani Oats Greek Yoghurt- Chobani is my favorite brand of Greek Yoghurt and I love how this has oats already in it.  And the oats are steel cut oats too.

Cheesy Rice- I like making this with brown or white rice.  It’s just rice with shredded cheesed cheese melted into it, it’s delicious.

Beverage: Iced Tea of the Week- This is the tea that I make myself for the entire week.  I have a 66 ounce tea pitcher from Teavana that I make my iced tea in and it lasts me a week.

Nestle Bliss Coffee Creamer- I can’t drink coffee, but this makes the perfect iced chai lattes.

Califia Farms Vanilla Almond Milk Coffee Creamer- I love this better than the Nestle Bliss, not only because it’s almond milk creamer, but because it is more creamy than the Bliss.

Water- this should be a no brainer, everyone should love water.

TV Shows: I have a lot of favorite TV shows, but these are just a few that I always watch first.

Pretty Little Liars- So intense and keeps you on the edge, I’ve loved this show from the beginning.

Vampire Diaries- This show can get a little confusing at times, but that’s what I love about it, and the vampires going on rampages.

The Originals- A spinoff of the Vampire Diaries, but this one has werewolf/vampire hybrids, making this show that much more interesting.  Oh, and there’s the Original Family, where some members want to kill each other.

Reign- Although not historically accurate, it’s really interesting to watch the trials and tribulations a king and queen have to go through running a country.

Nashville- I love the awesome music, and the drama of this show.

Once Upon a Time- I love how this show takes Disney stories that people are familiar with and makes them super twisted.  ABC does a really good job of connecting all the stories together.

Girl Meets World- I grew up watching Boy Meets World and I love how Disney created a show that shows what happened to Cory and Topanga after Boy Meets World ended.

Youtube, Instagram and Blogs:

Youtube:

EllesGlitterGossip- the vlog channel of beauty guru Elle Fowler, I love her Glitterature series where she features book hauls and book reviews.  I love to read, and I love to see what others are reading too.

Chloe and Clara Lukasiak- They each have their own youtube channels.  Chloe used to be on Dance Moms and every week she posts videos of dances that she’s been working on at her new studio, she also posts other videos.  Clara her little sister posts videos too, they’re really funny to watch.

Instagram:

NASA- I’ve always been fascinated with the planets and space and NASA’s instagram account has some of the coolest pictures of space and the planets I have ever seen.

natgeo, natgeowild and the natgeochannel-  I love these accounts because they show a lot of pictures of nature, really cute animals and interesting facts.

Blogs: I haven’t really been reading too many blogs lately, I’ve been trying to find more blogs to read. These are my favorite things.