Charmed

{Target lace cami, sweater, and skirt, unknown tights, Famous Footwear boots, unknown belt, Forever21 necklace with charm from local market}

 Happy Friday, everyone!  I thought I'd share some outfit photos from Wednesday (I know, I'm way behind!) with you all.  It was actually warm enough to take these without freezing on Wednesday, and as of right now, our snow is melting, and spring is in the air.  I did not realize that my black-on-black tights and skirt didn't work so well in the photos...sorry about that! 

 I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  We have Monday off as well, so I'm hoping to get some relaxation in before heading up to the state swim meet next weekend.  I'm going to stick to my resolution of healthier weekends and cook, bake, and take plenty of walks in this beautiful weather.  Although I have a lot of homework and planning to do for next week, I think this weekend should be fun.  I hope you all have wonderful plans and fun for the weekend!  :)

{Joey decided he wanted in on the photo session}

{obsessed with my adorable new "believe in love charm," I'm experimenting with putting it on different necklaces, including this elephant one}

Valentine's Day 2012

{Forever21 shirt+unknown belt}

{picture-perfect snow}

{a heart necklace from my grandparents a little while back}

{delicious red velvet cake from Costco}

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  Even if you are not in a relationship, it's about taking time to let your loved ones know just how much you love them.  And to eat lots of yummy sweets...;)

This Week on Pinterest

{hahaha}

And so the Pinterest obsession continues...here are some of my favorites from this week!

{adorable earring holder}

{healthy chocolate pudding--tested and approved by my family!}

Blondie

{Ragstock "Blondie" shirt, Ragstock skirt, Target tights, Old Navy sweater, ? leg warmers, Famous Footwear ballet flats, Forever21 necklace, gifted bracelet}

 Three things can be concluded from this outfit:
1. I need to stop wearing this skirt so much and discover the other skirts in my closet.
2. I need to find some new necklaces out of my collection to wear--this one is seriously becoming my "signature necklace."  I wear it at least once a week.
3.  I am addicted to leg warmers.

This week is going along very fast, and I hope it continues to do so!  I have some exciting things coming up this week/weekend, so I'm in a very, very good mood right now!  Have a wonderful night, everyone. :)

A New Month-February 2012

 The month of January seems to have flown by.  It was a good month, filled with resolutions for the new year.  My month was filled with finals, time with friends and family, lots of swimming, and baking and cooking.  I learned many new things in January, from little things, like recipes for cakes and other treats, and big things, like to thank God for what I have, and make the most of what I have while I still have it.

This month, I took my first set of real high school finals (better than I expected), had a swim meet (not good),  dealt with the extremely sad suicides of two high school students in a nearby school district, faced my first sickness (and hopefully last!) of the year (a cold), and enjoyed unseasonably warm weather for January (in the 50s and 60s!).

Now that February has started, I am looking forward to an even better month.  My resolution for last month was to spend 45 minutes or less on the computer every day.  I stuck to this resolution fairly well, except for on weekends.  I plan to continue that resolution this month, and add these to the mix:
February's Resolutions:
 -Make weekends healthier, more productive, and more fun: I tend to eat and exercise well during the week, and then let it go down the drain during the weekend.  This month, I want to learn how to balance out my weekends so that I still get to enjoy some treats and fun, but also get workouts, healthy eating, and studying in.
-Get more sleep: I have gotten into a bad habit of only getting 7 hours of sleep a night.  I want to revamp my sleeping habits this month, and get at least 7 and a half or 8 hours a night.  I feel like this would make a big difference in my performance at school, swimming, and in how my day goes.
-Balance school, swimming, music, and fashion better: I plan on giving more effort to every one of these things this month.  I'll do my homework and studying with more focus and less rushing, focus on every little thing in swimming, practice violin and piano almost every day, and spend more time on blog posts.  I want to bring my grades up, do well in swimming, perfect my current pieces in violin and piano, and better my blog this month.

This month, I will live by the word "strength."  (thank you, Emily for the amazing idea!).  I will put effort and strength into everything I do.

What this month holds in store for me:
I have the state meet at the end of this month, and with that comes taper (yay!), a healthy regimen, and a regional meet next weekend to focus on.  I also have auditions for violin coming up in March, so I'll need to focus on my current concerto this month.  Who knows what else is coming my way this month?  All that I know is that I will do my best to make sure everything that comes my way is good.  :)

5 Things

{the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn framed poster in my room}

{why is my dog so adorable?}

{I started picking out my outfits for the week on Sundays recently--this is my Friday outfit next to the last four days}

{Delicious and healthy Huevos Rancheros for breakfast}

{healthy and yummy dinner of tofu marinated in soy sauce+broccoli+couscous+homemade chocolate pudding for dessert}

With the end of a productive, successful week, I decided to do a variation on Emily's weekly "5 things" posts.  I'm ready to bring in a new, even better week.  This week will be fairly hectic, so I am getting some relaxation, planning, and fun in right now.  I'm planning on finishing up a few blog projects, maybe baking some pumpkin muffins, and ending the night with a full DIY manicure and pedicure and some good TV.

By The Window

{Old Navy sweater, Target tank top and skirt, Hue (?) tights, thrifted Kenneth Cole flats, Ragstock hair bow, Forever21 necklace, American Eagle bracelets}

 It is finally the weekend, and I'm so thankful.  This week went by pretty fast, and it was actually a very good week, but I'm still glad that it is time for a break.  I came down with a little bit of a cold a few days ago, and I'm feeling a lot better now, but I'm excited to recover completely this weekend.  I'm going to fill my weekend with healthy food, fun workouts, family time, and some pampering and fun.  Superbowl? Nahhh...;) 

 I wore this outfit today, the skirt is from the Liberty of London collection at Target a few years back, and I haven't worn it for a long time, because I didn't like the blue tulle that used to stick out on the end of the skirt.  I cut it out, and now I love this skirt so much!  I paired it with my new glitter flats and some cute accessories, like the adorable hair bow from Ragstock!

Have a wonderful Friday night! :)

Glitter Shoes

{Kenneth Cole ballet flats}

My mom seems to be becoming a frequent topic on my blog...first the butterfly shirt, now glitter shoes!  My mom found this brand new Kenneth Cole ballet flats at a Goodwill last weekend, and thought of me.  I absolutely love them, because they're super girly, and even a bit little-girly, without being too crazy.  I'm excited to style them, so expect to see them plenty more in the next few posts.  I snapped a few quick photos (sorry for the quality) a few days ago when I wore them with my H&M black and white striped dress.  In case the photos aren't clear enough, I'll give you a little description: they are completely covered in bronze-colored gold, with a little black velvet bow on front. 

I apologize for the lack of posts recently, I have a lot of homework and studying to do right now, and swimming is taking up some time too, since the state meet is coming up soon.  Also, the weather is absolutely beautiful right now, so I have been trying to get out more often for bike rides, hikes, and runs.  I hope to get back on track with regular posting soon! 

I had an idea for a post the other day, and I wanted to see if there would be any interest, so here's what I was thinking: A magazine-type post with pictures added.  It would be on balancing my basically double life of school, my blog, and playing violin (my academic and artistic side) and swimming and being an athlete (my sporty side).  I don't know if anyone would be interested, but I think it would be a fun post to do!  Let me know if you have any other requests!

Thanks for reading, and thank you for sticking with me through these irregular posts!  I hope to catch up on all of your blogs soon! :)

No-Bake Energy Bites

 I've looking for healthy snack ideas, and this recipe for granola bar balls fits my criteria.  It has healthy ingredients and is delicious.  I tried it out today, and it was ridiculously easy and yummy.  I definitely recommend it.  My only suggestion would be to add less chocolate chips, because the amount in the recipe was a little too much.  The coconut in these balls makes them even more delicious as well.  Try it out this weekend if you have just a few minutes! :)

Do you have any go-to healthy snacks?

Butterfly

{gifted shirt, Heritage 1981 jeans, Famous Footwear ballet flats, Forever21 necklace, gifted bracelet, Target earrings}

 My mom gave me this adorable shirt for Christmas this year.  I don't really wear things like it usually, but I really like the loose cut and look.  As you can tell, I was having way too much fun lifting my arms in it. ;)  I styled it fairly simply, but I want to find some other fun ways to wear the shirt.

My week is already turning out much better than last week, school has been better, swimming has been better, and I've just been in a better mood!  I wanted to thank you all for your sweet comments, especially the ones on my last "This Week" post, they were all so sweet!  I haven't gotten a chance to read your blogs and reply to comments for a while, but I hope to soon!  Thank you for all of the support. :)