The Christmas Post

It's hard to believe that the Christmas season came and went so quickly.  Overall, I think it went well minus the gigantic hole in my pocket that continues to get bigger with all of these after Christmas sales and the extra five pounds sitting on my stomach and thighs.  I appreciate that I got to spend time with my family and time in church, which was long overdue.  The weather was a lot nicer than usual, the food was delicious, and I got some great presents from great people.  After Christmas and new years tends to be a drag with January and February being my least favorite months of the year, but I'm optimistic and hoping for the best.  I hope everyone had a good holiday as well!

Crochet Circle Scarf

I was loving this chunky bright red infinity scarf that I saw recently. Buuuut I couldn't bring myself to spend $40 on it.  Instead I decided to crochet it myself and I think that it turned out pretty well.

A little obsessed

I have been meaning to check out this small nail polish shop for quite some time now, but I never really had time to take a trip out there...until now.  It's the kind of place that sells nail polish at a discounted price for those who work in the nail industry.  It's hard to come by places like these that don't require a license for purchase so I was thrilled when I heard about it.  My sister an I have been loving Essie lately so that's where a majority of our money went to.   I was content with my purchase and about to check out until the worker informed me that they were selling China Glaze crackle polishes for $1.50 which was something I definitely could not pass up.  I wish I had more money to spend, but we plan on making it a "thing" to go there whenever she's home.

Annddd...Check out my sister's nail art swatches

Scrapbook: The Past Few Weeks

Just a few pictures before the Christmas ones flood in.  The past few weeks have pretty much been dominated by finals.  But I was still able to sneak in some other things before and after.  Winter break has been relaxing so far and I love it.

my first time making mochi!

 world of dance battle

lil mama 

chachi

this guy...

  

Love Lettuce

I'm convinced that this mask saved me during finals week.  All of that stress, lack of sleep, caffeine, and junk food would normally cause havoc on my skin.  With Lush's "love lettuce" I was able to bypass all of that and focus on more important things.  It works as both a mask and a scrub and makes my skin feel amazing afterward without any preservatives.  It smells like lavender and almonds which I personally don't care for, but it's something that I am willing to get over for the quality of the product.  However, because it doesn't have preservatives, the mask expires fairly quickly and it is difficult to use the whole pot in time.  I am really excited because I just bought a new one.  Hopefully I'll be able to try the other types soon.

Scrapbook: The Past Few Months

I haven't been so fantastic at taking pictures lately.  Enjoy the ones that I do have =)

Update

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in things and life flies by.  I'm lucky that a friend recently reminded me that sometimes it's okay to sacrifice a little to do something just because it makes you happy.  Plus, it never hurts to see old friends =)

Workout Schmerkout

I ran the urbanathalon a couple of weeks ago which turned out to be the most amount of physical activity I have ever done at one period in time.  A year or so ago I could never imagine myself running ten miles let alone ten miles plus obstacles.  It was both challenging and rewarding and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Buuuut...since then I have had absolutely no motivation to workout.  This is changing tomorrow.  I'm writing it down so it's set in stone.  No excuses.  

Home for the Weekend

There's something extremely therapeutic about being home for a weekend.  I's a sort of quiet comfort.  The kind that comes with getting regularly home cooked meals, fresh smelling air, and open space.  It's a nice change of pace from the everyday school in the city kind of life.  Don't get me wrong, I love living in Chicago, but every once in a while I need a break from the fast-paced environment and noisy streets.  I went for a run yesterday through the bike trail and I felt like I was alone running through a forest.  It was amazing.  Different, but equally as awesome as running down the lakefront.  Not to mention, being home is nostalgic and reminds of times when Friday night football games were the most I had to worry about.  I definitely needed this, but it's time to get back to business.

Nail Polish: Currently Wearing

I am obsessed with sparkly nail polish.

Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Grey Area

Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Strobe Light

Saturday Morning Farmer's Market

I absolutely love walking around farmers markets on Saturday mornings to check out locally grown foods and flowers.  I think it's the fact that the sellers care about their product enough to put in time and effort into growing and selling them and are really passionate about offering the best that they can.  I am always willing to put in an extra dollar to support local farmers.  The smell of fresh baked goods and live music also helps the situation.

Anyways, I was excited when I stumbled upon a large farmers market on my way to work.  I had a few extra minutes so I thought I would stop by and check it out.  I knew was going to be working outside for most of the day so I thought that most of the items would't keep throughout work.  However, I did find one of the most amazing products ever...

I've tried out my fair share of lip balms and I go through phases where I want to try out every possible kind that I can.  Nothing compares to this locally made chapstick.  The vendor had over ten different kinds of balms informed me that all of them were made with fresh beeswax.  This one caught my attention pretty quickly.  I love minty chapsticks and this one was made with fresh mint.  For two dollars, I couldn't pass it up.  It glides on smoother than butter while melting into my lips and keeps them hydrated and slightly tingly for extended periods of time.  I love it. It's perfect.  I want to go back and try all of the varieties.

I would definitely recommend checking out a local farmers market.  You never know what you're going to find.