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Scallop Swim: Splurge vs. Save

Remember this post? Well, PSA: my mom never cancelled spring break! We will be heading to Arizona for a week in exactly two weeks and I could not be more excited. I ordered a new lens for my camera that I'm hoping to try out on the trip and I've got a few ideas for the blog up my sleeve as well. To be completely honest, there are a lot of places I would rather travel than to Arizona, but I still am very grateful to be able to go on a trip. Arizona is supposed to be super hot (fingers crossed!) and I've never been there so I am excited to see what it has to offer (hello, palm trees and cacti in one city!).

A huge part of spring break for me, and other bloggers of course, is what to wear. But, sometimes picking out an entirely new wardrobe for a one week trip can be a little hard on our conscience (and wallets!), and it never hurts to say yes to a great deal.

scalloped swim

Scalloped swimwear is really popular right now, but why pay almost $300 for a bikini set when you could pay under $30? 

xoxo

How To Get Ready In 10 Minutes

Every morning I wake up 20 minutes before my carpool picks me up for school, and if I weren't eating breakfast every morning then I could easily be picked up 10 minutes before my ride showed up and have plenty of time to prep for school.

How do I do it? Not gonna lie, it's just a perk of going to all girls school! I don't put on any makeup, and having a uniform definitely restricts all "nothing to wear" moments... although sometimes I do struggle with what color polo to wear (kidding) ;)

ready in 10

I think we have all heard the stereotypical tips like... Mouthwash, plan your outfit ahead, and swipe mascara on and leave. Yeah, it's so true. 

Here's what I do:

1. Eat breakfast - Ok, obviously you're not going to have time for this if you need to be out the door in 10 minutes, but eating breakfast is super important. I really like Trader Joe's cereal bars, and they are healthy and filling, perfect for when you're running behind schedule! Grabbing something to eat on the way into school or work or wherever really is so much better than skipping breakfast all together.

2. Brush your teeth - If you don't brush your teeth twice a day I'm judging you. That's honestly just gross. But, sometimes you just don't have that extra time and gurgling mouthwash is faster - trust me, I have been that girl too. Please do everyone a favor though, and at the very least have a piece of gum or a mint. Morning breath is not made for the public.

3. Wash your face - I know a lot of people don't wash their face (jealous if you're one of those people with a naturally perfect complexion!), but for those who do, you know just how time consuming it can be. Good alternatives: splash hot water on your face which will clear off those excess oils and open pores a little, apply a little toner on a cotton ball, or use one of those face cleansing towelettes (mildly obsessed with those after sports practice...)

4. Makeup - Like I said, I don't wear makeup daily, but when I'm going somewhere where I actually have to look alive and slightly presentable, I always swipe on a little mascara, apply lip balm, and pinch my cheeks. Lip balm is so much less messy than lip gloss or lipstick and it enhances your lips to be a really nice natural shade for your skin tone. As for pinching your cheeks, I've done this for like a year or two now ever since I read somewhere that it's a really good substitute for blush just to add a little color.

5. Get dressed - Ha, the dreaded "I have nothing to wear" moments will definitely be a lot more stressful when you're on a time crunch. What I do when I'm in this position is stack up all my basics... White converse, dark jeans, a sweater or jacket with a simple top and limited jewelry. This is definitely the hardest part of any moment, am I right?

What are your tips when you're on a time crunch?
xoxo

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday! This weekend flew by too fast... With a track meet on Friday and babysitting all Saturday night, I was lucky enough to get a little time in with my friends on Sunday and Saturday morning.


As I mentioned, Saturday morning I brunched with my two best friends. See that post {here}


Sunday I went to lunch and out shopping with lHc and cHe, aka my favorite people. I celebrated the official {technical} welcome of spring with my favorite jacket and new bag.


What's a shopping trip without stopping at J. Crew?! I went to make my purchase and had my gift card up on my email, but just as I handed over my phone, I accidently hit the archive button. Umm, I don't think you've experienced stressful until you've tried to find a four month old archived email in the middle of a store. I gave up after like 5 minutes of swiping through my "all mail" and then just left the store, leaving my wallet on the counter. Finally, three hours later I had a panic attack realizing it was gone and #Blessed.. THEY HAD IT! So it's all good.

How was your weekend?
xoxo

As always.. Follow on insta for my life in pictures :)

Brunch


If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I do brunch a lot. I don't even go out every time, sometimes I just make it for myself at home. This morning cBe, fRt, and I decided to go out for brunch after an early morning track practice. After driving around and stopping at three places we finally settled into a cute place downtown. Trocadero happens to be one of my Milwaukee favorites, so if you're ever in the area I recommend it!




The place is beyond cute. Cream city brick lines the walls of the patio area we were seated at and the restaurant has a really unique feel... Kind of obsessed.




The food is incredible. I had the pear crepes which were to die for; such a refreshing twist and I loved the crunchy walnuts sprinkled on top.

What's your favorite place to brunch?
xoxo

Tips For Productivity

It's Thursday already?! What a week! I feel like I'm always saying that, but seriously, with a paper due tomorrow (crossing my fingers I do really well on this one!) and my first track meet tomorrow (eep!) things have been a little busy around here.

Anyways, today I wanted to talk about productivity. Procrastinating was sort of my talent in life up until Sunday night. I came home and found a new side table and lamp by my bed (#upgrade) and all my coffee table books organized really cute underneath... all courtesy of my lovely mother! I can't say there is a magic wand to cure everyone's procrastination issues, but that really worked for me. Now I'm almost obsessed with doing all of my homework right away so I can be in bed early and relax. Here are my tips on how I make that happen...

productivity

Get organized | For me, this means plopping my laptop down at my desk, whipping out my school supplies, and turning on Pandora so I can concentrate.

Make a List | I would never in a million years be able to do my homework if I didn't make a list first. Somehow lining up a bunch of empty check-boxes on a notepad and rewriting my agenda calms me. Anyone else?

Ditch Your Phone | Did you know that if you put a teenager on the other side of a room from their phone and it goes off, their brain will respond the same way as a crack addicts would if you put a crack addict across the room from crack?  Scary, I know. Well, probably like the rest of you, I am extremely addicted to my phone, and if I can manage to put it down while doing my homework I think we all can. One method I have is giving it to my mom which forces be to be away from it, or simply leaving it on do not disturb while I do my homework so eventually I just forget it's there.

A few other tips... listening to classical music while you do homework really helps. For me, I can not sit in silence while I study, but listening to music I like is so distracting. Also, if you ever notice yourself taking a "study break" for a really long period of time, just go to bed, Chances are you're not going to achieve much at that point, so just sleep off the extra time instead- people do not get enough sleep these days.

Any tips for me? As usual, I'm all ears!
xoxo

Weekend Recap

Hola chicas! Happy Monday! I had a three day weekend propelling me into the official start of fourth quarter at school today! I think I can speak for half my school when I say thank goodness third quarter is over. Grades plummeted and it was overall rough. Unfortunately, fourth quarter doesn't look too promising as I start off the week with a new essay assignment and, um, I sort of got in trouble this weekend meaning spring break is cancelled for me... ha I swear I'm not a bad kid.


Thursday night and all day Friday were pretty typical. I hung out with friends, went to track practice on Friday even though we didn't have school which was annoying, and then had a sleepover with my best friend Friday night. I made this super delicious and pretty healthy breakfast Saturday morning all by myself {#gofran}. In case you can't tell, we had {virgin} mimosas, parfaits in daiquiri glasses, and waffles loaded with syrup and fruit... mmmmm!


Saturday afternoon a few friends and I met up for lunch at a cute coffee shop downtown. A little life advice for y'all: if you're going to be having a serious friendship conversation I do not recommend doing it in public. Long story short, our never-ending drama-filled friend group was experiencing mild turbulence and we decided to work it out over lunch. {I'm aware that a bagel and waffle in one day is tres stupide... talk about too much in one day, ha. On a more positive note, if the opportunity to try an asiago sun-dried tomato bagel ever comes your way, I strongly recommend it.}


Of course, after a rough day Saturday, I needed a little retail therapy to get me through. Simply the best.


Sunday morning was a fun birthday brunch for the cutest lHc. My shoe of choice was the above pair that I have previously talked about here.


I'm not one to go for quiche, but I have to say that this vegetable option was the best I have ever had. Seriously obsessed.


What's a country club brunch without even more virgin mimosas?


lHc and I

How was your weekend?
xoxo

Playlist

playlist


Apparently I have an interesting taste in music. My friends always want me to plug my phone into the AUX cord when we're driving around, and I'm always listening to different Pandora stations when I'm doing homework or just sitting in my room.

I typically listen to sad music when I'm alone which is kind of weird, but the Coldplay Pandora Station is my go to and I just can't get enough! In fact, making this playlist was really challenging because I wanted to do pump of sort of songs instead of sketchy depressing music, and I had trouble finding my favorites that weren't my brother's rap music or pop songs from the radio. I have to say I love all these songs and I couldn't resist including a little Miley ;P (haahahah see what I did there?!)

In general, I don't really have a way to describe the music I listen to. I love oldies (real oldies, not 2007, people), but I also listen to pop music when I'm in the car. My friends call it hipster, but I am not hipster. Hmm, alternative maybe?

What kind of music do you listen to?
xoxo

How I Organize My Planner

Hello, hello! Today I will be sharing how I organize my planner, and a little bit of how I organize my monthly calendar. I use a Lilly large agenda for school, and a Sugar Paper desk calendar for everything else!


I write all of my assignments in pink pen, and all of my notes to myself in pencil. After I complete an assignment, I cross it off in pencil. A lot of people highlight their assignments once they finish them, but when I highlight things it usually signifies importance, and I don't find completed assignments very important, so that method doesn't work for me.

When I don't complete an assignment, I either cross it off with a squiggly line, or I circle it. I will cross it off with a squiggly line if it's not a big deal that I didn't do it, because it's due in a few days or something, and I will circle it if it's very important to get done.


My Sugar Paper calendar is so nice to have. I use it to keep track of life events, big school assignments or events, and blog posts. As you can see, the pink is consistent with my agenda and also represents school on my calendar as well. Pencil symbolizes life just like in my planner, and then my blog post ideas are written in light blue.


Here's another view of my planner and agenda. It's pretty straightforward, which I like. Sometimes people can go overboard with their color coordination, but this method really works for me.

What are your tips? Show me how you organize your planner, leave the link, and I'll be sure to check out your post!
xoxo

Toggle Take 2





coat: j. crew // bag: marc by marc jacobs (borrowed from eJm) // booties: topshop

So I think it's finally starting to warm up a little. Here I am in all black mourning the end of winter... Ha, like I'm actually going to miss the cold! I'm so excited for spring and above freezing temperatures I might end up throwing a little soiree. And, once again, I'm sporting a toggle coat.

xoxo

Exercise Attire

In honor of track starting today and my completely necessary shopping spree for cute workout clothes yesterday, I figured I'd do a little roundup of fun attire for exercise. You can get cute workout clothes just about anywhere, but I think price and practicality and of course, style, are all very important factors that can not all be found in one place. My go-to places for workout wear are Lululemon, Target, and TJ Maxx. Lululemon can be a little pricey, but the quality has been superb since the see-through yoga pants scandal. TJ Maxx and Target are great for really practical pieces at a fabulous prices. Oh, and of course, Nike tempo shorts are a personal favorite of mine. Also, I've found recently that American Eagle, GAP, Anthropologie, and even Forever 21 all have some super stylish options! Shop a few of my workout picks below... 


When it comes to getting dressed for a workout, I have a couple methods down. 

To Run: Tank top + shorts 
To Run if it's freezing cold outside: 1/4 zip jacket + lined long sleeve Under Armour type shirt + running leggings
To play field hockey: Tank top or short sleeve workout top or tee shirt + skirt
To go to the gym: Tee shirt or short sleeve workout top + shorts or cropped leggings
To go to Yoga: Tank top or long or short sleeve workout top+ crops, leggings, or yoga pants

What do you wear when you work out? And, where do you get your workout clothes? I would love any suggestions!
xoxo

Spring Break Shopping

spring break ready


I might be going crazy. The weather is killing me and I can't take it any longer. Good thing spring break is around the corner... here's what I wish I were donning:

Zara tee // Nanette Lepore bikini // C. Wonder rings // Ray-Ban aviators // J.Crew earrings
Sam Edelman sandals // Zara skirt // Tory Burch wristlet

What are your spring break plans?
xoxo

The Classics










trench: H&M // cashmere: talbots // cords: anthropologie
 shoes: forever 21 (similar) // bag: vintage // belt: j. crew

Here's my attempt at winter white... it is still winter if there's a foot of snow on the ground. My mom actually picked out these pants for me, but I have to say I'm in love with how soft they are and the cool zipper accents; I think they might be my new go-to. I'm hoping Wisconsin can warm up and make this springy ensemble a reality in the near future (fingers crossed!!!!).

On another hand, how fab are those shoes? I snagged them at Forever 21, of all places, and have been very pleased with them thus far. They're pretty comfortable too, so a total steal in my book. I wore them to fling last weekend and got lots of compliments... #winning

xoxo

In Shape For Spring Break

I think I'm going to say a thank you prayer to God tonight for putting track and lent on the same schedule, and conveniently right before spring break. Without giving up junk food and all chocolate whatsoever (I do this every year and haven't been able to complete it without cheating yet), and working out every day after school for track, I think I'd be too embarrassed to even go on spring break... that's how out of shape I am.

Today I've compiled a few different ways to get in shape before spring break. For more ideas, feel free to follow along on my Fitness Pinterest board. 



30-Day Ab Challenge: This calendar works for any month, not just June like it says. I think I've posted about this on the blog before, but I definitely never got all the way through it. I'm going to try to stay on track with this, and maybe even do this for crunches as well as squats. Knowing me, I'll get three days through and totally forget about it... oops.


I'm not into dieting or putting weird fibers into green drinks or going through a complete body detox, I just kind of want to clean up my eating and cut out some junk food. I tried this over the summer and I got three days into it (I swear) but then I sort of, um, went to a birthday party and a piece of cake later, all dreams were down the drain. But, I must say, while you're doing this you will feel so good about yourself.

A few other things... 

1. The Lenten project at our school is called the water project this year. This means only drinking water during Lent and then whatever money we would typically spend on Starbucks or other drinks we will donate to school to give to those who do not have enough water. I'm going to try this and I'll see how well I do! 

2. There are a ton of workouts on Pinterest that give little ideas of at-home exercises that you can do each day. I like this one best; I think it has a good variety.

3. Don't push past your limits! I just want to get in shape for Spring Break... after that I think we all know I'll go back to four cookies a day and Starbucks every weekend ;) 

What is your health/fitness routine?
xoxo

My Oscar Best Dressed List

Hello, hello! I hope you all had a nice start to your week yesterday, and a fun evening on Sunday watching the Oscars! I've rounded up my personal favorite looks from the night.. I usually don't have too many favorites on the red carpet but I think a lot of ladies (and men, ooh la la) looked très jolie this time around!


Of course Lupita won an Oscar, but she clearly wins best dressed as well, don't you agree?! Lupita in Prada powder blue is the best thing that's happened since sliced bread. After Lupita's stunning poppy frock at the Golden Globes, and now this to die for ensemble at the Oscars, I really can't wait to see what happens next.


I thought Naomi Watts looked stunning. This subtly vintage and sequined head-to-toe ensemble was so flattering, and of course, perfectly accessorized.


Cate Blanchett won best actress, as most of you probably are aware of. But, one thing we should all take away from the 86th Academy Awards.... Cate + Armani = Match made in heaven. This fall 2013 Armani Prive runway garb looked absolutely ravishing with Cate's fair skin, light hair, and oooh, statement earrings!


I'm not going to lie, I actually didn't know who Calista Flockhart was until she arrived at the Oscars in this absolutely beautiful gown. But, now I'm in complete love with this dress designed by Andrew GN Resort. I kind of want to get married in it... is that weird?

Who do you think was best dressed at the Oscars?
xoxo

PS- Shoutout to the best selfie that ever existed. #EllenForPresident2016

Still Cold.









coat: ASOS {also worn here} // jeans: Gap // sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Happy March! I'd say we're getting closer to spring... but at this rate, I don't think I'll be rotating my wardrobe over any time soon. I took these pictures yesterday, and the temperature was in the teens/low 20's. How is the weather near you? We had a little rain last week and a 2 day streak of 40 degree temps, but I think it was just too good to last as we got a couple more inches of snow just a few days ago.

Rabbit, rabbit!
xoxo