These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

"Brown paper packages tied up with strings..."

1. Plain Greek Yogurt: I absolutely love the taste of Greek yogurt. I like it so much I can't even eat regular yogurt anymore. My favorite way to eat it is with strawberries, chia seeds, and granola for breakfast. Or I will add to a breakfast smoothie and have used it as a sour cream replacement with food.

2. Netflix: I, like half of the world, am obsessed with Netflix. I love watching movies and Netflix gives you access to many different categories of movies. I haven't really heard of half of the movies on there, so it always makes for an interesting experience picking a random movie. I also enjoy watching series on there, like Mad Men and Parks and Recreation. Whenever I am bored, I just binge watch a series that I have never seen before.

3. Fall: I am a totally different person when fall comes around. I am the best version of myself whenever I can wear sweaters and boots. Living in Chicago, I feel like I have perfected how to dress in the fall and winter time because they are the 2 seasons that last the most. Summer is great because of the freedom from school, but fall will aways have my heart. Also, when is the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) coming back? 

4. Pillows: Ahhh, so soft! I enjoy having a lot of pillows on my bed and couch because they add an extra layer of comfort. I also use them for decor, but even when I do, they have to be functional and comfortable. Nothing is better to me than laying on my bed surrounded by a bunch of pillows. 

5. Fruit: My favorite type of food is most definitely fruit. I can eat fruit all day long and never get tired of it. I like eating fruit as a snack and as dessert. I love that fruit is naturally sweet so it feels like your indulging but really you're being healthy. 

6. Lazy Days: I love those days when you don't have any responsibilities you need to attend to and you can just lounge around your home. Usually, I like to have these kinds of days when it is raining or snowing outside because you can't really feel guilty for not wanting to go out. I like stay in my PJ's, go downstairs to my living room with a blanket, and catch up on my DVR or watch movies. 

7. Roller coasters: I love the adrenaline rush you get after going on a roller coaster. You feel like you can run a marathon and automatically want to go on the ride again. I love going to Six Flags in the summer with all my friends and just riding all of the rides that we possibly can. 

8. Coffee: Lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, and etc. the possibilities are endless with coffee. I love it in all of its forms but my favorite is just your standard cup of coffee with a dash of cream and one sugar. Coffee makes my insides warm and gives me a jolt of energy. Whenever I drink it (almost everyday) I feel like the best possible version of myself. 

9. Receiving Packages: The quote in the beginning of this post from The Sound of Music is actually very accurate. I love the suspense and the wait time you go through while waiting for a package from an online order. It feels like Christmas when you look outside your door and see a package waiting for you. 

10. Sweaters: This favorite kind of ties into the whole love for fall thing, but I felt it deserved its on own place as well. I love warm, over-sized sweaters that I can wear with black pants and boots. Whenever I wear one of my favorite sweaters, it instantly lifts my mood and I feel like I can conquer the world. 

-Emily 

You'll Never Regret Working Hard

This past summer I have been cleaning out my closet and bedroom so that I can become more organized, redecorate, and so that I can get on the path to minimalism.  I can now say that I am extremely proud of myself for getting rid of the things that I do not need in my life.  I used to have A TON OF PAPER WORK!  I kept old notes from classes such as: Chemistry, Algebra, World History,  and American History.  With the notes I also kept all of my Algebra and Geometry tests.  I don't mean to brag with what I am about to say, but I kept my old math tests because I got perfect scores plus extra credit on almost all of my tests.  I was proud of these test grades because my whole life I have been terrible at math and have not been proud of many other test scores.  I still am not great at math, however, I did well in math in high school because I worked my but of in all of my math classes.  I had to work twice as hard as the students next to me because math was "not my subject."  I kept all of these tests and notes thinking that one day when I was stuck in college I could refer to old notes and tests for self-help.  I also mostly held on to all of these papers because I could not bring myself to through away all of my hard work.  I spent so much time neatly writing and organizing notes and making study guides.  I would stay up late studying for math tests and reviewing, and reviewing, and reviewing.  I felt that if I through away all of the paperwork I would also through away my hard work.

I decided that a decluttered room was more important to me than storing away old notes (which I oddly considered art.)  I threw them out because I realized that as much as it pained me to rid myself of notes and tests it did not mean that I was throwing out all of my handwork.  I decided to be proud of the work that I have done and focus on working hard in the future.  Instead of keeping old tests as souvenirs, I decided to keep the lessons that I have gained from all of my hard-work.

Lessons learned:

• Hard-work will give you something to be proud of.
• It will make you a more accomplished person.
• The results that come with hard-work are more satisfying than things.
• A habit of working hard now will become a part of your personality and you will begin to work hard in other parts of your life.
• You will be more positive with life because you know that working hard is a common solution to many problems.
• Working hard gives you control of your life.  The work you do = The type of result you will get
• If it doesn't work out in the end, at least you tried!
• You will always regret doing nothing, or the bear minimum.
• Hard-work will make you more confident. Is there anything bad to say about a hard worker? I think not, hard workers inspire me!
• Hard-work will help you to always keep improving yourself.  Hard-work never ends.
• You will go to bed tired and get a restful sleep :)

By no means I am not perfect and my laziness still gets the best of me and working hard.  However I will use my past results of working hard to motivate me and I will keep trying to become a better hard worker.  

Remember!

-Diana

Going Away for College

In exactly 6 days, I will be fleeing the nest and leaving for college (eek!). Although, my school is only 2 hours away from Chicago, I am still anxious/excited to be leaving. Deciding to leave for college can be a difficult decision for most people. When I was looking for schools, I knew automatically that I wanted to stay in the state of Illinois. Not only is it convenient to stay in state, for traveling purposes, but it is way cheaper. So basically my options were either staying in Chicago, where I was born and raised, or going to the school that I will be attending in a smaller city of Illinois.

http://www.azeeza.us/shop/tops/chi-statement-tee/ 

Personally, I love the feel of a complete college town. I find it comforting to know that most of the people walking around are either students or work for the school. I also really wanted to experience dorm life because I think it adds to the whole "college experience." I am not going to have a random roommate because I feel that it was not for me. I like to share my living space with people I am comfortable with, so I will be rooming with a friend from high school. I think this will help me if I ever feel homesick.

An Unrealistically Beautiful Dorm

Another factor that helped me decided where to go to school is independence. My entire life I have been very dependent on my family and I am grateful for it, but I felt like I needed to leave to figure out life for myself. If I stayed at home, I would become completely dependent on my family in times of stress and never really become independent. College is a completely personal experience, meaning you decided what comes of it. You decide whether you go to class or skip it and you decide what you do outside of class.

Ultimately, my decision came down to the academics my university provides and how comfortable I felt at my school. Choosing a school is a big decision, so take all of the important factors into consideration but also trust your gut, it's usually the best thing for you.

-Emily

Staying at Home for College

When searching for a college I new one thing: I wanted my campus to be in a city.  My first choice was New York, NY, it is my favorite place and I thought I would love it.  However I had to be realistic.  New York is a very expensive city and I could not justify spending so much money for my undergraduate years.  Being that I am from Chicago, IL (also a decent sized and fun city) I decided that it would not be such a bad idea to check out some Universities here.  I live about 15 minutes away from downtown Chicago so I quickly decided that I would not dorm so that I could save some money (more like thousands.)  Chicago has an awesome selection of Universities, so it was not long before I fell in love with one and found some others that I also would not mind attending.  

Sweet Home Chicago.

Before I made my final decision of staying in Chicago and living at home I had a lot to consider: I would miss out on the “dorming experience,” I would be under my parents roof during some exciting years of my life (don’t get me wrong I love them to pieces and am thankful to have them), and I would not have the convenience of waking up 10 minutes before class.  After thinking it over I looked at the pros of why being a commuter was a good choice for me.

·      I can redecorate my room.

·      I will not have the distraction of a roommate when studying in my room.

·      I will have my own room and bathroom.

·      I can light candles, blast music, and have the liberty and privacy to do just about anything I want.

·      I don’t have to eat College food.

·      I will save money.

·      I will not have to buy a bunch of new things for my dorm.

·      I won’t risk being stuck with roommate that I may not get along with. 

·      I can live and attend University in an exciting city.

·      I will still be independent because my parents have told me that they will give me my space.

Yes, some of these reasons are childish and I know that had I decided to dorm I would get used to it and would live happily in a dorm.  However, Commuting was the right choice for ME.  It is NOT the best choice for everyone.  I think dorming is exciting and am happy for those that choose to dorm (all of my friends will be dorming at their universities.)

One of the forms of transportation I will use. The Chicago El.

Now that you know that I will be a commuter in College, I will often write blog posts about my experience and tips for commuters.  If you have any questions about commuting leave them in the comments below whenever you want and I will be happy to answer!

-Diana

I Swear by Coconut Oil for Everything

After reading all of the benefits and uses of Coconut oil I had to buy it!  I will not go through all the uses because you can search them online and many results will pop up immediately.  I just want to let you know that it works for everything, just like the internet says it will!  I love using coconut oil because it is a natural product and I prefer this to all the chemicals in other products.  I have extremely dry skin so using oil is great for my skin because it moisturizes it.

I have used it as:

• Body Moisturizer
• Facial Cleanser (my favorite way) I spread it all over my face when I am in the shower and then I rinse it off in the shower.  I saw immediate results from this, my face had less blemishes.
• Mouthwash/Oil Pulling (read number 16 in this article http://www.jenneitzel.com/2013/11/coconut-oil-the-hygiene-rockstar/ )
• Makeup remover

I plan on trying some of the other uses for coconut oil soon.  Have you ever tried coconut oil as a beauty product?  Let me know in the comments below!

This is the kind that I Use

Petite Moment: Dark Chocolate with Quinoa?!

Recently, I was at Mariano's (my favorite grocery store ever) and was strolling through the candy aisle because I was looking for a treat (treat. yo. self) and I spotted an unusual chocolate. It was a dark chocolate bar with quinoa crisps inside it! I love quinoa and I found this to be very intriguing, so I happily added it to my cart. Quinoa is a seed that when cooked can be a great replacement for rice, which is how I usually eat it. If you want to learn more about quinoa click here. Anyway, the chocolate that I found is from the brand, Alter Eco.

It is certified organic and fair tried certified, it is only a 60% cocoa so it is not a very strong dark chocolate. According to the packaging, this chocolate is also vegan, soy free, gluten free, and non GMO. The quinoa is mixed with rice to give it a light airy feel and it is absolutely delicious. It is a great alternative to a "Crunch" bar because not only is it a million times healthier, it is also better for the planet. It is guilt-free but still makes you feel like you are indulging yourself. I love this and I will definitely be re-purchasing this!

-Emily

Petite Moment: Transformation Tuesday

I decided that this summer I would redecorate my room.  I wanted something more mature and neutral.  I didn't want a trendy color or theme that I would quickly get sick of or that wouldn't match my personality.  Now that I have finished redecorating my room I can say that I love it and am satisfied with my "new" room.

Before:  My room was very girly.  I painted it pink and gray freshman year of high school.  My favorite color was pink, I loved dresses and skirts, and all things french.  So the theme of my bedroom was girly-girl meets France.  I loved my room and was hesitent to repaint it.  But, I felt that I needed something that better suited my personality now that I am going to start University.

Right before I was about to paint it!

After:  I painted my room a neutral color so that it would match many things.

I chose Fall Mood by Behr.

Painting the last spot!

Finally Done: Look out for a room tour which will be up on the blog soon!

-Diana