SWEET SUMMER

I believe I have finally fallin' in love with floppy hats! I've always loved the style but I've never found one that looks flattering on me. Either their too large and floppy, or too small so then it doesn't look much like a floppy hat at all. My friend let me borrow this black floppy hat, and I'm so thankful she did. So now I'm on the hunt for a dark brown floppy hat, because I think it will be perfect for the fall time.

The summer fun has been winding down around here, and my summer vacation has finally come to an end! Ending summer is always bitter-sweet. Summer of 2014 has been one of my favorites yet! All the events I've been able to participate in, meet-ups with friends, weekends with family, coffee dates, a number of photo shoots, pool parties, lazy days at home, and every new adventure that has come my way, has made these past few months so memorable and they will be truly missed. Surprisingly my list of ideas for this summer has been more than completed! It feels good to end the summer with no regrets or wishes of something I should have done.

Officially a senior, like whattt? I've waited a long four years to hear myself say that I'm a senior, and I love it! It's nerve-racking and exciting all at the same time. My schedule this year is pretty light, although chemistry and geometry is going to kick my butt. I'm only a few days into it, and I can already feel the heavy load from those two subjects. It'll be interesting to see how I balance my school load and blog within these next few months! I'm hoping the weekends will be my saving grace for during the week posts, but yet again who knows how productive I'll be. Still being in school while being a blogger has it's benefits, but I envy the bloggers who are in their 20's, who have no school or "career job" to get in their way of their daily blogging routines!

                                                                     
                                                                       shorts/American Eagle :: shirt/Forever 21 :: purse/Urban                                                                                                          Outfitters :: cheetah sandals/Maui, Hawaii :: floppy hat/borrowed ::

5 TIPS FOR STAYING INSPIRED

Feeling uninspired to do anything kinda sucks! It's an icky feeling, and one that's hard to get rid of sometimes. So today I have come up with a few solutions that I think will cure the uninspired emotion we all get once in a blue moon! These are ways that really help me and make me feel more full of energy, and inspired to live life to it's fullest!

1. Find a new muse. This tip may not be new to you, but trust me it helps tremendously. It can be anything to a new TV series to watch, re-creating an old project, or enjoying a new band. Have fun with it and keep your eyes out for anything that sounds enjoyable to you, keeping in mind your likes and dislikes.

2. Carry a journal. No matter where I am, or what I'm doing that day I always keep a notebook with me to jot down fresh ideas. I keep one in my purse, beside my bed, and even in my backpack! It's easy to forget ideas, so writing them down helps, and talking out loud about your ideas also spark new inspirations.

3. Create an up-beat playlist. I don't know about you, but oh man does music have a pull on me. I tend to gravitate towards the music that matches my emotions. It's a given fact that for me, it doesn't help listening to depressing music when I'm feeling low. So when you're feeling down, create a playlist of songs that make you happy and excited, and crank that volume up!!

4. Go to your favorite location. Getting away out of your comfort zone or even everyday habitat can help in more ways than one. I love to clear my thoughts, and focus on starting over and fresh. Spending time at your favorite place can make you more energized and happy.

5. Clean up your space. Picking up everything that's around you, can make you feel less cluttered or bogged down. I always have to make sure everything is organized or my room is cleaned, before doing anything that day. A messy atmosphere can cause more stress and chaos.

M&M RICE KRISPIE TREATS

Rice Krispie treats take me back to my childhood, because they were my absolute favorite and having them in the house was a huge treat. Let's just say they didn't last long, because we ate them like crazy. This was my very first time making them homemade, (instead of just buying them in a box at the store) so I was excited to see how they'd turn out, and they taste just as good as store bought! I had a little fun with them and decided to add some M&M's on top because I wanted to give them a pop of color. These fun treats are perfect for the summertime and days spent with friends because they're easy to eat and make! A few days ago I went to a pool party with all my girlfriends and I made these, and I have to admit they were a hit! Enjoy making!

RICE KRISPIE TREATS
servings- approx. 25-30 cut square bars

Ingredients
1 box of rice krispies
1 bag of marshmallows
1 stick of butter
1 bag of M&M's

Directions
1. To begin making these yummy treats, you'll need a big pan to start melting the marshmallows. I've seen people put them in the microwave and melt them that way, but I find doing it over the stove much easier and more controllable. Before you melt the marshmallows, first take that one stick of butter and melt it completely and then pour in the marshmallows.

2. Once the marshmallows are soft and very melted, pour in the rice krispies and begin to stir it all together. To make the stirring easier and less messy only pour a little but of the cereal in the pan at a time, until it's all mixed together.

3. Take a dish or pan and put add butter all around the edges so that it won't stick to the pan. Begin to place the rice krispies into the dish and apply butter all over your hands so that your able to firmly place all the rice krispies into the pan without sticking to your fingers.

4. Lastly, add in the M&M candy and push them into the rice krispies to that they will stay in place. You can use pretty much any candy, or chocolate for this step, but like I said I wanted a pop of color, plus you cannot beat M&M's! You can also drizzle some chocolate, or caramel syrup over the top. Once you made your rice krispie treat your free to add anything you want!

LIFE LATELY

The past few weeks have flown by like crazy. Everyday has been filled with some activity, whether I'm meeting up with a friend, visiting with family, or chilling' back blogging! Recently I've been in a mood to get my DIY on! Projects are something I love doing and I've always had a passion for anything artsy. Making things handmade is so much more special then store bought items, plus I love the fact that it was something I created and shaped! The one downfall to I struggle with for DIY projects is I never know exactly how it will turn out, or if I'll like it the same/more as just buying it at the store, but I'll realized that I have to completely ignore those factors that play out when making these projects. I have to just get up and start creating no matter what!

It's a bittersweet feeling that I have three weeks left of summer vacation, but I'm looking forward to this upcoming year. This summer was been amazing, and I've been able to complete a lot of goals that I set for myself these past few months. My social life has been way more active this summer than others,and I'm so thankful for that because without friends I become lonely and bored. Starting school back up again will be a drag because I'll have less free time, but I'll be glad to be back on a schedule!

Excited about: Starting school, and this time as a senior!! Believe it or not, but i actually enjoy school. I've always been an honored student, so it comes easier for me than others. Ending summer is always bittersweet, but its nice to be back on track with a weekly schedule. This year my classes are light, and a lot of my friends who I've know since I was a freshman will be joining me! It's an exciting time knowing its my last year in high school and I've already been working on some graduation plans! I'm excited to see what this year has in store for me.

Wanting to: Be more organized for this new school year! It seems like this is always on my list, but it never fully happens the way I'd like it to! I organize my books, and always make sure that my homework is in the right folder to turn it, but somehow my backpack overflows with random paper notes, and my binders are cluttered with tests. I hate feeling all over the place, and spacey when things aren't in place, so I'm determined to not let that happen to me again this year.

Dreaming of: Fall time. I know we have a few more months of summer left, but I cannot seem to stop daydreaming about the fall season. I've come to a conclusion that it's my favorite time of the year, mostly because of the warm bright colors, but also the fashion, and cold weather. I've been on the hunt for some new boots so I'm hoping that I'll find some just in time!

Looking for: A good tutorial or recipe for beach wavy hair. I love it when I'm down at the beach and my hair is curly and full of volume. I've been looking for a good product that would perfect this look I've oh so been craving for, but It seems harder than I thought. If you have any products that you use to get beachy waves, please share!!


Needing to: Get out and do some photo shoots! I love taking outfit photos here for the blog, and I think it's time I get one scheduled. For the new school season I went on a huge shopping spree, so I have plenty of outfits already lined up, now I just need to take time to get out and start shooting! 

Thankful for: My grandparents, and family. This summer I have been truly blessed by being able to spend time with both sets of my grandparents, my grandma, and great grandma! My family brings me so much joy, and I'm so grateful for their love and support through my life. It's not common for many grandparents to be active in their grand-kids life, and have a relationship with them, so I consider myself beyond blessed to not only be able to spend time with my sets of grandparents but also my great grandmother who is still alive!! I will always cherish the memories I have made with them this summer, because they were sweet and special.

Ready for: Some change to come my way! I believe some huge changes will come once I begin school in a few weeks, but I'm looking forward to the new schedule, and plans I have for the future. As a senior I'm hoping this year will be way different than my past high school years, and that I have fun with it! Change always frightens me, but in a way it seems more and more appealing to me. I'm longing for some new good changes that will spin my life in a new direction, whatever that may be!

3 Ways to Style A Headband

This summer I've been into trying new hairstyles that involved headbands. Anyone can tell you that seeing me with a ponytail rarely ever happens, but rather that I prefer to style my hair down and natural. Sometimes wearing my hair the same way everyday can get old, therefore I've been experimenting in some new adorable up-do's for the summer. It's been extremely hot here in So-Cal so it's way more practical to have my hair out of my face, and off of my neck! All of these styles work perfectly with curly or straight hair. The more body and volume the texture of your hair has, the easier it is to work the headband in order for it to sit correctly on the top of your head. Have fun experimenting!

THE EVERYDAY HEADBAND
This is my favorite and yet easiest hairstyle when wearing headbands. Of course its just throwing on a headband over your head, and pulling it up over your face in order to keep all your hair out of your way, but I like to throw in a bit of a twist. What I do is, first part my hair into two sections like a half up half down up-do. Then place the headband over your head, and undo that top pony tail (or half up section) to give it that extra volume!

SIDE PONY TAIL
This style is pretty self explanatory but, there is one thing I like to do differently when adding a headband. First place the headband on top of your head, and make sure it's tight so that it won't pop off. Just like in the next look the Gibson tuck, I like to take the front sections of my hair and loop it into the headband. Next I'll pull all my hair to one side, and secure it with a hair tie. This way my hair is tightly secured and by the end of the way I won't have any pieces falling out.

THE GIBSON TUCK
This is the most elegant of the three, and I love wearing this on a night out with my girlfriends! Begin twisting the hair on one side of your head, and pull the hair through the headband. Continue to do this process on the other side as well, until your front sections of your hair reaches the end of your ear. Then gather the rest of the hair and twist up and begin to fold it into the headband. Of course it'll take a few minutes to arrange it perfectly, and then secure with bobby pins.

BANANA EGG PANCAKES

What? Banana egg pancakes? Ha-ha, trust me they taste amazing! A few days ago I was watching some YouTube videos to gather some new ideas for some back to school breakfast and snacks, and this pancake recipe was one I knew I had to try. I recently had to go gluten-free because of health reasons, so these pancakes are perfect for us gluten free gals! Plus finding gluten free pancakes that taste just as good, makes me very happy, and is hard to find at times! I love having homemade buttermilk pancakes drown in syrup but the sugar gives me an instant headache and stomache, and it always seems to make me tired, so I never end up making them. But these banana egg pancakes don't call for any syrup, so they don't taste so rich and filling. At first I was hesitant about making these, because I'm not always a big fan about banana's but I was shocked about how good these pancakes tasted! I felt like I was eating an actual buttermilk pancake! These pancakes will definitely be included into my weekly breakfast ideas, especially when I return back to school.

Banana Egg Pancakes 
recipe slightly changed (Sorta Crunchy)
Ingredients
1 very ripe banana
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon used as a garnish
1 tsp powdered sugar

Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl, begin to mash up the banana. Make sure the banana is very ripe and almost "too done/ripe" so that it is easier to mash, and the smoother it will be for the batter. Now crack the two eggs in the bowl and mix it all together.

2. Now that is your batter, so start getting your pan ready. You can use pretty much anything you want so that the batter doesn't stick, canola oil, grape-seed oil, coconut oil, butter, or cooking spray, it really just depends on what you have in your pantry. I started off with using canola oil, but I found that butter worked better. Keep the heat on medium high, and wait to flip until the pancake is boiling on the edges. Cook until their golden brown.

3. Sprinkle the top of your pancakes with some cinnamon, and powered sugar. It doesn't matter how much you use, just depends on your preference. I also loved adding some fresh strawberries to give it a sweeter taste. You can also use blueberries, banana's, or raspberries. Now grab a fork, and eat up!

Q + A // HOW TO STAY PASSIONATE ABOUT BLOGGING

I've been asked this question frequently, and from time to time I even ask myself the same question. I've expressed multiple times here on the blog, that blogging is a challenge especially in a community where everyone is fighting for the same special spotlight attention! It takes years of hard work as a blogger to get noticed and make it big. When your focus is to make money through blogging and have a high following rate, then your content, and photography becomes more of a concern. You began to put in more effort, and spend more time on the internet advertising about your blog. I have to admit, when your putting in so much time and effort through your blog, and you have done so for years, you probably start to wonder when you'll ever make it big! And right now is about the time, you'll ask yourself "how to not let blogging become a chore." Wondering where did all that passion go, and why don't you have that same spark of interest anymore for your blog. For two years now I've been blogging, and I've had to ask myself this question as well. Recently I wrote down some answers to my questions regarding my blog, and I was able to figure out why often times my passion for blogging runs dry. Along with narrowing it all down, I also concluded my thoughts with some suggestions and ideas, so that I no longer have to ask myself this question ever again!

 Blog with others. Having blogger friends can make everything better. My best friend is a blogger & it helps tremendously to be able to talk about blogging in general and all your ideas for the future. Not everyone understands the blogging community, or why it's so important, so it's nice to have that support from those who do understand, and know exactly what your going through. Also when your able to open up about your ideas and your blog, it creates even more inspiration and clever new posts.

 Give yourself alone time, off the internet. It's okay to take a break, and disconnect with social media. Sometimes as bloggers we need time spent away from our laptops and Facebook accounts, because it can become draining. It's a lot to catch up on, and always feeling like you need to post and interact with other blogs can become to much to take in all the time. Whenever I give myself a little mini-getaway from blogging and social media, I'm able to reconnect with a different mindset and more appreciation and love for blogging.

 Switch up the locations. When your always blogging in one place all the time, it can become boring, and lacking the excitement we need to keep creating as bloggers. I love to take my laptop and grab a cup of coffee and find a little corner so I can work on whatever I need to. Coffee shops are just great like that because your able to get out, and yet still be focused on your blog. Another great location is the library. It's nice to have that atmosphere around you! But I must admit, my favorite location is down stairs in my family room and get all cozy with a blanket and soft pillow, with a movie playing in the background, so that I can take a break in between my blogging.

 Go back to your roots. Think about why you choose to blog in the first place, and what your goals were in the beginning. It can be anything, like a certain type of post series, fashion shoots, fun DIY's, or even a journal about your life. Whatever the reason is, go back to that and try to start blogging on that foundation.

 Stay true to who you are as a blogger. I think it's easy to get sucked into what everyone else is doing, and the way they tend to blog, so therefore we automatically follow their route instead of our own. When we don't stay true to the content we love to post, and end up following others ideas, we lose our spark of interest in blogging as a whole. If your into beauty posts, but yet realizes that every other blog is only doing fashion post and you start to jump on that bandwagon as well, I promise that it will be harder for you to love what your doing.