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Instructions:
Shake and serve in a martini glass with colored sprinkles.
Sounds delish, right? And looks super cute too!
the perfect NYE {SparkleLouder with Hpnotiq}
go go gryffindor.
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Friendly
Loyal
Honest
Impartial/Fair
Humble
Hard-working
Dedicated
Kind
Patient
Tolerant
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Brave
Chivalrous
Daring
Nerve
Courageous
Pure
Loyal
I think I can down with that. When I really thought about it, I realized that there are so many ways to interpret bravery. It's not just being able to walk by yourself in the dark without looking over your shoulder or being able to fight if you had to; it's about being passionate about whatever it is you're passionate about and being able to stand up for yourself and what you believe in.
Being a Gryffindor is about truly standing for your beliefs, having high moral standards, and having the desire to do what's right. I also read that Gryffindors are really emotional, and I've got that trait down pact. They also speak before thinking about what they're about to say. I do that all the time. Weird. Gryffindors also live in the moment. I do that to an extent, but I also try to plan for the future. I'm not very good at it though. Gryffindors are adventurous (yeaaaa) and really value friendships (for sure) and their average typology is ESFJ!
So after reading more into it, I definitely understand why Pottermore put me in the Gryffindor house. I have so many characteristics of Gryffindorians, and I'm definitely trying to embrace my inner lion. Plus, I love Hermione, and she was a Gryffindor, so I can't go wrong, right?
When I was reading all this stuff about Gryffindors, it was like reading traits of my astrological sign. I was like "That's so me!"
weekend update.
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| All Teched out and representing Terry Bradshaw |
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| Two jackets and hot cocoa did little to keep me warm |
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| Sorry about my hair. Yikes! |
do judge the book by its cover {blog post swap}
Today I am swapping blogs with Kayla from Caught Between the Pages. We "met" through HerCampus, which I'm super happy about because I love meeting fellow bookworms. Kayla came up with an awesome idea for a blog swap.
XO Tiffany
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Hello everyone! Kayla from Caught Between the Pages here. I'm so glad that I met Tiffany through the HerCampus Blogger Network (and not only because she lets me play fun games with book covers!) It's always amazing to meet a fellow bookworm and today we get to share some of our favorite books with one another. Who doesn't love recommendations? But for a little unconventional twist, we only have the titles and covers to judge by and guess what these books are about! Let's get started!
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This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
This book definitely seems like it'll be themed around music. Maybe some kind of young adult romance, too. Two music lovers who find each other, save them from themselves? Or maybe the girl, on the cover, is the only one who is in love with music, and she finds a guy who needs something to make him want to live so she introduces him to it! See what the book is actually about here!
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Openly Straight by Bill Koningsberg
This cover is so cute! (Is that green guy wearing a Peter Pan hat?) Hmm. I'm thinking this one could possibly be about a group of guys and only one of them is straight. And maybe for a while he hid that because he wanted to be friends with them because he wanted to be . . openly straight?
Oops. See how wrong I was about this book here!
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Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
So I'm guessing this book is set in a small town (judging from the quote on the cover) and maybe there's a group of girls who are keeping a big secret. Something they've been covering up for a long time but it's unraveling now. Maybe one of them is pregnant and is lying about that to her friends.
It sounds a lot more interesting than that. xD
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Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult
This one is about a girl who loves to read. Maybe she gets so caught up in these romantic stories that she decides to start matchmaking or playing their fairy godmother (hence the magic wand?) so that she can see some romance in the world. And she'll fall in love too, of course!
Read what it's really about here!
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Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
I'm thinking that this one is about a group of girls who have had something bad happen to them because of another girl. And now they're planning out their revenge! This could be a cute book about a prank war, maybe, or something more serious. The cover does make it seem more dramatic.
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Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
This book looks like it could be centered around a woman's wedding day and because she's covering her face, she has a lot of secrets that she doesn't want everybody to know about! Perhaps there are some things she's keeping from her husband to protect herself before she gets married and to make her seem more innocent to him. See what it's really about.
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Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas
This one could be about the guy who's trying to get the girl. But I'm thinking that this book could be written in a very surreal way, judging by the quote, and maybe the reader isn't sure of what's really happening or what the guy is just thinking about while he tries to get his life together and find the person he wants to be wife.
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Fearless by Francine Pascal
This book seems to be extremely intense, judging by the look in that girl's eyes! I'm thinking it's about a girl who wants to prove to everyone that she's fearless and she works to fight against each of her fears one by one so that she'll be able to overcome them and won't let anything hold her back! Maybe something happened in her past that her fears kept her from stopping and that's why she's so determined!
See what it's really about here!
Thanks so much Tiffany for having me on your blog! Even if I'm not so good at guessing. I think I had just as much fun seeing what I got wrong about these books as I did guessing what they were about! I guess this is what happens when you judge a book by its cover. Check out Tiffany's predictions over on my blog for more fun!
boys love music and food.
1. Who is your favorite band/musician?
My favorite band is from my second favorite gene of music. It is Breaking Benjamin.
2. What was your first CD/tape?
My first tape was a Neil McCoy cassette tape.
3. Who was your first concert?
I can't really be sure but the first concert I can remember from a known band is Mercy Me.
4. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
I feel like this is typical but it's definitely the turkey.
5. Finish the sentence: I am thankful for...
I am thankful for "life, the opportunities I have been given, the people who have been placed along the path, and my amazing girlfriend who has dealt with my stubbornness and shown me an immeasurable amount of patience."
creating a beautiful little christmas.
It's never too early to start planning for Christmas. I'm serious. I start collecting Christmas gift ideas all year. Really I never stop. After reading A Beautiful Little Christmas by Teri Ahlm, I realized that I wasn't the only one who planned early.
When I was younger, I always thought Christmas was just about presents, presents, presents. Now, I still associate it with presents, among other things of course, but it's more of the giving end than the receiving end. Christmas can bring out the best or the worst in people, and I try to be part of the former.
Thanks to A Beautiful Little Christmas, the holidays don't have to be about stress. It can be about what you want it to be - time with family, creating new traditions, taking a vacation, going to church, whatever you want! This ebook is really fantastic and is perfect for anyone who doesn't want to tear their hair out as the holidays approach. Not only is it filled with ideas for decorating your home and help with finding your meaning for the season, it also has tips on how to look and dress your best, delicious recipes, and awesome gift ideas.
Each chapter starts with a fun quote that is relevant to the contents of the chapter. My personal favorite was from Bob Hope - "When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the greatest occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness." I think this quote sums up a good portion of the reasoning behind the book.
Some of my favorite tips from the book include:
Creating a Beautiful Little Christmas
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creating a beautiful little christmas.
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- For decorating: "Pick one foal point of decor and make it absolutely breathtaking."
- For food: "The best parties always have lots of finger foods readily available."
- For drinks: "Just keep the wine flowing!" (This one really spoke to me)
My favorite unexpected advice included tips for:
- How to set up the buffet table to make it look more appealing and fit more dishes
- How to plan ahead for Christmas gifts (a must in my book!)
- How to avoid family drama
- How to have Christmas alone
- How to be a great guest
Really, the entire book was just full of great advice and lots of surprises. I can see myself flipping though this book for some Christmas advice for years to come! For more information click on the link below!
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
5 ways to be happy today.
It's so easy to get bogged down in the stress of every day life, which is understandable when you have work to go to, homework to do, bills to pay, emails to answer, TV shows to watch, books to read, chores to do, friends to see, gifts to buy, and in the midst of all of it, endless interruptions. All of this stress can lead to anger, sadness, frustration, doubt, discouragement, grief, and a number of other negative feelings. While your to do list keeps growing, so does your patience, which can lead to people getting tired of your negativity leaving you lonely and depressed.
So why not skip all of that grief, and just take some time every single day (yes, every day!) to try and just be HAPPY? We all have things that are weighing us down, but there's no need to let them keep you down when there's so many wonderful things to be happy about. Marilyn said it best:
Here are some ways for you to be happy today!
Listen to some upbeat music.
Whenever I'm in a foul mood, music can always take me out of it. Sometimes, I'll listen to a song, and in my head I keep telling myself that I'm not going to sing along, but then I can't help it, and I start belting out the lyrics. Here is my "happy" playlist on Spotify. It's a mix of a little bit of everything: 90's, country, pop, oldies, covers, hip hop, indie, and a few songs that just make me want to dance!
Reach out to someone you haven't spoken to in awhile.
Sometimes, I catch myself looking in my Facebook news feed, and something will pop up about a person that I haven't spoken to in awhile (sometimes for years), and it'll make me sad because I'll think of a fun memory we shared and I'll just miss them. I'm pretty nostalgic sometimes. Don't you think it would be a wonderful idea to reach out and talk to an old friend? It'll give you a change from your day-to-day life and give you a chance to reminisce on some fun times.
Make a list of your talents.
If I try really hard at something and fail, I get so discouraged with myself and want to give up on so many things. It makes me forget about the things that I do well because all I can think about is the one thing that I messed up on. I know not everyone likes to toot their own horns, but it's important to remember the things that you excel at and eventually you can work on the areas that need some improvement.
Take 30 minutes to an hour to be unproductive.
A lot of people are on the go all the time. I remember the first time I watched The Challenge with Mary-Kate and Ashley. Mary-Kate character was talking about her twin sister that she just didn't understand because she was always "like go go go, but where is she going?" And that always stuck with me, because it's so easy to get caught up in the future and worrying where you'll end up, instead of living in and enjoying the present. An easy way to start enjoying the present is to just be unproductive for at least a little bit of time each day. If you work a 9-5 office job, actually take a lunch break instead of working through it. Take some time at home to read, paint, crochet, or watch a sitcom. Do something that isn't necessarily going to benefit you ten years from now. Do something for you every single day.
Get philanthropic.
Not everyone has time to go down to the local soup kitchen and serve food to the homeless or strap on a helmet and build someone a house, but social media makes it so easy to get involved. Being philanthropic isn't just about raising money, it's also about raising awareness. One of my favorite organizations is Love is Louder. It is a movement and online community that helps to support anyone who has ever felt mistreated, misunderstood, or alone. To get involved, you don't have to go to rallies or hold an event to raise funds (though of course you're welcome to). All you have to do is small acts of kindness in your every day life to let people know that they're wanted and you care about them. Easy as pie. Find an online community that supports a cause that you're proud to be a part of, and join it. Any kind of involvement in philanthropy always makes everyone feel good about themselves.
Don't let life's stresses get you down. As the old saying goes, "Don't worry. Be happy."
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"fall" in love {cara box}.
I'm obsessed with Cara Box. The overall concept is awesome, but I love that Kaitlyn decided to change it from one month to three months. I got to know a my partners a lot better, and I got the opportunity to put together the perfect box for the person that I was mailing to.
For fall, I was paired with Teresa and Britt. I sent Teresa a box, and Britt sent one to me. I loved reading my emails from Teresa every day. We clicked from the get-go, initially bonding over our jobs in the hospitality industry and then we found out that we had a million other things in common too. I know that we'll stay email pals even now that our Cara Box partnership is over. She is super awesome, and you should go check out her blog now.
Britt was also awesome. We both have family in Charleston, South Carolina, which just made me long to go to the beach. She loves her some make-up and works in retail. Go check out her blog! She sent me a sweet box.
What I got:
A notebook
2 pens
ULTA lip gloss
ULTA nail polish
Lacing cord (so crafy)
Carried Away lotion from Bath & Body Works
The lotion smells really good, and I can't wait to use that nail polish.
To see what I got for Teresa, click here!
I've loved all of my Cara Box experiences thus far. If you're a blogger, and you haven't signed up for it yet, you definitely should! Winter signups are coming up!
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Meet one of my November sponsors!
Blog|Facebook|Twitter|Bloglovin
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20 ways to do date night on the cheap.
If you're anything like my boyfriend and me, you may not have a ton of money to spend on a night out every weekend. Though Jon and I are in a unique situation because we're currently long distance, every time we get to see each other, we pretty much jam a million date nights into one weekend. Sometimes, we'll do a big thing like dinner at a fancy restaurant, a concert, or a live show, but for the most part, we like to find creative ways to spend time together without breaking the bank. Here are a few date ideas that you can do with your significant other without getting depressed about your bank account afterward.
1. Game night.
It is dangerous for Jon and I to play games together because we're both so competitive, but it's all in good fun. I am a huge fan of board and card games, and I have a collection that I'm pretty proud of. It's easy to accumulate a lot of games and let them collect dust in the closet, so why not break them out for a night of competitive fun? If you aren't like me and don't have a huge game collection (or any kind of game collection at all), you can usually find a regular deck of playing cards are your local dollar store, and there are a ton of games that you can play with a simple deck of cards. One of my favorites is Egyptian Rat Screw (though I've heard it called a ton of other things). Here are a few of my other favorite games:
2. Browse the local bookstore.
Luckily, both Jon and I are bookworms. We have completely different tastes, but we love going to bookstores. A fun date idea would be to go to a bookstore in your city and find a book that you both like and just sip some coffee and read. You can also go to smaller bookstores and sift through all of the used books. I just love the smell of books (too much?).
3. Plan a vacation together.
You may not have the money to go on vacation together, but eventually you will. Why not plan a future vacation together? You can both find a few days that you can commit to spending together in the future and start planning the vacation together. Figure out where you'll eat, what you'll do, what sites you'll see. You can even come up with a savings plan to ensure that you're both good and ready financially when it's finally time to go!
4. Movie marathon.
I am such a movie buff, and I'm usually up for watching most movies (though there are a few exceptions). A movie night is a perfect excuse to cuddle up to your significant other for an hour and a half to two hours. If you don't have any movies in your collection that you feel like watching, you can always turn to Netflix (even if you don't have an account, you can sign up for a free month) or get a movie at Redbox or for free at your local library. If you don't feel like watching a movie, you can also find a new TV series to watch (or watch one y'all have already seen) and have a marathon! Here are some movies that Jon and I can always agree on:
5. Watch a band at a local bar.
You may not have money to go to the big concert in your area, but you can usually find somewhere with live music. There are several bars and dance clubs that feature some good local area bands. Also, if you live near a college, sometimes they'll put on cheap concerts for pretty good prices.
6. Volunteer.
If you have extra time, why not go volunteer at your local children's hospital, animal shelter, homeless shelter, elders' home or food bank? They are always needing extra hands, and it would be a unique thing for the two of you to do together.
7. Cook together.
I always enjoy cooking with Jon. For one of our first dates, we made stir fry, and we've made it a few times since and it has never been as good as that first time. You can find some easy recipes on Pinterest or you can make things interesting by making it a challenge. You can try to cook only with ingredients that you have in your house or make it a contest and see who can make the best dish. There are tons of ways to have fun with it. Try one of these delicious Pinterest recipes:
{Sweet and Spicy Pork}
{Lettuce Wraps}
{Stuffed Mushroom Cups}
{Baked Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls}
8. Have a progressive dinner.
You may not have a ton of money to spend on a fancy dinner, but maybe you do have enough money to spend on a few appetizers. Something that I like to do is pick three restaurants to go to, usually two for appetizers and one for dessert or one for appetizers, one for entrees, and one for dessert. Choose something delicious to eat at each one, and have a night full of different tastes. It also helps to go to places where you don't have to tip. This will save you some extra money as well.
9. Go on a picnic.
This is a perfect way to spend some time outdoors and spend some quiet, quality time together. Pack a few sandwiches, fruit, veggies, chips, drinks, whatever. Put it in a cooler, grab a blanket, and go!
10. Make a music video.
Okay, not all people would go for this (namely my own boyfriend), but if you have a significant other who is up for anything, how fun would it be to make a music video together? Pick a current popular song or even an oldie. Plan out outfits and different scenes to shoot. Decide who will perform each part. You can even take it one step further and write out a parody to a song. This is one of my favorite parodies. Too funny:
11. Take a dancing lesson.
You may not want to commit to learning enough dance moves to guarantee a spot in the latest boy band music video, but you can go out on a date night to take just one dance lesson together. There are some local dance studios that offer dance instruction for just $10 a person, and you can learn to salsa, rumba, swing dance, or even do some hip hop.
12. Go camping.
This is another fun way to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air, especially when the weather is nice. If camping isn't your thing, you can always camp indoors. Pitch a tent or make a grown-up fort, turn off all the lights and tell ghost stories, roast marshmallows on candles. It's cheesy, but I guarantee you'll both have a blast.
13. Go shopping at your local Farmers' Market.
I am a huge fan of the farmers' market. There's something to be said about farm fresh everything! Even if you don't want to do a bunch of grocery shopping, it's still fun to browse the booths and try some free samples. You can also grab a cheap lunch and listen to some great music, depending on what your farmer's market offers.
14. Get sporty.
If you're the sporty type, you can go on an active date together. Personally, I enjoy playing tennis (even though I'm really terrible) or biking. You can also go hiking, go to the batting cages, go bowling, go swimming, go to a shooting range or get like Robin and Barney and play some laser tag!
15. Take a river cruise.
If you live anywhere near a river or some other body of water, sometimes they offer river cruises for prices as low as $15. You can learn some interesting things about your area and have some light refreshments and drinks.
16. Mini golf.
Playing a round of mini golf is usually a lot of fun and is relatively inexpensive. Jon and I aren't the best golfers, and we are usually pretty embarrassed by our scores at the end, but we always have a blast.
17. Skating Rink.
I used to love when one of my friends had their birthday party at the skating rink. I think it would be so fun to go to a skating rink and relive a little bit of that childhood happiness. Hold hands, race each other, do the hokey pokey. I'm sure you will be laughing throughout the night. And now that it's almost winter, you can even go ice-skating!
18. Go the park.
Be a kid again and visit your local park. Almost all parks are free of charge and it's a fun way to get a little active and spend some time in the sunshine (or moonshine, and by moonshine I actually mean the moon shining, not the illegal drink). Slide on the slides. Swing on the swings. Play on the seesaw. So simple and so fun (and so free).
19. Thrift shopping.
I love thrifting. You never know what you're going to find, and every time you go, you usually don't see the same thing. Browse the thrift stores together, and see what unique items you can find!
20. Be a tourist in your own city.
Sometimes you live somewhere for so long that you forget about all of the things there are to do in your own city. A lot of museums and art galleries are free, so pick a few to visit and go! Maybe it will spark a love for your city, and it'll be a fun experience for both of you.
There are so many ways to have an awesome date and spend little to no money. What are some of your favorite frugal date ideas?
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