When The Dog Bites

Unfortunately, this feeling probably won't leave me until Monday... :/ I am feeling kind of done with high school and all of this drama, pressure, and frustrating friends... It's even making me sick! I have a cold and my voice is almost gone! Sigh.....

228 days until I graduate from high school!!! Is it sad that I'm already counting down? :)

Anyways, even though the dogs I know don't bite, whenever I'm sad I think of the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (side note: this post is not to be confused with this post). This weekend, I need to cheer myself up so I put together a list of things I am going to do this weekend to keep myself busy and happy!

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad... I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel... so bad :)

Cheetah, Harper Lee, & Post-Its

Hiiiiiii :)

^ I like sharpies

 ^ & post-its.

and bling mini staplers.

That's right everyone - I went school supply shopping. Dreadful for most, but BEST DAY EVER for me! I lovelovelove school supply shopping.

Vera Bradley Very Berry Paisley Backpack

Tip:  This is actually an old make-up bag, but it is perfect as a pencil pouch!

   

1) I don't have much to report on coffee, except that I just found a giftcard to Starbucks!! I am definitely stopping at the drive-thru on my way to work tomorrow.

2) Harper Lee = awesome. Seriously you need to read To Kill a Mockingbird - it is my FAVORITE book of all time. It is a timeless classic that every single person on the planet should read. I found the book for 50 cents. Yup, it cost me 2 quarters. On one hand, I kind of felt bad purchasing one of the greatest American novels for only half of a dollar. Buuuttt... on the other hand, I looove finding great deals on great items and saving my money to go buy other stuff :)

3) Besides sharpies, notebooks, and white-out, I did some accessory shopping at the Mall of America (it's actually not as cool as it appears - but useful 'cause all the stores are in one HUGE mall). You can see my favorite slouchy $10 American Eagle T-shirt and brown studded leather bracelet in my photos above, but here is what else I found...

* This headband is from a cute little boutique at MOA

Watch

* Story on earrings below...

Earring Pack

Leopard Print iPhone Case

Sunglasses

Cute stuff, huh?

Okay, so those Betsey Johnson oversized cheetah pearl earrings - I'm actually obsessed with them!!! I got them for my 15th birthday and wore them EVERY DAY.

Here's the sad part: I lost one of them :( I put them in my purse to switch up accessories, and one of them just disappeared. I was depressed for 6 months, until I found them on eBay!!! I was ecstatic because they were the last pair on the planet so I paid waaayy too much for them - but that's okay, 'cause I will wear them foreva and never let them out of my sight.

See ya later alligator :)

Autumn Anticipation

The clock is ticking... Days are being crossed off calendars... The air is clouded with anticipation and fear... School is about to start.

Unfortunately, the summer days are coming to a close. Though autumn brings new class schedules and the end of a stress-free and careless era, it also brings my favorite season.

I love everything about fall: the colors of the leaves on the trees, the sound of pencil writing on paper, the smell of books being cracked open, the dark autumn hues, tights being worn under skirts and dresses, new shoes, candy corn, the smell of cold and crisp air, Fashion Week, and hot coffee in cute thermoses.

1) I love drinking a hot cup of coffee on a cool fall day. Red, yellow, green, purple, and orange leaves fall around me, and I click my brand new Me Too nude patent leather flats together. My fall drink: fresh roasted coffee, from the local natural foods store, with 1 tablespoon of creamer. Classic, a little boring, but strong enough to keep me awake for classes and get my homework done so I can watch NBC's fall line-up! Just because my coffee is boring, doesn't mean my thermos has to be. Check out my brand new back-to-school coffee travel mug.

I lovelovelove Curly Girl Designs. They are whimsically cute and come in everything - mugs, calendars, ornaments, clothes, cards, and more!

2) As summer season comes to a close, so does the fluffy, chick-lit beach reads that every girl totes around in an oversized beach bag. Fall brings serious reads with actual literary meaning. Sooo... I haven't gotten around to get a jump start on my fall reading (college apps take priority!), but here's a list of books that are on my fall reading list that I pinky-swear promise to read and review:

Started Early, Took My Dog - I've always loved mystery novels, but haven't really read many. This novel looks like a good mystery novel for adults, with an intriguing plot line, leaving me wanting to know more

Unfamiliar Fishes - I am a big fan of Sarah Vowell. Though she's not that well-known (except for The Incredibles - she played Violet), her writing is phenomenal. Vowell is a history buff, like me, and this novel is about the Americanization of Hawaii.

The Age of Innocence - A classic novel that is sitting on my shelf... Yeah, I should get started on it. I seriously do want to read it. It is one of Edith Wharton's most famous novels about the privilege, elite society set in the 1920's in New York City.

The Help - This book is literally sitting next to me on my nightstand, while I type this post. I bought it at Costco after hearing raving reviews from everyone, but I haven't started it yet. The movie just came out with Emma Stone and I really want to see that, but I want to read the book first, so maybe that will get my butt into reading-gear.

Room - This book is like the fiction version of Jaycee Dugard's story. I decided I could possibly read this one first, because her novel seemed too intense for me (I get reaallly into novels and I would probably be sobbing throughout A Stolen Life).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - I know that everyone and their mom has read Stieg Larsson's trilogy, but I'm not sure if I would like it or not. I'm going to read it though, to give everything a fair chance.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - I started tearing up just reading the review about this novel. It's about an African boy solider from Sierra-Leone who tells his tragic and heartbreaking story about war and what it's like to fight as a kid.

Alice Bliss - This is a coming-of-age novel about a girl who grows up while her Dad is fighting in Iraq. A newer novel I came upon at Barnes & Noble, but I am anxious to start reading it.

Turn of Mind - This a newer release novel about a murder of a woman's best friend and her Alzheimer's disease, preventing her from remembering the truth about the murder. This is dear to my heart, because my grandmother has Alzheimer's, so I definitely want to read this soon.

The Hunger Games - Yes, I know, I think it's just another Twilight-esque fad that will soon fade away, collecting dusts on millions of teenage girls' bookshelves. But, I think that (just like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) I must give it a chance. Though, making kids fight against each other for survival sounds barbaric, disgusting, and sickening to me (I hated Lord of the Flies).

Check out The Staff Recommends for great book reads!

3) FALL FASHION IS HERE! I seriously cannot wait any longer to put on my favorite jeans, a sweater, and my UGG boots and be able to walk outside without feeling like I am going to die of overheating. So, today I did 3 things: I raided J. Crew's catalog and website - check out my fave fall pieces, I found my favorite fall hues in Essie nail polish, and I picked a few trends that I want to try this year.

Sooo... I'm basically obsessed with J. Crew... I really love everything in their store, except the prices. Those make it really hard for me to walk out of the store with more than 3 items. Anyways, I love the leather hobo bag, navy blue trench coat, plaid blouse and navy skirt, mustard cardigan (something I've been wanting to try for a long time), leopard print scarf (I'm actually freakishly obsessed with leopard print), tortoise glasses (even though I don't wear glasses), and chiffon dress.

My favorite Essie fall nail polish colors are (from left to right): Luxedo, Going Incognito, Alligator Purse, and Midnight Cami.

Above are a few fall trends that I want to try, but I'm a little bit apprehensive on how they will look on me.

I want to wear plum and mustard colored tights under a black skirt.

I want to wear tights under shorts and knee-high socks (it looks adorable on Blair Waldorf and Serena Van der Woodsen).

I want to try that cute black lace dress from Forever 21 for a night out with friends.

I want to wear skirts more often, like the green chiffon one ($10!) and the burgundy corduroy skirt.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!