Moving on to a new blog! 🌸

Hi guys, happy Friday!! 

I have been wanting to move on from wordpress.com into hosting my own website and making my own changes for a while now. It’s been a long journey, but I have finally started on that process. The site I use now just doesn’t let me be as flexible as I want, so it’s for the best! I don’t know what kind of blog I will be doing next, there are a few ideas I have in mind such as creating a blog with my husband or doing something with fashion, but it hasn’t clicked for me yet.

So I will not be posting on this page anymore and as soon as my new one is completed, I will share it with you guys in hopes you will follow me on this new journey 🙂 thank you guys for following along and making my day with your comments! I will be around to continue reading everyones posts! 🙂

Meli

What I’m packing for my weekend getaway to New Orleans! ✈️

Good morning and happy Monday you guys! 

My trip to New Orleans is 24 days away and you know I always love to plan ahead with everything because it makes me feel more organized. So I thought I’d go ahead and think about what I’m packing for those 3 days especially since we decided to go to the beach! 

I think I’m going to bring 4-5 outfits total to wear out in case I need to change or I’m not feeling it. So for those I will have to go shopping for, but this is how I am imagining it to be. 

• two dresses (need to buy some pretty ones)
• pair of jeans
• leggings
• 4 pairs of shirts, can be casual or fancy 
• 4 pairs of shoes
  • converse
  • wedges
  • sandals
  • flip flops for the beach
• swimsuit (need to buy a new one from Target soon unless my old ones can fit)
• beach cover-up
• sunglasses (need to buy a nice pair because I just gave mine to my mom)
• possibly a cute sun hat
• my pjs (a shirt and shorts)
• an outfit to travel in for the car ride

I think that’s about all the clothes/accessories I should be bringing since we will just be gone for 3 days. I always overdo it, but I guess you can never have too many back up clothes right?! 

Some of the other things I’ll probably pack in my purse or book bag is my Kindle for the car ride so I can read my book, my planner (maybe, not sure if I want to carry this around yet), chapstick, wallet, my camera + charger, phone charger, and my camera stick. Want to carry around a light book bag, so I’m either going to use one of my older ones or get myself another one! I have been eyeing this Coach one, but I’m not 100% sure if I want to buy it yet. 

What are some essentials you guys pack on a short trip like this? Should I bring anything else?! Let me know in the comments 🙂

 

Looking back on my winter bucket list! ❄️

Good morning! 

I was reading a post from LA which was about checking in on her winter bucket list. I thought this was such great idea to go back to your winter bucket list and see if you accomplished anything on there. Plus, winter is basically over and I have already started on my spring bucket list so there’s no better time to do this than now!

My list:

• Drink hot chocolate and watch a movie in my pj’s w/ my husband yes, did this a lot of times.. maybe just once with hot chocolate though
• Bake cookies and decorate them (sprinkles, frosting, etc) did bake cookies, just didn’t do the decorating part like I wanted to
• Go see Christmas lights at least 3x yes! Saw many Christmas lights
• Buy presents for family, wrap them, and put them under the tree yes! Had a post about this too, hours and hours of wrapping, but worth it
• Go ice-skating we went at least 2x
• Visit Chicago and see the lights + ice skate we did end up going to Chicago and we did get to see all the lights, but the line to ice skate was like 2+ hours and we weren’t going to wait that long so maybe next year
• Plan an upcoming vacation yes, planned our Gatlinburg, TN trip 
• Watch as many movies as I can during my free time YES! Watched sooooo many movies it was ridiculous. I think 2018 was the year I became a movie lover 
• Write my 2019 goals yes + got a planner and updated it to the max
• Decorate a gingerbread house with husband no, didn’t end up doing this sadly 
• Scrapbook was able to sit down and do it once, but I needed more supplies so until next time
• Read yes! I actually got to read a lot this winter and I’m super proud of myself because I used to NEVER read books 

I’d say I got most of this list done, the couple things I didn’t get to do was probably because we decided not to do it! Before I found my list, I really thought I wasn’t going to end up checking any of these off because usually I write a super long list and end up doing like 2 things only. I’m surprised, but it was a fun winter so it makes sense! 🙂

Thanks LA for the great idea! Everyone should check her page out, she’s awesome! 

Spring bucket list! 🌸

Hi all!

It’s officially the first day of spring!!! Just like for any season, you have to have a bucket list for this season too. Writing this list has made me so excited for spring, so here we go! 

• Fly a kite
• Take pictures of the pretty trees + flowers blooming
• Have a nice picnic around the pretty colors
• Go on a random road trip or two
• Visit the farmers market
• Rollerblade lots and lots in the park
• Make a bird feeder (we have bird food, just never got around to making them a house)
• Take our niece and nephew to the park 
• Plan out April and May in my planner
• Spend time outside as much as I can, soak up the warm sun
• Go to the Botanical Gardens
• Buy fresh flowers
• Make our front/back yard look nice
• Look for bunnies
• Have a BBQ at the park
• Take lots of photos of my husband and I outside
• Plan our California trip
• Plan our 2-3 summer trips
• Prank my husband for April Fool’s Day
• Keep the windows open at home as much as we can, let the fresh air flow in
• Set up our patio table and chairs
• Read on my Kindle outside
• Feed ducks
• Visit 2-3 zoo’s outside of our city
• Get an Banana split ice cream and eat it with my husband at the park

So far this is my list, I think if I remember anything else I’ll just add it. It’s not a super long list so I think I can accomplish it. You can tell I just want to spend a lot of time outside! 

Have you guys created your spring bucket list yet?? Anything you think I should add to mine? Let me know in the comments!! 🙂

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty is here!

Hey guys!!

We are having some great weather here and to make it even better, Ulta has released their list for the 21 Days of Beauty! Every year, Ulta has their 21 Days of Beauty sale and I always get at least 1-2 items that are really good deals! Here’s the link to the event!

Now since it’s specific items each day, I like to go through each day and see if I want anything and then write it down so I remember to go that day or order online if I can’t make it in! For some of the days, nothing caught my eye, but here’s my list! 

3/19: 

• Mario Badescu* Botanical Exfoliating Scrub on sale for $13

3/22: 

• Urban Decay* Eyeshadow Primer Potion on sale for $12, this is one of my favorite eyeshadow primers and works great with my skin
• Peter Thomas Roth* Hungarian Thermal Mask & Moisturizer on sale for $29.. a little pricey, but I’ve never tried it and it looks good

3/23: 

• Anastasia Beverly Hills* Brow Wiz on sale for $10.50.. this is a STEAL! I would get one of these, but I have one brand new one at home and one I just started using recently so I don’t need it. If you’re looking for a light, easy brow pencil this one is great

3/25:

• Skyn Iceland* Eye Gels on sale for $7.50-15.. never tried these but they look like they would work well

 

3/29: 

• Tarte* Tartelette Toasted Eyeshadow Palette on sale for $19.50.. have always wanted to try this one out and it’s a good price. Might be useful for traveling especially because it has a mirror

3/30:

• Mario Badescu* Drying Lotion on sale for $8.50.. my sister uses this and says it works really well

4/1: 

• Clinique* Moisture Surge 72 Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator on sale for $19.50. One of my favorite moisturizers and it’s a great price on sale, will stock up

4/5: 

• Mario Badescu* Vitamin C Serum on sale for $22.50. Vitamin C is super good on the skin and I have been looking for a good serum from a brand I can trust
• M•A•C* Prep + Prime Skin on sale for $15.50.. I have the Mac fix + spray and I love it so maybe this will work as good

4/6: 

• IT Cosmetics* Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara on sale for $12.. one of my favorite mascaras so I need to stock up! Also got my mom hooked on it, so I will grab one for her as well! 

So there’s my list, does anyone else have any favorites they stock up on from events like this? Might as well get it when it’s on sale, right? 🙂

My Spring Cleaning List! 🧹

Hey guys!

Spring is coming which means it’s almost that time for spring cleaning! Since it’ll be the first time we’ve been in our new home when it’s spring, I feel like I need to make the ultimate cleaning list. There is sooooo much to do and I really love opening up the windows when it’s nice outside and just enjoying the breeze. It makes cleaning THAT much better. Making this list will also make my life easier because I don’t have to sit down in a couple of weeks and think about it, it’ll just be here! FYI, long list ahead! 🙂

Inside:

• clean all of the windows including the little area between the net and the window
• take down my curtains and washing them so they smell fresh
• put away anything left from the winter and bringing out any spring stuff
• deep clean the bathrooms (sink, toilets, showers, floors)
• re-organize the pantry
• dust off surfaces in the whole house
• re-organize shoe closet
• move all furniture and clean underneath it
• wipe down all floor moldings
• wipe down dust from picture frames + mirrors
• vacuum and Swiffer the floors including all corners and edges
• organize office closets
• re-arrange the den
• vacuum the basement + laundry room
• wash bed covers/pillow cases/pillows from bedroom + guest bedroom
• freshen up and re-arrange guest bedroom
• re-organize closet that has all my house stuff 
• wipe down ceiling fans 
• clean any shoes that got dirty from winter
• wipe down the basement stairs + basement hallway
• wash the doors from scuff marks
• dust the office bookcase
• freshen up living room furniture and wash the pillows from the couch
• clean the tiles in the shower
• replace any light bulbs that are missing in the rooms
• change air filter
• clean the microwave + dishwasher + oven 
• re-organize plastic containers, buy new ones if needed
• clean + organize kitchen drawers
• clean out cabinets + re-organize
• clean coffee machine + coffee bar area.. re-organize coffee mugs (maybe buy the shelf I’ve been wanting above it)
• clean under the sink
• clean dining room table (wipe down any dust from chairs)
• clean out bathroom shelves 
• put in new bathroom floor matts after cleaning the bathroom floors
• re-organize makeup table, throw out any old, expired items
• add shelves to the laundry room and set it up
• get rid of any clutter like old food and things we don’t want
• put away winter clothes and bring out spring clothes (wash them) + re-organize closet
• organize office desk and throw out any unnecessary things

Now, the outside is a whole different story. There is so much to do and since it’s been a long winter, there is a lot of fallen branches and stuff we need to clean up.

Outside:

• clean off driveway with water hose
• do any paint touch ups around the door and front steps etc.,
• clean the grill
• clean out garage so I can park the car
• throw out any clutter from the garage, sell it if possible
• clean out gutters
• replace broken awning
• put new lightbulbs in areas where the lights went out
• trim trees/bushes
• cut down trees if needed since they are very dry and can fall 
• get rid of any bugs outside the house (plus add bug spray) and clean out rock area by front door 
• wash my car (this is sooooo needed)

I think that’s everything.. wow that’s A LOT! But it needs to get done, so I’m going to take my time and break it out into sessions throughout the weekends! Especially since it’s not 100% warm outside yet and the weather is unpredictable, we can’t really do all the outside stuff, but I can do some of the inside cleaning! I’m excited though, spring cleaning can be fun if you make it fun! 🙂

Does anyone else use a spring cleaning list to help you remember what you need to do? Lists in general are super helpful for me, so this will be a HUGE plus. Anything I missed that you recommend needs to be done for spring?? Let me know in the comments 🙂

Took a break – why it’s important!

Good morning guys!

It’s been a while and that’s because I decided to just take a mental break from all social media. I think it’s super important to step back and take a couple days to yourself by staying off the internet. There’s so many benefits to this, but I think the best benefit is getting to spend time with whoever you want without worrying about whether you’re missing out on something online. Because in reality, you aren’t. Nothing should be more important than being/living in the moment. 

I went online briefly to make my Women’s Day post, but for the rest of the break I spent a lot of time with my husband. I also caught up on Game of Thrones (I’m late I know) and we went rollerskating a lot! The weather has been good, not consistently, but good enough for us to get outside. We just got our skates recently so we’re still learning, but it feels great to pick up some speed and just exercise. Saturday was one of the best days weather wise. It was about 65 degrees and it rained in the morning, but by 1-2pm it was warm and sunny. Didn’t rain the rest of the day, so we took it to our advantage and went skating for an hour at the park in the afternoon. We went on an actual trail, we’ve been practicing on a parking lot the first couple of times. Saturday felt like spring and I don’t think my soul has been that happy in such a long time. It’s been a LONG winter, guys. 

Another plus to a social media break is that you get a lot more free time. Instead of being on my phone or computer for a couple hours, I was able to do other things like some chores I’m behind on or things I’ve been wanting to do but never have had time for. It also gave me more time to sit down and read. I always choose between browsing through Reddit or reading a book on my Kindle right before I go to bed. I usually end up browsing Reddit and the last couple of days I’ve been reading instead. It’s a good decision to make! 

Anyways, moral of the story is that mental breaks are much needed and everyone should take them as often as they can and as often as they’d like. Everything will be there right when you get back and you won’t miss out on much!

Does anyone else do this? I try to do it every once in a while, but I think I’ll be doing it way more often. 

International Women’s Day!

Happy International Women’s Day! 

 

Enjoy your day! 🙂

Fun things to do in New Orleans!

Good morning!

Happy Monday! Over the weekend, I thought of the great idea of going to New Orleans. My husband and I agreed we would go on a lot of weekend trips, but haven’t been since the end of January and mid December. Before that, we hadn’t gone on a weekend trip since my birthday. It’s time to start doing those again because, why not? Life is too short to not be traveling! The main reason I chose New Orleans was because it’s much warmer down there than it is here. Right now, it’s 7 degrees and it feels like -11. I’m really sick of the bitter cold, so a weekend getaway to a warmer place would be nice. Plus, I feel like it’s going to take forever for it to be really warm here so we need to go! We’d most likely do Friday-Sunday so we can get the full experience and so that we don’t have to drive into the city at night. It’s just easier to take a day off of work and leave when we wake up that Friday morning. We are targeting end of March or anytime into April depending on the prices. 

Since then, I’ve been looking at some things we could do. So far I’ve come up with taking pictures of the beautiful buildings and eating the delicious food. 

• Visit Jackson Square
• Walk on Bourbon Street and enjoy some music
• Look at the beautiful buildings in French Quarter
• Visit the Garden District
• Explore the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
• Visit the French Market
• Go to the City Park
• Walk down Royal Street
• Visit some cemeteries 
• Canal Street

Food:

• Beignets
• Fried Chicken and corn
• Fried shrimp
• Gumbo
• Crab
• Crawfish
• Po-Boys

Has anyone else been to New Orleans? Any suggestions on where to stay or places to eat at? Let me know in the comments, thanks 🙂

Why I switched back to a Macbook Pro 💻

Good morning you guys! 

Happy Saturday!!! I’m so happy it’s the weekend! Do you guys have any fun weekend plans? I have a couple things to do, but will mostly stay at home because they are saying there is a huge snowstorm coming. In the meantime, I wanted to share why I switched back to a Macbook Pro! 

A couple months ago, I bought a Mac desktop computer and I LOVED it! It’s been something I’ve wanted for years and after I got my full time job, I figured why not just get it? So I did and I gave my old Macbook Pro to my little sister. I had that one since I started college, so it’s been a good 4 years since I bought it. It worked fine and everything, but I just really wanted this Mac computer! I thought it would help a lot with blogging and making videos. Which it did, but it wasn’t for me. 

It’s been about 3 months since I’ve had the Mac and I finally decided that right now, I need a laptop. I can’t take the desktop to the living room and use it, it’s impossible. The only place I could use it in would be in my office and I only go in there if I’m working from home. Which is why a lot of my blog posts were only posted when I worked from home. After work, I was too tired to go into the office and work on my blog which resulted in barely blogging. 

After a couple weeks of thinking about this, I decided to switch back over to a Macbook Pro. The problem was that I couldn’t keep both, so I had to sell my Mac. I ended up giving it to my sister and the next day I went and got myself the newest Macbook. I thought about just getting the basic version, but the price difference wasn’t that much of a big deal, so I was able to get the one with the touch bar. It’s really nice, the keyboard feels awesome, and it’s super fast. I’ve never felt happier to have my Macbook back. Safe to say, I’m in love with my computer once again! 

The Mac was a great computer, worked nicely with editing videos and stuff like that. There was no issues with it besides only being able to stay in one spot. Which I of course knew before I bought it, but I didn’t know how much I’d need the capability of being able to move around and bring it with me wherever I go. Needless to say, I made a mistake when purchasing it and I’m glad I was able to fix it quickly! Now I’m able to bring my computer with me on future vacations and anywhere I want! It feels nice to take it to the living room when I get tired of sitting in my office. I also started taking it to work and in my free time I write when I can so it’s just really a win-win! 

Maybe in the future when I’m able to afford both and I live in my dream city I could purchase a Mac again if I need to, but for now this Macbook has my heart ❤ 

Has anyone else made a mistake like this? Where you quickly realized you shouldn’t have bought something and kind of regret it? At one point, I just kept it to myself because my husband would’ve said, “I told you so!” Which he did… I should’ve taken his advice 🙂