Casual New Year's Eve Outfit

Here is a casual New Year's Eve outfit.

Jeans- Abercrombie and Fitch 

T-shirt- Forever 21

Sweater- Forever 21

Shoes-Vans

Hat-Icing 

How to Write a New Year's Resolution

It is almost 2016, which means time to write down your new resolutions. Writing down and brainstorming resolutions is a common ritual for the beginning of a new year. You have probably written down resolutions for school, sports, and activities, all of which you are hoping to get better at. However, if you truly want to improve in certain areas of your life you need to know how to build a proper resolution. Here are the steps to building and achieving your 2016 resolutions.

• Write down your resolutions 

The start of building a resolution is by writing down a resolution. Studies show that if you write down a goal you are by far more likely to achieve them. When you write down your goals put them in a notebook you can look back on and reflect them. Or, some may prefer to put their resolution on a notecard that they hang on a bulletin board they see often. Wherever you choose to put your resolution you want to be sure you can find your resolution by the end of the year, reflect on your resolution, be reminded of your plans, and be inspired to continue working towards the goal.  

• Write down the Why and How

When writing your resolutions you should remember to include why you want to work toward this goal. Is it for your health, happiness, or future? Most likely your goal will be for many reasons. When writing down why you chose this goal be very clear. An example of this is if your resolution is to manage your time better the why may be: In 2016 I hope to build better time management skills because I want to have time cook and do other activities I love. I also want to have more time management skills so I will be able to get all the rest I need to feel fully energized the next day. Another key aspect is the how. The how will give you a plan to stick to and a way to make sure the goal will be achieved. To continue my example, a clear "how" may be: In 2016 I will become better at time management by writing everything I must do in a planner and sticking to my schedule. I will not become distracted and will stay on task with the work I must do. 

• Find a Way to Be Inspired 

When inspired to achieve your goal you are more likely to actively work towards your goal. Everyone has different ways to inspire themselves. For some it may be putting up a reminder about your goal in your room, while for others they would prefer to put that reminder on their phone. The inspiration is a key aspect of achieving your goals. Eventually a piece of your inspiration may be looking back at the progress and growth you've made.

• Don't Forget About the Resolution

Check back at your resolutions often throughout the year. Reflect on how much closer to your resolution you are and how much farther you have until you've achieved your goal. If your goal is a daily activity you hope to participate in, think about how often you've actually done it and how it has helped you. This will help you stick with your goal. 

Almost Christmas

Christmas is officially five days away, so I decided to post a photo of Christmas lights I took. I loved how the lights looked against the dark night sky.

The Sunrise of 6/12/15

Today I woke up and looked outside to find an amazing sunrise. It had the most pink in it than I have ever seen.

Beauty in Nature: Vibrant Flowers

Here are some photos I took of a cluster of flowers in my backyard. I thought that the vibrant colors of these small flowers were amazing.

                            

My personal favorite is the first one. Share your favorite in comments.

Decorating for Christmas

One of the best parts of Christmas is the decorating. I love the lights, christmas trees, and all of the Christmas cheer. Here is an overview of my Holiday decor on my dresser.

I have a display of holiday items of my dresser. 

 Here is a "Merry Christmas'' banner.

I have a few small holiday items also.

I made this Christmas pillow with my grandma. It is a quilted pillow case with candy cane, holiday wreaths, and holly fabrics. The base is a beige fabric with a faint flowery design. 

Lastly, here is a picture of our Christmas tree I took and I thought it was so pretty all lit up.

Early Winter Activity: Make Peppermint Soap

Yesterday I made peppermint sad with my sisters. I was surprised how easy it was and you barely need any ingredients! It is a wonderful holiday activity. We were happy with the outcome and will defiantly use it again. You can find the recipe here.

We added crushed candy canes into the soap.

Early Winter Activity: Bake Cookies

Yesterday I baked cookies with a friend. We made oatmeal chocolate chip. I love baking cookies in early winter around the time when Christmas decorations are being put up.

My Saturday Outfit

Here is the outfit I wore on Saturday, I just didn't get around to posting it until today. My shirt is a Zella girl shirt, my jeans are from Nordstrom, and my boots are from Forever 21, as I said in an earlier post.

Winter Meal: Homemade Butternut Squash Soup and Biscuits

Last night for dinner I had the perfect meal for the colder days. We have warm butternut squash soup that my dad cooked and we had fresh baked biscuits my dad and I made. If you are interested in the biscuit recipe click here.

New Boots

I just love boots for fall and winter. They are the perfect, cozy, pair of shoes for the colder days. My grandma got me a new pair of black ankle boots from Forever 21 that I just love.

Early Morning Flowers

I went outside this morning to take some photos of something other than the flowers, but when I realized how pretty the roses were in bloom I decided to take a few photos of them too. Here are the photos. Hope you enjoy!

Sunrises

A while ago I woke up and found the most beautiful sunrise outside.

Thanksgiving Traditions

My favorite time of year is the holiday season. Traditions are a huge part of holidays and as you already know, a big Thanksgiving tradition is gathering with family and friends and feasting. I had three separate Thanksgiving meals yesterday, two of them being delicious and classic Thanksgiving dinners. My other meal was a unique Thanksgiving tea. It was a breakfast meal.

We had a variety of food that we baked beforehand. Most of our recipes we found on Pinterest. We had egg sandwiches, a tomato basil salad, quiche, cheesy pull-apart rolls, and a dutch baby for dessert. For our tea we had a cinnamon tea and a very festive and popular option of pumpkin tea. This was a new tradition, and the perfect way to start Thanksgiving.