Top 4 Posts of the Year!

    It's hard to believe another year has flown by and tomorrow is the beginning of a new year. Originally I was going to do a Top 10 post, but honestly I don't really think I have that many posts worthy of being the a Top 10 list, so I settled for a Top 4 list.
    So here are the four blog posts I'm most proud of, and I hope you think so too!


1.) My Online High School Experience
   - If you haven't read this you totally should.

2.) How I Saved My Damaged Hair
  - If you color you're hair often, then you have to read this.

3.)Book Review: Caitlyn Duffy- The Viscount's Daughter
  - This was by far the best book I've read all year, and this post was probably my favorite to write because I couldn't say enough good things about it, it really did touch me, and made me want to start reading more after spending the past year not really reading.

4.) Book Review: Mira Lyn Kelly- Waking Up Married
  - This was the beginning of my decision to change up my blog. It was after this post that I got serious about my blogging, and started to make changes and spend more time focusing on what I was publishing.


   As you can tell all of these, are from the past six months, actually all of them except one is from the past three months. The reason for that is because I feel like something hit me during September and October that made me really start trying harder with everything.
     Around the first of October I started to get really inspired, I was inspired to become a better person, and to work harder at everything I do. I had always enjoyed blogging, but I never really put a lot of effort into it.
     The past few months I've made a lot of changes, and near the end of next month I'll be announcing more changes, that is a promise to all of you. I've already decided what I'm going to do, and I'm really excited to share all of my upcoming changes with you.

    Well that's all for the YEAR, I hope you have a good New Years Eve, and please just remember to be careful, and if you're going to be drinking please do so responsibly.
                                                                     Stay Creative,
                                                                                      Lori Ann

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 46 & 47

   Can you believe tomorrow is the last day of the year? And that means today is the last Weight Loss Monday's post of the year. Wow, it's really hard to believe that.
       Last week I chose not to make a WLM's post because I didn't think anyone would read it with all of the Holiday celebrations going on last week. Another reason for that is because I'm kinda getting tired of doing this every week since I don't necessarily have something to tell you every single week.
      My schedule is really full next month, I think I only like writing one post and then I'll have the entire month filled up, so because of that I don't have room to make any changes quite just yet. But there are changes coming in February, I will announce these changes the last week of January, and I'm really excited to tell all of you about it.
      But since I can't tell you anymore right now let's get started with this week's weight update.

Diet: I had three Christmas dinners last week, we went to my Nana's house last Sunday, my Aunt Jane's house on Christmas Eve, and then my mom cooked on Christmas Day. I did eat a little bit more than normal, but I made sure I didn't overeat or get too full.  Last week I was craving chocolate really bad, so I made Oreo truffles, and they were amazing, I still have a few left too.

Exercise: I did get a little bit of exercise last week, but not enough. I've been sick, and I haven't been getting but about 2 hours of sleep at night so I haven't had the energy to do any exercise.

So did I lose any weight?

Weight Lost this week:   1 Pound
Total Weight Loss:        17 Pounds

     I lost one pound, I was not expecting it at all. To be honest I actually wrote this post on Saturday, and the scale wasn't showing any difference but when I weighed myself Yesterday I had lost a pound, so I had to rewrite some of this post.
    Even if I hadn't lost any weight last week i'd still be happy, I'm leaving the year a very happy girl. I finished my English course last week and I got my grades back, on one of my research papers I got a 90%, and then on my English Midterm I got a 100%, so I'm super happy about that.

   That's all for today, tomorrow I'll be posting my Top 4 posts of the year, Wednesday will be my New Years Resolutions, and Thursday will be the Shows I'm Looking Forward to Watching this Winter. So as you can see this week is a full week, and I will be posting everyday, I think that's a great way to start off the new year, and I hope you enjoy it.
                                                          Stay Creative,
                                                                           Lori Ann

5 Words: Week 50

      Happy Friday, I can't believe this is the last 5 Words post of the year I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, now it's time to star counting down to the New Year, and I can't wait to start fresh.
       This week we actually have a bit of a theme going on, all five words start with an 'E', it wasn't intentional, it just happened, but I hope you like it.
             Here's this weeks's 5 Words.....


Effervescent- Bubbling.
Efflorescence- Flowering, blooming
Elision- Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Embrocation- Rubbing on a lotion.
Ephemeral- Short-lived.


Well that's all for this week, be sure to check back in next week, it's going to be busy, I promise.
                                                          Stay Creative,
                                                                     Lori Ann

Merry Christmas

     I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas this year, and I wanted to say that I hope you enjoy your holiday.

    I also hope you have fun celebrating the New Year, but please be careful, and remember it's never a good idea to drink and drive.


                                   Stay safe, Stay happy, and enjoy this time with your family.
                                                                       Stay Creative,
                                                                                     Lori Ann

Christmas Music Playlist #4

  Can you believe there's only a few more days till Christmas? I finally got all of my presents wrapped last night, so I'm offically done. I can't finally sit back, relax, and enjoy the holiday.
   I'm actually sad that Christmas is here, I don't want it to end, the reason I love this time of year so much is because everyoe is so happy. During he Christmas season everyone is so much more giving, happy, and just all around joyful.
   But for now here's my final Christmas music playlist for his Holiday season.

Christmas Music Playlist by loriboyd featuring cable lighting

         Well that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed this playlist, and I hope you have a Holly Jolly Christmas.

                                                           Stay Creative, 

                                                                           Lori Ann

5 Words: Week 49

   Happy Friday!! I can't believe Christmas is next week, and then the New Year after that. It really is hard to believe another ear has come and gone, but hopefully more great things are to come.
            So until then here's this weeks 5 Words......


Cynosure- A focal point of admiration.
Demesne- Dominion, territory.
Desultory- Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous- Filmy.
Ebullience- Bubbling enthusiasm.


   Well that's all for this week, be sure to check back Sunday for my fourth Christmas Music Playlist.
                                                             Stay Creative,
                                                                             Lori Ann

Dream Time-Bed Time

    You may have noticed that this month I haven't really done any reviews, and that most of my posts have been centered around lists, or some of my Polyvore sets.
    The reason behind this is because with the Holiday's and everyone being busy, I really just wanna put out easy to read posts, I don't wanna waste your time, so I decided to just tone it down this month, and just chill.

Dream Time-Bed Time by loriboyd featuring queen pillowcases

     I love to sleep, it's one of my favorite things in the world, I take a nap most days of the week, and by doing that I feel like I have more energy.
    So for today's set I wanted to make it sleep related, as you can see there's lots of blankets and pillows. To me it just looks really cozy, and I just wanna grab one of those blankets and curl up on the couch with a good book, or maybe take a nap.
      That's all for today, do you like my little set? Is that what you call it? Yikes, you really can tell I'm new to Polyvore can't you.
                                                 Stay Creative,
                                                                  Lori Ann

Demi Lovato Inspired Outfit

I recently opened up a Polyvore account, and I've been experimenting with it. And I decided today that I wanted to a Demi Lovato inspired photo.
    Demi has a style of her own, she's always changing her hair, wearing leather jackets, and usually leather legging or shredded black jeans, with a band tee, and ankle boots.
   

Demi Lovato Inspired Outfit by loriboyd featuring bootie boots

     I feel like this is a pretty good perception of her style because over the past year I've seen A LOT of photos of her with a phone case, boots, and purse exactly like the one in my set.


      So that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed this post.
                                                        Stay Creative,
                                                                         Lori Ann

Weight Loss Monday's Week 45

     Happy Monday! I ope your week is off to a great start, and hopefully you get to take a little bit of time to relax this week.
     I'm hoping that if my mom can find the time hopefully today I can go take my test to get my drivers permit, I've been trying to get her to take me since my birthday in March, but she's been too busy with work, so I MADE her give me the $20 on Friday and I TOLD her we WERE going this week to do it. I'm just hoping she actually listened to me.

     So for now here's what happened last week.....

Diet: My diet has been pretty good this week, I've stayed under my calorie goal (1200 calories) everyday.
Exercise: I've really slacked off on my exercise this week, I'm disappointed, but I'm definitely getting back on track this week.

   For the biggest part the main reason I didn't really exercise last week is because I was sick all week, my stomach was really upset from the weekend before when we were stuck in the hotel, with very little food option.
     Another reason is because I was really stressed this week, and I needed a break. I kinda had a little breakdown, Thursday I had a severe Anxiety/Panic attack, and so I've been trying to slow down since then, and just relax. It really scared me,because it had been a while since my last Anxiety/Panic attack and I wasn't prepared for it at all.

    So did I lose any weight?

Weight Lost this Week:     2 Pounds
Total Weight Loss:           16 pounds

    I was shocked when I stepped on the scale and saw that I had lost two pounds, it really suprised me, and I wasn't expecting it.

     That's all for today, I'll be posting one of my Polyvore creations tomorrow and again on Wednesday, so don't forget to check back for that.
                                                          Stay Creative,
                                                                         Lori Ann

Christmas Music Playlist #3

 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! So we are officially in Christmas countdown mode, we have less than two weeks to go.
    I finished my Christmas shopping on Friday, and I'm hoping to have everything wrapped by the end of the week.
     If things work out the way I want them to then we will be going to our church's annual Return to Bethlehem event tonight. But that's only if things workout the way I want them to, I really wanna go, but my plans may fall through.

Christmas Music Playlist by loriboyd featuring christmas signs

   After this week I only have one more Christmas Music Playlist to go, so I'm kinda sad about that, but I'm also excited to share next weeks playlist with you.

                         So that's all for today, check back tomorrow for more.

                                                             Stay Creative,

                                                                             Lori Ann

Making Changes

      On Thursday I posted about wanting to change the name of my blog, but after receiving feedback from readers and bloggers, I decided not to. For now anyway.
      I may decide to change it in a few weeks, who knows, but for now I think I'll leave it alone.

    So I didn't change that, but I did change something else. Do you know what it is???

   I decided to get rid of my Bucket List Page, and instead I replaced it with an 18 by 18 Page. I made this decision because with the bucket list there's a lot of stuff on there I can't do till I'm over 18, so in the year I've had that page I only accomplished one thing.
     I made sure that everything on my 18x18 page was something I could do even though I'm a minor.

   Something else I've changed recently is adding a contact me page. I use t have my e-mail and twitter at the bottom of every post, but I decided to get rid of it, that way it would be easier to find.

    A few days ago I asked some people in a writers group I'm in to give me some advice on my blog, I want to thank Rebekah and Alice for their advice. If your reading this you have no idea how much your advice helped.
    Before I made that post I was terrified of anything to do with coding or even attempting to work with HTML, but I faced my fear, and I've been trying to work on it. I want to learn more, and maybe someday I'll be able to actually make a header, but until then I'm satisfied with what I have done.

     At this time yesterday I wouldn't have been able to make that photo appear to save my life, but I did, and it's so freaking COOL! Sorry but I'm really excited and had to show off my new skills!

   So that's all for today, come back tomorrow for my third Christmas Music Playlist. By the way before I go, I just realized that I've written everyday this week, that's the first time I've ever done that.
                                                        Stay Creative,
                                                                       Lori Ann

5 Words: Week 48

   Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful week, and I hope your weekend is even better. Remember to be careful and be safe, especially if you live in an area that received a lot of snow or ice this week.
           So here's this week's 5 Words......


Ailurophile- A cat lover.
Beleaguer- To exhaust with attacks.
Bucolic- In a lovely rural setting.
Chatoyant- Like a cat's eye.
Conflate- To blend together.


Well that's all for this week, don't forget to check back Sunday for my third Christmas Music Playlist.
                                                                   Stay Creative,
                                                                                   Lori Ann

Wanting to Make a Change

     I've recently been thinking a lot about my blog, and I mean A LOT. I've mentioned before about planning on spicing things up and doing a major revamp after the first of the year, or around the end of January.
     If you've been reading my blog for a while, then in you saw my major blog design update in October. The reason I've been making all of these changes is because I've been thinking about my long-term goals for my blog. I hope one day to be able to make money off of it, once I turn 18, and I'm eligible for Google Ad-Sense.
    But till then I just want to focus on improving not only my blog, but my writing skills.

   The reason for this blog post is because in the past few weeks I've been at war with myself over a big decision, and so I wanted to get your opinion on it.

    I've been thinking of changing the name of my blog, and maybe the URL too. I'm not too concerned about the URL, but my blog name has been bugging me here recently and I really wanna change it.
    When I made this blog I was 14 or 15, and to be honest, at the time I didn't think I would actually keep this blog running this long. But it's grown into my baby, and I don't know what I would do without it now, I love blogging, and I couldn't imagine going back to my life before I started blogging.
   
    It may just be me because I'm a perfectionist, and I judge myself way too harshly, but to me my blog name seems a bit juvenile. What do you think? I really need your opinion because I have no idea what to do.
                                                                 Stay Creative,
                                                                                 Lori Ann

Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me

A few months ago when I was looking for blog post inspiration I came across this, and so I put it on my list of things I wanted to do this year.
    I can't remember where I found this idea, but credit goes to whoever came up with it.

Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me by loriboyd on Polyvore

     If you've read any of these books let me know if they're any good. If you any books you think I should add to my list let me know in the comments section.

                      So that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed this post.

                                                                       Stay Creative, 

                                                                                       Lori Ann

The Skincare Tag!

      I was recently reading a few different blogs and I came across the Skincare Tag.
   No one has tagged me but I thought I would do it for fun, and because I'm into my making sure my skin is taken care of.

Describe your Skincare Routine in 5 words?
- Diligent, gentle, important, easy, simple.

What's your Skin type?

- I have Combination/ Oily skin, sometimes I'll get break outs, but not often.

What's your favorite Skincare product?

- I love my Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser.

What's your Top Blemish Zapper?

-Toothpaste, it works!

Face Wipes? Yes or No? 

- Yes, I love to use the Neutrogena Make-Up remover wipes, and also the Simple cleansing wipes.

Toner? Yes or No?

- No, I've never used or owned a toner, I don't really see the need for it.


High End Skincare or High end Makeup? 

- I usually stick to drugstore products for both skincare, and make-up. But I do love my Clinique cleanser, and I really love their make-up, I'm planning to splurge next month on a foundation, and maybe some mascara too!

What's the most unusual Skincare product you've tried?

- Toothpaste on pimples, is probably the only thing I've ever done. Once I used Olive Oil on my hands for my eczema, I didn't like it so I stopped using it.

You're in a french Pharmacy & you can only pick 1 item, what would you choose?

- Perfume, I don't own any, so it would be nice to own one.

Top Skincare Tips?

- Always take off your make-up before bed.
  - Don't pick at pimples, I know it's hard, but don't.
    -Never tan, it will age you and can cause skin cancer.
     - See a dermatologist once every year to check for skin cancer.

I tag all of you, don't forget to leave a link in the comments so I can see yours too!  I also want to Tag the lovely Dany over at Bluebells & Owls .

    So that's all for today,  let me know what you think in the comment section.
                                                        Stay Creative,
                                                                         Lori Ann
      

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 44

     Happy Monday!!! I hope you all had a great weekend, mine was very interesting, and I was surrounded by a bunch of lunatics, but we had fun.

Diet:  For most of the week everything was pretty good, but the weekend was awful. We had an ice storm over the weekend, and so we've been staying at the hotel my mom works at all weekend, I think we're going home today, but it really just depends on how icy the roads are because another round of ice came through yesterday.
      So because we're in a hotel we've pretty much been eating junk. We had Friday Denny's, Domino's on Saturday, and we had Little Caesars Pizza Yesterday. In between has been hot chocolate, and for breakfast one waffle and some little sliced up sausages.

Exercise:  Well I've kinda made up for my awful diet through working with my mom. I worked the floor Friday for three hours, two hours Saturday, and I worked in laundry for about 30 minutes Yesterday. On top of that Friday night I worked in the gym here in the hotel, and I also worked earlier in the week on the stationary bike.



Weight Lost this Week: ???
Total Weight Loss:  16 Pounds


Because we're in a hotel I don't know if I've lost weight or not. The last time I weighted myself last week I hadn't lost any weight, I was the same as the week before.
 

   So that's all for today, I hope you come back for tomorrows post.
                                                    Stay Creative,
                                                                     Lori Ann

Christmas Music Playlist #2

  Last week I had so much fun making my Christmas music playlist, that I decided to make another.  I think I'm going to post a new playlist every week till Christmas.

     This past week I've been obsessed with the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I'd been listening to it on YouTube, but Wednesday I went to Walmart with my mom, and while we wee near the music section I started looking.
     I wasn't looking for anything in particular, I was just trying to kill some time, and then I found it. And this really surprised me, but I found the Trans Siberian Orchestras Christmas album, so yes I am a very happy girl right now!

Christmas Music Playlist #2 by loriboyd on Polyvore

 I've been trying to think of new ways to spice up my blog, and I'm planning on making some big changes  around the end of January. So my question to you, is would you like for me to do monthly music playlists?

                                                                 Stay Creative, 

                                                                                Lori Ann

5 Words: Week 47

      Happy Friday everyone, I hope you had a good week. I don't have much to say, except that I decided to do another Christmas Playlist and I will be publishing it on Sunday, so if you enjoyed last week's playlist then be sure to check back the new list.
   
                    So here's this weeks 5 Words...

Sardonic- Grimly mocking or cynical.
Supercilious- Behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.
Soliloquy- An act of speaking one's thought aloud when by oneself  or regardless of any hearers, esp. by a character in a play.
Sanguine- Optimistic or positive, esp. in an apparently bad or difficult situation.
Reparation- The making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged.


          So that is all for this week, be sure to check back next week.
                                                               Stay Creative,
                                                                               Lori Ann
    

Holiday Party Dresses

    Today I decided I wanted to do a fashion post because I haven't done one in a long time. So I decided since there's going to be a lot of Holiday related parties coming up this month I would make it Holiday-inspired.

    Even though I am only 16 I tend to prefer dressing more conservatively, and I like to keep it classy. There's nothing wrong with showing a little boobs or legs but I don't think you need to do it every day or for every party.

   I'm very blessed to have big boobs and a big butt, but I feel if I'm showing off my boobs then I need to wear a flowy skirt to hide my butt, or viceversa. 

   Most of these dresses will keep you covered up, I didn't plan it that way, I just picked what I liked. And unfortunately all of them except the last one are over $100, and I tried to find cheaper options, but these really were my favorites, and Nordstrom is my favorite store.

Taylor Dresses MetallicJacquard Fit & Flare Dress  $138
   Available at Nordstrom, ( Here )

Vince Camuto Knot Front Sequin Mesh Dress $148.00

     Available at Nordstrom  ( HERE )

Taylor Dresses Side Drape Jersey Sheath Dress $118
    Availble at Nordstrom  ( HERE )

     If you wanna show off your curves and also guarantee no wardrobe malfunctions or body parts slipping out then this is the dress for you. And even better is that you could wear this dress year round, dress it up or dress it down.

Maggy London Mix Print Ponte Knit Sheath Dress $118
      Available at Nordstrom ( HERE )

   This dress would be perfect for. Holiday office party, and it looks so festive. 

dee elle Textured Metallic Skater Dress $48.00
       Available at Nordstrom ( HERE )

    Low budget shopper? I didn't forget you this dress is in the Juniors section, but as long as you get the right size it should fit.

   That's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you want more posts like this let me know.

                                                                       Stay Creative,

                                                                                                    Lori Ann

                                                           

Under $25 Gift Guide

      I was playing around on Polyvore earlier today, and I decided to put this together for you. I wanted to make this an under $25 gift guide for those of you who don't have much money to spend on a gift. So here are some gifts to put a smile on a one of your friends face.

Under $25 Gift Guide by loriboyd featuring a sterling silver necklace

         So that's all for today, tell me in the comments what you think. What are your favorite gifts?

                                                            Stay Creative,

                                                                               Lori Ann

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 42 & 43

    I'm back!!!!! And I'm super happy about it, I got a new laptop, temporarily till January, then I'm going to order a Mac.
    The past two weeks have been insane, but a good insane.

Diet: My diet has been pretty good. Last week I could hardly eat because I had an allergic reaction to a new Chapstick I bought and so my lips were swollen and covered in bumps, it's still hard to eat, but my mouth has almost healed.

Exercise: In the past two weeks I have really stepped up the exercise. I've been getting on my stationary bike everyday, in the past two weeks I've only missed 4 days of exercising, but those days I made up for it in walking.

    I've also come to the conclusion that I am allergic to long-haired dogs. I've never had a problem with short-haired dogs, but we tried to take in a dachshund/poodle mix last week, and it ended with me being sick, and having to take the dog back to my aunt.

So Any results?

Weight Lost Last Week:  2 Pounds
Total Weight Loss:  16  Pounds

   Yes, I've lost 2 pounds, and it's really motivated me to keep going, and stay on track.

       So that is all for today, I shall be posting again tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday, so be sure to check back for that.
                                                 Stay Creative,
                                                                  Lori Ann

Christmas Music Playlist

    It's December, and normally I wouldn't post on a  Sunday, but I don't really care, I wanted to do this post, and this is the only time I have for it in my schedule.
     I would be lying if I said I just started playing Christmas music, because the truth is I've probably been listening to it since September. Yep, that's right September, I'm just a little bit obsessed with the Christmas season.

   I apologize for any mistakes I made, I used a new picture editing program, so it was a little hard getting used to. I just realized that this is actually the first time I've done something like this, I've never made a photo like this, so it's pretty cool.
    So that's all for today, let me know if you have any favorites on this playlist. And if you want to leave some recommendations in the comments, I would love to check them out.
                                                                Stay Creative,
                                                                                       Lori Ann

5 Words: Week 46

    Happy Friday everyone, I hope you all had a great week.

    I had originally planned on posting Monday, but I don't have my laptop so I wasn't able to, but I had this post and Yesterday's post already typed up, so I was able to post them from my phone.

    I should have my laptop back by Monday, but if I don't I'll just post it as a delayed post on Tuesday.

    That's all for now, I'll give you more details on Monday when I'm not typing on my phone.

    Here's this weeks 5 words....


Paradigm- A typical example or pattern of something; a model.
Pedantic- Of or like a pendant.
Precipitous- Dangerously high or steep.
Rancor- Bitterness or resentfulness, esp. when long-standing.
Recapitulate- Summarize and state again the main points of.


So that is all for this week, be sure to check back next week. Stay Creative my lovelies, I'll post again very very soon.
                                               XOXO,
                                                     Lori Ann
      Also contact me:  
                                  E-mail:    loriboyd15@gmail.com

                                 Twitter:   @LoriAnnBoyd

Happy Thanksgiving!

   Today,  in the USA is Thanksgiving Day, and because of that, and the fact that most of my readers are from the USA I didn't wanna put up a lot of posts this week. I know a lot of people are traveling,  and I don't wanna put out a lot of posts for you all to have to catch up on later, I want everyone to just  be able to spend time with their families, and relax.
      I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do for this post, so I think I'm just gonna do 5 things I'm thankful for this year. So here we go...

1. My family
    I have a huge family, and most people in my family don't support me and are never there when I need them. But there are about 4 people I know of who would be there, and who really do love me and support me, and I'm thankful to have them in my life.

2. My health
      Over the years I've had issues with my health, but at the moment things are really starting to look up for me, and I'm not having any problems. I still have a long road to go before I can actually say I'm healthy, and that I'm 100% okay, but I'm working on it.

3. Education
       I'm so lucky that I live in a country where I'm allowed to get an education, and where I don't have to worry about someone taking that away from me.

4. A home
       This month has been full of tragedies, abroad and here at home. There was a tornado just 5 miles from where I live, and there were homes destroyed, and lives lost. It could have been me, but it wasn't and I can't imagine what those families are going through right now.

5. Our Troops
        I'm thankful for our troops, they put their lives at risk everyday, and they never ask for anything in return. My heart is with them this Holiday season because they aren't able to be with their families.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

So that is all for today, I'll have my normal post up tomorrow,  so be sure to check back for that. Stay Creative, I'll post again very very soon.

                                        XOXO,

                                              Lori Ann

                                                             Also contact me:  

                                                                                    E-mail:      loriboyd15@gmail.com

                                                                                     Twitter:   @LoriAnnBoyd

5 Words: Week 45

    It's Friday, so for those of you here in the US you know what that means. Thanksgiving is next week, so I won't be posting, except on Monday, Friday, and I may do a little Happy Thanksgiving post on Thursday.
     If you're leaving out this weekend to visit family be careful, and enjoy the break from work and/or school.
    So here's this weeks 5 Words......

Motif- A decorative pattern or design.
Nominal- ( Of a role or status) existing in name only.
Obfuscate- Render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
Obsequious- Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
Omnipotent- ( Of a deity)  having unlimited power; able to do anything.

                   So that is all for this week, be sure to check back next week.
                                                         Stay Creative,
                                                                       Lori Ann
     

Book Review: Caitlyn Duffy- The Viscount's Daughter

Today I will be reviewing 'The Viscount's Daughter' by Caitlyn Duffy, I got this book through iTunes iBooks for $1.99. At this time you can also get this book through Kindle for $1.99
       'The Viscount's Daughter' is the third installment in the Treadwell Academy Series. It is 415 pages long, and is a Young Adult novel.

Since my e-book version didn't have a blurb, here is one from Amazon that I trimmed down.

      "   In some ways, Betsey Norflleet has it all.... her dad's in a famous rock band, her mom runs a glamorous cosmetics company, and her celebutante older sister is the darling of the fashion world. She even has a royal title. but Betsey has a secret, one so terrible that she doesn't think she can tell anyone.
     To prevent anyone from finding out the terrible truth about what happened to her over the summer, she arranges to have herself sent off to the Treadwell Academy, a prestigious boarding school in Massachusetts where she hopes to become better friends with Taylor Beauforte, the daughter of one of her dads friends.
      Under terrible circumstances, Betsey's able to create the life for herself that she's always wanted. She starts earning good grades, making new friends, discovers new skills and even gains the trust of Taylor. But despite all the positive thins in her life, she knows that the truth will catch up to her, eventually. Desperate to accompany Taylor on a school trip to Madrid to visit Taylor's boyfriend, Todd, Betsey know's she's risking everything in her life just to keep hiding. Will she ever find the courage to confide in someone, and if she does, will it be too late for anyone to believe her.   "

So What did I think?     5 STARS
   
   I think I'm becoming obsessed with Caitlyn Duffy's writing, I want a new book in the series, NOW!!!
      I read this book in about 8 hours, it is a little bit longer than the other two books, but I actually prefer longer books.
     I love that in this book it revolved around life at Treadwell Academy, in the other books we didn't get that. The only thing I would say I didn't like is how the book left Taylor's relationship in the end, but I'm hoping there will be a fourth installment in the series to clear that up. And I also really hate the mom in the story, but you'll understand that after you read the book.
     Just like the other books in the series, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. However, I would say that with this book the 12 and over age recommendation is necessary.
     With the first two I didn't feel it was necessary, but considering this book deals with sexual abuse, and even someone trying to commit suicide, I don't think it would be appropriate for younger readers.
 

     So that's all for today, I hope you like my little review. Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations?

                                                         Stay Creative

                                                                          Lori Ann

Review: Revlon Nail Polish

     Today I will be reviewing the Revlon Matte Top Coat in 790. I saw this during my latest trip to Walmart, and I couldn't resist buying it. I've never used a Matte nail polish, so I wasn't really sure what to expect.

 I decided to use my Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in 370 Black Out, which I reviewed last week. It's my favorite nail polish of all time, so I knew it would be perfect to test this on.





















 Here's a picture from after I painted my nails.....


















           
What Do I Think?

    My favorite thing about this nail polish is how fast it dried, I was kinda expecting it to take forever, but it really only took about 5 minutes.
     I was surprised to find that I really loved the nail polish, I love the way it looks. It took a while to get used to my nails NOT being shiny.
       I had this nail polish on for about a week, it didn't chip to bad on the the ends, but the top is another story. The top of my nails seemed to chip really quickly, and peeled, but I think I'm gonna give it another go, and see if it does it again.

    Overall, I would definitely recommend this nail polish, it may not have lasted as long as I'm used to, but I still really love it.l

    Well that's all for today,will you be buying this? Have you tried it already? Let me know what you think in the comment section.
                                                                   Stay Creative,

                                                                                  Lori Ann

     

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 41

     Last week was rough, I don't even know how to explain it, it feels like everything that could go wrong went wrong. I'm really hoping this week improves, and that I can get back on track, because I accomplished absolutely nothing last week.

Diet:  I'd say I did pretty well on my diet last week, I had my first soda in two weeks, and I did have Long John Silvers one night. But other than that I ate pretty normal.

Exercise:  I actually did really good at exercising last week. I was able to find room for my stationary bike, and I got it out Friday, and did that for 40 minutes. Then, Saturday I was regretting it, but I did do 10 minutes, and I also worked out Yesterday. On top of that I started trying to up my squats and weights, but my ass really hurts from Friday, so I'm gonna have to take it slow till my body gets used to exercising again.


So Any results?

Weight Lost Last Week:  0 Pounds
Total Weight Loss:  14  Pounds


No, no results this week, but I'm okay with that cause I know I worked hard, and I did my best.
   There was one good thing that came out of last week, I sent in my first paper for my new class, and I got it back on Friday, I totally thought I had failed it, but  got a 87 on it, so that kinda made up for having a crappy week.

   So that is all for today, I shall be posting again tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday, so be sure to check back for that.                    
                                                               Stay Creative,

                                                                             Lori Ann

                                                          

5 Words: Week 44

     Hello there lovelies, I hope you're enjoying the weather, I know I am. I'm so happy the weather has cooled down, and it won't be long till we see snow on the ground. I hope you enjoy your weekend, I still can't believe the year is almost over.
       So here's this weeks 5 Words.....

Inculcate- Instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction.
Insipid- Lacking flavor.
Juxtaposition- The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Loquacious- Tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
Mnemonic- A device such as pattern of letters, ideas, or association that assists in remembering something.


                    So that is all for this week, be sure to check back next week.
                                                             Stay Creative,
                                                                            Lori Ann
    

Book Review: Caitlyn Duffy- The Believer's Daughter

Today I will be reviewing 'The Believer's Daughter' by Caitlyn Duffy, I got this book through iTunes Books for $1.99. At this time you can also get this book through Kindle for $1.99
       'The Believer's Daughter is the second installment in the Treadwell Academy Series. It is 370 pages long, and is a Young Adult novel.

     Since my e-book version didn't have a blurb, here is one from Amazon that I trimmed down.

     " Things Grace Mathison did her sophomore year of high school that she never expected to do in her lifetime:
 1.) Run away with her brother to New York City
 2.) Tattoo a unicorn on a pop star's back
 3.) Fall in love with a Russian graffiti artist
    At the age of 15, Grace has been sheltered most of her life, and her father is a successful television evangelist.
      When Grace's older brother, Aaron, makes international headlines with a romantic relationship gone wrong, Grace fins out that her father doesn't practice forgiveness as he preaches. Aaron is disowned, and begs Grace to run away with him to start a new life.
    She and Aaron find themselves in New York City, struggling to meet adult challenges like paying rent and holding down jobs. To make matters worse, their parents' troubles are only beginning. Grace learns that they are being investigated for financial fraud, and their entire empire is in danger.
   And then there's Felix, the cute tattoo artist who dabbles in graffiti. Incredibly, in a city inhabited by millions, he and Grace keep crossing paths.
     Grace starts to realize what she's really made of..... she's a lot tougher and smarter than the mean girls at Treadwell ever knew. In the face of losing everything she cherishes,, she closely examines what she believes in and discovers what she least expected to find: that she believes in herself."

So What did I think?    5 STARS

    After I read the first book in the series I wasn't really sure if I was going to continue on with the others. But after about a week, I finally caved in, I was really anxious, and I just wanted to know what else was going to happen.
      I actually think I enjoyed this book better than the first book. When I read the first book, I can remember skipping pages, because it just kept going on and on, but with this book I didn't, I just kept turning the page.
      I read this book in about 5 hours, and I was running on about an hour of sleep. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get a good nights sleep, or a good nap, until I finished this book.
     Just like the first book in the series, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, even though it's a YA novel, I think people of all ages would enjoy it.

      So that's all for today, I hope you like my little review, I'll have my usual post up Friday. Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations?

                                                Stay Creative,

                                                                 Lori Ann
    

Review: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish

   Today's post is going to be a review of the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail polish in 370 Black Out. I've had this bottle of nail polish for probably about 6 months, and I paid $2.50 for it.

     In the picture above as you can see there is a little chipping, but nothing major. When I took this picture I had, had the nail polish on for about 8 days without a topcoat.
    Normally when I wear this nail polish, I'll wear it for nearly 2 weeks, that's how amazing it. But I did take it off sooner because I was getting bored of it, and I had another nail polish I wanted to try out.
    Here's a close-up.....

    I usually only apply one coat, but this time I did two coats because I didn't apply a heavy enough coat the first time around.
    I love this nail polish, I truly do, it's been my go to for about 6 years now, and I don't plan on changing that anytime soon.

So What Do I Think?

    I don't really think it's necessary for me to say this considering all the good things I've said above, but YES I would recommend this nail polish to anyone.

       So that's all for today, I'll have my usual post up Friday. Will you be buying this? Have you tried it already? Let me know what you think in the comment section.

                                                                 Stay Creative,

                                                                                Lori Ann

     

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 40

     Last week was really good, I don't have much to say today, but let's get started.
    This is going to be a short and sweet post because I have to go get blood work done this morning, and I don't have much time to waste.
 
So let's get down to today's business..

Diet: My diet was actually pretty normal last week, I didn't have any weird cravings, and I didn't lose control.
Exercise: I did more exercise last week than normal, I think it's because I was trying to makeup for losing control the week before. But regardless of why, the point is  I did do more exercise than normal.


Any results?

Weight Lost Last Week:  0 Pounds
Total Weight Loss:  14  Pounds

   Unfortunately no results, but I'm just happy I didn't gain anything, and maybe next week the scale will change.

    So that is all for today, I shall be posting again tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday, so be sure to check back for that.
                                                      Stay Creative,

                                                                       Lori Ann

                                                           

5 Words: Week 43

   Even though I was tempted I decided not to continue on with a theme this week. I feel like I have more fun doing this series when there's not a theme.
   
    So here's this weeks 5 Words....

Hubris- Excessive pride or self-confidence.

Incontrovertible- Not able to be denied or disputed.

Incongruous- Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something.

Homonym- Each of two or more words having the same spelling but different meanings and origins.

Holistic- Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.


                  So that is all for this week, be sure to check back next week.
                                                                       Stay Creative,
                                                                                       Lori Ann
   

Book Review: Caitlyn Duffy- The Rockstar's Daughter

     Today I will be reviewing 'The Rockstar's Daughter by Caitln Duffy, I got this book through iTunes Books for free. At this time you can also get this book through Kindle for free.
       'The Rockstar's Daughter is part of the Treadwell Academy Series. It is 319 pages long, and is a Young Adult novel.

   Since my e-book version didn't have a blurb, here is one from Amazon that I trimmed down.

     "This novel is about 15 year-old Taylor Beauforte, who's mother dies the summer before her Junior year of high school.  Her father is the lead singer in a band called Pound, before her mother died she had only met him twice, and talked to him a handful of times.
    After her mother dies she has no choice but to join her father and his new family on their summer tour before she even has a chance to mourn the loss of her mother.  With no one else to turn to, Taylor falls head over heels in love with Jake, the teenage son of one of the band's touring groupies.
     When Jake offers Taylor an opportunity to join him on a whirlwind adventure and leave her problems with her father far behind, Taylor has to decide - should she carve out her own way in the world, or try to repair the relationship she has with her only living parent?"
   
What did I think?   5 STARS

    Overall I really liked the book, I wasn't sure what to expect when I downloaded it, but I ended up really liking it.
      With the exception of a few minor details, I feel like this could actually be a real story. Obviously it isn't, but it could be, and I really like that. The author was able to mix in real issues that teens deal with, and make a great story.
      I even liked the ending, everything wrapped up neatly, and I wasn't left wondering about certain things, because it was all sorted out in the end.
        I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, even though it's a YA novel, I think people of all ages would enjoy it.

      Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations?

                                                            Stay Creative 

                                                                            Lori Ann