Making Changes

Hey y'all, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was planning on making some changes, at the time I hadn't made any solid decisions, but now I have and I want to share them with you!

As of right now I have one temporary change and five permanent changes to tell y'all about!

Temporary Change:
Okay, you might have noticed that recently I've been posting more book reviews than anything else and there's a reason for that. The truth is when I first discovered Netgalley back in the Summer I went overboard and requested way too many books, I've been trying to get through them but it's hard to do on a tight schedule.
Right now I'm trying to get through all of the Christmas-y books that I requested, I think I have 18 so for the next few weeks you're going to be bombarded with book reviews. I think I've decided that till I can get through all these books I'm going to be posting a book review on Wednesday and Thursday, so you'll be getting an extra post a week from me.
I think after the New Year I should be caught up, but till then be prepared for great books coming your way!

Upcoming Permanent Changes Include:

Weekly Inspiration Series Update.
Honestly this one really isn't that important I just felt like mentioning it to get you ready for all the changes coming your way. Since I started my Weekly Inspiration series I've always made it a mixture of pictures and quotes I've edited and things I've found on Pinterest or Tumblr.
Well I've decided to start making all of the Weekly Inspiration edits on my own, I've planned it out so that this will go into effect the first Sunday of 2015.

The End of 5 Words.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was planning on ending this series at the end of the year, that is still the plan. At the time I told y'all about that I had no idea what I was going to replace it with, but now I think I've decided I'm either going to do a Friday Five or a Weekend Links! The series will be ending the last Friday of the year, and the new series will start the first Friday of 2015.

Monthly Favorites and Weight Loss Update Changes.
For the past few months I've been trying to do a monthly favorites post, but I never seem to be able to find a place to put it, so I've decided to swap a few things out.
First, changes to my Monthly Weight Loss Update. I've decided I'm going to start making this post the last Saturday of the month, that way a Monday slot is open.
Second, since  I have a open Monday slot, I've decided that that's where my Monthly Favorites will go.

Blog design.
For the most part I'm happy with my blog design at the moment, but there are a few things I want to change. First I really need to make a blog button, I realized a few days ago that I don't have one, so I'll be making one soon. Second, I think I've decided to start sponsoring blogs, so if you're interested in that let me know.  I'm keeping my color palette the way it is, but I do want to make a few tweaks.

Blog Content.
My blog content is constantly changing. One month I'll be focused on book reviews, then fashion posts, then beauty reviews. I've realized that I really need to start trying to balance out my different posts, so working on my blog schedule is something I'm trying to work on at the moment.


Most of these changes will be going into effect after the new year, so nothing dramatic, but I'm so excited and I couldn't wait to tell you. I love starting a new year because it's a chance to start over and make major changes without people questioning your sanity!
XoXo,
Lori

Pinterest Finds

Hello lovelies, I hope you're having a great day! Today I have great news to share with you, big changes are coming, very big changes, some personal changes and then some pretty big blog changes too!

First up blog changes. I've known for a while that I wanted to make some more changes. I'm 100% sure I'm going to be making changes to blog content, and I think I want to make some design changes too.
I know for sure that I will be getting rid of the 5 Words series, I used to love doing it, but for the past few months I just hate it! So that's going to change, I have a few ideas of what I'm going to put in its place, I just haven't made my mind up yet, but that's okay I still have a few more weeks to make a decision.
 The last 5 Words will be posted on December 26, it will be the last Friday in December and also the 100th 5 Words post, so I figured that it would be the perfect time to end the series! In regards to the blog design, I will tinker with it over the next few weeks, I don't plan on making any huge changes, just a few tweaks, but who knows, I might decide to makeover the entire blog!
 Regardless of what happens I'll keep you updated!

Second, personal changes. This one actually might end up affecting my blogging schedule, I'm going to try not to let it interfere, but it might.
So last week I went to Tumbleweed for dinner with my family and while we were there my mom startedtalkingwith the manager and I decided to ask her if they were hiring, and they were. So she told me to put in an application and to call her the next day, so I went home, put in the application, and called her Thursday.
We set up an interview for Yesterday and it went great! I go tomorrow for my second interview with the other manager and she told me that the job was pretty much mine because she liked me enough to send me to a second interview!

You guys!!!! I can not explain how excited I am, I've been trying to find a job since the day I turned 16, I feel like things are finally starting to work out right and I'm really excited for tomorrow!

Okay so now that I've said all that I think it's time to get to what today's blog post is supposed to be about, this months Pinterest Finds!!!

1. I really do believe this quote, I believe that there's a reason it took me so long to find a job and I really hope that the time is right for this to happen.

2. This is so true.

3. Since I'm still recovering from my sprained ankle I've been sorley lacking inspiration for working out, so this month I've been pinning a lot of exercise motivation.

4. This month I've developed a great love for Jennifer Lawrence, she's amazing!

So that's all for this months Pinterest Finds, I hope you liked it!!! Let me know below what you think about my blog plans, I would love to hear any ideas you have, whether it be about the design, or about what you think I should replace 5 Words with!!!

XoXo,

Lori

One Last Change - The Name

      I've been going back and forth with myself trying to decide whether or not to do this, but I feel like it's the right thing to do.

I'm changing my blog name!

     You might remember a few weeks ago that I asked you all if you thought I should change it, the feedback on that post was amazing. I really do appreciate all your lovely answers, but I feel like I need to change my blog name for me. 

     This is something I need to do for myself, I've made a lot of changes over the past few months, and I promise this is the last one for a while.
       Here it is....

 
      The name 'We Can't Stop The World', comes from one of my favorite songs, and out of all the names I thought of, it was my favorite. I had list of about ten names to choose from and  I truly feel like this is the perfect name for where I'm at in my life.
      Also if you were wondering no I'm not changing my blog URL, just the name of the blog.

      I hope you all like it, and I PROMISE no more changes, I just think this is something I needed to do in order to make myself completely happy with my blog.
                                                                              XOXO,
                                                                                    Lori Ann

Making Changes

   Over the past few months I've made a lot of changes, and I've been telling you all that I would be making more changes soon. Well the day has finally arrived and I'm so happy that I can finally tell you all about it.
      Basically I'm replacing my Weight Loss Monday's series, I'm still going to be updating you about that, but it will only be once a month from now on.
      I'm also adding a new series on Sunday's, and it's called Weekly Inspiration. Basically it's going to be an inspiring picture/quote, with a passage and a goal for the week/year (however long you need to achieve it).

    Okay so now for what's replacing WLM's,  this is how it's going to be...

1st Monday of the Month......... My Monthly Goals
2nd Monday of the Month ....... A Monthly Music Playlist
3rd Monday of the Month........ Monthly Pinterest Roundup
4th Monday of the Month........   Monthly Weight Loss

I also have something planned for months with 5 Monday's

5th Monday of the Month... Things I'm Loving

    Also if you're interested yesterday I did a guest blog post over on A Topsy Turvy Blog  so go check that out and let me know what you think. I just wanna say thank you to Casey for letting me post on her blog, I really enjoyed working with her.

    Well that is all for today, let me know what you think below, I'm super excited for this new path I'm paving, and I can't wait to get started. So don't forget to come back on Sunday for the first Weekly Inspiration, and on Monday for My February Goals.
                                                                   Stay Creative,
                                                                                  Lori Ann

 

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

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

Weight Loss Monday's: Week 17

     Sleep, one of my favorite things in the world, sadly I don't get enough of it.
         Yesterday I slept from 3:00 am until 2:30 pm, so of course I barely got any sleep last night. That's my thing I sleep really good one or two nights a week, other nights I go on about an hour of sleep.
       I hate cramps and bloating, A LOT. None of my jeans fit, but I guess it's a good thing I don't have to go anywhere this week.
      So obviously since I'm bloated I'm not sure if I've lost any weight. Which sucks, but I don't really care right now. Why? Because I feel like there's a million tiny aliens in my uterus stabbing me with knives.
     I think I may have exercise twice last week, and there's no hope for this week. So I think I'll stick with just strength training for this week. My diet on the other hand has been really well, I did eat Pizza Hut pizza one night.
    Yesterday I did get a lot of sleep, but I didn't eat much. I had 2 waffles, and a can of Spaghetti O's, and probably one serving of Frito's Chili Cheese Flavor chips. I also had a Dr. Pepper.
      I also got my hair done last week, it's starting to get blonder. Here is a picture, the lighting sucks and I'm not wearing any make-up, but oh well.

     I'll try to put up a better picture soon. But it's looking pretty good. I also got 2 inches cut off and some layers, and I decided to go back to parting my hair to the right.
 I like parting my hair to the left and I like trying something new, but personally I don't think I look like me with my hair to the left.
Taking off a few inches and adding in the layers has made my hair feel so light, it's going to be so much easier to deal with this sweltering heat.
     I discovered something last week, when a medicine says stay out of the sunlight, it really means it. I have to use a cream on my arms for Dermatitis, and I thought I would be fine in the sun because I was just riding in the car for 5 minutes. Boy was I wrong, my skin started burning, thankfully it went away after I got my arm out of the sun, but I won't be making that mistake again. Lesson learned!
       So that's all for today, I'll have a new post up for you on Wednesday.  Stay Creative my lovelies, I'll post again very very soon.
                                                                                                 XOXO,
                                                                                                     Lori Ann
      Also contact me:  
                                  E-mail:      loriboyd15@gmail.com
                                   Twitter:   @LoriAnnBoyd

Should I change?

     Today I started thinking about changing over to WordPress, after all it's all anyone in the blogging community can talk about. I started weighing my options, and to be honest I'm not really sure what I want to do.
     But first I want to apologize for not bogging much this week. Like I said in Monday's blog, I'm sick, and not getting any better, I've been sleeping pretty much all day everyday, and I've actually gotten worse.
     Anyway I think the biggest thing keeping me from switching is that I've used Blogger for so long, I know I've only had this blog since September, but I had another blog that I had blogged on for a while, before starting this one. I guess it's like a sentimental thing, you get used to something and don't want to let it go.
      Other than that, I really don't like the way WordPress is set up. I like how with Blogger on the side you have archives, every WordPress blog I've read never has that. So I don't know if it's not available in the setup, or if people just choose not to use them.
      For now I think I'm gonna stay with Blogger, but who knows a few years from now I may decide to make the switch. Let me know what you think I should do. I don't really know much about WordPress and what is has to offer so maybe you could try to persuade me into switching now rather than later.
   But personally I feel like right now I'm at a place where I feel good about my writing. Especially here recently I've seen a huge increase in traffic to my blog, so I don't know what I'm doing but whatever it is must be pretty good. Stay Creative my lovelies, I'll post again very very soon.
                                                                                                 xoxo,
                                                                                                     Lori Ann
      Contact me:  
                                  E-mail:      loriboyd15@gmail.com
                                   Twitter:   @LoriAnnBoyd

P.S. I had originally planned on posting my two reviews this week but since I've been sick that has screwed up my schedule, and so my two nail polish reviews will be posted next week. I actually might put one up in place of my Weight Loss Monday's since I've been sick I haven't really done anything to write about, especially the last 24 hours have been rough. So I see no point in wasting your time with a pointless post that informs you of nothing.

Questionnaire #1

   So for today's post i thought I would do a little questionnaire  I've never really done something like this and I thought maybe it would help you get to know me better. Here we go....
1.) When are you the happiest?
         I'm the happiest when I feel like I've accomplished something. And also when I get to spend time with family members who I rarely see.    
2.) If you could change 3 things about yourself what would it be?
      One my feet I'm a 11/12 so it's hard to find shoes that fit. Two my teeth, I have a gap and I've always been really insecure about it. Three, my weight, which I'm currently working on, and I hope to be happy with myself by the end of the year.
3.) What made you start blogging?
       Honestly I have another blog that I started back in April, and I loved blogging, but I lost my way, so then I started this blog, and I guess things finally got to the point where I was actually able to do it, I was no longer scared. Unfortunately I decided today that I'm going to retire my other blog because I'm no longer in the same head space as when I first started it. I'm no longer depressed, and I'm inspired to actually work hard, and I think it's showing.
4.) What is your biggest fear?
     Simply put failure. I'm scared to fail and that's why I've failed with other projects in the past, but I'm at a point in my life where I've realized that I have to do the work and I need to stop hiding behind the fear, or else I'll never reach the goals I want to reach.
5.) What are you addicted to?
      Obviously chocolate, every woman loves her chocolate.
6.)Night in or night out?
    Night in. Curled up in bed with hot chocolate and a good book, with piano music playing in the background.
7.)What will make you happy?
     I will be happy with myself when I graduate from high school, and decide where I'm going to college. I also have a few more things I want to accomplish that I think will make me happy. But honestly overall, I just want to get my education, get married, and have kids, that is my life plan. But I know life will take me wherever it wants to, and I'm just along for the ride
8.)If you could eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
     That would be a tie between pickles and pizza, my two favorite foods and I could eat them everyday. But I suppose I would pick pickles because they won't make me gain weight.
9.)What is your motto?
    My motto is to live in the moment and not regret the things we can't change. 
      I've spent many years trying to change things from my past, but you come to a point where you finally realize that your past is your past and you can't change it
10.)Who is your inspiration?
       My inspiration is Demi Lovato because she was at rock bottom and was able to get help and has since rebuilt her career. She has spoke put about her issues and helped save lives by sharing her story. And I feel like that's really rare because most people in Hollywood will come out and claim they had this disease or they've suffered with a certain issue, but they do nothing to raise awareness. I like the fact that since leaving treatment she has continued to raise awareness and stays involved in the campaigns she sponsors. 

 So there you go let me know what you think. And if you decide to do a questionnaire on your blog leave a link below so I can see. By the way I'm sorry I' posting so late today, I completely forgot, I was busy doing Algebra, I'm almost finished with my third lesson of the day, yay. Anyway  that's all for today. I thought that would be interesting to share. Stay Creative my lovelies, I'll post again soon.
                                                                                                 xoxo,
                                                                                                     Lori Ann
      Also contact me:  
                                  E-mail:      loriboyd15@gmail.com
                                   Twitter:   @LoriAnnBoyd

Hair Care Tips and Advice

     Hello there, so a few weeks ago we talked about Skin Care, and this week we're gonna talk about Hair Care. Hair is the only thing that we Women hate, and despise, but also love, that wont ruin our body's. We love it on our heads and hate it everywhere else.

    The biggest misconception women have about their hair is that they can make it grow longer, faster. You can't, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we just can't. Just like it's in our genes on how tall we're gonna be, it's also in our genes on how fast our hair grows. We can't change it, not yet anyway.

     Our hair isn't living, it's dead. The only part that could even be considered living is what's directly attached to our scalp. But once it leaves the scalp it's dead. 

Today I want to give a little advice on Hair Care, share some of my secrets to getting long hair, tell you what products I use, and also a major don't in my book.

1. Don't Get It Cut every 6-8 Weeks- This is the number one thing I've never understood. But in a way I sort of do, hair stylists know that we want our hair to grow fast, so they say to come every 6-8 weeks to get more business. Get It? They only say that cause they know you'll listen, and it means more money for them.

The reasoning behind this theory of mine. Our hair only grows 1/4 an inch a month, your basically going every month and a half. Most hair stylists nowadays don't now the difference between a trim, and an inch. Therefore, it's going to take you much longer for you to actually grow your hair out. I have hair nearly to my bum, and I use to only go every 6 months, this year I've went every 3-6 months.

2. Use Very Little Heat- Or if you do use heat, use a heat spray. I use either Got 2 B Guardian Angel Flat Iron Balm or the Aussie Heat Spray (Not sure of the name). They're both affordable, and work great, the Got 2 B smells amazing, and leaves your hair really shiny. I have naturally really straight hair, so I usually only use a straightener when i'm having a bad hair day, or want it to be even straighter. I also occasionally use a hair dryer, but not very often, maybe 1-2x a month.

3.Diet/Exercise- While you can't make your hair grow faster, you can make it grow healthier. Diet and exercise are very important in your hairs health. Your diet insures you get the right nutrients for strong healthy hair, and exercise helps your scalp/skin rid itself of toxins.

4.Don't Stress- This ties into number 3, when your stressed you don't eat and exercise right. And when you don't get proper diet nutrients, or exercise, your hormones get out of wack. By controlling your stress, you can help control you hormones.

Some say scalp massages help, whether or not they do I have no idea

5.Time- It takes time, just like it took time for you to grow, it takes your hair time too. It's taken me 3 years, and my hair has just now got close to my bum. You have to give your body a chance to produce the hormones, especially if your stressed or your diet/exercise is poor.

So there you go, my 5 tips and my advice for growing your hair stronger. Let me know what you think, and if there's anything you want me to write about, I'm open to ideas. Well that's all for today, have a productive week and a safe weekend.

 xoxo,

 Lori