REVIEW: SLIMQUICK Pure Extra Strength

Hello Lovelies!

Today I will be reviewing SLIMQUICK Pure Extra Strength Drink Mix !

SlimQuick Pure is a weight loss drink mix designed just for women's weight loss. SlimQuick Pure is designed to increase metabolism, reduce your appetite,  boost energy, reduce bloating, support hormones, and reduce stress, which is a big contributing factor to weight gain.

My Thoughts?

When I received this product I didn't know what to expect, but after trying it I really liked it. Plus, before I tried it my mom found the box and tried it while I was at work.

I've really noticed that since I started using this product that my appetite has really diminished, I get full easier and I don't get hungry as often.

I've been using this product for about two weeks now, and since I started using this product I've lost about 4 pounds. On top of the drink mix I've been walking, going to physical therapy, and watching what I eat.

Personally I love the sweet taste and I think it tastes even better when you put it in the freezer and let it get slushy!

Will I repurchase? 

I already have and I'm thinking about trying the gummies too! I got two free gummies in my sample box and I really liked them and I think with my busy schedule it might be easier for me to keep up with the gummies than it is with the drink mix.

What do you think about SlimQUick drink mixes? Will you be trying this product?
Do you have any questions about the product? Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori
FTC: Sponsored by BrandBacker and SlimQuick.

A Little Bit of Inspiration + A Big Life Decision

Hello Lovelies!
Need a little bit of inspiration? I've got you covered. I've been feeling a bit uninspired lately, so I thought I'd share with you some quotes that always get me inspired.

I've been thinking and I'm tired of putting off things I want to do and I'm tired of settling. I've been working on myself and I'm trying to do better for me, I'm doing what I think is best for me mentally and physically at the moment.

Lately I've been feeling a little bit down, I feel like every time someone asks me about my plans for the next few years all I get is negative feedback or snotty remarks. But I'm done with that. I'm done caring what other people think, I'm going to do this my way and if they don't like it then I don't need them in my life.

I think the biggest decision I've made that is causing me to get the most negative comments from the people around me is that I decided to put off college for a year. I didn't come to this decision easily, but at the end of the day I think it's what's best for me and my health.

I'm going to spend this next year working, saving money, and studying so that I can retake the ACT and get a higher score so that I can get better financial aid and scholarships.

It's taken me a few months to make this decision, but I think I'm finally at peace with it and hopefully everything goes the way I want it to.
XoXo,
Lori

19 Before 19!

Hello lovelies!

As I mentioned in last weeks post, I celebrated my 18th birthday last month, I've been thinking for past few weeks, and I finally decided on 19 things I want to do before I turn 19 next year!

The following list is 19 things I want to do before my 19th birthday on March 13,2016!

1. Do something that scares me!

2. Donate blood.

3. Dye my hair a crazy color!

4. Redesign my blog.

5. Lose 60 pounds.

6. Learn to crotchet.

7. Learn to drive.

8. Read 80 books.

9. Go someplace I've never been.

10. Spend a weekend in Nashville. (Maybe move there!)

11. Go to the Tennessee State Fair (or Kentucky).

12. Give beauty college a shot.

13. Get a small tattoo.

14. Go to a concert.

15. Grow my blog to over 100 followers

16. Suck it up and buy a Macbook already!

17. Say YES to everything for a day!

18. Plan a trip to NYC.

19. Go someplace I've never been!

That's it for today's post, I hope you'll stick around to see me finish these 19 things!
XoXo,
Lori

Weight Loss Update

Hello lovelies, I hope you had a great weekend! I have alot to tell you today, I've made so many positive changes in my life over the past month and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Diet:

I just wanna start off by saying my diet has been amazing this month and I've never been more proud of myself than I am right now!

First, I haven't had a soda in three weeks, I've been drinking water, milk, and hot chocolate.

Second, I've made some huge changes in what I've been eating this month. In order for you to understand I'm gonna need to explain it for a second then it'll all make sense.

Normally my diet consists of baked pork chops one night, tacos one night, and then the rest of the week is a mixture of different types of frozen chicken, usually Tyson brand. Well earlier this month I was just casually scrolling through Tumblr and of course I just had to come across a gif set showing how that chicken is made! And of course I read it and was completely disgusted!

So that's the story of why I'm no longer eating frozen bagged chicken from the store and the reason why my diet is so much better! Since then I've been eating fresh meat and I can't stand the thought of touching frozen bagged chicken ever again. Since this happened my mom and I have replaced the bagged chicken with fresh chicken from farms that are caged free, I feel so much better and it makes me happy knowing that the little chickens aren't suffering in cages!

Exercise:

This month I've been preparing my body for getting back into a routine. My ankle still hurts, but it's getting stronger everyday and I'm ready to get back to working out. I've started lifting weights again and I also got out a resistance band so that I can work my foot and keep from injuring it again. Other than that I've mostly been walking a few times a week.

Weight Lost This Month: 4 pounds

Total Weight Loss: 13 pounds

When I saw that I'd lost 4 pounds since my last weigh in I was mind blown, I'm really happy with how much I've accomplished over the past few weeks and I'm ready to see how next month goes! I'm starting to finally see a difference in my clothes and so can other people, my favorite pair of jeans are falling off of me and I had to get a new bra with a smaller band size!

Well that's it for this month's weight loss update, I hope you liked it!

XoXo,

Lori

Book Review: Carmen DeSousa- She Belongs To Me (Southern Suspense Series)

Hello lovelies, today I'm going to be posting a book review that I wrote way back in February that I forgot to post. I didn't realize till last week that I hadn't posted this review yet, I originally wrote this post for my blog, but then I decided to use it for my guest blog post over on A Topsy Turvy Blog .

 I decided to post it on here now because I'm hoping to buy the other books in the series soon! In last weeks Top Ten Tuesday post I mentioned that I wanted to read more books from Carmen DeSousa and a few hours later she commented on that post and she mentioned me on Twitter! After that I started looking through my draft box and that's when I realized that I never posted my review.

So today I will be reviewing 'She Belongs To Me' by Carmen DeSousa, I got this book through iTunes iBooks for free, you can also get this book through the Kindle app for free.

 'She Belongs To Me' is a Romantic suspense novel, it is part of the Southern Suspense Series. It is 330 pages long, and took me 5 hours to read.

 I've been trying to stay away from book series for a while now, because I'm not wanting to get into another series at the moment.  So I wasn't going to read it for that specific reason, but then I looked at the reviews, and they all said that this could be read as a standalone novel, so I decided to go ahead and read it and I'm so glad I did!

Book Synopsis:

 "When wealthy construction company owner and Charlotte detective, Jordan Monroe, meets Jaynee for the first time he is awestruck and determines to make her his wife. Jaynee, however, has a history she cannot easily overcome and is fearful to submit to love. Jordan succeeds in making her his wife, but five years into their marriage, he realizes she is keeping secrets. Before he can decipher her duplicity, he discovers her unconscious in their home from a gunshot would only hours after giving her an ultimatum concerning their relationship.

          With Jaynee's life hanging in the balance, the mystery of her past drives Jordan to investigate. But what appears to be an attempted suicide turns out to be something far darker. Is someone from her past stalking her? Or worse, is someone close to Jordan trying to kill them both? As Jordan edges closer to the truth, it may be deadlier than he could have ever imagined."

So what did I think?   5 STARS

Like: The ending. I'll explain more below.

Dislike: Nothing.

What I loved the most about this book is definitely the ending. Not only were all the story line's wrapped up, but we were also given a look into Jaynee and Jordan's future. I feel like the epilogue was a brilliant touch, to an already perfect ending.

It's not easy telling a story from different perspective's, but Carmen DeSousa really took it one step further with using "present day" and "how they met" moments to create, a romantic suspenseful novel that kept me guessing til the very end!

I really like that it's a romance novel, but it's not explicit. I really believe that everyone would love this book, even people who usually don't like romance novels. This is the type of romance novel that could be read by people of all ages, and reading levels.

I absolutely loved the ending, it was perfect (already said that, but it's true). At first I wasn't planning on reading the rest of the series, but now I definitely will be, I can't buy the other books right now because all of my money is paying for college apps, but as soon as I get done with that I will definitely be buying as many books as I possibly can!

I wanted to add this quote from the end of the book, I love it.

"And they lived.....

      Life isn't always happily-ever after, rather, loving forever, regardless." - Carmen DeSousa

 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, it really hooked me, and I couldn't put my phone down. I kept getting mad because my battery kept getting below 10% so I had to put it on charge and stop reading.

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

XoXo,

Lori

September Weight Loss

Hello lovelies, I hope you had a great weekend, I know usually I would be posting this next Monday, but I decided to go ahead and post it today because I'm really happy, and I want to share everything with you!

Diet:

My diet has been going really good, I've been trying to use My Fitness Pal here lately and I think it's been helping. Usually I have a lot of cravings, but this month I haven't, and I haven't been eating a lot of sweets either. 

Exercise:

Honestly I haven't exercised at all this month, and I actually have a legitimate reason for not exercising. On August 22 I went to work with my mom and as we were walking down the hall I almost fell, and during that almost fall I hurt my ankle!

I tried to ignore it and I thought it would okay, but by last Friday I knew I had to go to the doctor and get it checked out. So I went to the doctor, she did X-Rays and said that my ankle was sprained and that I had soft tissue swelling, so for the next 8-12 weeks I have to stay off of it, and hopefully it gets better.

I'm hoping that it will heal well, but sadly I don't have the best history with my left foot, I've had so many problems with it in the past and because of that I know that my recovery time could take longer, and if it doesn't get better then I guess I'll have to go to physical therapy.

Weight Lost This Month:  4.6 Pounds

Total Weight Loss: 9 Pounds

When I weighed myself and saw that I'd almost lost 5 pounds I literally said out loud, "Oh my damn", which of course prompted my mom to say, "What did you just say!"  Lol. :) 

I'm still so surprised that I've actually lost weight, I honestly thought I'd gained weight, so losing weight makes me really happy!

Since this is a health related post I thought I would share with you that last week I also had a lot of blood work done and everything came back great, I was really worried about it, and so I'm relieved that everything turned out great!

So that's it for this month's weight loss update, I hope you liked it!

XoXo,

Lori

July Weight Loss

Hello lovelies, I hope you had a great weekend! I'm not feeling too well today, so I'm going just going to get right into this months update!

Diet:

My diet has been very good this month, since starting my new medicine for acid reflux I've been eating much better, and I'm actually enjoying the food I'm eating. Sure I still have problems a few times a week, but it's much better than it's been in a long time.

Overall my diet has been great, but last week while pmsing I discovered the new Reese cup flavored Oreo's, and they're great! To be honest, I'm glad they're only limited edition or else I could develop a real addiction to them!

Exercise:

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't do so great in this area this month. I've definitely got in more exercise than last month, but I didn't do as much as I was hoping. 

This upcoming month, however, things are changing! We're going to be moving and once we get moved in I'm going to ask my aunt if I can borrow her treadmill or elliptical, due to an injury she can't use it, so I'm hoping I can sweet talk her into letting me use it!

Weight Lost This Month:  0 Pounds

Total Weight Loss: 7 Pounds

So, no changes this month, but I'm hoping August will be better. This month overall has been really busy and stressful, there were a lot of up and down, but I'm a very optimistic person and I can only hope that things will change for the better, soon!

XoXo,

Lori

April Weight Loss

Good morning lovelies, I hope your day is off to a great start! I don't really have much to say today, so I'm just gonna jump into this months update.

Diet:

This month was probably one of the best months I've had in a long time when it comes to my diet. Most of my meals this month has have been bakes instead of fried. I've also been cutting back on potatoes, instead of having them every night with my dinner, I've been having them only a few times a week.

Exercise:

This month didn't go as planned, but I definitely did better than last month. The first week of the month I still wasn't feeling well, so I didn't get in any exercise. The second week of the month I got in three workouts, the third week I got in two workouts and I also had one day where I did a lot of shopping and walking. Then last week I didn't get in a real workout, but I did have one day where I did a lot of waling, I worked with some hand weights, and I started doing squats again (and yes my ass and legs hurt).

So did I lose any weight?

Weight Lost This Month: 0 Pounds

Total Weight Loss:  6 Pounds

Sadly I didn't lose any weight this month, BUT I can tell a difference in my body. I've noticed over the past week that my stomach doesn't look as bloated as it did a few weeks ago, so I think cutting back on potatoes and baking my food instead of frying it is something I'm going to keep doing.

This week, actually today, I'm hoping to decide on a gym to join, and I'm gonna start trying to go to the gym daily. I recently started following a lot of  fitblrs on Tumblr, and it's really inspired me to get back in the gym and finally lose this weight.

So that's all for today, tomorrow I'll have up another book review, and Wednesday I'll be updating you on my goals for April.

XoXo,

Lori

March Weight Loss

Good Morning lovelies, I can't believe it's already the last day of March, it's hard to believe that three months have gone by since the start of the new year. 

I don't really have much to say today, so I'm just going to jump into this months weight loss update!

Diet: 

This month I actually did really well with my diet. I've been focusing on trying to find low-calorie and healthy snacks and I found two that I absolutely love. 

My #1 fave snack is the tropical tie-dye flavored Fruit Roll-Ups, they're only 40 calories each and they're made of real fruit.

My #2 fave snack is the Original Rice Krispy treats, they're only 80 calories, and they make me feel full so I don't feel the need to keep snacking.

I know they probably aren't the best options, but I'm a very picky eater, and they just happen to be low-calorie, so I really don't care.

Exercise:

 I've been sick pretty much all month and I've just been focusing on trying to get better. And because I've been sick I haven't really been exercising. I did start using my 5-pound hand weights again and I've also been trying to get back into a routine of doing squats.

 I was going to sign up this month at the gym, but with me being sick I've been getting short of breath and I think going to the gym like that would be a bad combination!

So did I lose any weight?

Weight Lost This Week:  -7 Pounds

Total Weight Loss:          8 Pounds

Unfortunately I didn't lose any weight this month, I actually gained three pounds. But to be honest I was kind of expecting it. I'm having trouble coming up with the words to explain how I feel, but all I get is blah. That's how I feel, March was just one big blob of blah! 

That's all for today, tomorrow I'm going to be posting some of my favorite Dresses for Spring, and then on Wednesday I'll be posting My Top 10 Authors Whose Book I've Never Read, so don't forget to check back for that!

XoXo,

     Lori 

Review: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail polish

      Today I will be reviewing the Sally Hansen Nail Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail polish in 130 Blue Me Away! I bought this a few years ago at Walmart for $2.50, and I decided to review it today because it's super bright, and I really wanna get back into doing reviews every week.

                              

   This is a nail polish that I have used for years, and I've always loved it and still do to this day.

    As you can see it's super bright, and I got so many compliments on it, it really is the perfect light blue nail polish.

                             

   I think the reason I love the Xtreme Wear Sally Hansen nail polishes  so much is because they last so long, AND they're affordable. What more could you want out of a nail polish?

   Would I recommend it? OF COURSE, I don't think I've ever found a nail polish from the Xtreme Wear line that I don't like, they're all just so perfect.

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

      XoXo,

                Lori 

My Top 5 Beauty Products Under 5 Dollars

  Today I thought I'd take a break from doing reviews and do something a little different. I'm going to show you my Top 5 Beauty Products Under 5 dollars.

                         

1. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle  $2.99 at Walmart.

 - This is hands down my favorite conditioner, it's even better than the conditioner my hairstylist uses. Normally I use this twice a week, butvfor the past month I've been using it everyday to prep my hair for the damage I knew my hair would go through last week when I dyed it. I also use this alongside my Moroccan Argan Oil, you can see my blog post about it (here)

2. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish  $2.50 at Walmart.

 - For this one I'm lumping the entire collection together because I love every single nail polish in this line. If you've been reading my blog for a while then you know that I love these nail polishes, I've reviewed many in the past, and I have more reviews coming up over the next few weeks.

3. Wet & Wild Eye Shadow Palette in C246 Greed    $1.99 at Kmart.

  -  This is my most used beauty product, I don't wear makeup often, but when I do I use this palette to do my eyes.

4.  E.L.F Eyeliner Brush    $1.00

 - This is my favorite makeup brush ever, and I use it every time I wear makeup.  I probably have three of these brushes one I use, one as a back-up, and then I cut one into an angled brush.

5. Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner  $4.49 at Walmart.

 - I cannot believe I've lived my entire life without this eyeliner, it is the most amazing beauty product I've ever used. I use this to line my bottom waterline, and I use it to tight-line my upper waterline. Once you put this on your skin it does not budge, and it will not smudge, it is the BEST THING EVER!!!

   Well that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to follow me if you want to see more.

        XoXo,

                    Lori Ann

Review: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish

   Today's post is a review of the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in 320 Fuchsia Power. I've had this nail polish for about 3 or 4 years, I got it at Walmart for $2.50.

    This nail polish is a really pretty, bright fuchsia color. In the picture it looks like more of a red, but that's just because I couldn't get it to photograph correctly.

What Do I Think?

  In the pictures I'd had it on for about a week, and that's without a topcoat. It did chip a little, but not too much.
    Just like with all of the other nail polishes in the Xtreme Wear line, I would totally recommend this nail polish, I absolutely love it.
     Also have you noticed I've finally grown out of my glitter nail polish obsession? That's all for today, don't forget to follow to receive more posts.
                                                              XOXO,
                                                                    Lori Ann

February Weight Loss

Good Morning lovelies, I can't believe it's already the last week of February, it's hard to believe that nearly two months have gone by since the start of the new year. 

This month has been kind of crazy and all over the place, and I'm just so over it.

I mentioned earlier this month that we we planning on moving, and so now we're trying to get settled in and get everything unpacked. I have severe OCD and living out of boxes and not being organized or able to find anything is driving me insane! 

So obviously the moving process has been mentally draining, but it's also screwed up my diet and exercise plan!

Diet: 

Ugh, I'm hating writing this months update on my diet and exercise. It's not good, none of it, I've been very naughty this month, and now I'm regretting it! Since we've been living out of boxes all month it's been really hard to eat healthy, well-balanced meals. 

       Usually we only eat fast-food once a month, but this month I can think of at least five occasions where we've opted for fast-food over home-cooked meals. 

      We should have the kitchen in working order by the end of the week, but for now things are all over the place, and I'm just going to have to deal with the craziness.

Exercise:

 I haven't really been able to do much exercise this month because I can't get to any of my equipment. But on the bright side I have been doing a lot of lifting and moving stuff around. 

So did I lose any weight?

Weight Lost This Week:  0 Pounds

Total Weight Loss:          18 Pounds

   Unfortunately I didn't lose any weight this month, and to be honest I wasn't really expecting to either. This month has been so crazy and I've been so stressed that I just haven't really been able to focus on my health, but that's going to change, and now that things are settling down I'm going to get back on track.

 That's all for today, tomorrow I'm going to be posting about something that means a lot to me tomorrow so don't forget to check back.

XoXo,

          Lori Ann

Book Review: Marriage by Mistake by Alyssa Kress

    Today I will be reviewing 'Marriage by Mistake' by Alyssa Kress, I got this book through iTunes iBooks for free. At this time you can also get this book through the Kindle app for free.
         'Marriage by Mistake is a Contemporary Romance Novel,  It is 349 pages long, and took me about 6 hours to read.

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

      " He woke up to discover two days of his life completely gone.
           Workaholic Boston blueblood Dean has made it his life's goal to be the opposite of his irresponsible, womanizing father.
          But Dean discovers that while in a hypnotic trance he's acted exactly like his father, traveling to Las Vegas where he'd wooed and wed some sexy, airhead dancer.
          Now, Kelly may be sexy, but she's no airhead. She knows the cols and puritanical man who claims to be her husband is not the man she'd married. But she suspects the warm and tender man she does love is buried somewhere deep inside. And she's determined to find him.....    "


So What did I think?   4 STARS 

Like:  Troy and Felicia's story in the background.
Dislike:  The book cover.

   The reason I don't like the book cover is because I feel like it doesn't represent the story well. Yes Kelly is a dancer, but the story isn't about that, and you don't really know many details about that part of her life.
    I love that she included Troy and Felicia's story line, and if I'm being 100% honest, I think I would have preferred to read their story over Kelly and Dean's.
     Overall the book was a fun, easy, and entertaining read. It's not really anything I expect to leave a lasting impression, nor do I expect to remember it in a few months, but it was enjoyable.
     I would recommend this book to someone who wanted a fun and easy read, nothing serious, and nothing you really have to think about.

     So that's all for today, I hope you like my little review, don't forget to check back next week for more. Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations?

                                                             XOXO,

                                                                   Lori Ann
    

Review: Broadway High Shine Nail Polish

    Today I will be reviewing the Broadway High Shine Nail Polish in #25 Superstar.  I recently bought this nail polish at the Dollar General Store, for $1.00. I don't think I've ever used any Broadway nail polishes, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. 

    I'm only going to post one photo because I don't think more photos are needed to get my point across about this nail polish.

    I'm sure you've all noticed here lately I'm kinda obsessed with glitter nail polishes, so when I saw this in the store I had to have it.

    As you can see there aren't any chips, and that is because I've only had it on for about 5 hours. 

I don't like to use the word hate, because its such a strong word, but my opinion on this nail polishes comes very close to hating it.

So what did I think?

I'm not even going to try to be nice, I'm just gonna go straight into this review and get it over with. The brush on this nail polish was awful, it picked up too much glitter, and it didn't  move the glitter around.

You can see in the photo how some nails have a TON of glitter while others hardly have any at all.
     And you can't really tell in  the picture, or maybe you can, but it looks so cheap.

Ugh okay so I guess I really do hate it. I'm going to remove this nail polish tonight, and I think I might even throw it away, or maybe I'll give it away to one of my young cousins.

   

  So in case you haven't figured it out yet, NO I  do not recommend this nail polish.

 Well that's all for today's post check back tomorrow for more. Will you be buying this? Have you tried it already? Let me know what you think in the comment section.
                                                                 XOXO, 

                                                                          Lori Ann

      

5 Words: Week 56

           I'm so happy it's Friday, and I can finally take a minute to relax. I really am happy about finally getting my new series started, and also doing the first Monthly Goals post. So what did y'all think of it? Do you like all the new changes going on? Please let me know in the comments what you think.

      Here's this week's 5 Words...


Syntax- The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Tempestuous- Characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion.

Ubiquitous- Present, appearing, or found anywhere.

Unctuous- ( Of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily.

Ingratiatingly- Pleasing; agreeable.


       Well that's all for this week, don't forget to follow me if you want to see more.                                                                                                          XOXO,
                                                                           Lori Ann
      

Books I Plan to Read in 2014

Hey y'all so today I want to share with you some of the books I plan on reading this year. I know for sure I will be reading most of them because I just ordered five of them through my local bookstore, and they should be arriving soon.

       

      Out of this entire list the book I'm looking forward to reading the most is definitely the top book. If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you know how much I loved the first three books in the Treadwell Academy series, so I'm super happy to announce that she just released the fourth book and I can't wait to read it.

     Well that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, what books are you looking forward to reading this year? Let me know in the comments below.

                                                           XOXO,

                                                                  Lori Ann

5 Words: Week 55

    Happy Friday!!! I hope you all had a great week, so I just wanted to take a moment today to ask what you though of the changes I announced on Monday. I'm really looking forward to it, I feel so much more energized now because I get to do more, and write different things, it's no longer the exact same thing every week.
     So let me know about that below, and for now here's this week's five words.


Susquehanna-  A river in Pennsylvania.

Suserrous- Whispering, hissing.

Tintinnabulation- Tinkling.

Vestigial- In trace amounts.

Wafture- Waving.


     Since this week's main posts were school related I thought I'd share a new website with you called Grammarly. I use Grammarly's plagiarism checker because I like knowing that I've quoted my sources correctly so I can do my best in school.
      Grammarly contacted me in December about telling you about their website, but before I responded I took my time to do my research and I really do think that their website is a great tool for students and writers, so go check it out.

   Well that's all for this week, I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to check back on Sunday for the first post in my new series Weekly Inspiration.
                                                                       Stay Creative,
                                                                                       Lori Ann

My Studying Essentials!

    I decided today that I wanted to continue on with the school them. Today I'm going to give you my Studying Essentials, and why they are essential to my studying routine.

Studying Essentials by loriboyd 

1. Sweaters

  -When I'm studying I always make sure I have a sweater near by just in case I get cold.

2. Coffee/ Hot Chocolate Mug

  -  I don't drink coffee much, but during the winter I drink hot chocolate ALL the time. Sometimes I'll drink coffee, but only if I can get it just right.

3. Heating Pad

 - This is actually something new I've recently discovered. When I sit for a long time I get cramps in my back, and until last month I couldn't study for longer than 2 hours because my back would start hurting.

    Well last month when I was on my period I bought a new heating pad and I used it, after my period was over I got cold, so  decided to get it out and use it to keep me warm, 4 hours later I realized my back wasn't hurting and I was still sitting at my desk.

4. Blanket

 - This one is kinda for the same reason as #1. But it's different because the main reason why I have blanket by is for my lower half, my feel tend to get really cold, so having a blanket nearby is a must.

5. Candles

  - I'm a candle addict, I have like 5 candles right now that I need to finish/start burning, and I already want to buy more. I'm not able to walk past candles in a store without stopping to sniff just one. I prefer candles that are vanilla scented, and anything similar to vanilla works too.

    The reason this is on my list is because I truly believe the candles are soothing, they help me with my anxieties, and they just make the air so much nicer to breath in.

  So there are my Studying Essentials, what do you think? What are you're studying essentials? Let me know in the comments.

                                                             Stay Creative,

                                                                              Lori Ann

10 New Semester Study Tips

     It's a new year, and that means a new semester at school. This post is probably being posted in the middle of the changing semesters, because I know some schools only have 2 semesters, and others have 3 or 4. But regardless of where it falls for you, it's never too late to learn more efficient ways to get more studying done.

1. Study in a quiet, distraction-free location.
  - I usually study during the day because I'm home alone with no distractions or I study late at night when everyone is asleep. You need to find what works best for you, whether its at the library, or in the park.

2. Study anywhere but your bed!
 - I always sit at my desk to study cause let's be honest studying in bed will get you nowhere cause your gonna wanna sleep. So get outta bed, even if it means sitting in the floor.

3. Highlight and use color-coding.
   - Highlighters are my best friends. I use to highlight everything right after I made the notes, but that didn't really help when it came time to study. I find it easier to study if I wait to highlight when I review at the end of the week.

4. Take Breaks.
  -  In order to get your work done without stressing yourself out, remember to take breaks. I usually work for an hour, then take a 10-20 minute break. Then I got back to work. You need to start working on your most important assignment first, and whenever you feel yourself starting to get stressed put it down, and work on something else and go back to it later.

5.  Make Time for it.
 -  Make time every week to go over what you've learned. Spending two hours a week reviewing what you learned that week, is going to keep you from stressing come time for finals. Think of it this way, if you review for every class now, later you can spend more time studying for the test you think you might fail.

6.  Get Organized.
  - Take five minutes everyday to clean up any mess, and organize any papers that may be out of place. Do this now, and when you need them you won't be panicking thinking you lost them.

7. Talk to your Teachers or Professors.
  - Start the new semester off by talking to your teachers or professors. Talk to them about your concerns, and find out what they expect of you. Plus getting on their good side now will help later if you need an extension on a paper.

8. Turn Off Your Cell Phone!
   - Ugh, this is where I run into trouble, I always have my phone beside me, and it distracts me. So I think this semester we ALL need to put away the phones and concentrate.

9. Make a Plan.
  - Since I'm an online student I make my own schedule, so in the past and to this day I struggle with making enough time to study. That is until here recently when I started planning out what I would do everyday, since then I've got more work done, so try it, it really does work.

10. Don't Panic.
   - If you find yourself getting close to a deadline, with not nearly enough time to finish, panicking is the worst thing you could possibly do. If you start to panic, you're setting yourself up for failure, because then you're gonna work too quickly, make mistakes, and turn in shitty work!


   So there are my 10 tips for studying, I hope you're able to put them to good use this semester, or even next semester.
                                                     Stay Creative,
                                                                     Lori Ann