Links to Love

Hello lovelies,

I'm going to keep thing short and sweet today since it's the end of the month and I'm moving this weekend, so I have to get everything packed up and moved out! This should be interesting!

I hope you all have a great weekend, and remember don't do anything you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics, your friends, or your parents!

Love y'all, here's this week's links to love...

The Punishment for Being Mean to Your Starbucks Barista

Dover Police DashCam Confessional (Shake It Off) (Warning: If you're at work this link is a YouTube video that will be playing music!)

How to: Make Your Blog Footer Work Hard

This Is What The Wedding Night Is Actually Like, According To Married People

(What to Do) When Another Blogger Steals Your Photos

How was your week? What links did you love this week? Let me know below!

XoXo,

Lori

January Goals Update

Hello lovelies,

This month has been great, I feel like 2015 is off to a great start and I'm really excited to see what February has in store for us!

In case you didn't see them earlier this month, here are the goals I set for January, keep reading to see how I did!

New Blog Header

Finish Chemistry Part 1.

Finish Geometry Part 2.
Finish English 2 Part 2.
Start Spanish 2 Part 1.

Try to go take my permit test.
Work out twice a week.
Get more sleep.
Find a new neurologist.
Finish Belmont University application.
Finish WKU application.

Use Instagram more.
Read three books.

File the FAFSA.

Find out when RoadTrip is for UE.

9 out of 15

New Blog Header.

I did it, I made my new blog header, I'm not 100% happy with it, but it will do till I have a little more time to spend designing one that I love.

Finish Chemistry Part 1. 

I have one more quiz left and then I'm done!

Finish Geometry Part 2.

I'm so happy I'm done with this class, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I still didn't like it.

Finish English 2 Part 2.

Meh, I don't know what happened here. Actually I do, I hate poetry, I love all the other parts in my English classes, but once I get to the poetry parts I procrastinate. Thankfully I've got past that and now all I have left is to read Ethan Frome and Julius Caesar.

Start Spanish 2 Part 1.

Since I haven't got my final grade back on my Geometry class I can't get a new class opened. I should get this class opened next week.

Try to go take my permit test.

I was going to go but honestly I think I'm just gonna wait till my birthday cause then I won't have to deal with the local board of education. If I wait till my birthday then I don't have to deal with them. Plus, there was a 17-year old who was killed in a freak car accident nearby that kind of freaked me out this month.

Work out twice a week.

No. This did not happen at all and I have no excuse for it.

Get more sleep.

I've actually surprised myself this month, I've been trying to get in bed before 3am and I think I've managed to do that about 10 times this month. It's nothing major, but it's a start!

Find a new neurologist.

I did locate a neurologist that I'm interested in seeing and I'm currently waiting to hear back from them so that I can get an appointment scheduled.

Finish Belmont University application.

DONE! I'm really excited about my application, I'm so nervous, I really want to get in, but I'm not sure if I'm good enough, plus I'm applying really late in the application season so that only makes my anxiety even worse. 

Finish WKU application.

I actually decided not to apply to WKU after all. The truth is the only reason I was going to apply was because it was in-state and because of the tuition. I thought about it and I decided that wasn't a good enough reason for me, I'm not going to waste $45 on an application for a school that I don't want to attend, so I didn't and I'm really happy with my decision.

Use Instagram more.

I actually did use Instagram more this month, I still want to post more and get better at using it, but overall I'm happy with this months results.

Read three books.

This month I was in a book slump, I only read two books.

File the FAFSA.
I'm gonna go ahead and mark this one as done even though technically it isn't. I'm planning on doing this tonight, we're moving and I wanted to wait till I knew our new address before filing just to make things a little bit easier and to save a little time.

Find out when RoadTrip is for UE.

RoadTrip is going to be February 20-22, it's closer than I thought it would be, but I'm ready, now I just gotta get signed up!

Did you accomplish your goals this month?

XoXo,

Lori

Liebster Award

Hello lovelies!

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award by Liv at Liv In Progress! If you've never heard of the Liebster Award, the rules are below.

1. Post 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions created by the person who nominated you, then create your own set for the people who are going to nominate!

3. Choose 11 people (that have under 200 followers) to nominate and link them to your post .

4. Let the people you nominated know they've been tagged. No tag backs!

Since I've been tagged before, I'm only going to answer Liv's questions and nominate 11 blogs, if you want to know facts about me you can take a look at my 25 Things About Your Blogger from last week.

1. Why did you start blogging?

When I first started blogging it was to prove to myself that I could keep a blog going for more than just a few weeks. Then it turned into something I love and I've been doing it for over two years now and I couldn't imagine not blogging.

2. What's one thing you love about yourself?

My eyes. I have hazel eyes, and they're constantly changing colors, one minute they're green and then a second later they'll be blue, it's really cool and it really freaks people out.

3. Where do you do most of your writing?

In bed or sitting at my desk.

4. What are three of your favorite books?

Trail of Secrets by Eileen Goudge

The Tycoon's Daughter by Caitlyn Duffy

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

5. What is your most popular post so far?

My most popular post is 3 Things You Should Think About Before Dyeing Blonde Hair Brunette  from back in 2013. Looking back on that I was so naive to think I could get my hair back to being completely blonde by the end of 2013. It's 2015 and I'm still trying to get the dark out of the ends of my hair, which you can see in the sidebar picture.

6. Who would play you in the movie of your life?

I'm not really sure, maybe Jennifer Lawerence, I have a lot of freckles/moles and so does she, plus we're both from Kentucky.

7. Do you have any long-term goals for your blog?

My long-term goals include, buying my URL, continuing to grow my followers, and to continue working with and to work with more authors, companies, and small businesses.

8. Where is somewhere you want to travel one day?

England, Canada, Germany, and Australia.

9. What are some of your hobbies besides blogging?

Writing, reading, sleeping, and baking.

10. What are your favorite kinds of posts to write?

I love to write book reviews and beauty posts, I love sharing things I love with other people.

11. What are a few of your favorite songs?

Road Between by Lucy Hale

Believe in Me by Demi Lovato

Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift

Stand by Rascal Flatts

Home by Ingrid Michaelson

I Nominate:
Natalie @ Finding My Voice

Katie @ Hyperactive Daydream

Haley @ Vest Dressed
Eliza & Eliza's Ramblings
Kaye @ Yellow and Grey
Laura @ Plain Insane & Insanely Plain
Victoria @ Memphis Made
Just Another Teen Reading Books
Megan @ Living Between the Lines
Emma @ Emma's Bookery
Ashlee @ Preperella

My Questions:

1. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? 10 years from now?

2. What are you most excited about in 2015?

3. Are you an early bird or night owl?

4. Who is your inspiration?

5. Why do you blog?

6. What are your top 5 favorite songs?

7. Where do you find your inspiration?

8. What blogs do you check daily?

9. What is your favorite quote?

10. What is your favorite animal?

11. What is your holy grail beauty product?

I just wanna say thank you to Liv for nominating me for this award! 

That's it for today, I hope you all enjoyed it!

XoXo,

Lori

I Confess...

Hello lovelies!
I hope your week is off to a great start, today I have for you six confessions! I got the idea for this post last fall, and I just never got around to posting it!

One

I confess that I'm loving this Winter weather and hating it all at the same time! I love the cold, but my hair is full of static and it's driving me crazy!

Two

I confess that I've been slacking off on my diet and it's making me sad and I'm starting to get anxious. So I have a shopping trip planned for Friday and that means buying healthy foods and healthy snacks! Any recommendations? In the meantime I'm focusing on watching what I'm eating and making better choices.

Three

I confess that I've been thinking of ways to motivate myself to lose weight and I think I've found the perfect motivation. I've decided that I want to lose 40 by the end of the summer so that I can get back into horseback riding! 

Four

I confess that I am super sad that Christmas is over, I want to go back in time to December!

Five

I confess that I'm scared I'm not going to get into any of the other colleges I've applied to, I didn't do as well as I was hoping to on the ACT and I don't think I'm going to get in to at least two of the five I've applied to.

Six
I confess that I actually started this blog post last fall and it's been sitting in my draft box and so I had to re-write pretty much the entire thing!

What are some of your confessions? Let me know below! Have a great day!

XoXo,

lori

January Favorites

Hello lovelies!

Today I will be sharing with you my favorites for the month of January! This month I discovered new favorites and old favorites!

Here's this months favorites!

Favorite Song: Home by Ingrid Michaelson

Honestly I'm not a huge fan of Ingrid, I started listening to her music a few months ago and this is one of my favorites. I've never really been able to explain it to people, but this song explains how I feel about Nashville. I've always loved Nashville since I was a little girl and when I think of home and where I want to spend the rest of my life, I always think of Nashville.

TV Show: Gossip Girl

I starting watching Gossip Girl for the first time ever this month and I'm really loving it, I started watching it two weeks ago and I'm already halfway through season 2!

Movie: Safe Haven

This was another first for me this month, I had wanted to watch this for a while and once I found it on Netflix I had to watch it and I loved it!

Fashion:

I have two of these shirts, one in a beautiful purple and one in a tan shade and I love them! I bought them in October and they've been my go to for Fall and Winter, I love them so much I can see myself wearing these into the spring!

Skin Products:

I actually have two skin products that I've been loving this month.

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

I love this hand cream I use it every night before I go to bed, I use it on my hands and it also works amazing on chapped lips, words cannot explain how much I love this product.

Simple Kind to Skin Moisturizing Face Wash

My skin has been acting up a little this month, it's mainly my cheeks right below my eyes, that area tends to get red and dry easily, so I've been using this face wash two or three nights a week and it really helps.

Hair Product: OGX Morrocan Argan Oil

I've been using this oil for about two years now, I go in phases with it where I love it and then I can go months without using it at all. Right now I'm REALLY loving it! I've actually been replacing my conditioner and using this instead. On nights when I wash my hair I only shampoo, and when I get out of the shower I run this through my hair, and I cannot believe how much my hair has changed since I started doing this about three weeks ago!

That's it for today, don't forget to check back tomorrow to see a new blog post!

XoXo,

Lori

Weekly Inspiration

"You cannot save people, you can only love them."-Anais Nin

No matter how hard you try you will never be able to save someone, all you can do is show them love, and hope that that love is enough for them to hold on till things get better.

Goal:

 The next time someone you know is struggling show them that you love them and let them know that if they want help you're there and you'll be there for as long as they need.

XoXo,

Lori

Links to Love

Hello lovelies,

Today I wanna give you an update on my doctors appointment that I mentioned in last weeks Links to Love. I was right and I had to get blood work, but strangely what I thought was causing me to feel bad lately was actually better than it was six months ago.

It turns out the reason I'd been feeling so crappy lately is because my Vitamin D levels were low, so now I get to take 1000 units of Vitamin D a day and I'll get re-checked in 3-6 months!

Now that I now whats wrong it all makes sense, I knew it had to be one of three things, and the third thing on that list was Vitamin D, so it wasn't that big of a surprise. It's happened before and in a few weeks I'll be feeling better, till then I just gotta take care of myself!

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now, here's this weeks links to love!

12 Proven Habits of Healthy People

A Guide to Making the Most of Social Media

What No One Tells You About Achieving Your Goals.

Top 18 Ways to Get Your Blog Out There

The Foolproof Way to Learn How to Code

How was your week?

XoXo,

Lori

25 Things About Your Blogger

Hello lovelies,
I hope you're having a great week so far, I decided today that I wanted to share 25 things about me! It's been a while since I've done one of these, and if you're new here you just might learn something new about me!

Let's get started!

1. I'm 5'7".

2. I HATE when people write 'Merica, it's not 'Merica, it's America. 

3. My biggest pet peeve is water bottle sweat.

4. I've never been to a concert.

5. I love Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift

6. My favorite time of year is Winter.

7. I can't wait till Once Upon A Time comes back from it's winter break I'm having withdrawals.

8. I own way to many cardigans!

9. I really need to clean out my closet.

10. I have severe test anxiety.

11. I'm a dog person.

12. I almost drowned once in the Holiday World water park.

13. I will never read all the books on my to-be-read list, there's too many.

14. I will continue adding books to my reading list, even though I may never read them.

15. I'm allergic to everything, except dogs.

16. I can go from listening to classical music to country music to metal in a matter of minutes.

17. My doctor says I drink too much water.

18. I have no filter and it gets me in trouble sometimes.

19. I'm allergic to cats.

20. I love history.

21. I HATE math.

22. I've never had Starbucks coffee!

23. I prefer Google Documents over Microsoft Word.

24. I have six Tumblr blogs.

25. I have two Pinterest accounts.

That's it for today! I hope you enjoyed learning 25 new things about me! What should I know about you? Let me know below!
XoXo,
Lori

Book Review: Marie Ferrarella - Carrying His Secret

Today I will be reviewing 'Carrying His Secret' by Marie Ferrarella, copy received from Netgalley via Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

'Carrying His Secret' is a romantic suspense novel, it is 288 pages long and it took me about four hours to read. It is available at Amazon (Kindle) for $4.74, and at Barnes & Noble (NOOKBook) for $4.99.

Book Stats

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Length: 288 Pages

Publisher: Harlequin

Release Date: February 3, 2015





Book Synopsis
When Elizabeth Shelton finds her boss murdered, her life is thrown into turmoil. But nothing shocks her more than learning she's pregnant by the man's son. She kept her attraction to Whit Adair hidden for years before their one-night tryst and now she must keep another secret.

When the killer targets her next, Whit goes from her one-time lover to her full-time bodyguard. Taking her to his ranch for safekeeping, Whit discovers the truth about the baby. He offers his protection, but Elizabeth wants more, his love. For his child and its mother, he'll do anything, even take down a murderer.

What did I think? 4 Stars

Would I recommend it?
Yes, I would recommend this book if you have the time to read the other books in the series, if not, then you should probably pass on it Don't get me wrong, I really did like the book, but I feel like there's something missing, I just didn't enjoy it enough to give it 5 stars.

I think I'll go ahead and give the second book in the series a shot, but I'm not getting my hopes up.Honestly,  I just wanna see what happens in the search for the murderer and the missing heir.

Overall it was a good book, it was something to pass the time when I couldn't sleep. I liked the books plot, but for me to give it a 5 I needed more details and answers.

Thank you Harlequin via Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review!

Will you be buying this book? Let me know below!

XoXo,
Lori

January Playlist

Hello lovelies,
I hope you all had a great weekend! Today I have for you my January Playlist!

Honestly I haven't really been listening to music that much over the past week. At the moment I just feel like everything I'm listening to is old, I want new music, but none of my favorite artists are releasing anything new for a few more months. So, if you have any recommendations I would love to hear them, I'm in desperate need of new music!

Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato - Up

Taylor Swift - All You Had To Do Was Stay
Lee Brice - That's When You Know It's Over
Kelly Clarkson - Heartbeat Song
Maddie & Tae - Girl In A Country Song
Francesca Battistelli - It's Your Life
Bethany Dillon - Beautiful

Bomshel - Fight Like A Girl
Ingrid Michaelson - Home
Carrie Underwood - Play On

That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this months playlist and if you have any music recommendations please leave them below, I would love to check them out!

XoXo,

Lori