My week in GIFS + Diagon Alley in Ithaca!

Guys, let me start off with a big sigh of relief that this week is coming to an end. I don't know if you all heard, but I put in my two weeks notice a week ago and this week has been really hard for me. I am preparing for a transition period. Lots of deep breathing!


Now I need to get through another week that doesn't feel so awkward. I think I was asked about 10 times this week what it is I actually do as my job. That tends to get awkward fast.


Also I am not sure what it was, but I did not sleep well this week. R was away on business but I don't really think that was the whole issue. I went to bed exhausted and woke up even more tired than I was the previous night. Must of been all of the soul searching and decisions I made. The coffee was my BFF.


I finally got out all of my makeup and did a Halloween look for the blog. I had so much fun creating Zoey, the glam zombie. I hope you check it out. It's really an easy process to make brains and lacerations on your face. And you get to play with makeup! Win/Win.


All in all I am looking forward to R coming home tonight and hanging out on my couch. But I won't actually hang out on my couch because its Halloween weekend and I am going to make the most of it. Did you hear Ithaca is turning an alley into Diagon Alley from Harry Potter? It got some major press this week! It has been respectively renamed to Wizardly Weekend but is still expecting thousands of people!

I will be attending because, why not?! After that I am hoping to attend a Monster Bash hosted by some of my friends from the radio station. Stay tuned next week for my report on this wizard and monster weekend! Stay safe out there boys and ghouls!


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Wedding Wednesday: Bridesmaid from Hell (Literally!)


Meet Zoey.



Zoey's that girl you had to include as a bridesmaid in your wedding because she's your fiance's sister's cousin half removed who kind of pushed her way in. You know the type. The one you always regret letting your guard down for because she always ruins the day.

Well, Zoey showed up to the wedding ready to party as expected. She was all glammed up and ready to steal the show. She had her hair done and some pretty dramatic makeup. Something seemed different about her, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I hadn't seen her since the night before, when she went missing during the bachelorette party. She got a little out of hand and disappeared with a guy she was chatting up. What she failed to mention when she showed up to the wedding, was that she had been attacked by a zombie!

No zombie bite was going to stop Zoey from showing me up at my wedding! Even with zombie tendencies, Zoey still managed to steal the show! I knew I should of told her no!

Want to get glammed out like Zoey this Halloween? This is a super easy look that can be as severe or as simple as you'd like. The best part is, all you need for this fun look is toilet paper, glue, and some red eye shadows.

 Glam Zombie Makeup 

 

Start off this look with a clean face. Make sure all of your makeup is off. This will help the "brain" and "lacerations" stick to your face.

Grab a roll of toilet paper and some non-toxic glue. This will be on your face so you may want to spot check it on your skin before starting in case of sensitivities.

Rip off 3 sheets of toilet paper and wad it up. Apply glue to the toilet paper. This will turn the toilet paper into a sticky moldable consistency. This will be your "brain". Repeat for laceration.

Mold the toilet paper into the shapes you want and gently apply to your face. You don't want the pieces to become flat, so make sure they both still have some depth to them.


Once you get the molded toilet paper where you want it on your face, allow it to set for 2 minutes. Because this look was going to be a glammed out look, I went ahead and applied some primer and foundation to my face while it dried to save time. You can skip this if you are only looking for a brain and laceration look.

Once the molds were set, I took 2 different red eyes shadows that I had laying around and brushed the color onto the molds. There was no real science to this except I kept applying until I liked the shade. Don't be afraid to get this on your face as well. The more blood the better right?



If you are only looking to add a brain and a laceration, than you can stop here! So simple and easy for a quick Halloween costume. You can also add more now that you can see how easy it is to make lacerations out of toilet paper.


I went ahead and added some dramatic eye makeup and some more red marks on my face. I wanted to look like I earned those cuts!


So there you have it. A quick and easy last minute Halloween costume. Will you try this look?

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed creating this look! 

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Halloween: Crafts with Wine!

It's the week before Halloween and maybe you decided to throw a last minute party. No? Okay maybe you have a great setup with your Halloween decor but are missing that something you can't seem to put your finger on. Don't worry, I got you..

All you need for this project is a bottle of wine (or 5 if you want to get your girlfriends involved) and some glow sticks. Do I have your attention?

cheap halloween decorations


Now let me explain. Last year I decided at the last minute that I wanted to throw a Halloween get together. I wanted to decorate and make cute little snacks. Only one problem. I was a little broke. I did what I always do when I need to get something done with no money: I used what I already had.

I had a few empty wine bottles sitting around on my kitchen counter (Don't judge me, I live in wine country) and the idea popped into my head. Wouldn't they look super cool if I added some glow sticks into them? They would look super eerie in a dark room.

The best part about this is all of the empties I was hoarding hanging onto had some pretty creepy looking labels on them. One was from a local winery and the wine was called "Apparition" so there was a ghost like image on it. Another was from my visit to Gettysburg and had cannons and smoke on it, and the last had a creepy looking face on it. I may have to rethink the wine I'm drinking guys. Wine should be happy right?
 
Anyway,  for a quick and cheap decoration, run on down to the dollar store and pick up some glow sticks and then over to the liquor store if you are out of wine. Pick wines that have labels that will fit your theme. You could also take off the labels and make your own. The options are endless.


I used my wine bottles in a window with some black netting and flameless candles. When I turned off the lights the window looked pretty creepy. I unfortunately did not get a really great photo of that, but I did get a photos of the bottles I used and how I set them up. See the photo above this paragraph. Other ideas for these would be:

Table center pieces
Walkway lights
Mood lighting
Focal point in a scene

So there you have it. A super easy Halloween decoration adults can get behind! So what are you waiting for? Call over a few girlfriends and get to work! I want to leave you with a pretty crappy photo of what these look like when they are glowing. Stop back tomorrow for more quick and easy Halloween tips!





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Sunday Snaps

Yes, I know this should say Sunday.. I am still undecided when I want this to happen..

Good evening! I wanted to do a quick snapshot of my week as mentioned last Friday. I haven't quite decided if I want to do this on Fridays or take them into the weekend. I think I want to leave my Friday's open for fun topics, but one never knows where this will go. I am trying to be as consistent as possible here and I know lately that doesn't show. Bare with me. I am getting there I promise.. Now onto last week..

I started the week with a peek into my weekend. It turned more into a wedding-y weekend than I had anticipated. With engagement photos and other unexpected, but good things happening, it turned into a great weekend. If you haven't read it yet, check it out!

Wednesday is my normal "Wedding Wednesday" post and because I did a lot of posting about my wedding planning on Monday, I decided to share pictures of the location of my engagement shoot. It was a beautiful day for photos and a fun day to catch up with an old friend. Win/Win.

Friday was a little MIA and that I apologize for. I spend most of my week working on a decision to change careers. I did a lot of soul searching as well as pros and cons to come to my conclusion. I decided yesterday to share that decision with all of you. 

Now it is Sunday and I am looking forward to next week. I just returned from a short day visit with my parents and I am feeling pretty inspired. R is on a business trip this week so I need to get lots done here on this space. As we inch into Monday and the start of Halloween week, I have decided to do all kinds of Halloween themed posts this week.

Because it is one of my favorite times of the year I want to offer up some quick last minute tips and tricks for decorations and last minute costume ideas. I have a few other thoughts up my sleeve but I need to keep some of them a surprise! I hope to see you right back here tomorrow for a quick and easy craft project!

Have a great Sunday evening!






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Career change!

Happy weekending! I hope you all had a fabulous week! I have some great news to share with all of you. After a very hard week of soul searching and contemplating change I am happy to announce I have decided to make a career change!

I had a very quick and exciting job offer that after lots of thought I couldn't pass up. I am currently working in operations at a materials testing lab but my heart has always been in marketing and social media. I have a bachelor degree in Marketing but have never fully utilized it.

In 2 weeks I will be starting a new chapter of my life in marketing and development for a non-profit organization. I will be working for a cause that I can see and that means so much to me. There will be a lot of change in the upcoming months but I am so ready for it.

I can't wait to share this journey with you all! See ya back here on Monday!

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Wedding Wednessday: Sneak Peaks

As I have mentioned on Monday, I had engagement photos done over the weekend with R. I do not have the photos back yet but I did take a few photos of my own. I wanted to share a quick sneak peak of the location as it was so beautiful and was taken in my hometown!

Enjoy!

Engagement Photoshoot Ideas

Engagement Photoshoot Ideas
The train came through!

Engagement Photoshoot Ideas
Playing around with the mini pumpkin and my ring.

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Wedding Weekending!

Sooo... My weekend was so full of wedding related stuff and I didn't even plan it! I had mentioned that I had engagement photos planned for Saturday. Me and R headed back to my hometown in Pennsylvania to meet with a dear friend. It all was perfect, except for the fact that it was 47 degrees outside! Of course it picked this weekend to decide to be fall on the borderline of winter. Good news is the scenery was beautiful and the sky was blue. We sucked it up and got some pretty great shots!

Between shots.. It was SO cold! And the wind was fierce!

Saturday morning I woke up to a text from R who was downstairs. The text contained a photo of what it looked like outside. Let's just say I am not one of those people who appreciated this..


Okay enough about that white stuff that makes me cold. One of my best friends and bridesmaids came up for the day on Sunday. We headed out to the wedding venue for lunch. I was so excited to be able to share it with someone else. We enjoyed some lunch and participated in some wine tasting both at the venue and another on the wine trail. We had so much fun and tasted some pretty amazing wines! I want to leave you all with a little teaser of the ceremony site as well as the reception site..

Not bad for a ceremony backdrop right?!

Wine barrels and lights!


Happy Monday!

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Friday Snapshot: Volume 1

Whew! We made it! I am going to try something new today, and hopefully every Friday moving forward. I am going to post a snapshot of my week here. This would include links I loved, links I posted, and weekly updates that I feel shaped me and this blog. So what do you say? Give this a shot with me? Also the winner is announced for my first giveaway! She has been emailed but I will announce it at the bottom of this post!


In case you missed it

Currently: Struggle Bus Edition
Wedding Wedneday: Inspiration
Blogging: How I'm Making Small Changes for Big Results

Updates this week


I made a few updates on the blog appearance. In case you haven't noticed, my sidebar photo is new and I also updated my 'About Me' page. Run on over and check that out!

I have really upped my game when it comes to photos. I really enjoy photography but have really slacked when it came to taking quality photos. Between using my DSLR and stock photos, I have cleaned up my images. This makes me smile. 

I am toying around with posting 4-5 days a week. I am ending this week with 4 posts. I am feeling confident that I can do this now and put out quality content. Please forgive me if I miss a day.

Coming up next week


This weekend R and I will be having our engagement photos. I expect I will have some commentary on that come my Wedding Wednesday post.

I am working on a few new ideas to work into my blogging rotation. One being this particular series. I want to be able to share favorites links from other bloggers along with products and such I am into. I may even start a 'Favorites' post incorporating all the things that make up this blog: Fitness, Thrity, and all round life things.

I vowed to work on posting more photos of myself. I have taken a few photos for a post that I am planning to share this week on simple wedding makeup, even when your face is breaking out.  I am excited for this. I hope you all enjoy it.

My first newsletter goes live! Have you subscribed yet?

WINNER


The winner of my first giveaway is:

Katherine C from Katherine's Corner! Congrats!

Thank you to everyone who participated! Thank you all for the support! This place means so much to me and having you all here makes it that much better! Happy weekend!




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Blogging: How I'm making small changes for big results

I've officially been blogging for 20 months. Yes I'm going the month route. Kinda like a baby. In reality this space is like my baby. It demands attention. It needs to be fed, changed, and encouraged. It's not going to walk on its own. It a not going to talk on its own.

The reality of it is each and every blog needs a village (or community) to grow. Bloggers need to take the steps to interact with other bloggers and their readers. Research them. Find out what they want to see. Sounds a little daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's smooth sailing.

To bad there isn't a 'What to Expect when you're Growing a Blog' book out there. Because there is no official book that tells you exactly what to do, I am going to share the little changes I have been making lately to see big results.



Follow other bloggers

You may be thinking 'I already do that'. That's great but, what I've been focusing on is 3 specific bloggers. I've picked 3 bloggers who have different blogging styles and are still attracting readers who comment. This is great research. You can see what they are doing to keep readers coming back.

Update your photos

I just recently updated my main sidebar photo as well as my 'About Me' photo. This allows your readers to see you are growing and evolving. It's great to let your readers see you, and what you are up to. This is something I am still learning. In time I know it will be a good thing to update my photos. 

Clean up your sidebars

I noticed I had a few things lingering that weren't still accurate for my blog. I removed everything that didn't belong and moved some things to other places that made more sense. I think it looks clean and more professional this way.

Host a giveaway

I recently hosted my first one. It was small but it still got people motivated to stop by. Speaking of giveaway, come back tomorrow to see if you're the winner!

Comment 

I know EVERYONE tells you this, but it's so true. I have been spending a few minutes every day commenting on my favorite blogs. I am also taking this opportunity to comment on new blogs. I search other comments and if they have a blog I visit them as well. It's a win/win. You're showing someone some love and chances are they will do the same.

Social Media

Pick 2 social media platforms to focus on. It is nearly impossible to keep them all up to date all the time and not feel burnt out. I am focusing on Instagram and Pinterest lately. I'd love if you would follow me! Let's help each other out.

Commitment

Commit to what works for you. If that means writing out 5 blog posts on Sunday for the week then so be it. If that means only posting 3 times a week, do it. Don't commit to something you can't deliver. Currently I am blogging 3 times a week. It works for me. My readers know this. In the next few weeks I may start blogging 5 days a week. Is it going to work for me? I don't know yet. But I'm going to warn everyone before I do it.

Secret Weapon

Do something that is unique to just you. Make something your signature. Your secret weapon. This can be anything. For me, I am further educating myself. I am spending the money to take my craft further. This is something that makes me feel good and helps this blog grow. Of course there are others but I can't give them all away!

What simple tips do you follow to grow your blog and your audience?


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Wedding Wednesday: Inspiration

Over the weekend I crashed my friends wedding... sorta. I made the 6 hour trip with a mutual friend to help celebrate her wedding day. Even though I went to celebrate her and her husband I couldn't help but take notice to all of the little details. Details I am looking at now to plan my own wedding.


She got married in a church. A beautiful Greek Orthodox church. I have never been in such a beautiful place. The detail in the murals and the sparkle in the chandelier was like nothing I have experienced before. I started to compare it to my ceremony. I am getting married at a winery. I will be surrounded by beautiful scenery brought to me by nature. The detail I will see will come from the flowers and the trees. The sparkle will come from the sun shining down on me.

The ceremony was beautiful. I learned so much, as I have never attended a Greek ceremony before. I really loved the traditions and how it all flowed in a way that I never felt bored, or ready for it to be over. 45 minutes sounded like a long time, but it flew by so quickly. I now think about the ceremony I will have. I haven't even thought about who would officiate my special day. Me and R are both baptized Catholic but neither of us are apart of a church. Things to think about as we move forward.

After the bride and groom excused us from the church, we headed to the reception space. A party in a banquet room of a casino. An idea I would have never come up with as my own. It made perfect sense to me. The casino had a hotel, restaurant, and spa. Everything you could need was found in this space. My reception will be hosted at a winery. Dinner will be served in the in house restaurant and the party will take place surrounded by beautifully decorated wine barrels. I can offer my guests a night of dancing, socializing, and good local wine.

During dinner guests were encouraged to get up and make toasts to the bride and groom. I really loved this idea. It takes the pressure off of the maid of honor and best man. Anyone could make a speech and that to me makes more sense. Everyone has well wishes for you and your new life. Why not let them spoil you with them in front of your guests?

The whole day was perfect. I was really excited to be apart of their special day, and left with all sorts of new ideas for my own wedding. It reminds me how all weddings are beautiful not matter how they go down. We all have our own traditions and visions, to make our day, us. We want to show our friends and family a good time, but we also want it to symbolize us as a couple. I can't wait to continue to share this journey with all of you.

Where do/did you get inspiration for your wedding?



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Currently: Struggle Bus Edition

As you can see it is now the afternoon on the east coast and I am just not around to getting this blog posted. I am on the struggle bus today hardcore. Let's see how this currently list is gonna work.


Currently:


Feeling: Exhausted is an understatement but I felt like dead wouldn't work either. Driving 12 hours total in a 30 hour period with only 6 of those hours having any sleep, kind of caught up bad this morning. 

Thinking: How amazing it was to cross off a few items on my bucket list this weekend. I took a spontaneous road trip to crash a friends wedding. I also got to learn about a faith that I didn't know much about. Super win this weekend!

Reading: I just finished up The Royal We by Heather Cocks. It was such a cute book. Now I am craving another Brit Lit! Any suggestions?

Planning: Well the obvious answer would be my wedding. So much stuff already checked off and still so many little things to do. On top of my wedding I am also planning some other life events. Stay tuned for me details!

Eating: I have really gotten back to eating healthier and enjoying all that fall has to offer. I have a big bowl of spaghetti squash with peppers and garlic on my desk for lunch today. It's really yummy and not so bad for me. How do you prepare your squash?

Looking forward to: There are so many things I am looking forward to, but on a short term basis I am looking forward to Halloween. It is one of my favorite times of the year to get together with old friends and have a good time. This year it is falling on the weekend so it allows me to plan easier. I have no idea what I am going to be, but that's okay right?

Planning for the blog: New content. New series. More giveaways. I am going all out. I am taking the step to get this place in action. 

What are you currently up to?






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Garlic and Cheesecake!

We have made it to Friday and I couldn't be more thrilled! This is kind of a Friday five post to a point. I am going to tell you about 5 things I am excited about currently. Make sense?

1. I FINALLY broke down and ordered a camera tripod. I have had my DSLR since Christmas and haven't fully utilized it. I am hoping by having the tripod will motivate me to pick it up more often. I am all for taking photos with my smartphone but sometimes I need the fancy pants camera to get the perfect shot. I just ordered it yesterday so it make take a few weeks before I get to use and it showcase my work here.

2. I haven't had a chance to talk about my mini vacation! Me and R went away for the weekend and visited a town in Pennsylvania called Easton. Doesn't sound that exciting right? Wrong. We went with little expectation other than to relax and get away. (I had a free hotel room at an Easton hotel that I won last year somehow..) Anywho... We had a BLAST. They had so much going on down in the area, which is right outside of Allentown and Bethlehem. We visited 2 festivals. An Octoberfest sponsored by Yunegling Brewery (One of my fave beers!) on Saturday where it rained a lot but I got to meet up with an old coworker and eat steudel. Score!

On Sunday we headed to the Garlic Fest in center square Easton. It was AH-MAZ-ING! The weather cleared up and it was a beautiful fall day. Right off of the square is the Crayola Experience. We didn't go in but we had a blast photographing the outside! Giant crayons and markers everywhere! We also sampled a ton of great garlic dishes. We attended a dessert competition where everything had to incorporate garlic. We had cheesecake, rice crispy treats, ice cream, and brownies. The cheesecake was TO DIE FOR!

Such an amazing day! I would recommend Easton, PA for a quick getaway. So much to do. I hear there is a bacon fest in November...
3. We got the venue for the wedding booked this week. I had my first dress fitting, which was super exciting. Things are moving along nicely in that department. I feel like 2 large items have been checked off my list, which takes the stress down a few notches.

4. I am attending a Cider festival this weekend. Can't wait to see what that brings. I love the fall for this reason alone. So many great festivals! Lots of eating and drinking. What's not to love?

5. I am officially launching a new series next week! I talked about this months ago and it never got off the ground. The series is called "Short Stories" and it is all related to all us short girls out there. I am going to encourage you to send in stories of your own if you are 5'3 and under. I am so exited for this.

6. Last but not least.. my first ever giveaway on the blog ended yesterday. Thank you to everyone who entered and supported it. Look for the winner next week! Could it be you?

Have a great weekend folks!
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Wedding Wednesday: Boutique or Chain?

Two months. It's been two months since R popped the question. Two months of being engaged. I have to admit. I have accomplished a lot more than I had anticipated. We officially booked our venue this week AND I bought my dress. That last detail there still doesn't seem real. I. Bought. My. Dress. I keep saying it but it's not sticking yet. 

Six days after getting engaged me and R attended a bridal expo. There were two bridal dress shops set up. One was David's Bridal and one was a local off the rack boutique called Dressellas. I scheduled a consultation with David's Bridal and chatted with the ladies at Dressellas. They both seemed like perfectly good places to start when it came to looking at dresses. A few weeks later I stopped in at Dressellas and also scheduled an appointment with them the same day as David's Bridal. I was pumped.


The date finally arrived and my parents came up for the day. We left my dad and R to their own devices and made the hour trip to David's Bridal. The appointment was at 1 so we decided to stop for lunch. The restaurant was literally right next door to David's Bridal, but the food never came and we had to take it to go. Not off to the best start.

We walked into David's Bridal and I was taken care of immediately. This was great however I was not feeling any of the dresses. Each dress felt like it was the same dress over and over again. I am really short so all the dresses were super long and there was nothing for me to stand on to see the full effect. After the third dress I pretty much lost interest in trying on anymore dresses. They must have put me in 10 dresses and I started feeling sad. None of these dresses were for me.

We came to the end of the dresses they had for me to try. Everyone looked pretty frustrated. Me, at all the dresses that didn't work out. Them, at all the time they just spend with me just for me to tell them I wasn't interested in any of them. I felt really awful when I left. None of the dresses felt special to me and the mood in the place had me wanting to run away and never look back. I am not sure exactly what the problem was, but I didn't feel like it was the place for me.

After all of the disappointment, we hid in my car and ate our lunch before proceeding the hour back home. We were now headed to Dressellas. We arrived about 10 minutes early and I was really considering cancelling. I was in no mood to try on any more dresses. We were greeted immediately and were told we could go and pick out any dresses I was interested in trying. This was shocking to me as I didn't get the option at David's Bridal.

I selected 5 dresses to start. The first 2 were not worthy of even leaving the dressing room but the third was getting me interested. I came out of the dressing room and was told I could go stand on the pedestal in front of the 3 way mirror. This was AWESOME. I was able to see the dress in its entirety. It flowed down to the floor and for the first time I was able to picture myself as a bride.

I put aside a dress and decided I should pick out something big and crazy as I said when picking through the racks. I emerged with a dress I would have NEVER thought would be something I'd like. I put the dress on, stepped on the pedestal and that was it. I had found "the one". It flowed down so beautifully and I felt comfortable and confident in it. This was the dress for me.

I had a wonderful experience. I was smiling. I felt beautiful. My mom shed some tears. The boutique was really the best option for me. I was not happy at David's Bridal. They didn't do anything wrong, but I just didn't feel connected at all. I can't even explain it. I tried to explain what I wanted but it didn't seem to work. I mean no disrespect to the chain, but it wasn't for me.

Where did you get your dress? What do you think? Chain or boutique?







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October Goals: Transition

And then it was October.. Also known as my favorite month of the year! There are many reasons why this is true, but mostly it's a time of transition. Metaphorically speaking of course. September was a time for me where I wanted to re-introduce creativity into my daily life. I have always enjoyed art and photography and creative writing to a point. I feel like as I've gotten older I have pushed those things out and replaced them with past times that weren't quite as important to me.


In September I decided to clean the slate and find my creative self. This is a lot harder than it sounds. Let's see how I did:

Start a Journal

I vowed to write in my journal every day in September. Well sadly I didn't write in my journal everyday, but I did write 20 of the 30 days, which is a pretty good if you ask me. On days I didn't write in the journal I was writing drafts for upcoming blog posts or assignments for my writing class. I still feel like I accomplished this goal for the month. I did more writing than I have in a long time. I am going to keep this goal open and see where it goes.

Collaborate

I had plans to collaborate with a few ideas for October but I didn't get them all established. I am however hosting my first giveaway on the blog! (You should enter! It's open until Thursday!). So I would say even though I didn't get all of my ideas out, I did accomplish one. I will keep this goal open for the rest of the year and see where I'm out in 2016.

Up My Stats

I was aiming to reach 10,000 views for the month and I sold myself short by taking a blogging break. I am do not regret taking the break but it did affect my stats. There is always next month right?

Blog Planning

I took a blogging break to help myself re-focus. I feel like this break helped me do better with planning out my posts. I have been able to find more time to set aside for blog related activities. I am spending more time on my writing. photographs, and interacting with the blogging community. I would say I did a great job on this and will continue to practice this into the future.

I feel like I accomplished a lot in September. There were definitely some set backs but I came out of everything with a better attitude and less stress. Now to move into October. I want to focus on confidence. That will be my Happy Project word. Now what I want to accomplish.

  • Finish my writing class. Start researching more classes to better enhance my writing and business skills. This blog is my second job and it's about time I start treating it like it is. 
  •  Send out 2 pitches to brands I am interesting in working with. I am ready to start monetizing my blog and this is something I need to do. I need to get over the nervous hump and just do it. The worst that can happen is the word no right?
  • Post more photos of myself. I know this sounds vain but it is a confidence issue I have. This blog is about me and my life so it is about time I start showing you who I am. This is the goal I am most afraid of. Wish me luck.
 What are your plans and goals for October? Have any fun things planned? Keep up with me as I start showing you who I am and where I want to go with this. Happy Tuesday!


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I love Fall

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about it! The colors, the scents, the food, the clothes. It all makes me so nostalgic and it keeps the world magical. I look forward to wearing boots, wearing scarves, lighting yummy candles and of course who can forget pumpkin EVERYTHING! I have compiled a few of my favorite fall things to get me into the full fall swing.


Fall

1. I am in the market for a new pair of cute boots an I am loving the zip on the side of these lovely ankle boots.

2. Leaves by Bath and Body Works is one of my all time favorite fall scents. I am in desperate need for a new one as I burned mine completely down last year.

3. The pumpkin dutch oven is the cutest thing I have ever seen! I need this in my kitchen stat!

4. Next up, DD Pumpkin everything. My FAVORITE! It's even more exciting because it is already back!

5. Next up is fall eye shadow palettes. I love the warm colors and this one is AMAZING. I need to buy it!

6. Scarves! I own so many scarves and I can't wait to bust them out. I have a soft spot for plaids..


What are you favorite fall items? Do you splurge this time of year? I know I do!


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Moving past the eclipse

Is it just me or did the blood moon throw everyone off this week? This has been one of those weeks for the record books. And not the good type of records! I think I have spilled more food on myself, had more arguments with R, and less patience at work than I have had in years! It was sure pretty to look at but, man is it reaping some havoc on us!

Weekend


Enough of that though... In hopes to move on to better things, R and I are heading out of town for the weekend. We haven't had much time for that this year but it is much needed. With the wedding planning and temper tantrums in between, life has been pretty wild. We will be headed to the Allentown, PA area for the Yuengling Octoberfest! I am pretty stoked to spend some time at a festival. So many amazing vendors and of course the beer tastings! Anyone else going?

Make sure to follow along on Instagram! I love to share what I'm up to exclusively to my Instagram followers.We are also planning to stop at another festival on Sunday before heading home. I absolutely love the Allentown area. So much to do!

What are you doing this weekend?


In Case You Missed It:

Blogging Break: What I learned
Getting Back to Natural this Fall
My First Giveaway!





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Exciting Announcement! + Giveaway!

I bet you're wondering why I am posting on a Thursday. I try to keep a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule but I really, really couldn't wait any longer to tell you all my exciting news!

Yes, yes I know the temptation is killing you. Well after a year and a half of blogging I have decided to start my very first newsletter! Because I am super excited about this and am really hoping you will join it so my fiance is not my only subscriber, I am also hosting my very first giveaway!

Before I get into the giveaway deets I want to give you a quick idea of what to expect when you subscribe to my newsletter. First and foremost you can expect some sassy tips about life. I love to give little quirky tips on how to make life easier. You will also have access to some sneak peak info on upcoming Blog Staycations. My favorite topic will also make an appearance, and of course that is some nifty thrifty tips.

The newsletter will only grace your mailboxes once a week and I will only send more if there is something SUPER important or exciting that I can't wait to share. This is my first time doing something like this, so please cut me some slack but also send me feedback! I love to improve things if they aren't what you all like to see.

So what do you think? Will you join me

 Now on to the giveaway...

I am so excited to be offering my first ever giveaway on the blog! I have some great ladies joining me today to give away a waterproof iPod Shuffle! Here on The Trish List I believe in living a healthier lifestyle. This iPod will be a great addition to your favorite exercises. This also includes swimming! How cool is that?! Enter below and visit these lovely ladies and show them some love!

(Source)
This is the stock photo. You will get the Ipod Shuffle, the case and the interchangeable earbuds. Pretty sweet deal!

                     Trish                                                                                                   Anne


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
 
Thank you for all of your support and good luck! 


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