Tag: blog

Pulchri-what?

Published on by Alicia5 Comments

I have officially forgotten how to blog. After two months of daily prompts thought up a month or so in advance and now moving to a fresh clean, promptless slate, I have forgotten how to blog. I have sat at my computer for 15 minutes because the only thing I wanted to write about was snow, candy canes, and Christmas.

So, until I regain the ability of blogging, I have decided to write a little blurb about how I chose the title of my blog (I mentioned it in an award post but I guarantee no one reads those so, I’m going to elaborate and write a new one).

Flashback to October 2015, when I first had the idea of creating a blog. After scouring the web for URL ideas, I decided on the URL buddhistvegann. I had originally planned on making my blog about transitioning into the vegan lifestyle and I wanted to talk about how I was following my the teachings of the buddha and things of that nature.

Fast forward to the beginning of June 2016, when I began my social media detox and decided to start a life I wanted to live. I created the name selflovinalicia, because I was, and still am on a journey of self-love. That name lasted for a few months but I soon decided I needed something else. I also didn’t want my name in my URL. No hate or anything to people who include their names in their URLs but it just wasn’t for me.

When I returned to social media in August or September or whenever, a friend of my mom’s commented on a photo (of my family) “What a pleasurable plethora of pulchritude.” Having never heard/seen that word I went and googled it (hoping he wasn’t calling us ugly or annoying) and I found out that pulchritude is defined as beauty. Live pulchritudinously meaning ‘live beautifully’ which is something I aspire to do on the daily, so I decided to change my blog URL to livepulchritudinously as a reminder to live a life full of pulchritude, and it’s a very good conversation starter.

So, there you have it, the reason behind my blog title.

Alicia

Peru plans?

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

Hi everyone. I haven’t been in the biggest writing mood, mainly because I am trying to keep up with my New Year’s resolutions, one of those being ‘get and maintain a solid sleep schedule.” 99% of the time my best posts are written between the hours of 1 and 3 in the morning, and that just isn’t cutting it for my body right now.

So, it is only about 9:30 right now at night and I still have plenty of time before my newly created bedtime.

One of my other resolutions (although I’m not sure if I put it on my list and quite frankly I don’t feel like checking) was to volunteer, more specifically volunteer abroad.

Since something I want to do with my life is teach English abroad, I think it is a smart choice to test out what working abroad is like. Yes, traveling is fun but If I don’t like living out of a suitcase or two for a month, what will it be like for an entire semester?

Basically, I have applied to volunteer at an orphanage in Lima, Peru, starting April 1st 2017 and spanning for 4 weeks. This is something I really want to do, not only to see if I enjoy going abroad, but to be able to give my time to children in need is something so rewarding beyond words.

Phase 1: Get accepted into the program is complete.

Phase 2: Have enough money to fund this trip is almost complete

And finally Phase 3 (yes I know there are so many other things I need to do like get shots, buy proper shoes, etc. but the phases at hand are not those quite yet): convince my parents is a merely 50% complete. I have convinced my mother; she is excited for me and even a bit jealous (going to Macchu Pichu is the top item on her bucket list) however my dad, is a little more reserved and harder to talk to about this type of thing. I brought it up once and he completely grazed over the entire idea, which is, in the least, frustrating.

So, I have an entire google doc of my trip itinerary and budget planned out, and my dad would rather watch Pitch Perfect 2 than discuss the trip of a lifetime with his eldest daughter. So, while I continue to plot how we ever will discuss this trip, Ill be here, saving all of my money and comparing all the brands of hiking shoes there are.

Alicia

Winter Necessities

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Hi everyone, this was originally going to be a Blogmas post, however I wanted to wait and see what I got for Christmas as a filler for this list. I was going to post this earlier however I haven’t had much time or motivation for posting. But here I am, back in action.  I also appreciate all the comments, likes, and emails about my dog. I appreciate everything you have said and thank you for your kind words. Let’s get started with some of my winter necessities.

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Oatifix Face Mask (Lush): During the winter my dry skin becomes dryer and the fact that my skin is sensitive does not help one bit. I am a firm believer in keeping my skin care and life as natural as possible so shopping at Lush is a natural move for me. With its mix of vanilla, oats, and bananas, this mask is perfect for moistening dry skin and is great for those with sensitive skin as well.  I am in love with this facemask and I use it all the time.

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Acure Brightening Facial Scrub: I have been using this face wash for a few months now and I use it religiously in the winter. During the winter, I tend to get stressed more (not sure why) so I always break out. This mask is a savior for clearing up my skin. It helps keep skin clear and keeps skin bright which is necessary during the winter.

Candles: Candles are my shit. No matter the scent or color or size or whatever of the candle is, I love candles. I burn candles day in and day out. The one I am obsessed with at the moment is an Essenza candle is the scent Pomegranate Fuji Apple. My dad got a 4-pack of those candles from a work party a bit ago and I love all four of them.

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Biore Strips: More skin care woot. During the winter, my pores seem to triple in size, leaving loads of room for blackheads to form. However, I use Biore strips on my nose (and my chin sometimes too) so I don’t look like I have tiny volcanoes littering my face.

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Fun (Lush): This is an amazing soap/ shampoo duo that can also be used as a bubble bath. I am a firm believer in baths, especially during the winter when it’s cold outside. This fun is able to be molded into fun shapes or just tossed into the bath for a bubble bath. It is such a versatile product and not to mention, it smells fabulous.

Slippers: Alright, I have never owned a pair of slippers (or at least not in the past like 9 years) and I received a pair a few weeks back, and my life has been changed. I died and was then resurrected. I am the 2017 Jesus. Basically, they’re like walking on clouds and if I’m in the house, they are on my feet. If you own slippers, I am now part of the secret slipper sisters club, and if you don’t:  Buy some…NOW

Bath Robes: Basically just read the slippers one except substitute slippers with bath robes and you’re good.

These are my winter necessities, what are yours?

Ruff day

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

Yesterday morning I disregarded my alarm clock and decided to sleep in. At around noon (didn’t want to sleep that late) I was awoken by a vibrating phone on my nightstand. Seeing my mom’s caller ID, I answered. The first words I heard yesterday morning were “Well, do you want to come with me and do it?” from my sobbing mother. With no context, I knew it was about my dog.

My first words yesterday morning were “No, you’re kidding me.” I immediately rose from my bed, not sure if I was coherent and the message I just heard was real or not, putting pants on and walking out of my room. I sat at the top of the stairs, where my dog should have been after her vet appointment that morning, and watched as my sister got ready to leave to go to a friend’s house.

What started as a day we had hoped would discover an abscess tooth living inside my dog’s mouth soon turned into a lump in her chest and sores coating her tongue and throat.

As I sat there listening to my mother repeat the message to me, igniting my sobs from leaving my body. I trembled and shook as I learned the fate of my beloved dog. After deciding I had to say goodbye, I tried to do something with my unkempt sleep hair and swollen eyes while waiting for my mom to pick me up to head to the vet.

As I walked into the private room at the veterinary office, a sudden gust of sadness engulfed the room. As I sat on the floor waiting for the receptionist to bring my dog into the room, I remembered why I had worn sunglasses on that gloomy day, so no one could see the red clouds that were my eyes.

This was it. The second I saw my dog, sad, scared, and desperate, I was done, tearing welling in my eyes, hoping to burst past the levies and ignite a flood of emotions I wasn’t prepared to unleash.

After seeing some familiar faces, she took a seat on my lap and all I could do was hug her. Hug her for being the best dog I could ever have, hug her for being sorry that she was in so much pain, and hug her for being so strong.

After we left I cried more. I have tears staining my cheeks, my coat, my pillow, everywhere. The house is quiet and empty and every time the doorbell has been rung I expect to see her getting up to see who is there, or whenever I eat food, I expect to see her wanting some and I keep closing the bathroom door behind me, even though there is no need. It has been a weird day and I know it will be a weird few weeks or months as I get out of the habits I took 9 years to build.

I won’t be able to eat popcorn or carrots the same way again and I will miss our couch cuddles you pushing me off the couch you weren’t even allowed on.  I will miss my slippy slippy lovie girl. She was the greatest joy to come home to. Cancer sucks and I will miss and love you always.

“It is a fearful thing to love what death can touch.”

Persevere

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

This post has been sitting in my drafts for almost a week, with the first two lines edited so many times I cannot count.

One of the NaBloPoMo prompts was to choose a word for 2017. At the time I hadn’t thought about my goals for the New Year because the year wasn’t over and I had no idea what I would want to accomplish in the New Year.

I do now. I know exactly what I want to do. I want need to persevere.

Something I do a lot is start things. I start so many things. I start working out, start eating healthy, start planning for something, start reading a book, start etc. etc. Something I don’t do is finish. I am a quitter. I don’t like to label myself as a quitter, no one does,  but it’s what I am. I quit working out, I quit eating healthy, I quit planning, I quit reading, I quit everything. I quit when the going gets tough and I am sick of it.

I have quit so many things throughout my life and I hate it. I want to persevere. I want to keep going. When the going gets tough, I want to get tougher. Maybe it’s because I put too much on my plate, or maybe it’s because I’m lazy, whatever it is, I need to persevere.

Year in review

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Sup fam. Happy New Year. I did a whole lot of popcorn and ice cream eating last night, followed by cards and my dad singing from the other room. I have decided to take a walk down memory lane that was 2016. 2016 in general sucked ass, however personally, it was hit or miss. I’m going to go thru the months and share some of my most memorable moments.

New year, new hair. The most exciting thing about January was dying my hair red. I also started my second semester of school but that’s not important. I also got a traffic ticket in January, which also sparked the first time I ever cried in a public bathroom, but let’s not talk about that.

February was such an irrelevant month filled with homework, coffee shops, and the start of politics. The only remotely interesting thing was that Leonardo DiCaprio won his Oscar. That’s it, bye February you irrelevant month.

Breaking news! Martin O’Malley drops out of presidential election! Basically the saddest news of 2016. Followed by my innerds combusting inside of me giving me my period at an alarming rate for the entire month. The only good thing that happened in March was my friend Marisa coming to visit and going home to a nice warm bed and home cooked food.

April is the month of final projects in school. I was cursed with my group and did 97% of the work for ours. We ended up receiving the highest grade in the class, but only thanks to me. My cousin also married her high school sweetheart so that was adorable.

Welcome to the big girl world. I finished my first year of college in May and started my first real job. My sister also graduated 8th grade, so she’s moving up in the world too.

Bye bye to my social life and up-to-dateness on everything. I gave up social media completely during June and am still glad I did it.

“She looks so perfect standing there” with her broken toe covered in an ice wrap. My dog broke her toe in July and had to ice and heat her poor foot every day. I also saw my favorite band in concert so that was one of the best days of my life. as well.

Such a preface to fall. I fell out of my kayak in August. I also redownloaded social media but that’s not too much of an event.

Wake me up when September ends. Literally, this month I started my babysitting job and soon realized I needed to quit said job.

October was cool, and I don’t just mean the weather. I quit my babysitting job from hell and saw one of my favorite bands, Saint Motel

Hey Chicago, what do you say, the Cubs won the World Series today. Just when I thought that everything was right in the world, Donald Trump flipped me the bird, spat on my face, grabbed me by the p*ssy, and won the presidential election. But then my dog turned 10 on November 10th, so I was able to forget about Satan and his soon to be reign for at least a few days.

“This is where I binge eat vegan donuts in my corolla.” On December 8th I had the pleasure of seeing my favorite comedian, Chris Fleming. It was fab and basically the only thing eventful that happened in December; unless you call getting shit on for your makeup on Christmas by your whole family eventful.

That was my 2016, how was yours?

Alicia

Blogmas photo set

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Good morning friends (if I ever get good enough wifi to post this), I am with my family and a friend up in Wisconsin to ring in the New Year but I still have time to blog, considering only my mother, dog and I awake right now. I’ve decided I wanted to document Blogmas in photo form. I write day in and day out on this blog and I wanted to switch it up by just showing my entire month of Blogmas in photos (and captions of course…alas… I am still a writer) Let’s get to it.


That was Blogmas.
Alicia

17 in 2017

Published on by Alicia10 Comments

Hi everyone, something I always struggle with are new years resolutions. Everyone always makes them, follows them for a week, and then make the same resolution the year after. When I used to go to the gym right by my house, my dad and I would go the weekend on New Years and there would be so many people you couldn’t get a machine. January 5th came, and the gym was basically empty again. However, I do have a few goals for not only myself but my blog in 2017 and I thought I would share them with you all. Let’s get started.

  1. Blog consistently: Last year started out rough, there were some months that I had 16 posts and other that I had only 1. Hopefully after doing NaBloPoMo AND Blogmas, the art of consistency will stay with me.
  2. End the year with at least double the amount of posts I have now. As of me righting this post I have 143 blog posts in 2016. I would like to end the year with writing at least 143 more, maybe even more than that. I know it will be easy for the first half of the year with no school and such, but I will persevere to the end of the year. Maybe I’ll start writing 2017’s Blogmas posts now 😉
  3. Connect with more Bloggers: I always go through my Reader and read and like people’s posts but I really want to comment on more and connect with more of the people I follow.
  4. Take quality pictures: I always talk about things while I’m writing but am running behind on posting (last night for example and my 11:13pm post time) so I forget to take pictures. I just got an iPhone 7 (hello fab camera quality) so I’m going to work on taking all my own pictures and posting them mainly because it’s nice to have your own content on your website, but also because it probably takes more time finding a photo in good lighting, good background, etc than it does to get my item and take it.
  5. Read: I have so many books just waiting from to read them in my room and I have so many books I want to read and have yet to buy
  6. Learn something new: I don’t know what and I don’t know when; but I want to learn how to do something
  7. Move into the basement: I was supposed to move into the basement in August but my basement is a mess so I tentatively will be moving into the basement in January but I’m not sure.
  8. Volunteer: Something I really want to do is volunteer abroad. I am trying to go to Lima, Peru for 4 or 5 weeks. I am totally going to fund it myself… I just have to convince my dad. Since I want to teach English abroad when I’m older,  I really want to test it out by going abroad and seeing if I like it  before I devote my life to something. Because if for some reason I hat traveling abroad or something I would like to know before I major in it.
  9. Create a budget for myself: If I want to go to Peru, and I also want to visit some of my college friends, I need to stop spending money on lipsticks and food and create a monthly or weekly budget for spending so I can do the things I really want to.
  10. Choose a college: Obvious reasons for this haha
  11. Get a job: I need money and to get that, I need a job. Depending on if/when I volunteer will dictate what sort of job I get, so we’ll see.
  12. Clean: Since I am home daily, I sometimes spend the day sleeping or watching TV, when I could be cleaning all the dishes i don’t use. I also need to keep my bedroom clean. Right now it’s a mess because I am going through everything I own in preparation for moving to the basement but once I get a new and bigger room, I will maintain a clean room.
  13. Get on a solid sleep schedule: Nighttime is when I spend my time writing blog posts, reading blog posts, etc. So, when it’s all of a sudden 3 am… oops. Just because I’m home doesn’t mean I can be nocturnal. I need to develop a solid sleep schedule and put my electronics down, which is a lot easier said than done.
  14. Exercise: I am planning on starting Insanity when I get home from Wisconsin. Something to keep me active and exercising does help maintain a solid sleep schedule.
  15. Create a skincare routine: I have had eczema my whole life, and sensitive skin to top that off, so my skin hates me. I need to develop a skincare routine so my skin can love me again. Also one that isn’t uber expensive and easy(ish) to maintain.
  16. Be one of ‘those vegans’: I drink a solid one kale smoothie a week. When I have a mid life crisis at 2 am and decide I need to get my life together, which lasts about 2 days until my next one the following Sunday. I am trying to be one of those vegans who drinks kale smoothies and posts acai bowl photos on Tumblr… Okay not that extreme but I don’t want to be a vegan who eats a row of Oreos and a bag of popcorn for dinner.
  17. Drink more water: water is literally the holy grail of our body. We are over 75% water and how much we drink makes or breaks us. I have a 40 oz water bottle and some days I drink 2 of them but also some days I fall behind on my water consumption and I really can’t do that.I’m being very hopeful with these resolutions and I know some of them might not come true, but here are my aspirations for the year 2017, I’ll check back in 6 months.

    Alicia

What I got for Christmas

Published on by Alicia7 Comments

Hi everyone, I hope your Christmas was good/ your Hanukkah is going well/ whatever holiday you do or don’t celebrate has been phenomenal. I have seen a ton of people on here showcase a few items that they got for Christmas, and I’ve decided to do the same. I am so thankful for everything I was given this year, and can’t wait to use everything I was given. Let’s get to it, shall we?

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  1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath- While I only mentioned wanting Eat, Pray, Love in My Christmas Wish List post, this was another book I desperately wanted. I was super pumped about receiving it, and can’t wait to read it.
  2. Urban Decay “Vice” Lipstick Palette- After receiving this palette and a ton of other lippies, I will never need to buy lipstick again. I am absolutely in love with this palette and haven’t even used every color. There are so many amazing colors, a nice brush, and a really cute palette cover which says ‘lipstick is my vice.” The colors are super creamy and not drying and I love the ones I have used.
  3. Makeup mirror- I don’t wear makeup often, but when I do, I am propped in front of my closet mirror, which consists of poor lighting and a possible terrible outcome. This year, Santa brought both my sister and I a makeup mirror, and I can safely say, I have used it so much in the 5 days I have had it.
  4. Eyebrow sculpting kit- Something I take very seriously are my eyebrows. If I leave the house with only one piece of makeup on, it’s on my brows. I got some eyebrow brushes, tweezers, and a cute little carrying bag for all of my eyebrow needs.
  5. Some shirts- I didn’t get all the feminist shirts I mentioned in my post that I wanted but I did get some other very cool shirts that I also really wanted. From my grandpa and grandma, I got an olive green shirt that says “MAGNOLIA” on it. It is from the show “Fixer Upper, which I am obsessed with. I also got a shirt that says “Meowsterwives” on it next to a kitten. One of my favorite bands are the Misterwives and to pair that band with cats, what could be better? Being the vegan that I am, I also asked for a few vegan shirts and received one that says “Be nice to animals.” It’s white, which will be an issue since I can’t eat or drink anything without spilling on myself, but I’ll manage.
  6. Soy sauce- Alright, alright, alright. So, it was Christmas Eve Eve at dinner, and my grandparents didn’t want to cook since they would be cooking nonstop for the next few days, so we ordered Chinese take-out. When the food arrived, I put some soy sauce on my vegetable lo mein and remarked that we needed to buy more soy sauce because we were running low at my house. My aunt retorted with “Christmas is coming.” The next night, while opening Christmas gifts, I opened an amazon box, to find none other than a half gallon of soy sauce. My aunt and mom had gone to Costco that morning and happened to stumble on the sauce so that had to buy it and put it under the tree.

Those were some of my favorite things I got for Christmas. What did you get for whatever winter holiday you celebrate?

Alicia

Blogmas wrap-up post of sorts

Published on by AliciaLeave a comment

Hi everyone, I realized I never really reflected on Blogmas, or even did a ceremonial extinguishing of the Blogmas torch. I have been so busy with family and friends and stuff I have had no time. I know I said I wanted to post every day during December but honestly, that wasn’t realistic. On the 24th, 25th, and 26th, I basically woke up, had breakfast, got ready, and left my house for the entire day, so there has been no time to do much of anything, let alone writing.So, I do have a few year-end posts but other than that Blogmas and Blogging in general for 2016 is done.

I’m honestly really proud of myself for blogging for 24 days in a row (especially since I had done NaBloPoMo which was every day during November and I was sort of blogged out). My initial plans were to blog every day in December like I said, but honestly, I’d much rather see friends and family than be glued to my computer for an hour or more each day. Basically, I’m pretty proud of Blogmas, and basically the entire latter for 2016 in blogging terms. I’ve been consistent, and obviously, I won’t be blogging daily in 2017, but more consistently than 1-5 times a month.

Basically, this is a total shout out to me post, toot my own horn, pat myself on the back, for not sucking at Blogmas like I initially thought I would. So, there may be another post today, there may be one tomorrow, I’m not quite sure. But I do want to make a post sharing a couple of my fave things I got for Christmas and then some 2017 goals and things you know, making resolutions that everyone and their mother know won’t happen.

Until my next post, whenever that may be.

Alicia

Waking up on Christmas

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8:09 am: my door cracks open, letting in a line of light directly hitting my face, awakening me from my slumber

8:10 am: my sister coughs and mumbles something along the lines of “It’s Christmas come on.”

8:10 am: I jolt out of bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes, putting on my new bathrobe, pulling her into a Christmas hug as we descend down the stairs to our living room

8:15 am: Hannah Montana plays in the background (A Christmas tradition) as my sister and I peek in our stockings, hers revealing a new beauty blender and some anime figurines, and mine revealing the same beauty blender and some Play-Doh.

8:17 am: As my dog hears us ruffling through our stockings, she senses the possibility of some left over paper she can eat, and tramples down the stairs to see what all the ruckus is about. Despite her being sick she still has some pep in her step and tons of kisses to dish out.

8:30 am: I hear my mom cough and I immediately call up to her seeing if she is awake, to which I receive a heavy groan followed by a hmph

8:47 am: My father returns from Dunkin Donuts carting in a tray full of drinks for the four of us and some donuts for the three of them

9:00 am: My mother mopes downstairs finally after smelling the sweet iced coffee calling her name.

9:05 am: I am situated in front of the tree as everyone takes their seats on our furniture and my dog on my lap, I begin my role as Santa and begin to pass out presents.

9:45 am: Presents are unwrapped, coffee has been drunk, wrapping paper litters the floor, and smiles are all around.

Real Neat Blog Award

Published on by Alicia7 Comments

Hi everyone, this morning I received a nomination from rniks24I14 for the Real Neat Blog Award. So thank you so much for the nomination and I can’t wait to complete this award. Let’s get started.

The Rules:

  • Put the award logo on your blog.
  • Answer 7 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
  • Thank the people who nominated you, linking to their blogs.
  • Nominate any number of bloggers you like, linking to their blogs.
  • Let them know you nominated them

My Answers:

  1. Why did you start Blogging? I wanted a way to put my feelings and life down and in words so I figured why have a 30 page google doc when I could have a blog?
  2. Who do you love a lot in your Life? This is really lame but my dog.
  3. Who is your oldest friend with whom you wanna spend maximum time? My friend Cassie. She is about a year younger than me and I’ve known her since she was born
  4. What are your extracurricular activities? I used to play a lot of sports like golf, basketball, badminton, and water polo. Right now I just like to write, exercise, read, listen to music, take photos, things like that
  5. What country would you love to live in? Finland
  6. What are some words for this world’s behavior for female gender? I don’t really understand this question. I think women’s words for the female gender would be empowered, feminist, inspiring. However I think men’s words would be slutty, conceited, weak

My Questions:

  1. How long have you been blogging?
  2. What type of phone do you have?
  3. Do you have any pets? If so, what are they?
  4. Do you watch YouTube videos? If so, who are your favorite Youtubers?
  5. Are you excited for the holidays to be over, or do you wish they would go on forever?
  6. What is your favorite season?
  7. What is your favorite sports team?

I’m going to nominate some of my most recent followers: Welcome!

Lauren           Jessica            Marcella               Katie            Ciarra

Talk to you all soon

Alicia

Chrimbus memories

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

Hi everyone. Happy Christmas Eve, or for everyone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, Happy December 24th. Since it is Chrimbus Eve, I have decided to take a trip down memory lane, and visit all the ghosts of Christmas past by sharing some of my favorite Christmas memories. Let’s get started.

My first Christmas memory I was probably 5 years old. I remember pulling up to my grandparents’ house carrying a ton of my gifts from Santa Claus. I was wearing pink Barbie sunglasses, had a pink Barbie purse, and desperately wanted to wear the pink Barbie heels I had also received, however it was snowing out, so my dad forbid it. I remember my grandparents and aunts and uncles coming up to me asking if I had gotten this for Christmas. I remarked to them that I wasn’t allowed to bring all my gifts with me (because they didn’t know that of course) but I had brought the important ones.

My next Christmas memory is a personal favorite of my sister’s. Preface: my sister was/is a HUGE Cody Simpson fan (Australian pop singer). Basically, my sister had requested anything Cody Simpson related for Christmas. Santa decided a life-size Cody Simpson cutout would suffice. When I awoke on Christmas morning, I scurried down the stairs only to be met with a dark figure hiding behind my Christmas tree. Mouth agape, I ran upstairs, to wake my sister up (why call my parents or the police when you can get help from your 10 year-old sibling when the Grimm Reaper is in your living room). We crept back down the stairs, believing someone had broken into our house, turned the living room light on, only to see that Australian pop singer in cardboard form was standing behind the tree. Thanks Santa, for the cardboard cutout of Cody, and the cardiac arrest for my sister and I. Really sweet of you.

This past Christmas was one for the books. Not only was I able to see all of my friends and family I hadn’t seen in 4 months, I was also able to receive a Shrek pillow pet. I am an avid Shrek fan (can’t believe I used avid fan and Shrek in the same sentence) and have no qualms about sharing my passion. Anyways, my sister gave me the Shrek pillowpet and I gave her a Donkey pillowpet (for those of you foreign in all things Shrek related, Donkey is Shrek’s noble steed). Shrek and Donkey currently live on the papasan chair in my bedroom. Quality gift and they have not once startled me upon walking into a room (Cody cutout reference).

I luv chrimbus and u. Bye

What’s in my winter makeup bag

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Hi everyone, winter, while full of amazing elements, is the time of staticy hair, dry skin, and chapped lips. I can without a doubt say that none of those three things appeal to me, so I need to have some products with me at all times to combat the harsh conditions winter brings forth on our bodies. Here are my top 7 items in my makeup bag during the winter months.

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Mirror- this is a staple for every season, whether I need to re-part my hair after being outside in the wind, fix an eyebrow, or see if I have food in my teeth, my mirror is my best friend

Brush/comb- Chicago is such a windy city and just from walking out the door of my house to my car can create quite a mess of my hair. With my handy dandy brush/comb (comb usually) I am able to fix this before I start to resemble a tumbleweed.

Lotion- My skin is normally dry anyway, but add the wind and lack of humidity that winter brings, and my skin dries out completely. I bring a lotion bottle or two everywhere I go just in case my skin is feeling extra parched.

Chapstick- When I was younger, I used to lick my lips when they were chapped so people would call me “triple lip.” Now that I’m older and really really really really don’t want that nickname to make a comeback, I like to keep a thing of chapstick or vaseline in my bag to prevent my lips from chapping.

Tissue- Getting sick sucks, and having a runny nose while out and about is even worse. Always make sure to have tissues on you… just in case.

Clippers- With dry hands, come hangnails, and there is nothing worse than having a painful hangnail with no clippers to snip that guy in the butt.

Tweezers- I keep these in my bag anyway, however long car rides to family parties or vacations leave plenty of room for perfecting that brow arch

Naturally,  some of these stay in my bag year round and I have other things in my makeup bag from day-to-day such as concealer, eyebrow pencils, eyeliner, and my lip of choice, but these are specific to the season/they serve a certain purpose each season.

Also, winter is here. Or was here two days ago. I completely forgot until I saw a post about the solstice right after yesterday’s post was finished. Yay, the days now begin getting longer and it might stay light out past 400 tomorrow.

Until tomorrow

Alicia

Guide to Christmas with my family

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

Hi everyone, the other day I was doing some fall cleaning, and stumbled upon a letter my friend had written me a few years back. I was going to visit her family with her where her mom grew up. Basically, she wrote a guide on how to survive a week with her family by telling me who everyone was, what they do, and just random things I should know. Since Christmas is a time when boyfriends and girlfriends meet families, I figured I would make a guide to my family, not that I have a significant other that is going to meet them this year, but maybe I’ll be able to use this in the future. So, here we have a guide to some of my family members I spend Christmas with.

Terry- My grandfather. We have Christmas at his house (and my grandma Barb’s) every year. He is allergic to chocolate but eats it anyways. Always compliment his brownies and ask him about his life as a teacher/principal and you’ll be fine. Also, if his water bottle is empty, ask if he wants a new one. He will.

Barb- My grandma. She cooks everything and doesn’t sit down to eat until literally forced to by my mother. Very nice but will call you a “little shit” if you beat her in cards. Volunteer to help with dishes and she may start crying.

Liz- My aunt. She is usually nice but can be very judgemental (especially of hair colors, tattoos, and piercings). She will eat any Rice Krispie treat that comes in her path and drinks a lot of wine.

Jason- My uncle (Liz’s husband). Can be a tool Usually is a tool who yells at the television nonstop, drinks a lot of alcohol, and is a very sore loser (he flipped the game of life and the wooden table on top of me when I got it for Christmas when I was 9). He is also known for not being a vegan supporter and giving vegans shit for being vegan. Jason has two kids- Megan and Jacob. Megan is married and Jacob changes where he lives every three months it seems.

Jim and Kelly- Jim is my mom and aunt’s brother but he’s sort of just there and they don’t spend a lot of time with the rest of the family. They are sort of irrelevant and Kelly just likes to complain about life so ignore them. They have three kids Ashley (love of my life), Luke (he said Hillary Clinton sucks so screw him), and Sean (my literally favorite cousin)

Alan and Lorene- my parentals. Pretty chill. My dad also yells at the TV (sports lol) and will probably fall asleep on the couch at some point during the day. My mom drinks a lot of wine and beer, eats too much, and the complains about how much she ate for the next 3 days.

Madi- my sister. Does not talk a lot. Usually on her phone. Doesn’t eat much. Talk to her about anime or Doctor Who and she will love you forever

Bill and Suzie- Suzie is my grandpa’s sister and Bill is her fiance. Suzie had a stroke a few months ago and is recovering. Her arm is still in a sling and she can’t speak very well, but she is doing good. Bill, just like my dad, will also most likely fall asleep on the couch at some point during the day.

Kristy- My Aunt Suzie’s daughter (not Bill’s). She has two kids (Will and Nathan) who typically don’t come because they spend Christmas with their dad. She sometimes brings a new boyfriend (she has a type- tattoos and piercings with lots and lots of hair gel, who are always super nice) and typically doesn’t bring them back. She is super nice though and is never judgey on anything. She also has really cool tattoos.

Robin and Ed- Robin is Kristy’s sister, who also has 2 kids (Kaylin(the love of my life) and Kira). Robin is super sweet and always wear high heels and dresses super nice, even when the rest of us are wearing jeans. Ed, on the other hand is very conservative, tags liberals in gun photos, and my mom and I have both unfriended him on Facebook. Do not talk to Ed… ever.

Kathy and Gary- Kathy is also my grandpa’s sister and Gary is her husband. The only thing Gary and I talk about is golf. He is always the one to cut the turkey and ham and I don’t know why. Kathy posts a lot of controversial things on Facebook followed by Buddha quotes which really pisses my mom off. No one really likes talking to her but we all have to anyways. She usuallt just talks to the adults but if a child walks in her line of sight, she can and will talk your ear off.

Patty and Mike- Patty is my grandpa’s final sister and Mike is her husband. My aunt Patty handmakes Christmas ornaments for everyone in the family. They take like 8 months for her to make them so we always remember to compliment the ornaments, not that we wouldn’t to begin with (she is very skilled and always makes amazing designs). Mike usually doesn’t come because he either has to work (no clue what he does) or is sick. So most people don’t have to worry about him.

But in the end, anyone under 20 hides in the basement until we are called up for linner (lunch/dinner) so there isn’t much to worry about. We basically spend the few hours watching Emperor’s New Groove and Princess Diaries until we are called up. When the elder people start filing out, we start playing cards and my grandparents start swearing.

Until tomorrow,

Alicia