let's talk about // bloglovin' and google reader shut down

Hello there!! I just wanted to give you guys a heads up.  As I'm sure most of you know, Google Reader will be shutting down on July 1st.  But have no fear, Bloglovin' is here!!  Bloglovin' is a super easy and convenient way to keep up on your favorite blogs...I never used Google Reader because I found it too confusing, and instead I use Bloglovin' which I absolutely love.   It is so easy to keep track of your favorite blogs and keep track of your own blog.  It is really easy to import the blogs that you follow on Google Reader onto Bloglovin', just go here!  And if you want to follow my blog on Bloglovin', just go here, or click on the pretty link on the right sidebar.  Hope your transition goes swimmingly!

Post-it phrase of the day: "You are on the right path." 

let's talk about // birchbox

Greetings!  I just wanted to pop in and let you guys know that I just joined Birchbox!  If you've never heard of Birchbox, I'm sure you're not alone.  Basically you subscribe to the site and then once a month they send you a box in the mail that is full of high end beauty products.  It costs $10/month and they have subscriptions for men and women.  I'm very excited about this!  My box will be coming in about two weeks and I'll do a review post once I've received it.  If you want to know more about Birchbox, check it out here.

Post-it phrase of the day: "Happiness doesn't depend on what we have, but it does depend on how we feel towards what we have."

know how // iced green tea

I plan on doing a post on the benefits of drinking green tea in the near future, but for now let me just say you should do it, because it's great.  BUT, I recently haven't been in the mood to drink it hot.  As it gets warmer cravings for hot chocolate and cider go out the window, so we replace these with cold drinks.  I've never really had iced tea because I don't do caffeine (I drink decaf green tea), but I decided to take my green tea and make it ICED!

weightless wednesdays // carbs after dark?

I've been hearing a lot lately that it isn't a good idea to be eating carbs basically anytime after lunch.  Does this sound absurd to you?  Because when I first heard it, I thought it was absolutely crazy, but then I thought about it and it makes sense.  I don't know all the science behind this, but I thought about it in practical terms. Why are carbohydrates necessary?  Simple, they provide the energy we need to function in virtually any capacity.  Complex carbohydrates are great because they provide our bodies with energy for a longer period of time.  The danger in carbohydrates is not using them, because they are then transformed into fat cells for long term storage (I guess that was a little more "sciencey" than I was hoping).  Based on this information it makes sense that what we call carbs (complex carbohydrates) have no purpose after about midday.  We simply do not need a lot of fuel for our nighttime activities.

So, I decided to try this out a bit and see how I felt.  There was a drastic difference in the way my body felt on nights that I steered clear of carbs and nights I didn't.  I think the most obvious difference was that when I ate carbs all throughout the day, I felt incredibly bloated by the time I headed to bed.  Whereas, when I saved my carbs for strictly breakfast and lunch, my belly seemed to remain relatively flat for the whole day.  Apart from that, I feel myself getting slightly thinner in general from enacting this practice.  Try this out for yourself and let me know how you get on.

Post-it phrase of the day: "Don't wait for the perfect time to start because there never is a perfect time - start NOW!"

just another manic monday // 3 shades of valentine

I know these colors clash so much, but I kind of like that.  

Colors used: OPI in I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic, with accent OPI in Dulce de Leche and Honk if You Love OPI

Post-it phrase of the day: "Being happy doesn't mean you're perfect. It just means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."

let's talk about // my big black book

I would like to go on record and say that I am an avid pinterest user, you can check mine out here.  And while, I love this site, and think that it is one of the most brilliant ideas, I still would not give up my big black book for anything.  Basically, my big black book is my physical style board.  Every time I get a new catalog, I pick out my favorite looks and paste them into this "lookbook" (that's what my mom and grandma call it).  Where pinterest is great for being able to find a certain item of clothing, lookbooks are meant to inspire the way you style your clothing.  Composing a lookbook on pinterest is very easy, but I like to have something physical as well.  Plus, it will be fun to look back and see how my style has changed over the years.

That's enough of an introduction, let's take a look inside.  And if you're thinking about starting your own lookbook make sure you buy a notebook large enough to easily fit a page from a  catalog, trust me the folding method doesn't work very well.

just another manic monday // gilded

Colors used: OPI in Warm & Fozzie, with accent OPI in Curry Up Don't Be Late.

Post-it phrase of the day: "The purpose of life: life with a purpose."