It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Ah, Christmas! My favorite time of the year. There is so much that I love about this festive time of year, so I will share some of them.

The Smell of Christmas
This may sound kind of strange, but I love the smell of christmas in general. Peppermint candy canes, fresh fallen snow, pine needles, hot cocoa. My family has always done a real tree and it's one of my favorite traditions because it makes the house smell AMAZING.

Christmas Treats 
A lot of families have tradition christmas treats they make every year and my family is no exception. We always do tradition cut-out christmas cookies, of course, and gingerbread men. My maternal grandma always makes her fruit cake (blech!) and paternal grandma always does an array of christmas cookies and candies including caramels, snowballs (also known as mexican wedding cookies), chocolate covered pretzels, and her scrumptious soft chocolate chip cookies.

Giving Gifts

A lot of christmas involves giving gifts. I enjoy watching people open my presents far more than I enjoy opening my own. It's great to see their faces light up after receiving something they really wanted! 

The Real Reason for the Season

Obviously with all the hustle and bustle of the season sometimes the true meaning of christmas is lost. I try my best to not let any of that other nonsense distract me from the wonderful gift God gave us: the birth of Jesus. My family always goes to our church's christmas services and it is a great way to bring back the focus of christmas to Jesus. 

I hope these things made you feel even more in the christmas spirit! 

Mall of America Haul!

So my family and friends went to the Mall of America (MOA) in Minnesota! It was amazing! There are hundreds of awesome stores and restaurants and there is even an amusement park. My friend and I tried to look for the best deals and we found some really cheap, cute clothes. I was going to do a haul video on Youtube, but I'm too lazy so I will just do one on my blog. :)

1.) Toms
If you read my last post you know I love Toms! I have grey and black pairs, and this time I decided to buy a more fun pair! I found these Toms on sale for only $29.99 and they were originally $54.00! They are black with colorful pinstripes and a lime green sole.

2.) Daisy Tank Top 

 The Forever 21 in MOA was massive! There was two floors and an amazing selection. My friend and I are both very petite so we looked in the kids section to see if we could find anything. I found a tank that is dark pink with light pink and blue daisies. It's cropped and buttons down in the front. I just got the largest girls side and it fits well. Not to mention it's cheaper than what I would find in the juniors'/women's section. I think this will look really cute with a pair of high-waisted shorts and my navy Keds. I got is for only $9.80!

3.) Skater Skirt

I have been really into skater skirts and the color maroon and I found them in once piece of clothing. I got this at Wet Seal for $10.00 where it was originally $12.90. I think this would look really cute with black leggings and combat boots! 

4.) Sequin Tank Top 

Old Navy had some crazy clearance sales! I found this navy blue tank top with sequins over the front. It's a great staple for warm summer days. It was originally $19.97, but I got it for only $1.97. You can't get much better than that!!! 

5.) Striped Tank Top

I also got this tank at Old Navy. It is a simple pink and white striped top with thin straps. I think this will be cute for a lazy day or just going to meet friends. It was marked down from $8.99 to $2.99.

6.) Sweatpants 

The last thing I got from Old Navy are some sweatpants. I am usually an anti-sweats person, but I needed some for marching band and these were comfortable, cheap and cute! They are a plain black with a drawstring and they are skinny and tight. They are much more fashionable than the awful, wide ones I normally find! And the savings were an added bonus. Originally $19.94 but they were on clearance for $2.97! 

7.) Sunglasses

I wanted a funky pair of sunglasses for the summer! I found this pair at Charlotte Russe. They are club masters that are plain black with reflective lenses. I chose them because they will go with everything! They were marked down form $5.99 to $5.00.

8.) Makeup Wipes  

So unfortunately I am really bad about getting all my makeup off at night so I picked up some Cucumber Lemon wipes from Forever 21 which I think will be better than using a cleanser and water. I got a pack of 30 for $2.80. 

So to recap I got 3 tanks, a skirt, sweatpants, Toms, sunglasses, and makeup wipes all for only $60.53. And there is no sales tax on clothes in Minnesota! So I spent exactly that. At full price I would've paid $134.39. I only paid 46% of the retail price. Now THAT is what I call savings! 

Why I Love Toms

Okay so I have a bit of a confession... I am a total Tom's addict. They are my go-to shoe and I wanted to tell everyone else why the should get themselves a pair!

1.) They're Comfortable
Toms are SO comfortable. At first when I saw them I said "those look like they would hurt your feet." Boy was I wrong! They are made of canvas and feel super light on your feet. I wear them to work (I am a waitress) and my feet don't get too terribly sore. And they also last a long time! My first pair I got over a year and a half ago and they are still going strong :)

2.) They Go With Everything
Another thing I like about Tom's is their versatility. I wear mine with anything. From a t-shirt and jeans to a dress. They can really dress down an outfit or make the look casual. They come in all sorts of fun colors, but I like the grey and black plain ones because they go with everything! Not only do they have the original style, but they have other types of shoes like cordones, wedges, sandals, flats, boots and they even make sunglasses!

3.) They Give Back
Tom's does this thing called "One for One" It pretty much means that with every pair you purchase they give a pair to a child in need in a struggling country. They donate shoes to over 60 countries! This way you can shop and donate. So you can feel good about buying things :)

So I urge you to pop on over to Toms.com and buy yourself a pair. They are totally worth it!

Summer is Coming!

So I have about a month of school left and I am starting to get excited for summer! I was thinking of all the fun things I want to do during my break and I decided to compile a bucketlist of fun things to do over the summer. Enjoy!

1.) Have an old school slumber party!

Gather up a few close friends and get ready to relive your elementary school days. Rent some movies (think Mean Girls), put on some pajamas, paint each others nails, bake some cookies, gossip; things like that! With all the stress from the school year it's great to relax with your besties.

2.) Stargaze

I think this will be so much fun! Lay down a blanket on your lawn and play some chill music and just enjoy the beautiful stars. See if you can find any constellations or planets. This would be romantic date (if only I had a boyfriend, ha!) or something fun to do with your friends.

3.) Throw a Party

Don't wait for someone to invite you to a fun party! Have your own! Buy or make some finger foods and set up some chairs around a fire pit. Have some chill music playing in the background to set the mood. Invite friends casually; by text or word of mouth. It will make it seem less structured (don't invite anyone who might try to turn it into a big party. Watch out for people trying to bring alcohol! You want to keep it safe :)).

4.) Volunteer

Do something to make you feel good! Look up local places that you can go and volunteer for a day. Maybe an animal shelter or a daycare. You'll have fun while doing a something to help the world a little bit.

5.) Have a Paint War

Go to your local Wal-Mart and buy some cheap white t-shirts and shorts and some fun colored paints. Gather your friends and go crazy throwing paint at each other. Afterwards you have your paint-splattered shirts for memories!

These are just a few fun things to do over your summer so you don't get bored! If you have any other good ideas comment them down below. I would love to hear your summer bucketlis! :)

How Skinny Is Too Skinny?

So recently I was scrolling through the internet news and I saw a headline that was rather shocking to me. It read:

Stores Now Selling 000 Jeans

Now me being a naturally slender girl, I where a double zero size jean. I don't work out too terribly much, although I try to stay fit. I also don't really eat that healthy (even though I probably should, so I stay healthy the rest of my life). But what struck me as peculiar about this whole thing was the thought in my head that "Do people really want to be that skinny?." To me being a skinny person, I don't understand it. I do realize that there are some girls who would give anything to be my size, but it isn't all sunshine and roses.

First off, it is extremely hard to find clothing that fits well. I usually buy my jeans at American Eagle or Hollister (rather expensive stores for a 15 year old girl I might add) because not only am I slim, I am also 5' 5" and all legs. I have realatively long legs for my body, so it is very challenging to buy jeans that fit, are long enoguh, are stylish, and don't kill my budget. I am also aware that some bigger girls have a tough time finding jeans like I do, and I am here to tell you that you are not the only one!

Secondly, a lot of people get on my case about my size. Some people get the misinterpretation that I am anorexic or bullimic (which I can confirm I am NOT). Also, people say things like "you are too skinny" or "how do you get a thigh gap that big." Which, from firsthand experience, I know can be just as hurtful as being called a "fatty." And to go on the thigh gap phrase, I think that is absolutely ridiculous, I am pretty sure almost no one cares if you have a thigh gap or not. Just searching through the tumblr tag "thigh gap" shows thousands of pictures of scarily skinny women flaunting it like it's a grand prize.

Now I am very aware that this is a rather touchy and controversial subject! But I just wanted to tell everyone my thoughts. And I would love to hear yours! Comment below :)

If you wanna see these teeny-tiny jeans, go to Aeropostale.com because they sell them!