It's Friday, Friday

As I'm typing this I'm eating some deliciouuuus cookie dough my mama made. It's so sweet and melt-in-your-mouth yummy and just had to share that as I reflected on my week haha! So this week school started up again, and even though it's terribly depressing that all of the holiday festiveness is over it really wasn't that bad. I got to experience my fashion class which is everything I could ask for and more, and i met some really nice girls that I've sat with at lunch for the past couple of days and it's just been really nice. It also warmed up a bit, so now I'm not FREEZING in the morning…don't get me wrong I'm still an icicle but I was able to chill out in the sun for a little while which is my favorite thing to do in the summer…agh those summer feels. I also drove to my grandmas house and stayed with her for a couple hours and we talked and reflected about a lot, and that's something i never get to do with her, so that was a nice surprise and it left me feeling really good.

That was my week! I hope everyone has something fun planned for the weekend :) How was your week?

Maddie

It's a New Year

It's a new year, and to be very openly honest, I really want to change. Not in a big way, but just improve myself. Over the last couple of months I have gone through a lot of confusion about my life, school, where and what I want to do after I graduate high school, and it all got to me. I'm still trying to ease off of myself and just let myself relax and breathe, but it takes time. 

I want to get more personal on this blog, and take it very seriously. Since my head has been anywhere but here, I feel terrible and guilty. There were some weeks where I was content and posting everyday, and over the last month or two its been every 3-5 days, and I'm not okay with that. I'm not saying I'm just gonna post something to have something go up, I want my content to be great quality that you look forward to reading. 

I want my blog to grow so much this year, and I want to DO so much this year. I want to write and achieve goals, accomplish things that scare me, and work my butt off. But at the same time, go easy on myself and tie my body a break when it needs it, because I struggled with that last year. 

The content on this blog will change a bit, I want it to be more organized. Im sort of beauty, food, lifestyle, all over the place, but I've been putting a lot of thought into it and I want to share more of what I love, like design, fashion, baking vegan things (since I am vegan haha!) and overall beauty. 

I am SO looking forward to this year. I know it's going to be amazing and filled with scary situations, but I have to get over that. Im gonna push myself, get inspired, and kick 2015's ass! ;)

Care to join me?!

Maddie

Hello 2015

Here's to new beginnings!!! Gosh I can't believe its a new year, a fresh start. I'm so glad I get to start everything over sort of haha, 2014 was a crazy year for me. It was filled with so many different emotions; confusion, loneliness, joy…but in the end its all worth it. I started public school again and even though I was considering going back to online, I stuck through it and now I love it. I've met some really good friends, I've discovered things about myself, and I've learned so so much this past year. So much about well being and happiness and the universe…its crazy.

I just want to take a second to thank everyone reading this. This is my little part of the internet, my own separate world, and I get to share whatever I want to. Not enough, and not well enough either. This year, I want my blog to grow enormously. I want to post frequently and post things that truly mean something to me. I want to broaden my comfort zone and try new things with writing and creating. Im going to push myself to do whatever I can to become a better blogger, writer, creator, photographer, you name it. 

I went through a lot this year but its all in the past now. I have a feeling like 2015 is going to be absolutely amazing, mostly because I'm graduating high school and frankly I don't even know whats coming up yet. So its scary, but so fricken exciting at the same time :)

So this is the look I wore on NYE, I felt like going all out haha! I went for a very sparkly dramatic eye, and very very dark purple lips. All of the colors on my eyes were from the Naked 2 Palette, I used Verve on my lid, YDK on my outer lid and blackout in my crease. I also smudged it under my eye and blended it with my L'oreal eyeliner kajal, which I put in both my tight line and waterline. Then for my winged liner I used my Maybelline Master Precise liquid liner, which I love and use almost everyday for my wings. And my favorite part of the look, the lips :D I went to Sephora and picked up the Bite Beauty Cashemere Lip Creme in "Bordeaux" (review coming soon). So far its absolutely gorgeous and looks so dramatic and deep haha. 

How was everyone's New Year's (Eve)? Tell me all about it!! I hope you have such a great start to the new year, and I wish you best of luck for everything, and good, positive vibes :) I love you guys!!

Happy New Year!

Maddie

What I Got For Christmas 2014

As I said in an earlier post, I'm definitely feeling the post Christmas blues. Our Christmas tree is even looking a little brown and crispy which makes me even sadder haha. We're gonna try and keep it for as long as we can, but i don't think it will be long before the ornaments start to fall off!

Anyway, I'm writing this to share what I got for Christmas, if the title didn't already give it away ;) This year I actually wasn't even going to create a Christmas list. I feel like every year as I've gotten older, I haven't felt the need to ask for much..I don't know why but thats just whats happening. I'm currently redecorating my room, so that was part of my present anyway. I asked my mom if I could get all new furniture from IKEA and other stores and just some shopping money, and she said thats fine if you're okay with that, and I am! My mom just felt bad because she wanted me to have presents to open under the tree, and I get it. It's always nice to have some gifts to open, but that doesn't really matter to me anymore. If I get to pick out things I want, that is completely fine with me. So today, my mom and I are headed to IKEA to purchase the pieces I want and I'm soooo excited :) I've wanted to do this for months and I'm so glad I finally get to do it. 

Along with the furniture, my mom also got me some really cool acrylic storage bins for my makeup and desk area, which I'm obsessed with. She also got me a fluffy pillow to go with the other new pillows on my bed, and an amaaaazing (faux) fur throw/blanket and it keeps me so so warm haha. I wasn't expecting this, but she also gave me 3 sephora gift cards, and I'm not gonna lie I did let out a tiny squeal when I opened them. I can't wait to go and spend them!

I got other little things like a really nice yoga mat, workout clothes, a beautiful Paris 2015 calendar, the updated Teen Vogue Handbook, my favorite chocolate, new pjs..and something my mom does every year is make us "coupons" or little pieces of paper with certain things like "Good for a shopping trip" and "good for new shoes". I got a couple of those which made me super happy. As I've gotten older, my mom doesn't know my style very well so she can't get me clothes or shoes anymore, so that's what she started doing haha!

So as you can see its sort of all about my room this year, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I got some really cute amazing gifts, and now I get to put my room together! So I'm really thankful and happy, I had such a great Christmas.

What are some of the things you received? Or your favorite present? I don't think I can choose, but probably being able to buy the things I want from IKEA :)

Maddie

Christmas Withdrawls

All of the excitement, the build up, the shopping stress, now it's all over. I have to say every year I always get pretty sad and depressed haha. Doesn't everyone?! My Christmas was very magical and amazing, I woke up right before 6 and heard my little brother rustling through his presents, so I put on my fluffy slippers and robe and joined him to stare at our beautiful tree. That has to be one of my favorite parts of the morning, is just staring at the ornaments, the glistening lights, and the beautiful packages under it :-)

My brothers and I always wait for our parents to get up before we open our presents, its just a tradition we started a long time ago. I'll make my parents fresh coffee and we'll turn on christmas music or the parades. We opened our gifts and had such a great time.

Then my mom and I turned into super mode and we cleaned up the house for the guests that we were having over for dinner haha! There really wasn't that much to clean but making the house spotless was a must. 

The rest of the day was filled with cooking and eating and resting. I made a marvelous tray of roasted veggies, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Mmmmm gosh I could eat it all again I swear. Then after our guests left and I cleaned up the kitchen, I took a nice long shower, put on my new pjs and snuggled up on the couch and watched some youtube, with some cookies of course!! 

Christmas is always such a special day of the year and its sad that it comes and goes so quickly. It seems like we just put up all our decorations! I'll share what I got in a post coming soon ;)

How was your Christmas if you celebrated? I want to hear all about it!! 

Maddie

School is Cool?

Okay so today…at school…I actually enjoyed myself. I had a good time, and I felt happy. Am I really typing this? Yep I am. And today during lunch, two girls, really nice girls, came up to me and sat with me. And we talked, and it was SO nice. I don't know why this is happening, but I have a feeling its because I've changed my way of thinking dramatically. I don't wake up depressed and mopey anymore, I wake up energized and ready to conquer my day. Instead of walking with my head pointed towards the ground, now I walk and smile to someone who looks at me. It's so refreshing, and almost insane that I got stuck in that rut to where I almost didn't care if I was happy or not. I have to say, it's weird that I'm enjoying school more. I've prayed to the universe to help guide me in the right direction, because I've felt very lost. And I'm starting to feel okay with that. I know I need to relax and understand that I'm young and I don't need to plan out my life right now. But I'm the type of person that likes plans, so. I've got to work on that. I've prayed to make friends, and to get a job, ad I really have a lot of faith that everything is going to fall into place. I know it takes time, I just want it all to happen quickly. 

So this was a post I never really thought I'd write haha! Surprised but very happy. And I'm so happy that I can be in this mood around Christmas time because well this is the most wonderful time of year :)

I love you all so much just so you know, and I hope you're having an amazing day or night whenever you're reading this <3

Maddie

Getting a Bit Personal..

Okay. So i'm going to open up a little here and come right out with what I want to say. I've been going through a rough time recently, even more so the past few weeks. About two years ago, I changed my eating habits majorly when my mom went to nutrition school. She started learning so many interesting things about food, and obviously she shared the knowledge with me. I found it all very fascinating, and decided to change what I had been eating. Up until that point, I had never had a problem with food, body image or anything like that. I ate healthy like 80% of the time and indulged in what I wanted to. I ate pasta, dairy, bread of any kind, pancakes, you know all the normal stuff. Looking back at photos, I had a beautiful toned body. I didn't exercise to "burn anything off" i did it to feel good. I did things like swim some laps in my pool, yoga and barre.

So after learning about certain foods, I decided to eliminate some from my diet. My mom didn't want me going crazy, but since I never had a problem with food, she let me. I got rid of dairy, gluten, any sort of meat, and eggs. Yep, I became vegan.

At first it was sort of easy. And I felt really good. But it got hard to come up with different meal ideas and still get enough protein and calories. 

Fast forward a few weeks and I start thinking about the dreaded "nutrition label" and calorie count. I remember asking my mom how many calories we should eat in a day and I think that's where it all started. 

I started majorly cutting back on everything I ate. I still remained vegan, but on occasion I would eat fish just because I felt like I should in front of my parents so they knew I wasn't up to anything weird.

Well I was.

After a couple months of changing my eating, I had lost about 10 pounds. But that I mean any kind of fat I had, and muscle. I lost my period. And on top of all of this (which I forgot to mention earlier) I had started over-exercising. By that I mean running on the treadmill like a crazy person every single day. When I think about what I did some days, I'm surprised I've never been admitted to the hospital. I remember not eating more than a handful of nuts one day, and then being so frantic over the calories I went and ran for 30 minutes full speed. Ugh.

And running gave/gives me a high. It releases stress (while I'm running). I'm able to run like this because of my genetics, my build and all of that stuff. And the more I ran the easier it got to be able to run faster and longer, so it was like a self-competition. I would keep wanting to out-do myself and run further and longer than the days before. 

Because of this over-exercising and calorie restriction, I started noticing things about my body. My beautiful thick hair I once had was now brittle and shedding majorly. My nails became weak. I always felt tired, my skin started to dry out, I stopped growing so much hair (and being italian I always had slightly hairier arms/legs than average!) Basically my body was telling me to stop everything I was doing.

But I ignored these signs and kept up my routine. So fast forward to now. Over a year later. I'm very underweight (like 15-20 pounds). I'm fully vegan. I don't ever indulge, maybe I'll eat some dark chocolate every now and then, but it's hard for me to have any sort of dessert or something special without feeling guilty about it later. The only special things I have are hand made by me, all vegan and gluten free delicious creations. I've spent hours over-exercising like a maniac running, strength training, and everything in between. I have a very hard time eating the right amount of calories. And you know that heart to heart I mentioned I had with my mom? Yeah that was about this whole thing.

I'm aware that I have an eating disorder. I was diagnosed with it and literally wanted to faint. I remember learning about these eating disorders in health class laughing with my friends saying, "who would ever do that to themselves??" Honestly I cant believe I became one of those girls.

After some conscious decisions today (and believe me it's really hard on me mentally) I think I'm going to stop running/over-exercising. I'm done hurting myself. Running became an obsession, a way to "burn off" what I had eaten. It also started taking over my life in crazy ways, where I would make sure I had no plans on the weekends or after school so I could make sure I would fit it in. My mom told me she doesn't mind if I don't eat whatever I don't want to eat, as long as I get enough. So basically I have to triple or quadruple the amount of food I'm eating. Which, is a very tough thing for me to do. It's like a safety net for me. I didn't really mention it in this post, but I've gone through a lot of crap the past couple of years, and all of this has kind of gone along with it. She warned me that if I don't start gaining weight soon and eating more, she's gonna make me go to a doctor or nutritionist. The only reason she hasn't brought me anywhere is because she really believes in me, and I can't thank her enough for that.

After reading/ discovering The Balanced Blonde and reading this post from Chocolate Covered Katie, I'm finally ready to change my life. I'm tired of always being tired, fatigued, looked at in funny ways. Oh yeah, I should probably mention I lost my amazing butt I had, along with any "curves" I had....I wish I could say I wasn't crying right now but thinking about the body I had when I was happy and anxiety free makes me cringe. It was beautiful and perfect the way it was. Now I am very boney, lanky and people always ask me if I'm okay or if I eat enough. Of course I lie because what else would I do? But like I said, I'm done with this phase of my life. Isn't it crazy that I'm jealous of the body I got rid of? Now all I want is to have my old body back. My toned abs and lifted butt (thanks to barre). I should mention I'm tall (5'7'') and I have very long legs and arms (its just how I'm built, my dad and many family members are the same way) so being very underweight doesnt do me any good. 

So basically I'm starting to eat more, but it's going to take a lot of mental strength to do. It's very tough for a person with an eating disorder to just suddenly start doing something totally different. I'm going to take a break from running and see what happens. Already though, I feel a weight lifted off my chest that i dont have to go anywhere, you know? Instead of having a joyful feeling to go out and run, it's become a chore and its been creating anxiety in me all day every day. And it's been hurting my hips and knees too, and all I've done is ignore the signs. 

I still want to exercise, because that's just the competitive side of me. I love to push myself and I love to sweat, and yes sometimes (a lot of the time) i over do it. and i dont eat enough. But all that is going to change now. I'm going to start doing more HIIT, strength training, and take walks instead of running. I absolutely love walks. And I'm completely addicted to yoga! That has helped me so much with clearing my mind and easing my crazy thoughts. I just have to remind myself that when I'm pushing myself hard like I do, I need. to. eat. more.

This is very personal for me to post, so I hope it doesn't totally shock any of you. I don't really know what else to say, but if any of you are going through something similar or you have any thoughts/suggestions, please leave them down below. I wanted to share this because I felt like I had to. I don't want to seem all happy and cheery when I'm going through something major in my life. I don't ever want to hide anything from my readers. I also felt like I had to share this with someone, and maybe one of you reading this will relate I dont know. I've gone through this for a while and this journey has been a major part of my life, but seeing as I am almost 18, I think I'm ready to change my ways and finally take control of my life again. I would love to meet with Jordan from The Balanced Blonde, because her journey with food and over-exercising is very similar to mine and talking with someone who totally gets it would be so freaking awesome. How do I get in touch with her?!?

Maddie

It's the Weekend!

YES YES YES. This week actually went bye pretty fast for me because a lot was going on, but I'm still so so thrilled its finally the weekend. There were some good moments and some not so good moments haha but thats in the past and we can look back on the good! 

// I drove myself to school every day this week...what. \\

// I got my report card- all A's! \\

// I ate the best crispy apples like every day, oh I love autumn haha! \\

// Had a very nice heart-to-heart conversation with my mom, those are always comforting \\

// Witnessed the most magical hot pink sunset \\

// Talked to some amazingly nice new bloggers! \\

// I have been wearing this berry lipstick like everyday, and I'm not exaggerating. Definitely a fall staple! \\

I hope everyone had a great week. What's something good that happened to you? :)

Maddie

Monday Mantra

I came across this quote on Pinterest and it couldn't be more on point. We only have so many days in our lifetime. If we experience a crappy day, which we all will more than enough times, then we experience a crappy day. But the thing is, when the day is over, it's over. And it's time to start over when the sun comes up the next day. No more living in the past, and no living in the future either. Life is all about enjoying the moment you are in RIGHT NOW. Right now. You have every right to start the day feeling happy, grateful,  and overjoyed. There is no reason to ruin a perfectly bright day with emotions and feelings from the day before. Our feelings are like the ocean. As humans, we are going to feel waves of excitement, waves of sadness, anger, whatever emotion. We need to accept how we feel and let those feelings pass. So no matter what, everyday should be a new day. Start now! Even as I'm typing this, it's giving me motivation to let go of feelings I've stacked up from a couple days and release them and start over. Believe me, it feels SO good to let everything go and be in the moment. 

Just take a really deep breath in, think about everything that's bothering you or weighing you down, and exhale it alllllll out. Then smile, blast some of your favorite music, and live in the moment and BE HAPPY :) Happy Monday! 

Maddie

I'm Thankful for...

I have to be honest, I've been going through a rough patch with coming up with blog ideas. Ever since school started, it has been a bit hard to manage this blog, school work, and other activities I have going on. It makes me appreciate all of the bloggers out there who work their butts off to create such amazing content. It blows my mind how they are able to do so much at a time and still put their all into their blogs. Some days I'll have a bunch of ideas I'll be able to do something with, and other days I'm staring aimlessly at my computer screen just waiting for something to spark. 

After sitting on my bed for a little while I grabbed an old journal of mine where I started to collect my future goals and blog/youtube ideas, and after reading through a couple of pages I just smiled and felt SO much better. Looking through those pages made me realize that I really do have a passion for this, I just needed some reminding. I think like a lot of other people, life gets in the way and sometimes when we start to compare ourselves to others we just want to stop everything and curl up in a ball in our beds haha! 

Anyway, it just got me thinking I am SO thankful for where I am today. Mentally, physically. I am so thankful for the school I'm attending, the yoga classes I'm taking (which by the way are completely life changing), the pure healthy food I eat, my soft cozy bed and sheets. Im thankful for my outstanding parents who always go out of their way to help me with whatever I need...I could go on and on. I'm thankful for the beautiful weather I walk in after dinner, the amazing hot pink and purple sunset I get to witness every night. I'm thankful for my amazing camera I was able to purchase for my birthday, all of my wonderful makeup i'm addicted to! ;) Hahaha 

So overall I think I just needed a little reminder of why I started this blog in the first place. I love to write, I have a passion for a bunch of different things, and I like to speak about my thoughts towards them. I love getting to know people online, and I love social media and branding too. When I first discovered 'blogging' and 'graphic design' a couple years ago, I was SO fascinated, and now years later I still am and I hope to have a job that involves all of the details I just listed :)

I'm so thankful for YOU reading this! :)

Maddie

Weekly Recap♡

Hi guys! Man i feel like i have been away from my blog for so long. With school starting and everything my life has been SO busy but I prayed for that to happen so I'm not complaining one bit :) 

//No school on monday and a short day on wednesday, amazingness!!

//The most delicious salad for lunch everyday: Chopped apples, raisins, pepitas (seeds), walnuts/almonds, lettuce and walnut oil. It's HEAVEN

//Every night I have been going for the most calming and beautiful walks around my neighborhood. Instead of retreating back to my computer after dinner, this has been helping me to clear my mind and get me into nature and I love every bit of it.

//This isn't anything new for me, but my green smoothie with peanut butter, banana, and cacao has been extra chocolate-y and delicious, maybe it's because I'm happier and noticing the little things, but it's definitely been hitting the spot ;)

//I DROVE MYSELF TO SCHOOL. With NO adult in the car. Ahhhh can you believe it?! I can't that's for sure. I honestly can't wrap my head around the fact that I am now legally allowed to do that. I remember when I was like 10 years old thinking this day was so far away, and now it's here. Crazy. (Ps everything went fine and I'm still alive lol)

//The sunsets. My gosh they have been amazing. Bright magenta pink and neon orange, and then as the sun sets even further the sky turns a deep royal purple and cobalt blue. So grateful I am able to see them.

//Fall is almost here!! Well, it actually won't show up where I live for about another month or two which really stinks, but in my mind I'm gonna pretend I live somewhere where the leaves change and the weather gets all nice and crisp...Ahh wearing the cozy oversized sweater and ankle booties, smelling of pumpkin spice and never taking the deep cherry lipstick off :) 

What made you happy this week?

Maddie

First Day of Senior Year: Check ✔

  

 (i'm excited okay lol)

Well I made it through the first day!! Honestly it went better than I thought, which is good. I met some really nice people and saw a few of the same faces throughout the day which made me feel more at ease. This new school cannot even compare to my other one. Everyone here is just so different. The girls are friendlier and they don't care about what you look like; it's so refreshing. It's not like a regular high school where it's a constant contest on looks and popularity. I'm really really excited to get to know the kids here.

So today I had my dance class and it was sooooooo interesting and thrilling. We already know when we are performing (ahhh!) and that gave me the chills. Just knowing that I'm finally getting to do what I want to do is so satisfying, you know? It just shows that if you really want something bad enough and you believe in yourself anything can happen. So far what has happened to me has opened my eyes even more to be grateful and thankful all the time. It really changes things!

I also had my Literary class and Creative Writing. The creative writing seemes super fascinating. I already have a different perspective on words and stories. The teacher is really chill and laid back but he is extremely intelligent and caring and I cant wait to start learning from him :)

My mom picked me up when school was done and she surprised me with a bouquet of white roses and a beautiful card :) She almost made me cry because all of this change is what I have been wanting for so long, and to see it come to life is emotional for me lol. We both cried in the morning when she dropped me off too, haha I know we are so lame!!

I'm so glad today went well. Tomorrow I go to my other 3 classes for the first time and I know it will be great. 

Have any of you guys started school yet?

Maddie

Bells Will Be Ringin' ♦

So as I said in my School Supply post, I picked up my schedule, and it's definitely not like anything I've ever had before, in a great way. Here's what it looks like:

1- Publication Design (Graphic design and yearbook)

2- Dance Development

3- Acting

4- Lit. & Rhetoric

5- Trig/ Pre-Calculus

6- Creative Writing

I mean...?! And the thing I also love about this schedule is, I only have three of these classes each day. So on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will have Publication Design, Acting, and Trig. And then On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I will have Dance, Lit., and Creative Writing. It's SO cool. 

I met my teachers and they seem so different than normal. What I mean by that is, they care about each individual student, and where that student is academically. And the class sizes are small, so everyone will get to know each other and the teacher will be able to help more one-on-one style, which is amazing. All in all, I'm pumped.

And I can't wait to start my dance and acting classes. Those will make me feel like I'm not even at school! I wanna know, have any of you ever been to a school like this? This is my first time and year at an arts school so I'm just curious. 

By the time this post is up I will be heading off for my first day! :) I know everything is going to be amazing this year...wish me luck! 

Maddie

7 Things That Made Me Smile This Week

// An older man at the grocery told me I was very beautiful, and it made me feel so great because I was having an off day, AND i wasn't even wearing any makeup!

// Delicious peanut butter and banana smoothies for breakfast (...okay maybe dinner too)

// Painting my room with my mom, finally! Post coming soon ;)

// Enjoying the quiet moments on the couch, scrolling through Pinterest for decor inspo

// Sitting at the bookstore with a stack of magazines that probably weighed more than me

// Staring out my bedroom window at the horrific but fascinating rain storm we had

// Getting a single yellow rose from my dad to congratulate me on going to my new school..gah i love 'em :)

What made you happy this week?

Maddie

5 Ways To Make Your Day Better

I don't know about you, but sometimes I wake up in a not so great mood. Even though, for the most part, I try to always stay on the positive side of things, my emotions are too strong and they pull me in the wrong direction. On days like this it's a little tougher for me to find motivation to do things, so I got an idea to share with you guys some little tips on what I do to get out of the weird funk. 

Make a beautiful, delicious breakfast// Okay this one might be weird, but if it's morning and you find yourself unhappy or 'not in the mood', make something good to eat! I love food, like a lot of it lol, and breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. Usually I have a nice warm bowl of oatmeal with fruit, nuts, and cinnamon or a delicious green smoothie. It all depends, but I always make sure to make my meal look pretty. It makes me happy! :)

If you're angry or holding tension, exercise// It might not seem like you would want to exercise if you're unhappy, but trust me, it HELPS. Even if you punch your pillows as hard as you can, you will exert that negative energy out of your body and release "feel good hormones" into your brain. I personally like to do something everyday, whether its run, lift weights, do squats, swim, or yoga. I always make sure to switch it up so i don't get bored, because I'm the type of person that can't have the same routine for very long.

Get up, and dress up!// Make yourself look beautiful! Throw on a great outfit that makes you excited, or if you have a new shirt that you haven't worn, wear it! Then, put on a little makeup, or a lot! Who cares, just do what makes you happy. Add the extra cat flick or go for a bold lip. Sometimes when I'm feeling rebellious, I like to wear dark lipstick. It makes me feel SO good ;)

Go for a walk// If the weather is nice, going for a walk is something I love to do, whether if I'm by myself, with a friend or with my family. It clears my head, and often it's when I get some great ideas coming to mind. Plus, there is nothing better than hearing nature. I love to stop in the middle of countless tall trees and just stare at the sky and think about life. You have to remember that we are only given this life once after all, so anything making you upset is really meaningless. Breathe a couple of breaths and feel grateful for everything.

Watch your favorite movie and bake some treats// This might not be for everyone, but yes I am like an 80 year old grandmother, okay?! There is nothing that makes me happier than staying home at night, watching I Love Lucy or the Parent Trap, and baking some cookies. And then eating handfuls of dough lol. And doing it with a friend or my mom is even better!! ;) 

Yes some of these are weird tips, but they help me get out of weird moods and if you've never tried any before you should, just to see if they help you too. Remember, each day is just a day. If you have one bad day, don't scold yourself, and don't hold on to negative energy. Before you go to bed, make a list in your head of things that make you happy, or things that your grateful for. Think about exciting things coming up in your life. When I do this I tire my mind and fall asleep. And then you can start a brand new, fresh day! :) SMILE!! 

Maddie

Weekly Recap ♡

Well happy Friday everyone! :) This week flew bye. I planned on doing more than I did, but I just got caught up with other things and now it's already the weekend, crazy! My dad was away all week for a business trip so I'm looking forward to spending time with him...I'm scheduled to go and get my driver's license (yikes!!) so I need to practice with him a weeeee bit more haha! Anyway, I though I would just share some moments of my week that made me smile. I personally love to read these kinds of posts, so I wanted to write one myself :) 

Monday// I woke up and felt so energized and ready for the week. I had an amazing workout and much needed tan time!

Tuesday// At about 10:00 at night, I got the urge to bake some homemade granola. Lemme tell you, I don't know how I didn't eat the whole batch. It's got everything from sunflower seeds, to walnuts, almonds, dates, coconut flakes, and toooonns of cinnamon. Recipe coming soon ;)

Wednesday// Guess what I ate for breakfast? Yep, my granola. With some sliced banana, strawberries, blueberries, and a splash of coconut milk. It was heaven. 

Thursday// My mom, little brother and I all went out to this outdoor shopping center. We walked around and had the nicest time, then stopped by the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. But you know what that means, yes of course we ordered dessert. I'll just say we all licked the plate clean.

Friday// Since it's technically the beginning of the day I can't really say much, but I am feeling extra grateful all snuggled up in my bed sheets writing this. I'm going to go make some tea and then do some yoga. Ahhh, I'm so happy :) 

I hope this made you smile a little bit! Did you have any special moments during your week? Share them down below! :-)

Maddie <3

∙•Create, Not Compete•∙

We need to create instead of compete. I sat outside just thinking about everything, and this thought popped into my mind. Wouldn't it be amazing if people everywhere just created anything they wanted to, with the intention of being happy? Not out to compete with anyone, but just for the sake of their own happiness?

Just imagine how much freedom everyone would have. No one would be looking for any anger, stress, competition. 

But why can't it be like that now? Why can't everyone just start to create what they want to? Do you want to create your own blog? DO IT! What's stopping you? The fact that someone else has 10,000 followers? Big deal, because you could get there with hard work and belief that you can.

CREATE something. ANYTHING you want. WITHOUT the intention of doing better than someone else, because THAT DOESN'T MATTER. If cutting out pictures from magazines makes you happy, then do it! Don't worry about what the end result will be, just be in the moment. Love every second of cutting those pictures out. 

By doing and creating what you want, you use your imagination and you set off more thoughts and ideas. And it will make YOU happy, and in turn that makes others happy. But don't do something to be better than, or cooler than, or smarter than 'someone else.' Create the life you want, for YOU.

Just some Tuesday thoughts ~

Maddie

4th of JULY ☼

Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans! To be honest, I really didn't feel like I usually do on the 4th. Well first, usually I am in California on the beach *holds in tears* Ugh I can't tell you how sad I am that I can't be there...but hopefully I will make it out there this month. Anyway, it just seems like this holiday came so fast so I wasn't ready for it. I made no plans and just hung out all day, which is fine by me! :) 

I did, though, do some fancy eye makeup and a bright red lip of course! I was feeling spirited later in the day so I though I would throw on my american flag shorts and matching scarf. I LOVE both of these to death haha, although I probably only wear them for this time of year. So, I guess I looked ready for the part as I watched fireworks at the park :)

The day after the 4th, my family and I were actually invited to a barbecue so we went to that and I had tons of fun. I swam, ate tons of yummy food, and then it started raining so I went home, showered, and snuggled up in my bed with a movie, i know I'm such a party animal right? I might of baked some cookies too...;)

Did you guys do anything fun or interesting for the 4th of July? Let me know! I hope you guys had a great weekend, even if you didnt celebrate haha :)

Happy Monday!

   Maddie

Monday Mantra: Try Something

Happy Monday beautiful people!! :) I am in SUCH a happy peppy mood and I'm really thrilled about it. Sometimes, even though I try my hardest to stay positive, I can slip into weird funks and I get upset with myself. BUT, i have to remind myself that I am human and I have emotions and its OKAY to show them, just not get caught up with them.

How was your weekend? I had a blast with my dad at the baseball game. My team ended up loosing, but it was soooo close! But i had fun daddy/daughter time :) Yesterday I kind of just chilled out around the house. I did some yoga, relaxed in the sun, and then went and saw a late movie with my mom.

But the point of this post is to start your week off right, with a nice quote! :) I have so many quotes that I love from my pinterest board that it's hard to choose just one. But this one stuck out to me because I've been pushing myself to do this for a couple of weeks now.

I know it's hard to push yourself to do something, especially when you've got no motivation to do so. Trust me, i know how you feel. But ever since I started reading these success books and listening to these motivational speakers, I saw something trending. These successful people did something everyday to push themselves closer to a goal they set. So if you want to create a successful blog, write or journal for a couple minutes everyday. Or if you want to be a better photographer, go and take pictures, of ANYTHING! Mess around with the editing software on your computer. Or if you're obsessed with makeup try doing your own makeup differently. It all makes a difference, and when you find something that you love doing it creates a spark in your mind. 

It wasn't too long ago that I was struggling to do anything I wanted. I had no motivation, and no idea what I wanted to do. But my mom kind of opened my eyes and just told me straight up, that I have to make my own choices. I can't just sit around and wait for life to happen. I, MYSELF, have to make and create MY life! That's when my mind trailed off and thought about this blog that I created and forgot, well not totally forgot but you get the idea. I got scared because I wasn't ready to start it, but after waiting a few months I finally was, and ever since then I have gotten my new camera, and I've just been doing stuff like crazy! :)

When you finally push yourself to do something, so many doors open and you open yourself to do new things. Really, even doing the little things like writing down 5 goals while you have your breakfast in the morning helps.

I hope this gives you that extra motivation for the week. I love you guys, and remember that it's okay to feel lost sometimes. It's those weird feelings that lead us to something bigger :)

xx,

Maddie

A Dinner Out

Hi guys! A week ago, it was my friend's birthday. She was born a day after me so we always end up celebrating together haha :) Anyway, she invited me to an adorable Italian restaurant for dinner and I thought I'd share the few pics I took.

I know it was kind of weird of me to order salmon at this place, but I just wasn't in the mood for pasta that night haha. You should have seen the gigantic bowls they fill up! Besides that, it was really delicious and I had a fun time :) Sorry I didn't get more pictures of my outfit, we were rushed! And I definitely should of worn something more lightweight, it was probably 100 degrees that night, no joke! 

xx,

Maddie