Smoothie Idea

I'm extremely health conscious. I always think about what I'm putting into my body, where it came from, is it GMO free, is it cage free, how did they treat the animals, and tons of other questions I ask myself before taking a bite out of anything. This health obsession started about 4 or 5 years ago when I watched a documentary called Food Inc and I was disgusted with the food industry. I would love to be vegetarian but I love chicken too much and have been having the hardest time trying to separate from that. Maybe one day I will commit to the vegan life, but for now I try to buy as organic, healthy, and cage free as I can.

 Then I ran into a problem... I have limited breakfast options. As I was on the Internet I found some amazing food blogs (http://www.skinnytaste.com/,http://ohsheglows.com/) and realized there were literally over 100's of breakfast foods, that can please my needs. I usually have a hard time finding something that's healthy and will fill me up til about noon when I have lunch. As of lately, I usually wake up and have oatmeal but I'm growing really tired of eating it everyday! That's when my quest began. I really only have about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare my food AND eat it so I also wanted something that was quick to make and of course tasty. It's sort of sounding like the most complicated thing. As I searched through these blogs I found a lot of smoothie options. I always felt that smoothies never really filled me up like food did. I think the problem was, that I wasn't putting the right things into it. Now I make my smoothie and if I feel really hungry in the morning or I know I have a long day ahead of me I'll eat a piece of toast with organic chunky peanut butter. Now I eat a smoothie and toast almost everyday. Of course, I change my smoothie and add different things. Lately though I've been in love with one particular smoothies that I make...

Smoothies are so easy to make and you can put anything you want. Literally, anything. I used to feel like you needed to put specific things in it or it'll taste weird or bland. But I've discovered you need 3 basic things to get it started...1. some type of fruit 2. some type of liquid (almond milk,juice) and 3. nutritional value (chia seeds, protein powder, fiber, greens such as spinach or cucumbers etc) Then you can add whatever else you want. Without further ado, here's my version of my perfect smoothie...

You'll Need..

almond milk

banana

frozen fruits ( I chose berries and strawberries)

chia seeds

non fat vanilla yogurt

blender

Next...

Put all the ingredients into the blender 

Super Yummy!!

And of course my favorite part...

nom nom nom

Is this place worth going?...Interiors Anew (Antique Shop)

YES! This place is seriously a dream! I've always loved antique kind of things and have recently been redecorating my room because my room just never feels like its finished. Then when I think I've finished it, I hate it and start all over. This might be a problem but I'm working on it. Anyways...I've fallen in love with old furnishings and just vintage looking things. The only thing is..its so expensive to buy in the city! Like a tea cup for 50 dollars, and being a college student I don't have that type of money! Anywhere I go, its overly priced or just looked like it was mass produced...I like my things to be unique.  

So when me and my boyfriend went to All Seasons Orchids (I recently posted about it below) we got hungry. We found a quick place to eat but of course no parking! So we had to park about  two blocks away and as I was getting out of the car I noticed this little boutique type shop.. my first thought was EXPENSIVE.the things they had in the window were just so nice looking and the same things you would see in an antique shop in the city with a 80 price tag. But, I took the plunge and dragged my boyfriend in with me. The first thing i picked up was this jar full of corks which just looked super chic. I turned it over and i think it was about 4 dollars!! I literally couldn't believe it, was too good to be true! I had to take a second and third look thinking I might have read the price tag wrong. I was the happiest person on earth. As i made my way further and further into the shop i fell in love with literally everything. And i just couldn't believe how affordable everything was! You just can't find anything like that in the city of Chicago. Nothing! I was only able to pick up a few thing, although I wanted a huge cabinet and a couple of chairs, a chest of books, some of the painting hanging on the wall, and maybe everything else! I do love the little nick knacks i did pick up. I will definitely be going there again! I'm so happy i found that place. Its seriously a gem! And the woman who tended to me was so kind. I do wish it was closer, an hour and a half drive hurts! Especially with all the tolls! ( it is located in Woodstock, IL) Its worth the trip if you love antique things and have a budget and if you don't, this place still has a lot of beautiful things!

The first couple of photos are not mine, I did take them off their face book page. If you want to look at anymore photos here is the link...https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-New-Interiors-Anew/111809755548396?sk=timeline

Now here are some of the things I bought...And it wasn't enough

My absolute favorite piece!

Style Pop

I wanted to start something that represents my style...which is always changing. Sometimes I want to be super chic and wear my Ann Taylor skirt that I got at a thrift store for 16 bucks, Wednesdays I want to wear all black with my studded booties, then maybe on Saturday I'll be preppy and wear a cute printed skirt with a collard top. I don't think I've ever just had one particular style because I like all different styles and some days I'm inspired by different designers. One thing that doesn't change however, is the fact that I don't have 300 dollars to spend on one article of clothing, so I try to find pieces that still look glamorous but still budget friendly. Thrift stores are great places to find high end pieces but it's also hard to find those at a cheap price. Well at least where I live. Another problem that I'm always finding is that some clothing items just look awful on the hanger (too baggy, ugly print, or so crazy, your just not sure what to pair it with) but when put together nicely, it can make the perfect outfit. The outfit below is an example of 2 different pieces from different collections that I put together I love the way it looked. Both the jacket and the blue printed pants are from old navy, they were also on sale so that's a plus! I just wore a black chiffon collard shirt underneath. I like looking edgy but still preppy at the same time. Do you like?

Pumpkin Patch- Is it worth going to???

In the spirit of October I wanted to go to a pumpkin patch this year, but not just any one, I went to the "best pumpkin patch in Illinois"...and it was pretty amazing compared to others I've gone to as a child. I haven't been to a pumpkin patch since I was about 8 years old and that was at a park district and I hated it. I also didn't want to go to one that was just for children, seeing as I'm a full grown adult (that's usually what I tell people). Anyways, I found one that had all sorts of attractions, apple picking (my favorite part), a farmers market, pumpkins, hay ride, corn maze (45 minutes long!) and donuts that taste like the Gods brought them down from heaven (not exaggerating). Overall, it was just beautiful and everyone was super kind and inviting. 

Now you ask where this place was? It was about two hours away from Chicago, in Woodstock. It's definitely a ride there and like 10 tolls, which are always annoying. It's totally worth it though! Being in the city, place like that are just surrounded by buildings and a congestion of people. It's nice to get away from all that. It was also a beautiful day, I actually ended up taking off my jacket because I got hot and if you live in Chicago, that's saying a lot because we all know how cold the weather can get here. If you ever find yourself in Chicago during the fall season, I would recommend taking a trip out there! 

With out further a do...here are some fun pictures i captured!

walking in...

Apple fields which were the best apples I've ever had!

You can't leave a pumpkin patch, and not get on the tractor!

Trick or Treat

baskets- Micheal s, skeleton lollipops, bats, spiders- Target 

cups, straws, skeleton heads- Micheal s 

rubiks cubes, temporary tattos- party city; stamps-Micheal's

pencils, note pads- Micheal's; vampire teeth-target 

baggies- all from Micheal's

October is finally here! Halloween is by far my favorite holiday, if you count it as one. Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, New Years, and other holidays are great, but Halloween has a special place in my heart that warms it right up. When the leaves start turning orange and red I know it's time to take out the Halloween decorations and go to all the festivities that Autumn brings us, such as pumpkin patches, pumpkin craving, horror films, long walks in the city because the weather is perfect, and getting dressed up for the last day of October. As a little child, I would sometimes dress up as some odd creatures that I had seen on TV shows or movies I'd watch. Once I was a banshee, which if you haven't studied demons, or previously watched Charmed or Teen Wolf its perfectly fine that you don't know what it is, because my 3rd class didn't know what it was either. But my mother hand made me my odd costume and I went as Banshee to my class party and I don't regret it because Halloween is stepping out of who you are 364 days of the year and just being something different and "cool". It's not only okay to dress up as the weirdest thing you could find but its also okay to watch as many horror films as you please, which by the way makes me extremely happy. The creepier the better! I never really got scared of horror films, so I'm pleased to find new films on Netflix like the "The Shining" or new box office films like "Annabelle" (which if you haven't seen you, don't worry, your not missing much).

&& my yearly tradition apart from all the others I just named, is making treat bags for the children in my life! I love getting supplies and making goody bags for my nephew and nieces and all their friends. I started off just making small ones, like the baggies you get at target and just filled them with a few candies maybe a creepy spider, but since then its grown to baskets filled with home made yummies, all sorts of creepies, variety of candies, and just lots of fun! This year I went to 3 different stores and finally finished gathering all the supplies. I went to Party City, which sadly and surprisingly had the least amount of things to purchase. I did get some temporary tattoos, and Rubik's cubes that I couldn't resist getting. Micheal's was my jackpot, off the top of my head I bought cups, pumpkin straws, some decorative pencils, writing pads, treat bags, lots of different toys to play with, and much more! Lastly target was my last stop on the list, I mostly just got candies and food that I'll put in the baskets (chips and pop). I will definitely try to remember to post of few pictures of the finished product but I might not be able to capture all the goodies!

P.S. if you live in the Chicago area, you must go to the Chicago Film Festival, going on through the 23rd of October. Even if you're not a movie buff its still nice to watch films from other countries and the different creative aspects they have. I went this past Sunday and will be going again this Friday. It's wonderful. You might even get brownie points if you bring your girlfriend or significant other, just saying (;

My Make up Story

Day to day- foundation (IT cosmetics foundation powder) blush (BH cosmetics in Iris) eye shadow (LORAC palette) bronzer (Rimmel) concealer ( Olay + Mac) mascara (l'oreal ) eyeliner (rimmel) lipstick (BH cosmetics)

thought today I would share my everyday makeup routine. I love make up so much it's definitely my favorite part of getting ready. I like the colors and just how different you can be with it. I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until I was 16 years old, which kind of sucks because I was always so envious of my older sister, who wore tons of makeup. As soon as i turned 16, I got myself a Sephora make up palette, a l'oreal lipstick, and a Maybelline mascara from my moms makeup collection. Now, I probably have way to much make up for one human being. I don't consider myself a beauty guru by any means, I just do what I want. I've also learned my trial and error.When I was younger,  I remember using the darkest eye brow color for my eyebrows, probably looked like Frankenstein.  I will admit, I probably wore way too much for my face. But now, I lean more towards neutral looks and I don't like putting too much on. On a day to day its pretty basic stuff and I can be done within 10 or 15 minutes. Since I have eczema (extremely dry skin), some foundations just don't look good on me at all.It looks flaky and cakey. Plus less is more, right? Anyways, I may not contour or blend my eye shawdows colors correctly but I love experimenting with lipstick, which is favorite thing to actually put on my face. I just feel like it pulls the look together even if you rjust wearing powder and a little bit of blush. Now that  fall is here, I can start wearing darker reds and plum colors without looking crazy. 

I definitely feel like everybody should feel beautiful no matter if you just have mascara on or a full  face, as long as your confident that's all that matters. It's okay to not have any clue what your doing, we all have to learn somehow. And if you really like it, don't feel weird if your wearing purple and pink eye shadow on your eyelids. When I use to have heavier make up days, I would always feel self conscious when I was on the train. I thought that it was just too much, but now I don't care. I like what i like and those people aren't wearing my face, I am. So its okay to be different, because people are mean and judgmental. You should always please yourself before the girl on the train next to you who's giving you those "your makeup is ridiculous" looks. You just have to be fabulous!!

Autum

 It only makes sense to pose in front of your Halloween home decor

shirt-H&m pants-New York and Company Shoes- Khols

I've been wanting to start this blog for a while, and I finally just sat down and did it. 

As my first post I thought it would make the most sense to write about Autumn, as it is my favorite season of the year.

Things I plan to do this October...

* Have an amazing birthday on Oct 7th 

* Watch Scary movies..obviously (what kind of Halloween would it be without snuggling up in your blankets and watching Freddy Kruger haunt teenage kids nightmares)

* Going to a pumpkin patch/apple picking. I found a great place out in Woodstock.

* Taking a haunted tour here in Chicago 

* Going to the movies and watching even more scary movies with my boyfriend

and finally...

* making treat bags for the final day of October

I plan on taking many photos of all these festivities.