Musica Monday

This Musica Monday is brought to you by my feelings as of late (in a strange way). I heard this song for the first time yesterday actually on the radio and instantly found myself wanting to dance to it and really enjoying it. It's called "Madhouse" by Little Mix. Listening to it, I realized that while they talk about being let out of madhouse, my first thoughts are sent to college. Being released from this controlled environment and let out into the real world with what they say you will need and now undergrad won't take us back because we've finished already! The same can be thought of for high school: since we already graduated high school we can't really go back.
So, my friends, here's to moving forward with our lives and for leaving the madhouse :)

Love,
Sara :)

Summer!!!!

Happy third of summer to all my readers!! :D It's official: Summer is here!! :D


Love,
Sara :)

Book Book Books!

So, I haven't been good at this whole updating process, and I know that, and I'm truly sorry. I've been getting all my summer things in order, including a new job as a caregiver four days a week, an interview next week for a barista position (which I'm kinda hoping for just because it's out of the house/area and it's at Barnes & Noble!!) which could be fun, volunteering at least two days a week at the YMCA, having a social life, and trying to figure out how to exercise with a broken foot. Not to mention I've been reading. A lot. By that I mean I've finished two books since I last had a book post and have started another (I'm getting pretty far into it too).

I finished that fantasy book I was talking about before, Green Rider by Kristin Britain and have since found the second book in the series which I plan on starting pretty soon, called First Rider's Call. I really enjoyed this book and I highly encourage anyone who enjoys fantasy or adventure books to read it. I couldn't put it down.

The second book that I finished was Heat Wave by Richard Castle. This one had all the hype of being from a tv show ('Castle') only for me to learn that it pretty much is the tv show only with more sex... I wasn't a big fan of this, and probably will not be picking up the next one.

I started The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. I'm about 70 pages in and I'm loving it so far! One of my favorite parts is that I can learn some phrases in different languages as the book progresses. So far, I've learned a few French and German phrases, or at least I looked up what the phrases mean on Google Translate :P

What have you been reading lately?

Whenever I think of reading I remember a quote from a childhood series that says: "reading is the magic key that takes you where you want to be." For me at least, this is true :)

Love,

Sara :)

Poem

Escape

I never hear the word "escape"

Without a quicker blood,

A sudden expectation,

A flying attitude.

I never hear of prisons broad

By soldiers battered down,

But I tug childish at my bars,-

Only o fail again!

From: Selected Poems Unabridged. By Emily Dickinson

One of my most read poems from one of my favorite poets, this poem, especially the first half rings true for me. Thinking of the word "escape" what comes to mind? Other than Dory from Finding Nemo. Do you get excited? Do you get nervous? Thinking about leaving the known and heading into the unknown, we find ourselves expecting that things be amazing in this other place we've demo about. Like leaving our parents and heading into the real world. But do we ever actually escape? Are we forever held captive by our past and who we were? Just some thoughts for a Thursday afternoon :)

Love,

Sara :)

DIY Paper Flag

My family and I have been members at the YMCA for years. Today was my first day volunteering for them this summer. Last summer, I had an internship with them where I learned about how a YMCA is run and what goes on in the different areas. Every summer, our Y has a golf outing fundraiser that attracts some of the biggest donors of the year. This year I'm helping out with some of the prep work. For instance, this craft that I'm showing today is actually meant for the auction.
I really enjoy arts and crafts time, so this project was actually a lot of fun for me :P Ready?

Supplies
-shaped sheets of paper, 2 for each flag (I had triangle, but any shape will work)
-double sided crafting tape (I used Elmers)
-spray on crafting glue
- paint stirring sticks
-some sort of surface that you can get covered in the sticky glue and can throw away later

To start off you're going to want to spray both the inside of one of the halves of the flag, and the side of the stirring stick that will be on the sprayed side of the paper, with the spray on super glue! Then stick the two together, leaving enough of the stick out so that you can hold onto it.

Grab your double sided tape and run the tape as some extra stickage on the paper. Then spray the opposite side of the paint stick where the second piece of paper will go. Press down on the paper and try and get it as even as possible. And...

Tada!! You have yourself a paper flag! These can be used at sporting events (as long as there isn't rain...), auctions, celebrations,  or any other event you can come up with :)

Enjoy!

Love,

Sara :)

What I Keep in My Purse

So, I've been looking around at other blogs and this post about what people carry around seems to be a necessity for any blogger who talks at all about their lives. Hence, here is my attempt at the same thing!

This purse I actually bought in Seville, Spain when my mom, sister, and I went there spring break 2012. I love it and have used it ever since! It is a good expression of me and my style: for one it signifies travel which I love to do, it's also not too girly as in its a shoulder bag (like my tomboyish side), and it carries what I need! What more could I want? It's not big, but it's big enough :)

My two favorite buttons :P

And the contents: I try to carry around my most current read (currently Heat Wave by Richard Castle from the library) in case I get somewhere and need something to do for a bit like I'm sitting in a waiting room or something, a notebook (this one was a graduation gift from my younger sister from Walmart, just to jot down things during the day that I may want later), my wallet and change purse (very useful indeed), an extra hair tie, pens and a pencil, Kleenex, ibuprofen (the white unmarked bottle), Chapstick (I love eos right now! It works so well), and my phone currently covered by a broken Iron Man Avengers iPhone case.

For those of you wondering, my keys are only in my purse when I'm out and about and have my car, otherwise they stay in a bowl in my room above where I hang my purse.

Thanks for reading guys! Have a great hump day!!

Love,

Sara :)

Favorites: Reasons To Be Fit

For any person looking for reasons to workout, there is a tumblr account called Reasons To Be Fit that can give you over 900 reasons to be fit. Some of these reasons are serious, while others are more fun. I wanted to share with you some of my favorites :) So enjoy! :D

#0021 - to live longer
#0029 - to be able to defend yourself
#0040 - 'cause I like that "HELL YEAH!" feeling after finishing a tough workout
#0052 - because what doesn't kill you makes you stronger
#0080 - to be comfortable enough to run in only a sports bra and shorts
#0100 - to outrun the zombies
#0117 - to prove to yourself that you can do it
#0233 - 'cause weight lifting makes me feel like the Incredible Hulk; OOHRAH!
#0390 - to know that if it came down to it, you could win the Hunger Games
#0453 - to begin my training as a ninja
#0547 - because I want to deserve my shower
#0674 - because running is cheaper than therapy
#0897 - to release stress and re-find myself
#0928 - because kicking ass is more gratifying than kissing it
#0944 - to be ready for a whole lot of running when the doctor chooses me as his next companion

I didn't get all the pictures but I think that this is enough to get my point. If you need a reason to get fit, or are running low on motivation lately, check this out, it has some great points!
Also! You should all check out my new fitness blog called Backup Fitness when you get the chance :) thanks!!

Love,
Sara :)

Mason Jar French Press

For anyone who has one some crafting or canning in the past, you know what a mason jar is. They are wonderful. They are thick and make of great cups, candle holders, canning jars, and even soap dispensers! But a company in Portland, Oregon, called Bucket, has created a new use for these jars: as a french press coffee maker. Bucket is a mission "to create smart, sustainable products that are designed and manufactured responsibly". Take a look at this video for an explanation presented by the founders of Bucket.

Also, be proud of me because I embedded that on my own! Well, more like I copy and pasted the video  code into the html, but still i'm proud that I knew what to do! :P

Anyways, you can get one of these Portland Presses for a backing of $99. This may seem like a lot for a french coffee press, but then as yourself where it's coming from, and it comes with a lifetime guarantee, plus it's locally manufactured and sustainable. Is it worth it to you? If yes, then help them at Crowd Supply, similar to Kickstarter. I'm sure that they would seriously appreciate it! And honestly, it's for coffee, which is pretty awesome to begin with!

Now, as you should know, I don't get paid to do these types of ads, so when I put of an ad or try and promote something it's because I truly want to support it! So, don't think of this as a way to get me money, but as way of helping out someone else!

Love,
Sara :)

Musica Monday

For today's music, I'm going to take a quick trip back to 2010 and to a band that has brought us 2 CDs in 2011: Foster the People. An indie pop band, founded in 2009 by lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist, Mark Foster. This song "Pumped Up Kicks" is a popular song that I have just been thinking about and has been stuck in my head quite a bit lately, so I've decided to share it with you all! I hope you enjoy :)

Quick side note: today I learned that I like apricots! So, I'm excited to have a new snack fruit, as well as to try some new recipes including these little peach/plum-like balls of yellow-orange deliciousness! More of those to follow I hope :P

A shorter post today, but I wanna get outside and enjoy our beautiful weather :D

Love,

Sara :)