WILW

I can't believe it's time to link up with Jamie for  What I'm Loving Wednesday! Whoot Whoot :)

I am really enjoying the nicer weather that Michigan is receiving and it looks like it'll keep up! I love Springtime :)

I am loving my "niece" so much! I haven't been able to visit this week and I am going through withdrawals!

I am loving that it is March is Reading Month and I get to read Dr. Seuss all the time

And that 4 girls from my class won the city-wide Battle of the Books! Couldn't be more proud of my smarties :)

And finally, I am so excited that Janae announced SHE'S PREGNANT!! Even though I've never met her in person I can feel her joy and happiness and share in it through her blog. So excited :)

What are you loving this Wednesday? Make sure you link up with Jamie!!

Loving Liebster!

 I've been away from my Google Reader for the last week due to being crazy busy but as I was reading through all the missed posts I came across is award that caught my eye!

The lovely Lauren @ Steel Magnolia's and Still Growing gave me this awesome award! I feel so honored that she mentioned me, I feel like we will be close friends since she is a future teacher, southerner, and Christian and just plain awesome :)

Here is more about the award:

Liebster means "favorite" or "dearest" in German. This award is also for new bloggers with less than 200 followers. How sweet of her to think of me and my little blog (seriously little, like 18 people little... hit the follow button peeps)! Thanks again, hun!!

Rules of this award:

-Thank your award presenter on your blog.

-Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award.

-Copy and paste the award on your blog.

Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have fewer than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognized.

-Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are the Liebster Ladies I chose!:

Brynn @ BalancingB

Tea @ Creating Footprints

Ashley @ Ash & Diz

Laura @ Scribbles N' Sass

Christine @ The Webb Site

Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

Phew it has been a rough few weeks! There have been a few deaths, sickness, and then the typical busyness of Grad classes and teaching... but I'm loving every moment of my life and enjoying it!

During this chaos I received the best package from my foodie pen pal Kelly!!

When I opened the box I first saw this amazingness... Kelly know the way to my heart!

 

And what goes better with chocolate than coffee??

How about some wine?! This is a delightful white that I thoroughly enjoyed!

And these crackers were so delish! Something I've never seen before and tasted so good with some cheese :)

After indulging in wine, crackers, and chocolate I needed a quick healthy breakfast. Enter the Kind bar! I've never tried this flavor before but I will be buying some soon!!

 So if you're interested in this awesome program here are the deets

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for March, please send  an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. – this is SUPER important so you get on the right list!

WILW: Guest & Jewelry

Happy Happy Wednesday!!! 

I'll be honest, I'm going through some tough emotions right now. So I'm not really feeling to happy, go-lucky. But There are a few things I can talk about for What I'm Loving Wednesday :)

First off, I had the wonderful opportunity to be a guest on Laura's Blog! She is seriously amazing because she is freaking hilarious and says/writes/thinks all the things I want to say to people but never can. Go check out the blog and post NOW because they are AWESOME!

I'm a huge believer in retail therapy, however I can't afford shopping for professional looking things. Until I learned about Ashly Jo Jewelry Auctions. This amazing jewelry is discounted on Monday and Wednesday nights AND there is free shipping! Here are the pieces I bought this week :)

 

While I was on my shopping kick I also checked out some of my Pinterest finds for some inspiration...

 

Where I came across the company Vintage Faerie. I am in love with their pieces because they can be customized or not and they are simple and classic. 

And then I really looked at my budget and realized I should look for some things that are less expensive. American Eagle is my go to place for jewelry because they are always having a sale or I have a coupon and their return policy is great! (Jewelry can be really hard to size and AE takes anything back!) 

That is What I'm Loving and I hope you like the pieces too! Where are your jewelry hot spots? I'm looking for inspiration!

12 Random Things About Me

 Have you seen the 12 Random Facts floating around the blog world? I always enjoy reading these fun facts about my fellow bloggers but being new to the blog world I never got tagged... Until NOW!! Thanks to the beautiful Kelly @ Foodie Fresh I can now participate in this fun blog post :) So here's how it goes,

If you’re tagged, these are the rules:
Post these rules.
You must post 12 random things about yourself.
Answer the questions set for you in their post.
Create 12 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 12 (or so) people.

First Up: Here are my 12 Random Facts
1. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I have that "teacher" personality.

 

2. I have lived in the same apartment, in the same room, with the same bedding and layout for 4 years. I am FINALLY ready for a change.

3. Speaking of change, I hate it unless I feel I am really ready.

4. I have seen Taylor Swift perform EVERY TIME she has been to Michigan. She is a great performer.
 

 

5. I am in love with my Iphone. I think it is the best thing since sliced bread.

6. I think I was born in the wrong generation. I adore everything from the 50's and 60's, especially the fashion.
 

 7. I'm having a really hard time coming up with 12 random facts!

8. I am a huge teeth person. I can't look at someone who has bad teeth.

 

9. My faith is a huge part of me. I spend every Sunday morning at church and try to live my life in a positive way.

10. My t.v., movie, and book choices are that of a teenage girl. Who doesn't love new love and high school drama ;)

11. I have the same bedding at my parent's house and both of our cabins; it's that whole change thing again :)

12. Every year for my birthday and Christmas I ask for a new kitchen appliance. I can't wait to have a nice, spacious kitchen.

 

Kelly's Questions

1. Who was your first kiss and how old were you?

His name is Ryan Gladding and it was just before my 16th birthday.

 2. If you could be in the Olympics, what sport would you choose?
I think I would choose gymnastics because the way those women can contort their bodies is astonishing

3. How did you find out that Santa isn’t real?
I caught my Mom and Dad putting presents under the tree and stuffed animals in my sister's arms. I think I was 8.

 4. If you had to eat one breakfast for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
This is too hard, I love all breakfast! If I had to choose blueberry waffles with turkey sausage

5. If you could rename yourself, what name would you choose (it can’t be your actual name)?
I really like my given name (Arielle) and my nick name (Elle) but growing up I always wanted to be a Khloe

6. Are you a dog person or a cat person and why?
Dog. I am allergic to cats

7. What’s your favorite book of all time?
Easily Harry Potter series. I've read all of them at least 20 times.


8. What song most reminds you of high school?
Don't Stop Believing by Journey, it was our class song :)

9. Fill in the blank. I can’t face the day without __my Iphone__________.

10. Choose one: Valentine’s Day is a fun way to celebrate love OR Valentine’s Day is totally overrated.

Valentine's Day is totally overrated. Love should be celebrated every day!

11. Currently, what is your favorite television show?

Jane By Design and Property Brothers

12. How long does your makeup routine take?

Maybe 10 minutes? It's foundation, eye shadow, blush, and mascara.

Now here are my questions for my 12 peeps!

1) Did you watch the Grammy's? What was  your favorite performance?

2) What do you believe is the best part of your life?

3) If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

4) What is your dream job?

5) Where is your favorite store to shop at (clothing)?

6) What's your favorite T.V show at the moment?

7) What's been the most embarassing moment in your life?

8) If you could only listen to 1 artist for the rest of your life who would it be?

9) What is your favorite decade for fashion?

10) Who is someone you believe died too early?

11) Who was your favorite teacher in school?

12) What is your favorite saying?

The 12 people I choose are:

Christine @The Webb Site

Rach @ California Pretty

Tea @ Creating Footprints

Rachel @Just Peachy

Steph @ Steph's Sweet Life

Leslie @ Life In It's Ordinary Form

Lauren @ Steel Magnolia-Still Growing

Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn

Cait @ Beyond Bananas

Megan @ Muncher Cruncher

Cherie @ Cherie Runs This

Jamie @This Kind of Love

Anyone else is welcome to join in!!

Boob Tube Babble

It's Friday again!! At 9:30 at night I am FINALLY enjoying a glass of wine, some cheese and crackers, and my favorite wedding shows :)

 For my 2nd week in a row I am linking up with Neely for another Boob Tube Babble

 This week I have been missing my high school years. I miss being able to quick call up a friend and go out, I miss my sport teams, and I miss my friends. So, I watched a lot of ABC Family. It is the perfect channel for teenage drama, cute girls, and even cuter boys :)

Insert Jane By Design. The casting for this show is GREAT! Plus Itunes lets you download the newest episode for free!

 Next I watched Pretty Little Liars. I'm getting a little tired of not knowing who A is but I like trying to piece together all the clues.

 Lastly there is Switched at Birth. I really enjoy this show because it's introducing teens to sign language and recognizing it as a culture. Double thumbs up!

Maybe next week I'll have something more mature but until then enjoy some high school drama :)

WILW: Spa Edition

What I'm Loving Wednesday is finally here! I really do love Wednesdays but lets get started with what I'm REALLY loving this Wednesday.

 

Lately I have been very stressed. Between school, work, and teaching (for free I might add) my plate is a little more than full. My Mom had the brilliant idea to pamper myself and every night this week do a different "spa" service. Here are a few of my faves.

 

This Bliss Steep Clean Mask is Ah-Mazing! It cleans my face without making it feel oily and greasy! It's very reasonably priced too!

I'm really digging this Bangle Jangle Essie Nail Color. It goes with any outfit!

Eradikate by Kate Sommerville is a miracle worker. Breaking out? Just apply a little of this to the blemish and it's gone within 2 days. It's a little pricey but I used my Sephora Rewards Points to help ease the cost and it lasts forever.

 If you do not have this you need to get it ASAP. Lush is a Candadian based company that is all natural. I visited their store here in Michigan a few months ago with a friend. When they heard I had never been there they tested any product I wanted on me and gave me a bunch of free samples. This ocean salt is a great face/body exfoliant and it smells delish!

 

I had never heard of Ojon products but I received a sample from Sephora in my latest shipment and tried it. The product made my hair feel incredibly silky and smooth. I'm excited to try it after my haircut in a few weeks!

 

And while I'm doing all of these services on myself I have my Aveda Shampure Candle burning. It is the best smelling candle and I'm a die hard Aveda fan!

What are some of your favorite spa products?