Motivational Monday

Oh boy, do I have an awesome post today. I've struggled with talking about this for a while but I feel that it's a good time to do so. Who's ready for story time? Grab a snack, and read on. 

For about 7 years now I've had such a hard struggle with my mind. I wouldn't consider myself depressed, but definitely broken. After a series of events that happened when I was 17, I snapped. I rebelled until I was able to move to college, which I had chosen the school farthest away that I was accepted to (FSU), was dropped off a week early in the middle of a hurricane and both of my roommates wouldn't have shown up until the day before school starts. 

I was lonely, Briam and I didn't know what we were, and there was a freaking hurricane! This was the beginning of me losing my mind. I would spend my days crying and hiding in my room. My dad and I argued continuously, I stopped speaking to my stepmom and stepsister, and I was floundering in school. I became a hermit. I wouldn't do laundry until it was absolutely necessary to do it, I wouldn't take out my trash until I had about 6 bags of garbage, and I would go back and forth between refusing to eat and eating everything. I was spiraling down incredibly fast. 

During my time at FSU, I saw 2 therapists and a nutritionist. None of them could help me. I'm pretty sure they all decided I was a broken toy and should be sent to the island of misfits. After that I decided to move home, continue my education at a local college, and live with Briam. Despite being an amazing decision now, at the time it was the biggest struggle I had gone through. 

What I had come to realize is that I'm capable of distinguishing between my rational and irrational thoughts, but I allow my irrational thoughts to overcome my mind. And there's nothing more frustrating to me then being overcome by irrational thoughts, and knowing that they're stupid, but not being able to do anything about them. It's been a long road, but every day I try to something that helps me. Sometimes they seem silly, but they work. 

Here are a few different things I do to help me calm my mind:

Meditate

Exercise

Blog

Film Videos

Bake 

and the one that seemed weirdest to me...

Watch scary movies

If you know me, you know I have a serious fear of death. And I'm convinced, believable or not, what happens in the movie will happen to me. Now I've only done this once, but it helped so much. Briam and I watched Mama the other night and, despite probably being annoying, I talked though my fears through the movie. He didn't say anything, maybe because he knew it was helping me, but it really did. 

I was able to recognize the irrational aspects of the movie and managed to watch the whole thing. 

I did have a crazy f**king dream that night. A mix of Mama, Warm Bodies, and Silent Hill... but I didn't cry or die. Winning. 

I guess the point of this Motivational Monday is to know that if you take each day one at a time, things will get better. Even if therapists give up on you, you can still help yourself. My dad always told me if you want something done right, do it yourself. And that's exactly what I'm doing. And so should you. 

Be motivated today. And tomorrow. But don't worry about tomorrow today. 

Ipsy Unboxing - March 2014

I have to say that I wasn't the happiest person when I got my Ipsy bag this month. The nail polish is quite ugly when actually painted on. I had hopes that it would work, but sadly it didn't. I'm not a big fan of skincare products in monthly subscription services because they rarely cater to sensitive skin. So with the smoothing patches, I may have to pass. I do like the Bora Bora quad and the lipstick. Just compared to other bags that I've gotten, this bag seriously missed the mark. Oh well, better luck next month! 

What I Got:

Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches

Be a Bombshell Bora Bora Eyeshadow Quad

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready

Nicole by OPI in Roughles 

To get your own Ipsy bag, click here! 

Fancy Friday

 Oh Fancy Friday, how you make me long for things I don't have. Well I guess that's the point of this whole thing. Anyways, I've put together my little list of all the things I'm fancying this week! I think I really do need the dress though. Graduation is only 1 month away which obviously means I really do need a new dress. 

Burberry Summer by Burberry at Sephora - $67

The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette at Sephora - $79

First Violet, First Chair Dress at ModCloth - $49.99

Salvatore Ferragamo Amber Havana Sunglasses at HauteLook - $110 

Whitley Wedges in Nude, Seafoam, and Black at JustFab - $39.95 each

Bonnie Satchel in Periwinkle by Rebecca Minkoff at Gilt - $299

What are you fancying this Friday?

Thirsty Thursday: Super Hydrating Water

I love water. No joke. I can easily drink over a gallon of water a day. I like it the best when it's practically frozen and hurts your teeth a little when you guzzle it down. But as much as I love the good ole taste of water, sometime I like to jazz things up a bit and add some flavor to it. 

My newest obsession for flavoring my water is using a variety of citrus fruit, cucumbers, and mint. Now of course you could alter this to suit your tastes. When I first tried it I thought it tasted like tangy dirt water. Not gonna lie to you here. But now I've learned how to balance all of the flavors and make it just right for me. 

I like to slice my delicious flavorings into slices and keep the mint leaves whole. I love the taste of cucumber in my water so I like to add a hefty amount of slices. I'm still not a huge fan of lemon water which is why I keep it to 3 thin slices. 

I've always been told that adding things like this to your water will show good improvements on your health. Now I don't know about my insides, but I know it definitely helped my skin! After 4 days of drinking this once a day, almost 85% of my skin problems disappeared. My zits and blackheads were gone, my complexion was brighter, and I just looked like I was glowing. 

I mean it's worth a shot right? 

What I Ate Wednesday

I know you're super curious as to what I ate today... Well, here ya go!

Breakfast:

I love love love Ruby Red Grapefruits! They are beyond amazing! Just sprinkle a little bit of stevia on them and you are good to go! Bananas are another favorite of mine. The keep me full for quite some time. I've also read that bananas help to calm depression. Now I'm not saying I'm depressed, but I haven't been the happiest person for quite a while, hence the lack of blog posts. So after I had a banana the other day and noticed that my mood had gotten better, I bought a crap ton of bananas... I'm gonna need to make some banana bread now... And we can't forget the Apple Maple Chicken Sausages! OMGoodness these are beyond delicious. And so easy to cook too. 

Lunch:

Not the healthiest of lunches I suppose. I had one of those Marie Calendar's meals. It was the Shrimp and Chicken Alfredo I think... I tossed the box before I could remember what it was! It was the best thing I've ever eaten... but it wasn't terrible either. And of course another banana. Trying to get as many in as I can before it's bread time!

Dinner:

So, I ate it all before I could take a picture of it. Sorry, I was seriously hungry. Just imagine delicious food. 

For dinner Briam and I had leftover homemade fried rice from last night along with Sesame Garlic Chicken! I love this stuff. I'm pretty addicted to Chinese food, so being able to make it at home is a super plus! Probably should've had some more veggies with dinner but hey, we're running low on food right now, time to hit up the grocery store! 

Dessert:

Only a few Milano cookies and some almond milk for me! I love soaking my cookies in the milk until they're super soft. This just makes them even more delicious! 

Drink of The Day:

I love my super tasty hydrating water! I started drinking this and it was amazing what happened to my skin! Practically all of my trouble spots were gone! My skin was more clear and brighter than I've seen it in a long time. The recipe for this super hydrating water will be up tomorrow on Thirsty Thursday! 

What did you eat today?

Spring Time Makeup Tutorial

I have a love-hate relationship with Spring. I love all of the colors in nature, the fashion prints, and the beauty must-haves, but I hate that it starts to get hot. Granted it has only been a high of 67 today, it normally is quite warm. As I was attempting to get into the mood of Spring, I decided to test out this makeup look in hopes of changing my attitude towards the season. I like how the look turned out for the most part. My skin was pretty dry so the makeup set a little weird on my skin but besides that, I think it turned out pretty well! 

I used a variety of fun, bright colors in my makeup look! 

To see the full video tutorial, click here! 

Tasty Tuesday: Fresh Bruschetta

It's quite a revelation really. Me, Christina, eating an entire carton of tomatoes. Well, the world is coming to an end, I love you all, goodbye. 

Okay guys, really though, this recipe has changed my dislike for tomatoes into a serious obsession. This bruschetta tastes so fresh and delicious. I made it for Braim the other night and he was talking away about something at work and, turns out, I ate over half of the bowl! It was so freaking good! 

I hope you all try out this recipe and love it just as much as I do! 

Ingredients:

1 Carton of Grape Tomatoes (cut into 8ths)

5-6 Basil Leaves 

2-3 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (to taste)

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Cut the tomatoes into 8ths. Put into bowl.

2. Chop basil and add to the tomatoes. 

3. Add the EVOO, salt, and pepper. 

4. Grate the cheese over the tomatoes. 

5. Mix together and enjoy! 

You can eat this alone, put on top of Italian bread, or even add some Balsamic glaze! 

However you try this dish, enjoy it!

Motivational Monday

Many times we overlook the beautiful things in life. It's not because we take them for granted or we aren't thankful for them. Typically it's because we're letting the negative things in our life be the center of our focus. And I understand, trust me, that sometimes the negative things need our attention. But I'm going to show you how to turn a negative situation into a beautiful thought. It's about to get real personal, hang on tight...

Negative:

I have over $30,000 worth of student loans that I have to begin paying back in November. 

Beautiful:

I have an education that no one will ever be able to take away from me. 

Negative:

I'm unhappy with my appearance because I'm quite overweight.

Beautiful:

I've been blessed with a functioning body and continuous food on my table. 

Negative:

I live with my in-laws resulting in serious lack of privacy. 

Beautiful:

I have a roof over my head and family in my house. 

Of course these are only a few situations in my life. And maybe these don't relate to you at all, but maybe they do. But the point to take away from this is that regardless of the situation, you can always take a beautiful thought away from it. Whether it's about work, relationships, school, or any other life situation, you are here, and you are beautiful. 

Be motivated today. 

Blair Waldorf Inspired Tutorial

I love Blair Waldorf. I loved her character in the Gossip Girl books and T.V. series. Of course being able to see her on the T.V. screen brought her character to life. She wasn't exactly what I imagined her be from the books, but I ended up loving her more. And I can't even handle her and Chuck Bass. I die. 

Of course I know that I don't look like Blair, but it was fun to do a makeup look that was inspired by her, but suited to my skin tone. And of course I had to add the ever so classic headband! The one I wear in the tutorial is from Anthropologie! Love that store, so freaking much. 

To watch my Blair Waldorf Inspired Tutorial, click here!