5 Habits To Adopt

 

   There are a lot of big things we need to do; eat healthy, finish school, act like a respectable human in public, etc.  However, there are some little things that are easier to start doing, and keep doing.  Here are some things that you can start learning to do today.

- Keep Track of Your Money
     This is something that I started doing early in 2015, and it has helped me a ton.  Recording how much money you bring in, and how much you spend not only allows you to know exactly how much money you have, but it also encourages smart spending.  It is a lot harder to spend $50 in one place if you know you have to subtract it when you get home.  My routine is super simple; I made a chart on Open Office Spreadsheet, I keep track of receipts, and then I fill in the date of the transaction, whether it was with my card or with cash, income or expense, what it was, how much money was exchanged, and then my totals.

- Collect Coins in a Jar
     If you buy things with cash a lot, you know how much change you can acquire in a short amount of time.  When recording my spendings, I round each purchase up to the next dollar, and then put the extra change in a jar.  In 6 months I've collected over $30 dollars in coins.  That's a lot for money you don't even realize you are putting away into savings.  This is a painless way to save without subtracting out of your records.

- Drink More Water
     Drinking water is something that almost all of us need to work on.  Water has so many benefits   and coffee, tea, energy drinks, Gatorade, etc, just can't compete with it.  If you have trouble wanting to drink water, slice some lemons, strawberries, limes, etc, and put them into your water.  You can also get a nice bottle, carry it around with you, and drink whenever you get bored or while you are working.

- Write Letters
     Nothing is better in the world than getting a letter in the mail from a friend.  You can write a full letter on a lined piece of paper, or, if you feel less ambitious, buy a pack of postcards or greeting cards and fill them out.  Even just a postcard is still a nice reminder that someone was thinking of you.

- Keep a Journal
     Journals are tough things to keep up with, but they are so worth it in the end.  I kept daily (like, literally I took it with me everywhere) journals as a 7-11 year old, and it is so cool (sometimes embarrassing) to have recorded what I did and how I thought.  For 2016 I'm doing a 5-Year Journal, which is basically a question a day, and you answer it for 5 years in a row.  It is really cool because all of your answers are on the same page, so you can see how your answers change over the years.  I'm DIYing one, but you can also buy them.

Do you already do any of these things?
Are there any other good habits that you've adopted? 
 

2 Year Blog Anniversary!

 Well, you know you are got problems when you didn't even think for a second about your blog's anniversary until you look up the date to write at the top of science notes.  It took me a couple seconds to remember why October 22nd stood out to me for some reason.

Last year I made a big deal about my anniversary, this year I almost missed it.  It's called natural balance. 

Well, my second post was random facts about myself, so I decided to see how much I've changed in 2 years.   On my original post I posted a ton of commentary, as all 14 year old girls do, but I'll just put the actual facts here.  If you dare to go that far back to the archive, have fun.


 1. I am a writer.  Still true, but not to the extent I was at this time.  I did much more long stories than poems then, and now I'm almost entirely poetry.

 2. I love the color pink.  Still true; although my blog name doesn't reflect it anymore.  Pastel pink and rich reds are my colors right now.

3. My favorite domestic animals are dogs, rabbits, and goats.  My favorite wild animals are lions, eagles, and giraffes.  The domestic animals are still the same; I only own a dog now, though, rather than all three.  I still love lions and giraffes, but I have no idea where eagles came from.  I don't remember ever liking those especially...weird. 

4.  I am running out of facts.  Smooth... You couldn't just think for a minute, huh? XD

5.  I am homeschooled.  Still true, but I've moved from just starting 9th to working on 11th.  Super scary...

6.  I have many best friends.  Still true, but my friends have become more solid.  Sometimes people let you go, sometimes you drift away.  I'm still super thankful for the friends I have; including the one(s) that I didn't have at the start of my blog!

7.  I hate licorice.  Still true; although I haven't tried it in forever; so this might have changed.

8.   I love, love, LOVE York Peppermint candies, 3 Musketeers candy bars, and Crunch candy bars, Skittles and Starburst.  I still like the first three; I'm more of a chocolate girl than a candy girl now.  Except for now I'm a  refined-sugar-proccessed-food-gluten-free-girl, so adios to all of that.


9.  I like swimming, but unless in extreme situations, I can't go under water without a swim mask on.  Unfortunately, still true.  I can swim; but I still can't go underwater confidently.  But I'm okay with that, and I'm not around water a lot anyway.  If I need to learn, I will. 

10.  I like every season, in it's own right.   Yes, but I have decided that I don't care for winter; and I do have a favorite now: fall.

11.  My favorite holiday is Christmas.  True again.  I can't wait to start decorating!
  
12.  I have straight, blond hair.  That refuses to be anything else.  At the original writing I was just starting to grow out side bangs, but I haven't had bangs now for probably over a year.

13.  I love Subway, Golden Corral, and Chipotle Grill!!!!  Okay, not Golden Corral.  That place is disgusting.  Subway; eh,eh.  I don't dislike it, but it wouldn't be a favorite.  Chipotle Grill, however, still my favorite.  My three now would be Chipotle, Jason's Deli, and Olive Garden.

14.  Whenever my grandparents come to our house (a couple times a year) we eat strawberry shortcake, and watch The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.  (It has Tim Conway and Don Knotts in it, and it is SO funny!  I have watched it so many times I could probably dictate it, but I still love the family times we have!  =) )  We still do this.  Same movie, same dessert.  =)

15.  For now, I have run out of facts.  And that is were my 14 year old brain stopped.  It's actually pretty surprising how little, and how much I've changed.  A lot of these things are the same; but I've had a lot of experiences that have changed me.  I definitely not the same person I was two years ago.  And that is a really good thing.

Well, there you have it.  Sorry once again for my fickle posting schedule; things are crazy but I plan on getting some posts up soon!

Happy October 22nd!

-Jessica Joy

I'm Still Alive

I know I said I wasn't going to do posts like this anymore, but I figured at this point it is better than nothing.

Life's still about the same: I'm still tired, still behind in school, still not getting enough exercise, and still Stressy-Jessy. (My newly-dubbed nickname around the house thanks to a friend.)

But, I went to work today and got paid, tomorrow I'm going dancing, and the weekend is right around the corner.

Hallelujah.

;)

See ya around, peeps.

ps. If anyone wants to do a guest post.  (Pretty, pretty, PRETTY please...) then shoot me an email.  You will be my hero. XD 

Fall 2015 Bucket-List

Well, it is that time of year again!  Last year I created a fall bucketlist for the first time, and while I didn't do everything on my list-who does?-it did motivate me to accomplish some things I wouldn't have done otherwise.


* Go on a Hay Ride
* Go Apple Picking
* Rake Leaves
* Have a Fall Photoshoot
* Go Through a Corn Maze
* Make Cookies
* Carve a Pumpkin
* Bake a Pie
* Make Caramel Apples
* Decorate
* Go to a Football Game
* Take Pictures of Fall Leaves
* Write Letters Telling People Why I'm Thankful for Them
* Drink Apple Cider
* Make Pumpkin Spice Coffee
* Go Hiking
* Visit a Farmers Market
* Make Popcorn
* Eat S'mores by a Bonfire
* Go to an Autumn Ball
* Go for a Scenic Drive
* Go Ice Skating

As you can see, I have already completed a couple of things. (Ha, ahead of schedule for the first time ever.)  And of course I've done most of these things before, but not this fall.  I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing!

Have you done anything on this list this fall?
Are You Making a Bucket List For this Fall?

-Jess

ps. A blog-world friend of mine has a crochet shop!  She would really appreciate it if you took a look! =) http://ashleysyarnworks.blogspot.com/

Fall Thoughts

The first day of fall has come and gone.  I meant to post, because I had posted on the first day of fall last year, but it was a really busy day and I didn't get to it.

Thursday's weather was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.  It was cool enough that I could wear long jeans, but warm enough that I didn't have to wear a jacket.  The sun was shining; a gentle breeze was blowing.  And then it started raining.  And it hasn't stopped since.

I'm still constructing a Fall Bucketlist.  We did go apple picking yesterday, and I even got to take my dog.  The apples were amazing.  Our church is having a fall picnic again this year, and we have games, go-cart and wagon rides, dessert contests, a huge bonfire, skits, the whole shabang.  We didn't have it last year, which makes it even more special.  It is one of my favorite things about fall.

The fall weather has come in full blast, so I need to go through my clothes and switch out to winter clothes.   It will be a little bittersweet to see my summer clothes packed away, but I'm also excited for fall clothes.  I've been rocking jeans and scarves and boots all weekend, and I don't plan on slowing down.

 Side-note: thank you all for commenting and reading my blog.  It's been a little rough switching URLs and trying to post consistently, so all of y'alls support is really amazing.  I just wanted to thank you.  And I'm going to try and get back off the ground with posting regularly! 

Enjoy the first full week of autumn, lovelys.
~J.

What are some things on your Autumn Bucketlist?
What are your favorite things about fall?


  

4 Ways to Make Your Blog Look More Professional

  Having a successful blog is a combination of a lot of components; good content, good pictures, and a good blog design.  While having good pictures and content is extremely important for keeping a good followers base, a good blog design is your very first impression to new visitors.  The design gives the reader a subconscious opinion of your blog before they've even started reading.  However, sometimes new, professional blog designs can be really intimating; especially with a hefty price tag.  So here are some ideas on some little things to do to make your blog look more professional, without coding.

     This is something that shouldn't be taken too far, but should be at the back of your mind as well.  Your blog should have the right balance of the same colors, without going overboard.  For example, you don't want your blog to have blue font, bright pink links, an orange title, etc.  But you also don't want everything to be all one color, either.  A good rule of thumb is to have two or three main colors that look good together.  For example, my blog colors right now are peach and light orange.  Alternating these colors makes the blog flow well to the eyes, without being overwhelming.

      This is big.  Oftentimes new bloggers, even myself, started out by playing with a lot of different fonts.  Not only do difficult-to-read fonts distract the reader from what you are trying to say, but they also force the reader to pour much more focus into reading, which is tiring and leads to an easy excuse for the reader to give up reading and move on.  Easy to read, classic fonts make the blog look sleek, professional, and it is much easier for the reader to get what you are saying at a glance.

        A floating title is when your title is on a white background without a frame, and the background is white as well.  This limits distractions and your title is the first thing your viewer sees.  Minimalism is big right now, and for good reason.  This is not to say that a header with pictures or a colored background is unprofessional, but having a simplistic design is popular right now and brings the design together.  You can make headers on the "Design" feature of both befunky.com and picmonkey.com.
(I recommend and use them both frequently, so if you have any questions/problems, shoot me a email.) 

       Labeling your pages simply and straight to the point not only makes your blog look more professional, it will be helpful to your readers.  Rather than having your email address way down on your sideline; having a "Contact Me" page right at the top will make it much easier for people to find out about you, your blog, and how to get to know you better.




   Well, there you have it.  What are some small things you do to improve your blog design?

Is It Fall Yet?

This morning, I woke up...chilly.  That is right, folks, the windows were open, the air was off, and I was cold!  I practically squealed with excitement.  Why?

Because I love fall.

I love summer, too, but see, way down here in South Carolina, it can get pretty crazy hot during the summer, and stay that way until Thanksgiving.  So, I celebrate fall when I can.

I normally celebrate the start of seasons on the calendar start, because the weather never cooperates anyway.  But, today I decided to be 9 days early.  I put on my yoga pants, ate pumpkin spice english muffins for breakfast, drank my fall tea, took a couple pictures, got out my fall scented candle that I didn't use up last year, and BOOM. Fall has arrived.

A little background; A couple years ago was really rough for me.  We had some family issues, and school was not going well, and I had been sick a ton.  So I had really lost my excitement for basically everything.  Christmas had come and gone, and summer only reminded me of the school year that wasn't ending.  So, when fall came around last year, I decided that I would make myself excited about it.  I came up with a fall bucketlist, I painted pumpkins, I carved pumpkins, I wore a beanie (Which I discovered that I loooved), I  bought fall scented candles, I ate pumpkin spice everything...You get the idea. And, it worked.  I remember getting my love of life back.  So, this year, I'm honoring the season that I grew to love so much.

So here's to celebrating fall a little early; and enjoying life's little moments.

   Jessica