I'm BACK!

Hey all!!!

I'm finally back!  I have had a crazy summer but now I am back in full swing!!  I revamped my blog with fun colors and a new logo.  What do you think?!

I also have a new sponsor!!  Check out Dandelion Dreamer by clicking on her button.  She has such a sweet and colorful blog!  Love it!

We started classes today at University of Tulsa.  It is crazy to think I am a sophomore this year!  I am still trying to decide my major, but I have my own place now, which means lots of cheap ideas for decorations and organization!  Get excited!  This is also our first game week.  For those of you who don't know, I am on the volleyball team at University of Tulsa.  I don't know what I would do without my team and I can't wait for another great year!

Can't wait to get back to blogging, hope everyone is doing well and had a great summer!!

Happy Easter!!

Hey all!!

Sorry it's been so long since I posted last!!  These past two weeks since Spring Break have been absolutely NUTS, I've been so busy with everything!!

I'm sure many of you guys can totally relate to a crazy schedule!  I was going to post some nifty tips to keeping yourself organized and motivated for the home stretch of this semester, but then I realized that the greatest way to do that is through the LORD!!

Coming off of my Easter spirit, I just wanted to share a little bit about how I've been dealing with my stress.  Now, I am a have a very high stress personality so my methods aren't perfect but here are just a few things I've learned over the past two weeks I would like to share!!!

1. GOD TIME! Seriously I have been terrible with my God time this semester--make it a priority to read a little of your Bible (it could be like one chapter or even one little section) and set a time aside specifically for prayer.  I like to shower power take the 15 or so minutes you are in the shower to focus on prayer.  I am easily distracted so I find the shower a good place to focus without my phone and computer in the way.  If you just do GOD TIME once or so a day, I have found it completely improves my mood!  It will help you stay focused on what's important and it makes it easier to find the peace that God brings in your everyday life.
2. LISTEN!  Some times I get so caught up in what crazy things are happening in my life I forget to listen to what is going on around me.  When you're talking with your friends, make a conscious effort to spend more time listening than venting, no matter how stressed out you feel.  A lot of the time if you really put all your energy into listening you can cool down from your own stress and learn something from those you are listening to.  Also, set aside a little time everyday to just be quiet and listen to God.  Sometimes He wont say anything and you will just get time to chill, sometimes you will hear what He has to say.  He knows all your stresses, who better to go to for advice??
3. BREATHE!  I tend to forget this one...a lot.  For the most part when I get really stressed out, I tend to make the situation more stressful than it really is because I get stressed about being stressed.  If you just take a step back and BREATHE the problem doesn't always get smaller, but you can clear your head and deal with it better.  A quick phone call to my mom or a friend usually fixes this too.  Remember--life is gonna go on at the same pace whether you stress about it or not.

Finally, the verse Proverbs 3:5 has really been on my heart lately and I wanted to share it with you guys, in hopes it might help some of my followers as well.  

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5

Many of you have probably heard of this verse before,  I know growing up in church this was one of the popular ones.  But in Sunday school I remember always focusing in the "trust the Lord with all your heart" part.  I don't think I ever really understood this.  I mean definition wise I understand and conceptually it makes sense, but practically it is easier said than done.

Rather, this past weekend I have really been focusing on "lean not on your own understanding".  A lot of the time I don't understand how things are going to work out and I stress out about them until they do.  But God always knows how things will work out.  Often, I am not going to understand God's will for a while and sometimes not at all.  However, He is infinitely greater than I am and loves me and the people I love infinitely more than I do--so how does it make sense to lean on my own understanding instead of His??

Just some food for thought!!  I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Easter and a WONDERFUL week!!  I WILL be better at posting at least weekly I promise :)  

Spring Break 2012

Hey all!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!!  I know I am :).  This week is my Spring Break!!  While at first I was jealous of all my friends going to awesome places like LA, Cabo, and Panama Beach for Spring Break, I am learning that any time off can be GREAT time off!!

Cabo, where my roommate is...ok maybe I'm still a little jealous

This weekend I got to spend some quality time with my brohaw and his girl for St. Patty's day!!  It was great to catch up and hang out :)  TODAY my mom and I had a girls day and went SHOPPING!!  

I have holed up in our guest bedroom's gigantic California King bed and have done nothing I don't want to do since I got home!!  I have done nothing but eat, sleep, watch movies, and read.  Spring Break should be my job!!

My book of choice today is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  I have seen the movie so many times and absolutely loved it so I decided to read the book!!  So far Austen's writing is flawless and endlessly entertaining (review coming soon!!)

Isn't this a cute cover??

I have also been watching movies like it's my JOB.  Some that I have watched include Robin Hood Men in Tights (HILARIOUS), Anger Management (also HILARIOUS), and Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (always a classic favorite).   Tonight I'm going to choose between The Town, which I picked up at the library today and Extraordinary Measures which my grandparents gave me. I can't wait to watch!!  A review for one of them will be coming your way soon!!

Looks cool right?  (And who doesn't like Ben Affleck??)

This is my LAST WEEK to be an insane sweet freak, so I am indulging in a big way!!  You've got to have delicious food in bed with you while watching a movie or reading, it's a Spring Break rule!  Probably to my great disadvantage, I have discovered Betty Crocker Warm Delights.  They are dangerously delicious!

Does that look amazing, or does that look amazing?

I recommend fudgey chocolate chip cookie :)

I hope everyone is enjoying their week whether they are on Spring Break or not, remember to live a joyful life sometimes we have to learn to indulge!!  Watch a movie, read a book, or maybe just lie in bed doing nothing!  It's important to remember what the good life is, and keep it around in the midst of our everyday stressful life!

PS- Healthier Posts coming soon I promise!!  Give me a break, it's my week off :)

GlassesUSA!!!!!!

Hey all!!

I have had the great privilege of coming into contact with GlassesUSA.com, a great company that is trying to change the way you buy glasses.  I have had to wear glasses since the third grade, and they have always been expensive.

In the art show at age 8, in my first pair of glasses!!

But GlassesUSA is changing the way we buy glasses.  They have frames for everyone, whether you have prescription glasses like me, or you just like cute trendy glasses!!  They are dedicated to making a huge variety of high quality glasses available at prices that wont break the bank.   Glasses can get really expensive, especially if you want cute, high quality frames.  GlassesUSA has a 110% lowest price guarantee and (my favorite) a 100% satisfaction guarantee as well as an awesome refer-a-friend program!

GlassesUSA is changing the way we buy glasses!!

Adorable frames of all kinds that wont break your bank!!

You can check out GlassesUSA.com to look at their huge variety of frames.  They also have this super fun virtual mirror so you can try on different styles to help you decide!!  As you can see, I had a lot of fun playing with the Virtual Mirror J

Which frames do you like better on my favorite princess??

(yes I'm still 5 years old at heart)

These guys have awesome prices all the time, you can keep up with all the cool deals and specials going on all types of eyeglasses frames at GlassesUSA by following them on Twitter @GlassesUSA or by going to their facebook page.

GlassesUSA is a great place for broke college kids like ME to get cute, high quality frames!!

PLUS just for reading this post you all get access to a special deal!!! 50% off any pair of eyeglasses on orders over $80 just use the code:  SPECIAL50.  Or 10% off any order of prescription glasses using the code:  Blog10.

So check ‘em out!!  Whether you’ve always wanted a pair of cute glasses or you need a new pair of frames for your prescription glasses, GlassesUSA has a ton of great frames at a price us broke college kids can afford!!!  Click on an icon below to check it out!!!

Saint Baldrick's

Hello everyone!

This post is in honor of one of my classmates that died this past weekend from childhood cancer.  I had many classes with Nate through out my high school career and he was always so happy and sweet, you rarely saw him without a smile on his face.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who feel his loss, especially his family.

A few of my classmates back home are organizing fundraising through Saint Baldrick's for childhood cancer research.

In honor of Nate, let's work to raise money for research on this devastating disease that has effected so many.

You can donate online by going to;

https://www.stbaldricks.org/donate/event/175/2012

You can learn more about St. Baldricks by going to their website at;

http://www.stbaldricks.org/

You can get more information about the event for Nate in Parker, Colorado you can go to their facebook page at;

http://www.facebook.com/events/247995605285290/

Sometimes the best sort of support is silent, through prayers and silent support.  Thanks to all of my followers for their prayers and support!!

OSCARS!!!

Hello everyone!!  I hope you all enjoyed the fashions and films at the Oscars!!

There is a listing of all the winners at oscar.go.com  I was surprised at all the awards Hugo received, I've never seen the movie but I definitely will after everything they won!

The Artist for best film was not a surprise, but also not really as satisfying as I would have hoped.  However, I was so happy that Jean Dujardin won best actor!!

I was also SO excited Octavia Spencer won for best supporting!!  The Help is such fantastic movie and she did such a great job, she looked gorgeous, and her speech was ADORABLE.

My best dressed??

Mila Jovovich in Ellie Saab....love it ALL!!  I am a sucker for old fashion glam hair and make up and she executes it flawlessly.  Her skin tone looks fantastic with this shimmery cream color and those EYES-jealous!!

I also loved Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen!  This is a hard color combo to pull off and she looks AMAZING!!  Her hair is fantastic too, I wish I could be a red-head!!  Flawless!

Both best dressed ladies were definitely a surprise for me.  What do you think??

MY BROTHER'S A CELEBRITY!

My big brother is a celebrity!!  Clay plays basketball at Colorado School of Mines in Golden Colorado.  They are climbing up the D2 ladder and have a huge chance at the championship this year!!

Watch their feature at www.youtube.com!!

My brother, Clay!  Isn't he precious!!

(Sorry ladies...he's taken)

You can also check out their schedule and cheer on the Ore Diggers by going to their website; www.csmorediggers.com

Here's the team!

GO CSM!!!

PS- Check out my newest review post on my Reviews Page!!!

Oscar Week!

Hey all!!

I hope I am not the only one with Oscar fever!!  This weekend cannot come soon enough!!  Check out all of the nominations at http://oscar.go.com/nominees and give me all of your opinions!!  I actually haven't watched that many of the movies nominated for best picture, so I need to catch up!!  I have seen The Help and The Artist and loved them both!!  As for my pick of the two, I vote for The Help.  It has a more controversial story line that seems to be a favorite of the Oscars.  However, poles are showing The Artist as the winner!!  Either way I would be happy, I am in love with both movies!

And don't forget red carpet interviews!!  I love award season because it always makes me want to wear pretty dresses.  My pick for best dressed at the Grammy's were Carrie Underwood and Jessie J.--gorgeous!!

LOVE THEM BOTH!!!

The most popular votes for best dressed seemed to be Rihanna and Fergie.  I for one LOVED Rihanna's dress, but not her hair or really the shoes.  Fergie's dress was a FANTASTIC color but, I am not a fan of the big black granny panties, it ruined a perfectly good dress.  I would have liked to see it with a nude lining. 

I can't wait to see what's in store for us at the Oscars!!

What do you think??  Who will be best dressed at the upcoming Oscars and who will show up in a surprise??  Any recommendations for favorite nominated film??  I am ALWAYS looking for a good movie :)

Happy Oscar week!

Homemade Soothing Face Mask

Hey all!!  Enjoying your Valentines Day!?  If you don't have plans tonight or if you just need some relaxing afterwards try a soothing homemade face mask!!  It's really easy and really cheap (my trademark).  I found this recipe online at http://elqalatawy.hubpages.com, and altered it to include ingredients that could be found already around your home or dorm.

Soothing face mask, what you need;

1 Tblsp of Yogurt (full fat is the best, but whatever you have)
1 Tblsp Honey (I have some for tea, but you can snag a packet from your cafeteria as well)
1 Tblsp Aloe Vera Gel (I used Vicks Vapo rub, you can use anything "tingly")
A few drops of Chamomile oil (I just used the Chamomile tea I had in my dorm)

My version of ingredients;

First, wash your face and pat dry.  

Add all of your ingredients into a bowl and stir.

For the Vicks Vapo Rub, I heated mine up in the microwave for a little bit to make it easier to combine.  You could also use Aloe Vera Gel if you have some, mint or eucalyptus oils, or anything "tingly".  You will have to adjust the amount for the amount of "tingle" you want.

For the Chamomile, since I didn't want to go out and buy the gel, just wet the tea bag in a little bit of hot water and squeeze it out into your bowl.  Be careful how much water ends up in the bowl because too much will make it hard to mix to the right texture.

Apply to face and let sit for 20 minutes, or how ever long you feel like being soothed, then wash off with warm water!!

I couldn't get the texture of mine to look like the one on http://elqalatawy.hubpages.com probably because I used household ingredients, but my face felt very soothed :). 

Go to http://elqalatawy.hubpages.com to check out other versions of this same mask for dry or oily skin or an exfoliating version!  There is also information about what the ingredients do for your skin.

I hope you have a wonderful and SOOTHING Valentines Day!!

DORM FUDGE

Thought you couldn't make Valentines Day goodies in your dorm??  Think again!!  I have modified a recipe to make THE BEST FUDGE right in your microwave, for under 5$, in about 5 minutes.  It's basically amazing.

All you need to make your fudge is a 12oz bag of your favorite baking chips (I used chocolate chips and peanut butter chips), a teaspoon of vanilla, a can of sweetened condensed milk, a microwave safe bowl, a spoon, and either a plate or a butter dish.

Add your chips to the microwaveable bowl (i used a plastic container because that's what I had) and melt the chips in the microwave.  I didn't have any trouble with the chocolate burning, I just heated in increments of 15 seconds, stirring in between.  You can use a microwave double boiler if you really want to, just google it!!  I also used mini chocolate chips, they melt faster.

Next, add the can of sweetened condensed milk and stir.  Once they are combined cook in the microwave for 1 minute.

Remove your bowl and stir in 1 tsp of of vanilla.  At this point you can also add nuts, or maraschino cherries, or anything else that sounds good to you.

After the vanilla is completely combined, pour your fudge into the butter dish or plate.  The container doesn't matter much as long as it has walls to keep the fudge in and is big enough to hold it all.

Place your fudge in the fridge over night, or for about 8 hours.

After 8ish hours take out and enjoy!!!  

This is seriously the best fudge EVER!  You can make any flavor you wish, as long as you can find a 12oz bag of it.  You can also add nuts or chopped up toffee or dried fruit to add flavor.

Have fun making your fudge!!  Share your combinations and any questions or tips in the comment box below.

Now go enjoy your Valentines Day with some AMAZING homemade sweets!!!

Check out my DIY!!

Hey all!!  I just posted the first of my Valentines Day excitement!  Check out the DIY page by clicking the icon on the right of the page or the tab right under my banner above this post!!

Enjoy!!

Fall in Love with Valentines Day!!

Hello everyone!  I know it is just the beginning of February, but you all know what February means...Valentines Day!!  Now I know that many girls are very bitter about Valentines Day, and I am determined to change the single girl's hatred of this awesome holiday!!

I am speaking from experience here, I have been single for every Valentines Day of my life.  I understand how especially the single girl could feel hatred to this holiday that seems to point an accusing finger at anyone who doesn't have a dozen roses and chocolates thrown at her on the 14th.  BUT Valentines Day could be a single girls dream!!

Valentines day is the greatest excuse to eat candy, watch mushy movies, lounge, put your feet up, and just take some me time!!  Whether you prefer a girls night or a nice hot bath, it is a holiday to indulge without guilt!!

SO, I have set up some fun posts for everyone to make your Valentines Day all about you and not all about someone you don't have, why would you want to waste an awesome day like Valentines Day on a guy that is no less than perfect anyway!?!

Here is the line up!  For single and taken girls alike, INDULGE!!  It's a girls holiday :)

• DIY- shirt scarf!! (super cute, trust me)
• Homemade yogurt face masks (can be altered for ALL types of skins)
• Microwave fudge!  (Haven't decided what kind yet, perfect to make in a dorm)
• Mushy movie reviews (for my favorite love stories; Moulin Rouge and Tristan and Isolde...oh ya)
• Anything else you want to suggest to make your day AWESOME!! And all about YOU!!

Photo Editing Fun!!

Hey all!!  Sorry it's been so long since my last post!  I've been busy!!

I wanted to share with you guys my new favorite website; pixlr.com!!  It's a lot like photoshop and the best part is...it's free!!  You don't even have to do a download!!  I have used pixlr.com before to make all my beautiful buttons on imCarly, but I've just recently really started exploring.  One of my friends sent me a saying that I really liked and I wanted to make it my desktop but I didn't want just a boring Word.doc for a desktop so I spruced it up;

Isn't it pretty!?  I actually had someone ask me where I got it!

So to start making your beautiful pictures, choose whether you want to use a picture or a saying to beautify.  If you are doing a picture I would suggest doing all of the editing you can on iPhoto, you can do everything you can do in iPhoto in pixlr, but it's more condensed in iPhoto which I think is easier.  Once you've decided on your project just start playing around and see what you can make!!  Here are a few steps to get you started;

1. Head to www.pixlr.com!!  On the start up screen, I would suggest choosing "open photo editor" then you will come to a screen like this;

2.  I would suggest clicking on "Create New Image" even if you are using a photo and then just adding the photo as a layer

3.  Make sure that you have the box at the bottom that says "Transparent" checked, you can add in a white background later if you would like.  To choose your canvas size, check out the size of the area you are going to fill, if you want to upload it to a blog or website, it should usually tell you the dimensions otherwise it doesn't really matter

3.  Then, as I said before, just play around!!  Here are some things to remember when you are playing around;

• Use the command bar on Pixlr, not on your desktop to Undo and Save
• To insert an image go to "Layer" then "Insert Image as Layer" on the command bar
• USE LOTS OF LAYERS, especially when you are using text, another layer will be added automatically when you add another set of text, and then to add another layer just click on the tab at the bottom of the layer box on the right side of the screen

• To adjust the size of your canvas go to "Image" then "Canvas Size" to adjust the size of your picture go to "Image" then "Image Size", remember the image is what you insert, the canvas is your original working space
• Make sure you keep up Pixlr until you are FOR SURE done with your image because you can't reopen and adjust the layers on an image once you exit out of it

OK!  Now you have a beautiful image or a beautiful saying, you can beautify it even more!!

 Just open a new tab, go back to the main www.pixlr.com page, and choose "Retro Vintage Effects", it's pretty self explanatory just play around!!!

You can manipulate the different sections with the odometer looking thing at the bottom of the screen.  For my saying I used "Peter" on the red section, "Redrum" on the blue, and "Dirt" on the yellow.  

Happy Pixlr-ing!!!!!!

All info from www.pixlr.com

Snow in Tulsa!

It snowed in Tulsa!!  Being from Colorado, I LOVE SNOW!!  You can imagine excitement when we walked out of the TU men’s basketball game (which we won woop woop!) and found snow falling to the ground!!!!

Naturally, I had to show these southern kids how to have a real snowball fight!!  It was also a must to document this amazing phenomenon!!  Snow in Tulsa!!  The snow was so beautiful and I had a ton of fun!!

Isn’t it pretty!?  The flowers are still colorful and the grass is still green because it hasn’t gotten cold enough here yet!

AMMO!!  We totally won the snowball fight….

Fun with iPhoto!  My camera is not very high quality so it got all smudged and foggy while I was taking pictures.  I was able to take a few fun photos using my smudge (like the first one in this series) and then sharpen them up in iPhoto, but for the most part many of my pictures were very out of focus or had weird fog patches.

Bailey’s snow angel!!  Perfection!!

I hope it snows again soon!!  This is only my first year in Tulsa but from what I’ve heard it might be a while, maybe by then I’ll have saved up enough for a better camera and those southern kids learned a little from their experience (INVEST IN SOME GLOVES!)

Welcome to imCarly!!

Hello and welcome to imCarly! my blog documenting my adventures as a student, an athlete, and a daughter of Christ.  I decided to use my first post to tell you a little bit about myself!

First of all I am a volleyball player studying at the University of Tulsa.  We were Conference Champs this year!! Woop woop!  There will probably be a post coming up about our rings soon J.

Here in Tulsa wonderful friends, family and teammates support me; I don’t know how I could do it with out them!  I am originally from Colorado, and that is where my wonderful family lives now!  My big brother plays Basketball at Colorado School of Mines and my little sister is a wonderful high school junior just loving life!

As a broke college kid, I enjoy DIY, books, movies, photos, and BLOGGING!!  I’m so excited to share my adventures with all of you!!!  I’m new to this whole blogging thing so feel free to comment as much as you would like!!  I would love suggestions or any requests you might have!!!

God bless!!