Quarantine Expectations VS Reality

Now that the majority of us have been in quarantine for awhile, how are we spending our time? There is actually a difference between how you WANT to spend your time and how you ACTUALLY spend your time. Here are some examples:

EXPECTATION: Read all those books you purchased and have been wanting to read but couldn't because of work and no time
REALITY: Spend time on the phone and watch TV instead

EXPECTATION: Deep clean the house/spring clean and get everything organized
REALITY: Do one load of laundry and call it honest work

EXPECTATION: Explore your creativity by working on a blog/art/singing/writing
REALITY: Who has the energy for that??

EXPECTATION: Exercise and stay in shape
REALITY: Alternate all day between the couch and the bed

EXPECTATION: Eat healthy
REALITY: Have 10 cookies for breakfast and a hot dog for lunch

EXPECTATION: Focus on your mental health and do things that are good for the soul
REALITY: Think about all the bad things that could happen and google "dry cough and runny nose" just so you can send your anxiety through the roof

EXPECTATION: Have a routine, wake up early, get ready for the day, make your bed, eat healthy, have a wholesome day and go to bed at a decent time
REALITY: Stay up until 4am, wake up at noon, eat junk food and lay on the couch all day watching "Tiger King"

Obviously these are all for a bit of a laugh guys but I'm not going to lie my quarantine so far has been more like the "Reality" part and not the "Expectation" part. I recently really started to get into more of a routine. Even if I wake up late and stay up late I still wake up, make breakfast, get ready for the day and try and do something creative that day or something that will make me feel like I accomplished something. You don't want to go to bed thinking you are just throwing precious time away.


Follow your body and your mind and if you need that time to do absolutely nothing then that is fine too. We are all going through this World Pandemic and it can affect everyone in different ways so deal with it as good as you can and remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we will hopefully come out of this stronger and better than before.

Xo

Dakota Johnson Casual Style-Get the Look

Hello everyone

Today I am bringing back the "Get the Look" Series! I used to do these types of posts all the time back when I was in Fashion School and most of you guys loved them. Usually I picked a celebrity and broke down what they were wearing and gave you all links to where you can buy the similar items in order to recreate the look! Of course, I tried to also keep it budget friendly :) Not all of us are made of money:)

Most of these styles will be recreated through Amazon because they have some really decent priced merchandise that is still fashionable. We will of course also have other boutique stores featured because I love online stores and some of them have amazing merchandise!

My first celebrity is Dakota Johnson! I think her style is amazing and she can look good no matter if she is in glam or dressed super casual. I wanted to look at her casual style today because I feel like that is what most of us will want to recreate at the moment for the cold January month :)

Style #1

-Mid rise, straight leg, slouchy jean with knee rips

-Checkered Button Down Top (long sleeve) 

-Dark Brown chunky heel bootie 

-Slouchy over the Shoulder Bag 

-Sunglasses 

https://amzn.to/2O3OVxW

https://amzn.to/36y7Rv3

https://amzn.to/38KEV4s

Easy Like Sunday Morning Breakfast

Everyone loves a good Sunday. It's a day where most people take to relax and regroup before going back to work the next day. Some people do not have Sundays off but maybe they have a different day off that they consider their equivalent of a Sunday.

Sunday is one of my days off and I usually love this day because it's the day that I sleep in, enjoy breakfast with my boyfriend without having to rush out the door before he even wakes up, and just spend time doing things I love. Sometimes it's just a day of Netflix and sleep because let's be real, we all need one of those days every once in awhile. Work can really be draining and it puts so much strain on your mind and body that you need that day where you literally don't do anything.





Today, I just wanted to share with you all a few pictures of what a typical Sunday or "day off" breakfast looks like for us. 




My boyfriend usually makes the coffee for us and I make the breakfast. Sometimes I am so tired that I cannot even get out of bed without a coffee first. He usually gets up and makes us our coffee. I usually spend a few more minutes in bed siping on it and scrolling through Social Media. Then I finally get up and start making our typical "day-off" breakfast. He is not off on Sundays but doesn't leave the house until about 2PM which still gives us enough time to enjoy the morning.










I start off with taking all the ingredients out of the fridge: 


Eggs, vegan butter, cheese, deli chicken breast and some jam! I usually use whatever cheese we have in the fridge at the moment! I typically use turkey bacon but we were out of that so I replaced it with the deli chicken.



Another thing I use is bagels which I forgot to put in the picture! I usually make us an egg sandwich and a piece of toast with jam on the side.

The first thing I do is toast the bagels. While they are toasting I put a pan on the stove with about a half of tablespoon of vegan butter. I let that all melt. In the meantime, I crack two eggs in a small bowl and add salt and pepper on top. After the pan is heated I put the eggs in the pan and cover it with a lid. I like to cook the eggs on low heat so they get nice a gooey on the inside but not too runny. During this time I get my bagels out of the toaster and start spreading some of the vegan butter on them.

Once the eggs are done, I put them on the bagels, and slice the middle of the yolk a little bit for a little more flavor! I then start frying the turkey bacon or whatever I am using at the time in the same pan I used for the eggs. I then place that on top of the eggs and add half a slice of cheese on top of that! Sometimes, if I have some cherry tomatoes I cut them up and put those on top of everything else! It is so good! 

I then get the two pieces of toast ready with some vegan butter and jam on top as a "dessert" haha












Hope you all enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments below what you like to eat for breakfast! 

xoxo

How to Unwind After a Long Day of Work

How many of you out there have super busy lives? I'm sure most of you all have work to go to, bills to pay, food to put on the table, and so on and so forth. Our lives can get so hectic that we sometimes forget to think about ourselves or our well being. It is so important to take care of ourselves not just physically but also mentally and emotionally. Today, I wanted to share with you all a few things I do to unwind after a long day of work and how I prepare myself for the next day.

1. Change into something comfortable 

First thing I do when I get home is change into something comfortable. I usually take off my work clothes and shoes and change into, most of the time, a pajama bottom and a loose T-shirt. I usually get home form work pretty late so I rarely do anything after work. I definitely do not go out unless necessary. I usually head to my closet and change.

2. Wash my face/take makeup off

The next thing I do after changing into comfy clothes is take off my makeup and put my hair up in a bun or ponytail. Sometimes I wait to take my makeup off until right before bed but if I know for a fact that I won't be going anywhere that evening then I will take my makeup off and wash away all the stress from the day. I usually leave my house at 8am in the morning and don't get back until 7PM and my face starts looking really tired and gross by the end of my day. I love the feeling of a nice, clean, makeup free face. 

3. Make sure I have a clean house 

When I get home from work, if there are dishes in the sink and my house is a disaster, I cannot relax. My mind will be so cluttered with the thought that my house needs to be cleaned and I feel on edge. I don't know if this happens to everybody but I know that once I get home and there are things that need to be tidied, I do that first before doing anything else. I don't do any crazy cleaning because most of the time I come home exhausted but I do the bare minimum like dishes and straightening around the house. 

4. Grab something to eat

By the time I get home I am starving! I look through my fridge and see what I can put together for a quick bite. Sometimes I only have a snack and then eat later when my bf gets home. Sometimes I eat a bigger meal and don't eat with him later in the day. 

5. Do something for myself

After eating, I either write a blog post or I think of any upcoming content that I can create for my blog and YouTube channel. If I am too tired for that (which is most evenings) then I just watch some YouTube videos (catch up with the latest uploads) or watch Netflix/Hulu/Disney Plus. Most of the time if I am REALLY exhausted I just fall asleep until my bf gets home. 

6. Exercise 

I don'd do this enough but I really need to start incorporating a quick routine into my day at least every couple of days. Most days if I get home at 7, I will eat by 8 and exercise by 9:30PM I usually do a quick 30 min at home workout. This usually makes me feel so much better about myself and definitely helps with my mental health as well. 

7. Shower/Get ready for Bed 

Showering helps me relax and wash away all the dirt and stress from the day and gets me ready for bed. Some nights I don't shower because I like to shower in the mornings but if I workout then I definitely hop in the shower afterwards (just for a quick refresh). I then brush my teeth, do my skincare routine and head into bed! 

8. Bed Time 

I am not the type of person who goes to bed early but I usually am in bed around 11:30-midnight. My bf does't get home until a little after 11pm so I am usually up waiting on him, helping him with some dinner (he is usually starving after work) and then we just cuddle and watch a cozy TV Show to fall asleep to. Right now we are watching the original Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and its super entertaining. I have never seen the show from beginning to end before! I usually make us both a cup of tea as well which is so relaxing to sip on before bed! He usually sneaks away to play video games after I fall asleep but I am usually asleep until my alarm goes off the next morning. 

That is everything I do on most evenings! I hope you guys enjoyed reading and I would love to find out how you unwind after a long day! Drop me a comment down below :)

xoxo 

My 2020 and Beyond Vision Board

Now that I am really accepting the fact that it is actually 2020 and that yes, I am about to be a year older and get further into my 30s, I really want to lay down some goals that I have for this year. Some of these goals will probably take longer than one year to complete and that is why I am calling this my Vision Board.

I already wrote a post about my new years resolutions but I feel like goals are a little bit different than resolutions. A "resolution" is a firm decision to do or not to do something whereas a "goal" is an aim or desired result. These are things that I am aiming to do and results I am wanting to achieve by doing  said things:)

I want to start by sharing with you all my vision board

As you can see, these are just pictures I found online that went hand in hand with the things I want to start working towards this year. They are not arranged in any particular order. I am going to talk abut each one of them individually.

1. Working towards being debt free. 

As a college student and young adult, I accumulated a little (or a lot) debt along the way. Just from opening credit cards and not paying them in full, or having unexpected expenses show up that we had to borrow money for. My goal is to start chipping away at the debt I have accumulated little by little. I will be doing this by writing down everything that I owe on credit cards or loans or anything else. Start paying off from the smallest debt to the highest. This takes me into my 2nd goal

2. Saving for a house

My boyfriend and I have been renting for about 5 or 6 years now. We are currently in a rental house. Our plan is to save up money and hopefully be able to own our own home. This goes hand in hand with working towards being debt free this year. Saving money is easier said than done when a lot of your paycheck is going towards bills but we will try our hardest this year to save. Also working on different things that will bring in extra income is definitely one of the things I will be focusing on.

3.  Blog!

Blogging has been a passion of mine since before I finished college (2010s) I started blogging in October of 2010! My first post was about if you are a Drugstore or Designer type of person when it comes to skincare (obviously I meat high end products haha) then I went on to talk about my favorite Neutrogena cleanser at the time: ) I talked about celebrity fashion, get the look, makep I loved, I did hauls and videos! It started out great! I loved chatting with other bloggers and building a little family. BUT, after college and moving out and getting a job in retail, everything slowed down. I wasn't posting as much, I was always busy with work and tired when I got home. I became very inconsistent with blogging and completely stopped at one point. I kept wanting to come back and posting  a few (hi, I'm back!) type of posts but would blog for a few weeks and fall off the wagon again. It always started at the beginning of a new year because I always had that it's a new year motivation. It always failed in the end. This year I can feel it will be different. I want it to be different and I am so excited about starting on my blog journey again. So much has changed and the blogging world is so different now but I want to bring that good feeling, cosy, blog about anything vibe back and I hope you all will enjoy it and come on this ride with me!

4. Youtube!

Youtube is another one of my passions and my goal is to turn it into my full time job. I started my Youtube channel in 2007 (what?? crazy!!) but again, just like blogging, I was never consistent with it! In the past year I became a lot more consistent but not nearly where I want to be. I think one of the reasons is, I am not quite sure what I want the channel to be about. Right now it is a little bit of everything. Even though it is a lifestyle type of channel, I want it to be more cohesive and entertaining at the same time. I want it to be something that you guys will be looking forward to. I want to make videos that will inspire but also entertain! I would love to start building  little Youtube family! I want to grow this channel this year by figuring out its purpose and its goals. Youtube is definitely a hobby and I enjoy it so much. I love making videos but I also do want my channel to mean something and to grow. Even though I will always post things that I love, I also want it to be something that you all will love and will be interested in.

5. Building a Business

My degree is in fashion design, yet I did not look for a job in this field out of college as I fell into retail instead. Since I was little, my goals were to have my own business. This still remains my goal to this day. I have tried many times but I always stop when things get hard. Mostly because I am already working a full time job that is very tiring or because I don't have the financial help that is needed to get a business going. This year I want to start something small that I can hopefully grow in the coming years! You all will find out about it on my blog once something does happen! I want to put my skills to use and also fulfill my dream since I was a little girl!

Now let't get into the more easy going goals for this year!

6. Health and Fitness!

I feel like I have let myself go in the past year (not like in a horrible way) but just eating more fast food (mostly because I never make time to cook and I am working this crazy retail schedule). I also stopped working out ( I always start, do it for a week and then end it) usually because I sprain something, I start getting migraines, or start feeling sick. My goal this year is to find something that works for me. Working out a few days out of the week instead of 5 days a week. Finding workouts that my body can do but that will also give me results! Eating more healthy foods, finding healthier options and eating smaller portions. Doing more at home cooking and eating less in the evening is a big part of my health goal. I will probably do a few blog posts about what I am eating and what workouts I am doing in case any of you guys will be interested :) I am so excited to start really taking care of my body. This will also help with my mental health in the process. That's another story for a different blog post.

7. Reading more books!

I used to LOVE reading when I was younger and I still do! Yet again, this is something that I do not have time for or make time for. Reading was so easy when I was younger because I had less responsibilities and so much more time! This year I really want to read more! I have a few series that I started a few years ago but never finished so my goal is to re read them because I probably forgot most of it and then add more books to my list! I really love fiction and young adult but I would like to broaden my horizons and read a little bit of everything this year!

8. Traveling!!

I would love to make time for traveling! There are so many places in the world that I would love too see and explore but I don;t have the money or time to do so. I really want to start a little travel savings fund that I can build over the year and be able to actually go somewhere this year! I am from Romania and would love to be able to go back this year to see my family and to have a little much needed vacation, Last time my boyfriend and I had a vacation was in 2014 (so 6 years ago) when I first took him to visit Romania. It would be a dream to go back this year. We also want to visit Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, England and so many more places!

9. Visit Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, FL

I know this is a very specific goal but we are such big fans of Harry Potter and have never been here before! I have been wanting to go ever since I heard about it being released! This seems like the most amazing place to visit for a Harry Potter fan and I think it would be such a fun and amazing experience for us both! Let me know in the comments below if you have ever been and how was it?

That is it guys! I know I can think if a million things more that I would like to accomplish in the coming years but I want to start with these 9 things on my list! I know that most of this will take a lot of hard work, focus and dedication but they are all very possible! As long as we keep our health, there is so much to accomplish that is very exciting! Looking forward to some good changes this year! I wish everyone a good year filled with health, happiness and anything else your heart desires!
xoxo 

New Year Resolutions? 10 Things You Should Do This Year

Oh, January! The month where we tell ourselves that this year will be THE BEST YEAR OF OUR LIVES! We have been robbed of a great year and this is finally our time to shine. We tell ourselves we will do all those things we never got to do last year! We will exercise more, eat healthy and have some miraculous amount of money that will help us get out of debt and buy a new house. 

Ok, let's take a step back. Not saying none of this will happen but realistically, we know ourselves. The gym is not our thing, the healthy eating is not our thing and there is no way money will just fall into our laps out of thin air.

BUT...here are a few things we CAN do:

1. Stop setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves!

2. Start slowly introducing exercise into our lives (maybe workout 2 times a week and slowly increase to more). Start with yoga or easy exercises that you can do at home. (You know you're not the gym type!)

3. Start cooking more. Cook a healthy dinner at least 5 times a week. You don't have to stress yourself out trying to cook ALL THE TIME! Do your best and as long as you are making healthier options, everything will start falling into place. 

4. Start doing at least one thing that makes you happy per day. Do not let work be the only thing that you do that day. Read a book, listen to music, write a blog, take pictures, take a bath, watch tv, go for a walk, call a friend. 

5. Spend time with family and friends. Make time for those in your life, get together and spend some quality time doing whatever!

6. If you have a significant other then spend quality time with them, do things together like going out to eat, going for a walk, or just hanging out watching Netflix. Spend time on your relationship!

7. Let yourself have those lazy days where you just lay in bed and recharge, you need it! Don't feel bad about it. Those dishes will be washed and the laundry will be done at one point ;)

8. Self care is important. Not just on the outside but also on the inside. Clear your mind and focus on those things that make you happy. Bad things happen and bad days happen but try not to focus on them for too long. Let yourself be ok. 

9. Let yourself eat those "unhealthy" foods and sweets but don't make it a habit or allow it to be the only thing you eat. Everything can be eaten in moderation! 

10. and last but not least, don't forget that you only have one life and if you are not happy you have the power to change it! 

Any more you can add to the list? Comment down below :)

Until next time,

xoxo 

Is Blogging Still a Thing? New Year Chat!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Can you believe it is the year 2020??? SO crazy! I have been really thinking about re launching my blog for the past few months. My only concern is, is blogging still a thing? Do people still read blogs? I know I rarely do anymore and if I do, it is usually someone I have been following for a long time. Most of the time I am on YouTube watching video blogs or as we like to call them vlogs!

I would love to hear your opinion on blogging and if you are still into it! Is it starting to slowly become a thing of the past? I think most of the blogs that are out there right now are either about fashion, cooking and or health/working out. These are all amazing but I feel like a lot of them are not as personal as they used to be. They all seem so commercial now! I don't know, maybe I am just old fashioned!

Today, I just wanted to really start getting my feet wet again and start writing again. I love the idea of a new beginning, a clean slate to start fresh and really go for your dreams. That's what the New Year is all about! It's not necessarily about a new year, new you. It's about continuously growing as a person and really digging deep into what makes you happy and how to spend more time doing that! Is work a happy place for you? Is home a happy place? What can you do to improve your life. Everyone wants to have a good life, we all have different goals we want to achieve but in the end we all just want to be happy. The question is, how do we make that possible?

I really want to make this blog all about finding happiness in the little things (so cliche, I know), but I want to write about mindless thing that put a smile on your face but also write about important things that make you think! I want this place to be a place where we can all chat and speak our minds without being scared of what others might think.

Let's leave all the negativity and

negative thought in 2019! Let's start the year with positive thoughts and know that anything you put your mind to, you can achieve! Here's to the new year, and here's to blogging!

If you read this then please comment down below with something that you are looking forward to this year or something that you want to achieve or anything else that you would like to comment. I would love to chat with all of you! Until next time!

xoxo