5 Highs, 1 Low; Feb. 10-16

This is a new series for my blog called "Highs and Lows". I'd like to come up with a more creative name, but that will come with time.  In this series, I will post about the top 5 things that happened to me in the past week, whether it be time spent with someone, a day in general, or just a small incident. So...here it goes.

1. Wednesday, I was able to see Chris for the first time since last Friday (which sucked kind of lot). That's probably the longest I've been away from him in the entire time that we've been dating (a little over eight months). Anyways, I was very happy to see him. He came to my house for a while and we just worked on some of his college work, then we went to band practice at our church, then the service commenced. It was nice.

2. Thursday was Valentine's Day, as you all know. I went to school, was kind of unsettled by countless couples eating each others faces off. I was nearly running out the door at 1:30, trying to escape the gigantic balloons and oversize teddy bears hitting me in the halls.

3. Also on Thursday, I went out and secretly bought my mom a beautiful bouquet, and a chocolate rose. I like surprising her.

4. Chris got me "Warm Bodies" for Valentines Day, so I can read it before I see it. Needless to say, I was very excited. (Review coming soon?) He also gave me some chocolate which I've mostly already devoured.

5. TONIGHT- It hasn't happened yet...but tonight I am getting together with some really old friends and I am so psyched. I barely get to see any of them anymore, and we are finally getting back together after a few years. We used to always have so much fun together, and I doubt it will be any less fun!

1 Low: It would definitely be the gross couples at school on Valentine's Day...Ick.

So there you have it, my weekly high and lows in a nutshell.

What exciting event happened to you this week?

Always,
Chelsea

Everyday Makeup

In my everyday life, I have a lot of people coming to me with questions about beauty, and makeup specifically. I guess I've always been pretty talented at enhancing someones natural features. I'm always the person the girls ask for when they need their makeup done for special occasions, and of course, I'm up for it because I honestly love makeup. It's something fun, and can change any look.

I don't typically wear a whole lot of makeup on a day-to-day basis, but I do wear a little bit just to enhance the features I naturally have. Here are my top 5 makeup essentials for daily use:

1. Downboy blush by theBalm  2. Clump Crusher mascara by Covergirl  3. Sugar Lip Treatment by Fresh  4. Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner  5. Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup

These are products that I use religiously every single day. I am in love with all of these products and recommend them to anyone. 

Whats your holy grail makeup item?

Always,

Chelsea

Rainy Day Essentials

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you have all had a great day so far. As I type this, I'm reminding myself of the rather, for lack of a better word, crappy day I've had.

 Let me just take you through my day for a second: woke up, got ready, made my coffee, didn't put enough creamer in it (I realized this as I was already driving to school), drank the rest of my coffee with a turned-up nose, arrived at school and it was raining, realized I didn't have an umbrella, walked into school getting sprinkled on (it wasn't that bad), went to my classes, got out and realized it was sprinkling, then as I started walking the long trek to my car and it began pouring (I was wearing my new leather boots). I then came home, changed into something warm and dry and now I am typing this. So, needless to say, I wasn't in the best mood earlier...but hey, now I get to write which always puts me in a better mood.

Anyways, my story did have a point. As I was walking to my car earlier, I realized how much I wished I had an umbrella, and maybe had worn something more appropriate for a rainy day (maybe I should actually start paying attention to the weather). Therefore, my idea of a rainy days essentials blog post sparked, so here it is...My Rainy Days Essentials.

On rainy days, I always feel cooped up with nothing to do, but hey, a good book is always a good book no matter the weather. I also usually find this a good time to paint my nails because I have nothing better to do. 

I hope you will use this post to your advantage the next time it rains in your town. I sure wish I had thought of this before today! It would have come in handy.

P.s. I made a new cup of coffee once I got home...I'm happy now :)

What is your top rainy day essential?

Always,

Chelsea

London Folk Artist's Touch My Heart

If you don't recognize the gentlemen in this picture, you have not yet experienced life yet. These are the men that lull me to sleep every night with their beautifully crafted, musical creations of wonder. Seriously. They're great. Let me introduce you to them now, ladies (and gents?)

These wonderful people are known in the music industry as Mumford & Sons. In 2007, this group of extremely talented friends formed the band. From their band name, it sounds like this is a band of brothers, but that is incorrect, although that was Marcus Mumford's intentions. 

Mumford explained, he wanted their audience to feel that their name had the essence of an "antiquated family business name".

This is the exact reaction the band of "brothers" received from their fans. At every concert, the band wants to interact with the people that paid good money and time to see them, as well as make the audience feel comfortable and relaxed during their shows. This is something any band should take away from this extravagant folk band. People like feeling like they are apart of something, and that is what Mumford & Sons is all about. It's refreshing, really.

Now aside from their fabulous, applause worthy stage presence and performances, let me just fan-girl for a second. Their music is amazing, and moving, and everything good about life. Anything from their two albums, "Sigh No More" and "Babel" (their most recent album) is just music to my ears (no pun intended).

I just feel so relaxed and accepted by them, just listening to their songs. They really make everything make sense, which is an important thing for artists. Artists must be relatable and Mumford & Sons exceed the relatable-ness expectancy. I feel like I get what they're talking about. Allow me to speak for most true music lovers: a lot of the popular "artists" we have in this day and time are irrelevant and talk (sing) about subjects that I don't care to hear about, or care about at all.

Nonetheless, in my opinion, Mumford & Sons earn five stars from me, a round of applause, and a fan-girl scream due to the anticipation of their new album possibly coming out this year. Mumford said himself in December of 2012 that they were working on their new album. I am looking forward to this new album. I'm sure they have many more stories to sing.

Do you like Mumford & Sons? Are there any other indie bands that you would like to enlighten me with?

Always, 
Chelsea

A New-found Passion

So recently my schedule has not been very full and I have really had nothing to do with my time. I'm a big Pinterest fan. I'm constantly on it, whether I'm at home lounging around, or out and about waiting for my coffee at Starbucks. You could say I'm a tad obsessed...but it's okay, right...? Everyone has their own personal obsessions.

Okay, so maybe I'm on Pinterest a little too much, but nonetheless it gives me something to do. Especially lately, I have found a greater obsession that ties in with Pinterest: BAKING.

Now a little back story, when I was younger (I am only 17, but you get the idea...) I couldn't put something into the microwave without burning it. It was that bad. This terribleness occurred until I was about 14, then I gave up on the kitchen all together. I gave up to easily, I suppose. I just didn't know how to use tools and recipes correctly. It was no biggie. (Now, if I still had that inability I would probably still have a sour attitude about it, it would be a biggie; A Big biggie)

Anyways, I was so uncomfortable in the kitchen that I convinced my boyfriend (of a little over eight months) that he would do all of the cooking once we're married. That wouldn't be a big deal, because he can in fact cook quite well, but now we can both cook! I am seriously so psyched by my recent discovery. I love Pinterest now more than ever, because I've actually gained something from it. It just makes me so happy to finally have something to do on those very un-busy days.

SO...would you like to know what I've made so far? I bet you do...because they were all delicious!
                                               

Here's something that happened to be one of my favorites! Although I had a few issues with rolling out the dough, they turned out tasting fantastic. 

If you would like to try making these click here, but let me warn you, do NOT over mix the ingredients once you have added the dry mix with the wet. I did this and it was challenging to get the dough to stick together. After about 10 minutes of rolling, recovering dough that had crumbed out from under the edges of the parchment paper, and finding a way to stick the dough in the fridge, it all turned out okay. The dough was really the only challenging thing about this recipe. I also made a glaze, which was delicious, to go on the cookies. Here's the recipe for that, here.

I also made these chicken enchiladas. Now let me tell you something about these babies. I am a true Texas girl, and let me tell ya, here in Texas, we love our Tex-Mex. That's pretty much what I'm used to, and when I think of enchiladas, I think of cheese enchiladas with lots of cheese and lots of chile gravy sauce on top. This recipe is not anything like what I call true enchiladas, but these are definitely one of my favorite things to make now. 

My whole family loved them and requested my making of more very soon. All I'm saying though, is don't go into it thinking it's going to taste like a Mexican Restaurant's enchiladas, because it's not going to. This is more of a recipe that tastes similar to a King Ranch Chicken casserole, so if you're up for something new, definitely give this one a try.

The last thing I've made (so far) are these amazingly moist, delicious cupcakes: but with a twist. Instead of typical icing, I decided to spice things up a bit and make a cream filling which turned out great with this cupcake. Here is the recipe for the cupcake, and the filling.

It was a very easy recipe, and I had little to no problems with this one. I highly recommend it, especially if you haven't found that perfect recipe for a moist, chocolate cupcake!

As you can tell, I have been a little busy bee in the kitchen. I've discovered a new passion for baking because of Pinterest, and for that I realize that I am no longer wasting my time on that site, which is a good feeling. 

Anyways, I am off to do whatever the day holds for me. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Do any of you have any good Pinterest recipes? If so, you should share them with me!

Always,

Chelsea

Working Out is Empowering

So...My New Years Resolutions didn't last but one post, but I am trying to motivate myself to post more on here in order to really start up my blog. I figured the best way to start writing more would be to write about things that inspire and motivate me. Things that I love, and today's topic is working out.

As I sit here, sweating bullets, my heart rapidly pounding, my fingers quivering as I type, I am here to tell you that I feel empowered and accomplished every time I work out. Why would you care? Well, maybe you don't, but I'm here to make you care. 

I'm not what you would call a work-out junkie or anything, I'm just one of those people that like to try and work out a few times a week. I like running...sometimes. But the point is, I do what I feel I need to do to feel great about myself. I know my limits, and I don't push myself too, too hard, but I like to do a few 10 minute workouts everyday. Some of you may wonder, what ARE the benefits of staying active, at the least, even a little each day? Here are some...

Aren't these reasons good enough to begin working out every day, even for 30 minutes? If they're not...think about your favorite pair of jeans that you just can't quite seem to squeeze into anymore. I bet you'll find some motivation there, if no where else.

I will say though, working out is NOT about losing weight, as much as it is about feeling great on the inside first! It's about lifting your self confidence, and as I said before, your mood! You will be happier, feel better, and look better. Sounds like a good deal to me, which is why I will continue to workout daily.

Also, if you want to check out the videos that I do on a daily basis...click the link below, and remember, YouTube is a great place to check out videos for free!

http://www.youtube.com/user/blogilates

Always,
Chelsea

Ringing in the New Year

As I was sitting on my aunts couch the other day with her laptop, I was scanning Pinterest and I came upon a beautifully made blog. It inspired me nonetheless, and now I have made a commitment for my well being to post often, every night if possible so that I can make my dreams come true.

I'd like to become an author one day, and I think that this blog will only  help expand my writing abilities, almost as an exercise so that I can get into the habit of writing every day. 

Now, I don't believe in making resolutions. I feel like New Years Resolutions are just a list of unrealistic expectations we have for ourselves. We struggle to keep up with them, and lets be real: they end up stunting our confidence and make us think of ourselves as failures. Who will really run 5 miles a day, get straight A's and never fail ONE test, grow out their hair by a foot? Unless you're a marathon runner, a genius, or on some type of hair steroid, don't expect to do these things successfully throughout the entire year. Therefore  I don't put false hope in myself to do the impossible. Commitments and goals are the way to go.

What are my goals this year? Here are some...

1. Strengthen my relationship with God

2. Strengthen my relationship with Chris and my family

3. Learn to embrace my last year and a half of high school

4. Become more involved at church

5. Be more selfless

6. Do the best I can in school

7. Eat healthier

8. Run around the block a few times a week

9. Continuously post and expand my blog

10. Organization

Always,

Chelsea