GUYS. There are only two months left in the year. 

NOPE NOPE NOPE 2017 YOU CAN JUST CALM YO SELF AND GO AWAY PLEASE AND THANK YOU. 

Obviously I am quite calm about this entire situation.

First off, I want to apologize for the fact that this post, which is supposed to go out on the FIRST day of each month...well, didn't do that this time around. I found myself freaking out on November 1st because I wasn't ready, and I just truly didn't have time to put together something that I felt good about posting. SO, I decided to just switch some stuff around. Life has to be flexible- blogging might as well be, too. 

October was such a crazy month, I can't even comprehend it. Not that that's hard to tell- it's literally been my worst posting month of all time. Like wow, I bombed that, I'm sorry. On top of the craziness, the blogger's block was so incredibly real. It didn't make for a good blogging month, I'll say that. 

October was a month full of school, rehearsals, bonfires, tests, rehearsals, papers, Halloween parties, and the occasional rehearsal. It was a lot of fun, but I really wasn't expecting it to be so hectic, so I may or may not have gone a slight bit crazy. It's fine, it's fine. 

At the beginning of the month, we started working on one of our biggest dance numbers for the spring show, and we fully choreographed that, so that was really great. It's a lot of fun, and I'm super excited. We then started working on a number for our Christmas show, which ironically is taking place in November. Hey, start the holiday season off early! 

Speaking of holidays, I have to say- I know that some of y'all aren't fans, but I've got to just go ahead and admit it- I flipping love Halloween. I mean, honestly, let's think about this. You get to eat tons of sugar, go back to feeling like a literal five-year-old, and wear awesome costumes. I cannot contain my love for this. My costumes this year included Barbie, Elphaba, and a rag doll. It was fabulous.

I also discovered the magic that is Spotify this October, and I am never looking back. Oh my goodness, it's amazing. I don't have Premium, mainly because I'm cheap, but as someone who's been living with Pandora Shuffle, I could not be happier.

As for November, I don't know for sure what all it's going to hold, but I'm excited. NaNo is going shockingly well, and I think that I'm going to end up ahead of my goal! I had a crazy but fun past week watching some of my best friends compete, which was awesome. Plus, the holidays are coming up, which means lots of fun and festivities and FOOD! I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's the holiday season, but if it's here then we might as well embrace it, right? I'm also working on several super-awesome projects, and I'm pretty much just excited in general. It's gonna be good, guys.

Also, in case you missed it, I'm hosting the Thankfulness Thursday challenge here on the blog this month! You can find all of the details here- you should totally join in the fun. ; )

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// The Birdy obsession is so real right now. Currently completely obsessed with Tee Shirt and Standing In The Way of The Light.

// Also can we please just have a moment of appreciation for She Used To Be Mine from Waitress? So flawless.

// Aaliyah's post was so so so real like wow.

// The Hamildoc came out and I still haven't had time to watch it and it's breaking my heart help.

// Chick-Fil-A is bringing back their original barbecue sauce and I was crying tears of joy :')

// World's Worst Bakers is honestly the funniest TV show I think that I've ever watched.

// Kate and Abbie started a podcast and IT IS AMAZING.

// There's a place near me where you could buy six cinnamon rolls for $1.50 and it made my life.

// Paper Comets would love to have some new artists join their team for the winter zine- contact them here!

- - - - -

// Make a recipe from Pinterest. Success!! Well, actually, the recipe itself was a flop. But hey, at least I tried! 

// Read 4 new books. - HAHAHAHA. HA. Ha. ha. heh. Fail. Such a fail, oh my.

// Decide what I'm going to do about NaNo.  In case you've missed it, I AM taking part in NaNo! I'm really excited about it- it's going so well so far. 

// Have an autumn outfit shoot. - Fail. I kept planning it, and I had outfits picked out and everything, but it just never came to fruition. 

// Stretch more often. - I'm like, half checking this off. I did stretch some, but still not as much as I would have liked to. 

// Survive the PSAT. I'm dreading it.  I mean, I'm currently alive, so....success! How I did on it, on the other hand, I have no ida. But I'm alive so that's always a plus. 

// Take part in Jessica's challenge.- I honestly forgot about this after the first week. I'm so disappointed in myself! I may have to come back to it some other time. 

// Have an epic Halloween!  As I mentioned above, yes, Halloween was fabulous. 

// Make an autumn DIY. I actually did! We threw our first Halloween party, and I did several DIY's for that. AND THEY ACTUALLY WORKED!! It's amazing when something actually isn't a Pinstrosity for once. 

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I'm actually really happy with how these goals turned out! 6 1/2 out of 9 isn't bad at all. 

 // COMPLETE NANO!! I'm shooting for AT LEAST 25,000 words- I'd love to get further than that!

// Be more active in the blogosphere because that didn't go well in October. (And so far hasn't gone well in November let's be honest.)

// Complete the Thankfulness Thursday challenge

// Start on Christmas! I refuse to let myself freak out for the entirety of December because I didn't plan ahead as far as gifts are concerned.

// Manage my time better

// Have a consistent stretching time

// USE THE FLIPPING PLANNER

// Reorganize my clothes. They're such a wreck right now, y'all. It's bad.

// Practice driving at least once. I'm so scared. XD But I know I need to do it.

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So, tell me, what are you looking forward to this November?? ARE YOU EXCITED?? Are you doing NaNo? How was your October?? Want to join the Thankfulness Thursday challenge? Any November resolutions? TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIFE!!

Happy October!

I honestly do not understand how it's October. Like, that completely blows my mind. My mind is still stuck in summer, even though I'm surrounded by orange leaves and pumpkin spice lattes. I've still never tried a pumpkin spice latte.

But really, October? October is honestly the epitome of fall, and I can't believe that we're already here. September was weird enough, and now it's over. I can't quite comprehend it. 

I think that October feels weird because September was such a whirlwind of a month. It was SO BUSY. My list of goals basically went out the window because it was all I could do to keep my head above the water. The beginning of the month was full of school and packing and preparations, and then we were in Florida for ten days. Florida was absolutely wonderful, but it made life pretty stressful when I got home. 

The very first day back, I had auditions for our show, Music Man. I got my first-ever callback, and a week later, the cast list *finally* came out. A lot of y'all have been asking so.. drumroll......I got the role of Zaneeta!! I'm SO excited, and I seriously cannot wait for this show.

Aside from theatre, life became full of catching up. Catching up on piles of schoolwork, catching up beta reading, and catching up on ALL the blogs. I went contra dancing, which I've learned is not for me. I went to see a musical with a friend, which was great. I had a cold for a few days- NOT fun. I've been working like crazy promoting a fundraiser coming up that I'm excited for. Had to write my first college essay and didn't die, which is a success in my book. And I've FINALLY rejoined the blog world, which is making me very happy. ♥

Speaking of the blog world, some pretty awesome things happened around here, despite the fact that I never was around, haha. The wonderful Kate guest posted on the blog, which was amazing, and I guest posted on hers as well! That was probably my favorite post of the month. Also around here, I reviewed Anna's debut novel, Continuing Forever, and got nominated for about a million okay it was three  tags. 

- - - - -

- - - - -

Honestly, I don't even want to go over last month's resolutions, because they were an epic flop, to say the least. Like I said, I was so busy trying to stay afloat that I didn't get to be half as productive as I would have liked to be. 

I'll put it this way- my novel is still in the pits of despair, breakfast has basically been nonexistent, my room is a wreck, I did read, but I didn't finish five books, I am back on top of my schoolwork but most of the month I wasn't, Christmas and journaling just make me laugh, and I'm just going to pretend that my resolution not to stress out didn't exist. 

BUT, I'm just going to forget about it, because with everything else going on, I'm okay with skipping a couple of resolutions! 

- - - - -

- - - - -

// Make a recipe from Pinterest.

// Read 4 new books.

// Decide what I'm going to do about NaNo. 

// Have an autumn outfit shoot.

// Stretch more often.

// Survive the PSAT. I'm dreading it. 

// Take part in Jessica's challenge.

// Have an epic Halloween! (Any costume ideas?)

// Make an autumn DIY.

- - - - -

Despite my sadness that it's actually autumn, it should be a fun month. ♥ Are you excited? 

- - - - -

Can you believe it's actually October?? I can't get over it! What do YOU have planned??

September / October Favorites!!

Hello, everyone!!! First off, I am SO sorry that I never posted my September favorites. I had the majority of the post written up, but things just got super crazy and time got away from me. Sorry about that. Anyways, I decided to combine my September favorites with my October favorites, so that I could show you all everything that I've been loving over the course of the past two months.

Is it just me, or has autumn gone by super quickly? The fact that it's NOVEMBER, and Halloween is over, and it's almost Thanksgiving...that's nuts! Time, can you please slow down??

I don't have a ton of new beauty favorites, I really need to go shopping. I've only been to Target once recently, and it was at like, 11:30 p.m. haha, so that didn't count.

I MISS YOU, TARGET!!!

*cough* Annnnyway...

Y'know what, let's just forget my awkwardness and get into the favorites...

Beauty:

I believe that I mentioned this polish previously, in a Weekly Wrap-Up post. My friend gave it to me, and I've fallen in love! It's by Essie in the shade "borrowed and blue". The quality of this polish is crazy, it lasts for SEVERAL days (Usually my nails chip after like, a day), and it dries super fast. It doesn't get really sticky and gloppy, which is nice. It makes painting my nails much easier! The color is gorgeous, it's this really pale blue, and it looks great on my nails. Now I want to get some more Essie polishes!! Oh, how I wish they were cheaper. I would buy them all!

I purchased these burgandy wedges at the beginning of the season at Maurice's, and I'm seriously obsessed. They're perfect for autumn, I love them so much! The color is a lot more reddish in person, a lot darker. I'm not sure why I couldn't get that on photo better. 

I feel like such a stereotypical blogger, but I just love plaid! I picked up this shirt at Ross a few weeks ago, and I think that it's super cute. Plus, plaids are so cozy! They're seriously the best. I'm definitely wearing plaid a ton!

Nivea hand cream. This stuff is AMAZING! I originally got it in a Walmart Beauty Box, but at the time I didn't use it. Lately, my skin has been SUPER dry thanks to the weather, and I decided to try this cream. Oh my goodness, it's seriously the best stuff ever. I love it! It's super moisturizing without being greasy. Love it.

Books: 

I've raved about Catching Fire on here before (I read it in September), but I had to include it. I'm still planning on doing a post devoted to The Hunger Games (I don't want to publish it until I've read Mockingjay- which is currently in my possession! I'm going to read it this week. Let the tears begin.), but let me just say, I loved Catching Fire. Yes, it crushed my soul. A lot. But I loved it nevertheless!!!

I know that I already reviewed this, but I had to include Secret Letters in my favorites. Honestly, this is SUCH a good book, guys, I can't recommend it enough.

Randomness:

As I'm sure that you all could tell by my posts, I'm loving this season of Dancing With The Stars! It's been great so far. I really miss Len, though. It's just not the same without him! I wish he'd come back, even just for a few episodes. It's been a good season though, if you ignore the lack of adorable British-ness...

Scones have quickly become my newest obsession. They're such a great breakfast. My mom makes the best scones- I need to try making them sometime! Let's face it, I'll probably crash and burn, but if so, it'll be an interesting blog post for you all! (Note: Since I originally wrote up this post, I did try making scones- AND I SUCCEEDED!! I was quite proud of myself. Usually cooking and I don't get along too well.)

Yes, this is a Disney show. And yes, sometimes it can be a little bit cheesy. But I have to admit, I love it. I absolutely adore Boy Meets World, and now I've gotten sucked into the sequel. It's actually a good show, once you get into it. Plus, Lucas + Maya = Perfection!!!

Hand-lettering. I showed you all the original version of this in my Weekly Wrap-Up, and while my version is far from perfect, it turned out better than I expected it to. I'm working on getting better!! 

Music: 

I think that I've mentioned this soundtrack in one of my Weekly Wrap-Up posts, but it definitely needs to be a part of my favorites. IT IS SO GOOD! Oh my goodness. I've been listening to this soundtrack constantly lately, and I'm in love. My favorite song on here would probably have to be Dying Ain't So Bad, but there are so many good ones! I'm a bit partial to that piece because a friend of mine sang it for a competition, and it was INCREDIBLE. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous. There are lots of other great songs on there though- Picture Show, How 'Bout A Dance, Bonnie, and You Love Who You Love (which my sister and I might do for a competition!). Overall it's just a really great soundtrack. Bonnie and Clyde is such an underappreciated musical- it only ran for four weeks, which is crazy. Definitely go listen to it!

This is kind of weird, but I've been loving the Tarzan soundtrack!!!

Favorite Songs:

I See Fire- Ed Sheeran
Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol
Human- Christina Perri
Fight Song- Rachel Platten
I'm Not The Only One- Sabrina Carpenter (Originally Sam Smith
Try- Colbie Caillat
Rocketship- Shane Harper
Let Her Go- Passenger
Hello- Adele

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What were some of your favorites?

Happy Halloween!!!

♪ This is Halloween! This is Halloween! ♪

Happy Halloween, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, it's already Halloween! That' so crazy. I seriously love Halloween so much, it's such a fun holiday. Dressing up and eating candy corn, what else does a girl need?? 

I'm still not 100% sure what I'm going to dress up as. (Yep, procrastinating again. That's me!) I'm considering going as a leopard, and trying this makeup look below.

What do you think?

Also, what are you dressing up as for Halloween? Let me know in the comments!

We carved a pumpkin yesterday! I'm not totally thrilled with how it turned out (my pumpkin skills are seriously lacking), but I guess it's pretty cute. We decided to do a cat, which is always fun! Here's how it turned out -

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I hope that you all have a safe, fun Halloween!!!!!!!

Weekly Wrap-Up

Hello, lovely people! How has your week been? Mine has been busy, but it's been a good week. Lots of school, lots of rehearsal, but lots of fun. Isn't it crazy that October is almost over? The months seem to go by faster and faster lately.

Today is really a lovely day, weather-wise. The temperature is absolutely perfect, not cold or hot, and it's really cloudy. The leaves are changing and all of the trees are orange and yellow. I'm not a huge nature person, but I've got to admit, it's gorgeous out. We went on a walk with a friend today, and I took a ton of pictures. I also somehow ended up accidentally taking a couple of videos while my phone was in my pocket, one of which is just a three-second snippet where you can hear me say, "I am literally obsessed with the Sound of Music," before it cuts off again. Haha, if one video sums up my existence, it would have to be that.

I spent three hours doing the Charleston yesterday, and I'm definitely feeling it today. I'm so sore! If anyone ever says that dance isn't a workout, please send them to me. I'd love to bring them to one of my rehearsals... DANCE IS A SPORT, GUYS!!!

I'm trying to think if I have any other interesting snippets to share with you all, but I'm coming up a bit blank. My life isn't all that interesting, I suppose. I'm going to a murder mystery party tonight though, so I'm excited for that! Those are the best. : )

Made Me Smile:

MY BRACES ARE OFFICIALLY OFF!!!!!!!!! That's right guys, I'm officially free of my metal teeth-cages. FIVE YEARS LATER. Agh I'm so happy about this!! I don't think that I stopped smiling/jumping up and down all day. My family kept commenting that I'm never that hyper! I went to get my flu shot that day too, and I was still in an ecstatic mood. It's kind of hilarious when not even needles can dampen my happiness.

My friend gave me this ring that wraps around your finger and looks like a cat, and it's literally the best thing in the entire world. No kidding. It's perfect.

Playing games with friends outside in the pitch-black darkness.

Taking the craziest selfies ever with some of the craziest, best people ever.

Re-reading Harry Potter.

Long walks around the lake.

Ugh:

Is it seriously almost Halloween? That is absolutely insane I swear October has flown by. 

I've been crazy busy lately and school is kind of drowning me. I WILL GET AHEAD AGAIN, I SWEAR.

I'm really frustrated because I feel like I'm not blogging enough and I really need to get better about that. I've been posting twice a week but I really want to post more than that. I'll work on it!!!

Cold weather. It seems like I'm cold constantly, which isn't exactly my favorite thing. 

Loving:

The Bonnie and Clyde soundtrack. I'm literally obsessed with it oh my gosh.

Hand-lettering. I hadn't done it in much for a couple of weeks but I've been working on it again, and I really love it. 

LOOK AT THESE DOUGHNUTS! I really talk about doughnuts too much...

My army green jacket from T.J. Maxx. It's super cute and it's also really warm, so it's kind of perfect.

Pinning:

I seriously love these watches so much, they're so cool!

Anastasia and Dimitri are one of my favorite fictional couples gah I love them so much.

This outfit is impeccable..

This little bird is adorable!

I will forever love ballet..

I actually lettered this the other day and it didn't turn out half bad, I was happy.

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How was your week?

Happy October!

October.

Wow.

First off, sorry that this post is a day late. I had to wish Julie a happy birthday!!!!

While September is a bit of a transition month, October is a full-blown "Hey it's Autumn again!" month. Even though I'm sad that summer is over, I'm trying my hardest to enjoy the fact that it's fall. The way I'm looking at it, fall is here whether I like it or not, so I might as well get festive and enjoy it! *Deep breath in* Okay. I can do this.

SO, since I'm not a huge fall person myself, I need some help. What are some fall blog post ideas that you'd like to see? I'd love some suggestions!

I'm also looking for some good fall crafts, so any ideas would be appreciated! I want to make some wooden signs, but I'm not sure what else. I'll definitely be perusing Pinterest for some ideas!

One thing that I always love about October is Halloween. It's such a great holiday, and the preparations for it are so much fun- we already have our decorations up! I love the costumes, and the pumpkins, and of course- the candy!!! Ahh. I have a major sweet tooth, so any holiday that celebrates sweets is a great holiday, in my opinion! I'm going to try to do some Halloween-themed baking, so that should be fun.

We're still enjoying some warm weather here in the South, which I'm loving. Hopefully it stays this way! I think it's cooling down a bit this week, but it's still not getting cold. I'm thrilled! That's always nice. If you ask me, the weather is always best when it's above sixty-five degrees.

I remember that when I wrote my Happy September post, I was super excited about getting my braces off. *Lucky* me, I still have my top braces. They're supposed to come off this month though, which is good. I WANT MY TEETH BACK!!! (It feels so weird not having braces on the bottom. Like, I have teeth now? What?!)

School's picking up, and things are getting busier and busier. Homework has been a bit crazy, and when you add in rehearsals, life gets hectic. I've been getting kind of slack about using my planner, which hasn't helped. That's my resolution for the month- to use my planner more!!

I also really want to do more baking this month. On top of Halloween baking, I love just finding great recipes, and having yummy things to eat for days afterwards. Does anyone have some good recipes that I can try?

I'm excited for this month- hopefully it's a good one!

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What do you like about October?

Happy Birthday, Julie Andrews!! (AKA Ten Reasons She's Cooler Than You)

So, I know that it's October 1, and usually on the first of the month, I do my Happy ______ post. BUT, today is a much more important day that just the first of the month.

IT'S JULIE ANDREWS'S BIRTHDAY!!!!

As you *may* have guessed (Y'know, from this. Or this.), I absolutely adore Julie Andrews. She is my favorite actress of all time. Today is her eightieth birthday, and in honor of this momentous occasion, I have compiled a list of...drumroll please..

~ Ten Reasons Julie Andrews Is Cooler Than You ~

1. She is forever beautiful, classy, and ageless

Like, look at this. I just want to be Julie Andrews when I grow up. Is that too much to ask?

2. The legendary Walt Disney recognized her awesomeness

WE'LL WAIT. Walt Disney himself, one of the most incredible men in history, put his movie ON HOLD FOR HER. 

3. She understands the concept of time

As a queen herself, she would be fully aware of this. 

4. She is not to be underestimated

This is literally my favorite thing on the internet. Ever. 

5. She and Mary Poppins are the same person

Because they're both practically perfect in every way!

6. She's basically immortal

Also, can we just say- a Princess Diaries musical would be the best thing in the entire world. I would sell my soul for that. 

7. She's a legit queen

If I ever find myself in possession of a large sum of money, I want to buy an island, name it Genovia, plant a bunch of pear trees, and make Julie Andrews the queen.

8. She'd be the sassiest, most amazing grandmother

This is perfect.

9. She's not afraid of anything

She actually did this stunt herself!!! No stunt double. She's perfect. 

10. She's seriously adorable

So. Adorable!!!

11. She's not afraid to say what she thinks

My favorite quote.

12. Everything was thoroughly modern

..and she passed on the torch

^This picture = Perfection

13. She has the most amazing voice. Ever. No argument.

I would listen to her read the dictionary. 

14. She has some pretty awesome quotes

15. She's just perfectly Julie!!

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Happy Birthday, Julie!!!!

October Favorites!

So, Monthly Favorites posts have been really popular with Bloggers and Vloggers, so I decided that I'd try doing one! You all will have to let me know what you think. I've never done this before, so I'm hoping that you all like it. Give me your opinions! :)

So, my first favorite this month would have to be the Tone Correcting Powder by E.L.F. that I posted about a week or two ago. You can find that post here. :) But anyways, I love that product!!

My next favorite this month has to be Nestle hot chocolate with Halloween marshmallows. Oh. My. Gosh. Have I told you guys about my love for marshmallows? It's intense. I swear, if it wouldn't make me sick, I'd eat a bag a day. That, and the fact that I'd get insanely fat. You all probably think that I'm horribly unhealthy, what with my obsession for all things sweet. I'm skinny, honestly!!! I don't have a picture for the marshmallows, but they're by Kraft. I love those things so much....

Back to beauty products, I've really been loving my Passion Fruit EOS this month. I'm not sure why; I've had it for a while now, but I've just been really obsessed with it for some reason lately. O.o

I used this picture a while back, but it's so cute that I'll post it again!!! :) I love all things purple. It's a problem, girls...

I suppose that my wedges could count as a favorite...before...the betrayal

Next up, we have Dr. Rescue Baby Lips! When we were in Charleston, for some reason my skin and lips were REALLY dry, so I picked up a Dr. Rescue at a Target. I love that thing SO much! I got it in Pink Me Up, and it's a great color for me. Plus, it's super moisturizing, and makes your lips feel fabulous. When you put it on, it makes your chapped lips feel all tingly, and they stop hurting almost immediately! Ah, I love those things! <3

Last, I've been in love with my NYC liquid eyeliner. I've had it for a while now, but I'm not a huge eyeliner person, so I've never really worn it to any extent. For some reason, eyeliner just doesn't look good on me. Ugh. I don't know if it's just because I'm so fair skinned, or if I just have a really bad technique, or what it is. Anyway, so I've used it a lot over the course of the month for different costumes, and I've really fallen in love. The brush is so *TINY* !!!! It's adorable!!! It also makes it really easy for clean application. 

 IT'S SO TINY!!!!!

OH! Music! Let's see, what have I been listening to a lot this month....well, I'm a huge theatre person, and I've been really loving the Broadway Lion King soundtrack. I know, not exactly normal music, but whatever. We've also been playing a ton of classic Halloween music- Thriller, Monster Mash, Addams Family, Ghostbusters, etc. Again, don't judge me. I'm trying to think of some NORMAL music that I can talk about.... Uhm...Oh! I really like the song Black Widow. Do any of you watch Dancing With The Stars?? Oh my gosh! They did a dance to that on there the other day, it was SO cool. You absolutely must watch it. If you don't, I'm judging you. Here's a link-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F24dc0qyang

Again, I'm serious. Watch it!!!!!!!!

Well, I think that's pretty much it. Then again, as soon as I publish this, I just know I'll come up with a million more things that I loved in October. Oh well. I hope that you all enjoyed this post, please let me know in the comments what you honestly though! :) <3

~Grace Anne