Lift Your Spirits With Flowers

I don't know what the deal was with me this morning, but I didn't wake up feeling my best. My disposition got back on track when I came home and saw these beautiful flowers purchased from Trader Joe's earlier this week. I'm on a serious budget right now, so at $3.99 these fresh cut flowers were in my price range.

I'm still trying to put my house together in terms of furniture, so in the interim, these flowers added warmth to my home that really uplifted my spirits.

It's the little things that gets ya every time, isn't it?

Make sure to purchase a bunch of flowers that are still inside their bulbs, so that you can enjoy the full bloom as long as possible.

I added some water beads/crystals to plain hurricane vase to give it some much needed character. You can get them in a variety of colors.

Seeing that my couch is neutral, adding flowers gives the room much needed color.

Outfit Of The Day: Reversible Sari Wrap Skirt

I picked up this wrap skirt at a street fair a few years ago. It's easily one of my favorite items. Just add a white cami, few accessories, and I'm good to go.

My Staycation Extraordinaire

It's no secret that I've been saving money like crazy because I'm paying for my education out of pocket. Before the Fall semester starts, I wanted to take some time off just to relax. I felt absolutely no sadness that I couldn't afford an elaborate vacation. I've got something I'm trying to accomplish and I'm focused on getting there.

Hubby and I decided to enjoy activities around town and within driving distance. People come from all over the world to visit New York City so why not take advantage of the fact that we're so close. It's funny how when you're on that daily grind you forget about some of the wonderful things that surround you. Below are a few pics of my relaxing stay-cation (Stay-at-home vacation) just in case you're not familiar with the phrase.

Food Festival

Our first stop was Brooklyn's Smorgasburg Food Festival. I didn't take any pictures but I was so happy to see a Bajan food truck. You know I had to stop by and get some fish cakes, which I haven't been able to get living here in CT. The great thing about this food festival is the variety of food is excellent. If you are a foodie, I recommend that you get there early because some of the lines were long.

Photo from Mr. Cutters Facebook Page

On Camera Flash As A Fill Flash

Natural lighting is the best lighting, most of the time. Very bright, high noon day sun can create unsightly raccoon eyes on your subject. In the image below, I'm wearing a sun hat which is great for protection against the sun, but it also casts a dark shadow on my face.

Using the camera's flash, you can fill in the shadows on my face without change the background drastically. When doing this, remember to keep your flash on a low setting or the background will become darker.

Left side: Without a flash. Right side: With the flash on

Making This House A Home

It has been over 7 years since we've moved into our house and I still haven't purchased furniture yet. Hubby and I utilized the furniture we had from our separate apartments and made it work, until I got rid of it.

A few years ago, I was hell bent on selling the house to pursue (another story for another time). I got rid of all our old worn out furniture and kept the essentials. Unfortunately the housing market wasn't in my favor. The house didn't sell in the time frame I needed. That was 2 summers ago and we've been living in a mostly empty house since then.

What Took So Long?
For the past few years, I've been unsure about the future. I wasn't sure we'd stay in Connecticut. I only knew that I love my husband and we'd figure it out together. But I realized, no one knows the future and it's silly to keep paying a full mortgage while utilizing only part of the house. A change is needed.

Floorplan
Our previous furniture didn't compliment the space very well. If you sat on a particular couch, you couldn't see the television because it was blocked by another couch. This time around we took measurements and we're purchasing pieces that will compliment the room's design.

Budget
I'm taking advantage of holiday sales and 0% interest free offers. It's important to me to get pieces that we really want so my strategy is to make a purchase and pay for it before buying another major piece. I hate having a lot of outstanding debt so this strategy works for my purse and for my sanity.

Our New Couch
We choose this sofa and loveseat for a few reasons. 1) It has a tall back that supports our heads and deep cushions that support our entire upper thigh without fall off. 2) Microfiber is easy to clean and the cushions are incredibly soft. 3) It was on sale and within our budget.

I still need a television, chairs, a coffee table, decor items, and much more but at least this is a start. I'm excited to see how everything will come together.

Briarwood Microfiber Sofa from Raymour & Flanigan

Ace Your Next Science Exam With These Strategies

Not cute in this pic? I don't care.
I just scored a 90 on my
Microbiology exam. Booyah!

I really enjoy concise summer sessions, but the flip side is that they are very intense. I just wrapped up Microbiology which was taught as a hybrid course. Hybrid courses meet for lab only, you are responsible for learning the lecture material on your own. It's not hard to understand, but there is a lot of information to learn, memorize, and there's isn't a lot of time to do it all. Time management is essential if you want to do well. Now that it's over, I'm very happy I sacrificed the time to get this out of the way. Here are a few tools I utilized to study.

StudyBlue
If you use flashcards, you're really going to like this site. You can create digital flash cards that automatically sync across all your devices. Not to mention, you don't have to walk around with a stack of cards. This free app allowed me to study anywhere I was able carry my cell phone.

Outfit Of The Day: Town Fair

Now that Summer classes are over, I've been having a hard time winding down. Going to work and school is not easy. Now that I don't have to worry about school for the next few weeks, I decided to get out of the house and have a little fun.

Hubby and I went to the Orange town fair held by the volunteer Fire Department. Parking and entrance was in my price range...free, thank you. The weather was perfectly comfortable. Even though I ate way too much junk food, I still felt cute in my super inexpensive OOTD.

♥ Earrings by Toni Daley. ♥ T-Shirt by The Gap. ♥ Shorts by Forever XXI. ♥ Sandals custom made by a Rastafarian in Barbados (gifted). ♥ Bag by baggallini (gifted).
♥♥♥ Camera: Nikon D200. Lens: Nikkor 18-200mm set to automatic.