Wednesday Roundup: Sunny Day Strolls in Lexington

I wrote the book on winter laziness. As soon as the thermostat drops below 50, I can be found inside, cuddled up in a fleece blanket with a warm beverage in hand. I think bears could actually take a lesson or two on hibernation from me. But, come springtime, I love to be outside.

Yesterday in Lexington, Ky., we had our first day of gorgeous spring weather and at 75 degrees, you know I had to be out and about. My boyfriend and I walked to get Graeter's ice cream, then afterwards we browsed some great local shops, including Michler's Florist and Black Swan Books, which are both pictured below.

Maybe I didn't burn 1,000 calories on our little walk, but I definitely had a wonderful time chatting with friendly store workers and rediscovering Lexington. I can't wait to see what spring has in store for me, even if it's just a few more ice cream cones! How do you like to spend your sunny days?

Surviving "Blue Monday"

    Let me just start this post off with a quick congrats!  If you are reading this, you have survived "Blue Monday".  Apparently Blue Monday is a yearly phenomenon that occurs in January when everyone is coming down from their Holiday High.  Pants are a little tighter and wallets are a little slimmer.  Combine these factors with the dreary weather and you've got yourself the most depressing day of the year!  Read about it here on Wikipedia for a more in depth explanation.  While it would be easy to sit here and discuss all of the bummer days I've had over the past year or so, I would much rather share a list of things that make me thankful for this post-Christmas, should-be-depressing time period.

 

Books

 I am currently in the middle of reading both Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James and The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant.  I know we've all heard of Christian Grey and his kinkiness, and though I am not absolutely enamored with this book as most people seem to be, I feel like I've got to finish it to see what all of the fuss is about!  The Wettest County in the World is a historical novel based on a true story about moon shining in Franklin County, Virginia.  Actually, Shia LaBeouf's recent "Lawless" was based on this novel (and he looked daaaang FINE in it, if I do say so myself).  I'm not too far into the book yet, but if it's anything like the movie I'm going to love it!  

 

Cozy Socks 

The picture above shows only a tiny sampling of my sock collection.  Admittedly, I am a sock junkie.  This cold weather gives me an excuse to bring out the dorkiest, wooliest, thickest socks I own!

 Tea and Coffee

What more can I say?  Ever since I had my first cup of Earl Grey and my sister bought me a French press, my coffee cup has been constantly filled with one hot beverage or another. I prefer black or white teas and bold coffees, but I can be persuaded to drink a sugary Starbucks drink every now and then!  I've got a couple different tea diffusers which I left behind at my house, but I'm sure they will be making an appearance here soon as well.  

What are some things you used to stave off the Blue Monday blues (or just the plain ol' winter blues)?

Beauty Resolutions 2013

    What was once a beautiful, energetic day on the beach has now turned in to a lovely, lazy night in, spent doing puzzles and watching Harry Potter.  I figured now would be the perfect time to jot down my beauty resolutions for this new year.  With witnesses, perhaps I can be held to these resolutions for once in my life!

More Sleep:  I am QUEEN of the erratic sleep schedule, especially during the school year.  I know both my physical and mental health could benefit from a solid eight hours each night... much easier said than done.

Master the Cat Eye (or some other artsy form using liquid liner):  I don't have a steady hand.  Mix that with gel or liquid eye liner and it can be a real disaster.  They do say, however, that practice makes perfect so if you see me walking around, looking like a deranged feline, it's fine.  I'm just practicing a new look.  

Learn to Contour:  It's been doing great things for cheek bones for decades and I wasn't even aware of it until this year.  I need to jump on this bandwagon!

Read More Books:  This is not actually a "beauty" resolution per say, but I was inspired to read more after getting my Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual.  I need to pick up a copy of her Pretty Powerful.  Before you know it, I should be reading Anna Karenina and other such novels... but, baby steps.

Take My Time  with Makeup Removal:  I've recently been introduced to cleansing waters and the Clarisonic.  I love spending a good amount of time on my nightly routine now as opposed to the five minutes I used to spend using only baby soap and face lotion.  I'd like to keep this up!

Buy an Expensive Eye Cream:  I don't think it will ever be too early to start forming some anti-aging habits.  I think this should be my first one.  So far I've only sampled Fresh's Black Tea Age Delay Eye Cream.  I think a few more Sephora samples are in order before I make any big purchases.


This post is a bit lengthy, but I wanted to cover everything in one fell swoop.  Do you have any Beauty Resolutions?  If so, what are they?