May the New Year bring you courage.
Happy third day of 2017!
I hope by now you have had the opportunity to indulge in plenty of hangover remedies! Truly, having all the holidays fall on the weekends this year was kind of a curse in disguise but a blessing that the year started on a Sunday filled with plenty of football. It feels all too unfamiliar not rooting my Spartans on for any bowl games this year, but my Steelers have been keeping me occupied. This is the first time MSU football has fallen short of playing in a bowl game under Dantonio but I have faith that my Spartans will come back strong next year!
As promised, I held out on sharing my Christmas gifts since I just got to California this weekend and my family and I had a delayed Christmas gift exchange. I always struggle with shopping for gifts, it actually gives me anxiety and a headache so I stuck to what I know best, DIY gifts and here's what I came up with! I purchased all of my materials from Michaels, Walmart and Amazon. Thank you Pinterest for fueling most of my inspirations:
Assorted Mason Jar Candles: Timely but worthy! I used an array of scents and even mixed some together but my favorites were: Love Spell, Clean Cotton and Cinnamon Stick. It's important to follow these instructions step by step and be mindful of the temperature of the wax. The final product is worth all of the hard work, spilled wax and patience.
A Blind Date with a Book: Wonderful idea for book clubs or family bonding! You can exchange the books with one another as you read them throughout the year, then do another blind date around Christmas for a new tradition. I mixed in inspirational, mystery, thriller, smut and drama books to add some extra incentive to trade books throughout the year.
Macintosh Apple Peppermint Body Scrub: This was my favorite to make! Be careful not to add any peppermint chunks and to grind the peppermints completely down to a dust. CAUTION: Do not add liquids in until the peppermints are grinded and you are ready to mix, the liquids dissolve quickly and you will have a rock instead of a scrub if you don't mix properly. The process is quick, easy and fun!
Charming Bookmarks: I went with my own creative venture on this one and chose a ribbon with wiring in it instead of velvet, still just as nice and even more sturdy for the heavy charms I decided to use.
Vintage Button Rings: I used metal glue and a glue gun for extra security. This requires a lot of patience and safety. You don't want to burn your fingers nearly off like I did...but in the end, an assortment of beautiful jewelry arose.
Assorted Bath Bombs: These were the easiest but still fun to make and they don't have any citric acid but still have the same cool bomb effect! Instead, I used baking soda. Thank you TSA, for not breaking any of my bath bombs as they traveled from D.C. to California, I appreciate it. :)
Holiday Hot Chocolate Kit: I found these plastic ornaments for less than a dollar each at Walmart and they make the aesthetics that much better! For some extra fun, make your hot chocolate, mix it with a little Bailey's (or not so the kiddies can indulge) and shoot it out of these easy-to-make peppermint shot glasses!
Arm- Knitted Blanket for Huey!: This is still in the works and will be shared shortly :)
Now I know I mentioned having different plans for my blog in 2017 but, Prime Time is the best time and all of my favorite shows will be back! Here's my line- up, what's yours?
Sunday, January 1st:
Conviction at 10 p.m.
Monday, January 2nd:
The Bachelor at 8 p.m.
Thursday, January 19th:
Grey’s Anatomy at 8 p.m.
Scandal at 9 p.m.
How to Get Away with Murder at 10 p.m.
Monday, January 23rd:
Quantico at 10 p.m.
Wednesday, January 25th:
The Magicians at 9 p.m.
Friday, February 10th:
The Vampire Diaries at 8 p.m.
Reign at 9 p.m.
Sunday, March 5th:
Once Upon a Time at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, March 8th:
Designated Survivor at 10 p.m.
Tuesday, April 18th:
Pretty Little Liars at 8 p.m.
*Scream Queens TBD
After a little research, I was sad to discover that Freeform has cancelled Guilt and Dead of Summer. I always enjoy the new shows that bloom in the summer time but neither of these survived the cut. Dead of Summer was very gruesome for Freeform's taste but I thought Guilt had some potential. I sense myself picking up on some new shows in the coming months as Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars end for good and there's even rumors of Once Upon a Time calling it quits as well. I need new addictions so as always, give me your opinions! I knocked down Stranger Things rather quickly so on the Netflix end, I will be picking up the OA and Sense8 so wish me luck!
* 2017 Goals *
My list of goals and resolutions is rather long but I want to share my top ten and hope that as you read my blog throughout this year, you hold me accountable on reaching these:
Build and understand my credit
Continue to save financially
Secure an apartment in D.C.
Apply to graduate school by February 1st
Get back to DIY hobbies
Read more educational books
Create a five year plan
Expand my website
Invest in and execute personal media projects outside of work
Implement a work out plan into my daily schedule
There it is folks! Simple and doable. I have great plans for my blog this year, I hope you enjoy!
xoxo,
Mich.