Farewell to September: Group Giveaway

I have partnered with two of my fantastic September sponsors to offer you a lovely Fall Group Giveaway!  Don't worry, October will be FULL of giveaways-there are so many good things coming! But first, let me take a selfie... No just kidding, let me introduce you to Taylor and Rachel, my partners in all things Fall today. I promise you'll love them-not only are they both gorgeous (like supermodel pretty) but they're both amazing bloggers who offer their readers so much! Let's get to it!

First we have Taylor, who blogs over at Pink Heels Pink Truck and this girl is a total blogging rock star.  She has a whole feature called Blogging Edumacation designed to help other bloggers up their game.  It has posts on stuff like FTC Guidelines, no follow links, organic key words, and more! Pretty much anything bloggers might need to know! This busy lady also co-hosts the NO EXCUSES! Fitness Challenge with her friend Ange, a fun monthly book link-up called Literary Junkies, and soooo much more.  She keeps busy, but manages to find awesome stuff to share with her readers daily!

Keep up with Taylor on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!  Follow Pink Heels Pink Truck on Bloglovin! 

Then there's the lovely Rachel, who blogs over at Life Unsweetened.  This girl has a taste for fashion, and if I dare say so myself she has awesome fashion sense.  I love most of the outfits she chooses and shares on her blog!  She also takes the time to share her beauty know-how, and awesome DIY posts such as this DIY Man Bouquet (which is fabulous for any gift, but especially V-day), Homemade Halloween Costumes, and How to Throw the Ultimate Oscar Party.  She's so talented!

Keep up with Rachel on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow Life Unsweetened on Bloglovin or GFC! 

Now for the Giveaway

Thanks to Taylor for the $20 Starbucks gift card, and Rachel for the Ad Space on her blog! 

I'm also offering my handmade Hello Pumpkin Hoop Art!  The perfect addition to your fall decor!

The giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 10/13/14 at 12AM. See rafflecopter for official Terms & Conditions!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More international giveaways at: www.osvojito.com

Indian Sari Journals {Review & Giveaway}

I am so very in love with this beautiful little journal, which is handcrafted by Vishruti at Indian Journals on Etsy.  I'd seen these around a few times from other bloggers and Etsy supporters and always coveted one, so when the opportunity arose to not only get one for myself but offer my lucky readers one-I jumped at it!  And boy, I am not sorry I did.

Not only are these one of a kind journals beautiful, but they are high quality also.  Everything feels amazing to the touch-from the texture of the stitching on the cover, to the beautifully handmade paper inside.  They are sturdy and the perfect size to carry around with you and keep your important things in-or to keep on your bedside table for your most private thoughts.  Stunning.

Did you catch the part where I said Indian Journals offered one of my lucky readers their choice of a free Medium journal?  Well you can win one!  Open Worldwide!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweet Silver Lining {Musical Mondays & Giveaways}

What is Musical Mondays?

Musical Mondays is a weekly linky party where we share a song we're into for the week, and talk about why we like it-or why it effects us.  Along with talking about music, I host a (usually) month-long music giveaway. 

This week's song:

Sweet Silver Lining 

by Kacey Musgraves

Woke up on the wrong side of rock bottom
You're all out of pennies and the well it done run dry
You'd light 'em up and smoke 'em if you had 'em but you just ain't got 'em
Yeah aint we always lookin' for a bluer sky?

And if you're ever gonna find the silver lining
It's gotta be a cloudy day, it's gotta be a cloudy day
And if you wanna fill your bottle up with lightning
You're gonna have to stand in the rain, you're gonna have to stand int he rain

Your lemonade keeps turning into lemons
And you wear your heart on a ripped unraveled sleeve
You've been rung through the ringer and pushed plum to your limit
You say you're just unlucky but luck ain't what you need

'Cause if you're ever gonna find a four leaf clover
You gotta get a little dirt on your hands, you gotta get a little dirt on your hands
And if you wanna find a head that fits your shoulder
You're gonna have to go to the dance, you're gonna have to go to the dance

And if you wanna find the honey you can't be scared of the bees
And if you wanna see the forest you're gonna have to look past the trees

And if you're ever gonna find the silver lining
It's gotta be a cloudy day, it's gotta be a cloudy day
And if you wanna fill your bottle up with lightning
You're gonna have to stand in the rain, you're gonna have to stand int he rain

It's true, isn't it?  You have to have some of the negative aspects in live if you're ever going to enjoy the positive ones.  I just love Kacey Musgraves-her album is actually one I can listen to all the way through.

What are you listening to this week?

Please grab the button and link up your Musical Mondays post in the linky!

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Now for the giveaway!

Enter to win this necklace courtesy of me! This giveaway will run from Monday, 9/1/14 to Wednesday, 10/1/14 at 12AM. It is open worldwide. Entering the following Rafflecopter agrees to the terms and conditions within.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TheWeeklyRoundUp: Rescues, Blogging, "Basic Bitches", Fall, & More!

♥ I recently stumbled upon the blog The Florkens, and was instantly drawn in by the great first post I saw written by Kate called: I've Adopted, I've Shopped, and Now I See the Difference. Having volunteered with rescues, I REALLY love this post!

♥ The lovely Hayley from A Beautiful Exchange is reading Blog Inc. and sharing blogging tips with you from it!  Her second Blog Inc review post includes tips on disclosure, taxes, expenses, and more!

♥ I was glad to see that Anna from Anna in Wonderland wrote this post about Basic Bitches and whether it's good fun or institutionalized misogyny.  I think it's annoying and a bit sexist...

♥ Charley was already gone by the time I discovered Life as a Semi-Colon through her very last post, her goodbye.  But this post... It is truly an awe-inspiring statement from someone who seems to have been much-beloved by those around her and by the followers of her blog.  I'm just stunned at how wisdom and love one can put into that last letter-the letter explaining how they are no longer part of the world, and the injustices that carries with it. I am so awed by her last little bits of advice. "So, in my absence, please, please, enjoy life.  Take it by both hands, grab it, shake it and believe in every second of it."

♥ And since I can't leave it on a sad note (in case you're teary eyed after the last suggested read) check out Nina's cute post letting all of Instagram know it's Fall.  She's so cute, and witty.

<a href="http://www.mysocalledchaos.com" target="blank"><img src="http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/ww257/agofish/For%20Blog/WeeklyRoundUpButton_zps0b87b3d9.jpg" alt="The Weekly Round-Up"></a>

The point of The Weekly Round-Up is to focus on other people instead of just another post about ourselves.  It's to build better community, share insight into what we love to read, and hopefully introduce you to a new blogger you'll love and adore!  Wanna play along?  Write a post with links to your favorite blog posts from others throughout the week, put the button in it, and link up with us on Sundays!

Don't forget to check out all of the fabulous giveaways that are currently running by clicking HERE.

Teaching Netiquette-The Internet Etiquette

“Say please.”

“Say thank you.”

“Cover your mouth.”

“Be nice.”

“Treat others how you’d like to be treated.”

“Use your manners.”

Every parent has had to correct their kids in one way or another when it comes to manners and how to treat others.  There's a certain underlying etiquette in our society when it comes to manners and behaviors when around others.  We've moved on from caveman grunts and groans and have adapted a modern approach to dealing with others...well, most of us have anyway.

But when it comes to the internet, some of us still have caveman tendencies.  Technology has moved above and beyond what I ever thought possible.  Just a short 10 years ago there was no way I’d ever thought I could watch movies on a phone or have my kids download game apps or connect with old friends via social networking.  The rapid rise of these amazing abilities like forums, boards, and social networking hype, we seem to have lost touch with decency.  Internet bullying has become extreme as well. Our internet manners and etiquette haven’t quite caught up to our technological advances and we should be staying ahead of the game.  It's our responsibility to teach kids that their internet life will follow them in real life (IRL) and there's certain do’s and don'ts when interacting with others online. Enter netiquette- the online etiquette.

• When a website has a list of rules, obey those rules.  There's a reason the rules are in place and obeying the rules and regulations gives those visiting that particular site the best possible experience. Plus, not adhering to the rules can put your use of that site at risk.

• Spell check everything written.

• Do not use all caps.  This indicates shouting.

• Honesty is the best policy, both IRL and online.

• Never ever give out personal information online.  There's never a good enough reason to give location updates or give out phone numbers online.  Make sure kids using the internet understand this rule especially.

• Don’t send texts or emails late at night.  It can wait until the next day, especially if its not an emergency.

• Only shop on sites that are secure.

• When posting pictures, make sure its nothing that will haunt you for the rest of your life.  Everything that is posted online DOES NOT DIE WHEN IT GETS DELETED.

• Just be yourself.  If you wouldn’t say it to someone's face, just don’t say it at all.  Your online reputation is just as important as IRL.

• The Golden Rule applies online too.  If you wouldn’t want it done to you, don’t do it to someone else.

• Always re read everything before posting and if it violates any rule, don’t post it.

We need to realize that our online persona may as well be our “in real life” persona..  Ask yourself and your kids some questions before hitting the send button-  "what kind of person do I want to be online?" or "is this how I really am?" and "would a college or future employer find me honest and credible?"

Netiquette is now a part of modern parenting. Its important to raise a generation of internet respectable kids and make this thing called "technology" safe and enjoyable for all of us.

This is a guest post from my lovely sponsor KidsEmail, which is a service that provides a safe email for kids!

Confessions & September Life Updates

Hello lovelies!  It seems like it's been forever since I had an actual life update here on the blog.  Since September is ending (where on Earth did it go?) I figured it'd be a good time to check in!

I confess... I've been so busy that I'm not even sure I have a personal live anymore.  The only down time I get has been either sleeping or stuffing my face full of white cheddar cheese puffs and marathonning House on Netflix-just something simple to give my poor brain a rest.

I confess... I've also been drinking a lot of wine.  Usually just one glass a night (and not every night-I promise I don't have a problem), but man it helps calm me down and really gets me through some super long study sessions.

I confess... Last weekend I was too lazy to leave the house after hours of studying to get more wine so I opened the bottle of red wine I brought back from California in 2006.  Well, I tried to open the bottle.  The cork basically shredded into little tiny pieces and fell back into the bottle.  I attempted to use some tulle I had as a filter, which worked-but the wine ended up being kind of horrible.  I don't know why I saved it for so long... So instead I found this little Lime-A-Rita hiding in the back of my fridge and drank it instead.

I confess... I actually got to get out and be social last Sunday!  Jon and Meggy picked me up, and then we all picked Julie up and headed to Park City for the Park Silly Farmers Market.  I didn't get any other pictures because it was raining the whole time (we were nice and damp by the end) but it was so much fun to wander around and look at things with my friends.  I don't see them enough.

These Things Really Make My Inner Feminist all Ranty

Today I was scrolling through my Facebook feed during my ten-minute break in French Class, and found this link that was shared by one of my female friends.  The entire article is all about how guys hate high-wasted shorts and how ugly they all are on the women wearing them.  It goes through various (and pretty offensive) quotes from men of various ages saying things like "they're just fat-hiders" or "boner-killers."

If your'e not sure what high-wasted shorts are, here's a look:

(Source one, two and three.)

It should be noted that none of these women are hiding any fat that I can see. Not that it's any of my damn business.

Seeing as I only had a few minutes to scroll through this article, I decided I was too disgusted to even read it word for word and closed it down just taking a moment to leave a comment with my disagreement on the Facebook status that had shared it and turn to my classmate to voice my disgust.  My class mate, the petite and absolutely gorgeous Mandy, sat there blinking at me wearing her high-wasted shorts.  High-wasted shorts she'd made herself by frugally cutting up an old pair of jeans.

Yes, going back and reading it now I see that this article does it's due diligence and wraps up at the end with the statement that we shouldn't be dressing to impress men-but that statement almost seems to contradict the entire premise of the article at all.  If you don't believe you should be dressing to impress men, why are you taking the time to interview a bunch of them on the subject of women's clothing?  Why are you taking the time to write up an entire article spreading this misplaced idea that what we wear is influenced by how attractive the opposite sex finds us?  It feels like while you're saying one thing at the end there, but your actions with the rest of the post are entirely different.

So you don't like high-wasted shorts.  I get it.  Do I think they're attractive on everyone?  No.  Do I think you should try and dress for your body type?  Yes.  Would I wear them?  Not a chance in hell. On me, they would be fat-hiders, but let's be real-I wouldn't wear the low wasted ones and show off my stomach either-I'm just not comfortable with that. But you know, even if a girl twice as big as me wants to wear them (or wear a bikini and show off her stomach) I'm not going to fault her or tell her she's "ugly" or ask 12 guys to tell me how bad they find her fashion choices because she is wearing whatever she's wearing and then post their comments full of sexist slurs on my blog for everyone to read.  I'll look at that other girl and say, "gee, you're pretty.  I'm sure glad you're having fun with your own body and your own fashion!" 

And I get it, this article was written to be "witty" and it was meant in humor... Typically I'm all for not taking things to serious-I mean just about everything is funny.  However I find it sad when that humor is at the expense of others and includes some pretty awful misogynist garbage.  A quick look through the comments and I'm happy to see some guys jumping in to point out that it's BS.  To be honest, I don't think I'd want to date a guy that had that much of a problem with any article of clothing... Yeah you can have your preference, but to actively go out and proclaim how much you hate them and wont even consider getting to know a girl who is wearing them says more about your character than the girl who made that fashion choice for the day.

(source)

But sadly, along with the guys commenting to let us know that there is hope for men everywhere and not to judge the gender by those few comments, I was sad to see so many women perpetuating this girl-on-girl hate.  By the way, why on earth is there so much girl-on-girl hate?  One commenter pointed out that she never dresses for guys, but she dresses for girls because she knows they'll judge her.  

I should remember by now that I hate reading the comments on stuff like this (and news articles, and YouTube) because people are hideous to each other.  But that's another topic for a different day.

So what is my point with ranting about this?  Why can't we all just live our own lives and let other people live theirs without proclaiming how much we hate them for it?  Sure, I'm not always perfect and I catch myself unfortunately judging people now and again, but it is rarely over something so extremely trivial, and I usually correct the problem the minute I catch it.  We're human.  It happens.  How about instead of furthering all the negativity we take a moment to stop and add a little more positivity into the world?

Today, I'm going to encourage you to tell at least three women you meet how beautiful they are.

Even if they look unkempt.  Even if they're having a bad day and are scowling.  Spread love.
You never know who's world you'll change with one simple comment.

(This awesome comic comes from Penny Candy Studios who you should check out!)

As always, if you want to disagree with me it's welcomed in a professional courteous manner.  If you leave a ranty slur-filled comment it'll be deleted.  You're an adult, you know how this works. :) 

My Fall TV Watchlist

Oh Fall... Not only does it mean cooler weather and pumpkin-spice-everything-but it also means the return of lots of good TV!  Are you ready?  I have no idea where I'm going to get the time to watch all this, what with school and work and my already hectic homework schedule... BUT, here's what I'm looking forward to.  (Click on the show title to watch the Fall 2014 trailer.)

My Favorite Returning Fall Shows 2014

American Horror Story Freak Show - Starts Wednesday, October 8th 

American Horror Story is one of my favorite TV shows ever.  It's full of creepy-and Freakshow promises to keep delivering on that promise with both new and returning faces (sometimes double) in the show.  Those characters will be fascinating!

Doctor Who Season 8 - Started Saturday, August 23rd
Oh Doctor Who, you will always have such a special place in my heart... Also I'm already loving the new guy.


Grey's Anatomy Season 11 - Starts Thursday, September 25th
I know, I know, I know... It's been on SO long.  But I love it.  It's an addiction.  This is my show.

The Mindy Project Season 3 - Starts Tuesday, September 16th
I love love love her.  I'm not sure how it'll be that they're together-but so much love for this show.

VoilaVe LH Hyaluronic Acid Serum

What is VoilaVe LH Hyaluronic Acid Serum? Well, it's a serum intended for giving your skin intense hydration and for helping with a wide variety of skin care issues.  It's said to help even out skin tone, help with blemishes and wrinkles, provide anti-aging benefits, and make skin look more luminous by providing a plump and moisturized glow.  

VoilaVe LH Hyaluronic Acid Serum has a new and improved formula for better results.  After one use you should already feel and see a difference in your skin, however it's recommended that you apply it for 30 days straight to see real results.  

I haven't been using it for the full 30 days yet, but I'm already feeling much more moisturized, and I'm seeing some of the problem areas in my skin even out a little-which is wonderful!  I have some issues with spots on my cheeks, and they seem to be evening out and looking naturally flushed instead of bright red like they used to.  I would recommend following the directions and applying a little moisturizer after applying the serum-otherwise it feels a little odd on your skin-and double the moisturizing is great for better results.

The packaging is wonderful, and the little dropper helps you measure out just how much you need.  It goes a long way, so I find that at least for my skin type I don't need very much in each use-which is great because it means the bottle will last me a good long time before I have to pick up another one.  The company was also very prompt and friendly in all it's dealings with me, and they personally reached out to make sure I was enjoying the product.

I really enjoy how this makes my skin feel-and will definitely continue using it going forward as I'm excited to see better results and healthier skin!  You should definitely give Hyaluronic Acid Serum a try!

My New Erin Condren Life Planner

Remember how last year I bought a planner and never used it?  Well I thought I'd give it a try again this year because I've been super curious about the Erin Condren Planners everyone keeps talking about.  It's a bit pricier than some of it's competitors but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out anyway.  Here's hoping I actually use it this time-and I wanted to share it with you because it's cute!  This is not a sponsored post, just an honest review as I purchased the planner myself.   

I ordered the Sea Life Life Planner in Seafoam and look how cute it is! The cover is also removable in case you want to change it out with other cover options.  They're typically $10-$15 a piece, but she also sent a $15 coupon/gift card with the order!  So much fun-here's a look:

I also added on an order of stickers with my friends and family's faces to put on their birthdays-so fun!

All in all, the package arrived beautifully wrapped and filled with extras-and everything was very high quality.  I will likely order from Erin Condren again and recommend it to my friends!  So lovely!

This post is not sponsored in anyway, I just wanted to share it with my readers!

Dirty Love {Musical Mondays & Giveaway}

What is Musical Mondays?

Musical Mondays is a weekly linky party where we share a song we're into for the week, and talk about why we like it-or why it effects us.  Along with talking about music, I host a (usually) month-long music giveaway. 

This week's song:

Dirty Love

by Ke$ha

*Note* Video and lyrics are a bit adult-so don't listen/read if you're bothered by that.

Anger Management, Body Love, Sponsoring For Dummies, & Lots More! {The Weekly Round-Up}

♥ Patricia Alexandra from Her Wonderful Adventures shared a great post about Anger Management Myths.  It also offers helpful information about what is healthy and not.

♥ As always, Shane from Whispering Sweet Nothings comes through with another great post to help your blogging knowledge.  Sponsoring for Dummies offers great info and myth busting!

♥ Katie from A Beautiful Little Adventure shared 5 Things [Her] Dog Teaches [Her] and I love it!  I think we could all learn a little bit from her adorable pup-live your life!

♥ I absolutely love this post about loving all bodies and not skinny shaming from the ever-hilarious Nina at The Grand Adventures of Me.  I totally agree!  No fat shaming, no skinny shaming, just love!

♥ Did you know our co-host Aubrey has a second blog called A Little Seed Grows?  Well she does, and it's awesome-it has things like this recipe for One Pot Pasta that I really want to try! YUM!

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Share your favorite reads this week!

The point of The Weekly Round-Up is to focus on other people instead of just another post about ourselves.  It's to build better community, share insight into what we love to read, and hopefully introduce you to a new blogger you'll love and adore!  Wanna play along?  Write a post with links to your favorite blog posts from others throughout the week, put the button in it, and link up with us on Sundays!

Don't forget to check out all of the fabulous giveaways that are currently running by clicking HERE.