Flowers are blooming, the air is fresh, and today was so sunny in London that I was sweating!? Heat? In London? Spring is here!! And that means it is one of my favorite times of year: spring cleaning.
Yes, the secret (which is actually pretty obvious) is out. I love to clean. When I was little, I used to really love the movie sequences where characters cleaned their rooms, and one of my favorite topics within American history is still just learning about the daily chores from any given time period. All this to say, you better believe that when I move into my own place, it is going to be a sparkling clean MASTERPIECE. So, today I'm going to be sharing some spring cleaning ideas that are hopefully a little less mainstream so that you too can take part in the joy that is spring cleaning. #1: Your Closet Okay, so this one's pretty popular, so let's just get it out of the way. I read somewhere that the past few months have been the best time to go thrift shopping because of how many people have gotten rid of clothes following Marie Kondo's Netflix show. You know the steps: get everything out, assess whether or not you actually like/wear/feel good in each piece, then decide if you're going to keep it, toss it, or donate/sell it. I know it's easier said then done, but you can do it. I believe in you. #2: Your Desk This one gets me every time. My desk is always SO MESSY and it drives me absolutely insane. A good rule of thumb is to make sure what's in your desk can't have a place anywhere else, so that you know all the contents are work related. Throw away those old papers, put your beauty supplies in your vanity, and relish in your spick and span work space. #3: Your Computer There are so many parts to cleaning out your laptop and they are all very satisfying. Delete old files, unsubscribe from emails you don't care about, un-bookmark links you've already opened, clean out your YouTube playlists and subscription list. If you're feeling fancy, you can make your screensaver something springy! Here are my new ones: one and two. #4: Your Phone This one is closely tied with #3, but every spring I always go through my notes, my contacts, my photos, and even who I'm following across various social medias so that I can feel like I've got a fresh start. Go crazy and change your phone background too. Mine is this really beautiful Ravenclaw collage from She The Spy (she also has the other houses!). I'll admit, I'm on my phone enough that after I've cleaned it out, I really feel the change. #5: Your Bags Going through your backpacks and purses after what feels like an lifelong hibernation can be an interesting experience. Crumpled pieces of paper, old beauty products, and even crumbs await you. Approach it like you did your closet and just take everything out. Then, go through each item to see if it actually needs to go back in the bag. Your back and shoulders will thank you for it! #6: Your Decorations Now for the really fun part! I'm a huge fan of seasonal decorations, so I always get excited when it's time for a new season. For me, that means I switch out magazines I'm displaying, photos I've framed, I change my sheets, and I replace my winter trinkets (ie: the super cute stuff I got from the Target dollar section). This will make your room feel more breezy and fresh, and that is a great way to start of the spring season. Did I miss any of your favorite spring cleaning hacks? Let me know below what your #1 cleaning tip is!
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I really love to cook. And recently, I've been watching a ton of "What I Eat in a Day" videos for recipe ideas and to form my grocery lists (a new trend perhaps?). Breakfast I've come to realize that I am a fan of warm, heavier breakfasts and dinners, while I choose lighter and fresher lunches. So for breakfast on this day, I made a cheese and pepper quesadilla. I've been buying vegan cheese that's coconut-based instead of dairy-based and, honestly, it's life changing. I also paired this yummy dish with a banana + peanut butter + honey and a cup of tea. Lunch I truly eat the same thing for lunch every day. Because I have to pack a lunch and bring it to class, salads are always easy. I grabbed an apple and made a salad with:
Dinner A truly amazing meal. Eating a hot dinner really adds the "comfort" to comfort food. I made a stuffed bell pepper with whatever was in my fridge, and I wasn't as hungry as I normally am, so I just added a handful of nuts and berries. Here's what was inside:
What's your favorite meal? Would you want to see more of these posts in the future?
I still, two weeks after leaving for Belgium, cannot believe that this trip happened. I can now say I am a well-traveled woman, and I saw so many beautiful things. Along with including a wrap-up of these three cities, I wanted to also point out some of my favorite parts of each, both for my own memory and in case you ever get the chance to visit! BRUSSELS Brussels was very, very cute. After only one night, it felt cozy and welcoming. My group ended up coming to the city on the last night of their winter lights festival, so we got to walk around and look at some really beautiful light displays. We got some yummy churros from a food truck, and even though I got corrected on my French accent after I ordered, I did say the correct thing! Favorites: Food: The waffles. Without a doubt. They were the best three euros I spent the whole week, and we got three which I still do not regret at all. You also have to get chocolate from one of the many shops in the Grand Place, and frites from Cafe Georgette! Exploring: The comic book memorabilia. We walked around the whole city, and it had a very urban, artsy vibe, which included showcasing a lot of comic books and cartoons! Stop at any given street corner, and you'd likely see a mural or two. Site: The Atomium. Not gonna lie, I was not super excited for this. But it was totally worth it. This massive structure was built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair and from the top, you can see the whole of the city. It's got a lot of cool history inside and going up the escalator felt like being inside Spaceship Earth. (We are HERE for anything that makes us feel like we are at Disney World.) PARIS WOW OKAY Y'ALL I have dreamed about Paris my whole life, and I never actually realized I would be able to go until I was, I don't know, on the way there. It was just as beautiful and chic as I had hoped, and it was romantic in every sense of the word. She is my new favorite city. (side bar: I'm reading my journal entries to type the details of this post, and my Paris one has so many run-on sentences because of how excited I was!) Favorites: Food: I had so. much. bread. I think I had a stomach ache for three days and literally gained 7 pounds, but we don't need to talk about that. We found a cute little bakery to get our breakfasts from, and our apartment was directly above a bakery as well, which meant that we could smell fresh bread through the window! I also had lots of cheese, including some delicious honey and brie as my dinner the last day (far right photo). This dinner, as well as our first one, were my favorite Paris experiences, because here we were, casually eating, and a restaurant down the road began playing live music. It was so peaceful. (At the first dinner that I mentioned, the pianist played La Vie en Rose and it was beautiful.) We stayed in Montmarte, near Sacré-Cœur, and I definitely recommend any restaurants around this area! Exploring: We walked so much. I think we racked up 11 miles in one day (but we also chose the Eiffel Tower's stairs instead of the elevator to the third level. I have still not recovered.) While the Champs-Élysées, the Arc, and the Tower are all musts, I loved Montmarte. We found so many shops and bookstores and cafes. It was so artsy and Parisian! I bought a cute beanie from a Parisian start up called The Paris Collective (of course I'd find a local business my first day in Paris) and a beautiful card from a bookstore that I'm going to frame! -- I would also like to take this time to point out that I ended up buying said card without speaking English, and that multiple waiters who took my order thought I was Parisian. What an accomplishment. -- Site: We watched the sunrise at Sacré-Cœur, which was perhaps our best idea. I also used this time to eat my last two macarons to fully savor being in Paris before we had to go! Of course, Parisian sunrises are the palest shade of pink. MADRID I'm not gonna lie. The first afternoon/evening in Madrid was #rough. One, I was very ready to get back to England by this point. I am a homebody so I was exhausted by day 5 of our trip, and we had already spent a ton of money. Two, I haven't learned a word of Spanish since fifth grade, so I was the tiniest bit panicked. But it didn't take long for Madrid to grow on me, and to give me some freckles and a pink nose! (As you can see from the photos, everything about this city, including the colors, was very warm. It was giving me such summer fever!!) This was a beautiful place that I definitely recommend going to if you get the chance. Favorites: Food: While Paris had lovely pastries and Brussels had those heavenly waffles, Madrid had them beat for Best Meals. Everything we ate (Paella, avocado toast, tapas) was so fresh and so filling. I loved how, even though we were eating dishes I had eaten before (churros, enchiladas, etc.) they were so different than their Mexican counterparts! You HAVE to go the Pum Pum Cafe if you're ever in Madrid (middle photo). Our host recommended it to us and it was the best brunch I have had in years. Exploring: The Plaza Mayor, and what surrounded it, was my favorite part! So many fun shops and good eats, including the San Miguel Market, which has lots of small dishes to pick and choose from. We also looked inside a bunch of cathedrals, and honestly, they were the prettiest churches I have ever seen in my entire life. So colorful and detailed, you can really tell how much effort and love was put into their design. Site: The royal palace. It was AMAZING and so COLORFUL! We got a free tour thanks to one of our friends, but I gladly would have paid to go inside. My other favorite was the Crystal Palace, which was a structure just made of glass. The design of this country is unparalleled, and everything blew me away. Where are your dream travel destinations? Or better yet, where's your favorite place you've ever been?!
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AuthorI am a September baby, which may be the root of my love for fall. I love dark chocolate, popcorn, and I do actually like brussel sprouts. I'm the kind of person that listens to a Christmas song in September. (But only one. I don't want to ruin the ~magic~). Archives
May 2019
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