Adventures of Andrea

Every New Year's Day, my family has the tradition of going to the zoo. Whether it's snowing or freezing, or we luck out and get a semi-nice winter day, we have gone every year since I was a baby. When I was a teenager, I didn't really appreciate this. It meant getting up early after New Year's Eve and spending the day in the cold. Now, the past few years, I've started to appreciate it more and more. I like starting the first day of the year spending time with my family and breathing in the brisk winter air. I always come home feeling a little bit accomplished, like, "I didn't spend the whole day hungover in bed, I actually did something with my day." 

I wanted to start this post with telling what I actually did start my January. I hope all of you were snuggled warm in your beds, or maybe a few of you were like me, and went out to the zoo. ;)


Doing:

I really want to to go on a small vacation next month, so I'm hoping to start planning that. But, I'm still excited! I like to travel, and I'm always up for trying new things. Speaking of new things, I really want to make 2017 a year where I try lots of new stuff. Whether that be a new food, a new exercise, a new show, whatever. I'm going to try and make it my goal to try something new each month, whatever it may be. I don't have anything planned for January yet, so let me know if you think of something. :)


Watching: 

I continue to struggle along with Gilmore Girls, although I do like it a lot better now that I'm further into the show. Besides that, I'm not really watching a lot. I do want to watch a couple movies this month, because I feel like I didn't watch anything in 2016, and there's a lot of movies I want to see now! Also, Broad City is coming back soon, and if you don't watch that, you need to, like right now.


Reading:
I'm still making my way through The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, and I'm going to be so sad when I'm done. It's the last book in the series, and I've really enjoyed them. Up next will probably be the Hamilton book I got for Christmas. I'm a huge Hamilton fan (and I can finally say I'm seeing it this year!!!) and so I'm excited to start it. Also on the agenda are catching up on my Owlcrate books (oops!).

And that's how January is looking right now for me...I'm excited to see what the new year will have to offer.

I love the format of Nicole's monthly wrap-up posts, but I thought I would do mine in a direction of talking about the month ahead, instead of talking about the past month. (Also, go check out Nicole's blog, for real, she's my favorite.)

I love that I've been in such a writing mood lately, and I hope you guys are enjoying more frequent posts from me! I think part of the switch has been because of the change in seasons and temperature that has been happening! The last few days have really felt like fall, so it feels right that it's October now!

Reading: I just bought Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. These are both books in series that I really love and have been looking forward to for a long time. I can't wait to start these this month, and you'll probably see a review post from me too. :)

What I'm Doing: On October 15, I'm participating in the Out of Darkness walk for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. While I don't know anyone who has committed suicide, suicide has impacted several people who I dearly love, so I am going to try to honor them and those they lost during this day!

Since it's October, this also means lots and lots of fall and Halloween activities. I know that I'm going to a haunted forest next weekend, which I am so excited for, and also planning lots of pumpkin farm visits. (When you've got little kids in the family, it's a guarantee you will go to a pumpkin farm.)

I think the other thing for October that may be happening is a possible Six Flags visit as well as a yoga event...if Nicole and I get our asses in gear and actually buy tickets!

Watching: The newest season of New Girl just got put on Netflix so I'm sure that I will finish that this month. I also would like to catch up on Jane the Virgin. Not too many TV plans this month, except I do have to remember to watch the Hamilton documentary at the end of the month. (Mostly because I'm going to see it this summer!!!)

I think that's about it for October...I'm excited for this month. October is probably one of my favorite months of the year, and I'm looking forward to it.

I know, I know...another subscription box review. But I enjoyed both of these boxes so much this month, that it's honestly what I talked about a lot in real life too!

Also, I'm trying to back into the swing of blog writing and these posts help me to do that. :)

Sooooo FabFitFun! Now this was something I've been aware of for a while and I kept debating whether or not to subscribe, until my lovely friend Nicole basically convinced me because she has gotten the last few boxes (and reviewed them!) and she loved them so much. When she was telling me about the Fall box, I just bit the bullet, because who was I kidding, I knew I would love the box.

I'm not going to talk about every item in the box, but just hit a few of my favorites!


First up is the scarf! There were a couple different color options...and I received a perfect colored one for fall. I love the tan, black and white of the scarf and it is huge. When they say this is a blanket scarf, they really mean it. The scarf retails for $34.99 and is from Modcloth. I can't wait to break this out for all the fall activities and pumpkin farm visits. ;)

The other item that I really liked are the fitness socks from Toesox, which according to FFF, retail for $17. I was part of the toe socks generation and I remember having quite a few pairs in middle school. So this felt like a throwback for me, and I used them last week for yoga and they really did help. If you're someone who doesn't get slippery feet during exercise you may not like them, but when I do hot yoga, they really help me keep the grip on my mat.

I also really have been enjoying the travel mug, coloring book and night serum that came with the box.

My skin does get dry around the time when the seasons change, and when the weather turns colder, this serum will really help me out. It retails for $50, and while I've only been using it for a few days, it feels really nice on the skin. There's no scent that I can tell, which can be good for those of us who don't like a heavy scent. I'm also really picky about putting things on my skin, as a lot of products feel too heavy or oily for me, but this is a good balance.

The travel mug ($19) and the coloring book ($16) make up the fun part of the box for me. I got the mug which says, "Joy comes in the morning." The black and gold coloring are so cute, and I can never turn down a mug for my collection. I do have a couple of coloring books already because they're so on trend right now, but the "Things Coloring Book" I got is the perfect size and doesn't have too complicated of colorings. I hate coloring pages where there are a million things to color, it's overwhelming! (Anyone else? No?) So I was happy with this one.

My one complaint about this box is the eyeshadow palette. It is a pretty solid dupe for the Naked 2 palette, which I already own and really like. The colors are pigmented in this palette, but there is a lot of fall out. When you're applying, maybe wet your brush to get the color to really stay and not fall on your cheek.

Even though I wasn't a huge fan of the palette, I'm going to keep my subscription for the winter box, so in a few months you may see another FFF review. :)

Soooo if you're a fan of subscription boxes and also books, you've probably heard of Owlcrate by now.

Basically, it's a monthly subscription boxes that will deliver a new YA book and some bookish goodies to you every. single. month. Oh, and each month also has a theme, and this month's was 'darkness.'

First up, let's talk about this book. The last few months Owlcrate has been sending out signed bookplates for each book, which is absolutely amazing. You also get a letter from the author to make it extra personal. Now, I'm a huge fan of fantasy, and I've read lots of 'dark fantasy' which was this month's theme. So I'm hoping that I enjoy "Three Dark Crowns" by Kendare Blake.

What I've gotten from the summary is that the book is about three sisters who have some type of magical powers and are also cursed to fight each other for the crown. I really don't know much more than that, but that description was enough to entice me.


My next favorite goodie was the Fortune Telling Bomb, which you toss in the bath and the bath bomb will dissolve and show a yes or no answer inside. So basically, it's like a magic eight ball. I haven't tried this one yet, but I love baths and bath bombs, so I'm thinking I will like it.

My last favorite in this box was a candle! Now that it's fall and getting chillier, I love to have a candle lit in my room. The candle is called Celaena's Cake and is based off of the 'Throne of Glass' series. I love that series, and am constantly recommending it to people and I also love cake, so this was another perfect gift for me.

The box also had a bookmark and a canvas pouch with a quote from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children on it. This box was definitely one of the better boxes from Owlcrate, which is saying something, because I've never had a box from them I didn't like.

Next month's theme is 'Once Upon A Dream' and I'm hoping I love it just as much as I love this box.

It's been a long time since I've done a favorites post, so I thought it was time to hop back on this wagon!

April was a really good month, with a baby shower and my birthday to make it nice and busy! We've also had a couple of nice, warm days that have me dreaming of summer.

Looking forward to:

May is going to be a crazy, crazy month. I have every weekend filled with something to do, which isn't always necessarily fun, but I'll get through it! My boyfriend is graduating college, and so I have all the activities for that to go to, and I'm also running a 5K, going to a yoga festival, and hopefully heading up to my lakehouse for some relaxation. Also, the first day of the month is my dad's birthday! (Happy birthday, dad!)

Wearing: 

I've been buying way too much makeup lately, but I've bought some really awesome things.

The first is the Chocolate Bon-Bon palette from Too Faced. I love Too Faced; their eyeshadows smell like cocoa and the little eyeshadows are all in heart shapes. So. Cute. If you're looking for a neutral palette, with a couple of more 'fun' shades, this palette would work for you. I'm always a little hesitant to buy more expensive palettes (this one is $49), but you will notice that the price tag makes a difference, especially if you're used to drugstore eyeshadows.

The second makeup item is actually several items...but it all came in one box so I'm counting it. Every so often, Sephora releases 'Favorites' sets. They can be anything from nude lipsticks to perfumes, and their most recent one is called 'Bronze Bares All,' just in time for summer. I'm such a sucker for these sets, because you usually get 5-8 products for a not-too-bad price. You do get deluxe size sample products for the most part, with a few full-size ones thrown in. I like it because I get to try out a bunch of products, without shelling out the money for the full-size options. If you pay attention to the make-up world, you'll know that Becca highlighters are everyone's jam right now. Once I saw that you got a sample of it in this box, I said goodbye to my money.

Reading:

I don't know why, but I haven't been reading too much this month. I did finish the Red Rising Trilogy, which I know is three books, but I usually read much more.

Anyway, the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown tells the story of a boy named Darrow. Darrow is a Red, which in the world of Red Rising, basically means that he's the lowest of the low. The world operates on a color-based caste system. Golds are at the top, reds are at the bottom, with a lot of colors in between. Each color has its assigned job, with Reds being miners, and Golds usually being fighters. There are also Blues (pilots) and Pinks (who are basically prostitutes). The trilogy goes through Darrow's journey of *spoiler* becoming a Gold. He meets up with some rebels who genetically change his body into a Gold, and he goes into their society and tries to bring it down from the inside. I won't tell you what happens, but it is a really good series that I knocked out in about a week. Not only is the writing good, but I always like when the secondary characters are interesting and important, and Brown really weaves their stories into the plot.

Watching: 

My boyfriend and I are slowly making our way through 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' season 2, and I like it so far. I never got super into the show, but it does make me laugh.

I also finished season 5 of Bob's Burgers, which went on Netflix this month. I think this show is so underrated, and people shoot it down because it's animated. But, seriously, it's so funny, and the show's humor is so progressive and just intelligent.

That's it for me this month, guys!

P.S. I stole the format style of this post from Nicole. She's lovely, go read her blog.

Ahhh! It's already September, and in my mind, that means summer is pretty much over. I haven't been posting a crazy amount this month, mostly because I've been trying to soak up the last bits of summer that I could.

I've been watching, reading and trying some new things this month, so here are my August favorites!

Naked 3

I took the plunge and spent the 50+ dollars at Ulta and bought the Naked 3 palette. I haven't quite decided if it was worth it, but the colors are very, very pretty. I also have the Naked Basics palette (the littler one) and I really like that, so I'm hoping I'll like this one more. I feel like the colors might look better in winter, when I'm a little paler, but I'm having fun trying them out. I've been trying to spend a little more on makeup, as long as I know it's quality and will last me a long time. I'm okay with spending more money, as long as the products are great.

Princess Diaries

As most people who know me know, I read a lot of books. I think I've read about 130 or so this year, and last year I read over 200. For some reason, this month, I've been rereading the Princess Diaries series. If you were in middle school the time I was, that is, the middle 2000s, there is no way you didn't read this series. Everyone knows the movie with Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway, but the books are so great.

Also, the author is coming out with a new 'more adult' sequel to the series, and I can't wait. I loved Mia when I was 11 and 12, and I still love her a decade later. Definitely recommend this series to anyone, especially those in middle school or early high school.

Meditation

As you saw in a previous post, I really like yoga. :) So, after reading a couple articles online and looking at apps on my phone, I've been trying meditation. I usually pick a couple of apps at the same time, since a lot of them only offer 7 or 8 days free, and then you have to pay. Right now, I'm using this app called Headspace, which gives a 10 day trial for free, and I'm really liking it!

I think it's definitely important to set some time aside for meditation, because so many of us are constantly on the go, and our brains are always working unless we're asleep. Meditation gives you the time to just let your brain do what it wants to do.


Orange is the New Black Season 3

I know, I know...I'm a little behind on the times. In my defense, I have watched the first two seasons of the show as they came out, I'm just behind on my shows this summer! Anyway, I'm episode five or six, I believe; and I'm really liking it. I like how each episode has focused on a different back story...and also I like seeing less of Piper.

I liked her in the first season, but now I think the other characters are just so much more interesting. I definitely recommend this show, but know that it's definitely for adults!

Anyway, those are my favorites! I'm looking forward to doing lots of fun, fall things in the next few months; so look out for those! :)

Since I feel like I see these on blogs all the time (and my friend Nicole did one last month :) ), I wanted to do one as well! I figure five is a good number, especially since I can't think of too many.

First off, is a place! Can places be counted in this? Oh well, I'm counting it. I went to Niagara Falls earlier this month (and wrote a blog post about it) and I just loved it. I still find myself missing the amazing view we had!

I would honestly love to go back to Niagara Falls, and I think it's a place everyone needs to visit!

I've also been reading a ton this summer, even with my job. Among the books I read in July were Yes, Please by Amy Poehler and Lock In by John Scalzi. If you are a fan of Amy Poehler, please please please read her book. It is so good, and so heart-warming. The other book was a bit of a random pick, but I enjoyed that as well. If you like mysteries or sci-fi, I'd give it a read. :)

Paper Towns! I actually saw the movie the day it came out with some pretty rad people, and I really liked it! No movie is as good as the book, but I think this representation did the book justice. I didn't like every single part, but if you read the book, it's worth a watch.

As for makeup/beauty products, I've been loving Real Chemistry luminous 3-minute peel. It's a product that I got in my BirchBox, and it's so nice! I've only used it a few times, but each time it's made my skin so soft and smooth. Definitely recommend!

Lastly, My boyfriend also got me into this game on Steam called Papers, Please. I used to play Lemonade Stand as a kid (please tell me I'm not alone) and the game is really reminiscent of that for me. It's also very peaceful, for some reason.

Well, I tried to cover a lot of bases here! Got some books, games and beauty products all thrown together, so hopefully someone makes a new discovery!