I really love to give shoutouts to organizations that benefit a certain cause or donate a portion of proceeds to an organization or charity. Nowadays, there is so much awareness about the different ailments that plague the citizens of the world and it's important for all of us to come together and unite in an attempt to eliminate these issues. I was very involved in different organizations in high school that involved community service and giving back to the community and I have maintained my belief in the importance of giving back (or paying it forward) as being a necessary habit to benefit the well-being of the world. There are so many causes out there that it's near impossible to not have one that you relate to or want to help out; in fact, if you are in need of figuring out what causes are out there, you may want to check out the website: dosomething.org. This website gives you a better idea of the causes that are out there as well as some affiliated organizations and different ways that you can help. → read more…

I will have to admit this: I am not the best cook in the world...actually, I'm pretty much the worst cook in my family. In my defense, my family is made up of some pretty wonderful cooks so it's not all too bad to be the bottom rank of the totem pole in that scenario! I am making an effort to become a better cook/chef/baker with some trial-and-error recipes and of course if I come across one that is easy to make and even easier to eat, I will definitely pass it along to you! There is one thing that I do know how to do and that is to find adorable things to use in the kitchen (even if I haven't the slightest idea what to do with them). I have searched around on some of my favorite sites to bring you six items that are great to have around in your kitchen, but also adorable to look at! It may not be that important to a person who doesn't think twice about the appearance of their vegetable peeler, but for a girl who lives a "mature but cute" life...these details do not go unnoticed. → read more…

I am one of those people that really loves to give presents; I love everything about the process of searching for the perfect gift, finding it, gift wrapping it, giving it to the recipient and seeing how excited they are once they have opened it. I especially love to find presents for people that they didn’t necessarily want, but once they see it they realize it’s something they’d love to have. I also don’t like to take the easy route of gift giving by handing them a gift card or a card with some money stuffed in it. I think that ultimately the best situation would be to give something that is a surprise (in a good way) and that also shows that you put a lot of thought into the gift you’ve given. There are, however, certain cases where you want to give someone the perfect gift but you have absolutely no idea what to give or where to even start looking! → read more…

It's time for another kick list, wahoo! August is here and so is the hot weather-- yuck. Actually, the weather has been really nice here so far this summer and as a result I am trying very hard not to complain about it. It's not so much hot as it is humid and unfortunately, it is that very humidity that I find to be brutal. All of that interesting weather stuff aside, let's get onto my latest obsessions for the lovely month of August. I was going to come up with a list of specific kicks to assign for each month, but they're so random that I doubt that it'd work out that well (especially since I hate forcing creativity). After thinking about my current favorites and determining what I wanted to highlight and what I just couldn't seem to get enough of...I came up with my Current Kick List for the month of August. → read more…

There is an old saying that we seldom recognize the beauty that is in our own backyard. Nothing could be more true of this than my situation having grown up within walking distance of a metro park and never really taking the time to make the trek over and experience the beauty for myself. The older I get the more I realize the power of nature and being outside in it; taking a walk outside is not only good for you physically but it rejuvenates you emotionally and relaxes you mentally. Now that I have an understanding of this I have made a much better effort to make the time to take the walks that I should have done a long time ago. → read more…

We've all done it before. You are driving alone in the car at night, flipping through the radio stations, and you happen to come across one of those sappy love songs and pretend that you don't know all of the words and that you'd never be caught dead singing along... but then figure, "what the hell; no one is here to see me do this!" You crank it up and start belting along with them. I do this all the time, even if there are people in the car with me (usually laughing at me)...or if they're ultra cool they'll sing along with me, and if they're insanely cool they'll harmonize with me. After years of doing this, I noticed that some of those supposed "sappy" love songs...aren't really all that lovely at all. In fact, the majority of them have been wrongfully branded as love songs when they're nothing of the sort! → read more…