April Reflection

The month of April just flew right by. Whenever it gets to the spring months, the school year seems to pass by in the blink of an eye. Good things happened this month though, which I'm more than excited to share with all of you!

I became a writer for the Smart Girls Group Loop. | In the month of March, I contacted Emily Raleigh, the founder of the Smart Girls Group, about getting involved somehow in SGG. She contacted me back and said she thought I would be good for the Smart Girls Group Loop. The month of April was my first month writing for the Loop, and I loved it! I write twice a week as the High Schooler and the Mental Motivator.

I had my last road lesson. | Friday was my last road lesson! In my state, you need twelve hours of driving with your driving school in order to get your license. I can get my license on July 4th (my half birthday), but the registry is closed due to it being the Fourth of July, which stinks! So the earliest I can get my license is July 5th. The registry is backed up two months, so the reason why I finished my road lessons so early is because I want to get my license on time. I'm just waiting for my driving school to book my road test for me, and then I'll be good to go!

I got a 4.0 GPA. | The beginning of April was the end of the third quarter. For the third quarter, I got a 4.0 GPA! I was so happy because sophomore year is the hardest year at my high school. I had a 4.0 last year, but the school year wasn't that hard. For the first two terms, I had somewhere between a 3.8 and a 3.9-something. But I pulled through with a 4.0 third term! A 4.0 is the highest GPA someone can get at my school because the highest grade, an A, is worth a 4.0 value.

I applied for a summer internship. | One thing I really want this summer is an internship. I think it would be a great experience and would look really good on a college application. I want a virtual internship though because I won't have any way of getting there if it wasn't virtual. So, I applied for an internship with the Smart Girls Group! I'm so nervous yet so excited. I really hope I get the internship because I would love to intern for them!

I held my first giveaway and first two reviews. | I was so excited about these two! Companies and brands have been so generous as to send me free items to review and giveaway on my blog. The reviews and giveaway turned out great, which I couldn't be more happy about!
I got to wear my Hunter boots for the first time. | This one may seem like a small one, but it made me so happy! Attending a Catholic high school doesn't give you much freedom to wear what you want. Since April is a rainy month, I couldn't wait for all the rain to come so I could pull out my Hunter boots. The only problem with it raining this month? It pretty much only rained on days I had school... which meant I couldn't wear my boots. It did rain a couple of times on the weekend though, which gave me the chance to wear my boots!
I was confirmed. | My family has always been religious, so I go to church pretty much every weekend. My twin sister and me getting confirmed was a big deal to my mom. She was so proud of us, which was actually really cute. Both my twin sister and I chose the name "Mary" as our Confirmation name because it's my mom's name, my nana's name (my mom's mom who passed away about four years ago), and also the Confirmation name of my two older sisters.
I made a Facebook page for my blog. | I never use Facebook, but I heard of so many bloggers who made a Facebook page for their blog, and they said it really helped them. So I decided to give it a try. I'm pretty sure I only have one like hahaha but oh well! You can view it here.

What have you accomplished in the month of April?

Summer Sunglasses

One thing that I have so much difficulty with is finding a pair of sunglasses. My head is awkwardly small, so every pair of sunglasses that I like and try on look huge on me. It's just horrible. I have seriously never found the perfect pair of sunglasses. Every pair of sunglasses that I like are too big for me, and every pair of sunglasses that fit me I don't like.

And it's weird that I can't find the perfect pair because I'm really not that picky with my sunglasses. The only things that I don't want a pair of sunglasses to have are the color white and the lenses where people can see through and see your eyes.

I'm definitely going to need a pair of sunglasses this summer. I used to just go out in the summer time with no sunglasses, but I'd always get horrible sunburns under my eyes. And it's not like I can just wear hats all of the time to protect my eyes! I'm (hopefully!) getting my license this summer, so I'll really need a pair of sunglasses for when I'm driving on the road.

I'm thinking of buying a pair of sunglasses off of Amazon, but I'm not sure if I should do that because I don't actually get to try the sunglasses on before buying them. I'll have to see about that. But I'm definitely planning on getting a pair of Lilly Pulitzer croakies to go with whichever pair of sunglasses I buy!

So, I thought I would show you guys sunglasses that I like that will hopefully fit me!

Ray-Ban RB2132 New Wayfarer | I love Ray-Bans just because of how classic they are and how well they work. These ones are $130, which for a pair of quality sunglasses, really isn't that bad of a price.

Ray-Ban RB4101 Jackie Ohh | These sunglasses are so posh, chic, and classy. Jackie O. is definitely one of the women whom I look up to the most, so of course the style of sunglasses that she used to wear are definitely on my list. These are only a little more expensive than the first pair, $150, and I really don't want to buy a pair more expensive than these ones.

Lacoste Women's Cambridge | I'd have to say that these are definitely my favorite out of all three. I love how simple they are. They cost $138, which isn't that bad. These sunglasses actually come in a lot of different colors, but I like the black because they're simple and versatile.

Which pair of sunglasses above do you like the most?

"Secret Bloggers"

I consider myself a "secret blogger." A secret blogger is someone who blogs without their family, friends, etc. knowing that they have a blog. I'm not a complete secret blogger because my parents and two out of my three sisters know I have a blog, but I don't think they know what my blog url is. The only reason why they know is because of the various packages I've received for reviews. A couple of my friends know, but they don't really read it; my best friend, Jessie, knows about it because she did the photo shoot of me for the Down South Collection review! My boyfriend knows about my blog as well and supports it and reads each new post.

I kind of like being a secret blogger. It's nice having a separate community of friends away from your group of friends in real life. You find people who have really similar interests to you, so you can relate to them really easily. I even have a good friend that I made through blogging, Frannie, whom I talk to pretty much every day. We've collaborated on two different projects together, Chit-Chat (also done with Chloe!) and another secret project which you guys will hear about sometime in the future! I also get to post whatever I like without being judged. Blogging is my way of relieving stress and having a creative outlet when I really just want to write.

The Twitter I have for my blog is also a secret to my friends and family. I made a separate Twitter from my personal Twitter so I could use it to promote my blog and interact with other bloggers. I also use that Twitter to participate in tweet chats, which I have come to love because of how helpful they are and how friendly the people who participate in them are!

Are any of you "secret bloggers"?

Guest Posting

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to allow guest posting as a feature on my blog. I created a form and everything to make it easier for myself and others who want to do a guest post, or even more than one guest post! You can check out the form here: http://privateschoolprepster.blogspot.com/p/guest-posting.html

I encourage all of you to do a guest post, or more than one, on my blog! Guest blogging has tons of positive outcomes. They help me when I don't have any blog post ideas, even though I'll admit that hasn't happened to me yet! Also, they promote your blog and what your blog is about. It can potentially get you new readers and followers on your blog. Guest posting also opens you up to a new community! My blogging community might be a little similar to yours or completely different. It gives you a break from having to post on your blog and gives you the chance of posting on mine.

I'll basically allow a guest post on any type of topic, unless it's a topic that's really far from what my blog usually posts about. The only other restriction I have is that the post is at least 300 words. In order for Google to recognize your blog post when someone searches for a topic you had a blog post about, the post has to be at least three hundred words. (And yes, I learned that from a tweet chat I participated in!)

If you're interested in guest posting for my blog, please fill out the form above and email me at ash.mas19@gmail.com to let me know you filled out a form! The only reason why I ask that you email me after is because I don't get notified when someone fills out a form, and I don't check the form website every day. Once you fill out a form, I'll email you and ask what you want to write about, and I'll let you know which day you can post, as I already have blog posts scheduled!

Have you ever guest posted for someone?

Lilly Pulitzer Croakies

If you saw one of my posts for Twines & Vines, you'll know that I really want a pair of croakies but just can't seem to decide on which pair I want! Many different stores, brands, and companies have tons of croakies to choose from. croakies come in many different styles - plain, designed, monogrammed, etc. You name it, there's probably a croakie for it.

With all of the croakies available, I decided to narrow the ones I really like down to just Lilly Pulitzer. Just like with every other Lilly product, the Lilly Pulitzer croakies are fun, bright, preppy, and full of color. They add just the perfect touch to a pair of plain, ordinary sunglasses or glasses. I've even added a pair of Lilly Pulitzer croakies to my summer wishlist. They're seriously a must-have for the warm weather!

Now that I've shared my love for Lilly Pulitzer croakies, I thought I would show you all which patterns I like in the croakies. I like pretty much all of the Lilly Pulitzer patterns, but I don't think all of the patterns I like look good in croakies. Without further ado, it's time to share the ones I really enjoy!

Bloomin Cacoonin | The Bloomin Cacoonin croakies are so cute. They contain two of my favorite things - the colors pink and green together and flowers! However, the shades of the pink and green seem kind of dull to be; I feel like they could be a little more bright and vibrant.

Chiquita Bonita | This is definitely my favorite pair out of all of the croakies I posted. I love how the pattern is nautical with the starfish and shells. The colors are varied and bright, adding just the right pop of color needed to make these croakies stand out.

Garden by the Sea | In my opinion, Garden by the Sea and Bloomin Cacoonin are really similar patterns. However, I like Garden by the Sea more just because the pink and green are a lot more vibrant than in Bloomin Cacoonin!

Lucky Charms | I love the Lucky Charms pattern. The pinks, blues, and greens go really well together to make the whole croakie look bright and fun!

Which pattern is your favorite in Lilly Pulitzer croakies?

Review :: Down South Collection Etsy Shop

Allie, Rachel, and Cyndi from Down South Collection were so sweet as to send me a free t-shirt from their Etsy shop to review on my blog! I received the gun powder logo t-shirt in a small. The shirt is so soft and comfy! The small is a little bit big on me, which isn't a surprise since I'm only 5'1"... but it wasn't too big, so all I had to do was roll it up a little bit on the bottom and on the sleeves! So, I thought I'd show you photos of me wearing the shirt!

One of my best friends, Jessie, took the pictures of me below in her backyard. I'm not going to lie, I had so much fun taking these pictures and basically modeling! Since I wear a uniform five days a week, I really don't get the chance to do outfit of the day posts, so I thought this post would be the best way to include one of those types of posts. With the shirt, I wore a black thick headband, black Under Armour leggings, and navy blue Hunter boots. I didn't really think the shirt would look good with jeans, so that's why I wore leggings. I plan on wearing this shirt over my bathing suit in the summer!

via Instagram

Out of the millions of pictures Jessie took of me (and I'm not going to include all of them!), this one is my favorite. I just had to Instagram it!

The back of the shirt has the logo in a huge size. I usually don't like wearing shirts that have images on the backside, but I actually do like the look of the logo on the back of this shirt.

The front of the shirt has a pocket with the logo on it. The pocket is actually a pretty good size, not too big and not too small, so I can easily fit anything in there if I need to. One thing I forgot to include of what I wore with the shirt is my Alex and Anis, which I wear with basically every outfit!

This is just the bottom half of the outfit - the leggings and the Hunter boots.

Make sure to check out Down South Collection! They have really good pieces of clothing for really good prices!

What would you get from Down South Collection?

Thick Headbands

This post is actually inspired by the post Elizabeth wrote on which headbands she likes to wear for working out! I love wearing headbands as a fashion statement, but they are also a huge help when I want/need to keep my hair back. The headbands I wear are Scunci's fabric hairbands. I have a package that came with five different-colored headbands: black, white, gray, navy blue, and lime green. I chose this package because they are all (except for the green) colors that can go with basically anything. I'm planning on getting a package of bright colors for the summer, though! With all of that said, I thought I would show you how I style the headbands:

via Instagram

Soccer | These headbands are basically my best friend during soccer season. They match my school's colors, navy blue and white, and they keep my hair and sweat (gross, I know) out of my face. I use them for other exercise activities as well, such as track and working out.

via Instagram

Casual/Comfy | I always wear these headbands when I'm just in normal clothes. In this picture, which you can't really see my outfit, I wore a black quarter-zip pullover from Pink, Abercrombie skinny jeans, and black riding boots with the black headband. The headband added a cute and perfect touch to the outfit. I also like to wear one of these headbands when I'm wearing a comfortable outfit such as yoga pants, leggings, or sweatpants.

via Instagram

When I Really Just Need My Hair Out of My Face | This falls in the category when I don't want my hair in my face. In this particular picture, I was on the way to New Hampshire with my friends to go skiing, so obviously I was dressed in the clothes I was going to have on under my ski suit. When I'm skiing, I get really annoyed when my hair falls in front of me, so the headband really helps to tame my hair.

Do you like to wear similar headbands?

Bloglovin'

I've had Bloglovin' for probably a little over a month now, but I don't use it. I don't know what it is about Bloglovin' that just makes me not like it. So many blogs I follow have it, and they say it's so easy to use, but I don't see how it's easy. I find it rather confusing, actually! I can't seem to figure out how to "claim my blog" or whatever in order to connect everything. I can read all of the blog posts of the blogs I follow, but I just can't connect my blog. But regardless, I guess it would be a good thing to have set up when Google Friend Connect and Google Reader are no longer available.

Speaking of Google Friend Connect and Google Reader ending, I heard through one of the tweet chats I attended last week that only Google Reader is ending, not Google Friend Connect. Does anyone else know if this is true or not? Google Friend Connect and Google Reader are so helpful to me because all of the blog posts I need to read are in the same place as where I can write my blog posts; I don't have to go to a whole separate website. But isn't Google Friend Connect how people can follow your blog, and Google Reader is how people can read the blog posts of the blogs they follow? Or is Google Friend Connect how people can follow your blog and read the blog posts of the blogs they follow? If it is the first option, I don't understand how Google Friend Connect can stand alone without Google Reader... but oh well. I also heard that Google Reader and/or Google Friend connect is/are ending in July, so if that's the case, we still have a good couple of months to go!

So, if you're not already doing so, follow me on Bloglovin'!

Do you use Bloglovin' and like it?

I'm Dreaming of a Blogger Meetup

If any of you follow me on Twitter, you'll see that I was tweeting on Saturday about how I wish I was attending the #BrumBloggerMeet. The #BrumBloggerMeet is a blogger meetup that takes place during various times of the year and took place on Saturday in Birmingham, England. It is full of wonderful, sweet #bbloggers who live in England! (Side note: If you do actually follow me on Twitter, you would've seen that I took place in the #bbloggers tweet chat last Wednesday, which is all beauty bloggers!) The #bbloggers who attended the #BrumBloggerMeet did fun and exciting things such as take part in giveaways, get goody bags, eat delicious food, take pictures, and just talk to each other!

Looking at all of the #BrumBloggerMeet pictures and tweets made me long to live in England so I could have attended the meetup. And then I got thinking, why aren't there similar meetups in the United States? Seriously! It would be so much fun. I want to plan a meetup, but I feel like it would be a huge failure and close to impossible since I'm yet to meet a blogger that actually lives in my state! Well, I actually might be meeting Frannie in Boston this summer - she lives in Wisconsin but is possibly spending a week in Boston in the summer!

Anyway, I just want to have a blogger meetup (that isn't a conference) where I can finally meet the bloggers behind the blogs I read! I just think it would be so much fun to take pictures with each other, eat, and just talk! It's a great way to meet new people, make friends, and find people who have similar interests to you. I don't know if it will be possible to plan, but it's worth a try. For now, I'm just taking advantage of the fact that bloggers I talk to are possibly vacationing near where I live.

Do you ever wish you could go to a blogger meetup?

If any of you are interested in having a blogger meetup, please comment below or email me at ash.mas19@gmail.com !

P.S. Check out the giveaway that Frannie is hosting!

Business Cards

After reading countless posts of Carly Heitlinger's blog that mention her business cards, I really got thinking on making my own business cards. Carly mentions how handy it is to have your own business cards with your name, blog, email, etc. That way, whenever you meet a person that you really need to come in contact with, you can just hand them a business card!

A couple of weeks ago, I found a website that allowed you to make 250 business cards for free! After finding out I could make them for free, I was fascinated. However, I looked further into the deal and realized that I had to pick an already-created color theme and template instead of being able to design my own, and I had to pay for shipping and handling. So it really wasn't free. I decided not to follow through with that deal.

I've tried making business cards before, but they just didn't come out good enough for me to want to print them and hand them out. I'm going to take a look at Etsy shops and possibly get business cards from there, because I've decided that I just really need my own business cards! Also, if the Smart Girl's Group ends up holding a conference in the summer like they were planning, and if I'm able to go, I'm definitely going to need business cards to hand out to the amazing girls I'm going to meet.

Do you have your own business cards?

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Frannie!

Tweet Chats

The first time I ever heard about a tweet chat was through Chloe's Twitter. Ever since I saw the tweet chat she participated in, I was hooked! Her post on how tweet chats work is really helpful to newcomers. Participating in one tweet chat opened me up to tons of more tweet chats, so I thought I would share with you all the tweet chats I participate in or have participated in before! Please note that all of the time zones are EST!

Sundays | #blogchat @ 9pm - all about blogging

Mondays | #fbloggers @ 3pm - all about fashion blogging, #blogtrends @ 9pm - all about blogging, #atomicchat @ 9pm - all about blogging, #internpro @ 9pm - all about internships

Tuesdays | #getrealchat @ 9pm & #bloggab @ 9pm - both about blogging

Wednesdays | #pinchat @ 9pm - all about Pinterest

Thursdays | #fbloggers @ 3pm - all about fashion blogging, #BLMChat @ 9pm (only the first Thursday of every month!) - all about blogging

Saturdays | #blogbrunch @ 1pm (only the first Saturday of every month!) - all about blogging

I don't always attend each tweet chat every week because schoolwork, sports, and studying come before Twitter for me. However, I do try to attend every tweet chat if I can. Tweet chats have introduced me to many brilliant, amazing people who help me not only in tweet chats but outside of tweet chats, too. One suggestion I have about tweet chats that Chloe didn't mention is: If you talk to someone in a tweet chat, follow them!!! It's a great way to promote your Twitter and blog!

Do you participate in tweet chats?

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Frannie!

Flashback Friday #1 :: Soccer

via Instagram (I'm the one in the white!)

As most of you know, I play forward for my school's varsity girls soccer team. I've played soccer for thirteen years, so it's definitely become my favorite sport and something I love to play. My school's soccer season starts when school starts (which I thought every school did, until I found out that Elizabeth's school plays soccer in the spring!), so it's coming up pretty soon!

During the summer, my team participates in a summer league where we play different schools down the Cape. It was my first time playing in the summer league last summer (as I was only going to be a sophomore!), and I'm so excited to be playing in it this summer! It's two nights a week, which isn't bad at all. Also, it's good practice for tryouts and games.

Do you participate on any teams for your school?

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Frannie!

Giveaway :: The Tiny Bee Etsy Shop

I've been waiting for this day for over a month now, and it has finally come! I'm so excited to be hosting my very first giveaway. Melissa from The Tiny Bee was so generous to send me two items to review and even more generous to send me one item for a giveaway!

If you saw the review I did for The Tiny Bee, then you would've seen that I reviewed the heart push pins and the pink heart cosmetic bag. Melissa sent me an extra pink heart cosmetic bag to send to the winner of this giveaway! The giveaway started today at midnight and will end Thursday, April 25, at midnight.

If you get anything from Melissa's shop, make sure to use the code TTB15 to get 15% off of your order!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Frannie!

Book Club No. 4 :: Seventeenth Summer

I usually like every book I read (not including the ones I have to read for school), but I just really didn't like Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly. Seventeenth Summer was really boring to me, and exciting/surprising parts didn't really happen. The ending was horrible, and it wasn't what I hoped it would be. Here is the description of the book on the back:

Angie always thought high school romances were just silly infatuations that come and go. She certainly never thought she would fall in love over one short summer. But when she meets Jack, their connection is more than a crush. Suddenly Angie and Jack are filling their summer with stolen moments and romantic nights. But as fall grows closer, they must figure it out if their love is forever, or just a summer they'll never forget.

I decided to read the book because it sounded really interesting based on the summary, but it just wasn't. I love the cover, though!

Have you ever read this book?

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Frannie!

Hunter Boots

via Instagram

About a month ago, I ordered Hunter boots with the Amazon gift cards I earned from CheckPoints. They came in a couple of weeks ago, and I was ecstatic when they came in! However, since I go to a Catholic school and have to wear a uniform (as indicated by the tights I'm wearing in the picture above!), rain boots aren't allowed in the dress code. That means I can basically only wear them on weekends. It was raining on Friday and Saturday, so I wore them when I went out with my friends and I loved them!

The color I got was navy blue. I was going to get black, but I already have black riding boots, so I didn't want to get another pair of black boots. Also, I don't really feel like black can go with light colors such as yellow, purple, etc., and I really felt like navy blue would look good with no matter what color shade I was wearing. The boots are really durable, and I wore them with a pair of black leggings, which looked really cute together! I'm also planning on getting the wool inserts next winter so I can wear them as snow boots!

Do you have a pair of Hunter boots?

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Frannie!

Monogrammed Phone Case

via Instagram

A couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend surprised me with a chevron monogrammed phone case for my iPhone 5! I was so surprised and excited when he gave it to me because this phone case has three of my favorite things - the color pink, chevron stripes, and my monogram! The case came in two days before our year and a half anniversary, which was ironic.

I use the case every day since I got it, and it works pretty well! It covers the whole phone and is actually pretty durable. I actually just sent Elizabeth the link to this phone case, so let me know if you guys want the link to it as well!

Do you have a chevron monogrammed phone case?

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Frannie!

Dictionary.com App

An app that I recently got on my phone after finding out that my friend has it is the Dictionary.com app. I never realized how helpful it was until I actually got it! Since I read so much, it's so helpful to be able to quickly look up a word I don't know on the app. It's even more helpful when I'm doing my vocab homework!

Do you have the Dictionary.com app?

CheckPoints Tips and Tricks

A couple of months ago, I posted a guide to CheckPoints and how to use it. Since I started using CheckPoints, I've received $125 to Amazon and used $100 from those gift cards to get myself a brand new pair of Hunter Boots! Because I use CheckPoints every day, I've noticed a couple of patterns that I thought I would share with you all:

1. You can only get 400 points each day.

2. The yellow stars show up at about 7:45 am EST. (Side note: I'm not sure if they show up at 7:45 am in every other time zone too, or if it's 7:45 am EST but different times because of the different time zones...)

3. If it says you have reached your limit of points for the day, that may or may not be true. Sometimes when you check into a store, CheckPoints will take the points away. So if it says that you've reached your limit, keep checking into other stores until you don't get any more points for the day just to make sure that you got your 400 points for the day.

4. If you have more than one smart device, use them. I have CheckPoints on my iPhone and iPad, but they're two different accounts. That way I can get about $50 to Amazon each month instead of just $25 to Amazon each month.

If you're just getting CheckPoints now, use one of my usernames as the bonus code (either ashleymason or ashleyymason) so we both get extra points!

Do you use CheckPoints?

Twines & Vines

About a month ago, I came across the blog Twines & Vines. Twines & Vines is basically a blog that's a guide to the prep school lifestyle. The readers consist of people who attend prep high schools and colleges. I started writing for them when I found them, and I absolutely love it! I've only done two posts so far because I've been so busy with schoolwork, my own blog, and Chit-Chat, but I'm looking forward to doing more posts for them. Here are the posts I did for them:

Prep-ify Your Sunglasses with Croakies

Preppy Easter Basket Fillers

I love reading through the posts on Twines & Vines because they are all about having a prep lifestyle! I also like how I'm able to write about anything preppy instead of having to stick to just one category. If you want to join Twines & Vines, go here and make sure to follow them on Twitter!

Have you read anything on Twines & Vines?

Review :: The Tiny Bee Etsy Shop

Melissa Walsh from The Tiny Bee was so kind as to send me two of her adorable items to review! She makes cosmetic bags, coin purses, stud earrings, and push pins by hand.

Melissa sent me these items above - a heart cosmetic bag and pink heart push pins! I haven't used any of them yet, but once I organize my desk over spring break, I'm totally planning on putting the various pens/pencils/highlighters/etc. that clutter my desk in the heart pouch. The pink heart push pins are really similar to the color of my room and will look absolutely adorable on my coarkboard collage when I change it up!

Also, I'm totally obsessed with the pink whale push pins she made! They're new, and I absolutely love them. The push pins are two of my favorite things - preppy and the color combination pink and green! How cute are they?

If you get anything from Melissa's shop, make sure to use the code TTB15 to get 15% off of your order!

What do you love from Melissa's shop?

P.S. Check out the giveaway hosted by Elizabeth!

Study Tips 101 :: How to Write the Perfect Essay

As I've mentioned in multiple posts before, my schoolwork and grades mean a lot to me. I've developed various tips and tricks to enhance my performance in school, and one of them is how I outline essays. Whenever I'm assigned an essay to write, I always outline it before writing it because it's just so much easier for me.

The picture above is the outline I did for a history essay. (Side note: The picture is kind of small, so let me know if you want a larger version!) I always break my outlines down into different sections, so I'll show you guys exactly what sections I do.

First section | Write exactly what your essay topic is about. It's so much easier to me have the question right on my paper instead of having to keep looking at my computer or another piece of paper to see what I have to write about.

Next three sections | Divide the paper into two columns. In the left column, write one of the specific details you have to write a paragraph about. The three specific details I had to write a paragraph each about were public education, temperance, and women's rights. In the right column, write down any notes about that topic that you are going to include in your essay. You can either use bullet points or full sentences - whichever works best for you.

For this essay, I didn't make an outline of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs, but I usually do. The introduction and conclusion paragraphs can go on a separate piece of paper, and just like the specific details, you can either use bullet points or full sentences. For the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph, make sure to include the three specific details you are going to be writing about in the bulk of the essay.

My history teacher didn't make us cite our information for that essay because all of the information came from our history textbook, but if you are using various sources and have to cite your sources, make sure to keep track of the sources you used and where you used them in your outline.

This type of outline really only works for writing informational essays; I do a whole different type of outline for writing an essay about a piece of literature or something, so let me know if you guys want me to show you how I do that outline, too!

Do you outline your essays in a similar way?

Latest Obsession :: Nude Heels

One clothing item that I've definitely started to love is nude heels. They're so versatile because they can go with pretty much any piece of clothing. I wore them with my impulse buy dress to National Honor Society and with a white lace dress and a pink sweater to a sweet sixteen party. I almost wore them with my Easter outfit, which would've looked so cute, but then I decided not to.

I can't wait to wear these more in the spring and summer when I get to wear cute sundresses! My friend's mom is getting remarried in June, so I'm thinking of wearing these to the wedding.

What are your thoughts on nude-colored heels?

Salad

Instead of giving something up for Lent, my goal was to eat healthier. Even though Lent is over, I'm still going to continue to eat healthier because it's a good habit and a good thing to do to stay in shape. I've always loved salad, but during Lent, I started to love it even more. Salad was my "go-to" meal because it's healthy, and I couldn't eat meat on Fridays.

My favorite salad to eat is Barbecue Chopped Chicken Salad from Panera (my mouth is watering just thinking about it!), but I also love the salad I make at my house. The salad I make at my house consists of...

Iceberg lettuce - croutons - onions - bacon bits - tortilla strips - ranch dressing

What do you like in your salad?

Chit-Chat :: The Blog

A couple of weeks ago, Frannie, Chloe, and I created a group blog called Chit-Chat. Chit-Chat is a blog written for teenage girls by teenage girls. Frannie is the Creative Director, Chloe is the Graphic Designer, and I am the Social Media Marketer. Teenage girls are given the chance to write a couple of posts each month for Chit-Chat, which is great way to get involved in the Chit-Chat community!

Our first post was on Monday, April 1st, and everything has been going great so far! Check out Chit-Chat here!

Spring Outfit

Shirt | J. Crew

Shorts | J. Crew

Shoes | Jack Rogers

Pearls | Forever21

Bracelets | Alex & Ani

This outfit is too cute! If only the clothes I saw on the computer could automatically go into my closet...

What piece of clothing do you love this spring?

Fun Fact Friday No. 1 :: Twin

I've seen a couple of blogs do "Fun Fact Friday," so I thought it would be fun if I try it out. I don't really want to do it every Friday though because that can get kind of boring, so I'll do it every once in a while!

The fun fact I'm going to share with all of you for this Fun Fact Friday is I have a twin. Yes, you heard me - a twin. I'm pretty sure that barely any of you know about her! Her name is Emily, and we're eight minutes apart. Emily is older than me, but most people think I'm older than her because I'm an inch taller than her; she's 5' and I'm 5'1".

We look absolutely nothing alike and have completely different personalities! In fact, in our freshman year, people couldn't even believe we were sisters, never mind twins! They just thought we coincidentally had the same last name and birthday. Emily and I only get along half the time; we're not too close. We have most of the same friends, which can get kind of annoying because sometimes I don't always want Emily there.

She always takes my clothes, which gets really annoying! It'll be a dress down day at school, and I'll see her wearing my shirt at lockers, which makes me really mad. A lot of people tell me how they think it's so cool that I have a twin and that they wish they had a twin, but the truth is, you really don't want a twin. I just don't like having one, but I would love to have a boy twin. That would be a lot of fun!

May 2001 at the Grand Floridian in Disney.

Eighth grade.

We loved watching movies together when we were little!

Eighth grade graduation.

We always used to share this seat when we were little!

Homecoming 2012.

Flower girls for our aunt's wedding in September 2001.

Christmas 2012.

We loved blowing bubbles together!

Our sixteenth birthday, January 2013!

Book Club No. 3 :: I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk was a good book, but it was kind of slow and boring at some points. I'm glad I finished it, though, because it turned out good at the end. It's the first book in a series, so I'm hoping to read the next book! Here is the summary on the back of the book:

Fleeing her cheating boyfriend and clutching little more than a crumpled bridesmaid dress, a pair of Louboutins and her passport, Angela jumps on a plane - destination NYC.

Holed up in a cute hotel room, Angela gets a New York makeover from her NBF Jenny and a whirlwind tour of the city that never sleeps. Before she knows it, Angela is dating two sexy guys. And, best of all, she gets to write about it in her new blog (Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out). But it's one thing telling readers about your romantic dilemmas, it's another figuring them out for yourself...

Angela has fallen head over heels for the big apple, but does she heart New York more than home?

Have any of your read I Heart New York?

Check out Book Club No. 2 here.

What's Going On in My Life

I have never done one of these posts before, just like I had never done a "what today consists of post" until last Thursday. My blog is mostly about fashion, beauty, etc., so I thought it would be interesting to do a little lifestyle post for once.

Nothing too interesting has been happening to me lately. It seems like my life consists of the same schedule and routine every single day - school, track, homework, sleep, repeat. I occasionally have a road lesson somewhere in that routine, but it mostly consists of those four things. My life seems to be defined by stress, which I hate. I just can't wait until summer when everything will finally slow down and stop so I can just get my license and relax.

On the bright side, after 1:58pm next Friday, my spring break starts (finally!!!), and I have seven road lessons done with my eighth lesson tonight! After tonight, I just need four more lessons and then I'll be set to get my license. I can't get my license until July 5th (my half birthday is on July 4th, but the registry is closed that day since it's the Fourth of July), but the road tests are backed up a month and a half, so I want to get all of my road lessons done as soon as possible. Once I'm done with my last road lesson, I can schedule my road test. So I want to get my road test scheduled right when I can get it instead of having to wait!

What's going on in your life right now?

Latest Obsession: Sleepytime Tea

I absolutely love Sleepytime Tea. It's a type of tea for the Keurig that is decaffeinated and helps you fall asleep. It has kind of a minty taste to it. I love having it at night after I finish all of my homework because it helps me to relax and wind down. Two of my friends have it at their houses as well, so I love having it at night whenever I sleep over their houses.

I bring a travel mug to school every morning filled with tea. I actually have Sleepytime Tea in the morning too. The first time I had it in the morning, I thought it would make me sleepier; it actually kind of woke me up, though!

Have you ever had Sleepytime Tea?

Easter Sunday

I hope you all had a lovely Easter! Mine was filled with church, food, family, and candy. Church started at 10, but we had to get there at 9:30 just to get seats! Then I went to my aunt's house at 1, where I hung out with my cousins and had a late lunch/early dinner. I was so excited about finally being able to wear white pants so I wore them yesterday!

via personal Instagram

How was your Easter?