Lilly & Lemons

2013 Resolution Reflections

I thought it would be fun to do a little reflection on my resolutions for 2013. The last time I looked at these reflections was exactly a year ago today, so it'll be interesting to see which ones were completed and which ones weren't.

one // become more organized

I would definitely say this was successful. I have a coupon organizer and to-do list notebook, both of which that I use daily. They've made my life so much more organized!

two // find better study habits

I found study habits that work really well for me. I even posted about them! The outlines and flashcards I make help me to do really well on quizzes and tests.

three // read more

Unfortunately, I didn't read as much as I wanted, which disappoints me. I made the mistake of over-packing my summer with three different internships, and it was way too much for me to handle. I barely had any time for myself. Summer is the time that I love to read a ton and just relax, but because I had so many deadlines for all of my different internships, I didn't have any time. Also, because I've been so busy with school, work, and sports, I haven't had any time to read during school weeks.

four // develop a better blog

I can happily say that I believe this happened. I gained way more readers and page views this year than I had in 2012, and I've successfully done reviews and giveaways with companies. I couldn't be happier about how my blog turned out!

five // gain creative insights

I haven't had much time to do crafts, but I did decorate my own cork board and make a couple of cute cards. I was happy with how all of those came out!

six // make more money

Yes! After getting my job this summer, I've made a good amount and money and saved a lot of it. I love having money around whenever I need it!

seven // become more confident

I have become more confident!

eight // exercise more

I did exercise more this year, but I didn't exercise as much as I was hoping to. I just have to come up with some good workouts and motivation!

nine // find out how to become a good cook

Well, I've realized that I'm not exactly the best cook. But cooking isn't exactly my thing either, so I'm okay with that!

ten // go on adventures in the summer

Like I mentioned earlier, because I took on way too many tasks, I didn't have much time for myself. Therefore, I didn't exactly go on "adventures" this past summer. However, I did have fun when I was able to have time for myself, which is good!

eleven // journal more

I haven't journaled that much at all, and I wish I got the chance to. I had so many things that I wanted to write about, but I just never got the chance.

twelve // stop worrying and stressing so much

This definitely wasn't successful at all. School gave me tons of anxiety and stress and caused lots of breakdowns.

I would say half of these were successful, but I'm looking forward to creating my new resolutions for 2014!

How successful were your resolutions for 2013?

My Christmas

I had a wonderful Christmas! I got so many nice things, and I couldn't ask for any more. I got a Lilly Pulitzer charger in Tropical Pink Lulu; clothes from Vineyard Vines and Ralph Lauren; a J. Crew Excursion Vest; jeans from Abercrombie; Nike sneakers; money; gift cards; and scratch tickets. I'm so thankful for everything I got!

However, the best gifts I had were the gifts of friendship and family. My family and friends mean so much to me, and I'm so thankful I have them. They helped Christmas to be especially great!

How was your Christmas?

Giveaway :: Frost It All Etsy Shop

Meg from Frost It All Etsy Shop is kind enough to do a giveaway with me as well! It's such a great way to celebrate the holidays. However, this giveaway will be done differently than all of the other giveaways I have run. This giveaway will involve Pinterest!

Here is how to participate:

1. Pin the image below.

2. Email me (ash.mas19@gmail.com) the link to your pin with your name.

3. I will write down a number with your name next to it.

4. Next Thursday, I will pick the winner using a random generator.

You can enter once a day! However, you have to pin the image different times; you can't just use the same link. I will be checking!

What do you like from Frost It All?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! As Carly Heitlinger said in her Prep Talk, take this time to be present with family and friends - turn your phone off, shut your laptop, put your iPad away, and just enjoy the moment.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! xo

Getting Work Done Over Break

For those of you who don't have any homework to do over winter break, consider yourselves extremely lucky! Midterms for my school are always a couple of weeks after we get back to school for winter break, so my winter breaks are always ruined doing study guides.

However, I always want to enjoy my breaks by relaxing, reading, catching up on sleep, and watching Netflix. So, I have developed a little system that I now use to get my work done quickly and efficiently. Check out the system below!

one // devote a day or two

When I need to do my study guides, I devote one or two days over break to doing study guides versus doing a little bit each day. I find that if I were to do a little bit each day, I would get stressed out because everything isn't all finished. If I spend one or two whole days to doing study guides, I can usually get them done in just those days and have the rest of break to do whatever.

two // create a to-do list

Create a to-do list with everything you need to do. My to-do lists basically consist of all of the study guides I need to do. Once I complete a study guide, I cross it off the list!

three // get the unknown information done ASAP

On all of my study guides, there are things that I don't know the answers to because I haven't gone over them in my class yet. So, right when I learn about those things when I get back from break, I fill out the rest of my study guide ASAP.

As always, procrastination is never the answer. Just make sure to get everything done as fast as you can while still giving your best work, and you should be fine!

How do you get work done over break?

Winter Favorites

Hey y’all, I’m Raegan from She is Fierce; I’m so excited that Ashley is letting me guest post today! I love blogging about my favorite things so today I decided to share my winter favorites.

1. I am in love with this cape from H&M. It is so chic and very different from the traditional trench coat that you see this time of year.

2. My go to outfit during winter/fall is a sweater with leggings and riding boots, this sweater is perfect. The length isn’t too short and it looks so comfy.

3. For whatever reason grey is slowly becoming my favorite color. Miss Fancy Pants by Essie has been on my nails for a good month and I love gray sweaters because they’re so easy to dress up.

4. Winter is my favorite time to wear dark lipstick and this color is dark without being way too dark. Chubby sticks last forever and I love them!

5. Don’t let the price of these boots steer you away, I promise you, they’re worth every penny! I am obsessed with my riding boots and wear them every chance I get. Since they’re black and brown they go with everything, which is why they’re worth the price. If you don’t want to splurge, they are everywhere and it is so easy to find a cheaper pair.

6. These black booties are so easy to dress up or down and the best part is they’re from Target. They would go great with a dress or jeans.

I hope this helps you pick out things for your winter wardrobe! Thanks for having me today and Merry Christmas!

Raegan

Ugly Sweater Party

On Friday night, I went to an ugly sweater party with a group of friends and it was so much fun! It was full of laughs and food. My friend Alex came over before the party so we could go together. I actually went kind of try-hard on my outfit that night because ugly sweater parties only happen once a year so go hard or go home, right? I ended up winning for the ugliest sweater/best outfit, which was so funny! I wore a sweater and socks from when I was literally seven years old. I have no idea how either of those still fit me, but hey that's fine by me! I also wore a Christmas pin that I had when I was little and took a green and white striped bow meant for tying around presents and tied it around my head as a headband.