I seriously can't believe it is already May! This school year has gone by so fast. I can't believe I'm about to start finals next week and then I'm a senior! It is crazy weird... With each month passing that means a whole new set of goals for the month!

April Goals

Reach 100 followers on Bloglovin I finally reached 100!!

Interview a fellow blogger Check out my blog series "Coffee Time With..."

Listen to all of the lectures of my physiology class

Seriously get back on my blogging schedule Yay!!

Figure out a present for Ky's birthday I'm crossing this one off because I have half of his present

May Goals

Increase all of my social media followers by 100 followers

Don't procrastinate for finals

Return all of my textbooks

Finish reading The Girl In The Road and write review

Get more companies to let me review their products

I hope I get to finish them all!! What are some of your goals for this month?!

xo

Olivia

How To Make The World A Better Place

So I'm a little behind on writing out this post. My school work was crazy the night before Earth Day so I never got a chance to schedule this out! Even though Earth Day was last week, I still find it extremely important to share these helpful tips on making our world a better place! I've always loved and cared for our world but never actually "freaked out" about it until I saw this video. You should seriously watch it because it'll help you realize that we're ruining the world.

Here are some simple tips that you can easily do to help make the world better!!

1. Recycle
I know everyone hears this one all of the time but most people actually don't do this. There are recycling bins at almost every place you go. Outside there are ton of them and it seriously helps a lot. Landfills get filled up every day and is terrible for the Earth. Not only that, but it also is bad for our health! Chemicals that are thrown away can seep into the ground or travel through the air and affects us in bad ways. Not fun right?!

2. Bags at Grocery Stores
When you buy items from the grocery store they always ask you plastic or paper. ALWAYS choose paper!!! Did you know that plastic bags take 10-20 years to decompose?? Paper only takes 2-6 weeks! That is a huge difference! Even better, bring your own cloth bags that you can reuse over and over again!

3. Carpool
Cars and trucks are one of the worst things for the environment. The gases that come from the cars are considered as air pollution. And what does air pollution cause? It causes respiratory problems for humans, endangers wildlife, creates acid rain, and reduces our ozone layer. The more our ozone layer gets thinner, the worse the sun is for our bodies. If you never get sunburn, you probably will start to because of this.

4. Conserve Water
There are always places in the world that don't have enough water for the communities. A few simple ways to reduce how much water you use is to take shorter showers, turn off the water while brushing your teeth, and make sure your toilet doesn't keep running after you flush it. These are seriously so easy to do and helps the world immensely!

5. Lightbulbs
Regular light bulbs are really bad for the environment and use up a lot of energy. If you change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs they not only reduce the amount of energy used, but they also last longer. This means you don't have to keep buying light bulbs!

I truly hope you do these simple changes because they help out the world so much!!

xo
Olivia

Coffee Time With... JEN

Good morning everyone!! I hope you all had a great weekend and Monday! Have you seen my awesome new blog design?! I'm beyond obsessed! Today I have another amazing blogger I'd love to introduce you to!! Here is... JEN!

1. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging because I was doing a really crappy job updating my oldest daughter's baby book. It was easier to post updates and memories on the blog. Since then it has morphed into adventures we have, dealing with my anxiety, lifestyle posts, and the usual updates on my girls.

2. What is one piece of advice you'd want your kids to know when they get older?

I think about this question a lot. I want them to always be true to themselves. To stand up for what they believe in. To be kind, loving, and forgiving. Especially to themselves.

3. What do you think people misunderstand the most about you?

I am very sarcastic. Which is easy to misunderstand online. I feel like I'm usually clarifying my intent using #sarcasmfont.

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?

It's such a cliche, but most of my inspiration comes from my daughters. They have changed everything about me. How I view things, what I enjoy writing about, what I want people to know about me, how I view myself. I want to be better for them.

5. What is your proudest moment? Why?

Well I'd have to say I felt pretty damn proud after giving birth. Both times. Having ab any isn't easy, man! Haha

Make sure you check out her social media accounts!!

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest 

xo

Olivia

My Awesome Target Haul

For my birthday I received a gift card to Target. For the longest time I had no idea what I was going to get with it. Then I remembered that Lilly Pulitzer was coming to Target. So I decided to wait to buy this incredible dress that I wanted. However, I completely forgot about it and at 9am on the day it was available everything was sold out :( So now I was back to the drawing board. Then I realized that I needed new supplies for my blog! So I spent the gift card on these amazing supplies that I just had to show you all!

Post-it Notes

I'm absolutely obsessed with these Post-it notes! They are such beautiful, fun colors which is what I love about being organized. I'm going to use the 3x3 ones for the pages of my planner (see below) that are set for a week. The smaller ones (obsessed) are the ones that I'll use for the monthly view pages. Each color will be used for different general topics as well as various plans that I have!

 Yoobi Journal
This journal is amazing. It has a band to keep it closed and is such a beautiful color. I'm going to use this for ideas for blog posts, all of my social media information, and different things for my blog groups on Facebook.

 At-A-Glance Planner
I love this planner!!! It is a gorgeous pink and has a band to keep it closed as well. I also have a Lilly Pulitzer planner but I use that one for school and work. This planner is strictly for editorial stuff for the blog! So excited that I finally have 2 separate planners!! I love how it also has a weekly view in addition to the monthly view. That'll be good for those days that has a lot going on and I don't have to cram it all into a little square on the monthly view!

 Sharpie Pen
Now I can't tell you enough how amazing these pens are! I love the brand Sharpie but hate how they bleed through paper. These pens DON'T bleed through paper!!! I know, how awesome?! They're also a lighter color and write very smoothly, which I find super important.

 I can't tell you enough how obsessed I am with my Target haul!! Everyone should seriously go buy these products because they fantastic when staying organized!!

xo
Olivia

Coffee Time With... JACQUIE

Good morning everyone! I hope you all have an incredible Friday! We are getting even closer to summer as each day flies by. How exciting?! Today I'd like to introduce you to... JACQUIE!!

1. Why did you start blogging?

Originally, as a way to vent about things in my life, but as time went on, it became a way to be me, to relax and to make a ton of new friends!

2. What is one piece of advice you'd want your younger self to know?

It's really not that serious! Younger me took everything to heart, little comments, everything was a life or death matter. I would tell me to relax a little!

3. What do you think people misunderstand the most about you?

I'm super nice, but that doesn't mean you can walk all over me.

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Life, I get my inspiration from all the little things that voice in my head says every day.

5. What is your proudest moment? Why?

So far my proudest moment has been, when I saw my dad recover after his motorcycle accident and knew that it was because of me that he made it, that time of my life was both the scariest and the most formative, because literally I was a piece of metal tossed into the flames and I feel like a great piece of steel came out. 

Be sure to follow Jacquie's social media accounts!!

Blog

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Instagram

xo

Olivia

Coffee Time With... TIFFANY

Happy Tuesday everyone! Because of the large amount of replies I got to be featured in this blog series I decided to make it every TUESDAY AND FRIDAY!! YAY!!! 

I'm Tiffany Khyla, the blogger behind Endless Bliss, a happy lifestyle blog where I share my passion for living life to the fullest. I aim to inspire others while also sharing my love of reading, traveling, being in love, and living a life full of adventures. I believe in a good glass of wine, spending time with people who love me as much as I love them, getting lost in a good book, that laughter really is the best medicine, and that Harry Potter is the best thing ever written. 

1. Why did you start blogging? 

I always liked the idea of sharing my random thoughts with the world, but I didn't think about really starting a blog until after I stumbled upon this list on Pinterest of 30 or 50 (or some other number) ways to change your life. One of the things on the list was to start a blog, and that just kind of solidified it for me. I was in a hard place in my life (having a quarter-life crisis, if you will), and I was looking to every avenue for inspiration to get me out of it. I'm really thankful for that list, and all of the things I did on it that really did help me get to a better place. That's why my blog, Endless Bliss, is a happy lifestyle blog. That list changed my life in a way and helped bring a little more happiness into it, and so I want to do the same for the people who read my blog. 

2. What is one piece of advice you'd want your younger self to know? 

Don't rush. And I mean that for every aspect of my younger life. There's a reason the saying "Youth is wasted on the young" is popular; it's because it's true! I feel like when you're younger, you're rushing to get older so you can drive and move out and make your own rules. Then when you're older, you wish you could go back to the innocence of being younger and not having a care in the world. So I would definitely tell my younger self to stop rushing through life and to just enjoy the ride. 

3. What do you think people misunderstand the most about you?

Some days, I think I'm an open book, and other days I feel like I keep so much in. It's a tough balance. I think the people in real life really don't understand the concept of my online life. I'm so in love with blogging and being on YouTube, and I've made some friends online that understand me in a way that other people in my real life may not be able to. It's hard for people who don't have a strong online presence to understand why I'm so attracted to blogging. I love writing, and that's what comes first and foremost for my blog, but I also love the community that comes along with it, and unless you're a blogger too, you may not understand why I love it so much and why I so easily connect with other bloggers, but that's perfectly okay. 

4. What is a blogging tip you'd like to pass on?

Join a blogging community. By doing so, you'll open the door for so many things. You'll be able to grow your blog and social media following by attracting readers from the group. You'll be able to find other people who are in the same blogging niche as you. You'll have a community of people to have discussions, ask questions and learn from. I'm just a huge advocate for being a part of blog groups, particularly on Facebook. It's really what helped me grow as a blogger. 

5. What is your proudest moment? Why? 

This is a hard question, because I have so many things in my life that I'm proud of, but I can't think of one that stands out over the others. I'm really proud of the work that I've done at my job as a sales coordinator at the hotel I work for and that my superiors are always instilling confidence in me. I've been able to travel to Dallas and New Orleans to give presentations about social media and also fill in for people who are out of the office for an extended time. It's great to be working for people who really appreciate you. I'm also proud that I graduated college and that I have a job where my degree is relevant. I'm also proud that I won the DARE essay contest in 5th grade, and I got to read my essay in front the 5th grade class and their families at graduation, and I didn't trip off of the stool that I had to stand on. I also got a free backpack. I'm also proud of myself for finishing my first book, and maybe my real proudest moment will be when I get it published. 

6. For someone just starting or thinking about blogging, what makes blogging fun/enjoyable?

The thing that keeps me motivated and makes me want to keep writing are that relationships that I have with my readers and other people in the blogging community. I really can't speak enough about how much I love the connections I've made with other bloggers several hundred miles away from me. Being able to connect with people about things that I'm passionate about like reading, traveling, Taylor Swift, Harry Potter, wine, being a dog mom, etc. is what makes me want to keep writing. Making those connections and being part of communities is absolutely so much fun. I love having new experiences and being able to share them with others, and several people in my life have become accustomed to being photographed or filmed, and you just get used to documenting your entire life. I love looking back at past posts and remembering bits of my life that may have gotten a little lost in my memory.

Be sure to follow all of Tiffany's social media accounts!!
Blog

Youtube

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Bloglovin

xo

Olivia

How To Conquer Allergy Season

If you're anything like me your allergies are probably killing you. I've had allergies for my entire life and even got allergy shots twice a week up until high school. The spring season is always the worst for me. All of the pollen and fresh cut grass is really affecting me. However, it is my favorite season because everything is blooming and absolutely beautiful! Why spend spring struggling with allergies?! Here are some of my favorite tips I use during allergy season.

Allergy Medicine

You have to be careful with this one. You for sure should talk to your doctor about what types of medicines will work for you. The most common ones are Allegra or Zyrtec. The key to this is that you start taking the medicine before you start getting symptoms. This could be hard to determine when that is so practice makes perfect! I swear to you that it helps a lot of you use these medicines. Some doctors also will proscribe a nose spray to help reduce the swelling in your sinuses. These help as well! So talk to your doctor about what will work best for you!

Food

Everyone knows that citrus foods are great for when you're sick. This is because they contain Vitamin C. Not only are they good for when you're sick but they're great for allergies as well. Specifically they can temper your stuffy, runny nose and watery eyes. Foods with this are oranges, lemons, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Magnesium is also a mineral that helps allergies. This is because it can help open those airways that are stuffed up. Foods with this are kale, spinach, and sunflower seeds. Good thing kale is so popular now!

Essential Oils

Essential oils are getting very popular these days. Why it wasn't popular before will still confuse me. I live off of essential oils for every possible thing. They help a lot with allergies. Lavender is a great essential oil because it is an anti-inflammatory scent. Not only does it help with allergies but it also helps relaxation, which is great for when you're worried about not being able to breathe through your nose. Peppermint and Eucalyptus are other essential oils that helps allergies and your respiratory system. They helps open your airways to allow you to breathe easier.

There are a ton of home remedies for allergies as well as over the counter medicines. Everyone is different and everyone experiences allergies differently. Finding what works for you is key to conquering allergy season!

xo
Olivia

Coffee Time With... MICHELLE

Today is the first ever blog post of my series "Coffee Time With..."!! It basically is getting to know some of our fellow bloggers! And now to the introductions!

I'm Michelle, a twenty something trying to figure out life. As a photography enthusiast, I'm always trying to look at life through my lens in a new way, thus affecting how I always view the world, which is what I write about on my blog.

1. Why did you start blogging?

         It was actually for a 30 Day challenge for work, because if you do something every day for 30 days it will become a habit. And I really enjoyed writing and designing and promotion so I continued to do it, and here I am.

2. What is one piece of advice you'd want your younger self to know?

         I wrote a blog post about this but the biggest piece of advice I'd give my younger self is to not change anything, because if I hadn't made the mistakes I made or done the things I didn, I wouldn't be who I am today (cheesy, I know).

3. What do you think people misunderstand the most about you?

         I feel like there are many things that people misunderstand about me, but the one that comes to mind is that they think I'm extroverted, when I'm actually introverted (I've written about this too!)

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?

         I get the majority of my inspiration from what I read, watch, and listen to. My favorite posts to write are the ones where I write about what I've learned from a movie I watched as a kid or a book I love. I also get inspired by my personal experiences, because I've done things and have had things happen that I want others to read and learn from, because we all have a story to tell and share.

5. What is a blogging tip that you'd like to pass on that helped you the most?

         Join networks and blogging groups. You will get great exposure, be able to share and collaborate with others, and have the ability to ask for advice. My viewership skyrocketed from joining groups, and it's helped me get more serious about blogging and all the different outlets I can use to brand myself and get my voice out there. 

Be sure to follow Michelle's social media accounts!

Look Through My Lens

Twitter

Bloglovin

Instagram

Pinterest

Facebook

xo

Olivia

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

Yesterday I had the biggest craving for stuffed mushrooms AND spinach artichoke dip. So I thought... why not add the two together!? This was for sure the best idea I've ever come up with. It was incredible and I had to share the recipe with you guys! I used pre made artichoke dip to save on time but you can make your own if you'd like! I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

• Mushrooms (size of your choice)
• Spinach artichoke dip
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Wash the mushrooms and cut out the stems
3. Fill the mushrooms with spinach artichoke dip
4. Sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese on top
5. Cook in oven for 15 minutes or until done 
6. Let cool and enjoy!

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I did! It's easy and great to make when you don't have much time!

xo

Olivia

Letter To My Younger Self

Dear 15 year old Olivia,

Welcome to your Freshman year of high school. These next few years will be great and will prepare you for college and your years to come. I have a few pieces of advice for you to remember when you're experiencing and deciding who you are and who you want to be.

Don't stress over what you can't change...
There are times when you come across things that is impossible to change. For example, you can't change how someone acts or what someone thinks. Either accept that that is how someone is or make the decision to cut them from your life it it's that hard for you. Either way, take a deep breath and relax. You can't change the fact that your favorite sports team is going to lose a game or two. You can't change the fact that you might not be able to travel the world or that there aren't enough hours in the day to study and do all of the things you have to do. Make due with what you have and realize that it'll all be okay in the end.

Your mother is and will be your best friend...
It might not seem that way right now but it's true. With all of the fights and arguments that you have over the next few years, your mom will become your best friend. She will help you with anything and will love you unconditionally no matter what you do or how you act. She has amazing advice and stories to tell and you'll have amazing moments together. No matter how old you are or if she isn't around, you're still her baby girl and she's always with you.

Boys are dumb...
No I'm not telling you to give up on relationships. But it is pretty inevitable that boys can be dumb sometimes. They may not always listen or understand but they will surprise you in the end. Through all of the heartache that you may experience, you will find that one person that means the world to you and you mean the world to them. It will take time but it will happen. Trust your heart and your gut and don't let people sway you in a different direction unless you decide to. Your thoughts and feelings are important and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Even when you're having a bad day, you're not...
There will be times that you think that the world is ending. You may think that because you're having a bad day that your life is bad. Well you're wrong. You may be having a bad day but that is just one day out of the thousands of days that you will have. You probably will have a lot of bad days but that's just the small amount of days out of the rest of your life. Don't let todays troubles affect tomorrows possibilities because tomorrow is a new day with fresh new possibilities.

Do what you love...
not because you think it'll be better in the future. Forcing yourself to do something is not something that will ever change. If you think you should decide on a job because of the money rather than something you actually love, you'll regret it and live life thinking "what if". That is not the way I want you to live your life. You should live your life surrounding yourself with people and things that you love. Take all of the things that stress you out (other than school, that never gets easier) and throw them out the window. Only happy things with positive vibes will make you truly happy.


Love your older self,
Olivia

April Monthly Goals

Literally this year is going by so fast. How can we already be in April?! I feel like I just started my junior year and it's almost over! Time seriously needs to slow down. Since it is the beginning of April that means that it is time for MONTHLY GOALS! I for sure think this is my favorite posts every month because it is my time to get everything set for the month!

March Goals

Reach 100 followers on Bloglovin Off by 6!

Start reading Unbroken I technically started it but haven't finished

Get back on my blogging schedule I seriously need to get back on this

Work out more to get ready for spring break

Remember to make my bed every morning Pretty proud of this one!

April Goals

Reach 100 followers on Bloglovin

Interview a fellow blogger (let me know if you're interested!)

Listen to all of the lectures for my physiology class

Seriously get back on my blogging schedule

Figure out a present for Ky's birthday

I'm seriously hoping that I get to cross everything off this month! Procrastination is seriously getting to me.. Hope everyone has a great day!

xo

Olivia