Random Thought Thursdays | July 23, 2015

Too Much Info!!

1. What are you wearing?

Jeans, a tank top, a cardigan and slippers.

2. Ever been in love?

I have a few times.

3. Ever had a terrible breakup?

Oh, yes.

4. How tall are you?

5'2" or 157cm.

5. How much do you weigh?

I don't like this question but I'm around 110lbs.

6. Any tattoos?

Nope.

7. Any piercings?

Just my ears.

8. OTP?

MerDer </3

9. Favourite show?

PLL, Rookie Blue and Grey's Anatomy

10. Favourite band?

Queen & Little Mix.

11. Something you miss?

Highschool!!

12. Favourite song?

For the Longest Time by Billy Joel.

13. How old are you?

20.

14. Zodiac sign?

Aquarius.

15. Quality you look for in a partner?

Honest/trustworthy.

16. Favourite quote?

"Imagine cramming yourself into such a tiny box of identity when you could experience your infinitude instead" - Eat Pray Love.

17. Favourite actor?

Angelina Jolie.

18. Favourite colour?

Pastel pink or mint.

19. Loud music or soft?

Depends on my mood.

20. Where do you go when you're sad?

My bedroom.

21. How long does it take you to shower?

Everyday 2 minutes, when I'm washing my hair and shaving around 20-30 minutes.

22. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Probably 45 minutes.

23. Ever been in a physical fight?

Definitely not!

24. Turn on?

Confidence.

25. Turn off?

Cockiness.

26. The reason you began blogging?

To be completely honest, I was bored haha. 

27. Fears?

Dying too soon.

28. Last thing that made you cry?

Happy cry at getting my apartment lease finalized!

29. Last time you said you love someone?

Today to my mom.

30. Meaning behind your blog name?

It's my name.

31. Last book you read?

Life Without Summer by Lynne Griffin.

32. The book you're currently reading?

The Debt-Free Graduate by Murray Baker

33. Last show you watched?

PLL ^.^

34. Last person you talked to?

My mom.

35. The relationship between you and the last person you texted?

Amanda is my best friend!

36. Favourite food?

Pizza!

37. Place you want to visit?

Ireland.

38. Last place you were?

Work...

39. Do you have a crush?

I don't.

40. Last time you kissed someone?

Today I kissed my baby nephew!

41. Last time you were insulted?

I honestly can't remember.

42. Favourite flavour of sweet?

Dark chocolate.

43. What instruments can you play?

Piano, guitar and flute.

44. Favourite piece of jewelry?

My Claddagh ring.

45. Last sport you played?

A very friendly game of touch football.

46. Last song you sang?

Shut Up and Dance by Walk The Moon

47. Favourite chat up line?

"Are you a parking ticket? 'Cause you've got fine written all over you."

48. Have you ever used it?

As a joke haha.

49. Last time you hungout with anyone?

Last night!

50. Who should answer these questions next?

Everybody!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Chatty Tuesdays | July 14, 2014

Tate

I've never been a huge fan of babies. Once kids are about 3 or 4 and they can walk, talk and use the toilet on their own I tend to be a bit more open toward them- but I've never been a baby fanatic. Then this little guy was born...

The day he was born I fell in love with him. Plain and simple. July 14, 2014 was such a turning point for me- this was the first baby in the family. Technically he is my second cousin but his mom- Ashleigh- immediately referred to me as Aunty Katie. Holding this precious little bundle of joy in my arms when he was only hours old was so surreal ("and the Grinch's heart grew 3 sizes that day"). 

Now, today, that little 6lb bundle of joy is 24lbs and A YEAR OLD!! Where on earth has the time gone? I never noticed how fast it was going by until this exact day when Tate turned one. Seeing him growing up is a little bitter sweet- I sort of wish he could stay this age forever. He's so young, he's innocent, and he hasn't yet been jaded by the world. However, aging is inevitable (I know this because I'm still dumbfounded that I'm already 20). Seeing this little boy almost every week has turned my world around; a once kid phobic woman now dreaming of her own chance at motherhood (in about 5-10 years haha).

Tate, I wish you all the best in your life. I hope you are always happy, always kind, and always loved. I hope the world delivers you all that you deserve and more. All my love, Aunty Katie.

Thanks for reading, xo Katelyn

Chatty Tuesdays | July 7, 2015

Things I Wish Someone Told Me As A Teen

1. You're not getting fat, your body is changing

2. You don't need a boyfriend

3. If you want to eat it, then eat it

4. Acne is normal... so are weird smells

5. One bad grade won't ruin your life

6. Too many might ^

7. You're mom does love you, you just scare her

8. Don't pass up time with family

9. It's okay to cry for no reason

10. Everything will be alright

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Chatty Tuesdays | June 30, 2015

June Favs!

I can't believe another month has come and gone- hello July! June has been such a crazy whilrwin of a month as per usual. June seems to be a transition month, when camps open, school ends, summer begins etc. It never fails to amaze me how fast it really does go by. The plus side to the end of the month is always favourites posts! I am a huge sucker for favourites posts- they are my favourite- so here is mine! I hope you enjoy :)

Beauty

My first beauty favourite is the L'Oreal Glam Bronze duo in 101 Harmonie Blondes. To be honest, I haven't been using the bronzer side as I'm still in love with the Bourgeois Delice de Poudre, but the highlight in this duo is absolutely stunning! It has a really subtle shimmer that seems to suit my skin very well. I think this is going to be my go to highlighter for a while to come!

I love Real Techniques brushes- as most people do- but I have found myself really reaching for these two a lot (and loving them). The one on the left is the contour brush which is amazing for its intended purpose but also for setting under eye concealer. The brush on the right is the buffing brush which has actually replaced my beauty blender for blending out my under eye concealer.

Ballet Sippers from Essie has definitely been my go to colour for June- I've had this on my nails almost all month! It's a gorgeous pale pink that is very aptly named as it really does resemble the colour of ballet slippers.

Hair

Throughout June I have really been enjoying wearing hair bows and scrunchies to get my hair up off my neck on the hot days while still looking cute and feminine.

I like to change my shampoo and conditioner every season. I always go for a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner as my hair is always on the drier side, but I like to change up my scents- I like warm scents like vanilla for winter and fall, and more fresh scents for spring and summer. This shampoo and conditioner combo is extremely moisturizing and smells great! I will definitely be repurchasing these.

Fashion

Are college shirts even considered fashion?? Ha ha ha. I am just so excited to finally be on the path to a promising future. I have been wearing these shirts around my house all month (I don't have the guts to wear sweats in public) and have been loving them! Not only do they remind me of how freaking excited I am for September, but they are also really soft and good quality.

I have noticed this month that I have been utilizing a lot of my cardigans. It's the time of the year that gets hot during the day but still quite brisk and cool in the mornings and evenings. Cardigans have been the perfect solution for making an outfit work all day. I can dress for the warm summer weather and then throw on or bring a cardigan with me and be comfortable all day.

I've always been one for a flashy watch- yes the Michael Kors type with bling and rose gold etc. But when I saw this watch in Sears I was really surprised how drawn I was to it. It's so simple and understated- I have been wearing it almost everyday and loving it so much. 

Books/Good Reads

I can't believe I never knew that this was originally a novel before this month! Something Borrowed has been one of my favourite films since I first saw it in the 10th grade. It's one of those movies that I can watch over and over again and it can still make me laugh and cry every time. This book is infinitely better than the movie- and that's saying ALOT.

Mind Body Green is one of my favourite sites to follow for amazing articles. The article 5 Thoughts To Stop Thinking If You Want A Better Life is and old one but still \one that I really loved this month as I think it's really accurate and it helped me to look within myself to realize that, yes I am thinking these awful thoughts and I really shouldn't be. 

Love, Krista is a blog I follow on Bloglovin'. At the beginning of this month she wrote this blog post- An Esthetician's Beauty Hacks: Nails- and it has helped me tremendously. I'm someone who loves having a good manicure but isn't the best at nail painting and doesn't want to pay the price for a professional job. Krista uses items that you would have just lying around your home to create a flawless french tip. She also has a bit in there about how to find your perfect nail shape, and another little bit about how Vaseline can help with getting a flawless manicure. This article is favourited on my laptop and I refer to it often!

Entertainment 

I was listening to music on YouTube when autoplay sent me to the cover of Love Me Like You Do by Gabby and Hobbie (mentioned in my May favourites). Gabriella Lindley (Gabby) has since become one of those YouTubers that I HAVE to watch.





 Her main channel videos are amazing but I think she really shines in her vlogs... she is absolutely hilarious and one of those girls that you envy but also really relate to and want to be best friends with. Love her. 

Besides being possibly the most stunning person on the face of the Earth, KathleenLights is a makeup/skin/beauty genius. I absolutely love every single one of her videos. She does a lot of tutorials and reviews but not in the typical beauty guru way (which to me is quite dull), instead she is really funny and brutally honest which I love!

This album is my everything (get it? Ha ha ha). My Everything by Ariana Grande is one musical masterpiece after another. 

I have been a huge Adele fan since she released her album 19. This song is a bonus track on 21 and one I have been absolutely loving. It is called Hiding My Heart. Do give it a listen as it's one of those songs that really grabs you and holds your attention throughout every note.
 *The Craig Colton cover is well worth a listen as well!*

Sorry ShayTards, SacconeJolys are my new favourite vlogging family- an Irish family that lives in London. The 2 children are absolutely stunning and adorable, Jonathan is the husband and he is absolutely hilarious, and Anna, the matriarch, is everything I could ever dream to be as a mother. They are such a wonderful family and I always look forward to their daily vlogs!

Technology

I have never spent so much money in one month. That being said these items are required for the college program I'm going to be attending in September. The camera I purchased is the Nikon D7100 with 3 lenses (50mm, 18mm-55mm, and 70mm-300mm). I have really been enjoying playing around with the camera and learning how to shoot on manual settings. It's challenging but I'm so excited to finally own a DSLR as I do want to be a photographer in the future. 
My Macbook is the 13in Pro and also required for my program. I'm writing this post on it now and I'm obsessed. It's so user friendly, I love that every function has a quick keyboard short cut and it's just so beautiful! Definitely not disappointed what so ever.

I have a really hard time finding over the ear headphones that fit my puny head and aren't from the kids section. These headphones by Sony are small enough that they don't slide around and fall off my head- I have really been loving them!

I can't believe I haven't discovered this app before this month! PS Express is a God send to photo editing a la mobile phone. Seriously, download it!

Random

I'm a sucker for organization so having pens of a multitude of colours has really been amazing for me. I can assign each pen colour a purpose in my day planner (work, appointments, bills, events, etc) and everything looks clean and organized.

Speaking of my day planner, here it is! I got this from Dollarama actually and I use it everyday. It's small enough to fit in my purse but big enough that the pages never look crowded even on a busy week.

And here concludes all the things I have really been loving this past month. I'm so excited to move into July and enjoy this summer completely and fully! Please do let me know what you have been loving this month!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Chatty Tuesdays | June 23, 2015

Marriage

I've always said that I'm not going to get married and even if I do I won't have a wedding. I've never seen the point in it, but I think now I understand. It's not about the piece of paper or the attention of the big day or the gifts. Getting married is the truest proof of love and devotion to another person. A wedding isn't about you as much as it's about loving someone so much that you want to share that love with every important member of your life.

We live in a world with war and poverty and we are constantly reminded that 50% of marriages end in divorce but when we see someone we care about so happy and so deeply in love we are reminded that there are great things in this life. We are given hope. And even if it is just for one day, we remember that the world isn't such a bad place after all.

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Chatty Tuesdays | June 9, 2015

To My Future Husband... 

1. I promise to love you even when it seems easier to hate you

2. I promise not to hold you back from doing what you love

3. I promise to include you in every major decision

4. I promise to make time for you; us

5. I promise to passionately pursuit you

6. I promise to always be faithful to you

7. I promise to be by your side, in happiness, in times of turmoil, and in prayer

8. I promise to be open and honest with you

9. I promise to encourage you to do all that you dream

10. I promise that I will not run from you, but I will always run into your arms because if you are my husband then you are my home, and I will be yours too. My heart is like an un-made bed, it may be messy but I swear it is a safe place to rest.

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Chatty Tuesdays | June 2, 2015

A Day In My Life: June 1

8:00am - wake up

8:30am - drive brother to school

8:40am - prepare and eat breakfast

9:00am - Monday blog post

9:15am - watch Sunday's KUWTK

10:00am - bike ride

10:50am - shower, get dressed, makeup

11:30am - re-do dry erase calendar for June

12:00pm - prepare lunch for me and mom

12:20pm - eat lunch & chat with mom

1:00pm - clean guinea pig cage

1:45pm - paint nails

2:35pm - afternoon snack

2:40pm - read

3:00pm - pick up brother from school

3:15pm - get ready for work

4:00pm - leave for work

4:15pm - start shift

9:30pm - get home from work & catch up with the fam

9:50pm - get ready for bed

10:10pm - read

10:30pm - prayers and lights out!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Chatty Tuesday | May 26, 2015

DIY Project: My Bike

About a month ago I decided that I wanted to over haul my bicycle in time for the summer because I do really love to ride bikes, but mine was needing some TLC. I got the bike when I was 12 (yes 8 years ago, yes it's still in great condition, yes I didn't really grow much). I was a bit of a tom boy at the time where as now I'm definitely not so I had the thought to DIY my bike instead of buying a new one.

This was the bike pre-makeover. It was yellow with way too many stickers on it. My first step was to take off the wheels, brakes and kickstand using a ratchet and a wrench. Honestly, this was the hardest part as the nuts were really adamant about staying where they were. I eventually got them to come off after much kicking of the ratchet handle ha ha ha. 

The next stage was absolutely the most time consuming. I scraped off all the stickers using a screw driver to start. Then I sanded off all the clear coat using an 80 grit sand paper designed for metal surfaces. After the 80 grit I used a 120 to smooth everything out and make an even base for primer. I then washed the whole bike down to make sure there was no residue from sanding. The next step was to tape off all the parts that didn't need paint (brake cables, chain, gears, etc). After everything was taped I did 2 coats of primer, sanded again with the 120, and washed the bike one final time. 

I was then finally able to spray paint! I chose this adorable pale blue colour that I love and did 3 coats of that.

After my 3 coats of paint I was able to remove all my taping and touch up all the areas that were missed. To do this I sprayed some spray paint into a little cup and used a small brush to apply the paint. Once that was dry I wiped down the whole bike with a wet paper towel.

The final step was to put back on the wheels, brakes and kickstand (which I forgot to take pictures of before I took it for a bush ride and got the bike full of mud ha ha ha). I'm really happy with how the bike turned out! It feels great to have done it on my own and it also feels great to be riding a super cute bicycle!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn

Chatty Tuesday | May 19, 2015

A Little Spring/Summer Haul

I have noticed recently that the bottom of my closet has become filled with bags. I found myself buying more and more things for the upcoming summer months, and also some things for now that will help me to prepare for the summer months. So, I thought, 'why not share what I've picked up'? Hence, today's chatty Tuesday will be dedicated to my Spring/Summer haul.

Clothing

I picked up these three tanks from Ardenes during a 3 for $15 sale. The white one is a simple basic white tank but it has a little bit of structure at the top and under the arms which I much prefer over a standard white tank. The middle, floral tank has thick straps and a super cute pattern which I really love. The third one is definitely my favourite. It's a gorgeous pastel pink with cute lace around the chest and under arms that continues up into lace straps.

I got these two shirts from Ardenes as well during a buy one get one 50% off sale. The first one is a mint and white striped tank with three buttons at the top of the front and a little keyhole back. The second one is a very similar style only it is in a very bright coral and instead of having a scoop neck it is a little bit more of a V shape.

I picked up a couple of bras from La Senza. They were also having a sale; buy 1 for $16.50 or buy 2 for $12.50 each. I obviously, as a bargain hunting girl, went for the second option. The first is a pale, pastel orange. It is a simple cotton bra because during the hot summer months I really don't want any bra that isn't cotton as I find when I begin to sweat that things like lace and silk are quite irritating. The second bra is also cotton and is just a plain nude with removable straps that I picked up in lieu of wedding season.

These three items are from Winners. The first is a pastel purple baby doll style top and was a steal at $8.00. I love that this is a longer shirt so I can wear it with leggings. The second is a teal dress with a very summery floral pattern. It was also an absolute bargain at $11.00. The third item is a pair of shorts. I love how loose fitting they are, and I really like that they have the draw string belt detail as I think it's so cute. They are high waisted so I can definitely imagine these with a cute tank tucked in and gladiator sandals. These were very reasonably priced at only $13.00.

Makeup and Nails

These three things are the only items I picked up in this category so far for summer (shame on me). The two nail polishes are by Revlon (charming and eclectic) were $7.99 each at Shoppers and I think they are such gorgeous colours for the spring and summer seasons. I picked up this little eye shadow palette for only $4.99 at Shoppers. I've never heard of the brand Essence before, but I figured if it sucks it was only $4.99 and if it's great than it was only $4.99! Ha ha ha. Also, the colours are beautiful for spring/summer.

Skin Things

 I went a bit crazy in The Body Shop as they were having a buy 3 get 3 free sale and that's a sale I can NOT pass up. The first thing I added to my basket was the cocoa butter creamy shower wash ($9.00). Not only does it smell amazing, but my skin responds very well to the moisturizing properties of cocoa butter. The second thing I bought was the body butter also from the cocoa butter range ($21.00). This stuff leaves my skin so hydrated and so soft and it also helps with scars and stretch marks! The third thing is another flannel ($7.00). I am such an advocate for The Body Shop flannels; they can't be beat. On to the second row, the fourth thing I bought is another repurchase and it is the hemp hand protector ($20.00). I have one of these in every purse I own and in my till at work. I absolutely love how moisturizing it is, how fast it soaks into the skin, and also that I feel when I use this, even after I wash my hands, my skin still feels so moisturized. The fifth thing I got was the aloe soothing gel ($19.00) which will be perfect for the up coming summer months when it is inevitable that I will get burnt at least once despite lathering sun screen on. The last thing I added to my basket was the vitamin E sink-in moisture mask ($23.00). I haven't ever tried this, but I know my skin responds very will to vitamin E so I'm sure I will get on with this just fine. 

So that's all that I've picked up in the past couple weeks to prepare myself for spring and summer. I still plan to get a couple more cute summer dresses as well as some flats and accessories.

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn