well it was my last day for sleeping in way too late for my taste yesterday (4:45 dance team alarm, I’m so not ready for you) and i figured what better way to spend your first day back at school than getting a little bit of a creativity spark.

so here are a few of the links i’ve been obsessing over this break:

the BEST iced coffee recipe

new room decoration inspiration

Starbucks cranberry bliss bar knock-off recipe

Christmas video with Kate Spade AND Anna Kendrick, sign me up

let me know if you have any awesome links to share with me as well! Hope your first days back go smoothly! sending lots of love!

xoxo,

Ally

so I’ve never been super awesome at New Year’s Resolutions, nor have I really ever been a huge fan

why wait util January 1st to make things happen when you can (and should) be starting today. now i’m not a huge goal setter but i’m a huge dreamer. and an even huger (that’s a word right?) fan of the saying:

“she believed she could, so she did.”

because if there is one thing I’m proud of about myself it is that if I tell myself i’m going to do something, it’s going to happen. i’m not a grey person, i’m black, or white. really love it, or really hate it. and once i have my mind set there is no changing it (i’m not really perfect at the art of admitting i’m wrong quite yet) so this New Year i have a new dream. for me, and hopefully for everyone.

fall in love with yourself (fully, not just a few things, all of it) and don’t ever apologize for it

now like everyone i’m sure, i’m not a fan of braggers or people who are completely over-egoistic. but that’s not what i’m asking of you. i’m simply asking you do be, you. 

don’t be afraid of being different, be afraid of being the same as everyone else. and exist in your life to be happy, not to impress.

for me this means wearing pigtail braids whenever given the occasion (or when i’m not), monogramming anything and everything to my heart’s content, write write and write because it’s where i feel confident, wear pink pants because they make me feel unstoppable, let the world know its possible (and semi-normal) to like J.Crew and Starbucks TOO much, use the white and gold dot combo every chance i can, and to not feel one bit guilty for obnoxious amount of instagrams with captions that could be categorized as the world’s worst puns/alliterations or mini novels.

whatever it may contain for you, this year learn to love yourself in your own skin. and not just the outer level. love who you are and don’t try to dull down any of it. it’s OKAY if you post too many tweets or use to many emojis, it’s OKAY if you don’t ace every single test or even ace any tests, it’s OKAY to wear black with navy if it makes you feel good and it’s OKAY to spend all your just earned paycheck on new shoes if you’ll feel good wearing the shoes. it’s all you, don’t apologize for any of it.

and it’s also very very okay to not always feel the exact same, love all of yourselves.

because somedays i’ll wake up in matching pj’s and devote my life to my planner and other days i’ll barely manage to find a pair of sweatpants before heading off to bed without half my homework done (teachers PLEASE don’t read this..and mom, it gets done.) and some days i’ll wear my combat boots and wonder what it all entails to be a hipster, some days you can find the good in long lines and red lights and some days you find the bad in your best friend. somedays you want to serve everyone and other days you need to be served. it’s okay to be whoever you wake up as that day, actually, it’s great.

life can be messy but beautiful

so for your New Year’s Dream:

make it an adventure as much as you can. 

be confident in you.

love you. love, all of you.

however mirror-selfie obnoxious, lilly loving, dancey-ing, or chicken taco on the sidewalk eating you may be. (or maybe that’s just me)

 

 

have a happy and sparkly new years!

all my love, xoxo, 

ally

God bless Starbucks and their free wi-fi (and their everything else as well if we are being totally honest here) moving has got the best of my family when it has come to eating out quite a lot lately (i’m not complaining) and losing the most random things in boxes (if anyone knows which box all my bobby pins are in help a frizzy-haired girl out) but the least best thing about this move is the fact we don’t get wifi connected until Saturday *insert really distressed emoji and talk about first world problems man*  i’ve been crammed in my room with a laptop begging me to type on it and no wifi to connect me to the blog and it’s been driving my inner-creativity absolutely crazy. so here i am sitting at my little corner in the nearest Starbucks sipping on my white chocolate mocha and typing away, GOD BLESS.

to catch you all up on Christmas, it was a bitter-sweet one. Christmas night was the last one in our home and our Christmas Eve traditions of family mass and my mom’s killer chicken and rice soup were demanding to go on as usual. we picked up a few wings as well (request of a very picky little brother) and the evening meal was set. throw in a few rounds of Head’s Up with the fan (Ellen’s new game via the app store, it’s 99 cents and very very worth it) and a sibling Christmas exchange of gifts and you’ve got yourself a night. Emmy made me the cutest sign for my new room that she painted “Ally’s cafe” on and a pack of coffee for MY NEW KEURIG, grandma and grandpa you rock. proud to have grandparents who encourage my coffee addiction. (best. christmas. gift. ever.)

Christmas was Christmas as always, filled with cousinly love and laughter and lots and lots of good food. the day after Christmas the cousins went ice skating and Sam and I snapped a few good pics of us being almost, (key word: almost) professionals

Andie made a quick post-work pit stop to drop off my gift from her last night and all i can say is that she feeds into my gold and white obsession too well and added to my collection as you can see below

. i also can’t thank her enough for supporting me and being my proof-reader on these posts. she’s truly a giver and knows me too too well.

hope this post finds you warm and keeping out of this nasty cold weather, have a wonderful new years eve: dress up, have fun, and be thankful for all 2014 had to offer.

xoxo, 

Ally