Being a vegetarian in 2019
Read More5 Ways to be More Productive This Week
Productivity is something we all struggle with at some point. There are just days when you don't feel like doing much, and laziness creeps up (hello Netflix marathon) and before you know it you've hardly gotten anything done and feel like the days are just passing you by.
Below I have listed 5 ways to be more productive this week, to help you avoid binging Netflix for hours, napping too much or spending hours reading articles online (happens to the best of us).
1. Give yourself a Deadline
Having a deadline for getting work done although at times may feel like it adds pressure. It is more than anything a hard reminder that you must get work done by a certain day. Deadlines push you to actually working even when you feel like being lazy and putting off work. I starting setting calendar reminders for deadlines when I am having the Monday or mid week blues and it ALWAYS motivates me to get work done.
2. Exercise
I know it might seem like exercising is just gonna make you tired but, contrary to that popular belief it does the complete opposite. Exercise clears your head, and since you are solely focusing at the task at hand which could be jumping rope or going for a run, etc. By the time you finish working out you feel more energized than you do tired and are ready to get pretty much anything done.
3. Take small breaks
This can get a little dangerous because you might get distracted by little things here and there and it can all go down hill from there. I personally like taking small 5 or 10 minute breaks when I've been working for an hour or more. It's easy to not notice how long you have been working if you're really focused, but taking small 5 minute breaks every 45 minutes helps to keep you from drawing a blank and dropping everything you're working on.
4. Create a to do list for everyday
This has been the biggest help of all to keeping my productivity levels consistent I write calendar reminders, write it on a small dry erase board where I can see it. This is a constant reminder I have things to do even when I have forgotten or feel like I don't have energy to do anything (which means I haven't had coffee and need some)
5. Listen to upbeat music
This trick works for me every time specially when I'm doing computer work. Listening to upbeat music turns off all the outside noise and distractions at the coffee shop which is where I get a lot of my writing done. It also keeps you focused on what you are working on, because the music keep the writing at a steady pace. I'm not sure exactly to describe it but, this is how I survive hours sitting in front of the computer whether I'm working at home or at the coffee shop.
French Quarter - New Orleans
New Orleans, you head the words and instantly probably think Hurricane Katrina, but in truth when I hear New Orleans that is the last thing I think about. In the long time I’ve lived in Texas I’ve driven past New Orleans probably five times and had never stopped. I thought about driving one time when I was road tripping by myself, but the drive just seemed too far and coffee was not going to cut it to keep me awake. So I waited and waited and forgot my long lost plans to go. Then it finally happened I went and let me just say going to the French Quarter was like going back in time. All the buildings in the French Quarter just so happened to be turning 300 years old while we were there visiting and can I just say I fell in love with what I got to explore while I was there. Being there was a little bitter sweet because it reminded me of the buildings in Cuba so much, in a way it was like being there again. I tried two of the must haves while I was there beignets and I also had a hand grenade.
Lilac Trend - Fruta Fresca
Lilac is the color of the year. Shying away from millennial pink, the color adds a pop of color to any look. Lilac is modern & sophisticated. It took me a while to come around and wear this color but I love it!
Over the weekend I wore this handmade crochet skirt from Fruta Fresca a Cuban artisan Houston based label
I love this skirt because it’s a fresh take to your heavier crochet skirts. It’s perfect even for fall (at least here in Houston). But what truly really sold me was the color of the skirt, I love purple, and although technically this is lilac I love it just the same. I’ve linked two similar skirts below that wont break the bank and are just as cute.
Unpacking
Things you’ll find at the bottom of a coffee mug
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Loving Your Hair
Protecting your natural hair at all costs always seems everyone's last concern, until they realize that not caring for their hair whether it's dying constantly, using too much heat not washing with the right products. We all want something different from time to time, and that can cost us our natural healthy hair. For me it was after dying it multiple times in one year, using too much heat and not cutting the dead ends often enough. Always having had healthy long hair I was under the impression that, it would be okay to dye my hair, and put it through extreme heat.
I've seen the same happen to many people I know, they continually change so much that, their hair ends up lifeless and dull, for some even falling out. Seeing your hair fall out by simply running your fingers through it can be scary to say the least. I was there for a short amount of time myself. After dying my hair many times, I started to notice how dry and unhealthy my hair was. The last straw to realizing I needed to do something different was when one morning I was brushing my hair and it was falling off, as if it was being cut. I was horrified I looked in the mirror and noticed the bottom half of my head had significantly less hair than I was used to. I remembered seeing many friends with crochet braids and realized that might help strengthen my hair it was a way to leave it alone for a while.
Up until that point unhealthy hair had been the least of my worries, because my hair had always been so manageable, and strong. It took a while to get back to healthy hair. Crochet braids were definitely a big helper to getting my hair back to normal. Healthy hair now is always a must for myself over anything else. That's why I love DivaTress, trusted by professionals stylists, and beauticians. They have thousands of options for crochet braids to help protect your hair, and even help your journey back to healthy hair. There are different colors for when you don't want to wear you regular hair color making the process fun, without sacrificing your strands. I love my hair now and having a protective style was a fun way to get back to my healthy hair.
*This post was sponsored by DivaTress but all opinions are my own.*
Romantic Red
Currently crushing on this dress
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West Texas Road Trip: Big Bend & Marfa
Photo Cred: Alonzo Williams Jr.
West Texas is full of long stretches of road surrounded by rocky mountains. At sunrise the sun lights up the horizon, with the brightest hues of orange and sometimes purple. With every mile you drive the road takes you further away from home, but closer to wonder and excitement of the unknown. The star kissed sky in Big Bend is breathtaking.
If you thought shooting stars, were rare here they aren’t. One passes every five minutes, and you just cannot get enough of it once you realize there will be more than one grazing the sky during your stay. If you’re up for driving 30 minutes up the mountain from the lodge area, The Hot Springs trail is the perfect place to catch the sunrise.
It escapes from behind the mountains slowly to greet you. It’s a slow and beautiful progression of different shades, going from a subtle purple, that turns into yellow, and suddenly the brightest orange. The scenery here is beautiful in the early morning, but plan to get here at the crack of dawn if not a few minutes before while it’s still slightly dark. From a distance you’ll notice the rises from the stream at the end of the trail. When you park you’ll see a casita (ca-see-ta) is the pronunciation in Spanish. Walking toward the hot spring, you’ll pass up a lot bushes, I loved that there was a palm tree, where if you stand in the right place while the sun is coming out is a great photo opp. As you make your way through the fog, you forget that at night this is were a lot of animals rest (there's evidence on the ground), but seeing all the fog, the sun rising and being in that moment makes you forget all about it.. Beautiful isn’t enough to describe it you just have to see it, I even forgot it was in the low 30s just standing there taking in the view.
If you’re patient an hour or so after you arrive. And you might think “yeah, well I’ve seen the sunrise countless of times.” but here’s the truth you haven’t seen it like this before. After a lot of driving to get to the park and to that specific spot, it was the perfect way to begin the day, it felt like the sun brought us back to life.
All inexperienced National park goes raise your hands.. UP HIGH. Okay.. It’s easy saying let’s hike up the mountain to see the Balanced Rock, and whole different thing is hiking your way to the very top to see said thing. The trail to get to Balanced rock is in the Grapevine Hills in big bend, the trail is mostly gravel and dirt, and not too bad, but the last quarter mile is a steep on. Having to hand onto heavy boulders to get to the top, stepping as carefully as possible on your way up, although you might want to take many pictures on the way up that last quarter mile isn’t the best time. Reading the sign which tells you the rail is 0.5 miles is encouraging, but 0.5 miles will never be the same again to me.
The longer we hiked the more you feel the elevation weigh down on your body. The trail up to the top teaches you a few things, there are endless photo opps you might miss on the way up but will most definitely notice on the climb down. Prime example is me getting on top of a huge boulder that was 20 times my size. It reminds you the kind of attention to detail you have to have in that moment to remember exactly where you walked through. It reinstates the a certain fear/respect for natures
sine you're in the center of two steep mountains which could make you a target if there were animals around.
I kept thinking “oh my god what if a giant mountain lion pops up out of nowhere.” Thinking back about that I laugh. Last and most importantly remember the distance is always longer than it seems because you’re walking at an incline, and the elevation makes it harder on your body to breathe. Once you finally make it to the top the small struggle is, well DEFINITELY more than worth it. From up there you can see out for miles in multiple directions, but the most satisfying for me was to see how far up we’d hiked that view was beautiful.
* All pictures included here were taken by photographer Alonzo Williams Jr. click anywhere on this post you see his name to see more of his work*
What's on my Playlist
Hey there lovely people! I am back with another What's on my Playlist post and this week I have a list of ten new songs that I just cannot stop listening to. If you like music, and variety in it as much as I do read on. Don't be afraid to click the links below which will bless your ears with beautiful sounds!
I love this song because, it has a calm vibe. It talks about falling in love in a different way than other songs do. Chris Martin never fails to impress with his lyrics.
Can't help falling in love - Cover by Andie Isalie
I discovered Andie Isalie on YouTube purely on accident she's from Australia and her voice is soulful and soft. She can turn pretty much any song into her own, even though she didn't write it. Her covers have a twist, depending on whether she uses the ukulele, the guitar, bass or the piano.
I love the feel of this song. The lyrics are empowering, and I often find myself writing to it. Reminds me to keep going. I'm surprised it didn't get much promotion other than for the movie it was featured in.
This song is definitely a pump up song, I work out to it, write to it, dance to it. Although the lyrics are simple which I'm not always a big fan of, it's fun and catchy.
The search for everything was definitely a new side to John Mayers music, this album had nostalgia mixed with all the new things he's realizing and experiencing. I definitely love every song on it. But I specifically like helpless because he talks about a love that doesn't correspond ( we've all been there) and the take is kinda like he wants someone to yank him out of that state of mind where he wants to keep trying even though it's pointless. It's not a sad song, it's actually very upbeat my favorite on this album.
5 Favorite Sweaters To Have This Winter
I love this sweater because of the neckline, and that you can layer a dress under it or wear it half tucked into a pair of trousers, or jeans like pictured above.
Any minute now the Houston weather will go from hot to cold and back, to permanently cold for at least a good month or two which means you're going to have to bundle up for good. So I've listed below a few of my favorite sweaters all under $40 to keep you warm this winter.
This sweater just looks so so cozy, and although it comes in white I love this mauve color so much, gives a different vibe to the sweater.
This sparkly number has got to be my favorite. The sleeves give you enough room to move comfortably and I absolutely love the loose turtle neck look.
This off the shoulder look is a classic, in white perfect for all the holiday parties coming up this month.
This off the shoulder sweater gives a vavavoom you cant ignore. I love this look for those cold days when it's not too cold to bundle all the way up.
All these sweaters are ALL under $40 and are sure to keep you warm and in style all winter long.
xx -Steph