Childhood Memories

One of the greatest things about getting older is finding pictures and home videos from the past! Just this week I got my first car! Shes a light blue 420 Mercedes!

Norma!

 Shes an old gal we named her Norma because in the show Bates Motel Norma Bates has the same type of car! Of course this car only plays CD's so my mom told me there was an old CD holder in the attic! I went and found it then found a bunch of CD's with old pictures!

Seeing these pictures and a few videos made me realize how much I forgot about my childhood and how little I appreciated how much my mom has done for me! I wanted to share some cute pictures from the past with everyone and maybe get you interested in finding your old pictures!  

My brother and I in one of those old rechargeable cars!

My childhood best friend

My brother and I 

Me in a Belle costume!

Me at Disney my second home

Meeting Belle for the first time at Disney World

One of my first snow globes in my HUGE collection!

Find your memories and remember the old times! 

Best Wishes,

Daphne Brion

How to Save this Season

As most of you can agree, we love going out with friends, buying new clothes, going to the movie theater, and shopping online, but some of you may have been in the same problem I often find myself in. Especially because the mall is a great place to spend when you're bored in the midst of summer, or because frozen yogurt is truly better when it's 100 degrees out, it's easy to find yourself running out of money. There's nothing worse than reaching into your wallet to buy another adorable shirt at the mall and realizing that you're down to your last few one dollar bills. But how do you fix this? Because I found that I was quickly burning a hole in my wallet, I sat down and gave myself some guide lines on how to cut back on spending. It's hard to pass an offer on a typical sale at your favorite store, but using these 7 tips, you can still enjoy your usual fun without spending too much!

I find this tip extremely useful. If you have all of your money in one wallet, you can mindlessly keep pulling out money while shopping. However, if you only have a twenty dollar bill instead of several, you will be more conscious of how much you are spending. (Bonus: It also is a good tip to divide your money between wallets for safety. Therefore if you lose one wallet you do not lose all of your money!)

This tip is close to the first tip, however opening a bank account not only can prevent you from spending all of your money, but it also can give you even more money over time with interest. Opening a bank account for your personal money is important not only for the present day but for your future too!

I learned this tip from one of my favorite shows "Say Yes to the Dress". If you find a dress in a store that is calling your name, but it's way over your budget, don't taunt yourself with it any longer by trying it on. If you try it on there is the chance that you will forget the price and buy it anyways, only later realizing that you paid way to much for it!

Going through your clothes has many benefits for not only you, but also for your community. Simple take an afternoon to sort through all of your clothes, donate the ones you don't need anymore, and then organize the clothes you keep. Once your clothes are organized and in clear sight, you will have a better understanding of what you have, and when you go shopping you'll know what you already have and will be less tempted to buy more!

The movie theater is ridiculously expensive. I mean, $6.00 for a small bag of popcorn and $3.00 for a teeny little box of candy is insane, but honestly I love going to the movie theater with friends. When I new movie comes out, I have this gravitational pull towards the theater. It's a fun thing to do with friends, however you could end up paying $30 each time for the movie plus all the food you and your friends share. Instead, go to the Redbox and rent a $1 movie and invite all of your friends over for a movie night. Pop your own popcorn, serve some drinks, and Walmart even carries the same candy the theaters sell at only 99 cents, talk about big savings!

Setting yourself a weekly budget can be important for saving money. Especially if you have a current job, you can set yourself a weekly (or monthly) budget that includes your income and how much you are letting yourself spend over a certain period of time. It's super easy to do and it helps you prepare for adulthood!

Coupons! Use them! Coupons can save the day, and almost every store or business gives them out. So do some research and find if your favorite retailers have a Coupon Club or a weekly newsletter with awesome deals! This way you will get the same clothes, but for much cheaper.

These tips will help you get in the healthy habit of being conscious about your money while still letting you enjoy your time off from school... follow them and you'll be on the path of saving in no time!

Love,

Natalie

Weekend Recap + Behind the Wheel

Like mentioned in an earlier post, this weekend I got to visit some close family and spend the weekend in Garden City, Myrtle Beach. It's tradition for my cousins to travel there every summer, and because its only a short hour and a half drive from Charleston, we spend a few days with them every summer. The days were spent relaxing on the beach, paddle boarding around the creeks, lounging on the porch, cooking plenty of seafood, and visiting the pier once the sun set. No matter what we did, it was great to be surrounded by my family.

The first night there was a beautiful sunset over the creeks behind the beach house we were staying at. The creeks were perfect for paddle boarding and exploring after a long day on the crowded beaches, it was perfect just to get away.

Of course there was a big feast with some distant relatives and my immediate family-- there was so much shrimp, sausage, corn, and crab to go around!

The beach was only a short walk away from the beach house, and we spent plenty of time as a family there!

I got pretty lucky with my game of darts

Once I returned from Myrtle Beach, I was able to get my driver's permit and drive down a new path (literally!) Watch out on the roads!!

Summer only gets crazier from here...

Love,

Natalie

Photo Booth Fun

This weekend I had a party with my friends where I had a home made photo booth set up! I went to Micheal's craft store and bought photo booth props! They were 20$ a little pricey but they where worth it!

Click here for this cute props!

Some people dont want to spend the 20$ on these which is ok! I am going to teach you how to DIY some!

My friends and I are obsessed with Disney so I made some of them! 

Princess Jasmine's crown, Belle's rose, Pocahontas' necklace and Ariel's Shells

1. get photos of the things you want to make 

2.Crop out the part of the picture you need.  

3. cut out the part of the picture you need.  
Super easy mode! If you do buy the props here is what they look like!

Cute Glasses and Masks!

Tons of kisses to pick from!

Mustaches galore!

Best Wishes,

Daphne Brion

Island Time

Today I was lucky enough to take a short day trip to the beautiful Hilton Head Island. I was able to see the beautiful beaches there, enjoy some delicious food, and simply relax for one day. It's a short two hour drive to the island, and because of some circumstances, I almost chose not to go- but I am sure glad I did, the weather was just right and it was lovely to get away even if it were only one afternoon in "paradise".

After you go over the bridge onto the island, you leave the boring trees and marsh grass to a seashore dotted with beautiful houses and extremely clean beaches. Because we were there for only one day, we didn't do as much exploring as I'd hoped, but there will be more trips to come (hopefully with more time to look around).

Once late afternoon passed, I could almost taste the seafood from the hundreds of restaurants that were about to open their doors for floods of hungry island-goers. Luckily, my family knew where we were going to find the best location, and we decided on Skull Creek Boathouse. 

It's a mostly outdoors and is one of the few restaurants actually on the water, and not to mention the food was simply amazing!

An example of one of the outdoor seating areas

After lots of decision making on the massive menu selection, I decided on the good ol' fried shrimp (you can't go wrong). Sitting as the sun shined through the trees and as the breeze came off the water completely made my night, but there was more to come! Upon leaving Skull Creek Boathouse, we headed on over to Frankie Bones, a New York Style restaurant that had a delicious variety of desserts. Of course, I settled with my personal favorite, the carrot cake, and with our stomachs full of Hilton Head cuisine, we headed back home.

Even though the trip was short and sweet, I enjoyed my time before another weekend of travelling. I'll be headed north two hours instead of south to visit my cousins in Myrtle Beach, which also means posting this weekend may be limited. But stay tuned for {hopefully} a post loaded with pictures from my weekend adventures!

Love,

Natalie

A Fresh Read {Part Two}

Simple Tips to Making Your Summer Easier

Summer should be a relaxing period where your worries should be non-existent, and as the human race develops even more, some very smart people have come up with easier ways to make your summer even lazier. These tips, also called "hacks", have made summer life more relaxing, and have become extremely popular for their simplicity. One of my favorite instagram DIY accounts {@do.or.diy} has been posting some amazing summer DIY projects and summer hacks, and combining these tips with several I've found on my Pinterest, I've created a list of some that you can do, plus the links to show you how to do each one. (click on the titles for a link to the directions)

Beverage Boat:

Easy Ice Cream Sandwich:

Popsicle Drip Catcher:

(this one is pretty self explanatory)

Chip Bag Bowl:

Aloe Ice Cubes:

{sun burn relief + extreme cooling effect = perfect sun burn remedy}

Soda & Straws:

{to prevent the straw from popping up}

(again, self explanatory)

Easy Stem Remover:

There you go--These may not seem entirely important to making the most out of your summer, but at least you won't have to worry about your Popsicle dripping all over that brand new white shirt of yours!

Love,

Natalie

Music Video!

One of the things on Daphne's bucket list was to make a music video, so when she came over today we decided to check that one off. Here's our attempt at a lip sync to some popular Disney songs:

p.s. We also took some pretty awesome pictures of us as the characters:

"for the first time in forever"

"someday I'll be part of your world"

"i want adventure in the great wide somewhere"

"i've got a dream!!"

"where's my slipper??"

Love,

Natalie (and Daphne too!)

A Fresh Read: My Thoughts on "Eleanor & Park"

Eleanor & Park was an easy read for me, not because Rainbow Rowell isn't a good writer, but because of the simple plot. I figured at first this book would take me awhile to read because of it's daunting length at first glance, however I was able to finish the entire book in less than a day. The characters have the stereotypical "I-don't-like-you" phase going on at the beginning of the book, but like every other romantic teen fiction novel, they eventually fall in love and etc. etc. I do believe that both characters were extremely well put together; Park is a mixed race semi-popular kid at school while Eleanor is the awkward, slightly overweight red-head who wears whatever she wants and tries to push through not only problems at school, but problems such as abuse and violence at home. It was a moderately good book, but it is not one of my favorites for several reasons. 

First of all, the plot was long but the romance side of it flourished (like any teen romance novel), however the conflict seemed like it was never going to be solved. For example, the conflict includes the fact that Eleanor and Park both struggle with fitting in in society and trying to live in peace with their parents, and it's interesting how they go about with solving it, nevertheless the book seemed like it never was going to end. 

This leads my to my next point about how the plot seemed to repeat itself and talk in circles. The characters overcame small obstacles as they come along, but the novel takes place over an entire year. At a certain point, I was still interested but sort of bored by the plot just hitting the same problems as before. I don't know, it was just too one-dimensional and without real good emotions, you know?

 Finally the ending (don't worry, I won't give it away) was just too abrupt. I can see why this book is a fan of readers, because of its geeky yet charming romance and the characters are so interesting to readers.  And don't get me wrong I enjoyed it very much, but on the other hand I feel like this book just wasn't one of my favorites.The falling action is very quick and there's a cliffhanger at the end. It isn't the type of cliffhanger hinting that there will be a sequel, but the cliffhanger that just leaves the reader to ponder about the book for the rest of eternity. The ending was romantically cute, sort of sad and lonely feeling, and I did enjoy the cliffhanger as well as hating it :) 

This book did teach a lot about loving who you are, not caring what other people think, and the fact that two opposite people can fall in love and be happy. My favorite quote is from Park talking about how Eleanor isn't perfect, but that she's unique and that's all that matters,

"She looked like art, 

and art wasn't supposed to look nice; 

it was supposed to make you feel

something."

Rainbow Rowell is definitely an interesting writer with a unique style of giving the reader mixed emotions about certain topics, even though this book was easy to read. I do suggest the book if you are looking for a pleasure read, because I have heard of many readers who absolutely adore this read! Personally, I would rate it a 6/10 because although there are some plot flaws, I enjoyed the adorable, quirky romantic tale between these two different characters. 

Stay tuned for more reviews on books like these; I plan on reading Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl and Dan Simmons' Summer of Night (recommended by a close friend) in the next coming weeks!

Love,

Natalie

p.s. while reading the book I found out there is going to be a movie production of the book, and I will definitely make sure to go see it!

Escaping the Heat: My Tips

The south is one of the most beautiful places; there's the beach, friendly people, and lovely weather, well, most of the year. Don't get me wrong, the weather here is lovely in the fall and spring, the winter is quite mild, but summertime here is like standing in an oven... for 5 months. Add the extreme heat and add a whole lot of humidity, and it's practically impossible to do anything outside unless you plan on getting drenched in sweat or you're headed somewhere with water. Around mid-July, the whole heat and humidity thing gets really old, and us southerners rely on many things to keep us going through these rough months. After being born and raised in such a unruly summer environment, I've found many things helpful for escaping the heat.

Clothes

Even though most of us would rather wear our bathing suits everywhere during the summer, we normally need more clothes than that. For the summer I rely on my collection of collard button-ups (or oxfords) because they are light, easily paired with shorts, and universal to any events that may pop up on the calendar. Skirts are nice to wear, but during the summer I normally find skirts to be quite annoying (the wind picks them up, not good for adventuring, etc.) so I stick with my good selection of shorts. Last summer, I visited a local thrift shop, picked out some jeans that were in good condition, cut them into shorts, added lace trim to the pockets and bottoms, and voila! I haven't stopped wearing them since! In the case of shoes, I would love to say I spend the summer prancing around in my fancy sandals but honestly, you can't tear my Rainbow flip flops off my feet when it's this hot outside. However, if you're looking for a fancier shoe to pair your outfits with but are worried they'll get ruined over the course of the summer, there is a brand (click here!) that sells knock off Jack Rogers. I know several people with these shoes and they say they're extremely comfortable and they don't have to worry about ruining a $100 pair of sandals. After I get ready before going out, I usually slide in one of American Apparel's hair bows to add style to any boring pony tail.

Snacks

Obviously, if you've ever visited the south, you'll find that the drink of choice is sweet tea. Even though I'm not a fan of it, it's cold and sweet and that's all that matters here! Frozen treats are also typical for any hot day, but most treats are full of corn syrup and unneccisary amounts of sugar. That's why lately I've been making my own. They're extremely easy to make and there are so many recipes! 

Now don't these look simply delicious? 

Activities

At this point of the year, it's way too hot to be just hanging out outside, and even though the AC calls everyone indoors, there's only so much one can do when cramped inside for long periods of time. So what do I do? I'm a bike ride away from the pool and 10 minutes away from two beaches, so I take advantage of these resources. Other than that I can be found filling my RooCup with a coke ICEE. RooCup's are $7 cups that give you 25 cent refills at any Kangaroo gas station all summer, and because there's plenty of these gas stations around, I'll bear the heat and ride my bike to one. 

I'd like to sprout off more ideas, but other than those two options, I'm usually reading a good book indoors, checking social media, taking pilates and yoga at a local gym, or catching a movie with my friends (I'm pretty much in hibernation mode all summer, oops).

Hope y'all are beating this heat!

Love,

Natalie

A Fresh Read

Summer break has been great and all but already I can feel myself looking for something to do, and I have only been out of school for not even a week. Don't get me wrong I have been keeping myself busy (have you noticed the new blog layout?), but now that almost everyone has flocked away to their summer retreats, I figured the best way to keep myself entertained is to read a few good reads. I have a list next to my bed of all sorts of books I've wanted to read for the longest time, whether I've seen them while wandering around Barnes & Noble or come across them while surfing the web. So I'm going to jump on this list and get reading!  Just last week I picked up the book Eleanor & Park in the bookstore and then I saw it again yesterday on Buzzfeed's list: 17 Books to Read if You Liked The Fault in our Stars , so I knew this book was one I had to read.

"Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under." -Amazon

“Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.” -John Green (I mean if he says it's good...)

I'm excited to get my hands on this book, it sounds simply perfect and I'm pretty sure I'm going to fall in love with it!

Love,

Natalie

Yummy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I'm usually a strict cookie baker (with the exception of box mix brownies), and I mentally decided I should probably expand my horizons with this whole baking thing. When I found this delicious recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, I figured making some scrumptious chocolate peanut butter bars was my first step away from the simple cookie making. So long story short, I made some pretty rocking bars and I have the feeling they won't last very long :) You should definitely try making these if you have a rainy afternoon to spare, here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup (8 tbsp.) softened butter

1/3 cup of peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

1/2 granulated sugar

1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk (I just added two eggs, still turned out fine)

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13-baking pan and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and oats.

3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated and brown sugars until light and well-mixed, 2-3 minutes. Mix in vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until combined.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips

5. Press the batter into the pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly browned on the edges. Don't overbake or the bars will be dry! Remove the pan to a cooling rack and let the bars cool in the pan before cutting into squares.

My Tips:

1. The recipe calls for an egg and egg yolk, however I just used two whole eggs (no shells of course :) and it worked just fine

2. I made the mistake of using semi-sweet chocolate chips, so if you aren't a fan dark chocolate like I do, use milk chocolate chips and the bars will be sweeter. (they were fine for the rest of my family, but I wasn't such a big lover)

3. When mixing all ingredients together, I found it worked best to use an electric mixer to take out all the large chunks and cream the ingredients.

4. I added some chocolate chips 2 minutes before the bars were done so they would melt on top and let me just say "hallelujah" yumminess

I hope you enjoy these beautiful little bars, expect to see more recipes as I "explore my horizons"! Happy baking!

Love,

Natalie

Maleficent Movie Review

I just got home from seeing Disney's

Maleficent

{May Contain Spoilers}

I think this movie was lovely and daring. The casting in this movie is spot on and makes you fall in love with these characters in a whole new light. Sleeping beauty is a classic Disney movie and I am the type of girl to say "Classic is a classic why change it." Well I am happy to say I am wrong. Maleficent is an amazing movie and it has a wonderful plot. The only thing I would have hoped for is that the end was different  I didn't enjoy the true loves kiss Maleficent waking Aurora wasn't a smart move because now little children are going to think Aurora and Phillip in the movie aren't "true love" But I thought the ending would have been more powerful if indeed Maleficent died. If she had died she would have died a hero and someone who did love Aurora more than anything. If she died with the king Aurora I would hope find Phillip and he would have helped her bring the moors and the kingdom together. Aurora resulting in queen. 

Casting:

I thought the casting choice was genius. You look at the Disney cartoon and this movie they just remind you of the characters are you fall in love with them even more. {Well I know I did}

My favorite scene would of had to be this one:

 

When she came into the castle and cursed Aurora she used the same lines from the original Disney movie and I thought that was amazing. Being an amazing Disney fan as my self I can gladly give this movie four and a half stars! Well done Disney you did it again!

Best Wishes,

Daphne