I Don't Like New Year's Resolutions, But I'm Going to Make Them Anyway

Hi Pretty Little Things! Right about now is the time of year when people usually make New Year's resolutions. I'm not a big fan of doing that, but I've read that it's perfectly fine to set goals for yourself. So I guess I should call this my Year 2011 Goal List. I encourage all of you to try this because it definitely gives you something to look forward to. I'm super excited about this because I want to improve on my overall mental wellness. I want to be a happier person and I want to make my life easier to love (not that it isn't already)!

1. I will be nicer to my dog, Blue.

I know this sounds weird, but sometimes I find that I tend to take my frustrations out on those around me when I am stressed. Dogs won't fight back or say anything back, so it's easy to lash out at him. I love animals; don't get me wrong. Sometimes though he's the only one there. Pets are supposed to make you happy and add meaning and an increased sense of well-being to your life. This article from WedMD gives awesome reasons everyone should consider having a pet. Blue is my Chow/Husky mix it still amazes me how much he always comes back to me and loves me regardless of my mood. He's a very loyal dog and I'm grateful to have him. :-)

2. D. James, my husband, and I will do something totally crazy and spontaneous at least once a month.

This one will most likely be my favorite. I always like to tell people, "D. James is still my boyfriend...I'm just married to him!" That's exactly how I feel about our relationship. He still makes me feel young (I mean like teenage young, lol), sexy, and alive! There's never a dull moment with him even if we aren't on good terms. Our fights can get really interesting, lol. He makes me feel fresh and new. It's kind of like that same feeling you get when you go on a date and your boyfriend lets every person around you know he's yours. *blushing* We've only been married for 2 yrs and 4 mos. Doing things totally unexpected keeps the relationship on fire. One hundred years from now I plan to still be mu husband's "girlfriend"! He's so freakin' awesome! :-)

Picture courtesy of lizblair.blogspot.com

3. ALWAYS wear super-cute workout clothes to the gym.

Ok, now I am not one to just up-and-go to the gym. Honestly, I don't like to work out, but I like looking good more than I hate working out so I will do it if motivated. One thing I found that motivates me is wearing cutie patootie clothes to the gym. One thing I can't stand is to see a beautiful woman in her man's old tee and tights...not leggings...on that damn treadmill! I see a lot of women wear inappropriate clothing and baggy clothing. Some of it it see-thru and some of it just looks downright tacky. All of that tends to make them look fat anyway and makes them look like they really don't want to be there. I always believed in dressing the part. Putting effort into what you do makes you enjoy and appreciate it. There is an AH-MAY-ZING article over at College Fashion that's great for helping all you PLTs find appropriate and cute work out gear. CF is one of my favorite sites and I suggest you guys go on over and check it out! Zephyr has done her thing!

Planner

4. I WILL be more organized!

My biggest problem in 2010 was time management. I'm not great at organization. I can get things done, but I do them my own way and they aren't always in the most organized manner. From someone else's POV, I can come off as being slightly messy...ok a lot messy. My backpack, purse, and jacket pockets are always a jumbled mess. For 2011, I will buy a leather-bound organizer/planner and USE IT! I had one this year, but it was cheap and I tore it up so badly, I couldn't really see what I had put in it. LOL. Bad, I know. It will be different this time. This article was very helpful to me. There are many like it, but I chose this one because it helps me organize my study time since I am a student. If you're good handling your study schedule, try other time management plans that can help out with your job, home, and family life. I find it to be really helpful and you can always go back and refer to it whenever necessary. So, in a nutshell, this goal is to be more organized, develop a functional study schedule, and try to always be on time. 

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

5. Travel as much and as often as possible.

I absolutely LOVE to travel. If I had a million bucks, that's what I'd do with it...well most of it. I believe that there are so many wonders, people, cultures, foods, and spectacles on Earth and what good are they if you can't go experience them? How can you know something if you don't see/try/experience it? God put so many things here for us to enjoy and I want to be a part of it all! Since I am a student, my time off is limited. But hey! I'm young, ambitious, and I don't have children yet so what better time than now, right? When I learn about new things, places, and people, I appreciate them more because I'm no longer ignorant (which means "not knowing" to those who like to confuse the word with something bad) to them. Also, I just love people. I've been told I'm a people-person so I know I was meant to serve others and promote unity and wellness. Anyway, these are some of my short term goals that I hope will develop into long-term, life changing adventures! 

My body is flooded
With the flame of Love.
My soul lives in
A furnace of bliss.
Love's fragrance
Fills my mouth,
And fans through all things
With each outbreath.
-Kabir

Just a Note...

Since I am on break from school, I am reading a book called Emotional Bullshit. It's great so far, but I can't wait to do a review of it for you guys. I just figured I'd write a little note on it to give you something more than "fashion and stuff" to look forward to! Happy Holidays everyone! :)

Stuff My Stocking Please! :-) Part 1

1. Lush Sex Bomb bath bomb

This bath bomb is infused with jasmine absolute and soya milk for a seductive, aromatic bathtime treat. After using this, I doubt if my husband would keep his hands of me! LOL. By the way, I LOVE the color pink and this bath bomb turns the bath water a beautiful shade of peony pink. Sometimes I know I like to feel full of myself, but this would just take me to another level! I'm going to need about 10 of these! ;-)

2. VS Bombshell Eau de Parfum

Ok. This. Scent. Is. So. Sexy! I bought the body mist of this because I don't usually wear perfume because it makes my eyes water a lot, but I think I could work something out with this one! This has to be one of my favorite scents of the year (the other one is Gucci Guilty). There is nothing more to say really except this scent is so compatible with my personality it's scary. I love beautiful, sexy things and getting dressed up and I feel like such a vixen with this on! 

3. Nars Lipgloss in Sandpiper

I absolutely can't live without a good nude lipgloss! Nudes go with every kind of makeup look imaginable. I only wear red every now and then and only if I am wearing dark or neutral colors. However, nudes are my favorite because it actually can draw attention to your lips without looking as if you're trying to draw attention to them. Also, I think lips are more kissable when they don't look overdone. Besides, I'll take Nars and Chanel lip glosses any day.

4. B&BW P.S. I Love You Body Mist

Most of the things on my list have been beauty products so far, but hey, this is what I like. My soror, Jazmin has the lotion to this and once, when we were at a retreat, I kept smelling this wonderful scent on her every time she washed her hands. I was like, "What is that! I love it!" I finally saw that she put this lotion on her hands after every single hand washing. I've been in love with it since. I'm not usually into B&BW beauty products. I'm more of a VS girl...especially VS Pink. What I'm always after in B&BW is their portables air fresheners (which I keep in my car). Anyway, I HAVE to have this now! :-)

5. Almond Cookie Shea Souffle'

Sometimes I feel like my skin doesn't love me in the winter. :-( I make my own body scrub around this time of year and I use glycerin soaps (because they aren't drying). Yet, I have yet to find a really great moisturizer to sooth and calm my really, really dry skin. Sometimes my skin is so dry, it hurts. I use Eucerin Intensive Plus lotion, but it feels like Elmer's glue to me. It's the only lotion I've found that works. However, I love body butters but I don't usually get them because I never bother with shopping around to see which ones work best for me. Well, thanks to numerous trips to Sephora over the years, I discovered the Carol's Daughter line. I love Almond Cookie and it contains natural ingredients! This stuff smells so yummy, I wanna eat it! Nah, I'll just leave it up to my skin to drink up all the nutrients from this good stuff! I'll enjoying SMELLING yummy...so that I feel good enough to eat. LOL!

We are all REBELS!

We are all REBELS! by dawndeez featuring knit pants


Today was the FIRST day of snow here in ATL! I have winter...mainly bc I hate to be cold...but somehow I've become really fond of winter clothes. Odd eh? Anyway, I wore muted colors today in black and olive, but I figured since snowy days are usually wet and gloomy here, I'd pick up the pace with lighter shades of neutrals. I'm inspired by this outfit. It incorporates a few things I have on my wish list...sweater pants, a vintage Chanel bag, and a trapper hat. This one is too cute! I hope you enjoy! Btw, if you are reaaaallly paying attention to my wist listing...there you have it; a few clues! ;-)

CF Reader Spotlight!

http://www.collegefashion.net/inspiration/cf-reader-spotlight-8-dawn-life-college-of-chiropractic/#comment-115835

I dreamt I wore this tomorrow...

I dreamt I wore this tomorrow... by dawndeez featuring checkered shorts

Shaniqua Wright: A Gorgeous Muse!

Good evening Pretty Little Things! Today's muse is my style-sister and good friend Shaniqua! She's absolutely gorgeous! My favorite thing about her look is her hair. She's natural and the great thing about it is she can actually style it however she wants...curly, straight, braided, twisted, whatever! (not to mention she has perfect skin). Anyway, how could you not LOVE her vintage blazer? This is the perfect outfit for a summer-fall transition outfit. The print on the blazer makes the white color wearable for fall and it adds a lot of texture to her look. Her pointed-toe flats are to die for and are the epitome of pretty meets comfort. I wonder if she knows, but I have to get my hands on those rose earrings of hers. LOL. 

She's a very smart girl with a smart style to match! This is how a future chiropractor expresses her personality! Girl, you rocked it!

All men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.
T.E. Lawrence

What I wore today (15 Nov...Happy Bday Grandma! You're my muse! R.I.P.)

Today was a REALLY rainy day! I needed to make myself feel really good in this horrible weather!

I put on a new sweater which easily became my favorite today. It's not too fitted, tunic length, and not too bulky. I can layer it if I want.

Turquoise is one of my favorite colors which explains the nail color. I tend to wear all my bold colors on my nails, eyes, or lips as opposed to my clothing. 

Also, It was kinda tough taking photos alone. I ended up with a MILLION pics in my little digital camera because I didn't like a lot of the ones I took. 

I hope all you Pretty Little Things absolutely love my look today! I find inspiration everywhere!

This is also a tribute to my grandmother. I've always adored her style and gracefulness. She was the one who taught me to always have my hair groomed with soft hands and nails polished. She loved sweaters and bold accessories. Today would have been her 86th birthday. She was awesome and I miss her soo much! I have a jewelry box that still has her scent in it. I'm scared to open it because I'm afraid her scent will go away.  I see so much of her around me that I just know she still hangs out with me in my heart! I love you, MaDear! :-)

It's finals time! This is how WE do it!

Hi there, Pretty Little Things! It's Day 2 of Week 10 of finals for my friends and me and the instructors are laying it on us THICK! We're prepared mentally (I don't know about fashionably) and physically. Check out our pics! My friends are AWESOME!
As you can tell, my hands were a little shaky due to sleep deprivation! :-) ENJOY!

Hey Pretty Little Things!

It's the first post EVER of my new blog! Sorry that it is a little bland, but it gets better. I promise. Anyway, there will be lots to look forward to on my blog. Not all things will be perfect, but they will all be from the heart of me. I look forward to "bloggerhood" and I thank every single blogger out there for your creativity, individuality, and for being an inspiration to me. I've thought about blogging for some time now and today is the day I finally decided to say, "Let's do this thang!" I'm a very open person who loves positive things and I can't wait to get started and connected with all you "Pretty Little Things"!

The future depends on what we do in the present. - Mahatma Gandhi