The Siberian American: Summer
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Friday, June 30, 2017

Summer 2017 Goals

I don’t think I’ve ever posted goals on my blog, but there is a first time for everything. I am pretty goal-oriented, but summer has less structure, so I thought it would be a good idea to write everything down!

Travel:

Decide on activities for our Maine babymoon.
Chris and I booked the flights and all of the places we are staying on the trip, so now it’s time for me to fill in the blanks with everything I want to do. I’m trying to keep this trip a little more relaxing than what we usually do, but I’m too much of a planner not to book a boat trip or two!

Baby:

Finish registering.
Chris had the day off on Monday (he’s scheduled to work 22 days straight, and his vacation starts over on July 1, so he took two random days off this week), so we put a big dent into our registry. We made most of the decisions on the big products, but I need to make a final decision on the bedding (the one I really want is pretty expensive, so I’m looking for alternative). Mamas, anything I need to make sure is on the registry?

Sign up for a class/hospital tour.
Chris was really confused when I told him I wanted to do a class and a hospital tour because I’m giving birth at one of the hospitals he works in, but he forgets that he has a lot of call around the time the baby will be born, so there is no guarantee he’ll be home. I’ll just be happy if he’s able to make it to the delivery!

Buy more flowy dresses.
I’m finally getting to that point in my pregnancy where I’m showing, and my clothes are getting tight. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on maternity clothes, so I’m hoping I can get away with buying flowy dresses since it’s summer and will basically be summer in Texas until baby boy is born.

Go swimming more often.
I’m also getting to the point where my back is starting to hurt quite a bit. My mom has been encouraging me to come over to my parents’ house to swim (we have a pool at our apartment complex, but it’s even better to have a private option). I’m planning to take her up on that offer and see if it helps with the muscle aches.

Pick out a name!
I’ve mentioned in the past if it was up to me, we would have a name by now. Chris keeps telling me “we have time,” but the planner in me is going crazy. It also doesn’t help that I get asked at least once a day if we’ve picked out a name. This goal should really read force Chris to make a decision.

Life:

Figure out birthday and anniversary gifts for Chris. 
Obviously, our big gift to each other this year is our trip to Maine, but giving gifts is definitely one of my love languages, so I definitely want to come up with a few small gifts for Chris. It’s just so crazy our Super Week is less than a month away!

Finish organizing our apartment.
Chris and I unpacked our apartment pretty quickly, but I do have a few things left to organize, and I really need to do it before the baby gets here. I’m pretty sure if I don’t, it’s never going to get done!

Make my own ice cream.
Blogging for Books sent me Food52 Ice Cream and Friends, and I am so excited to attempt to make my own ice cream! I’ve never tried to before, but this recipe book has so many delicious options. I’m especially interested in trying to make a chocolate hazelnut baked Alaska and cherry-mint snow cones! This book is so perfect for summer, and I think I’m going to buy a few to include as part of housewarming gifts for some of my friends!

Reading:

Read at least 20 books by the end of September.
This might be a little ambitious, but I’ve finally really gotten into reading again. Since my last book post, I’ve read eight books and will probably be done with a few more before it’s time to write the next one. I’m three books ahead of schedule in my goal of 100 books this year, but I’m hoping to get even more ahead because I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to read towards the end of the year!

Start and finish Erin’s Book Challenge in July.
Along the same lines, I want to attempt to read all the books I selected for Erin’s challenge in July. The challenge is ten books, so it’ll help me get ahead, and I like challenging myself to read even more than I have been.

Blogging:

Get back to blogging three times a week.
These last few months have made it hard for me to blog, but I want to get back on schedule. I’ve really missed writing and commenting on everyone’s blogs (not to mention responding to comments. I promise I will get to that ASAP!). The funny thing is when I do write, I have so much to say. I mean, even this post about goals is getting close to 900 words. Chris has been working seven days a week lately, and I thought it would give me more time to write, but somehow, it hasn’t. I’m really determined to get back on track, though!

Write and edit more travel posts.
I really enjoyed putting together my Chimney Rock travel post this week, and there are so many more I want to write! While Chris is working on the weekends, I really want to sit down and get several travel posts ready.

Have posts ready in my draft folder.
This goal is a little laughable because even when I was blogging all the time I barely had posts in my draft folder, but I really want to get ahead before the baby gets here, so hopefully I can make it happen!

What are some of your goals for this summer?

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Five Summer Beauty Must Haves

Now that summer is in full swing, I’m all about low-stress beauty products, so I can get ready as quickly as possible. Today, I thought I’d share the five products I have been using constantly so far this summer.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link, I receive a teeny tiny commission.


A neutral eye palette
I love a neutral eye look all year long, but it’s a must for me in the summer. My favorite is the NUDE 'Tude® palette from theBalm. The pigment is amazing, and I love rotating between “sexy” and “sleek.” Plus, it's a great price!
Bronzer
I’ve been on search for a good bronzer, and I really love the Amazonian clay waterproof bronzer from Tarte! It has a nice, natural look and lasts forever.
Dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is another necessity in the summer. I use Batiste cherry dry shampoo and amika perk up dry shampoo. Both are great and cost under $10.
Bright lipstick
I got the Stowaway Crème Lipstick Trio in my December 2015 PopSugar box, and I’ve recently started using it because the colors are fun for summer. The raspberry color is my favorite, and I love that it goes on smooth and lasts a long time.

Nail polishing tool

I received this product for free in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.

I never knew I needed the Emjoi Micro-Nail in my life until I tried it out. I loved how the buffer added a gorgeous shine to my nails. It was also insanely quick—the roller spins 360 degrees at 30 times per second! My nails looked so good I could have left off the nail polish, but I was surprised when I painted my nails, how much easier it was to paint them! The Emjoi Micro-Nail is the perfect product for achieving great summer nails.


Friday, July 17, 2015

My Current Summer Obsessions + Kate Spade Giveaway

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them, I get a teeny tiny commission. 
 

With the move to Chicago and doing freelance work, I sometimes feel like I’m on summer vacation. If the weather ever cooperates (it’s 66 today!), I am looking forward to days lounging on our pool deck with my laptop! Before that time comes, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of things I have been obsessing over this summer.

Light dresses
Of course, I have to start off my list with dresses. Even with my windy Chicago problems, I love fun, light dresses in the summer and always have a list in my head of ones I want to buy. Currently, I love this petite shirred dress from LOFT, and I just bought this super cute (and cheap!) pleated dress.

Colorful pants 
I used to stay away from bright colors, but this summer I’m all about colorful pants. I bought these pants in five colors (mint, teal, bright blue, hot pink, and orange), and I will keep buying colors as they come out! It is so hard for me to find pants that fit, and these are so comfortable.


Chambray shirts
I am so glad chambray is popular this summer because I love the look, especially with my colorful pants. Plus, the material is so light, which makes it perfect for hot summer days. My chambray shirt is sold out, but I also love this one from Loft, and I purchased both of these colors.

Coola Sunscreen Spray 
I am picky about scents, but the COOLA citrus mimosa spray is fantastic. It doesn’t feel sticky, and it’s infused with anti-aging antioxidants, which couldn’t hurt. I also really like the COOLA fresh mango moisturizer.


A big hat 
If I’m headed to the pool or the beach, I love wearing big hats, but they are annoying to carry around when I’m not wearing them. I recently received the Cappelli Straworld Pack A Hat, a fun, white floppy hat that solves this problem by being able to fold into a miniature wristlet bag. I love that once I’m done wearing it, it easily folds into the bag until I need it again. Plus, the bag is big enough that I can fit my favorite sunscreen and lip gloss with the hat.


The best part is the Pack A Hat was made with specifically selected material to give it an SPF 50+ rating. Most of my other hats are hard to pack because they take up so much room in my suitcase, so I can’t wait to bring the Pack A Hat on my next beach vacation!


A complimentary Pack A Hat was provided to me in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. 

With the summer heating up, so should your wardrobe! I've teamed up with some lovely ladies to give you a chance to win $175 to Kate Spade. Enter in the Rafflecopter below!


What are your current summer obsessions?