Walk Down Memory Lane: Favorite Childhood Books

When I was a wee one, my Mom really, really wanted my sister and I to love reading. She has always been a huge reader and made it her mission as a parent to instill a love of literature in the two of us. While other kids were watching Spongebob Square Pants and Rugrats on T.V., my Mom had us plopped on the couch watching Reading Rainbow, Between the Lions, or some other educationally approved kids’ show that promoted literacy. Whenever I would tell my Mom about a friend saying that they “hated reading”, my Mom would be all like, “Well that’s to bad for blah, blah, blah [insert imaginary name here], because reading is amaze-balls (okay so maybe she didn’t say that, but something of the equivalency)!!” Besides watching book related television shows, my Mom introduced us to lots of great picture and beginning reader chapter books. She would often read these books to us out loud, which, we would then have passionate discussions about afterwards. I loved these read out louds! They were much better than the majority of my teachers and my Mom could do lots of funny voices :P. The trio of us loved read out louds so much that we did them up through the 8th grade (yes, we are a weird family, don’t judge). I am glad that my Mom put so much time and energy into evoking a love of reading in both my sister and I. Without the great books that I read when I was younger, I would not have the amount of background knowledge that I currently obtain, an extensive vocabulary, and probably would have had a more difficult time getting through some of the dry books I’ve been forced to read in high school (cough, cough…The Scarlet Letter, no offense to those who dig it or anything). However, most importantly, reading has helped me become the open-minded, compassionate, and sometimes skeptical/cynical person I am today. Books have exposed me to the many joys and horrors of life and I’m grateful for that because reading about various issues inspires me to make change in the world. I want to bring the joy that I’ve read about into other people’s lives; especially those who have so little of it. In this blog post, I’m going to share my some of my favorite books that I read as an elementary schooler. Whether you are a parent, educator, or someone who is just curious about and/or simply loves amazing children’s books, you’ve come to the right place (psssstt…I am seventeen years old and still ❤ children’s books)! This will more than likely be a series on my blog, as I don’t want to just give y’all a laundry list of books; I want to explain what I love about each and every one of these stories. Drum roll please………….or you can just scroll down if you wish ;).

                My Favorite Childhood Books

 Book #1: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannen

I remember my sister and I reading this beautifully illustrated book, with a wonderful message, multiple times. If you are not familiar with the book’s plot, it is about a young girl who is teased by her classmates for loving Lima beans. Therefore, she vows to never eat Lima beans again, but then, she comes down with a case of stripes. Her parents, however, force her to go to school regardless of being decorated with stripes, and is then subjected to even more teasing by her classmates. She eventually learns that the only cure for getting rid of her stripes are good ol’ Lima beans. Through this experience she learns not to care about what other people think. I believe that this is a vital theme for young children to learn that will carry with them through life. I know that the gorgeous pictures and carefully crafted sentences in this book has always served as a reminder to me!

Book #2: The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osbourne

I remember hearing one of these books for the first time as a read out loud in grade school and then becoming obsessed with them shortly there after. I didn’t read all of them, but every single book I did read I thoroughly enjoyed. The premise of these books are that two siblings, Jack and Annie, find a tree house in their backyard and discover that it can make them go back in time. As a result, they go on some pretty immaculate adventures and go to many different places, witnessing famous historical events such as the American Revolution, The Olympics, The First Thanksgiving, and the Titanic sinking. These books really got me excited about history as a kid and made me eager to learn more about the colossal turning points that shaped our nation and world. I’d highly recommend these books to any kid in grade school, especially if they are not big fans of history, because Jack and Annie will for sure make the subject more enjoyable for them.

 Book #3: The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsberg

When I was young, I was so fascinated by summer sleep-away camps and desperately wanted to go for years. I would envision myself at sleep-away camp constantly, even going as far as dreaming up my own. Seriously guys, I would sometimes even open up a word document and make my own overnight camp brochures with snazzy backgrounds, slick fonts, pictures, everything. I would even make fake testimonials from kids with fake last names, such as Corington, Halifaxer, Roshien, Itrabide (for realzies, these were legit names that I made up. I went through my old journals today.) So, as you can imagine, the day my parents told me that I was allowed to go to sleep-away camp, I was uber stoked. However, when I actually attended an overnight camp located in Vermont, I wound up enjoying it a minuscule amount . I suffered from extreme homesickness, crying multiple times a day. I also really loathed the food and was mightily disappointed that the outdoor lunch buffet that was advertised on their website was really indoors and just leftovers from dinner. Damn liars.

Okay, I should probably stop ranting now and talk about how this experience is related to the book. Anyways, after my bad overnight camp experience, I found The Outcast of 19 Schuyler Place at Barnes and Noble and instantly knew that I would be able to relate to it from reading the back cover. The premise of this book is that a twelve-year-old named Margaret Rose attends sleep-away camp during the 70’s while her parents are trying to repair their marriage. However, the plot twist is that her cabin-mates are tormentors who play vicious pranks and therefore, she sends for her uncles to pick her up. After being rescued, Margaret Rose spends the rest of the summer with her uncles, trying to save two towers that are going to be taken down. I absolutely adored this book as a kid and read it multiple times (it is rare that I read a book more than once, even if I really love it). The love I had for this story is shown in its current physical condition, without a cover and pages falling out. I would recommend this book to anybody regardless of age, but especially for pre-teen ladies as I think that they will especially be able to relate to the main character, Margaret Rose, as someone that they could see themselves being friends with and take comfort in. Hopefully they will cherish this book, as I have, and take note of its wonderful messages of perseverance, unexpected friendship, and the fact that life just doesn’t work out all of the time. These themes have stayed with me throughout my teenage years.

Have any of you guys read these books before? What were your favorite books growing up?

Your Reading Buddy,

-Alexandra Spund

P.S. Here are the book links:

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Case-Stripes-Scholastic-Bookshelf/dp/0439598389

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Tree-House-Boxed-Books/dp/0375813659/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419050834&sr=1-2&keywords=the+magic+tree+house+set&pebp=1419050850610

http://www.amazon.com/The-Outcasts-19-Schuyler-Place/dp/0689866372

Deceptive Thanksgiving Dessert Advertising – Mary’s Gone Crackers Gone Wrong

Despite the snow, my Thanksgiving was not half bad. My clan was supposed to see extended family down in New York and it was very disenchanting when we learned we couldn’t go because of impossible road conditions. Obviously though, we made the best of the situation. I really can’t complain, heck, I got to see a 4-D version of the Polar Express. Anytime you can go beyond your normal dimensions, it’s a pretty cool experience :P. I mean, dude, I got to actually smell the hot co-co they were serving on Polar Express; if that’s not flipping amazing, I don’t know what is. Although I will say that getting punched in the back of our seats when the train came to a sudden halt wasn’t fun and unnecessary. My Mom was the lucky spared one who’s seat was defective.

While Thanksgiving 2014 was filled with joyful, 4-D memories, it also had its vexations. In particular, I am not very satisfied with the gluten-free company Mary’s Gone Crackers right now. What is Mary’s Gone Crackers, you might ask? They are the ones that make the seeded flax crackers that look wicked disgusting, but actually taste really delicious. Additionally, they also make desserts. Well, right before Turkey Day, my Mom found ginger snap cookies baked by Mary’s Gone Cracker’s that, supposedly, had a dairy-free cream in the middle. I was thrilled! I was so excited to finally have a cookie that had a filling as this is SO HARD to find being both gluten and dairy-free. I also have to limit the amount of soy I eat, which makes this conquest even more arduous. I just could not wait to crack the cookie open and find that ooey-gooey cream in the center as it looked like in the picture on the box. However, when it was time for dessert and the first bite was taken, I could only taste gingerbread. “Hmmm….this is quite peculiar, that cream has got to be in there somewhere“, I thought.  Therefore, I took the largest bite I could and still, …nothing. Could my cookie be the odd one of the bunch? Did they forget to put cream in my cookie? I then asked my Mom to take a bite of her’s to see if she had the same situation which she did. It then occurred to us that Mary the Cracker Lady was a LIAR! That cookie on the cover clearly had cream in it; or so we thought. After investigating the cover more closely, we both realized that what appeared to be cream in the middle were actually sprinklings of ginger. My Mom and I were astounded that both of us had missed this, as the two of us are usually overly observant people. *Sigh*, I guess that I still need to be on the hunt for gf/df cookies with a creamy filling. Or maybe I should try and make my own batter? Who knows?

Would you guys have been deceived by the cover?

Yours in a Current Agitated Spirit,

-Alexandra Spund

P.S. The cookies were absolutely delectable just to let you know. They tasted like actual, glutenous ginger snaps!! I was just mightily disappointed that there was no mouth-watering cream :(.

 

Sh*t Never To Say To Someone With Food Allergies

You want to know what amazes me? When people think that they are experts on things that they’ve never experienced first hand. Seriously dude, it’s like saying stay away from Indian food or don’t read Divergent because it’s just a rip off of the Hunger Games if you’ve never read/tried it before. Ludicrous! And do you want to know what really gets on my nerves? When people try to give me medical advice about my diet and what I should be eating, even though they are not a certified doctor or nutritionist. I have gotten this from people that are and are not related to (sans my immediate family of course) and it bugs me so much! Honestly, unless I seem unhealthy or unhappy, should you really be trying to toy with something that doesn’t even effect you? Do your research first before passing judgments. Since I’m in a ranting mood today, I’ve decided to compile a list of sh*it never to say to someone with food allergies:

Drum roll please…………………………..

🙂

SH*T YOU SHOULD JUST KEEP TO YA SELF!

1.) Don’t people go on the gluten-free diet to lose weight? You’re in such good shape!

While many people go on a gluten-free diet to lose weight, I did not eliminate gluten from my diet in order to lose weight. Throughout my teen years, I’ve never been slim, but I’ve most certainly never been overweight. I went gluten-free/dairy-free because my doctor discovered that I had an allergy after having medical problems that were chronic and would not go away. The long and the short of things is that it helped me and I’ve never been healthier than I’ve been now! Besides, if someone decides that they want to shed some pounds and think that going gluten-free might help, should you really be harassing them for eating a certain way that effects no one but themselves? As long as their diet is not turning into some type of eating disorder, is that really your business? Nope! 

2.) Those types of foods are expensive! Why would you spend so much money on that?

Yes, I am well aware that eating foods free of allergens is terrifyingly more expensive than the food you’d get at your grocery store and this is a problem that bothers me, but I can’t control it. Unfortunately, it’s the highly processed , pesticide infested crap-ola that is the cheapest because they are the least expensive to produce. But it’s costing us our health and environment, which affects our future and planet greatly! I could go on and on about this topic, but I will save this for another day. Anyways, I’m aware that my foods are more expensive, and yes, I hate that, but don’t imply that my family is being irresponsible for taking care of our health. We are not wealthy, like a lot of people who think that citizens who eat healthy are. Since we are middle class, we have to make certain cutbacks in order to afford to eat this way, but it’s totally worth it! Why? Because I’m feeling good y’all :). Oh and by the way, going natural and eating healthy doesn’t have to be ALL expensive. We do a lot of our shopping at Trader Joe’s, who’s prices are comparable with larger chain food markets. 

4.) What can you eat?

I eat dirt and grass. So pure and healthy! Just kidding, just kidding. But when people ask me this question in an insulting manner, that’s what it feel likes they’re implying at times. I eat lots of amazing foods! Ever tried quinoa? It is seriously the best thing ever, you can pretty much put anything in it (berries, nuts, etc.) and BAM, you have yourself a meal! It’s loaded with protein too! :P. In addition to using several different grain substitutes, I like to advantage of foods that are naturally gluten-free such as vegetables, fruit, and meat. There is more to food than just gluten and dairy peoplez!

5.) Your diet is such an inconvenience!

Well that makes me feel good! If my diet is such an inconvenience for you than don’t hang or eat out with me! Thanks! Also, if my diet is SUCH an inconvenience to you for one night, than I’d sure as hell love to put you in my shoes and see how inconvenienced you feel now!

6.) Gluten/Dairy-Free, your food must taste disgusting!

Yeah, I just love consuming gross food! The highlight of my day is when I get to eat my crumbly, cardboard tasting sandwich for lunch. Bland really is better! Nah dude, do you really think I’d put up with deplorable food 24/7? No way! Like I said before, gluten and dairy are not the only foods that taste palatable on this planet. Gosh!

7.) That looks disgusting!

Well you’re very rude Miss/Mr! Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners? But besides the obvious, do you want to know what I think is disgusting? The chemically drenched, genetically engineered meals you’re consuming that barely legally qualifies as food. 

8.) Weren’t you supposed to outgrow your food allergies?

Apparently, but I was not one of the lucky ones that suddenly discovered they could eat Mike’s Pastries again. Boo :(. I still have a reaction to when I eat gluten and/or dairy (especially dairy, the reaction is EXTREMELY STRONG), so yes I’m still an allergic person.

9.) Are you sure that you’re allergic to gluten and dairy?

Yes……why would I say that I have allergies when I don’t? And why do you care so much about me “double checking” when no one is shoving gluten-free/dairy-free foods down your throat? I’d like to know!

While not everyone is like this and don’t always mean to be rude, it can get soooo annoying and I’d appreciate if people would ask me about my diet in a more of an inquisitive manner rather than a judgmental one. Thanks y’all!

For all of you allergic folks out there, what is the most annoying sh*t you’ve gotten from someone about the foods you eat?

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

This Week in Sociology Class

One of my favorite classes that I’m taking this semester and probably of all time, would be my online introduction to sociology course. Currently, I am taking a couple of dual enrollments this semester and sociology is one of them. For those of you who don’t know what a dual enrollment is, it ‘s basically a college level course that I can take while I’m still in high school. The best part about taking dual enrollments is that I will be able to earn both high school and college credit for it. What does this mean for me? Well, in addition to taking challenging courses that intrigue me, I won’t have to take all my general education requirements at college and I’m saving money since e-start courses (a.k.a. the name of my state’s online dual enrollment college program) are much less expensive.  I’ll be frank here, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to feel about sociology at first, but I totally love it and I’m even now considering it as a minor during college!

For the next few months, I’m going to be doing a series on my blog having to do with sociology. During this series, I will be discussing the most fascinating highlights of what I l’m learning in this class each week. So with that being said, let’s start talking about what is standing out  to me right now!

-That bacon, eggs, and bread are considered breakfast foods because we socially construct them to be one of our morning-glory meals. In fact, what is considered “breakfast” is disparate in each country. For instance, in Korea, it is not unheard of to have vegetable soup for breakfast: YES! I am not alone in the world! For years I thought I was weird because I ate foods like lentil soup and frozen ethnic dishes from Trader Joe’s  for breakfast (and still do), but now I’m not!  It’s social construction that makes it odd :/! 

-That people have socially constructed fortune cookies to be considered Chinese Food, even though it’s origin is Japanese: This doesn’t really surprise me. However,  since quite a few cuisines have been Americanized,  I thought that fortune cookies were originally concocted in the United States . But apparently, I was wrong. Who knew? 

-Did you know that the rule “blue is for boys”, “pink is for girls” used to be transposed before the 1950’s?! Why is this? Because, “… The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy; while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”: Outrageous, right?!The irony of this situation makes me laugh out loud! Scientifically speaking, colors are not known to have any sort of gender nor gender preference. Also, might I add that my four year old cousin who is a boy told me that his favorite color was pink, SO THERE! 

Ugh, social construction can be so dumb at times, even though I know that in order to have a sense of community, it is vital for society.

Now I have three questions for y’all to answer in the comment box. I wanna know:

-Have you ever taken a sociology class before? What did you think of it?

-Have you ever taken dual enrollment courses before? How were they? Did you take them online or through a local community college/university?

-Have you ever been affected/fed up/amused by these social construction rules? If so, which ones?

Obviously, you don’t need to answer them all, but I’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

Apple Picking Adventures

Everyone has their favorite fall traditions and for me, it’s apple picking. This past weekend, my family and I ventured up to an apple orchard, located in Maine, that we’ve been going to for about five years. Not only do we love their scenic location and ludicrously delectable apples, but also that they are a low spray orchard. You may or may not be aware of this, but apples are apart of the “dirty dozen group”, which means that pesticide usage is much higher for fruits and veggies that are members of this circle. My family is very health-conscious, so we prefer picking our apples at low-spray orchards. This apple orchard that we go to is further away from our house, but 100% worth it (especially for the best honey crisps I’ve ever had in my life) and the drive is super beautiful.

I have been taking pictures at this orchard for years, but I think that these are some of my best yet. I feel like I’ve really captured the vibrancy of the apples and unique trees shapes. Here are a few of my favorites!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

Doesn’t this look like a gate made out of apples?

Thee most perfect triplet of apples I’ve ever seen!

😛 😛 😛 Talk about YUM!

Ten Year Photo Bucket List

So, instead of doing your traditional bucket list, I decided to put a little twist on it and create one about all of the photo related stuff I want to accomplish in life! Okay, I don’t think I can project that far, but maybe the next ten years? That sounds reasonable! Without further adieu, here is my ten year photo bucket list!

-Start my own photo business

-Win a major photography competition

-Have my work featured in a gallery

-Create a Photoshop tutorial

-Have an advanced knowledge of Photoshop

-Start a “Humans Of… Project”

-Take photos at a wedding

-Become decent at self-timed portraits

-Take photos abroad

-Regularly scrap-book my photos

-Take photos of a sitting President  (Check! I took photos of President Obama during his reelection period when he came to speak at a local high school in the state I live!)

-Take photos of a 2016 Presidential Candidate

-Get invited to take photographs at a major event

-Purchase a photo related fashion item

-Write a coffee table photo book

-Incorporate photography into my future career

-Take photos of a moose

-Dip my feet into astrophotography

Let’s see how many of these I can accomplish in the next ten years!

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

#GlutenFreeProbs

Can you spot what’s wrong with this picture? I can! There is a gluten-free beer that’s name is Glutenberg! Wanna know what’s even funnier? My Dad speaks German and says that berg in German means mountain. So the brand of this gluten-free beer is named gluten mountain??? Say, whatttt?!?! Life is so ironic and plain silly sometimes!

Going Back to 2008: The Hollister Trend

I was never one to fit in a crowd. I mean, I didn’t go out of my way to stick out like a sore thumb, but it was the little things. The minute differences such as my refusal to participate in the Hollister trend, that set me apart from others. When I moved to a new state in the 5th grade, almost all of the girls and even some of the guys in my class were wearing Hollister shirts. Want to know what my first impression of these shirts were? Yawwwwwn Fest!!!

I couldn’t understand how these mundane sheets of cloth, which only had the words “Hollister” slapped on could be so popular. You’d sometimes get lucky and get one with the brand’s signature bird as an addition, but most of the time, you weren’t. These shirts were a sensation! It was consumerism at its peak! I was seeing Hollister carbon copies everywhere and suddenly, unfashionable became the hottest new trend.

Despite my original skepticism, I was still the ten year old new girl in town and was determined to fit in. So therefore, I dragged my parents to our local mall to transform myself from a “What’s Not to Wear” girl into a hip and trendy pre-teen. When we first walked into the store, we were greeted by a picture of a hunky man’s broad chest. Hello, nice to meet you too! It was almost as though that picture was saying, “If you shop here, we guarantee that you’ll be able to find yourself an Arnold Schwarzenegger Jr!” Then, as we turned left, we walked into a dimly lit room where our noses were blasted with incense. Sexy vibes? Maybe to some, but honestly, the perfume was just giving me an allergic reaction. However, I still picked out my supposedly perfect, hot fuchsia pink Hollister t-shirt and was totally stoked to wear it at school the next day.

When I first wore that Hollister shirt, I felt so powerful, like I could be anybody; maybe even one of the popular girls! After all, one of the cool, probably most Hollister obsessed girl in our school, complimented on my shirt; how could I not be happy? For a few weeks, I wore that shirt pretty much every other day, feeling like I was going to find social heaven. I probably would have worn that shirt seven days a week if I didn’t have to wash it! I did this for about a month. However, it was my frugal instincts that reminded me of why I didn’t want to shop there in the first place.

One day when I was selling Girl Scout cookies, I noticed that my belt was digging into my brand spanking new Hollister shirt. After I moved it, I saw a very distinctive hole. This made me pause. How could this piece of clothing, which I bought just a little bit over a month ago, have a hole in it already? How cheaply was this made? Was it made out of banana peels or something? Who knows? Suddenly, it then hit me! This shirt that my parents just spent money on was boring, thinly made, and definitely not worth its price tag.

After that happened, I threw the shirt in the garbage and went back to wearing my neon bright, denim infested outfits again. I never was by eleven year old standards, fashionable, but to be honest, I really didn’t care anymore. I was just glad to have my clothing sanity back! After all, life is too short not be a little weird, right?

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

Wicked and Wacky Weekend

I think that each and every one of us can say that some weekends are more exciting than others, whether they revitalize us for the work week or make us think, “why the fig newton does this horse crap always happen to me?” I am happy to say that this weekend has made me more refreshed and motivated for the week, even though it is summer, but that is not to say that cray-cray, awkward moments did not happen. In this post, I will be highlighting the wicked awesome and of course, the wacky that occurred this weekend.

Wicked:

-Having my theater showcase this Saturday and in particular, getting to make epic faces as a stepsister in a Cinderella scene and nailing my dude’s voice in a scene from Our Town.

-Confetti being thrown on the stage at the end of our play; nuff said :D.

-Munching on a gluten-free macaroon and the best gluten-free cookie ever (lemon almond cookie drenched in powdered sugar) after the showcase at my favorite bakery.

-Seeing the scene I wrote be performed on the big stage.

-Eating three different cuisines in one day; Indian for breakfast, Thai for lunch, and Italian for dinner.

-Going to Boston to visit two different colleges

-Loving one of the colleges that I visited

-Finding out that at the college I visited that I could produce my own television show regardless of my major, start up my own business, study abroad in a castle, and potentially interview Hollywood stars on the red carpet. Also, a student that our tour guide knew got to intern for Ellen DeGeneres because she was interested in talk-show hosting. Now where can I sign up?!

-Walking the Boston Common for the first time in…you know…I can’t even remember the last time I was there :/.

-Going to the North End for dinner and eating gluten-free penne pasta with clam sauce at my favorite Italian Restaurant, Al Dente.

-I’m now getting hungry from writing this post

Wacky: 

-Thinking that I left my black pants for my theater showcase at home, but then realizing that I had left it with my theater company the night before, just as a volunteer had already driven to my program director’s apartment to get a back up pair of black pants.

-Accidentally getting eyeliner on my friend’s arm when we were all doing stage makeup.

-Dropping a mirror and chipping a little bit of glass off of it. I guess that’s seven years of bad luck for me! Or maybe less since I only broke a teensy weensy amount?

-Maybe this post should be called Wicked and Klutzy Weekend

-Two actresses backstage flashing the rest of my theater company their bras

-My Dad missing the majority of the scene that I wrote on camera and getting way too much floor footage. Totally not a filmographer!

-The student receptionist in the admissions center from the other school I visited came from the same town as me and  graduated from a charter school that I went to for a few months, but hated. Was it a sign from God to stay away? Maybe!

-Getting a bad tour guide that smelled and had ridiculously long fingernails. He also commuted from his house that was 45-50 minutes away from Boston and could tell me NOTHING about campus life.

-Who knew that internships were so secretive? When the tour guide mentioned that he had an internship, my sister naturally asked him where. His response; “It’s not really set in stone yet, that’s kind of personal”. Okay then…..

-Filthy bathrooms inside the building where the thai restaurant I went to was located (the building was owned by the university, but there were a bunch of other Asian restaurants in the building that were not owned by the school). Need me say no more….

-It was a bad hair and seasonal allergy day. Bad combo!

There you have it, my wicked and wacky weekend! So whether you had a super or terrible weekend, you can relate, because my weekends are not always, but often idiosyncratic :D!

Big Blog Hug,

Alexandra Spund

May Favorites and a Micro Rant on the Topic of Favorites in General

Hi everyone!!

I know that I am a tad bit late to the favorite things party since it is already June 4th, but I’ve been wanting to do this type of post for awhile now, so I’m still posting it anyways . I’ve always enjoyed reading about the monthly favorites of other bloggers and you-tubers ,so I’m like, hey, why not make a post of my own! It’s ironic that I’ve been wanting to do this type of post for the longest time since I’m ridiculously terrible at choosing favorites. Whenever someone ask me a question like “what’s your favorite comedy t.v. show, place to take out Chinese food, eyeliner, etc.”, I always have to give more than one answer. However, I will try to condense this “Favorites” post down as best I can so I won’t tire your brains out :). Let’s get started with some of my favorite foods of the month!

Food :P:

I’ve been really loving my Mom’s artichoke and basil turkey meat balls this past month. These meatballs just have such a distinct flavor and smell heavenly. She’s also begun to experiment making them with lamb which also manages to blast my taste buds out of the water. I’ve also really had a thing for Mexican Food lately. I think this partially because we found the most AMAZING Mexican restaurant ever this past month! They have A TON of gluten-free options and use a lot of local produce to make their food. Not only is it such a healthy place to eat out, but everything there taste delectable! I mean, if hearing the words fish tacos doesn’t make salivate, I don’t know what does!

Cosmetics: 

I’ve been really loving two products this month. The first product I’ve really been loving is my Pumpkin and Poppy cream eye shadow in “My Precious”. The color of this product is an absolutely stunning bronze that makes for the most incredible neutral pigment. This eye shadow is also wicked easy to apply and last ALL DAY with extremely little creasing. Seriously, I’m obsessed guys! You want to know what I’m also obsessed with? LIP PRODUCTS and in particular my Silk Naturals slick stick in Black Dahlia. This slick stick can create the slightest hint of plum on your lips if applied lightly, or a spectacular deep berry color with ultra shimmer if applied more intensively. I have a picture of myself where I use two of these products if you want to see.

Yeah, I know , I have weird pink tones under my eyes in this photo. This is because I was using a lousy concealer I purchased from Lush at the time that enhanced the pink tones the concealer would cause me to have when getting photographed. Oh the joys of  trying out new makeup sometimes ;)! 

Fashion:

I don’t really have any fashion favorites for the month of May, but I have been loving the days where I could break out into denim shorts, skirts, and short-sleeved tops. There is just no better feeling, especially after having a long winter!

Media (Music/T.V. Shows/Movies/Books/etc.):

I do have some book, music, and television favorites for the month of May! Unfortunately, I’ve been so jam packed with school work (you know how it gets at the end of year!) that I haven’t had much time for reading, but the book I enjoyed the most for this month was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I read Paper Towns last year and really liked it a lot! I just loved his witty dialogue and unique development of his characters! The past few months I’ve been hearing rave reviews about the book and knew that I had to pick it up and read it before the movie came out :). I read the book on my library’s kindle (which made it an entirely different reading experience all together) and thought it was a great page-turner, but also a tear-jerker (Well for most people at least, I personally did not cry. I don’t cry easily unless its something directly related to me or happening to someone that is close.) John Green really did a great job of creating likable, authentic characters that you could not help but root for. I am in awe of his deep understanding of the psychology of teenagers. In fact, I think he understands us teenagers more than we understand ourselves sometimes! In particular, he really made me understand how difficult it is for a teenager with terminal cancer to live their life, but not stop living at the same time. I wouldn’t say that this was the best book I ever read or say that it changed my life, unlike what many others have been saying, but I did really enjoy the book and would recommend it to anyone.

Okay, well, that was a long paragraph! I promise I’ll make  the descriptions of my television and music favorites brief. There was nothing new on television that sparked my interest in May, but I did enjoy watching re-runs of Ugly Betty on DVD. I’ve talked a little bit about my love of the show before, but it is by far the most HILARIOUS show I’ve ever watched and the acting is impeccable! This show is so good that it deserves its own blog post which will be coming soon :)!

For music favorites of the month, I have two; Taylor Dayne and Sarah Mclachlan’s new album Shine On. I’ve always loved Taylor Dayne but I’ve been listening to her a lot more recently. In particular, I’ve been loving this remix that gives you a good glimpse of all of her best songs and just wants to make you get up and dance! I think I’ve listened to her to death and will have to give her break for awhile , but I highly recommend that you guys check her out, she’s awesome!

I’ve always loved Sarah Mclachlan’s voice so much, seriously, she’s one of my favorite female singers of all time. I’ve been so stoked for this album to come out this year and she never fails, I…PANCAKE FLIPPING..LOVE…THIS…ALBUM!! It is mellower than her previous work but it is still really great. My favorite songs from this album are “In Your Shoes”, “Flesh and Blood”, “Monsters”, and “Beautiful Girl”. I can’t wait to hear the songs live this summer when I see her concert, which is like a dream come true of mine!

Hope you all enjoyed reading about my favorite things!

Here are the links below if you all want to check out what I’ve been talking about:

http://host.silknaturals.com/creb/black-dahlia-deep-plum-shimmer-p-935.html

http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Towns-John-Green/dp/014241493X

http://www.amazon.com/Fault-Our-Stars-John-Green/dp/014242417X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401909519&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fault+in+our+stars

http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Betty-Complete-Season-Collectors/dp/B003VFH8QA/ref=sr_1_12?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1401909584&sr=1-12&keywords=ugly+betty+season+1

xoxo

Alexandra Spund

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