Friday Five: Maya Angelou

Happy Friday!

This week one of my favorite poets passed away, Maya Angelou. She was an amazing woman and accomplished so much throughout the duration of her life.  I remember my mom making memorize one of her poems, when I was young, and ever since then I have always admired the woman for her strength and courage.  

This article from CNN describes some highlights from Maya Angelou's life. 

Today's Friday five are quotes from Maya herself.

Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo

-mQs-

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

(A day late)

In just two short weeks I fell into "summer mode".  I have forgotten the days of the week, I've finished a few books, my skin is already peeling from sunburn, I have spent time watching netflix, and I have managed to sleep past nine a few times. 

As much as I would love to live this care free for the entire summer, it is now back to reality.  Yesterday I started my two summer classes.  Let me tell you summer classes are intense.  For some reason I thought they would be easier, jokes on me.  We cover the same amount of material in five weeks that would be covered in a regular 15-16 week semester.  Today was day two and in my one class several people have already dropped.  This may sound odd, but I enjoy the rigor and fast pace style of the courses.  Doing them this way keeps you organized, on task, and gets rid of the "fluff" that is not needed in college classes. But enough of me rambling on about summer classes, more to come in future post. 

And now for the real reason I wrote this post...

Memorial Day Weekend entails something different for every individual.  Some people have traditions, some open their summer homes during this weekend, some spend their weekend on sports field, others visit with family and friends, sadly some people have to spent it at work, and for others it is just like any other weekend during the year (just a little longer).  

My weekend was filled with productivity, time in the sun, gardening, food, family, friends, and a little bit of tradition.  

Friday morning was a busy one for me.  I woke up and went for a two mile run. (I think it might be time for new running sneakers because I woke up Saturday morning with shin splints.)  I then took Todd to work and we managed to squeeze in a brief Starbucks date.  2 caramel macchiatos, one iced and one hot. I then took a ride over to the local library. Since classes ended, I have been a bit of a book worm.  I don't have time to read for pleasure during the semester, so I guess I really missed it.  I had planed just to bring one book home with me, but after an hour of walking through each isle, of books, I ended up coming home with six books.  I really don't know where I thought I would be getting all the time to read six books on top of working and taking classes.  I then spent the rest of the day getting a head start on my online class.

Friday night Todd and I went out for sushi.  We were lucky enough to sit outside. 

Saturday my mom and I took an adventure. More details will come in future post, but the place was adorable and filled with home and garden essentials.

Sunday I helped my mom do some yard work.  My family grilled burgers for dinner, and my mom made pasta salad and potato salad (so yummy!). Later that night we enjoyed the nice weather by sitting, on a deck, catching up with our neither.  My mom and I stopped by and ice-cream store in our town.  It was so hot out, that the ice cream was melting faster than we could eat it!

Monday morning I sat on our deck and read a book for awhile.  At 1 pm, the family all gathered to watch the Division 1 Men's Lacrosse Championship game.  This is the tradition I was referring to earlier.  We watch this game every year, a couple of years we actually went to the game.  Although my brother nor I play lacrosse anymore, our family still loves the sport.  Throughout the day several family members stopped by for brief visits. We ended the weekend with family dinner.

I hope you all had a wonderful MDW weekend!

xoxo

-mQs-

Friday Five: Memorial Day Weekend Sales

Happy Friday, I haven't done a Friday Five post in quite some time, so I decided this week would be a good time to start doing them again.  I always enjoy Friday Five posts because there are so many different things to write about with this general topic.

Holiday weekends always seem to be popular times for sales.  I. myself, will not be out shopping but I figured I would share some deals with all of you.

Jcrew Factory:

 50% off all men's and women's styles in the store and online

 Francesca's: 

Clothing BOGO buy one, get one 50% off

Gap:

40% off all regular style items

South Moon Under: 

25% off all Sale merchandise

Pottery Barn: 

Up to 60% off items

Summer Classes

Next week marks the start of summer session classes.  This will be my first time taking them. As much as I've enjoyed sleeping in and having the freedom to what I please, the past two weeks, I am sort of looking forward to the start of my classes.  This may sound odd, but I enjoy learning. I find it fun when the topic is interesting.  One of my courses I have to commute to school for and the other one is online.  Another first for me, I've never taken an online course before.  I've already started to do some work for the online class since it went live a couple of days ago.  I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to be able to take summer courses: I don't have a restricting job and my family was able to afford them.

I found this super cute note taking sheet on pinterest this morning.  I thought I would share it here for the rest of my fellow summer course taking bloggers to use too!

Next week is also my first week working. I got a waitressing job at a nearby country club.  The upcoming weeks are going to be busy! 

It's back to making to do lists, scheduling my time, waking up early, and still finding time for fun and fitness!

Here's to the start of a productive summer!

xoxo

-mQs-

Wednesday Words of Wisdom: Pinterest Style

I am a huge fan of quotes and inspiration.  I have an entire Pinterest Board full of "Words Worth Reading".  It has all different quotes about a variety of things.  Some of the quotes in this post came from my board.  If you ever need some inspiration or a pick me up, reading quotes is the way to go.

Hope you enjoyed a little inspiration.

xoxo

-mQs-

Post Semester Organization

Now that the semester has ended it's time to organize all of my school supplies. At the conclusion of each semester I take some time to organize my notebooks, binders, notes, papers, and textbooks. I discard items from my general education  classes because I won't need them in the future.  I usually keep my notes from classes within my major.  I have a large folder that has about 30 different sections that I use for those items.  This keeps everything together in an organized manner, and I know where to find each course when I need to reference it in the future.  This folder is the pink one in the picture below

This cleaning also includes purging textbooks that I won't need in the future.  When it comes to text books every college student has their own method.  Some students use textbooks, others don't use them, some rent their books, others buy theirs, some students sell their books to the school bookstore, some sell them to a book truck, some lend them to friends, some sell them online, and others enjoy keeping all of their books.  Personally, I sell my books once the semester ends.  I sell them to friends or I sell them via an online site.  My favorite site for getting book quotes is Slug Books.This site compares the selling prices of books from several different book companies.  This helps when deciding which company will give you the most money for your book. 

xoxo

-mQs-

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. I love chocolate chip cookies.  I think it's funny how many different variations are of just one kind of cookie.  I was looking on pinterest today and these were some of the chocolate chip cookie pins I found.

chocolate chip cookie dough fudge

Toasted oatmeal, pecan, and chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream sandwiches

Strawberry chocolate chip cookies

The smallest thing can change the way a cookie appears. 

Check out the Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies

Xoxo

-mQs-

Tuesday Tunes

Last week while I was studying, I decided to try out Spotify.  I've heard of it before but I had never actually used it. I know it has been around for quite some time, but I've always just used Pandora. Let me tell you downloading Spotify is definitely not something I regret. I like how it allows you to listen to whatever song you want whenever you want. 

From listening to Spotify I've created a new playlist!

Currently listening to:

Riptide- Vance Joy

Pumpin Blood- NONONO

Rather Be- Clean Bandit

Summer- Calvin Harris

Am I Wrong- Nico & Vinz

Give Me Back My Home Town- Eric Church

19 You + Me- Dan & Shay

Rewind- Rascal Flatts

Whiskey In My Water- Tyler Farr

Breeze Blocks- Alt. J

The Mother We Share-CHVRCHES

Sleeping With A Friend- Neon Trees

Bad- David Guetta

Red Lights- Tiesto

Waves- Mr. Probz

xoxo

-mQs-

Two Years Down

I did it! I completed another year of college! I am so happy that this semester is over.  I had over seven days off of classes due to snow, which is insane.  For some reason a school official somewhere down the line thought it would be a good idea to make up the lost time, from our snow days, during finals week.   Most universities don't hold classes during finals week, students are just responsible for taking their exams and writing term papers.  Last week I had to go to all of my classes, study and take all of my exams, and write a few term papers. This schedule made the week even more hectic, tiring, and stressful than usual.  Luckily I got through with only having to put in one really late night of studying.

 It's so hard to believe that I'm almost half way done with college.  I say almost because transferring has pushed my graduation date back a semester.  It still feels like just yesterday I was sitting next to my best friends at our high school graduation. So much has changed in the past two years; some change has been for the better while other changes are a little disappointing.  Everything I have gone through and experienced has made me the person I am today and I am incredibly thankful for all of these opportunities.

As you've read, this entire year has been a period of change for me going from the school of my dreams to your average state school.  Last semester I was miserable.  I had some good times, but overall I just was not a happy person.  

(Semester Reflection, Transferring Part 1, and Transferring Part 2)

This semester, however, was much better.  I think I finally came to terms with transferring.  I now know more people, I figured out how to balance 18 credits, I took advantage of more opportunities, and I stopped wishing I was somewhere else and started being happy with where I am today.  I still can't say I am in love with the school I attend, but I have learned how to tolerate it. 

I can honestly say that joining a sorority has been the one thing that has kept me from transferring a second time.  Joining Alpha Delta Pi helped me meet so many people.  Not only did it give 85 women to turn to at any time, but it provided me with role models and great networking opportunities.  ADPi has also provided me with more of a social life than I had last semester too.  Being a commuter and a transfer made it very difficult to make friends and find people to hangout with outside of classes...this semester I have formed some great friendships with people who I can count on at anytime.

Here are a few snapshots from this semester:

I am excited for the summer to be here.  I have a few weeks off before my month of summer classes begins.  This summer I am focusing on becoming fit, bettering my little blog, making money, and just really enjoying my time off.  

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

-mQs-

It's that time of year- Formal Season

This weekend was my chapter's first formal ever! The event was a ton of fun! Since tDn couldn't come, I brought my best friend since age three.  Rather than write about it, I thought it would be fun to share some pictures instead.
  

"Sometimes the people whom we've known for only a short amount of time have a bigger impact on us than those we've known forever." 

xoxo

-mQs-

Two More Mondays

That's right, only two more Mondays left until the semester is over! This is like music to my ears,but it's also a little stressful too! I know I've blogged about it a ton this semester, but this has been an incredibly rough semester...needless to say I'm ready for it to be over.

The end of the semester entails a significant amount of exams, papers, and projects.  Not only am I busy academically, but the end of the semester is also filled with sorority events too(philanthropy events, formals, last minute workshops, etc.).  

The only way I stay sane is by being incredibly organized. I would not be able to survive the next two and a half weeks without the help of my agenda.

Before I write everything in my agenda, I compile a list with all the due dates for each class.

I use the monthly view to write everything down, so that I am able to see it all in one place. I then use the individual days to write my daily to do lists and/or things that I need to remember. I have tons of to do lists since I write a new one every day. 

How do you stay organized during the end of the semester chaos?

xoxo

-mQs-

A Day Filled with Food and Sisters

The nice thing about going to a university on the outskirts of a thriving town are all the food options available, outside of the on-campus food venues. I eat pretty well since I commute, and I am not restricted to the dining facilities on campus.  The town I go to school in has a ton of great food options, sometimes I forget how great they all are! On Monday, I had a day full of delicious food.  I started off my morning with a 7:30 breakfast meeting at a local cafe.  If you have to meet so early, then there might as well be some good food involved! I met with some of my fellow ADPi officers to prepare for the upcoming business in our chapter.  This was a great way to start off my day! I had the Farmer's omelet with tomatoes, peppers, and cheese.

Later on that day I went to dinner with one of my sisters who is Jewish, she was breaking pass over a day early (oops!). We went to a market in town. This market has tons of options including: fresh salads, gourmet pizza, sandwiches made to order, fresh baked bread, homemade pastas, baked goods, coffee flowers, etc.  

I had a slice of tomato pie with fresh mozzarella on top, and I also had a tortellini salad with zucchini, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spinach. 

The food was delicious, and what made it even better is that the weather was nice enough for us to sit outside! 

I also bought some macaroons to take home to my mom.  I can never resist macaroons! I truly believe that food has the capability of bringing people together because that is what happened today.

Xoxo

-mQs-

Easter Weekend Recap

Easter weekend has been a fun time for me the past two years.  Since everyone has left for college, my friends and I really love the time we are able to spend together.  It is rare that everyone is home and available at the same time, and Easter weekend just has happened to be a free time for everyone! The past two years my friends have been reunited with a bonfire the Friday night of Easer weekend.  It's a nice preview to the summer, since we all have just a few more weeks left of the semester.

Two of my favorite people: my best friend, M, and my boyfriend, T.

For me Easter marks the time when I can really start embracing spring.  This past weekend, I went through my storage bins and pulled out all of my spring clothes.  It added some color to, what was, my winter wardrobe.

It wouldn't be Easter without a Lilly print dress and some jacks, which is exactly what I wore this past Sunday.  The bright colors were just so fitting for the holiday.  We spent Easter visiting my grandmother and having an early dinner with her.  

This year the Easter bunny was very good to me. I got an Alex and Ani bracelet and my favorite Clinique facial care products.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend!

xoxo

-mQs-

French Cooking

My adventures in the kitchen have increased significantly since I have moved back home.  I'm actually starting to enjoy cooking, something I never thought I would say! It's obvious by now that I enjoy just about anything that is considered to be french.  I especially love french food.  I have eaten french cookies before, but I have been wanting to bake my own.

I'm sure most of you have seen or tried Madeleine cookies, they are a popular item sold at most Starbucks locations.  These soft cookies are made in a variety of flavors: lemon, orange, vanilla, etc. They are made in a pan, which gives them a sea shell shape. These pans can be bought at many different places.  I found mine at Home Goods for $11, but I have seen them decently priced on Amazon too.

These cookies are really easy to make.  What makes this process long, is the fact that you can only cook 10-12 cookies at a time because the pan's shape.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup All purpose flour

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/4 cup butter

My recipe:

One: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour the Madeleine pan, then set it aside.

Two: Melt the butter and cool it to room temperature

Three: Beat eggs, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Four: Gradually add sugar, and continue beating at a high speed until the mixture is thick.  

Five: Gently add the flour and egg mixture a small amount at a time, until it is completely added.

Six: Add lemon zest and pit the melted butter into the batter. 

Seven: Spoon the batter into the molds.

Eight: Bake for 13 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and the tops have a spongy texture.

Nine: Using the tip of a knife, remove the cookies from the mold and place them on a cooling rack.  

These are a great snack to have with some tea or coffee, enjoy!

I can finally cross the first thing of my 101 in 1001 Challenge!

xoxo

-mQs-

Rainy Day Essentials

Today it is absolutely miserable out! It is windy, chilly, and pouring rain! I think you can tell where my inspiration for today's post has come from, looking out the window. Today is just one of those days where I would love to stay in bed all day watching movies or reading a good book, but I have a busy day ahead of me so I have no choice other than to go outside today.

Umbrella:

It's always nice to have a cute umbrella. I don't use one when I walk around campus because it's always too windy to use one.

Rain Boots:

Hunter rain boots are on my wish list.  I think it's always great to have fun rain boots, they brighten up a dreary day!

Outfit choice:

Leggings, a frocket tee, and pearls.

Travel Mug:

The cold weather calls for something warm, whether it's tea or coffee!

Stay dry today!

Xoxo

-mQs-

Very Inspiring Blogger

Yesterday I mentioned that Lindsey awarded me with a "Very Inspiring Blogger Award".  This is very exciting for me since I really have not been blogging that much this semester. In fact this award inspires me to get back to blogging regularly.  

Here are the rules

1. Link the person who nominated you.

2. List and display the rules

3. Share seven facts about yourself.

4. Nominate 15 other blogs and let them know they have been nominated.

About me:

One: 

I want to travel so badly. Preferably to France or somewhere tropical.

Two:

 I am obsessed with monograms. I would probably monogram everything, if I could.

Three:

 I only have three and a half weeks left in the semester!

Four:

 If you asked me six months ago if I was going to transfer to a third college, I would have said yes. In the past six months I have learned to enjoy and accept the university I am at, and it had helped me become so much happier this semester than I was in the fall.

Five:

Lindsey and I are actually sorority sisters from different universities! 

This is something I find so neat, that I have so many sisters across the nation!

Pi love to her for giving me this award.

Blogs I nominate for this award:

These are some of the blogs that I read regularly, in no order.

 Some of these blogs are small like mine, while others are larger. 

A Little Seer Sucker Sass

Southern Belle In Training

Prep In Your Step

Bowtiful Life

Monster Misa

Real College Student of Atlanta

Classy Girls Wear Pearls

Southern. Preppy. Chic.

Preppy On The West Coast

Taylor M. Cunningham

Design Darling

The Garnet Diaries

Monogrammed Prep

Tickled Pink

Mason Like The Jar

I hope you enjoy checking out some of my favorite blogs!

xoxo

-mQs-

Here's To A Busy Week

Today is Monday, which means it's back to reality.  April is by far my busiest month of this year.  This week is the busiest week in April.  It's Greek Week, so there are competitive events each day. On top of attending these daily events. I am swamped with meetings, papers to write, study for exams, and staying current with the readings in each of my classes. So how am I staying sane?

one: List making

I am a list maker so I have lists everywhere. In my agenda, on my desk at home, and on sticky notes posted to my laptop. I start with a weekly to do list with everything that needs to be accomplished, and then from that I create to do list for each day. 

Confession: I am a huge fan of paper lists, as opposed to lists on my computer or phone, because I enjoy being able to cross the things I accomplish off the list. It's also really helpful to make lists by time too.

Two: Coffee

This week obviously doesn't allow any time for naps, so I'll have to replace my nap time with coffee. 

Dunkin Doughnut's Iced Caramel Latte or Starbucks Caramel Macchiato are my two favorites!

Three: Eating Healthy

I am trying to eat better, since I don't have time to workout.  I am trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet.  Additionally, I am also trying to drink more water too.  Eating good foods provides you with more energy. I have a really bad habit of just forgetting to eat when I am busy, so I have been using a calorie counter on my phone to make sure I eat enough food to give me energy.

On a positive note I was nominated given a Very Inspiring Blog Award from Lindsey!

Also, there are only 33 days left in the semester!

I'm off to the library to get a nice study session in!

xoxo

-mQs- 

Back to Blogging

Hello hello,

Happy April everyone! It's like April 1st came and spring has finally decided to make an appearance. It's been sunny and in the mid 50s all week where I live, finally the cold weather is beginning to go away! I'm ready to break out my spring wardrobe. 

 This semester has just been absolutely crazy.  After tomorrow, I only have five weeks left (including finals).  With all the snow days my university has had this semester, my professors have been overloading us with work trying to catch up the instructional time we have missed. This semester has been quite the balancing act, and unfortunately I have not been the best at this.  The one thing I've let fall down hill a little is my blog.  This actually really makes me sad because this blog is the one thing that I used to do everyday for myself.  

Well now that it is April, I decided that I'm ready to get back to my regular blogging. I know I've said this several times in the fast few months, but this time I am serious!

The time off has given me the opportunity to brain storm a long list of topics to post about.  I am ready to come back to the blogging world in full swing.  

Sometimes when life gives you lemons you have no choice other than to make lemonade, and that is simply what I have been doing the past few months.

I am excited to get back to reading and writing posts daily.  For now I need to get back to my studies, but I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Xoxo.

mQs

Springing Forward

Happy First Day of Spring!

We definitely have had our fair share of Winter this season.  I've had 8 snow days this semester. Before this year I didn't think snow days existed in college, but this semester hasn't surely proved that  my thought was false.  In the past few weeks we have reached the 50 degree mark a couple of times and it was wonderful. But we have also had 4 inches of snow this week too. Global warming at its finest?

I, just like many of you, am so ready for some warm weather! I am ready to break out my Spring clothes. It's time to trade in the winter essentials- wool scarves for light weight scarves, heavy sweaters for cute cardigans, boots for dainty flats, dark colors for pinks and blues, long sleeves for short sleeves. Welcome Spring, I am ready!

It may not feel like Spring, but here are a few things to help you make your own Spring feeling. These are some things that remind of me Spring, you can check them out on Pinterest.

Skirts, button downs, and loafers.

Pastel anything!

The beginning of shorts season.

Lilly Pulitzer prints.

Beautiful flowers.

Bunnies and macaroons, so cute for Easter.

What reminds you of Spring?

xoxo

-mQs-