Sometimes You Just Need to Finish SOMETHING!

Today I have a wonderful guest! I've been reading her blog for a few month and I'm very excited to have her here today.  She has been an amazing contributor to my college fund by sponsoring my blog! You can contribute too! All you have to do is click on the Advertise button.  There you can learn about the different packages and purchase your package!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Without further ado, I hand my blog over to Miss Emilie!  This is a guest post by me, Emilie Lima Burke from EmilieLimaBurke.com . I am currently a senior at Princeton University, where I study politics. My blog is a lifestyle blog where I cover an array of topics from my workouts to my life transition to my fun projects like this. If you like this post, please . You’ll get lots of fun updates, including the end of the projects mentioned in this post.


If you're a follower of my blog, you may have seen my post a couple of months ago about my first big cross stitch project.. As I've mentioned, I've been working on something for my boyfriend’s mom since I finished that project all those weeks ago. It is certainly becoming a beautiful project, but as I've focused on my thesis more and more I've been able to spend less and less time on it. Not only that, but I've been frustrated by how long its taken me. Like I said, it’s the biggest project I've ever taken on. Everything I've done to this point has been much smaller- little bits here and there, but certainly not something that is two pages in size.

Frankly, it’s been a little frustrating to me to feel like I’m working, working, working, and still not done (is this a major analogy for my thesis? Perhaps). A couple blocks from my dorm is Pins and Needles Princeton. I had never done any needlepoint before, but I explained to the nice girl behind the counter that I was a cross-stitch-er but that I was looking for a small needlepoint project that I could finish in a day. She took a few minutes to walk me through the difference between basic needlepoint and cross-stitching. I've gathered that going from cross-stitch to needlepoint is much easier than the other way around. Anyway, I picked up a small kid’s kit that wasn't too expensive.

And I finished it in one day.

It’s not like this project is going to mean anything or go anywhere. I’m not going to have it finished. It’s not going to be an ornament or anything. It was just a thing to finish because in that moment, I just needed to finish something. It wasn't that I was doubting my skills. It was that I needed to be reminded that I could finish something. I needed to feel that sense of accomplishment.

After having knocked that out in a day, it felt good again to go back to my project. A couple of the needle pointers I met suggested having two projects to work on at the same time, so now I've got two that I’m working on that I love. It gives me the chance to not get tired of a project because I can switch over. The projects are also in contrast because one has a lot of browns and browns while the other is all shades of pink! One is not better than they other but they are just super different.

I hope to share them on the blog really soon!

Sympathetic Musings of the Tattooed Woman

Today I have a lovely guest to share with you! Sincerely, Alaska is one of my new favorite blogs! She has all kind of good things to share and she's a college girl fighting her way through life just like me! I'm beyond in love with her post today and I hope that you all enjoy it :) 

Tat * Too :

1. a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment.

2. One of the most commonly misjudged (modified) features on a human being. 

*        *        *

If you're like me, then you have a special place in your heart for the art that is tattoos. It took me about a year to convince my parents to let me get one for my 18th birthday but once they agreed I was on a mini-roadtrip with one of my best friends. It was a scary moment for me to have my first one done...especially since I started off with a big calf piece. 

Tattoo #1 was done 2 hours from my home by an artist who specializes in Horror themed pieces. I stared at a zombie head for the 3 hours I was on the table. I passed out for the other 45 minutes. It's a dream catcher to remind me to keep in the good/beautiful and let go of the bad/ugly with a blue rose for Hope. 

Tattoo #2 was done in my hometown and with the Boyfriend at my side. It's a teal bow to support sexual assault survivors/victims. 

Tattoo #3 was done at the same place on Friday the 13th when they do $13 tattoos. I was alone and the whole thing took about 5 minutes of not very happy feelings in my arm. It's the chipped teacup from Beauty and The Beast.

*        *        *

With each of these tattoos comes endless amounts of chatter from other people. Women have it a bit more on the sharp edge but most of these can apply to all the fellas out there rocking a full arm sleeve or calf piece. 

#1. "You know that's permanent, right?"
I love it when people ask me this specific question. Because, really, know one informed me ahead of time that my tattoo which was inked into my body with needles wasn't going to wash off in the shower 2-4 weeks from now. 

I also had a women ask me if my calf piece was temporary. Yes. 

#2 Highly unnecessary judgement, to your face, from strangers.
I once had a women come up to me while I was changing the trash at work (I was wearing a skirt which showed off my dream catcher) and yell at me: "Why would I do this to my body? What was wrong with me? Never get another!!!" 

Because, it is my body and I make the choices of what to do with it.

#3 The Wedding Dress Dilemma 
The first thing my grandmother said to me when she saw my newly done bow was: "But what about when you're in your wedding dress? Are you really going to want people to see that?" If I didn't love it and I didn't want to be able to show that part of me through physical/body art, I wouldn't have gotten it. 

Honestly, I think my tattoos will look great the day I'm in a wedding gown. 

#4 The "You'll Never get a Job" Speech
You have to love when people stop you for their 15 minutes speech about how you will never, ever, ever, ever get a decent job with a tattoo. You might as well monogram that McDonalds uniform since you're stuck there forever.

Excuse me, but do you understand how many places do fully accept body art and how many products are on the market to cover them when needed?



#5 The Meaning Demand
As I mentioned, each of my tattoos do have meaning to me. However, I do not always feel up to stopping and telling, in depth, the story behind all of my tattoos to any stranger who happens to pass by. It's even better if they get annoyed that you won't//can't tell them.

+5 points if they are angry that you DON'T have a meaning behind your tattoo.

#6 The Questionable Mommy
Ladies, your tattoos will never ever make you a "bad" or "questionable" mommy. You are not slowly seeping the thoughts of Satan into your baby's mind. You are a mom. Who happens to have some really great art on her body.

#7 The Questionable Christian
You have tattoos. Not a one way bus ticket to Hell. If you love the Lord and serve him, that is what matters. Not what is on your skin.

#8 Old Age and Pregnancy
People assume that everyone, especially young adults, who get a tattoo or multiple don't realize that the tattoo will not look that gorgeous when your skin stretches, sags, or wrinkles. Honestly though, by the time we hit those points in our life, we won't care. They're still a part of who we are and they still mean something to us. What do you care?


Your body, Your rules. Rock what you have and love it till you're 6 feet under. Other people's negativity toward what you love is not worthy of your time and effort. I think you look awesome.

Zoe and the College Chronicles

Hey there everyone! Today I have another awesome guest to share with you.  Zoe is another one of those awesome new blogs I've been reading.  She blogs over at What Zoe Says.  She'll tell you a bit more about it and show you how to follow her. She's a student just like me!  Today she is sharing what she has learned since she started school.  It's definitely some valuable advice! Hang in for more from the College Chronicles 

Hello to Katie’s lovely readers!

My name is Zoe and I’ll be taking over Katie’s blog today to give you a little insight to my life! Before we start with my story about the things that I have learnt since starting university I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I blog about all things fashion, beauty and lifestyle and I’m from England! I blog over at What Zoe Says and would love it if you checked it out! I hope you like my little internet slice and if you’d like, you can keep up to date with my ramblings on Twitter or Instagram! 

First of all, we’ll jump into the big one and no matter how much you’re going to deny it, deep down you know it’s true: you will miss your mum. Everything she ever told you that you disregarded as unnecessary and unimportant was actually true. She told you to save your money but did you? Do you regret that now? She knows best and now you wish you’d listened to her.

Your meal times will all get a bit muddled up. It’s okay to eat breakfast at 3pm and dinner at midnight. It’s also okay to live off noodles and beans – you don’t have anybody telling you not too, so why shouldn’t you?

The rules of drinking games will be imprinted in your mind! Is there much else to say about this one? As student, we like to bond with a beverage, perhaps (read: always) alcoholic so why not make it into a game? Whether its beer pong, ring of fire or never have I ever, you can guarantee that a drinking game is the best way to break the ice and get everyone chatting.

Never do your food shop during the day! If you head out to the supermarket during the evening you’ll be there just in time for all the reductions! If you think of it this way: cheap food = more drink money. There, have I persuaded you enough?

The Wonderfully Messy Mom

Why hello there and happy Tuesday, everyone!  If you were wondering school is still good and life is still awesome.  I'm keeping plenty busy, and I'm working hard and kicking ass and taking names. 
But today is not about me.  Today is about Brandy! Brandy is another new addition to my reading list.  I love to read her blog because she shares all kinds of product reviews of things that I have wanted to try but have always been to scared to give a fair chance.
Brandy tries out the products for you and she'll give you her completely honest opinion of how well it did or didn't work for her.  On top of that, she has all kinds of other great posts about her life as the "Wonderfully Messy Mom."  Check her out! You won't regret it!
Until next time!

Hi there, I am Brandy! I blog at Wonderfully Messy Mom!

I like long walks on the beach, ice- cream....ok seriously...I have 3 kids, I am a SAHM, wife, cook, nurse maid, the list goes on and on.

I blog DIY household cleaning and beauty products, and spotlight the chemicals that those products contain. I also like to blog about this and that, and have recently started in on the product review band wagon.

I will be redirecting soon and adding in posts about how to add your own custom design elements, you do not want to miss those posts!!

Right now, I am in getting blog burn out. I know you all have hit that at some point in your careers, and if you have not, you will. And if you have gotten so lucky that you have always enjoyed it, please share how you do it!!

My greatest joy comes from writing, so why am I hitting this lull?? I think that I have lost my focus, changed directions and lost my passion. It was a slow fade, sneaky twists and turns that lead my blog here. I got a thrill from doing certain posts, but then it got overwhelming. The pressure to have a post pushed out because a company wants it ASAP is tough.

I am just be real here. I'm done. I want to turn in my keys. But the moment I go to hand them over, the light at the end of the tunnels shines out and calls me!! There is so much joy in writing, there is so much joy in making new friends in the blog world. I have made lots of great friends :-)

So I will chug along, I will rethink my program, I will redirect- I WILL NOT QUIT!!

I will stand up and fight for what I love- blogging!

I will not bow down to the sway the internet has on me!

I will not follow the blog crowds- I will be my own person and blog what I love!!

I am a MESSY MOM but I will be WONDERFUL at it- I will be WONDERFULLY MESSY MOM!!

Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Google + ~  Bloglovin 

The HallWay

Hey there everyone! I'm so excited to have Shannon here on the blog today! I went to school with her and she is relatively new the "big" blog world.  I've been reading her blog since she started the first one and I've enjoyed watching it grow and develop into more than just an online diary.  She's great and I'm sure that you will enjoy getting to know her!
She's newly married and loves to share her adventures with her cute new husband as they live and learn together!
Check her out!    
Hey! I'm Shannon and I blog in The Hallway (see what I did there). A little about me: I work at a marketing agency and do a bunch of yoga. I just got married a few months ago, so I blog a lot about being a newlywed, but also a lot about other topics like working out when your butt hurts, picking the best songs for a wedding, and making food that's better than Del Taco, since I'm married to a chef that I met online. And I'm taking over Katie's blog to tell you exactly what I was thinking the first time I met my husband, Colby, in real life. It wasn't in a cute coffee shop like the picture below suggests.

You can read the whole story about how Colby and I met on my blog, but long story short, we happened across each other's OkCupid profiles through a series of very lucky events that eventually led to us chatting online and through text messages for three days until we set up a real-life meeting at Smashburger in St. George. Yes, the epitome of romantic meeting places: Smashburger.

At the time, I was living in Cedar City, Utah, a tiny little college town situated 45 minutes away from the slightly bigger town of St. George. Colby was in southern Utah on vacation so we had a small window of time in which to meet. It just so happened that I had a job interview in between the two cities that Friday, so we decided to get together afterward.

My interview went well and afterward, I pulled into a gas station to change clothes and text Colby. I started driving to St. George and that's when I realized: I was on my way to meet a complete stranger that I met on the internet.

Don't get me wrong, I had done my research. I looked Colby up on Facebook and he seemed normal, and real. But you can never really be sure. On my way to meet him I thought about the fact that I had never asked him to Skype or even call. I had never even heard this kid's voice before! He could literally be anyone: a 60 year old man, a stripper, a woman... The possibilities were endless.

I got to St. George and pulled into another gas station. I was still waiting to hear from Colby about where we were actually going. Panic began to set in. What was I doing? No one knew where I was, I didn't know the city very well, and I was a young, reckless female college student. This whole thing was a trap.

I got a text from Colby and then a call. I heard his voice! It still told me nothing about him. After we decided on Smashburger I got even more panicked and called my roommate, Marissa.

"I'm in St. George meeting a boy I met on the internet so if I die and don't come home you'll know why," I blurted. I had told her about Colby before, so at least she kind of knew what I was talking about.

"What? What are you doing?" she said worriedly. "I don't know," I said. "I'm so dumb. I'm probably going to die but I couldn't just not come!"

"Yeah, that's true. He has seemed normal so far and you like him! If it doesn't go well, you can just chalk it up to better luck." (Just kidding. She said, "What's the worst that could happen?") I could think of plenty of things that could be the worst thing that could happen, but I decided she was right. Plus, I was at Smashburger.

I slowly got out of my car and walked through the parking lot toward the door, feeling more and more dread with every step. I saw my reflection in the glass door of the restaurant, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. When I saw Colby sitting there smiling nervously at me, all I could think was, "Oh good, you're a real person." And then he laughed and I realized I said it out loud.

Obviously, things went pretty well after that, because a year later we were tying the knot! So far, he's not a serial killer. And neither am I. Match made in heaven.

You can read Colby's side of this story today on my blog, The Hallway! And if that's not enough, you can always connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. See you there!

A Gypsy-Cowboy-Truck Driving-Teacher

Today, Jill from Do Try This at Home will be taking over my blog and contributing to the "Chalk it Up" series!  She is one of those awesome new additions to my blog-reading list that I've been talking about.  
Jill is a mother, a teacher, and an all around good read. It has been so fun to follow along with her life and share all her posts. Having her as a sponsor has been great. I hope you enjoy her post today!  I really enjoyed reading her story and I'm sure that you will too. Be sure to follow along on Facebook and Twitter.  
Happy Thursday!
Hi there I'm Jill from Do Try This at Home 

When Katie so graciously invited me to guest post on Chalk it Up, she mentioned that a good place to start would be “a time when you had an experience that maybe didn't go quite as you planned…”

And I was all, “OH! That would be, like, the ENTIRE DECADE of my twenties!!!!” 

And most of my thirties too, truth be told.  So, I’m feeling kind’a well qualified here.

My life goals as a child were a little on the “diverse” side.  I wanted to grow up to be a teacher.  But I also wanted to grow up to be a cowboy.  And a truck driver.  And a beach bum.  Most of all, I wanted to grow up to be a gypsy, because I wanted to live in one of these:

I mean, who doesn’t?!?!?

I entered my teen years and proceeded to quit college three times before finally ending up with my degree.  It would be years before I actually stepped into the classroom to teach. 

Unfortunately or fortunately, I was the one learning so many of the lessons.  During my two years in public school I had heartbreak after heartbreak, “teaching” kids who had been previously kidnapped, who had seen family members murdered, who were being raised by siblings because they had parents who were deceased and/or unfit, who had relatives in jail, who claimed they were the devil, who threatened suicide. 

And I was teaching six year olds!

I stayed in teaching because it was my life goal and because I wanted to help children.  And because becoming a truck driver seemed less and less likely the more of my own children I produced.

But Katie’s blog is about making the best of it and moving on, which I did.  I had to, for my own mental health.  One can only persevere for so long before falling head first into the abyss.  I now teach in a school that does not ask me to break laws with a nudge and a wink, that does not write me up if I am ten minutes behind schedule, and that, most importantly, respects me as a professional teacher.

However, I have earned that respect with eleven years of teaching now under my belt.  What I lacked when I started was my own voice.  I lacked the “my way or the highway” attitude that is so important in managing a classroom of children, no matter the age. 

Fair yet firm is how I try and work with kids these days, in so far as I am able.  And the little girl who told me she was Satan?  These days I would have no trouble telling her that it was all well and good that she was the devil, but that she needed to sit at her desk and do her class work anyway.

So I “Chalk it up to Better Luck”, but also to knowing when to move on and when to make a change!

Thank you to Katie for the guest post opportunity!  And thank you to morguefile.com for the truck picture anddollarphotoclub.com for the picture of my would be abode!

Just A Trace

As you can see, I have a whole new set of friends on my side bar.  One of those new friends is Tracey!  I've only been reading her blog for a week or so and I'm already in love with it.  I wish I'd found her sooner so I could have been following along all this time! Today, she'll be taking over my blog! Be sure to add her to your list of blogs to follow! You won't regret it!

Just as a side note! My $50 giveaway ends TOMORROW! Enter now before it's too late! Entries are low, so you're chances are good! 

My name is Tracey and I blog over at  Just a Trace. I'm here taking over Katie's blog today to share one of my awful first date tales. Before we get into the story, let me share a little bit about myself. I'm a lifestyle blogger located in Canada, and I write a lot about weddings, dating and my random daily encounters with all things weird. So whether you're looking for a DIY project, a healthy muffin recipe or you just want a good laugh, I hope you will stop by my corner of the internet and say hello. I'm a complete social media junkie, so you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram and Pinterest.

Back when I was a single lady, I went on a lot of dates (you can read more of my hilarious dates on my blog). One of the most memorable ones was with a guy I deemed "Mouse Boy," you'll find out why I call him that later on in the post.  Mouse Boy and I had been talking online and decided to meet up for a date at the Starbucks within walking distance of my place. Mouse Boy seemed alright on paper - attractive, had a job, lived close by and had a car.

I get to the Starbucks and see a text from him saying that he is already there, has his drink and is sitting upstairs. It would have been nice if he had waited and ordered with me so he could pay. I order myself a tea and chalk it up to him not knowing good first date etiquette.

I go upstairs and see him right away. The Starbucks is in a old building so it's super cozy upstairs. There are lots of large wingback chairs and dim lighting. The place is packed. It's Thursday night and I guess a lot of people go there to study. I go to the back corner and he's sitting at a table with his coat still on. I introduce myself and he says, "Oh good. I'm glad you're here. I wanted to get that comfy chair to sit in but didn't want to lose the table." The chair he is referring to is wedged in a corner and to get it to our table he will have to ask another couple to get up so he can lift the chair over their table or ask them to shift their table out of the way. It seems like a lot of work for a chair. Since I just met him literally thirty seconds ago, I just keep this opinion to myself.

I watch as he struggles to try to lift the chair, then decides to just drag it across the floor. It makes this horribly loud scraping sound and everyone is looking at us, likely thinking, "Oh his poor girlfriend." I want to yell out, "He's not my boyfriend everyone. This is a first and last date in the making."

After an awkward start, we began talking. The conversation goes a little something like this:

Mouse Boy: "Where did you grow up?"

Me: "Hamilton."

Mouse Boy: "What a disgusting city."

Me: "Thanks."

Mouse Boy: "What do you do for a living?"

Me: "I'm a legal assistant."

Mouse Boy: "Do you need to go to school for that?"

Me: "Yes, you do."

Mouse Boy: "Oh, I totally thought that was the kind of job you could get certified for online."

It takes Mouse Boy only a few minutes, but he manages to quickly mock my birthplace and my occupation. I'm beginning to wonder if this is part of his strategy or if he is just a moron.

I decide to take the attention off myself and ask him questions about himself. This is when I discover this gem: Mouse Boy is writing a novel. The main character is a mouse. A mouse that lives in a mouse village, with a mouse mother and a mouse father and who is being terrorized by a cat villain.

Ok, so not only is this novel completely unoriginal, it's also incredibly lame. I keep waiting for him to say it's a joke but it isn't. I then become so enthralled with this awful novel I ask him a million questions about it. In my head all I am thinking is, you mocked me?! You spend all your free time basically recreating Stuart Little.

After about twenty minutes, I'm no longer amused and want to end the date. However, Mouse Boy has chosen to get a venti hot chocolate (how manly) and is sipping it. I down my green tea, end up scalding my mouth and say, "Shoot! I forgot I need to be home by 9:00 p.m. I promised my landlord I'd help him with something." Mouse Boy believes me and offers to walk me home. I politely decline as I would rather sit through a book reading of his awful sounding novel than have him know where I live.

He then goes in for a kiss. This is where I question men in general. On most dates, when I give no indication that the date has gone well, and some where I have even given indication the date has gone badly, men typically go for a kiss. In this instance, I did the whole "I thought you were trying to hug me" move and hug him instead.

I leave the date perplexed, but also defeated. I would get my hopes up each first date, only to have them come crashing down shortly after. I was able to chalk it up to better luck though. Each first date taught me something about myself and what I wanted in a partner. Each first date was a learning experience. Each first date that failed got me one step closer to my last first date. Not too long after this date with Mouse Boy, I went on my first date with my husband. All those awful first dates made me appreciate him even more. I remember when I was going through all these bad first dates, thinking I would never find the one. Well, I was just married in May and I can say it was even more special because it was day I had always wished for and I saw it come to fruition. 

You know, I can't but sometimes wonder what happened to Mouse Boy. Perhaps one day that novel will become a best seller and I will run into Mouse Boy drinking a venti hot chocolate in a wingback chair. Doubtful.