weekly wishes #22

So I've decided that the first sentence of a blog post is officially the most awkward sentence in the world. Usually I just say 'hi, friends' or something like that, but I kind of feel like I'm just greeting my computer + that's just weird. So super random survey, how do you start your posts? I need help...

Wow, I'm beyond weird today. 

For real, let me just get to it. Last week, my goals were to spend intentional time with my family + get some cleaning done! I made the first goal because my family is very sociable + likes to spend time together (I know, and they think I'm the weird one). When I hole up in my room, people tend to get mad at me. And it's not because I don't like them, I'm just an introvert. So I made sure this week to spend time with people on my own terms. That means generally not in big groups + doing non-stressful things. Like my grandma and I spent time reading together and my sister and I organized our jewelry together. Things like that.

And let me tell you, I aced my cleaning goal! I did make a goal to do 30 minutes a day, but I never really timed it. But I pretty consistently kept things put away in their proper place + spent a little time cleaning up areas that got out of control, like my desk or bathroom cabinet. 

In the process, I found that I hoard pencils, hand sanitizer + makeup. I have four bronzers. Four. I don't even wear bronzer... I also have over 200 pencils, and six bottles of hand sanitizer. That's just weird.

(p.s. is that font so Seventeen magazine or what?!)

Point is, I did good. 

So when I was brainstorming goals for this coming week, I sort of made the mistake (uh, I mean brilliant decision) of asking H for ideas. So in case it wasn't obvious, we have H to thank for the first two...

+Well first some background. I hate just about any social situation in which I have to make small talk. I hate meeting new people (except like through blogging or other common interests). I hate dancing. The last time I was at a situation that incorporated just one of those (dancing), I had a panic attack. Obviously, I'm not in a hurry to relive that experience. But unfortunately, weddings incorporate all of the above. And even more unfortunately, H has a cousin getting married on Saturday and I just might die (okay, okay, I'm happy for the guy; it's not unfortunate). It seems kind of silly to make a goal not to die, but I'm gonna do it anyways. And I'm going to dance with H, that's part b. Oh, sweet baby Jesus in the manger, this might be bad...

+Send H a random compliment every day of the week. Haha of course, this was all his idea, but I'm happy to oblige. And while we're at it, let me introduce you to the amazingness that is Daily Odd Compliments. You're so welcome.

That's all for my goals for the week! But since we're on the topic of awesome things, let me share with you a non-literal rockstar who is quite possibly the most awesome blogger around, Z of Sometimes Z Takes Pictures (off whom I totally ripped yesterday's post).

Blog // Bloglovin' // Twitter

Start Here: Favorite Posts of 2013: January - June // Seven Reasons I Am Not an Adult // Outfit Post - Tulletelage

The Best of Call Me Sassafras in 2013

Wow, where do I begin? I began this lil baby of a blog on May 24th of this year and it has been such an adventure. I never imagined blogging would be such a big + fulfilling hobby of mine, just a few months later. So today, I just wanted to copy Z of Sometimes Z Takes Pictures and be a little nostalgiac + remember a couple of my favorite posts since May. 

In May, I struggled to figure out what exactly I wanted this blog to be, but I knew I wanted to be part of the blogging community. In this month, I found one of my favorite playlists ever on the Anthropologie spotify account (Cover it Up // An Anthropologie Playlist). A few days later, I opened up about what it's like to leave a childhood home for a much nicer house + shared some song lyrics that matched my feels (Thoughts on Moving Out).

In June, I got real and explained the real reason why I watch Jerry Springer--and why we need higher standards of honesty in our lives (Why I Like Jerry Springer).

In July, can I just solicit a few 'go you!' yells because I posted 34 times. It was a month full of inspiration and time to blog, which we all know isn't always plentiful. Right at the beginning, my boy H came and guest posted his Tips for Long Distance Relationships. This one ended up being a reader fave! Clearly y'all like him better than me...I also wrote my very first science post, on my hero Marie Curie (Marie Curie, Karate Chopping Stereotypes) and wrote a guide for maintaining a good mood (Funky Mood? Not for Long!).

In August, I wrote a series called Love Your Brain, which, you guessed it, is about loving your brain (Part one, two, three). I also shared some design tips that any blogger can use (Easy Peasy Tips to Make Your Blog Prettier in 5 Minutes).

In September, my favorite post wasn't even one by me! My friend Kate from Diaries of an Essex Girl shared 5 Ace Design Resources for Bloggers. But in my second favorite post of September, I enlightened y'all with 3 wonderfully weird music genres: celtic rock, electro-swing and gregorian chants (Weird Music Genres that Aren't Actually that Weird).

In October, I gave you my tips and tricks for managing school, jobs and life in general (Get Stuff Done). In October, I also switched from Wordpress to Blogger, making a very unorthodox blogging decision, but I've never looked back.

In November, I decided to rein in my design business and work with patience. I acknowledged that I'm still growing my skills + decided to offer blog design services. I also introduced one of my favorite projects to date that is currently helping me end 2013 on a high note and start 2014 right (Six Weeks of Wellbeing).

And finally, December. My favorite post of this month was where I got a little nerdy with you and showed you how to organize + make perfect playlists in iTunes (4 Ways to Get More Out of Your iTunes Library).

Just a heads up, a lot of my images got lost in the transfer from Wordpress to Blogger and I didn't bother to save them, so they're gone. Please forgive me for some old posts that may be missing pictures or are badly formatted! I'm slowly trying to fix them! 

Oh and if you really want to make my day, leave me a comment on an old post! Disqus decided to be stupid on me and lost all of my comments before the switch so most of my old posts don't have any comments! Sad face.

What was your favorite post of the year? Please share it in the comments!

A Very 1950s Christmas Playlist

Merry Christmas! (If you're a non-Christmas celebrator, sorry. Just skip this whole post.) I hope your day has been merry + bright so far!

Okay, so this isn't really a real post, I just wanted to share one of my all-time favorite playlists (oh look! I'm the genius who made it) for Christmas. Enjoy!

A Very 50s Christmas from allielynn24 on 8tracks Radio.

How are you spending your Christmas?

weekly wishes #21

(source)

Hi loves! Merry Christmas Eve Eve! So I've always said that it's impossible to get in the Christmas spirit in NC. For one, it's raining out. Oh and it's also 75 out, which is so not okay. But I'll be in Michigan soon enough, frolicking in the snowy goodness! Haha I hate warm winters...

Last week, I made a wish just to be efficient. I had finals + lots of stuff to do and I'm oh so happy to be all done. I really feel like I succeeded pretty well in being efficient though. I didn't really feel overwhelmed about any of my finals! But I should probably wait to get the results back before I get all confident.

This coming week is probably going to be stressful for me. I'll be honest, it's hard for me to spend time with my family. And it's not because we fight (much), but I'm just so different than the rest of my family. They're all extroverts, love dinner parties and family game nights while I just want to hide by myself somewhere. I know I sound kind of silly--I love my family. But it's hard to be constantly pushed to be social when that's just not something I am capable of doing for long.

So I have two goals for the next week:

+Spend time with my family members on my own terms. If I'm intentional about spending time together in small doses and in a comfortable environment and all, then everyone is bound to be good to go. This might mean spending a little time cooking with my mom or reading with my grandmother.

+Clean for at least half an hour every day (until I leave on Friday, that is). I've been in a pretty big cleaning kick lately, which actually never ever happens to me. So I fully intend on getting as much as I can out of this weird mood of mine. I cleaned my desk the other day + actually scrubbed my bathroom (please be impressed). On the hit list? The bins in my closet + the top of my dresser (which I haven't actually seen in years).

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And can I just share a little dose of happy? First off, I'm not the hugest (sorry, not a word) fan of A Beautiful Mess because who has time to make their own giant Jenga set? Not me. But I do really love their app. If you don't know about it, it's a (99 cent) app where you can add doodles, filters, borders + words to pictures. I also got the new iPhone 5s (you bet I got the gold) so I can actually take good pictures now. So there are a multitude of selfies to be had. And happy dose #3? I got this lovely scarf c/o Dottie Q and no, it's not cold enough to wear it, but I still wear it because it's freaking gorgeous.

What are your goals for the week? How do you survive a lot of time with family?