Lynn’s Lovely Life: Keurig Love

            If you are a reader of my blog posts, you know I love interior design. Throughout my college years, I loved reading Domino magazine. Sadly, it went under in college. One of my favorite things to look at was the Tassimo ads that were in each magazine. It just seemed so “cool” to be able to brew one cup of coffee whenever you wanted. I desperately wanted one, but I am glad I waited it out. My mom was the first in our family to get a Keurig. Nowadays Keurigs are everywhere. They are in offices, schools, and in so many homes.

The functionality of the Keurig has made it perfect for everyone. I got my first Keurig when I lived in my small studio apartment. While I was one who did not like clutter, I forced myself to leave out my Keurig on the counter because I used it so frequently.  I had a Keurig that was much smaller than most. It only brewed 8 ounces and took 2 minutes to brew. However, I still had the functionality of brewing one cup of tea. My mom got me a K-cup filter that I used to brew teabags in. I liked this feature because I could brew my PG tips tea in it easily. However, I go back and forth between using it. The only con with this is you have to remember to take out the bag or it can get moldy if you are not careful. I never let that happen but it was always a worry.

 

You can partially see my first Keurig!

 

 

Our New Keurig! Love at First Sight!

Later, when I moved in with my boyfriend, we decided to invest in a new Keurig that has three different choices for sizes of beverages. I absolutely love it. It takes a few minutes to heat up but then you’re good to go. When I brew a big cup for work, I use a K-cup twice. We have the spinning carousel full of English Breakfast tea. I don’t really like the carousel because it annoys me when a K-cup is missing. This is the obsessive compulsive tendency in me. I would love to get the drawer that goes under the Keurig, but I must resist as I have a perfectly usable storage container.

                I am a very big stickler in using only tea in my Keurig. Luckily, my boyfriend and I drink tea or we would have WWIII in our home. I have had tea from Keurigs that are used for coffee and I hate it! I can taste the coffee in it and it makes me sick. I know you can run a Keurig through with just water, but still, I feel like I can taste the coffee. I would like to branch out to do apple cider or hot chocolate (they have better brands nowadays), but my fear of it messing up our precious Keurig stops me.  For now I will happily use my Keurig as I brew my next cup of tea. The sound of my Keurig energizes me and makes me feel happy to be in my routine each day.

                Do you have Keurig? What do you brew in it?

Lynn’s Lovely Life: A Cup of Tea Solves Everything

                When I think of tea today, I think of comfort, relaxation and safety. My tea addiction started during my teen years. I stayed with my grandparents a lot and my grandfather would brew a pot of tea every morning. Ironically, my grandmother was from England and would have a cup of coffee in the morning. No matter what, my grandfather would have tea with honey and creamer in it.  As the years went on, they would make me a cup of tea in the morning. It was heaven. It was PG Tips tea and I loved it. It was the perfect drink for me.

 I fondly remember my college years when I would spend time watching Friends sitting on my floor in front of my makeshift table drinking a cup of tea. It was perfect. No matter what I went through in my life, from eating ramen noodles to having a full cabinet of food, I always had tea readily available.

                They say that a cup of tea solves everything; this cannot be truer. It wakes me up in the morning, energizes me and makes me feel comfortable and safe. At night, a cup of Sleepytime relaxes me and gets me ready for bed after a long day at work. I love reading a nice book and drinking a cup of tea.

I would not consider myself a tea aficionado at all. I love tea, but I am very picky about my favorites.  I drink Celestial Seasonings English Breakfast in my Keurig (stay tuned for a later post ).I drink sweet tea and have been slowly finding a love for unsweetened tea (or slightly sweet tea). I love Sleepytime tea (the extra version and the vanilla are my favorites).  I do not drink chai tea, green tea (maybe once or twice cold) or many herbal teas. However, when it comes to the teas I like, I drink them frequently.

I have often been to places like Teavana where you can sniff the tea and those places make me happy. Like a library, you are open to a world of options. I love smelling all the varieties of tea. Sadly, I do not like to drink them. I know that someday my tea loves may branch out. Right now, I am content with writing this blog post as I happily sip my Sleepytime tea.  What are your favorite types of tea? Whatever it may be… ENJOY!

 

Beauty Boudoir: Julep Maven Nail Polish

               Who doesn’t love a nice bottle of nail polish? As I mentioned I am an avid nail polish addict.
                Up until recently I did not have any Julep Nail Polishes until I joined the Julep Maven program for .01 (and $4.95 shipping). I decided to join the program because I love nail polish and loved the idea of the program. I recently cancelled a subscription service and several magazine services so I decided my budget could handle it. The colors from Julep are absolutely gorgeous!

Colors from Top to Bottom: Petra, Lisa, Anne, Janel, Ally, Lena

                My first box was an introductory box where I received two nail polishes and a cuticle product. Sadly they are not spring colors but I definitely plan on wearing these colors when fall and winter approaches next year. I got the colors Lisa and Petra from the Boho Glam collection. Lisa is a grayish color and Petra is a burgundy shimmer color. They offer you a suggestion for colors that you can get and then you can change them as needed. I decided to purchase my most favorite color from Julep that I have seen everywhere Anne (a beautiful purple color). It reminds me of Anne Hathaway (which may be the namesake?). I absolutely love this color. I bought it full price but I didn’t mind since I got two other nail polishes for such a low price.  I also got a cuticle product that is absolutely wonderful as well! I love the smell and how well it works. I keep it in my nightstand to use as needed when I give my nails a break from nail polish.
                My next box is all about the bright colors. On the 20^th of the month you are given four days to select new nail polishes. I decided to go for the colors from the Bombshell collection and ordered Ally (royal bluish color) and Janel (burgundy color) and then did the add-on polish of Lena (a tealish color) for $4.99. I love the colors and am content. One of my favorite aspects of this program is if you are not a fan of the nail polish colors you can skip a month and come back when you really like a box. I wish I had been a subscriber during the pastel collection month but I can always order then later if I decide to. I really want the America the Beautiful polish for the 4^th of July so I will be adding that to my wish list.
                I can’t wait to see what is in store for my next box. I definitely am much more content with this subscription service then others. What subscription services do you use? What is your favorite?

Beauty Boudoir: Makeup Cutback April Update

Beauty Boudoir: Makeup Cutback April 2012 Update: The Balm Jovi Palette

                Makeup cutback is not going as well as can be expected. Sadly, I have purchased more than one makeup item a month over the past few months, but I’m determined to get back on track. 

              I decided to make one purchase a little early for my April item this year. I purchased the Balm Jovi palette on Amazon for around $30. Again, as stated previously, I want to have quality products rather than quantity. I purchased this item based on the recommendation of Emilynoel83. She talks about this palette and the benefits of it. One of the best aspects of this palette is that is offers you a variety of eye shadows, a highlight, blush and two lip products all in one slim package. It is about the size of my Kindle Fire. The quality of the product is also amazing and pigmented. I’m quite impressed with my purchase and am not disappointed.  I feel I really got the most bang for my buck. 

                I am contemplating my next purchase for the month of May. I may allow myself a second makeup purchase or two as it is my birthday month, but I’m still debating. I’m thinking about purchasing a YSL or Chanel Lip Product or the Laura Mercier Silk Cream Foundation. All three types of items are much more expensive than normal, but since it is my birthday month I want to splurge just once on a product. I’m definitely going to do some research before making such a purchase. What high end items do you recommend? What items do you feel allow you to get the most bang for your buck? 

Lynn's Lovely Life: Cell Phone Collection

                I love my cell phone.  As a child I used to go around and talk on my toy phone so the day that I got my own cell phone I celebrated. However, I firmly believe in manners with using technology. For example, it truly pains me to see people using cell phones at dinner! Dinner is a time to talk about the day, so it makes me sad when I see them being used. I also think that when people join social gatherings they should put their phones away. I almost think people should have a collection basket for phones at parties and gatherings, but sadly that will not happen. It just takes some time for people to follow  cell phone netiquette.

                I was not a big fan of the iPhone, but I love it now thanks to my boyfriend. He had the iPhone first; I decided to go for it after I got rid of my Blackberry, which turned up being a big bust. I am glad I changed over to my iPhone. It still takes some time to text, but I’m getting better. Plus, Siri is my best friend. Stayed tuned for a post on what’s on my iPhone.

                My cell phone collection started off with a few covers, but has grown over the course of the year. I just got two cell phone covers for $1.50  recently at Michael's so I thought it was a perfect time to post.

                My cell phone collection includes:

• A cell phone cover that looks like a credit card (see the pink one).
• A cover that looks like a mini tape.
• Two polka dot cases (one in purple, one in blue (perfect for Spring)).
• A penguin cover (perfect for winter).
• One zigzag case  (I got it for $1.50)
• One pattern case. (I got it for $1.50)
• One damask case (for $3.99 at Michael's!!!). I have wanted a Damask case for quite a while, so I’m happy I found one at such a good price.
• A "Keep Calm and Go Shopping" case.
• A Blue Speck Case from AT&T

 I think I’m about covered on cell phone cases for a while.

My favorite would have to be the penguin cover in the winter. What cell phone cases do you have? Which is your favorite? 

A Heavenly Home: Spring Cleaning Day 2: Office

                So while I wanted to enjoy my time off from work this week I wanted to reorganize parts of my apartment that needed a little TLC. I decided to devote my time to three areas of my apartment: my closet, my office and my bathroom. I conquered day 2 of my spring cleaning with the task of my office.

                My side of the office was not necessarily dirty but mainly cluttered and unorganized. For example, if I wanted to find a pair of scissors or my stapler I would have to look in several bins. I would not know where to find it. So I decided to reorganize and de-clutter my side of the office. I also decided to pare down the items next to my desk which are used for storage. Next to my desk I have two storage bins and a suitcase. The office is the only place that will hold these items comfortably (because our bikes fill up our storage closet). On top of all that I had four pillows that I use for winter and fall in our apartment and a few extra boxes and bins. I paired down those items and tried to make it look less cluttered. 

                Next, I tackled my desk. My desk does not sadly have drawers so I have to make use of what I have. I have a small three bin organizer that I use to hold my stapler, post its and note pads. Then I have my pen organizer (an old BBW candle covered in glitter) and a purse post it organizer and my high heel tape dispenser. That is it. While I love office décor items I wanted to keep the desk free of clutter so I could focus on my  tasks at hand.  I have a larger three drawer organizer under my desk that holds other items, like notepads and other necessities.

 Finally, I have a mail organizer that I use frequently to hold my items that need to be taken care of, bills to pay etc. I didn’t want it on my desk but I wanted it nearby. I decided to de-clutter the top of my bookshelf and put my pretty decorative books elsewhere. That way I could put my mail organizer there so I could access it while working at my desk when I pay bills and such.

This was a very small project for me. Because of that I decided to use this time to purchase more index cards to write to do lists and I also decided to make business cards for this blog. I am thoroughly enjoying the blog process and want to have cards to give to others so they can enjoy and experience my blog. While this was a small project for me, it motivated me to keep working on tasks around my house. My last step in my spring cleaning “series” is the bathroom. It should take me an hour or two, but I can’t wait to be done with the process!

Does organizing a part of your home make you feel motivated? What tasks are you working on around your home? 

A Heavenly Home: Spring Cleaning: Day 1: Closet and Dresser

                This past week, I was off for a “Spring Break” of sorts. I don’t necessarily count it as spring break because of the crazy wintry weather that we have had recently. I decided on my first weekday off to spend my day cleaning out my closet and my dresser. While the weather has not been warm (besides a few odd days here or there), I have been in love with spring dresses. I have been purchasing spring dresses during the winter in preparation for the upcoming season.  

            I decided to go through my closet and get rid of a ton of items. I decided to make two piles. One pile was a trash pile (clothing that was so destroyed it would not be good for others) and a pile to give to my mom. I managed to get rid of quite a few items. I then made some organization progress in my closet. For example, I sorted clothes by work clothes, then by pants, ¾ sleeve shirts, t-shirts, etc. I also put away my winter clothing. Then I made room in my closet for all of my jeans (as they can be heavy and weigh down my lovely dresser).

        Finally, I made space for all of my spring items. I figure I can wear some of them with leggings or jeans and cardigans until the warmer weather officially is here to stay. I also pulled out some of my favorite tops and put them in the front and center of my closet so that I could enjoy them and see them. A lot of people on Youtube like to have a closet rack out in public. I do not like this for myself (even though I love the idea) because I have a hard time with clutter. Also, I do not have the space for it in the bedroom. This is my solution. I can see my most beautiful items and can enjoy them. I also placed a nice pair of heels and a book to showcase in my closet. It makes me happy to open my closet now.  

                Next, I tackled my dresser. As a self proclaimed introvert (and Social Anxiety member), I love PJs. They make me feel comfy and safe. I had a TON of PJs. I decided to thoroughly go through them and finally got my items narrowed down to my favorites. Again, I organized my PJs by sets, different types and put my workout clothes in a pile. I also organized my socks and my shirts into sections again.

                In reality, I am not a fan of dressers but I love my dresser. While I do not like clutter, I typically do not care how my clothes are organized in drawers. I changed that on my first day of spring cleaning. I am happy with the progress I have made. My next steps to take include tackling my bathroom and my office. The rest of the areas of my apartment have already been cleaned and de-cluttered recently. Stay tuned for additional posts on how I reorganized these two areas. Finally, I can’t wait to share my post about my “office in an ottoman.” As stated I have recently made myself a fabulous reading nook in my bedroom. I have filled my mini ottoman with necessary essentials. Stay tuned for this post.

                I am surprisingly content with the look of my closet and dresser and anticipate the next stages of my organization process!  How are you spring cleaning? Do you spend more time organizing or deep cleaning? I do a mix of both as needed.