Best of October

| Book | 
I just finished reading Dead Wake and it was very good. It took me pretty much the whole month to read it, but that was because it was so busy with school. It was about the sinking of the Lusitania so if you like history books I would totally recommend it. 
  | Boots | 
I got these boots from DSW and I am in love. The structure is great and I love the little buckle on the side. My only complaint is that they are so dark that they look a little werid against black leggings. I know I will be wearing these boots a bunch this year. See an outfit with them here. 

| Scarf | 
I love plaid scarves. They are so perfect for fall. You can just add them to any outfit. These Old Navy scarves are suprisingly soft and really big. They take the term blanket scarf to a whole new level. See an outfit with it here!

| Hat | 
When I got this hat I knew it would be perfect for fall. The red color reminds me so much of the leaves that this is the only hat I have been wearing. I wore it every weekend to the farmer's market. These hats in general are a little more structured that than the other ones, but I really like how it looks. 

| Socks | 
The entire summer I was looking forward to wearing my ragg socks again. I don't know why I love them so much, but boy I do. Now that the weather is cooling down I wear them almost everyday no matter what shoe I am wearing. They are just so comfy and soft that this is the only kind so sock I like to wear. (other than christmas socks)

| Cliff Bar |
I decided to try this Cliff Bar on a whim. It takes the claim of "spiced" very seriously. The bar doesn't have a strong pumpkin taste but it is a fun alternative to other bars for the fall. 

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

This week wasn't anything special. Saturday was about the only good day of the week. There isn't anything wrong with the rest of the week, but it just wasn't anything great. The only eventful part was the fact that I had two college interviews. One was kind of awkward, but the other one was so great. It went on for almost three hours! Here is the rest of my week:

|1|

This weekend's farmers market was the last one of the year. I really love the farmer's market so I am going to miss it. It was always a time where my mom and I could just spend sometime together. I also loved trying new foods and just people watching. I am already excited for it to start next summer!

|2|

This weekend we raked the leaves in my yard. Somehow it seems that our trees got so much bigger this year. Raking leaves has always been one of my favorite things, so it was a great way to avoid writing college essays. I also chose this pictures because my dog looks so weird but it also shows the size of our huge pile. 

|3|

Finally I got my senior pictures! I love them. I feel like I have been waiting forever to get them. I will have a post up next week of the pictures that I bought. Senior pictures were one the things I was most looking forward to about this year. I am really pleased with how everything worked out!

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Maddie

Agenda Organization

I have finally figured out exactly how I am going to organize my agenda this year. It might of taken about 2 months but I am really happy with it. I typically start each year by planning out what colors to make different things. I use several different colors so it is easier for me to tell what is what. Here is what each of the colors mean:

Orange: Out of School Activities

Purple: School Activities

LIght Green Special School Days

Pink: Sports

Dark Green; No Homework

Light Purple; Homework

Blue: Tests

Magenta: To Do List

This is my monthly view. For the months I try to add in any sports I have to do (none in October), volunteering, and anything else that could be deemed important. I like to use this to make sure I don't plan too many things around the same time.

My weekly view is where I put all of my homework. I make sure to add everything I need to do. I love the different colors because it so really easy to tell if I need to study for a test or if I have homework. Since I have started this system of color coding, I haven't missed any assignments or forgotten about tests.

That is an overview of how I organize my agenda. I know all of the colors can seem to be a little much, but it has helped me so much. I would totally recommend coming up with a system of your own to keep your agenda in order. 

Let me know if you any questions!

xoxo,

Maddie

Layered Up for Fall

| Scarf | Vest | Shirt | Leggings | Socks | Boots |

     I finally got a pair of LL Bean Boots this year! I had been wanting a pair for a while. I was never sure about getting a pair of boots so expensive, especially when I already had the Sperry version. I definitely made the right choice. For being a winter boot, they are super comfortable and I know I will wear them a ton when it snows. 

     BTW, this scarf is my all time favorite. Coming from a place where winter lasts for at least 5 months, I have a lot of scarfs, but this is by far the best. I wear it so often that I that I have to make to skip a week or two in the winter so I don't wear it to school every week. When unfolded, it is longer than I am tall, it is so soft, and best of all it is plaid. Old Navy came out with a bunch of new colors this year and I know I will have to get myself at least one new one.

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

This past week was pretty typical, ie a ton of school stuff. The most exciting thing that happened was I had an interview for one of the colleges I applied to. I was pretty nervous about it, but it was totally fine. In the next couple of weeks I have a bunch of college related things going on. With that, here is my week!



|1|

I got a pair of bean boots for this year and I love them! They are surprisingly comfortable. I also have the Sperry version of these and I have to say that I like the LL Bean boots better. I love how these lace up unlike the Sperry ones. I would totally recommend you get a pair if you don't have one already, but get them quick before they are back ordered!

|2|

I feel like all I am doing these days is writing college essays. By deciding to apply to 10 colleges I really did this to myself, but that doesn't stop me from complaining about how much work it is. Most of my weekends involve sitting at a computer trying to write a stellar essay. The hardest part about writing these essays is knowing that I am going to have to wait until April to find out where I get in. Wish me luck!

|3|

Did you check out Tuesday's post on the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes? If not you better! These pancakes were the highlight of my weekend. I want to have them again so badly. They were the epitome of fall and the perfect way to start any day!

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Maddie 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes

 Pumpkin is not always my favorite food, but boy, do I love pumpkin baked goods with chocolate. My mom (check out her blog) decided this weekend to try these pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes that she had found while reading cooking blogs. Let me tell you, these are amazing! These pancakes were delicious because it wasn't overwhelmingly pumpkin and the chocolate chips add a sweetness to them. The only thing I would change about the recipe would be to add a little more chocolate chips, but other than that these were perfect. Now if only I could have these every weekend.

This recipe comes from Half Baked Harvest. I would recommend you check out Tieghan's blog. Her pictures looking amazing and the food she makes is to die for.

Ingredients:2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
4 tablespoons browned butter or melted butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
      In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, butter, maple syrup and vanilla. If your pumpkin puree is thick and not mixing well, just blend the all the wet ingredients together in a blender.

     Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix the batter until just combined. It's OK if there are lumps in the batter. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover the batter and set aside for 10 minutes.

      Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add butter, or spray with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup pancake batter on the center of the hot pan and gently spread the batter to form a circle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Using a spatula, gently flip the pancake over and cook the other side for a minute, or until golden. Repeat with the remaining batter

(I love to add maple syrup to everything, and it was great on these pancakes)

What a perfect way to start a fall morning!

xoxo,

Maddie

Boots & Scarves

| Dress (Similar ) | Sweater(similar)  Scarf | Boots |

Fall is for layers.There is no other time of year that is better for throwing on a couple layers and still being able to wear your outfit without a coat. This is one of the first years that I have owned causal dresses like this, so I am really liking being able to wear them with a sweater and look cute for school. It has been particularly chilly this past week so adding a scarf has been a must for every outfit. I have two interviews for college this week and I think I am going to wear this outfit. They are at a coffee shop so I this would be a perfect look. 

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

It is finally starting to feel like fall and I am loving it. I keep trying to make sure I can enjoy it, but it can get a little hard with all of the things I need to do... mainly apply to college. Realistically that is how I spend most of my time, but at least I can enjoy the view while I do it. Here is the rest of my week:

|1|

Like I said earlier, it is so beautiful outside.  The trees are all changing colors right now. Everyday they look different. In my opinion, Wisconsin is the best in the fall. Between the football, apple picking, the changing colors, the crisp air- Wisconsin is great right now. The only thing I don't like about fall is that it means winter will be coming soon. 

|2|

I love this Southern Proper Pullover. Like I said in the blog post (here) it has been raining a lot this fall so I have been able to use it all of the time. It is so easy to throw on with a pair of leggings or jeans. My only complaint is that i got it in springy colors, I wish I had one that was maroon and white or something like that. 

|3|

 Fall food is the best food, there is no way you can argue about that. I had my first apple fritter this year and I can't believe I waited so long to try one. It was amazing! I also had a pumpkin chocolate chip bagel from a local bagel shop and boy was it good. I am not a huge pumpkin fan, but I do love it in baked goods. I wish I could eat fall food all year. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

Daily Makeup Routine

I love reading about how other people do their hair and makeup. It gives me some inspiration to try new things. This year I have started wearing a little more makeup on a daily basis and I have been really loving how it turns out. It is normally very light because I like it when I wear makeup but it's not completely obvious. This is how I do my makeup on a school day since I don't wear anything on the weekends.

BB Cream

I have been using this Maybelline BB Cream for about four years now. It is the first thing of makeup I put on after I wash my face. I use it to cover up red spot and the bags underneath my eyes. Just the BB Cream alone doesn't up it up a lot, but added with the foundation it does a great job.

Powder Foundation

This foundation was in my Best of September post. Read it here. I have been using the Trish McEvoy foundation everyday. I goes on really lightly so it is easy to build to the level I want. I have always used this brush from The Body Shop. It is really soft and does a great job that I would recommend it to everyone.

Blush

The Trish McEvoy blush is to die for.  It goes on smoothly and lightly. I am never at risk of looking like a clown with really bright pink cheeks. I add this to my cheeks to add a change in color after I have put on the foundation, 

Eye Shadow

For eye shadow I first use the Naked Basics Palette. To start I put Venus all over my lid, near my eye brows and around the inner eye. Then I add Naked 2  to the lid. Finally I use Trish MaEvoy in Tawny which I put in my crease and around the outer corner of my eye. I have been doing my eye shadow like this for quite a while and I still really love it. 

Mascara

I recently got the Loreal Voluminous Orgianal Mascara and I really like it. The main reason I don't love it is that if I forget to take it off before I workout, It runs all over the place. If you ignore that, it makes for a rather thick eye lash and looks really great. 

Lip Balm

I just end my makeup with a little Burt's Bees Lip Balm. I normally use the vanilla flavor because it smells so good, and it goes on clear unlike some other ones.I add this since my lips are always super chapped and then I have another one in my backpack that I reapply throughout the day. 

That's my daily makeup routine!

xoxo,

Maddie

Outfit: Rainy Days

| Rain Pullover | Leggings | Rain boots |

        It has been raining so much this fall. It feels like everyday always has a chance of rain.I have been finding myself pulling out this rain pullover a couple times every week. I like to throw it in my car when it might rain because the front pocket actually folds into itself to become a pouch. I also have been wearing my Hunters quite a bit. I like to keep them near the garage so I can quickly throw them on when it's raining. I know I will find myself wearing this all throughout this fall.

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

This week definitely had some highs and lows. Overall it was a pretty good week, but since I had a calc test I can't classify it as great. This was my first Calc test so it was pretty stressful. I have no idea how I did, but fingers crossed that I did okay. Here was the good parts of the week:

|1|

APPLE CIDER. This is my all time favorite drink and I am so happy that it is finally fall so I can drink apple cider everyday. My brother and I even had a full conversation about why apple cider is the superior drink to all other warm beverages. I won't bore you with the details, but needless to say, this was the best part of the whole week!

|2|

It seems that all of my favorite magazines/catalogs came this week. I love getting mail, shopping and I love magazines so when they come in the mail it's the best of both worlds. Getting Southern Living is normally the best part of each month, and combining that with Vineyard Vines and LL Bean.. that makes for a great mail day. 

|3|

I have been having to go to school early for a leadership group each week and overnight oatmeal has been a lifesaver. It is the easiest thing to make the night before, and in the morning you can just grab it and eat it in class. I like to add brown sugar, cinnamon, granola, and cranberries to mine, but what is great is that you can make any flavor that you can think of. 10/10 would recommend, 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

A (School) Day in My Life

       A day in the life posts are my favorite to read so I decided to share what I do now that tennis is over. I wake up about 45 minutes before I leave for school since that is the most important part of my day. However my morning goes normally sets the tone for the rest of the day. In the afternoon if I don't have a lot of homework I normally blog, read or workout. This sums up how almost everyday goes for me so I hope you enjoy!

xoxo,

Maddie

What I Learned From My Half Marathon

A couple of weeks ago I finally ran my first half marathon. Running it was so much fun and I had such a rewarding feeling when I crossed the finish line. As much fun as I had training for it, I also learned a lot about myself and about motivation. Some of what I learned can sound a little weird at first, but all of this is what helped me accomplish my biggest goal of this year.

| Find a strong support group | 
This was huge for me. My support group was primarily my parents and a couple of girls that I ran cross country with. There were several times where I was questioning my ability, but each time these people came through and convinced me that I can do it. The ability to rely on my family and friends greatly helped me through the toughest times in training. 

| Push Yourself | 
The whole idea of this half marathon was for me to push myself. I am always one to have a goal. I would tell anyone to push yourself to get your goals. Victory tastes so much sweeter when you've worked so hard for it. 

| It is okay to take a break | 
About two months into training I got shin splints that were bad enough that I was almost in tears when I ran. My parents stressed that it is okay to not be running all of the time. I knew they were right so I ended up taking a week off, running again and finding out my shins were still in rough shape. I took another week off, but it was so hard because I was afraid that I wouldn't finish. Fast forward to the race and I was able to run the whole thing. Even though taking a break from things might seem like a bad idea, if what you are doing is painful or stressful it is totally okay to take that break. Everything will end up okay.

| Don't be afraid of failing | 
When I started training my I had a goal of running the half in under 2 hours. Once I got hurt I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to run at all, let alone reach my goal. I knew that I didn't want to stop training so I kept it up, but came to the realization that I wouldn't make my goal. I ended up being about 7 minutes short of my goal, but in the end I did everything I could and surprised myself with how well I ran. Even though I "failed" at accomplishing my initial goal, I am still so proud of the fact that I did my absolute best and never gave up. 

| A good song can change anything | 
I never really knew how true this was until this summer. When running, the song you listen to matter with regards to your pace and energy. Once I found a couple of great songs to listen to when I ran, I found that I was doing substantially better. Even more importantly than my running pace, I found that my attitude improved greatly as well. I found myself loving to run and always in a better mood when I finished. The music changed the whole way I looked at my run. 

xoxo,

Maddie