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Travel Outfit Essentials + Life Update!

Byblondebossbabe | On March 09,18 | 0 Comment

Pink Carry-on // Leggings // Black Tennis Shoes // LA Cap // Black Zip-up Bag (Expandable!) // Favorite Cardigan // Top

Oh my gosh, y’all, it’s been a minute.

Seriously a hot minute full of these past crazy two 1/2 months of bar prep isolation, but I am finally free (for now) and so hyped to get back into the real world & back in touch with all of you!

For this two-day exam extravaganza, I used my favorite go-to travel essentials = this expandable nylon bag and my pink rolling carry-on. The black longchamp is a bit of an investment, but I cannot recommend it more! I’ve had the same one now for over 5 years – it’s been with me to over 5 countries, and everywhere else in between, yet still looks brand new! If you’re looking for a new travel bag, I definitely recommend checking this one out – as it’s been a lifesaver for when I’ve needed more space to bring back souvenirs, and for when I just don’t repack everything as tightly/well I did before leaving on the trip :).

After finishing up the Bar Exam, I met my sweet friends, Emily & Joy, for dinner & spent the night in Chapel Hill 🙌🏻 (For those of you who are new to the blog, UNC is where I went to undergrad, so any chance I have to stay overnight I happily take). Y’all – these two. There are no words for how much they have blessed my life with their friendship. Through all the good, bad, and beyond ugly, they’ve both been such great sources of steady support, encouragement, and motivation to do better // be better. I am so grateful to even just know them – and 100% of the time am truly intimidated by how crazy smart they are – it’s scary (in a good way).

As it always does, the time with them flew, and now I find myself already back at home with at least five weeks to kill before results come back. It’s a little surreal to say the least. Ideally, I am praying to be done with this part of the “become a state-approved lawyer” process, but it really just depends on some many different elements that are totally out of my hands. Although the statement can sometimes be seen as a cliche, I truly believe that God has a plan (Jeremiah 29:11 !) so, whatever the outcome, His plan is still good. Now, that doesn’t make the possibility of having to retake this exam any less depressing or disappointing, but it does allow me to have peace in knowing that if for some reason I do need to retake it, it’s for a purpose that I know is good and will choose to trust.

ANYWAY, transitioning topics – there’s a TON of new content // changes I’ve been dying to complete, launch, & share with y’all. Not the least of which includes a potential branding overhaul for BBB —> Sharing more on that in the coming weeks (I want y’all to vote on this!). First up though, is (of course) a new DIY project!! Later this week I’ll be sharing an easy TV tray overhaul tutorial <3 Oh – and for those of you who have asked//are interested – I will be sharing a “What/How I Packed for the Bar” post soon as well! If you want tips on staying motivated – check out this post here!

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Adulting, Blog, Fitness, Lifestyle

5 Tips to Make (and Keep!) Your New Year’s Resolutions

Byblondebossbabe | On December 27,17 | 1 Comment

There’s always more than one reason why a new year’s resolution may fail, and it may not even be the result of what you would think or expect. If you’re determined to keep yours this new year, but feeling a little worried as to whether or not you’ll actually be able to, begin using the five easy tips below to transform your motivation & help you meet your new year’s goals!

1. Start Now

When it comes to resolutions, there is seriously no better time than the present to get started on what you want to change. Don’t wait until January 1st, or 5th, or 16th to get started on what you would like to see different this next year. If your resolution is one that quite literally cannot begin until the start of the new year, begin making preparations for it now. If your goal is improved fitness: Clean out your fridge, make your lists, create an organized corner with your go-to equipment and gear, and see #4 to get an accountability partner lined up – whatever you need to do to ensure that when you do start, you are equipped and ready to do so successfully.

2. Frame Your Resolutions with Attainable Goals

It’s great to have a longterm/ideal goal, but without attainable goals incorporated in that process, it’s often just too easy to give up and quit the whole thing. One way to avoid that is by changing how you frame what your ultimate goal actually is. For instance, if your goal is to “lose X weight,” reframe that to be “live a healthier lifestyle.” This automatically allows for a number of smaller goals that are so much easier to attain, like: (1) Exercise for 30 minutes a day; (2) Drink X amount of water; or even (3) Get into a better sleep schedule by going to bed by 10pm every night. Personally, if I have a fitness goal, I love to stick numbered post-it notes on a mirror. For each day I follow through with the plan, I get to remove one post-it. This is a visual reminder of the changes I’m making, which helps so much when the physical changes haven’t started to show yet. Plus, it’s a much healthier mindset since it allows you to be proud of your progress instead of so focused on the end result that you feel overwhelmed and disappointed when the number isn’t yet reaching what you want.

3. Create Rewards for Yourself

This tip pairs with #2 to support your motivation to keep your resolutions. Continuing with the example used in #2: Did you drink X number of water consistently 5 of 7 days this week? Great! Go get your nails done to celebrate, pick up some flowers from your local grocery store (my favorite reward!), or put on that movie you love to watch but haven’t seen in a while. Incorporate these rewards into your calendar so you know exactly when, and exactly what you have to look forward to when you meet certain goals.

4. Get an Accountability Partner ASAP

Whatever your resolutions for the new year may be, it can never hurt to have someone in your corner cheering you on throughout the process – reminding you why you started, especially when you lose motivation and feel like throwing in the towel. This person can be anyone from your spouse (for me, J is a great source of steady accountability), co-worker, or close friend. Whoever he or she may be, make sure you clearly communicate your personal goals, include how you are planning on reaching them, and what exactly you want that person to do/tell you when you are doing well, and when you aren’t doing so great. Everyone communicates differently, so what may feel supportive to them may not be as helpful for you – so it may be best to go over this at the start rather than after hurt feelings or miscommunications have occurred.

5. Write out Daily Reminders

Never forget that you are in control of whether or not you meet these goals. If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, write out what is in your control, and what is not. For everything that is in your control, write a single sentence of how you know you can and will handle it. For everything that is not, draw a single line through to remind yourself that your focus needs to be on what you can control rather than what you cannot. Then, at the bottom of the page, write 3 things that you are proud of or that bring you joy. It’s okay if these positive reminders repeat from the day before – what matters most is that you choose to believe and apply them.

Whether it’s fitness or something else, any resolution is going to take time to become a consistent part of your life, so go after it and enjoy the process. This time next year, you’ll be so glad you did.

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Blog, Seasonal Decor, The Home, Updates

Wreath & Ornament Christmas Centerpiece

Byblondebossbabe | On December 02,17 | 0 Comment

Happy December, y’all! The fact that it is now December, and almost 2018 is seriously blowing my mind, and I feel like I should already be thinking of new year goals but honestly I’m just trying to survive this last month of 2017! I wanted to share our quick and simple wreath and ornament Christmas centerpiece for similar reasons to the Easy Glam Halloween Centerpiece post – the winter holidays can often feel like an insane season of playing catchup to everyone else! Time seems to go by so much more quickly, and a lot of that is ideally due to super fun reasons, like holiday parties and time with friends/family, but some of it is also usually due to the fact that the sun sets at 5:30 pm (AKA the worst thing about Winter, ever).

If you’re a regular follower of Blonde Boss Babe, here are a couple quick updates that you might (hopefully) find interesting and/or like to know:

Blonde Boss Babe has been officially accepted to rewardStyle – meaning you can now shop all the linked Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest images & more to browse/purchase the items in my posts directly. Y’all, this is the MOST convenient thing on the planet. If you don’t have the Liketoknow.it app already, I strongly recommend downloading it – even if you don’t necessarily prefer what I personally post, there are so many amazing bloggers you can follow through the app. For instance, Morgan with Timeless Taste, has amazing home decor posts, fashion, recipes, and more for you to enjoy and browse through – I love her blog, and her instagram feed is just gorgeous – so you’ll definitely be glad you downloaded the Liketoknowit.app to peruse all of her linked beauties.
I AM FINALLY GRADUATING LAW SCHOOL. Holla Praize, y’all. The *~SuPeR~* blessed day will be taking place December 16th and I can’t wait! Immediately after, I will begin bar exam preparation. This is a 2 month process of extremely fun isolation aka studying for the February NC Bar exam. What this means for the blog: Ironically, it means more consistent posts – I have a lot of content that has been prescheduled for this two-month period, which is actually the reason why the past couple of months have been a little bit (actually a lot) less abundant in posts. So unfortunately, what this also means is that my response time will be significantly slower for emails, comments, and the like. I definitely still encourage you to send any questions you may have about any item shared or any DIY post, but please allow me some grace in the amount of time I may take in responding 🙂

Thank you all for reading and supporting this passion of mine on this little corner of the Internet. I am so amazed by all the ways this tiny blog has grown in its first year of existence, and so unbelievably grateful for all you, without whom such growth would not have even had a chance. Looking forward to stepping into this next season with you all <3

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Blog, Recipes

Oreo Pumpkin Spice Balls Recipe

Byblondebossbabe | On October 17,17 | 0 Comment

As many of y’all know, I am not the most confident when it comes to my *sKiLls* in the kitchen. A lot of this has to do with my current status as a very time-limited law student, but honestly a lot more of it has to do with the fact that I would rather not face the inevitable post-meal cleanup if I can avoid it (honesty is the best policy, right?). In light of this, it may be surprising that I actually follow quite a few food blogs. After one of these blogs posted a video using a food processor to crunch up Oreo’s, I ordered this one thinking to myself that I would instantly begin using it and become a fabulous cook with tons of killer recipes. Welp if you follow my Instagram & keep up with the stories I post, you already know that this food processor sat in its box for the last 6 months – so long in fact that I actually forgot where it was and spent half the afternoon trying to locate it before testing out this recipe. Whoops.

Now that I have finally used it and have seen how quick & efficient it is, I am seriously obsessed and can’t believe I waited this long. If you have any favorite recipes involving a food processor – general, dessert, breakfast, whatever – that you love, please feel free to share in the comments below this post, I would love to try them!

Back to the Oreo pumpkin spice balls; I created this recipe on a whim and so pumped with how it turned out especially since it only uses 5 ingredients – 2 of which are completely optional based on your preference! I’ve included the ingredients/tools and step-by-step instructions in this post. Happy baking!

The ingredients for this recipe are:

Libby’s Canned Pumpkin (x1)

Box of Yellow Cake Mix (x1)

Super-stuffed Oreos (~15-20, processed with icing)

Pumpkin Spice Blend (optional – adds extra flavor)

White Chocolate Morsels (Don’t make the mistake I made by using these, instead use white chocolate bark – much easier to heat up!)

The kitchen tools I use for this recipe are:

KitchenAid Mixer

Mini Food Processor

Double-boiler

Mini-Cupcake Maker (also featured in this quiche recipe)

Glass Mixing Bowl

Hand Mixer

Baking Paper Sheets

Instructions:

Step 1: In your mixer, combine the cake mix, canned pumpkin, and a generous amount of pumpkin spice. Mix until fully blended using the lowest speed setting. **ONLY use the powder from the cake mix, do not add any other ingredients from the yellow cake recipe on the box.

Step 2: Pour 1/4 cup increments of batter into the mini-cupcake maker, and bake for ten minutes.

Step 3: While the batter is baking, place Oreo’s (with their creme fillings attached) into the food processor and blend. Dump contents into glass mixing bowl.

Step 4: Remove baked cupcakes/muffins/batter from cupcake maker, and place in food processor. Process, then add to the ground up oreos in the glass mixing bowl. Blend together.

Step 5: Begin rolling the mix into half-dollar-sized balls, place on wax baking sheet.

Step 6: Melt white chocolate bark on stove using double-boiler. Using a tablespoon, pour the melted chocolate over each of the balls on the wax baking sheet. Allow to cool. (For faster cooling, place baking sheet in fridge for ~6-10 minutes.

VOILA! Easy and delicious Oreo Pumpkin Spice Balls for Fall! BONUS STEP: Grab cute straws like these – cut one end at angle, insert into oreo spice ball then cover with melted white chocolate and you have an oreo pumpkin spice cake pop!

Kitchen Supplies Featured in This Recipe:

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