things that have made me happy lately

As I've mentioned before, I'm generally a pessimist. However, I've been trying to have a better outlook on life and it's been working for me! Here's a neat little list of things that have made me happy lately.

• Meeting up with friends. A little bit ago in January I met up with Jess and we did some thrifting and had an amazing dinner at Not Your Average Joe's. That's the delicious veggie spaghetti squash bolognese I had above!
• Vegan breakfast. My coworker and I stopped at Kickshaw's for breakfast a bit ago and I had potato hash, sour cream, cheddar Daiya, egg, and portobello bacon. All vegan and all delicious!
• Preparing listings for eBay. Most folks loathe the whole photo/listing process, but for some reason I find it therapeutic. Who knows why. I love laying out pieces for photos so they can find new homes!
• New beginnings. I won't go into detail, but things have really been looking up for me around here. Smitten kitten.

Hope all is well! ♥

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2017 goals

I'm not generally a New Year resolution type of gal and this post is pretty late, but Jess and I were talking and I thought I'd put together some goals for the year. It never hurts to work toward something, right?

• Try new things. I can get pretty deep into my routines, so I'm hoping to branch out and try doing things I've never done before.
• Build on my reselling business. I had a fairly successful year on eBay and Etsy as a hobby, but I hope to build on that and turn it into a full-time second income. I've started sourcing and have been pretty fruitful thus far! Cataloging and organizing inventory is next.
• Develop a yoga routine. One of the biggest things I miss doing is going to yoga. I didn't have a lot of time to go in 2016, but I definitely want to get back into the habit of going. While this may contradict my "get out of my routine" goal, I think this is a healthy thing to work toward.
• Use my planner. I finally found a weekly planner that I love and I really want to start using it on a regular basis. I need everything all in one place, and it's a pain to input everything into Google Calendar, as the only device I use is my phone, so I don't need the syncing. I'm highly visual, so hopefully keeping it all in one place will help me be more organized.
• Work on my anxiety. I've developed some pretty severe anxiety over the last few years and I've not been making the best choices that have helped me deal with it. I hope to establish some new habits and help manage my anxious thoughts.

What are you planning for the fresh year?

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empties #11

After the TWO empties posts in December, my little empties basket is pretty bare. But here they are!





Clinque Rinse-off Foaming Cleanser // Another nail polish remover-esque cleanser. This one was much more bearable than the previous two, but I wouldn't buy this again.

Aveeno Skin Relief Gentle Scent Body Wash in Nourishing Coconut // This was a mild body wash that was fairly decent, but Aveeno isn't cruelty free, unfortunately, so I won't be getting a full size.

Aquafina Flavorsplash Hydrating Lip Balm in Color Me Kiwi // My first ever finished lip balm! I've had this little tube for forever. It wasn't as hydrating as the name leads you to believe, but it was decent. I'm not even sure if these are made anymore, but I'll stick with my Hurraw balms.

Up & Up Nighttime Sleep Aid // I have a tendency to not be able to fall asleep, so I use over the counter sleep aids sometimes. This is a fairly decent one, but I have more vegan melatonin on the way that I'll probably stick to.

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Polish* // cruelty free // I really liked this little tube of body polish! It was creamy but exfoliating. Unfortunately, I missed a honey ingredient, but I'll definitely be trying others!



Eucrein Skin Calming Daily Moisturizing Creme // This was a cheap coupon purchase forever ago and I'm slowly working my way through tons of lotion. After a few uses this made by skin itch, so it was destined for the empties bin.

The Honest Company Face + Body Lotion // cruelty free & vegan // Meh. This was a run-of-the-mill lotion, nothing spectacular.

The Body Shop Poppy Seed Scrub in Smoked Poppy // cruelty free & vegan // I enjoyed using this scrub and it lasted a long while. I can't seem to find this anywhere, so I think it's been discontinued, unfortunately. I'd definitely buy it again if I saw it!



Soapbox Bar Soap in Lavender // cruelty free & vegan // I'm not usually a bar soap fan, but this stuff is fantastic. I recommend Soapbox to everyone who wants a cruelty free and vegan option that's pretty easily found. I picked this up at Marshall's for only $1.99, so I plan to pick them up every time I see them! This bar is great for evening showers because the lavender is noticeable. It lathers well and doesn't leave my skin dry.

That wraps up another month!

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Toadily Candles & Soaps haul

While out visiting my mother for our Christmas, we stopped in downtown Morristown and I picked up a few things at Toadily Candles & Soap, an adorable little shop with a penny tiled entryway and a giant toad in store!





All of their candles were half off, so I snagged a Toadily Cantaloupe jarred candle. It smells amazing!





I couldn't decide on a full-size bath bomb, so I picked up a couple small samples to try, in Basil, Sage, and Mint and Just Peachy, along with an aromatherapy shower tab in Wake Up and Start the Day.



While at the register I spied their Pure Vegan lip balm and since I'm a total sucker for lip balm, I brought home one of those, too!

If you're in the area or just love bath products, Toadily is cruelty free and lots of products are vegan. Check them out!

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Pacifica cruelty free & vegan stocking stuffers

My mom is brilliant at paying attentions to things I talk, blog, and text about and in turn saving those little tidbits throughout the year. She picked up these two stocking stuffers for me from Pacifica and they're perfect!





I haven't yet tried the body butters Pacifica offers, but the Indian Coconut Nectar is my favorite scent they offer. Of course I can always use makeup wipes, and being cruelty free and vegan don't hurt! I've tried their Super Detox wipes and they worked well, so I'm looking forward to these.

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