Monday, December 10, 2012

Tis the season…

…to be stressed out. With only two full weeks left before christmas, and for most of us a week of finals before then, some of us may be feeling quite stressed. I know I am certainly feeling the strain of the season. And it is perfectly normal, I mean we have to find presents for all of our loved ones, find the money to buy said presents, go out into the cold, find ugly sweaters to wear, bake an unnecessary amount, go to holiday parties (which means interacting with people, which is a completely different level of stress), we gain weight from relentless party going and so must also find ways to get some exercise and find our stretchy pants, then for those of us still in school we have to cram in all that makeup homework we did not want to do earlier, study, study, and study, and then finally attempt to ace our finals. I would say that we all deserve a break (which is coming soon, just hold on!). But I am here to tell you that you do not need to wait two weeks to take that well deserved break. You can do it right now. Of course, you cannot take a full blown vacation break where you sleep for three days straight and then jump on a plane for Hawaii. I mean, a short mini respite right now.  I would like to share with all of you my great stress relieving tips.

Paint your nails. I often find that while studying for a test, my mind gets so befuddled and confused that I just cannot focus any more. So, I paint my nails. This allows you to focus on one thing for a couple of minutes and takes your mind off of the test. My dad also says that you inhale toxic fumes, which I bet help clear your mind too, just maybe not in a good way—so make sure to open up a window while doing so. By painting your nails you are doing something for yourself and it makes you feel pretty, and feeling pretty will make you fell happy (unless you don't like beautiful things) and therefore you will be able to return to your studying in a joyful manner.




Bake Something Yummy and easy. During this fine time of year, I often come home from school and before throwing myself into homework, I will do a small baking project. This gives me a nice break between school and more school (just at home…) and also really gets me into the holiday spirit. I then get excited about the holidays and all that they entail and so I am more motivated to power through. But I don't do anything too complicated because that just stresses me out more (like candy, don't make candy when distracted or stressed). Here is the recipe to my amazing short bread cookies.

1 c. butter (1/2 lb)
2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a little bit of water

mix until very smooth. Then roll out and cut into pretty shapes (like christmas trees, bells, or hearts).  Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 325°F for about 5-7 minutes, or until they are slightly golden. Then eat 1 or 2 (or 5, it is the holidays, enjoy yourself!) and then pack them up and take them to your friends at school or work tomorrow.

Exercise for 20-30 minutes "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't. " Well maybe you weren't going to kill anyone, but exercising will make you happy and put you in a better mood to attack the pile of work you have to do. Also, it gives you a chance to work off some of those short bread cookies. Here is what I like to do in between homework sets:

1 minute jumping jacks
1 minute high knees
5 minute abs (1 minute each of: crunches, side crunches, straight leg crunches, obliques, and roll ups)
5 minute butt (1 minute each of: donkey kicks left, donkey kicks right, hip bridge, leg extensions, froggy flute lifts)
5 minutes arms (30 seconds each arm of: bicep curls, trice extension, overhead press and 1 minute of: trice dips and half push-ups)
1 minute jumping jacks
1 minute mountain climbers
1 minute or more stretching

Plan out your outfit for tomorrow I don't know about you, but clothes always calm me down. I take 15 minutes every night to plan out what I will wear the next day. It gives you a chance to take a break from stress and feel very put together (which always helps in these busy times). Then, tomorrow, you will look put together even though you might have just rolled out of bed! Here are some of my favorite winter time outfits and clothing pieces (stolen from Pinterest because I haven't had time to take my own pictures recently):
sorrels are amazing. I practically wore this today, too bad it won't snow




I really want this for holiday parties…
I hope you take my advice and take a little break from stress and take care of yourself. Just remember, this is supposed to be a time of joy and peace, not a time of stress and freak outs.

Go forth my young grass hoppers
Mae

Here is a quote from my favorite christmas book to remind you what christmas time is about:

“There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. 'Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Anna Karenina

Last night I was granted the opportunity to see a special preview screening of the new movie of Anna Karenina (directed by Joe Wright). For those of you who do not know, Anna Karenina is a book written by Leo Tolstoy that takes place in Imperial Russia in 1874. I have got to say, it was probably the most amazing movie I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of movies. This is not because the acting was particularly outstanding, or the plot incredibly original, but because of the beauty of the film. The set was absolutely amazing, it looked as if the entire movie was set inside a theatre house and every room was a different part of Russia. Being the nerdy child I am, I of course explicated every aspect of the movie, and to me this represented the idea of "life is but a stage". The way that the actors moved was absolutely incredible. Everything was made to look like a choreographed dance--just beautiful. And then, of course, the costumes. Designed by Jacqueline Durran--who also did Pride & Prejudice and Atonement (obviously she has a connection with Keira Knightly)--everything was absolutely exquisite. I don't even know how to explain the beauty of those clothes. I just wanted to jump right into the movie and wear those ball gowns, fur coats, beautiful hats, and even the nightgowns! Because my words cannot even begin to adequately describe the beauty of it all, I have provided you with pictures from the move, mostly of Keira Knightly. Just until you can go see the movie (which comes out on November 16th), which I highly recommend to all of you!








Now, have a nice day and week. Then on Friday go see this movie, Anna Karenina
(I should get paid for writing this review)

xoxo
Mae

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Hey Gorgeous.

"You look gorgeous". This three word sentence just brightened up my entire day. I have been having a really dreadful week. I have been sick, grumpy, stressed, and sad. But this afternoon while sitting in my favorite coffee shop/deli place The Market (if you live in/around Denver it is on Larimer St. and is absolutely amazing! You should go there) one of the baristas, Allan, walked by me and said, "you look gorgeous". It was like a dark cloud that had enveloped me just dissipated. My entire countenance brightened. I am no longer grumpy and sad, well not very, and I actually feel like I can get through the rest of this week. And that is what I call the power of words. More importantly, the power of kind words--of compliments.
I would like to now share my views on the power of compliments. First shall we understand what a compliment is?


com·pli·ment

  [n. kom-pluh-muhnt; v. kom-pluh-ment] 
noun
1.
an expression of praise, commendation, or admiration: Asincere compliment boosts one's morale.
2.
a formal act or expression of civility, respect, or regard:The mayor paid him the compliment of escorting him.
3.
compliments, a courteous greeting; good wishes; regards:He sends you his compliments.
4.
Archaic a gift; present.


There are two types of compliments I would like us to understand:


  1. Verbal compliments (see definition 1 above). This is like saying to someone "I love your shoes" or "you are beautiful" or, if there is nothing exceptional about their looks, "You are so nice,  I love you."  Or if their cooking is great something like “It's been many years since I had such an exemplary vegetable.” (Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice)
  2. Non Verbal Compliments (definition 2 above). This is just the act of doing something nice in recognition of another. This could be smiling at someone, opening a door, pulling out a chair, or, if you happen to be at a ball and are a male, it could be asking the only girl sitting out to dance, (or if you want an actually feasible example, asking someone to join in your group who you would not normally talk to). These are important because it says to the other person, and the world, that you actually care about others and not just yourself. You may not actually be saying anything nice about the other person, but just the fact that you took time to acknowledge them says something.






Now, why do I think compliments are important? Well that is easy. They are good. What? I mean, there is nothing bad about giving a compliment (unless it is sarcastically given, then it is bad). With just a simple word or a smile you can make another person's day change completely, and for the better. You have no idea what other people are feeling, unless of course you can read minds in which case please share you power with me, so why not pretend everyone is really sad and try to cheer them all up. If they are actually sad, you paying them a compliment may make their day 500% better, and if they are already happy it will just make them even happier because there is not limit to the amount of happy your body can hold (scientific fact). Not only will you brighten up the world around you, but there is in fact a selfish gain too! You may not think it, but by making others happy you too will get happy. If you are in a bad mood, and you make the attempt to smile at everyone you walk by, your mood will get better. If you don't believe me, try it. So isn't this just like a win win situation? It's kind of like drugs. Except good for you and everyone gets happy instead of kills brain cells.



And a side note. On accepting compliments. Never ever ever should you disagree with a compliment. For example, some says to you "you look beautiful today", never ever ever do you reply with "no i don't." THAT IS JUST WRONG! BAD! Even if you don't actually look very good, always reply with "thank you" and then maybe return with a compliment. There does exist one exception. If you are very witty and come up with a very funny reply, you may say that in lieu of "thank you" but only if it is VERY funny and if you know the person.

Also, don't fish for compliments. People will know what you are doing and it just annoys them.


Alright, now I have a challenge. I challenge you, all of you, to give at least 20 compliments to 20 different people a day for the next week. See how much it changes your attitude and watch how much it can cheer up others around you. I see too many scowling faces on the streets now a days. No one smiles anymore, I mean seriously I know the times are hard right now, but is it really affecting your face muscles that much? Just smile for heavens sake!!
My sister and I took this challenge about 2 years ago and now I give countless compliments every day without even noticing it.

Good luck. 
And remember, You are beautiful, and kind, and smart, and are an excellent cook (pick one of these compliments to be you.)
Mae

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Its All About the Wrapping.

Have you ever gone down the stairs on Christmas or on your birthday (or any other day with presents involved) and seen that one present that is so beautifully wrapped that you don't even care what is inside, you just want to stare at it? You feel as if it must be the most fabulous gift in the world because why else would someone put that much effort in making it look so fantastic. If you don't know what feeling I am talking about, I suggest you have a chat with your parents and ask them why you didn't have a fulfilled childhood. Well, for those of that do know what I am talking about, this is what I think: you, and I and everyone, are like a present. We are all gifts. But do you want to be a crappily wrapped in 5 seconds present? No! No you do not. You want to be the present that is so incredibly wrapped that you shine above the rest.
What I mean, is that I believe we should all dress in a way that people want to look at and pay attention to us (and when I say "look at" I do not mean goggle at, but in a good way). Here is my example and maybe it will make more sense. We all know that in giving a presentation (notice the word present is in that word?) we are often required, or choose, to dress up--at least at school. but why? It is because the people we are presenting in front of may or may not actually pay attention to a single thing we say, but if we are dressed nicely they are more likely to look at us, and if they are looking they will maybe pay attention and if they pay attention there is a chance they may actually retain something you say! And isn't that the whole reason behind presenting?
Just like the presents under the tree, if you dressed in a way that stands out from the rest, people will see you first and pay attention to you the most--generally speaking.

Today I had a presentation in my Theory of Knowledge class (a very ummm.... interesting class) and this is what I wore.
Green Dress borrowed from my friend, I don't actually know where it is from.
Black pumps by Paprika from Bunny's Shoes in Santa Cruz


My new classes, from Coach, yes they are in fact real (I am practically blind)
I think that when it comes to being a good present and having beautiful wrapping it all depends on the day (just like Christmas versus Birthday, you don't use the same all the time, unless of course your birthday is on Christmas). Since today was a presentation day I went for the professional look. So, I stuck to two colors, black and green. I suggest always doing a neutral and one accent color when trying to look professional. Of course I wore panty hose, because that is just classy--I mean Kate Middleton does it! so should everyone else. I would not wear this on a normal day, but I think for being a presentor I at least attempted to captivate my audience's attention by wrapping my self in a presentable way. 
Try it
Give it a go
see if people pay attention or look at you more if you just dress a little more like a present.

If this made any sense to you, I am so proud. You successfully have decoded the strangeness of how my mind works. Congratulations! I am still trying to work it out.


I love you all, even though I probably don't actually know you and if I do well then...
Bye
Mae

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Staying on neutral grounds

The past few weeks have been crazy in my life. There is just so much to do and so little time. Wouldn't it be great if we just had like 2 more hours in a day? Well, any way, because I have been o incredibly stressed, I have been trying to find things to keep me steady. To neutralize me. To me this is doing yoga, running, and baking. And of course thinking about clothes. So today, I extended this and wore an outfit of neutrality.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Almost fall

Today was a fabulous day! Simply marvelous! It rained. It rained and it rained and it rained. I love the rain, immensely. I actually woke up at 4:30, yes in the morning, because I heard the rain and was too excited to go back asleep so I read some Jane Austen while curled up under my covers. After that, how could you have a bad day? I also started an internship with a local fashion designer (yes Denver does have some kind of fashion industry)
But most importantly my new sorels came. To those of you who are uneducated in the world of boot fashion, sorels are amazing snow boots that now a days are actually quite cute this means that fall is just around the corner so welcome ye pumpkin lattes and squash soup and comfy sweaters! I am now going to drink more tea and eat a ginger snap and maybe do some homework, which won't even be bad because today is just so wonderful!

If you like my sorels and wish to get some of your own go to this website
http://www.sorel.com/

And remember to follow me on pinterest!
And i Iove you
All of you

Monday, September 10, 2012

Surround yourself with beauty

I am a big believer in the power of aesthetic appeal. In other words, I believe in beauty. Now, what does this mean? Of course I believe in beauty, you can't really not believe in beauty. But what I mean is that I believe that it is important to surround yourself with beautiful things. I heard once that if you are working on tax forms, or in my case homework, and just don't want to, the activity can become increasingly easier and more approachable if you put on a skirt and place a flower on your desk. I try to live like this. I find it is much easier to get through a hard day, which happen more often than not, if your place of occupation--either a room, office, desk, cubicle, cardboard box, whatever--is decorated in a way that you find beautiful. To me this means covered with roses, vintage gloves, teacups, Jane Austen post cards, and lace, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you decide what you find beautiful.

I have given you some examples from my room, the place where I spend most of my time. Just remember, this is bout you, whatever makes you feel most comfortable and from there you can move onto feeling beautiful and acting beautifully your self.

If you like my style follow me on pinterest! http://pinterest.com/mmcneil21/




Xoxo
Mae

Friday, August 31, 2012

Now girls, lets get serious

Dear Girls of the world,
I would like to take a break and take a look at myself from an omniscient, or third person, point of view. I would like to look at myself, not as I see myself, but as the world sees me. Now, this may sound much more serious than my normal, but well, I am sick and am therefore in a very serious mood. I, just like 62% percent of teenage girls, often have a very low self-esteem. Although I try to hide this fact, it is something I cannot deny, and I have spent most of the last few years dealing with how to get the body that I want, comparing myself to my size 0 to 4 friends, and being unhappy when I don't fit in a pair of jeans. I don't think I have ever sunk myself into so deep a hole as an eating disorder, but I know many girls who have, and I think it is a great danger that in our society we all face. What I think we all need to do is take a step back, and instead of glaring at ourselves in a mirror, look at our selves in a completely accepting attitude. I think that it is extremely important for us all to love ourselves the way that we are meant to be. In order for us to truly love others, we must first accept ourselves. So, if you are constantly punishing yourself for each bite of bread you have, or go on a diet after each step on the scale, you are never going to be able to truly reach out to others and have loving, meaningful relationships. And if we can never really connect with others, we will never be happy. So, lets all get a little self esteem booster!
So here ya ga:

  • Today, the average American woman is 5’4″, has a waist size of 34-35 inches and weighs between 140-150 lbs, with a dress size of 12-14.
  • Marilyn Monroe: According to measurements from Marilyn Monroe's dressmaker:
    • Height: 5 feet, 5½ inches
    • Weight: 118-140 pounds
    • Bust: 35-37 inches
    • Waist: 22-23 inches
    • Bra size: 36D
    • Hips: 35-36 inches
  • Jennifer lawrence (one of my new favorite people) on preparing for her role in X-Men said, "I knew that if I was going to be naked in front of the world, I wanted to look like a woman and not a prepubescent 13-year-old boy…I’m so sick of people thinking that’s what we’re supposed to look like.”
  • No matter what size you are, a 0 or a 16, it is more important that your are happy with the body you have, are confident, and dress to your best (I will talk more about that later)
Take a look at these girls, they are a range of different size, are all healthy (to the extent of my knowledge) and I believe are quite beautiful 
Marilyn Monroe, my personal body role model

Penelope Cruz! first, i want this swim suit. second, I love her body

Scarlet Johansson 

Twiggy! this is of course, the other end of the spectrum,
but i didn't want to leave out the fact that even littler girls may have self esteem problems

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer again, I just love her so much

Christina Hendericks from Mad Men

I live by this quote
GOOD.

REALITY CHECK

Aphrodite is considered an ageless beauty, and look! she has somethin on those bones!

Now, I want to challenge us all to write something out like this (following) and paste it up on our mirrors:

I, __________, love myself the way I am. I may not look like a sample size model (if you do, you can skip this part), but I am the way that I am because this is me, and I am beautiful. My (enter least favorite body part) is perfect, and does not need to change. My favorite aspect of my body is _____, and I can accentuate this by wearing_____. I promise not to hate myself for the gifts I was given, and promise to think of myself, and others, as beautiful.

And I want everyone to work on looking in the mirror with a gracious, not condescending, attitude everyday. Then move that point of view to others, so that you can accept everyone the way they are. I know that I my self need to work on both of these myself.

That was a lot longer and a lot more serious than I expected, but I hope you got something from it, because to me it is a big issue. 

Keep being beautiful girls! (any boys that read this, it didn't really apply to you)
xoxo
Mae




Tuesday, August 28, 2012

My new favorite shoes

 I, just like most females, am a lover of shoes. I just cannot resist the lure of a shoe store, or website, or catalogue. Recently I have acquired quite a few new pairs to my already quite gargantuan collection. I thought I would share one of my favorite new pairs with you and tell you exactly why they are so great, other than the fact that they are shoes and thus are already quite high on the greatness scale.

These particular shoes, heels, are from a store on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz and are by Chelsea Crew. My sister and I can be seen here modeling them. I am on the right and Nan, my sis, is on the right, sporting our favorite colors that go perfectly with our styles.


The reasons I love these heels so much:
  1. They had a variety of colors, so you could get them in what ever style/ color that you fancy the most. My sister, Nan, is quite wacky and fun and is a school teacher, so she go the red and turquoise ones. While I am a little more subtle in my colors and am more prone to be found in the library than at a party, so I went with the grey ones (also grey goes with practically everything!)
  2. you can change the ribbons! how great is that? i plan on getting some light pink and white polka dotted ones
  3. the heel is low enough for them to be quite comfortable and yet still kinda sassy
  4. they have that real cute turn up toe that makes them kind of unique looking
  5. they are surprisingly sexy, even though they are very modest...you know...for your feet 
  6. they were only $57! which I know to some people may sound like a lot, but compared to some other shoes I have gotten...
if you like these shoes and would like to get them for yourself, I competely understand (I might even go order all the other colors), follow these links:

now that I have talked about these shoes, I think I will wear them tomorrow (I have an interview! EEK!) 
Well goodnight and much love
Mae

Monday, August 20, 2012

First day of school!

Today is my last first day of school. That is right! It is the first day of my senior year. So today I am pulling out my signature look. The french baby doll as my mother calls it
Blue and white toile pants (Paige)
A blue sleeveless top with a bow around the waist and a peterpan collar
Cream jacket
Brown oxfords ( borne)
Top knot!