A lifestyle blog about healthy living, happiness, and all the things that make me want to squee.

I – I Work Out

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Or actually, I don’t. But I am at the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life and I really don’t like the way my clothes are fitting. I mean, I could always go buy new, better fitting clothes (and I probably should), but I refuse to admit defeat. So I’m planning on starting to work out. I’ve always loved yoga and the mindfulness it trains you to reach, and it also helps with flexibility, which I suck at. I literally cannot reach farther than my upper shins in a standing bend, it’s so bad.

I’m planning on doing yoga every night before bed, which I used to do in high school when I was at my most bendy. I’ve always done this A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners, mostly because I got the DVD for free from my grandma.

Somewhere in the past several years, I lost my copy, so I tried a few different P.M. yoga practices that I found on YouTube, but nothing really hit the spot for me like this did. So I’ve ordered myself another copy, and I’ll let you guys know when it gets here.

I’ve also decided to try running more. I really like the lean look that runners get and it’s a pretty cheap exercise (read: free, since I have running shoes). Another bonus: it’ll help me hatch more eggs in Pokémon Go. I’m sure I can’t run too far or for very long, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?

I’m debating trying the One Punch Man workout to get my cardio and strength training in. For those who aren’t as obsessed with anime like I am, One Punch Man is an anime that parodies a lot of the fighting animes. It follows Saitama, a guy who decided to become a superhero for fun and trained really hard to get there. Tragically, he’s now so strong, he defeats every villain with one punch and is suffering from boredom.

What was his training regimen, you ask? He does 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats, and runs 10 kilometers every day (a little over six miles for us Americans), and never turns on the heat or the air conditioning to build mental fortitude. The training is presented as a joke in the anime because everyone expects him to have done some sort of inhuman training, but it’s actually really doable. While I wouldn’t give up my heat for anything (I’m too cold-blooded to survive our Washington winters), I’d be willing to work my way up to the full training program. I don’t think I can even do one full push up right now, but I really want to tone up, and other people who’ve tried this have ridiculously amazing before and after photos.

In true internet fashion, I plan on taking before photos tomorrow when there’s light out and I’ll update this post with them. Because pics or it didn’t happen, after all. Wish me luck as I start trying to improve myself! Let me know in the comments if you would try this workout or what you do to get/ stay in shape!

One (Ear)ring to Rule Them All

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More accurately, one earring in my cartilage. Lately, I’ve been really into delicate jewelry and while I was browsing Etsy (like you do), I saw some really cute chained earrings. I fell in love with the idea of rocking a cartilage piercing connected by a chain to my lobe piercing. There was one problem: I didn’t have a cartilage piercing. So I went and got it pierced. Now, I’ve had it pierced for a few years, but I still haven’t gotten a delicate chained earring! So here are a few of my favorite earrings from Etsy right now:

First up, this gorgeous chain set from Simplicity Charms.

Sterling Silver Single Bow Knot Cartilage Double Piercing

I really like the delicate bow and it looks like you can change the orientation to have the bow dangle instead of wearing it at your helix (the upper piercing). The downside is that you can only buy it as a single earring so you’d have to find a matching stud.

Next up, a cute bird set from Simplyy Charming.

Bird And Leaf Cartilage Chain Earring Helix Ear Cuff Jewelry Dangle Feather Animal

I love bird imagery, so I find these really cute. It does come with a matching (not really matching since there’s no helix chain) earring and you do have the option of changing the upper cuff to a stud if you also have the helix piercing like I do. My only concern is that the seller doesn’t have a photo of someone wearing them, so I’m not sure how small/large they are.

I found a few sets that I liked from Of Lovely Things.

Dangling Silver Spikes Double Pierce Cartilage Earring (Pair)

These are a little edgier than I normally like, but something about them really calls to me. I think it’s the length and dangliness (is that a word?) of the earrings. The seller says that you can change the helix cuff into a stud if you leave a note in the “Notes to Seller” section, which is what I would do. Also, you can get these in either stainless steel or sterling silver. I would personally do the silver, but to each their own.

Jade Geolith Pendulum Cartilage Earrings (Pair)

I really love jewelry that has a more natural look to the gemstones, so I like the jade pendants on this pair. Again, these come in stainless steel or sterling silver. I wish this seller had models wearing the jewelry so we could have a better idea of the size, but she does have comparison shots with a quarter, so I think these are fairly large. They’re simple and pretty, which is very much my style.

For a more simple option, I found this earring from JuneLittleShop.

Cartilage chain earring, double cartilage earring, cartilage piercing, gold cartilage earring, infinity earring, silver cartilage earring

I love infinity symbols because they make me think of math (I’m a nerd, what can I say?) and I like that this is just really simple. This is another earring where you’d have to find a matching stud, but it’s so simple that it shouldn’t be too hard to do.

For a more classic look, I found this earring from Embers Jewellery Shop.

Rose Gold Earrings, Chain Earrings, Double Stud Earrings, Ear Cuff, Cartilage Earring, White Topaz Earrings, Boho Earrings, Edgy Earrings

I love the simple delicacy of this earring. I think this would be lovely for a more formal occasion. Downside is you have to find a matching stud, but I’m pretty sure the seller has some pre-made. This set comes in silver, gold, and rose gold, which is what I liked best.

Bonus nerdy set! This earring comes from PolymerNai.

Pokéballs Chain Earring Pokémon Hélix cartilage piercing

I couldn’t resist the Pokéballs. Enough said.

I hope you liked some of the earrings! Do you have the helix piercing? Would you wear one of these? Let me know in the comments below!

Chair-way to Heaven

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I’ve been looking for dining chairs literally since finding my perfect table almost five years ago now. I found a great dining table at a thrift store back in July 2012, but the table didn’t come with chairs to match. I was fine with that since I had a specific vision for my chairs and I figured they wouldn’t be that hard to find. Cut to me five years later, still looking for chairs. I’ve mostly just been sitting and eating at my couch for the past several years, which has led to some messy accidents (it’s always the cats’ fault.)

This past weekend, my mom and I went on a five-hour road trip to Seattle so we could finally visit the IKEA there that we’ve been planning to go to for forever. Tragically, although we spent three hours in IKEA, we didn’t see much more than half the store before they were closing and we had to leave. On the bright side, I FOUND MY DREAM CHAIRS!


They’re the IKEA Ingolf. I love that they’re simple with a classic farmhouse look to them. The crossed back gives the chair just enough detail that they’re not too boring but keeps the clean lines I was looking for. Also, they are surprisingly comfortable and you can buy cushions to match the chair if it’s not soft enough (spoiler alert: my grandpa wants more cushions.)

It was really easy to put the chair together, too, even for an IKEA-noob like me. When I opened it, the cats were more excited about the box than anything. Freyja was especially excited.


Everything I needed to set up the chair was in the box except a pair of scissors, a Phillips-head screwdriver, and a flat-head screwdriver. I collected those and Freyja gave them a last minute inspection.


I then set up the provided screws and fasteners in a grid, sorted by their number in the instruction manual, so I could find the piece I needed more easily (and so that it looks pretty in photographs, not gonna lie.)


Actually building the chair was easy and straightforward. I just followed the pictorial instructions provided and voilà! I had my dining room chairs!


Now I just need to repaint the table to match them and I will finally have a dining set after five years! I’m glad I didn’t give up on my vision. These chairs are exactly what I was looking for and I can’t wait to set them all up. I also have some other plans for the dining room, but I’ll share that in another post. Have you ever looked for a long time for the perfect item? Did you ever find it or did you settle? Let me know in the comments!

<3

Ruthie

What I Read Wednesday

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I love to read and it’s one of my favorite pastimes. Sadly, my squeeing about whatever book I am currently reading often doesn’t find the right audience (I can get a little Tolkien-esque in my level of detail when retelling). So I thought I’d share the books I’ve been reading and loving every Wednesday. Hopefully, you find something that you would like to read and talk about, too.

Latest Squee:

I just read the fifth book in the Touchstone Series, which follows Cassandra Devlin, an ordinary high school girl from Australia that ends up walking onto another planet accidentally and becoming part of the elite Setari (similar to Space Ninjas) and helping to protect the world from evil transdimensional beings. The fifth book is called In Arcadia and is written from Cassandra’s mother’s POV after the series officially ends. Here’s the blurb:

One does not simply walk onto another planet. At least not without the help of a daughter who has developed unlikely powers, fought an intra-dimensional war, and then arranged for a family relocation to a futuristic clone of Earth. Laura Devlin would gladly have paid any price to have her daughter back, so living in a techno-paradise with spaceship views is merely an added bonus. And a dream come true. But Arcadian paradises do not come without complications. Laura’s include a plethora of psychic grandchildren. Interplanetary diplomacy. Her daughter’s immense fame. And KOTIS, the military watchdog that seems to consider Laura’s entire family government property. Forewarned by her daughter’s experiences, Laura had anticipated as many problems as she could, and didn’t doubt her ability to cope with the rest. But she had not planned on Gidds Selkie, a military officer ‘chipped from flint’ and not at all the sort of man lifelong geek Laura had ever imagined would find her interesting. Burned in the past, Laura is surprised to find herself tempted. Is this a new start to go with a new world? Or a mismatch doomed to failure?

Find it here: Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble

I loved it. You definitely have to have read the previous books in the series to understand what’s happening, but it brings a new perspective to the series. All the other books in the series are from Cassandra’s POV, so it was a new way to experience the world and story through her mom’s eyes. It picks up pretty much where the fourth book left off, which is nice, and gives more background on how people are living their lives after the grand finale in book three. I am a sucker for epilogues showing people are happy, so this did not disappoint. It creates some new romances and opens the door to further stories due to the bombshell the author drops in the last chapter. All in all, a pleasant return to a lovely world and I look forward to seeing if Andrea K Höst continues the series!

Anyone else reading anything fun? Let me know what books you’re loving lately in the comments!

New Year, New Blog

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I’m starting a blog this year. I decided that it was time that I tried to do the things I love more, and one of them was blogging. I’ve always been interested in blogging, but I’ve never had the courage to just go for it. This year, I’m not going to make excuses. I’m going to make it the year I become the person I dream of being. I’m going to improve every aspect of my daily life and strive to inspire others by sharing my journey.

I want to make this blog a fun place to spend some time, where people can find things that they resonate with. I want to make this blog pretty and inspirational. I want to share the things I love with other people from around the world who love them, too. I want to make others feel happy and hopeful, like many of my favorite bloggers have to me. I want to chronicle my life so I’ll never forget a moment.

Here we go; first step begins today!