Cheesy Daisies Playlist No. 1

I was studying for these exams earlier and found myself with a great playlist when I finished. It is full of 90s bliss. A time when the world was simpler for me. A time that I love but would never go back to because right now is just so perfect. I hope you enjoy.

Listen here on Spotify

What are your favorite oldies?

For the Love of Stationary.

I love paper stationary. Notebooks, pencils, pens, journals, binders, thank you notes, blank notes, all of it.  My obsession is pretty uncontrollable. Whenever we go out to get groceries I have to stop by the stationary section to see what is new and what is on clearance. I usually come home with a few packs of cards. I have tons of notebooks and journals laying around my room waiting for my brilliant ideas, but I just can't help wanting more of them.

I feel as if it is much easier to express my true feelings, thoughts, and ideas on paper rather than on screen. And it is just so much more beautiful. I keep a notebook on my desk for all sorts of random ideas that flow when I do not necessarily need them. I keep one in my book bag, one in my purse, another on my nightstand, and I even keep one in the glovebox of my car.

I have my eye on a few:

1. Kate Spade Brilliant Ideas: For those great ones!

2. Mara Mi Oscar Wilde: The quote reads, "An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all."

3. Eccolo Airmail Journal: Makes me dream of Paris

4. Kate Spade Bright Ideas: I love how small it is. Perfect for my purse.

Do you enjoy paper or screen writing more?

Exams: Tips & Anxieties

Why is it that professors schedule exams for the same week or worse the same day? I think that they get together every semester and plan it that way. I really do. And I really do not appreciate it.

On Tuesday I have two exams: Business Law and Macroeconomics. I am doing great in my Business Law course and I really enjoy it. I enjoy it so much that I plan on going to law school a few years after graduation. My macro course is going well but it is just not my favorite subject (as in I would not want to spend my life doing it).

Here are a few tips that really help me do well on exams:

1. No cramming and get a good nights sleep.

To keep my anxiety at bay I do things well before hand, including studying. I feel that I learn better by taking things on gradually rather than cramming everything in right before an exam. I have a system that works pretty well for this.

• Before each class I do the assigned readings and highlight anything that pops out at me in one color. These are my favorite highlighters.
• I always start an audio recording on my computer for the lecture especially if I am feeling tired.
• In class I follow along in the book highlighting in a different color anything that the professor goes over or mentions. 
• Meanwhile, I write down keywords that are defined or explained in the book on a sheet of notebook paper. As well as write down anything extra the professor has to say on the subject.
• When I get home from school I complete my notes in a notebook using the book and my notes from class to fill everything in.
• To really commit what I have learned to memory I read through my notebook before each scheduled class even if it is just for 5 minutes.

2. Talk to your professors!

• My business law professor gave our class some great advice. He said "Not only should you get to know your professors because they can be a great help, but it will also improve your grade. It is human nature to want to help those you like and know. While we as professors can't give you an A for a B we can try our best to find those couple points on your exam that can really make a different."
• Get to know them. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Let them help you. You pay for them and they are an invaluable resource!
• The week before any exam I go and talk to my professors about any ambiguities in my notes or any other questions I may have. This really helps calms my nerves before an exam.

3. Go to class and actually be present.

• This is by far my most important tip. If you can pay attention you will learn so much more.
• Be an active listener and engage with the lecture. If the professor asks a question raise your hand. Even if you are wrong you will have a better understanding of the topic and why your answer was wrong. 
• I read an article on Levo League the other day about how your superiors know when you are not 100% there. This is important and refers back to #2 about professors. If they know that you are not putting in the effort they may be less likely to help you later on.

This is my usual plan of action. For homework I typically stick to The College Prepster's Intense Study Tips: Homework Section. That is, I go through my syllabuses every friday and do as much of next weeks homework as possible. That way during the week I do not have things constantly due which really lessens my anxiety.

How do you study for your exams? Your best study tips?

Anxiety & A Handwritten Note

I have major anxiety and I have put off getting help for it for a long while now due to a bad past experience with a counselor. Last week I had a really bad anxiety attack. Crying. Yelling. Hopelessness. Fear. Exhaustion. The lot and it was (still is) horrible. That day I realized that I needed help. And then I put it off for a week. On Monday I finally called and made an appointment for Wednesday. I was so nervous but I took the step and showed up (mostly because of the $25 cancelation fee). And I am so glad that I did. My counselor was not judgmental at all. I really felt as if she understood me and what I have been going through and how I have been feeling. She was really encouraging and accepting of me and I actually felt as if she was even a little proud of my motivation and life plans. That was really great to hear. It went so well. I do not know what I was so worried about and even though I have a lot of work to do I feel a thousand times better already. 

I feel so much better today that I wrote my bestie, Kait, a handwritten note!

This quote perfectly sums up our session today:

“To venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one's self....

And to venture in the highest is precisely to be conscious of one's self.”

-Søren Kierkegaard

How do you limit stress/anxiety? Favorite form of stress/anxiety release?

Sapere Aude,

Rebecca

My Nightly Routine

I try to stick to a nightly face routine because of my acne prone skin. Washing my face is not only great for my skin but it really helps me transition from work mode to sleep mode giving me a fresh start for the next day.

I usually sleep in an old tee but this J.Crew night shirt has really got a hold on me. And better yet you can get it monogramed!

Anywho... I have a bi-nightly routine and I always wash my face in the shower just because it is easier for me (I'm a mess). On the first night I wash with Noxzema and exfoliate with a scrub pad. Noxzema is not too harsh on my face and it really helps remove all of the dead skin I have from my breakouts. On the second night I wash with the St. Ives Apricot Scrub with Blemish Control. I love this stuff! It smells so good and really clears up my face, My face is prone to drying out so after I wash every night I moisturize with Vaseline, then apply some prescribed spot treatment, and top it off with some Burt's Bees chapstick (obsessed!).

What is your nightly routine? How do you transition from work to sleep?

Sapere aude,

Rebecca

Where is the warmth?

I live in Tampa, Florida. It is supposedly the sunshine state, but lately there has been little sun and lots of cold and rain. Not my favorite. I really just want to be warm. I mean this weather is just so gloomy.  I have been spending my time pinteresting warmer things and places.

The other day I came across these beautiful sandals called Ssekos. They are adorable, customizable, handmade, and better yet they are made in Uganda by girls who are using the money to pay for college and Ssekos matches 100% of their college savings when they head off for their freshman year!

I believe that this is such a great solution to the overwhelming poverty in Uganda and similar economic countries. I urge you to go read their mission statement and the founder's story. It is incredible and I can only hope one day to accomplish and contribute as much as these girls have to the community and the world around me.

I plan on buying a pair really soon. Hopefully that will entice the sun to grace us with it's warm and lovely presence.

Sapere aude,
Rebecca

Patone's Tender Shoots at Target

Ashley and I frequently go to target just to "window shop" for our future home. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love Target. I get everything 75% off with their amazing clearance sales. And now I love them even more that they are following Patone color trends! A couple days ago I seen the Patone Fashion Color Report: Spring 2013 and fell in love with Tender Shoots green.

Anywho, Ashley and I stumbled across this whole home decor section at Target full of this year's patone colors, but more importantly they had lots of tender shoots green with lots of stripes. We are in love with it!

1. Green Stripe Lamp Shade | 2. Honeycomb Vases | 3. Cottage Pillow

 We were thinking about a living room with tender shoots green accent wall, a charcoal sofa, honeycomb accents, striped lamps, white furniture green candles on our white mantel. Oh, it is all so lovely to dream about.

What is your favorite color from the Patone Fashion Color Report this year? Has it inspired you like it has us?

Sapere aude,

Rebecca

Florals by Liberty of London

I have an extreme obsession with floral printed everything. I love spring and summer and gardens and all of the wonderful things like butterflies that go along with it. A few years ago Target (my beloved) had a designer line by Liberty of London. I fell in love. I bought almost every piece of the collection. Their fabrics and patterns are so swell! Hand drawn, full of life and color. Just down right lovely.

I was on J. Crew and came across an amazing surprise.... A Liberty of London collection! Ahhhh! I squealed when I seen it (and Ashley said "oh no" when I then continued to show her every piece). 

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the collection:

1. Liberty short-sleeve pajama set | 2. Liberty bow tie | 3. Liberty tie | 4. Liberty 3" chino short

Some people just don't do floral, but I absolutely love it. Floral has been a staple  throughout my life. I believe it all started when I was a baby. My mom loved to dress me in floral. It didn't help that all of the inexpensive children's outfits in Panama were floral either. Here are a couple old photos of me.

My father and I at an Army function.

Floral shirt, silly face, and my beautiful chow chow Ted (miss you!).

 Like florals? Hate them? What are your favorite trendy (or not so trendy) staples?

Sapere aude,

Rebecca

P.S. I am thinking of starting a Floral Fridays series. What do you think?

Bookworm: The Help

I finished reading The Help.... a few weeks ago actually.  I know, I know. I am so late with this review.

I was able to see the movie when it was in theaters and it was great (love, love, love Emma Stone!) but, my goodness the book is ten times better. It really forces you to evaluate the harsh past. This book is so heartfelt, well written, and made me want to go out and change the world. So, if you are late like me and haven't read the book, you should definitely check it out.

The Procrastination Monster

My name is Rebecca Keyes and I am a procrastinator. 

I never plan on procrastination nor do I really want to be a procrastinator. It just happens to go that way... all the time. Every week I look through my syllabi and see what needs to be done for next week. I put it in my google calendar and I have every intention of getting it done.... But then friday comes around and I much rather cuddle up with Ashbabe than do my business law readings and then comes Saturday and before I know it I am scrabbling on Sunday to accomplish 3 days worth of homework or sometimes that is too stressful and I say that it wasn't really a necessary reading and I forgo it.

This year I am trying to change this and other terrible habits. So, I have come up with a list of things that seems to keep the Procrastination Monster at bay.

1. I like to have someone else hold me accountable. A promise to myself never means as much as a promise to someone else. This isn't the best solution, as I should learn to keep those promises that I make to myself, but it is a start. I frequently promise Ashley that I will get A, B, and C done on Friday while she is at work so we can go out to dinner when she gets home. If I procrastinate and don't get anything done I have let her down, and that sucks more than if I just let myself down.

2. Make time! If I do not set aside time to do the things I need to do, I don't do them. It is so simple. I put it in my google calendar task list (which I always have open in a tab on my computer) with a deadline. I also write out a list of things to accomplish for the week on a piece of notebook paper to help me remember and to have a hard copy with me for when I do not have my laptop nearby.

3. I think the most important thing to get myself to stop procrastinating is realizing that by doing it I am just setting myself up for failure in the future. Procrastinating causes so many problems. I spend my time trying to catch up on yesterday's work and cramming in material for tests that I would know if I had just taken the time to read the chapter.

Are you a procrastinator? If you are how does that affect your success? How do you kill the procrastination monster? 

Sapere aude,

Rebecca

Talents, passions or a lack there of

Right now, I am watching Levo League's Office Hours with Cornelia Guest. She was talking about how she was a late bloomer and about how she didn't have a clue about what she wanted to do. That is exactly how I feel most of the time. I was filling out my profile on Levo League and there was a box titled "Your Dream Job" and I had no clue what to write. Every day I look at my current school and life plan and I just do not know what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Currently, I am a marketing major without a minor and I think to myself, "Is that enough? Do I need a minor? Am I enough? Will I be hirable? Am I enough to get into law school?" I know I am a smart woman, but sometimes I do not feel that way. The most common cheer-up phrase I get is, "You are smart, You can do anything!" While that is true, it goes deeper than that. It is really about what I want to do and not what I am capable of doing. And that is something that I cannot quite figure out. I sometimes feel that I lack a passion or pull for something that could make me great and point me in the right direction.

Do you feel this way? How did you find your passion? What drives you?

Sapere aude,

Rebecca