Liebster Award

Hello Everyone,

I apologize for being M.I.A. (missing in action) for a week or so. But I'm back and have a few fun posts coming soon, one of which is today's post!

This past week I was nominated for Liebster Award by Kathleen from Let's Get Preppy & Tori from Prep For a Day. I would like to start by thanking both Kathleen & Tori for nominating me and asking such wonderful questions. Since both ladies asked wonderful questions I decided I'll answer the 11 questions from both, so 22 questions total. I know that by answering all 22 question this post might be a little long but this is my way of making up for this past week's post drought.

 

 

The Rules

1.  Include the name of the blogger(s) who nominated you for the award.
2.  Answer the questions the blogger(s) asked you in their post.
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers to help them expand their audience.
4. Ask 11 questions to the bloggers you nominate.
5. Notify the blogger you have nominated via social media, email, etc.

 

Kathleen's Questions





1. What inspired you to start your blog?
I would say about a year ago I really got into the whole preppy idea. Slowly I began to accumulate more classic pieces and as I began to get more comfort with the style I went into full on prep mode. A few of my classmate & family members told me I should start a blog or something of that nature to share my style & advice with girls everywhere.
2. In one word, how would you describe your style?
Classy.
3. Do you prefer dressing for the summertime or wintertime? Why?
No doubt about it, summer. I live for sunny weather and warm temps so I can break out my chinos & Nike running shorts.
4. Where do you find your fashion inspiration?
Pinterest is my go-to place when I need to figure out what to wear. I'm also a huge fan of Abby from Belle of the Ball and can scroll through her pinterest boards or Instagram feed and without a doubt find a cute outfit.
5. What's one item of clothing you wear all year and couldn't live without?
My friends will laugh at this one, my Nike tennis shoes. To be honest I usually wear them at least twice a week to school & love slipping them on after golf matches. I actually don't think I could survive without them. :)
6. What planner/agenda do you use?
I am currently using (and loving) my Lilly Pulitzer large agenda in Trippin' & Sippin'
7. How do you come up with creative posts?
Most of my posts are usually a result of whatever is going on in my life at the time. Odds are if I have a test or quiz there's going to be a post on test taking skills. Or if my friends are talking about something at lunch an idea will just pop into my mind based on what we're talking about.
8. What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning?
Besides sleep, I like to drive down to North Market with my mom & get iced teas and macaroons :)
9. Do you prefer sweet or salty types of food?
Sweet, hands down.
10. Do you have a favorite TV show? If so, what is it?
I love the Celebrity Apprentice right now but I'm also loving Hart of Dixie, Shark Tank, and The Bachelor.
11. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?
By far the best part of blogging is the amazing people you get to meet! I've met quite a few people whom I am now good friends with and I hope to meet all of them one day!

Tori's Questions

1. What is your favorite quote?

 

2. Do you have a favorite subject in school? If so, what is it?

American History! I love my teacher & am fascinated by the history of our country.

3. Describe your style in one word?

Classy.

4. What is your favorite type of shoe to wear during the winter?

I am in love with Ralph Lauren plaid rain boots. I'm actually wearing them right now!

5. What is your favorite type of shoe to wear during the summer?

Any kind of sandals & of course, my Nike tennis shoes ;) 

6. What is one accessory that you wear almost every single day?

I can't leave the house without my pearl earrings!

7. What is your favorite movie of all time?

The Greatest Game Ever Played

8. Who is your style inspiration?
As strange as this may seem, I don't really have one person who inspires my style but I do take a little after Jackie Kennedy & Audrey Hepburn. Both of these ladies always displayed class and proper etiquette and I strive to be like both of them.

9. If you could go to any destination in the world for a week, where would you go and why?
Scotland. In case you didn't know I'm a golfer and I'd love to be able to visit and play the St. Andrews Links with my dad and younger brother. I mean, come on, this is pretty sweet!

 

10. Why did you start blogging?

I started Northern Prepster a little over a year ago while I was sitting at home on a snow day. I had just received my laptop for Christmas and I thought "wow, now that I have my own laptop I can take in everywhere with me and blog about everything!". So Northern Prepster was created and I wrote about anything and everything. After our long streak of snow days ended my motivation and willingness to update the blog diminished as school work is always a top priority. But as the work load increased so did the stress levels. That's when I began to use my blog as an outlet from school and now it's just a daily habit for me :)

 

 

My Nominees: (I apologize if you have already been nominated, I know lots have already done this but it is difficult to find bloggers who haven't)

 

The Walsh Prepster

Adrienne from Preppy Bliss

Classically Kasey

Alexandria from The College Lifestylist

 

I know I didn't nominate 11 blogger but as I mentioned above, the Liebster award has quickly spread across the Instagram community so it's difficult to find bloggers who haven't done it yet. And to those of you who haven't been nominated yet, feel free to answer my question in the comments or on your blog!

 

My Questions 

1. Is there a story behind your blog? If so, what is it?
2. What is your go-to piece of jewelry?
3. What is the hardest thing about running a blog?
4. East coast or West coast?
5. Do you schedule when a certain post will be up or do you just decide day of?
6. Do you play any sports? If so, what are they and how do you get into the sport?
7. What's your favorite quote?
8. Where can we find you on social media?
9. Who is you style inspiration?
10. What do you enjoy most about blogging?
11. Lastly, what advice do you have for blogger who are just starting out?

Thank you for reading this rather long post & be on the lookout for some exciting posts coming up soon!

xoxo,

 



A Day in My Life {Typical School Day}

Now that I'm finally back into the swing of school what better to share in today's post than a typical school day in my life. If you've read my about page {if you haven't you should go read it} then you know that I'm a sophomore in high school meaning I attend full time school 5 days a week. This might seem boring but I know I enjoy seeing what people do daily and I figured y'all would too. If y'all like this post let me know and I'll do a weekend in my life post soon!

 

 

6:30am: I typically wake up around 6:30 because that gives me around an hour to get ready before heading out the door.

 

6:40-7:25am: This is the time frame where I eat breakfast, straighten my hair, do my makeup and choose what I'm going to wear that day.

 

7:30am: After grabbing my lunch and bag I'll either wait for my ride to pick me up or if I'm driving that day I will go and pick up my neighbor and off to school we go.

 

8:05-3:05pm: Yep, that's a school day for ya.

 

3:30-4:15pm: I tend to get home around 3:30 and when I do I'll usually take my outfit pictures if I'm going to posting it and then I change into sweatpants and a t-shirt before heading back downstairs to the kitchen to make myself a snack. I'm usually, ok always, hunger when I get home because I have 1st block lunch which means I'm eating lunch at 10:45am. While I'm eating I like to scroll through Instagram, Twitter & Pinterest.

 

4:30-6:00pm: Ah, the dreaded homework time. I'm thankful enough to have study hall last period so very rarely do I have a lot of homework but when I do it's usually a paper or presentation that needs edited or worked on.

 

6:00-6:30pm: Dinner time. Most nights my mom will cook but some nights we all just make our own dinner.

 

6:30-7:00pm: Write, edit, and post that day's blog post. Sometimes if I don't have time I'll post a pre-written post but most nights I have time to write a post from scratch.

 

 

7:00-7:30pm: It's finally time to shower and put my pajamas on and this one my favorite parts of the day. I would live in pajamas if I could.

 

7:30-9:30pm: This time frame differs each and every night but most nights this is when I'll watch TV, check social media and play with the dog.

 

~9:30pm: I usually call it a night around 9:30 because this allows me around 9 hours of sleep before having to wake up and repeat this routine again.

 

 

Let me know if you enjoyed this post in the comment or on social media!

 

xoxo,



 

Stress Less- My Tips & Tricks

So it appears to me that it's exam time for lots of people. Personally, my exams were before Christmas break and I am SO glad to have those over with and out of the way. But I know there's still a lot of people who have exams this up and coming week. And if I know anything about exam week then I know it brings a whole new level of stress. But luckily for you I've come up with my favorite stress relief tips.

These stress reliever tips & tricks don't even need to correspond to school (although in my case it does) they can also relate to life in general. So when life comes at you at 100mph, don't worry, I got you covered ;)

||workout||

This is slowly becoming one of my top ways to calm down in times of high stress. Whether it's running with the dog in the backyard or lifting weights in the basement, working out always seems to do the trick for me. Studies have shown that just 30 minutes of cardio sends chemicals to your brain that increase your memory, problem solving & decision making skills. {Information Found Here}

 

||take the dog for a walk||

Similar to the first one, get moving and I bet you'll feel so much better. If you don't have a dog take a walk by yourself or have a sibling tag along. Either way the brisk winter air is guaranteed to wake you up.

 

||paint your nails||

This may relieve stress for you but for me painting my nails is a task in itself. When I decide to finally bite the bullet and paint my nails I have to set aside a good hour or so to do so. I did however include this because I know a lot of people like to paint their nails in between studying.

 

||take a bubble bath||

Whether it's a bubble bath with lots and lots of bubbles or a hot shower either is a great way to wash away your worries {see what I did there ;)}

 

||call & talk to a friend you haven't spoken to recently||

Sometimes all it takes is a good laugh with your best friends to make you forget your worries and relax. I don't know what I would do if my friends weren't willing to FaceTime with me during exam week. Can you say Life Saver or what.

||make a smoothie||
There's something about smoothies that gets me all excited. Maybe it's the endless combination possibilities or the health benefit they provide but either way a smoothie will always be my study break happy place. And if you don't want to make a mess in your own kitchen take a quick break and head on over to Starbucks or a local smoothie place and snatch yourself a sweet {and healthy!} treat.

||take a nap||
Sometimes all you need to do is sleep. I can't think of anyone who would turn down a quick 15 minute nap. Just as long as you don't end up sleeping through something important a nap is a great way to relieve some stress.

||color, paint or draw||
I know, I know this sounds like a 5 year old activity but sometimes getting out a box of markers and some blank paper and letting my mind wander into creative mode is all it takes for me to de-stress. Whether it's drawing a smiling sun {don't lie to yourself, you know what I'm talking about} or simply practicing your signature {guilty as charged} it's bound to bring a smile to your face.

 

That's all I've got for you today but if you have any tips on how YOU relieve stress let me know because I'm always looking for new ways to calm my mind down!

 

 

xoxo,



Snow Day Traditions

If there's one thing I love about school in the winter it's the occasional snow day. My district was lucky enough to have a snow day yesterday and due to dangerously low temperatures they have called off classes tomorrow as well.

I'm super excited to spend my day in my pajamas watching talk shows and sipping on hot chocolate all day. After 10 years of snow days my brother and I have developed a pretty consistent snow day tradition that I'm going to share with you all tonight.

 

 

||make muffins||

Every time we have a snow day we always have muffins for breakfast & I'm looking forward to having our muffins tomorrow morning with a big cup of hot cocoa.

 

 

||drink hot cocoa and watch talk shows||

I love curling up on the couch with my hot cocoa and watching Live with Kelly & Michael. It's such a funny show and Kelly & Michael never fail to put me in a good mood.

 

||have soft pretzels for lunch||

Makes me feel like I'm 5 again, and I love it!

 

||stay in pajamas all day||

Why wouldn't you?

 

||explore Pinterest||

I might have a slight addiction to Pinterest... oops.

 

What do you like to do on a snow day?

 

xoxo,



Northern Prepster Turns 1!

I can now truly say that time sure flies when you're having fun. Exactly one year ago today I created this blog. Fast forward to today and never in a million years would have imagined I would be where I am today.

Going back and reading my first few posts it's amazing to see how much I've grown over the past year. My first few posts are shaky but I feel as though my current posts are solid and readers can easily relate to and use the information I am providing.

Long story short, Northern Prepster is now 1 year old and I can't even begin to thank everyone who has contributed to my blog's success over the past year. Blogging has lead me to meeting so many great people & being able to interact with several fantastic companies. Blogging has created so much for me and I am excited to see where I'll go in the next year.

So to everyone who has followed, retweeted, favorited, liked & commented, Thank You & cheers to another year of blogging!

 

xoxo,

 

Speed Up Your Morning Routine {My Tips & Tricks}

I love winter break. Don't get me wrong, it's so nice to have 2 weeks off and be able to sleep in until 9:30am and begin my day whenever I chose. But the only downside to break is the first day back. Waking up 3 hours earlier than usual tomorrow is not going to be pretty.

At least some people can know that they're already halfway through the school year as they're returning the first day of their second semester. However, that's not my case. I still have a little under 2 weeks until first semester is over. Either way, whether you're starting second semester or stuck in first semester I've rounded up my tips & tricks on how to speed up your mornings and make waking up before the sun a little bit easier.



||lay out your outfit the night before||
If you're anything like me laying out what you're going to wear to school or work the next day knocks at least 15 minutes off my morning routine. If I know I've planned an outfit I like I find I'm more motivated to actually get out of bed in the morning.

||pack your bag the night before||
Similar to above, packing your bag at night can save about 5 minutes and you have a better chance of not forgetting something if you would be rushing in the morning.

||don't hit snooze||
I know this might seem hard but don't let yourself hit that snooze button! Clearly you set your alarm clock to that time for a reason so get up & get moving! If you still can't get yourself to stop hitting snooze move your alarm clock or phone and put it somewhere where you would need to physically get out of bed to turn it off. Odds are if you're already up and out of bed you'll just start getting ready.

||shower at night||
By showering at night you're not having to deal with drying your hair in the morning and I know that drying your hair can take a pretty good amount of time. Some people like to wash their hair & body at night and then just take a quick shower in the morning to wake them up. By washing your hair & body at night you save yourself the 5 extra minutes that would take.

||stick to a tried and true hairstyle||
Unless you're an expert at hairstyling, I would suggest sticking to a hairstyle that I've done before and you know you have enough time to complete. Deciding you want to curl your hair and then realizing you're late with half your head curled is not something we want to happen. Ever.

||allow yourself a yummy breakfast to kick start your day||
With all the time you've saved by doing the tips above you should have time to have a little bit more of a breakfast than usual. Whether this is having some toast when you would usually have Pop Tarts or getting out the blender to make a smoothie, treat yourself to something healthy to congratulate yourself for getting out of bed on time this morning!

 

I hope these tips & tricks help make your mornings a little bit easier. What are your time saving tricks?

 

xoxo,

 

North Market {Saturday Morning Adventure}

There's something about going someplace I've never been before that intrigues me. Tell me they have macaroons and there's no doubt I'll go!

This morning my mom & I headed down to the arena district to explore North Market. North Market is a collection of vendors that range from Belgian waffles to giant soft pretzels. My mom has never been to North Market and I've only walked past it on the way to hockey games so it was neat to walk around inside and see all the different foods & vendors they have to offer.

Our first stop was none other than Pistacia Vera, the macaroon booth. We picked up some macaroons for a birthday present and some for us to enjoy later this evening. The two of us fell in love with macaroons back in July when we visited The Macaroon Boutique in Charleston, South Carolina so we're thrilled to have a vendor up in our neck of the woods.

I was able to snap some photos of our adventure today to share with y'all.

The popcorn booth had Puppy Chow popcorn but it's called Rowdy Riley People Chow and we thought it was too funny not to pick up a bag to munch on on our way home. In case you're wondering, yes, it's very good!

Pistacia Vera is known for their buckeye macaroons and thankfully we got there in time before they sold out. I bet they've been selling those like crazy since the Buckeyes beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on New Years day!

I was excited to find a booth that specialized in healthy teas & smoothies so I decided to try a Strawberry Bubble Tea. Bubble Tea is pretty popular with the students at my school so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try some. The "bubbles" are tapioca pearls added to the juice. Personally we weren't fans on the bubbles but the juice itself was amazing!

 

Before we left I wanted to swing by again and try a Buckeye smoothie because I had seen several people walking around with them. And oh my goodness was it good!

 

Birds eye view of bubbles

Birds eye view of Pistacia Vera

How pretty are these flowers. If the tulips weren't so expensive I would've bought some for my room!

 

I hope you enjoyed this photos from our little Saturday morning adventure!

 

xoxo,

 

16th Birthday Wish List

Hi Everyone!

Seeing as my birthday is just around the corner {January 27th} I felt as though it was time to create my birthday wish list. Since my birthday is about a month after Christmas I'm not asking for a lot this year. Usually I don't really ask for specific items but this year there's a few items that I've been swooning over for quite some time now.

||new monogrammed hat||
You can find these just about anywhere nowadays but etsy is my personal favorite. I had a monogrammed hat and I LOVED it but I seem to have misplaced it and that is devastating for me. I loved the colors of my old hat, light blue with a baby pink monogram but if I could choose I would have to go with navy with a nice pink monogram.

||navy Fitbit||
My mom has a Fitbit and so do a few of my classmates and I am so fascinated by them. Not only do they help you track your health but they look so chic and simple too! I love the classic black Fitbit but hey, navy or nothing. {Fitbit Flex}

||navy Long Champ tote||
Can you tell I love navy? I've been wanting a Long Champ Le Pliage tote for almost a year now and I know that I would get so much usage out of one. I think they would be perfect for long car rides, a carry on bag or even a school bag. I'm not sure what size I want but I'd rather have extra room then not enough so maybe medium to large? If you have a Long Champ let me know what size you recommend! {Long Champ}

||Lokai bracelet||
If there's one thing I really really want it's a Lokai bracelet. I'm so fascinated with the story behind it. For those who haven't heard of a Lokai bracelet its a simple beaded bracelet but it has two special beads; a white one and black one. The white bead is infused with water from Mt. Everest, the highest point on Earth, to remind you to stay humble even when you're on top of the world. The black bead is infused with mud from the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, to remind you to stay hopeful even when you've hit rock bottom. I think these bracelets are so cool and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to receive one, not to mention its only $18! I know that seems pricey for a bracelet but when you take into consideration the story behind it I think it's worth the money. {Lokai}

 

Thanks for reading!

 

xoxo,



2015 Goals & Bucket List

Hi Everyone!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun & safe New Years Eve. Seeing as today is January 1st (& the first post of 2015, yay!) it's time for me to share my 2015 resolutions/goals/bucket list with y'all. As you'll tell from below my goals are pretty scattered across the board but I'm excited to see how they'll play out.

|travel someplace new|

Although I don't have a specific place in mind, I would love to travel someplace I've never been before and be able to explore the area. I have been wanting to visit the East Coast, but who knows! Maybe I'll end up in Colorado or something, I'd take either :)

 

|reach 1,000 Instagram followers|

This one is super exciting for me! I want to expand my audience and following and I'd love to hit 1,000 or even more! {My username is @northprepster}

 

|get my drivers license|

oh boy is this exciting. I turn 16 on January 27th but I got my temporary license a few days late so I'm just going for having my license before we head south for Spring Break in March.

 

|develop a regular workout routine & stick to it|

what's a new year goals list without some health & fitness on it! Be on the lookout for a fitness post once I figure out my routine!

 

|watch the sunset on the beach|

I just think this would be a nice, relaxing way to end a wonderful day during Spring Break. Plus, it would be great for some photos.

 

|run a color run|

My friends and I have wanted to participate in a color run for several years now and this year I'm ready to cross this off my bucket list.

 

|early morning walk on the beach|

There's something about being awake before everyone else that puts me in a good mood. Throw in a beach before anyone is awake and I'd be thrilled!

 

 

What are some of your goals for 2015?

 

xoxo,