Inside Kimmy's Mind

As I mentioned before, I’ve been spending time with my friends lately. Helps keep my mind off of things. My friends and I celebrated a belated Xmas together. Even though we haven’t spent very much time together they still know me very well. Look at some of the goodies I received. The trooper goblet!!! And the Socks!!! Gah! It’s all fantastic.

After having a bit of lunch and exchanging gifts we went around Rice Village for a bit. Stopped by Half Price, and then off to Urban Outfitters. We then made our way out of the village and stopped by Cactus music where I splurged and finally bought my favorite Tennis Vinyl – Cape Dory. Love their music! Bought it as an early Valentine’s gift to myself. After browsing through records for a while we went and had some bubble tea and then ended the night wondering around Target. We spent the entire day together, which was nice. 🙂

… continue reading this entry.

2016 did not begin the way I had hoped it would. During the final days of 2015, I decided to end my relationship of two years. This decision was extremely difficult and painful for me to make, but in my heart I know it was the right thing to do. For both of us.

I’ve written this entry over and over again. Not sure how to explain it, this isn’t about what he should have done, or what I should have done differently. The reality of it is, we just no longer fit anymore and I felt as if we were going in different directions. And sadly, I couldn’t see us ever getting on the same path. I love him dearly and hope that when enough time has passed he will look back on our relationship, at all the wonderful memories we share, with fondness. Because that’s what I will see.

Now on to my promise to myself. Breakups are difficult and I’m doing my best to keep my mind positive and look forward at what’s to come. It’s been pretty difficult, and I expected that but I’m going to allow myself all the time I need in order to heal. Because he was a very important part of my life and this is going to take time. I need to learn how to make myself a priority again, and how to let go. Thankfully, my friends have made it a bit easier to keep my mind on other things. Even my coworkers have also been helpful in this area.

 My manager bought me Star Wars tights! Both R2 and Vader! I think Vader just needed some floral in his life so I paired it with this dress and I love how it looked. Just an unexpected level of awesomeness. These also made me feel a bit stronger and currently, any added strength is definitely appreciated.  Got tons of compliments on them too. 🙂 Aside from cute tights, I also have three new apps that I have been using to keep my mind from sulking for too long. Neko Atsume, Sims Free Play and Daily Curiosity.  Who doesn’t like collecting cats?! I do! So whenever I start feeling teary eyed, I just check to see if I have any new cats in my yard. I desperately want a pet cat!!! And Sims is just a great way to distract myself from the less than bright moments. Daily Curiosity is great for leaning random facts, I find it interesting. I’ve also kept myself busy by building and painting dino models. Triceratops was therapeutic, stegosaurus was a bit of a poop. But the finished product came out great, even though I think some of the ribs are in the wrong spot. >.<

 I’m just taking it one step at a time. I have things to look forward to this spring, graduation and the birth of my first niece, both in the same month! Looking forward to the little sea monkey gracing us with her presence and to beginning a new chapter of my life.  That’s all for now….

Thanks for reading

I hope your holiday was as wonderful as mine, I spent a few days at my parent’s house, now that we are all adults we usually open presents on the 24th. For some reason my mom wanted to prolong it this year.

Receiving gifts is a lot of fun, and even though the holiday isn’t supposed to revolve around such things it’s fun buying, wrapping and unwrapping gifts. My mom likes to buy us each a big gift that is then surrounded by smaller gifts. She’s adorable. I couldn’t imagine what she would give me this year but she surprised me with a new camera. I’m not a fancy photographer, but I’ve been wanting a new camera for blogging/vlogging purposes. I hope to return to vlogging a bit more, even though I no longer have Premiere, with the right camera I think I can have fun making vlogs again. First impressions: Compact body and a great zoom. It looks easy enough to use and takes pretty good quality pictures and video. It’s a Samsung WB350F, a point and shoot camera, I think it will do what I need it to do. Plus it has wifi share capabilities which is pretty neat. 🙂

This camera makes my third Samsung product and I’ve been loving Samsung a lot. My Samsung Galaxy 6s cell takes wonderful pictures and video so I’m hoping this new camera will take just as good if not better quality pictures. I’m excited to test it out and start vlogging again, just need a nice case for those vlogging outings. Never did get to that point where I could vlog openly in public, but who knows maybe I will this time. I want one of those pleather body cases that allows me to take pictures without removing the case. The quest to finding one begins!

Moving on….

… continue reading this entry.

I’m finally graduating! It’s happening! I was able to apply for graduation and come the Spring I will be done with school!!! Done! And then paying back loans and finding a full time/well paying job with benefits will be a definite must. Oh, joy.

But I’m not gonna let worrying about that ruin my holiday vacation. At the moment I’m just gonna concentrate on Christmas presents!!! After working at Paper Source for a year, I finally learned how to wrap the Paper Source way….sort of. It’s still not perfect, but compared to how I used to wrap it’s pretty magical….and pricey. Paper Source has the most beautiful paper and ribbon ever, Christmas happens only once a year so why not just go all out a bit? Plus, I had fun making the bows for my family’s gifts. My father is the best at wrapping gifts, however he never uses his wrapping skills. But he likes to critique how we wrap gifts, so this year I made it my goal to out do him with my newly acquired wrapping skills! (still perfecting them)

I got my Christmas present from the boyfriend a bit early. He surprised me with tickets to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening night! I thought  I’d have to wait weeks until I could see it, and even then I thought we would have to wait in line to make sure we got seats together, but the theater he chose was actually sort of empty. And not to mention, the seats were recliners and it was just one of the most amazing movie experiences ever. I sported some Leia buns and my usual death star necklace and one of my many Star Wars shirts. And I bought the bf a nice collard Star Wars shirt from Hot Topic. I’ll update again with my Star Wars review, but I want to see it again before I do. This was one of the best gifts ever and I’m so glad I got the chance to see this movie on opening night.

2015  is almost complete and as usual I can’t believe how quickly it has come and gone. I have so much to look forward to/ be thankful for.

Thanks for reading and commenting

Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty w. Moore

• Cover: As usual, the cover of a book is the first thing that sparks my interest. And this one has a very interesting style. The simplistic yet exciting. Of course the title also grabbed my attention. Not that you have have to be interested in writing in order to enjoy this book, I just think sharing the same experiences expressed in the book help you appreciate it more. So, yes, this is probably more geared towards writers or people that at least enjoy writing a bit more than your average joe.
• Voice: The author is hilarious in in his stories and advice. Definitely the type of style I would like to write in.
• Style: Since this is an advice column for writers, this book does one of my favorite things. It introduces each question on an envelope and even has the questions typed up as if by typewriter. There are even illustrations that might pertain to said question. One in mind is the question that bout cocktail napkins. Moore answered it by writing on cocktail napkins. I enjoy that style. Makes it seem more hands on when a book does things like this. When they print maps and letters, it’s my bread and butter in the book world.

I was very excited to receive my copy and might even hand it off to another writer friend of mine. I have many that would find this book very interesting.

Thanks for reading

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

  For my second book, I chose Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel. This was something that caught my attention right away, the title had this positive message without the cover giving away too much of what was in store once cracking the spine. I’m a huge fan of positive books with doodles in them, however, I’m not sure this particular book is for me. I personally, would probably prefer if this book was only self-help rather than a hands-on type of self-help. I know it acts as a reminder of the fact that you cannot just take another person’s experience and call it your own or have it work the same way for you. Life doesn’t work like that.This guide does it’s best to create a way to brainstorm, a way to relearn certain things like not feeling guilty for rambling or doodling on the corner of each page.There are prompts throughout the book that sort of make it feel like school.

They give you a “time limit” but I feel like it’s the book giving the reader permission to allow time for things in general and not just for this tiny prompt. The purpose of this book is to give you an insight and perhaps look at things differently. An outside of the box/comfort zone insight.

Now don’t get me wrong, this book has a lovely idea behind it and I plan on giving it more time before I write it off as “not for me”. But at the moment I’m still on the fence about it. Not due to lack of interesting topics, because the interactive part is fun, but perhaps my mood is just not in the right place for this particular book even though I’m in the need of some positive energy and this book has plenty of that. I just need to make the time for it and to remember just to play sometimes.

Thanks for reading and commenting

* I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Halloween this year was spent dancing with the boyfriend, well attempting to dance anyway. I’ve never been one for dancing, but it’s really cute to see how happy he becomes when the music starts. He seems to really enjoy it and for him to share something that he loves with me makes me happy, even if I’m not always in the best state of mind.

For me I enjoy the idea of dressing up for Halloween, but sadly I never have enough time to devote to making a full costume. My sewing skills aren’t the best but I still enjoy the process. I personally, love staying in for Halloween. Getting comfy and watching scary movies while eating candy is the best. But this year, the bf invited me to a Masquerade party, and even though he wanted to still dress up in costumes, I just wanted to dress up in a pretty dress and just have fun being elegant for the evening. I went shopping all over Houston trying to find the perfect dress. I was also hoping to use this perfect dress for a friend’s wedding that is coming up soon. Just when I was about to give up, Ii walked into this small boutique, a boutique that I wouldn’t have normally noticed. A mannequin was wearing this beautify tulle dress with pretty trees and deer sprinkled on it. You can’t tell from this photo, which hopefully next time I take more pictures, he’s not a fan of photos. I was really happy with this dress, plus it was only 5 bucks! The store was having a huge sale and thankfully this dress was a large, it’s fro China so  I was lucky that it fit me. Feeling comfortable in what I am wearing at least makes things for me a bit better when I’m not sure about a situation. I’m not the best at blending in or even with being social and when I’m uncomfortable I shut down and just keep to myself. But thankfully the bf danced with me and did his best to teach me how to Lindy Hop. Not easy. But still, fun. I just wish I had more rhythm. :/ A work in progress.

 Didn’t get much candy that night, nor did we have time to watch any scary movies, but it was a nice weekend. I managed to have both Saturday and Sunday off, so it was nice sleeping in for a change. For the next few weekends I’ll be working a lot so no sleeping in for me any time soon. After Halloween, the boyfriend and I went on this bike ride that left me super sore afterwards. I’m so out of shape, and wasn’t prepared for such a ride….even if it wasn’t as intense as some bike rides are. I totally should have stretched before riding and definitely need a new bike seat. >.< Bike riding is a lot of fun though and hope to continue pushing myself so that next time I won’t complain as much.

 Always hiding from the camera, but it’s the challenge of capturing him that makes it so worth while. That’s all for now, until next time.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Totally missed the rest of the BLOG-TEMBER challenge. Sadly, school and life just got in the way. However, it gave me today’s topic! What’s on my to-read list?!

But first! In other book related news, I’ve recently signed up for Blogging for Books, which if you haven’t heard of it before and you enjoy reading and writing then take a look over HERE!

During Labor Day weekend, Half Price had a 20% off of everything sale! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and while I was out with a friend we decided to pop in for a bit. I managed to find several books I wanted but only walked out with three. I had to pace myself.

The books I walked away with:

•  Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski (Currently Reading)
• The Ticket That Exploded by William Burroughs
• Lunar Savings Time by Alex Epstein

And then, I was given money for my birthday and went into Target, just buzzing around the dollar spot and art supplies when I wandered over to the books. Now, I don’t normally buy books from Target, but oh, I am very glad I did. Everyone should embrace a some YA books. I don’t judge your choice of genre, but I know some in the Creative Writing Department at UH sort of look down upon YA and Fantasy. But we should embrace these books, especially when they are well written and the plot is just well constructed and thought out. Anywho, I walked away with these lovely books:

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (also no a movie-have yet to see it)
• A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
• FanGirl by Rainbow Rowell (Bought this for the roomie, but I hope to read it as well)

Now, these are all the books I currently own and plan on reading, following is a list of books I have yet to get but have mentally, verbally and have written down on many lists. Here is yet another one.

• Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
• Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel
• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

There were several other books, that I have written down somewhere…but so far these are the ones that have made it to the current list. And aside from books, I wanted to share my newest notebook as well. Not like I need another one, but for me you can never have too many and this one is R2D2! They had several covers to choose from, but I just had to walk away with R2. My only issue with having so many is deciding what to fill each one with and wanting to use the latest one as soon as I get it. I know, those are some serious issues.

That’s all I have for this entry, let me know what’s on your to-read list. I’m definitely adding more to mine, speaking of….I’m off to read, maybe even knit!

Thanks for reading and commenting

The Time Garden by Daria Song

I’m excited to share a review with you today.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the recent trend that are…”adult” coloring books. I’m not a fan of this term, being creative should be acceptable for all ages. Not all of us can express ourselves creatively, and these coloring books can give you a project without needing a time frame or an end product. You’re free to color and take your time, like you did when you were younger.

The Time Garden is a beautiful coloring book, on my version there is a beautifully drawn tree which is featured more throughout the book. The dust jacket has gold foiling on the title and so do some of the leaves that sprinkle the front of the book. Moving on to the inside, the actual cover has a field of stars surrounding a little girl,her face hidden. This page is also featured later on in the book, so you can have the thrill of coloring this page.

One thing I feel that sets this book apart from a few of the other coloring books out in the market is that there is a story that is connected to it.  A story that makes me think- Nutcracker meets Alice in Wonderland yet at the same time maintaining it’s own story. 

The pages are a nice weight, I’m using a mixture of color pencil and my Staedtler Triplus fine-liner to color in the pages. If you press too hard or go over an already colored section too many times with the fine-liner there may be bleeding on the other side. But you shouldn’t run into that problem, too often. The only reason I ran into it was because I didn’t like my color choice and went over it with another color. I have yet to try using watercolor, but since the paper isn’t  a certain type of texture, I wouldn’t recommend using that medium.  But ultimately it’s up to you. I don’t want to ruin the book by showing you each page, so at the bottom is a teaser flip through of it’s pages.

I also wanted to share what’s written on the back of the book, if this plus the gorgeous illustrations doesn’t make you fall in love with this book then I don’t know what will.

The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock-inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by Korean artist Daria Song. Journey through the doors of the clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls-all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up. 

Cuckoo…cuckoo…cuckoo…

When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I’ve enjoyed coloring in this book, and it’s been a nice way to clear my head and just spend a little time daydreaming. I think we often forget to take some time for ourselves. I chose this book for my first review because I wanted something crafty and fun. Keep your eyes open for the next one, let me know in the comments if you enjoy this or other coloring books. But it’s quite alright if you don’t.

Thanks for reading and commenting

Today’s topic is Bucket list, and what’s on mine. But as I started thinking about this more and more, I’ve realized I’ve never really made a bucket list before. I know there are many different approaches to this type of thing but here is what I’ve come up with for mine.

• GRADUATE– this is very important. And  I want to achieve this! I wish it was happening this semester but I’ve waited this long so what’s one more semester…as long as it is just one more. I can do this!!!
• Travel– I’m actually a huge homebody. I hate packing because I’m always worried I’m going to forget something or leave something at the place I’m visiting. -.- Such negative thoughts. But there are places I would love to visit, I’ve never been on a plane before. And of course I would love to visit another country, but I wouldn’t mind even visiting another state or even another city in Texas to start off small.  Baby steps… :3
• Second language– I really hope to become fluent in Spanish, I have another semester left but I want to be able to respond in Spanish. My dad’s first language was Spanish and my grandmother only speaks Spanish. I’d like to embrace my Mexican heritage and actually learn the language. This is all up to me.
• Move– I hope to move into a two bedroom apartment with my roomie/sister. We share a bedroom at the moment and even though it’s not terrible,  I hope we can work hard and be able to move into a place with more space. I want a kitchen table but we have no room for one. Some day soon…I hope.
• Mind-Speaks– I hope to be able to devote more time to this and make more product for the store. I want to be able to represent Mind-Speaks in different craft shows and fairs. It’s just going to take some time. <3
• Write– I want to do some more writing. Creatively I mean. I haven’t done it in awhile and I’ve forgotten how much I enjoy it.
• TFL– This one ties in with the previous one, I want to submit a story to this journal one day.
• Knitting– I want to complete my Star Wars scarf before the winter season is over!
• Reading– I enjoy books so much and haven’t made time for it lately, so here’s to changing that!
• Hair dye– Lately, I’ve been envying people with dyed hair. Mint hair to be exact and I hope I get a chance to dye my hair before I can’t. Maybe just the ends? Because technically I’m not allowed to have my hair dyed an unnatural hair color for my museum job. But if it’s just ends I could hide them in the rest of my hair….possibly. It’s just something  I want to try.

I’m not sure if this makes for a great bucket list, I know it might not be as worth while, but these are all things I love and want to either improve on or accomplish. And that’s the point of a bucket list, no? These are things you want to experience, no? Well, that’s what I did for my bucket list. But of course, this isn’t set in stone and it’s not like this is the end of it. It will continue to grow and grow as I grow. Can’t wait to read what’s on your lists!

Thanks for reading and commenting