How to Set Yourself Up for a Successful School Year

Bad news guys, summer is almost over! And we all know what that means. Many of you are heading back to the big S word. School. But, have no fear! I have some tips that I've learned over the years for making the year go by a little smoother. 

I have no earth shattering advice to give you, just simple "tricks" that worked well for me. The major thing I learned in school was that earning an A at the end of the semester/year is not only about studying hard. I think the image you set up of yourself in front of your teachers is also a part of the equation. I can almost say this as a fact, but if you have your doubts, I can say for a fact that it won't hurt to work on both aspects. Try it. You might like what happens as a result. 

Keeping both working hard and showing that you're working hard in mind, I give you, 10 things you can do to set yourself up for success this school year!

I hope you enjoy these tips and own your grades! Happy Tuesday!

xo Aneela

1. Be early. 

Pretty self-explanatory, get to class early. Not only will it bring you peace of mind, your teachers will notice. Some teachers chat with students who show up early which is a great time to establish rapport with them. This way, if you ever need them for a recommendation or advice, it won't seem like you're asking out of the blue. 

2. Sit toward the front of the classroom.

This is an advantage if you make it into one. It used to motivate me to not miss class because the teacher is more likely to notice if a "gunner" is missing. Also, you are more likely to be called on if you have something to say if you sit near the front of the room. And, I noticed that there were far fewer distractions for me this way. I didn't find myself sitting there wondering what kind of bagel the girl in front of me was eating.

3. Get an agenda that works for you. AND USE IT.

Find an agenda you like and actually USE it. I know there are a lot of really fancy ones out there these days, but I just use a basic one from Target and it does the job. At the beginning of every semester, I used to sit down with my syllabus for each class and fill in the deadlines for all assignments, projects, and exams into my planner. Then, I would write down all dates for extracurriculars and clubs. This is basically fool proof if you actually reference your planner regularly. I don't think I ever missed a single deadline, so I know it works!

4. Build a relationship with EACH of your teachers/professors.

Take advantage of office hours. Use email to keep in touch outside of the classroom and it doesn't have to directly be about class. If you find a relevant article about a current class topic, send it to your teacher. They usually love that and might even share it with the whole class!

5. Find a study space that works for you.

Identify a quiet place where you get your best work done. Make sure it is somewhere you can avoid distractions. During undergrad, the main floor of our library was the social area. My friends always used to hang out there and we were allowed to talk while we worked. But, if I had to do something that requires a lot of concentration (like study for an exam or write an essay) I would go to the second floor of the library. Literally no one ever went there. It was kind of grim and so quiet you could hear the buzzing of the tube lights over you, but when I studied there, I would forget that there is life outside the second floor. 

6. Make friends with like-minded people.

Now, I am not telling you to abandon your less studious friends, but you become your friends in a way. It is easier to care about your grades and make sacrifices for them if you are surrounded by others with the same values. Just saying. 

7. Participate in class.

You remember things better when you say them out loud because you actually think about what you're asking/answering rather than when you're passively listening. The classroom is no place to be passive, folks!

8. Fearlessly ask questions.

It's YOUR grade, ask YOUR questions. 

9. Use your time wisely.

Out of all the tips I have listed, this is the one I find most challenging. Procrastination is your enemy. The sooner you start your work and the more time you give yourself, the more likely you are to be satisfied with the end result. I know, easier said than done, but it is so worth it. 

10. Also, be wise about your time right before bed.

Doing a few simple tasks at night can really help prepare you for the day ahead. Lay out your outfit, pack your lunch, make sure your bag is ready to go with all of your completed homework inside. When I started doing this, I slept better, woke up more optimistic, and ultimately had a better day at school. 

How to Get Yourself out of a Creative Rut

I thought this would be the perfect topic to write about today as I have gone through one of the most major ruts (creative and otherwise) over the past few months. I want to talk about what I have learned going through the experience and the steps I am still taking to get over it. I am using this post as a starting point for my commitment to this blog as you will see below.

I know how horrible it is to feel negative, uninspired, and downright frustrated sometimes, but I am here to tell you it is completely normal to feel like this. All we can do is wake up every morning and just show up and hopefully, eventually things start looking up. So here is how to get yourself out of a creative rut:

Board the Happy Train Everyday

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo! I find that it really helps to spend some chunk of time every single day doing something that I know will make me happy. Make a list if you have to and reference it the next time you are feeling uninspired. This all depends on your personality and preferences, but some surefire things that work for me are being with my family, going for a walk outside, painting my nails, drinking coffee, and looking at art blogs. Minus the last item, none of these require technology and I like to just leave my phone somewhere and not think about anything happening online. As inspiring as the internet can be, it can also be overwhelming specifically when going through one of these moods, so I like to limit it.  I would recommend trying a little internet detox occasionally and seeing what it does for you and your creative energy.

Re-evaluate Goals & Brainstorm Ideas

So, now that we’ve gotten the positive energy going, I like to use these times to my full advantage by writing out goals and brainstorming a list of ideas for future blog posts, photo ideas, recipes, etc. This makes it much easier to follow through with creating content when I am not as inspired or positive. And with anything you plan to do regularly, it’s a good idea to have a running list of ideas to work from. For example, if my goal is to publish one post per week, it would not be very efficient for me to think of an idea, execute it, tweak it, and post it all in that week. That would take a lot of time and I probably wouldn’t be fully satisfied with the end product.

Commit Publicly

What I mean by this is, whatever primary creative goal you have, tell people about it! Own it! For example, I am committing to publishing a blog post every Tuesday starting today and I am declaring it for anyone who cares to listen. I have included it in my Instagram bio for added accountability. You can call it cheesy, but I know this will force me to think creatively and write regularly, which is something I hold very dear to my heart. I have ideas and I want to share them with the world! In addition to committing verbally, make sure your actions match your words. Get organized, hold your project sacred, and work constantly to remove any barriers that could prevent you from achieving your goals. This is something I am really focusing on now more than ever. 

I hope these tips will prove to be helpful and good luck with all of your creative and other endeavors! Happy Tuesday!

xo  Aneela

The 'I Heart Summer' Tag

Hi. Well, this is awkward. It's been a while since I've written here. So, I'm going to transition back into blogging with an easy peezy tag post. And, with the first day of summer being just a few days ago, what better tag than the 'I Heart Summer' Tag? I hope you enjoy my answers to these questions and get excited for summer! No matter what your plans are for the summer, I hope it's poppin'!

Oh also, the photos in this post are from my trip to Guatemala because you know, summer...so they're totally relevant. Who am I kidding, I just need an excuse to sneak these in wherever remotely possible and I will do just that ;)

1. Favorite bronzer for summer?

My all-time favorite bronzer is a discontinued one from VS Pink that is on its last leg at the moment, sad life. It’s that perfect shade that makes it look like the summer sun caressed you in the kindest of manners. Definitely irreplaceable, but to share something attainable with you all, the Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder is almost as good. I use the shade medium, which is just a tad darker than my skin color and produces a subtle effect. Get it: here

2. You're relaxing in a hammock, on a tropical island. What are you sipping on?
Considering my biggest guilty pleasure of LIFE is coffee, it would probably be an iced coffee. Also, I really really love coconut water, so as long as we are using our imaginations, I'd probably have that in between to off-set the caffeine rush.

3. Favorite summer lip product?

THIS. It's the perfect color and formulation in my opinion.

4. Pool or Beach?

Hands down, the beach. And as much as I LOVE ocean beaches, I also genuinely appreciate lake beaches too. Luckily, Lake Michigan is only a fifteen minute drive from my house and while certain parts aren't that great, other areas will just take your breath away!

5. Sun bathing or fake tan?

Neither. I'm brown and my people can't participate in these shenanigans.

6. Favorite summer nail polish?

White, hot pink, turquoise, basically any color that's going to really contrast and accentuate my tan toasted skin.

7. Any summer traditions?

Every year, we do the 4th of July Parade in my town and go to the festival at nights with my cousins. It is definitely one of the highlights of my summer and I always run into people from high school, which is fun. A personal tradition of mine is that I read fiction books during the summer. I go to the library more regularly, and life just feels more "oomphy" when your mind can travel to far off places and time periods at a moment's notice. Currently, I am reading Even After All This Time by Afschineh Latifi. So far, I am obsessed with it and have to force myself to put it down.

8. Favorite summer scent?

I love that potent sweet scent that gardens get in the summer time humidity, especially after a rain shower. Also, I love the artificial coconut and vanilla scent in sunscreen. You know, the one? I live for that smell. 

9. Favorite BBQ food?

Anything that has been touched by the BBQ hand of Midas is my favorite food. I love barbecues, and barbecue sauce, and summer, and life. 

10. Any summer vacation plans this year?

Yes! I am going to the east coast at the end of July and seeing my best friend who I haven't seen in what feels like ages, so needless to say, I am so stoked, U know?!!

Now, that you know some summery facts about me, share yours in the comments below! I'm interested to know your favorite thing about the summer season. Tell me, tell me, please! :)

Have a happy day!

xo Aneela

The One Who Couldn't Stay // Spoken Word

The regular congregation of birds outside my bedroom window

---

You sought refuge from the bitter cold, inquiring for a place to stay.

I watched the light seep out of you and embrace the night like day.

And in my childish excitement, fixed up the finest room the inn had to offer.

Eagerly passing you its key.

True, you were a guest, but I had arranged a permanent abode.

Hoping you could stay.

How little did I know?

You were just another nomad, stopping to catch your breath along the way.

Well, I hope you find your way.

And, how true is what they say?

They all go away.

Eventually, they all go away.

// To listen to an audio version of this piece, click here //

50 Facts about Me

The sunrise from my bedroom window

Some time ago, I did the '20 Questions Tag' on the blog. If you are interested, you can read that by clicking here. I got a request do more posts about me, so I decided to compile a list of 50 (interesting?) facts you probably didn't know about me before. It was fun to sit down and dig my cranial matter for these and I hope you enjoy reading them! So, here we go!

1. I am an aries, but I don’t believe in horoscopes.

2. I was named by my favorite person in the world and I love my name.

3. One of my favorite books of all time is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It is a great tale of friendship and sacrifice. I can read it over and over again.

4. I could sit in a busy place and people-watch for hours.

5. When I am tired, my eyes water uncontrollably, so people tend to think I am crying even though I am perfectly fine.

6. I am double jointed in my thumbs, so I can make them look really funny if I want to freak someone out.

7. I was in a really bad car accident with my mom when I was young. To this day, I am the most jumpy/paranoid passenger ever. I really prefer to be in the driver seat.

8. I love desserts. When I meet people who don’t like dessert and ESPECIALLY chocolate, I wonder if they can really be trusted ;)

9. I am not afraid of spiders at all.

10. I didn’t know what I wanted to study at university and I made my decision based off of a character from a reality TV show. I am thoroughly satisfied with my decision.

11. I really, really love being around people. I love hearing the constant buzz of people talking, but sometimes I get too excited being around them, so I have to tune it out for a bit, calm down, and get back into it.   

12. I used to practice Bikram and I was pretty good at it. I don’t know why I stopped.

13. I’m very easily startled in “real life”, but I love watching scary movies.

14. When I was in middle school, I almost got suspended from school for scanning my face in the computer lab scanner. When I got called to the principal’s office, she was sitting there with my dad and a manila envelope. She asked me to open it and inside was 8.5” x 11” scan of my face. I screamed out of shock.

15. I love art and making things. I have been artistic for as long as I can remember.

16. I absolutely LOVE to travel! Far away is great, but I also love seeing new places nearby just as much. I don’t believe you have to go to a far off land to have an enjoyable time.

17. Unlike every other girl on the planet, I actually don’t like pumpkin spiced lattes, at all.

18. When I like a song, I will play it on repeat over and over again until I don’t like it anymore. If I just love it too much, I will avoid listening to it, so that I don’t ever stop liking it.

19. My first pet was called pinky. He/she was a pink goldfish.

20. During my teenage years, I went through a major bronzer phase as a result of watching The Hills. I have heavy photographic documentation of this phase and I am not embarrassed by it.

21. I love horses! I cannot put my adoration for them into words, so I will leave it at this, I love horses.

22. I’m secretly very bad at math, well actually just numbers in general too. I suppose it’s not really a secret. If you know me, you will know this about me.

23. Although I do dabble into a lot of interests, I don’t believe I have one true talent and I am ok with that.

24. Dogs hate me. I don’t know why, they just do.

25. I am really good at giving advice, but horrible at following my own advice.

26. I have wanted to get the ombre effect done on my hair ever since it became trendy, but haven’t had the courage to actually get it done. Mainly because I am terrified of color/bleaching damage.

27. When I was about four, my dad ran over my foot with a car. Yes, it was completely by accident and no, I was not a big girl about it.

28. Growing up, I had a lot of math tutors. They would come over on the weekends. I would go to them after school. I dreaded it and none of them were able to work their magic on me.

29. I much prefer making food at home and knowing exactly what is in it/ how it was made than going to a restaurant.

30. I am quite the cry baby. If I see someone crying, I also start crying even if I don’t know what they are crying about.

31. I think that the southwest salad from McDonald’s is ridiculously delicious.

32. I have really bad FOMO. There are a lot of things I do simply because I am afraid of what I could be missing out on.

33. When I was younger, I wanted to be a librarian or a grocery store cashier when I grew up.

34. I strongly dislike flip flops and I would not wear them even inside of my house.

35. I used to have a pet turtle named Otis, but a few months ago he ran away from home and hasn't come back yet.

36. I consider myself to be a very girly girl. I adore getting dressed up. I love makeup and jewelry and fashion. I don’t think I have a single tomboyish bone in my body.

37. I love going to baseball games, but I don’t understand the game.

38. I still have my first doll. Her name is Dorothy and she is missing an eyeball, but I still love her just the same.

39. When I was sixteen, I cut front bangs in my own hair. I would never do it again, but I didn’t regret it for a moment. I just NEEDED to know what it was like to have front bangs.

40. I am a very excitable person about everything in general, but especially with plans. The feeling of looking forward to and planning for something is just as exciting as the thing itself for me.

41. Freshly painted nails make me very happy. Between my sisters and I, we own an inhumane amount of nail polishes and nail art supplies. But if it were just up to me, I could be satisfied with five colors. If you are wondering, they are baby pink, red, lilac, black, and white. Yes, I have thought this through thoroughly.

42. When I went to Germany, I bought a piece of the Berlin Wall to bring home with me. I was the cause for many a laugh after that because everyone kept saying I had paid good money for a fragment of a brick.

43. I have always, and still do, dream of living on a farm with animals and crops. I am totally about that “living off the land” life. Sigh.

44. I absolutely love sending and receiving letters. I have kept every single letter I have ever received in its original envelope in a box in my room.

45. Last year, I donated seventeen inches of my hair. I chopped it off myself as a spur of the moment decision late one night when I couldn’t fall asleep. Some of my best decisions are made at 3 AM lol.

46. I am a really big believer in chivalry. It isn’t dead and when I see it, it’s beautiful.

47. I am horrible at following people back on social media because busy/cluttered news feeds make me anxious.

48. When I was younger, I had an extensive rock collection. Each rock had a human name and I remembered all of the names.

49. I am a huge environment person. I am very particular about not littering and making sure to recycle. I rarely believe in confrontation, but if I see someone in public littering, I will call them out and I will not be subtle about it.

50. As cliché as it may sound, my biggest dream in life is to make a difference in the world. I don’t know what it will be yet, but I want to leave something great behind. God willing.

Well, that's 50! I hope you found this at least a little entertaining to read! I'm curious to know an interesting fact about you, leave it in the comments below!

Hope you have a great day!

xo Aneela

How To: Breakfast Entertaining Made Simple

My first attempt at making a gif ;)

Around Thanksgiving time, I wrote a post about breakfast ideas I had used at the time since we had family over, but I wasn't able to share original pictures because I didn't get a chance to take any. You can read that post by clicking here. 

So, to make up for where that post fell short, I am writing another one with original pictures, hoping this one will be a one-stop destination for an entire breakfast arrangement, complete with how to plan out your menu, beverages, and all of that mumbo jumbo. 

Side note: The pictures in this post are from my snapchat. I just made an account for the blog a couple days ago. I don't know how I feel about temporary content yet, but I'm trying it out sharing mostly recipe/outfit pictures and videos because that has been my life these past few days. I hope to share more craft/recipe/organization tips through videos in the future. I also plan on using it as a sort of "behind the scenes" look at the blog. Let me know if there is something you would be interested in seeing in a snap story and I will try my best to make it happen. We shall see where the snap journey takes us! Add me as a friend if you like! My account is: thedesiknotblog 

The Food

I would say, as with most things in life, the middle path is key here. You don't want to skimp on the number of dishes because your guests should feel special, but you also don't want to go overboard because that can be uncomfortable as a guest. The goal is to make your guest feel welcome and avoid awkwardness at all costs. 

For a complete breakfast, I would say it is important to look at the basic food groups and make sure you have a good balance with something from each category. Below I will list out the categories and what we (my mom and I) served for each of them:

• Fruit: For a simple way to serve fruit. Make a fruit salad! Just cut up the fruits of your choosing and add a splash of lemon juice. The sourness in the lemon will amplify the sweetness in the fruit. Mind blown. I used bananas, oranges, grapes, and peaches. You can use whatever is in season and available in your area. 

• Grains: For this category, I decided to get fresh pastries from the bakery and arrange them on a platter. I used croissants, cookies, muffins, and scones. I also served sour dough, white, and whole grain toast for healthier carb options.

• Protein: The easiest protein is egg. We did fried eggs one day and scrambled eggs on another (pictured above). Super duper easy peazy. 

• Dairy: In terms of dairy, it's really simple to arrange a few different types of cheeses on a platter. You could also serve milk as one of your beverages. More on beverages later in the post. 

• Vegetables: Veggies are a bit tricky to sneak into breakfast. For our scrambled eggs, we used tomatoes, onions, potatoes, scallions, and cilantro. You could also serve avocado as a side or make green juice. 

Beverages

This is a personal choice you have to make based on who is visiting, but I would say the magic number is three drinks, other than water of course. Create a balance between hot and cold, caffeinated and juices, etc. Below are some ideas of drinks you could choose from when creating your menu:

• Orange Juice
• Green Juice
• Coffee 
• Tea (oh glorious tea)
• Milk
• Fruit Smoothies

Hope you enjoyed these ideas! What is your favorite thing to have for breakfast? Share below!

xo Aneela

Coming Home // Spoken Word

“Home is where your heart is full. You feel a constant euphoria and you never want to leave that moment that you wish could last an eternity.”

If I leave my house and travel 343 miles north, past the final traces of city life, sometime after the last of even the familiar golden arches of a McDonald’s restaurant, there sits a place perched high on a hill, surrounded by busy clusters of tall trees, that is home.

I have left a vital component of my heart in this place. Yes, without it my heart still continues to beat according to schedule, but it is left to carry out its affairs without the capacity to breathe full satiated breaths.

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

--

When I am here, my heart is full. 

I am home, alas, for a short while. 

--

My mind does not wander to any place outside of these walls. 

I do not merely hear words. I listen for fear that I will forget the quirks and phrasings in her voice. 

I do not simply see. I watch every gesture, intended and otherwise, and commit it to memory. 

I do not speak. I pour out the sentiments building up from this newfound fullness in my heart. 

Then, as suddenly as I showed up at its doorstep, I gather these raw reflections in my heart, scoop up my belongings, and depart to come home to a house.

// To listen to an audio version of this piece, click here //