Part Two of a four part series. So this is the Men's gift ideas, here are the Ladies' gift ideas, and there will be a book gift guide :) Of course people tend to not to fit categories so feel free to mix and match, but at least the types of presents are under categories!

The Mountain Man: The nature is mans best friend guy. You know the one, the one who loves spending time outside, hiking, walking

• Hiking Boots or Running Shoes
• Backpacks
• Tumbler
• Earbuds
• Sweater
• Flannel
• Adventure hats (yes this is a thing my friend and brother have one)

The Classy Bro: The guy who wears really nice cologne, has cool shoes, and wears bow ties

• Nice Dress Shirt or a Polo
• A Suit
• Messenger Bag
• Bow Tie
• Belt or suspenders
• Journals

Indie Kid:The hipstery boy in your life that wears a lot of flannels, wears beanies, and reads poetry

• Aviators 
• Cool button ups 
• Sweaters
• Watch
• Lenses for phone cameras
• Mug
• Wreak this Journal (great for everyone!)

Skater Dude: The guy who is chill, laid back, and wears snap backs, and graphic tees

• Headphones
• Vans or other skating shoes
• Beanie or snapback
• Baseball Tees
• Cool printed sweatshirts
• Backpacks
• Funny Books
• ex) Get Sh*t Done

Christmas Gift Guide: Last minute Ideas for Ladies

So Christmas is in a few days. For some people, the lucky, organized, responsible people are getting a few last minute things, but are all set with presents. The rest of the human population is freaking the fuck out because Christmas is in a few days and we have absolutely nothing. So seeing as this is a plight I am all too familiar with I thought I would help by doing some last minute gift guides for those of us who a little late to this party.

Here are links to gifts and links to gift ideas. :)

Ladies:

The Girly Girl: The girl who loves to dress up, do her make up, and really likes pink.

• Nail Polish box or Nail Stickers or Both :)
• Make Up Brushes
• Eye Shadow
• Mini Make-up Kit
• Rookie Yearbook
• Purse
• Hair Bows

The Edgy One: The one that's not afraid to wear leather, spikes, and all black. She's fearless

• Headphones
• Nail polish
• Combat Boots
• Bold statement pieces
• Bracelets
• Watches
• Earrings or Ear Cuffs
• Faux Fur vest or jacket
• Flask

The Boho Chick: Has a flower child influence to her wardrobe, chill relaxed.

• Tribal Inspired jewelry
• Rings
• Earrings 
• Head Accessories 
• Candles or fairy lights
• Journal
• Scarf
• Hats
• Beanie
• Fedora

The Creative, Craft-y girl: The one who likes to scrapbook, make DIY things, and always goes full out on school projects

• Scrapbook
• Jewelry making kit
• Wreak This Journal ( great gift for everyone!)
• Notebook
• Nail Art kit 
• Disposable Cameras or a Polaroid 

Letter to December #10

Dear December,

Sometimes all you need is a nice big breath, a cup of tea, and an afternoon of nothingness. Now, I've always been one to keep busy. I like running around doing errands, making plans, scheduling things etc. But for a moment, just a tiny one I sat down, tea in hand, and just relaxed and surprisingly enough I enjoyed my moment of nothingness. 

Of course, December, it didn't last long. I went to target not soon after to go Christmas shopping. With finals done, school on pause, I finally have time to get presents and make them. This is my favorite time of the year and it almost makes up for the head splitting-ness of finals week. But it got me thinking, maybe it's time for me to take a deep breath and look around me. I don't think I do it enough. 

People are always doing things. That, I think sometimes, we get so focused on tasks, that we forget the big picture. We forget that we are living breathing people who are living their lives. I know it's cliche but I don't think anyone really stops to smell the roses anymore. And then at random moments, we'll just think "Holy Shit, This is my life". For me it hit me yesterday. With a mug in hand, and nothing to do, it hit me that this is actually what i'm doing with my life, my time, my energy. And I wish I would have stopped more and just taken in the moments, instead of living life on super speed, busy as a bumblebee. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, I need to be more in touch with the big picture of it all. I focus to much on the tiny details that won't matter in ten years. I focus on the small things so much I forget that I need to take a breather sometimes. But better late than never, right December?

Love Always,

Letter to December #9

Dear December,

There's a certain something that comes with the end of things. It could be that you just stop caring. It could be that you're in a rush to prove yourself. That's pretty much what finals feel like. This week, December, so many students embark on a journey that can pretty much leave you dead;finals week. Not fun. You see as much as I love you December, you bring around one of the most stressful times of the year. 

Okay so in my defense the internet is a pretty distracting place, but I've been majorly procrastinating on my studying. Maybe it's the Christmas-y feeling in the air, the inebrating amounts of junk food, or the Disney music i've been playing non-stop, but i'm not worried yet. My finals start on Tuesday so i'm waiting to notice the walls closing in on me. I'm waiting to freak out and have the "Holy Shit" moment. You know the one. The one where you're dumbfounded by you're a) own stupidity b)the pressure to do well. This is where some people just have a fuck it moment, and where others, like me cram, 

I know cramming doesn't help, but It's my comfort blanket. I can't not cram for things. Thankfully Disney music has kept me calm (for now) and somewhat happy. I mean you can't not be happy when you'r listening (and singing) "Zero To Hero" or "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" or "Hakuna Matata". You just can't. That probabaly why I listen to it during finals. I have to keep myself somewhat content and together. I can lose it after. I should take a hint from Timon and Pumba and just chill out. But I doubt that I could ever just live by Hakuna Matata, I worry to much. 

I worry. So I plan and plan. But then I don't stick to that plan so I worry and try and plan some more. Usually by like the third circle I got it, and I somewhat know what i'm doing. It just takes some last minute pressure to get me to that point. Which is pretty much where I am right now.

December wish me luck, I'll need it.

Love always,

Book Talk: The 100 by Kass Morgan

Release Date: September 3, 2013
Book: The 100
Author: Kass Morgan
Number of Pages: 323
Source: Netgalley (I received this in exchange for an honest review)

The Basics:In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again

My Musings,

Okay so I LOVE the show. I love the characters, the changing dynamics and relationships, the plot, the story line. Everything. I really wanted to read the book just because I wanted to see what it was like, how it compared to the show. Plus I heard that there was a lot of #bellarke, I ship them so hard. So I read the book with a pretty open mind and I actually really like it.

The writing style isn't really anything special. There aren't incredibly fancy sentences conveying a deep rooted emotion. But it's perfect for this book. The plot is different from the show, but it's good. It surprised me and took me on a journey that I enjoyed. I liked the originality of the story line and the twists and turns it takes. It's not as crazy as the show, but it's pretty good. I love how it was told in different view points. You get to see what Clarke is thinking, what Bellamy is thinking, what Glass is thinking. But because of this changing view point the story line does lag a little bit. It takes a while for things to happen because each character gets a say in what they think, which I actually kind of liked. My mind was a little poisoned by the show because I kept waiting for different things, some happened fast, others didn't come until the end of the book.

The characters are well written, I was able to connect with the characters. They felt real to me. I love Bellamy's character. He is strong and capable and you see him grow in the book. You get to see more of the back story for each of the characters which intensifies the relationship a reader feels with characters in the book. I really felt for Bellamy and Octavia. I wanted to give Well's a hug and then punch him. I wanted to give Clarke advice. That was a big plus in the book. There are different characters in the book than in the show, but you grow to love those two. I honestly don't miss Finn at all. I love Glass. She's willing to do anything for the guy she loves and I respect her for it.

Romance wise, there isn't anything highly original, but I love it. Wells is in love with Clarke. Clarke kind of sort of hates his guts. Within reason of course. Bellamy is cute, sweet, badass and has a giant crush on Clarke and Clarke is crushing on him too. I like the romance and the way it develops. As a reader i'm definitely torn between Wells and Bellamy. Wells has risked everything for Clarke. Bellamy has been through hell and deserves to be happy. I can't wait till the next book!!!

Overall i'm pleased with the way the book happened. I love how different the book is. I love the characters and the original story line.


Coffee for The 100: I recommend a nice warm Caramel Brulee Latte. It's warm and soothing perfect for the WTF moments in the book. 

My Rating:

Letter to December #8

Dear December,

It was cold and rainy and I felt like baking. It was an eventful experience. Mostly because my brother was baking with me. Yeah....

Yesterday was the 12 of December. For most people it was just another day. But for me and my family it was my mom's and sisters saint day. They are both named after the Virgin of Guadalupe. I'm the odd daughter out. My name is Giselle not Guadalupe like my mom and sister. My plan is to add it as a middle name later on in life. We'll see how that goes. Anyways, my brother and I wanted to do something nice for mom since it was the day of her saint.

My brother biked to Target got some cookie mix, cupcake mix and frosting. My dear little brother did his best as a baker, but the poor kid didn't even really know how to crack an egg. So I guess this was an educational experience for him. Like how you're supposed to watch the cookies as you bake. And you know, not let them burn. He still needs to work on baking skills but he's great at decorating :)

The cupcakes turned out really good. The cookies... not so much. I was washing dishes and my little brother was in charge of the cookies. We were in the final stages of baking so I was cleaning up. Then he asks for help and I tell him to wait because I was almost done, but he repeated his words and he was holding a cookie tray full of burnt cookies. So then I took the tray from him trying to find a space to but the tray down. The tray however was soo hot that I burned my finger a little bit. Note: If you ever get burned put tomato on it. It helps. All of a sudden the piercing shriek of the fire alarm went off and I starting to freak out. I put the cookie tray down on a chair and took the other one out, Thankfully Omar was able to turn it off.

Some cookies were salvageable. I couldn't stop laughing after it happened. All the while Christmas Music was playing. But regardless it's a nice, funny memory and to be honest quite a story. Life is a series of moments, some imprinted in out brains some lost in the corners of our mind, And December, I'm making some awesome ones this month.

Love Always

Letter to December #7

Dear December,

I walked into my second period class today and my Psychology teacher was playing Christmas music. As soon as I heard the cheerful melody of "Santa Clause is Coming to Town", I smiled. To be honest I really did want to sing along ;)

I remember one year in elementary my teacher made my class sing that song for a mini, informal, winter concert. Ever since then I've loved this song. Even when everyone was done with that song, I was ready to sing it once more with a giant grin on my face. Years later, I can still sing this song (badly) with a smile on my face.

December 9th marked the anniversary of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. I loved that movie, I watched it yesterday. Maybe it's the end of the year talking but I've started to feel really nostalgic. I used to love watching christmas movies and I could spend hours watching Rudolph, Mickey Mouse, Santa Clause, movies. I still can to be completely honest. But those little kid days...That was the life. We're all in such a hurry to grow up, leave our childhood behind and just be adults. We all want desperately to be taken seriously and want our thoughts and actions to be validated and often times it seems the only way we're going to reach that point is by being adults.

Then one day, you're re-watching old movies, drinking hot cocoa and suddenly you kind of get annoyed with your little kid self because they wanted to grow up so bad. It's not that I would want to change my childhood, I just wish I could have had more carefree time, more naps, more everything. I guess it's human nature to always want more

That's why I love you December, you remind me that it's okay i'm not a little kid. You remind me it's okay as long as I remain a kid at heart, as cheesy as that sounds. At the end of the day I still love watching Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, eating cookies with a mug full of hot chocolate with sprinkles. You remind us it's okay to play in the snow and actually enjoy ourselves. Just because we grow up (admittedly a little rushed) doesn't mean we can't act like children and enjoy things we did when we were kids.

So who cares if your 20 or 30 or 40 or whatever really, you can still be a kid. You can shake off your responsibility for a couple moments of well deserved childlike fun. Because let's face it you've probably never laughed as passionately, as purely as when you were a kid.


Love Always,