the sunday currently, volume 52.

currently sipping pumpkin spice coffee out of my current favorite mug

1 year!

Today marks 1 year of TSC here on siddathornton. Today marks 1 year of rising each Sunday to get my post up before noon. Today marks 1 year of people linking up & sharing their currentlies with us all. See volume one here. This project has been such a blessing. I've gotten to know a lot of you through this linkup, & I hope I get to know even more of you in this next year to come.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G World War Z, for my Ethics class. I'm pretty intrigued by it. And it's nice to be able to read a novel, as mandated by school, since I'm not allowing myself to indulge in pleasure reading until this semester comes to a close in December.

W R I T I N G a LOT of journal entries in my homemade planner this past week. I had quite a rough week, as far as school is concerned, & writing out my feelings, as well as talking them out with Justin, helped worlds. 

L I S T E N I N G to My House Wife Life videos as I tap out this entry.

T H I N K I N G about time management & methods for keeping on top of all my school work without having a mental breakdown. Like I said, last week was a doozie. But I have a lot of hope for the week to come. I think things are going to be better & more manageable. 

S M E L L I N G the pumpkin spice coffee I'm currently sipping on. I need to hurry & finish this post so I can finish the cup before it gets cold.

W I S H I N G it was already December. I'm not one to wish time away - definitely not - but to say that I am ready for this semester to be coming to a close is quite the understatement.

H O P I N G I can maintain control over my emotions this week.

W E A R I N G my comfiest blue t-shirt, my big navy polo pajama pants, & freshly-dyed hair.

L O V I  N G my Harry Potter mug [see photo above]. Kara sent it to me for my birthday, & it was love at first sight.

W A N T I N G a great workout today.

N E E D I N G to make a list & get things prioritized today. I have a few things to accomplish.

F E E L I N G hungry this morning. Ready for breakfast, or brunch, or lunch, or whatever comes my way today.

C L I C K I N G The Sunday Secrets this morning.

I know this wasn't really the perkiest of TSCs that has ever graced this page, but I am still anxiously awaiting October, when I will be blogging full-force again. This break has already taught me a lot about blogging, about expectations, & about time management. I'm hoping that when I return in October,  I will remember to manage my time & my expectations. I can't wait to be back!

LSC

photo: the cutest harry potter mug i ever did see | instagram

Now it's your turn. Tell me: what are you doing? Link up below to share.

the sunday currently, volume 51.

pretty nails, huh? it's definitely manicure day over here.

Well, hello out there! It feels like it's been years since I've written in this space. And I have to tell you: I miss it. I know that my decision to take the month off is the right one, but that doesn't mean I don't wish I were blogging. There is a LOT going on with my four classes this semester, but I feel like I'm already getting on a pretty good schedule [luckily]. 

Despite my blogging break, I've still found things of a similar nature to take up some of my time. First of all, I'm working on a bit of a redesign for this space, which I'm psyched to roll out upon my regular blogging return in October. I don't want to divulge too many details just yet, but I'll say this: there will be a few more pages joining the ranks of siddathornton. As it turns out, I need more organization in this space, & the pages I'll be adding aid me in that respect. I'm really excited about all the changes I'll be instituting upon my return!

Secondly, as I mentioned in my August 2013 Love List post, I will be re-instituting the accompanying videos upon my return! Now this I am really excited about. In my absence from this space, I have learned how to edit videos in iMovie, something that has long been on my to-do list. Now armed with this new skill, I am ready to bring back my monthly favorites videos. I'm also planning to put up a couple videos in the interim, such as Fall Nail Polish Picks & Fall Lipcolor Picks. I'll tweet out the links to those when they're up. In addition to the video types mentioned, I also plan to vlog any trips that Justin & I go on. This is going to be fun!

Can you tell this break has been good for me? Because it has. And I think the fact that I'm missing writing here is evidenced by this huge intro.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G my statistics book, because y'all, I am determined to get a good grade in that class in particular. It is definitely going to be my biggest challenge, but I think I have the right mindset, which is half the battle for me. Also, I now have another reason to anticipate the end of this semester: I think I've nearly talked my mom into reading the Harry Potter series with me. I'm hoping we can simultaneously read the books, & have Skype book club sessions. This gives me such a huge thing to look forward to, which helps me press on when I have a statistics book in my face & realize that I'm READING. ABOUT. MATH. 

W R I T I N G in my second homemade planner. This one is getting extra bells & whistles, with little post-it flags & the cutest ever post-it notes from Target adorning its pages. I love my homemade planners. I do think I want to transition into the Filofax ranks come 2014, but even then, I plan to continue making homemade planners, for brainstorming, journaling, & rough-draft list-making. Yes, the organization is going to be at that level. It's impressive, I know. 

L I S T E N I N G to the sound of silence at the moment. I rose bright & early at 8:00 this morning, which I was thrilled about - & even tweeted such - because I haven't been able to get up with my alarm since the Labor Day holidays, I'm afraid to admit. But, it's true. I've been watching my YouTube favorites this morning, as well as enjoying a pumpkin spice Archer Farms K-Cup [my new favorite], but I decided I'd like silence to collect my thoughts & tap them out into this post. 

T H I N K I N G constantly about the changes coming for my blog & YouTube channel, & staying in a perpetual state of excitement over it. I said I wasn't going to divulge much about it, but I'll give you a few more hints: there are going to be more photos, more beauty products, more nail polish, more writing, more lists, more outfits of the day, more samplings of possible book ideas, more photo diaries... yeah. And that's a lot. And you may be thinking, How is this going to happen? But, my dears, I guess that is what I will leave for you to find out come October.

S M E L L I N G the residual scent of my quickly-devoured cup of coffee. I didn't have coffee yesterday - I had tea instead - so my cup was an extra-special treat this morning. I find it makes coffee a much more enjoyable thing when you don't have it every single day. And when I say that's what I'm smelling, I mean that's what I'm kind of smelling. My sinuses/allergies have been off their rockers this week. So much so, that I took a Benadryl early Friday evening & passed out before nine o'clock. 

W I S H I N G & hoping for the ability to really keep my head in the game over the next couple of months. The road to getting my school stuff [relatively] under control hasn't been the easiest. Having lights at the end of the tunnel, such as re-reading the Harry Potter series during the holiday season, are what keep me going, & what keep my attitude up in the I can do this atmosphere. 

H O P I N G ... see above. I covered it all there.

W E A R I N G pajama pants & a SAINTS t-shirt. I love football season, I really do. Even if it's just for the sounds of a football game going on, playing background noise to blogging, Pinterest-browsing, & wing-eating. Sometimes I get into the games, sometimes I don't. But nothing really compares to the sound of a football game going on.

L O V I  N G the kind of weekend we've had thus far. I've been doing laundry, doing dishes, doing schoolwork... but also relaxing & working on projects I'm excited about. Not long ago, I would have grumbled at such a weekend: I was lazy with a capital L. But my newfound love of homemaking & organization & productivity has infused a new excitement of life into my daily routine. Really, how could I not love that? 

W A N T I N G wings for lunch today. I guess when this post is finished, I'll be headed out for a run. Football season always arouses in me the desire to indulge. Especially indulgences of the wing variety. My mouth is watering, & it's only nearly 9:30 a.m. Welcome to my life.

N E E D I N G to finish up some projects that have been on the back burner that just plain need finishing. In all of my recent progress with keeping the house together, I still haven't exactly kicked my horrible procrastination habits. Those are always on my list of things to improve. We'll see if they wane at all in the coming months. Let's hope they do.

F E E L I N G wholly content this morning. Feeling as if the day lies ahead, specifically for me to conquer it & make the most of it. There is no better feeling to begin a day with, really. 

C L I C K I N G around on these blogs with gusto recently: Organized Jen & Oh So Pretty. I've also been watching My Housewife Life videos daily, in an attempt to catch up with the huge backlog of videos she uploaded before I discovered her channel. I'm not really a housewife, but I find her videos wildly inspiring.

Well - did I write enough this week? I'm thinking I did. Now, it's your turn: what are you doing? Write your own currently post & link it up below. I love reading about what you're up to.

the sunday currently, volume 50.

the first pumpkin spice latte of the season happened on friday. hello, fall.

Hello everyone! It feels funny to be posting the day that my blogging sabbatical begins, but The Sunday Currently stops for no one [not even me]. It also feels funny to be writing this edition of The Sunday Currently right now, because it's actually Saturday morning... very early morning, as in 12:53 a.m. Justin & I will be driving back from Raleigh by the time this post will need to go up, so that's why I'm having to write it & schedule it in advance. I've spent the evening up until this point getting the house cleaned up, packing for my little road trip, & watching My House Wife Life videos. It's been a productive day, & I'm thankful for that. 

Since I'm basically writing this with the future in mind, I'm guessing on these... but I have a feeling they may be accurate.

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G road signs & license plates between Raleigh & Wilmington. We are driving home today, after having attended the Louisiana Tech/NC State game, & I'm sure that we are exhausted. Justin has played what I think has added up to four... or five... rounds of golf between Wednesday & now, & I haven't been sleeping well, being in the house by myself since Wednesday night. 

W R I T I N G to-do lists in my head, but deciding they can wait to be put on paper until tomorrow night. It's the Labor Day holiday, which means a three-day weekend! Justin & I are looking forward to a day of relaxation.

L I S T E N I N G to some great road trip tunes. Unfortunately, Justin & I will be traveling in two different cars, since he took one up for the golf part of his trip, & I will be driving up just for the football game. 

T H I N K I N G that I'm really proud of the strides I've made with stress over the past week. I'm starting to get all of my school things under control, & it feels great. I think things are going to go even better than I previously thought. Now, let's just keep that feeling going with lots of proactive practices.

S M E L L I N G ... who knows? Who nose? Ha...

W I S H I N G for a smooth transition into the school & work week after our three-day weekend. Sometimes a longer holiday makes getting back to the grind harder. 

H O P I N G to continue eating healthily & working out consistently. I'm proud of the strides I've made in the past week, especially with meal-planning & even cooking!

W E A R I N G ... well, if I'm wearing what I packed, it'll be orange shorts, a gray slouchy v-neck top, & the scarf Kara brought back for me from Paris last summer.

L O V I  N G finally being back with Justin! I don't know how he stayed here at the house by himself for such extended periods of time, when I was back in Shreveport. I understand now how lonely he must have been. I'm grateful for his selflessness & patience. 

W A N T I N G a black & white cookie. I've been wanting one since Thursday. Maybe since Sunday is Diet Cheat Day, this can be arranged?

N E E D I N G to feel proud of myself for the strides I've made with stress management, routine implementation, & just self control in general. I really have made a lot of progress over the past few weeks, & I'm so happy about that. 

F E E L I N G blessed & loved & thankful. 

C L I C K I N G nothing around the Internets today. It's time to hang out with Justin.

What have you been up to lately? Link up & share below! 

see you in october!

I'm taking a break from blogging in the month of September. For more information on why, click here & here. Hopefully this little break will help me get all my blogging thoughts together, as well as affording me some time to read & interact with you all on your blogs. Oh yeah, & get my you-know-what together in school, too.

Not to worry, The Sunday Currently isn't going anywhere. 

Meet me here each Sunday at noon eastern to share what you're up to. 

If you'd care to follow along with my life while I'm away, a good way to find me is 

on Twitter & Instagram, as I'll be updating regularly from those social media platforms. 

Beyond those avenues, I'll see you in October! I'll miss y'all. I hope you'll miss me too!

august 2013 love list.

As I prepare for my month-long blogging sabbatical, which will start in September & end in October, I wanted to leave you with a little post, the likes of which have been a recurring theme in my posts of yesteryear. If you read the title of the blog post, you guessed it: it's a love list! And I wanted to put one up for August, so that I could let you all know that when I'm back to hardcore blogging in October, the love lists will be back for good!

I blogged about how I was having trouble coming up with a love list for each month, but when it comes down to it, that was just laziness. There are plenty of things to love each month, & I will be sharing them towards the end of each month for the foreseeable future. 

And it's not just the rebirth of the love lists that has me excited: I've also decided to return to doing videos for these monthly favorites. I think I may have a little bit better of a filming situation now [read: no more videos on my macbook, where everything is a mirror image]. I also plan to learn how to edit videos in iMovie, something I've long had my eye on accomplishing! 

As you can see, I'm already excitedly planning post ideas & upgrades for my October return. You can look for one more non-TSC post, coming tomorrow, which will provide ways we can keep in touch while I'm absent from this space. And, of course, The Sunday Currently will be going up every Sunday at noon eastern. Those aren't going anywhere! So, come link up! 

Alright, now on to the love list. Here are the things I've been loving in this birthday month of mine...

1. Coconut Lime Breeze Fragrance Mist from Bath & Body Works.The perfect simple summer scent. 

2. Honey Sweetheart Triple Moisture Body Cream from Bath & Body Works. I stocked up on these during the sale, & I'm so glad I did [And which is a good thing, because it appears that this scent is currently unavailable. Boo.]. This cream is exactly what it says it is: moisturizing. Plus, I really like this scent.

3. Composition notebooks. I've been creating my very own custom planners, & these are the ticket.

4. Long text threads with my friends. Self-explanatory. But suffice it to say, my friends are hilarious.

5. St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Facial Moisturizer. At first I worried this was too greasy, but it's the perfect night-time moisturizer. I LOVE the texture it gives my skin.

6. Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me. I've been wearing this nearly every day. It's just so easy, &  it provides such a flattering color payoff. Not to mention the SPF & conditioning factors. This product is just an all-around win in my book.

7. Organized Jen. I've been so inspired by this girl recently! I love her attitude, her routines, her organizing... she's just a great person.

8. Home-made smoothies. Inspired in part by the girl mentioned above, Justin & I have been replacing one meal per day with these delectable treats. It's been a great way to sneak a little extra fruit into our diets.

9. My brand-new iPad. Thanks Justin, Dad, Mom, & Kara!

10. School. Even though it's stressing me out.

What have you been loving this month?

a surge of DIY inspiration | Mom's Nurses' Week project.

Back in May, my mom shared with me a DIY she had created for Nurses' Week. In her role as Director, she put a lot of effort into the coordination of this yearly event. She put together the following creation for all of the managers she oversees, to thank them for all of their hard work throughout the year.

frames from Michaels on sale, $5 [search for similar frames here]
stickers from Michaels, $3-$4 [search the wide sticker selection here]
extra graphic details from Michaels, $4 [search for similar items here]
paper, regular from printer

Each one she made cost under $10, so the total project rung in around $60. I think that's a great price for such a cute, hand-made gift! These would be perfect for nursing school graduates, any of your nursing friends who may be reaching a milestone, or just to communicate thanks or encouragement within the workplace.

-----

Speaking of DIYs, I've been getting really inspired lately, while browsing Pinterest. Here are a few projects I'd like to try my hand at, soon:

- Repurposing some empty wine bottles I have lying around, in some manner or other, from these inspirations. And these in particular.

- I've recently begun to learn the art of crochet. Here are some projects I can't wait to try my hand at.

- I'm hoping to make metal stamping my next endeavor. Think of all the cute jewelry you could make from this craft! These are the things I've collected on my pin board to inspire me & steer me in the right direction.

- I've revamped my knitting. Here are some projects I'd like to tackle. 

Have you ever made a home-made gift? What was it? And what DIY projects do you currently have on the docket?

thoughts on blogging every day.

When I committed to blogging every day in August, for Blaugust, I was excited. I had blogged every day in May alongside Jenni, & although it was a little bit stressful from time to time, it was a good experience. It produced feelings of productivity & pride in my work, & it pushed my limits of cranking out some writing each day. I liked the challenge, a lot.

So, naturally, I thought Blaugust would go the same way. But, y'all, it just hasn't. I spent the first half of this month absolutely loving blogging every day. I was putting out quality content, I was loving the results, & I felt proud of myself at the end of each day.

Then, I started school. And, you know, that threw a bit of a wrench into my plans. Suddenly I'd look at the clock, & it would be nine p.m., & I hadn't put up a post for the day.

Uhhhhhhhh..... I'd stammer, to myself. What should I put up? A single photo? A list of some sort?

All of these were cop-outs. All of these were attempts to just get something up in the space. Quality wasn't taken into account. Real thoughtfulness was not part of the equation. It was all about just getting something up into the space. And that's not the kind of blog I want to have.

If you've been reading my posts lately, you'll know that I'm taking a break from blogging for the month of September [except on Sundays... The Sunday Currently will still be going live at noon eastern each Sunday & will be available for linking up]. And really, Blaugust is probably the main contributing factor to that.

I embarked on Blaugust to inspire me, to push me, to challenge me to create quality content each day, but all it's really done is completely burn me out. And that's why the break in September is absolutely necessary, among a whole host of other reasons, one of them being school work, & another of them being that I want to reformat this space.

I wanted to share this today in the spirit of being completely transparent. You may very well have noticed the lack of quality in my posts. And that's ok, because it's the honest truth. And I fully intend to fininsh out Blaugust, putting up a post every day for the rest of this week. And I can't promise they'll be great posts, but I don't think they'll be horribly terrible, either.

And when I'm back in full swing in October, I will be blogging for quality. Never quantity, ever again.

Have you ever challenged yourself to blog every single day? How did it go? Do you plan to ever to it again? It really impresses me when blogs are set up to crank out content each day. I wish this blog could be one of those blogs, but I just plain don't see it happening.

a tiny piece of advice.

choose to forget about the past & move forward. 

this is your chance to live the best life you can. 

getting through monday.

a photo i took last week before one of my classes

This morning, I rose at 6:30. My alarm went off at 6:15, but my eyelids refused to stay open, even though I was trying to read emails. The longer I laid there, the more I told myself I had to get up. And at 6:30, I popped right out of bed to get on with the day. 

Even with the morning I've had since the moment I got out of bed [a wheat bagel with strawberry cream cheese, a cup of coffee in my favorite mug, the viewing of my favorite vlog channel, a couple of workout videos, blog-reading]... Mondays are still a little bit hard. Especially after being wrapped up in the comfort of home for the past couple of days,  I think it's necessary to supplement Mondays with a spot of good reading. 

And in the spirit of that notion, here are some things I think are 'a spot of good reading' worthy:

+ Megan shared a bit about being homesick this weekend. As someone who is no stranger to this particular emotion, I found this post comforting, especially the quote she shared at the end.

+ Betsy is married! I loved reading about a tiny glimpse into her wedding day.

+ Sometimes I just really like looking at simple - but beautiful - photos. Rachel certainly offered some up in this post.

What have you stumbled across today, that made Monday a little easier? I'd love some more inspiration for the week. Please do share.

the sunday currently, volume 49.

favorite breakfast lately

C  U  R  R  E  N  T  L  Y  .  .  .  

R E A D I N G Elementary Statistics, today. That whole I'm not reading for pleasure until my classes are over thing? Yeah. That means I'm currently reading a math book. Prayers, please. Math is not my forte.

W R I T I N G TSC posts each week in September, & that's it. Read more about why here.

L I S T E N I N G to Justin tell me about the goings-on on le Facebook as I type out this post. 

T H I N K I N G that I really do need to get my stress levels under control. I've been letting my worries get away from me, & they've been manifesting themselves as a pretty nasty case of stress. This week, it is my intention to slow down, relax, & just do the best I can. Freaking out about every little thing isn't getting me anywhere.

S M E L L I N G the fresh pot of French Vanilla coffee that's waiting on me for when I complete this post. I woke up late this morning - at eleven - & jumped out of bed to get my post done. See? This is what the stress is doing to me.

W I S H I N G I had savored every last minute of my two weeks off. They zipped by, & now I'm in this stress mode. Y'all. I wish I wasn't complaining so much, too. 

H O P I N G to get my routine running smoothly this week. 

W E A R I N G the largest t-shirt I own.

L O V I  N G homemade smoothies, coffee, & tea lately. 

W A N T I N G a long workout in the gym today.

N E E D I N G to get this post up! It may not be 11:49 a.m. - like last week - but it IS later than I'd like to be writing this out.

F E E L I N G like my neck is sore. I'm not sure what's going on with my pillows, but something's gotta give. 

C L I C K I N G the Sunday Secrets. 

Tell me: what are you doing? Link up below!

i've decided...

+ i'm in control of this semester. it's not in control of me. and i will do everything in my power to succeed. even taking september off of blogging.

+ afternoon coffee must be used in moderation. sometimes all it does is produce evening anxiety. 

+ there's a balance between being self-sufficient & leaning on family & friends. swinging too far in either direction is detrimental. 

+ there is such a thing as being too organized. 

+ sometimes all you really need is a hot shower. 

Tell me: what have you decided?

photo: evening view \ iphone