January Favorites!

I know I am about a week late with this. I wanted to start making a list of my favorite things I come across at the end of each month; anything from food to art supplies! A lot of people vlog about it instead of blog their monthly favorite things, but I'm a wee bit camera shy, so I'd prefer to do it this way instead. :)

 DRINKS 

Grove Square Hot Cocoa for Keurig

A cup of this hot cocoa and a banana has been my breakfast for the past while! The KEURIG machine is great...it requires only water and one of these little cups and the best part is: NO MESS! The water heats up quickly with the press of a button. When it's heated up, a little light will blink next to a button with a cup on it. Press this, and your cup will be ready as soon as it's finished pouring! I add a little milk and voila. Love it! Not sure how many calories are in a little pack, but since all I generally drink is water, I am not too terribly worried about it.

Mega Monster Energy

Now I really don't drink energy drinks as often because they tend to make me shaky, but as a college student, there are some nights that you get little to no sleep and you need a little kick! Mike and I went to the Tool concert in about 3 hours from where we live in January and I decided to grab two of these at the gas station for the whole event, since we'd have to drive back home that night and go to class the next morning. o.O I made sure to eat enough food along with the drink, otherwise it would have made me very shaky. It got me through the whole drive to keep Mike awake and the second one kept me through the next day in school. 

I've had Red Bull before, but it doesn't make me feel good for some reason. ESPECIALLY when I haven't had enough to eat! Monster is the perfect dose of kick and I prefer the taste over Red Bull!

 BOOKS 

House of Night Series

The House of Night series is a vampire series targeted at a teen a female teen/young adult audience. When I say vampire, I am not talking Twilight sparkly vampire. The vampires in these books are really like no other vampires you've ever read about. They are much different and in my opinion more vampire-like than the Twilight vampires. 

They focus on a teenage girl who has been "marked" (chosen to be a vampire) and is sent to go to a vampYre finishing school (they spell "vampire" with a "y" instead). Here the girl encounters many struggles with this new lifestyle, but also the struggles of a teenager, relationships and feelings. I will not say any more, because I am the type of person who prefers to grab a book at random and begin to read without reading the description, because I don't want to read anything that may ruin the story.

The thing I really like about these books, is that they portray teenagers the way they actually are. The teenagers sound like typical everyday teenagers...they curse and discuss intimacy. (I would not recommend this to anyone who is offended by foul language or sexual references!)

Wreck This Journal with a few things I've done so far.

I ordered this book in a set along with two others off of Amazon as a late Christmas gift to myself (yeah I know xD) and I couldn't be more pleased! I haven't even done a whole lot yet, because I don't want to fill up the book so fast! I had posted an earlier entry about "Wreck This Box" which contains "Wreck This Journal", "Mess" and "This Is Not A Book", where you can read more about this "journal". It is perfect for any perfectionist who always feels the need to make everything perfect. (ME!) This book's instructions are to DESTROY. Well, if it's telling me to...I guess it's okay.... ;D

 ORGANIZING 

 

1" Staples Better Mini View Binder with Purple pencil storage. (Staples brand)  (To get better view of binder:  http://www.staples.com/1-Staples-Better-5-1-2-x-8-1-2-Mini-View/product_924440  )

 

Avery Slash Pocket® Insertable Tab Dividers from Staples 

I am an organizing FREAK and really want to get good quality and durable products that I am going to be using on a daily basis and need to keep my documents etc. nice. That particular binder is the best one I've EVER had. Because of the material, It won't get bent or beat up when bouncing around in my backpack and it will keep my documents nice but not be too heavy at the same time. The variety of colors makes it easy to color-coordinate.

The Slash Pockets are great for handouts that I receive in class, when I don't have a hole punch handy. It's also nice to be able to stash my artwork and other various things that I don't want to punch holes in! Each folder has pockets on both sides, so each subject can have two pockets to store in. They also come with plenty of labels to insert into the tabs, as opposed to writing on the tabs, so that you can re-use the Dividers for something else later.

The pouch is great for pens and other random little items that you'd like to keep in one place. There are several slots on the back side to store index cards...basically anything flat. The front has a netted pocket (I am using it for paper clips) and then an inner, bigger pocket with lining in the middle, which separates the bigger pocket into two parts, if that makes sense. (Very hard to describe without being able to show it! Sorry!)

 BEAUTY AND HYGIENE 

Japanese Cherry Blossom collection from Bath and Body Works

I got these for Christmas and MAN! It smells SO GOOD! I have been using them on a daily basis and I would highly recommend them! The mini spray and the mini body wash were part of a set with another mini lotion, which I keep in my backpack as a hand lotion. :)

Clearasil Rapid Action Pads

I got these at Target for about 8 bucks...sounds a little pricey, but I use these at least every other day and I bought this in AUGUST. The pads are sliver-thin and extremely effective! I am not very prone to acne, but every time I experience it a bit or feel that my skin is getting oily and bumpy, these pads get rid of it. I tried the Rapid Action Face Wash, but I really like the pads the best. However, it is important to use a face cream after using these, since they contain alcohol and really dry out your skin! (Warning: They're strong! Definitely avoid contact in eye area.) Also, these pads are perfect for taking hair dye off of skin. I have tried so many different methods, but these work the absolute best; I promise you!!

Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 4000 Electric Toothbrush

 I used an electric toothbrush when I was younger, but as I got older, I really hated using them. This one has four different brushing modes (Daily Clean, Sensitive, Whitening and DeepClean) that are specific to what you want to get out of brushing. The brush, as all others, will do the work for you and more. You can tell it what to do by pressing the arrow button. It came with two different brush heads: the FlossAction brush (right) and the ProWhite brush (left). The FlossAction brush gives me the feel that I've flossed when I'm done and the ProWhite brush really helps the whitening. Since I can no longer afford expensive WhiteStrips, I take a Q-Tip (I have recently found this out) and dunk it in Hydrogen Peroxide. I rub it over my teeth and leave it there for 30 seconds before I begin brushing. I do this once a day, so I tend to use the ProWhite brush in the morning and the FlossAction in the evening. It works really well and I am already seeing fabulous results! I am hoping to keep my goal of never getting a cavity!

 GADGETS 

Snark Instrument Tuner

  This little guy is great! It can be used for any instrument (here I am tuning a violin) and will clip onto it without slipping off. Very easy to use, GREAT design and very accurate! Highly recommended for any musician.

Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse

I actually got this for Mike for Christmas. I can see why he loves it so much. You keep in it's flat state when not in use to save the battery (turned off) and to switch it on you just curve it! There is a strong magnetic piece in the bottom of the mouse in one area to hold the Nano Transceiver piece that you plug into the computer, so it won't get lost. (And trust me, if it were to somehow come off in the bag, it would re-attach itself quickly...that's how strong the magnet is.) The technology allows it to work on any surface, be it carpet or a marble counter. You only need to flick your finger on the middle piece to scroll up and down. I am half tempted to buy one for myself! Comfortable and amazing technology!

 ART SUPPLIES 

Faber Castell Perfection Eraser 7056, Master's Touch Blending Stub (3/8)
and the KUM Elipse Pencil Sharpener

I bought all three of these at Hobby Lobby, mainly for my Art class. I enjoy sketching and these will be extremely handy! I am so glad I found the eraser...I had one in Germany. It allows very detailed work. 

The blending stubs keep you from having to smear around with your finger! 

A girl in my class had this sharpener, which worked wonders in comparison to my old one or the one on the wall of the art room. It is very sharp and handy to carry around! Just be sure to empty it on a regular basis or it will begin to get clogged.

Zig Millenium Pens (Sorry about the blur!!)

I've had these for a while, but decided I'd post it here anyway, since I haven't before and I have found them so useful! I bought them together in a pack at Hobby Lobby around Christmas 2010 when making Christmas Cards with comics on the front. I always hated only having one pen thickness and never being able to draw a smaller, more detailed and precise line. These pens make that possible! And they've lasted me quite a while...I use them all the time! And they don't bleed. :D