Lovely Links

(literally obsessed with these photos, winter whites blog post here)

Happy weekend everyone! I'm so excited to bring this series to The High School Prepster! I saw this on Preptistas blog and I fell in love and decided to feature it over here. I'll basically just be sharing my favorites from the week and linking what i've found/bought/watched etc. Hope ya'll enjoy!

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Wearing: Santa gave me these sneakers for christmas and i've been wearing them non-stop ever since! They're the perfect color and go with all of my active wear and are even versatile enough that I can wear them with jeans! I also have been dying over these riding boots (also from Santa) they're the athletic fit so my calves have a little room to breathe and I am loving it! 

Watching: I just started watching Making of a Murderer  on Netflix, it's amazing and fantastic and yeah, don't tell me the ending! I also have been obsessed with Alexa Losey's videos on YouTube (this is my favorite) she is absolutely hilarious, and though her style is a little edgier than mine she totally works it and i love it!

Wanting: Literally praying for this Tory Burch bag, and I don't think He's listening so I guess i'll just move onto to begging mom! I also am dying over this ring from Kendra Scott, it's such a good color and it matches the necklace I have too. 

Listening to: Like everyone, I am in LOVE with justin Bieber's new album, I wouldn't classify myself as a Belieber but Love Yourself  is literally my jams. I also love Future (my playlist is so weird) and he is coming to Raleigh in March, so i'm hoping to get tickets to that.

I hope ya'll enjoy this new series and check out some more fun links below!

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Hilarious video by Chris Fleming aka "Gayle" 

Super cute kate spade case

In love with the HGTV dream home this year

What are some of ya'lls favorites?

3 Healthy Lunch Recipes

New year new you right? One of my new years resolutions was to start eating healthier and on a more consistent schedule. I am constantly on the go with school and afterschool activities so finding time to be healthy can come as a challenge, but here are a few of my favorite healthy lunch recipes!

1. California Chicken Avocado Bowl

*via

Recipe

• Chicken
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, cubed if using skewers, leave whole if not
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (may sub 1 tablespoon dried)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (may sub 1 tablespoon dried)
• The Rice + Veggies + Avocado
• 1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 red pepper, cut into fourths
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt + pepper
• 2 avocados, mashed very well
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• salt + pepper, to taste
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled (optional)

2. Lunch "Box"

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This isn't really a recipe per say but it's a quick and easy lunch idea, especially when packing for work/school! 

Sandwich

My personal favorite sandwich is a BLT, it's super easy and delicious too! 

• 1 tomato
• 2 slices of bacon
• 2 pieces of lettuce
• mayo
• mustard (optional)

Sides

 Here are some good lunch "side" ideas that are some of my favorites!

• Pretzels
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Avocado
• Pita Chips
• Hummus

3. Paleo Pita Pockets

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I have recently gone paleo in a effort to eat a little healthier and give myself some guidelines, I have to admit that i'm not "full" paleo because I do still eat red meats, but basically I just try to stay away from inflammatories like processed foods and rich sauces/dressings.

Recipe

• ½ pound shredded cooked rotisserie chicken
• 2 avocados, hollowed and cut into small pieces
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon cilantro, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 slices of thin baby Swiss cheese
• Juice from half a lemon
• 4 whole wheat pita pockets
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Cut 1 piece of Swiss cheese into each pita pocket.
2. In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt and garlic salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium size bowl, combine avocado, tomatoes, lemon juice, and half of the Cilanto. Set aside. In a skillet, brown the cooked chicken with the olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. While cooking, sprinkle with half of the cilantro.
4. Take off of heat and add ¼ of the chicken to each pita.
5. Top the chicken with a drizzle of the yogurt mixture followed by a large spoonful of the avocado mixture, all within the pita pocket. Can be served cold, or grilled on a sandwich maker/foreman grill for 2 minutes to serve warm.

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Can you tell i'm a little obsessed with avocado? Do ya'll have a lunch favorite? Let me know in the comments!

My Weekend Morning Routine

Hey Guys! I'm doing something a little different on the blog today, and sharing my weekend morning routine with ya'll! First off I have a confession, I am not a morning person. It takes me forever to wake up and rarely before 9 on the weekends because I have to get up so early during the week, raise your hand if you're done with school starting at 7:30!     

I have tried to combat my perpetual sleepiness in the morning with a kick-start routine! So here's what a typical weekend morning looks like for me!

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9:00 am 

My alarm goes off, I (of course) hit snooze and sleep for another 15 minutes.

9:15

I head downstairs and always grab a cup of ice water, I am an ice cruncher. I love it and if you see me with a cup, it usually just has ice in it (my dentist hates it!) this is currently my favorite water bottle, it keeps things cold for 22 hrs and hot for 24 hrs! It's perfect for working out, especially when i'm outside. 
After I have some water, I find that it helps wake me up better than coffee in the mornings, I try to grab some breakfast. I am not a huge breakfast fan, but I have recently starting taking a new medication and I have to eat before taking it, so I am slowly becoming a breakfast person! I usually have some toast or a waffle, I hate eggs and although I know the protein is good for me I just can't stand them! So I usually just end up having some tea, i'm loving green tea right now and earl grey as well.  

my Anthropologie mug

9:30

I love curling up on my couch with my breakfast and a show, I am currently watching Making of a Murderer. What are ya'll watching now? I also use this time to plan out my day, I use the Lilly Pulitzer planner, it's perfect for school, blogging and all of my activities for the week. 

10:15

Around this time I head back upstairs to my bathroom and start to get ready for the day. I'll put on a little moisturizer, i'm currently using Jergens original scent because any other fragrances tend to make my skin drier. I have pretty naturally clear skin so I don't wear foundation, just a little concealer under my eyes to brighten my face. I use the elf concealer stick from target, it's cheap and really great quality for a low maintenance gal like myself. Then i'll put on some mascara and my face is ready to go! 

10:30

This is my favorite part! Picking out my outfit sets the tone for my whole day, I try to think about where i'm going  and base my outfit off of that. I usually lay out my clothes on my bed until I find an outfit that I like. I typically don't plan outfits ahead of time unless i'm going somewhere important that day. 

I would love to hear how ya'll get ready in the mornings, do you have a favorite breakfast or something that helps you wake up in the morning? Let me know in the comments! 

Winter Whites

I love winter! So glad it finally snowed here in NC! It's pretty unusual to see this much snow where I am so I was super excited about showing off some of my new warm outfits. I am dying over this peacoat from nordstrom, it's so warm and matches my Hunter's perfectly! Enjoy the cold weather ya'll!

 coat // sweater (similar) // pants // boots 

#hairgoals

Snowed in and knee deep in pinterest today, so I thought I would share some of my #hairgoals from my pinterest!

Happy Friday!

Study Tips!

The Ultimate Exam Study Guide

In high school, exam grades make up about 25% of your overall grade so it's super important to know, not just how to study, but to study effectively. One of my biggest struggles is studying as i'm just not very good at it! But i've really been trying to work on that for my AP classes this year. Here are a couple of tips i've found to be the most helpful!

Before you start studying 

Now before we start, my most important tip is to start studying early, if you wait until the very last second to start studying there is no way that you will retain or learn any of the info you are cramming for. 

I always find it helpful to make a to-do list. Having a written list of all the goals you need to accomplish always helps me visualize what I need to know and if I have learned/studied for that topic yet. I especially enjoy checking items off the list!

Get comfortable! There is no way I can focus without being in comfortable clothes, so throw on some leggings or sweats and get to it! If you plan on studying in public (my personal favorite place is Panera) look cute and comfy, I adore Jadelynn Brooke t-shirts(use my code NHSMB for 20% off!), paired with leggings and converse make for the perfect winter studying outfit!

                                           
Taking Good Notes

It's very important to take good notes and I find it helpful to colorcode and have good titles. I also like to go back through and rewrite my "sloppy" class notes and make them into readable, colorful and useful notes. Check out my pinterest board for more notes inspiration!

Make a cheat sheet  lay out all of the major topics from your class and omit things that would otherwise take up unnecessary time studying for, this is especially helpful if your teacher doesn't give you a study guide (my biggest pet peeve with teachers) but always ask for a little help and i'm sure they'll give you some main topics to focus on, especially if it's a state exam.

                                                          

 
Studying for Math 

I have the hardest time studying for math. But I do have a few tip from my many years of math exams! Work out your problems, ask your teacher for extra worksheets or even go online and search your topics (i'm in precal right now and google is my greatest help.)

Draw pictures/diagrams,  I can't study math without seeing it happen, my brain just doesn't work that way. So i've figured out that drawing out diagrams for topics like factoring and triangles really helps me visualize the math.

Write down the steps, don't just look at the work and write it down without putting some kind of notations near it. It's always helped me to number and explain the steps as I go so that when I look back at my notes I have a way to know what's going on.

                        
Making Note Cards

Especially for my history and English classes I find notecards to be the most efficient way to study definitions. Color coding also comes in handy, for the different time periods in APUSH I use different colors and for english I categorize the topics by color as well. 

You can also use notecards for revision notes, go back and re-write previous notes on smaller notecards maybe even using post-its for side notes or a flow chart.
                                             

                               
Study Tips

• turn off your phone- my phone is constantly distracting me between instagram, snapchat and twitter i'm scrolling for "one more minute" so i try to either leave it downstairs or turn it off completely
• leave your shoes on- I know this is a little weird but studies have shown that when you're too comfortable you'll get distracted or be less motivated to study.
•  play music- I love classical music, it helps me focus and keeps my space calm even if my whole family is home and doing stuff
• test yourself- Don't just look over your notes make sure you know them! Quizlet is a great study aid and if you search for your topic there's sure to be a practice test there. 
• study buddy- I love studying with my friends, you have a built in quizzer and someone to keep you on task. It works out great when ya'll are studying for the same subject, you can compare notes and make up practice tests with each other.
• take breaks- There's no reason to study for an hour or two hours straight, study for 25-30 minutes and then take a break, eat a snack or text for a little while then get right back to it. 
• ask questions- when you're studying make sure you write down any questions you come across so you can either google them later or ask your teacher in class the next day. 
• study before bed- It's been proven that the closer to bed you study, the more likely you are to remember the information so review your notes right before bed and again when you wake up!
• get enough sleep- No one will test well without a good night's rest, so make sure you get a full night's sleep before testing.
• Eat Breakfast- I work better on a full stomach and it would be bad if you were halfway through a test and your stomach started rumbling! Eat a good meal like eggs or a smoothie so you'll stay full for the whole test!

Ultimately there's no "right way" to study so find what works for you and try it out! If you want to find some more study tips for different learners (visual, auditory, etc.) check out this link 

Good luck with your exams!

                                          photos via pinterest