Weekend Reading

Thank goodness for the weekend! My week was very hectic between school and tennis but my busy schedule has taught me how to cherish the time I do get off and relaxing. For now, here's what I'm reading!

For those of you wanting to design Couture gowns.. here's how it goes: Dior style.

Spring 2015

The sweet gifts for Valentines Day

This smell...

The perfect strap

What are you reading this weekend?

xoxo

DIY: Painted Keys

Is your keychain filled with keys and you don't know which go to what? I'm sure everyone has that problem, especially if you drive. Today, I will be sharing how I painted my two house keys so I can tell them apart!

Step One: Select how ever many keys you have. 

Step Two: I chose nail polish for my colors but you can choose whatever you like! (Essie polishes)

Step Three: Choose a color (Essies: ' Double Breasted Jacket' pink and 'Orange, It's Obvious' orange)

Step Four: Put tape in any direction or pattern you would like. 

Step Five: Paint the keys with the color of your choice! After it dries, remove the tape and you are good to go!

What are your suggestions of color-coding your keys?

xoxo

Tennis Dresses

Today marks the first day of tennis tryouts! Even though it's a no-cut tryout, I still want to do my very best. How well you do in each area of the physical conditioning gives you points and those points can determine where you will be placed on the team. I have to say, the conditioning is definitely different from cross country. Not only are we running, but we do all sorts of squats, lunges, suicides, and jumping rope to help whip us into shape. 

While the team has already decided on uniforms, I know this is a sport where wearing a dress is applicable. I was roaming through Pinterest, like always, and came across some adorable tennis dresses. 

Would you wear these dresses?

xoxo

Straw-lecious

Is anyone else's mouth watering while staring at this picture? But seriously, this cake looks amazing. Don't worry, I got you covered on recipes. 

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Enjoy!

xoxo

Black and White

Happy Monday, everyone! Not only does this picture make me crave summertime, but it consists of my two favorite colors...black and white! Living in the South, most people consider themselves to wear colorful clothing, and while I will every now and then, black and white are always my go-to staples. 

I wear these colors yearly! Whether it be an LBD or skinny jeans and black booties, I'm sporting it somewhere at all times.

I've reblogged some great pictures on Tumblr lately and I knew I had to share some of these outfit ideas!

xoxo

Unwind

This week has been bizarre! AP Lang & APUSH homework, tennis practice after school, two SAT prep classes this week, and the SAT Saturday. Whew. I'm definitely looking forward to  Saturday being over with. My Sunday afternoons have been consumed by SAT prep for weeks now and this Sunday, I will finally be free to do as I please! I'll be thankful to have this weight lifted off of my chest once again, (this is my second time taking the SAT.) So, tomorrow night, I will be unwinding and preparing for my big test. A date with my bathtub, a hot cup of tea, and a book screams relaxation. 

Good luck to SAT testers this weekend!

xoxo 

One Shirt, 5 Ways

Greetings, everyone! Today, I will be showing you how to style this shirt above, 5 different ways. As a fashionista, I'm always looking for new ways to style the pieces in my closet. It's amazing how many different ways you can style one piece, without spending a dime! I received this shirt for Christmas and so far, I've only worn it once, but I cannot wait to wear it in different ways now that I know how to style this graphic tee!

For the gingham girl:

For the plaid-lover: 

 For the girl making a statement:

 For the weekend:

For a cozy, rainy day in:

How would you style this tee?

xoxo

ACT or SAT

One of the things I am getting a feel for this year is testing. Lots of testing. Furthermore, testing for the SAT and ACT. I've taken both of these tests, and am about to take the SAT again in the coming weeks. As a high schooler myself, I wanted to know what was the difference between the two? Which is better? Which is harder? What do colleges like to see? Now, I'm no expert on the subject, but I have learned a little bit about these tests!

1) ACT is harder, SAT is easier

To me, I have noticed the content of these tests are different. They ask along the same line of questions, but one is more rigorous than the other.

2) SAT is longer than ACT

Timing plays a huge roll in my testing. Generally, if the test lasts for a little over 3 hours, I lose complete focus because my brain is so exhausted. The SAT lasts anywhere from 3-5 hours and the ACT is under 4 hours usually. 

3) ACT has science, SAT does not

For all of you aspiring scientists out there, there is a test that has that! Surprisingly, the science portion was my highest score on my ACT, english being my second highest. It consists of graphs, tables, and some elements from the periodic table.

4) SAT has a mandatory essay, ACT does not

I love, love, love the essay portion of the SAT. It's the first section of the test, and you have 25 minutes to complete it. The reason I love this so much and have gotten a good score on this portion is because every week in my AP Lang class, we write a multiple page, 35 minute essay. Talk about practice! Also, if you sign up to take the writing portion on the ACT, colleges like for you to submit that score as well (some schools require it.)

5) SAT has 10 sections, ACT has four

SAT: 3 critical reading sections, 3 math sections, 3 writing sections (including essay), and 1 experimental section. Normally they are not in that order.

ACT: 1 english section, 1 math section, 1 reading section, and 1 science section. 

6) What do colleges like to see?

Colleges will let you submit either score, typically which ever you have done the best on is the one you submit!

7) How are the tests scored?

SAT is a range of 200-2400 points.

ACT is a range of 1-36 points.

8) What content is on each section?

SAT

   

ACT

9) How is the SAT essay scored?
The scoring here can be a little tricky. You will receive a score of 1-6, with twelve being the highest. Meaning, if you got a 6 on your essay, they add 6 more and you get a 12. 

1 = 2

2 = 4

3 = 6

4 = 8

  5 = 10

  6 = 12

I hope this helps!

xoxo

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

I'm sure most schools around America are taking the day off and students are sleeping in. Of course, we always love an extra day to relax on holidays, but do we ever think about what the holiday means? Why is it a holiday? Who is this person and what did they do?

>> Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. He is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States.

>> Martin Luther King Day is a relatively new federal holiday and there are few long standing traditions. It is seen as a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their background. Some educational establishments mark the day by teaching their pupils or students about the work of Martin Luther King and the struggle against racial segregation and racism. In recent years, federal legislation has encouraged Americans to give some of their time on this day as volunteers in citizen action groups.

>> In 1968 shortly after his assassination, people campaigned to have his birthday become a holiday to honor him. The federal government endorsed the bill in 1976.

Famous quote by MLK:

• “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.” 
• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” 
• “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.” 
• “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.” 
• “No person has the right to rain on your dreams.” 

source for information on MLK, source for MLK quotes

Happy Birthday, MLK!

xoxo

Weekly Round Up

This has been the longest week ever. I now have added another AP to my schedule this semester (currently taking AP Language and added U.S. History) and it's been tough to manage. Also, I am taking math, which is not my strongest subject along with those classes..(ew). But on a positive note, I started Tennis this week! We have two weeks of practice until actual tryouts so right now, we are doing a lot of physical activity and great exercises to really get everyone into shape. Surprisingly, the conditioning has been harder than cross country!! We did run the mile though, along with stadiums and the 100 meter dash. I've never played tennis before on a team, and I thought it would be good to try something new with these being my final two years of high school. I'm still learning the basics, putting in my best effort, and getting into much better shape now. I will probably incorporate more tennis posts coming soon!

xoxo

Flower Love

Boy, oh boy, do I love flowers! I love pinning pictures of them and re-blogging them. Even though I normally don't have any flowers in my room, every now and then it is nice to have a pop of color instantly added to my room. I've noticed that a lot of bloggers post pictures of fresh peonies or roses in their home or on their desk and it adds a sense of creativity to their life. They can easily brighten my mood, even through a photo! I put together a collage of my favorite flowers and I have pinned recently!

* via Pinterest

xoxo

Crave & Save

Who doesn't like shopping? But the real question is, who likes saving money? I definitely do! The peacoat on the left (crave) is J. Crew and the peacoat on the right (save) is Old Navy! You will be ah-mazed at the price difference! Links are below!

Which one is your favorite?

xoxo

J. Crew Peacoat

Old Navy Peacoat

Links, links, and more links

This event broke my heart!

Hopefully I can attend this one day--

Don't we all wish we could commit to this?

Something I should do more!

A lovely reminder..

Lately..

Hey guys! 
First off, I want to apologize for the shortage of posts lately. I am just getting back into the grove of things and back into school with a different and harder schedule. I am trying to learn balance blogging, homework, and sports now..> (I start tennis this week)
I will still be posting content, hopefully better than previous ones, just not as often until I can get a new schedule. Thank you all!

xoxo

How I Organize My Beauty Products

I recently moved around my room in all sorts of ways. My bed is now caddy-cornered which means my nightstand will not directly be beside my bed. Instead, I moved it over close to my mirror and put some of my favorite beauty products on there. 
Links are below for these products! 

This tray is very convenient for holding my nail polishes.

My favorite perfumes.

A picture of my friend Catelyn and I at Homecoming. 

I LOVE candles!

    // monogrammed tray // nail polishes // Tory Burch perfume // Gucci perfume // Coco Chanel perfume // Chanel no 5 // candle //

xoxo

Quote of the Week

I started back to school today, conquering the first day of second semester. I discovered this list on Pinterest and found it very suitable for this year, whether it be in school or the work place. Definitely words to live by in 2015!

xoxo

The Coat Lesson

Normally I finish the day reading blogs, discovering new ones, and of course, thumbing through Pinterest. I discovered a new blog that I am in love with: With Love From Kat. 
Her style is so chic, and she travels around the world which is pretty amazing and definitely inspiring. I found some of her posts on Pinterest and I could not resist the "pin" button on almost everything she had posted. One of noticeable pieces in her outfits were her coats. It was convenient to find these outfits because temperatures where I live are plummeting this week. (The low on Wednesday is 12 degrees.) So naturally, I will be pulling out my winter coats! 
Here below are a few of my favorite outfits Kat put together!

Neutrals

Pop of color/classic black

Grays

* All photos are via Pinterest

xoxo

Poshmark Feature

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Today, I am sharing with you a website I came across: Poshmark. Poshmark sells all of your unwanted clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry, and other accessories, and you can always buy from other people! I have found some really great discounts on items such as Tory Burch and J. Crew. 
Anyways, I have set up my "closet" of items I am selling on there! Feel free to go take a look! 
Head over to http://poshmark.com/closet/carlymixon to check out what I'm selling!

xoxo

Hello, 2015!

First and foremost, Happy New Year! I hope you all have a wonderful night and rang in the new year with loved ones, (I did!). 

Making New Year's Resolutions has always been something everyone has planned to do, but never stuck to. I am one of those people, but something feels different about this year. Adjusting into a new year for once does not feel scary or anxious. I guess my conscious is reminding me that I am ready.

What I'm ready for in 2015:

1. Embracing

    Somewhere in 2014, someone very close to me taught me to embrace the present. My mind tends to wander too much into the past or the future, times that are gone and not here yet. This is very difficult for me to not do but I realized that I'll be a senior this year. There is something so bittersweet about saying those words and thinking it, because it's one step closer to my dream and of course, growing up. I recently posted a quote on Tumblr regarding the question of why are we, teenagers, so ready to grow up? We will never be this young again, ever. (  will link that post down below.)

2. Focusing

    As I am about to start the second semester of my junior year, the continuing push for my grades to be at their best is prime. I plan to apply Early Admission to my top college choices and they will be looking back at my grades from previous years, especially junior year. As much as I hate the SAT, it won't last forever. I plan to get my scores up as high as I want them and studying very hard so I can get the results I want.

3. Growing

    Sooo, I turn 18 this year. (I literally just did a big "what the heck" in my head). Despite age growth, I cannot wait to grow more as a person- furthermore, into the person I have always wanted to be. I'm already a super- independent person, which has its perks. I've always been very driven and had a clear view of what I wanted. Growing up means accepting more responsibilities and taking on new things. Besides growing up, growing as a person is the most important thing and I'm ready to learn!

4. Change

    First off, prepare to hopefully see Peaches & Cream change. I'm really looking forward to growing this blog, creating great content and making some website changes. So don't be startled, you were warned.

There is also a weird feeling knowing this year, I will be doing things for the last time as a high schooler. Running cross country, attending football games..I hope time will slow down! I'll also be applying to colleges this year which is bizarre. But like I said before, I AM READY!

I hope this year will be everything you want it to be--

Xoxo,

Carly

Tumblr post: http://peaches---cream.tumblr.com/post/105937020690/i-wish-we-werent-in-such-a-rush-to-grow-up-why