Afternoon Tea Time .04: August Goals

Hey all! I hope you are all having a lovely Tuesday. It's already been an exciting day over here. If you follow me on Twitter you saw that I just sent in my first paid blog post! I was contacted by Remington a few months ago to write two hair tutorial's for their blog and I just sent in the first one today. This is the first time I've really felt all of the hard work paying off and I can't wait to see where things go from here! It won't be posted to their page for a few weeks, but I will definitely let you know and link it when it does. I'm very proud of it.

Now to the subject of this post-- GOALS. wow. Have I ever mentioned how much I love writing 'goal' posts? These are my favorite to read and write. I get so much inspiration reading others' goals and then feel motivated to complete my own. This past month, however, I was swamped with work. I had a ton of bills due at the end of the month, so I put my personal self to the side and focused. As a result, I wasn't able to complete almost all of my goals. lolololz @ myself.



July Goals:

1. Read two books - I finished half of this goal and am working on another book at the moment. I finished The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud and am currently working on the second book in the trilogy, The Golem's Eye. I'm reading children's books and have zero shame.


2. Get in an exercise routine - I don't think I went out of my way to exercise once this month. Not even going to try to talk my way out of this one.


3. Learn how to cook one new dish - Did I even eat during July....?


4. Catch up on 'The Vampire Diaries' - Finally, a goal I started! I wasn't able to finish the latest season, but I've been obsessing over it. It's sooo good!! 10/10, would recommend.


5. Reach 1500 followers on IG - I'm getting there! I've been chillin around 1330 followers, so I'm pretty proud about this one.


6. Start writing my weekly blog posts the weekend before I want to upload them - lololz


7. Research/ learn more about SEO - lololz


8. Finish two Summer Bucket List items - This month I went to the Pittsburgh Zoo and the PPG Aquarium with my dad and little sister. One Saturday they made a surprise trip down to Pittsburgh and I joined them for a fun, relaxing afternoon. I also went thrifting with two of my friends, devoured some more Dave & Andy's and made my way to Waffles INCaffeinated for another delicious waffle experience!

August Goals:

1. Read two books 

2. Cook dinner more  - One of the things I noticed during July was my lack of cooking, in general. I was so busy with work, I went with the easiest form of food-- mainly soup or sandwiches. I was able to cook dinner with my boyfriend a few nights, but this is definitely something I want to get more into.

3. Learn how to cook one new meal 

4. Finish The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl - Along with obsessing over TVD, I've got my boyfriend hooked on Gossip Girl. He willingly watched 4 episodes yesterday and I felt like it was Christmas in July! I've never completed all of Gossip Girl, but I'm currently on the final season, so I think I can finish both of these shows. Fingers crossed!

5. Reach 1,500 followers on IG - This will be my goal every month until I can complete it.

6. Reach 500 followers on Twitter 

7. Reach 500 likes on Facebook 

8. Write blogposts ahead of time - This is something I really need to make routine. With work, I have less and less time to devote to blogging and the more I can get ahead of the game, the better!

9. Learn more about SEO and SumoMe - I have a list of blogging goals I write each week and cross off as I get them done. These two have been on that list for a while now and I really need to get them figured out, asap.

10. Finish 4 Summer Bucket List items - I only have one month left of summer and really need to get a move on this list! I've gotten a decent amount done, but there is so much left to do. Kayaking is a M.U.S.T.





What goals do you have for the month?

xoxo,

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Snapchat - rgolden75 / Bloglovin' 

10 Shows to Binge Watch This Summer

Hey, there! I hope you all are having a wonderful Monday. It's a beautiful day here in Pittsburgh and I'm enjoying my only day off with my lovely blog. I can't believe we're about halfway through the  summer! I feel like it has flown by and I haven't even accomplished half of the things I set out to do. So in commemoration of all the time I've wasted watching tv and binge watching shows and I decided to bring you a list of my favorite tv shows of all time. At least one of these shows is bound to be a hit with you! They are all "binge watch" worthy.

10 Shows to Binge Watch This Summer:

10. Grey's Anatomy

I binge watched 6 seasons in two months the summer after I graduated high school. Needless to say, I was obsessed.

On Netflix

9. The Bachelor and The Bachelorette

I actually wasn't a fan of these shows until this past year. Mainly because I had never watched them and thought they were stupid. Now, I still can't say these shows are cinematic revolutionaries, but they're hella addicting and very dramatic.

8. American Horror Story

So much horror, so little time. I've never actually watched a full season of this show. They always came out during the semester and I was always busy with finals. Must. Catch Up. 

On Netflix

7. Gossip Girl

SUCH a classic. I could watch this shows for days and never grow tired of it. Blair Waldorf is my spirit animal.

On Netflix

6. The Vampire Diaries

I've been watching this show for years now. I started the summer after I graduated high school (it was the summer of tv shows, I guess) and have been hooked ever since. There's a book series that go along with it and that's honestly where I got started. The books aren't anything like the series, but they're both soo good. Highly recommend!

On Netflix

5. The Catch

I talked about this show in my Friday Favorites post and there's only one season of it out so far. If you want to start a new show, but don't have enough time to devote to catching up on season after season, this is a quick watch and extremely entertaining! I got my boyfriend, his friend, and his friend's girlfriend hooked on this show! That should at least give me a little credibility!

4. Modern Family

Wow. Just wow. 

3. New Girl

I don't want to give any spoilers away, because if you haven't watched this show yet, you really should turn on the TV straight away and watch it, but Jess is me in real life. 

--Awkward, thinks she funny, isn't usually that funny, dorky. The whole nine yards!

On Netflix

2. Pretty Little Liars

I will forever be obsessed with this show. Shockingly, I have not read the books and I should probably get on that at some point. Aria is my favorite, by far, but all the girls are amazing. I want to meet whoever is the stylist of that show. A+ A+ A+

On Netflix

1. Game of Thrones

This is another show I didn't watch for the longest time. I had seen the books in the bookstore I worked at and wanted to read them and watch the series, but I never got around to either of them for the longest time. There's a reason why this show is the most talked about and the most watched show. It's all around not what I had expected, but everything I could possibly ask for. 

Writing this post is making me both hungry and itching to turn on my tv and ignore the piles of work I should be doing. We'll see how long I hold out. I'm always in the business of finding new shows to watch, so be sure to leave your favorites in the comments below and I will be sure to add them to my list! Don't forget to add me on all of the social medias. I like the color pink and retweet pictures of cats. So if that's your thing, I'm your girl! Until next time,

xoxo,

Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Snapchat- rgolden 75 / Bloglovin'

Afternoon Tea Time .03

Happy Fourth of July!! Today is always such an exciting day and I'm even more excited to be spending the 4th in Pittsburgh for the first time. I'm still getting used to the idea of not living with my family anymore and this holiday definitely makes that feel a lot more real. Since this is a new month I wanted to update you on last month's goals and revamp them for July!

1. Read two books - I completed this goal! I thought this would be a breeze, but with all of the interviews I've been prepping for and applications I've been sending out, this one has proved to be a bit of a challenge. This month I read The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud and Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
      Me Before You has been a very popular book lately. I have yet to see the movie because I wanted to finish the book before I saw the movie. I'm so glad I decided to do this. The book was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to watch the movie!
      The Hollow Boy, on the other hand, is less known. This is the final book in a children's horror trilogy, Lockwood and Co. It may be a children's series, but I actually had to read the first book in the series for a class I was taking in Undergrad. The book has a lot of interesting themes and is such an easy read. If you're in the mood to be scared, this is a series for you!


2. Exercise more - I honestly can't say I've been exercising more, it more or less has plateaued. The heat is still a huge deterrent for me and I haven't been going as much as I should. However, this past month I did have a huge burst of energy and ran 5 miles during one run, so I can't exactly say I'm slacking either.


3. Learn how to cook one new dish - I'm going to chalk this one up as a win. Although I didn't learn any fancy new recipe, I was able to make buffalo chicken dip for the first time. It was absolutely amazing and was such a win in my book. I'll definitely have to get more creative next month, though.


4. Drink more water - check!


5. Go for one walk a week - This was one of the simplest goals for the month, but it really helped with my mental health. At least once a week I've been able to take some time outside to just hangout. Summer in Pittsburgh is so lovely and these moments outside make it even better!


6. Finish Pretty Little Liars season 6 - Wow. Last season was so insane! I was not expecting any of the things that happened and this season is not letting me down, either! I'm so glad Ezra and Aria are back together. Aria is my spirit animal and Ezra is by far the hottest guy on the show. Power couple.


7. Spend more time with friends - I was so excited with how this goal panned out. June was filled with Bachelorette viewings, Hairspray watching and plenty of wine.


8. Reach 1500 followers on IG - I have unfortunately not been able to reach this goal. When I set out I had a little over 1,000 followers. Around 1030 and now I have over 1250! While I wasn't able to reach my goal of 1500 I think 200 followers in one month is pretty good!










I have no idea where June went or how it's already July! The time has flown by so quickly.

New month, new goals

1. Read two books - I'm keeping this goal the same as last month. I was debating on whether to up this goal to three books, but I have a feeling I'm going to be swamped with work, so I don't want to stretch myself out tooo thin.


2. Get in an exercise routine - Last month I made my exercising goal pretty vague. Creating a routine for my blog has really helped to keep me motivated and on track.  If I set up a routine, I know I'll be more likely to stick to it, instead of being sporadic with my workouts.


3. Learn how to cook one new dish - I kept this goal pretty simple last month, but I'm going to see how creative I can get this month!


4. Catch up on 'The Vampire Diaries' - Last month I caught up on PLL, but I'm equally obsessed with TVD. I know I have a lot of shows to keep track, but even if I just get it started I'll feel like I accomplished this goal. I was so sad Elena had to leave, but they ended her character in the best way possible.


5. Reach 1500 followers on IG - I'm so determined to make this number and I'm halfway to this goal already! One of the things I love about having this goal is the fact that I feel like I have a plan when it comes to my IG. My theme is perfected--I'm actually starting to feel like a real blogger now!


6. Start writing my weekly blog posts the weekend before I want to upload them - I've been reading a lot more about blogging and different tips and tricks to help you along the way. One of the tips that keep cropping up is writing your blogposts in advance. And not only in advance, but writing all of the posts for the following week at once. That way, when you go to upload them, there's not much you have to worry about the day of. I think this will really help me when I get super bogged down with work.


7. Research/ learn more about SEO - I still have no idea how to applies to my blog, but I keep hearing about it everywhere. I really need to get a good understanding of this and apply it to my blog/writing.


8. Finish two Summer Bucket List items - I can't believe the summer is halfway over! I still have so much I want to do with my time. I really want to get a cappuccino at a local coffee shop and go kayaking, but we'll see where July leads me!





I have a feeling July is going to fly by as quickly, if not more quickly than June, but hopefully I'll get all of my goals completed for the month. What are your goals for the month? I'd love to hear about them, so be sure to leave them in the comments below! That's all for now. I hope you all have a lovely Fourth of July! Until next time,

xoxo,