How to: Braid It Like a Headband

I'm never really a hair-down kind of girl.
Even if I think it's pretty sometimes, it always is a nuisance and usually leads to me looking in the mirror way more than is necessary to make sure my hair has "the right amount of messiness" or has "enough volume on the top" to make it look nice.

The braid headband started out as a project modeled after Angela Martin (from The Office) and her stuffy hairdos. I was able to do it on other people, but as it involved a half-french braid trailing around the head starting from the nape of the neck, I wasn't able to replicate it on myself. Darn the fact that I don't have elastic arms!

So, this headband is WAY simple and is kind of a modification of the ever popular Heidi hairstyle that's been going around!


DISCLAIMER: The following pictures are gonna be awkward, camera-in-the-photo, looking at yourself in the mirror kinds of pictures. Be warned.

Step 1
Girl, let your hair hang loose!

Step 2
Gather a small section of hair from the nape of your neck; the amount that you grab will determine how big your braid will be!

Step 3
Braid it!

Step 4

Take the braided section up over your head and secure it with several bobby pins. It's better to keep the pins hidden, but don't fret if they're not; your loose hair will cover them!

Step 5
Repeat steps 2-4 with the other side of your head.

And voila!
Excuse the startled expression, it's my "WOW, who knew something could be so simple?!" face.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

But if you decide to stay, I guess I'll just whip out my handy-dandy umbrella hat.

It's not mine, actually, but I find it amazing all the same!

I mean, seriously. What else provides the same utility as an umbrella that you don't have to hold?
It's like BLUETOOTH, for UMBRELLAS.

And best of all, it didn't even mess up Ab's hair when he took it off!

Really guys, this thing is priceless.
(And I'm sure the looks you get when you wear it are, too.)


What do you do for the rain?
Do you run for cover in a cute pair of rainboots? Splash about in puddles?
OR- do you actually own one of these umbrella-hats?

It's MADNESS!

Why, hello!

You may not remember me. Probably because I haven't posted in the last... uh, I dunno... TWO PLUS WEEKS.
Don't worry, I am slapping myself for you right now 'cause you can't really do it through the screen.
I've been up to what every Senior in High School is up to- college apps. more college apps. lots of schoolwork and finals. homework. college apps. college apps.
I think you get it.

BUT, what better way to come back than with a super fun Monday Melody??
Okay, I know you don't judge and that's why I'm going to tell you about this song. It's a relatively old song (it was written before I was born) but I'm absolutely in love with it.
The embarrassing part- it's kind of on repeat in my room when I wake up and before I go to sleep and I literally will listen to it over and over with my door closed and jump around.
And possibly make "cool" faces in the mirror while I'm doing so.
You know you love me for it.

This week's melody is "Our House" by Madness.
Apparently it's in a Verizon commercial right now? So if you've been inspired and ran to your computer right after hearing the ad, I don't blame you one bit.
Okay, my dad calls this a silly song, and it kind of is, but what better to dance to, right?
And all those key changes? Perfect for introducing new levels of dance.
And by levels I mean, dancing on your bed, then on the floor, then on the chairs....

PS: Keep your fingers crossed for me! Man, applications are hard to get through and waiting for decisions is TORTURE!

Olive Juice!

Did you ever have that strange trend/joke running around your middle school where someone would mouth the words "olive juice" at another person and laugh hysterically while the recipient of the message thought they were being told "I love you"?
A totally random thought tangent, but that's what comes to mind if you ask me to use a phrase with "olive" in it.
That, and "I love olives"- because who doesn't?

I was at my friend Emily's house today, working on a Lit project (about Wuthering Heights) with a group of 3 girls, and of course we stopped for lunch in the middle of our rigorous studying. And what better to eat than pizza?
Emily and I share a mutual love for olives, and decided that a spinach and cheese pizza, however tasty it might be, just wouldn't cut it for us. We needed OLIVES.
We sprinkled the little slices of goodness over the dough (stopping when the other girls protested our antics) and decided that we would go back to our elementary school roots, drawing an imaginary line for "their side" and "our side".

Our finished product:

Mmm, I'm salivating just looking at it!


According to our group mates, Emily and I went overboard, but in reality?
PSH, you can never have too many olives!