Fall Favorites and College Visit - Kathleen

OMG I saw Thor: Ragnarok on Friday and it was amazing!!!

Hola my lovely readers!

Fall is in full swing now and I'm definitely feeling the cold! Coats are a necessity now in most of Illinois and I absolutely love it. I pulled my leather boots out and I'm wearing sweaters pretty much all the time now and it's soooo cozy!

As you may know, I visited Benedictine College last weekend. It was amazing, to say the least. We left at 6 AM on Friday morning, which was excruciating because I had to get up at 5 AM. I was going to try and drive all the way to the college in Atchison, Kansas which is about 5 hours away. We met lots of students and took a tour of the campus. I got to meet with the chairman of the Journalism/Mass Communications major I'm interested in, and he really helped me feel better about what I want to major in. The girl who took me to the building was so sweet; she offered to show me her freshman dorm! It was so cute and cozy, and both her and her roommate had their own walk-in-closet. My closet isn't that big, so I could literally bring my whole wardrobe! Later on, I met with my confirmation sponsor over lunch and she took me to see her art studio on campus. I attached some pictures below.

The older half of campus.

Atchison is a tiny town in Kansas, this is about 10 minutes out of downtown.

Earlier, I was talking about how cold it is here. Because of that, I'm going to do my fall favorites now instead of later because fall is very quickly turning into winter. I only have two things so it should be super quick!

First thing is the Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub. It "targets what clogs pores and clears away impurities leaving you with a healthy-looking complexion and noticeably softer, smoother skin after just one use." This does exactly what it says it does. I swear, this has saved my skin. During the summer, my skin is clearer. This could be because of a few reasons: I am working out more, spending more time outside, and less stressing out because of school. During the school year, my skin is usually much more spotty. Right now, my skin is just as clear as it is during the summer. I feel 100% confident going somewhere without makeup. I HIGHLY recommend this.

Last is the Makeup Revolution Flawless 3 Resurrection palette. Oh ma goodness. This palette has the prettiest nude colors. I think my favorite shades are Castle, Sublime, and New Dawn. The colors are very pigmented and there is soo little fall out. For $15, it's an amazing palette.

Thank you so much for reading! Comment down below any of your college plans or what you want to major in!

Kathleen

twodorkswithablog.blogspot.com

Halloween!! - Katheen

Whenever I have exclamations in my title, there are always two of them...

Hiyo!!! Halloween is on Tuesday!! What are you guys being? I'm going to be Megara from Hercules...

I wasn't planning on being anything which was kind of a bummer because Emma and I were Thing One and Thing Two last year, and I couldn't just let that be my last Halloween costume because I feel like, even though I'm a little old to actually go Trick or Treating, I'm at the age when Halloween costumes actually get really good. When you are little, its a witch, or a princess, or Dorothy from Wizard of OZ.

Anyways, I went shopping and out to lunch with some friends lately, and we went to a thrift store in downtown Belleville. I found a vintage off-the-shoulder dress. I have been loving off the shoulder anything so much lately. It was the prettiest purple and it twirls soooo well. I can't wait to dance in it sometime! I tried it on and it fit perfectly, which rarely happens considering how short I am.

It was $36.

I bought it.

Sorry for the crappy portrait mode picture; I'll make it up to you.

I also got a super curly ponytail extension because Meg as super long hair, and I have relatively short hair. Do you remember those ponytails that were really popular a while ago, they were kind of like elastic ribbons? Some of them were glittery. I still have a rose gold one, but I don't use it, so I cut it in half and I'm going to fasten it around the top of the sleeve. That will give it a bit more of a Greek/Roman look.

We went pumpkin picking today, and I went on a photography spree, so I thought I would show the pictures to you. I got a really cool pumpkin; I love it so much I'm not carving it. I'm keeping it in my room as decoration.

This is my pumpkin.

I'm sure you all remember Braeutigams Orchards, we went there last year to get pumpkins. We got our pumpkins there this year too.

This is kind of a crappy picture, but Papi was being so cute with his pumpkin that I couldn't stand it.

Thanks so much for reading!! Comment below and tell me what your thoughts are on dressing up for Halloween, does your faith allow/encourage it?

Kathleen

twodorkswithablog.blogspot.com

braeutigamorchards.com

Dog Photography -Emma

Hello everyone! I've been taking a lot of photos of my puppy, Sadie, lately and thought I would share them with you all! I know these are not anywhere near professional, but in the next few months I really want to get a DSLR camera and start taking professional photos of my pets! I think it would be so much fun and I'd be able to take my hobby to a whole new level.

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite photo ever taken of Sadie. I took it on Sadie's

first official hiking trip when my family and I went camping at Rend Lake for the weekend.

She's rocking the red bandana and looks super adventurous (and cuddly).

Don't you just wanna boop her nose? I know you want to.

I took this last Saturday at the farmers market. She had such a good time, and got tons

of attention. She's also modeling a bandana that I made for my Etsy shop, FureverFriendsCo.

This one was also taken while camping at Rend Lake. It was one of Sadie's

first sunsets. It's a low quality picture but I still think it's beautiful.

Sadie was all smiles because it's FRIDAY! 

(she actually just reallyyy wanted the treat I was holding up)

I bought her this new dinosaur toy the other day and let's just say she's absolutely 

IN LOVE with this dinosaur. It's her new best friend. She carries it around with her everywhere, sleeps with it, it's the cutest thing ever. Ugh. 

Lastly, a photo documenting the start of her first fall. So far she's loving chasing (and eating)

all the leaves falling off the trees.

That's it! I hope you all liked seeing all these photos! I guess you could say I'm a littleeeee obsessed with my dog. But that's okay, I have no shame. If you'd like to see more of Sadie, you can check out her Instagram account, @sadieonthemove. 

I'm planning some new back to school and fall related posts for these next few weeks, so look out for those!

Talk to ya'll later!

-Emma

What's in My Travel Backpack & Steuby Pictures - Kathleen

It's been awhile... yikes...

I can't believe how irresponsible I am with this blog... I know I know, I keep saying that I'm gonna post more and get back too it, but lets face facts: I haven't. I've been taking drivers ed every morning at 8 am, and staying up late at swim meets, and traveling. (More on that later 😛) Now that isn't to say that I couldn't have written a post way before I left or before I got super busy because I could have. So. I'm taking responsibility for that and making up for it. I'm sorry.

So speaking of travel, I have a little list for you! This is what I travel with in my backpack!!

So this is my backpack...

I got this for Christmas in 2016. I don't know where Mom got it from. The one I originally wanted was from PINK but that one was pricey for a backpack. This one looks just like it and I love it!!! It has three little pockets in the front. The two on the side are smaller and perfect for chargers, lotions, or snacks. The bucket pocket is sort of rectangular and not as much of a cube as you might think. It has a small pocket on the inside that is perfect for your wallet.

The buttons are all made like this which, I think, makes it a lot easier to open and close the pockets. The buttons are also nice buttons. It won't be easy for someone to open your bag or pickpocket.

Let's move on to what I bring IN the bag.

Electronics

I can fit my laptop, tablet, and phone in this bag all at once. However, this bag wasn't made to protect a laptop. I also usually don't need to take my laptop with me very often. I usually just pack my tablet and phone here because that's all I will really need. I also make sure to pack my chargers. My phone charger used to work on my tablet, so that made it easier when packing, but I got a new phone and the chargers are just a little bit different. So now I have to pack both... what a first world problem! 😄

Hygiene

I always bring hand lotion, hand sanitizer, tissues, and chap stick in my backpack. If I think that I might have some anxiety wherever I'm going, I will bring a pack of gum as well. If you want a post on this (anxiety hacks/tricks) comment below and I will share my limited knowledge.

If I am going on a longer trip, sometimes I will bring a paper face mask to do or something like that.

Stuff to Do

Being a blogger, I have a notebook for ideas. That usually goes everywhere with me. I also usually bring a book or two for down time.

So this is really what I packed in my backpack for Steubenville, which I have pictures to show you! I'm not going to really explain most of them. You will be able to tell what/when they are based on what Emma told you.

Saturday night by the gym... getting ready for small groups

The sunrise Saturday morning

Waiting for Saturday morning session to start.

Saturday morning talk #1

Saturday afternoon talk #1

Vocation call (Priests)

Thank you so much for reading this post! I love you guys so much! I hope you enjoyed the pictures! Tell me in the comments if you want the Anxiety Tips/Tricks post! Thank you!

Kathleen

twodorkswithablog.blogspot.com

Springfield Trip -Emma

Hello everyone! I'm back with a new post!

Yeah, a REAL POST!

This weekend, my mom and I took a little trip to Springfield IL. It was the perfect way to celebrate president's day (yes, I know that's tomorrow and I'm a bit early), but yeah.

I had a great time while we were there and obviously took a TON of pictures. But I'll be sharing a small amount of those with you all and talking about them.

The first thing we did when we got to Springfield was visit Lincoln's home. I thought
this was super cool and it was really special to be somewhere Lincoln once lived. 

Here is Lincoln's famous writing desk. 

Me outside the house.

After that, we went to lunch and then to Lincoln's

tomb. It was WAY bigger than I thought it would be, and the

architecture inside was amazing.

Here is a photo of where he is buried. Across from him (behind me when

I took this photo) his wife and children are buried. 

Me needing as much luck as I can get...

Here's a selfie of my mom and I inside the

capitol building waiting for the tour to start. 

The picture couldn't really capture how amazing the architecture 

here was, but this is the House of Representatives. Fun fact: 

Legally Blonde 2 was filmed here! I thought that was pretty cool, 

because I'm a big fan of those movies.

Here is the Senate. Another fun fact: Barack Obama started his

political career in this very room!

Last but not least, here's me outside trying to be a 

model! LOL.

That's it! I hope you all enjoyed all the photos and thanks for reading!

Have a great 3 day weekend :)

-Emma

MODG Unofficial Dance - Kathleen

Hey guys!

So I should be back for a good long time now. I was gone for awhile at a funeral, and then again for a trip to DC. But y'all know that. So I'm gonna talk about school.

Pretty much the only reason why I have a little bit of time for this blog is because of the way my school works. Most of you already know, but I'm homeschooled. I actually love answering questions about my schooling, its super fun. So maybe I can help you wonderers out and give you a bit of info.

Lots of people do homeschooling different ways. Some people take online classes, some people do classes with a homeschooling group, some parents set up their own curriculum. My parents decided to sign us up for an online school called Mother of Divine Grace. It is a catholic school based out of Santa Paula, California. They have lots of different classes. I am taking Ancient History, Latin, Natural History, (I'll explain later if you really want me too) Sacraments and Apologetics, Biology, and Algebra 2. (I did Geometry last year) Our classes meet once a week for an hour. (Latin is 45 minutes twice a week) All of these classes are with teachers from around the U.S. and sometimes around the world. Basically, my mom doesn't teach any of my classes. Yeah.

So we meet once a week and then we have a list of things to get done before the next class. I only have classes Monday - Wednesday though. So Thursday and Friday's are pretty short, chill days. Besides school, I'm in a choir, I play a little golf, swim on a team during the summer, and am involved in our youth group and homeschooling group. So yeah, I'm very social. Honestly, when people think about homeschoolers and how they "aren't social" they couldn't be farther from wrong. Just because we don't make dirty jokes 24/7 doesn't mean we can't have a good conversation. It really depends on who you are and how your parents raised you. I have never been shy or afraid to talk. (Besides like, the little bits of social anxiety, but I feel like everyone has that) In our homeschooling group, we have the jocks, the nerds, the popular kids, and the quiet kids. We had an Indian family for about 3 years but then they moved. (Shoutout to Jolie! Sorry I didn't include everything about you guys, the list is too long) So yeah, we have a huge variety. We get to know people.

So a part of this MODG (Mother of Divine Grace) thing is that every year, the night before the March for Life (which if you don't agree with, I don't care we can still be friends) they put on a dance. It is for high-schoolers enrolled in MODG but this was my first year going. (I'm a sophomore) IT WAS SO FUN!

We mad ourselves pretty (not that we aren't already) and drove the hour long line into the dance. I think we all got our dresses at David's Bridal. Besides Jolie. I don't know where you got yours.

We had a super cool view from the windows in our "ballroom." I had Parmesan Crusted Chicken with rice and some vegetables. And for dessert, we had the THICKEST, RICHEST chocolate cake you ever tasted. I think it was like fudge cake. I could only eat like half of it...

So the dancing started. We had several huddles of boys going on, and a giant circle of screaming girls at one point. It was so much fun.

Jolie and Caroline also found my phone and took a selfie... So kind of them...

So we had a really long night, I think we actually went to bed at like 2 am... We had so much fun, and burned so many calories. It was great. But I have to go to bed now, because it is late... (It's only 9:20 pm...) So yeah.

Thank you so much for reading!!! Comment down below with posts you want me to do in February, I have a few Valentines Décor DIYs I might show you. I don't know which blog I will do it on yet though so I will keep you posted.

Also, say Happy Birthday to Emma! Her birthday was on the 2nd and she is in Florida so tell her on Instagram!! I don't really know how all that works (I really need to get one) but I'm sure you can comment somehow... yeah.

Kathleen

internationalbffs.blogspot.com

twodorkswithablog.blogspot.com

Nutcracker Vloggy Post - Kathleen

Hi all! Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! I sincerely hope you aren't reading this on Thanksgiving day, and if you are, I really hope you get off and go hang out with your family... This blog isn't going anywhere, it's be here tomorrow... :D

Anyways, Happy Thanksgiving? Did you stuff yourself beyond normal? I did. It tasted soooo good.

So last weekend, Olivia (my sister) danced in the Nutcracker ballet with her Ballet school. It was amazing. So I though I would share some pictures of the evening, and sort of, drag you along with me!

So when we got there, we looked around at the ornaments they had for sale and the nutcrackers. If you want to get good seats you have to wait for like an hour, so even though it isn't that long, it still is awhile if you have nothing to do.

The theater is in the Scottish Rite Temple, and it is very big. It's huge. The orchestra has their spot on the floor, and we have our seats, and the dancers have their stage. It is a very nice, very large set up.

Olivia danced her parts well. She was one of the girls in the party, (or party girls), a Sugar Plum Attendant, (SPA girl) a soldier, and a Russian. There were two dancers from New York City; they were amazing. It was their last performance as they were retiring.

Then we came home and had a little surprise party with gingerbread cookies I had made that day for her. I had aimed from them to be cute pinterest cookies, but that didn't work at all. It's a lot harder than it looks.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have a great weekend!