mini polaroid giveaway!

After the last polaroid camera giveaway was such a hit, I couldn't wait to do another one!

I've had my mini camera since January, and it has become one of my favorite things. It's such a cute way to keep tangible memories from special moments! 

Happy almost May and happy entering! xoxo

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Series You Need to be Binge-Watching on Netflix.

Summer is upon us, and it is the most wonderful time for every reason except one: Television.

Your shows are ending, your nights are free, and you will spend the next four months pondering the finales and googling when they come back on.

In the meantime, Netflix is about to be your new best friend. Not sure where to start? I've got you covered.

Friday Night Lights. Probably my favorite show ever. Don't let the football theme scare you away--this is the greatest show to ever air (says this non-football fan). Though Connie Britton has BLOWN up lately, she will forever be Tammi Taylor to me. Please watch this immediately. TEXAS FOREVER.

Damages. This. Show. Is. Insane. So dark and twisty and villainous and just gooood. If you like law-themed shows and mysteries, this one is for you.

Hart of Dixie. A little lot less dark and twisty, this adorable show is about a big city doctor who relocates the the world's tiniest town...it is both heartwarming and hilarious, and you won't be able to get enough.

Parenthood. Quite possibly the greatest show to ever air. I am still in major depression that it is over. If you've never watched it, I'm so jealous that you're about to get to experience all of this for the first time. The Braverman family is all of us, and you will love sobbing along with keeping up with their story.

The Blacklist. This new one is so good that Netflix paid 2 MILLION DOLLARS PER EPISODE to be able to stream this. You're gonna want to trust them on this one. Raymond Reddington has been on the FBI's most wanted list forever, until he turns himself in one day--and that is only the beginning of the story.

The Office. BEST SHOW EVER. This comedy was sneakily emotional. You will fall in love while getting a ton of one-liners that you will work into conversations for the rest of your life. You are welcome.

Parks and Recreation. Along the same lines as the office, this one is hilarious and adorable. Plus, Amy Pohler and Chris Pratt. Do I need to say anything else? No, no I do not.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Because Erin from The Office got locked in a bunker and emerged 10 years later just as hilarious.

Pretty Little Liars. A mysterious "A" starts tormenting four best friends after the disappearance of their other best friend. Yes, this show was meant for high schoolers. SO WHAT?! It's twisty and mysterious and will keep you awake at night wondering who the heck A is. And by season four you will be pretty sure YOU are A .

Scandal. Because if you haven't lost yourself in the world of Olivia Pope yet, now is a great time to get started.

LOST. If you want a show that's really going to suck you in all summer, this is it. A plane crashes on a mysterious island, and no one comes to rescue them. Then things start to get weird. WONDERFULLY WEIRD.]

What shows did I miss?

(More) Books I Read in April & Whether or Not You Should Read Them.

Because when your library delivers, one book post is just not enough. 

True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel

Plot: "The story begins in February of 2002, when a reporter in Oregon contacts New York Times Magazine writer Michael Finkel with a startling piece of news. A young, highly intelligent man named Christian Longo, on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for killing his entire family, has recently been captured in Mexico, where he'd taken on a new identity -- Michael Finkel of the New York Times.

The next day, on page A-3 of the Times, comes another bit of troubling news: a note, written by the paper's editors, explaining that Finkel has falsified parts of an investigative article and has been fired. This unlikely confluence sets the stage for a bizarre and intense relationship. After Longo's arrest, the only journalist the accused murderer will speak with is the real Michael Finkel. And as the months until Longo's trial tick away, the two men talk for dozens of hours on the telephone, meet in the jailhouse visiting room, and exchange nearly a thousand pages of handwritten letters.

With Longo insisting he can prove his innocence, Finkel strives to uncover what really happened to Longo's family, and his quest becomes less a reporting job than a psychological cat-and-mouse game -- sometimes redemptively honest, other times slyly manipulative. Finkel's pursuit pays off only at the end, when Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally says what he wouldn't even admit in court -- the whole, true story. Or so it seems." -via Goodreads

Favorite quote: Mmm, not really a quotable book. 

My thoughts: I have no idea why I decided to read this book--I think that it was on a list I saw of books that were becoming movies this year, and the preview for the moving looked interesting. I finished the book in a day because I really just needed to know what was going on.

I had no idea about the real life trial this focused on, so it was fascinating to follow along all of the interviews and hearings. It was something along the lines of a true crime show, but written from a journalist's very unique perspective, which I enjoyed.

Should you read it? If you're into true crime stories, then sure, this one was interesting. But it's not a book to just sit down and enjoy. 

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Plot: "Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . . So begins this debut novel about a mixed-race family living in 1970s Ohio and the tragedy that will either be their undoing or their salvation. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.

When Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart."-via Goodreads

Favorite Quote:

“They never discussed it, but both came to understand it as a promise: he would always make sure there was a place for her. She would always be able to say, Someone is coming. I am not alone.” 

My thoughts: This book was stunning. The story telling, the prose, the tension, the way you got to peer into the life of a very flawed family while at the same time understanding them...all amazing. I loved it because while it was a mystery, the real story dealt more in the aftermath. I was more concerned with how the characters were all reacting than with figuring out the ending. 

My favorite part of this novel was that you got to understand all the characters at once--she flowed effortlessly from one person's thoughts to another, without saying "he thought this and then she thought this and then he thought this." It made me feel like I was sitting and listening to someone tell a story, and I could not put it down. It's Ng's debut novel and I cannot wait to see more from her. 

Should you read it? Yes.

just write: like cheap champagne.

I’m feeling young and reckless,
but I’ve still got a nine-to-five.
it’s hard to make sure rent gets paid
and still feel so alive.
so fill my glass with champagne,
the kind from the five dollar aisle,
and top it off with St -Germain 
and we’ll feel expensive for a while.
life can quickly become mundane
and start to feel a little cheap,
but it takes just a bit of magic 
to remind you to still dream.
so let’s take these fancy glasses
and toast under the stars
with both the boring and the whimsical,  
because that’s life-it’s where we are.

Your New Favorite Blog: Anna in Wonderland.

Anna Scanlon--Anna in Wonderland.

Several! I think one of my favorites is about how to travel on the cheap as I love sharing my tips and tricks.

How do I even choose?! I would have to say some of my favorites are the classics like Little Women and Jane Eyre, but that only scratches the surface. I also like a lot of contemporary work like anything by Jonathan Safran Foer. 

Follow your bliss and work hard to achieve it. 

Having an amazing summer....and the class I'm about to publish online about writing and publishing. 

This question is impossible! I think different songs describe your life and different stages, so this is impossible for me to answer!

Not only is Anna a blogger, she's actually an author too! I'm always so excited to find bloggers who write books, and Anna does not disappoint!

Comments have been turned off so you can go check out Anna and her books! You can find her on Youtube, twitter, Facebook, and Bloglovin'.

If you want to have your own post like this, click here!

Your New Favorite Blog: Farm Girl.

My name is Miriam, and my blog is called Farm Girl. 

Phew, that's a hard one. I would say it is our lovestory, which is so long that I did it in 5 blog posts haha! If you have some time on your hands (it's 8,257 words long), here it is.

Harry Potter. I have read the series at least three times, and never get tired of re-reading it. There is so much wisdom in these books, and I love the magical world J. K. Rowling has created. It is equally a wonderful escape and a guide for how to live your life. 

Don't have other people rent space in your head. 

I'm head over heels in love with yoga, and look forward to my practice every day. Watching yourself getting stronger both mentally and physically is such a beautiful thing!

It would be a mix of Taylor Swift's "Shake it off", Walk Off The Earth's "Rule the world", with a country-song happy end. 

If you like yoga or puppies, you're going to love Miriam's blog. Also, she wrote her love story out in How I Met Your Father format. How cute?! 

Comments have been turned off so you can go say hi to Miriam! You can find her on Bloglovin', Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,  and Pinterest!

If you want to have your own post like this, click here!

Drink Your Wine & Leave a Wake.

“Drink your wine. Laugh from your gut. Burden your moments with thankfulness. Be as empty as you can be when that clock winds down. Spend your life. And if time is a river, may you leave a wake.” 

So often we're always looking ahead to something, or trying to catch up, or worrying about if what we're doing is worthwhile. We're very rarely just living. 

Amanda had recommended this book, Death by Living, on her blog a little while ago. I feel like this quote sums up everything in my head that I'm always trying to figure out. Because sometimes, in the middle of life, we can get so bogged down with is this it? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Should I be feeling more significant? 

And to that I say: Drink your wine and laugh from your gut. Life is meant to be spent, it is meant to be enjoyed. 

I think that we hear the words "don't waste your life" and immediately think it means we should be doing more important, worthwhile things. We should be working harder or finding a better job or making more money or contributing more to society. Not that any of those things are bad things, but I think it's possible to do all of that and still waste your life. 

You waste your life when you choose to not spend it. Time can either be stolen from you or you can spend it. It's going to pass either way. So why not use it up for all it's worth? When you go to bed each night, be completely empty of all the life you had to give that day. Let every breath you take scream thankfulness. 

Spending your life can look big and significant and planned out. Or, it can look like Chick-fil-a runs and pool days and phone dates. The important thing is that you're spending your life. All of it. That you're empty when the clock runs out. 

If time is a river, may you leave a wake.