New Series // Snippets 01.

A few weeks ago, I shared some of my vision for this blog and how what I was currently doing didn't line up with that vision. I realized that I didn't just want to teach on this blog, though I truly believe that everyone has something to teach. I realized that I also wanted to show life through this blog. I want to read about what's going on in your life and though it may sound self-centered, I want you to know what's going on in my life. I believe it's a deep human instinct to want to share life with others. Why not do that through my blog?

I want to start a fairly regular series on my blog called Snippets, just about my thoughts in my daily life. I'd love your feedback and thoughts in the comments!



ONE. Some of you know that I'm going through the college selection process (yes, I'm that young). Lately though, it's been full of rejection. In the last week, I got rejected by one school, waitlisted by two others, and turned down for a women in science scholarship that I had sort of been banking on. It hasn't been easy, but I've been proud of myself in the way that I've handled it. I'm trusting that those colleges weren't the right ones for me and that there is something better in store for me. It's been a lesson in strength, in patience and in faith. I'm feeling encouraged that I still have two great schools that I like to consider (UVA is one of them!)

TWO. I love love love plants but I admit that I'm not the greatest plant mama. I've had my kale get attacked with some moldy-fungusy thing and my pansies are just getting all shriveled and brown because of all of our freezing weather. I spent some time today nurturing my little babies, pulling off the dead blooms or moldy leaves and clearing out the soil. I found it deeply therapeutic to spend time picking out the things that were suffocating my poor plants so that they can (hopefully!) live and thrive a while longer.

THREE. On a more lighthearted note, I've been using an app called Argus over the last week or two to track my steps every day. The recommended goal is 10,000 steps per day, and I find I don't even get close to that if I don't schedule in a good run or a session on the treadmill. It's ridiculous the kind of satisfaction I got when I hit 17,000 steps after a long day walking around UVA. Little victories, y'all!

Blog Post Organizer (Printable!) + Genetics 101

In the last few months, I've started getting more organized with my blog. I've been keeping a place in Evernote for post ideas and using Google Calendar to plan posts ahead of time. But what I haven't found a good way to do is organize my ideas for a post ahead of time. Usually when I come up with a post idea, I'll have a couple phrases, bullet points, or pictures in my head that I want to make sure I include. But I tend to write only a proposed title, like "blog planning" in my Evernote. Then, when I go back to write it, I have no idea what I intended to write about.

I made this printable to suit my own needs, but I hope it will help you as well! You can print a bunch of these pages and make a binder of them. Whenever you have an awesome post idea, just pop it on one of these pages with a couple tags to help you organize it and a couple notes on content. When you're ready to write the post, just work through the page and remember to promote it on link-ups and social media. Then you're all done! How about that?!

I also use the tags section to help me organize my post ideas by category. Here on Call Me Sassafras, I blog about design, positivity, productivity, music and science. On every planning sheet, I'll write a broad category along with my other tags. Then I sort them out between those five categories. So when I'm getting ready to crank out a post, I try to look at what I've posted recently. If I've posted a lot about design, I'll look under another category for a post idea. 

That's about it! Feel free to use and share as you please, lovebugs! Just right-click on the image + click 'open in new tab' for the big ol' file. 

I hope that helps y'all organize your blog as much as it has helped me! Now, I get to do my favorite thing everrrrrr--share a science bit! :)

Today, I want to share a little bit about genetics. For every trait that you have (think eye color, blood type, etc), you have two pieces of information called 'alleles'. Each allele is part of a gene. Alleles can be either dominant (shown as R) or recessive (shown as r). In most genes, if you have an R allele and an r allele, you will show the dominant trait--the big R wins out and 'hides' the little r trait. If you have RR or rr, then you will show the respective trait. You get one allele from your mama and one from your dad. This is why you may look more like your mom or your dad but still have the same amount of genetic information from both parents.

So for example, pretend that brown eyes are the dominant trait (remember that's R!) and green eyes are recessive (r!). Pretend that my dad is RR and has brown eyes and my mom is rr and has green eyes. I would have to be Rr because I get one allele from each parent. But, the R allele is dominant. So even though I would be born an Rr, I would have brown eyes like my dad. 

Isn't that cool?! Over the coming days, we'll be talking about genetic disorders like Down syndrome and sickle cell anemia. It's gonna be cool, guys! 

Peace out, nerdballers.

Weekly Goals #30

 Helloooooo ladies! Happy Monday! Last week off from classes was oh-so-lovely! I spent the whole week with my family in Florida, where we biked around, ate so. much. yummy food and just generally hung out. Even though it was rainy a good part of the week, we still got enough beach time in for me to get sunburnt. Where did I get sunburnt, you ask? My armpits. Like that little crook in front of your shoulder. Somehow, that's the only place (other than the tops of my feet, which always get scorched) that got as red as all the traffic lights that I occasionally run. I'm almost cried trying to put on a sports bra the next day (is that TMI? #sorrynotsorry).

Aaaaaanyways, I'm back to school this week and all the excitement that that brings! I've got about a month until exams so while the learning in my classes is winding down, the crazy stress of exams is right around the corner. :/ to add to that stress, I have something almost every weekend in April. Prayers, y'all. Send 'em this way. 

Last week, I talked about trying to find time for all the minutiae that comes with blogging beyond simply writing posts--the comments, the social media, the sponsorships, etc etc etc. I tried to be intentional about spending time doing all these things. I didn't do quite as much interaction as I had hoped as far it's social media (I'm working on it, really!), but I still feel good about my effort. 

I had been frustrated, as others of you are, that there's not a good way to comment from the bloglovin' app or even an iPhone in general. Just so ya know, I have found that the google chrome browser app will remember your login info for websites so it will keep you logged in to disqus. So that makes commenting a little but easier. I still have to bother to open up the post in chrome, but at least I don't have to log in every single time that I want to comment. 

So obviously, it's a process. But I'm on my way. 

Sort of shifting gears (I'm terrible at segues), I want to share my goal for next week--and really the next few weeks. I have a big, formal event with H in about a month. To out it straight, I'm really nervous. I get super anxious (like I cry and have to go home like a three year old who missed her nap) at social events, especially ones that require dressing up and being perfect all evening and socializing and dancing and yucky yuck yuck. But H really, really wants to go and I'm trying to be the fabulous girlfriend that I know I am somewhere inside, so we're going. 

I'm trying to plan ahead and make as many things as stress-free as possible, so that I have as little anxiety as possible. I made sure that I got a dress I like and that I feel good in. But I'm also going to work on getting in shape for the event, because I always feel better when I'm in shape. This week, my goal is to exercise today, Tuesday and Wednesday, since I'll be out of town Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday with no chance to work out. 

I've found this treadmill workout that involves really short intervals (:30 to 1:00) that make up four bigger phases: incline, sprints, endurance and hills. I've never been a huge fan of the treadmill but I've run it a few times and it's not bad! I'll be doing that at least twice this week. 

What are your goals for the week? How do you exercise when you're out of town and without a gym/fitness center?

P.S. Today's my birthday! I'm not big on birthdays, but I just couldn't write this post without sneaking that in. :)

This post is brought to you by Netflix, orange-cranberry scones and Jillian Lorraine!

Start here: Me at 20 / 22 Reasons Why Being Tall is Wonderful

Hang out with Jillian: Bloglovin' / Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram

Tips on Starting a Journaling Habit

At the beginning of February, I decided that I wanted to start a regular journaling habit. I've said it time and again: journaling is not for me. My brain thinks faster than I can write and I get impatient that I can't get on paper my true thoughts on things. But I've read over and over and over again how good journaling is for you, both mentally and (surprisingly) physically. And so I keep giving it another try. 

Over the last six weeks, I've miraculously found a habit for myself in journaling. For the first time ever, I actually enjoy journaling. I don't journal every day--maybe only 2-3 times a week. But now I see why it's such a valuable habit to invest in. Journaling helps me review my day and forgive my mistakes and celebrate my victories.

01. Don't reread your entries.

I used to write journal entries with the intention of 'sounding cool' in case I ever went back and read them later. I would pretend like I hadn't really messed up or that I didn't get embarrassed or like I had it all together. But I didn't (duh). Journaling should be a place where you can let out the feelings that you hide all day, not another place where you have to pretend to be someone you're not. If you find this is hard for you, try journaling on a scrap piece of paper and then ripping it up. Eventually, I learned that I can write anything.

02. Skip what you don't want to talk about.

On that same note, I felt like I had to mention every part of my day. Journaling is for documenting life, but it's more a cathartic experience. Don't try to make a scrapbook for your kids out of your journal. If something was boring, stressful, sad or uncomfortable about your day, you can choose to journal your feelings out or you can choose to ignore it. It's your choice.

03. Have a prompt.

Sometimes on less busy days, it was tempting to skip journaling because I felt I didn't have any 'news' to record. Turns out, those are the days I enjoyed journaling the most. When you don't have a lot to say, choose a prompt to center your entry around. I'll do a post on sample journal prompts soon, but some simple ideas are to talk about two good things and two bad things about your day, a mistake you made, or something that made you smile. For more ideas, I wrote a post a few weeks ago with 10 prompts for gratitude journaling.

04. Set a timer.

Journaling can be tiring; that's just a fact of the matter. Especially when it's a new activity, it can be easy to journal too much and get burnt out. If you find that happening, set a timer for 5, 10 or 15 minutes. Remember: you can stop whenever you want--even if you've only written one sentence or you're mid-story.

05. Set a time. 

If you're trying to set any habit, it's incredibly valuable to set a time every day or every week to do it. I journal right before I get in bed. I'll brush my teeth/floss/etc and hop in bed with my journal and my pen. Eventually, my mind starts to remind me when I hop in bed that it's time to journal. If you're just starting out, an alarm or a phone ping can be especially helpful!

Do you journal? What are your tips for starting a habit of journaling?

Catching My Eye [links + love]

Hellooooo! Happy Wednesday! In case you haven't gathered, I'm on a much-needed vacation in Florida with my family these days. So while I'm enjoying the sun (although it's supposed to rain soon....boo), I thought I'd share some reading for you in case you're stuck inside. 

For the record, a lot of these links are from blogs that I follow, but I also find a lot of great links through Pinterest or Stumbleupon. So if you're looking for hours worth of procrastination, I suggest you start there!

+ DIY Pots for Small Plants // How About Orange. I've been dyingggg to get myself some succulents lately because they're just so cute and from what I've heard, I probably can't even kill them. Plus, I'm super into the geometric home decor trend and these fit right in!

+ Sarah of Smitten Studio shares a bunch of unique but really gorgeous wallpapers. My favorite is the black and white malachite print! I'd lurvvv to have a small wall of that.

+ Growing up, I've always been called things like feisty or bossy or bold. I love this post on why we should Ban Bossy as an insult.

+ This awesome round-up from Sarah Von Bargen will give you 10 awesome reasons to use your printer, including stationery, blog organization worksheets and origami business card holders! Yes!

+ This Global Brights color palette from Design-Seeds is beautiful. I think it'd look especially great on a health + wellness website!

+ Holy helpful! The Introvert's Guide to Getting in Shape (from my forever love, Lifehack).

That's all for today! Have a great rest of the week, friends!

Getting Involved in the Blog Community

The last few weeks have been weird here on the blog. Can you feel it? I know I can. I've been out of town a good bit and I've had more guest posts than normal. I've scheduled all my posts ahead of time. I've been so busy with school that all the little details that come with blogging have fallen by the wayside. I've hardly been on Twitter, much less have I been sharing my own posts and much much less have I been sharing others posts--something that I love to do. I've been scanning through my blog feed on my phone, only reading the posts with really good titles/pictures. And when I find a good post, I never comment. 

As a result, I've been feeling a little bit sad about this blog. (I'm not going anywhere--exhale!) I've come to the conclusion that I can't put in half the time that I used to into this relationship (because this is sort of like my weird relationship with the people of the internet) and expect all of the same results. I've been spreading myself too thin. 

So this is my one goal for the week: get involved in the blog community again. I'm on vacation for a week, and for me, that means way more blogging. I'm really excited to start my new mission to 'revive my blog lovelife' and I hope it's not too late to build all my relationships back up with my blog and blog-reading friends. So I thought I'd lay out my step-by-step plan to squish myself back into this circle of friends and invite you to come along with me! If you're not feeling fulfilled by blogging lately, try one of these things!

Sponsoring. I used to think it was like paying for friends (which, incidentally, is also how I felt about sororities), but it's really not. It's visually (and financially) supporting the blogs you love. For me, the views and followers I get from sponsoring other blogs are minimal, I'm more interested in making a connection with another blogger. 

Sharing other blogger's posts. I love doing this because it helps me connect with both other bloggers and my followers. Every blogger loves to see someone love on a post that they spent time on and you're helping provide your followers with even more quality content to read!

Comment on the blogs you read. I find it especially inconvenient to comment on other blogs because I read 90% of my Bloglovin' feed from my phone. But I know how disappointed I feel when I spend hours on a post that I think will be a smash hit, only to watch it go without comments. Think about it this way: pretend you had some really great news and had lunch with your best friend to tell her your exciting news. But when you tell her, she just sits and looks at you. How sad would that be?! That's how blogging without comments feels. I know I'm bad at responding to comments, but I read every single one (and even save screenshots on my phone of many!).

Respond to comments left on your own blog (if you have one). This goes hand-in-hand with the last one, but I just have to mention it since I'm kinda-sorta terrible at it. I will respond to 90% of comments left here over time, but it may be 2-3 weeks before I get to it. I want to be better about responding promptly. How can I build a conversation with you lovely people if I wait two weeks to reply?!

Send an email! I've only done this a few times but I'd like to do it more. It seems like a somewhat revolutionary idea, to email a blogger instead of just commenting. But if you read a post that really, really clicks with you or helps you in a new way, I promise that you can make any blogger's day with a two-sentence email that tells them that. 

So all of these collective steps make up my goal for the week. Now I need you to help me. Leave a comment with a favorite blog, a favorite post (yours or someone else's!), an idea on how to get involved in the blog community or just any thoughts on this post. And I promise, I will respond. 

Netflix Actually Costs Me $480 a Month (and Other Thoughts on 'Going Without')

Let me start a non-religious post with a short religion-related note: Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent in Catholic faiths. In short, Lent is the forty days leading up to the celebration of Christ's resurrection at Easter. Many people in the church use Lent as a time to "go without" certain privileges or pastimes or vices in order to focus more on their mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Though I'm not Catholic per se, I appreciate the thought behind Lent + sometimes decide to participate. This year, I've decided to mostly give up Netflix. I'll explain why I say 'mostly' in a second. 

Over the last few months, I've steadily started watching more and more television. A year ago, I would have said that I rarely watch TV--once or twice a month usually. As of right now, I watch at least an hour, usually two or three a day. I sometimes watch an episode midday or mid-afternoon when I just don't want to work. Then, when I get in bed at night, I watch one or two more episodes. 

I'm actually pretty ashamed to admit that--it's a lot of television and I know it. And when I think about all the many, many hours of TV I've watched, I just feel embarrassed. But when I think about all the things I don't manage to get done, even on days when I watch an episode or two of SVU, I just feel sad. How can my priorities be so off that I can go a full day without talking to my family or exercising or spending time with friends but I always have time for Dance Moms? 

And so I did some calculating, because (in case you're new here) I'm super analytical and that's what I do. Assuming I only watch one hour of TV a day (and that's for sure a minimal day), that's at least 30 hours a month. I make $16 an hour (when I tutor). And this is what really hit me: besides that teeny $8 a month charge, Netflix costs me $480 a month. Every month. At the very least. That's $5,760 a year. 

Think about that. 

But even more than the money I lose in time wasted, I lose valuable opportunities to connect with other people, love myself, and live a more fulfilled life. In six months, I'll be moving out of my house and starting a new life an eight hour drive away. These are the days I should be making the most of, not wasting away watching Dance Moms (which, I know, is beyond trashy). 

And so I've been considering just that. I'm not going to cut out TV because I do consider it my 'me' time at the end of the night. But I want to be more intentional with my time + take care not to miss the important things. For Lent, aka the next 40 days (or a little less now), I will only be watching one episode a day, 45 minutes maximum. 

But more importantly, I will use my newfound time carefully, investing it into my family, H, my faith, and myself.

What do you waste time on? Are you going without anything for Lent?