You must believe in yourself

hey there, readers of northern belle diaries! i'm lauren and i blog over at oolalalauren. lisette asked me to guest post for her and of course i said yes! i am both honored and thrilled to be here. just a quick little intro: i love a good book, motivational quotes, my beagle, hiking, biking, and making new friends. you can guess that i blog about all of the above. if you love animals, a glass of wine, and some reality tv, then i'm pretty sure we can be best friends. stop by sometime and say hello! but first, let's get to the good stuff.

i, personally, think that the key to success is believing in yourself. 

if you're on the same page as me then let's cover a few pointers, shall we?

setting goals. this is important, because it allows you to have control. if you feel that you have control over your life, and your goals, and you are able to recognize when you've achieved a goal, it's an ultimate confidence booster.

it's okay to fail. we, as humans, are programmed to succeed and to fail. consider these reasons. if you are able to learn from your previous failures, then you will be more likely to achieve success in the future.

time and energy - share it. when you can give to others, you will gain respect and positive feedback. this makes for an excellent building block for self-respect, which in turn will be essential for believing in yourself.

realistic expectations. figure out where you are and where you want to be. but don't expect to get there in a hurry. you can't win a marathon that you haven't trained for. gauge the progress you've made and how far you've come. this perspective is satisfying.

careful with the critics. don't pay attention to those who strive to tear your spirits down. they just feel the need to make themselves look bigger and better. but instead, heed the advice of those whose intentions are to build you up and help you make some positive changes.

never give up. maintain your dreams and your aspirations. until you put them into action, you never know how right they actually are for you. believe.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. DREAM OF OPPORTUNITIES. ACHIEVE GREATNESS.

Friday's Letters with Mozart

I'm sitting here on the verge of tears as I write this.

(nerd alert) No, it is not out of grief or sadness or mourning.

It is out of sheer wonder, joy, and elation at turning on the TV and being greeting by a beautiful masterpiece by Mozart as played by a pianist and orchestra in France.  It's amazing what he was able to do with a simple scale.  The building and coiffing of tension to that seemingly elusive release in the  cadence.

Silly?  Not to me.  I majored in music in college.  

I wanted to be a dentist (true story) but besides finding certain courses far too difficult, I always heard music playing in my head as I tried studying for those courses.  Try understanding the Krebs Cycle in biology or solving word (read: complicated math) problems in chemistry while hearing the  melodious beauty by Mozart or Puccini.  I think God was trying to tell me something! And He did.  I changed majors from biology to music, and I'm so happy I did!

You see, something amazing happens (at least to me) when I hear music, especially orchestral music from the classical period.  I feel my heart expanding like a rose as it  blossoms.  I get chills and my skin feels alive.  It's a beautiful and sublime feeling.  The only thing I can compare it to is that moment when you first  fall in love with someone. Sappy, I know.  It's why classical music and opera are two of my favorite genres.  If I would have been alive in the 1700's and 1800's with access to live music, I would have been an opera singer travelling the world.

How about I finish this sappy post with sappy Friday's Letters?  You're most welcome.

 Dear God: thank you for gifting us with the marvelous and beautiful gift of music.  My experience in listening to music is proof enough that you are real. let alone John 3:16.
 Dear Husband: you burn the midnight oil working for us.  How I love you.
 Dear weekend: thanks for almost being here so my DH can have some well-earned relaxation.
 Dear readers: you amaze me.  Thanks for following me.  Reaching 100 was so rewarding for me.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.
 Dear Brendali: thanks for trusting me with designing your blog.  It means the world to me when you squeal with joy (oops, was I not supposed to say that?) even at a suggestion.  I've thoroughly enjoyed working on this for you, and I hope others appreciate it as much as you do.
 Dear loved ones: thank you for allowing us to enter your homes this Thanksgiving and break bread with you.  It was much needed!

This Friday, I'm also linking up with:

Friendly Friday Blog Hop, That Friday Blog Hop, No Rules Weekend Party Blog Hop, and Friday Chaos.

Exciting things are happening...

It's almost the weekend, so it's time to celebrate!

There have been some exciting things happening for me lately in the blog world and I'll share some with you.

Remember my shout out to my BFF Brenda?  Well, she is starting her blog...and I'm helping her design it!  YAY!  I'm so thrilled to be doing this!  I hope you all like what I am doing with her blog.  It's a learning process, but I'm always willing to learn!

I got another sponsor on board!  Please visit her at Oh My Tookies.  She has the most darling little Etsy shop called Tookies with gourmet delectables that will make your sweet tooth happy!

Last but CERTAINLY not least, I finally broke the 100 followers glass ceiling! I believe in celebrating the small stuff, so stay tuned for a giveaway in the coming days!  So excited!

Here's what's OK with me this Thursday:

To wear your sweats all day while at home.  Who am I dressing up for anyways?

To re-use leftovers for a new meal.  Yeah, I said it.

To deposit your dog's poop bag in a stranger's trashcan while on a walk.  (It was trash day)

To laugh your butt off at a cruel prank in Portuguese.  Seriously, check it out.

To be excited for Christmas like a giddy child.

To shamelessly put up a Christmas wishlist under the guise of "Holiday Gift Guide."  You know what I'm talking about ;)

To whisper "yes!" inside your head when you have more page views!

To be five sheets to the wind from cheap red wine before 12 noon! (yesterday)

Thanks for reading!

Today's link-ups:

and Newlywed Moments and Katherines Corner

Saturday Fashion Challenge: Results

Hello lovelies!  If you are reading this, chances are you saw my previous post Saturday Fashion Challenge where I challenged myself on adding a few elements to update my wardrobe.

I promised a full report on my findings.  Let me start off with something that I had been coveting since my first trip to TJMaxx.  I saw this coffee-themed artwork and fell in love with it.  I even took a picture of it in the store (I'm not exactly sure why!) and promised myself that if it was there when I returned, I'd get it.  Well, there it was.  Print signs are all the rage now and I needed one!

On to the goods!  I didn't find any items that matched my goal at TJMaxx.  But, can I just say how AMAZING the blog world is?  I posted my challenge and I already had several little stylists tweeting, commenting and emailing me suggestions.  I felt so loved! A friend who read my blog suggested I go to Kohl's as they have awesome Lauren Conrad blazers and skinny jeans right now (about $30 each).  Another blogger friend suggested I go to Target because she found several leopard print items, along with nice fitted blazers.

Target won!  Here are the awesome finds from Target:

So I found my leopard print flats for only $11.  Yay!  Then, as I was walking around, I spotted the mettalic ones on clearance for...yes, you read right, a whopping $7.48!  Um, YES!  Ecstatic!  However, Target was all out of the tailored blazers (both in the store and online!).  I'll have to go out  to Kohl's on another day!

I also went to Marshalls (because Marshalls is amazing!).  I found this shirt for $16.99 that I can use under a cardigan like my inspiration on the right.  Or I can use under a blazer!  It's not leopard, but does have animal print.

My search continues for a dark blazer, a tan blazer, a brightly colored blazer, and a leopard scarf.  

Thanks to those who helped me out!  It was like having my own personal shoppers on board!

For this post I have linked up with the Weekend Blog Hop to meet more blog friends!  Isn't her button just adorable?  Makes me want to live back North so I can see the pretty leaves.  Sigh.

I've also linked up with Complete Waste of Makeup for the Sunday Social!  Join in!

What is currently on my wish list? Oh boy.  A Canon Rebel SLR camera to take awesome pictures for my blog (and future babies).  A MacBook.   What is a new fall TV show you've added to your DVR? REVOLUTION! If you haven't yet watched it...do so Monday nights!  Share your social media links: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram Which one is your favorite, and why?  That's tough.  I love Twitter the most right now, only because it's brand new to me!  I've been on less than a week!  I've started liking Facebook less. Name a TV show/Movie/Song that you could watch/listen to all day and not get tired of: TV show...hmm, I have lots of favorite TV shows but I actually can get bored watching the same show repeatedly.  I could watch the animated film "Anastasia" all day long.  (The music is beautiful, don't judge!) I could listen to either "Un bel di" from Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly, or "Nanga Ti Feo" by the Mexican rock band Camila.  Both have such beautiful melodies, yet they are both so different.

My Life Lately

Thank the Lord that Sandy "aka Frankenstorm" did not come anywhere near our area in southeast Georgia!  We just narrowly missed this nightmare, and B telling me that the greater Savannah area is long overdue for a hurricane did not make me any happier.  I am thinking of friends and family back North (and my mother-in-law who is moving from Maryland to West Virginia in this mess!) and hoping every one stays safe!

  I am linking up with Life on Leroy and The Weekend File for Life Lately.

and I am linking up with Join the Gossip, five30three, and Sami's Shenanigans for Weekend Update. 

Here is what my life has looked like lately:

Yay!  Our little tree is FINALLY starting to show some semblance of Fall.  This is a big deal to me as most trees around me are evergreens, and autumn is my FAVE season of the year!

This is the most decorating I've made for the season.  I'm a little ashamed, but I rather invest my resources on Christmas (my hands down FAVE time of year)!

I made chili (for the first time EVER!) on Friday when the South felt the passing of Sandy.  Cumin is my new love!  My darling hubby made the cornbread.  I'm so happy to be married to a foodie!

Here is my beloved Chip!  (aka Choopie-Choop, and Chewie-Chomp-Chomp).  I was baking more of my homemade Peanut-Butter Pumpkin treats and he was paaaatiently waiting for them to be done.

I'm a tad obsessed with this "Frankenstorm."  If I were still teaching in Baltimore, I'd be home (terrifed) watching this through the windows just as I did last year for hurricane Irene.  (B insisted on sleeping with the bedroom window open to "hear" the wind.  I remember wondering if he was deaf, and I didn't sleep a wink.)

Lastly, this is my FIRST post on my new blog!  I recently moved from Wordpress and I am just LOVING the community feeling of Blogger!  I joined these parties as a way to meet new bloggers!  I created the header using this wonderful tutorial on Clover Lane.  She is awesome, and I hope my blog grows up to be just like hers one day!  I hope you enjoy my new blog!  I am in love with it!