Unplug Once a Week.

need to make this a thing yo.

Love, 

ALPHA

Nail Diary

Do you also have a ridiculous amount of nail polish? (I know I do!) Welllllll. Here's an idea to keep a note of the colors you have - the company, the color ID number, name of the polish, how much of one color you have compared to others, etc.

A NAIL DIARY! 

I knew that right when I saw this, I had to do it for myself.  Firstly, I have so much nail polish that it's always a hassle when I have to look through it entirely bottle by bottle to figure out what I want to do with my nails. Secondly, I always let my roommates and friends borrow my nail polish and it get's annoying too for them to take out everything and try to decide what to do. so obviously a nail diary is awesome. 

It doesn't have to just be the colors too! you can actually like make a note of the patterns you did on your nails or what color you last did on your nails. just think of the possibilites! it is making me giddy just thinking about it :)

Love in Nail Polish, 

ALPHA

Good Thinking!

Okay. You're going out clubbing or to a party and chances are if you're like me you hate carrying around a bag. I mean you can have a small bag and everything but you still have so much to carry that that bag is already full. Here's a cool tip I discovered. Money in chap stick! (of course it would be more like safety money) Probably the cleverest thing I have seen. It's compact, it's super slim and no one would ever think that there would be money in a chap stick! GAH. Mind Blown. Love it.

Love,
ALPHA

Memory Jar

Quick! Start this before it's already too late in the year/already forget some of the funny things that have happened in the year!

Why do it?
Isn't it obvious? It's to preserve the found memories you had with your loved ones! So at the end of 2013, on New Year's Eve you can open the jar and laugh and remember all the good and funny things that happened throughout the year.

It's also a great way to get everyone together and a good way to leave one year and jump into the next.

Love,
ALPHA

Printstagram

Small Flip Book

If you have a smartphone (or know anyone with a smartphone), chances are, you've been exposed to a certain photo app. called "Instagram". I am a bit crazy with Instagram - I have like close to 900 pictures now, which I know is insane.

I love taking photos - especially on Instagram! But after you take pictures on Instagram there's not much you can do but flip through it on your phone right? Wrong! Today, there are a lot of companies that can take your pictures from Instagram and turn it into actual photos and so much more!

Calendar 

Sticker Book

As I was looking through my Pinterest, I noticed a couple of these sites and decided to check some out. I landed on Prinstagram! I wouldn't have ever imagined doing any of these things with my photos - and  bam a website/company that could do it all for me! I really do think it's such a cool idea.

Poster

I myself got the 365 calendar! (Yeah...I paid like $50 for it...but it's like really cool and I do have so many instagram photos I like). Which is my second point! Even though I have like 900 photos on instagram I found it so hard to fill up the 365 slots! I had to relook at my photos so many times and it took me forever. In the end I just started clicking photos and because I never realized how many photos I actually cared about (which says something about my Instagram habits). 

Seriously. If you're an Instagram person like me - you really should do something else with your pictures! It's truly great yo. 

Love, 

ALPHA

New Section!

Hey Everyone! I was just looking through some of the past posts and have realized that there should be a new section. "Easy Living" seems like a broad topic and so I have decided to split it into two parts. The regular "Easy Living" is going to be cooking, crafts/DIY, and the home while "Healthy Living" is going to be about exercise and healthy food facts.

Love,
ALPHA

Fun (but scary) Halloween Recipes

Witch's Fingers Recipe

Halloween Cupcake Recipe

Halloween Sugar Cookies Recipe

Eyeball Cakeballs Recipe

Witch Hats Recipe

Ghost Cake Recipe

RIP Mousse Recipe

Devils Cupcake Recipe

Love,

ALPHA

Dorm Checklist

Cause it's that time of the year again!

Love, 

ALPHA

DIY Nail Polish

So if you ever have shattered eye shadow you know what you can do with it!

Love, 

ALPHA

At Home Spa Treatments

Treat yourself!

Love, 

ALPHA

Happy National Cheesecake Day!

I love cheesecakes. So I think the fact that there is a national cheesecake day is completely appropriate. Here are some recipes to try out!

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Ceesecake

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberries

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake

Classic Cheesecake

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Love,

ALPHA

*supposed to be published July 31*

What Is Your Acne Telling You

1 & 2: Digestive System — Eat less processed or junk food, reduce the amount of fat in your diet, step up water intake and opt for cooling things like cucumbers.

3: Liver — Cut out the alcohol, greasy food and dairy. This is the zone where food allergies also show up first, so take a look at your ingredients. Besides all this, do 30 minutes of light exercise every day and get adequate sleep so your liver can rest.

4 & 5: Kidneys — Anything around the eyes (including dark circles) point to dehydration. Drink up!

6: Heart — Check your blood pressure (mine was slightly high) and Vitamin B levels. Decrease the intake of spicy or pungent food, cut down on meat and get more fresh air. Besides this, look into ways to lower cholesterol, like replacing “bad fats” with “good fats” such as Omegas 3 and 6 found in nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed. Also, since this area is chock-full of dilated pores, check that your makeup is not past its expiry date or is skin-clogging.

7 & 8: Kidneys — Again, drink up! And cut down on aerated drinks, coffee and alcohol as these will cause further dehydration.

Zone 9 & 10: Respiratory system — Do you smoke? Have allergies? This is your problem area for both. If neither of these is the issue, don’t let your body overheat, eat more cooling foods, cut down on sugar and get more fresh air. Also keep the body more alkaline by avoiding foods that make the body acidic (meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar) and adding more alkalizing foods like green veggies and wheatgrass juice. Another thing that most of forget – dirty cell phones and pillow cases are two of the top acne culprits and this area is what they affect the most!

Zone 11 & 12: Hormones — This is the signature zone for stress and hormonal changes. And while both are sometimes unavoidable, you can decrease their effect by getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, eating leafy veggies and keeping skin scrupulously clean. Another interesting point: breakouts in this area indicate when you are ovulating (and on which side).

Zone 13: Stomach — Step up the fibre intake, reduce the toxin overload and drink herbal teas to help with digestion.

14: Illness — Zits here can be a sign that your body is fighting bacteria to avoid illness. Give it a break, take a yoga class, take a nap, take time to breathe deeply, drink plenty of water and know that everything always works out!

Love,

ALPHA

Cake Batter Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2/3 cups of yellow cake mix
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1-2 cups of milk
• Assorted sprinkles

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Assorted sprinkles

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl and mix
2. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of milk. Stir until smooth. (Add more milk if needed)
3. Add desired amount of sprinkles into batter
4. Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter and cook for 2-3 minutes

1. Mix the milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar until glaze forms.
2. Add sprinkles and spread over the pancakes

Love,
ALPHA

10 Uses For Vodka

Yes, there are things other then drinking that you can do with vodka.

1. Treats Poison Ivy

• To avoid an uncomfortable reaction, immediately pour vodka on skin that has made contact with poison ivy
2. Freshen Laundry
• Spray your clothes with vodka to kill odor causing bacteria
3. Shine Your Fixtures
• Moisten a soft clean cloth with vodka, and clean
4. Preserve Flowers
• Add a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar to the water in your flower case
5. Repel Insects
• Pour some in a bottle and spray at insects
6. Soothe Jellyfish Stings
• Pour on the sting to relief pain
7. Get Shiny Hair
• Add a jigger of vodka to a 12 ounce shampoo bottle
8. Clean Away Mold
• Spray and leave it for 15 minutes, then clean
9. Make a Soothing Lavender Tincture
• Fill a jar with lavender, water, and vodka, and leave it for a few days
10. Ease a Toothache
• Take a shot of vodka and swish it around in your mouth

Love,

ALPHA

Foods for Different Parts of Your Day

For a Tough Workout:

• Drinking java an hour before exercises increases endurance during workouts
• Drinking low fat chocolate milk after exercises helps repairing and strengthening muscles as it has an ideal protein-to-carb ratio

Before a Presentation:

• Eating oatmeal will settle your nerves, as it keeps your blood sugar stable
• Eating oranges will provide you with the vitamin C that will reduce the stress hormone cortisol

To Get in the Mood:

• Eating chili peppers stimulates your libido in two ways
• It fools the body into thinking it's in pain, thus flooding the brain with endorphins 
• It speeds up blood flow, thus enhancing pleasure

Before Bed:

• Eating bananas, which contain tryptophan, will put you in the sleepy mood

Love,

ALPHA

A Cake for St. Patricks Day!

Ingredients:

Cheesecake

1. Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese
2. 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3. pinch of salt
4. 2 large eggs
5. 1/3 cup sour cream
6. 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8. a few drops of green food coloring

Green Velvet Cake

1. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil
5. 1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
6. 2 large eggs
7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8. 1 teaspoon white vinegar
9. 1 teaspoon baking soda
10. 1 cup buttermilk
11. 2 tablespoons (1-ounce bottle) green food coloring

Frosting

1. Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3. One 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
4. 1 cup powdered sugar
5. a few drops of green food coloring

Instructions:

Cheesecake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325dgF. Place a large roasting pan on the lower rack of the oven. Place a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Wrap a double layer of heavy duty foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan
2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. 
3. Mix in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes.
4.  Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. 
5. Mix in the sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla and green food color until smooth. 
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan into the roasting pan in the pre-heated oven. Carefully pour the hot water from your kettle into the roasting pan. Pour enough water so that there is about an inch of water coming up the foil along the sides of the cheesecake pan.
7. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely (4 to 5 hours or overnight).

Prepare the cake layers 

1. Preheat the oven to 350dgF. Spray two 9-inch round pans with nonstick spray and line each pan with a round of parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oil and sugar together and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda and stir to dissolve. Add the vinegar to the bowl, along with the buttermilk and food coloring. Beat on medium-low speed for 1 minute, until blended. 
5. Add the dry ingredients and increase speed to medium-high, scraping down the sides of the bowl while mixing, for 2 additional minutes. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cakes cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the pans, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely.

Prepare the frosting 

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until creamy and smooth. 
2. Add the marshmallow creme and mix until smooth. 
3. Add in the powdered sugar and food color and continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until all of the ingredients are mixed in and the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Assemble the cake

1. Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Peel off the parchment. 
2. Trim the cheesecake, as needed to match the size of your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Place the second cake layer on top of the cheesecake.

Frost the cake 

1. Apply a crumb coat layer of frosting to the cake and refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes
2. Apply the second layer of frosting. Add a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. 
3. Use a long, thin spatula or knife to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. 

Love,

ALPHA

Seven Surprising Uses for Baking Soda

Let us be clear: Baking soda is not going to permanently cure your acne or turn back the cruel hand of time. But if you’re looking to detoxify your body and your household, this multitasking ingredient will make your life easier (and more beautiful) without denting your coffers. Mom may have taught you that baking soda will make your bread rise and your fridge smell better, but did you know of its many cosmetic applications?

Even the ancient Egyptians—and what beauty post would be complete without them?—used a compound similar to baking soda as soap. The stuff is antiseptic, antifungal, and lightly exfoliating. It will take the stains off your coffee mug and your not-so-pearly whites, and can be consumed internally to ease your tummy ache. And fridge odors aren’t the only smells it absorbs so don’t turn your nose up, and bring on the baking soda!

Brush Your Teeth With It Most conventional toothpastes use sodium lauryl sulfate as their primary ingredient. You may remember this verboten surfactant from previous posts explaining its harsh effects and possible contamination with a carcinogen called 1,4-dioxane. If you don’t want peroxide in your mouth, whitening strips are out too. Go natural instead with some bad-breath-killing-tooth-whitening baking soda on your brush (tastes like the ocean, salty but bearable), or add it to your SLS-free Tom’s for extra-whitening powers.

Wash Your Face With It As a rule, we think that harsh scrubs and exfoliants do not belong on your face—not least of all because you need that top layer of skin to keep bad stuff out and moisture in. Most exfoliating scrubs also contain other sketchy ingredients—like plastic balls. If you’re hellbent on scrubbring, though, at least switch to baking soda. It works great on elbows and feet too, and combined with some raw honey, this DIY face wash is refreshing and soothing—and anti-acne, too.

Create a DIY Deodorant This recipe makes for a pretty effective homemade deodorant. Here’s what we suggest: Mix four tablespoons of baking soda with about ten drops of your favorite essential oil and apply to underarms. Guys, this sounds girly, but there are plenty masculine smells too—like Texas cedar wood. Ladies looking to reapply throughout the day can carry it in their purses: Just fill an empty mineral makeup container with it and use one of those stubby Kabuki brushes for no-mess application.

Spot-Treat Acne Our favorite natural acne remedy is clay, like this green tea one we swear by. But in a bind, making a little paste from baking soda and water and applying it to an unwelcomed visitor will help dry it out. We don't recommend this for deep cysts, but for more surface afflictions, it works like a charm.

Cleanse Your Hair If you’re looking to join the ranks of non-shampooers, to reduce how often shampoo, or simply to get rid of some product build-up on your roots, look no further than baking soda. Just fill a glass with warm water and dissolve about a tablespoon of baking soda into it. Take that to the shower, and after wetting your hair pour the mixture through. Comb it well before rinsing—your hair will feel a little coated and slippery until it’s fully rinsed out.

Soothe Your Stomach Acid stomach, heartburn, gas, and other tummy issues are quickly relieved by baking soda because its slight alkalinity can neutralize the acid causing the problem. Just mix a teaspoon into a glass of warm water and drink it down. We swear by this trick.

Soak Your Skin That's right, dissolve some into your bath for a soothing and skin-softening experience. The added bonus? You won't need soap—and sometimes that's a good thing.

Love, 

ALPHA

Provided by Good Lifestyle.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of couscous
2. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3. 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4. Cucumber, peeled and diced
5. 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
6. 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
7. 4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
8. Juice of 2 lemons
9. 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
10. Salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Boil 3 cups of water in a saucepan
2. Add the couscous and stir it. Cover then remove from the heat, and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Put the couscous in a large bowl and fold in the oil. Mix with a fork as the couscous could to keep grains from clumping.
4. When the couscous has cooled, add the remaining ingredients.

Love,

ALPHA

The Quiet Place

Click Here to Enter. 

Sometimes you just need it. 

Love, 

ALPHA

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

1. 4 slices of bread
2. 2 tablespoons of olive oil
3. 4 tablespoons of basil pesto
4. 1 ball fresh mozzerella sliced 1/4 inch thick
5. 1 large ripe tomato sliced 1/4 inch thick
6. Salt

Instructions:

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat
2. Brush the outside of each slice of bread with oil
3. Spread the pesto on the inside, place the mozzarella on the pesto of one slice of bread, top with tomato, and season with salt
4. Top the other slide of bread pesto side in
5. Add the sandwich and grill until golden and cheese has melted (about 2-4 minutes)

Love,

ALPHA