Fall Colors Prediction Map

The phenomenon of the seasons will never fail to fascinate me.  Somehow, within the next two months, the heavy, sweltering heat humidifying the early September air will gave way to a crisp freshness, and the deep green of the forest will pass on in an explosion of red and orange.  I always miss the leaves, but the colors at the end of their lives do them perfect justice, and I'm so excited because there's now a map that'll tell you when, exactly, the leaves in your state will be their most autumnal.  The Fall Foliage Prediction Map, made by SmokyMountains.com, lets you use a sliding graph that has dates from August 29th to November 14th to see which date will be the reddest, yellowest day of your year.  It also gives a whole bunch of science information about what makes the leaves change and why, which is, it turns out, pretty freaking cool.



<3 Frances

Butterfly Nebula

We have yet another reason to thank the Hubble Telescope for his amazing photography skills.  Last week, the valiant little space photographer captured photos of PN M2-9, the Twin Jets Nebula. The nebula is made up of two stars orbiting one another, and it looks like a "cosmic butterfly."  Needless to say, it's a stunning interstellar light show, like two luminous dancers engaged in a heavenly ballet. Seeing it really puts things into perspective--Earth is really such a small part of the universe.

From NASA article

And, for further Hubble-butterfly awesomeness, check out this video:

<3 Frances 

Fall Trends Preview

The last day of August is upon us! This means that 1) Halloween weekend (aka my wisdom teeth recovery weekend) is in exactly two months, 2) the school where I volunteer is officially back in session, and 3) the Autumn Equinox is in only 23 days!  It'll be a Wednesday.  For a fun break from work and the real world, here's a quick peak at what Autumn apparently has in store for our closets:

1) Capes

2) Patches

3) Grey

4) Culottes

What do you think?  Remember to always shop eco-consciously, too! These styles may be "in" right now, but they're by no means new.  Thrift stores are better for the environment than firsthand ones, and you'll be able to get looks like these for less.

<3 Frances

Sunday Soundtrack

What's one benefit of having to read a giant textbook and write a million essays?  Music!
This week, I heard several songs that I'm excited to share because they're edgy and soulful and fun, and they're making work a whole lot easier.  I thought it'd be good to post them today because tomorrow's Monday, and everyone needs a pre-Monday boost, right?

Halsey: "Is There Somewhere"



halseydaily.tumblr.com

 

Alessia Cara: "Here"

fallontonight.tumblr.com

 

Florence + The Machine: "Ship to Wreck"

signorponza.com
 

<3 Frances

Liebster Award

 

 

Oh, wow! I'm very excited to have been nominated for a Liebster Award!  Thank you to Yasmin of The Aristo-chic.  Her blog is wonderful, and I love her name for it, too.

Liebster Award Rules

• Once nominated, make a post thanking and linking your nominator's blog
• Include the Liebster Award's sticker in the post as well
• Nominate 10 other new bloggers that have 200 or less followers who you think are worthy of the award and include their links in your post. Also make sure that you let them know that they've been nominated by commenting on one of their posts. You can nominate the person who nominated you.
• Answer the 10 questions asked to you by your nominator (these questions should be on their post). And make 10 questions of your own for your nominees to answer.
• Finally copy these rules onto your post. 

My Answers to Yasmin's Questions

 

1. Which instrument would you love to play?

 I played flute when I was younger, and I would love to get better at that and learn how to "beat-box" the flute (it sounds weird, but it's actually super cool!).  I would also love to learn how to play the guitar. 

2. What three wishes would you ask a genie to grant you?

Oh, that's a difficult one!  I wish that everyone had empathy, that there were less stress in the world, and that things worked out the way they should.

3. What's your biggest fear and why?

I think my biggest fear would definitely be losing my family and being without them.  I get really scared during zombie apocalypse movies because there is often someone who has lost their family and is totally alone. 

4. Do you have a pet?

I have two hermit crabs. 

5. What's your favourite book?

The Crow Girl by Bodil Bredsdorff.

6. Where would you love to travel?

When I was little, I was obsessed with seeing Loch Ness.

7. If you were a mythical creature what would you be and why?

I'd like to be a fairy. They have such cute houses.

8. Do you have any tattoos or would you love to get one in the future?

I don't have any tattoos, and I don't plan to get any, but I've seen some very beautiful ones.

9. What's your favourite Tv show or movie?

My favorite TV show is Party of Five.

10. Why did you start a blog?

I love writing and talking about things like the news, budget-friendly vintage clothing, etc., and a blog seemed like a good place to do all of that.

 

My Questions

1. If you could meet any fictional character in real life, who would it be?  Why?

2. What is/was your favorite class in school?

3. What was your favorite book when you were little?

4. If you had a band, what would its name be? Why?
5. Who inspires you?

6. How do you de-stress?

7. When is the last time you genuinely laughed?  Why?

8. What do you want to be when you grow up? Why?

9. If you could have a superhero power, what would it be?

10. Which time period do you think you should live in?

 

The Nominees

http://www.ode2vogue.blogspot.com

http://autumnandalice.blogspot.com

http://crueltyfreecottage.blogspot.com/

http://www.recklessalexis.com/

http://daisylucker.blogspot.co.uk

http://www.curiouslyconscious.com

http://bluestic.blogspot.com

http://www.nicethings.es/blog/

http://likealimitededition.blogspot.be/

http://www.bryeve.blogspot.co.uk

 

<3 Frances

 

 

 



Bibliophilia

Between textbook readings and study guides and essay prompts, I haven't had a lot of time to write any posts, but today I'm very excited to share a new discovery!  Being a bibliophile, I'm capable of completely losing myself in books, and libraries have a special place in my life.  Last year, I herd about this project called "Book Traces" that finds old books that have been written in, drawn on, etc., over the years and collects them as historical artifacts.  But you can still check a lot of them out! I'm seriously too excited about this.  You can visit the tumblr page here: http://booktraces.tumblr.com/  

 

 

 

<3 Frances

Monday Inspiration

Since last week wasn't a full week, today is technically the first Monday of the school year for me, and it was admittedly a bit shocking to hear the alarm go off this morning at 5:15 and know that the beloved snooze button wasn't an option.  That said, though, that part of the day is over now, and it's on to the next ten hours (after that, school will be out, and it will be Monday evening, which is a world apart from Monday morning). 

 



With school and work back in full swing, it can be difficult to remember to do some of the important self-care things that help make everything survivable.  But it's crucial that you eat well, stay hydrated, get enough sleep (!), and don't freak out over the little things.  Make this year a happy one. 
<3 Frances