thebitterlemon
Things are looking new around here!
Howdy! You might notice that “The Bitter Lemon” got a bit of a facelift. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile now, but it took me a bit to find something that felt right. So, welcome! It’s still going to be the same content you’re used to, just a bit of a different […]
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Blanche’s Book Club: ‘Rush’.
Hey everyone – you made it through week #1 of the time change! I keep hearing people talk about it, and I feel like this is the first year it really seems off – I am a little more tired at earlier hours… and it’s still a little more difficult to get out of […]
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Blanche’s Book Club: ‘The Dinner List’.
Howdy! Whew – i was on a mission to get all caught up on my reading and that is exactly what I did! I get a lot of my book recommendations from Instagram, and when I saw my latest read, I knew it was going to be an interesting one. I’m talking about “The Dinner […]
MoreYear three at the Austin Film Festival!
I almost didn’t volunteer this year for the Austin Film Fest – I feel like things have been so hectic and I wasn’t even sure how much I could volunteer. But then I reminded myself how much fun I’ve had as a volunteer the last two years. Plus… the Film Fest has been the one […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Puddin”.
We made it to Friday, y’all – on top of a ROUGH week at work, some general life stuff, and considering today is Day 5 of having to boil Austin water – let’s praise the higher powers! I have three non-renewable books due back to the library Sunday, so I really tried to channel any […]
MoreListening: ‘Suncity’ by Khalid.
Mid-performance at Austin City Limits, Khalid announced he was dropping an EP called “Suncity” Friday, October 19. I bought it and downloaded it as soon as I woke up on Friday 🙂 It’s been such a long time since I found an artist where I buy and download every single thing they put out, as […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win’.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book and it feels so good to be back! I’ve had such a busy few weeks, and I hate when people use that as their excuse for not reading, but this time, it’s true – I promise. I also said I was going to read a different book […]
MoreAustin City Limits: The highlights.
I went to Austin City Limits (ACL) – weekend two – over the weekend, and I still cannot stop thinking about how much fun I had! Last year, my best friend Sheena came to Austin and we ventured to one day of the festival, both seeing it for the first time. We were there from […]
MoreWatching: ’13 Reasons Why’.
Please note, the following content may contain emotional triggers. Early last year, I read Jay Asher’s popular YA novel, “13 Reasons Why” – you can read my full review here – around the same time it debuted as a TV series on Netflix. I heard about how controversial it was, how difficult it was to […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: 2018 Halloween Reading Guide!
It’s October 1st, and what better way to celebrate the spookiest month of them all than with a list of books meant to scare the daylights out of you?! If you’ve been around these parts for awhile, you know that I don’t do too well with anything scary. What can I say? I’m a […]
More‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ Tour!
In May, I took a Bucket List trip to Denver, Colorado to see Khalid in concert at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. While I was waiting for the show to start, I saw the image above flash on a screen promoting a concert in September. “The Miseducation of Lauren Hill 20th Anniversary Tour”, the screen […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Ghosted’.
It’s officially FALL, Y’ALL! Cue the pumpkin patch pictures (say that 5 times fast), pumpkin spice lattes, flannel and plaid everything… I’ll admit I have always loved fall, but mostly because of the crisp air and, in a way, it’s the start of the holiday season. Speaking of holidays, today I’m spending the day working […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘The Bucket List’.
Hey there! It’s about 11 on Tuesday night, and while I normally would be tucked in bed by now, I’ll admit I’ve got some nerves keeping me awake. In the morning, I’m heading to a dermatologist to have my skin examined for signs of cancer. Right before I went on vacation, I was putting on […]
MoreWhat a stuffed llama taught me about self-care.
Labor Day weekend, I went to the outlet mall to catch some highly-anticipated sales. After almost shopping ’til I dropped, I stopped by a store I’ve recently come to love: Five Below. It’s a place you have to be in the mood to look, but everything is $5 or below. I’ve bought some pretty cool […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘All We Ever Wanted’.
I got back to Austin yesterday afternoon, took a quick nap, and headed to teach my first blog class of the semester! It was a busy day, but I always enjoy meeting new students. I have today and tomorrow off work, so I slept in this morning and am just getting things moving. It’s supposed […]
MorePensacola: My favorite places.
I got to Pensacola, Florida on Saturday afternoon for some serious fun and relaxation in one of my favorite vacation spots! While packing for this trip, I realized that I’ve managed to vacation in Pensacola dozens of times over the years – it’s small, there’s enough to do if you’re looking for it, but it’s […]
MoreFor my dad.
As many of you know, my dad passed away on February 3. This has been the most trying time of my life – and although I haven’t felt comfortable enough to share much about my dad, I’m really thankful I have this outlet, and people who read it and can related to the story of […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Dopesick’.
Hey there! I’m heading to the beach tomorrow, and I have noticed a very strong pattern in myself over the last few years. Whenever I’m getting ready for a trip, the days (and usually the entire week) before I leave is completely INSANE. That’s the thing when you work freelance, have a digital job, and […]
MoreBathing suits + body image.
I remember the first boy/girl pool party I went to. I was in 8th grade, it was the summer of 1998, and I wore a navy blue two-piece from Limited Too. It was a halter top that had turquoise piping and the bottoms were little shorts. I don’t remember being particularly nervous or worried about […]
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Beach vacation beauty
Yesterday, everyone said goodbye to summer, but… summer is a state of mind, right? I’m heading to the beach on Saturday, so I’m spending a good chunk of my spare time this week prepping and packing for a sandy getaway. I’ve mentioned it before, but I don’t go to the beach without my makeup bag. […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘An American Marriage’.
Happy Labor Day! It’s gloomy here in Austin, so I don’t feel a BIT guilty for planning a day indoors – I’ve got blogs to write and some freelance to do… and I need to make some jewelry for my Etsy store – so, cya summer. Just kidding, that won’t happen until… October? I skipped […]
MoreWhat I’ve learned from John McCain.
As we head into the holiday weekend, I wanted to write a bit on John McCain. I will admit, if you asked me even a year ago my thoughts on Senator McCain, I would have rolled my eyes. I probably don’t have to say it, but I’m a die-hard liberal. I don’t agree with McCain’s […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘The President is Missing’.
Hey there! Last week, my boss instructed me to pick a day to work from home this week because I’ve been “doing too much” – so, today is my day! I am always so jealous of anyone who has a job that lets them regularly work from home (even if it’s just one day a […]
MoreWhat am I hungry for?
I wish I could say this post was a giant metaphor – something about me searching for my purpose in life, but no. I’m actually talking about being hungry, and food. The past few days, I’ve been feeling a little weird. My hunger is the same, but literally NOTHING sounds good to eat. In fact, […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Leah on the Offbeat’.
Hey there! I am going to jump right into the subject matter today because I waited SO long to get this book in my grubby little paws. Today, I’m talking about “Leah on the Offbeat” by Becky Albertalli. As soon as I read “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda“, I put myself on the library […]
MoreEmbracing the ‘YOLO’ Attitude.
I’ve written a little bit (or maybe a lot) about living your dreams, reaching for your goals, and in general, living life to its fullest. I have always felt a sense of urgency in my life and, although I’m not entirely sure the reasoning for it, I have felt it even more since my dad’s […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Big Magic’.
Hey there! I had a fun little Saturday yesterday – I got my hair done (a slightly new cut and a bold red color), went on my weekly “Food Adventure”, where I try a new restaurant (I went to Modern Market for a Blueberry Pesto sandwich), and did some shopping at Trader Joe’s (picked up […]
MoreSearching for Sue.
I’ve been practicing yoga for a long time – several years, off and on. When I say “yoga” here, I am referring to the movements you’ve probably come to know whether you’ve taken a yoga class or not. Last month, I signed up with a yoga studio for 30 days to see how I liked […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘The Island’.
Hey there! I feel like I haven’t blogged in forever – I’ve been in a bit of a creative slump and I’ve been so busy with work that I have barely been reading. It’s just all-around lame! But, yesterday I finished reading a book, so let’s jump right in! Today, I’m talking about “The Island” […]
More2018 Goals: Checking in.
We’re already a week into August, and I have been thinking a lot about the goals I set for myself this year. It’s time to check-in and see what I’ve done and what I’ve got left to do, because I refuse to let another year pass without doing these things! Raise the standard (In progress) […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘How to Party With an Infant’.
Happy Sunday! I took off Friday and Monday from work because… I needed to get my life together. I have been so busy with work (work, work, work, work) that I was feeling really scatter-brained, exhausted, and even little, daily tasks were starting to pile up. So, I spent Friday running errands – getting my […]
MoreA Review: Laura Geller Beauty.
Hello there! I came across a few deals on Laura Geller beauty products that I thought would be worthy of sharing here, and then I realized, hey, I have enough of her products to do a complete face, everyday makeup tutorial! So, head over to my Instagram @OrangeJulius7 and take a look at my stories […]
MoreWatching ‘The O.C.’, season 4.
I finished watching season four of “The O.C.” last week, and since there are only four seasons, it’s overrrrrrrrrr!!! I was slowly savoring the episodes when I started on season three, but season four was just… weird. But, let me offer up the official description from Amazon before I go any further: High school is […]
MoreSummer Meltdown… to realness.
Last night was yet another showcase for my Dance Austin Studio family. This was the Summer Meltdown, Take 2, which was a music video series. It was, of course, different from other showcases Dance Austin has hosted in the past – it was a four-week series followed by a video shoot, instead of a live […]
MoreBlanche’s Book Club: ‘Amy, My Daughter’.
Happy Saturday! I am so, so happy it’s the weekend (I hate being that person) – this week was so crazy at work and, even though I have lots of things on my to-do list this weekend, I’m happy just to be out of the office. I actually read the latest pick from Blanche’s Book […]
MoreA Review: FitFabFun Editor’s Box Summer 2018
Hey there! I have been polling my followers on Instagram – I want to offer the content you guys want to see – and the results are in: more beauty content. I was getting ready for work one day and realized that although I’m a beauty junkie, I don’t really talk much about the products […]
MoreIt’s Taco Tuesday!
I’ve been trying to eat mostly vegan (if not, vegetarian) for a year and a half now, and I can easily say that vegan or vegetarian tacos are one of my favorite things to make. The awesome thing is, there are so many options out there – delicious ones – and I wanted to round […]
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