why i haven't posted in a really freakin' long time

AYEE YOUR GIRL ALISON IS BACK AT IT AGAIN. And y'all, I kind of hate myself for being away this long.

Lemme tell ya something you probably already know. Life is hard. And sometimes it's overwhelming to balance school, extracurriculars, a photography business, a blog, and that little thing called sleep. In fact, if I'm being honest, during my little hiatus, it crossed my mind a few times to just quit the blog. To let it go and have more time for my ever-growing to do list.

But here's the thing.

I like blogging. And I like the friends I've made along the way, and I like seeing my blog grow and become better. So on that note, here's a touchy feel-y Instagram post explaining all the things that I'm stressed about, and what I'm gonna do about it.

this is my life. my house is a mess, my hair is greasy and gross, and there is no magical vsco filter that makes everything perfect. friends, i am struggling this year. i need to make all a's, i need to learn how to drive, i need to read my bible, i need to keep up with the blog, and a photography business, and fundraising for a trip to spain i probably won't even get to go on. life is hard. i guess the point of this is that we all are just gonna have to keep truckin'. even if we take 6 hour naps and hate ourselves, even if we eat a whole pot of mac & cheese for lunch. the joy i find in times like this is that jesus will always, always be on our side. even if we forgot to pray yesterday, even if we yell at our mom, even if satan gets us for a few seconds. he will ALWAYS be there and he will ALWAYS have a plan for us. before he even created the universe he loved us and he is rooting for us though our struggles and joys. friend, you can do it, i can do it, and if all else fails, jesus can do it.

A photo posted by Alison Helms (@beautynblazers) on Oct 16, 2016 at 7:21pm PDT

Let's move on. In the time I was gone, a lot happened - nothing very exciting, but a lot nonetheless. So here's a succinct version of the last 17 days including visuals, because we all know I take a lot of pictures.

I shattered my phone, it was upsetting, and insurance paid for a new one. I took more pictures of dogs (but what's new?), and ate dinosaur chicken nuggets with my best friend.

My friend and I started an Etsy shop to help us fundraise for a trip to Spain we really, really want to go on. There's no listings yet, but we're already working on stuff to sell. (Like these adorable pots)

I went to Target and got a tiny pumpkin. His name is Robert (I made that up 2 seconds ago).

My photography business had a busy week with two shoots - a senior session and a family session. They both turned out adorable and great and I'm highkey obsessed. You can check out my website to see some more of the photos. ;)

My sister went to homecoming. I didn't. Instead I took pictures of her and her friends and then slept over at my best bud Grace's house and it was way more lit than going to a dance. Also, she gave me pretty flowers.

And that's about it! Of course, there was a lot of school and yearbook and jam sessions in between all that, but I think you're about caught up!!

Fam, I'm gonna try really hard to keep up with my post schedule. If not twice a week, then at least once. Thanks for being really, really cool cats.

Have a great day!

april goals

Howdy y'all! For the first post of April, I've got a new installment of my monthly goals!!

First, here's a recap of my March goals. My biggest goal for March was to finish up the yearbook. Unfortunately, we missed our deadline, but we are much closer than we were this time last year and are hoping to finish this week. I also wanted to spend a lot more time outdoors, which I did a lot of in the beginning of the month, but slacked off on towards the end of March. With my AP World History test coming up, I was planning to start studying really hard which was a total bust. I am however starting to study now, so hopefully I'll be ready to go by test day. Finally, I wanted to start a budget. I didn't actually get one on paper, but I did do a really great job of saving my money in March, so that's a huge plus.

My first big goal of April is to get back to drinking a lot of water. Y'all know how I feel about water (in fact I wrote a whole post about it), but lately I haven't been drinking as much and I am definitely feeling the effects of that. I'm going to try to start drinking at least a Liter if not 2 every day.

This month I really want to work hard towards my driver's ed stuff. I am 16, but we didn't get my permit until about 2 weeks ago, so I'm going to try to get my license ASAP. I have to complete a butt ton of online driver's ed and start on actually like, driving a vehicle so yeah...

All students know that April and May are the months where you have to take like 5,000 standardized tests, but unfortunately I'm an overachiever and am going to have to take like 10,000. So, I'm going to study really hard for all those tests and also work towards some better grades to finish out my last quarter of sophomore year. My grades are definitely not bad (still A's), but I want them a little higher and I also want to like, actually learn things.

Finally, I want to keep a more positive attitude in April. March was a really tough month for me. I'm exhausted and annoyed by a multitude of things and it is really affecting my behavior in that I'm a Negative Nancy all the time. I love spring and April has a lot of exciting stuff coming up, so I want to maintain a better attitude and whole-heartedly participate in one of my favorite months.

What are your goals for April? Let me know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!

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#ENDALZ with music medicine

Howdy y'all! Today I've got a post that's a little different than my usual content, and a lot more serious, so I'm just gonna dive on into it.

The woman in the photo below is Norma. She was born on March 28, 1931, making her 85 years old in 12 days. She grew up in Texas and went to Mary-Hardin Baylor University to become an accountant. She later married my grandpa and adopted my aunt, Joanna, and my dad, Dave. She has played the piano since she was a little girl and loves music with her whole heart. She loves animals, particularly cats, and recently got one which she named "Oreo". She likes making chocolate cakes and giving kisses to all of her grandchildren. She is one of around 4 million Americans with Alzheimer's Disease.

Most of you know that I'm a sophomore in high school, and at my school all 10th graders are required to do a cumulative project over the course of the year about a world issue that we would like to solve or bring awareness to. I chose to do mine about Alzheimer's Disease, and more specifically, the use of music as a treatment for this disease. 

Music is well known as a brain stimulate that promotes cognitive function in almost every part of the brain. The area of the brain where music is processed is also one of the last places affected by Alzheimer's Disease. It's not hard to put two and two together here. Music can help us change the game with Alzheimer's.

Music medicine is essentially the practice of music therapy by someone who isn't certified in the latter. You strategically play music to affect the patient's mood, behaviors, and even potentially slow down their disease. Playing music from the individual's "prime time" (or the between the ages of 18-25), playing music with distinct percussive sounds (i.e. toe-tapper songs), and engaging while listening to music (i.e. dancing or singing along) are all strategies for administering music medicine. 

I have seen first hand the effects of music on my grandmother. It dramatically changes her mood for the better and I know it helps with some of her behavioral issues as well. All of us grand kids and both of her kids play an instrument and she lights up when she hears any of us play. I play the piano, and watching her listen to me play is one of the most rewarding things I'll ever do. 

I also believe that this form of treatment is very promising. I've created this infographic to bring more awareness to caregivers about music medicine in the home, and would greatly appreciate if y'all would share it. 

Alzheimer's Disease is also one of the only leading causes of death that doesn't receive good government funding. We have made leaps and strides in raising awareness and money, but if you would consider making a contribution of your own (big or small), it will help us in the fight to end Alz. You can donate here.

I am so grateful to have this little spot to share my thoughts and I hope y'all understand how passionate I am about this disease and helping those affected by it. I appreciate you reading and hope you've learned something from it.

Thank you again, 

Follow me on:

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*Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored or endorsed in any way and all opinions expressed are my own.*

march goals

Howdy y'all! I can't believe that it's already March - it seems like 2016 just started!! As per use, I've got my monthly goal for March comin' @ ya' today. :)

First I've got a recap of my February goals (which you can find here). My first goal was the basic "start exercising and eating healthier" which wasn't a complete disaster but pretty much was. I started counting my calories with My Fitness Pal, but haven't really kept up with it so.... One of my biggest goals for February was to get my MYP project (a cumulative school project) under control. Good news! I finished and will have a whole post about it up (probably) next week! I also wanted to finish the book I was reading and complete another in February. All I have for you on this one is YEET. I am almost done with the book I was on, but it has been pretty difficult to read, especially because I've been annotating as I'm going, but I will probably finish today or tomorrow and than start on the next book which I think I'll be able to read in about a week. Last but not least, I wanted to show a little extra love in the spirit of February. I think I did a pretty good job on this one. :)

My main goal for March is one that I've talked about a few times on B&B, and that would be to get the yearbook DONE. Our book is due in literally 9 days and we're only a little over halfway done. I'm not sure if we'll be able to get it done by deadline, but I'm dang well going to try. And if not by deadline, I want it done by this month so I can start work on next year's book. 

Another thing I want to focus on this month is spending more time outdoors. I always stay inside and then whenever I do go outside I realize how much I really enjoy it. I'm going camping this weekend which I'm SUPER excited about, and I think I'm going camping again during my spring break. I'll also probably set up shop in my Eno most days after school from here on out to work on the yearbook. 

As a sophomore in highschool, I'm taking my first AP test this year aaaaaaaand my "AP level" teacher hasn't taught me anything. So I really need to start studying for my AP  test and really using all the online resources to teach myself the course. It's AP World History, and I want to be a history major in college, so it's pretty important for me to understand this stuff...

Finally, I also really need to start a budget. I've been writing down and keeping up with what I'm buying and earning, but I need to set up specified amount of money that I want to spend on things each month. I have a lot of things I want to save up for, and some of them have a time limit on them (I need a Camelbak resevoir and some bean boots for church camp in June).

That's it for my March goals! What are you up to this month?

Have a great day!

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*Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored or endorsed in any way and all opinions expressed are my own.*

2015 year in review

Howdy y'all! With this being the last post of 2015 (!!!!!!!), I thought we could take a little trip down memory lane. Here's my 2015 year in review.

In January, I was trying to get back in to blogging (and failing miserably, I might add). The only thing I posted all month was a recipe for these Cowboy Cookies.

In February I did a little better with two posts. In the first I made these cute little Valentines, and in the second I ranted about how much I didn't like this mascara. 

March had another two posts which I'm honestly not too proud of. I could have put more effort into these for sure. Read a standardized testing pep talk and how to redo your room on a budget at the links.

April was also kind of a gross month for B&B. While I put a lot of effort into these posts, I really wasn't all that happy with them. After Easter I posted 3 recipes to use all of your leftover eggs and some of the tunes I was listening to at the time.

In May I was so stressed about school that I decided to take the month off, which I regret immensely. My finals were not all that bad that semester, and I definitely could have used that time to be growing my blog.

Towards the end of June I started coming back strong with a recipe for Firecracker Flag Cakes. This was also the time I started applying myself to research and engage in the blogging community.

In July I didn't miss a single post! This was a huge step for me as a blogger because I was beginning to show real commitment to my blog. I first posted a summer lookbook along with my love letter to blogging, a post about my time at church camp, and an ootd.

In August I wrote 3 posts that I LOVED. The first was a post about gratitude, a message I think is one of the most important to spread. The second was a Breckenridge travel guide along with a few of the pictures I took there. Finally I posted some of the outfits I wore on my first week back at school.

September was another pretty good month for B&B. I saw a lot of progress in my traffic due to my engagement in the community, and I was pretty happy with my posts. I wrote about what I was watching on Netflix, my top 6 favorite blogs at the time, an outfit I wore to a wedding, and how I used my planner.

October was the month I switched from one post a week, to two. I started my Currently Coveting series, was nominated to do the Liebester Award, shared my struggle with being motivated, put together a fall ootd, participated in the Gal Pal Holiday linkup with a post on what to do on Halloween, even if you aren't a fan, and shared what I carry in my purse.

In November I began documenting my monthly goals so that I could stay accountable and created this easy DIY editorial calendar. I ranted to you all about how much I love water, continued the Currently Coveting series, and told a story about the time I took pictures on the field of AT&T Stadium. Finally, I started getting into the holiday spirit with my first gift guide of the season, and another Gal Pal Holiday post.

I kicked off December with my monthly goals and 25 random facts about me. I shared another gift guide, a new installment in Currently Coveting, and a Gal Pal Holiday post on my Christmas playlist. I participated in the Blogger Secret Santa linkup and wrote about how you can transform your blogging mindset. I finish December with this post.

My year started off as a pile of crap. I was not happy with my blog, and my posts reflected that. I know everyone says it, but it really is true that you NEED to be involved in the blogging community for a successful blog. I am so proud of the amount of progress I have made this year, and hope that I can continue to grow in 2016.

Thank you all so much for supporting Beauty & Blazers and encouraging me along the way. I am truly so grateful to have found all of these amazing people with such incredible work ethics and can't wait to continue to work with y'all.

You rock my socks,

Follow me on:

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*Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored or endorsed in any way and all opinions expressed are my own.*

25 random facts about me

Howdy y'all! Happy Friday!! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with their families, and didn't fall into too hard of a food coma (but who are we kidding, I was basically dead). Today I thought I would tell y'all a little more about me - get to know the blogger behind the blog. Here's 25 facts about me.

1. The dollar spot at Target is pretty much my second home.
2. I like my burgers dry with pickles and cheese only (also, Whataburger does it best).
3. I don't like soda because of the carbonation, so I live on water and sweet tea instead.
4. I'm very Type A and get stressed if I don't have super detailed directions.
5. I'm a sophomore in high school.
6. I love history and am planning to major in it when I go to college.
7. I prefer Twitter to Instagram. (which is basically a blogger sin, but the Twitter interface is much easier to use)
8. I'm an editor on my school's yearbook and have been a yearbook kid since I was in 7th grade.
9. I hate big cities (I've been to NYC, and I still don't understand why everyone is so obsessed), and plan to live in a small, rural town when I move out.
10. I get anxious very easy and have a difficult time making friends and talking to people.
11. I love big dogs, especially labs, because they're fun to cuddle with.
12. My best friend and I have been friends since kindergarten, totaling to 10 years as best buds.
13. My favorite number is 13.
14. I love bluegrass music. (check out the "Fresh Bluegrass" playlist on Spotify for some rad tunes)
15. I've been playing the piano since I was 7 but still suck at it.
16. I hate Shakespeare (if I have to watch frickin' Romeo and Juliet one more time...).
17. My favorite movie is Pride & Prejudice 2005 starring Keira Knightley. (not only is it the cutest story [Jane Austen is fave], but the filmography and score are absolutely amazing)
18. My sister and I have a 40 day snap streak (which is about how long I've had SnapChat) so if we aren't goals, I don't know what is.
19. It takes me longer than it should to differentiate between left and right.
20. At one point I had around 20,000 pins on Pinterest, but I recently cleaned it out. I deleted about 13,000...
21. I only have 1 flannel, and it doesn't fit me anymore, so I take my dad's flannel shirts.
22. Last summer when I went to Colorado (read about it here), I drank 6 liters of water the first day we were there.
23. When I went to Disney World, I cried when I walked into Magic Kingdom because I was so excited. That was only 2 years ago...
24. Speaking of Disney, my favorite princess is Rapunzel.
25. Last but not least, whenever Southern Living (aka my life source) comes in the mail, I freak out bc Southern Living is the actual best magazine on the planet.

So there ya' have it folks. A few weird and wacky things about me. What are some of your quirks? Let me know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!

story time: the one where i was, like, a real journalist

Howdy y'all! I'm kicking off this week with a little story. It's the one where I was, like, kind of, a real journalist. Pretty neat stuff.

Fall in Texas means one thing: football. My school has been building up our program the last couple of years and made it to playoffs this year (!!! ya go broncos !!!). Since we're in the Dallas area, one of the stadiums they use for playoffs is none other than Jerry World (and/or AT&T Stadium and/or Cowboys' Stadium). We were lucky enough to get a spot there for our first playoff which is pretty frickin' cool in itself. But there' s more.

I'm an editor/designer/photographer for my school's yearbook crew which opens up a lot great opportunities for me to participate in things up close. It just so happens that yearbook got some passes for the. field. of. AT&T. Stadium. And it just so happens that I. got. one.

Not gonna lie, I freaked. I was super excited leading all the way up to the game, and when it finally came time to head to the stadium, I had my level one pass ready, and my favorite lipstick in my camera bag. It was a little stressful to get all situated and checked in, but then I got in the press elevator. The lady pushed the button (F is for Field if you were wondering), and the second those doors closed, I did a happy dance all the way down. It came out in this weird tunnel-y thingy (wow great description words, Alison) and one of the other girls in my crew came to meet me. We screamed and did happy dances all the way through the tunnel and onto the field.

And then I was on the field. And there was a team getting pummeled and lots of security and a really, really, really big jumbo-tron (the second largest in the world, actually). I got to the rest of my crew and we all did happy dances and took selfies for Snapchat and pointed at spots on the field claiming that Tony Romo had probably spat there even if he definitely hadn't.

We all got settled with our camera equipment and started to take pictures as the game began. We scored a touchdown in the first play of the game, and another in the second quarter. Halftime rolled around and we took a quick break from shooting to take more selfies (yearbook kids, man. what can ya' do?). We switched cameras and I got to shoot our large lens, whom we've affectionately named, "Big Dawg". The other team was gaining on us. We were 12-11, at the end of the game when my school ran out the clock and won the first round of playoffs in AT&T Stadium.

This was such a cool experience for me because I stood on the field where Dez caught it (you know he did too). Because I got to run down the end zone while trying to get the perfect shot of our boys singing the alma mater. Mostly, because I felt like a part of something big and exciting. I felt like a real journalist.

Got any neat stories to share with me? Tell me all about it in the comments below!

Have a great day!

p.s. if you didn't catch the Friends reference in the title of this post you aren't a real person.

what i'm struggling with: staying motivated

Howdy y'all! This week I wanted to get kind of deep with you, so today I'm going to talk about a recent struggle of mine- staying motivated.

I have always been a self motivated person. I was and still am "that kid" in school that does everything, does it right, and does it on time. But lately, all I've really wanted to do was lie down and watch Gilmore Girls (which is a great show, by the way).

The past few weeks, my grades have been slipping, not like I'm failing or anything, but they are definitely not up to my usual standards. I cannot bring myself to do homework or study or retake things, because I simply have no motivation to do it. I'm all burned out.

This is happening in other aspects of my life as well. For instance, blogging. I'm sure those of you that follow me on social media (you can find the links to all of my accounts here) have noticed that I haven't been posting hardly ever, and I missed a post just a few weeks ago. Another example: I take piano lessons and have been for a really long time, but for the past 3 weeks, I have practiced my music maybe 3-5 times. That's not good, and my music won't be either if I keep this up.

The biggest problem in all of this though, is that I have no motivation to study God's word. It sounds awful. I should be rejoicing that I am even able to have access to Him! But I just get lazy and ignorant and hit the next episode button on Netflix. That has been my life lately. Perpetually hitting the next episode button.

I know that this is happening because I'm busy - really busy - and tired, but instead of canceling a few things, or bucking up and handling it, I'm still just sitting here. I don't really know why I'm writing this post. There's no insightful ending about how I'm going to stay motivated. I guess it's just here so that I can say that everyone has weeks where they're all out of wack, and these past couple have been like that for me.

If you've got anything that you've been struggling with recently, or have any tips on how you stay motivated (because, honey, I need 'em) let me know in the comments below!

Have a great day!