Procrastinating or Why yes, I am a college student.

Hello, lovelies! It feels like forever since I've written here and for good reason! I had no idea how busy I was going to be once school started. I feel as if I'm constantly needing to be doing homework. Right now, for instance, I should be reading The Song of Roland. Instead, well you get the picture. Ever since Spring Break it's been hard to jump back on board with my school work. It's seriously amazing how many things can fuel the flames of the inferno called procrastination. Here's a short list of some of my personal favorites.

1. Facebook- It'll only take a second to look! Sure....

2. Cleaning- It's interesting how I can avoid seeing my mess of a room. That is until I need to study and suddenly I can't start anything until the room is spotless.

3. Netflix- I've written before on how Netflix effects my character. Well it's even worse when I have two essays due, reading to be done, and a quiz the next morning. My addiction has gotten so bad that tonight I made the dramatic decision to ask my mother to change the password and not tell me what it is until I get out for the summer. I'm already semi-regretting it.

4. Friends- "Sure! I can go to the party this weekend, I don't have anything else to do." I lied.

5. iPhone- I recently got upgraded to this beauty and I love it. Let's just say I'm not writing this post on my computer.



So, what's your poison?

Back to School Time!!

Hello everybody! I just moved into my dorm room on Thursday and already life is getting pretty chaotic. Tomorrow is the first day of classes and, I have to say, I'm feeling pretty anxious about everything. It's been about a year and a half since I've been in college and most of my old friends from Freshman year have either moved on to another school or I just haven't kept in touch like I should have. So, it feels almost like I'm starting completely over, even though I'm going back to the same college I left. Luckily, I've been placed on a very outgoing and friendly hall, and I really like all the girls that I will be living with. I've also gotten to know a few of the exchange students and I hope that we can all be great friends!

My dorm is coming together, slowly but surely. It's still not ready for it's debut on Ragamuffin, because I'm still missing my futon, hanging lights, and just a few other nick-knacks. I have to say though that living in a single room is a big adjustment from living with a roommate. I find myself both loving it and hating it, at the same time. I love the size of my room! I can workout without worrying about hitting my head and also it's the perfect size for game nights. But, I have to get used to being alone for the majority of the time that I'm in my room and I don't have an "automatic" friend. During the day I've started propping my door open so that I can at least say hi to anyone that might pass by. But even with the door open, I end up getting lonely fairly quickly.  I would highly suggest to any graduating high school students that will be living in dorms next semester to have a roommate, simply because then you have at least one person to feel connected to in what can feel like a sea of strangers.

Well, wish me luck for my classes tomorrow! My first one starts at 8 AM. That would usually be bad enough, but it's also a math class (mortal enemy!). I hope everyone else who is starting back at college/university/high school has a wonderful and productive semester!

-E

Creating My Dream Dorm

I am so excited to be going back to school in January! Mostly because I get a single room this year and that means no roommate for me! I've always shared my dorms with my best friend and it's an understatement to say it can be hard to find a middle ground on how to decorate our room. Ever since I was told my room assignment I've been searching the internet for inspiration and neat crafts to do. Here are a couple that I'm super excited about. I wish I could put all of my ideas on here but I literally have a whole list of websites and blogs taking up room in my bookmarks.

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I am in crazy love with the whimsical feel of the sheer canopy over the bed mixed with the lighting from the Christmas lights. One thing I never had in my past dorms was mood lighting, instead we had the one huge fluorescent light that was anchored above my door and sometimes a desk lamp. It was horrible to wake up, with it still dark outside (For the record: I hate 8 AM classes), and have to practically blind myself to have any light in my room. Sadly, I can't remember where I found this picture or I would have asked to use it. If I'm using your picture: first, let me say I love your room and second, if you'd like me to take it down please let me know!

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Recently, I've really enjoyed showing off my very own simple artwork or any diy projects that I have done. I think it adds a personalized touch to a room, especially a bedroom or a dorm, which can end up looking like a Target or Wal-mart commercial. I painted the owl at Sips n Strokes with the ladies in my family. It ended up looking nothing like the painting we were learning from, but I think all the differences are what makes it really cute and quirky. I wish I could claim I painted the fiery horse! I actually was lucky enough to win it in an auction for charity, and I can't wait to add it to my dorm room along with my owl. 
Besides the handmade artwork I've also found that online there are many free printable pieces of art that many kind artists and graphic designers are offering. Some artists that I am planning on using are Amanda from Kind Over Matter and a couple of the artists featured on Indie Fixx written by Jen.

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I found this gem over at How-Tuesday on the Etsy Blog. How cute would it be to have this in a dorm! They give a great tutorial on how to create this cute rug and I'm planning on making it in either black and white felt or in my schools color's of navy blue and white.

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How about you? What do you want in your dream dorm?

-E

Hello World!

Emily here! Thank you for coming to check out my blog! I am so excited (and a bit scared!) to be starting this blog and sharing my life with the world. I am hoping to use this blog as a tool to step out of my comfort zone and push myself to experience all there is in life. I chose the name Ragamuffin for my blog because it has always been one of those feel good words for me,  ever since being dubbed one as a child. After looking the word up in the dictionary, I'm not quite sure why my family thought it fit me so well. Ragamuffin as defined by Merriam-Webster is: a poorly clothed, often dirty child. I also found out that Ragamuffin is a breed of domesticated cats. Hmm.. I think I might have to create a new definition for this word, since I am not a cat and can no longer be described as a child.

At least it's a cute breed!

I've been on break from college for the past year, mostly because I realized I had no idea what I wanted to declare as my major. I'll admit, I had a bit of a breakdown from the stress of it all and simply gave up. But I'm going back in January and I finally decided to major in Biology. I chose Biology because I have had a love for the great apes ever since I saw Animal Planet's "Growing Up: Gorilla", when I  was around 14. The only problem is that I have struggled with Math and Science courses my whole life. I think I've been holding myself back from believing I could ever achieve my dream of working with apes because of it. During the past year away from school I've realized this, and now I'm actively working on not allowing myself to hold me back. 

Surprisingly, since figuring out what I want to do I can't wait to go back to school! I'm most excited about designing my new dorm room and I plan on showing a "before and after" picture here later in January when it will hopefully be completely finished. I also plan on posting about dorm life/college life,  specifically on topics such as fashion, organization, and safety. For the upcoming week look out for pictures on what I wore for orientation! I'm a firm believer in dress for success, so I'm slightly afraid I'll be a bit overdressed. But it's better to be overdressed and confident than under-dressed and not sure of yourself, I think.


Well, there it is. My first blog post! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by, and I hope to see you again. 

-E