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

Guess what? Guesstures!!

Hello lovelies! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! OK. I don't know how many people know of this epic, awesome, wonderful party game, but I simply must share my love of it with you. It's called Guesstures and it's like charades, but on steroids. You are given four cards that you must act out before you run out of time and they fall away. My family got this game probably sometime in the early '90's and it's still one of my favorite games to pull out during a party. So, of course, for our New Year's party yesterday we had to pull it out. I'm not sure if they still make this game, but if you stumble upon it I encourage you to buy it!

And so, behold! Below is my New Year's gift to each and every one of you. An example of just how fun this game can be, as well as an example of how badly I play it :) Let's see if you can figure out what I'm trying to acting out, I'll put the answers up on my next post!

-E

New Year, New You?

Hello everybody! With the New Year coming up fast I thought I might take a little time out to talk about changes. As some of my closest friends and family can tell you, change has always been one of my biggest fears. During high school I would suffer from anxiety every time a new school year would start, and to this day the thought of any big changes in my life, such as moving or breaking up with someone, makes me feel sick. But there is hope! Now that I've realized that change is my Achilles heel I have started taking steps to get through it. By over-preparing for upcoming changes I feel more confident going into them, as well as trying to push myself to try new things each day so that I never let myself get too comfortable in a single routine.

So, my New Year's resolution this year is to embrace change. And my first step in this journey is by getting my hair cut! What better way of embracing a new you than by changing up your hairstyle or color? My appointment is for tomorrow, and sadly I don't have a set plan just yet. So far the only hair cut that I've been really inspired by is Elle Fanning's cut seen below.

I don't quite have the length yet, but I think it would be a cute cut to grow in to. And as far as color goes I've always wanted the color hair Rachel McAdams has in The Notebook. 

The only thing is that I've never colored my hair! So that's a super-duper major change.. Oh yeah, I'm embracing change now. What have I gotten myself into? 

So what's your New Year's Resolution and how do you deal with change? 

-E

The Lost Gingerbread Post or The No-Mess Crisco Device

Isn't it cute! Look in the windows, can you see anything?

It's the day after Christmas and I finally have a moment to just relax and put this post together. I've had the pictures and the gingerbread house completed for about a week now, so I'm really happy to finally be showing them! The House ended up taking LittlePlum, Bethany, and I about two days to finish. The first day we made up all the gingerbread dough and icing and on the second we assembled the house and decorated it. As I promised before I'm going to share a little trick I learned to measure out Crisco. In a lot of holiday baking recipes you will  find that it calls for Crisco or vegetable shortening. I personally love using it whenever called for, because of how well the products turn out, but I know many people have trouble using vegetable shortening because of how messy it can be. So here's what I do, I hope it helps you the next time you have to use Crisco.

You will need:

• Sandwich size plastic bag
• Plastic wrap

 First, place a square of plastic wrap in your measuring cup.

Then, using the plastic bag as a glove, scoop out the Crisco and place it in to the plastic covered measuring cup until you have the desired amount.

I ran out of sandwich bags and had to use the small snack bags, thankfully it worked still and I didn't get any Crisco on my hands. 

Then, it's as simple as pulling the plastic wrap out of the measuring cup and putting it in the bowl.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

-E

Plans Gone Awry

Please forgive the slow updates on my posts lately, things have been slightly hectic around here lately. I had a great post planned for tonight but my youngest dog-child, Baxter, keeps taking my attention away from the computer. Right now I am typing one handed since my second hand is currently holding his bone for him. Yeah, he's a bit high maintenance. If I let him chew the bone by himself he immediately starts whining. But it's not his fault, he didn't get his hour at the dog park today, because we were too busy with our gingerbread house. That's what today's post was supposed to be about, our beautiful gingerbread house! Well, let this just be a preview for that post, because it will be epic. I plan on showing pictures of the entire project, as well as share my trick for measuring Crisco sans mess. See you then!

-E

The Tutorial Vault

Hello everybody! My neck is feeling much better today, I can actually look to the right again! I've been spending a lot of time on the internet because of my little injury and I've realized that I love the age we live in, the internet it makes it so much easier to learn new things. So, with the help of the wonderful internet I have been spending the majority of my down time watching different beauty tutorials showcased on beautylish. Here are a couple of my favorites, I hope you enjoy them!

For Hair and Makeup:



I love the first video's carefree hair and bright makeup, I think it's a perfect styling choice for school or a night out on the town. It looks like a lot of work but really, it's pretty simple, which is always a plus.  I chose the second video because braids are in! They are seen everywhere, from the runway to the red carpet, and can be dressed up or played down. I love the versatility of a good braid, but I can't always manage to put my own hair in the intricate braids. That's why I love the video below! It's technically not a braid, this look was created instead with knots!



For Nails:



Aren't these the cutest nails? Cutepolish has tons of nail tutorials up on youtube, but this one is by far my favorite. I'm planning on trying these out for my family's New Year party, to go along with my Little Black Dress! If you are looking for some inspiration for your nails this Holiday season check out some of her more Christmas or Holiday themed ideas, like her Candy Cane nail art. I love her imagination when it comes to nails! When I do my nails I seem to have a hard time just thinking outside the colors of pink and red.

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These are only a handful of my favorite tutorials right now, if I don't reign myself in now it could get a little messy. I hope you enjoy these, and if you liked this post I might make it a weekly occurrence. Do you follow any beauty tutorials on Youtube? Which ones are your favorite?

-E

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!

OK. I am only twenty years old, but today I felt like an old, old woman. My younger dog, Baxter, woke me up this morning with kisses on my face. So in my early morning haze I tried to jerk back so that he wouldn't be able to get any french kisses in, as he is prone to try in the morning. As I was jerking away, something in my neck snapped. It sounded almost like the special effect movies use when someone's neck is supposed to have been broken so, yeah. Immediately, I experienced some of the worst pain I have ever felt in my life! I'm no stranger to pain, since I was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at 14 and have had slight to severe pain in my hip because of it. But this was like nothing I've ever felt before, I wasn't able to move my head or my right arm without crying out from the pain. I was super lucky that my sister and my best friend were still at the house and could take me to the urgent care center. When we got there we waited for what felt like hours before I was able to go in. I don't think I would have been able to handle the process if my two favorite girls hadn't been there for me. They kept me smiling and laughing with jokes about the hot technician who took me to get x-rays of my neck.

It turned out that I had managed to slip a couple of discs in my neck and that caused the muscles near my neck and shoulder to seize up. Luckily, the doctor I was assigned specializes in Sports Medicine and was able to pop them back in to place, for the most part. Who knew you could cause such severe trauma to yourself just by waking up? It really made me feel like one of those elderly people in the Life Alert commercials. You know those tag lines they always say: "I've fallen and I can't get up" or "Every senior citizen should have Life Alert"? Well maybe not only senior citizens should have it, with the way my lucks been these past few weeks maybe I should add one to my Christmas list!

My girls are pretty disappointed though, for a few reasons:

1. I didn't get the Tech's number. 
2. Even though I'm loaded up on medication right now I have not engaged in any blackmail worthy stunts. 
3. I was the reason we never worked out this morning. (Darn.)

-E

Why Netflix is Evil and Nikita is Awesome

My family has had a Netflix account for some time now and I am completely and utterly addicted to the instant movies and television shows. But Netflix is not all rainbows and sunshine. Oh no! It will consume your life! Within this last week I have spent about 16 hours watching an entire season of a show that I am loving right now! It's called Nikita and it's the best spy T.V. show I have ever seen. EVER.

Nikita was trained to be an assassin/spy by a covert agency of the government called Division that has now gone rogue. She escaped and is now trying to take down Division, "one mission at a time". Sure, the idea behind it is nothing new but the plot and characters are. Unlike most Bond or other spy type women, Nikita is not always seen in sky high heels or short mini skirts. Instead, she is comfortable and practical (But always sexy!) in dark, sleek clothes and boots. She is more often seen in long sleeves and jeans than a cocktail dress. But when she does have to dress up, it is always to the nines! Nikita is such a role model for women and teen girls, not only with her fashion but also because of how she is strong in the face of adversity, sticks up for what she believes in, and always helps out those in need. As you could probably tell, I would recommend this show to my friends (and I have!).

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