Samantha K Schmidt

Friday Fault in Our Stars:  I finally saw this movie after finishing the book last week. Many times when a book is made into a film fans have a lot of complaints, but I seriously have none . This adaptation was done so well. Of course they added in a few things to make the movie flow better, but everything was done with meaning and without taking away from the structure of the story. Seriously so fabulous! Bravo John Greene. Saturday Burgerfi:  After a morning run and a visit with my bestie's new baby boy I headed over to Burgerfi for my favorite burger. As far as veggie burgers go this thing is the best! If you'd like to try making your own, try this recipe:  Simple Homemade Veggie Burgers Sunday Trader Joe's:  Central Florida has it's first Trader Joe's and the place is poppin'. The store was smaller than I expected, but had a lot of great offerings. My only complaint was the people. It always amazes me how people give up all social convention...

It's been a while since I've done a Pins of the Week. Let's face it Fridays are for Netflix marathons. Plus, there hasn't been much pinworthy lately. However, this week I found some summer inspirations I thought I would share. Favorite DIY I don't know that I'm crafty enough to pull this off, but I love the idea of turning storage boxes into statement pieces. Favorite Fashion If you follow me on Pinterest you know I've been a little swimsuit crazy lately. I'm loving this years trends. Stay tuned for a post about this year's hottest suits. Favorite Summer Nail Again, no way I could pull this off but I'm loving the summer pineapples. Favorite Drinkable Sangria is the perfect spirit for summer. Add a pinch of patriotism and you have this delicious beverage. Favorite Party Scene Summer is the perfect time for backyard gatherings. This set up is cute and functional. Check out all this week's pins on the...

It's been a while since I've done a Trend Crush post mainly because most of my crushes are work related at the moment. However, today's Trend Crush is the perfect blend of professional and fashionable. It's the Lilly Pulitzer agendas. The new prints were just released for presale and I am in love. The only problem is I can't figure out which one I want. I love these agendas because they are academic style which means they begin in August. And this year Lilly updated the inside with some adorable graphics. The only one I've seen in person is the medium size which is certainly too small for all my to do lists, so I'm thinking I'll go with the large or the jumbo Go big or go home right? Here are my favorites, but you can see all of this years prints on LillyPulitzer.com Hot Spot and Trippin and Sippin

photo credit: instagram.com/shewalksin I just recently bought and read my first ebook. I know I'm super late to hop on the bandwagon, but I was very hesitant to give ebooks a try. First of all I felt that the integrity of books may be in jeopardy. Making the switch from print to tech made me feel like I was neglecting the classic pastime. Second there is just something about holding a book in your hands. It feels like a precious treasure. While I still maintain a lot of these feelings I finally saw some of the advantages to ebooks. Portability : While reading the Divergent series I found myself carrying these large books in my bag whenever I went out. I wanted to be able to read whenever I got some downtime, but I always had my iPad as well in case I needed to work on something. Switching to ebooks meant all I needed was my iPad which minimized the weight on my shoulders, literally! Cost : The cost of ebooks hasn't always been a benefit, but recently costs have gone do...

Let's try to start a new series shall we. I do enjoy snapping pictures of my weekend adventures, and it would be a shame for them to just sit on my phone without being shared. So here is this weekend in review. Saturday Brunch at Keke' s: I have to admit the first time I ever went to Keke's I was disturbed by their unhealthy menu options and unnecessarily large portions. The majority of American's don't know how to eat properly and restaurants tend to perpetuate this problem. (Sorry, rant over.) On Saturday I gave Keke's another chance and tried to pick out some healthy options. So I went with the Eggs Florentine, nixed the potatoes, and added this delicious breakfast salad with yogurt, granola, honey, and fruit. Healthy and delicious. Shopping : Then my mom and I headed over to the mall. The goal was to find her a dress for an event later that evening, but we ended up at Bath and Body Works for their semi-annual sale. I've been supe...

Sumer Must-Haves by samantha-k89 featuring Burt's Bees Tinted Moisturizer - Always start with a base that has SPF. It gives you a great glow and protects your skin.  Waterproof Mascara  - Whether you're at the pool or watching The Fault in Our Stars, waterproof mascara is a necessity to keep your eyes popping all day. Golden Hues - I love gold shadow for summer. It gives you a great glow and looks good on anyone. Waterproof Liner - This maybelline duo liner is miraculous. It seriously stays in place all day long. You'll have to check and see if this one is still on the shelf though. Lip Balm with SPF  - This is probably the most important summer beauty product. Your lips are super sensitive and burn really easily. Make sure to grab a balm with SPF (the higher the better).  Keep that kisser soft with these favorites: Burt's Bees, Blistex, and Baby Lips.  What are your makeup must-haves this summer?

Summer is a time for family, cookouts, and American pride. Whether celebrating the 4th of July or just rooting for Team USA at the World Cup you can show your colors with the perfect ensemble. Family Cookout Red/White/Blue by terry-tlc featuring a bracelets bangle The Beach Red and Blue by daiscat featuring a white blouse Work Blue Red White by kiki-bi featuring a red jacket Date Night Americana Date Night by samantha-k89 featuring a white purse Festival Americana by mymiddlenameisfashionista featuring red sunglasses

One of the best ways to stay sane and keep your life organized is to create and maintain a budget. I've always been pretty good with money, but I also enjoy the lux life a little too much. Sometimes its hard for me to stay on track. That's why I started using Mint. It's the perfect app to keep your budget balanced. Mint, like your bank app if you have one, gives you an overview of all your accounts. However, it also shows you what debt you may have as well as how much you're spending compared to how much you earn.  But my favorite part of mint is the budget section. The app actually shows you where your money is going. When you see one area taking over your pie chart you know it's time to make some changes. For example, this guy is obviously spending way too much on restaurants.  Saving up for a house? Mint can also help you set goals and give you tips to achieving them. The best part is Mint is available on all your techie platforms. You can chec...

There's something about a new hairstyle that revamps your passion for fashion. I've been wanting lavender hair for so long, but was worried about all the damage. Luckily my amazing stylist found a way to give me a semi-permanent color without over processing my hair. And it will all wash out before school starts again. But until then I'm enjoying this new look with some fun fashion. What I'm wearing : ~ crop top - garage ~ skater skirt - jcpenney ~ sunnies - forever 21 ~ booties - cotton on ~ hair bow - forever 21

My favorite veggie burger of all time is the Vegefi from Burgerfi. If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and devour one. It has a very similar texture to meat and toppings make you nostalgic for backyard barbecues. Even my non-vegetarian friends love this burger and often prefer it to the real thing. I've been trying to find a copycat recipe for the Vegefi for a long time. After much searching I came across one, but the recipe was ridiculous. I'm really not much of a cook (you can tell from my directions below), so I managed to minimize the list of ingredients without minimizing the taste. Here are my Simple Homemade Veggie Burgers Ingredients: 1 box of Nature's Earthly Choice - Garden Vegetable Quinoa (This brand is my favorite, because all the vegetables are included) 2 eggs 1 cup of breadcrumbs 1/4 cup of shredded gouda Canola Oil Directions: ~ Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the box ~ In a medium sized bowl beat eggs ~ Add the quin...

If you read Monday's post you know that I've been trying to add some routine to my summer. For me, summer is the time I can do things I never have time for during the year. And sorry my college age friends its not party, party, party. I like to learn new things, fix things around the house, etc. For all of my daily to-do's I typically use the reminders app on my iphone, but I was desperate for something different. I wanted to organize my tasks by day as well as by importance. After some serious app searching I came across Any.Do. I love the clean layout of this app as well as the organization options. You can organize tasks by today, tomorrow, upcoming, and someday.                                       Each day you also have the opportunity to plan your day. You can give each task a time and the app will send you a reminder. In horizontal view you can see your whole month a...

There comes a point in your adulthood that having summers off is no longer full of late nights and parties with friends. At 25 of all of my friends have full time jobs, families, and kids, but as a teacher I do enjoy having a few months to recuperate. Still I know that I'm going to wear myself out on Netflix if I don't stick to some kind of schedule. Most of the summer schedules I found online were geared towards families, so I used inspiration from my Summer To-Do List  and I came up with a schedule that will help me knock a few things off this list. Daily 6:30 Wake Up 6:35 Take Dogs out and Feed Boys (my female dog has to be fed separately) 6:40 Drink a full glass of water and make coffee 6:45 Make bed 6: 50 Feed Marilyn & Medicine 7:00 Eat breakfast & Daily Devotional 7:30 Get Dressed 8:00 Writing & Blogging 10:00 Get out of the house (see my weekly get out plan below) 12:00 Lunch 12:30 Practice ASL 1:30 Chores (dishes, sweeping, etc.)...

The Florida heat has already become unbearable and it's not even technically Summer yet. If you live in a warm climate like I do, staying cool is the only goal. Here are a few updos to help you keep your cool this summer. The Ponytail This simple and easy updo can be spruced up with a side braid. The Sock Bun It's exactly what it sounds like a bun using a sock. You can find tutorials for this look all over YouTube, and it works for short and long hair.  Top Knot This look is similar to a bun, but a little messier. This look is done best with long hair. Braided Crown Keep your hair out of your face with this ethereal look. Which updo is your favorite?

One of my favorite things about summer is the delicious fruits that come into season. Berries are my favorite fruit, and I wait patiently every year for those delicious ripe edibles to find their way into my local grocery. Summer is also my favorite time to cook because all of my favorite recipes have strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. I've already stocked my refrigerator in preparation for the upcoming week and I thought I would share two of my favorite summer meals. Bonus: These recipes are totally vegetarian! Berry Couscous ~ Bring two cups of apple cranberry juice to a boil ~ Pour over one cup of plain couscous ~ Cover and let sit for 5 minutes ~ Separate into four bowls. ~ Add your favorite berries, a dollop of yogurt, and a drizzle of honey. Strawberry Spinach Salad ~ Whisk 3 parts oil and one part balsamic vinegar in a bowl ~ Toss spinach, sliced strawberries, sliced almonds, and chunks of gouda in another bowl ~ Drizzle salad with the oi...