The Monochromatic Blog

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

September 2018 Bullet Journal Setup - Minimal and Clean Layout!

Nikki August 29, 2018 0

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Hey everybody! I'm back in my groove with bullet journaling and I finally have a Monthly Setup for you guys!

I just moved into my dorm recently and I finally have my camera. I didn't have my DSLR last year which is why I wasn't able to film any youtube videos or take great pictures for articles on this website.

Here is my September 2018 Bullet Journal Setup (Minimal)!

Also, if you want to skip this article and just watch my YouTube video where I show how I made my spread I've linked it just below here:

In case you are coming to my blog for the first time or are reading my bullet journal articles for the first time, I do use a Moleskine Grid Notebook for bullet journaling and so far I have pretty satisfied with it!

September 2018 Bullet Journal Spread setup

I kind of just winged the Cover page. "September" ended up not being centered so I just added the month number (09) to make it look centered!

I usually made the monthly calendar on the cover page but I realized that I ended up not using it since it wasn't part of my weekly spread. Hence, this time I decided to draw a mini calendar on my weekly spreads so I could easily refer to dates/days.

On the next two pages I decided to try a different layout. I added times 6 am through 10 pm so I could time block my entire day. I left the next few pages empty so I could see which of the two weekly layouts I prefer/use the most in the beginning of the semester and then once I decide I'll fill in those empty pages in between.

I decided to do a whole 2-page "Brain Dump/Ideas/Brainstorming" spread so I can put all my ideas in one place rather than putting ideas in various places and then forgetting where I wrote them.

Click here to shop the Zebra Mildliners from Amazon.

I also added two "Stats" boxes for my YouTube brainstorming and Blog Brainstorming sections so I can keep track of my Channel and Blog's growth.

And that's my Bullet Journal Setup for September 2018!

As you saw I once again made a very minimal and clean monthly spread. If you saw my video I filmed my "pre-bullet journaling" process - I basically just go on my Pinterest Board and get some inspiration from stuff I have pinned.

I am really happy with how my spread turned out and I hope you enjoyed my pages as well!

Also, lastly I would like to give a special shoutout to my Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens. The set comes with a soft tip and a hard tip so you can use them for different fonts and different sizes of lettering! These pens have helped me do mediocre hand lettering - trust me without these my lettering would be pretty bad!

Buy the Pens Here!:

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Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Fostering my first puppy!

Nikki August 28, 2018 4

Last year, I got to foster my very first puppy and it was everything I could hope for! There were also so many things I was not expecting - the responsibilities, training, and not getting proper sleep because of puppy tantrums!

cute black french bulldog puppy on swing

Photo by Marion Michele

I am a big time animal lover and I've always wanted a pet dog. My parents, on the other hand, weren't up for it. My dad had a pet when he was growing up and he also likes animals, however, my mother was...rather is still terrified of any animal. She is far far away from the idea of owning a dog. My family also moves a lot, probably every 2 to 4 years so that was one of the reasons I was never allowed to have a pet. The main reason, though, was that my brother and I would be in school for most of the day and my father at work. There was no way that my mom would agree on taking care of, feeding, and cleaning the puppy's poop and pee. Hence, it was just not possible to get a dog. Even during vacation it wouldn't be ideal as a month is probably not long enough to train and potty train a puppy (I doubted my ability to do so. There was also the risk of "what if the puppy needs more time to be a little more independent. I didn't want to take that risk).

Every few years my mom would say "we'll get one after a year or so" but she would keep postponing what she said. Soon, I stopped asking because I knew it would never happen. Once high school began, school load increased and I, myself, didn't want to bring in a puppy home because I knew I wouldn't get to spend as much time with it as I would like to and that wouldn't be fair to the small fluff ball.

Soon I knew I would be headed off to the USA again and many more hurdles arose: What happens to the dog after I go? I can't keep the puppy in India but I also can't take it with me. I don't want to put it through a 20-hour travel and pets most probably won't be allowed on campus

Once I realized how long my degrees will take (3 years for the bachelor degree and 4 for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, followed by an expected 3 years of residency) I lost all hope for having a furry companion before I was in my late twenties.

All of a sudden one day, my brother came up to me and told me there was a puppy in the parking lot of my building and a few days later I went to meet it. Just meet it and maybe give it food. I saw the little sweetheart in a box with some random clothes and towels that the kids in the building kept in the box to keep her warm when it rained. She was so adorable I didn't want to leave her there.

I went back home, quickly made a plain omelet (no salt or anything because that's bad for dogs), got some yogurt and a little bit of peanut butter. She looked very small and probably was only supposed to have liquid or semi-solid food but I thought it was worth a try. She gobbled up everything in just a few minutes. I decided to coach the children on what not to give her because they were giving her things like milk which I knew was bad for her. I decided I'd give her at least one meal per day or per two days (the kids were feeding her regularly already).

I went back home and told my mom how adorable the puppy was and just casually stated how I wish she could just stay in the small space outside our kitchen since that would be safer (some small kids were holding her and annoying her and I didn't like that). She said yes. WHAT? I didn't expect it at all...

I brought Snowy home that night. My cousin argues that she looks more like a Cappuccino (I agree) but the kids in my building kept that name for her and she already responds to it so I decided not to change it. She was scared at first which is understandable, but she became more relaxed and even playful after we gave her some food.

The following pictures are from the first night she slept in my room:

Obviously, I took hundreds of pictures of her the first night.
My cousin and I had to do some last minute puppy proofing in my room because the original plan was to bring her home the next day after taking her to the vet.
We discarded the box she was kept in when she was in the parking lot and got her a new bed sheet. We made makeshift barricades so she was confined to one section of the room before we got her cage and so that she couldn't climb on to my low nightstand and then on to my bed (she tried doing that a lot the first few days).

She mostly peed on the newspaper so I would say she's partially potty trained, but throughout the week she had peed elsewhere and even on her bed sheet. She's too young and I didn't expect her to learn in just a few days but she is still really smart. Being only 5 weeks, she already sits on command (even without offering some puppy food) and she will sleep and spin with a little food motivation. She also understood "down" when combined with a finger snap when she tried to climb on the bed (but it's too high for her).

She had, for most nights, woken me up at 5 am or 6 am, whining for food or just for attention but it's all good because she is so cute and I feel so responsible now that I know I have to wake up and take care of her and clean the pee puddles.

On day 2, I took her to the NGO (Thane SPCA), where I'd been volunteering for over 2 years, for a check-up, followed by deworming a few days later. The following next week she got her first vaccine.

She slept all the time (which was like my break time from cleaning her pee, feeding her and all that) and when she'd be awake she was either hungry, wanted to play or was peeing.

Honestly, I didn't realize how much effort goes into taking care of a puppy and this wonderful experience has definitely taught me a lot. I'm miss Snowy so much (now renamed "Angel" by the amazing family that adopted her but I'm so extremely happy for her and I'm glad she got such an amazing family to take care of and love her! Even though she was so naughty, it was very bittersweet seeing her go.

She now has an Instagram too so I can see how she is doing every now and then 😊❤

A post shared by Angel (@whoof_angel) on May 20, 2018 at 3:34am PDT

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Monday, August 27, 2018

Black & White & Wise has now been renamed! + Updates

Nikki August 27, 2018 0

Hey Guys!
If you are wondering why this blog looks different, it is because I have changed my blog's name from "Black & White & Wise" to "The Monochromatic Blog". My socials have also changed as follows:
Instagram: @themonochromaticblogger
Facebook: @themonochromaticblog

I finally decided to get my own domain as the ugly "blogspot.com" in my URL was making my website look unprofessional and I think it was also limiting my website's potential. I decided to also change my blog's name to The Monochromatic Blog because my old name didn't feel true to myself anymore. I think I outgrew that name and decided to name it something I came up with literally a day before I got my domain. I love this new name so much more and I hope you do as well!

I will be focusing on my blog as much as possible and will be working on a few things such as building an email list, etc.

If you didn't know already, you can now GUEST POST on my blog! Click here to be redirected to the requirements and submissions page.

I have also opened an Etsy store if you didn't know already!: Click here to go to my Etsy store!

I am excited to have some great new content out for you guys and hoping some of you would also like to collaborate with me and write articles for my blog!

What's coming out this month and next month:

Makeup and Skincare Essentials (Guest Post)
Back-to-school/Back-to-college series

Follow my socials and/or my blog for more!

Thank you for supporting my website

Love you all!❤

Nikki

www.themonochromaticblog.com

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Sunday, August 26, 2018

Would I Change it All? - 5 Important Lessons I've Learned

Nikki August 26, 2018 0

If I could go back in time and speak with my younger self,

would I tell her my life and change what was to come?

Photo by Amisha Nakhwa

Would I - tell myself to stay away from that boy. The boy

who first stole my heart, the boy I gave everything to, the

boy I bunked off college for (regularly) and the boy who so

cruelly broke my heart?

No.

I would do it all again.

He was vain, selfish, loved to be adored, and I was obsessed with him. I was

blinkered to his numerous infidelities and blinded by my completely

unwavering love for him, so when he ended it all, I thought I would die...

I didn’t! To my surprise, after a short period of the world crushing heartbreak,

I became stronger, stronger than I was before and vowed to myself, that I’d

never again be treated as though I was anything less than a queen, a vow that

I continue to live by.

Would I - stay in college instead of getting a job?

No.

My job made me happy, I was never particularly academic and the day I

decided to leave college, I secured myself a job in a clothes shop. Not the life

as a Royal Engineer or midwife that I’d imagined, but for the first time I felt

like I’d made an adult decision, It might not have been the right one but I

owed it to myself to do my best to make it work.

Would I – move out of my parents' home earlier?

No.

I lost my father to cancer last year, he was my everything, so I’m incredibly

grateful for the time spent living with my parents, it was amazing. They

supported me while I worked out where I fitted in this crazy life, they opened

their home back up to me and my family when we were between houses and

they showered my children and husband with all the love they had shown me

growing up.

Would I – say goodbye to that holiday romance?

Hell No.

I fell in love with him.

He was 4 years younger and loved me in a way I had never known... He was

kind, loving and desperately wanted to settle down and start a family. It was

something I had never wanted before, but he made me feel like this was the

right time for us. We decided to try for a baby only weeks after meeting and

married a few months later in a beautiful village church, thank goodness for

the Ex-Navy Chaplin that married us and made light of the fact that I was 6

months pregnant, giving us a hilarious & truly memorable service. Our

beautiful daughter was born and thanks to an accident that saw my new

husband medically discharged from the Queens Horse Guards (British Army),

he was by my side.

Would I – learn of the problem causing my secondary infertility sooner?

No.

The 10 years that we were trying for our second child were some of the most

difficult in our relationship. I was low, and he was trying to pick me up all the

time, it took its toll and we took a short break from each other. When we

realized that we were better together than apart, our relationship became

unbreakable, and a few years later, quite miraculously led to our precious

second daughter.

Photo by Amisha Nakhwa

These lessons are indeed just that, they have helped me to learn, move forward

and become a stronger woman, mother, wife, and human.

If I was to change any of them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today or lead the

happy life that I do.

I could have been richer, more successful, or even famous had my choices been

different, but I believe without a doubt that this is the life that is perfect for me,

full of love and surrounded by people of integrity and happiness.

My advice to you, is to make your choices and own your decisions, things will not

always work out or go to plan, but they will all leave you with either happiness or

a lesson, and neither are bad if you use them to move forward with your life.

Txx

www.litolmaeandlolly.com

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Friday, August 3, 2018

Easily pack your necklaces for traveling and avoid tangled jewelry!

Nikki August 03, 2018 144

So I've been in India for almost a couple of months and I've started to pack to go back to the USA.
One problem I always deal with is packing jewelry! Rings and earrings (small studs, usually) are easy to just throw into a little zip-lock bag or a little container but necklaces are a whole other thing.

My necklaces always get entangled. Even if I separate them in bags/containers they intertwine a million times by the time I unpack them and it's a pain to separate the teeny tiny chains.

This technique requires only a very easy and quick DIY at the most. If you have the piece of plastic or cardboard that usually comes with jewelry like you will see below, you don't even need to worry about "DIYing" anything.
Read on to know how to easily store your necklaces in your suitcase when you are traveling!

Photo by Pat Kwon

You just need:

A small cardboard or hard plastic sheet
Scissors
Your necklaces (or bracelets if that is what you want to organize)

The cardboard sheet you will need should be long but doesn't have to be as long as ur necklaces.
Use a pair of scissors lying around your room or an X-Acto knife to cut small slits in the sheet you chose. Cut slits on both sides at the same places.

Then simply put your necklace chain into the slit. Keep the chain taut and then put it in the slit on the opposite side. You can cut multiple slits some distance apart each if you wish to store many necklaces in a smaller space.

You can see above that I used an old Forever 21 accessory holder sheet and cut slits in that. Reuse such waste lying around from your last shopping trip if you only need a temporary solution!

Chances are your sheet isn't long enough for your necklace and you have a lot of extra chain hanging behind your newly-made necklace holder. This part isn't going to look too clean but if you can't stand a little mess read below for an alternative. For those of us who just want a quick solution, all you need is a little piece of scrap paper or post-it and a piece of tape.

Just wrap the remaining length of your necklace or necklaces with the paper or post-it and tape it to the back of your sheet.

And for those of you who want to keep it a bit more organized and/or reusable, you can use a tiny ziplock bag or just a random tiny plastic back. Put the extra chain inside and use tape to secure the plastic bag to the bag.

And there you have it! A quick and simple solution to your necklace-tangling nightmares when you are packing your bag to travel.

Leave a comment below if you found this helpful and don't forget to follow my social accounts and this blog! (More information in the column on the right)

Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your summer!

www.themonochromaticblog.com

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

September 2018 Bullet Journal Setup - Minimal and Clean Layout!

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Fostering my first puppy!

Monday, August 27, 2018

Black & White & Wise has now been renamed! + Updates

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Would I Change it All? - 5 Important Lessons I've Learned

Friday, August 3, 2018

Easily pack your necklaces for traveling and avoid tangled jewelry!

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