How He Asked

I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging much lately, I had a paper to work on Thursday & Friday but...it seems as if all of my Wedding Wednesday posts have paid off because...C proposed Saturday!

We had to go back and re-create the moment since no one was there to take pictures ;) 

He proposed with this beautiful ring from Tacori that I am too obsessed with.

So the story of how he asked, because I know everyone will want to know...

Saturday had been an extremely busy day, I woke up early that morning to go see one of my sweet friend's who was home from Tuscaloosa, we were planning her wedding because I'm one of her bridesmaids!

C had been a little weird that morning, but I just assumed that was normal (hah!) and went on to see my friend.

That afternoon C & I went to visit his cousin's farm, his family was having their first bull sale & we wanted to celebrate their success and see their amazing facilities.

The plan was for us to go horseback-riding when we finished up at the bull sale, so I was anxious to go ride, even though it was unseasonably warm outside.

C refused to let me ride with him in his truck, so I went and picked up our dogs by myself and met him at my parent's house.

We saddled up our horses, Willow and Wrangler, and headed out for a trail ride. I actually begged C to let us go a different way than normal because I was bored of taking the same trail every single time we rode, but he insisted that we go the same way.

We ended up riding to my parent's pond and tying our horses up to take a break. My parents have a swing and so we relaxed in the swing and just talked about all of the upcoming stuff going on in our lives. C was acting really strange at this point, when we were standing around he wouldn't let me put my arms around him to hug him (because the ring was in his back pocket!) and I was laughing because he was acting pretty weird.

He told me to be serious because I couldn't stop giggling & so I tried to get that under control & he just dropped to one knee. I honestly thought he was teasing me so I did a lot of the, "This isn't funny! Get up! It's not nice to tease me!" but he wasn't teasing.

He told me a lot of really sweet things, but probably my favorite was when he said, "You're almost perfect."

Of course, I freaked out...almost perfect, what?! 

But then he laughed and said, "Yup, you're almost perfect, all I want to change about you is your last name."

I died, how sweet is that!

I'm so proud that I get to be by his side for the rest of our lives, he is truly my best friend and I couldn't be happier to have forever with him!

(So sorry I look awful in these pictures, I didn't really plan on getting engaged...I just thought I was going riding so I wasn't dressed nicely & didn't have on much makeup!)

You know we had to seal it with a kiss ;)

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

Wish List Wednesday

Y'all, I just panicked a little bit. I just discovered there are only ELEVEN Fridays from now until Christmas. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet, because I know I haven't.

Today, while I know I should be working on a list of things that I need to pick up for others, I couldn't help but throw this out there for those of y'all that will buy me presents (hey, my mom reads this blog-it's worth a shot, right?) & give y'all some inspiration!

I was sent this as a Pin by my cousin because I have two older sisters & honestly this would be a perfect "little present" for all of us to have, since we're all in different places in our lives & so busy-it would keep us all connected.

Find it here on Etsy.

(I think these would be great for sorority Big/Lil too because she can do them in just Big & Little or just sisters!)

You know you're getting old when you start asking for Home-Keeping things for Christmas, right?

Since I'm such a good Southern girl, I love everything to do with Mason Jars.

These are from World Market & only $5, these would be a great stocking stuffer. 

Purchase here.

Y'all might be able to tell that I love bracelets (I have a jewelry box that's stuffed to the top with them) but this one is unlike anything I have. The turquoise is so Western & I love the wire wrapping.

It would look amazing stacked, plus it's only $13.50 from Bronzed Boutique on Etsy!

 I couldn't do a Wish List without wanting another long-sleeved tee.

I don't actually own one from Southern Proper, so this would be a first.

It's called the Six-Pack tee & I think it would be perfect to toss on for class or just to hang out.

The powder-blue color could also be cute to wear under a fleece vest on a chilly night!

Find it here.

We're back to the Mason Jars again. . .

But this cocktail shaker is SO cute, wouldn't it be perfect to feature in my Thirsty Thursday posts?

Even if you didn't use it for mixing drinks, it would be a perfect addition to any counter top as decor.

Find it here.

Kendra Scott also made it onto my Wish List this year with these Skylar earrings in Turquoise.

I've been trying to talk myself out of purchasing these earrings, the whole "You can get them for your birthday, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc." thing, but if I don't get them for Christmas I may just have to bite the bullet & get them for myself!

$65 here, but sign up for emails from KS & get 15% off your first online purchase!

Gigi New York is all over the blogging world. I can't visit a blog without seeing it!

I've been craving one of their Uber Clutches for so long & Stone is the color I can't live without.

I have to admit the Kelly Green is pretty amazing too!

Well that's my Christmas Wish List  the beginning of my Christmas Wish List, I hope y'all enjoyed it!

Let me know if y'all have any of the products mentioned above, if you're asking for any of the products above, or just what you're wishing for in general!

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

Proof That I'm a Shopping Addict

It's inevitable for me, once Fall rolls around I can't keep myself from shopping.

When I get wind of a good sale, there's no holding me back.

While that's bad for me & for C...it can be good for y'all!

I've scored a lot of good deals in the past few weeks & I've found some even better ones that I didn't take advantage of, so make sure you keep reading!

P.S. I'm going to show as many store photos as possible because my product photography skills are lacking just a little. ;)

I was recently in Birmingham (for my nephew's fifth birthday party!) & decided to stop at the Summit & visit their Belk Lilly Department. I was not only impressed by their selection, but their customer service was the best I've ever had, y'all Ms. Paulette is an angel!

She helped me pick out my very first Lilly piece, the Elsa in Electric Feel.

I love how comfy it is-it's perfect for going out on date night or girl's night out, you could even tuck it into a pencil skirt or trousers to wear to work! So versatile! 

Buy it here from Lilly P or visit your local Lilly carrying store!

Y'all already know I have a love affair with Bath & Body Work's candles (& don't think I would do a haul without including some of those!) but recently I had a coupon-if I spent $15 I got a free beauty care item. So I spent the money on the candles & fell in love with this scent. If you enjoy the Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade, you will love this because it smells like that drink tastes!

You can get it here & currently they have a buy 3, get 3 free/buy 2, get 1 free sale going on!

My sister recently gave me Endless Weekend to try out & at first I was a bit hesitant, but I think after today it officially won me over. I was rushing out the door & it was sitting on the table so I quickly misted myself with it...although it was a bit strong at first it quickly dissipated and I was left with a light, pleasant scent for the remainder of my afternoon.

It's got a lot of fruity notes in it as well as musk & some vanilla. 

In my college town we have a store called Pointer's which is basically filled with all the preppy essentials; Southern Tide, Southern Marsh, Fraternity Collection, Southern Shirt Co., Rowdy Gentleman, etc. 

I recently visited between classes the other day, just to browse & fell in love with this long-sleeved Comfort Colors shirt from Chuck's T-Shirt Co. 

I got it oversized (duh) and I'm actually wearing it right now...plus the pocket says Est. Last Week, which is cheeky & hilarious.

Next up is my favorite t-shirt, which unfortunately I don't think you can get any longer, but it came from the Rodeo/Concert that I attended a few weeks ago with my girlfriends. It's soft, grey Comfort Colors & I love how patriotic it is...'Merica!

Next up are my three Auburn items...

This is a REALLY bad picture of this, but it's the best I could do.

When I was in Auburn for the Rodeo/Concert I wanted to take my Bammer friend to J & M which is Auburn's main bookstore & merchandise store.

This is just one of the many spirit jerseys they had, but I loved the "War Eagle, Hey!" on the back & it has a little prowling tiger on the front pocket.

Plus, the coral is so different than most AU things I have, so it was a nice change.

You can get similar jerseys here.

Next up was actually a belated birthday present from my sweet Auburn friend. 

She knows I am obsessed with tees & so she gave me this Comfort Colors Aztec tee, which I couldn't find online, but I found similar items here & here.

I was a bad Southern girl when I was in Auburn...I bought beer & I didn't have a single koozie on hand, luckily I snapped this one up at Winn-Dixie & it's actually really cute! The glitter is unlike anything I've ever had before & I found it for y'all cheaper than I bought it for here!

Next up, I want to show y'all the candle portion of my haul, which is always my favorite part.

I was recently browsing Khol's clearance section & saw they had a ton of Fall scented candles already on sale, plus I had a coupon! It smells so good, I burned it in the kitchen the other day & the smell hung around long after I blew it out. I snagged this delicious smelling candle for around $5, but it's on sale online for only $9.99 here!

I had never bought the Mason Jar candles from B&BW before, but they were on sale for 2 for $20 the day I had my coupon from there, so I decided to go out of my comfort zone & pick up two scents I had never tried before.

I would describe this as a masculine scent? Honestly it makes me think of the beginning of Fall when you smell the turf of a football field, the crisp air, & hugging up to your Beau.

Cayenne Caramel was totally out of my comfort zone!

It was a spicy, sweet scent. I can't wait to burn it in my kitchen on a cool evening.

I've been following Old South Apparel on all of their social media basically since the brand began, but this was my first order.

Y'all know how I love my long-sleeved tees, but this one is just too cute to handle.

Not only does it have the "If Lost, please return to the South" image on the back, it also says Old South Apparel down the sleeve!

It's so comfortable & well-made, plus when you join their text club, you get a code for 10% off your first purchase!

They even threw in a free koozie (& koozie are my other favorite!)

Make sure to go check out their tees & other items ASAP!

Here is the portion where I dig into my recent Shops at Grand River (in Leeds, AL) finds...

The Raglan sweater is just one of those perfect Fall/Winter sweaters that you'll wear a billion times in so many different ways. You can layer this under a vest, over a button-up, with a scarf, the possibilities are endless.

I was strolling through the Gap Outlet store & saw this on sale for what I thought was $15 which is not bad at all.

I took it to the checkout & it was only $9!

Shut Up!

It isn't on sale currently, but check here for their full selection of sweaters!

We have a Nike Factory Store at our outlets (which they don't have an online version of, so sorry!)

I snagged these gorgeous running shorts, because I basically wear Nike shorts every day of my life. These were only $19, which I thought was really good!

You can find a similar option here, but not on sale!

At J.Crew Factory I didn't score any big clothing deals, but I got some great little things!

I fell in love with the Dorey Bracelet (for only $6!)

The black, gold, & crystal look great together.

You can find it here for only $13, while the sale lasts!

In preparation for boot weather, I stocked up on socks-the J.Crew Camp Sock (I paid only $8.63 for mine!) and the adorable green Horse Trouser socks, which are unfortunately sold out currently (I picked those up for $4.33!)

If you happen to be going by your J.Crew Factory store, they are having a 50% off most items in the store sale and you can always show your student or teacher ID for an additional 15% off all merchandise!

I normally would never go in the Tommy Hilfiger Factory store, but my boyfriend wanted to check out their button-ups, so I went along with it.

I ended up finding this gem, which reminds me of it's more expensive cousin here, from Brooks Brothers.

It was only $45 in the outlet store, but if you don't have access to one of those you're still in luck because the exact same dress is on the website for only $80 here!

The color is fabulous & I can't wait to wear it with tights, riding boots, & a statement necklace.

I stopped in one of the other boutiques in my college town, The Willow Tree, to get a gift for a friend that just signed a bid with her sorority & these Lily & Laura bracelets were 3 for $30, so I picked up two for her in her sororities colors & one in orange for myself (War Eagle!)

Here is a link if you're interested in these beautiful, handmade bracelets!

I wanted to share two of my more random finds with y'all, these are from TJ Maxx...

I might be coming late to the The Fault in our Stars party, but I had good intentions.

I'll do a full review on it when I get done, but I'm sure we both know how that's gonna go...tears everywhere.

Get it here.

Since they stopped having my Chi hairspray at TJ Maxx, I decided that as soon as my current hairspray runs out, I'm going to try the Big Sexy Hair brand. Has anyone tried it...do you like it, love it, hate it?

I'll do a review soon!

(Purchase for $13 from TJ, but from Ulta here)

Bear with me...only three more things!

We know it's exciting, but don't use your teeth!

I love RueLaLa & Lilly!

I had a credit from Rue <Click there for an invite!

and so I went & purchased this big Insulated Cooler bag from Lilly Pulitzer.

I already have one in the print Lucky Charms & I use it for everything from a beach bag, to an overnight bag, all the way to carrying my books to class!

This print is called Garden in the Sea.

I ended up getting not just one bag...but two of these bags for free!

Rue credits really add up, so make sure you join & then invite all of your friends to join so that you can get free Lilly too!

I recently won the giveaway that Miss Southern Prep hosted from Brant Point Prep

I chose the print She She Shells (which is a Lilly P print!)

& the monogrammed wine bottle koozie came out really well & I can't wait until I can actually use it.

Brant Point Prep's etsy has the cutest stuff for every gift, giving occasion (including Big/Little!)

Plus, the customer service is top-notch, they even left a sweet note on my koozie & wrapped it up so pretty!

I'll definitely be placing an order for some of my holiday gifts at their shop!

My last two items are two decals that I actually purchased from another Etsy shop, HaganElizabethDesigns.

I had been following her Instagram account for quite some time, so when she posted a 10% off coupon I decided I would pick up two decals for my truck.

The first one, a simple vine monogram of my initials came out perfectly!

But the second decal was a completely different story.

First of all, let me tell y'all that I hate to give negative feedback on Etsy & I also hate to call her out on the blog-but y'all deserve to know which shops I recommend & which shops that I don't. 

The above decal was the one I was most excited about, but when I received it-you can tell that there are giant white spaces where there should not be.

I emailed her several times as well as messaged her on Etsy, I even commented on a post on her Instagram & she simply deleted my posts.

I left her negative feedback on Etsy & then she messaged me saying she couldn't do anything about it as I had already left negative feedback.

In short, make sure to check the reviews for your Etsy shops because had I read her less than exemplary reviews I would've shopped elsewhere!

I hope y'all enjoyed this post & I'm so grateful that y'all are joining me on this journey in life!

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

Blogtober 2014: Day 13

Recently I was going through some of my favorite blogs & stumbled upon Helene and her fun little Blogtober 2014 Link Up party!

Each day has a different, fun post idea & she encourages you to do all of them or just some of them...which is lucky for me since I'm always late (but obviously worth the wait!).

Today's theme is your Favorite Fall Recipe which I was really excited about because lately I have been cooking a lot of new things, one of which I featuring today!

Shepherd's Pie:

This recipe is originally from Southern Living, but I changed up a few of the things to really suit my palate as well as my pantry!

 I feel like it's always a winning situation when I don't actually have to go out and purchase specific ingredients for a recipe.

So here is the recipe, the way I put it together! ;)

First of all, I used red potatoes (skin on) & minced garlic to make mashed potatoes-I loosely use this recipe here when I make mine.

Then, you sit those to the side and brown your ground beef, which I love to use because I know exactly where it came from-from beef harvested from our farm (perks of being the farmer's daughter/girlfriend)

Once it's no longer pink you can take it out of the skillet and place it on a plate-make sure to reserve the drippings from the beef!

Then, over medium heat, you need to saute chopped onions (I used a half of a large onion), garlic (I used two cloves), green pepper (I used half of one), and celery (I used the snack sized bag-4 sticks!)

Let these veggies cook until tender, about 10 minutes. 

You can definitely use any kind of veggie that you like, these were just the ones I had on hand, I think mushrooms would be yummy too!.

Then to your skillet, add back in the cooked ground beef, a can of green peas (drained), and your spices. I used salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and some onion & garlic salts. I just eyeballed these ingredients, start off with a little-you can always add more but you can't take away!

Cook this for about one minute.

Next, add a can of diced tomatoes (or chop up your own!)

At this point I added in a dash of my favorites...Dale's & a dash of worcestershire sauce!

At this point, you cook it all down & let it get thick...for about 10 minutes or so. 

Then transfer it to a greased 3 qt. baking dish & top with the mashed potatoes.

I like to sprinkle cheese on top too!

Then put it in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

I like to serve this with garlic toast, it's so yummy!

The best thing about this is that it's such a comforting dish, it makes you want to cuddle on the couch and binge watch your favorite show on Netflix.

I hope y'all enjoyed this recipe-let me know if you decide to try it out!

Friday Favorites: Cosmo Edition

Growing up, I always had the magazine that fit my age group; American Girl when I was a little girl, Teen Vogue & Seventeen throughout my entire teenage years (& sometimes I still like to flip through those!), but now I've moved into a new realm of magazines since I'm a big girl now.

Not only am I reading Cosmopolitan, but I'm finding myself reading Good Housekeeping and Southern Living...what is happening to me??

Cosmo really does define a woman in her twenties, it supports strong, independent women.

It has taught me so many things about life (especially how to be a boss, because hello...bossy girl here & it's taught me how to laugh at myself & life!), beauty (thank God someone finally taught me how to do my eyebrows properly), and style (pattern mixing, anyone?)

I thought I would go in a different direction with my Friday Favorites today & pull out five of my favorite things that were featured in the Cosmo mag that I literally just got in the mail yesterday (& it's the November magazine, but whatever).

1) Jiggle Hi, Jiggle Low Essie Polish

When I first saw the ad for this polish in Cosmo, from the new Winter 2014 Limited Edition line, I knew I had to have it. It's the perfect jingle-bell color for winter & if someone wanted to stick it in my stocking, I wouldn't even be mad. 

Plus, don't you just love Essie's cheeky polish names?

2) Scott Eastwood

The article on Scott is appropriately titled The Hotness: Scott Eastwood.

His dad is obviously Clint Eastwood & he definitely got the genes cause...he is on fire.

Plus, he's going to be a bull-rider in the Nicholas Spark's movie The Longest Ride, so of course I'm going to have to go see that.

And y'all, he cried when he watched The Notebook, couldn't you just die? Yup, yup.

*His twitter is linked above*

3) Bad Judge

I fell in love with Kate Walsh during her Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice days & that love still lingers 'til this day...can you say Woman Crush? Anyways, she's starring in a new show Bad Judge, and Cosmo wrote an article about her defending her role, which I really enjoyed.

She's absolutely beautiful & I cannot wait to watch this show!

She would definitely be one of the women I would take to my hypothetical brunch. ;)

*The show's twitter is linked above-hilarious*

4) Yves Saint Laurent L'Homme

  

There are no words to describe how delicious this cologne smells.

I normally hate those little inserts they stick in your magazine, they are stiff & usually all smell the same..but this one is different & ugh, so good.

You can get it from Sephora for $65, so I'm basically adding this to my gift-giving list right now...even though I gave C cologne for Valentine's Day last year, but variety is overrated, right?

5) $10, Tops!

I love that this magazine caters not only to high-end items, but also the more affordable options that us college girls can actually try out!

My favorite items featured were...

-Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink (only $8.75 at CVS)

-EOS + Rachel Roy Lip Balm in Wildberry (only $3.50 at Target)

-Iman Cosmetics Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick in Flirtacious (only $10 at Walgreens)

What more could you ask for? Fun makeup that you can afford to try out & if you dislike it, it won't be a budget-busting mistake!

These are just a few of my favorite things in the November edition of Cosmo, make sure you subscribe here or even check it out on your e-reader!

I hope y'all enjoyed reading something a little different than my normal posts for Fridays, so thank y'all!

Until next time. . .

xoxo,