Ruffles

I love ruffles. On anything. They are a simple way to dress up any casual outfit. I also love ruffles because they usually don't need anything else to make an outfit look great. While looking at Old Navy's website I stumbled across these ruffled items that I can't wait to add to my closet.

This shirt would look perfect with jeans and heels or even boots.

I love this sweater. Perfect for class or anything else.

This simplicity of this skirt is what I like most.

I love this scarf. Great with a jacket for Winter.

How do you feel about ruffles?

Award

Sara at Pearls, Curls & a Southern Girl tagged me in the Versatile Blogger Award. My very first blog award, yay!

To accept the Versatile Blogger Award, the rules are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Pass the award along to 7 blogs you enjoy!

4. Leave the recipients a note telling them about the award

Seven Things About Me:

- I love coffee. Starbucks is my fave.

- I watch way too much tv.

- I spend way too much time on blogger/facebook/twitter.

- I love reading books. For fun.

- My home is at the beach, and I miss it while at school.

- I'm currently doing my pre-reqs to get into Nursing school.

- If I could, I would fill my entire closet with JCrew

Seven Blogs I Enjoy:

- Sara at Simple Thoughts from a Simple Girl

- Christine at Bun&Borough

- Stephanie at The List

- Emily at Cupcakes&Cashmere

- Megan at My Two Cents

- Hayley at The Daily Hayley

- Brooke at Brooke&Freeland

All of the blogs above are pretty awesome, you won't be disappointed!

Giveaway

The fabulous Christine is doing an amazing giveaway on her blog for Lands End Canvas. You can find her giveaway here . Enter before Sunday for a chance to win! Not only will there be one grand prize winner, but also three runners up so check it out!

P.S. check out her blog while you there, it's awesome.

Dreaming of a Getaway

My mom and step-dad just returned home from a 10-day vacation in Hawaii. They flew to Hawaii and then cruised around to four different islands, ending their stay with a few days in Oahu. I'm a little green with jealousy over their fabulous trip (although they definitely deserved it). Since I cant take my own grand vacation right now, here are some questions about my traveling:

1. My dream vacation would be:

My dream vacation would be to take a month and backpack through Europe. Countries that are on my list to visit are, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece and England.

2. The best trip I've ever taken was:

The best trip I've ever taken was to London. My best friend was studying abroad for a semester and I decided to go for a visit over Easter break last year. We crammed in so many things in the 5 days I was there, looking back I don't even know how we slept! Some important stops we made while I was there were: Harrods, a history museum, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Notting Hill, Camden market, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace & changing of the guards, Queen's Gallery, St. Pauls Cathedral, Trafalgar Square & The National Gallery. The most memorable part of this trip was being able to share my friends abroad experience and also attending Easter mass in Westminster Cathedral and another Easter service at St. Pauls Cathedral.

3. The most important items to take on a roadtrip are:

The top five things I would need on a roadtrip would be my cell phone in case I get lost, iPod to have some good tunes for the road, camera to capture the memories, comfortable shoes to see the sites in, and an itinerary. I can be spontaneous at times but I love having a plan of places to see, food to eat, etc.

4. The next trip I'm looking forward to is:

The only trip in my future as of now, is a weekend at home to celebrate my dad's birthday and see the rest of my family. I'm also hoping to make it to Clemson in November for the N.C. State football game and see friends from home.

5. The biggest disaster I've ever encountered while traveling was:

The biggest disaster while traveling happened in December of 2006. My mom, step-dad and I had planned an awesome trip to New York City right around Christmas. Long story short, our first flight was delayed which caused us to miss our connecting flight. After sitting in the Charlotte airport for 6 hours we caught another flight on stand-by and finally made it to NYC at 8pm (Our original arrival time was noon). After deplaning at JFK we quickly caught a cab to La Guardia (our original destination) to get our luggage because that was where we were told it would be waiting for us. Our luggage was nowhere to be found so we trekked back to JFK to look there and found nothing. The customer service woman was a nightmare and no help because it was 5pm and her day was over. After spending over 12 hours in airports/airplanes I was exhausted and broke down. What an awful way to begin such a great trip. Thanks to my wonderful step-dad who located our luggage the next morning at JFK, day two of our trip started off wonderful and the rest of the trip was awesome.

Lace

Black lace seems to be the latest trend for Fall this year and this is one look I wouldn't mind wearing myself. These pictures are one way I would definitely wear this trend:

courtesy of glamour

courtesy of people

courtesy of christian louboutin

How do you feel about this trend? Would you wear something like this?

What's in my bag?!

Inspired by Christine I've decided to do a what is in my bag post:

wallet, 4 different pens (I have a fear of not having a pen when I need one), sunglasses, sinus meds, lotion, hand sanitizer, orbit gum, Vera Bradley notepad, iPhone and iPod

(my camera is also kept in my bag, but I needed it to take the picture)

What's in your bag?

Speak Now

I will share one thing that has brightened my kinda awful day :

Just downloaded this and so far it's awesome. I've been waiting for this day for quite awhile :)

Giving Up

I'm temporarily giving up my job search here in Raleigh and going home this week to work at my family's restaurant again. My car battery died this morning and that was an expense that I wasn't really planning for so home it is to make some money. Unfortunately this means that I'm going to miss the NCSU/FSU game on Thursday (and I was really looking forward to it) and I'll most likely miss a Halloween party this weekend. But my priorities are in order. Work then fun. I don't think my apartment complex will see attending a football as an excuse for paying my rent haha

It's The Little Things..

It really is the little things in life that make me smile some days. Today I went to Target to buy toilet paper and paper towels. Essentials. After awkwardly carrying the bulky packages around the store for awhile, I got to the check out and guess what the nice lady gave me...

This my friends, is what we call a life saver. Seriously. That little strap made carrying those packages SO much easier! It really made my day! Now if only they would provide those in the aisle so it would be easier to walk through the store, not just to your car :)

Pumpkins & LC

This past week B and I finally got the motivation to carve our pumpkins. We've talking about it for weeks and were inspired Thursday night at the grocery store. Having never carved a pumpkin before, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into ha. It wasn't too terrible, but it was a lot more work than I imagined. I picked a pretty simple design, an owl sitting on a tree branch and B picked a skull. Of course.

Here's the final product:

Instead of putting a candle inside the pumpkins we opted for a battery operated light that just so happens to change colors!

I'm sure you all have heard of Lauren Conrad or "LC" from Laguna Beach/The Hills. She's currently on a book tour now for her two latest books, Sugar and Spice and Lauren Conrad Style. Being a fan and having nothing else to do on a Saturday morning, I decided to go to her book signing in Cary. Considering the large amount of people at the bookstore, it was very well organized and the line moved fairly quickly. Lauren was just as gorgeous as she is on TV, not to mention really tiny. She was super sweet and had a smile on her face the whole time.

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures with her but oh well. It was exciting to meet her and I'm glad I went

Chili

Since it's Friday and it is a little cooler outside (like 70 degrees) I thought I would share my Mom's chili recipe. It's pretty simple and you could probably add a lot more things to it to "spice it up" and make it more interesting but if you're looking for something simple or a starter for homemade chili, here you go:

And by simple I mean, there are only three ingredients.

One can of Bush's Chili Starter

One can of Hunt's Diced Tomatoes

One can of Bush's Black Beans

Throw it all together in one pot and let it simmer on the stove.

Top with cheese and sour cream for a little extra, enjoy!

Job Search

Moving back to Raleigh permanently was a good decision and a bad decision at the same time. I am glad to finally be in one place and not living out of my suitcase. (For the past three months I've been in Raleigh for class half the week and then driving home for the other half of the week to work at my family's restaurant). And I must admit that being back in one place is saving my relationship with B because let's face it, who wants a girlfriend they only see one day a week. But I do kinda miss having an excuse to go home every week to see my family. And I do miss my job at the restaurant and making good money. Now I am on the inevitable search for a new job in Raleigh. I am saving my old job at Outback as a last resort, because I didn't make much money there.

After searching on Craigslist the other day, I found what seemed like the perfect job. A part time receptionist job at a doctor's office Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday. This would be perfect for two reasons, A. it would fill up my free time since I only have class one day a week and B. it would give me a way to network with professionals since I am going into the nursing field. Unfortunately, I haven't heard back from the post and am now giving up hope. It was too perfect.

So today I went and applied at The Cheesecake Factory and Kanki Japanese restaurant. I like working in restaurants because you make money immediately. No waiting around for a paycheck. You always have cash in your pocket, if you're good :) The Cheesecake Factory is really intimidating to me for some reason. Maybe because their menu is 3082 pages long or maybe because it has such a "corporate" feel. But they are always busy and if I do happen to get a job there I'm sure it would fine. Kanki is located right below The Cheesecake Factory so I applied there on my way out. It doesn't seem as intimidating because the menu is simple and the server is responsible for drinks, salad and soup, and the check. One thing I did notice is that a lot of the employees that were there were foreign and spoke a different language. A little intimidating.

I'll keep searching for more places to apply and pray that one calls me soon. My bank account is dwindling away and I'm quite bored and have way too much time on my hands!

Monday

Yesterday I spent the day with my lovely friend Hayley (who just started her own blog). We started out with lunch at Moe's. I got the new buffalo chicken nachos. Holy amazing batman.

(not sure if these are exactly the right nachos but they look just as good)

They were so good and definitely more than I could ever eat at one time. After lunch we went to TJ Maxx and wandered around, then went to Kohls and wandered some more, and then went to Target and wandered some more! Haha. It was a great afternoon. After going home and relaxing for awhile we got ready and went downtown with some friends to The Flying Saucer. If you have never been there, you should go. The atmosphere was so chill and relaxed. Everyone sat at tables and chatted with their friends. They have probably 200 beers for you to choose from and they aren't just your normal regular grocery store beers. Example: Last night we drank Hummingbird Water beer.

They also had a seasonal Pumpkin beer but when I asked to try it the bartender said they had been out of it for a week! Not cool.

Songs

Songs that I can't get off repeat right now are:

Back to December - Taylor Swift

If I Die Young - The Band Perry

Sweet & Low - Augustana

Only Prettier - Miranda Lambert

The Only Exception - Paramore

PS: If you haven't watched Glee, make sure to add it to your weekly schedule. I just started watching it and now I'm hooked! The singing is amazing!

Blogs I Read

There are several blogs I read on a daily basis, even though some are listed on the sidebar I thought I would do a post just to show how much I really love them :)

1. My good friend Sara writes an awesome blog with some of the most creative posts ever.. Check her out here

2. Erin from BlueEyedBride is another blog that I read daily. Her posts are usually about her daily life and being a SAHM but they are always interesting (plus she just posted some delicious looking recipes which I am determined to try)

3. Brooke&Freeland is another blog I love to read. They have a new baby and he is adorable and its exciting to read about all of their adventures being new parents and going through med school

4. SouthernWeddings magazine is also a blog I check out daily. It's all about weddings (which I love) and they have some of the most beautiful posts you'll ever see.

Five Things

The top five things I am in love with right now would be:

1. My iPhone. Seriously. I was pro-Blackberry until I got the iPhone and now I will never have anything else. It's like a computer, but a phone. Amazing.

2. Pumpkin. Fall brings all sorts of pumpkin things, pumpkin carvings, pumpkin decorations, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice Hershey kisses.. You get the picture?

3. Cooler weather. Finally, the temperature is not in the 90's and it's actually nice to be outside. And I get to wear my fall clothes :)

4. Criminal Minds. It's my new obsession and I'm hooked. I love that it's still crime based but it is completely different from CSI or Law & Order or NCIS (all shows that I love also)

5. Candles. My newest ones are Tahitian Vanilla from Target, and Peach Bellini from Bath & Body Works. They both smell awesome and I've been buring them constantly.

Questions

I saw these questions on my friend Sara's blog and they looked fun so I decided to answer them as well!

1. What color was the last cup you drank out of?

It's tie-dye and says peace love and lemonade on it

2. Ever been to a real haunted house?

Nope. And I don't plan to either!

3. What windows are open on your desktop right now?

Southern Weddings blog, twitter, facebook and blogger

4. How many songs are on your ipod?

2,051

5. Do you know what you plan to do for your next birthday?

Hopefully I can celebrate with the people that mean the most to me and just have a fun day

6. What book are you currently reading?

I just finished reading Lauren Conrad's newest book Sugar & Spice

7. Do you make your bed each morning?

I do and if I don't have time in the morning, I'll make it before I go to sleep at night

8. Do you believe in staying "healthy"?

Being healthy is important, and I really should do more to make myself healthy

9. Do you alphabetize your movies?

No. But you should see my closet. Color coordinated by the season.

10. Do you collect anything?

Do pictures count? Or books?

11. What's one thing you're looking forward to?

I am excited to go home Wednesday and see my best friend and my family

12. Are you ever shy?

I am shy all the time. I really should work on that.

13. Who was the last person you talked on the phone with?

My sister Rivers, it's her birthday

14. Where did you get the last shoes you wore?

They are comfy slippers from Target (the greatest store in the world)

15. Have you ever been in love?

I think so.

16. What's your favorite season?

I love all of them for the different things they bring. If I had to pick one I suppose it would be Fall.

17. Do you think you will have the same best friend a year from now?

I'm sure. I've had the same best friend since first grade. Of course she's not the only best friend I have :)

18. Do you have any older siblings?

Nope. I am the oldest. I have six sisters total by marriage though (all younger), 3 from the stepmom and 3 from my stepdad.

19. Are you waiting for a phone call?

Not right now.

20. How late did you stay up last night?

I stayed up until 4am. And I am regretting it today.

21. Would you ever get a tattoo?

If I found something that was meaningful enough and got over my fear of needles, yes.

22. Are you afraid of the dark?

Depends on where I am. If I am comfortable in a familiar place, the dark doesn't bother me.

23. Ever received a speeding ticket?

I have. Senior year of high school, I was late for work and was stopped going 15 over. But I got the ticket dropped.

24. What kind of candy sounds good right now?

Hmm.. chocolate. Any kind.

25. Are your nails painted?

They are painted with my favorite OPI color, Lincoln Park After Dark.

26. Do you like pickles?

I love pickles. And pickle juice.

27. When is the last time you worked out?

Umm... does sprinting to class count? If not, then I'm ashamed to say I can't remember.

28. Dresses or jeans?

Dresses in the Spring and Summer and jeans in the Fall and Winter

29. What is the last song you put on your itunes?

If I Die Young - The Band Perry

30. Were you happy when you woke up today?

I was happy. And quite tired.

Update..

It has been forever since my last post but I have been super busy with school and work and honestly, I'm lacking blog material. I'll try my best to improve this month!

1. School is kicking my butt. I may only be taking two classes but my Anatomy professor is nuts. She is very knowledgeable but I feel like she doesn't really teach anything to us because she goes over everything so fast. So basically that leaves me teaching myself. I'm very frustrated with this class at the moment. On a good note though, my Developmental Psych class is going really well. It's very interesting and fun to learn about which I think is why I enjoy it so much.

2. Work work work. We finally opened up for dinner at my family's restaurant The Shack. Friday and Saturday nights. This past weekend I went home and worked around 30 hours in three days. I was exhausted but then I realized that my stepmom was there longer than I was every day. So I cannot even imagine how exhausted she is! But the restaurant is still doing good, still busy considering the tourist season has ended. We have lots of locals who are really great. Some people eat several times a day at the restaurant which is awesome. It's so nice to get to know your customers.

3. My sister Kyle got the herbst bar for her mouth along with her braces. She is so pitiful it's kinda funny. She can barely open her mouth to talk and I don't think she has eaten a decent meal in a few days. She'll get used to it soon and in about 9 months she will have a beautiful smile.

4. Today is the release of Lauren Conrad's third book in her series and also her style book comes out. I am so excited and plan on going to the bookstore so I can get them! She'll be coming to North Carolina at the end of the month for her book tour.

5. Although my Wolfpack football was doing great, 4-0 and ranked #23 we just couldn't hold it together against Virginia Tech last weekend and we lost. I do have high hopes that this weekend we will defeat Boston College. It is really exciting to finally have a team that has such talent and has really grown.

There's an update of my life... I'll come back later (after I stop procrastinating writing my 3 page Psych paper that is due in about 5 hours)