TGIF, Welcome to the Long Weekend!

Can y'all believe it's September?? I have been stocking up on fall decorations for the past couple of weeks and I fully intend on decking out the house over the weekend. It is September after all, that's close enough, right? 

Long Weekend Ahead

I am so excited for this long weekend! It has been a rough week at work, so even though we don't have an real plans for the weekend, it will be the perfect time to relax. And drink coffee all morning. Once again, we are going to take advantage of that extra day to do some house work and paint. But this time the painting first involves wall paper removal. Yikes. Luckily the area is a very small entryway/foyer, so there shouldn't be too much wall paper to remove and hopefully it won't take nearly as long to paint as the bedroom did. Plus, we're pros at this point (kidding, of course!).

Whole30 Update

DAY 21. Well, I've made it three weeks and I only have one more week to go. [I'm only doing 28 days because Battle at Bristol. Don't tell.] I'm honestly not sure what to think about Whole30 at this point. I obviously haven't started the reintroduction, so I can't speak to that benefit yet, but I'm not going to lie, I am not feeling as great as I'd hoped. Especially since I am still hungry/getting cravings a. lot. Don't get me wrong, I have seen some benefit. My energy is every so slightly improved, and I've had a little less of the un-explained 3 p.m. crash, but I still don't feel as good as I would like to. On the bright side, I have lost almost 10 pounds, so there's that. 

Have any of y'all done Whole30 with less than expected results? I have considered stopping a few times, just because I don't know that it is really giving me what I was hoping for, but at this point I'm so close to finishing, I feel like I owe it to myself. And for finishing, I will be rewarding myself with a nice big glass of wine. 

Essie Gel Couture

If you are comfortable with painting your nails, but wish you could get that salon shine that lasts for a week, you seriously need to check out Essie's new Gel Couture. They've been marketing it forever, and a few weeks ago it finally hit the shelves and I bought a beautiful bright red, Rock the Runway, immediately. I had used their gel setter before, but after using about half of the bottle, it got a little clumpy. The Gel Couture is so much better. It is a little more expensive, and you need the color and the gel top coat. But you use the same top coat with all of the colors, so it's not that bad. Plus, I think of it as how much less it is than going to get a manicure. Even just one bottle of nail polish is only half of the price of a manicure, so you are saving a lot of money! This coming from a girl that never gets manicures, so I wouldn't have been spending the money in the first place, but still. If you are looking for a small splurge, look no further!

Plum Paper Planner

After it taking much longer than expected arrive, I finally received and have been using the Plum Paper Planner for about a month now, and so far so good! It is definitely a different layout to get used to, but the list capabilities on on the left-hand side is so convenient and so perfect for what I need. I always feel like I have these never ending to-do lists, and I hated assigning them to a specific day in my Emily Ley Planner because, well, stuff happens and you don't get to it, and then you feel like  you're back tracking. With my new Plum Paper Planner, I can put all of my "to-do" items on one page, in one spot and it's visible for the entire week. I realize the lessened space for the actual days might not work for everyone, but for me, I think I have finally found my perfect planner - at least for now. 

Gift Ideas for My Sister-in-Law

My sister-in-law is turning 23 and I am at a complete loss for what to get her. As of last night, I think we finally decided on a FitBit Alta that she had been eyeing - and that my mother-in-law confirmed she wanted, but Christmas isn't far away. What do y'all do for people that are just impossible to buy for? She is a graduate student, so she is still living in student housing, which makes fun household items a little less practical, and she tends to be pretty picky about anything she wears. Seriously, difficult. Any thoughts, or great go-to gifts?

I hope y'all have a great and relaxing weekend! Let me know what you've got planned!

xoxo 

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 

TGIF, April Fools!

Thank goodness the fact that it's Friday is not an April Fool's joke! Am I right?? How do y'all feel about April Fools? I don't hate it because it means it's almost my birthday, but then again, I do not really love practical jokes. However, I very much love watching them played on other people. Have y'all ever seen the ways that Ellen scares the guests on her show? I am probably a terrible person, but I think it is hilarious!

Lazy Weekend Ahead

My mom has been up to visit us/her mom for the last two weekends, but is taking a break this weekend. I love having her here, but I also feel like we have to be busy all the time, you know? We still have plenty that we'll be doing this weekend - mostly house and law related, and I have a few Etsy orders to fill - but at least we can do it on whatever schedule suits us without feeling like total bums for watching TV until noon. Not to mention my in-laws are coming next weekend, and then Derby activities are in full swing (!), so this is probably the last weekend that we have a good excuse to just hang out.

Easter Brunch

Last weekend we had lunch with my ant and uncle who also live in town, plus all of my aunt's family and it was so fun! She has a lot of brothers and sisters, so there are now a lot of small children, and it. was. loud. Five children under the age of 5 kind of loud, but so fun. Our assignment was deviled eggs, and of course I didn't just want to take any old deviled eggs, so I found the best recipe for deviled eggs topped with pimento cheese and they were a hit! If you are ever looking for a way to dress those eggs up just a little more, put about a teaspoon of pimento cheese and a little smoked paprika and people will think you have hung the moon. Seriously, try it. I'm not sure we'll ever make regular deviled eggs again.

Being an Adult is Tough

I'm not sure I ever shared this story here, but a few months ago my car was shot at while I was driving. Thank goodness the bullet missed me - it hit right in front of the driver's side mirror. When I made the initial report they didn't think they were going to be able to catch the person that did it because I didn't really see anything, and at the time I admittedly assumed it was just a really loud/hard rock when it hit. I know that sounds so ridiculous, but I mean seriously, who thinks that they just got hit by a bullet?? Anyways, two months later, they do have a guy that they are pretty sure did it because he was picked up the same night for reports of the same thing. Last week I (my husband) finally took my car to the body shop to have the bullets extracted and an estimate done on the repairs. Good news (maybe?) is that they found fragments of the bullet so they can hopefully connect this guy to the others incidents. Bad news is that it is very expensive to get a bullet hole fixed in your car. Who knew? Apparently the paint on my car is very difficult to match, so they have to take the whole side apart, even though it only hit one panel. The whole thing is just bizarre, but I guess I'll always have an interesting random fact about myself to tell now. Jury is still out on what I'm going to do. On one hand, I hate seeing it every day, but on the other, its a lot of money for a relatively small cosmetic fix.

Mexican Food Can Do No Wrong

On a lighter note, we have already planned to go out to dinner tonight and are having Mexican food and I am so excited. I cannot think of any instance that I would turn down a good Mexican dinner, or lunch. Someone sent me a recipe yesterday for at home and healthy enchiladas, and it looked delicious and I fully intend to try it, maybe even tomorrow. I'm serious y'all, I have no limits. Please tell me I'm not alone!

Derby Season is Upon Us

For a lot of people Spring time seems to really start after Easter, or you know, actually on the first day of Spring. But in Kentucky it seems like Spring is really here when Keeneland Spring Meet opens, and the Derby festivities are upon us. Because of some weird calendar days this year, Keeneland is opening a little later, next weekend, but I am sure we will spend at least one weekend up there, and then of course Churchill for the Derby and summer meets. One of my favorite parts about going to the track is finally having an excuse to wear all of my dresses that are just a tad too much for the office. I. Can't. Wait.

Bonus: Get Skimm'd

It's been a while since I mentioned the Skimm, but let me tell y'all it is still just as good, and possibly better. Not familiar with the Skimm? You should be! The Skimm is a daily email that comes to my inbox around 6:15 in the morning. It has been written by a team that has read pages and pages and piles and piles about what is going on in the world and breaks it down into something you can read in five to ten minutes It is a great and succinct way to keep up with the news of the world, while still having plenty of time to keep up with your own life. Perfect for anyone who has a commute, moms who just don't have the time to read an entire newspaper, and for everyone else that wants to be informed. It has helped me with many trivia answers too :) It has also been a life saver this election season with one million debates and one million candidates. I don't know how anyone can keep up with that. Seriously, just check it out. Sign up. If you hate it, its easy to cancel. I will also say, unlike many "once a day" emails, it truly is once. a. day. and no weekends.
Disclaimer: I do not get paid for this, but I do receive some cool swag depending on the number of people who sign up through my link. So I'd like to think of this as a not so desperate plea for y'all to help me out!

How has your week been? I am so jealous of everyone going on Spring Break this week, so if that's you - enjoy!!

Have a great weekend, y'all!!

xoxo

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 
The Wednesday Showcase

TGIF, winter is here! (or is it?)

Well, I have already officially failed on some of these resolutions, most notably the one aiming for 3+ posts a week. I honestly don't know how most people keep up. I suppose if it was a full time job for me, I would have the time. Maybe? But the past few weeks I've worked probably 65 to 70 hours a week for the past few weeks and I barely have time to eat, let alone whip up a few posts. But, enough with that, because I made it happen today! How has your week/life been lately? Let's catch up!

Friends 

Y'all. I'm not sure I've made my love and affection for Friends clear before, so let me take this moment to reveal to you how obsessed I am. As in, I own every season on DVD, and in some cases more than one copy. I cried at the finale. I regularly watched "Joey," the not-so-successful spin off. I can recall almost every episode. I have seen every episode at least half a dozen (or maybe a dozen) times. I watched it so often on DVD that I can tell which scenes have been left out of the Netflix versions - yes, it's true. Obsessed. And now, thanks to NBC, I can relive it all over again!
Have you heard the news? There will be a reunion of sorts and it is the day after my wedding, so basically I'm treating it as a wedding present from NBC to me. Logical, right?

The Bachelor 

Ah, another season of the Bachelor is here. I used to tell my self that I wasn't going to watch it this season - every season - and yet I would inevitably end up watching it. And if I started mid-season, I would binge watch to catch up. Those days are over. I am officially a Bachelor/Bachelorette-watching girl (I am not prepared to call myself a fan, yet). So far this season, all two episodes, has been about on par with the prior seasons. Although I will say I'm glad they didn't try to bring back the idea of starting out with two Bachelors/Bachelorettes, because that was just painful to watch. But is definitely an interesting twist to have twins, and two prior contestants. I'm very interested to see how far Becca goes. She already seems much better than last (last) season in terms of showing some personality, though I'm sure a lot of that comes with the familiarity of the process. And of course there's Lace. There's always one of them. I'm honestly a little surprised he didn't send her home pre-rose ceremony on the first night. But actually, I'm not sure that a Bachelor has ever done that, though I know a few Bachelorettes have. Feel free to prove me wrong if I'm not remembering correctly. Who are your front runners so far?

Winter, is that You?

This weather has been insane. We woke up to at least two inches of snow on Sunday, and then had blizzard like conditions on Tuesday, but only for about 15 minutes, and then just frequent snow, and yesterday the high was 60! Our wedding is a little over a month away and I used to think I wanted snow - just enough to be pretty, not so much it ruins plans - but with as cold as it's been I'm starting to rethink that. Maybe 60 degrees in February wouldn't be so bad!

Making our House a Home

We closed on our house right before Christmas, and as of Wednesday have officially moved everything out of our old Condo. despite the fact that we are more than doubling our space, it still feels like we have so. much. stuff. and trying to find a place for all of it has been more difficult than I would have imagined, and of course knowing that we will (most likely) be adding lots of wedding presents to the mix as well, for which I am oh so thankful. My mom keeps telling me I need to "live with it for a while" and then decide what I can keep, what we still need to buy, etc. But y'all, I am so impatient! I want to have every room perfectly decorated right now! I am doing my best though to re-purpose a lot of the things we have, and use them in decorative ways that I might not have considered before, so that is helping things find a place and making our house look like a home.

Ready for the Weekend

I don't know about you, but after having two short weeks thanks to Christmas and New Years, these last two full weeks have seemed like they were never going to end! I am so excited to be going into a three day weekend, even if I do have to come into the office for a little bit on Monday. At least there will be another short week following. Plus, I have the chance to go home and get a lot of wedding plans sort of finalized (!!!) and run some errands, and I am really looking forward to that. Turns out planning a wedding in a town you don't live in anymore is a bit challenging! Do y'all have any plans for this 3-day weekend?

Have a great weekend, y'all!

xoxo 

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 
Wednesday Showcase

TGIF, autumn organizing

I couldn't really come up with something as catchy as "spring cleaning," although I'm not sure if that is catchy as much as it's just a thing now. Anyways, I thought "autumn organizing" sounded pretty good, its almost alliterative.

wading through the chaos

Looking back on the last three or four months and forward three or four months there has been a lot going on. Graduation, moving out of my law school apartment, moving in with the boy, engagement party, taking the Bar, PASSING the Bar, showers, football games, the boy getting a job (!!!) and looking ahead to buying a house, more football games, my bachelorette party, and the wedding! I think collectively all of these things are called "being an adult."

But seriously, it has been quite chaotic around here lately, and this last weekend I finally (after far too long) was able to to a lot of straitening up, putting things away, and general cleaning that had been a long time coming and it made me feel so much better. Since we're looking for a house, I kept telling myself there was no reason to pack and unpack different seasons of clothes because we'd be in a new house before winter. And while I would still like that to be the case, after last weekend, I'm not sure we'll be moving quite as soon as I'd hoped - at least not before I need my winter jacket! Once I realized this, it made it easier to finally sit down (or rather run all over the condo), and get tings in order, and I had no idea how much better I would feel after all of the autumn organizing. So from now until we move, whenever that may be, it will be my goal each weekend to make the home we're in now a home, and not just a temporary place to lay our heads each night.

monogrammed napkins

I am a crazy person and decided I wanted to personally monogram all of the napkins for our wedding. So in case y'all were wondering, the current completion count is up to 75! My goal is around 200, but I think we'll only have about 180 guests, so I'd say those last 20 will eventually become optional.

house hunting part 2

Last weekend our realtor took us to six or seven houses, and of those six or seven there were only about three that we were really interested in. I am so ready to move, but I also am not ready to settle for anything I don't at least almost love. I think this is going to be a longer process than I'd been hoping for, but I am doing my best to stay positive and keep an open mind about houses I might not have been interested in initially. Last weekend after seeing so many, it was easier for us to really determine what was non-negotiable, and what we could fix. One of the houses that I thought I loved turned out to be a little smaller than we'd realized, and didn't have great storage options. I'm not looking for 6,000 square feet or anything, but we do want room to grow, and there's no reason to move somewhere that's just barely bigger than the place we have now. That was a little disappointing because the house is in such a good location, but on the other hand, it was helpful to narrow down more what we wanted and eliminate some choices.

dress alterations

I have my first round of alterations this weekend and I am so exited! I cannot believe it is getting so close to the big day! We are less than four months away, and it seems like there is still so much to do. I still don't have shoes picked out, but I have a couple of pairs of heels that I think will be about the right height that I'm going to take with me - do y'all have any other advice for a first fitting??
And if you missed it earlier this week, check out my bridesmaids' dresses here.

fun fact of the day

When you take an oath to be officially licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, you have to swear that you've never taken part in a dual, and that you never will take part in a dual.

Have a great weekend, y'all!!

xoxo 

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites | Mingle Monday | Turn It Up Tuesday | Wednesday Showcase | Oh Hey Girl

TGIF, it's the freakin' weekend!

y'all, it has been a longggg week around here. I thought it was Tuesday was Thursday, so I've been ready for Friday for a while. How has your week been?

Criminal Minds Grace and Frankie

Well just as soon as I'd mentioned that Criminal Minds was our most recent Netflix obsession, we finished the entire series. Yes, all nine seasons. I told you, obsession. But fear not, one of my friends suggested Grace and Frankie, a Netflix original, and it is SO funny. The good and the bad of it is that it's a short sitcom, so the episodes go much faster and there is currently only one season available. So, expect a new Netflix update next week! Ha! But seriously, it is hilarious.
The first episode starts with two married couples meeting for dinner and the husbands tell the wives that they have in fact been in love with each other for twenty years and have finally deicded to leave their wives and marry each other. Y'all. So much emotion. And the main characters are some very well known actors - Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston, Jane Fonda (love her!), and Lilly Tomlin. If you've ever seen Law and Order, and I'm not sure how you could have lived life and not seen it, then you're familiar with Sam Waterston. Well. Let me tell you, the Sam Waterston in Grace and Frankie is nothing like he was in Law and Order, and he is still wonderful. Martin Sheen is his usual self, and is great as well. The cast is packed with familiar faces and you are guaranteed a laugh!

source

House Hunting!

My fiance and I are going to look at houses this weekend and I cannot contain my excitement!! We were planning to wait until after the wedding so that we didn't end up with too much on our plate, but timing wise finally decided this was the best time. My biggest "want" is a nice/large kitchen, mostly because I think kitchens are the more expensive and time consuming renovations, so if it can just be ready when we move in that would be perfect! I am so excited and so nervous at the same time - do y'all have any tips??

Catching Up with Old Friends 

One of my sorority sisters (and bridesmaids!) from Furman was in Lexington this week so I drove down to have dinner with her and it was so fun! I hadn't seen her probably in two years and she lives in Dallas so it is nearly impossible to get together, but she travels for work and finally made it to the great Commonwealth. Seriously, time with old friends is so good for the soul.

Bridesmaids' Dresses

Despite my hesitation, I ended up using an online-only* website for my bridesmaids to choose and purchase their dresses. Almost all of them have ordered and received the dresses and I have heard nothing but great reviews! This was such a relief for me because we all know it can be hard to find a dress that even two or three people like, but eight is nearly impossible. Well y'all, miracles do happen! Check out next week's Wedding Wednesday for more on choosing their dresses and the interactive process.
the * - there is a single store in SanFran, but as neither I, nor any of my bridesmaids are anywhere near the west coast, it is essentially online-only, which is also how they market themselves

Hitting the Gym instead of the Snooze Button

My number one goal for next week is to be better about going to the gym at least three mornings. I have been having a weird/annoying mid-day fever for the past week or so, and then use that as an excuse to sleep in, but honestly I'm not sure that's making a difference. What is making a differnce is me not going to the gym and losing out on that great stress reliever. I will go to the gym this week. I will go to the gym this week. I will go to the gym this week. I. will.

Maybe I need to check this guy out.

But seriously, if y'all have any suggestions to help a girl not hit the snooze button, let me know because I swear I've tried every trick in the book and sleep always wins.

Have a great weekend y'all!!

xoxo

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites | Mingle Monday | Turn It Up Tuesday | Wednesday Showcase | Oh Hey Girl

TGIF, results day!

I cannot believe it is already Fall! This is the first time in a looonggg time that I have not been in school in the Fall and I think it is throwing my whole perception of the seasons off! That and the crazy ups and downs in the weather! Anyone else or is it just me?

Louisville BrewFest at Slugger Field

Three years ago we went to Louisville BrewFest kind of on a whim just as something to do on a Saturday night/afternoon, and it was great! Last year it coincided with the Avett Brothers concert so we got to take my mom and brother and they loved it just as much as we did.
It is coming up tonight and I am so excited! The BrewFest is held in Louisville's Minor League Baseball Stadium and they have different beer (and wine!) set up around the entire concourse, as well as a few inside. At the beginning you buy tickets and with each ticket you can get a 3oz pour of the beer of your choice, so it makes it possible to try a lot of different kinds! The weather the last few years has been perfect, the nice crisp fall that we've all been waiting for, so hopefully the same holds true for tonight. Louisville honestly has so much going on all of the time that it's hard to keep up, so it's nice having events that I already know I'll enjoy! What are some of your favorite fall events? My

Recent Netflix Obsession: Criminal Minds

I don't generally consider myself a big TV watcher, but there are about half a dozen shows that I do tend to watch regularly - Greys, How to Get Away With Murder, Madame Secretary, and the Good Wife. However, as you may or may not know, those are all shows that run a regular season, i.e. not in the summer. So during Bar Review and in the evenings after work this summer I'd been looking for new-old shows on Netflix to watch and came upon Criminal Minds. I used to watch this show all the time when I was in high school and even in college, but I have not watched it live in a few years so I had a lot of catching up to do - read: a lot of new episodes I hadn't seen yet. I also got the boy hooked on it, which is rare because I don't tend to watch things that he likes. But we have made our way through quite a few seasons and I'm loving it. We have also learned that it might not be the best thing to watch right before bed - hellllllo nightmares!

Building My Work Wardrobe

After finnnnaly cleaning and organizing my closet, I realized that I have more clothes than I realized and that maybe I don't need to work all that hard, for the time being, to build up my work wardrobe. However, the one discovery that I did make, is that because of my weight loss I no longer have pencil skirts that fit well. And by that I mean they fall down to my hips, rather than sitting at my natural waist, and just look very awkward over all. So. I've been on the hunt for some new ones, but can't make up my mind. On the one hand, I would just much rather buy online because it is so much easier to scout out good deals and see a lot at once, but because my sizing has changed so much lately I don't trust myself to order online, even from my favorite places. As much as I love shopping, I just get so overwhelmed when I don't even know where to start!

Related/Unrelated: I am also on the hunt for a new pair of jeans and had the same overwhelming experience at the mall last weekend because every pair I've ever owned have been from the Gap or OldNavy, but I want something different and had no. idea. where. to. start. So I ask (beg) y'all - where do you buy jeans??

Wedding Planning!

Wedding Planning is in fullll swing! I can't believe that we are less than 5 months away! I know that still might sound like a long time, but considering when we got engaged we were 14 months away, it feels very close. Plus, when you add in the holiday season - it will be here before I know it! As I mentioned last week we met with a wedding planner, who pretty much forced me to start making decisions - which was a much needed push - so since then I've been trying to narrow down some minor/major details, one of which is our napkin color and what the table is going to look like. I got the idea in my head months ago that I wanted to embroider all of our napkins with our new monogram - I know. I. am. monogram. obsessed. However, in order to do this I (1) needed to actually decide on the napkin colors, (2) order the napkins, and (3) figure out how we were going to set the table because that would dictate the placement of the monogram on the napkin. I am proud to say that ALL of those decisions have been made and I've finally gotten into a grove of using my sewing machine for embroidery - which is half of the reason I bought it in the first place! I also may or may not have stopped at four different Michael's stores between here and Knoxville to pick up 200 silver chargers. Spoiler - I did, I totally did. And of course I wanted to buy everything else in the store, and was quickly reminded why I love Michael's so much and made me wish I'd gone into crafting as a profession, although I'm pretty sure that's not a thing. Is it?

BAR RESULTS COME OUT TODAY

So I mostly kept my promise of not talking about the Bar again until results came out. Well, folks, TODAY is the day! {and hopefully I will be updating this post with good news!} I PASSED!!

Happy Friday, Y'all! Have a Great Weekend!!

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 

Wednesday Showcase | Turn It Up Tuesday

TGIF, time to RELAX!

TGIF, Y'all! I feel like this week has flown by!

Vera Bradley Purchases

A few months ago I got a travel jewelry case from Vera Bradley. I've always had some kind of travel jewelry bag, but I was starting to out grow the one I used most often/it wasn't really designed for bangle-like bracelets. It didn't have a lot of give. Enter: the perfect jewelry case from Vera Bradley.
Since then I've also been admiring the travel hanging organizers for quick weekend trips, or really anytime that we travel. Because honestly my suitcase usually consists of at least two small makeup cases, along with all of my other toiletries scattered throughout my suitcase, and me praying they don't all open up. I first saw their hanging organizer in the outlet store around here, but there weren't any patterns I loved, so I just couldn't justify getting something that I thought I needed but didn't really like, knowing I'd find a way to replace it sooner rather than later. Well, as we were gearing up for this vacation, I thought I'd give their website a quick look and boy did I luck out! The pattern that my jewelry organizer is (which I love!) is being discontinued so the whole line of it is on sale, plus last week Vera Bradley was celebrating its anniversary and the entire site was 25% off, and - my favorite part - free shipping. So I miiiight have broken my spending freeze, but I am now the proud owner of the cutest travel organizer I have ever seen!

State Fair

We went to the state fair last night and it was so fun! Admittedly, I had never been to the state fair, only the county fair, and needless to say, I had no idea what to expect. The entire expo center was full of the most random vendors, and then the outside was exactly what I would expect for a fair - rides, all of the fried food you can imagine, and silly games. I indulged in a bloomin' onion, and I am pretty sure I shouldn't eat for the next three days because of all of the calories! Have y'all ever been to your state's fair?

Selling Back Books

I shared a few weeks ago the many ways you can save money when you're buying text books. But, another one of my personal favorite "savers" is to sell back any books that I no longer need. You can go about this in a couple of ways. School bookstores will usually buy back your books, but not for a whole lot. Amazon also has a great deal where you can send in your books (free shipping) and receive an Amazon gift card for the balance. Both of these are great because the money is guaranteed and you're not waiting for someone to actually buy it. However, sometimes the amount they are willing to pay is quite low and you tend to feel like its not really worth it. That was the case for a few of my more recent books (because apparently tax law books are worthless?). Then I noticed Amazon gave me the option to list my books for sale on my own, and I thought  I'd give it a shot. Within two weeks I'd sold all five of the books I had listed, and I am getting a direct payment to my checking account! So if you're like me and have any law  or other text books laying around, or really any kind of books that you're looking to get out of the way, I would highly suggest checking out this option!

Dinner with my Big!

My Big in my sorority lives about an hour away from me now, but I haven't seen her since we accidentally ran into each other at Keeneland in the spring. She texted me earlier this week to see if I wanted to come up for her birthday dinner and I was so excited to get a chance to see her! Going to a small school where everyone kind of spreads back out after graduation can be tough, and we are lucky to be so close to each other, so I'm trying to make more of an effort to hang out with people that I can see more easily than others. I'm not sure where we're going yet, but I am really looking forward to it!

Wedding Plans

Earlier this week I mentioned some of the concerns I was having about the fact that we were having a wedding in the middle of winter. While there are still some things I am trying to sort out and envision to fit in with a winter wedding, I am so excited about all of the progress we are making! We have finally selected our band, caterer, and hired a wedding planner to help with the remainder of the decisions, as well as coordinate on the day of. Let me tell you, knowing that someone else will be the point person and that I can honestly trust her and enjoy that day was a huge relief. My mom met with her and said she was great, and I am meeting with her in a few weeks and cannot wait to share all of my ideas and hear her suggestions on how to make it all come together!

How has your week been? Do y'all have any big plans?

Have a great weekend, y'all! 

xoxo

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites 

Wednesday Showcase | Weekending | Turn It Up Tuesday

TGIF, the sun is out!

Y'all, it has been a verrrry long week around here. More or less, all of my friends are studying for the bar right now and we are less than enjoyable to be around. I'm pretty sure the only human interaction I've had in the last week is with the random people that I just saw hello to while I'm on a walk, i.e. not any real interaction at. all. I cannot wait for this test to be over.

SUNSHINE
The sun is finally shining bright over my old Kentucky home! This week has been so so nice and I have been able to go on a walk/run almost every morning or night. I do my best to be a positive person, but sometimes surroundings just take over my mood and weather is one of those surroundings. So I am so glad that the rain is gone (at least for now)!

source

Diet Bet
I did it! Almost. I am in the final stretch of a 6-month "Transformer" and have met my goal weight and lost 10% of my initial weight. So, I just have to hold strong for a few more weeks and I'll win! This has honestly been such a transformation for me and I truly feel like I have accomplished something - with the added bonus of making some extra cash!

Southern Weddings/Project Life
So Southern Weddings is one of my favorite bridal magazines because it has so many features of real weddings, and of course because it's focus is on the south! The only downside is that, like a lot of bridal magazines it doesn't come out very often, so I've only been lucky enough to really enjoy one issue - but another one is due out in November! Anyways, I love it! And then there's ProjectLife, which is a form of scrapbooking/photo organization that is just so pretty and so clean and so organized. It's essentially a lazier form of scrapbooking, but still takes plenty of time. Well. Southern Weddings and Project Life teamed up and created a Wedding Kit for Project Life that I had been lusting over for months and last week my future mother-in-law sent it to me! I cannot wait to have the time to really get into it and start planning out how to compile it - and of course to find more reasons to take pictures! I'm sure I didn't explain that very well - but I'll have a post coming up soon with more details!

source

National Ice Cream Day
I don't think it was much of a secret that National Ice Cream Day was this week. Generally I get annoyed with all of the "National ______ Day" posts that seem to be going on like every other day, but this might just be my favorite. I could eat ice cream every day for every meal if it meant I could also still win that DietBet, but alas, I've learned to limit myself. However, when National Ice Cream Day came around, I just had to indulge. I hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I did!

Shopping Freeze
Last fall I put a month-long shopping freeze on my self just to get a better idea of the things I needed and the things that I didn't. It also allowed me to decide when there was something that I actually wanted, or just something that I wanted in the moment. If it was something that I actually wanted, and still wanted when that month was over, I was able to justify the purchase a little more than if I just saw it, wanted it, and bought it on the spot. So, we'll see how this one goes, but I think it was certainly a benefit the last time. Have y'all ever done anything like that? Or do you have other self-imposed tests for when you want to make a bigger purchase?

Happy Friday, y'all! Have a Great Weekend! 

xoxo

linking up with

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites | Merry Monday

Motivational Monday | Wednesday Showcase | Turn it up Tuesday 

TGIF, still waiting for that rain to go away

It's. Still. Raining. I woke up Tuesday morning with EIGHT updates from the weather channel + the crazy-loud iPhone warning when there's severe weather. Like I said last week, at least it makes it easier to stay inside and study, but it is just sooooo depressing when its dark outside at 3 pm! I'm hoping this just means we'll have perfect weather after the bar!

one
My friend told me about the show Damages that's on Netflix now (I think it used to be on FX and ended in 2012), and I. am. obsessed. It has Rose Byrne in it, Helen from Bridesmaids, and she is so great. Glen Close is also a main character, which I've enjoyed because I still mostly just picture her as Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians. Anyways, it's all about a law firm where Glen Close is the partner at the firm and Rose Byrne starts out as her associate, but things get a little unethical and very suspenseful - fast. Think How to Get Away with Murder + Suits. If you're looking for a new show to pick up, I would highly recommend this.

two
Welp. Remember me talking about Prime Day, and how it was this mysterious sale Amazon was promising? Turns out it wasn't all that great anyways. I checked periodically and there was almost nothing that I was interested in, and anything I was interested in was immediately unavailable - think Target for Lilly. I did end up still getting a few things in my cart - the shoes and coffee filters, you know the necessities - but that had nothing to do with any special Prime deal. Oh well, at least that just means less money spent. Always look for the positives, right?

three
I am LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY FROM TAKING THE BAR and I am terrified. It seems so crazy to me that this summer spent studying for the bar day after day is finally coming to an end, and that end is THE BAR. I'm honestly feeling okay about the exam, but still overwhelmed thinking about all of the things I don't quite understand as well as I wish I did. I am definitely looking forward to have my regular life back when the exam is over, but doing my best to stay focused during the final stretch.

four
It is no secret that Gap is one of my favorite places to shop. I've tried to be much better recently about not shopping if I don't really need something since we're planning a wedding, looking at buying a house, and basically just trying to be responsible adults. But a girl can only delete so many "SALE" emails before she gives in. I just ordered this cross body from Gap during one of their 40% off everything sales (which is still going on) and I am so excited to use it. I love anything with a bow on it, and I ordered it in the cognac, so I know it will be super versatile! What do y'all think? Was it worth it??

five 

Despite having rainy weather for what feels like 25 out of the last 26 days, there was just enough sunshine for a girls day at the pool on Thursday and it was so. nice. Essentially all of my friends here are in law school, so while we're all miserable together, we all also feel guilty doing pretty much anything except studying. However, we figured we could probably spend a couple of hours at the pool - doing flash cards of course - and be just fine. I think it was certainly a deserved break that we will benefit from, everyone's brain needs to rest and recharge every now and then! 

How has your week been?

Have a Great Weekend, Y'all!

xoxo 

linking up with

Oh Hey Friday | Five on Friday |  Casual I Friday | xoxo Rebecca | High Five for Friday | Friday Favorites | Merry Monday

Motivational Monday

TGIF, Spring Break!

I'm pretty sure this has been the longest week ever! Happy Friday, Y'all! 

1. Spring Break!

I. am. so. excited! Spring Break is finally here! We are heading down to Hilton Head for the week and I cannot wait. It has finally warmed up a little bit here, but I am so looking forward to knowing that it is going to be in the 60s and 70s consistently. Hopefully I'll come back with a little color. Check out yesterday's post with some of my favorite mix & match swimsuits for this season! 

2. Sunday Funday 

You know how some most people head to the grocery when a snow storm is coming? Well. I went to Hobby Lobby, and I don't regret it one bit. Unfortunately, I ended up having to go to actual work that week and didn't get to craft as much as I'd planned. Luckily we had a relatively free weekend so I spent all day on Sunday painting. When I was at Furman it seemed like we were painting posters and gifts all the time with Kappa, but law school doesn't quite provide the same opportunity. Here's a little something I painted, what do y'all think? (In case y'all weren't already aware - am in love with Kentucky and Furman!) 

3. I have the best fiancé 

Do y'all remember when I posted this dress a few weeks ago and mentioned how much I loved it?? Well, luckily for me, my fiancé reads this blog and took it upon himself to order it for me as an early spring break gift. Let me tell you, it is even more perfect in person! This is one of my absolute favorite necklines (not sure if there's an actually name for it), and it fits perfectly! 

4. Moot Court Board Training

Ugh. We had training on Thursday night to "re-vamp" how the scoring is supposed to be done for the 1L oral argument competition and it was a giant disaster. The "new" score sheet was not significantly more objective than the prior one, and yet we still had to spend an hour talking about how it was so much better and would produce so much better results. I think it is a great idea to work on making this judging more cohesive because it really is all across the board, but this was a failed attempt. And it took an hour. I know, I know, an hour isn't that long in the grand scheme, but we're leaving tomorrow and I have stuff to do, ya know? Anyways, sorry for the vent!

5. MARCH MADNESS

Y'all. The best time of year is finally here! MARCH MADNESS! I am SO SO SO excited. Kentucky is doing so well and it has been such a great season! They're 31-0! The first game of the SEC Tournament for Kentucky is today at 1:00pm since they had a double-bye. I have no idea how I'm going to keep paying attention at work, but I'm sure I'll find a way. Do y'all have a favorite team? Is anyone as excited as I am?

PS - I found this workout for March Madness, think something like the Bachelor workouts. 5 push-ups for each foul, 1 minute plank if someone fouls out, etc. I am so looking forward to trying it, and as much basketball as I'm about to watch in the upcoming weeks I should be in great shape by the end!

Have a great weekend y'all, and GO CATS!

xoxo

linking up with:

Oh Hey Friday | Friday Favorites | Five on Friday | Casual Friday | xoxo Rebecca

Mix it Up Friday

TGIF, snow... again.

Welp. Apparently Louisville has been on the national news because of so. much. snow. Oh, by the way, it's March! I am pretty sure that the entire country is yearning for spring because this record low temperature and record high snow is getting old. Anyways - I hope most of you didn't have to deal with the same mess that Kentucky got slammed with this week because it is no fun!
How has your week been?

1. Snow Day Pros

Normally when there is a snow day I still have to go to work, which is kind of disappointing. I have the opposite school schedule as all of my friends, so the days they want the school snow days, I usually don't because I know it means I'll still have to make my way through the snow to work. Luckily (?) this snow was so bad that my boss emailed me Wednesday night and told me not to worry about coming in. And it's a good thing he did because the snow was even worse that they predicted and certainly outstayed its welcome.

2. Snow Day Cons

I was supposed to go to a concert on Thursday night and it got cancelled because the band couldn't get here. I 100% understand that, but I was still so disappointed. The band is called Sundy Best. They are a band from Kentucky and I am obsessed, but I've never had the chance to see them in concert. Luckily they have already rescheduled and I'm still available! I'm not really sure how to describe their music, I guess it's kind of country - but more of the twang and less of the more recent "pop." A lot of their songs are about Kentucky, so that is a huge reason why I like their music so much. Don't y'all always find it comforting when you're listening to music and you just get what they're saying? That's how it feels when I listen to Sundy Best, so needless to say, I am going to be very excited when April 2 comes around!

3. Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred

The worst part about this snow is that I haven't been able to go to the gym for the last two days. I know it doesn't seem like that long, but since I'm doing the DietBet that I told  y'all about last week, I've tried to be really dedicated to a set schedule of working out. One of my friends likes to do the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, so I thought I'd give it a try since its available on YouTube. It was so much more difficult than I anticipated for a 25 minute video, but I am so glad I did it. If y'all are looking for a quick workout I would highly recommend trying it out, I'll definitely be doing it again - if I can make myself. 

4. Cricut Explore Air 

My future mother-in-law called me a few weeks ago to ask if I would like a Cricut for my birthday (which is still a month away) because there was a new one out and she knows how much I love to craft. Of course I said yes! It arrived in Knoxville this week and she's going to give it to me when we pass through there on the way to Hilton Head and I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I have been looking at so many different projects to try and I have no idea how I'm ever going to get anything else done. Ever. I know it is supposed to be so easy to use, but I also know it does about a million different things, so I really hope I can use it to its full potential. Do any of y'all have a Cricuit? I would love to hear some tips, I'll take any and all! 

5. Spring Scarves, is that a thing?

I used to think "summer scarves" were ridiculous. But then I realized how easy it is to throw on a well co-ordinated scarf and instantly look put together, or throw a bright scarf on over a grey tee and you've brightened up your whole outfit. Enter, my new appreciation for summer scarves. MondayDress just posted this picture of new scarves they have and I think I want them all. They are so bright and colorful and remind me a lot of a Lilly scarf, but with a much lower price tag. What do y'all think? 

Have a great weekend, y'all! What are your plans?
xoxo 

linking up with: 

  Oh Hey Friday | Friday Favorites | Five on Friday | Casual Friday | xoxo Rebecca

Mix it Up Friday