A Whale of a Sale!

I am friends with the Vineyard Vines rep at my school and he posted on Facebook today that they were having a sale. I thought I would share it with yall! They have a ton of great things marked wayyyy down, 40% off selected clearance items! Here are a few of my favorite things:

End on End Pajama Bottoms
$55.00- 40%


Westward Fleece Jacket
$125.00- 40%

Long Sleeve Whale Rep Stripe T- Shirt
$28.50- 40%

HAPPY SHOPPING!!

new year

Now that Christmas is over and you have had a few days to relax, it is time to start thinking about what you are going to wear to that New Year's Eve party! To me, this is a time that you can dress sort of wild and get away with it! I believe that sequins are a staple for New Years, they are so festive and totally allowed for this occasion! These are a few things that I found that I absolutely love! What will you be wearing this weekend?

Untitled by taylorma3 featuring sequin dresses

I hope you have a wonderful holiday this weekend!

Today has been a wonderful day!! We woke up a little after 9am and me and the parents made our coffee and then sat down and began to unwrap presents! I am very grateful for all of my gifts and the family that loves me; it is more than I deserve! After we finished with gifts and stockings, we had to begin cleaning and getting the house ready for all of our family that was coming over for dinner. I went for a run and then came back to help Mom begin cooking and getting ready. Our family came over and we enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner! I am so thankful for all that God has provided for me and my family this year! ps. it's snowinggggg in Charlotte!

After the Christmas Eve service at my church!

Christmas morning, ready to open all of the pretty packages we have wrapped under the tree!

Gift Ideas for Mom

So as Christmas approaches, we all have a certain person in our life that we have tough time deciding the what the perfect gift for them would be. For me, that person is my mother! She is extremely picky and knows exactly what she wants so for me, I have to pick up on certain things she says and hope I got it right! Well this is what I have decided for this year, these are a few general ideas that I think every mother would love {and at a reasonable price, too!} Also, her birthday is late January so I never worry if I got it all for Christmas because I can just make it up in the next few weeks!

Lilly Pulitzer Paley Cardigan--> $88.00

Lilly Pulitzer Daisy Critter Keyfob --> $28.00

Kate Spade gold Knot drop earrings --> $65.00

These are just a few simple examples... I was also considering getting a "Maid for a day" to help her out around the house but I think that I will wait on that until her birthday because it is kind of pricey and I am running out of time until Christmas is HERE... 2 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Weekend

This past weekend, I took a semi- spur of the moment trip to Greensboro on Friday evening and returned early Saturday morning. I don't usually do this kind of thing but mBa just BBMed me Wednesday and asked me if I wanted to go. I actually had a lot of fun; who knew unplanned adventures and spontaneity aren't such bad things after all...
Well when I got home Saturday, I had to get ready for a cookie exchange with some sorority sisters. We had a lot of fun snacking on everyone's delicious treats and catching up. Some of us had been home almost a week so we had a lot to talk about! I made peppermint bark.

Picture Time

December is such an eventful month! Amidst all of the parties, cookie exchanges, shopping for presents, work, and making time to catch up with old friends, we have to find time to squeeze a few pictures in to send to friends and family for Christmas Cards. So my parents and I finally made time and took some pictures last night, late- I know, but here are a few of my favorites...

Family picture...surprisingly, we are all satisfied with this one!

Just me

I'm a true Daddy's Girl!

Love this one of the fam, it's so cute

Crafting

Being home puts me a crafty mood! Recently online, I saw some ornaments made this way but they used a napkin, where as I used wrapping paper. Things you will need:

• paint brush
• paper Mod Podge
• wrapping paper or napkins
• glass or plastic ornament
• rubber band
  

I put a band of Mod Podge around the middle of the ornament and then placed the strip of wrapping paper, centered and secured it with a rubber band. Then I cut slits in the paper to make it easier to wrap around the circular ball. Coat the inside of the ornament with Mod Podge and smooth down the pieces of paper with your fingers. After that sticks down, remove the rubber band and coat the top with the Mod Podge, don't worry- it will dry clear!

The finalized ornament should look like this! I finished it off with a pretty pink bow!

Getting Tacky

We decided to cancel Chapter Monday due to the Blizzard since no one was able to get to our meeting place. The girls on the hall decided to continue without them and have a our "Tacky Christmas Tea". We had lots of fun doing an ornament exchange and taking a much needed break from studying for exams!These are the girls I am living with next year so we decided to take a Christmas Card picture with our chapter letters. This really got me in the holiday spirit!!

Winter Wonderland

If you are wondering where I have been...

I have been stuck in the Boone Blizzard of 2010. It was not this bad when we woke up but as the day progressed, it just kept on snowing! All of the girls on our hall didn't leave for three days, it was just too cold and blustery!The Blizzard happened the day before exams started so it was a prime time to be stuck inside. This is where I sat ALL day writing an 8 page paper. Whew!! That was tough! I have my planner out so I know how to manage my time, my phone always by my side, I made some coffee for warmth and to keep me up, notes and books for research and my computer to write the paper. Exams are finally over and I am home now but it was one long week!

OOTD...day 3

Yes, I am actually wearing cords! I bought these at Jcrew before Christmas last year and this is the first time I have worn them. I love the color, they are an olive green; I paired them with a plain white tank from Jcrew and a simple navy cardigan. The pants are so comfortable because they are not fitted so to "feminize them", I my staple jewelry and a necklace from Jcew as well. jDe and I were on our way to tour apartments for next year.

Mac or PC?

One night after a long evening of blogging, I decided it was a good idea to just lay my laptop at the end of the bed when I went to sleep. Note, my bed is lofted and I have to use a step- stool to get in it! So needless to say, my computer slid off the bed and was met by an early death. It was an HP and I only had it for one year, it was my first college computer. When this happened, I was forced to use my old high school laptop that was about 5 years old. This was very slow and I was in desperate need of a new one! After begging my parents when I was at home this weekend, they finally broke down and bought me a new one! You are looking at the proud new owner of a MacBook Pro, and I couldn't be happier!! Although, I must say, I was quite a bit skeptical of Macs last year when I showed up to college and everyone had one, I thought they were extremely overrated. After doing some research I realized that they lasted much longer and were more reliable than a PC. My favorite part? well of course the light body weight, and the lightening fast speed, last night I discovered iPhoto! This is such an amazing program!! You cam import pictures from your camera or memory card, edit them with a quick touch of a button, and even tag them like you do on Facebook! Now I will never have an ugly picture again!! I can't wait to play around with it some more and discover new an exciting programs! So what do yall think? I know it will take some getting use- to with the programs and everything but do you have preferences over Mac of PC?

OOTD.... day 2

My second ever Outfit of the Day post! This was my Thanksgiving outfit, a sweater dress with brown tights and detailed boots. I added some personal touch with a chunky necklace and pearl earrings!

Frattin' My Life Away

This is one of my new favorite websites! I just recently was introduced to it and I really enjoy reading the article! Read on and tell me if you feel the same way! It is basically all of the manners my mother tried to instill in me, all my life and all of the chivalry to look for in a man!

ps. The article I connected the link to is just a little funny, I think it describes a lot of people I know!!

In All Things, Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is such a fun time!! I love cooking and love my family!! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family! I absolutely live by traditions too, they are very important to me. Because most of our extended family lives in different states within the South, we have recently started the tradition of all gathering at my mom's cousin's house (dWp) and bringing a few dishes each, per family. This year my parents and I brought sweet potatoes, loaded mashed potatoes, and I slaved over the stove all Thanksgiving morning a cranberry apple pie. It was a huge success, or so I like to think!! The pan was empty at the end of the night, so I like to think I did well!

One of our yummy turkey that Brad cooked in the steamer, it was different but delicious!

Me and daddy, right before we sat down to eat!


The Cranberry Apple Pie that I made, I think it turned out pretty!

The kids table was so cute! dWp went on Etsy.com and downloaded some cute decorations that the boys loved to play with, and isn't the adult table set beautifully as well?!

Silver Bells

You can already hear it, Christmas music is in the air. Boone has already received it's first snow, I have been to the Southern Christmas Show and tasted the apple cider, I drove through my neighborhood tonight and half of the houses already had their lights up! I am soooo excited for Winter and everything that it brings! The sights of perfectly wrapped presents and elegantly decorated trees, the smells of pine and cinnamon, the taste of warm homemade pies mom just pulled out of the oven, and the feeling of being close to the ones you love. This makes me so happy, and although it is frigid outside and some days it seems like there is no end to the blustery wind, you can always run inside and curl up under a blanket and grab a cup of hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies! Just thinking of it makes me happy! I can't wait to be back at home for a month and experience all of this! oh... and did I mention that it's not even December yet?! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!

Big/ Little Revealing

I was sooo pumped to get my little! I made her soooo many things, by the end of it all, I was totally crafted- out! My Little's name is Morgan, so we are now 'Morgan Squared'! I am sooo glad that she is part of our family now! I love her so much. The girls did an Amazing Race to find their Bigs and at each stop she received something to wear. First was the shirt that said "Little", next was the crown, pink and sparkle-y, of course, and the last stop was wings and then she had a riddle I had made, and I was holding the answer. This is how my sorority did our revealing and it was so much fun!! Some of the things I made include the following: a stool made to look like a bar- hat in teal and black, to match her room, some Lilly wrapping paper letters for her monogram, painted letters (KD & AOT), a mirror with our motto on it ("Let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful and highest"), and several plaques and canvases with quotes on them. I cannot wait for the deep bonds of sisterhood to tie us together, as well as developing a long lasting friendship! I know that she is in our family for a reason and I can't wait to see the things that she will do in our chapter!

OOTD... day 1

November 15, 2010
Okay, I never thought I would do this but I will be starting an Outfit of the Day post for my blog!! I am so excited to see how this turns out, we will see where it goes and how I change over time! We had Formal Chapter tonight and this is what I wore, a navy and white striped cotton dress, nautical theme with two anchor buttons on the shoulders. I wore Nine West nude pumps to match. Of course the staples: pearls, DY bracelet (bought on a college girl's budget), and gold chain necklace! **Pardon the mess in the room, we have been studying hard lately and slacking on the room cleaning!

The Whirlwind They Call life

School is in full swing! It is hard to imagine it but this is the point that I have been waiting to get to ALL SEMESTER...Thanksgiving Break!! I am unbelievably excited it is here!! I have been in a whirlwind since I moved back in to school, first was Recruitment, then there was Lipsync and Homecoming, next was Big/ Little, and I had to find time to fit in Midterms, but now that Thanksgiving is here, I have almost a week to relax and spend with family. This comes just in time for FINALS! I am so glad that teachers think we don't really need a break, and decide to give us projects and tests on the day we come back... Good Gracious, I am ready for a new set of classes next semester! Well now that we are nearing the ed of the semester and Seniors are beginning to graduate early, it is time for our Senior Date function, in honor of those who will be leaving in December. The theme was Caddy Shack because this was their first mixer when they were in the sorority so it seemed to fit! This was one of my favorites! I am so happy we did it, because of course the preppy style is right up my alley! Here are a few pictures from the night. I wore a vintage Lilly skirt with a pastel yellow Lacoste polo, and a white Ralph Lauren cable knit sweater over my shoulders... and of course, the Staple pearl necklace, earrings, and bracelet!

My Vow

Wow, So as you can tell, I haven't been on since Halloween! I have been quite the MIA Blogger! But much to my surprise, I was greeted by 3 new followers, this puts me up to 5! Whoa buddy!! I am hitting the big time, haha! Well I am glad to see this because it actually gives me the motivation to keep up with this since I know people are actually reading it now! So I solemnly swear to keep up with the posts and try to improve with every entry!!

-mTa

Lust

Is this not the most gorgeous thing you have ever seen! I think I am in love!!