Southern Charm

I have rekindled my love for Southern Living.

I know, rekindled? Where did the love ever go?

Funny little story about my stubbornness, actually...

My mom always told me (as in, from a very young age when I had just learned to read and insisted upon picking up every piece of print I could find, including her copious copies of SL) that I should major in journalism and work at Southern Living.

Wrong. So, so wrong.

I REFUSED to go this path. And in some ways, I still do. Even as an English major, I don't particularly love writing. It is more of a necessary evil. I don't like to be told what I am supposed to write about. I'd rather just talk through my own free-floating ideas. Hah, surprise.

Anyway, out of spite, I guess, I snuffed my nose to anything Southern Living, lest my mother think she won the fight.

I like to call these my dark years. Because really, who was I kidding?

And then I grew up, accepting myself for the old soul I really am. And I realized that Southern Living people were my people. What had I done ignoring those beautiful tablescapes, delectable recipes, and page after page of Southern charm? Man, Southerners KNOW hospitality.

So I soaked it all up again.

And then this semester I discovered the SL twitter.

Shoot. That was the best transit ride home in some time.

Around Thanksgiving, they tweeted the article on their Christmas Gift Guide.

I can't even deal. Y'all, I seriously want everything on this list. Every item is sure to please any southern belle or beau.

And then I saw it. A most precious pie carrier. Made by Vonny, I didn't even know they existed, but as much as I like to bake and surprise friends and classmates with a sweet treat, I knew I would use such a stylish little tote on the reg.

Typical SL move, they linked up to a site where you could buy it (and the matching casserole carrier) monogrammed.

Lucky for me, my boss decided to carry the line of Vonny products. And that meant employee discount. Bonus: I know how to monogram. Merry Christmas to me from me.

I mean, please. Just tell me this isn't cute.

I think my Happy Birthday to me from me present will be that matching casserole carrier.

Swoon.

Moral of the story: don't turn your back on SL. And don't put Twinkies on your pizza. (Actually, that last one is from Heavyweights, but I think it is pretty sound advice, nevertheless.)

Because I'm A Lady, That's Why

I guess it's official... I'm out as a lady now.

This past week I was presented at the Poinsettia Debutante Ball at the Country Club. Bless it all. The entire debutante season ended up being a lot of fun with some sweet girls I enjoyed spending time with, but the ball was by far the most entertaining. My sweet friends from out of town came just for the event, and my precious buddies here in Birmingham altered travel plans to be there.

The night was such a whirlwind, I don't think we ever got a complete group shot. At least w

e got a few of us!

We all needed a little help getting ready for the night.

Next year I get to go with the red sash across my dress. Yippee Skippee.

Also, I kind of feel like I should be listening to this when I flip through all of the photos.

And this is just in case you didn't understand the title.

Fay's 12 Days

Let me just take a moment to introduce you to the greatest Christmas movie ever. It's a tradition in our household ever since I watched it in art class in elementary school.

I know, it's great. Don't worry, we have like six copies on DVD.

A Neighborly Christmas

Last week Alex, Caroline, Katie, and I went to see Andrew Ripp/Drew & Ellie Holcomb's Christmas show at Workplay! Typical, I only have iPhone pictures, but Alex posted some really cute photos of the evening on her blog.

We ran into this sweet friend who I was fortunate enough to have breakfast with this morning.

And this other friend who braved downtown Opelika with me earlier this semester to see Drew & Ellie.

It didn't feel much like Christmas, especially with Andrew repping the tank top mid-December.

Good news, you can still get Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors A Very Neighborly Christmas album for free on Noise Trade! At least do them the favor of promoting their album by tweeting about it or putting it on facebook!

Christmas Crinkle Cookies

So, I left my camera cord in Auburn. Of course, I didn't realize this until after I had remember to take it a few places over break. So there will be a lack of pictures for a while, unless they were taken with my iPhone.

Anyway, there have been so many Christmas parties and cookie swaps that I've had to pull out some of my favorite recipes! This one is one of my favorite go-to cookie recipes because it is definitely different than the standard chocolate chip or sugar cookie. I only have it because it was included in my Shakespeare study guide made by our sweet GTA. (This is why I love my major.) Fair warning, these cookies are more like a cake/brownie texture, but I think that's why everyone likes them so much!

• 1 stick butter, softened (SO important that it is soft)
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 2/3 cup flour (not necessary to sift it!)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Bowl of powdered sugar... the more the merrier

Beat butter and sugar until lighter in color and creamy. (Trust me, don't skimp on this step. That's why the soft butter is so important!)

Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well-combined. (You want this mixture to be lighter and fluffier.)

Add dry ingredients and mix until well-combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so that it is all combined. (I usually add everything in slowly or else I cover the kitchen in flour.)

Use a melon baller or two spoons to make small balls of dough and drop them into the bowl of powdered sugar. Make sure you coat the whole thing in sugar! (I use a a Nordic Ware cookie dropper that I bought at Target. It is probably the greatest investment I've made in bakeware.)

Bake on a cookie sheet for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!

It's Fall Y'all

In the words of Jon Acuff via twitter "the weather today felt like it was ordered from an L.L. Bean catalog."

I volunteered at the Reading is Fundamental 5K/10K this morning and this was my view from my station. Not too shabby even if I was up at 5am and it was 39 degrees outside.

I made this pumpkin cake. She calls them pumpkin bars, but cake was a more apt term.

And apple crisps. I put wayyyy too much sugar on these bad boys and neglected to spray the foil with cooking spray first, so maybe the next time around.

I hope fall sticks around.

seeing double

I have the privilege of being AOII's t-shirt chair, and it is a job that I enjoy to a sickening degree. I designed the header for this blog, and I just loved it so much, I used it for our sisterhood retreat t-shirt. It's been so funny to see girls walking around campus in it, so I thought I'd share it with you all, too!

rubbing elbows

I am obsessed with Lands' End new Canvas 1963 line. I've bought some great items, including my personal favorite, this tangerine and ivory knit infinity scarf. (And it's on sale now!)

But one item I really like and regret not having bought is this ribbed open crewneck in teal with chocolate brown elbow patches.

Real cute with that vest, right?

Well, I'm not such a fan of how wide that neckline is, and once I found this I had already placed my online order and didn't want to pay for shipping again. It's been in the back of my mind in case I placed another order again soon, but I finally lost all patience when I saw a cardigan with heart elbow patches on Pinterest. I figured I could use the same tried and true freezer paper tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets and make my own shirt. So I bought this plain mustard colored shirt at Target, some microsuede material from Hob Lob (at a 50% discount, might I add), and some matching thread. I already had the Heat & Bond adhesive and freezer paper at home. This project didn't even cost me $15 total and it took me maybe half an hour.

It's nothing too incredibly special, but it does add a little zip and makes me look the part of an English major. I promise it looks cuter on with my brown puffer vest-- I just don't want to embarrass myself with the self pics. :)

Liebster Blog Awards

My sweet friend Ashley told me that I was one of 5 ballers to win the Liebster Blog Award! This is given to bloggers who have <200 followers. The word liebster is a German word that means dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, and many many other like words. I am so grateful for Ashley and everything she has meant in my life and for this award! (Also, please let me come hang out with you and EA over Thanksgiving!)

As a way to keep the award going, the recipients of this award are to nominate 5 outstanding bloggers with less than 200 followers.

The rules of the Liebster Blog Award are to link back to the blogger who gave it to you, reveal your top 5 bloggers and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog, copy and paste the award on your blog. Finally, have faith that your followers will spread the word too!

Here it goes...

1. Jana at I Will Hold On Hope. You can thank her for getting me started on blogging. That's right, positive peer pressure, people. And thanks to her I have a Twitter too. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? She is a highly talented photographer and I encourage you to check out some of her wedding and engagement work!

2. Emily Grace at Learning Grace. What. A. Champ. Emily Grace speaks God's truth with every word. She is always a encouragement and her blog highlights what she's learning through life as an undergrad.

3. Maegan at Lavished With Love. What a faithful teacher! She invests in me via her blog even hundreds of miles away. I have so enjoyed her honest (and usually hilarious) daily encounters with motherhood. What a blessing to be able to watch her on this journey!

4. Caroline and Alex at Untangled Lines. You want to be inspired to step back from the computer and live life? Take a look at the blog they co-author. If I didn't know you two better, I'd say all you do is just frolic around outside and hang out with cool musical artists. But I've seen your mound of chemical engineering work (Carol) and your stack of Burney novels (Alex).

5. Hillary at Essential, yet Appealed. She blogs about Jesus, America, and Southern culture. I mean, what more do you want?

(We have a class blog for my Milton class and I almost posted it for this award just to be funny. But I think it would make most normal, sane people curl up and cry.)

love thy neighbor

Our INCREDIBLE Fam Jam

I have a couple of favorite days in AOII: Bid Day, Initiation Banquet, any days new t-shirt shipments come to my door, and Big Little Reveal! This year was even tougher to keep my lips sealed since little Kendall tried her very best to extort any information out of me that she could. I didn't spoil the surprise and I couldn't have been more happy to become a grandbig to Morgan!!

Our Fam Jam is INCREDIBLE.

Wish we could have traded hair just this one night so your hair could have been full of secrets.

Carol, remember when your suitcase got held up at customs in Costa Rica because your sunscreen exploded? I'm glad we still have stories that are just as entertaining.

Annual tradition of being in the back of the group photo. But hey, that's what the zoom is for, right?

Lovely bible study friends! Real thankful we're delving into the Word together this year!

Sun's Out, Guns Out Part 2

The number of times I check the 10-day forecast in Auburn is borderline crazy. I just want the high to finally be in the mid 60s! I always forget fall doesn't come until mid-November in the South. Anyway, I am still trying to get better at freezer paper appliques, so I made some snazzy Auburn AOII tanks for my sister.

Comfort Color tank tops might be the most comfortable shirts ever.

This is before the letters are sewn down...

...and this is what they look like after.

Midtown Music

This past weekend I went to Midtown Music Festival in Atlanta. It was phenomenal! The lineup of bands was fantastic and the weather was gorgeous! Hopefully we'll be back next year!

So excited to see my sweet friend, Whitney!

This was the best popsicle I've had in my life. Strawberry lemonade by King of Pops. I would really enjoy their cart coming to my birthday!

Pumped we got to sit together for Coldplay!!

My sweet Dad digging The Black Keys performance.

Manchester Orchestra.

The Black Keys.

And my absolute favorite, COLDPLAY. Seriously, their shows always astound me. Such great performers and I can't wait until their real tour begins!

2013

Check out that last line. Yippeeeeeeee

My Little Nest

I wish I could have so many friends over to our house, but there are only so many hours in the day, you know? We are all slowly getting moved in, but I figured I'd show off my room a little bit even though it's still got a few more changes to go through!

The view from the door. I am a huge fan of the natural light. Except in the morning when I just want to sleep.

All of my bedding came from The Company Store. And let me tell you, it is heavenly. I dream about my bed.

My mom and I made this magnetic board. One day, I'll start doing tutorials. But mostly I just figure out things as I go. This one in particular took a lot of thought. We bought the frame as is from Hob Lob. Then we got a piece of plywood cut and painted it with about 12 coats of magnetic paint. (It's right next to the chalkboard paint in Lowe's.) Then we painted a very thin coat of that ecru paint over it. I found some little bird magnets at Moxii and went ahead and hung up postcards from sweet friends.

This bedside table was a find from Angel's we used in our living room last year. I moved it to my room and repainted and stained it from the previous green color.

I really needed some extra storage space, so I opted to go for the dresser doubling as a nightstand. My parents and I painted this to match the rest of my room and bought the knobs at Anthropologie. The suitcases to the left came from a garage sale and also work as great craft storage. (The shutter still needs to be hung on the wall, but I'm scared to do that without my dad's help.) Most of the little accessories came from At Home in Homewood (probably my favorite store ever).

I like to call this my little dressing table. It's situated right next to my bathroom in it's own little nook, and it has been so handy! My mom and I painted this for my dorm room last year, and I wouldn't dare part with it! I painted the birdcage from it's natural wood to a mocha color. I still have a watercolor illustration I painted to hang above this.

You probably can't tell from the previous photo, but these hang right next to my little dresser. I made these from drawer knobs from Lowe's and some craft wood from Hob Lob. My proudest accomplishment is that I hung them on my own. (They have two hooks on the back, so I had to get them all aligned and nailed in straight. It took a few tries.)

My mom and I found this old sewing table at Angel's and she refinished it for me this summer. The inside is completely hollow, so she glued the doors shut, but it's still such a perfect piece to house my TV. (Eventually the bubbles sitting on the floor right now will hang above it.)

Lastly, my desk. It belonged to my grandmother, but my parents and I repainted it and sprayed the hardware brushed nickel. The chair was a project from last year. My mirror still needs to be hung, but I'm waiting on dad to come help me with that, too.

There's a little peak at my home. Hopefully it will soon be full of other craft and DIY projects this semester holds!

AOPi my AOPi

Rush is over! All of the countless name tags, bid night invitations, sleepless nights, early mornings, freely flowing tears, time spent locked away in the chapter room, never seeing sunlight, and now the aftermath of being sick and exhausted is still somehow worth it when I look at the precious 65 baby pandas who we fought for all week long. I can't wait to see the big things they'll do not only at Auburn, but beyond college. Even my own baby sister got to join me this year! This has gotta be the good life.

What would I ever do without the '09 pledge class?

Wit Beyond Measure

I just want to stay in bed and have my own Harry Potter marathon. And that's pretty much how I feel all the time.

My definitely-not-obligatory-yet-still-important "what I learned summer in between sophomore and junior year" list

otherwise known as, "The Longest Title Ever" and "It's My Blog And I Can Do What I Want."

Summer was a weird time. It's strange that I've literally been in school for the past year with few breaks and I'm just going to keep on going. I guess what this is what it will be like to have a big girl job in the real world? Good thing I'm going to be a teacher. Here's what summer taught me:

1. Outback Curbside To-Go with online ordering is the best and worst thing in existence.

2. Never leave Hillary alone in the kitchen. (See this for proof.)

3. It's okay that we never went to the Helen Keller festival. It's not like she got to see it anyway.

4. The dynamics of our friend group may seem strange. But we are similar to most television casts and that is why we're so darn funny.

5. Coupons are nothing to be ashamed of. Use them with pride.

6. Always feed Dad before taking him antiquing.

7. Don't kid yourself and order a small soft-serve cone at Chick-fil-A. Go big or go home.

8. Cracker Barrel has sub-par service.

9. Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

10. Reading in accents makes any boring subject way more interesting.

11. Costco sells Nutella practically by the gallon.

12. TV Land has some seriously entertaining shows.

13. Step Aerobics can make you want to punch people in the face.

14. There's nothing wrong with staying home to fix up your thrift store finds on a Friday night.

15. I can do a master job at parallel parking if the entire football is watching me from the sidewalk.

16. Hillary can't back her car up with someone screaming at her.

17. You need to have a game plan for Chewlacla.

18. Homemade granola might be the best snack food ever.

Braves Country

Yesterday we took a little roadtrip to Braves Country! It was a weird day, to say the least. When we got to The Varsity for lunch, we observed a man sauntering up and down the street in a white veil. Then an absurd number of police storm the restaurant while everyone continues eating. We're pretty sure we saw a cop get left by his buddies, too. Then Hillary had some parking attendant man yelling at her how to back her car into a parking space that was not a legal spot. Terrifying, but she braved it like a champ.

Then at the game the joker below jumps onto the field during the seventh inning. We're pretty sure that's a man in a wedding dress. We're still questioning whether or not he wore it in or brought it in a backpack.

As if the day wasn't weird enough, the B-52s performed a little Saturday night post-game concert. Who are the B-52s, you ask? 2 words: Love Shack. We didn't end up staying long enough to hear that one because we old ladies (and Kevin) were up way past our bedtime.

So glad for a fun weekend with some precious friends who like to jam to Destiny's Child, the Macarena, and Smashmouth in the car, too.