A Few of My Favorite Things

I updated a tab on my blog last weekend that is all about my favorite things. The pages with my favorite places to shop, favorite dresses, favorite pants, and favorites shoes are all up to date! The pages for my favorite sweaters and tops will be updated today! So, in the spirit of sharing my favorite things, I decided to create a whole blog post with 50 of my favorite things (fashion and nonfashion related)!

Plus, I find it entertaining to read other people's favorite things when they participate in this kind of activity on Facebook. :) Feel free to comment some of your favorite things! When you see words in Italics below, you can click on them to be taken straight to the website.

My Favorite Things

Color- Turquoise

Season- Spring

Blanket- Bliss Plush Throw (on sale!)

Pajamas- PJ Harlow

Food- Seafood

Restaurant- Tazikis

Fast Food- Chick-Fil-A

Fruit- Pineapple

Vegetable- Green beans

Drink- Peach Propel and Chick-Fil-A Diet Lemonade

Cup- Yeti Tumbler

Black Leggings- Zella

Faux Leather Leggings- Spanx

Jeans- Old Navy Rockstar Jeggings and Jeans

Coat- J.Crew Factory City Coat

Clothing Detail- Ruffles

Bathing Suit- Tankini (just ordered this one)

Brand of Sweaters- Free People

Place to Shop- Nordstrom & Anthropologie 

Place to Visit- The Beach

Necklace- Roberto Coin Baby Cross Necklace

Earrings- Hoops

Bracelet- David Yurman Cable Classic

Handbags- GiGi New York and Tory Burch

Fingernail Polish- Essie Gel Nail Polish with Essie Gel Top Coat

Hair Brush- Wet Brush

Dry Shampoo- Batiste

Lotion- Nivea

Face Wash- Garnier Fructis

Chapstick- Blistex Lip Medex

Lipstick- Chanel Ultra Wear Lip Color

Eye Shadow- Urban Decay Naked 2

Foundation- Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup

Laundry Detergent- Glamorous Wash in Diva

Sunless Tanner- St. Tropez (blog post coming soon!)

Job- Reading Interventionist at St. Joseph Catholic School and Blogger at Art Fashion Fun :)

Devotional- Jesus Calling

Holiday- Easter

Leather Boots- Sam Edelman (I have black and brown!)

Suede Boots- Jack Rogers (on sale!)

Uggs- Classic II Tall Boot

Social Media Platform- Instagram

Day of the Week- Saturday

Month- April

Movie- tie between The Holiday, Legally Blonde, and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days

Celebrity- Reese Witherspoon

Female Singer- Carrie Underwood

Male Singer- Blake Shelton

Sport- Tennis

Dog- Mini Australian Shepherd and Cockerspaniel mix :)

I'd love to hear some of your favorite things! Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

SHOP MY FAVORITES:

3 Casual Everyday Dresses to Wear Now

My favorite outfits lately have consisted of comfy dresses and oversized sweaters/leggings. I enjoy getting all dressed up every once in a while. However, these freezing temps are drawing me to the warmest and coziest things in my closet, so that's what I'm sharing with you today!

Button Sleeve Striped Sweater Dress- I got this one a month or so ago and have gotten so much use out of it! It is so comfy and easy to dress up or down. Plus, it is currently marked down from $118 to $69.99! And if you spend $100 at this retailer, you can get 20% off with code STAYCOZY.

Ruffle Sweatshirt Dress, also here- This dress was given to me by my in laws for Christmas, and I LOVE it! It is sweatshirt material, but the ruffle makes it appears a little dressier than a regular sweatshirt. It does come in at the bottom, so if you want it to be a more comfortable fit, I recommend sizing up. I linked it at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack because sizes are selling out at Nordstrom. It's on sale for under $30 at both retailers! 

Cowl Neck Dress- I got this dress in 2015, and it has been my #1 favorite dress to pull out each fall I've had it! I actually got it in leopard print first, and then my mom loved it so much that she bought herself a similar one and got me the blue one that I'm wearing in the first picture below!

 It is more of an investment than the other 2 dresses I'm sharing today. However, I have gotten so much use out of it that it was worth every penny. It's one of those dresses that is so easy to throw on for just about any event and feel put together (and super comfortable). My exact prints are no longer available, so I linked the exact dress in a different print. And you can click here to see all of the different prints this dress comes in. I really love the solid ones.

Thanks so much for reading! I'm so happy to get back to a more normal routine this week. Have a great day!

SHOP THE POST:

Life Lately

Life has been so go-go-go lately that I felt the need to slow down this week. I mean, I just got around to taking our Christmas decorations down on Sunday (insert embarrassed emoji). I planned on taking the first week of January off from the blog, but then the Lilly sale happened and I obviously couldn't miss out on that fun. I'm sorry for the lack of posts! I'm hoping to return to a more consistent schedule next week.

 Today, I'm sharing a post about all of the things that have been happening lately! Parker and I had the best week and a half at home with our families for Christmas, and I like to have these pictures all in one place for the memories. :) Warning- this post is long and photo heavy.

Mobile for Christmas

Parker and I got to Mobile on December 20th. The day after we got home, we went to get my Christmas present from my parents and Parker- my new phone! I have had so much fun taking pictures with it. Portrait mode is the coolest!

One day, we met my dad downtown and went on a duck boat tour! I honestly did not know what to expect. The duck boat pictured below took us around downtown Mobile by road and water, and we had the best time! Our tour guide was fabulous. He was super entertaining and taught all of us things about Mobile that we did not already know.

Another night, we met up with a couple of my besties at Moe's. It had been way too long since I'd seen these girls. I cannot even wait much longer for all of Kelly's wedding festivities to begin next month... so much BFF time coming soon!

Rosie turned 4 on Christmas Eve! I truly cannot believe it. Her personality brings us so much joy and keeps us laughing. The vet told us she'll grow out of the puppy phase around age 7, so we still get to enjoy puppy Rose for a few more years. :)

She loved her birthday bone from Dog Days Barkery in Mobile. We also grabbed some stocking stuffers for both girls while we were there. This place is highly recommended by Bailey and Rosie! And Parker and I liked it too. The people were so friendly and helpful.

Parker and I try to get a Christmas picture each year of the 4 of us. We took the picture below before Christmas Eve church.

I never shared these ribbon wrapped hoop earrings before Christmas because they sold out so fast. They are now back in stock in pink and red, and they would be the cutest addition to any Valentine's Day outfit! It's kinda hard to see, but I wore the red pair with my Christmas Eve outfit!

My Aunt Robin outdoes herself for Christmas every single year! This year she had a gingerbread theme, and as you will see below- a real life gingerbread man came over to visit!

We had the most delicious breakfast on Christmas morning. The cinnamon roll casserole was my favorite, and the mimosas were fun too!

I did not take nearly enough pictures on Christmas day. We got to see my dad’s family, but I don’t have any pictures to document it. The photo below is the only one I have that we are actually in on Christmas day. We love our J.Crew Factory city coats!

Dothan: December 26- December 31

We left my family the day after Christmas and went to Dothan to visit Parker's family! We trade every year. Next year we will be with Parker's family in Dothan on Christmas day.

The day we got to Dothan, Parker's sister had us all over to her house for a delicious dinner. And then we opened our gifts. Fun fact- The first year I went to visit Parker's family right after Christmas, they made me sit in the middle of the room and wear reindeer antlers while I opened my stack of presents and everyone watched. Unfortunately, they couldn't find those antlers this year. :) Like I said, we'll be in Dothan for Christmas next year, so we will all open our gifts together then! 

Going to Hunts is something we look forward to every Christmas! We love their oysters.

We also loved getting to catch up with Parker's friends! We had so much fun getting dinner and drinks with Tiffany and Floyd!

On our second to last day in town, I had a fun day with my nieces. We went to lunch, took blog photos, and went shopping. It was actually the most fun I have ever had taking blog photos. They helped me try out some new poses, and then I got some pictures with each of them. We should have brought Parker along... they could have taught him how much fun taking pictures actually can be!

Parker's sweet sister Allyson gave me this Lilly Pulitzer poncho because it was a little long on her. Such a sweet gift right before the huge Lilly sale!

We got back to Southaven on New Year's Eve! We had the best time with our families, but it's always nice to get back into a routine. However, blog duties hit fast! With the Lilly sale and my Neutrogena collaboration, I felt like I was constantly playing a game of catch up.

So, I gave myself some days off of blog posts this week. We finally took the Christmas decorations down, cleaned the house, transferred our calendars, and I am just now starting to feel caught up. Whew! Busy start to the New Year, and I'm excited for all of the fun things in store for 2018!

Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

My First Blog Collaboration- Neutrogena

I'm so excited that the day is here to share this fun news with you! Neutrogena reached out and asked me to partner with them and share their Healthy Skin line! 

My immediate (and obvious) answer was YES! Number 1- the freezing cold temps and Christmas treats have taken a toll on my skin, so ummm duh! I'm more than happy to give some products in a line called Healthy Skin a try. And number 2- hello, it's Neutrogena! I have used and loved this brand for years, so of course I would love to try their products and share my thoughts with you! 

I have used their sunscreen, lip gloss, face wash, and makeup remover for as long as I can remember. However, all of the products they sent were new to me, so it has been so much fun experimenting with them!

Some fabulous news is that they gave me a code for you to get 25% off any makeup product from Neutrogena.com. Just type in code HEALTHYSKIN25 at checkout for your discount to be applied. And you can get free shipping with a $25 purchase. I'm not going to go in depth about all of the products in this line, but I wanted to share a couple of my favorites. 

1. Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup Foundation

Would you believe me if I told you I've never owned liquid foundation? It's the truth. They sent 3 colors for me to try, and shade Nude (40) was the perfect shade for me. I was always scared liquid foundation would feel really heavy and caked on my face. This stuff is very natural-looking and does not feel that way at all. It is a lightweight formula that contains SPF 20. So this makeup is actually better for your skin than wearing no makeup at all!

2. Moisture Smooth Color Stick

This color is a little different than the color I have been wearing lately, but I LOVE it! I used color Fresh Papaya (20), and it is unfortunately sold out on Neutrogena's website right now. However, it comes in 7 other colors that are currently stocked. You know how sometimes lipstick can feel like it is drying out your lips? This product does not do that. It is so moisturizing and smells amazing! I found it pretty neat that it is made with fruit extracts. Maybe that's why it smells so good.

As I mentioned, you can get 25% off at Neutrogena.com. However, if you'd prefer to shop at Ulta, they are offering buy one get one 50% off on the products pictured below!

Throughout my first 8 months of blogging, I have not felt like any brands who reached out were a good fit for me. There have been quite a few times where I have had to say no because I will only partner with brands that I truly love. So, as you can probably tell by now, my first partnership with Neutrogena has brought me so much joy! 

I am so grateful for YOU reading my post, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to partner with a brand I love! Can't wait to see where this crazy fun blogging adventure goes in 2018! And if you have any questions about any of the other products pictured above, feel free to message me. Or click here to check out Neutrogena's website yourself!

_____________________________________

I'm going to add one more thing to this post because several bloggers have messaged me asking how I decided which brands to say no to and why I finally said yes to a brand. As I mentioned earlier, I have not felt like any brands were the right fit for me until Neutrogena reached out.

Sure, it sounds fun to receive free products and get paid to share about them. AND I am a people pleaser and hate saying no! However, what is most important to me is keeping the trust of my readers. I would feel awful sharing products or brands that I cannot stand behind 100%. I only want to share products and brands that I truly love, and Neutrogena positively falls into that category!

I am so thankful to have you here! If you have any questions, I'd love to chat! Have a great day!

Winter Q&A

After the craziness of the Lilly sale, I'm excited to switch gears today and share a more personal post. I was tagged by my sweet friend Jennifer from Sincerely, Mrs. JMM to participate in this Winter Tag. It includes a fun list of questions- a couple are about the holidays, but most of them are winter related. 

Winter has definitely arrived, and I'm already ready to say goodbye to the frigid temps. However, Parker and I still have our Christmas decorations up, so I guess you could say we're not quite ready to part ways with the holidays just yet.  Orrrr we were home in Alabama for 2 weeks and hit the ground running when we got back to Southaven and haven't had the time to put them away. Regardless, I'm really excited about this Winter Q&A!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

My favorite holiday tradition actually begins before we head home for the holidays. Parker and I do our own Christmas before we travel to be with our families. We get dressed up and go to a fun Christmas dinner, drink some wine, and open our stockings (and the pups' stockings). It's always fun to have this time together before we head back to Alabama!

Outfit Details: Dress // Tights

What is your favorite go-to winter lip product?

My favorite winter lip product is actually my favorite lip product of the entire year. I cannot live without Blistex Lip Medex. I started using it in high school and have never found anything that compares. I linked a 3 pack on Amazon, but you can also find it at CVS and some Targets. I wrote more about it in this Three Things Thursday post. As you can tell from the picture below, I have quite a few and LOVE it!

What is your favorite winter scent?

Christmas tree! Parker and I stock up on Christmas tree candles when they go on sale after Christmas and burn them all year long! I'm not picky about where they come from. I love them all- Bath & Body Works, Anthropologie, Walmart... as long as it smells like a Christmas tree, we love it!

What is your go-to winter fashion trend?

Leggings and oversized sweaters! And sweatshirt dresses. Parker’s parents gave me this ruffle sweatshirt dress for Christmas, and it is going to be my new uniform! I clearly love all the comfy clothes!

Sweatshirt Dress, in grey // Similar Boots // Earrings

What is your all time favorite holiday tune?

All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey for my fun Christmas tune and Mary, Did You Know for my actual Christmas tune. This became my favorite when Jordan Smith sang it on The Voice!

Do you prefer to travel or stay home for the holidays?

I LOVE being home and enjoying our Christmas decorations, but we have to travel to be with our families. So I would have to say I prefer to travel because that is the only way we can be with our families. 

What is your favorite winter skin care must have?

I am very picky about lotion. I have honestly never loved it. However, it is obviously necessary for your skin, so I put a very light lotion on my face in the morning and at night. I used to only wear this Bobbi Brown hydrating face cream. However, I stumbled upon a really light Nivea lotion that is a tiny fraction of the price and works just as well! I linked it on Amazon, but you can find it at Target or basically any drug store.

What is your favorite winter hair care product?

I don't really use hair products, aside from shampoo and conditioner. I'm trying to teach myself to use dry shampoo, so I don't have to wash my hair every day. So I guess I would have to say Batiste dry shampoo. I do like this brand much better than the other brands I have tried.

What is your favorite winter activity?

Does sitting on the sofa with Parker (and the pups) and watching a movie count? I HATE the cold weather. 

Do you love or dislike the snow?

HATE.

What is one item on your wish list this year?

The item on my Christmas wishlist I was most excited about receiving was my new phone! My parents and Parker split it, and I could not be more grateful. I had been using my iPhone 6 since March of 2015, so this iPhone X camera is basically life changing. And a huge help for blog pictures! 

What is your favorite holiday treat?

Red velvet cake balls! Recipe here.

Do you finish your holiday shopping before December or are you a last minute shopper?

I think we finished close to the beginning of December this year. We have to order everything early to make sure it comes in before we head home for the holidays. 

Thanks again to Jennifer for the tag in this fun Q&A! You can read her answers here. I want to get more personal posts up this year, so this was a fun way to get started!

Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

SHOP THE POST:

Last of the Lilly Sale

Are you over the Lilly sale or still hoping for more items to be added to the site?! I don't exactly know how it's possible, but I feel like I fall in both categories. Yesterday was a *very* long day, but I only ordered 3 dresses, so I feel like I could still scoop up a couple more things if I find items that are to-die-for.

Today I'm going to share some reflections from yesterday, what I bought, and the cutest items that are still available. At 10:00 last night, everything in the "what is still available" section was fully stocked in just about every single size. I'm hoping everything's still available now!

Lilly Sale Reflection:

• This sale is always amazing, but I honestly think the August sale was better.
• Proof- I bought 10 items during the August sale and 3 items during this sale (so far). 
• The adrenaline rush is so real every single time I shop this sale, which I have been doing twice a year since 2015. You would think I'd be used to it by now. Nope, not the case. It is still SO exciting every time. Props to Lilly.
• The site loads much quicker when you view each page individually instead of clicking on See them all.
• As hard as it is to not buy everything in sight, I learned to only buy my absolute favorite things because new items will be added and this is real money that I'm using. Feeling super grateful for Christmas money.
• I need to try on some Lilly leggings, pants, and shorts next time I see them in real life. By doing this, I will know what size I wear in those styles for the next sale.
• It's important to shop for the following season to make sure you get your money's worth out of your purchases. For example, in the August sale, I focused on buying sweaters and cardigans so that I could wear them all fall and winter. In this sale, I focused on items I will be able to wear in the spring and summer. 

What I Bought:

What is Still Available:

So many fabulous things, like popovers, were added to the sale last night! I'm hoping the pieces I'm sharing below are still available in your size! 

And I'm actually editing this post today to add some more items that were added this morning! I have and love Lilly pj pants! And oh my goodness, I NEED a Lilly puffer vest!

Thanks so much for reading! I have a fun Q&A post coming at ya tomorrow, and I'm excited to share more of a personal post after 3 days of Lilly sale posts! Have a great day!

Lilly Pulitzer Sale Day is TODAY!

Today is the day! Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale day! I'm going to keep this brief, so you can click below and go straight to the sale! You will have to wait in a virtual line, and it can be intimidating. It may even say you are number 600,000 in line and your expected wait time is 2 hours. However, the line moves faster than they say, you will get through to the sale, and you will find amazing deals!

The sale went live at 7 am CST and will last though tomorrow at 11:59 pm. I clicked the link below from my phone AND laptop to better my chances of getting into the sale as fast as possible! It took me about 15 minutes on my phone and 30 minutes on my laptop. I've rounded up my favorites below! Items are selling out quickly.

And stay tuned because Lilly will be adding new styles to the sale, and I will update when this happens!

Click here to shop the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale!!!!!!!!

NEW ITEMS ADDED!

My Favorite Sale Items

Thanks so much for reading! I am so grateful for YOU and would love to hear what you score!! Happy shopping!!

Lilly Pulitzer Sale Details

One of my most favorite days of blogging happened during the last Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale. This fabulous sale happens twice a year- in August and January. I covered my first Lilly sale in August, which made this sale more fun than ever for me!

The sale is always a huge adrenaline rush, but blogging during the sale made it even more exciting because I got to talk to so many of you! Getting messages about the ridiculousness of the virtual line and what we scored was SO MUCH FUN! Like I have mentioned before, hearing from you is my favorite part about blogging, and this sale allowed me to do just that!

It seems like the August sale was just yesterday, and here we are preparing for the January sale. Time flies when you're having fun! Ok, moving onto the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale details. 

The item I have gotten the most use out of from the August After Party Sale= this Ramona sweater

What You Need to Know:

-This 2 day sale goes live TOMORROW!

-My blog post will go live at 6:00 AM tomorrow. I will have a direct link to the sale in my post. Click that as early as you can to be put in the virtual line.

-Lilly only has these sales twice a year. The discounts are huge, and people shop like crazy because of the rarity of Lilly markdowns.

-The items we put in our carts are not guaranteed to be ours until we check out. Shop and check out as quickly as you can to make sure your favorite things do not sell right out of your cart! 

-Lilly offers free shipping on all orders placed during the sale! It can take a while to get your orders though. I got one of my packages within a week, and the other one took over a month to get to me.  

-Purchases made during this sale are nonrefundable. It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the sale and order everything we see. The deals are truly unreal. However, we have to make sure we LOVE what we are ordering because we will not be able to return anything.

How to Prepare:

-Click here and then click Sign In in the top left corner to create an account or update any info that needs to be updated. By doing this now, you can save so much time when trying to check out tomorrow. (MOST IMPORTANT STEP!)

-Think about some things you're missing in your closet that you want to stock up on. In August, I was on the lookout for cardigans and sweaters because I was thinking about what my closet needed for the fall. And then on the second day of the sale, I went back for tanks to wear underneath the cardigans I purchased. This sale, I'm looking for tops and dresses to wear during the spring and summer. I also found a few beautiful sweaters that I would love to add to my wardrobe.

-Set your alarm and get multiple devices ready. I will be using my phone and laptop. In August, I got through the virtual line in less than 5 minutes on my phone, and I was stuck in line for over an hour on my laptop. 

-My post goes live at 6 AM. I will have a direct link to the sale in my post. Click that as early as you can to reserve your place in the virtual line!

-Feel free to message me with any questions you have! This sale brings me so much joy!

What I Want:

(AKA things that I would never be able to justify paying full price for and am really hoping are included in the sale.)

For 11 tips that Lilly offers to help you take advantage of their big sale, click here!

If you want to see what I scored during the sale in August, you can click here!

Be sure to check back tomorrow and get ready for the excitement of the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale!!! Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!

Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale

I didn't plan to have a blog post up until I got back to Southaven in January, but I have done so much research during this big Nordstrom sale that I decided to go ahead and share what I have found! I got some Nordstrom gift cards for Christmas, and there are some seriously amazing deals currently happening! Couldn't be a better time to use that Christmas money!!

I wore the outfit below while I was in Mobile, and I now want this top in every color! It's currently on sale for under $35! My shoes are not on sale, but they have been restocked. They are so comfortable! This outfit was perfect for a day of duck boating and walking around downtown Mobile! Ebie's moto leggings are also included in the sale. I have and love them too!

My Nordstrom Sale Picks

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Christmas Break + Weekly Recap

Christmas Break

I cannot believe I have been blogging for 8 months now. I have had an absolute blast, and I have also put in more hours of work blogging than I ever have with anything else in my life. I have heard other bloggers say I don't have a 9-5 job, I have a from-the-time-I-wake-up to the-time-I-go-to-sleep job. I have found this to be 100% accurate. 

It may not seem like that, but between creating and preparing actual content for the blog, keeping up with social media (Instagram is basically another job in itself), figuring out the back end of things (AKA technology, which is the very hardest part for me), taking pictures with my photographer (Parker), and a million other little things- it is A LOT. 

So I'm treating myself to a Christmas break. I will be doing behind the scenes things, such as preparing content for 2018, taking photos, and goodness knows I can't ever stay away from Instagram. However, I will not have my Monday - Friday blog posts until we get back to Southaven in January. I will be soaking up every last second with Parker, our pups, my family, my friends, Parker's family, and Parker's friends.

With all that said, I wanted to say I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and THANK YOU! Each like, comment, message, share, and kind word means the world to me. I am beyond grateful for you, and I am looking forward to the things 2018 brings for all of us!

Weekly Recap

Click here to view full post- A Fancy and Fun Holiday Outfit

Click here to view full post- Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas for Under $50*

*Click on any item below in the collage to be taken directly to the site!

Click here to view full post- Red Velvet Cake Balls

Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones!