Book Review: Georgia Bottoms

I had seen this book reviewed on Amazon awhile ago and pinned it to my "Books"board on Pinterest after it got my interest. Over a year later, I have finally been able to read it and I was a BIG fan!

It's a sassy and steamy book about Miss Georgia Bottoms of Six Points, Alabama. She has quite the love life and "rotation". I don't want to give too much of it away for those of you who will want to read it, but I definitely recommend it. 

Not a major literary work, but a fun, easy, light read--perfect for vacation! It's among the first for-pleasure books I've read in awhile (read: spring break-ish) and I really liked it. I actually read it during the flight home for Thanksgiving. It was a quick page-turner and had some big drama turning points in the story that were funny and wild. 

I'd put this book along the same lines as Dorothea Benton Frank books with a quirky Southern flair about a woman who you can't help but like! I want to look into reading some of Mark Childress' other books after picking up Georgia Bottoms now for sure!

xxKatie

Tailgate City, USA: The Spread

For the next few days, I'm kicking off this Tailgate City series!

Thanks to Swoozie's, we had a FULL tailgate spread over the weekend. The spread is the most important part to your tailgate. The spread is any and everything including tables, food, plates, cups, platters and everything in between!

Swoozie's sent us SO much fun Gamecock stuff! We had plenty to use, share, and keep using for the rest of the season!

Before we set up our official spread, I was playing around as we unpacked the car. Here's the best Heisman I could come up with with that HUGE Gamecock burlap football!

Not only did we have an awesome, full spread, but it was ALL Gamecock Gameday themed!

These buckets were a HUGE hit along with the Gamecock 1801 platters! Since it was LBP's birthday, I got some cupcakes that people enjoyed munching on all day long!

Ever seen a redneck wine glass? Our whole crew was sporting them all day!

Swoozie's even included a personalized one for me!

This was DEFINITELY the most fun I've ever had at a tailgate! I love being a Swoozie's Sweetheart and I can't wait to bring y'all more fun things as a partner with them!

MAJOR thanks to Swoozie's, Ashley with Swoozie's and the entire crew for helping me host, organize, and work our entire tailgate! Happy tailgate season y'all!!

xxKatie

Hibernation

Last week was crazy. 

I mean CRAZY. I don't think I've ever been so stressed in my life. There was so much going on, I was stunned. A few nearly sleepless nights, and cramming for tests and prepping for homecoming, BUT now it's over. 

I think I'm ready to hibernate. 

Instead of "Spring" I'd just like it to say January 7th. That way I'd be awake in time for my birthday--January 8th! I could primp and get all set and be ready for my birthday. 

I do, in a sense, feel like I'm about to hibernate though. All I have to do is make it through the end of the semester--through exams, finishing up group projects, and crossing the fall semester finish line. Then, I can take it easy for a month, end that month long break with my birthday and start (literally, the next day) the new semester feeling invigorated.

To all my fellow college readers, how many of you feel like you're ready to enter hibernation mode?

xxKatie

Carolina Keeps Callin' Me Home!

All I can think about is going to school on Sunday!

I'm starting to pack, say goodbyes, and make those last minute purchases for back to school! This song is a CONSTANT reminder of getting back to school and reuniting with all of my friends! I'm in the process of making visit plans for my friends who are at home to come see me and Momma and Daddyo will be back to see me about a month after classes start for the big Navy/USC game!!

It's just another song about missin' you

Like a phone call from my baby saying, "Honey I miss you like crazy"

Just like the sound of a siren's song

Oh Carolina ya keep calling' me home

Callin' me home!

xxKatie

PS: I'm off to get my hair cut today! Wish me luck!

Are You Ready to Be Smitten?

Smitten Magazine!

Smitten is the new "it" magazine for all things fabulous, wedding, and southern! What a triple threat, huh?!

From the fun, whimsical design to the amazing features in this "e-glossy" you can't help but flip on through!! I was lucky enough to read it on an iPad which was an even BETTER experience if you can even have one!

Chock full of fun inspiration you're bound to find something you love in this sweet little package! There are fun additions for brides, bridesmaids, wedding lovers and just the normal magazine browser. The site was so easy to use and "flip" through, it was a breeze to read. My favorite section(s) was all the different features on the individual brides from so many areas up and down the Southeast! 

These bios and fun snapshots of all the different brides were great fun!

Another one of my Charleston favorites, LulaKate was featured! 

You MUST head over to be Smitten!

xxKatie

Gameday Central: Smathers & Branson

So as the SEC child that I am, I'm excited for the first day of school as much as the next girl, but what I'm really most excited for is our FIRST GAMEDAY! Needless to say, I'm always always always looking for good gameday dresses, accessories, and general Gamecock stuff!! One of my favorite places to look for Gamecock stuff is Smathers and Branson! (They're a BIG deal in the SEC, as I'm sure any of my Southeastern Conference readers can attest to!)

I mean really, no matter WHO you root for, this is PERFECT! The neutral backing would go with literally everything in your closet!

Y'all know I'm a sucker for anything Garnet and Black. Of course this key fob is great for any current, future, or alum Gamecocks! Pop this badboy on your key ring and everyone already knows who you cheer on (and who ya don't...Clemson...or shall I say, the school-that-must-not-be-named?)

For the rest of my readers who aren't SEC guys (which how fun is this, a post for the boys!!) or gals, here are a few of my other favorite picks:

This Bonefish belt is my all time favorite needlepoint belt that S&B makes! It is so fun and whimsical and perfect for any guy out there!

This Elephants and Martini needlepoint belt is certainly more whimsical and fun! Fun fact: the martini glasses are actually silvery! SO fun--y'all know how much I like extras like that! Plus, let's be real, pink elephants enjoying cocktails...I'm all about it!

Now this pick is for the girls! This Houndstooth would be perfect to transition into fall! I can pair this with so many Gameday outfits!

How fun is this stuff! Perfect if you're a guy or a girl! Keep your eyes out for ANOTHER fun pairing with Smathers and Branson coming up soon!!

Anyone else out there S&B fans? Count me in!

xxKatie

Dorothea Benton Frank

Y'all, I love to read. I've said this before a million times, but this summer I've been able to really get into a few books and have most recently (meaning in the last 6-ish days) found such a fun writer: Dorothea "Dot" Benton Frank! On my second to last day at the beach I finished this book, Lowcountry Summer and definitely recommend it! Sweetly southern, fun, and a quick read, this book had everything I wanted to read about during the summer...AND made me majorly crave fresh biscuits and be back at Carolina!

I connected so much with the characters, most of which hail from Charleston, and some even go to USC! Dot often writes about Columbia, Charleston, Folly Beach and a few other South Carolina hot sports! All the titles are different places in South Carolina or topics related to SC. Everytime I would read about USC I'd flat out squeal on the beach. This writing reads just like she's talking to you with funny asides and comments about characters.

Two days ago I started Bulls Island and I'm about 90 pages in. This one is far more dramatic but still has a lot of the charm and wit that Lowcountry Summer had too! Momma found it hardcover for just $7 while we were at the beach and I wasn't about to let it go! We also picked up another book, but it immediately took the backseat to Dot book #2! 

Ever read a DBF book? I'm a new fan but can't WAIT to read more!!

xxKatie

Weekly Gratitude

In my not-so-busyness of being at the beach, it seems that I'm a day behind for my weekly gratitude!

1. I am thankful that I was able to come out to the beach for 4 days! This rules!
2. I am thankful for ROCKING my summer classes and as a bit of a reward my Momma treating me to these babies that should be awaiting my arrival at home tomorrow:

3. I am thankful for Shop It To Me's reward program because I'm getting FREE SHOES! What's better than ordering free shoes? The shoes arriving of course! I'm expecting these espadrilles coming soon (and with free shipping!) from Piperlime:

4. I am thankful for the week off that my hair got as well. No straightening it, no blow drying, just salty air, sand, sun and the elusive, natural, air dry. I'm thinking about getting my hair cut soon but having this super long hair has been really fun! Tough decision...

5. I am thankful for AmazonPrime. If y'all haven't signed up for it and you're a student, YOU NEED TO. It's free and you get free shipping on so much stuff. Besides my Momma ordering those boots with my AmazonPrime account, I ordered a few DVD's with it and they were all shipped FREE! Seriously look into it. Now.

6. I am thankful for Burt's Bees Lip Balm. Big time. This stuff works real wonders. I got some of my topical face gel on the tippy top of my upper lip and this stuff has really helped to heal it! This girl is ADDICTED.

7. I am thankful for some of my new purchases that I've made recently. Recap to come soon. Summer shopaholic? Not exactly. Getting close? Maybs, but a lot of it has been FREE! I heart free stuff as much as the next college kid!

8. I am thankful that my FAHBULOUS manicure from last week has lasted ALL week long with only minor bumps and scratches to speak of. Manicure win thanks to Bella Salon in Annapolis!

9. I am thankful for the beyond perfectly perfect beach weather that I got to share with Momma (and Daddyo for a day) all this time at the beach! I'm talking warm weather, no humidity, beach breeze kind of perfectly perfect. Yeah, that JUST happened.

10. I am SO THANKFUL THAT I GET TO GO BACK TO COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA IN 1 MONTH! 1704, GAMECOCKS, VC + UA, DENSE SC AIR, SUN, FOOTBALL, FABULOUS FRIENDS I MISS SO MUCH, AND ROOMMATES, HERE I COME!

xxKatie

Jack Rogers Goes Collegiate

 I HAD to squish this post in instead of my regularly scheduled one! (Doesn't that sound like a TV interruption...?)

Jack Rogers has gone Collegiate!!

I'm lucky enough to have a specialty shoe store called "Good for the Sole" in Columbia, SC walking distance from campus that has actually been selling these shoes for awhile! I am SO SO SO excited to see that they'll be much more widely available for Gamecocks and fellow Jack-loving college girls  everywhere!

Looks like Jack Rogers will be cheering on the: 

Auburn Tigers/UVA Cavaliers/Syracuse Orangemen

South Carolina Gamecocks/Georgia Bulldawgs/NC State Wolfpack

Virginia Tech Hokies 

Elon University Phoenix/University of Maryland Terps/FSU Seminoles/ASU Sundevils

ECU Pirates/Washington Huskies/Furman Paladins/TCU Horned Frogs

LSU Tigers/James Madison Dukes

Princeton Tigers/Idaho State Vandals

North Carolina Tarheels/Columbia University Bears

I am just SO excited for this college line!! Who else is?!

xxKatie

It's Great to be a Gamecock!

Since the 4th of July is officially over, it's time to look forward to MY next holiday in 60 days exactly. That, my friends, is you guessed it: the KICKOFF FOR FOOTBALL SEASON 2011! The football team has released a bunch of AWESOME videos just like this one on the website:

It has gotten me OH-SO-EXCITED to see what this season has in store! For the Navy vs. USC game, Mom and Dad are even going to pay me a little (awesome) visit to hang out and see what a real football game is like!

60 days from today, my favorite team and YOURS, the Carolina Gamecocks against East Carolina to be in Charlotte, NC!

I cannot wait to be donning my best black dress, with this fabulous crossbody, my favorite platinum Jacks, and sunglasses! This is my next holiday and I cannot cannot cannot WAIT until College Football Season is upon us!!!

xxKatie

(P.S. Mom I know your birthday is between now and football season--don't worry, I didn't forget, that's REALLY the next holiday :) xoxo)

HAPPY 1 YEAR: Aly and Aldy

Two of my BEST friends and favorite people are celebrating their first anniversary and I couldn't be more excited. I have been storing this up for some sort of honor for them for I don't know HOW long (Aly, this was more intended for the speech before the wedding, but I just can't resist. I've literally been holding onto this quote for MONTHS.)

In the words of famous guido, gorilla-juice-head, Ronnie, "Never fall in love at the Jersey Shore."

 

  Little Jersey Shore

- Watch more Funny Videos at Vodpod.

I couldn't find the REAL clip, so "Little Jersey Shore" will have to do--if you haven't seen this it is pretty funny! To catch my Ronnie quote, wait until the very end!

This one's for you Aly and Aldric--for making us ALL believe that Ronnie couldn't ever be more wrong.

I am SO proud to call y'all my friends and I look forward to making more Pretty Boy Swag videos in your honor. "Dis..right...here..." I'll let you two fill in the rest! Here's to your first year and many many more my friends! Sending y'all one HUGE hug from the third member of your relationship and you know it!

xxKatie

Can Someone Help This Girl Out?

About a month ago a girl walked into the store with the best croakies I've ever seen:

I am obsessed! I can't seem to track them down ANYWHERE though! I even emailed Chums yesterday to inquire where I might be able to find these. My new Harpoon sunglasses from Costa del Mar are just CALLING for these!

In the meantime, I've settled on finding red Chums for my pair which are proving to be nearly as hard to find in person. I may just resort to buying them online, but I'd much rather walk out of a store with my new goodies in hand, just that kind of shopper! Effectively I'd be wearing these:

I love the red for summer but also may end up buying a Navy pair since they'd probably match more or another Palmetto pair like the ones I already have from OOPS. 

Has anyone ever seen these before? In the midst of searching for all of these, I had the brilliant idea of a Port/Starboard combination! This, however, I believe hasn't been created yet. 

I know they're also Christmas colors, but most avid sailors/people who live in a sailing town (like me) would know what this really means! Just a thought for all those fabulous sunglass retailers out there!!

xxKatie

Beach Bound: The Best Company in the World

When traveling to the beach, you think of all  your packable essentials: Costas, toothbrush, phone, sunscreen, phone charger, iPod, books, towel, hat, bathing suit--if you forgot everything else, you'd still be in good shape! However, another essential isn't packable. You GOTTA surround yourself with fabulous beach buddies in order to properly enjoy the beach. Although today is our last day of our Bethany Beach vacation, my dad and I are headed home. For the first time in awhile, this trip to the beach was just me and the fam, naturally I surrounded myself with the best beach buddies out there!

Like I said, Dad and I had to pop home because I have to go back to school and work and he's a workin' man too. Today ALLLLSO just so happens to be Father's Day! So happy Father's Day Daddyo! (PS: This is among my favorite pictures of us--matching in our favorite crab-wear!)

I wish we were staying later but it's back to the real world for us! In our place, my mom and my sister will get to spend time in the beach house with my grandmother and one of my mom's sister's so they'll still be in absolutely wonderful beach company! We've even nicknamed the perch atop our 3rd floor of the house Nan's perch so it's only necessary that she's returning up there!

I'm a big fan of taking friends to the beach too! Just over 2 months ago, as y'all know, I went to the beach with a big group of friends for a fraternity event:

Here was our house! And what a fun group we were! I've brought out many different friends to our house in Bethany through the years and they've certainly enjoyed the break!

A HUGE part of a good beach trip is the company you surround yourself with. A funny beach sign I've seen says, "You never know how many friends you have until you own a beach house!" 

xxKatie

Beach Bound: Goin' Costa!

In the words of the beach doctor himself, Kenny Chesney, I'm goin' coastal! About two weeks ago, one of my absolute favorite brands out there, Costa del Mar contacted me about their new line of sunglasses for ladies! Here are their newest 4 pairs:

As y'all know, I'm a huge fan of Costa del Mar! I have a pair of their larger sunglasses (I wish I known all these ones were coming out!) called "Isabela" in a tortoise frame! I'm LOVING those Hammock ones...I think Costa is channeling their inner Jackie O., right?! All these new glasses feature a bigger eye, a lightweight nylon frame and UV protection embedded in the lens. 

The "Little Harbor" mentioned above even has a design for Kenny Chesney--our man of the hour!

Good, UV blocking, polarized sunglasses are a MUST when heading to the beach! They make it easier to see, easier to read and just more pleasant to sit around and relax with! I'll be taking two pairs of glasses with me on my trip (and they typically travel in every bag with me too!):

My brand new Harpoon 580G on my fabulous new Lilly croakies!

My tried-and-true Isabela 400P glasses that I adore! This is a great pair for girls to check out if you're in the market for fashionable and great quality sunglasses! You can see how many times I've used them in my Polyvore sets--too many for Polyvore to show on one page! They live on a pair of pink Chums with teeny tiny palmetto trees on it!

Case in point, don't leave your house to go to the beach without great new sunglasses! Give my friends over at Costa some love! 

What are your favorite sunglasses? Do you have any Costa's that you recommend?

xxKatie

My Next Roadtrip/Vacay: Cape Cod, MA

It's BOOKED ladies and gents! I'm off to Cape Cod for the beginning of August! I'm visiting a friend who's interning for the farm team baseball leagues! Summer Catch anyone?

I can't wait to head up to New England for a few days!

It is going to be so much fun to head out there! I've never been to Cape Cod before so it'll be great! cRc will be a local by then and more than able to give me a tour! 

I hope I see a lot of these...

Even more of these...

And a ton of this SPECIFIC shade of red. Anyone out there can name it? (PS, are we loving that belt? Yep, gave it to Daddyo as a Christmas giftaroo!)

Just last year I was in the planing stages of THIS roadtrip which turned out to be a huge, massive raving success! To Aly and Aldy expect an anniversary shoutout y'all! I expect nothing less from this roadtrip as well!!

Can anyone name the color I'm thinking of? It's a destination themed color...that's a big hint!!

xxKatie

Meet the Team!

Head on over to your favorite bridal vendor guide and mine, Bayside Bride today to meet the team! We're officially official and I couldn't be prouder! We had a photo shoot last week (I've been DYING to show y'all the pictures) with most of the interns and all the pictures were taken by Natalie of Natalie Franke Photography and Krista of Krista A. Jones Photography! We had a blast all afternoon and I couldn't be more excited to be working with everyone!

Here we are! From left, Blakely, Mia, and me!

This one is one of my favorites of the whole shoot! It was fun to see all of our different takes on "Bayside Bride" and the color scheme in our outfits. They were varied but still had a fun cohesiveness that looked good together!

Here we are rocking out Bayside Bride "uniforms"!! Let your love set sail...

Some of you might have seen this one on facebook in B&W!

This is another one of my favorites! 

We had such a great spot--so many different locations to choose from and still in the same neighborhood park! Lucky us!!

I am SO proud to call myself and intern for Bayside Bride! I cannot wait to see what it turns into and work with everyone else! June certainly seems to be heading in the right direction!

xxKatie

Tush Push Time!

I was thinking about school and shagging and Beach Weekend (Steph and Tori, I'm not sure if you read this, but remember?! Trying to teach the boys??) the other day and remembered a very fun dance that was slightly part of all 3! This dance, called "The Tush Push" is a line dance we learned at Jillian's! It was hard to track down EXACTLY the same one we learned, but 100% this is spot on!



These guys break it down so it's easy to learn (I even feel better about my skills)! It is such a fun dance to do and you can do it to modern/pop/country songs! I love that! Adding the Tush Push to my wedding playlist is a definite! It was a fun way to get everyone up and dancing and was easy to learn since you do everything in 4 counts! Anyone else know how to do the Tush Push? I am speaking for most of the girls in my class who learned how to do it (and at least for Molly, Colleen and I) and can say that we LOVE it!

Put on those dancin' shoes now! Grab a friend and pull a "Something Borrowed Push It" moment and learn the Tush Push in a few minutes!

xxKatie

P.S.: Happy June y'all!

Outfit of the Day: Wearing My First Rue La La Purchase!

May 28 by letsbepreppy featuring large handbags

This was my first ever purchase from RLL! I was so excited when I bought it because I had $40 worth of credit to my account so the dress was only $30--what a steal! I took the full price tags off today (down from $248!) with the best sense of accomplishment! I was so excited to wear it to work and it was the perfect outfit for a hot day. I love the combo of the orange with the gold accessories and it will be a fun summer dress I can enjoy for a long time.

At school I had the hem dropped after a twitter request to all of my lovely followers native to Columbia, SC. After inquiring who was a good, experienced women's tailor who had good knowledge of dressy items, I was referred by 2 highly knowledgeable Columbia ladies to Jackie's on Forest Drive. Not only did they know the hot-spot and the go-to for tailoring, but the shop was full of expensive formal dresses so I knew I was in adept hands. I love this dress--and even more now that the hem is at a better length for me!

Happy Memorial Day weekends y'all!

xxKatie