Bursts of Pink!

I'm a junk food junkie. Through and through. I love snacks, candy, chips, all of it! I especially like jelly beans. 

Jelly beans are often elusive, especially when it's not Easter season! Many years ago, circa my middle school years, I discovered Jelly Belly Cotton Candy pink jelly beans. As soon as I mention "cotton candy" I'm sure most people gag. I actually think cotton candy is a misnomer. Being the self-proclaimed candy connoisseur that I consider myself, I believe that these would much more aptly be named "Pink". 

If you could embody the flavor of pink and yummy, it is this jelly bean! Even my mom agreed with the flavor. I've gotten TONS of my friends and co-workers on board with the Jelly Belly Cotton Candy jelly beans!

My sister, knowing how much I love these jellies, got my a redneck wine glass filled to the BRIM with pink jelly beans! It was one of my favorite gifts. She adorned it with the best pink and green ribbons and raffia and it just screamed "Katie"! I've managed to limit myself to only a few every so often so that they'll last me as long as possibly while I'm here at school.

Does anything say "pink" to you like these jelly beans do for me? What are you favorite candies?

xxKatie

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2012!

(This photo is our Christmas card picture this year! I figured you were probably wondering why it's not red and green with a Christmas tree in the background!)

Enjoy your holiday with family, friends, and loved ones! I will be thankful that we are all safe, sound, and snug together for the holiday season this year. It is certainly a time of reflection and relaxation and also important to remember the special reason for the season. 

Let your Christmas overflow with love, happiness, appreciation and a full heart today!

xxKatie

Merry Christmas Eve!

Tonight is when my family does a lot of our celebrating! We'll head to mass around 6, have a late dinner (plus my grandparents now that they've arrived in town!) and head to bed to get snuggely before Santa comes. This is one of the pictures we snagged last year!

We all get a dressed up for Christmas Eve mass and dinner. My Christmas outfit will consist of the following:

Lilly Pulitzer Mallory dress that I snagged on a HUGE sale this summer!

My gold circle monogram necklace

Libby Edelman Booties

Last but not least, my Old Navy ruffle coat (which is now like 1/2 price!!)

Does your family do a big night for Christmas Eve or Christmas or both? What party frock will you be donning for the big day?

xxKatie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Thanks for always being there for us! We are the luckiest fam to have you as our Dad and fearless leader! I can't wait to see you in a few days and celebrate the real way!

xxKatie

The Dry Season

I'm not referring to weather, but instead hair!

Does you hair get so dry in the winter? I usually really struggle with blow-drying my hair since my hair is so thick, and then it never really looks the way I'd hoped and it takes me 45 minutes just to get it dry.

I had a great hair dryer, it was one I got before I went to college and from Target, and it worked well, but it really lost a lot of it's kick compared to when I had originally purchased it. Recently, Misikko sent me a brand new hair dryer!

I have never used a hair dryer like this one! 

When I say it takes me 45 minutes to dry my hair, that's after it's been air drying for awhile. I would post a picture or video, but y'all would get bored it takes me so long. I also am NOT skilled with a round brush, so it's probably a little inefficient on my end, but this Misikko hair dryer has totally transformed the way I do my hair! It has cut it in half AT LEAST and makes getting ready so much better and faster.

My mom is the QUEEN of blow drying and always has the perfect technique and set of brushes. Even she signed off on this hair dryer! She wants to get one herself! I'm telling you, her blow dryer seal of approval is HUGE. I bought her one last year for Christmas that she never used because it wasn't powerful enough and she signed off on this one. 

I use this dryer on the highest heat setting with the fastest air and it is perfect. At the very end of my blow dry sesh, I blast the cool air for a little to cool my head off and help seal my hair--I read somewhere (where...hmm...not sure...?) that cool air is good at the end for your hair follicles. It takes me so much less time and is definitely a dryer worth checking out!

xxKatie

Mother Daughter Day-te

Yesterday my Mom and I spent the day walking around Charleston since she came down for the weekend! We had a blast checking out everything that Charleston had to offer and even felt like we knew our way around since it was neither of our first time there!

We got to Charleston and went to the open market by the Daughters of Confederacy Museum. After we worked up an appetite, we went to Amen Street for lunch! It came highly recommended after my parents ate there last time they were in town!

In an area chock-full (or perhaps, Chuck-full) of history, this place didn't seem to disappoint with it's own historical story. It even filled up with Gamecock fans getting ready for the game as we left!

We shopped our tails off looking for interview and business clothes for me--it was a lot harder than we thought! Other highlights included:

St. Phillip's Church 

My goal was to get the best Charleston gate shot too!

Strolling toward the water and waterfront park

We certainly had a great day and returned to Columbia full-bellied and happy campers! My wonderful visitor is here until Monday which I'm sure will come too soon as family visits ALWAYS do!

Don't you just love a quick, rather spontaneous, day trip? I sure do!

xxKatie

"In the Still of the Night..."

"In the Still of the Night" is one of my favorite songs from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack AND the way that I traveled to Auburn, AL last night!

After work, I had the bright idea of going to Auburn since my sister said that it was a "ghost town" for the long weekend. I remember those weekends when no one was around as being among the most lonely, so I got in my car and drove the 5 hours to Auburn, Alabama! 

We have done all kinds of fun touristy things today!

Happy September y'all! Enjoy your long weekend!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Just Add Lemon

I love white pants. I am TRYING TRYING TRYING to wear them as much as possible before they're deemed "unfashionable" for fall. Although, I do believe that South Carolina deserves an extension because it stays so hot here!

Anyway, I wore this outfit a few days ago to work! It was actually the first time I ever wore these wedges. I have a few aunts who all live around NYC and they send me shoes that they decide they don't like anymore. This includes Stuart Weitzman woven heels, Frye boots, and this ROCKIN' pair of over the knee boots. Perks of having tall relatives with big feet! Usually these shoes are only worn a few times before I get them! Can you say lucky?! 

These wedges were one of those hand-me-downs! They're Tommy Hilfiger and they have the tiniest bit of lurex in the linen! I'm not sure why I haven't worn them before, and my boss even told me that I looked great that day which always feels good! I was also able to rock my new Target watch that I am LOVING!

The top I'm wearing has fish and sea animals all over it. It is one of my favorite prints and has the name "Just Add Lemon":

HOW CUTE IS THAT?!

The blue cardigan matched the blue perfectly so I had to add it in the end!

xxKatie

Care Packages: To Auburn With Love

I'm sending an awesome sister package to my little sister down at Auburn in the next few days!

This PERFECT Gameday necklace and another one from Bauble Bar are part of it!

When I saw this Amanda Catherine Designs set, I knew it would be ideal for our Aubie girl!

There are a few other pieces on their way, but I can't spoil the entire surprise!

What do y'all like to include in your little packages like these? Snacks? Stuff? Silly things?

Any last minute suggestions for me?

xxKatie

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!

To the best, most supportive Mom, I am SO SO SO happy I can celebrate with you today!

I love you!

xxKatie

Desk & Decor

Meet the home of my new desk:

Sorry it's bad quality--it was a Mupload!

I got this desk from WalMart:

So far it's GREAT and I love it! I put it together on my own and I am pretty proud of it! (I wish I could say the same thing about the WalMart dresser I'm about to return...)

Up until Friday, my two frames were empty! Using CVS's photo service and a coupon code I was able to order 2 11x14 posters to add to my room! I used these two photos:

This one is from my 21st birthday and one of my favorites!

Of course I had to add one of me and my sister to the collection too!

It made my desk and room feel A TON more home-y and me. I am really excited with the way it turned out!!

Now all I have to do is find a good dresser--which I'm happy to take suggestions for!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Summer Seersucker, Sails, and Scents

June 16 by letsbepreppy featuring leather sandals

I love summer because it means white shoes, seersucker (horrible but very funny typo: I OFTEN accidently type "seersucket" ahhhh!) and nautical sails and shapes! The Buttercup shorts I have in the pink seersucker from Lilly from this summer are at the top of my list a lot! I love these shorts! My only regret is that I wish I got the size smaller (I'm always between two sizes) size because mine have stretched a little, typical of seersucker, I shoulda known! The Paley cardigan is also one of my favorites and my Mom actually has it too! We tend to have a lot of similar things in our closets!

Everywhere in South Carolina during the summer seems to jack up the AC to keep everyone cool when it's so hot outside, so I've been bringing a cardigan with me everywhere I go! I probably look crazy at work to everyone who comes in to shop, but we actually get chilly--can you believe I'm even saying that!?

I also have just been using my wallet recently, all my bags seem to be too big or too heavy for summer, so I've just been grabbing the essentials before I head out the door: phone, wallet, keys and sunglasses and I'm good to go for the day! It's simple and easy--just like the summer months!

My summer go-to fragrance is "Beachy" by Lilly Pulitzer a few years ago!

While it has been discontinued by the company who was manufacturing it (they went out of business) you can still find it online (eBay, perfume outlets, etc.) and even at some TJMaxx's and Marshall's! Whenever I see a bottle of Beachy I snag it while I can--it's perfect for summer and lasts even if it's REALLY hot out!

What are your summer S's? Mine are seersucker, sails and scents!

xxKatie

My Next Roadtrip: Annapolis, MD

On Wednesday, I'm headed home for a quick trip for my sister, Grace's, prom!

This was us at her junior prom last year!

I am SO excited to see her all dolled up again this year! It'll be hard to top her fabulous look last year, but her dress this year is an absolute knock-out, just like her! I don't want to spoil the surprise, but her dress is AMAZING!! 

I can't believe my baby sister is going to her FINAL prom! I remember it like this:

The Rudder babies a million years ago!

I also will be reunited with all these lovely ladies:

I can't wait to go home and see my family and sister for her special day before she graduates!! I'll be back in sunny SC before I know it, the summer is already moving too too fast!!

xxKatie

Playlist: Bowl So Hard

So I made my own adaptation of the Jay-Z and Kanye song just for the bowl game! I'm officially on my way by the time that y'all will be reading this!

Here's my Capital One Bowl Game Playlist:

(Warning: this is a pump-up playlist after all, beware of some lyrics!!)

1. My Time by Fabolous and Jeremih

2. My Kinda Party by Jason Aldean

3. Carolina by Eric Church

4. All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled 

5. On to the Next One by Jay-Z 

6. "Ball So Hard" by Jay-Z and Kanye West (that's not the real name...)

7. Bang Bang Pow Pow by T-Pain featuring Lil' Wayne

8. Dixie Lullaby by Pat Green

9. Love in a College Town by Luke Bryan

10. Good Morning by Chamillionaire 

11. Get Buck in Here by DJ Felli Fel

12. Rock Out With You Gamecock Out by Dinobrite Productions

13. You Be Killin' 'Em by Fabolous 

14. If You Ain't Here to Party by Luke Bryan

15. This is Why I'm Hot by Mims

I'm not 100% sure if you'll be able to hear the Gamecock song or not, but check out the rest of the playlist here on Spotify! (Shout out to whoever suggested I start posting my playlists!!! Kudos!)

xxKatie

Roadtrippin'

The rest of my break is pretty much scheduled and set! With the exception of 3 days until I go back to school, I will be in states other than MD! Today we leave to go see my Mom's side of the family in New York. We'll be there today and the next three days.

This picture was taken a million years ago, but this is the older half of the cousins that we'll be seeing!

I have about half of the day on the 30th, all of the 31st and then the next day, at 7am I leave for Orlando for the Capital One Bowl to cheer on the Carolina Gamecocks!

Miss Colleen and I will be some of the Gamecock fans traveling to see the Gamecocks in their last game of the 2011 season! I can't wait to see them for the last time as a junior!!

I get back around noon on the 3rd, and I will be leaving for school most likely on the 5th or 6th (can you believe we're already talking about JANUARY!?) to head back down to South Carolina! 

Then I'll be so lucky as to be reunited with THIS crew for my big day shortly after that!! I can't wait to see them again and celebrate my birthday!

When does everyone else go back to school? I'm definitely on the earlier side of things!!

xxKatie

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Happy Birthday Daddyo!

I'm sorry we couldn't be in the same state to celebrate it, but I can't WAIT until we can once I'm back! 

xxJR Junior

Visitors!

I seriously think my apartment has had more visitors this semester than any other or all others combined! It's so much fun to be the college that everyone roadtrips to and that they come to for games!!

See that bottom row? I'm on the left, and the rest of the bottom row, we'll they're on their way to visit me! Us three are the oldest of all the cousins and both Ryan and Samantha have now graduated college!

Samantha is in the middle and Ryan is on the right! They are both en route from New York to come to Columbia to the USC/Florida game! 

I can't remember the last time that Ryan, Samantha and I were all in the same place so it should be a fun time to have some visitors! 

I'm looking forward to a mini-family reunion!

xxKatie

Weekly Gratitude

1. I am thankful for my family and their welcoming me with open arms at home!

2. I am thankful for my close friends who I was able to reconnect with if only for a few days!

3. I am thankful for my FAB new bracelet! It's kind of an identity bracelet but not the typical kind: it's pink AND a giraffe...talk about my identity! I'm a big Fornash fan!

4. I am thankful for the ease and speed of traveling in and out of Charleston. It was a breeze and really makes a HUGE difference in traveling back home.

5. I am thankful for my new phone battery (did I say this last week?) because it's making a huge difference. Now if the Blackberry system could catch up with patching the holes!

6. I am thankful that I got to spend time with my Grandparents. Our snowbirds were on their way from outside Augusta, Maine down to  Zephyrhills, Florida!

7. I am thankful that Annapolis is the best haven for clearing my mind. Fall break seems to always give me a new perspective and allow me to wrap up the semester with a better attitude. 

8. I am thankful that I'm back in Columbia and very luckily have no tests this week! What a great feeling.

9. I am thankful for everyone's kind words yesterday and this entire time with all my big news! Y'all are the best.

10. I am thankful that I'm past the midpoint of the semester, as are most of my college followers! Here's to ringing in the rest of the tests, quizzes, projects and everything else we tackle during the rest of the semester!

xxKatie

A House Divided

My sister is in town for the USC/Auburn game this weekend!

She very may well be an Auburn Tiger in a few months, so this weekend we are quite the house divided! While she'll be donning her garnet and black garb this weekend, I think she's probably pulling for the Auburn Tigers (thankfully it's not those other Tigers that we will NOT be naming!) just this one game!

I am so excited for our little mini-competition and can't wait to have a great day at the game tomorrow!

GO GAMECOCKS!

xxKatie

P.S.: Happy October y'all!

Reunited and It Feels SO GOOD!

MY PARENTS GET TO SOUTH CAROLINA TODAY!!!!

I have to point out the irony of the facebook event created for the USC vs. Navy game...Navy...Cockpit...not as funny of a joke!!!

Anyway, my smack-talking parents get into town today! After the USC/UGA game my dad sent me a text, "Congrats on the win. 2-1 after next week," and then my mom sent a package full of Navy swag! I cannot wait to see my parents around 6:00-6:30 today! All of my friends know how excited I am to see them and most of my friends have gotten to meet my parents! 

Of all the Navy/USC debate points and smack-talking that's been going on, I do have to admit this is my favorite tidbit I've seen so far:

Unfortunately, my sister won't be making it down for the game! I miss her oh so much but she will be visiting when the Gamecocks take on Auburn in about 2 weeks. 

I am so excited to see my Momma and Daddyo and cheer on the Gamecocks! We will be QUITE the house divided!!

xxKatie