SBC Day 30: 30 Things about Me

Y'all!! I made it!! Whoop whoop!!

Okay. 30 random facts about myself.

1. I like to read my favorite books over and over.
2. I love old movies and TV shows.
3. My favorite color (at this point in my life) is Tiffany blue.
4. I love strawberry Toaster Strudel.
5. I'm a PK (Preacher's Kid).
6. I'm addicted to having half and half in my coffee.
7. I don't like a lot of vegetables. Yes I may as well be a 11 year old. Peas are the devil.
8. I like any type of fruit.
9. I hate running.
10. I've been to England, Canada, Mexico, and several states in the U.S.
11. I want to travel the world.
12. I love singing.
13. I love country music.
14. I also love the classic music... Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald...
15. I can sing any song by the shape notes (Do, Re, Mi...)
16. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book.
17. I have been drinking coffee since I was 6 months old. It's true. Ask my parentals.
18. Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant make me happy.
19. I love monograms.
20. I am a little obsessed with Kate Middleton.
21. I love Downton Abbey.. and I am already watching Season 5 online even though it isn't in the US yet. Hee hee!
22. I want to meet Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Yes I know it's just a TV show. But it'll never seem that way to me.
23. I hate cats.
24. I love Disney.
25. I love polka dots.
26. My dad's side of the family is HUGE and we all get together at my Mamaw's house on Thanksgiving and Christmas... Once you get a spot on the floor, you don't move. You can't. Or else you get squooshed. But it's awesome!
27. I like to go to the library and just walk up and down the aisles looking at the books.
28. I was born in South Carolina.
29. My grandmother taught me many things, including how to make jelly and jam. It's a dying art.
30. I want to be an inspiring teacher. I want students to take my classes and discover the beauty and magic of literature for themselves.

SBC Celebrity Crushes + Happy Things + Favorite Foods

I may or may not have several celebrity crushes. 

1. Cary Grant

Yes I know he is dead. But he's Cary Grant... There will never be another one like him. (Swoon!)

2. Liam Hemsworth

Hello, dahling.

3. Chris Evans (AKA Captain America)

Captain America is the best. He's good-looking, AND he was from the 1940s era, AND he saves the world. Can't get much better than that.

Ten things that make me the happiest:

1. Mexican food

2. Pretty jewelry

3. Manicures and pedicures

4. Coffee

5. Red lipstick

6. Cooking

7. Taking the makeup off at the end of the day

8. My puppy dog, Scout

9. Doing nothing on days off

10. Yoga pants

Five favorite foods:

1. Pretty much anything Mexican. I know. I'm a bit obsessed.

2. Chicken pasta (Chicken alfredo, Spicy chicken, it doesn't really matter)

3. Tirzmisu. This stuff is fabulous. I could probably eat it until I die.

4. Chocolate chip waffles

5. Steak 

SBC: What I'm Reading + Hobbies

Right now I am reading Lauren Graham's first novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe. I love Lauren Graham (She was Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, one of my top favorite TV shows of all time!) This book is about Franny, a wannabe actress who is trying to make it in New York City. I'll let y'all know how it turns out!

Here is the link to the book on Amazon.

Top 5 Hobbies:

1) Playing the piano.

2) Eat. Yes it is a hobby. And a good one at that, thank you very much.

3) Cook.

4) Read.

5) Pinterest.

SBC Day 24

Favorite form of exercise and why

Those of you who know me personally know this post is hilarious when it concerns me. I DON'T run. I DON'T exercise. It's sad. But I really like walking. I walk to and from school every day, which is about 2 miles all together. It is very enjoyable to me, especially now that it is getting cooler. I used to be very faithful to the gym and I would walk on the treadmill watching TV for over an hour. Most people think it is boring but I find it relaxing. So I guess that qualifies as my favorite form of exercise! :)

SBC Day 23: Things you want to learn how to do

1. Learn how to play the piano better. I play pretty well now but I would like to just be able to sit down and play anything.

2. Learn how to ballroom dance. Dancing used to be so beautiful, now it's just gross sometimes.

*Fun quote: "Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." 

3. Learn how to decorate cakes/cupcakes.

SBC Day 21 & 22

Day 21: Outfit of the day... Y'all are gonna love this outfit. I don't have a picture. Haha. Yet another typical college student outfit. Reppin the Mississippi Independent Pharmacy Association by wearing a MIPA t-shirt. Blue jean capris. Yellow box flip flops. Let me add that it feels AMAZING outside!!! Not too much longer until we get to bring out the boots, scarves, and sweaters!!!

Day 22: Songs that you have on repeat
1. "American Kids" by Kenny Chesney
2. "Somethin' Bad" by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood
3. "My Eyes" by Blake Shelton
4. "Meanwhile Back at Mama's" by Tim McGraw
5. "Dirt" by Florida Georgia Line

Told y'all I love country music! :)
Happy Monday!

SBC Day 19 & 20

I went home this weekend so I did not really take time to post.

Day 19: Favorite sites/blogs

One of my favorite blogs is one my friend writes! You can find it here!

One of my favorite sites.... is Pinterest. It's addictive. Here's the link to my Pinterest page!


Day 20: A cause you're passionate about

I don't know if you would call it a "cause" but I am very passionate about singing. I love old fashioned shape note singing, which is a style of teaching music that is almost dying out. I would encourage anyone who loves music to go to a singing school to learn this fabulous music!

SBC Day 18: Thankful Thursday

It is so ironic that the post for today is about thankfulness. This week I have been wanting to do a post about how thankful I am for my life and all the blessings of it. I am thankful for the unseen hand of God that has led me through my whole life. I am thankful for parents who raised me in church and who love me and want the best for me. I am thankful for my family; I do not know where I would be without them.

I am so blessed to have such special friends. I have many friends, but I have 3 extremely close ones who I know will never leave me. We have been blessed to be very close all through grade school and high school and now college. Though we are separated by different colleges, we can always pick up exactly where we left off. When one of us has a hard time or has a difficult or sad situation, we know that the others will be right there. It's just second nature for us. They are the sisters I never had.

This is us ☺️

I am so thankful for God's leadership through my college decision process. I did not know what to do when I was about to graduate high school. I had all but signed the papers deciding to go to a certain college, but then some circumstances came up that made me realize I was not supposed to go there. So then I ended up at my local community college, and that was awesome because I was able to stay home, keep my job at the drug store in town, and go to college for two years with my best friend. Then, I had to decide about senior college. Well, God worked that out too. I was not sure what kind of scholarships I would get, but I was privileged to be the recipient of several scholarships to the university where I am a student now. That pretty much decided it for me. College is expensive, and I knew I probably would not get this kind of deal anywhere else. And as an added bonus, my best friend was planning to go to this university too. Plus my parents went to this university, so it is fun going to the same places and buildings that they did 25 years ago! It has been so amazing seeing how God is working out this thing called life. We spent about a year getting ready to make the Big Move, shopping for apartment items and things such as that. However, as I always do, I worried about the job situation. How would I get a job in my new town? Silly me... God had that worked out too. It just so happened my daddy talked to someone at a family friend's wedding who works on campus here and he said there may be an on-campus job available for me. Sure enough, when I got moved in, I went to speak with him and he hired me. Folks, God blesses us more than we deserve. I was also worried about leaving my job in town at the drug store. I didn't want to leave! So what happened? They told me I can come work any time. So when I go home on weekends, I work Fridays and Saturdays at the drug store.

Isn't it wonderful how God takes care of us? We are just little people who don't know anything but God always has our next step planned. He sees the big picture. I'm not writing all of this to brag on myself. I had no clue what to do. But God always has a plan, He just asks us to wait on Him. Happy Thursday, y'all!

SBC Day 17: Another Day in the Life

So since the last "day in the life" post was about my school day, I will post about a weekend day this time. I do not have class on Fridays, so if I go home for the weekend, normally I go home on Thursday night and work at my job at home on Fridays. I have two jobs: one on campus here at my university, and I also work at the drug store in my small hometown. I LOVE my job at the drug store. I am a pharmacy technician, so I help prepare the prescriptions. But sometimes I work the cash register out front, which is what I did for two years before I became a pharmacy tech. I love that part as well! I love talking to the customers, and of course learning about all the latest that is going on in town! It's just a wonderful environment in which to work. My coworkers are AWESOME! And I have the best boss in the world! :) Nothing like a small town pharmacy. So I work there from 8-6 normally. Then, I either get off and go home to just chill with my family, or I make plans to go out to eat with my friends or just get together and talk. Sometimes I make plans with my Mamaw and we go see a movie. So that, my friends, is another day in my fabulous life! :)

SBC Day 16: Beauty

So today's post was Makeup-Less Monday... However, it's not Monday and I didn't know the topic until after I had already put on makeup! But I do have a picture of myself with no makeup from a while back. :)

What does beauty mean to me? The book of Proverbs says, "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." So I think beauty is on the inside. Many girls today feel as if they have to be thin and always look perfect, hair and makeup flawless. But God says that true beauty is a woman whose heart looks to God. It doesn't matter what your outside looks like as long as you have Christ on the inside... That is what makes you truly beautiful. I love this quote from Elisabeth Elliot:

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

SBC Day 15: Favorite TV Shows

I love TV shows and movies, so this post is really fun to write.
1. Gilmore Girls. The comedy, love, and friendship that Lorelai and Rory share makes my heart happy.

2. The Andy Griffith Show. I don't care who you are... this stuff is funny and always will be!

3. I have very recently discovered a show on Netflix called Chuck. It is about a guy who works at a computer store (like a Best Buy) but is sent a file of international secrets contained in a series of pictures and so the secrets download into his brain. Basically a computer is dumped into his brain. So... the CIA come to him and Chuck starts working for them. It's suspenseful, funny, and romantic. It's so good!!! And it's on Netflix! Go watch it! However, I have been warned not to watch it too fast because you will watch all the episodes and experience extreme sadness! 

Now go watch some TV people! 

SBC Day 14: Favorite Things about Blogging

What are my favorite things about blogging? Hmm. I think one of my favorite things is just writing about what I want. Being an English major has me writing all kinds of critical analyses about poetry, and reading things like Beowulf and William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation. Hello, I'm asleep already. So blogging gives me the chance to write about what I want. I also like blogging because it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I know it's not great, but it's mine.

It's true. Mr. Keating had it right.

SBC Day 13: Top Guilty Pleasures

So I don't really know what to do with this blog post... but I'll give it a try.
1. Drinking coffee at 5:00 in the evening and looking at Pinterest while still in your pajamas! (That may or may not be happening right now)
2. Watching cheesy romantic movies.
3. Chocolate + Coke = 'Nuff said.

In other news, here's a picture of the sky I snapped on my way home last night!

SBC Day 11: Favorite Quotes

Okay so this post might be kind of long. I have so many favorite quotes! Here goes.

1. "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it?" -Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Anne has been one of my inspirations for as long as I can remember.

2. Truvy: "These thighs haven't gone out of the house without Lycra on them since I was 14."

Clairee: "You were brought up right." - Steel Magnolias

One of the best lines in the movie! And of course, you have to love Dolly Parton as Truvy! 

3. "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." -Mr. Darcy

Sigh. Still looking for my Mr. Darcy.

4. "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." - Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

5. "I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." - Audrey Hepburn

Happy Saturday, y'all!

SBC Day 11: Make a Wish!

Wishes. 

"When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!" I'm a Disney girl, you knew that was coming. 

Anyway, what would I wish for? "That would be harsher punishment for parole violators, Stan... Oh... And world peace."

 

Ok I had to do that too. 

For real though. I think my wish is to travel. I had the opportunity to go to England this past March, and it was absolutely fabulous. I loved the people, the rich history, all of it. However, I do think our food is better here in The South. Their breakfast food was pretty amazing though. Chocolate crescent rolls. Crumpets. Scones with jam and clotted cream. Pure heavenly! And the tea! Oh I love English tea! Anyway, I digress. I want to travel the world. I really would love to live in England for a little while, maybe even just for study abroad. But who knows! We'll see! :)

SBC Day 10: A Day in My Life

A Wednesday in my life...
7:00 A.M. - Alarm goes off. Depressing.
Get ready, drink the coffee, read the devotion, eat breakfast, pack lunch.
8:30 A.M. - Walk to my first class.
10:00 A.M. -Now I go to work. I work on campus here at my university. Lots of computer work, pretty boring. But it's a job, people!
12:30 P.M. - Class time again.
2:00 P.M. - Back to work.
3:30 P.M. - Back to class.
4:45 P.M. - Headed home sweet home!!!
The rest of my evening consists of doing homework, laundry, cooking supper (if my roommate hasn't already cooked!), and watching tv.

Alas, the exciting life of a college student. Gotta love it. ;)

SBC Day 9: OOTD

So today's post is "Outfit of the Day." When I looked at the challenge for today, I thought, "Hey I should probably try to dress up and look nice today." But then I realized that is silly! I walk almost a mile to campus and back every day. There is no reason I need to be dressing up just for a blog post! So here you have it, folks... typical college attire. A "Simply Southern" t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and Yellow Box flip flops. (I did dress up compared to most days... Most days I wear my Chacos but today I wore some dressy flip flops that matched my shirt!)

On another note, I've lately been worrying about school a lot. Long story short, I have several tests, papers, and assignments due in the next couple of weeks. So I have been worried. But then I remembered this verse: 

And it was a great encouragement to me. Happy Tuesday, y'all!

SBC Day 8

8 things you love about yourself:

Okay so I said yesterday's post was hard. I was wrong! Today's post is hard! I feel like I'm bragging on myself. Nevertheless, endeavor to persevere, right?

1. I am thankful to God for the ability to sing and play the piano. I love these 2 things very much.

2. I am a hard worker. 

3. I enjoy cooking and baking, and I'm pretty good at it.

4. My organization skills

5. My handwriting

6. I can type really fast!

7. I can curl my hair in under 5 minutes. Impressive, right? Ha

8. I can curl my hair WHILE drinking coffee. Even more impressive. ;)

SBC Day 7: Improvements

Day 7: Seven things you would like to improve about yourself.

1. Read more.

2. Try to eat more healthy and drink more water. 

3. Figure out a regular cleaning schedule for my apartment and stick to it.

4. Work out a budget.

5. Dress up more.

6. Learn how to cook new recipes. I have a habit of cooking the same old recipes over and over.

7. Learn some new songs to sing in church. I haven't made time to learn a new song in months.

This post was hard for me; I even thought about skipping it! But then I would have failed in my attempt to keep this blogging thing going. So, maybe y'all can deal with this post and maybe "the masterpiece" will come another day. 

SBC Day 6: Fall is in the Air

Day 6: Six things about fall you're looking forward to

1. Sweaters.
2. Ugg boots.
3. Long sleeved T-shirts.
4. Football in The South. (I don't really understand it... I just like the social aspects of it!)
5. Hot apple cider!
6. Cool days when walking all over creation to class and work and back to the apartment!

Fall in The South is a great time of year. Leaves change colors, football is back, the days are getting cooler, and holidays are coming.

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." ~F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Source: Pinterest

Happy Saturday, y'all!

SBC Day 5: Top 5 Highlights from Summer

1. In June, my family and I went on our first big vacation in several years. We are a history loving family, so we went to Williamsburg, Virginia. Yes, we are nerds. But it was so much fun!! Here are a few pictures.

A home in Colonial Williamsburg

General Washington inspecting his troops

Me and my mama in front of Busch Gardens theme park

The beautiful Shenandoah Valley

Me! 

Just one more picture of the Shenandoah Valley!

2. My best friend and I graduated from junior college this past May. So we wanted to take a celebratory trip! A couple months and lots of planning later, me, my best friend, and 2 of our other good friends headed off to Orlando for a few days! Here are a few pictures from that trip!

The best friend and our other good friend at Joe's Crab Shack!

All gussied up before we went to eat at Bubba Gump!

Yes we went to Magic Kingdom for a day!

One of my lifelong dreams... meeting Cinderella... came true!

The Wishes Fireworks show... Absolutely beautiful!

3. I also was privileged to teach the music for Vacation Bible School at my church. It was a great experience and definitely one of one of the highlights of my summer!

4. With the help of my mama, I made my first caramel cake this summer! Ok so in my family, this is a big deal! My grandmother used to make caramel cakes, and they were pretty much famous in her community! So when my mama was about 20, she started making caramel cakes and now all her friends and family love them! So of course I have to carry on the tradition and learn how to make them myself!

5. I think my last highlight of summer is just being able to spend time with my friends and family. I moved two hours away from home this fall, so having this past summer to work, shop for the apartment, pack, and just spend time with everyone was absolutely fabulous!

What are your summer highlights?

Blogging Challenge... Day 4

Folks... I have made it to the 4th day! This is great!!!!
4. Thankful Thursday

What am I thankful for? Let's make a list! (And as with my Christmas list, nothing is in any particular order. I am a random person.)
1. I am thankful for lists. They make me happy.
2. Coffee. I cannot function without it.
3. My Bible.
4. My family.
5. Toaster strudel.
6. Mexican food.
7. The ability to read.
8. Fairytales.
9. My job(s).
10. Coffee. Lots of coffee.

This sums it up pretty well I think!

What are you thankful for? 

Procrastination Central

Hello again, blogging world. So it's been quite a few months since I have posted ANYTHING, and I am feeling guilty! I really WANT to post all these great ideas and fun things I'm doing with my life, but then the couch grabs me. And the TV. And my Spanish homework. So yeah, life is busy. However, I am going to try to endeavor to persevere. (That's what my Daddy always told me!) Anyway, I have seen a "Blogging Challenge" and would like to try to complete it. We'll see how it goes! I'm excited. I got this from Gracie at girlmeetslife.com.

So....... The challenge begins. I'm already a little behind! 

1. Your goal(s) for the month of September. 

I have recently moved to a big university, and so I am really just now getting into the swing of things. I am trying to balance school, work, two weekly Bible studies, keeping my apartment clean, family, and something that I guess could be called a social life. (I will go ahead and admit... My idea of a perfect Friday night involves pizza, pajamas, and a chick flick. But I like to go to my school's football games and all that jazz. So give me a little credit!) Anyway, it's been crazy. So I think one of my goals for September is to, I don't know, FINISH THIS BLOGGING CHALLENGE! Ha. We'll see if it happens. But if it doesn't, it's ok! Another goal would be to continue drinking more water. Since moving out on my own, all my roommate and I keep in the place is water (and the occasional pitcher of sweet tea. We're in The South! We can't live without sweet tea!) So I've been drinking a lot of water lately. Which I suppose is a good thing. 

2. Something you're proud of accomplishing recently.

Well, I think that moving out of my parents' house and into my own apartment has been a pretty big accomplishment! No, I'm not living on my own, my roommate is my best friend! We've been friends since we were 4. <insert "AWWWW!!!" here> 

See? We're adorable. A blonde and a brunette together are unstoppable.

Sorry, back to the challenge. So moving out, moving into an apartment, and learning to shop for your own groceries and cook for yourself, make your own budget, yeah... it's all big kid stuff! Kinda scary, but kinda fun!

3. Favorite fashion trend(s) right now.

Umm... Okay so anyone who knows me knows I like the classy, timeless, elegant style. So I'm not really into trends. Therefore, this is an excuse for me to show y'all my style!

Kate Middleton is one of the classiest, most elegant ladies in the world today. In my humble opinion.

Two of my favorite things: polka dots (of course!) and a bow!!!

The timeless little black dress and LACE. I love lace.

Vintage beauty. We don't know how to dress anymore. 

That's all for now, folks! 

Downton Abbey Season 4 is.... Over?

Hello blogging world. No I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I've been quite crazy busy, which I know is no excuse!! First off, I leave for England ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW!!!! Ahh!!!! But I will post more on that later. Secondly, I can't believe Downton Abbey Season 4 is OVER. I'm telling you, watching that show stresses me out and leaves me exhausted! Here's a little list of my own Season 4 Downton thoughts.

1. How did Edith manage to leave THE COUNTRY for 9 months?! Really?! Sheesh. But somehow I feel as if that secret is not going to stay a secret...

2. Rose gets on my nerves. 

3. Lady Mary, of course, was as lovely as ever. Even though I am a true Matthew fan, I like Tony Gillingham. The other dude is ok, but Gillingham is sweet and such a gentleman. <insert romantic sigh here>

4. OH MY GOODNESS Bates obviously killed that guy. Ok yeah he deserved to die but I don't think he should have killed him for one reason. Because Anna has already had to go through this whole prison/death sentence thing! Why would Bates take that chance again?! 

5. Lady Violet is AWESOME. Period.

6. Branson. I don't like that teacher lady. You need to come to America and find me. I promise to be a suitable mother to little Syby. That is all. 

7. As always, I cannot stand Thomas. He disgusts me.

8. What?! Carson and Mrs. Hughes??? Hmmm. Seem to be a jolly good pair if you ask me! 

We shall see what season 5 brings! :) 

Pasta: For Me, Myself, and I

Well folks, as I said in my first post, I love to cook. So, the other day I had the entire afternoon to myself, and decided I would NOT eat another Subway or frozen pizza! I decided to experiment a little because I wanted PASTA! Yummy pasta that is extremely bad for you but oh so delicious and French bread to go along with it. I would like to share my new found recipe for this fancy dish, "Pasta for One." I searched Pinterest (my addiction) for a recipe for one pot pasta. I found one, but made a few adjustments. Here's whatcha do.

Ingredients
4 oz. fettucini (or whatever pasta you like)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken strips
Chopped onion (I used about 1/2 cup, but whatever you like)
Garlic (fresh or powder)
Cherry tomatoes (however many you like)
Salt and pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup of alfredo sauce

Ok, so first you need to start cooking the fettucini according to the package. Then, heat the olive oil in a saucepan in order to cook the chicken strips. Salt and pepper the chicken, cook them in the oil, then take them out and dice up the chicken strips into small pieces. Turn the heat on the saucepan to low and add garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes. Put the chicken back into the pan and add the tomatoes. Cook for a couple minutes. Add the cooked pasta and the alfredo sauce. I added a few parsley flakes for color. And Ta-da! You're done!

**The original recipe called for basil pesto sauce; however, my grocery didn't have basil pesto so I substituted alfredo sauce instead.
***You might also want to toast some French bread and top it with cheese or spices!

Here's a picture of my creation!

 

Enjoy!

New Beginnings

A new year. A fresh start. Another year has passed, a new one has begun. I have never really made new year's resolutions because I thought I would never keep them! However, in 2014, I want to better myself. Whether it is reading a book I wouldn't ordinarily read, or going to a new place, or eating a new dish, or trying something I never thought I would try. New beginnings will be in store for me this year. This year, I will, Lord willing, graduate from my community college and start at a university, move out of my parents' house and into my own apartment, visit England for the first time, and who knows what else! I am excited about this year... And I am excited to share this journey with all of you. Happy New Year! May it be the best yet.