Christmas Cooking

Hi ya! I hope everyone had a fun-filled weekend. I had an accidentally low-key weekend. Picture this, I get up for the gym on Friday and feel "off." You know what I mean, right? Anyway, I decide to forgo the gym and just go to work and power through. Well, around 11 I hit a WALL. I decided to just take the rest of the day to take a breather. Well, within 2 hours my fever jumped to 102.5. So needless to say I was in bed most of the weekend. I went absolutely stir crazy but I could tell my body was telling me I needed to rest. 

Luckily, on Sunday I was feeling much better and made it to church and the local hockey game, the Charlotte Checkers. I got free tickets through work so I was excited to try it out! I'm admittedly not a huge hockey game but I love any sort of sporting event. And of course, I went with my roomie :)

So, the entire game my roomie's little sister and I tried so hard to get on the screen. Well, finally during overtime we did and needless to say, I was excited!

So that's what went down this weekend so back to today's scheduled post. I feel like Christmas week is full of cooking and baking. I already know of several things I'll be whipping up this week...boy, am I excited! I'm making several batches of cookies for reason's that shall remain unnamed ;) Here are some of my favorite cookie recipes to try...

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So I love being able to cook and plan Christmas' meal but this year I just can't do it. I work Christmas eve and have to drive over an hour and a half to get home after that so I just don't have time to get it all accomplished. So this year I'm just going to make 2 veggie sides on actual Christmas for our dinner celebration. Here are 2 tried and true favorites...if you need veggie sides these are real winners.

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I might make a dessert as well...here are some of my ideas...

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I would love to hear any suggestions y'all have! I'm always looking for new recipes and ideas to try out! Have a great, Monday!! xoxo

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends! This week chewed me up and spit me out. Working 8-6 all week and going the gym beforehand has wiped. me. out. But alas, it's the weekend and I'm looking forward to resting up and starting Christmas week (WHAT) off on the right foot. As always, I'm sharing some of my favorites this week...

ONE

Last weekend, I went to visit my friend, Kelsey, in Greenville! It was a short overnight trip but we always have the best time. She's one of my oldest friends and I have no doubt that we'll be friends forever! Just for kicks and giggles here's a throwback of us...

...don't let those innocent smiles fool you, we got in plenty of trouble :). But anyways, when I got there we went shopping and I did plenty of damage. That night we went to dinner and then out in the "city." 

I also got to hang out with one of her bestie from college!

The next morning we made our way to my favorite South Carolina sandwich shop ever, Grouchos. Oh how I missed it.

We had a blast. Exploring new places and seeing old friends is always a favorite!

TWO

Last weekend I headed to my cute cousin's birthday party! I decided that my outfit needed a punch and decided to add a bold, red, lip. I love this lipstick so much!

Okay, that picture of me is terrible...yikes. But it's a super deep red and not an orange red. A couple of lipstick tips...always exfoliate your lips and line the ENTIRE lip. The last thing you want is your lipstick to wear off but not your lipliner so you look silly. This color is perfect for the holidays. This is the same lipstick I used for my Sandy costume.

THREE

I saw this on Pinterest the other day and couldn't resist pinning it. I am such a feminist at heart and have a passion for encouraging and empowering women. I think this quote specifically spoke to me because I live in the South where it's often the case that people get married very young. 

Before anyone starts to hate me...of course, every circumstance is different. I just always want women (myself included) to realize that you have to be okay with yourself and being by yourself to truly be a good partner to someone else. **Steps off soapbox**

FOUR

I have shared my love for the royal family before... I mean, they are some of the prettiest people I've ever seen! When I was scrolling through my timeline this morning I saw their most recent family photo and absolutely swooned.

So many things...Kate's hair color is flawless...George has the sweetest little hair flip...Charlotte is adorably different than her brother...and William is so sweet looking at them all. I could die.

FIVE

Last but certainly not least...I booked my flight to go visit my friend, Kaity, in Washington DC!!

I am so excited! The last time I was in DC I was in 8th grade so I'm really excited to see everything as an adult! Also, my cousin Brenna lives there so I get to see her too! And my fellow blogger friend, Kylie, is in DC so I'd love to have the opportunity to meet up with her as well. So many people to see in such an exciting city! I can barely contain my excitement. The best part is that I booked a roundtrip, direct flight right out of Charlotte for $186 including taxes. BOOM!

Well ladies and gents, that's what my week has looked like. How are y'all? I'd love to hear what you would like me to blog about! Send me an email or comment below. Thanks as always for reading & have a great weekend! xoxo

Gift Guide

I'm back! I'm so sorry that my blogging has been so spotty! I feel like I've been going a million miles an hour and to add to it I've been working overtime everyday at work. EEK! So I appreciate your patience with me :) Today, I thought it would be fun for me to cover some gift ideas for Christmas. These gifts definitely cater towards the ladies...sorry to any of my male readers!

So I've mentioned it before but my coworkers absolutely make my job! They are some of my best friends. I want to bring all my work friends a little treat for Christmas but don't want to blow the bank or leave anyone out. So I thought an edible gift in a pretty package would be absolutely perfect. I haven't decided which one I will make but here are some of my ideas...

This just looks so delicious! There are some people that are chocolate people or peanut butter people but I'm a sugar cookie person so this speaks to me.

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I'm all about my slow cooker so I love the idea of utilizing it for my gifts!

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Toffee just screams Christmas to me. 

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Here are a few ideas for friends, moms, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc.

ONE

I've recapped some of my Birchboxes here and here. I absolutely adore my Birchbox. It's only $10 a month and you get 5 sample size items. It's like getting a gift every month. You can buy someone a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription.

TWO

The other week my roomie and I went to Nordstrom for a shopping event. I had the chance to see MACs new lipstick collection and it's absolute PERFECTION!! It's bold colors but matte. I adore it.

The new ones are in the bottom left corner :) You can check them out here. Seriously, any lipstick lover would swoon over these colors.

THREE

Full disclosure, I don't have a Yeti tumbler but I've heard great things from a lot of people! Apparently, it is great at keeping cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot. This would be great for the coffee and/or tea drinkers in your life. Check them out here.

FOUR

When I recapped my trip to the mountains for my mom's birthday I mentioned how I got her a selfie stick! We've had so much fun with it. It's a really inexpensive gift that provides endless entertainment. Just for fun here are some of our selfies...

FIVE

Hello, my name is Lauren and I'm addicted to my Keurig. When I first became a coffee drinker I had a mini coffee pot and I despised cleaning it everyday. Then the Keurig entered my life and it was a match made in heaven.

If you have a coffee lover in your life who doesn't have a Keurig, your job this Christmas is to fix it!

SIX

Last, but certainly not least, the fantastic beauty blender. I have a love affair with my beauty blender. Nothing in the world puts on makeup or is more versatile than the beauty blender.

Well, those are some of the gift ideas I have for you! I would love to hear some suggestions from y'all! Happy Wednesday, friends! xoxo

Guest Blogging

Hello, friends! Sorry I missed you yesterday but it was for good reason because today I'm Guest Blogging for Molly at Colors of Life! I was so excited when Molly approached me about participating in her Guest Blogger Series. Once Molly and I found each other's blogs we instantly clicked and have been blogger friends ever since! 

So today check out Molly's blog for me! Have a great day, y'all! xoxo

Not an Ordinary Monday

The title of this post definitely speaks volumes for itself: Today is not an ordinary Monday. You might ask why...well, it's the beginning of my Michael Jordan year! Today is my 23rd birthday! I cannot believe it's here. I truly feel like my 21st birthday was yesterday...time flies so quickly. Each year of life is truly such a gift that I never want to take for granted. I relish in the fact that I've been able to live such a full life in my short time here on earth.

That being said, I want to keep track of the memorable things 22 brought for me. Things I'll always remember, cherish, and think back to.  Some things are small, everyday, memories and some are grandiose events that will go down in my book of life. Each event is so special to me because it brought me to 23. So without further adieu, here are 22 things I'll remember about 22...

1. I graduated from the best University in the entire world...Clemson! Graduating from college is something I often take for granted because I never gave myself the option to not a) go to college and b) not graduate. But nonetheless, it's an accomplishment that I'll always remember. 

2.  Accepted a job in the financial industry in January before graduation. I'm so thankful I was able to find and secure a job before graduation so that I could enjoy the rest of my senior year!

3. I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, a new city. It has to do with #2. Starting from scratch in a city where your family isn't nearby and you don't have any friends is intimidating. But I absolutely adore Charlotte and can see myself here for a long time. Read about my move here.

4. I talked about this a lot on my blog but passing the Series 7 and 63 for my job has been one of my largest accomplishments to date. This took an incredible amount of work. Read about the joy I felt after passing the exam here.

5. I crossed 2 countries off my bucket list by visiting Belgium and Spain. Read about my trip here, here, here, and here.

6. When I was moving to Charlotte, I didn't have anyone to room with. I joined roommates.com on a whim (I'm not kidding) and met this girl.

I would've never imagined that putting myself out there on a roommate website would lead to such a great friendship!

7. I knew that when I moved to Charlotte I would have to search to find a church I could call home. It only took my first Sunday to realize I found the perfect spot for me at Elevation.

8. I went to my first Panther's game! Go Panthers, keep pounding!

9. I started off my sports' kick around Charlotte by seeing the Knights play.

10. I went to my first NBA and first Hornet's game. Are you noticing a sports' theme? :)

11. This past weekend I went to see my Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship and they WON!! They are #1 in the playoff rankings and headed to the Orange Bowl!

12. See above...I went to 5 Clemson games this season to cheer them on to 13-0!

13. I traveled with my college roommate to San Diego and Las Vegas. Read about our trip here and here.

14. Before I started my job, I spent sometime with my parents by going zip-lining in Asheville. Read about it here!

15. I colored my hair for the first time...I talk a little bit about my decision here.

16. I seem to go in themes...I donated my hair for the 2nd time to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

17. I made a huge leap and followed my heart to start this blog. I was so worried that it would be a huge flop but I've enjoyed it immensely. I'm thankful for each and everyone of you.

18. I got my pet fish, Matt-Lauer. 

 

19. I added 5 more holes to my ears all within 8 months. Sorry about that, Mom and Dad!

20. Decorated my first real apartment. You can read about my bed here.

21. I spent a lot of "ordinary" time with my favorite people, my family. Memories that I will never forget. I wrote about our weekend here.

22.  I coordinated Christmas dinner and decor for the first time by myself. I can't wait to continue that tradition.

22 was so good to me. But I have a feeling that 23 is going to be my best year yet. I cannot wait to share my new adventures with all of you. Have a great day! xoxo