MIDTERMS

It hardly seems like I've been in school long enough for the semester to be almost halfway over, but it's time for me to start gearing up for midterms and other exams over the next week and a half.
I'm freaking out a little.
BUT I CAN DO THIS. I probably won't be posting very regularly in the coming days, even though I do have some fun stories to share with y'all! If I do post, feel free to comment with something along the lines of, "I know you're procrastinating! DO YOUR WORK!"
Here are a few nuggets of wisdom that I'm going to be leaning on so I don't lose my mind.

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Love and hugs,
Blake
"HELP! I need somebody. HELP!" -The Beatles 

Fall Favorites

I spent have my day trying to come up with a cute pun on "fall." They all failed; they were lame. You get a touch of alliteration. Sorry.

But I am SO excited that it's fall! I WORE A LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT TODAY (with shorts, it's still about 70 degrees). I spent a decent portion of my day driving around with the windows down listening to country and classic rock and another portion sitting outside and enjoying the breeze with a book. Right now I'm reading Son of a Witch, the sequel to one of my favorite books that became one of my favorite musicals, Wicked, by Gregory Maguire. I only wish I had time to stop by Starbucks, but confession time: I've never had a Pumpkin Spice latte. If you haven't wanted to revoke my blogger status yet, you probably want to now. I do enjoy a nice pumpkin bread, though!

But there are so many other things to love about fall! Mainly the clothes! I love fall clothing the most, I think. I like being cozy but not having to bundle up too much. Here are some of my fall favorites for this crisp weather.

Lilly Pulitzer Dress / J.Crew knit cardigan / Patagonia Pullover  / Nine West boots / FOSSIL vintage handbag / Ann Taylor scarf

Love and hugs,

Blake

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." -The Great Gatsby 

Study Essentials

Happy Sunday! Sundays are the days that I usually reserve for studying and doing homework. Right now I'm doing an excellent job of procrastinating and writing this blog post about study essentials!

Study Blue: This website is my best friend when it's time to study for tests that include a lot of terms to memorize. You can create and share online flashcards organized by class and keep track of your progress. You can even find flashcards people in your same class already made. They also have an app for iPhone and Android so you can study on the go; I get to take advantage of time on the bus to study without worrying about carrying around a deck of flashcards!

G2 Breast Cancer Awareness Pens: I am absolutely obsessed with these pens. I can't imagine using any other kind. They write so smoothly, contribute to a great cause, and are such a cute shade of pink!

Vera Bradley Forget-Me-Nots: I (along with every other college blogger on the internet) love sticky notes. I just use boring old post-its right now, but I have my eye on these adorable Vera Bradley sticky notes. I love using them to make to-do lists, leave reminders to myself on my mirror, and mark important sections in my notes. To-lists are great when I'm studying because they keep me on track and make me feel less overwhelmed when I have everything listed out.


2012-2013 Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda Gimme Some Leg: My agenda never leaves my side. I use it to organize all my assignment dates, club meetings, appointments, and daily to-do lists (on the sticky notes :) ). I love the Lilly Pulitzer large agendas because they have enough room to write down details but isn't so big that it's cumbersome. 

Pandora: I can't ever study without a little music in the background! Pandora is great because you don't have to focus on changing the songs or waste time making a playlist (like I tend to do). My favorite stations to study to are Alabama Shakes and The Avett Brothers.

 Five Star® Style Wirebound Notebook: Five Star notebooks are a great stand-by that I've used since high school, and now they come in fun patterns! 

Love and hugs,
Blake
"You are too smart to be the only thing standing in your way." -Jennifer J. Freeman

Just Breathe

Anxiety plagues everyone at some point in their life. That nervous feeling in your stomach, your heart and mind racing, and a feeling of panic about whatever it is that's troubling you.
It sucks.
There's no delicate way to put it. It especially sucks if it develops into a full blown panic attack. I've been known to suffer from these (I get it from my mom) a little more than the average person, but I'm grateful that they're not at the scale where they impact my life significantly. I'm not medicated or even diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but I've had to learn how to deal with these panic attacks. Here's just a few things that help me when my anxiety level gets too high.

1. Breathe deeply and slowly | This is first step to calming yourself down. Focus on inhaling and exhaling and your mind starts to slowly focus less on your worries. This will also help slow your heart rate if it's getting up as well. For a little bit, only think about your breathing.
2. Take a drive with the music turned up | This is what I do the most when I get stressed out. I even have a specific playlist. There's something about driving around with no place to be that allows me to calmly sort through my thoughts. I took a lot of drives my freshman year of college.
3. Get lost in a good book or movie | This is a great, old stand-by. Immerse yourself for a while in something that has absolutely nothing to do with what you're worrying about. Once you've removed yourself from the situation for a little bit, you're less likely to panic about it.
4. Vent (for a little bit) to your best friend | A quick venting session never hurt anyone, but there comes a point when you need to stop talking about it and take action.
5. Indulge in your favorite Starbucks drink- no matter how many calories | Treat yourself! A small boost of caffeine and sugar might be exactly what you need to feel like you can conquer the world.
6. Paint your nails | This is another quick break when you really need a distraction. Personally, I'm terrible at painting my nails so I really have to concentrate. There's no room in my mind for anything else!
7. Write about it | For me, sometimes it takes organizing my thoughts into coherent sentences on paper to achieve sudden clarity. I don't really keep a journal, but I have a password-protected file on my computer that I use to spill everything that's going on in my mind if I feel like I'm bottling it up. It's so cathartic! 
8. Remind yourself that no matter what happens- you are enough | This is the most important thing. You can do it. I promise. Don't let anything be bigger than your own determination and strength. Tap into every resource you have and you can do anything.

Love and hugs, 

Blake 

"So this is the part where I'm supposed to tell you it's not scary. Well, it is. But fear is natural, fear is good- it just means you're growing." -Unknown

Lazy Sunday

This weekend has for sure been one of the best of my life. One of the things that made it so amazing was that Maia came to visit me!

Aren't we cute?

I had a fantastic time cheering on my Dawgs to a 56-20 win over Florida Atlantic with a ton of my camp counselor friends that were in town. Seeing all of them brightened my weekend further (and gave me some energy because I got zero sleep on Friday). We always have a fantastic time together! Also, Maia and our other friend Tori decided officially that I should write a book on how to be a lady. I definitely appreciate that! What do you think? Should my next step be a book?

This weekend was wonderful, but I am glad that today I get to have a lazy Sunday. My wave of tests is over and I can use today to do nothing but curl up in bed and watch last night's Saturday Night Live premiere (I'm obsessed, by the way). I get to rest! I hope the rest of you had as great of a weekend as I did and can use today to be lazy!

Love and hugs,
Blake
"True friendship isn't about being inseparable. It's about being separated and nothing changes."

I'm in Love with Lilly

My collection of items from Lilly Pulitzer is ever-growing, and the Endless Summer Sale a while back helped with that. As most of you probably recall, that sale had a hot mess of technical errors. Fanatics like me crashed the website and getting back up was rather bumpy.
I had decided recently to stop spending so much money... and then I got an email apologizing for the experience and giving me a code for 20% off and free shipping. Now how can I pass that up?
Now the question is: what to buy?

Such a cute tank top that will be cute in the spring too.

I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need another tote bag... and failing. 

Adore this as a fall transition piece and the elephants are super cute.

This cute koozie might be an addition to whatever else I buy!

HELP! What should I buy? Convince me not to get it all!

Love and hugs,

Blake

"It's always summer somewhere." -Lilly Pulitzer

Dilemma of the Day: Clothes for Class

As it's still considered "back-to-school season" (even though I've been in class for about a month and am currently dealing with my first wave of tests), I've been seeing several posts on outfits to wear to class. There's an assortment of adorable outfits that honestly I would love to wear, but never to class. In high school, I usually made sure I looked cute for school most of the time. I even did so at my college last year. Now that I'm at UGA? Nike shorts and a t-shirt, everyday. Oops. I can feel the glaring judgement from other bloggers that like to give a million ideas of how to look cute and comfortable with little effort.

Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with dressing up for class. It's just that no one does it here. I know at other schools it's different. At my first college, everyone was always dressed up for class and maybe wore a t-shirt or a sweatshirt once a week. I don't think I ever even saw a girl in sweatpants. Today I wore a "real" shirt and jeans and it was the most I had dressed up for class all semester and it was only because I needed to drop off a job application while I was out and didn't want to look like a slob. Personally, I like dressing down for class so much more because it allows me to be comfortable and focus on the material. However, I've also heard that when you feel better about your appearance you're more focused and more likely to do well on tests.

So what do you wear to class? Do you save your cute clothes for other things (like me) or dress to the nines to learn? Am I bad blogger for generally wearing Nike shorts and a t-shirt for school?

Love and hugs,
Blake

"Live the dream and learn to chase it." 

My Wallet Obsession

My life is pretty on-the-go. Because of this, I really hate carrying a full purse. Hence my obsession with cute wallets, specifically wristlets. For weekdays, I have a small wallet attached to my keys that I can just throw in my backpack on my way to class. When I go out, I use a coach wristlet (lower case "c" because...well it's a total knock-off from Canal Street. It suits its purpose, shh!). I can have my ID, phone, key, and any other little necessities and don't have to worry about dealing with a purse. So, I have a mild obsession with cute wallets because I use them so much more than purses.

Marc Jacobs leather bag / Coach bag / Target Black bag / Vera Bradley wallet / Lilly Pulitzer Wristlet


Love and hugs,
Blake

"Today I will choose joy."

Styling a Statement Necklace

If there's a new trend I absolutely adore, it's the statement necklace. I think they add a nice pop to make almost any outfit stand out. Here's a few suggestions for how to style different statement necklaces!

Dress / J.Crew j crew / Wallis chambray shirt / Skater skirt / LOFT ankle pants / Bib necklace / Statement necklace

Love and hugs,

Blake

"Don't let anyone ever dull your sparkle."

Study Playlist!

As promised, here's a selection of what I like to listen to when I study, and I hope it inspires you to get some work done! I have a math test next week that I really need some motivation for...

Love and hugs,

Blake

"It always seems impossible until it is done."

This means I'm pretty much famous now, right?

First off, I'm so sorry for the lack of posts this week. I had a Weather and Climate test this morning (gross) and I've been focused on that all week. But stay tuned because soon I'll be sharing some excerpts from my study playlist!

But I got some exciting news today....drumroll please.... I won Liebster award for up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers (I have way less so I'm quite qualified!) from Ali over at Monogrammed Scrubs and Strings of Pearls. It's official, I'm now slapping "runs an award-winning blog" on my resume.

"The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The meaning; Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome."

The rules for this award are:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer

3. Choose people and link them in your post

4. Go to their page and tell them

5. Remember, no tag backs!

11 Things You Don't Know About Me

1. Right now I'm watching Criminal Minds, one of my favorite shows. For a while I thought I wanted to be a criminal behavior analyst because of this show.

2. The reason I realized I couldn't be a criminal behavior analyst? I'm a very empathetic person. If one of my friends has a problem I sympathy stress so much. This is why I try to surround myself with only positivity and optimistic people. Negativity affects me too much and is completely unproductive. 

3. I love to sing and wish I still had an outlet to do so. I did Show Choir all through high school and I absolutely loved it.

Gotta love mid-show singing facials. Check out those good looking blue sparkly dresses.

4. Crafting is my thing. I love to paint and create things. My crafting supplies are getting out of control right now and I seriously need a better way to organize them.

5. I've worked as a summer camp counselor the past two summers and it's absolutely changed my life. I taught crafts and Native American Lore (we painted faces, made bracelets, and played Native games) my first summer and sailing my second summer. I would give anything to be back on the lake teaching sailing one more time because it was the absolute best. Because of camp I've met some of my best friends and realized that I want to work with kids for the rest of my life.

SAILING CLASS!

My camp family! (It's a Native American themed camp- hence the outfits)

6. I go to Trivia Night at a local pizza place with some of my friends every Wednesday and it's one of the highlights of my week.

7. If I could eat Zaxby's for every meal and not get fat or go broke, I would.

8. My biggest celebrity crush is Justin Timberlake and has been since his NSYNC days. His marriage crushed me. Jessica you are a lucky woman.

Hello beautiful. 

9. I love musical theater and the soundtracks from musicals. My favorite of all time is RENT and my current favorite soundtrack fluctuates between Aida and the Hair new Broadway cast recording.

10. People watching is one of my favorite things. UGA for sure provides for some interesting times.

11. I think I have a legitimate addiction to Diet Coke.

Questions from Ali

1. Where do you go to school? What are you studying?

I go to UGA and I'm majoring in English Education!

2. What is your favorite Lilly Pulitzer print?

Such a difficult choice... but I'd have to go with You Gotta Regatta!

(I also just discovered that if you google "Lilly Pulitzer You Gotta Regatta my fashion tumbr is on the first page of results...what?)

3. Who is your favorite person?

This is so cheesey- but probably my mom. She's an inspiration and my best friend!

Isn't she beautiful?

4. Best ice cream flavor?

Mint chocolate chip, hands down.

5. Favorite song at the moment?

Let it be Me- Ray LaMontagne

6. If I met you I would learn...

I'm hilarious and witty :) haha just kidding- You'd probably learn that I'm a little strange but lots of fun!

7. The best thing my _____ cooks is?

My roommate cooks some AWESOME enchiladas!

8. Worst hair cut/color/styling experience

I cried after I got my hair done for Senior Prom I cried because I wanted a pretty slightly to the side bun and it was all flat against my head and I thought I looked bald. Thankfully my mom fixed it!

How it ended up looking! :)

9. Favorite online boutique/store (spill!)

RED DRESS BOUTIQUE

10. Best Starbucks drink? (feel free to go seasonal on me)

Either a caramel macchiato if I feel like splurging or a skinny vanilla latte with a pump of caramel usually!

11. I love Ali/her blog because...

She blogs about the cutest stuff, always comments on my posts and is so nice!

Congratulations to....

Creativity & Cardigans!

My 11 Questions

1. What's your favorite color to wear?

2. Who is your biggest inspiration?

3. Why did you start your blog and how long have you had it?

4. What are your goals for the next year?

5. What is your favorite season and why?

6. If you were given a ten-thousand dollar shopping spree, where would you use it?

7. If they were to make a movie of your life, who would you want to play yourself?

8. If you have a Twitter, what's your most recent favorited tweet and why?

9. What's your favorite memory?

10. If you could have any exotic animal for a pet, what would it be?

11. How do you eat an oreo?

(Congrats if you got to the end of this post...it's a long one!)

Love and hugs,
Blake
"Be in love with your life. Every detail of it." -Jack Kerouac

Rain, rain go away

Just because it might be dreary outside, it doesn't mean your accessories have to be!

The North Face hooded jacket / Hunter wellington boots / Lilly Pulitzer Umbrella - Fallin in Love pattern

Love and hugs,
Blake

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." -Dolly Parton

No White After Labor Day?

Happy Labor Day to you all! I hope y'all are having a wonderful day off. Labor Day is supposed to mark the end of summer to most, and thus, the beginning of fall. With this said, I think that the "no white after Labor Day" rule is pointless.

There, I said it. I wear white after Labor Day.

I think I can feel the collective gasp through my computer, but I promise, my reasons are valid. While it may be the beginning of fall in some climates, I live in Georgia. I will be wearing shorts until mid-October most likely. I just looked at the forecast and it's supposed to be in the mid-eighties to nineties this week. Sounds a bit like summer to me!

Honestly though, the reason I'm sticking it to the man who's trying to tell me what colors to wear this year in particular (who made this rule anyway? Communists?) is because I just got a super cute pair of white jeans from The Loft and it's been too darn hot to even think about wearing long pants. Hence, I am rebelling, and will wear white after Labor Day.

These are way too cute to even think about not wearing.

So if there's a fashion rule that you think is dumb- break it! It's your style and no one else's.

Love and hugs,
Blake

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." -Joseph Chilton Pearce

Procrastination Station

I have a confession. I am a HORRIBLE procrastinator. I have a terrible habit of putting of things until the last minute. I've been trying to combat this lately with a daily to-do list that keeps me on track and I am getting better! However, when the job at hand is just no fun, I manage to find a way to do everything except what I need to do. Here's just a few of my favorite time-wasters.

1. Pinterest: I adore this website but it seriously cuts into my productivity. What's not to love about a seemingly endless collection of crafts, fashion, recipes, quotes, and other creative inspiration? I still claim that my collection of teaching-related pins will help me more in my future career than my Weather and Climate homework. (Shameless plug- y'all should follow me!)

2. Crafting: This is probably a product of all my Pinterest stalking. I think painting a canvas or glittering a mason jar just sounds so much more fun than calculating a line of best fit. This is my latest project for our living room: a chevron canvas with my roommate's and my monograms that I hand painted!

3. Spotify: I know this seems like something I could put on in the background while I do my homework, but I get so distracted by looking for new music! I love music and am always looking for something different to listen to. I find a song I like, and then I have to explore the artist and their other albums, and then of course I have to download them, and listen to them, and then I repeat with a similar artist. It's a vicious cycle.

4. Blogging: I read a lot of blogs prior to starting this one. It's similar to my Pinterest obsession, but with words. Check out my new favorites sidebar! I also tend to plan blog entries when I'm procrastinating. I may or may not be procrastinating right now. Oops.

I'm willing to bet at least half of you are procrastinating right now! Don't be like me; use this as a quick break and get back to what you need to do! Or don't and explore what I use to procrastinate... :)

Love and hugs,

Blake

"Sometimes the wrong choices bring us to the right places."