Lucky One

I know I know, it's Halloween, more importantly it's my mom's birthday on Saturday.  I'm sorry, but she trumps any costume ideas.

My mom is one of the best, point blank.  

I am one of those lucky people who never had to question if they were loved.  I was never one of those people who had to wonder what kind of home they were going to walk into.  I am one of those people who had someone who loves them unconditionally, no matter how many mistakes they make.

I have extremely high standards, and I blame that on my mother.  She always told me I could be more, that I could have more, and she led by example.  She put herself through school, she was picky as hell about boys, and she can hold together a family.  She lead me (OK pushed me) through the darkness I went through after my dad died and never judged me for it.

No one could be the person she is.  No one was ever born to be a mother the way she was.

I'm the lucky one.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

xoxo,

E

Group Activity

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Have you ever stood back and thought about what you're doing and just took a moment to be truly proud of yourself?  

I suggest you do.

Now.

Go on.

Feel better?

I took this moment recently, and it's just encouraging that with everything I've ever gone through I feel like I've put the pieces back in place.  

Well almost.

I'm a constant work in progress, but I'm proud of the work.

xoxo,

E

Fur n Boots

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For me nothing says fall chic like a (faux) fur vest and booties.  

You can dress this look up or down, it's comfortable, and you automatically look dressed like you thought about what you put on.  

Fur takes a little courage to rock, but trust me, everyone will be looking at what you have on and thinking how they wish they had a fur vest in their wardrobe.  

These pieces will not go out of style and every time of the year when it gets cooler you'll be so excited to pull these bad boys out of storage.

Or you'll just love being able to rub your face on the cozy material when no one is looking.....

xoxo,

E

Monday Madness

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• I'll be listening to Ms. Swift's new album all week.  No for real, all week.  I have preordered her album for weeks now and every new song that comes out has been on repeat.  It's uncanny how everything she writes I relate to and fall in love with immediately, but I guess that's part of her magic.
• Looking for a teeth whitener that actually works.  I feel like my coffee habit is getting the best of me.
• Yes, I'm still in love and obsessed with this.
• One of my favorite bloggers Mary recently visited one of my favorite cities, Charleston.  The pictures she took stunned and made me miss my favorite vacation spot.
• I received a really sweet invite to a local fashion event here in Baltimore on November 8th.  The Boulevard of Chic is a free fashion even at Pier 5 in downtown Baltimore from 11am-5pm for local businesses and will host a bunch of fashion trucks.  I'm so excited to participate and will, of course, report back. #BlvdofChic

xoxo,

E

It's Handled

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I will be here with my two bottles of wine, because one isn't enough for this, waiting on pins and needles to see if my TV boyfriend Jake makes it.  

I will be hungover on Friday.  

There is no other way to handle this.

xoxo,

E

Winter is Coming

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The weather seems to finally be changing in my neck of the woods, so it's time to start dreaming about coats.  To me coats are investments.  I try to buy the best to make sure I get the quality and the longest lasting pieces.  I don't usually mess around with trends with coats, but I think there are a lot of timeless new styles every year that you can spice things up with.

These are a couple that don't completely break the bank, but mix it up.  Both the bright red and plaid ones are under $100!

xoxo,

E

And the Oscar goes to....

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Fashion is a trend. Style is within a person. -Oscar De La Renta

The world lost an artist.  Women everywhere lost that man who made you feel like you were a princess in a fairy tale.  The fashion world lost an icon.  He was eloquent and his goal was to make every woman feel beautiful.   I always waiting for his dresses to grace runways and red carpets.  I'll miss the twinkle in his eye during interviews.

xoxo,

E

Down South

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It's really no secret I love all things southern.  The men, the food and the weather.  I have been spending almost every summer vacation in my 28 years in Charleston, SC and that's where it all began.  Luckily, I can fulfill my love without actually making the trek.

1.  Annie lives in Charleston and besides being one of my favorite bloggers, she takes the most spectacular pictures of the city.

2.  I already know when I go see a Nicolas Sparks movie I'm going to cry, it is just a fact.  Yesterday my mom wanted to see The Best of Me and I went because I needed some romance in my life, and without fail Sparks always uses southern towns as his setting.  The movie was a complete sobfest but the scenery was gorgeous.

3.  Low Country boils are one of my favorite things to go for every summer.  It's basically a pot of seafood, potatoes and corn.  I'm always looking for good recipes to recreate that when I just need a good piece of the Low Country.  I need to give this Paula Deen one a roll.

4.  I need to find a staple shrimp and grits recipe.  Every time I go down south I try to eat enough grits and it honestly is never enough.  I need a go to.  I have tired a few other recipes but I haven't found one to recreate again and again.  Suggestions would be awesome.

This week is going to be one where I try to be as productive as possible.  I am determined to organize my life and get in a an awesome pattern.  

If the Steelers lose again tonight I reserve the right to push this goal back until next week.

xoxo,

E

Freaky Friday

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This will be my weekend.  I'm going to take a break and reorganize my life, do some homework and catch up on some TV I've missed.  I'm going to have a proper lazy weekend, unless I can con my mom into taking me to that new Nicolas Sparks movie because come on, who doesn't need a new dream man?

This is always what I plan my weekends to be like then I get invited out for one drink that turns into me dancing in front of people I never want to see again.  So we shall see.....

xoxo,

E

Toggle Me

I've been so busy with grad school homework and life stuff that I forgot my Wednesday Wishlist, and I know no one wants that so here it is!

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1. OK I have been IN LOVE with Ella Henderson from her first audition on the X Factor UK.  She writes her own music, she has an old soul voice, and her songs are catchy as hell.  Her album was just released in the UK and I'm waiting on pins and needles for the US release, but download her single Ghost on ITunes and fall in love.
2. With what badass winter weather machine hit Maryland last year I was searching for a toggle coat with a hood, you wouldn't believe how difficult that is.  Thank god for this JCrew.  I'll be begging for it for Christmas.
3. It's wine colored, I can have it monogrammed, I want it.
4. I've been a lover of Bare Minerals for years now and I have been dying to give their liquid makeup a go, however paying for school books derailed my investment.  Soon though.
5. Kendra Scott bangle means a wardrobe staple for me.  The unique design and versatility is just ridiculous.

xoxo,

E

Safety Blanket

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So if you follow any fashion bloggers on IG this lovely accessory is taking up your whole feed.  I'm never one to shy away from a accessory so I jumped to order one.  

I ordered this lovely ASOS scarf I talked about a couple posts ago and Sunday I found it in my mailbox and ran back to the house to tear that package open.

Y'all, when they say blanket scarf, they mean blanket scarf.  This thing looks like something I would take to an outdoor concert or a tailgate.  

When I stopped holding it up and comparing it to the size of my kitchen table, I relaxed and started throwing it around my neck to figure out how to master this bad boy.  The plaid is awesome and so versatile that I have to wear it out.

The fantastic thing about fashion today are the resources to figure out how to use this.  I ran to my favorite blogs (Courtney, Cathy), Pinterest, and yes, I YouTubed it to see how I could work this bad boy.  

I'm so excited and yes it will be coming to my IG soon in an awkward selfie.

xoxo,

E

Monday Musings

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My weekend didn't turn out to be the lazy, life organizing time I thought it would be.  Lets just say it involved O's, Guinness, keg stands and card games and no I'm not visiting a college.  I have a few new things I'm obsessed with though.

1. I love following traveling girls on Instagram.  I get so much inspiration for adventures from these girls.  Hallie is on a Paris vacation and I can't stop stalking her Insta feed to catch glimpses of this dreamy city.
2. Cheryl's new album is out, unfortunately it's only released in the UK so I have to figure out how to get that on my side of the pond without spending an arm and a leg.
3. Simple food recipes wanted people.  I need something easy to throw together at the end of the day.  With school started up again I'm busier than ever so anything simple, tasty and healthy would be awesome.
4. This piece by Brittany Maynard broke my heart and put it back together at the same time.  This woman is dying from the same brain tumor my dad had and this lovely piece about a controversial topic is so beautiful.
5. I'm always looking for alternatives to coffee because if I don't I will burn a hole through my stomach with the amount I can drink.  I've done a lot of teas but haven't really found anything to fit that love yet.  Ideas welcome.

xoxo,

E

Waking Up Diagonal

• Are y'all watching American Horror Story?  If you're not you should.  And this is coming from someone who is basically scared of her own shadow, it's brilliant.

• I've been searching for that Zara plaid scarf everywhere.  It's been blowing up my Instagram feed and it's killing me that I can't find it but of course I found this ASOS beauty that will fill the void.

• Cathy rocked an all black everything outfit this week that I'm obsessed with, now if I could perfect my messy ponytail.  All black is like a safety net for me and makes me feel powerful like Kelly Cutrone.

• Grad school starts this week! I've been out of college for almost 5 years so it seems crazy to jump back in but it's for the best.  I almost forgot how much textbooks kill you!

• I've been battling a cold all week and yesterday I ran to Panera to grab some soup and a green tea, who knew their green tea was life changing?!

I cannot wait until the weekend when I can hole up in my house with tissues, pj's and a bottle of NyQuil.

xoxo,

E

Winter Blonde

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Every year around this time I start to want to transition my bleached out locks into something different.  I am in constant search of the perfect winter blonde, from either Adele to Blake Lively.  I walk into my lovely hair stylist completely clueless of how to make this happen, she works her magic and I leave happy.  I'll be there in a few more weeks to see what happens next.

I love both floral in this Asos skirt and this geometric pattern in the Anthropologie sweater.  I am always looking to incorporate my girly style with my more posh style.  

This black watch KILLS me, I've been dying for something like this.

After my time in airports the last week I realize how important the investment in a good pair of headphones is.  Music is such a huge part of my world and it gets me through the day but who in the hell has more than $100 to spend on headphones?

Oh I wish.

xoxo,

E

She's Country

Sunday had a lot of this in it.  Sunday was the fun filled day of country music and drinking we Marylanders like to call Sunday in the Country.  Our local country radio puts on this all day festival every year, and I've been going for almost 7 years now (missed 1 or 2).  

Basically everyone you know gathers in the early afternoon to start drinking then you filter into the concert venue to listen to a bunch of different country music singers and keep drinking.

First lady we caught was Cassedee Pope from The Voice.  She killed and I was totally settling into listening but I kept getting sunflower seeds thrown in my direction.

Who let this guy in?  Oh we did.

The lawn is this pit of dancing, drinking people.  It's endless.

A local.  He wasn't interested in having a long conversation but he was always watching.

Jake Owen was the headliner, and what a way to end the night.  He is the just yummy to look at and a darn good entertainer as well.  

I was lucky enough to go this year with some of my best friends, had a lot of sunshine, too much to drink and I couldn't have asked for a better day.

xoxo,

E

Ugg Me

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So have y'all been watching Scandal this season?  Mellie is serving up some white girl crazy of the best order.  I love the messy hair, the sweats, the junk food and the UGGs!!  Uggs are like a comfort food for me: you know it's not good for you but you have so many good memories when you're with it that you want to go back.   

I still have a couple pairs I bring out for my frump nights with the girls, running errands, or hungover/casual days at work.  

I don't wear them with jean skirts and a Juicy Couture t-shirt so I feel like I'm still OK.  

As the weather gets colder and I venture back to Pittsburgh for a Steeler game I am never sorry I keep these guys around.

xoxo,

E

Nailed It

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1. When I buy bags, I buy the ones I fall in love with.  It's this moment when I just freeze and it hits me that I have to have it.  This Rebecca Minkoff did that to me.  It was like I was slapped over the head, and it's a fraction of the cost of it's Chanel lookalike.

2.  It's no secret I'm the biggest fan of the jewelry line All the Wire,  I own over 6 pieces and this guy is my newest obsession.

3. This is just me, all the time.  

4. I've been lusting a Burberry black trench forever now, but with the mortgage it's unrealistic to dream that big.  This Asos trench has the same style for a fraction of the cost.  This is a wardrobe staple that won't ever go out of style.

5.  My blog crush Hallie has been killing me lately with the deals she posted, and this week there was a JCrew one.  I love the mixing of prints and this sweater could brighten a Monday when I want to stab someone.

Now I need to get on with my BFF adventure with CBK!

xoxo,

E