Dress Me Up Like Kate the Great

It's no secret that I have a slight obsession with Kate Middleton (ok, ok so I basically want to be the blonde Southern version of her). She's beautiful, classy, a style icon, kind, AND a princess! What's not to love?!

So imagine my excitement when I found out that Banana Republic is teaming up with Issa London (one of Kate's favorite brands) to create a Kate inspired line! 

 I AM FREAKING OUT! 

Apparently the line has been out since August so I have absolutely no idea where I've been, but I want it all!

I know I can't be the only Kate the Great fan! What do you think of the line?

xo, 

eMr

SEC Sunday: Football Peanut Butter Dip

I went to a football party yesterday to watch the UT vs. Florida game. I decided I'd like to bring a little something to help out the hostess and decided to try out this chocolate peanut butter dip I found on Pinterest.

It's chocolate and peanut butter. How could it not be good?

Y'all it was delicious! I could seriously eat this stuff with a spoon!

But besides being absolutely delicious, it looks adorable on the plate.

I got the recipe and photo from here. 

Ingredients

         ¼ cup butter, softened

         4 ounces cream cheese, softened

         1 cup peanut butter (your choice; crunchy or smooth)

         ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

         1 ½ cups powdered sugar (up to 2 cups if needed)

         ½ cup mini chocolate chips

         Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips for the outside of the football

         White chocolate or frosting for the football laces

Instructions

1.            Cream butter, cream cheese, and peanut butter until mixed (using a hand-held mixer). Mix in vanilla.

2.            Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, and mix until combined. (If you want a stiffer mixture, add the extra ½ cup of powdered sugar.) Mix in chocolate chips.

3.            Turn out mixture on a large sheet of waxed paper. Use your hands to form into a football shape. (This would also be cute as “lips” for Valentine’s Day!)

4.            Place the waxed paper onto your serving plate. (It helps if the plate has sides…less mess!) Cover in sprinkles or chocolate chips, pressing them into the surface a little so they stick. Pipe on the laces using melted white chocolate or some leftover frosting and chill until ready to serve.

5.            Serving suggestion: pretzels, animal crackers, cookies, a spoon.

Notes

If your mixture is too soft to form into a football shape, chill it for about 15-30 minutes. (The length of chilling time depends on how soft it starts.) The freezer will speed up this step.

Don't forget to link up!

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Fall Hair Trend: The Sock Bun

Surprisingly, I have yet to try the infamous sock bun. My hair has just recently started to grow out long enough that I think I might be able to manage to try it out on my own. 

To be honest, when I first heard about this new hair do almost a year ago, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it. Its a tube sock....in your hair? What? Who on earth even thought of trying that in the first place?!

 But now, I think it is such a fun way to dress up an outfit for fall! Ummm chunky scarf or sweater paired with a sock bun and some lipstick? Perfect!

I found these step by step instructions on pinterest that make it look pretty easy, right?

 I'll probably be experimenting on my hair this weekend and possibly my friend's hair because she has been dying for me to learn so I can style hers too haha.

Have you tried the sock bun? Is it really that easy or will I be sleeping with conditioner in my hair trying to get all the tangles out? yikes!   I'll keep y'all posted. 

What are some fall hair trends you are loving and can't wait to try?

xo,

eMr

Grab Him

So I don't tell this story often, but felt like I should share it this morning. 

About two years ago, my best friend Betsey and I were shopping in Hillsboro Village and were about to walk into a clothing boutique. All of the sudden this curly headed two year old boy comes bolting out with his dad somewhat chasing after him. As clear as day I heard a man say, "Grab him." 

Now, I'm not the type of person to just randomly grab stranger's children by the arm, but that is exactly what I did. The little boy looked up at me and smiled and at that moment I realized the dad was speaking in a completely different language. He smiled at me and in broken English said thank you.

I turned to Betsey and asked if the dad told us to grab him and she said no that no one said anything. At this point, I got chills and was kind of in shock. I knew what I heard. 


I don't know how many of you have ever been to Hillsboro Village in Nashville, but there is a very busy road that runs through it with cars parked on the side. If that little boy was to run out behind one of those parked cars it would be very likely a driver wouldn't see him in time and he would have been hit. 
All that to say, you never know when God is going to use you. In fact, He's probably using you right now without you even realizing it! He takes the most ordinary circumstances and turns them into something extraordinary. I will never forget that experience or that voice as long as I live. 


"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

SEC Sunday: Gameday Dress Boutiques

I am so excited to start my first ever link up party!  Knowing how busy we all are on Saturday with tailgates, parties, and obviously, watching the game, I thought it'd be best to host my little shindig on every Sunday.

Share whatever you like! Even if you're not from the South or go to an SEC school, I want to see how you celebrate football season and how you show off your school pride! I can't wait to see all that y'all did!

Last week, I did what I believe to be the Anatomy of a Gameday Belle, so today I thought I'd share a couple of online boutiques that I think sell adorable (and not to mention affordable!) gameday dresses. 

1. Adabelle's 

2. Hope's

3. Red Dress Boutique (one of my favorites for any occasion!)

4. YT Clothing (if you're still in college, be sure to check out their college rep page!)

What are some of your favorite online boutiques or places to shop for gameday dresses?

Be sure to grab my button to include in your post!

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A Southern Girl's Wedding Guest Survival Kit

I am attending a dear friend, former roommate, and sorority sister's wedding today!

Now, I am no stranger to attending weddings. As I've mentioned before, I seriously feel like I am attending one every month or almost every other month, but I absolutely LOVE them. Not only have I attended quite a few, but I've also been apart of some of the best women in the world's weddings too!

Yep, I've been a bridesmaid 3 times and am about to add #4! So I'd consider myself somewhat of an expert (not really, but I've been to quite a few weddings in the past few years haha). 

For this reason, I thought I'd compile a bunch of things that are a must for a wedding guest to bring! (Who knows, I might do a bridesmaid survival kit in a later post)

I hope this helps any of you wedding goers! And in case any of you were wondering, I'm going to try and beat Katherin Heigel's 27 dresses haha.

What are some things in your wedding guest survival kit?

xo,
eMr

I Need Wonderful Bloggers to Follow!

A horrible thing has happened.

I switched my blog's email account so I wouldn't get blog messages sent to my personal email. Sounds like a great idea, right? Wrong.

I have now lost all the wonderful blogs I used to follow, which makes me incredibly sad. When I first started this blog I honestly felt like I was making friendships on here.

So please, please, please leave a link to your blog so I can follow you back! 

Happy Friday! 

eMr

Fall Reading List

Fall is getting so close I can hardly stand it! 

There is nothing that I love more than going outside when it gets cool, drinking a pumpkin spice latte,  and curling up to a good book.

Here are my top 5 books that I plan on reading this fall (in no particular order):

1.  Sorority Sisters by Claudia Welch. 

Ok, first off anything that has the word sorority in it draws my attention. As a former sorority girl, I have come to the sad realization that anytime Greeks are shown in the media it is usually in a negative manner (or we're the subject of a horror film or porno) so imagine my excitement when I found a book written by a sorority woman (Alpha Phi)! I can't wait to open up this one and I'm sure I'll need some tissues handy. But don't just take my word for it, read the overview:

In 1975, trying to find a place to belong, four young women found each other in the same sorority pledge class. Through parties and pranks; finals and skipped classes; boyfriends and break-ups, they forge a bond that takes them by surprise. No one expected it to last beyond college graduation. But some bonds are too strong to break.

Now they’re sisters. And with sisters, it’s not about what happens. It’s about no matter what happens.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. 

So many people have recommended this book to me, so of course I have to see what all the hype is about! From what I heard it's a thriller and will keep you guessing the entire time. Can't wait to start this page turner close to Halloween.

Marriage can be a real killer.
   One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 

3. Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close.

Being in my early, almost mid-twenties (yikes!) I have gone to a wedding almost every month and am about to add bridesmaids dress #4 to my closet. So after reading the back of this book, I knew I had to read it! I mean it is basically the story of my life.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working a dead-end job, Mary is dating a nice guy with an awful mother, and Lauren is waitressing at a midtown bar and wondering why she's attracted to the sleazy bartender.

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering years of early adulthood as she pulls us inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

4. Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham.

As awful as this is, I judged this book by its' cover. It looks pretty and I'm drawn to lovely looking things, but after reading the back I became extremely intrigued. Takes place in Texas, is coming of age story, and it has a love triangle? Count me in.

Recently orphaned, eleven-year-old Cathy Benson feels she has been dropped into a cultural and intellectual wasteland when she is forced to move from her academically privileged life in California to the small town of Kersey in the Texas Panhandle where the sport of football reigns supreme. She is quickly taken under the unlikely wings of up-and-coming gridiron stars and classmates John Caldwell and Trey Don Hall, orphans like herself, with whom she forms a friendship and eventual love triangle that will determine the course of the rest of their lives. Taking the three friends through their growing up years until their high school graduations when several tragic events uproot and break them apart, the novel expands to follow their careers and futures until they reunite in Kersey at forty years of age. Told with all of Meacham's signature drama, unforgettable characters, and plot twists, readers will be turning the pages, desperate to learn how it all plays out.

5. Allegiant by Veronica Roth.

I can't even express how long I've been waiting just for the release date (which is October 22 in case you were wondering)! It's the last of a three part series which has so far been amazing! If you liked the Hunger Games, you will be hooked to the Divergent series. 

What if your whole world was a lie?

What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. 

What are some books you plan on curling up to this fall? 

And as always, this bookworm is open to suggestions!

xo,

eMr

Anatomy of a Gameday Belle

I'm sure a lot of you are just as excited about gamedays and tailgating as I am! What Southerner doesn't like an excuse to dress up and get a little rowdy cheering for their favorite team!

Here are some of my absolute, could not go without, gameday essentials.

What are you wearing or bringing for your SEC tailgate? Any items you can't go without?

xo, 

eMr