post #64: friday five - what i've been up to

Hi friends! Happy Friday!

I know I've been gone from blogging for a long. long. long. time. So much for that New Years Resolution (which was brought to my attention yesterday by a coworker.) Oops. Blogging has taken a backseat to a lot of other things recently, as it should. Things like work, sleep, and the return of some of my favorite TV shows (duh). 

I spent the month of January going to the gym almost every day. Then there was the ice storm(s), and that dwindled a little. Then it dwindled a lot. Oops again. Another New Years Resolution down the drain.

But today's focus isn't on what I haven't been doing. It's on what I have been doing! Here are my five favorite things of the past few months...

1. Girls Weekend #1

One of my best friends from college is moving across the country with her military husband to California. We've all loved going to her house in Beaufort, SC for the past several years and having girls weekends, where we eat, drink, and play in one of the cutest towns around. We decided to have one last hoorah before her big move. We're counting down the months until we plan a girls weekend in Cali! (Maybe the boys can come too. But probably not.)

[will miss this sweet friend so much!]

2. Girls Weekend #2

I also got together in Charlotte with more besties for another girls weekend! We were celebrating the engagement of my friend Katie, and just enjoying being together - something that we don't get to do often enough since we're all in different cities. After an awesome weekend of wine, shopping, wine, mani-pedis, and more wine, we all left thinking life was great and couldn't get much better.

[girlfrands]

Then, I got a call a few weeks later from Meghan...she was engaged!! We couldn't be more excited for one of our favorite couples, and I'm thrilled for all of the wedding fun to come! I know that Katie and Meghan will be two of the prettiest brides!! 2015 is sure going to be a great year.

[2008 st. pats throwback with the brides. you. are. welcome.]

3. Greenville Wedding

We had so much fun getting to spend time with another group of our college friends at a fabulous wedding in Greenville! Stacy was a beautiful bride and the couple was so sweet. We knew the wedding would be one to remember when the bride and groom were introduced at the reception and immediately started singing a top notch karaoke rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." Congrats to this sweet couple!

[loves]

4. Carolina Cup

We had a blast at Carolina Cup again this year. Even though the weather was overcast with morning rain and we didn't have as large of a group as we have had in the past, a day of tailgating with friends and wearing sundresses in March (combined with morning drinks, a personal favorite) is always fun.

5. Milly's Birthday

This little princess turned 4. Love. 

[they just grow up so fast.]

It feels great to be back! Come back soon - I [hopefully] know I will! :-) xo

post #37 - F5: Lazy Weekends, Fall Decor, Boots, Target, and a New Blog Design!

It's Friday? Five Things for September 13.

Hey there, pretty blog friends! Hope you've had a super week!

5 highlights of this week...

1. Lazy Weekends

Last week, I backed out of going to the Clemson game and stayed home with the pup. I started Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market with a girlfriend. Milly naturally made friends with the biggest horse dog there, we enjoyed mimosas, and I got some peaches, kale, goat cheese, and crab + avocado ravioli.

{nice and tired when we left.}

{my "single for the day" lunch - lavender goat cheese, pretzels, and cookie butter! mmm}

I watched the Georgia/South Carolina game with Jo's mom and called it a night. The next morning, I headed to the Panthers opening game in Charlotte with some coworkers. A fun time was had by all!

2. Fall Decor

I finally put out some fall decorations! I picked up the glass leaf plates at TJ Maxx over the weekend and love the touch they add to the table. And pumpkin candles...*insert sigh of happiness

{our kitchen table is ready for fall!}

{pumpkin spice candles make me a happy girl!}

3. Boots

Is it time for these yet? I'm quick to put on my cowboy boots - in fact, I wore them to our first football game against Georgia. But, when are we officially allowed to start wearing our riding boots? I got a pair of brown Nine West riding boots last year for Christmas that I love, but this year I'm in the market for some black ones. Is it just me, or are decent looking black ones harder to find? Let me know if you have any suggestions. Until then, I'll just keep dreaming about these.

{stuart weitzman 50/50 stretch over the knee boot}

4. My Target Haul!

After Christina posted an Instagram picture of her Pumpkin Spice M&Ms, I knew I'd be heading to Target to pick some up. Naturally, I didn't leave with just M&Ms. I tried to find the new Essie shades I talked about here and here, but of course they were sold out. I think I found the next best thing in Sally Hansen's Insta Dry - "Gone Grey." I also found some great smelling citronella candles for 70% off!

{clear organizer for work, sharpie pens, pumpkin spice m&ms, nail polish, & candles. + lots of diet coke, not pictured ;-)}

5. Blog Designs!

My little blog is still growing! It's been so exciting to keep gaining followers each day on BlogLovin, Google Friend Connect, and Facebook. (Not following yet? What are you waiting for!) The only thing that's been getting me down is my blog design. Right now, I'm using a freebie - I can't quite decide when the right time is to bite the bullet and purchase a paid design. Here's where I need your advice, experienced bloggers - at what point did you purchase a blog design? A certain number of followers? Page views? Are you happy with your designer? Could you justify the cost?

6. A Little Humor For Today

I had to add a 6th this week. This link is too. funny. Dying. Like, tears might be escaping. 

Thanks for following along with my little old life! Your comments just make my day ;-) And if you're not following along yet, I'd sure love to have you along for the ride!

Xo - Morgan

post #35 - F5: Blueberry Moscow Mules, Vested Interest, Milly, J.Crew Shoes, & J.Crew Collection

Friday Five for September 6!

Do you ever have weeks that feel a little like a marathon? This week was like that for me. I've been traveling for work and feel like I haven't quite had a chance to sit down in a spot other than a car. We decided to wait to head to Clemson until tomorrow morning, even though it's a 12:30 game - I need a bit of time to get my life in order (and decide what to wear to the game, duh). 

5 Things I'm Loving This Week?

1. Blueberry Moscow Mules

Kind of dying to try this drink. Regular Moscow Mules are so good but BLUEBERRY? Drooling.

{recipe & photo credit here}

2. This New Essie Shade {Vested Interest}

How fast can I purchase this? Today at lunchtime? Perhaps?

{photo credit here}

3. This Little Pumpkin

We all know that I'm unreasonably obsessed with my dog. Nothing new here.

4. These Shoes

Obsessed. So obsessed.

{buy them here}

5. For that matter, all of the current JCrew Collection items 

I have been swooning over some of this stuff and really just can't stop. Examples:

{Rory Boots, found here}

{Collection Valentina Calf Hair D'Orsay Pumps, found here}

Okay, even though I have absolutely nowhere to wear this, if I ever got it I may never take it off. Work, dinner, bed, repeat?

{Collection Dauphine Gown in Watercolor Floral, found here}

Kind of need this. Pleasepleaseplease Santa?

{Collection Icon Trench, found here}

Hope you all have wonderful weekends!
Don't forget to follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Bloglovin!

Xo - Morgan

post #26 - Weekend Review {Alabama Wedding}

And...we're off!

So. darn. excited. We're headed to NC today, and on Tuesday morning we're off to Las Vegas, NV! Today will be spent at Ikea, having dinner with one of my BFFs, and playing around Charlotte. Tuesday will be an early morning, but I can't wait to start seeing the sights & sounds of Sin City!

This weekend was so much fun - we had the best time in Alabama. The wedding was just gorgeous! 

 {pretty friends!}

{handsome date}

{beautiful bride}

 {happy to have mom and dad back!}

Now, this is enough to get me excited!!

Are you following Makeshift Margaritas on Facebook, Instagram, & BlogLovin? 

Xo- MBC

post #19 - F5: Seabrook Island, Black Orchid Candle, Toothpick Jeans, Drinks, & Coffee!

Friday Favorites for July 5!

Happy July 5th everyone! I hope that you are all recovering from fun Independence Day celebrations and that this morning isn't too rough! I'll have to admit - this was my lamest 4th of July yet. After all, it's 7am and I'm up and at em. (WHAT.) But you can bet that I'll be celebrating double time next year! Favorites this week...

1. Seabrook Island, SC
Seabrook has a special place in my heart, as it's where Jo and I got engaged, over a year and a half ago. (wow!!) This weekend trip will be a little more low key than our engagement weekend, but I am super excited to go back and relive the memories. We'll be leaving when he gets off work today and I'll be taking some of Saturday off from studying (please keep your gasps to a minimum). This time, we get to celebrate his sister's birthday! To say I'm ready for sun, sand, and a drink in hand is an understatement!

(Milly's last trip to Seabrook!)

(Engagement! Can we do it again this year? When I can wear real, non-gym clothes?)

(Celebrations!)

2. Scentsational Black Orchid Natural Soy Candle
I picked one of these up at TJ Maxx last year, and it is my favorite candle EVER. I looked frequently and couldn't find another one anywhere. Not long ago, I was in Marshalls and the heavens opened - one was sitting on the shelf. This candle seriously smells divine and lasts forever! If you ever see this...buy it. I've been burning it nonstop this week and it's veryyyy yummy.

3. JCrew Toothpick Jeans
It's been a rainy summer. Lots of pants. Not so many shorts. Believe me when I say, over the years, I've tried a lot of jeans. Most of the designers you can think of. These jeans are probably my favorite pair that I have ever owned. They fit like a glove, and are soft and actually comfortable. These have been making appearances a little too often. Including once at least twice this week.

(dark wash. love. next i'll be hopefully getting a lighter wash, so I can actually wear them actuallyallthetime)

4. This drink of April's!

I saw this post on A. Liz Adventures and had to give it a try. My love for St. Germain has blossomed over the summer, and this drink hit the spot! I made a few small changes so I could work with what I had on hand, but this cocktail tasted like candy and put me right to sleep and was delicious!

1 part St. Germain

1.5 parts 99 Whipped Schnapps

2.5 parts club soda

Pinch of mint leaves

Lavender sprig

 5. COFFEE
I've been drinking a lot of coffee lately. Like, a lot. Jo is a big coffee drinker, too. I've never been so glad that we decided to make a coffee bar at our new rental house! We have a small kitchen, so this was the perfect solution to keep all of our coffee supplies. I got a lot of Pinterest inspiration, and am so happy with how ours turned out. I still plan to decorate this and fine tune it more, but it's working for now. I can't wait until we purchase a house and can actually paint the wall behind it, but love the utility of this set up!

(we keep this in the office...right where it belongs.)

I got inspiration from some of these...

(thevintagewren.blogspot.com)

(thevintagewren.blogspot.com)

(savvycityfarmer.blogspot.com)

I also have some super super super exciting news this week. For the next few weeks, I'll be spending too much time studying. I've decided to take a break from blogging because 1) I don't have time, and 2) I'm not doing anything interesting enough for you to want to read anyway. But, I have asked a few of my most stylish, creative, and awesome friends to fill in for me. I'll be having two guest posts a week, running from mid July until the beginning of August. I can't wait to see what these ladies have to say and get some advice on decorating, products, and more! Is there anything you'd like to see blogged about? Leave a comment!

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, Bloglovin, Blogger, and Facebook!

Have a wonderful weekend!

MBC

Love Thai Food? Check out my post about Basil in Columbia, SC here!

Thanks for the link up A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, Hello! Happiness, and The Good Life Blog!

post #6: Maxing Out

Maxing Out

I'm a little late jumping on this train, but lately I've been loving maxi skirts. Due to studying for the bar exam, my legs will be lacking the hint of tan that they usually have in the summer time. This is sure to look amazing in photos with my sun kissed friends. I've decided that the solution to this problem is wear maxi skirts - nonstop. There are lots floating around out there that I loved when shopping... but some were a little a lot out of budget. Here are some of my favorites - can you tell which ones made me shop or drop?

1) Tibi Pleated Maxi Skirt (found here) ($395) 

2) Milly Luca Dot Print Maxi Skirt (found here) ($525, on sale for $315) 

3) BCBGMaxazria Dillon Pleated Maxi Skirt (found here) ($295, on sale for $150) 

4) Forever 21 Satin Maxi Skirt (found here) ($25) 

5) LOFT Textured Maxi Skirt (found here) ($69.50, on sale for $55)

Are YOU loving Maxis right now? What are your favorite summer looks?