post #57 - New Blog Design is HERE!

Hi Friends!!

Notice a change around here? My new blog design is FINALLY done! After waiting since September 14 (yes, you read that correctly), it's installed and ready to go. I have plenty to say about the process, but that's neither here nor there. All that matters is it's finally finished and I'm out of my boring old design.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and eat lots of turkey! See you bright and early on Friday!

xo -

post #56 - Favorite Things - Stocking Stuffers!

Happy Tuesday!

Today, I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers, Elise over at Cheers Y'all! She's doing a series on our favorite things this Christmas. Here are some of my favorite stocking stuffers to give and receive!

1. Cookie Cutters

2. Festive Christmas Tea Towels

3. Fun Socks

4. Gift Cards

5. Cute Undies!

6. Bubble Bath/Nice toiletries

7. Doggie Toys (for the pup's stocking, of course!)

8. Christmas Cheese Spreaders!

Follow Along on Bloglovin, Facebook, GFC, or Instagram to stay updated!!

Did you miss my post about my Christmas list this year? Check it out here!

post #55 - My Favorite Things, "My Favorites" Edition

Happy Wednesday! Today (although a day late!) I'm linking up with my new blog friend Elise over at Cheers, Y'all! This girl is the sweetest and I am so excited for this fun link up!

Here are a few things I'm craving this Christmas:

1. Folding Ray Bans - These are awesome! Haven't seen them yet? They look like normal Wayfarers, but fold in the normal spot (obviously), in the middle, and on the sides! They are basically a little, tiny cube. Talk about convenience of travel! {buy them here}

2. South Carolina Necklace - I've been wanting this for awhile, and it's still on my wish list! {buy it here}

3. NARS Blush - Another thing I've been meaning to pick up for awhile, but haven't been able to commit yet. {buy it here}

4. Cross Necklace - I can't believe I don't have one of these yet! I do have one with a dove that I wear pretty frequently. I know this would become a fast staple piece. {buy a similar necklace here}

5. Dessert Plates - I've been on the search for the perfect everyday dessert plates that will match with our bright white dishes. These are fantastic! {buy them here}

6. Beach Savings - We're hoping to back to our paradise-like honeymoon spot this year, so we're mainly saving cash to help fund our trip.

7. Lamps for our Guest Room - Our guest room needs a ton of work. Unfortunately, it's been a little neglected. We really need some pretty lamps and end tables to make me get the ball rolling on my upholstery project! These are gorgeous - pricier than I would purchase (I'm more of a TJ Maxx & Home Goods girl!) but are exactly the type I'm looking for. {buy them here}

Can't wait for this fun link-up again next week, where I'll be discussing my favorite stocking stuffers, to give and to get! :-) Follow along on Bloglovin, Facebook, or GFC!

Xo - Morgan

P.S. In the market for a new purse this Christmas? Check out this post!

post #54. USC v. UF

Happy Tuesday!

Ready for a photo dump from Saturday? I had a great time tailgate hopping and spending time with some friends that we don't see nearly often enough!

{ignore the gamecock colors!}

{handsome husband}

{boys before the shenanigans began}

{so glad that i got to see a few long lost law school girlfriends!}

 {things are getting weirder}

{no gamecock fans here! not so excited to see the game.}

{football!}

Then we danced like fools. And ate Waffle House. And slept into the afternoon.

A good time was had by all! 

P.S. Congrats to all of my Auburn fan readers, after pulling out one of the most exciting wins I've seen all season!

Up on the blog tomorrow - the creamiest, yummiest white chicken chili you'll ever try!

xos - Morgan

We had a great time, but want to see a football weekend I'd rather be at?? See this post!

post #53. Working Woman's Wardrobe - Long Sleeved Dresses

Happy Friday! I'm still sniffly and recovering, but thanks for all of your sweet messages about being sick last week!

 I hope you're as excited for the weekend as I am! This weekend, we have a few friends coming in town and *brace yourself* we are attending the South Carolina game! It's going to be difficult to wear garnet, but after a few cocktails I don't think I'll mind so much. 

I got a text from a friend recently that sparked this post. She asked if I'd seen any cute long sleeved dresses for work - her boss had several, but they were all designer. Or sweater dresses (quite possibly the most unflattering thing I could ever wear). For those of us just starting out in the real world, it can be tough to wear stylish and professional clothes to work every day without repeating too frequently. I find this especially true in the winter, considering the only thing I want to wear in the morning is leggings and wool sweaters. Not exactly workwear.

I scoured the internet to find this week's Friday Five - Five dresses, winter and work appropriate, under $150. 

1. Ann Taylor 3/4 Button Shift Dress - $149, currently 30% off {buy it here}

2. Ralph Lauren Suede Trim French Terry Dress - $129, on sale for $90 {buy it here}

3. Michael Kors Draped Wrap Effect Stretch Jersey Dress - $120 {buy it here}

4. Zara Dress with Front Seams - $60 {buy it here}

5. Nanette Lepore Rabat Two-Tone Ponte Dress - $249, on sale for $148 {buy it here}

Which dresses are your favorites?

Xo - Morgan

(P.S. In other exciting news, I think my blog design is finally almost ready! It took longer than I expected, but I'm so excited for the makeover! Get ready for a big reveal next week *crossing fingers*)

post #52 - Chicken Salad Chick Review

Hello bloggy friends! Hope you all had a great weekend and many of you had a long weekend like I did! Most importantly - Happy belated Veteran's Day! Eternal thanks to my military friends (and spouses) for your service to our country. 

My weekend was actually extra long. I took Friday off work because I spent Thursday night through Sunday late afternoon in bed, feeling terrible! 

{i had approximately 15 cups of hot chocolate and 10 cups of tea and cider this weekend.}

I finally started feeling better on Sunday evening and felt good enough on Monday to do some early Christmas shopping! This is a little early for Christmas shopping, even for me. But, since I'll be spending most of the month of December halfway across the world on a work trip, I'm having to do my Christmas shopping a little earlier than normal. I convinced my husband to go to lunch and help me pick up some things for our family members. I may or may not have bribed him with Starbucks.

{first red cup of the season!}

We started the day by having lunch at Chicken Salad Chick. This restaurant is brand new in Lexington/Columbia on Sunset Boulevard in the same shopping area as Target. After reading my friend Laura's post about the new Greenville location, I couldn't wait until Chicken Salad Chick opened just a few miles from my house. 

After trying a few samples, I decided on a scoop of the Sassy Scotty and a cup of their soup of the day - Loaded Baked Potato. Basically the same ingredients in a soup and chicken salad.

{sassy scotty - a zesty blend of ranch, bacon, & shredded cheddar cheese}

Jordan got the Original Chick - a sandwich or scoop, one side, pickle, and cookie. He decided on a Kickin Kay Lynne sandwich and pasta salad. His chicken salad was delicious - I can vouch! It was basically the same as mine with buffalo sauce & jalapenos. He said the pasta salad was pretty standard, but I didn't try it. And the cookie? Gooey and tasty.

{kickin kay lynne - combination of buffalo sauce, ranch, shredded cheddar cheese, and jalapenos all in one!}

At first glance, I was a little disappointed with the quantity of food. But, it was very filling and ended up being the perfect amount. We both really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back. This is definitely a great addition to Lexington and judging by the busy Monday lunch, I think it will do well!

After that, we did some shopping and headed home. We knocked out about half our our Christmas list (between planning with siblings and actual purchases) so I feel pretty ahead of the game.

Did you have a long weekend? And, are you checking items off your Christmas buying list yet?

Xo! 

Morgan

post #51 - F5: Under the Weather Essentials

Happy Friday, friends! I hope your weeks are going a little better than mine. Unfortunately, I've been feeling like poo sick for the past day or two. This week, I'll keep my Friday Five short and sweet - these 5 things have been getting me through the week!

1. EOS Lip Balm
I can't seem to get enough of this! Also, am I the only one who didn't know that EOS stands for Evolution of Smooth?

2. Comfy JamJams
I've been wearing fuzzy, snuggly PJ's from the moment I get home until the very second before I have to get dressed for work and get out the door. #marriage

3. iPad
iPads are such a blessing. Internet browsing + Gossip Girl + Blog Reading, oh my! (Oh, and working, of course!)

4. Tazo Tea
Yesterday, I drank 8 cups of tea. Almost a whole box. Kind of sad, but it got me through the workday!

5. Awesome Pillows
When we got married, we decided to invest in nice pillows. It's amazing the difference that a higher end pillow makes, compared with the Target pillows I was used to! We purchased Therapedic Deluxe Memory Foam Pillows at Bed Bath and Beyond with wedding gift cards. They are unavailable for purchase online, but they should still have them in the store. I highly recommend them if you're in the process of registering or in the market for some new pillows!

6. Free Makeup
This is my actually my Friday 6. But really! I got a great text last night (thanks Tina!) letting me know that Bare Minerals is giving away a free eye color today only! Well, and yesterday. Anyway. Just follow them on Twitter, retweet this tweet, take your phone to a store, and show them the tweet! Easy peasy! Now the question is, will I be able to lift myself out of bed to go to the mall?

Thanks for reading! And tell me - what gets you through the day when you're not feeling well? I need all the advice I can get!

Xo - Morgan

P.S. - I'm close to 100 followers on BlogLovin! Not following along yet? What are you waiting for!?

post #50 - Washington, DC Review

50 Posts!! Is this a milestone? I think so!

As I mentioned in post #49, I spent Wednesday-Sunday of last week in Washington, DC. I hadn't been there in many years, and when I found out that I was going for work Wednesday-Friday, I decided to stay the weekend and hang out with my college roommate. We had such a great time!

Friday Night -

Went to an awesome tapas dinner, then drove around town.

{beautiful capital}

Saturday

Went for a walk through the awesome fall trees to Georgetown. We got coffee & a cupcake and chatted.

{best. pumpkin. ever.}

{cupcake deliciousness from baked & wired}

{coffee can be beautiful, what?}

Then, we headed back, got ready, and headed to Disco Brunch at Level One. We saw this man along the way - only in the city!

{yummy, cheesy hash brown casserole with chopped applewood bacon, sour cream, scallions, a whole bunch of cheese, and a fried egg on top. i also added guacamole.}

I had the bottomless mimosa (are you surprised?) and the "Gurl, It's a Brunch Bowl." Seriously, one of the yummiest breakfast items I've had in a long time! Our service was great and I had a fun time getting to know Polly's friends.

After that, we hopped around to a few fun places. We ended up going to a wine and cookie tasting called Cookies & Corks. Best idea ever, right?! By that point, we had been running around the city for most of the day. The tasting paired different wines with different cookies, and all were delicious!

All in all, we had a wonderful time! It was so much fun hanging out and catching up. Is it possible to still be recovering?

I'm definitely still catching up on sleep!

Check back tomorrow for my Five on Friday! Don't forget to follow along on Facebook, BlogLovin, GFC, etc! :-)

xo - Morgan

post #49 - Mountain Weekend + New Car!

Hi sweet friends!!!

Did you think I disappeared? I practically have! It has been a crazy few weeks!

Remember on my last post (a week and a half ago) when I said I'd been super stressed? Well - it's because last Friday, we found out the Bar results! And guess what? I PASSED!! Friday was quite possibly the longest and most stressful day of my life. I was in panic mode all day, and was going on no sleep.

When I found out that I passed, we decided to head to the mountains with Jo's group of best guy friends. We had such a blast! I did a terrible job at taking pictures, but here is an idea of our trip...

{friends in hats}

{house discoveries}

{take 2}

{our house had the best props!}

{bro'ing out}

{food.}

{entire table of food. and daytime lounging}

{beautiful}

{mountains}

{hunny}

{clemson football}

{handsome hubby}

{besties}

Also - I can't believe we forgot to take a group girl pic! I guess it will have to wait until next year!

In even more news...

Last Monday, we got a new car!!

We found a great deal on the one we wanted and decided to go take a look. We found a 2012 with only 4000 miles on it (who drives a car for 2 years and only puts 4000 miles on it??) and got a real steal! We unexpectedly pulled the trigger and purchased it!

After that, I promptly went to DC for work, letting Jo drive our new car by himself all week. 

Want to hear about DC? Stay tuned later this week!

Until next time!

Xo -

Morgan