Wedding Wednesday - Invitations

Thought I'd start out my first THEMED Wedding Wednesday with the thing that is imperative to wedding planning to get the word out - the invitations! I am a lover of any pretty paper or font or art, and these are all very "me" and go with the mood of my future wedding.

Love how these are unique...but still classic.

Obsessed with that lettering for the couple's names! Rustic with a chic edge

Mmmm...I love these. So different. They'd look great in a chocolate brown with the couple's names in burnt orange!

The Higher the Hair, the Closer to God

The title of this post is one of my favorite southern women sayings of all time, alongside "the bigger the bow, the better the mama" - which WILL be moi one day! If ya'll know me, you know I have an obsession with big hair...I think bigger, more volumized hair frames my face better, as well as most anyone's face.

Me and a few of my girl friends went on a spring break trip to beautiful Savannah, GA and while getting ready one morning, one of them noticed me teasing my hair every morning and wanted to know how I did it. Long story short, I have them all hooked on hair teasing now ;) God blessed me with true teasing talent! Truth be told, I hardly ever leave the house without teasing my hair just a little bit. Whether it be straight, hot-rolled, curling iron-curled, wavy, or in a ponytail....yup, teased baby.

With this being said, I'll share with ya'll some of my favorite hair products...

1. Kenra Finishing Spray 25 - Holy moly, this stuff is THE best hairspray out there. It's a salon brand and it is soooo worth every penny. It makes for the perfect hold/strength without being heavy or sticky, and even if you use "too much" of it by accident, it doesn't make you look like you have a helmet head. I usually tease my roots and spray with this, and I'm set!
2. Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Wave Spray - I love love love this for wavy hair days. It doesn't leave your hair stiff and it smells really good too!

3. Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Mousse - My hair is not really thin nor really thick, but it is always stuck flat to my head after I blow dry it. This mousse gives it a ncie little "prep-lift" before I start teasing ;)

4. Kenra Root Lifting Spray - Ok, so maybe I am a little biased towards lots of volumizing products, but what can I say! This spray is great to mist on right before you blow dry, it just aids in the lift. It's not gunky or sticky either - just don't glob it on too much!

5. Annnnnd finally - voila! The teasing comb...my magic wand. Only the Good Lord knows how much I love my teasing comb. Teasing can be done with a soft bristle brush too, but I prefer the teeth of the combs. Just rough up the roots of your hair and have at it!

Big hair = happy Caroline

Weekly Gratitude

This week I am grateful for...

1. ...Nike, Champion, and Adidas shorts. Seems like they take up 50% of my wardrobe choices during the summer :) at least during the day time. I only wear black shorts...don't judge. I like black, in a non-emo way.

2. ...the cooler weather this week. I am not not not a fan of supa dupa hot weather, but this warm, breezy trend I am liking! (minus the rain)

3. ...the safe delivery of my dear friend Susan Burks's baby girl Stella!


4. ...my dance shoes coming in! Time to get to business :)


5. ....my daddy. Tomorrow is Father's Day and I know a lot of people whose fathers aren't with them anymore. I need to appreciate my daddy more, flaws and all. (Thank you God for giving me supportive parents and be with the ones whose fathers aren't able to be with them!)

My little lobster daddy-o!

6. ...Ty. I love our spur-of-the-moment quirks like an impromtu visit the Waffle House last night and bonding over stupid TV quotes. Love you to the moon & back!

I hope ya'll have had a great week!

Pageant rants

Yesterday marked the start of Miss Tennessee week in Jackson, TN. I have a few stunning friends competing for the title this year, and I am loving watching them each night on http://eplustv6.com/ as they compete in their prelims and of course, on the final crowning night on Saturday. I already have a few favorites picked out :) I attended the Miss TN Scholarship pageant last year to see one of my dear friends, Emily Hobbs (now Britton!), compete and it was an awesome experience just to attend. I can't imagine being up there on that stage! But hey, I'm doing my 1st prelim in August and only the Lord knows where it will take me!

Now if ya'll know me, you know I am a pageant girl. Not just for the reason of being glammed up, not just for the reason of having publicity, & not just for the reason of getting free stuff...ha! I do it for the gratification it gives me as a person. I do it to promote my platform and cause, Eating Disorder Awareness. I want all girls across TN to know they are beautiful for what they are on the inside. Now that sounds kinda contradictory, right? You would think being in beauty pageants would just make one focus on outer beauty...wrong wrong wrong. You have to have your heart & mind set in the right direction also, and all the rest will follow. I choose to promote a cause that is very near and dear to my heart, so I can be passionate about it. Eating Disorder Awareness is a cause that is sometimes overlooked because many people do not view it as a disease; they view it as something you choose to get yourself into, when that is not the case. I will probably be doing other posts about this topic, so stay tuned :)

Welllllllll now that you have gotten the deep topic out of me for today, let's add some fluffy frilly girly thoughts! (while still staying with the glitz & glam mood!)

I'm sure ya'll probably have heard by now, but OPI released their new MISS UNIVERSE collection of nail laquer yesterday! Weeeeeee!

(courtesy of Beautyish)

OPI has done it again! The one on the far right is my favorite - Congeniality is my Middle Name - kind of a funky, shimmery lilac/rose. The others are pretty cute too: Swimsuit...Nailed It! (bright sparkly blue), Crown Me Already! (sheer silver), & It's MY Year! (magenta)

Last night, Allison and Jay DeMarcus (the hosts of the Miss TN pageant) hinted around that they may bring their new baby girl on the stage tonight! I hope they do! Country Vibe released this photo earlier in the year...

(courtesy of Country Vibe)

I can't wait to see sweet little Madeline. Allison was a triple-crown winner (meaning she was Miss TN Teen USA, Miss TN USA, and Miss TN) and she does such a great job emceeing, along with her husband. They're a mess! So cute.

Tune in tonight at 8pm Central to see the gorgeous Miss TN contestants compete in Night 2 of prelims!

Busy Bee

My schedule these past few days has been crazy! I have not had a spare minute! Buuuuut tomorrow is my day off and I am going to have a day filled with dance, shopping, & a workout. Not too shabby. Tomorrow is my 2nd dance practice for my first upcoming Miss TN prelim (yes, i'm scared..but yes, i'm excited). I took dance for 9 years when I was younger and I so so so wished I hadn't ever quit! It makes me sick to think what I could have been doing with dance, but it is very time consuming and we never had a dance team at my highschool, so it got to be a little inconvenient.


But anyway, I dug out my old soft-toe dance shoes the other day out my of closet just to see the fit and if I could possibly wear them to practices until my new ones came in. Which, by the way look a little something like this...

Just your typical soft-toe ballet slipper...Ahh, brings back memories of the good ole days of Ms. Bonnie's dance classes. Which brings me to this next picture... Ok, for realsies, don't laugh. I was fat as a child, I know.

Yes, me. Chubby McChub Chubs. Anyway, that's me and the infamous Ms. Bonnie.

She knew her stuff. I just wish I would have kept taking ballet!! Maybe I would have to be re-learning all the technique and turns now lol Many of my greatest memories are tied to dance and I really have missed it! Hopefully I will have a solid lyrical dance down pat by the time August rolls around. (Pray for me!)

I'm gonna keep it a short post tonight, and attempt to do some of my online math for the remainder of the night! 'Night ya'll!

Weekly Gratitude

Today, I would like to begin what's going to be called "Weekly Gratitude." I got the idea from the wonderful http://letsbepreppy.blogspot.com/ & am going to start linking up to participate. I have realized for a while that I need to do better at not taking things in my life for granted, and having this blog is a great way to keep up with it and also document my thanks. So here's goes nothing! Sweet Southern Caroline's Weekly Gratitude premiere...

This week I am grateful for:

1. My loving family and awesome friends. Now that seems a little generic and boring, right? Wrong. So yes everyone does say that their own family is the best, but mine is. Annnnd my friends of course. But really...so many people in our world do not have family or friends that are supportive or loving in the least bit, so we all need to take time to be thankful for the love we receive each day.

2. My cocker spaniel, Reagan, & siberian huskie, Samson. (& just so their feelings don't get hurt, I went in alphabetical order on names) These guys are like little furry members of the family. Pets are not just animals - they are people, I tell you! PEEEEE-OOOPLLEEE! I cry more in sad animal movies that I do in sad human movies. There, I said it.

Reagan

Samson

3. Having a job. I am so loving my little job at Bath and Body Works and the people I work with. Semi-Annual sale started today and it was sooo busy but I loved it! Being busy is so much better than a slow day.

4. Hairspray. Just to be completely honest, I have a love affair with hairspray. (Shhh..don't tell Tyler!) Holy moly, I don't know what I would do without it.

BIG hair = GOOD hair

Wedding Wednesday

I am been waiting & waiting & waiting to do this post! Yay for weddings! Yay for being a bride-to-be! Yay for having a great fiance! Yay wedding planning! ...ok, now that I have THAT out of my system...

Wedding Wednesdays are pretty much gonna work like this: I'm going to showcase a few ideas/thoughts/reflections about my wedding planning -which I still have approximately 2 yrs to plan but stillllll :) it's so exciting! I usually hate (ok I may still hate it a little) to showcase all these ideas and such because I'm a stickler for people being little copycats! Meow! But this is an exception...even though I still am not for little copykitties! Oh well...back to happiness land. :)

I am planning on a fall wedding in October. We started dating on Oct. 2nd so it would be ideal to get married on that day but in 2-ish yrs it falls on a weird non-wedding-like day such as Tuesday or something...but we can work that out later! Keywords for our wedding: classic, warm, welcome, elegant, rustic...yes I am loving it already! Woo hoo :)

Here is my little Ty and I on the night we got engaged! (cue applause)
Part of me wants to be the classic Southern bride that gets married in the church she went to all through her life, but part of me also wants to be different. That being said, I love the look of this venue. I have been living on The Knot and Wedding Wire and RuffledBlog for the past forever and those sites really help in getting a feel of how you want your day to feel. It didn't specify if this was a barn or old southern home or whatever it might be, but I love the look & mood of this venue!I really don't love the idea of black tuxes with my color combo (burnt orange, gold/wheat, and chocolate), so I loooove the look of this tux! It's not too too formal either, which I like. I want our wedding to be elegant, but not stuffy.Also in LOVE with this barn! So rustic & vintage, with a classy look too!
And could you get any more Southern than a BISCUIT BAR?! How stinking cute would this be for a quaint little downhome Southern wedding?! Just load some toppings on your biscuit of choice and you're set!


I'll wait a little while to post some dress ideas...I have waaaay too many ideas floating around in my head for that! Like I said...couple-ish of years=lots of time to plan...BUT it will probably sneak up on me really quickly!

Random Thoughts

1. I am already hating...no, loathing...this online summer math class. First of all, I hate math. Second of all, school doesn't belong in the summer. But I guess if I want to be on track with my courses, this is the best choice.

2. I really like my new little job at Bath & Body works :)

3. I cleaned out my closet today and let me tell you...it was liberating! I'm taking half of my old clothes to Goodwill and the other half to sell at Plato's Closet. Maybe make a little moolah off of them! I always feel so guilty getting rid of name-brand clothes that have been well taken care of.

4. Even though Ty and I had to rush a little bit today with working out and chose the shortest Insanity dvd, I felt SO good after doing it. I mean we have already completed the program once, but doing it again as a hybrid w/ P90X makes it a little different. Love it!

5. Call me stupid or whatever you want, but I really need to get a new coloring book before I go on vacation. I love to color while riding in the car; it doesn't make me carsick like reading does! I also may or may not have used my study breaks this past semester to color...um, hello, stress reliever! This one was my fave last summer...

Full of princesses and magical frilly frou-frou girly stuff!

6. I am still debating on which phone to get when my contract is up the middle of this month. I am pretty positive I want some type of Droid...do I want the Droid Pro?

---OR, do I want the Droid X?

---OR, do I want something completely different? Who knows...I have a couple weeks to debate.

7. I have been listening to more and more country lately and less "top 20 billboard" type music. Country music just feels more summer-y to me. Take for example, Jason Aldean's new-ish song "Dirt Road Anthem" or Garth Brooks's "That Summer" and of course "Two Pina Coladas"...love that one :) And I can't forgot the AMAZING new ZBB & Jimmy Buffet tune, "Knee Deep", which is practically a summer ANTHEM.

8. CMA Fest is coming up this week and I am very saddened that we are not going this year. I absolutely LOVED CMA Fest when we went...it's the perfect blend of some of today's greatest country artists. We could have gone this year, but the tickets that were left were just in the nosebleed section, and that wasn't really gonna do it to take in the "whole" experience, if you catch my drift.

Annnnnd there you have it...random thoughts from a random girl! ;)

Summer Essentials

So it may not be "officially" summer YET... but it sure does feel like it! So here are my top 7 SUMMER ESSENTIALS:

1. Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Lotion - I use this stuff for my sensitive face. I'm just going to have to accept the fact that my face will never actually tan. It is either pale or burnt, no in-betweeny. But Aveeno does a good job of giving a good feel of facial sunblock and not being greasy. Plus, it comes in lots of different SPF's. I usually use 30 or 45 for my face.

2. Hats - Any time I go to the beach, I usually throw on a cute hat/ballcap just because I am definitely not one of those girls that can style their hair in a cute way before they head out to the beach and have it stay that way. Mine just looks ridiculous. So...ponytail+hat=good beach hair day. Plus it looks fun & sporty if done the right way!

3. OPI Nail Laquer - I love most any OPI nail polish, but I am OB-SESSED with this new shade I picked up at Merle Norman last week. It is called "Let Me Entertain You." It's a really kind of weird-ish color because it changes colors/tones depending on the way you look at it. I love the glitter/shimmer in it! I have it on my tootsies right now :) Looks yummy in the sun!

4. Luxiva Lasting Foundation by Merle Norman - This was actually a product my mom had bought but didn't like, but I absolutely LOVE it. It does what the name says: LASTS. Ty and I workout together 5x/week and I use this most days we work out. Let me tell you, I am a VERY heavy sweater, and this stuff stays put! Plus it has SPF 12!

5. Wedges - I have been wearing some fabulous nude wedges to work the past couple days & it just makes me feel fresh & summery. These aren't exactly like mine, but Tommy Hilfiger's version is cute! I like having the nude color because it goes with most everything. Although I do have some delicious black ones as well :)

6. Popsicles - Yum-o! I love these sugar-free tropical ones...15 calories per popsicle! Perfect for summer.

7. Books!!!! - What's summer without a reading list?! I just finished this great chick lit novel by Sophie Kinsella and it is just a fun, light summer read! Loved it

Little Girls

Alright, I know they say little girls are made of "sugar and spice and everything nice" and I agree with that to some extent, BUT...but - they fail to say that little girls are also made of sassy-ness! But I guess that could be put in the "spice" category. I realized tonight just how different each little girl can be from the other. I spend quite a bit of time with my "nieces" (Princess A and Princess L I'll call them) and just between those two, I can already tell how different they will likely be. Princess A is spunky, sassy, and FULL of attitude...cracks me up every second of every day. Princess L (although a good 4 years younger than her big sister & is still in her baby stage) seems to be so laid-back and chilled all the time. Sweet, sweet baby :)

Tonight my fiance and I (I'll call him Tyler/Ty from here on out) went to one of Princess A's tee-ball games, and while I was never in teeball as a child, I think it's great to start kids out on a team at a young age. But hey...I turned out fine :)

Here are a few snapshots of tonight's little game...

Princess A gettin' her game on

At bat...she hit a homerun!

Princess L & I...gotta love hats for ponytail & shorts days :)

It's June...

...which can only mean:
1) It is HOT. And by hot I mean not "enjoyable" hot...I mean "making-me-miserable/almost-hating-to-be-outside-hot." But this also means it is pool time...thumbs-up!
2) It is MISS TENNESSEE month! Yayayay!
3) It is also vacation month. 23 days til I will be sitting in a chaise lounge reading chick lit novels sipping on a cold drink... Ahhh..
4) I start my new job at Bath & Body works!
5) Pageant mama Emily is tying the knot!
6) Time to buy more cute bikinis. And also one for Miss TN prelim in August. Eek! :)
7) Which also means...time to get my tan on! Big. Time.
8) 3-ish months til someone's birrrrrttthhhdaaaayyy! :)

I could go longer, but a sweet little cocker spaniel just popped up on my bed & he tells me it is now time for bed! Good night all!