Style Me Swanky: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

SOS {weekend}

We visited North Myrtle Beach this past weekend for SOS (Society of Stranders). We went last year, too, so feel free to catch up on that post here! For those of you (probably most of you) that aren't familiar with SOS, it's a shag dance festival. The "shag" is our state dance & we've been taking lessons for almost a year.

We stayed in a condo with Brandon's parents and their good friends., Ginger and Dave.

It had the best views of the ocean!

Here are some iPhone photos from our weekend...

When we got to the condo, these flowers were there to surprise me.

Obviously the florist isn't the best at spelling!

We danced a lot,

ate VERY poorly...

Brandon's lunch on Saturday. Yes, that is a burger in between two grilled cheeses. He saw it on the menu on Friday and passed, but continued to think about it until the next day. So we went back so that he could try it!

We enjoyed the SOS parade on Saturday! This was a HUGE parade -almost two hours long!

Brandon's parents' shag club was the last part of the parade.

On Sunday, we walked around in some little beach shops, got brunch, and then hit the road back to Charleston.

Here we are with Ginger. Brandon's Dad and Dave are in the background.

I was pleasantly surprised to have received these earrings from the lovely Erin when I got home! These earrings are seriously adorable. You can order from Erin's Stella and Dot store here!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Xo-M

Friday, April 27, 2012

friday five

1. dreaming of the city.

This time last year, Brandon surprised me with a trip to NYC. If you're new to the blog, check out my post on that trip by clicking here.

2. this quote

3. need a couple of these

$169

...pretty similar to this, but for a much cheaper price, I'm sure:

4. Two recent OOTDs!

This first one is a work outfit...

The dress is Laundry by Shelli Segal. J. Crew necklace. Sam Edelman Portney nude pumps.

David Yurman bracelets, Bulova watch, pink bracelet from J. Crew

J. Crew blouse. 7 for All Mankind "The Skinny" Jeans (you will LOVE.)

5. I get to marry my best friend exactly one year from today! The countdown officially begins NOW!

Xo-M

Thursday, April 26, 2012

simplicity

Oops, has it really been a week since my last post? I really promise to do better. I never ever complete and schedule posts in advance because I want my blog to be exactly what it set out to be ...a brain dump. That is, whatever I happen to be thinking at the moment somehow finds its way into a post. But with my busy schedule these days, I might have to start planning a couple here and there so that this little ol' blog doesn't go a week with no attention again.

I've really been thinking a lot about ways to simplify my life. I've made a few strides to accomplish this... my closet has diminished in size quite a bit which leaves me utterly proud and enables me to pick outfits at a much quicker rate! I've simplified my makeup products by keeping out only the products I use day to day, while tucking away not-as-loved items in a train case. Cleaning out my office was a daunting task, but incredibly rewarding. I literally recycled two huge bins of paper and old files. I've been out of town the past four weekends and have surprised myself at how it is, in fact, possible to pack lightly. Not only is it easier for travel, but it makes the dreaded task of unpacking much easier.

There are still other ways that I'd like to simplify my life. Here's a list I made -goals that are completely attainable and will be beneficial to my well-being.

1. Create a weekly meal plan.

(Brandon and I email each other every day around lunch time with the same question... "What do you want to do for dinner tonight?" I never stock up my fridge or pantry. We go to the store literally three or four times a week to pick up the ingredients for our meal that evening. The other nights, we eat out. Bad, bad, bad!)

2. Purge as much clutter as possible.

(Yes, I'm talking to you, bathroom cabinets, hallway closets, and junk drawers!)

3. Unsubscribe from emails and newsletters that don't provide value.

(see ya later, Gilt, Rue La La, Charleston City Paper, and other emails that pile up in my inbox at the same time every day)

4. Get outside.

5. Finish old tasks before taking on new ones.

6. Complete my devotion/pray/reflect every single day.

7. Organize computer files.

(consolidate, consolidate, delete!)

8. Create a financial budget and tuck away more into savings.

9. "Love what you have, not what you want."

(I grew up hearing this from my father. He would say it all the time ...and he's right.)

10. Do not use my computer past 9pm.

11. Plan out my entire week and all major tasks for that week.

12. Help others.

13. Don't sweat the small stuff.

(stop worrying!)

14. Make a place for everything and keep it there.

15. Clean something for 15 minutes every day.

Can you relate to finding joy in simplicity? What is something that would be on your list?

Xo-M

photos via pinterest

Thursday, April 19, 2012

storytime with megan

Have you seen this necklace at J. Crew?

You may recall seeing it in a photo I posted a while back...

I was immediately in love with it. I love all things turquoise and well, the bigger, the better.

What I wasn't crazy about was the $150 price tag. Still, I felt ready to splurge the next time J. Crew offered an online sale (not too often, for the record).

Well, last night Brandon and I shopped around a little bit at the Tanger Outlets in North Charleston. Their J. Crew is usually picked over, but I decided to walk in to browse around a little. I needed a few basic tees to pair with shorts & skirts in this warmer weather. As I approached the checkout counter, I seriously heard angels singing from Heaven.

There it was... a very, very close duplicate of the beautiful necklace in the J. Crew ad with the $150 price tag.

There it was... only one "bubble" on each side & a slightly smaller size shy of being that exact necklace I've admired for so long.

There it was, with a $69 price tag. -but wait, with a 40% off sign over the jewelry display.

...and the icing on the cake is that I still carry around my college student ID for moments like this.

(J. Crew offers an additional 15% off to students)

And that, my friends, is the story of the time I got a $150 necklace for $35.

toodles, Xo-M

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

GCB

new obsession on the horizon

Have you been watching GCB on Sunday nights?

I have not watched a sitcom in years and years -I'm an E News & reality TV kind of girl. But this new series (well, it's on the 8th or 9th episode already) is hilarious & completely addicting!

Based on the book Good Christian Bitches, GCB is a funny, sassy and heartwarming drama that begs the question: Can you go back home to a place where no one seems to have grown up?

When former mean girl Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb) moves back to Dallas 18 years after high school, former unpopular teen-turned-diva-of-Dallas Carlene Cockburn (Emmy and Tony Award-Winner Kristin Chenoweth) gets a major dose of PTSD. To top it off, Amanda’s living across the street from the Cockburns with her feisty mother Gigi Stopper (Emmy Award-Nominee Annie Potts)! Amanda has changed for the morally better but Carlene and her other victims -- the GCBs -- have their doubts. The GCBs now rule the school that is Dallas society and are about to settle the score with Amanda Vaughn.

The other fabulous GCBs include the shrewd, distinguished CEO Cricket (Miriam Shor); the endearing, consummate housewife and mother, Sharon (Jennifer Aspen); and the self-made, always-single-but-on-the-prowl Heather (Marisol Nichols).

Behind every great GCB (except Heather, of course), is a great husband, which includes Carlene’s Ripp (David James Elliot), a devoted hunk with a secret or two; Cricket’s Blake (Mark Deklin), her gorgeously fabulous better half; and Sharon’s Zack (Brad Beyer), a good-time guy and former pro athlete.

Oh, let the games begin…

summary via

First of all, I love Kristin Chenoweth. Second... I love TV shows that don't make you think deeply (hence the reason I only watch ~~garbage~~ prizes like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Real Housewives, The Bachelor, etc.)

...and thirdly: These women are Louboutin-wearing, Bible verse-reciting, glorified Neiman shoppers who are catty, egotistical, hilarious, judging and Jesus-loving all at the same time. What's not to love?

Apparently a lot, as this TV show has received TONS of criticism for being "anti-Christian" and so forth. Personally, I think that's a silly criticism. This show is about the struggles that Christians experience daily to overcome temptation and sin. We are all sinners and the ladies on this show certainly aren't perfect. There's no crude language or vulgar scenes. Actually, some parts of it are pretty corny. I just love it.

Ok, who has read the book? I'm thinking about ordering it for a light, summer read.

Have you been watching GCB? What are your thoughts?

p.s. If you need to catch up on the season, you can watch them for free on Hulu!

Xo-M

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

weekendrandosmoothies

This post may be a little all over the place!

Let's start out with the weekend. As I posted on Friday, Brandon and I went to Greensboro, Georgia for a family reunion to celebrate my grandfather's 80th birthday. Grandpa just moved to this little town and I must say, I could totally live there. It's in an isolated location. Quiet, beautiful, old, yet up and coming. My grandpa lives on a huge plot of land that overlooks Lake Oconee. He has wispy grass that ripples when the wind blows & glistens with the sun shines down. They have horses that greet you when you turn down their (long, gravel) driveway. The town has an old, historic district that is the cutest thing you've ever seen. Right out of a storybook. Beautiful churches and huge, southern homes. They don't have but one grocery store that I saw, but there's a big farmer's market downtown that has fish, flowers, fruits, veggies, breads, etc. The "new" part of town is quite ritzy. Doggy day spas, painting studios, nice salons, etc. Then drive a mile and you're back to isolation -on the pretty land that overlooks the lake. No Target or large supercenters in sight ...but I love that. Their town is about an hour and a half away from Atlanta --so it's close enough if you need to get some major shopping done. Can you tell I liked it?

Here are some iPhone photos from the weekend. Some taken by me and some stolen from my cousin, Chrissy!

My Aunt Kathleen (dad's sister), and my cousins Sloane, Chrissy, Caroline, Meredith ...and then me! We were eating Grandpa's birthday cake :) YUM.

My cousin, Caroline, and I after hiking a state park on Saturday morning

Here are more photos of weekend happenings:

...and here's a backyard view:

My aunt took a lot of photos on a nice camera... those might have to be posted later when I can get my hands on them!

Now for the randoms:

Packing tip I learned from Brandon's mom. Put your shoes in shower caps! A lot of hotels will give them away for free to their guests, along with the other toiletries they leave on the bathroom counters. It's the perfect way to keep the germs from the bottoms of your shoes away from the rest of the items in your suitcase!

While we were in the car, I painted my nails with Essie ______ (I'm sorry, I completely cannot remember the name! Will edit this post with the color soon!)

On the way home, Brandon pulled over on the side of the road and jumped out of the car. I ~~said~~ shouted, "What's wrong!!?" Well, turns out that we had this HUGE stinkbug in the back of the car. Brandon got him out (thank goodness) and he flew up to the tops of the trees.

I really ate a lot of junk this past weekend, so I'm trying to make an effort to eat cleaner this week. Yesterday, for a snack, I had this juice. I know it can be purchased at Bi-Lo. It's completely natural. This flavor tastes amazing, surprisingly. I am so not one to drink wheatgrass juice, but the passion fruit makes it very refreshing.

...and I want to share this because I think it's hilarious. I found a group of photos online that were taken at the finish line of the Cooper River Bridge Run. You know-- when we ran almost 6.5 miles a couple weeks ago (a.k.a. our first run over a mile ...EVER).

In this photo, Brandon and I had JUST stepped over the finish line. I was ready for more. Brandon...not so much. We had volunteered early that morning and I had suddenly sprung it on him that we would run the race, too. He was so mad at me for making him do it. Poor guy. He finished it like a champ though :)

Hee hee!