Spring Fling

It's like 80 degrees in Columbia right now. I have no flip flops, no adorable little jeweled sandals, no Tom's, no sundresses and no cute shorts here. #smallclosetstruggles

Don't worry though, I've been getting by on jean capris, flats and cardigans.

I've seen a lot of cute looks around campus and I came up with a few pieces that I think are really good staples for a spring wardrobe. (On the cheap, of course!) These pieces are what I like to call "building pieces." They help build your outfit and can be worn with multiple things. On days when I care what I look like, I usually get dressed by selecting one thing I want to wear and then deciding what goes best with it according to the weather, occasion, my mood and level of comfort. And this is why it takes me so long to get dressed. (I try to do this night before. I like to sleep.)  I wore a uniform for 15 years, what can I say? I'm going to do a five part series on building your wardrobe for spring and everything I post will be under $30. Ya'll know I like to shop, but hate to part with my dolla bills. 

First up? One of my favorite things: The Cardigan-I love love love cardigans. I used to hate cardigans because I was required to wear them to cover up all my cute strapless dresses for any school function, but I've learned to love them. Even on 100 degree days, I still carry a cardi with me because the air conditioning is usually cranked way up. Anyway, they are so versatile. They look great with jeans and sandals, belted over a sundress, with shorts, pants or skirts. I think it's a good idea to have neutral cardigans like as black, navy, tan or gray, but I think bright colors work well too. I'm on the hunt for a turquoise cardi like this one from Target.

target.com
$19.99

 I should totally order it now because I will literally go to Target like five times over spring break, try it on, carry it around the store and put it back on the rack at the last second and then regret it forever. I just put together like 10 outfits in my head and I already have it in gray and I love the fit and it's on sale and everything I look for in a cardi. Anddd I still can't convince myself. Maybe tomorrow. Click on over tomorrow to see the next piece!

Also, check out the Pinterest Board I made for suggestions! 

Cardigan love, 

Caroline 

Travel Tuesday: Safety First

It's time to be a better blogger. I'll be linking up with Megan every Tuesday for a new story about traveling! This week's question: Where did you feel the most unsafe when traveling? What did you do about it?  

I was lucky enough to travel to France when I was 17 and had an absolutely amazing time. I went with a group of 14 girls from my high school, two faculty members (they're married and I love them) and their adult son who is a teacher. Our motto for the trip? Leave stupid at home. They warned us to keep our passports safe, don't go anywhere alone and don't talk to strangers. We filed onto the plane in alphabetical order. We did a lot as a group, but we usually got a few hours to ourselves to eat, spend way too much money on things we thought we needed because they were from France or anything else we wanted to squeeze in before we moved to the next city.

One night, we had some free time in Provence and a few of us decided to get crepes (we couldn't consider the day over until we had gelato or a crepe) at a restaurant in the town square. After enjoying our overpriced delicious crepes, we headed back to our hotel. As we were walking down the street, a few men starting yelling at us from across the street. We kept walking, we'd seen it before. They loved to talk to the Americans. We kept walking, but they kept yelling and crossed the street and walked behind us. We took off running and they lost interest, but we ran all the way back to our hotel.

Lovely ladies I stuck with most of the trip

We probably weren't in any real danger, but it was late and dark and we were in a strange city without cell phones. It was a really nice area with lots of shops, and in the daylight it wasn't scary at all, but we you can never be too careful, especially in an unfamiliar area. If you're traveling in a foreign country, make sure you're not alone late at night and always make sure you know your way home. Despite our little scare, we really enjoyed our trip and made sure to stay safe and kept stupid at home.

Refresh

I have a few tricks for instantly making myself look and feel refreshed for those days when I have about 17 minutes to myself and need to perk up! 

1. Dry Shampoo-one of my favorite products of all time. I keep a mini bottle in my cosmetic bag for my backpack and have a large one in my room. The other day I went to cycling and then work, and I got three compliments on how great my hair looked after I used it. An hour earlier, my hair had been sweaty and really flat. It's really cheap and lasts forever. 

2. Steam-I wet a washcloth with hot water, ring it out and bring it up to my face and breathe in and out (also great if you have a stuffy nose!) and it instantly makes me feel refreshed. I put on a little moisturizer because it's a little drying, but definitely a great pick me up. 

3. Cucumber Nap-I get veggie trays at the pseudo grocery store on campus and cut a cucumber slice in half and put one half on each eye and rest for 15 minutes (or however long I have) and wake up feeling really energized. 

4. Hydrate-I already drink a lot of water throughout the course of the day, but if I need a refresher, I'll drink some ice water or possibly Gatorade or green tea. 

5. Peppermint-I love peppermint, but I gave up gum because I would chew the same piece for a really long time and end up with a headache, so I switched to mints instead. I also have peppermint flavored Chapstick, and I like to pop a mint and apply some chapstick to feel fresh. 

Do you have any tricks to freshen up? 

Unplugged

I wrote this blog post for my class blog. Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Sunshine Award

My friend Megan over at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life nominated me for the Sunshine Award! She has a pretty rockin' blog and she posts more often than I do. Check out her blog. Seriously people.

Sunshine Award Rules

Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog.
Answer 10 questions about yourself.
Nominate 10-12 other fabulous bloggers.
Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.
Share the love and link the person who nominated you.

1. Favorite color? Pink!

2. Favorite animal? My dog, Buster. Beagle love. 

                                        3. Favorite number? 9 because my birthday is August 9th! 

4. Favorite non-alcholic drink? Coffee coffee coffee.

5. Twitter or Facebook? I'm definitely a Twitter person. I like that I can follow my friends, celebrities, news sources and magazines. 

6. My passion? My relationships

7. Prefer getting or giving presents? Hmm. This is tough. I love giving surprise presents, but I also love getting presents. I can't decide.

8. Favorite pattern? CHEETAH

Read: I've been looking for a cheetah scarf. This is like $10.00 on Amazon.  For some reason, I'm convinced I can find cheaper. 

                           9. Favorite day of the week? Definitely Friday. Nap and magazine time.

10. Favorite flowers? Peonies 

via art.com

Nominations 

1. Emily @ Emphasis Added

2. Carly @ The College Prepster

3. Mollie @ For the Fishies

4. Libby @ Follow the Wife

5. Hilary @ Nutrition Nut on the Run

6. Claire @ Mississippi Girl Misplaced

7. Mckenzie @ Design Darling

8. Kelly @ That One Mom

9. Georgie @ Georgie Girl

10. Jordan @ Ramshackle Glam

Cookie

I just made this in a dining hall. I took two chocolate chip cookies and warmed then up in the microwave and then I put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in between them, smushed it all together and then rolled it in Oreo crumbs. And then I ate the whole thing. Happy Monday people.

P.S. I was eating with my friend Laura and she didn't believe that I had a blog. She helped crush some of the Oreos. Thanks, girl. 

Community

via pinterest

It's coming back! When Rose and Ben would watch this show in our room I was all like, "What a dumb show" and then I started catching more and more of it and I'd ask them what was going on and then I was all like, "This is the best show ever." 

So many things work for this show. First of all, they have a fantastic cast. The characters are hysterical and unique. They're unlikely friends and the dynamic kills me. The dialogue is so perfectly executed. I'm not even watching the show right now and I'm literally laughing out loud to myself. The situations are just crazy enough to work and ----I just had to stop and google an episode because I'm dying to watch it---

anyway the situations make me laugh out loud every single time. The relationships are also hilarious. I think my favorite has to be Troy and Abed. 

I've tried to get my family into it, but they were all like, "Soo, when does it get funny?" I tried to explain that's an acquired taste thing and that you learn to love the characters. If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend you try it. It's not a show you have to watch from the beginning, although I would suggest tit because that way you won't miss an episode! 

Are you a Community fan?