sunday simplicity #120: loyalty

Heart Love Weddings

"Love is absolute loyalty. People fade, looks fade, 

but loyalty never fades. You can depend so much on 

certain people; you can set your watch by them. 

And that's love, even if it doesn't seem very exciting."

- Catherine Lucas

clicks of note: hey, pretty girl...

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

• Kip Moore's "Hey, Pretty Girl" is so sweet that it's dominating my playlist right now.

SWOON.

Katelyn James Photography

• Loving this sweet yellow rustic wedding from Katelyn James Photography.
• Isn't a botanical garden a great setting for an engagement shoot? (via The Bride's Cafe)
• Ruffled shows us how to make DIY biodegradable GOLD confetti - so glam.
• Jeremy Harwell's lovely photos at Style Me Pretty make me want to set of for the Florida Keys.
• So much pretty in this classic navy blue celebration at Wedding Chicks.

SMILE.

• Dear Lillie's shop now includes the prettiest thank-you notecards.
• Say Yes to Hoboken offers spring wardrobe ideas for dressing up a t-shirt.
• So You Think You Can Dance returns tomorrow night!
• Justin Timberlake's essay on Jimmy Fallon for the Time 100 made me smile.

FLASHBACK.

• 2 years ago my co-workers threw the four brides-to-be in the department a surprise bridal shower!

sunday social: past and future

This week's Sunday Social questions are all about where I've been and where I'm going.  It's hard to predict where I'll be in the future!

1. 1 year ago I was doing ….

Making Mother's Day dinner for my mom and mother-in-law with Mr. Q and my SIL.

2. 5 years ago I was doing ….

Getting ready to graduate from college with my Master's Degree in Teaching and prepping for job interviews.  And I got this guy...

3. 10 years ago I was doing….

Getting ready to graduate from high school... May meant prom (which was kind of horrible, but I did win a coffee pot at the after prom party), breaking up with my first boyfriend (due to his awful behavior at prom), dance recital (including our Dirty Dancing piece and my senior lyrical solo to "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman), publishing the literary magazine, Senior Dinner at my magnet school, senior picture and skip day at my home school, traveling to UVa to present my science project at the state level (where I broke out in hives), and Baccalaureate. I can't believe my ten year reunion is this year! 

4. 1 year from now I'll be doing…

Saving up for my 30th birthday trip to London with my bestie Seatlee.

5. 5 years from now I'll be doing….

I would like to be working on an MFA in Creative Writing - I need to start giving myself time to build a portfolio of writing samples.  Hopefully at that time I will be starting a family with Mr. Q in our own house, on our own land.

6. 10 years from now I'll be doing…

Working on a Doctorate to become a Professor of Education at a Virginia college or university.

spring color: vintage style lemon wedding

"Evelyn" printable invitation from Wedzu

I think that if Mr. Q and I had gotten married in the spring, I would have been very tempted to have a lemon yellow wedding with vintage touches, Southern charm, and a hint of teal.  I love the diagonal stripes on this printable invitation.

Yellow rose bouquet from Encarnacion Photography

Yellow bowtie from Southern Weddings

blessings...

I admitted in this week's Sunday Social that I find it difficult to go even a day without checking Facebook.  I love being able to stay connected with friends and family.  This weekend as I browsed my newsfeed, I was just floored by how many blessings the people I love and I have received lately.

at work...

• A wonderful group of teacher-friends have volunteered to help me with this year's eighth grade talent show.
• One of our English teachers just published her first children's picture book.
• My best work friend is joining me on my fitness quest and we're doing a 5K walk this Saturday!

in my family...

• My cousin's son married his high school sweetheart last weekend; they have an adorable little boy who will be celebrating a birthday this weekend!

with my friends...

• Breeze's mom kicked breast cancer's booty!
• Two of my friends recently found out that they are expecting!
• Several dear friends have earned their Bachelors and Masters degrees this spring!
• One of my childhood best friends who I drifted away from in high school and college is moving back to the Roanoke area and I look forward to rekindling our friendship.
• My college RA's twin girls are out of the ICU and doing well.
• My college roomies were able to take a great post-baby trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
• My actress friend is meeting with agents in LA!
• My friends' band has been getting a lot of really cool gigs, like playing at a new brewery that's opening this weekend.

What wonderful things are happening in your world?  Always, regardless of what faith tradition you belong to, I would like to welcome you to submit praises and prayer requests here.

clicks of note.

LISTEN.

• Janelle Monae's new song "Q.U.E.E.N." is so much fun and I love her mod look in the video.

SWOON.

Ruffled

• There's a stunning and elegant 1920's inspired shoot at Ruffled inspired by Gustav Klimt.
• Glamour features a round-up of Gatsby-inspired wedding ideas.
• If you want to add some 20's style to your daily look, check out Ruche's Vintage Style Guide.
• Keira Knightley's sweet town hall wedding dress via The Daily Mail.
• Intimate Weddings shares 10 Ways to Make Your Wedding Fun - for real!

SMILE.

• Beautiful portraits of fashion models and their moms.
• The Tomkat Studio offers a pretty printable chevron Mother's Day card.
• My sweet mama will be getting this plantable card with one of these stamps.
• This quote from The Year of Lettering pretty much sums up why I write this blog.

MAKE.

• These punched tissue paper fans from Oh Happy Day would be perfect for a spring bridal shower.
• I absolutely adore this blooming floral monogram from Parcel Post!

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I met Ben Savage at the Lake Effects premiere party, shared my favorite neon yellow fashion and beauty finds, and neon party ideas.  Two years ago I was working on my DIY flower girl basket and sharing why my mom was going to be walking me down the aisle.

sunday social: all about the 4's

I really liked Neely and Ashley's Sunday Social topics this week!

1. 4 favorite things to do on a weekend

• Any kind of home improvement, gardening or craft project (a trip to Lowe's = a good weekend)
• Go antiquing in search of treasure
• Go on a long walk or bike ride with Mr. Q
• Any kind of nerdy TV/movie marathon - Star Wars, Firefly etc.

2. 4 favorite things about your best friend

Breeze and I

• We've been BFFs since sixth grade and consider each other sisters (and are routinely mistaken for sisters wherever we go)
• She has a great, blunt sense of humor and is brutally honest when needed
• She is greatest keeper of secrets
• We have very similar taste in books, music, and movies and we have both made the purposeful choice to build our lives in the Roanoke area so we have lots of fun outings together to look forward to until we're little old ladies in matching sparkly sweaters!

3. 4 things you would do with $100,000

Okay, there are a lot of responsible things I would actually do if we saved that much money - paying off our student loans and cars, open a 403B, and buying land for a house are our top priorities right now.  But if money was really no object and I had a sudden windfall...

• Travel!  London is my dream destination - I want to see the Globe Theater!
• Go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida.
• Buy a new living room set for our townhouse.
• Buy a Burberry trench coat.

4. 4 favorite books you’ve ever read

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

5. 4 favorite snack foods

• Clif bars
• Chocolate covered almonds
• Greek yogurt
• Veggie sticks

6. 4 things that you must do daily

• Take a shower (I am NOT someone who can go without)
• Drink coffee (my students say they can tell a difference if I skip my coffee)
• Listen to music
• Check Facebook