this week's clicks: 2017!

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• I went to see Moana with my childhood best friend and her mini-me yesterday, and I'm officially in love with the soundtrack (can we just go ahead and give Lin-Manuel Miranda the EGOT?). 

SWOON.

Loft Photography

• A classic chapel wedding from Loft Photography.
• I approve of all of these furniture trends for 2017.
• Loving this Virginia wedding's soft color palette.
• Pinterest inspiration for New Year's goal setting.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Sarah ❤'s, Cross Cards, Flipsnack.
• 2017 reading challenges from MMD and PopSugar.
• These ring dishes would be such a sweet gift.
• Made these PB cheesecake brownies for NYE - A+!

FLASHBACK.

• 2016: An end of year book survey, Instagram faves, Felicia Day's adorkable book, and 5 5 ways I grew in 2015.
• 2015: Jamie's end of year book survey and my favorite things for January.
• 2014: challenges and gratitude, what worked in 2013, organization goals, winter in entertainment, IG faves, ideas for a radiant orchid winter wedding, and favorite things.
• 2013: white and cozy neutral winter wedding inspiration, expectations for the new year, and my goal to show more compassion.

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste has a new holiday album out this year - love this track with Aloe Blacc.

SWOON.

Carla Choy Photography via Style Me Pretty

• Can I pretty please be invited to this glam dinner party?
• Drooling over Camille Styles' chocolate + cheese board.
• A fun and lovely paper wedding send-off garland.
• Chic NYE inspiration from photographer Izzy Hudgins.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Giants + Pilgrims, Sea of Atlas, Smashing.
• These cute, affordable earrings are perfect for the holidays.
• A DIY CHRISTMAS TREE CAKE from Alana Jones-Mann.
• Have you seen Pinterest's 100 trend predictions for 2017?

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: my treat yourself wish list, decoupaged world map ornaments, and a mini home tour featuring a glam woodland tree.
• 2014: my holiday home tour.
• 2013: my favorite account of Christmas, wrote to Santa, showed off my chalkboard ornaments and shared a holiday home tour.
• 2012: a Sunday Social all about favorites, gave a holiday home tour and ideas for displaying cards, and rounded up my blog loves and my own most popular posts of 2012.  I also shared my December in Instagram.
• 2011: my favorite things in our home. 

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• Of all the holiday songs I can think of, the one I probably would've said least needed to be covered was the novelty song "Mele Kalikimaka," made famous by  Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1950 and featured prominently on the soundtrack of everyone's dad's favorite Christmas movie, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Until I found out that Kacey Musgraves has a new Christmas album. This song is cheesy, retro perfection with a Texas twist thanks to the Quebe Sisters.

SWOON.

Sposto Photography via Style Me Pretty

• From SMP, a muted take on the top colors of 2016.
• Domino rounds up cozy winter wedding details.
• I'd love to stay in this sweet Christmas guest room.
• Festive dessert table inspiration from Swooned.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Lime Ricki, ❤ Mae, Minding My Nest, Red Stamp.
• My mom used to make this potato candy when I was a kid!
• Helpful: what donation centers really need for the holidays.
• Pinning all the winter work wardrobe and beauty ideas.

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: My geeky Christmas wish list.
• 2014: A DIY cardinal wreath, winter wedding guest outfit, and holiday book review.
• 2013: Why Christmas is complicated, great holiday party dresses, my wishlist, my all-time favorite Christmas movies and songs, and a historical fiction book review.
• 2012: Easy holiday party ideas, emerald green wardrobe and home picks, gift guides for the geeky girl and manly men in your life, and my 12 favorite Christmas movies.
• 2011: Homespun holiday decor ideas. 
• 2010: After our engagement, I shared our love story.

clicks of note.

get your week off to a colorful start...
SWOON.

One Love Photography

• A chic Los Angeles engagement from One Love Photography.
• Seaside bridal photos with fall colors from Ashley Cox.
• From Jose Villa, a cool industrial Durham rehearsal dinner.
• A woodland vineyard wedding full of pretty details at SMP.

SMILE.

• Planning on trying this pumpkin trifle recipe Thursday!
• Angie put together cute T-Day outfit ideas for curvy gals.
• Adding this cozy-looking sweatshirt to my wish list.
• Crushing on fellow VA blogger Kelsey's home Pinboard.

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: Literary Junkies, Thanksgiving ideas, and our Christmas tree through the years.
• 2014: red picks for fall and easy Thanksgiving decorating ideas.
• 2013: festive pink pieces for a holiday wardrobe, a pink vineyard wedding, November in Instagram, and our Thanksgiving at home.
• 2012: my "no thank you" list, a woodland fairytale wedding, cabin-inspired wardrobe and home picks, a Sunday Social that was all about the 4's, and my updated DIY Christmas wreath.

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• It is a truth universally acknowledged that Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren are one of the cutest couples in country music. I love this song that he wrote after their wedding.

SWOON.

Gaby J Photograpghy via Style Me Pretty

• SMP features a must-see whimsical blue and gold wedding.
• Farmhouse style fall dining room inspiration from Dear Lillie.
• Can't wait to try Lucy's apple cake recipe (hers is so gorgeous!)
• In love with this Secret Garden-inspired Georgia wedding.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Teaching Is My Superpower, Smashing, Sarah Hearts.
• Studio DIY's costume shop includes their perfect dresses.
• These funny misfortune cookies are so cute for Halloween!
• Pinning all the autumn inspiration and pumpkin recipes.

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: ways to learn something new in your hometown, favorite fictional teachers.
• 2014: favorite marsala wardrobe picks and a fall and winter bucket list.
• 2013: costumes for groups, Gatsby-inspired getups, and an A to Z book survey.
• 2012: navy and orange wardrobe ideas, inspiration for a rustic navy wedding, wedding cake pop ideas, photos from High Point Furniture Market as well as a what-to-wear guide, and a musical alphabet.
• 2011: fall centerpiece ideas, photos from my first trip to High Point, and my recipe for crock pot baked apples.

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...

Happy August, y'all. This week, I'm focusing on reminding myself to be content with what I have and with my current season in life. Can I get real for a minute? All summer, friends and family members keep asking how the house hunt is going. It's painful to have to say... "it's still going" when in truth we have found a one-of-a-kind home but it is out of our price range. Several friends are mamas-to-be, and I have to remind myself that it's not my time yet. Teachers head back to school today, and there's a part of me that feels like I should be further along, more accomplished in my career. More, more, more.  I often forget that comparison is the thief of joy, until I realize that I've spent fifteen minutes or half an hour scrolling through Instagram or Facebook and feel worse instead of better. Two posts that really resonated with me this week were "The Traps" at The Inspired Room and "Of Elder-flowers and Jealousy" at Design for Mankind.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

SWOON.

• From 100 Layer Cake, a boho wedding's cool ceremony arch.
• A gorgeous interfaith wedding in NYC from Snippet and Ink.
• At Style Me Pretty, a graphic designer's beautiful wedding.
• How cute is this sprinkle-covered pink birthday cake?

SMILE.

• August desktops: Organised Housewife, Smashing, Flipsnack.
• Lunchbox love: Lisa Frank zebra cakes from Studio DIY.
• Girl Meets World's season finale will be a big BMW reunion!
• On my wishlist for fall: J. Crew's cute, colorful signet purse.

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: The SC Aquarium, a date night LBD outfit, midsummer in IG, fave fictional pets.
• 2014: My August favorites.
• 2013: The things I can't live without and punchy wardrobe picks.
• 2012: Brazilian pork chops, a hearts of palm and avocado salad, an avocado-coconut milkshake, and an Olympics Ring tie-dyed shirt.
• 2011: Orange wardrobe and home inspiration, rustic and modern fall wedding ideas.

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• Though this has become a surprisingly busy summer, I hope to spend as much spare time as possible in the next few weeks working on my writing - if you follow me on Pinterest, you may have put together the clues that I'm working on something inspired by the medieval period. I've been listening to a lot of soundtracks, instrumentals, and dreamy tracks like this one from Lawrence Greenwood, also known as Whitley.

SWOON.

Alicia Lacey Photography via Style Me Pretty

• A fairytale French-inspired lavender inspiration shoot.
• Taylor's Alice Through the Looking Glass inspired shoot.
• From Wedding Chicks, a pretty pink wedding in Arizona.
• Pinning all of the ice cream and frozen pop recipes lately...

SMILE.

• Book Riot rounds up 33 ways to have a bookish summer.
• Packing tips from Modish and Main and The Spiff...
• a summer vacation capsule wardrobe from Everyday Savvy...
• and while you're traveling, check out these literary city guides.

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: retro gingham and aquamarine summer style updates, camp-inspired Pinterest faves, The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest, and my favorite fictional wardrobes.
• 2014: weird faves, cute and easy washi tape home decor for Independence Day.
• 2013: patriotic fashion and entertaining picks, side dish recipes, my first Color Run, and early summer in IG.
• 2012: summer in the country, poolside essentials, and a special 4th birthday.  
• 2011: pre-wedding crunch time - dyed wedding shoes and Etsy garters, my veil and jewelry, and our menu, inspired by our favorite Southern comfort food.

clicks of note: to the one place we call home...

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• Not only is Band of Merrymakers a holiday supergroup that includes Natasha Bedingfield, Fitz, Owl City, Christina Perri, and Jason Wade, they have YULE LOG VIDEOS, which is about as close to a fireplace as I'm probably going to get this week (it's going to be 70 degrees on Christmas in Virginia this year! Crazy!)

SWOON.

Hostess with the Mostess

• A festive #GladtoGive holiday party from HWTM.
• At A Cup of Jo, a perfect Brooklyn apartment tour.
• Glam printable New Year's invites from Lia Griffith.
• Style Me Pretty features a festive New York wedding.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Minding My Nest, Mint for Hue, Pish and Posh.
• Holiday movies you can watch on streaming or Redbox.
• Book recommendations based on your fave holiday movies.
• All the holiday drinks and desserts you need.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I shared my holiday home tour.
• Two years ago, I chose my favorite account of Christmas, wrote to Santa, showed off my chalkboard ornaments and shared a holiday home tour.
• Three years ago, I shared a Sunday Social all about favorites, gave a holiday home tour and ideas for displaying cards, and rounded up my blog loves and my own most popular posts of 2012.  I also shared my December in Instagram.
• Four years ago, I shared my favorite things in our home. 

#5FandomFriday: Holiday {Recipe} Recommendations

5 Fandom Friday is a weekly prompt challenge hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. You can see the upcoming prompts here at the Female Geek Bloggers community. This week's #5FandomFriday topic isn't specifically geeky, and it was so broad I really wasn't sure what I wanted to write about. 

Christmas cookies from my 2013 holiday home tour

After checking out a few other geek girls' posts, I decided to round up some of my favorite tried and true dessert recipes to make for the holidays - perfect for taking to parties and giving to friends! All pictures are from the recipes' original authors, so if you want to add them to your Pinterest boards please click the links and pin from the source.

5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups from Baker Chick - Look, I'm not saying I kept a container of this frosting and ate it with a spoon after I made the cookies, but I'm not saying I didn't.

4. Mini Hard Cider Cupcakes from Hungry Girl Por Vida - Perfect for adult holiday parties, like an ugly sweater bash, these cupcakes can be made with your favorite cider and are topped with yummy cream cheese icing. They're the perfect little bites.

3. Hershey's Cocoa Crinkle Cookies - A classic for a reason, these are basically brownie cookies topped with powdered sugar and they are absolutely delicious.

2. Soft Baked Funfetti Sprinkle Sugar Cookies from The Dwelling Tree - Delicious, easy, and adaptable for any holiday or occasion just by changing the sprinkle colors!

1. Brownie Peppermint Cookies from Cooking Classy - Another easy recipe, since it starts with brownie mix, topped with a melt-in-your mouth dreamy icing with crushed candy canes (I recommend using a food processor for that part).

What's your favorite holiday dessert recipe? Tell us 

about it in the comments so we can all try it out!

#5FandomFriday: Favorite Seasonal Foods

5 Fandom Friday is a weekly prompt challenge hosted by The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick. This week's #5FandomFriday topic isn't specifically geeky, but it's a great topic for autumn - favorite seasonal foods. You can see the upcoming prompts here at the Female Geek Bloggers community.

• Butternut squash ravioli - Panera's version of this dish is so good that I'm determined to make my own. I love that this Williams-Sonoma recipe uses wanton wrappers instead of homemade pasta!

• Apple rosemary pork loin - Breeze made some crock pot pork loin with apples and onions last year for Pumpkinfest and I have been dreaming of that dinner ever since. 

• Pumpkin pie oatmeal - I posted my recipe for a healthy fall breakfast back in 2012 and it's still my favorite. On days when I don't wake up early enough to cook, I stir a spoonful of canned pumpkin into instant oatmeal and add pecans and Craisins. Fall in a bowl!

• Apple cider doughnuts - In college, it was a tradition to go apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard, which is famous for their apple cider doughnuts. My friend Debbie served them at her wedding!

• Pumpkin streussel - I discovered this recipe in college when I needed a dish for a potluck harvest dinner, and it has become a favorite at my family's Thanksgiving celebrations. SO good, and it's made from a boxed yellow cake mix!

What are your favorite fall foods?

Favorite Pins: Memorial Day Inspiration

Is it just me, or has Memorial Day snuck up on us this year? For some reason I could not wrap my brain around the unofficial start of summer being a week earlier than usual. I'm definitely looking forward to the long weekend. Here's some plans that have me hoping and wishing for a laid-back lake weekend sometime very soon.

What are your Memorial Day plans?

Simple Holiday Dessert Recipe: No Bake White Chocolate Covered Ritz Peanut Butter Cookies! [#12DC + Christmas is in the Air]

We all know tis' the season of sugar - What's your favorite holiday dessert?

One of my family's holiday traditions growing up was always going to my paternal grandparents' home every Christmas day.  My parents and my aunts and uncles all did the Santa thing on Christmas Eve, and we grandkids brought one favorite toy to play with (and show off) at the family party.  There was always a HUGE spread for dinner - my Mamaw would spend all day cooking and my mom and all my aunts would bring a dish.  My aunt Ann brought these simple but amazing desserts one year and they became a go-to of mine in college when I brought them to a progressive dinner and all the boys in my fellowship asked me to marry them.  Anyone who doesn't believe that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach is probably not a Baptist.

These are perfect when you need a dessert to take to a party or potluck and don't have time to turn on the oven.  The best part?  They aren't holiday-specific, so you could make them for any get-together you need a low-maintenance dessert for.

You will need:

• A box of Ritz crackers (or knockoff Ritz crackers) - 32 crackers for 16 cookies
• Your favorite peanut butter
• White chocolate chips (12 oz. made about 16 cookies for me) 
• The decorations of your choice

First, make your sandwiches by spreading peanut butter on Ritz crackers and smushing them together.

If you have a double boiler, you should use that to melt the chocolate.  I rig up the contraption you see above using a saucepan and an Anchor Hocking casserole dish and use medium heat to melt the chocolate, 12 oz. at a time.  A bowl in the microwave also works in a pinch, but there is a higher likelihood of the chocolate burning with that method.

Burnt white chocolate ain't pretty.

I wanted to make some with Nutella, but someone has eaten almost all of our Nutella.  Straight out of the jar.  With a spoon.  And that someone writes this blog.

I packaged a few cookies for my coworkers in some cute cellophane bags I found at A.C. Moore.  Did you know that the Teacher of the Year is actually chosen by the other teachers, not by the students?  I think this is my year.

I used PicMonkey to edit these photos and add text and it was so easy to do - and PicMonkey is offering free trials of their Royale version this month!  Click here for a free day of PicMonkey Royale!

What's your go-to holiday dessert?

LINKING UP WITH:

Inspiration Monday at Twelve O Eight

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage