Five on Friday: That Week It Snowed Edition

Thanks to a snow day, this week has simply flown by, and it's already Friday and time for Five on Friday! I'll take it. 

Linkup courtesy of April, Christina, Natasha, and Darci!

1.  Self-Imposed Bribery System As Follows:

Paper on constructivism written? Treat yo'self. (Hysterical Parks and Rec reference, anyone?) 

In case you haven't picked up on this, sweets are kiiind of my kryptonite. I almost cried when I saw Starburst made their heavenly jellybeans in individual boxes in their FaveRed flavors. For those of you who are judging me for drinking cider over beer, go right ahead, but just know you're missing out on one of the most delicious beverages known to man. IPAs are for the birds! (Sidenote: no, this "light cider" isn't quite as tasty as Angry Orchard or Woodchuck, but ya know what, I'll take it.)

2. Quality Time With This Guy: 

Muah!
No one loves loathes a terrible-quality iPhone photo more than I, my friends. Sorry about it, but I just love this picture, because: a. John and I are wearing matching t-shirts for a bar crawl (you know what they say-the couple that matches together, generally power-walks through the mall together), and b. John's goofy face actually captures how he usually acts when it's just the two of us! Sometimes his goofiness makes me want to pull my hair out, but most of the time, it just makes me laugh. I'm really excited, because we just started planning our Spring Break trip, and there should be some two-of-us time involved! 3. Makeup Thumbs-up. 

Aero Minerale Concealer // Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat 

I've had these products for a week now, and from what I can tell, I'm a huge fan of both of them! The Aero Minerale concealer is the first airbrushing makeup I've purchased, and I was a little intimidated at first. However, the coverage is great- you really control how much you put on. My only suggestion? Don't wear this if you plan on sweating a whole bunch! Today I went to the gym right after class, and when I left I looked like a hot mess. My face was super splotchy, but I guess that's pretty standard when I'm leaving the gym!

The Seche Vite topcoat is the answer to any impatient girl's prayers! Or, at least any prayers about ridiculously slow-drying nails. No joke, it took less than ten minutes to do my nails, from start to finish! All I did was add a drop of this to each of my nails right after I put on the second coat of polish, and voila! Dry nails with a hard top coat! It came out pretty thick, so a little bit goes a long way with this stuff!

4. Blog buttons!

I was thrilled this week when another blogger asked me for my blog button, but there was a teeny problem- I didn't have a button to give her! I knew it was time to make one, and it's now on my side bar for anyone who'd like to grab it! I'm in the process of getting some of my favorite bloggers' buttons, because I love to share the love! Yay for making more bloggy friends! 

5. This metaphor I read in a daily devotional app was too good not to share. 

Just a reminder that: a. we don't always need to have a plan, and b. His design is beautiful, and He trusts you to follow through with it! 
I just want to end on that note. I hope everyone's weekends are off to a lovely start! 

Liebster: Part One

Hey y'all! So yesterday I gushed about how excited I was to be nominated for the Liebster Award by three phenomenal bloggers on the same day! Score!

The Liebster is all about introducing people to new, small blogs with room to grow (which makes me itty bitty corner of the web the perfect candidate!). 

Because I was nominated, I get to:

1. Link back to the sweet bloggy friends who nominated me

2. Answer 11 questions given to me by said nominators

3. Choose some new nominees with a smaller blog following (going to be hard for me, because let's face it, I've got a pretty small following!)

4. Clue the new nominees in, letting them know they're being nominated

5. Ask the new nominees 11 new questions

So far, one of the three girls who nominated me have posted their questions, So I figured I'll do a post for each of those girls and on the last post, I'll introduce the new blogs I'm planning to nominate! Sound like a plan? Good. Without further ado, here are the questions from Elisabeth at My Cup of Sparkle!

1. Who is your idol?

I think my parents are incredible people, but for this question, I'll say more specifically, my mom, because I identify with her as a woman. She is hands-down the most selfless person I know. The way she gives 100% in every aspect of her life (her marriage, her job as a first-grade teacher, her children, her friendships) is truly admirable. If I was going for a celebrity, I would say Taylor Swift, no question about it. I've loved her since the "Tim McGraw" days, and I have yet to find out a disappointing story that would make me believe she is anything less than a respectable person and role model to girls and young women. 

Two birds with one stone: my mom and I waiting for Taylor Swift to perform at her Speak Now Concert two years ago. No wonder it was one of the best nights of my life- I spent it with two of the people I look up to most! 

2. How did you get into blogging?

Four years ago, I was paid to blog about "The Freshman Experience" for Wofford College. I loved it for many reasons, but stopped after freshman year. Fast-forward to last spring, when I decided I missed writing, and started Girl Growing Up as a creative outlet. Now, I love it for the social aspect! 

3. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

The ability to apparate (yes, it's a word, if you read Harry Potter!), or transport myself from one place to another instantly! I hate waiting in traffic (and driving in general), so this would be a dream come true. I'm also pretty broke, but I'd love to travel the world, so this would save some serious money on plane tickets!

4. What's your favorite TV show?

Currently, I’m obsessing of Rich Kids of Beverly Hills on E!, Pretty Little Liars, and Dance Moms, so obviously, I'm only into really classy TV. If it's any consolation, my all-time favorites are classics, like FRIENDS, Modern Family, and The Office. 

Oh, Phil. Silly, silly Phil...

5. What would your dream job be?

I'm like a little kid- I have so many dream jobs! They range from 4-year-old kindergarten teacher, full-time mom (in the very distant future!), wedding planner (in my dreams, although I probably freak out and worry way too much for that), or fitness instructor (in my other dreams, where I'm super fit and confident!). 

6. If you could go back in time and do one thing differently, would you? And what would it be?

Ugh, thank goodness I can’t, because being the control freak I am, I think I would be so tempted to change things… I’ll try not to get too deep, but when I transferred from Wofford to Clemson, I had to say goodbye to my best friends, and if there is one thing I hate, it’s goodbyes! Therefore I just avoided saying goodbye completely, and now I wish I had lived it up with my friends a lot more before I left!

7. What's your favorite social media platform? Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Pinterest?

I would say Pinterest, because there is absolutely nothing better than organizing my pin boards. But. I don’t really use Pinterest in a “social” way per say, so I’m gonna go with Instagram.

My latest Instagram post: Because Spanish class isn't enough... Just realized I accidentally bought Spanish conversation hearts.

8. Do you prefer cats or dogs or neither?

Dogs, any day. But I’m still telling John there is no. way. I’m (aka we’re) getting a dog any time soon…. I’m trying to take care of myself right now!

If I did get a dog, I would want it to look a lot like this little guy! AKA why John and I will never get a dog (because we can't agree on one!). 

9. Whose blog is one of your favorite daily reads? (I just love finding out about new blogs that other bloggers love)

Confession: my favorite blog to check every week is FICTION. As in, it’s not even real. It started on Cosmo, but now it’s an independent blog, Love Sex, and Pizza. It follows Josie, a sassy and super interesting girl making her way through NYC, and I’m embarrassingly invested in juicy her love life. There, I said it.

10. Do you have a "hidden" talent? What is it?

Umm, I can bend my thumb backwards all the way to my arm? (Wow, I sound terribly boring and weird all at the same time in this post…)

11. Would you rather be be blind or deaf? Why?

I think maybe deaf, because there is such a sense of community there (seriously, we watched part of a documentary on it in my Early Intervention to Special Education, and it’s crazy tight-knit and exclusive) and I can’t imagine not being able to visualize all the beautiful things in the world.

A Flurry-Filled Day

Warning: my mind is bouncing off the wall right now, and due to my scattered thoughts, this post may seem a little cray.

For starters: the flurries! Y'all, SC got snow!

Snow falling around my favorite (and most frequented) building on campus: Tillman Hall. 

It was the first (and quite possibly) last snow of the season for Clemson, and what a sweet little snow it was. Sadly, none of my classes were canceled this afternoon, but to be honest, they didn't need to be... I kind of thought it was adorable they canceled any classes today at all, and I'm a born and raised southern girl! I didn't get my hopes up, which meant I was super excited when I got an email informing me the university is shut down until 12 pm tomorrow... AKA I'm missing my three hour class!

I apologize for putting this on my blog, but like I said, it's a random night and anything can happen. Including gifs. From Napoleon Dynamite, a movie I never even liked (seriously, I just did not get that movie...).

So then on top of that excitement, I checked my blog email today (I'm trying to get better about that) and noticed I was nominated not once, not twice, but three times for the Liebster award! The Liebster is meant to showcase new bloggers with promise, and when three sweet girls nominated me, this was obviously my response in my head: 

Should I admit this? Probably not. Oops.

I know it probably doesn't seem like a huge deal, but I'm brand new to the blogging community. Yes, I've written 100 posts, but it wasn't until really late 2013, early 2014 I decided I wanted to blog for the sense of community. I don't always have a ton to say, but there are lots of other people who do, and I want to keep up with them! To realize I'm establishing relationships with such interesting, creative, and altogether fantastic women, and they're giving me an opportunity to grow my blog?! So exciting for me.  

You're probably like, "Okay, yay, a blog award... What does that even mean?" Well, it means I get to... 

1. Link back to the sweet bloggy friends who nominated me.

2. Answer 11 questions given to me by said nominators

3. Choose some new nominees with a smaller blog following (going to be hard for me, because let's face it, I've got a pretty small following!)

4. Clue the new nominees in, letting them know they're being nominated

5. Ask the new nominees 11 new questions

Ta da! Simple enough, right?! I'm so excited to answer questions from Elisabeth, Mary, and Megan! Check in tomorrow to see my answers for Elisabeth's questions! 

Gowns of the Grammys

Here are the best (and most confusing) of the night, according to yours truly.

Ciara's Best "goody" (sorry, had to reference my favorite song when I was 13) was definitely her baby bump! Honestly, this is the prettiest I've ever seen her! From the dress to the face to the hair, it was all glowing and gorgeous!

Aaand the Best Dressed Couple goes to: John Legend and Chrissy Teigen. 

Taylor Swift doesn't need a knight in shining armor tonight, because she's wearing the chain mail! My friend Spencer pointed out on Twitter (I compulsively live-tweet the Grammys, obviously) Tay ditched her "signature" red lip tonight! Fingers crossed she's retiring it permanently, because without that distracting lipstick, I can focus on the rest of her beautiful face, on point ponytail, and sparkling gown! 

Taylor's friend Sarah Hyland may not be a musician, but she sure did rock the red carpet tonight! I thought she looked adorable, in an adult way, if that makes sense. 

Ariana Grande's speaking voice really annoyed me on this Nickelodeon show I had to watch while nannying this summer, but she's quite the crooner! I actually loved her hair and makeup tonight, and the Dolce dress grew on me. Still not loving the shoes. 

 

Colbie Caillet's dress was my absolute favorite when I watched the stars work the carpet. After seeing how all the dresses photographed, I'm between her and Taylor. 

First of all, Pharrell had quite the winning night. Second of all, the guy is 40. And he looks 20. Third of all, I'm convinced he's channeling Smokey the Bear. 

 Lots of people were obsessed with Katy Perry's Valentino, but I was not one of them. It's whimsical and musical, just like Katy, but the tattered looking tulle on the shoulders made me feel meh about it. However, she'll always be my "If I could look like one celebrity" go-to. 

Ugh. Sometimes I just don't "get" Madonna. 

Just like Katy Perry, lots of people were all about this dress on Paris Hilton. However, I was just terrified some of her orange makeup would rub off on the white dress...

 The Grammys are always fun, because there's a lot less talking and a lot more showing off talent! Here are a few of my favorite performers tonight:

It should come as no surprise that my favorite performance of the night would be Taylor Swift performing All Too Well. This heartfelt song has some of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard (ex: "You call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest. I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying there, because I remember it all too well."). Lena Dunham said it well when she described the performance as "vulnerable, skilled, and sparkling." Her dress was pretty stunning, too! 

 Sure, I may not like the song, but how can you NOT be obsessed with Beyonce and Jay Z? Like the dynamic duo leaving the stage together had me aww-ing audibly.

Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons had everyone Taylor-Swift-dancing, and I mean that in the best way possible. 

Robin Thicke plus Chicago equals MUCH better than Robin Thicke plus Miley.

 I'll be honest: Daft Punk confuses me. Stevie Wonder does not. Plus I've got some sort of career-crush on Pharrell. Like that guy's work is prolific. 

P!nk never fails to make the rest of us feel terrible about ourselves. As someone on Twitter put it, most of us have a hard enough time singing in the shower without drowning, while this chick sings while cirque-de-soleiling (now a verb) and doing acro-yoga with some ripped dude, only to gracefully duet and show off those pipes with Nate from fun. a minute later.  

Well, folks, that's a wrap. What a way to end the weekend! Did I forget to include anything major? Speaking of missing things, I'm bummed Catherine and Shaun had their televised wedding tonight of all nights, by the way. Thank goodness for DVR, because I'll definitely be watching The Bachelor Wedding tomorrow night! 

Five on Friday

Happy Friday, y'all! I'm obviously putting my Friday night to good use curled up at home watching TV! I know I'm supposed to be partying it up while I'm in my early 20s, but this Polar Vortex is really putting a damper on my fun and seems to be sucking my energy! Plus, I have to get up at the crack of dawn to run with the Team, which leads me to my Five on Friday number one....

1. Shin Splints. Ouch. 

I may be a bit overdramatic about a lot of other things, but I pride myself in a pretty high pain tolerance. Thanks to that tolerance, I didn't think twice about my "leg bones hurt" when I ran. I thought that probably came with the territory of running, since I generally don't think of running as being a "comfortable" activity anyways. Thankfully, John tried to use my legs as a foot rest one night, and he noticed I winced when he propped his feet up on my legs. He explained I probably have shin splints from my not-so-perfect running form... Yay! 

Sadly, I don't think I can blame that on shin splints...

Tomorrow I'm going to ask my coach if he has any tricks I should try before going to the internet for help, and I'm hoping I won't have to take a break from training (seriously, what is wrong with me? I never would have said that a year ago). I just don't want to get behind! 

2. Eating woes. 

I may be on the right track with my exercise habits, but my diet is a different story. I am the world's worst eater. This week alone I've had ice cream, cookies, and mac and cheese, but I can only remember one time this week I consumed any leafy greens. Yikes. I have to dress semi-nice next weekend for a party, and I'd prefer to not look like a cow. This will involve me eating more like a lady than a linebacker for the next seven days (and if I can't do that, I'm doomed). 

3. Ulta Haul

After a long tour of a magnet school for class, a couple of my friends and I stopped my one of my favorite stores to wander: Ulta. You'd never believe it by looking at my simple makeup routine, but cosmetics really interest me! I wish I was artistic enough to get contouring and highlighting and all that good stuff!  Today was no normal browsing day in Ulta, though. I went in with a mission: a full out list of makeup remover cloths, Bare Minerals foundation, a speedy nail polish topcoat, and concealer. Exciting, right?! I know, not really, but I did at least branch out and try two new concealers (combined cost less than my normal Bare Minerals correcting concealer, which I like but you don't get much bang for your buck). I'll let you know what I think of this and this!

The last time I went to Ulta, I got a small bottle of Philosophy's Purity face-wash, because I was out of my usual Target brand cleanser, and this seems to be a Philosophy cult-favorite.  I like how little of the product I have to use to get 100% of the day's makeup off my face, and I think the smell is refreshing in the morning. So far, no crazy breakouts, so I'm a fan.

4.  Quiz Me

This is going to sound so dorky, but did anyone else take quizzes when they were in middle school, like "Which one of the Mean Girls are you?" or "How do you win your crush over?" Come on, I know I can't be alone! Well, thanks to Buzzfeed, I feel like a middle schooler again, because I have been obsessed with taking quizzes lately! My two favorites? Which Disney Princess and which Jennifer Lawrence are you? 

Okay, you caught me... I may just like the quiz results: Belle is my ultimate favorite princess and J.Law is flawless in Silver Linings.

5. This week's motto:

Me thinks Cookie Monster has the right idea... 

Oh boy, it always comes back to the second thing on my list! The struggle versus cookies is real, folks. 

Happy weekend, everyone!  Courtesy of Christina of Carolina Charm, Darci of The Good Life, April of A. Liz Adventures, and Natasha of Hello! Happiness.

Tartan Tuesday

Friends, it has been one doozy of a day. I've spent the last several hours working on Spanish homework online (why can foreign language not be a little less... foreign to me?), and I think my brain will explode soon. I needed a break, and of course, I headed over to Pinterest for some respite. I've noticed a bit of a pattern in my pins lately... Tartan. (Did you see that pun in there? Because it wasn't intended, but once I saw it, I had to highlight it. I know, I'm too much.)

I've kind of always had a thing for Tartan. Especially Tartan skirts.

Exhibit A: Christmas 2013 at Grandma and Grandpas' house. My authentically English skirt, complete with buckles. 

Exhibit B: Tacky Christmas Sweater Party 2013. This wool J.Crew skirt is a bit big, so it kind of comes off as frumpy, but with some alterations, it'll be a classic. 

Exhibit C: Christmas Party 1997. Back in the day, my tartan bloomers, cuffs, collar, and headband accented my velvet dress perfectly. (Also, thank goodness I learned to smile.)

As you can see, I've got the tartan skirt on lock (not pictured: a blue tartan skirt and matching shoes from the Gap. Again, I know I'm too much.). Here are some different tartan pieces I'm loving and pinning:

This tartan shirt-dress. 

This gorgeous (and sold out) Zara scarf.

 These crazy-cozy looking blankets. 

And even though this probably doesn't qualify as tartan, I'm sharing, because Anna Kendrick. That's why. 

I like how warm and smart tartan looks. Definitely my favorite colder-weather pattern. What do y'all think? Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

Ta-ta(rtan) for now!
 (Please don't judge me. I'm just bordering on delusional right now.)

Five on Friday: Loving Lately

Happy Friday! I'm going to apologize in advance for the giddy, crazy happy high that comes only from Walt Disney's magic! With that being said, here's number one!

One. 

Tonight, I had a girl's night with my mom at Moe's and the movies. Moe's was noms per usual, but guys... Frozen. That. Movie. Was. So. Good.

Easily the cutest Disney movie since Tangled. In fact, I may like it even more than Tangled. And I may have wanted to cry because it was so cute and sweet. And just... good. So please, whether you have
little kids or are a kid at heart (and that includes everyone with a soul), go see Frozen.

Two.

Loving this vest, although I'm not sure I'm "chic" enough to pull it off... Plus, this is going to sound so lame, but doesn't it look like a pain to clean?! I'm really trying to stay away from "Dry Clean Only," but the furry vest trend is kind of tempting me. 

Three. 

How pretty is that background?! I highly suggest you mosey on over to Lara Casey Media if you need to spruce up your desktop!   

Four. 

Oh, Kate the Great. We all remember her classic engagement announcement look, and today I found a steal of a dress that kind of reminded me of the lovely cobalt blue she wore in those iconic pictures. Now, I bought the dress (like I said, a steal, and plus I need a dress for an upcoming engagement party), but now I'm getting worried I won't be able to be happy with how I look in it because I'll constantly be comparing myself to world's most gorgeous woman. Sigh.

After looking up a billion pictures of her in the dress, I realized there are way more differences than similarities with the dress I got (like, completely different cut), but googling Kate Middleton is dangerous. Because you find a billion more pretty pictures to ogle and adore. Like these:  

She looks pretty holding her baby...

And a frog puppet...

And binoculars...

And a field hockey stick...

Aaaand an umbrella (although saying she's "holding" it seems like an understatement- more like "wielding")!

She looks elegant with her flowing mane down...

And when it's up in a ponytail. 

Whether she's taking a walk in the park...

Or a walk down the aisle.

The girl can do no wrong, am I right?!

Five.

One of my favorite Frozen moments. 

No better way to end this Five on Friday than how it started... Again, I apologize for the Frozen obsession. That darn Walt Disney... I hope you all have people worth melting for! Enjoy the rest of your weekend with those people!

Shout out to Christina, Darci, Natasha, and April for my favorite weekly linkup!