An Outfit for Every Springtime Occasion + Post Requests

Tomorrow is May y'all isn't that crazy? For me, I have a month left of school and that brings a lot of things to dress up for. May (and Spring in general) brings graduations, First Communions, weddings, sports banquets, and college visits. I have put together some outfits perfect for everything the next few months will bring you!

First Communion
dress (on sale) pearls heels (under $50) clutch

This is such a cute, chic outfit that is perfect for a First Communion. It is appropriate enough to wear in Church and is just adorable!

Mother's Day Brunch
dress necklace wedges
This is such a cute look for brunch! The dress looks so comfy!

Beach Wedding

dress sandals bag

This outfit is so perfect for a beach wedding! The dress has a light material and the sandals won't sink into the sand.

College Tour
dress sandals necklace bag
The key for any college trip is to be comfy. Lots of colleges require a lot of walking on the tour and if you tour like my school does, you may visit multiple campuses in a day. You don't want to be too causal though because you may meet with admissions counselors. So I would recommend comfy yet cute.

Also, let me know any Post Requests y'all have in the comments as I plan ahead for exams and college trips!

What events do y'all have coming up? Let me know in the comments!

April Outfits Lately

Ok, it is almost the end of April (how did that happen?), so it is time for another Outfits Lately. These are some outfits that I have actually worn this month. Thankfully, its warming up so the next few months will be full of shorts and sandals!

Birthday Dinner

Dress- J Crew

Wedges- Jack Rogers

Bracelets- Lilly Pulitzer GWP and a Christmas Present

Monogram Necklace

Watch- Kate Spade

Shopping Day

Top- Lilly Pulitzer (similar 1, 2)

Shorts- J Crew Factory

Sandals- Tory Burch

Watch- Kate Spade

Monogram Necklace

Pearl Necklace

A Birthday Party

Dress- Lilly Pulitzer (old, similar)

Wedges- Jack Rogers

Bracelets- Lilly Pulitzer GWP and Christmas Gift

Monogram Necklace

Watch- Kate Spade

 Rainy Day Faith Formation Outfit

Shirt- Zara

Skirt- J Crew Factory

Rainboots- Christmas Gift

Isn't this top from Zara the cutest? One of my friends got it for my birthday while she was in Europe over Spring Break!

Driving to Florida

Tee- Vineyard Vines (old, similar here)

Shorts- Nike

Flipflops- Tory Burch (old, similar here)

 Classic for Faith Formation

Polo- Vineyard Vines (old, similar here)

White Pants- Vineyard Vines (old, similar here)

Sandals- Tory Burch

Flamingos and Lace

Top- J Crew (last year, but same one is currently at Factory)

Shorts- Lilly Pulitzer

Sandals- Jack Rogers

Monogram Necklace

Watch- Kate Spade 

 First Impressions are better the Second Time Around

Top- American Eagle (super old, similar here)

Shorts- Lilly Pulitzer

Sandals- Jack Rogers

Monogram Necklace

Also, check out these outfit posts from April: Lilly for Easter, Carolina Blue + White, and Pink Gingham

What has been your favorite outfit this month? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo,
Katie

When I Grow Up... (Dream House)

I have always had a weird fascination with houses. Like, when I was 12 years old, I was addicted to HGTV (umm, I still watch it lol). So naturally, one of my favorite things to look at on Pinterest (follow me here) is houses. Yes, I am sixteen and it will be a long time before I have a house of my own but it is always fun to look at all of the amazing houses that are on Pinterest. I have compiled all of my favorite Pinterest home "rooms" into one "dream house"

Exterior

via

I love the grandness that this house has! I also adore brick houses and white houses with black shutters.

Foyer

via
I'm in love with the over-the-door stairs! You still get the grand staircase but it adds extra elegance in my opinion!

Kitchen

via

I love bright, white kitchens and this one is so pretty!

Dining Room

via
I love the coastal feel of this dining room and it has a round table, which is different but I like it!

Family Room

via

I love the height that this family room has along with the coastal feel from the colors!

Office

via
I'm in love with the cute, girly offices that I see all over Pinterest!

Mud Room/Laundry Room

via

Perfect place to do laundry!

Bedrooms

via (1, 2, 3, 4)

The top two would be the prettiest guest bedrooms! I love number 3 as a little girl's bedroom and number 4 as a baby boy nursery!

Bathrooms

via (1, 2, 3)

I love the bold stripes of number 1. Number 2 is so pretty and number 3 is the perfect beachy bathroom!

Master Bedroom

via

I love the look of a nice, neutral master with the tufted headboard. Looks so relaxing and comfy!

Master Bathroom

via

I dream of having a luxurious bathroom like this!

Master Closet 

via
I need a place to store all of my clothes, right? It helps that it is pretty too!

Backyard
via (1, 2)
I love these backyards! A porch is a must in my book!

What is your dream Pinterest home? Let me know in the comments!

PS- For more, follow my home board "A Place to Call Home" on Pinterest!

Getting Stuff Done

The end of the school year is almost here y'all! Personally, I have three weeks of classes, a week of college trips, and then exam week before summer vacation starts. Unfortunately, this is prime time for  "spring fever" where all you want to do is be outside having fun with friends. I've decided to share some of my favorite tips of getting stuff done.

via

Prioritize- Or in other words focus on the most important assignments. I always try to do my work based on the order that it is due in. For example, I start with homework that is due tomorrow versus homework that is due next week.

Use Study Resources- Many textbooks have websites with additional resources, such as practice quizzes, to help you. If you don't have a website for your textbook, make your own practice quizzes on Quizlet. I use Quizlet all the time for everything. Like a lot of my classmates use them and claim that my quilt saved them on assignments. Definitely helpful. Check out my other favorite study sites here.

Schedule- A big part of getting things done is knowing when they are due. Let's say I have a project due on Friday. I typically have soccer Tuesday-Thursday so that may not be the best time to work on it. I usually try to do long-term projects the weekend before to free up more time during the school week.

Take a (quick) break- After a couple of hours of hard work, usually all I want is a break. Breaks are great (I usually bribe myself by saying things like, if you get to chapter 5 you can go get a snack) but they can turn into long breaks that prevent you from getting stuff done. I try to keep my breaks under 5 minutes and chose breaks that don't tempt me to spend all night on them (cough cough Pinterest). Check here for my favorite study breaks!

Don't Procrastinate- Don't wait till the day before to start long-term projects. Not only does it cause more stress, but you may not do your best work either. I know at my school that the English teachers will proofread your essays for you but they will not if it is within 3 days of the due date. Early bird gets the worm, right?

Keep your eyes on the prize- It may seem like the school year will never end, but it will. Keep your head up and chug through these final weeks. Only a few more weeks till summer!

How do you get everything done? Let me know in the comments!

My Chic Week April 17-23

Ahh, it's Friday again! Friday is probably my favorite day of the week because I know that I have two (or more on long weekends) days off of school (and I can sleep in!).

Last Friday, started off busy at school. I had a party to go to that night so on the way home, I stopped at Starbucks to get a gift (and an iced coffee). I went over to one of my best friend's house to get ready and then go to the party. The party was fun (there was a photo booth!!).

On Saturday, my mom and I ran some errands. I had to go buy some birthday gifts for my friends and I also needed wanted to buy a monogram decal for my car so we did that and then we ran down to the mall (I drove on the highway y'all!) to drop something off at the jewelry store. I then spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework.

On Sunday, it poured! So much rain! I went to Church in the morning and then to a birthday lunch for one of my best friends! After lunch, my mom and I went to Target to check out the Lilly stuff. Granted it was like 1 but there was nothing there! I found nothing until I saw an employee walking to the fitting room with a few returns. It was a head scarf and a pair of too-small-for-me flip-flops so I didn't get anything. People lined up at my local Target starting at 3 AM! And the collection sold out in 6 minutes! So crazy!

Look how yummy this Oreo Cheesecake was!

Monday started the busy school week and we got some crazy weather! It started hailing on my way to my Faith Formation class! Tuesday through Thursday was full of meetings, tests and quizzes, soccer practice, and lots of homework!

Happy Friday!

Loving Lately: Music

I have had a lot of schoolwork lately. I have a free period mostly every day to get stuff done but let's face it, it's hard to work when you can talk to people or go online instead. I have discovered lately that putting in my headphones is a great way to focus.

A lot of my friends use Spotify. I was pretty late to the game and did not download it onto my laptop until a few months ago. I used to listen to albums on Youtube (I would switch between Luke Bryan, Hunter Hayes, and Kacey Musgraves) but Spotify is so much better! I really really wish that I got hooked on it sooner!

I oddly listen to the same songs over and over but here are my recent favorite songs to listen to while doing homework (I hate listen to music while studying for quizzes and tests- too distracting for me). You can find all of them on Spotify!

What has been your favorite song to listen to lately? Let me know in the comments!

PS- Fake ID is from the new version of Footloose that I am slightly obsessed with!

Mother's Day + Gift Ideas

Mother's Day has always been a special day in my house. We always bring my mom breakfast-in-bed before we go to Church (because it is a Sunday). I love Mass on Mother's Day because everyone dresses nicer (and it's always the perfect excuse to wear a Lilly dress!). After Mass, we always go to brunch with my next-door neighbors (who we have lived next to for 11 years!) at the country club they belong to. We always would go to Outback growing up (because Mother's Day and Father's Day is like the two times a year Outback is open for lunch) but let's be real: Brunch is amazing and I'm not complaining!

This year Mother's Day is going to be a little different because my cousin has her First Communion in Virginia the day before so we will either have brunch with cousins or we will be driving home (again I love brunch so I am hoping that we will have brunch with my cousins!).

Another special part of Mother's Day for me is picking out a gift for my mom. For a few years now, my dad has had me investigate what my mom wants so we can buy it for her. Luckily my mom and I have a very similar style so I tend to pick something for her myself!

Tote Bag- Last year my dad, siblings, and I got my mom a tan Coach bag (that is sadly no longer available). My mom loved it and uses it daily. This bag is pretty similar and comes in this fun hot pink.

Scarf- My mom loves scarves. A scarf would be a perfect gift since it adds a fun touch to any outfit.

Dress- I have this style Lilly dress and I love it (my mom loves it as well and has borrowed it on multiple occasions). This dress is comfy and casual but is dressy enough to wear to work (I wear it on Dress Up Days at school with riding boots)

Sunglasses- I’m in love with these Tory Burch aviators. My mom has a pair of Ralph Lauren aviators that she wears all the time but these are pretty similar

Mug- I think every mom has a coffee addiction so a mug is perfect for her morning coffee or cup of tea at night

Sandals- I bought my mom a pair of Millers a few Christmases ago and she loves them. They come in a variety of color (so chose your mom’s favorite!)

What do you plan on getting your mom for Mother’s Day? Let me know in the comments!

The Art of the Thank You Note

When I was younger, my mom always made me write thank you notes after receiving gifts. It seemed like such a hassle at the time but now I am really glad my mom had me do it. It shows good manners and it is just a great think to do!

Over time, I have mastered what to write in my thank you cards. I think part of it is just knowing what to say. I came up with a simple formula.

Intro- Write Dear whoever you are thanking

Sentence 1- Thank the person and state what you are thanking them for

Sentence 2- Say if what you are using their item for (or plan to)

Sentence 3- Thank them again

Closing- Say Love, Thanks, Sincerely, etc. (depending on who you are writing to) and your name

Example:

Dear Grandma,

Thanks for the Starbucks gift card that you got for me! I cannot wait to use it to buy my favorite iced coffee and a cake pop! Thanks again!

Love, Katie

Thank you cards are as easy as that! Half the battle is having thank you cards on hand. I've included some of my favorite thank you cards that will have you dying to write one soon!

1 2

3 4

5 6

Do you write thank you notes? Where do you buy the cards? Let me know in the comments!

Pink Gingham

Over my spring break, I was fortunately able to take a bunch of outfit posts for y'all. This outfit definitely is apart of my spring and summer "uniform" of a cute top, chino shorts, and sandals (typically Jacks or Tory Burch Millers). Also, my sister insisted that I wore my sunglasses since I looked "cooler" with them on, lol!

Top- J Crew (last year, but now available at Factory) Shorts- Vineyard Vines (old, but similar here) Sandals- Jack Rogers Watch- Kate Spade Sunglasses- Burberry (old, but similar here)

A little sister selfie for y'all!

My Chic Week: April 10-16

This past week was the end of my spring break and then the first week back in school.

On Friday, I went out to lunch with my family and my grandparents. I spent the afternoon running errands, doing a tad bit of homework, blogging, and then Pinterest board cleaning! That night, we had a little birthday celebration with my grandparents, which included face timing my aunt! We had a yummy bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes!

Cake and Presents

My grandparents got me a keychain from Tiffany's so I obviously had to take a picture of the darling box! Plus me blowing out the candles on my cake!

I got my haircut on Saturday morning and then came home to take a take pictures for a blog post! That night, I went out to the Melting Pot with some of my best friends to celebrate my sixteenth birthday! It was so fun and we had a lot of yummy food.

Before my friends arrived my sister and I checked out the limo then my friends and I

Another pic but you can see how big the limo (my parents rented for the night, I don't have a limo all the time lol) is

On Sunday, I relaxed (by my pool) and got ready to go back to school. Monday was spent jumping back into the water of school and then my Faith Formation class that night.

Tuesday was my actual sixteenth birthday and I celebrated with some yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I had school all day and meetings at lunch. I had a soccer game that afternoon and it was so humid and buggy y'all! It rained practically all day but cleared up right before the game. My mom and I stopped and picked up Chick-fil-a on the way home for dinner and my sweet siblings made me some brownies. Wednesday and Thursday were spent at school and soccer practice!

After a busy first week back, I'm excited for a fun weekend! I have some plans that will be shared next week. Plus, Lilly for Target comes out Sunday! So exciting!

Happy Friday! What are your weekend plans?