Worth It & Navy

Last Sunday, after getting ready for Sunday Mass, I realized that it was way too cold to be wearing a sleeveless dress. Immediately, I reached for my new Lilly Pulitzer Elsa top in Worth It that I bought during the After Party Sale. I have been dying to wear it but it has been way too hot to do so until this week! Hopefully, this really marks that fall is in the air and cooler temperatures are here to stay but knowing North Carolina, it could be 95 degrees next week (hopefully not though!)

Just as my sister started taking these pictures, my dog slid into the background (best photo-bomber ever?). We decided that having my dog in the pictures was too cute and I also have a ton of bloopers of my dog trying to get me to pet her while my sister and I were taking more pictures!

I'm actually laughing in this one, so just excuse my face!

Top- Lilly Pulitzer (similar) Skirt- J. Crew Factory (similar) Wedges- J. Crew (similar) Watch- Kate Spade Bracelets- David Yurman (similar) Bag- Kate Spade (similar)

How are you transitioning into fall? Let me know in the comments!

Favorite Essie Nail Polishes for Fall

One of the best ways to get into a mood for a different season is too paint your nails a color that fits that season. To me, fall means neutrals and reds (darker colors). It may not be cold enough to wear all of your favorite fall clothes, but it is never too hot to wear fall nail polish! I have gathered some of my favorite Essie fall nail polishes for y'all! Essie has so many cute colors and I can hardly resist to buy every color they make!

swing velvet after school boy blazer east hampton cottage

merino cool fifth avenue glamour purse

What are your favorite fall nail polishes? Let me know in the comments!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

If y'all remember from my post from early this summer (read it here!), one of my goals for the summer was to bake more. Well a few weekends ago, I finished up all my homework early so I was able to spend my Sunday afternoon baking away! I have been on a really big almond butter kick lately so when I was cleaning out my "Healthy" Dessert board on Pinterest (follow me here), I found this recipe for Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have been trying lately to eat healthier since my diet has kind of gone off the rails this summer and these cookies are the perfect way to have a treat but still remain on the healthy side (um, not to mention there is 5 ingredients so super duper easy!). 

The Ingredients:

egg, almond butter, brown sugar, baking soda, chocolate chips

Step 1: Set oven to 350 degrees F

Step 2: Crack the egg in a bowl and beat lightly

Step 3: Add in the almond butter, baking soda, and sugar and mix until everything is combined well

Step 4: Mix in the chocolate chips

Step 5: Scoop the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet

Step 6: Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overtake these cookies, trust me they look like they aren't done but they are! I cooked mine for 9 minutes

Step 7: Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring onto a cooling rack (sorry about the picture, for some reason Blogger isn't allowing me to change what direction it is in!)

Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup almond butter (the original recipe says natural almond butter alters the texture of these cookies but I used natural almond butter and they are still yummy, just look a bit different from the original recipe!)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (I just used regular brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used normal chocolate chips since I didn't have dark chocolate chips but will definitely do that the next time I make them!)

Instructions
1. Set oven to 350 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray

2. Crack the egg in a bowl and beat lightly

3. Add in the almond butter, baking soda, and sugar and mix until everything is combined well

4. Mix in the chocolate chips

5. Scoop the dough onto a prepared cookie sheet

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overtake these cookies, trust me they look like they aren't done but they are!

7. Let cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring onto a cooling rack 

Do you love almond butter as much as I do? Have you tried Almond Butter cookies before? Let me know in the comments!

Fall Fashion Must Haves

It is so close to being Fall and to get into the Fall mood, I am sharing with y'all my Fall Fashion Must Haves. Here in North Carolina, it doesn't get into the real fall temperatures until late October-November but I figured I would share for all of y'all who live farther up north or just need the inspiration!

Gingham Shirt- I bought this top from Vineyard Vines last fall and it is perfect to wear with my navy city mini from J. Crew or with jeans or white pants for a more casual look! 

Lilly Pulitzer Elsa- Lilly Pulitzer Elsas are a necessity in my wardrobe year round (see how I style one in the summer, here!) and I love to wear mine with jeans and riding boots for the cooler months!

Comfy Sweaters- I just bought this sweater and cannot wait to wear it! It looks so comfortable and would look perfect with a scarf too!

Navy Striped Tee- Another perfect top to wear with a city mini skirt or just with jeans!

Shep Shirt- I live in my Shep Shirts year round! They are perfect to throw on for a chilly night or layer under a vest once it really gets cold out!

Herringbone Vest- I got a herringbone vest last year and I love it! It is totally worth up to the hype!

Solid Color Vest- Vests are a neccesity in my fall and winter wardrobe. I have one in white from Eddie Bauer that I got years ago and still wear it all the time! Solid color vests are great since you can pair them with all sorts of outfits and colors!

Black City Mini Skirt- I have the city mini skirt in navy and just bought it in black since I wear it so much! They are so great and can truly be dressed up or down!

Jeans- Kind of a no brainer but a true necessity for me! If anyone has any recommendations for amazing jeans let me know!

Gingham Scarf- This scarf is so cute and looks like such a fun way to bring some color and print into an outfit!

Lilly Scarf- I have a couple Murfee scarves that I bought during different Lilly sales and they are amazing! They are so soft and so warm, I would definitely recommend picking one up in the next sale!

Tory Burch Revas- I have Revas in both the black and the nude colors but I love the black ones especially for fall! They are so comfy and definitely worth the splurge in my opinion!

Bean Boots- I just bought my first pair of Bean Boots and I'm so excited to wear them! They are truly a classic and I know I'll wear them all the time!

Riding Boots- I live in my riding boots in the fall and winter months. Mine are Ralph Lauren and I bought them a few years ago in a few sizes too big since I loved the style so much. I love these Tory Burch Riding Boots as well!

What are your Fall Fashion Must Haves? Let me know in the comments!

My Chic Week September 4-10

Happy Friday! I am so looking forward to this weekend after a busy weeks full of tests, quizzes, and assignments (most that are due today!). But first let's recap this week and check out what's on my radar!

Last Friday was a Mass day at my school so I got up bright and early to dress up and get ready for the day. After a crazy day at school, I came home and edited an essay that was due that night (super exciting Friday night y'all!). We headed to my neighbor's house for dinner and afterwards, I came home to binge watch some One Tree Hill.

Saturday morning, I slept in and then got ready for a day on the lake. We had plans to meet our neighbors on the lake for lunch but we wound up arriving at the restaurant early so we had breakfast for the second time that day. After our breakfast (or brunch or breakfast for lunch?), we hung out on the lake for a while. Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast and very rocky on the lake but other than that it was great! We headed back in early to get ready for dinner since we had our neighbors and some friends over for dinner.

On Sunday, I slept in again (gotta love a long weekend!) and then spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon doing homework. That night we headed next door for dinner of yummy barbecue (which is one of my favorite foods if you didn't know that already) with our neighbors. After dessert, I headed home to do some blogging and catch up on some TV.

Monday was pretty relaxed as I slept in before a morning full of homework. My family and I went out for lunch at a favorite restaurant and got some frozen yogurt afterwards. Then it was back home, to do some more homework!

Tuesday was pretty busy for me, I had my first Pre Calculus test of the year and also my first NHS meeting of the year so it is safe to say it was a busy day for me!

Wednesday was quite busy as well since I had a meeting during lunch and babysitting after school. We had a bit of rain and storms Wednesday afternoon, so once I got home from babysitting I was greeted by my dog who was freaking out due to the weather!

Thursday was not very exciting as I had a full day of school and then a whole bunch of homework to do once I got home!

What is on my radar this week:

1. Lilly Pulitzer's newest arrivals are gorgeous, as always! My favorites from this shipment are this dress, this elsa, this cashmere cardigan (that I would totally buy if I had no concern for budget!), and this flowy dress.

2. I love this post from Cathleen on what it is really like to be a teen blogger!

3. The J. Crew Warehouse Sale has been in Charlotte since yesterday and I am so excited to go tomorrow! Be on the lookout for a post detailing my experience!

4. Vineyard Vines's entire website is up to 30% on sale right now with code GOODLIFE15

5. With school back in session, it is pretty easy to get unmotivated and in a bad mood. I love this post from Frannie on how to improve your attitude!

Be sure to check out my posts from this week!

Labor Day Sales, Pink Colony + Ruffles, Soaking in the last bit of Summer, Pinterest Dream Home Tag

What have you been up to this week? What is on your radar? Let me know in the comments!

Pinterest Dream Home Tag

I am super excited to share today's post with y'all! Last week, Alyssa of Lots of Lys emailed me to let me know that she came up with the Pinterest Dream Home Tag and that she dominated me to share my Pinterest Dream Tag. As y'all probably know, I love Pinterest (follow me here). One of my boards on Pinterest that gets the most love is my Home board (you know perfectly logical for a 16 year old girl to be planning out her house?). I actually did a post on this a few months ago (read it here) but I was more than willing to pick out my favorites again which was actually so hard for me to pick out of 1,200 home pins! So anyways, let me show y'all into my "dream home".

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This house is perfect. Big columns, front porches, brick, black shutters, those stairs that are just calling to take pictures on. I could move in now!

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I love the look of a grand staircase! This foyer is perfect and I love how grand it is!

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I love this dining room! I love the light blue with the dark wood table and flooring. Not to mention, those chairs with blue and white stripes, too perfect!

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This formal Living Room is gorgeous. I love the light blue colors and it just looks perfect!

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Oh my gosh y'all, I dream of a gorgeous, white kitchen. I love to bake and this looks like the perfect place to do so!

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As y'all can probably tell by now, I am a sucker for navy and white and this room is no exception. It would be the perfect Family Room and I totally picture a fireplace with a TV right in front of the couch!

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I totally picture this table in a Breakfast Nook just to the side of the Kitchen. With some comfy chairs, it would perfect for a casual dinner!

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This pantry is basically perfect, it has so much space and looks like it would be perfect for an organization addict like me. And that chandelier, too much perfect!

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This would be perfect for a powder room on the first floor! I love all of the white look!

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I love the cubbies in this mud room, perfect for storing bags and coats!

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Next to my mud room is the laundry room. I love the light blue walls and it looks like a place pretty enough to make the chore of doing laundry better!

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I love this room as a guest room! The four poster bed is so cute and I love the blues/coastal theme!

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And of course, this bathroom is attached to the guest bedroom. I totally see a gorgeous shower on the other half of the room. I also love the contrast between the dark wood and the white wainscoting!

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This room would be the cutest room for a little boy! I love the nautical theme of it!

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I think this would be the perfect little boy's bathroom. That sink is so fun in how it has individual faucets but only one part of the sink!

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This nursery is like the cutest thing ever! I love all of the pink, not to mention the wallpaper on the ceiling!

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This bathroom is perfect to be shared between the nursery and the Lilly bedroom. I love the size and the navy and white colors are perfect!

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And of course, my Lilly Pulitzer loving self will have a Lilly themed room for my daughters. But seriously, I'll take this room for myself!

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This would be perfect for another guest room. I love how chic and sophisticated it looks!

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And of course, this would be the bathroom for the second guest room. It is pretty simple but I love the detailing of it!

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My dream house definitely has a nice, large, calming Master Bedroom. This Bedroom looks perfect to sleep or just to relax after a crazy day!

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What girl doesn't dream of an amazing closet? I could definitely picture all of my clothes here and it has room for some more!

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Oh my gosh, this bathroom is perfect! That shower is amazing and I love that claw foot tub!

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I love this office, I dream of having a gorgeous desk with lots of storage!

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This pool is so pretty and I love that the pool deck is brick. Not to mention, the amount of lounge chairs!

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This outdoor eating area is too cute! I love the brick leading up to the table and the light green color is so adorable!

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I love porches and this one is perfect!

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And by my pool, I'll take this gorgeous fireplace area that is perfect for enjoying on fall nights!

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I'll take this gorgeous navy and white outdoor sitting area with a view too!

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And of course, my dream house is water-front. But seriously, this dock is so pretty!

I hope y'all enjoyed this "peek" into my dream home and I tag the following to share their Pinterest Dream Homes:

Julia of A Southern Heart

Sydney of Sincerely, Syd

Annaliese of Southern Belle in Training

Riley of Northern Prepster

For more home inspiration follow me on Pinterest and follow my board "A Place to Call Home"!