Guest Post: 4th Of July Recap!

Hey y’all! I hope everyone had the most wonderful 4th!!! 🙂 I’d like to welcome back Sarah from From Dogwoods to Magnolias (Formerly Coffee Rings and Southern Things) to share a little recap of her 4th of July celebration up in Virginia! 🙂

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Hey y’all! I know, it’s been forever. But I’m back again with some awesome 4th of July photos from my very backyard!

I recently moved from my stuffy little apartment in Newport News to a little trailer in the woods of New Kent County, VA. Although it isn’t much to look at, I’m happier where I am, and I’m very appreciative of the four acres I now call my own.

I hope y’all had a great July 4th, and I hope you enjoy these images of my family and friends. Like the humorous – slash creepy? – pictures of my younger sister making strange faces. Also, I promise no one got hurt. Especially when our buddy Manny decided it would be clever to tie 20+ sparklers together and light them at once.

The 20 sparklers:



And here are some obligatory cat photos of this little guy, Tails. He’s getting so big!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Thanks so much Sarah! Have a fabulous Monday, everybody! Thanks for stopping by! xo!

What’s In Mary Straton’s Bag?

Mary Straton from Olive You, Darling is guesting for me today! YAY!

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So excited to share a post idea with the darling Laurel of The Lovely Bee! Little does she know, but I have big plans for us to merge our blogs and become a powerhouse lifestyle duo. You people know you need us, right? Kidding…

Call it what you will – “purse,” “handbag,” or even “pocketbook” as my dad says – women have to carry their stuff around. And some men, too, I’ve noticed.

So, for the remainder of this post, let’s call it a “bag.” Stacy and Clinton say that, and I’d trust them with my life.

Let’s set the scene, shall we? We’ve all moved past being sixteen and carrying our keys (and now phones) around so that the rest of the world knows we are of driving age. I haven’t always loved a bag. Believe it or not, my mom described a younger version of me as “sporty natural.” I’m not sure what that means, but somehow I don’t see fancy bags fitting in with that label. But now that I’m a grown-up and mom to a toddler, a bag of appropriate size, shape and depth is of utmost importance. Why? Because you gotta have yo stuff.

So what’s in my bag?

First and foremost: hand sanitizer. Purell Advanced. The only kind I buy. All sanitizers are not created equal. You never know when you might have to go to a petting zoo or Chuck E Cheese.

CatHead vodka I Heart MS huggie. What do you call it? Koozie? Vernacular is fascinating to me.

Subscription renewal to one of my favorite mags, Delta Magazine. I don’t live there anymore, but sometimes I like to feel like I do.

“What’s that,” you say? “A Harry Potter magnet?” Yes, in all its glory. I got it for free after ordering a Harry Potter t-shirt to wear to the midnight showing of the final three movies. Yeah, I did.

iPhone charger. No explanation needed.

Pepto Bismol. No explanation needed.

Bag-o-lip supplies, containing no fewer than 14 lip cosmetics, ranging from fancy-pants brands to trusty drugstore faves.

Wadded up parking ticket. Take that, city government. (Ok, ok, I’ll pay it.)

Wallet (or “billfold” as my dad says. He’s full of old-school terminology). A microcosm of my bag, if you will, containing all the normal wallet stuff, plus a magazine tear-out of a redheaded Drew Barrymore in case I ever want to go down that road.

A few graham cracker goldfish. You know, just swimming around.

An apple. You know, just sitting there being boring and not M&Ms.

This was fun! And super boring to you readers, I would imagine! But what’s blogging without a little dose of hard reality now and then?

Thanks, Laurel for featuring me and my nerdy bag!

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Thanks MS!! Always love having ya here! I, for one, was very entertained by the findings in your bag… 😉 I know I’m not alone!

Thank y’all for stopping by! It means the world!

Fall Isn’t Far { Guest Post }

Hey y’all! So how busy have you guys been lately? ‘Cause my life has been so hectic I hardly know what day it is.

I’m writing for Laurel this morning in the dark, at 6:15 AM. The air here in Virginia is so chilly for an August morning (66 degrees) that I feel the urge to start wearing a jacket to work. I can sense fall coming, and I’m so excited.

I did a post on my blog recently. A sort of lookbook for fall staples I think every girl needs in her closet to prepare for the cooler weather. And since writing that – and especially with our Hampton Roads temperatures dropping daily – I’ve been thinking about everything else I can’t wait for with the upcoming months. And this will probably help you get to know me a bit better. Fall is my favorite season because I get to do all the things I love with all my heart.

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Probably my biggest thing is coffee. If you follow my blog, Coffee Rings & Southern Things, you know I love my coffee (obviously). In the summer, it’s just too dang hot to enjoy it outside. I love sitting on the porch in the wee hours of morning, watching the sky turn pink, with a delectable cup of brew warming my hands. Obviously I’m a morning person, as I’m sitting here so early typing this. But there’s nothing that goes more perfectly with morning time than a cup of delicious coffee. Or eight.

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I can’t wait to go to Colonial Williamsburg and stroll around, just to take it all in. The leaves changing and the feel of cooler air. The smell of fires burning throughout the town. The people, dressed in costume to give that Colonial vibe. The men, tipping their hats at me when I walk by, as if I’m some sort of lady or something. It’s all so beautiful to me. I mean, you’d have to visit Virginia in the fall to know what I’m talking about. But it’s definitely one thing I’m going to miss when I move with DJ to Mississippi.

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One thing I always look forward to is the Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes. There’s just something so perfect about them. It’s not fall until I’ve had one, so move aside, y’all. I gotta get me one, pronto! But it’s not even just coffee. I’m also kind of a beer snob, so every year, my go-to is Sam Adams Octoberfest. It’s just that pumpkin and spice thing that means it’s fall. I love it.

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For our anniversary, DJ and I had talked about going to Gatlinburg, TN. It’s the halfway point between his hometown in Mississippi and us up here in Virginia, and it’s about an 8-hour drive. Not too bad, considering we can stay in the beautiful mountains and relax. But we never made it. Money has been tight lately and we just couldn’t go. We ended up camping down the street from us in Newport News instead. But Gatlinburg looks so gorgeous for fall. Hopefully we’ll get down there before we move to Mississippi next year. Or maybe we’ll hang out there for a bit on our way down.

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I love cooking. And I love eating healthy. I was originally going to do a health-related post for y’all today but I got sidetracked, obviously. I blame it on the ADD. But this butternut squash soup looks delicious. If you search Pinterest for “Fall Cooking,” you get a lot of cool results for special recipes that work great for the upcoming season. Soups are probably my favorite go-to in the fall.

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Still on the subject of cooking, I found this idea on Pinterest when I searched for recipes and I think it’s a great idea. In an ice cube tray, freeze red wine for cooking when needed. I love cooking with wines because they add such great flavor to a dish. And this is great too, because I won’t have to keep a whole bottle of wine in my fridge for those moments. Rather, I can keep a bottle of white for me to drink while I’m cooking. Ha!

So do you love fall like I do? What excites you the most about it?

Until next time, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my blog, of course,Coffee Rings & Southern Things!

Color Crush Guest Post

So when you get a minute today and are looking for something fun to do…. Why not head on over to my friend Mary Straton’s blog Olive You, Darling and check out the guest post I got to write for her! It’s all about my favorite hue. The in’s and out’s. The nitty gritty on the spectacular color of yellow!

Hope you enjoy it! I really enjoyed writing it! (But who wouldn’t love a good excuse to compile a story about their favorite color??)

Guest Post: Sarah Is BACK!

Hello, Lovely Bee readers! It’s been a while, I know. But I’ve been busy, I promise, and I have not forgotten you.

Lately, I’ve been photographing weddings and maternity shoots. AND. Moving into my new apartment!

I’ve been so stressed, busy, flustered, excited, tired, etc. You name it, I’ve been it. But things are finally starting to come together and I’ve got some down time to post for Laurel today.

I thought I’d share a little of my life with you so far. These photos are from weddings and shoots I’ve photographed recently, and a few Instagram shots are thrown in there as well of the move and other random events. I hope y’all are having a lovely summer so far, and I’ll be back real soon! 🙂

Of course, my guy is my best model. You know I’m right.








The new apartment is now, obviously, complete.

Until next time, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my blog, of course,Coffee Rings & Southern Things!

The Little Things { Guest Post }

I’m so happy it’s finally starting to actually feel like summer outside. I don’t know what Mississippi feels like right now. DJ’s dad tells him it’s been cool like up here in Virginia. But it’s 80 degrees here today, and breezy at that. It feels amazing.

I’ve always had that aching for summer. Every year it comes around the same time. However, our winter this year was horribly cold and wet. So this time around, the aching is worse. And I don’t know how to contain it. I don’t know how to explain that feeling, either. I miss the feel of a warm breeze on slightly tanned skin. Light and airy summer dresses. The smell of saltwater washing over golden sand.

It’s also around that time of year I met DJ. I think I notice that most of all. When you meet someone during the summertime, everything’s different. We’re all skinnier, tanner, glowy-er. You know what I’m saying. Now that we’ve spent six months in the cold/snow, we’ve put on a few pounds, our skin is white as a sheet, and we’re just plain lazy. We simply don’t feel like doing anything but lay in bed and watch movies.

It’s so exciting.

When I met him in July, he was the tall, dark, handsome man from Mississippi who stole my heart. Now we’re both so used to each other that we’ve accepted the extra pounds, the dry skin and hair that winter has brought us. Nothing’s glowing. No one’s tan. The muscles of summer have disappeared.

Am I just crazy or does anyone else notice this with the cold weather?

Maybe I’m just crazy.

My point is that it’s all coming back now. I’m running a mile everyday on my lunch break again. I’m eating healthier. I’m moving more. And the sun’s shining. And the weather’s amazing. He’s gaining that muscle back and his skin is darkening. That’s when I really have to contain myself. Because duh. My man looks good.

I just can’t wait for long rides in his truck, windows down, warm breeze through the windows, his arm wrapped around me in the middle seat. Trips to the beach. Rides on the motorcycle. These things are the best things in the world to me. The little things.

And because I need something to break up my crazy rambling, here are some pictures I took last year around summertime, which only make the aching worse:




What kinds of things are you anticipating this summer?

Until next time, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my blog, of course,Coffee Rings & Southern Things!

My Latest Guest Post

Be sure to catch my latest guest post over at Coffee Rings and Southern Things when you have a minute! It’s all about my love for the 20s and my unspeakable excitement for the new Gatsby movie!!!! AHHH!!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

My Latest Guest Post

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I’ve gotten spring party fever pretty bad right now! I NEED a reason to throw a springy soiree!

My guest post on Coffee Rings & Southern Things is all about bright and colorful parties. Check it out! 🙂

Itchy Eyes & Pretty Brides { Guest Post }

Hey y’all! Can you see me? Good. ‘Cause I can’t see dirt. My vision is worse than normal today because I’m giving my eyes a rest from the contacts and wearing my glasses instead. It’s been two days and already they feel a lot less itchy and dry. Spring hasn’t exactly sprung up in Virginia just yet, but we’re getting there. Enough so that allergies are hitting all of us pretty bad. Like me and my eyeballs. If you’ve ever been to Virginia, you know our weather is silly. It makes no sense. Like Wednesday it rained all day – literally all day – and by the time I left work the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was 70 degrees. Yesterday was in the 50s all day and breezy. This morning, at the butt crack of dawn, my drive to work was quite chilly at 28 degrees, and now it’s 50-something and half sunny/half cloudy.

Don’t make no sense.

Other than the allergies and all the stress in my life lately, I’m coming up on a bunch of fun photo shoots I’m really excited about. This past Wednesday I photographed my good friends Jason & Cristina (who is gorgeous enough to be a frickin’ model, I swear), I have an engagement shoot tomorrow bright and early in Colonial Williamsburg, and I’m photographing my best friend Jackie on St. Patty’s Day (who is equally gorgeous).

Let’s just go ahead and say I pretty much only have completely beautiful friends. I mean look:

I’m spoiled, clearly.

This is my favorite time of year to photograph anyone. I don’t know what it is about me, but I absolutely can’t stand bare trees. They make me feel depressed. Like the world is dying. But that may be a little melodramatic. I love the fall and the spring and certain times in the summer. I am not a winter girl unless it’s a warm sweater, a cup of tea and a good book. And maybe a fluffy puppy to snuggle with.

I am so beyond excited for this engagement shoot tomorrow, and I already can’t wait to share the photos with y’all next week! She already told me what they’re wearing. She’s wearing a cute dress and he’s wearing a preppy gingham button-down shirt with a bow tie. How adorable is that?!

Until next time, lovelies!

And be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on my blog, of course, Coffee Rings & Southern Things.

Guest Post on New Orleans!

Y’all be sure to make your way over to Coffee Rings and Southern Things to read my guest post about a recent weekend trip to New Orleans! 🙂

Here are a few of my fave pictures you’ll find in that post!