Emily Ley's Simplified Planner Review

New job means it's time for a new planner, right? With a totally new and ever-changing schedule, I was struggling with scheduling which is something I hadn't experienced before! Last fall, I picked up a great $7 planner from TJ Maxx that was great for the price, but wasn't cutting it any longer. I'm a former die-hard Lilly planner kind of girl, but was ready to branch out to something new. I also write down everything, down to memories like first kisses and anniversaries, so I knew I needed a lot of room to write since my planner is also my diary. 

After some research, I decided on Emily Ley's Simplified Planner. I'm currently spending my evenings working through her book "Grace not Perfection" which is all about embracing simplicity, and celebrating joy, and thought a planner focusing on the same things would be the perfect fit! After Instagramming some fresh and fun office supplies, including my new planner, I got a lot of requests to do a review on how I've enjoyed it!

Similar in size and weight to the standard Lilly planner, I love how customizable this planner is. There is a page for every day which features an hour-by-hour list on the left side, and a "To Do" list on the right side. The bottom quarter is broken up in two sections for dinner planning and notes. The top of each page also has a brief inspirational quote that I look forward to reading daily! Additionally, there is a monthly spread with a month "To Do" list, and tabs dividing each month up. I also ordered my planner with my monogram, as well as a green magnetic page marker. 

It's so helpful to me to keep two separate lists each day of events and meetings, and actual tasks that need to be completed. With the focus being daily, it's easier to keep track of items that might not get done each day and transfer it to a more manageable time frame. 

St. Patrick's Day Home Decor

St. Patrick's Day is kind of a big deal here in Dublin.

I've heard this over and over again, but am finally getting to experience the festivities for myself. After Valentine's Day, I started thinking about switching out my decor, and even went ahead and put our mossy green "M" door hanger from our wedding on the front door. I also whipped out the precious St. Pats garden flag gifted to me at my holiday celebration themed bridal shower last year. But one day while driving around town, I realized that all of a sudden, everyone had green bows on their mailboxes. And light posts. And columns. Green bows were everywhere!

Even though it wasn't March, the town was essentially out of green ribbon that wasn't just solid green, so I had to make a trip of Hobby Lobby in Statesboro for something a little unique. I have a few more SPD decor pieces, but they're all packed away somewhere in the box maze that is my garage! At least I can prepare better for next year, and start collecting things early!

Mud Pie dishtowel wrack 

Swoozie's Moss Initial 

Flag from Luella Floral & Farm 

Ornament Review Round Two

In my dining room, I have a gold tree that I spray painted last year {you can read more about that experience, and the why, here} and decorate with white, gold, and silver ornaments. Also kind of known as my "marriage" tree, I have a lot of "M" ornaments, our engagement ornaments, and now first Christmas ornaments on display!

These gold mirrored personalized pet ornaments from Moon & Lola are my absolute favorite new additions. I gave them as gifts to a bunch of people for Christmas last year, and am doing it again this year! Almost everyone has a pet that they love, and you can pick from a variety of dog breeds, gold or silver, and script or block font to make it perfect for each person on your gift list. 

I spotted this Mud Pie "First Christmas" ornament at Walker Boutique a few months ago and had to buy it! Besides coordinating perfectly with my tree, it also coordinates with a lot of the look from our wedding and serves as a great token from the year. This is the perfect gift for the newlyweds on your list!

My mom gave me this ornament as a birthday gift because as she said, it's the most perfect shoe for me! 

One of my sweet Phi Mu friends spotted two boxes of Shiny Brites in a store last Christmas that were all silver and gold and graciously thought of me! I'm so glad to have such a classic addition to my themed tree. 

Girlfriend Gift Guide

Shopping for the girls is probably one of my most favorite parts about the holiday season. They're all into different things, and I like to gift things that complement their interests, lives, or passions. Being in our mid-twenties {yikes, that sounds funny!}, a lot of the girls are traveling frequently for work, weddings, and getaways. A monogrammed travel jewelry case is absolutely the way to go. It keeps all of the chains and pieces separated so they don't get tangled, and helps keep earrings in their place and not lost at the bottom of a duffle bag. This can also be a great gift for a bride-to-be who will be heading out on her honeymoon soon!

Scarves are always a stylish gift, and I love this soft, gold fringe scarf from Gap. Kick it up a notch, and have it embroidered with their initials in a similar color for an elegant personalization. Speaking of gold and personalization, the Insta-famous gold stripe Kate Spade travel mug can be customized with a variety of monograms or colors when ordered through Swoozies, which is the absolute best one-stop gift shop!

I absolutely love Christmas time makeup gift sets. They're my favorite! There is so much excitement in getting a million lip glosses or eyeshadows to last the whole year long. Ulta always has a great selection of items and brands to meet a variety of price points.

Everyone has that friend that is always looking for their keys, or their phone, or both! Featured on Oprah's favorite things for 2016, the Orbit Keyfinder finds it all, and is only $30 and comes in a variety of colors, so it's the perfect gift for any girl or guy.

Winter is all about spending cozy time around the fire, and these multi-color glitter slippers are the perfect fireside accessory! They're also available in gold. Another favorite accessory is the Charleston Rice Bead bracelets. They come in so many different colors to mix, match, and stack! These bracelets are so unique, and can be paired with coordinating necklaces and earrings, too.

Girls love wine. There's no doubt about that! So give your best wine-o a Rewined wine scented candle! Pick their favorite "flavor" of wine, or surprise them with something new. These are the best smelling candles, ever! I love the moscato scent, of course!

I think I'm putting my Christmas decorations up next week, but for some reason I'm already feeling behind! So many people already have theirs done. At least all of my Christmas shopping is completed except for three!

Couples Christmas List

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I'm really excited to celebrate our first married Christmas this year. We've worked hard to establish a lot of traditions already with each other, as well as our families, in the almost five years we've been together. This year truly begins the "couples Christmas gift" idea for us! So with Christopher's help, {and some personal input, of course!} I've curated a group of great gifts for the couples in your life!

First up, luggage. I wish we would have splurged before our honeymoon {but who can with a wedding right before!} on nice, rolling luggage. We had one roller, and a bunch of bags, and were running through the cruise check-in points right before the boarding cut-off. If we'd had multiple rollers, it would have gone much faster! I really like this hardsided set that is a nice, neutral gold color.

Who doesn't love a good bonfire in the fall and winter? Living in town, a bonfire is kind of out of the question, but I'd love a nice fire pit for us to sit around with friends while entertaining!

The soundbar is a piece of technology that in the past, I never fully understood or appreciated. But Christopher loves them, and I've grown to enjoy the added experience it provides to watching movies or listening to music in the house. There are many options in a wide array of price points, so this becomes a great gift for the techie on your gift list.

Garden & Gun is one of our favorite magazines. With beautiful photography, delicious recipes, and awesome travel guides, it hits all of our interests with a southern focus. Both of these "southerner's" books would be something we would enjoy exploring together! The Southerner's Handbook | The Southerner's Cookbook 

I've already picked up this precious Mud-Pie "Our first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs." ornament for myself from a local boutique, but I have a couple other couples that I can't wait to gift this to!

Right around Christmas each year, I get a hankering to watch all the Harry Potter movies. They're kinda Christmassy with all the snow and candles, and when I have a few days off, I love to curl up under a warm blanket and binge watch the series together with Christopher. I used to watch it on ABC Family, but since we've switched to streaming, I haven't had my fix! Boxed DVD sets have also become one of the more reasonably priced gift ideas in recent years, too.

Speaking of curling up under a warm blanket, we love soft blankets, and this herringbone monogrammed one from Mud-Pie does the trick, while coordinating perfectly with the rest of our home decor.

I really love a unique, stand out kind of gift, and these Be Mixed all natural, calorie free, cocktail mixers are just the thing! The variety pack contains three flavors for making margaritas, Moscow Mules, or mojitos: three of our absolute favorite drinks. Order a set now for the amateur bartenders in your life, or for your own bar cart!

New Car Accessories

Last night I got my first ever, brand new car! I'm sure the whole world is sick and tired of hearing me talk about my dream of a white SUV with a third row; I know Christopher was! After much debating on body styles and features, we decided to go with a Toyota 4Runner SR5 Premium. It met all of my "requirements": white, tan leather, third row, sunroof; and was sporty looking in the body style for him.

But now comes the fun part: the accessories. The hubs puts nothing on his car, but I like a little personality and flair {monogram, anyone?}. These are a few things I'd like to deck "Fancy the 4Runner."

My favorite pewter GS Alumni license plate frame is nowhere to be found!
This one from Amazon would be a good alternative. 

If not going the Georgia Southern route, I am loving all things marble right now.
A monogrammed set from Etsy would do the trick! 

Speaking of marble and monograms...I may have already ordered
this Moon & Lola keychain in the "Blonde Tortoise" marble-y color
with my gold monogram! 

I've never really had to think about a trailer hitch before, but
this cover would be the perfect way to show my GS pride! 

Marrying McAfee | Merry Maids

My girls and I took a ton of stunning group and individual pictures prior to the ceremony. It was a perfectly breezy, although hot, April day, and these are some of my very favorite pictures from the day. It was a great time to loosen up a little before the ceremony began. 

One of my wedding tips to future brides is plan at least an hour in between your last pre-wedding picture and the ceremony. Guests with good intentions like to arrive early, up to an hour before the official start time, and I desperately did not want anyone to see me in my dress before walking down the aisle. The entire time we were taking pictures I was so worried about someone, especially my groom, seeing me! With a wedding start time of 6 p.m., we were back in the getting ready room by 5 p.m.

If you look closely at the girl's bouquets, you may notice something special: rose colored carnations. I specifically asked the florist to include a few of those blooms in my Phi Mu sisters' bouquets to represent our sorority bond. I also used a strip of fabric from my junior bridesmaids' dresses that I got monogrammed with my new monogram in navy as my bouquet wrap which had one of my favorite flowers in it, peonies! 

Don't you love how my little's gold glittery shoes matched mine?!

Bachelorette Decoration Details

I wanted to share a few of the little crafty details from my bachelorette last weekend! Months ago, after we decided on a beach destination, Kirstie my Maid of Honor, spotted these white drink sand spikes at a Walker Boutique close-out sale. They were blank, and her sister has a vinyl cutter, so we decided to make  monogrammed sand spikes for all the girls as my thank you gift to them! I glittered little wine bottles with Mod Podge, and included striped paper straws. 

Aren't they just precious in my "M" galvanized bucket? We did three different beachy colors for the monograms: pink, teal, and yellow. I think they turned out so cute! 

The girls got my fabulous bachelorette sash from JG Creations by Jenna Green on Esty. Check her shop out here!

Kirstie also did the vinyl for our tank top cover ups. All the girls got pink tanks with white monograms in the top corner, while I wore a white one with my new monogram in a fabulous gold glitter. I'm obsessed with it! 

Kirstie made koozies for everyone too, using her vinyl cutter. While it takes a little more time, I've been in awe of how cost effective it makes all these items! On one side of the koozie it says "Piper's Bachelorette" and on the other it says "Where my beaches at?"

Niki, my matron of honor and soon to be sister-in-law, found these cute decorations at TJ Maxx! I love getting unique paper products and party supplies from the Teej.  

On Saturday night, everyone picked a "nautical name tag" to wear out! I loved how "punny" they were. This was another cool cutter project! I'm so thankful to have such creative friends that are so willing to work hard to make this the best time of my life. I can't believe that trip is already a week behind us, and I've got three weeks left until the wedding. Time flies when you're having fun!