Friday, January 30, 2015

Step Into My Week {2015 #3 & #4}

It has been a while since I have recapped with a Step Into My Week so I decided it would be best to combine last weeks and this weeks. If I am being honest with y'all, I am so ready for January to be over. Parts of this month have been very crummy for me and the weather outside doesn't always help that. Since these past two weeks haven't been my favorites I don't really have all that much to share. 

On Tuesday mornings this semester I get to spend an hour and a half with the most precious 3 year olds ever. I am volunteering at a school for children with disabilities for a class I am taking this semester and after one vista these children already have melted my heart. They are the sweetest!

I am however, excited because I foresee myself spending some time this semester continuing to make my blog a place y'all want to stop by daily. I've been doing a lot of behind the scenes things on some exciting ideas and I hope y'all will be just as excited about them as I am!

I wish I had more pictures to share with y'all but for whatever reason my phone likes to tell me I have no storage left even when I've deleted things so maybe a trip to the Genius bar will fix that but if y'all have any advice for that please let me know!

Here are a few of the things I've posted on instagram as of late (follow me @prepinyourstep).





Now for what has been on my radar…

When I first saw Kate Spade's Swimwear Collection my jaw dropped. All of the suits are absolutely adorable, who knew one pieces could look so elegant.
I am picky about bathing suit bottoms but I would snatch up these tops ( 1, 2, 3, and 4) in a heart beat!

I saw this image on Pinterest the other day and couldn't help but share it. Who doesn't love Taylor Swift motivation and some water color. Definitely something I needed this week. Also, if you don't follow me on Pinterest you should, you can find me here.


I loved seeing a peek of Carly's apartment on her blog this week!

I've been a long time lover of The Glitter Guide and scrolling through their hashtag, #flashesofdelight is so inspiring. They linked a few of their favorites in a post here.

If I were to have a wish list this week on it would be….

And who doesn't love a bit of self promotion?


Also if you haven't seen all of the new arrivals at Design Darling you must check them out!


Thursday, January 29, 2015

Shower Power

At the end of a long day nothing feels quite as good as a warm shower. I guess a bath could beat it but unfortunately I don't have that luxury here at school. I am very much a creature of habit and once I find something I like I tend to stick to it. Bath products all tend to do a similar thing so I usually go about picking them by sticking to brands I like and then smelling just about every product within a particular brand. I hope I am not the only one who does that! I do tend to look at what the product says it will do for your hair and I can never have too many frizz fortifying and smoothing products!

I've always heard that it is good to switch up the shampoo and conditioner you use because it makes your hair healthier but nothing drives my mom more insane than me having loads of open shampoo and conditioner in my shower at home. Since I have community style bathrooms here at school it also isn't that practical for me to lug around loads of different products in my already full shower caddy. So here are the ones I am using currently ….


In the shower:

Right after:

Feeling lazy:

What are your favorite shower products? Any I should try out?

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Who says you have to be in a relationship in order to receive gifts on Valentine's Day? I definitely don't think so! Treat a friend, your family, or yourself and maybe some gifts, candy, or cards (my favorites can be found in this post) will find there way to your mail box. It's hard not to feel tempted when you see all the cute pink and red stuff in stores and some times little luxuries are exactly what you need. If you're a guy shopping for the perfect Valentine's day gift for your girlfriend or even a mom or dad looking for a treat to send your daughter then I have you covered!




Tuesday, January 27, 2015

FRIENDSHIP {the good, the bad, and the stressful}

 Last week was far from my favorite. There were highs and lows so interspersed that I was exhausted with feelings and emotions in general. I'm not really going to go into any details because I'm hoping and optimistic that things will resolve themselves but my mom instantly became my rock through it all. She would sit on the other end of the phone with me allowing me to be upset and motivate me to take a different approach and plan of action. My big was also this way but my friend Langley seemed to understand every detail of what I was trying to juggle. Langley emailed me this and I knew instantly that I had to share it with y'all regardless of if she even was ok with me doing so (fortunately she was which is even better).

Langley and I met one summer when we were both counselors at the same camp. The next summer we became even closer and have either texted or snap chatted every day since. It's crazy how these sort of relationships can form so quickly and then be so crucial. Currently, Langley is a senior at the University of Alabama (roll tide!) double majoring in Public Relations and Event Planning with a clear goal of what she wants to do but not quite sure where. I have full faith that she will land a dream job after graduation and continue to share her wisdom and work ethic with others!
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Sometimes we are put in situations we don’t know how to handle, and when they are situations that are brought on because of friendship, the difficulty of handling the situation escalates quickly. Not knowing what to do when you plan every aspect of your life is the scariest and the hardest of all situations to handle. Luckily, there is someone who is dealing with the same thing and will do everything in their power to help you and create a plan of action, and be a friend when you need one the most!


Friendship is the hardest relationship in your life, and girlfriends are the absolute hardest. It’s kind of like the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poem There Was a Little Girl, “…When she was good, she was very good indeed, But when she was bad she was horrid.” When things with your girlfriends are good, nothing can upset you, life is great and they are the best aspect of your life. When your friendships with your girlfriends are bumpy and unpredictable/unexpected, you live in vulnerability, confusion, and a constant state of sadness. 

Being in college is hard. You are technically an adult, but you don’t feel like it. You are expected to figure things out on your own, do the right thing and decide how the course of your life is going to play out. This is when you rely on the girlfriends you are closest to to have your back and talk you through it, even until you get wound up and they bring your favorite junk food, coloring books, and a movie and decide that was enough thinking for one day.

One thing that everyone, but girls especially (and me double especially), have to remember is that you are not alone. Everyone has been in your shoes. They have felt lost, alone and deserted by the people who are supposed to love them best. When you find yourself in this situation, you must find someone who you trust and love to confide in and if you choose the right person, they will drop everything and work their hardest to find a solution, and if they can’t do that, do everything they can to make you feel safe, wanted, and loved. 

“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 

” Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 

Find your brother. Find your iron. Find the one who would lay down their life for you. 

They are the one who will make you feel safe, wanted and loved. 
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As Langley emphasized, friendships are hard but so worth it. I know I have been so happy to have someone to turn to when I am confused and upset and I want all of y'all to know that if you ever want to chat with you're more than welcome to reach out to me through email or instagram direct message since I love talking to people!

I hope Langley's advice inspires some of y'all in the same way it inspired me!
(PS, follow her on Pinterest!)

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Bid Day 2015 {Photo Overload}

So if you haven't read yesterdays post then you may not know why I've been M.I.A. (missing in action) for the past week. Well, Furman has delayed recruitment so my time has been completely encompassed by all things Kappa Delta and New Member related. If you've been a reader for a while then you've gotten to see loads of different things I've been able to take part in since going greek and I have really enjoyed my experience.

Monday was our bid day and wow was it fun! We have a new pledge class of 37 girls and I am so excited to get to know each of them better! All of our hard work and efforts completely paid off and I couldn't have hand selected a better group. I was a SET leader for Kappa Delta which means that I helped to plan bid day and get to help educate the new members on everything KD and I even get to go on their pledge retreat with them this weekend. We chose our theme to be NFL, Drafting the Best since 1897, and it turned out to be precious. 

Prepare yourself, there are a lot of pictures!
There was so much excitement in the bid day room (only SET leaders were in our room to greet the new members and then everyone once we went to the Panhellenic celebration and bid day venue.)














 

















I wish I could share all of the excitement and photos (over 770 on my camera) with y'all but I'm afraid y'all wouldn't enjoy that quite as much as me! Here is a video one of the girls in my pledge class made of the day and it pretty much sums up the excitement and fun that the day brought!


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

I'm Back!

I'm so sorry for my slight blogging hiatus. Things got crazy busy around here with recruitment and the start of a new semester and classes. Not to fear though, I will be back in full force now and even put up posts for the days I missed so please be sure to check those out!

Here is a peak at what you'll be seeing a whole lot of in tomorrows post!


Thanks for not giving up on me while I was gone!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Winter Workout Clothes

I know so many people with the resolution of working out more. I find January to be an especially hard time to take on a goal like this because with it begin so cold outside it's hard to dress for and even harder to motivate yourself to leave your cozy room and head to the gym. For me, finding cute winter-y workout clothes is all the motivation I need. I really enjoy working out and don't mind spending some time in the gym each day. It's the perfect way for me to de-stress and watch a show or two on Netflix or listen to good music, little luxuries I don't always allow myself if I am not working out. 

So many places have been stepping up there workout clothing game and I am quite pleased! Below you will find my favorite places to shop for workout clothes and my favorite pieces!


Lululemon

This is a no brainer, I adore their workout tops, headbands, and leggings however they are often times pretty pricey. You should definitely check out Lululemon's we made too much section though, there are adorable pieces that are significantly discounted on there. I recently got this precious top from that section!

Fortunately lots of other lines are stepping up with cute pieces for less hefty price tags.









Here are a few of my favorite winter wear ready pieces!


Monday, January 19, 2015

What's In My Backpack {Video}

The new semester has begun and with lots on my plate organization of just about everything is an absolute must. I got back to school and dove straight into all things recruitment without an ounce of realization that things would become even more hectic once school started back up. The night before classes started I realized that I hadn't even taken my backpack home over the break let alone discarded of things I would not need for the new semester. By the end of a semester your backpack isn't exactly in the cleanest state so it was quite necessary for me to go through and clean things up.

During the semester I try to be good about cleaning it up periodically and making sure everything goes back into its proper place. For me, my backpack is usually the only bag I carry around on a given school day and because of that it needs to hold everything I could possibly need from 8:30 until I finally go back to my dorm at the end of the day.

Here is just a brief look at what I store inside of my backpack. Watch the video to see all of my notebooks and other miscellaneous things I like to have on hand for a typical school day! I also like to keep my chargers for both my phone and computer with me but I figured y'all weren't all that interested in seeing what those look like either…

Binders | Notebooks (not pictured but shown in video)



What are your backpack essentials?

Friday, January 16, 2015

Step Into My Week {2015 #3}

Holy cow this week has been busy!

My schedule looked a bit like this…

Saturday: Recruitment began with Open House, the most casual of all the rounds! I arrived at our room around 8:00 and rounds began soon after that. We had ten rounds total and when we were finally done for the day we all were so excited about going back to our rooms and changing into comfortable clothes. We then had a meeting that evening that lasted about an hour and finally we were able to go grab dinner. Once I was back on campus after dinner I was out. An early bedtime was in order so that I'd be up and ready to do it all again the next day!

The theme for the day was Sweet Home Kappa Delta so we all wore our jerseys, bootcut jeans, and cowboy boots. This is a picture of our executive council this year and our Leadership Development Chair.

And of course, what is recruitment without a chapter selfie taken by our president (and my big).


Sunday we were at it again with Philanthropy Round. This round was probably one of my favorites because we were super comfortable all day! We wore our chapters Shamrock tshirt, nike shorts, and tennis shoes and informed Potential New Members all about the service we do in our community. Our video for this round was so cute and we even got to do a craft during the rounds for one of philanthropies! That night we had another meeting and then it was time to get back into the groove of school.

Monday classes began and after that crazy busy weekend I wasn't quite ready for that. I am still getting into the swing of the semester but hopefully it will be a good one. And if you haven't caught onto the trend… I had another meeting Monday night.

Tuesday and Wednesday were about the same, still getting into the routine and filling my schedule with loads of meetings. Thursday was insanely busy for only having one class since I had lots of things that were due that day and two meetings to attend. 

I wish I had more to update y'all on but recently my time has been all consumed by recruitment and school!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Inspirational Books to Read This Year

One thing I hate about the New Year is some peoples idea that resolutions can only be successful if they are begun right at the beginning of the year. That definitely does not have to be the case! One can be inspired just about whenever. I know I constantly get blog inspiration from pinterest and reading others blog, fitness motivation from cute workout clothes, and life goals by reading books. I am such a sucker for a good inspirational book! While these are definitely not novels they shouldn't be classified as self help either. Two of my absolute favorites are The Happiness Project and Love Does, I constantly recommend them to friends and my current read which I've already found myself recommending to friends is The Best Yes. 

If you are in need of a little motivation or even a good new read these are books I've either read or want to that would definitely fit into the "inspiration"or "advice" category. I've also included their Amazon description so that you can easily decide if they are ones you'd be interested in. Also if you've read any of the ones that I haven't please let me know what you thought!


Books I have read are signified by italics!


Make It Happen is the story of how I surrendered my fear, took the leap, and got a life. In my case, a perfectly imperfect, fulfilling life as a mama, a working woman, and a grateful wife. This is the story of how I chose to make "it"—a greater purpose than mine—happen, and how you can too.

Make It Happen is for
  • women who find themselves worried, anxious, and completely overwhelmed by the constant chase for perfection
  • those seeking the courage to jump into a new venture
  • working women who are struggling to "do it all"
  • weary wives and moms looking for relief from burning the candle at both ends
  • anyone who dreams of a life lived not by accident, but on purpose
Your time has come to take a leap of faith. Join me as we surrender our fears, end the chase for perfection, and say yes to cultivating the meaningful lives God desires for us.

You know all those things you've always wanted to do?
You should go do them.


Researcher and thought leader Dr. Brené Brown offers a powerful new vision that encourages us to dare greatly: to embrace vulnerability and imperfection, to live wholeheartedly, and to courageously engage in our lives. 

(This one is a bit different than the other ones but a great look at etiquette and advice for how to handle situations in our 21st century society where communication isn't always in person.) 

For nearly a century, one name has been trusted above all others when it comes to proper decorum: Emily Post. In this completely updated 18th Edition of the classic Emily Post’s Etiquette, the mantle is picked up by the great-great-grandchildren of the First Lady of Etiquette, who tackle the latest issues and demands of the twenty-first century—from texting and tweeting to iPhones, Facebook, and all forms of social media. The perfect guide for Millennials living on their own for the first time who wish to establish themselves properly in the workplace—as well as for Baby Boomers in the midst of planning their children’s weddings, entering retirement, and helping to care for elderly parents—Emily Post’s Etiquette, 18th Edition, remains the essential handbook to proper social behavior.


When Love Does, life gets interesting. Each day turns into a hilarious, whimsical, meaningful chance that makes faith simple and real. Each chapter is a story that forms a book, a life. And this is one life you don't want to miss.
Light and fun, unique and profound, the lessons drawn from Bob's life and attitude just might inspire you to be secretly incredible, too.


Lysa TerKeurst is learning that there is a big difference between saying yes to everyone and saying yes to God. In The Best Yes she will help you:
  • Cure the disease to please with a biblical understanding of the command to love.
  • Escape the guilt of disappointing others by learning the secret of the small no. 
  • Overcome the agony of hard choices by embracing a wisdom based decision-making process. 
  • Rise above the rush of endless demands and discover your best yes today.


Annie Downs admits she’s not exactly the bravest girl in the world. She still cries sometimes when she leaves her parents’ home in Georgia, she’s never jumped out of a plane, and she only rides roller coasters to impress boys. But Annie knows that courage resides inside each and every one of us, and she’s on a mission to triumph over her own fears while encouraging the reader to do the same.
As a single young woman, writer, speaker, and blogger, Annie Downs shares her journey toward bravery with honesty and humor. Using wonderful stories from her own life, contemporary real-life examples, and fascinating historical and biblical references, Annie encourages readers to grab hold of the brave life that they desperately desire.
How often does fear hold us back from the very things we most want to taste, touch, and experience? The call to be brave isn’t just for one person—it’s for everyone. Let’s All Be Braveis more than a book, it’s a battle cry. Annie challenges us to live boldly, she calls us to step into those places that require courage, and she gives us the help to take the next step forward—even when it’s scary.
This non-fiction, essay-driven book opens the door to many different views of courage—nudging, encouraging, and inspiring readers to be brave whenever given the chance.


If an eighteen-year-old girl's search for the ideal matte lipstick can turn into a multimillion-dollar company, anything is possible. When Poppy King finished high school, all she had to show for herself were some lackluster grades and a hundred and one ways to get out of phys ed. Within three years, however, she was president of her own hugely successful lipstick brand, Poppy Industries. 

In a world where everyone is eager to get ahead, it's essential to think like an entrepreneur. Much more than just a guide to success, Lessons of a Lipstick Queen is a candid adventure story designed to take you on a journey of self-discovery. 

Filled with exercises, concrete tips, and Poppy's personal and professional anecdotes, this motivational book will help readers get in touch with their inner entrepreneur.



Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.


And for you to document your own story and focus on the highlights of each day the One Line a Day Journal is the perfect way to show gratitude of the little things and document your life day by day for five years. This makes a great gift too!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Favorite Nail Polishes This Winter

If you were to ask my mom "what is one thing Dorothy doesn't need any more of?" she would without a doubt say nail polish. Admittedly, she is sort of right but we won't let her know that. Will that stop me from picking up new colors in the future? Nope! Nail polish brands know what they are doing and hook me with each new collection they bring out by adding something a bit different to shades that would otherwise be found in my copious collection.



I hate the way my nails look without nail polish on them and while I adore the bright fun colors for spring and summer there is something about winter shades that look so chic! If there is one color I think is suitable year round it would definitely have to be a baby pink and of course that is one color that I can't find the perfect shade of so if you happen to have the perfect baby pink polish please let me know it's name!



Here are my favorite. Essie is typically my favorite nail polish brand but lately OPI's Tickle Me France-y has been on my nails almost continuously. 

I am really interested to try out Essie's new Cashmere Matte Collection because the colors are so cute but I shall refrain myself! What are your favorite Winter nail polish shades?
PS. This is what I store my nail polishes in and it's the perfect size to fit 16 Essie bottles in!


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