Dressing Downton experience at Biltmore

Since my husband and I are moving in July my mom has been coming up with things she wants us to do before we live so far away.  This time it was to go to the Biltmore house, now they had a special event going on for Downton Abbey...so I mean we had to go...

They had a display of the costumes from the show displayed throughout the house.  It was so neat to see the detail of the outfits.  When you see them on TV you just get a glimpse of them and don't get to see all the beautiful embroidery, beading and detail.

It was such a beautiful day, perfect weather.  It was so nice and not too hot.  Fair warning the house is not air conditioned and I have been in the summer when it is quite warm...I much prefer it in the spring.  Although I still want to go in the winter and see it at Christmas.

You can't take pictures inside the house but here are some pictures of the gardens and the outside:

My littlest sister (who is not so little anymore) got to come along with my mom and my mother-in-law.  I had so much fun sharing the day with them!

This was a little decorative plate in one of the gift shops and I just loved that quote. 

This was a display in the gift shop.  Here is just one of the beautiful costumes we got to see.  And I just love her :)

They had so many Downton Abbey items and I absolutely loved it! 

If you and I had coffee

If you and I had coffee I would tell you how obsessed I am with the Duggars...seriously its so bad.  I know I am so slow to getting around to watching them but I have all but made up for it.  I just thought they were going to be so weird.  I mean they have so many children, are home schooled and seemed to have so many rules.  Seriously other than the fact that they have so many children they are normal.  I am so impressed by their parenting.  They are able to keep their morals and their children all have good heads on their shoulders.  I want to be friends with them.  Even though they are going through a hard time in the media and their personal lives I still support them wholeheartedly.  I think what happened was terrible and should never happen but he has asked for forgiveness and God has forgiven him so I feel like we have no right to judge him.  "let him who is without sin cast the first stone" John 8:7

I would tell you how much fun I had with my mom, sister and mother-in-law at the Biltmore house.  It was such a beautiful day.  The Downton exhibit was wonderful and the gardens were so beautiful.  I had such a great time sharing the day with my family.

I would tell you how excited I am for our summer but it's also going to be super crazy...it's already crazy and summer hasn't even really started yet.  I mean we are moving, going to see both our families as much as we can, and stil finding time to relax its gonna be crazy.

Kyle and I will celebrate our 1 year anniversary in August, this is right after we move so I decided to celebrate a little early.  On our honeymoon we went to Garlinburg, TN.  We had such a great time with all the attractions and food and just spending time together.  Where we love right now is about an hour away from Gatlinburg so we decide to take advantage of being so close and take a trip back to our honeymoon spot.  We've booked a nice hotel and plan on doing some things in downtown Gatlinburg and then going to Dollywood the next day.  I am so excited to spend some time with my husband and celebrate being married for almost a year (can you believe it??)

If you and I had coffee

I would tell you how proud I am of my husband.  He just graduated with his masters degree in psychology and will be starting his phd in August.  My mom always said I needed a smart man and God sure blessed me with one.  He is such a wonderful man, so passionate about his subject and he knows so much.  I'm proud to be his wife.

I would tell you how excited (and a little nervous) I am to move in July.  I'm excited to decorate our new home and be in a new city.  Im already planning a hundred different diy projects for each room. But I'm also nervous about finding a new job and being so far away from our families.  

I would tell you how much I am loving How I Met Your Mother and how sad I am that we just finished season 8...Ill gush about Barney's proposal to Robin and how much I love Lilly and Marshall. Ill ask if you've seen and and then proceed to declare my love for it and convince you how you absolutely have to watch it.  

I would tell you how excited I am about my etsy store and maybe brag a little about the sales I've made.  I'm proud of those sales and I'm so excited to have this little business.  

Thrifting finds

Big surprise I went thrifting again and found a couple of things.  Dresses are one of my favorite pieces of clothing because you have a whole outfit in one piece and seriously it's so comfortable.  My husband thinks its unfair that dresses are pretty much close to nothing and we get to wear it in public.  I love them because I mean who wants to wear pants?

I fell in love with this polka dotted number and the ruffles oh man I loved it.  It has these crazy straps in the back that tie and it's semi open back (sorry I didn't show the picture my bra was hanging out and...just trying to be a lady y'all)  I do have to fix it a little bit, the neckline is a little plunging for me so I'm going to pull that mess together.  

Pretty embroidery gets me every time and the detail on this dress was gorgeous.  I love how lightweight it is and easy to throw on...perfect for hot summer days in Alabama. 

This was probably my favorite find.  This adorable striped number is originally from Target and I am in love!  It is so flattering, comfortable and so easy to wear.  You can't tell in this picture but the straps are neon pink!  Also the dress has padded cups so you can totally go without a bra (don't tell anyone...). 

I ended up wearing this one to my husbands graduation with my favorite cardigan (Ann Taylor thrifted) and wedges.   

I also got some books (I'm turning into my mom who walks out with a handful of books every time...there could be worse things right?)

-The 13th Day of Christmas: my mom mentioned this book and said it was good so I picked up my own copy.  

- Shiver: I have heard a lot of good things about this book and it's been on my to-read list on goodreads forever.  

- Shopaholic Takes Manhatten: I love the shopaholic series, they are hilarious and so easy to read.  

- Sam's Letters to Jennifer: I read another book by this author recently and absolutely fell in love with it so when I found another book I grabbed it. 

- Twenties Girl: and another book by the shopaholic author...I just love her.  

Pretty good haul for a random thrift day.  

Anybody found anything good lately thrifting? 

Five Things Friday

Five Things Friday is back...probably not a regular thing....I just had a couple things to share that I have been loving this week:

1. Clif Bar Energy Bar, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut : I picked a box of these up at Big Lots for $4 and I have been eating them for breakfast.  They are delicious!  I seriously tastes like you are eating a cookie and I'm all about desserts for breakfasts :)

2. Maybelline New York Color Sensational Color Elixir Lip Color, Rose Redefined : I got this in my Target Beauty Box and I have been using it so much!  This is such a perfect lip color.  It is a glossy lip stick that feels good and lasts.  It's a gloss but it's not sticky feeling.  I love this color and its one I probably wouldn't have picked up myself because it is a little darker but I love it on my lips.  The packaging is so cute as well.  

3. Pretty Petals by Ellen Tracy : I picked up this scent at Ross for $7.99 because I heard it was a dupe for Miss Dior Cherie.  While it's not exact I really like the scent.  Don't be scared when you first spray it because it is super strong but it quickly mellows down to a beautiful sweet feminine scent.  And how cute is that bottle?  

4. 17 Kids and Counting : OK guys I know I am slow to the party on this one but I just didn't think I would be into this show...I just randomly started watching it one day and oh man I'm hooked on the Duggars.  I just find them so interesting how they live and deal with so many children.  They are just a sweet family and really down to earth.  I thought they would be kinda weird but I totally feel like we could hang out.  

5. Honest Tea Half and Half : This was another Big Lots find (seriously I love that place for cheap different food).  This has great flavor and isn't too sweet.  It only has 70 calories per serving and I am loving it! 

What have you guys been loving this week?

We are moving!!

Alright guys most of you know that my husband and I are moving to Alabama in July!  We are so excited to start this new journey!

I'm a list person...here's my breakdown of the goods and bads of our new adventure:

not so excited about:
-we actually have to move...and drive forever...with a dog...
-living so far away from our family (we are both very family oriented and I hate the idea of us not being able to see our family as often as we have this year)
-finding a new job
-the humidity (ugh we visited in April and it was already 80 degrees...the winter will be nice but good grief not looking forward to the summers...)
-new people, new town, new house (gotta get used to them)

so excited for:
-we will have a dishwasher!!  so so so excited about this!
-I get to decorate and organize a whole house!
-can you say walk in pantry?!?!?!
-we are so close to Target, Hobby Lobby, Chick-Fil-A, McAlisters, Jimmy Johns...need I go on?
-we have 3 bedrooms!
-starting a new adventure with my husband :)
-new people, new town, new house (new opportunities!)

Yes there are going to be challenges but we are really looking forward to starting new and the house is great!  I can't wait to decorate, arrange and organize everything!  There will for sure be blog posts on the redecorating process!

What I read in April

April was a busy month so I only got around to reading 3 books...even if they were pretty big books:

The Book Thief: This was my favorite one I read this month.  It was amazing!  The writing was spectacular and so creative.  It is told from the perspective of Death and follows a young girl living during World War II.  Her experiences and the things she sees are heartbreaking.  There was a movie made after the book that I am anxiously waiting to see! 

Before I Fall: I borrowed this one from my sister.  This story follows a young girl in high school who keeps replaying the day she dies.  Each day she does something different to see if she can change it.  It was such a great story about how we impact the people in our lives.  I think this story is perfect for teenage girls, it's important for them to know that how they treat people can really have an impact.    

Beautiful Chaos (Beautiful Creatures): I really wasn't very excited about this one...I just didn't really get too excited about the Beautiful Creatures series.  The story is creative and all but I just didn't really get into all the crazy witch, caster, immortal thing.  I did like the first book pretty good but the second book Lena really just got on my nerves...I read the third book because I bought them all together and felt like I needed to.  It wasn't bad (the ending is crazy) but still not really a fan of Lena (sorry).  If you liked the first ones check this one out.  

What have you guys been reading lately?

Frappy Hour is back!

Alright guys its that time again!  Half priced frappuccinos are back!  

From May 1-May 10 from 3-5 you can get any frappuccino for half off!  

This is such an awesome deal!  

They have a new flavor this year...s'mores!  

I of course had to try this one out.  I love s'mores!  This frappuccino had a lot of depth (is that weird?).  It has chocolate syrup, coffee, whipped cream that tastes like marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs on top.

It was really good, my all time favorite is still a white mocha but this one is pretty good, especially with that whipped cream!  

Free breakfast at Taco Bell

For those of you who don't know Taco Bell has started serving breakfast...I have not tried any of their breakfast items but I have been wanting to.  

On Tuesday, May 5th from 7-11 am go hit up your Taco Bell for a FREE bacon or sausage biscuit taco.  Sounds weird but they look pretty good.  

I always get excited about going out for breakfast and it makes it even  better if it is FREE!! 

Have you guys tried their breakfast before?