Just Call Me Practical Patsy

In just 30 short days, I'll be turning 30. Holy Crap! 

I am not scared to turn 30, but just the thought of being 30 and saying goodbye to my 20's is a little bittersweet. Can I get a 29+1 candle for my birthday cake?? Haha!! As I have mentioned before, I prefer to drop "gift idea bombs" instead of hints. Meaning I'll send you the direct link with that I want, easy right? So yesterday I sent some links to my parents - Steven has been told the one thing that I want - and when I got finished sending the email, I knew I was old. Why might you ask? I asked for incredibly practical things.

30th! by laura-beth-palmer featuring The North Face

A raincoat. Pajamas. Lake/beach sandals. Studs. A watch. Maybe a diamond earring upgrade? Nothing about any of these items scream "memorable 30th bday gift", but its the practical things that I would never really "splurge" on for myself are what I'll wear out.

My current rain coat, its a North Face that my parents gave me for Christmas my freshmen year of college. It needs to be retired because the lining is flaking off. If it wasn't, I would still be wearing it because it has held up so well!!! A testament to North Face if you ask me. My watch, was given to me on my 21st birthday. I wear it almost every day, and just last month was the first time I have had to have any repairs done to it, one of the pins came out. For Christmas when I was 15, my parents gave me a pair of diamond studs. They're small, but for a 15 year old, you don't give her BIG diamonds. Other than my pearls and my mothers black onyx ring, this is the only fine jewelry I have NOT managed to loose. Without revealing "too much" let me just say that I am minimalist in the PJ department when I go to bed. My mom always asks me, what are you going to do if there is a fire? Which is why I sleep with a robe at the foot of the bed.....catch my drift y'all? So with that said, nice PJs are just something I would never buy myself, but they're a good thing to have for when we have house guests or are lounging at the lake. 

Truth be told, I really don't need any of this. I have been blessed beyond compare and are incredibly lucky. But a new fancy blue polka dotted rain coat never hurt anyone :)

Does anyone else ask for practical gifts? What has been the best practical gift you ever received? Am I really getting old? What kind of eye wrinkle cream do you use? Hahaha!

Weekend Decision!!

Teacher: Now class...who is sick of getting dressed on the weekends? 

Me: Raises hand 

But seriously, I have a love hate relationship with getting dressed on the weekends. So I have made an official decision that I am adopting "athleisure" as my official weekend attire from here on out. Well....at least until it gets warmer and I can get away with khaki shorts, a white v-neck t and Jack Rogers.

My first order of business will be tennis shoes! Currently my shoe wardrobe consists of three shoes: ballet flats, boots/booties and heels. I need a good pair of tennies that I can just throw on that aren't my hot pink running shoes.

Next order of business will be acquiring hoodies. I do not own a hoodie, never in a million years did I think that I would want one!! But seeing as how there are now stylish hoodies, I can get on board with that.

Lastly I will need to get my hands on a Patagonia vest! Lucky for me there is an outdoor outfitter in Athens that always does a GREAT winter sale, fingers crossed I can snag one up at a discount!

Ray-bans, pearls, hat, leggings and Yeti are already in my wardrobe rotation!! Now who's with me for nothing but comfort on the weekends while looking somewhat put together?!?!?! Or am I the last one to this party?? :)

I hope everyone has a fabulous (and casual) weekend!

Weekending by laura-beth-palmer featuring nike pants

Christmas Wish List 2015

This year's Christmas wish list doesn't have too much on it. And quite frankly I know that I might get two of the items off of this list if I am lucky....and no it won't be the X5. I got the wedding of my dreams this year and I don't know if I can ask for much more. When I think about our wedding day, it was truly the day I had dreamt of my whole life and I don't think that it could have any better! But being a female and it is Christmas.... I threw together a few things I would like this year if Santa is being generous :)

Christmas Wish List 2015 by laura-beth-palmer featuring Vera Wang

1) If a Barbour waxed jacket is good enough for Kate Middelton...it is good enough for me!

2 & 3) According to the Farmers Almanac, the south is in for some nasty winter weather! So what better than Hunter boots to protect my feet from the snow, and a Burberry umbrella to keep my hair looking good??

4) Would you believe this Southern Belle doesn't own a strand of pearls?? I don't and I would love a strand! Hint Hint MOM!

5) I mean this is a wish list right?? So why not put the #1 thing I'm wishing for..... a new ride!

6) My staple scent, Chance Chanel, enough said.

7) Cornflake needs a furry BFF.

8) I would really love to finish out our crystal goblets! We were lucky enough to have been gifted four, but four more to make a set of eight would be ideal :)

So...Mom, Steven, Dad...if you're reading this, here are a few ideas!

WW: Bridesmaids gifts

Hey pretty people! Happy Hump Day! My wedding planner sent me my june/july checklists and one of the items over the next two months is to select my bridesmaids gifts. Having been a bridesmaid eight times, I think back on the gifts I received, some I have never used, others I use every day!

I will tell you that one of the best "gifts" a bride can give her maids is paying for hair and makeup. After having spent so much money on dress, showers, alterations, hotel stay etc etc, it is nice to just be "pampered" on the morning of with the bride!

When I think about what to give my maids, I want to give them two things, something that is wedding day related and something that can be used everyday. I have also decided not to get them all the same thing. Each of my maids are different, and what ones likes, the other might not. I want their gift to reflect their personality but also my appreciation for them holding my dress while I pee ;) 

I threw together a little board, as I have narrowed it down to four things that I think I want to get them.... 1) Makeup/travel bags -- 2)Personalized jewelery -- 3) Wedding shoes -- 4)Robe or PJ set

Bridesmaids gifts by laura-beth-palmer featuring a ribbon rose bouquet

It has been four years since I was in Amanda's wedding, she gifted us white, waffle weave makeup/travel bags. I still use it everyday! I was in another wedding several years ago and we each received a beautiful bracelet, until it broke (and the piece to fix it went missing) I wore it all the time! The inspiration for the shoes and the robe comes from seeing fun morning of pictures with the bride and her maids matching! I am also a big shoe gal, so I love the idea of sassy pictures with all of us holding up our dresses to show our shoes!

But these are just my ideas...I would love to hear YOUR ideas!! What was the best/worst bridesmaids gift you ever received?? Any advice for me? Let me hear it!!!

White Out

I never thought that I had the thighs for white jeans, every time I would try a pair on, all I could see were "sausages". However, this mentality changed when I bought my winter white cords this fall!! A few weeks ago I picked up a pair of white jeans at The Limited and I am pretty sure I will be living in them for the rest of spring and summer!

My mom read an article to me out of Southern Living, where the interviewee said that her go-to outfit was a chambray shirt, white jeans and cowboy boots. She said that she wears her white jeans before and after Easter and Labor Day because they make her feel put together. Personally speaking, I can now totally relate! I broke the "cardinal rule" and wore my white jeans last week and I felt great!

Moving forward into the seasons, I threw together an inspiration board for tops to pair with my white jeans! Now only if I could snap my fingers and these tops would be in my closet haha!

White Out by laura-beth-palmer featuring button down shirts

What do you pair your white jeans with? Do you have the perfect jeans and top combo?? Share with me! Let's make spring and summer white out!

Spring Fling

Hey y'all! Things are quite hectic around these parts today, but with the weather being so nice I am eagerly anticipating SPRING!!! I searched Pinterest and found the Pantone 2015 Spring color palate, I must say that I am not sold on all the colors. Classic Blue and Toasted Almond are my top two picks! After having purchased winter white jeans this past fall/winter, they have become my go-to outfit, so I am excited to mix those in with regular white jeans, chambray shirts, almond tanks and cozy blue cardigans! Essentially I am going to have the most preppy, nautical inspired wardrobe. Granted I am wearing hot pink for our engagement party and I bought a beautiful lilac dress the other day....

Without further adieu, here is a little Spring Fling inspiration board! Enjoy! 

PS: All items on this board are under $150! 

Spring Fling by laura-beth-palmer featuring michael michael kors shoes

Valentine Gift Guide: Her

Well hello there! With Valentines Day fast approaching I have been scratching my head as to what to get the Mister. This will be our first Valentines together, so I want to give him something nice. However, since I spent so many V-days single, I can't forget my mom and all my girlfriends who were there for me! So with that said, I put together a Valentine gift guide for the ladies in your life! 

Valentines, her by laura-beth-palmer featuring red home accessories

1)The Beauty Buff
2) Work it girl!
3) The tech or business savvy lady
4) The romantic

Hopefully a few of these items will spark an idea for your gift giving! Of course you can never go wrong with wine or chocolates!

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Shoot

Hey folks, welcome to another installment of Wedding Wednesday! So much has happened in regards to our big day! I will be honest and tell y'all that last week, I had a breakdown at my desk and cried due to wedding stresses. My mom and I were not seeing eye to eye on some decisions that I had made...

At the end of the day, my mom is best friend. I call her at LEAST three times a day! I would probably call my best friend Ashley that much, however since she is a teacher, she can't answer the phone on a whim. When the one person who you trust more than anyone else in this world is questioning your decisions you feel like you're going to break and then you begin to second guess yourself. Needless to say, in between that and some raging PMS, I was just a bundle of happy last week. The Mister got several text messages saying "if you find me in the bed with a bottle of wine and a straw when you get home from...dont be surprised".

Ohhhhhh the joys of wedding planning. I 100% get why people elope! BUT I know that if we had chosen to have a parents only ceremony in Aspen or Jackson Hole, we would've regretted it. And so we will be having a joyous occasion come November! Which is nine months away - holy sh*t!

This past Saturday my cousin Hannah shot our engagement photos! If you live around the Atlanta area and need great photos....I highly recommend that you reach out to her and "like" her Facebook page, White Oak Photography. We knew that we wanted to embrace getting engaged during the wintertime, so we did an outdoor session and it was great! I had custom mugs made from Simply Made Greetings, we used a burgundy blanket from our living room and it was just overcast enough for the lighting to be perfect! I threw together this inspiration board for us to work on outfits from...

Winter Engagement by laura-beth-palmer featuring a moustache mug

We actually ended up going with outfits very similar to this board! I changed my top midway through, but that was all. Here is a little sneak peak that Hannah sent to me the next day...

If all of the photos are this good (which I'm sure they will be!) we're going to have a hard, hard time selecting a save the date! It was a lot of fun being in front of the camera and I am sure that Hannah is going to have a blooper reel a mile long! We tried to re-create similar shots from my Pinterest board, however I don't know if we will look as professional as those people do haha. 

To celebrate the shoot being over - his words not mine! - we bought ingredients to make margs, called in Mexican to go and sat on our sofa for the rest of the night. Exciting life we lead, I tell you!

And I'm out :) 

2014 Wish List

Christmas is upon us! While shopping on Saturday one of the stores had a "six weeks til Christmas" sign out. Personally it feels as if it could be here tomorrow. Granted I am probably feeling this way due to our move.

I am linking up today for the...

A.Liz Adventures/Cheers Y'all/Miss Dixie/Southern Style

I'm unsure if Santa as me on the naughty or nice list but if I am on the latter.....here is what I would like under the tree!

2014 Wish List by laura-beth-palmer featuring fall home decor

1) Blanket Scarf ... Need it! I have yet to find one that I like and I feel like this one has good colors.

2) Louis Vuitton ... Enough said.

3) Monogram necklace ... I want one terribly, however, I've got a feeling that my monogram will be changing soon :) Maybe a birthday present??

4) Patagonia Vest ... I see girls out and about in town with Patagonia pull-overs on and I love the look, just not on me. So what better way to sport Patagonia than in a vest. Mama loves a good vest haha!

5) Chanel Sunglasses ... Now it doesn't have to be a pair of Chanel glasses, but I need a "dressy" pair. I have both Ray-Ban aviators and wayfarers and sometimes neither pair of those look good with church clothes.

6) Camera Strap ... Last year my parents gave me a camera!! I was thrilled and I still love it every time I pull it out of its bag. Not that there is anything wrong with the camera strap that it came with, I am just wanting something a little more personalized, but also gender neutral so that that Mister isn't carrying it with a hot pink strap haha.

7) Hunter Boots ... After yesterday's torrential rain here in Georgia and it was a very warm 39 degrees outside, these will keep my tootsies warm!

8) Outdoor fire pit and chairs ... We already have a patio set (woohoo) but our backyard is just longing for a fire pit and chairs in the middle of it! I can see us hosting friends and roasting marshmellows and getting "toasted" hahahaha. Get it?

9) We need lamps, period.

10) This is not on the list, but it is the number one most important thing that I could ask for this year. I (we) want a new mattress for the guest room!!!!!!

So Mom, Dad or Mister.....here is my list! But truthfully, I'll take the mattress and sunglasses, hint hint.