Fourth of July Style and Recap

I hope your Fourth of July was as wonderful as mine! I spent Sunday recovering by the pool and thinking about what I would say in this blog post. Luckily for you, I’ve figured it out and won’t ramble on for too long.

My Fourth of July consisted of Strawberry Shortcake made by yours truly, an orchestra playing old movie themes, fireworks, and quality time with my mom. It was absolutely lovely. We just sat outside enjoying nature and the beautiful country we were blessed to be born in. I thought about all the places on Earth I could be a citizen of and I still came to the same conclusion: I’m very proud to be a citizen of this one. That’s why I sport the red, white, and blue. And speaking of which, here’s a look at my festive style for the weekend’s occasion!

My skirt is from Cynthia Rowley, the sunhat is from Target, and the necklace and watch are from Kate Spade!

I love to wear red nail polish for the Fourth! Normally, I reserve this shade for the Autumn months, but it matched Old Glory so well I just couldn’t help myself!

 

For those of you who may wonder, this is my natural hair color and my hair isn’t highlighted. During the summer, my hair gets little gold streaks in it courtesy of the sun. I save a fortune on my hair appointments!

I love the front of this Cynthia Rowley skirt. It has the cutest little slit that goes up the side. It looks really elegant when the wind catches it.

It was a really crowded event but well worth it. The orchestra is always incredibly good and there’s tons to do even if you aren’t into the music. My mom and I ate dessert together while my sister and her friend caught up with a few of their school friends.

A Fourth of July celebration isn’t complete until the fireworks have exploded and this year was no exception. After centuries of use, they’re still just as beautiful as they were the first time. This is truly one of my favorite holidays for many reasons but no matter how old I get, lighting up the sky is always the best part.

 

Graduation Details!

 

You’re looking at an official college graduate! I, Liz Morrison, have graduated with a BA in Communications and I couldn’t be more proud! It was a long journey to get here but I’m thrilled that I made it. Starting college at 17, I had no idea what to expect and where this road would take me, but when I walked across that stage and shook hands with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, I knew that this was exactly where I was supposed to be.

 

As a first generation college student, my parents were so thrilled! My mom ordered a cake for me from one of our favorite bakeries in Virginia Beach (it’s vanilla). After the ceremony, my parents took me to a nice restaurant on the water so we could celebrate and rehash the event. We also spent a few hours on the beach laying in the sun.

 

My dad rarely smiles for photos but on graduation day, he smiled! From the time I was a little kid, he always encouraged me to go to college and make something of myself. I’m so grateful that I was able to do just that. This accomplishment means the world to me and my graduation day was the single most important day of my life. It meant freedom, prosperity, and starting a new legacy for my family.

The morning of my graduation it was a little foggy but as the day went on the fog burned off and the sun came out in time for our ceremony. It was incredibly warm in that cap and gown sitting under the sun. One guy in front of me actually passed out from heat exhaustion. Since our school is small, everyone graduates on the same day. There were about 1500 people that graduated so we sat outside for quite some time before it was my degree program’s time to walk. That moment was well worth the wait though. When my name was read aloud I had little tears in my eyes and a smile that said it all.

 

Part of my graduation gift to myself was buying this lovely Lilly Pulitzer dress for the event. I got quite a few compliments on it once I took off the graduation gown. Lilly is for special occasions and this certainly counted as one! It was the perfect day and I’m so thankful that I have it to look back on. Tell me about your graduation day in the comments below!

Valentine’s Day Dreaming!

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I’m happy the day dedicated to pink and red pretty things is finally here! I love watching the guys run into the card stores and pick up their sweet little notes and then dash off to the market to get chocolates and roses. It’s so cute! Gestures like these are what make relationships worth all the times you’d like to give your significant other an earful.

Almost every girl has romantic day dreams about Valentine’s Day and I am no exception to this. Some people like to make a big deal out of it and others don’t. Unfortunately for every man that ever comes into my life, I like to make a big deal out of this holiday. From cute cupcakes and construction paper hearts taped on the windows to the Valentine’s parties at little kids’ schools, I love it all! The romantic aspect of the day is something I’m not all too familiar with though. My dad thought the day was made up by Hallmark (possibly true) and my mom is just a little too practical to enjoy it. In my short little life, I haven’t had a Valentine’s Day that I’d really remember. Each time this day has rolled around I’ve either been too far away from said man in my life or just plain single. Either way, I’ve dreamed up my perfect Valentine’s Day and I’m sharing it with you!

Ideally, it would be in one of these locations: King Street in Charleston, Winter Park in Orlando, State Street in Santa Barbara, or Georgetown in Washington, DC. What can I say? I’m very specific in how I day dream! First and foremost, every Valentine’s Day must start with a cup of coffee. Skinny Vanilla Latte to be exact. While enjoying my latte, a relaxing walk through the local outdoor market would be absolutely lovely! While we’re there I’d want to pick up a few things for a picnic lunch like fruit, cheese, deli meat, french bread, and a light wine. Hopefully when I’m not looking, said man in my life would surprise me with pink roses! I love flowers but roses, peonies, and hydrangeas are my favorites!

After the market, we’d find a sunny spot to eat lunch in and just watch the clouds go by. He’d break out his guitar and serenade me with an old Frank Sinatra song. Just kidding. That’s too corny even for me. Instead, we’d just walk down the street window shopping. I’d walk by a Kate Spade store and he’d either convince me I don’t need whatever it is I want or he’d let me go in and get me the adorable purse I’ve been wanting (ha, that’s really day dreaming!)

After this, we’d go home and binge watch a tv show of some sort while eating my very favorite chocolate covered strawberries. I really prefer these to a box of chocolates from Russell Stover. Nothing says “stomach ache” like a 6 month old box of chocolate. But it’s the thought that counts, right?

Later in the evening, we’d find a good place to get dinner and then go dancing either out on the town or back at home. In this case, Frank Sinatra classics would be totally appropriate. What girl doesn’t want to slow dance with her man? The perfect kiss, complete with a dip would then ensue! How’s that for the perfect Valentine’s Day?

Even though there’s no such thing as perfect anything, the best part about life is that we get to dream and hope! Prince Charming may only exist in Disney World but I’m willing to bet there are a few guys in the world that come pretty close. Find these men girls, and appreciate them because they come a dime a dozen as my grandma would say. Regardless of your relationship status right now, there’s a man out there that will someday give you the best Valentine’s Day you’ll ever have!

‘Galentine’s Day’ Ideas

It’s come to my attention that the single girls in the world (and girls that just love to celebrate) have created their own holiday that just so happens to fall on February 14th- Galentines Day. And I’m going to give you a few ideas on how to celebrate!

I think the key to making ‘Galentines Day’ successful is to do (almost) everything you would do with your Valentine and do it with your gal pals. You have a few choices here. Enjoy champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Watch a chick flick. Go to the local market and get some roses. Or you can put on your little black dress with some stilettos and go out dancing with your girl friends! Did I mention both activities require singing and dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’?

 

For option number 1, here’s what you need: 

• Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate.
• Strawberries
• Comfy sweats or pjs
• Enough tacky girl movies to last until everyone passes out (think all the old Mary-Kate and Ashley movies)
• Bubbly
• A bouquet of pink roses for the centerpiece of your coffee table

For option number 2, you’ll need:

• A little black dress
• Red lipstick
• Ironic ‘Love’ necklace
• Something that sparkles
• Gel heel inserts so you can dance without much pain in your feet
• A Taylor Swift attitude
• A pact with your girls that there won’t be any guys that break up the night (unless he’s really, really cute!)

However you choose to spend the day, remember that being single doesn’t mean you’re alone and sometimes it can be the most exciting time in your life.

 

3 Things I did for Halloween (and what scared the pants off me)

Happy November 1st! Hope your Halloween was fun and rain free. I woke up this morning and its pouring rain and everything is gloomy outside. I hate depressing days like this. Luckily I have enough to keep me busy that it really won’t matter how wet it is outside.

In true November 1st fashion, I believe its about that time of the year when stores go into Christmas mode and put panic in the eyes of parents all over. Before popping in my Michael Buble Christmas CD, I’ll recap my Halloween for you all while drinking my PSL (pumpkin spice latte).

Pumpkin Cookies

My mom made soft, warm pumpkin cookies! They have a thick, caramel glaze drizzled on top that hardens after a few hours. Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups shortening
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 8 tablespoons milk
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Cream shortening, white sugar, and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

2. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. To make frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. SPread over warm cookies.

These cookies are my favorite Pinterest find to date. They are so tasty!

Mom also got a cake from the local bakery for us to dig into to. The inside was chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse filling. The outside was a hard chocolate shell with whipped icing detailing the kitty’s face. It was so rich! I could only eat a small slice. For almost every holiday my mom gets a cake or cupcakes to celebrate. My grandma did the same thing when my mom was a kid. Keeping these traditions alive is an important part of life.

Last but not least, my sister had her best friend sleep over. We ended up watching a ghost hunters type show. It scared the pants off of us. The hunters went to ancient haunted castles in Ireland. Several of these castles had druid and pagan rituals performed in them. The ghost hunters were trying to communicate with any evil spirits that still lurked in the castle. Needless to say they made contact and it scared the living tar out of them. One even claimed that something with sharp nails grabbed his ear! The man was actually crying. Upon entering a new castle another ghost hunter asked a spirit what touched the other man in the first castle. An audible voice said “Satan.” At that point my sister, her friend and I screamed and the ghost hunter proceeded to cry and then throw up. Freaky stuff! Enjoy the photo of us and be sure to tell me how your Halloween was!