Lately... {Packages and Country Music}

1. This week I passed 100 followers on Instagram! Woohoo!

2. Remember when I said those $2 cups of coffee would add up? Well, it's already started...

3. Laying out an outfit the night before allows me to sleep in a few minutes longer the next morning.

4. I park under this tree whenever I have the chance. It's so gorgeous!

5. Came home from work to find two packages for me! Made it all worth it!

6. My Ipsy bag this month. My favorite yet!

7. What was in my other package! Too bad I have to exchange them for a half size smaller. :(

8. No one would re-watch Downton Abbey with me so I started re-watching it by myself.

9. Went to Target for some new tights and ended up doing some retail therapy!

1. Sailboats // Sky Sailing

2.  Behind the Clouds // Brad Paisley

3. Real Gone // Sheryl Crow

4. Life is a Highway // Rascal Flats

5. Good Time // Owl City

1. This is a favorite song of mine - as are all of the songs on An Airplane Carried Me to Bed -  it's such an emotional sounding song, and I just love the reference to Audrey Hepburn! ♥

2. I really love this song. It reminds me so much of visiting my aunt and uncle's ranch in Missouri, and my friends out in Wyoming. And let's face it - Brad Paisley really is just one of the best country artists ever.

3. This used to be a favorite song of mine and I've started listening to it again. I just really love the Cars soundtrack, ok?

4. Now that I think of it, I really have been listening to a lot of country music lately... maybe seeing my Aunt Mary last weekend got me started on it. I really just want to go back out to Missouri and then Colorado/Wyoming. I need me some country time. ♥

5. Do I really need to explain yet again why I love this song?? I've been singing it at work all week! (Because, you know, Pandora never plays it anymore. Why Pandora, why? I thought we were buds...)

1. From Time to Time

2. Doc Martin

3. Once Upon a Time season 2

1. Viki commented on my last outfit post and recommended this movie. Of course I couldn't resist a movie written by the same writer of Downton Abbey (especially one with Maggie Smith in it!), and it was absolutely fantastic! Really cute and sweet story. Definitely want to watch it again sometime!

2. I love this show (but then, what British Show don't I like!?). And even thought he's grumpy, and a bit gruff, I just love the Doc and I just can't wait until he gets together with Louisa!

3. This season is definately not disapointing! Despite the fact that I find Snow just the tiniest bit annoying, I'm really loving it so far! I'm actually really liking Regina and so far my only complaint is that Mr. Gold needs to be in more! Also, are me and Maddie the only ones who think that Henry looks like a younger version of Adam Young!?

Take Me Somewhere Nice // Daily Outfit

I had some really cute outfits (if I do say so myself!) all weekend, and since I don't really have a favorite, I decided just to post them in chronological order. So here was the first outfit of the weekend!

I wore this on our way to to Missouri, as well as to my uncle + brand new aunt's wedding rehearsal, and I just really, really loved it. I'm obsessed with polka-dots this autumn and I loved how the cardi + tights looked with this dress. I think the prints complimented each other really well, and I just adore the gold buttons on the back of the dress! ♥

I didn't manage to get a great close-up shot of it, but I had the most amazing faux-tattoo to go with this outfit! Maddie drew it for me and she did such a good job! Made me wish the bird cage + hearts were permanently there! If I had to pick two tattoos I was most likely to get one would be this one and the other would be three paper airplanes on my wrist in honor of Sky Sailing, which really is the unappreciated masterpiece of Adam Young. Much as I love all of them, I think An Airplane Carried Me to Bed will always sort of be my favorite of Adam Young album. There's just something about it that connects with me on a deep, emotional level...

 ♥ ♥ ♥       

dress: Forever 21
tights: H&M
cardigan: Lace Affair
belt: Francesca’s Collections
Boots: DSW
bangles: H&M
purse: Francesca’s Collections
title: Take Me Somewhere Nice by Sky Sailing

Lately {Eating Out + Fashionable TV}

1. The cap to my iced tea is filled with wisdom. lol

2. My dad and Maddie and I went out for lunch and all three of us got a salad.

3. I love that TGI Friday's carries non-alcoholic slushies. Nicer than a diet coke without having to be 21 or older. *winks*

1. I Live Alone // Sky Sailing

2. Explorers // Sky Sailing

3. Embers // Owl City

4. Enchanted // Taylor Swift

1. This is one of my favorite songs by Sky Sailing. It's such a sweet melody, and I love how this song is sorta about wanting to grow up and see the world and chasing your dreams - at least, that's what I got from it. Sky Sailing is the kind of band, I think, where everyone could get something different from the same songs.

2. Another Sky Sailing song. All of Sky Sailing's songs remind me of summer days and lush fields bathed in summer light - so basically they remind me of the time I spend at my aunt and uncle's ranch in Black, Missouri.

3. Earlier this week Adam Young had Embers steaming for one day only. In my years of using the internet I've learned a thing or two - like how if you don't re-load a page you can continue playing whatever video/audio tracks are on that page. Needless to say I've been listening to this song a lot. I don't want to go into a real review right now because I'm saving that for next week, but let's just say that so far it's one of my favorite songs from the new album. *winks*

4. I love this song as long as I don't think of who it was written for, and what happened after it was released (Taylor Swift what were you thinking!?). lol

1. How to Steal a Million

2. Jane by Design

3. Charade

1. Finally finished How to Steal a Million with Audrey Hepburn. It started out a little slow, but once everything was explained and the story really got started it was really interesting!

2. I also finally finished the season finale of Jane by Design - just in time to learn that there will not, in fact, be a second season. Why does ABC just love to cancel my favorite shows?

3. Friday night my mom and dad and I watched Charade while Maddie was at a sleep over. I loved it! It's your classic 1960's spy film with a cute little romance in it, too. I think it's my second favorite Audrey Hepburn film (you just can't beat Breakfast at Tiffany's!) and it only helped that Cary Grant was in it - I love him!

We Don't Even Have to Try // Daily Outfit

Let me say one thing: I am not a beach girl. Ironic, isn't it, since I live minutes away from Lake Michigan? I like the sun, and I like looking at the beach, but I hate the sand, and I don't enjoy swimming. But since Miss Jack, Molly, Anna, and Maddie wanted to go, I tagged along and spent a few hours walking around, taking photos and briefly falling asleep - which resulted in a slight sunburn. Bummer.

In happier news I really liked this outfit. It's casual, but I think flower wreath and polka-dot sunglasses make it a bit more chic and preppy - but then, with a Sky Sailing tee shirt how can you possibly go wrong?

♥ ♥ ♥       

shirt: District Lines

shorts: thrifted

sandals: Lulu*s

sunglasses: Target

flower wreath: made by Molly

An Airplane Carried Me to Bed // Daily Outfit

"She was still wearing white and Robin's egg blue, 

her grandmother's dress"

"We are lost in the sound
Close your eyes
And I will twirl you around."

"And I'll be your escort in a sad waltz around the room
I'll twirl you all around without a sound"

It took me forever to finally decide on a name for this post. I was listening to Brielle by Sky Sailing when I began putting this post together, and I had a moment where I was just like "that's it. That's what this post is." But none of the dozens of lines I tried worked. Then I realized that this post isn't Brielle, or Tennis Elbow, or A Little Opera Goes a Long Way - it's all of them. It reminds me of the entire An Airplane Carried Me to Bed album.

For those of you who don't know, An Airplane Carried Me to Bed is the only album by the band, Sky Sailing. A project of Adam Young before he started Owl City, and one of my favorite collections of songs ever. It's not very well known, even though I think it's some of his best work. Every song is simple in musical composition, despite the fact that the lyrics are riddled with hidden meanings. Acoustic guitars and simple piano melodies will sing you to sleep while you find yourself realizing that Tennis Elbow isn't about tennis at all. You'll find yourself being carried off to fields of tall grass bathed in gorgeous sunlight while the few sparse trees cast long shadows. At least, if you're anything like me, you will.

Or maybe I'm just "lost in the sound."

P.S. This is my first proper outfit shoot with Thornton! I had a bit of trouble since it was hard to know where to focus with all the grass getting in the way, and me not being, you know, in front of the camera, but I'm still really pleased with the result! What do you all think?

  ♥ ♥ ♥       

dress: Francesca's Collections

oxfords: thrifted

sunglasses: a gift from Miss Jack

jacket: Ebay

belt: Francesca's Collections

  necklace: Target

bag: ModCloth

hair clips: My Handmade Crafts via Miss Jack