twas a few days after christmas

lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister

 

 

I hope everyone had an absolutely amazing and merry Christmas! I know I did!

I got pretty some of the things I asked for, and even things I didn't ask for (which I ended up being so glad I got them!). It was fantastic being with my family too. We had such a fun time. We went to my cousin's house for an extended family party on sunday, spent Christmas morning here with just my family and my grandparents, then traveled back up to my cousins house on Christmas day afternoon, spent the night, and came back late Thursday. My cousins are seriously my best friends and I am so thankful for them. It helps too that they live only an hour and 15 minutes away!

 

Anddd, I am priveliged enough to now own my first very own...

 

*drumroll*

 

 

CAR!

 

I love it. Loooove. It. It's so cute! I mean, cute as in "it moves and it can take me places therefore it is an angel from heaven above". It's perfect and so exciting!

 

 

It's a Mitsubishi Montero Sport 1999

 

Ain't she a beauty!

 

 

 

I also got my Eno Hammock that I told you guys I wanted in my last post.

 

I got a Patagonia vest...which sadly was not the size I needed. When I went back to exchange it, they were completelyyyy out of all Patagonia vests. So I just exchanged it for a $100 gift card to Kinnucans. Not complaining. P.S. if you haven't heard of kinnucans, I would suggest checking them out and seeing if they have one in your area. They are amazing.

 

I also got tickets to go see Wicked! Ah! I may or may not have screamed when I opened up the tickets. I am a big fan of any and all things acting and music (no idea why) and I have been dying to see this production for ages so I am super excited to get to go in February with my sister and mom. Have any of you guys seen Wicked? If so, what did you think?

 

I also got a few other trinkets such as a monogram quarter zip, monogram necklace, monogram towel, monogram tshirt (monogram much?), fun socks, fruit roll-ups (they are an obsession of mine), a scarf, a few books I have been wanting (I am a nerd), and a few gift cards. Fantastic!

 

Also, there are KILLER after Christmas sales. I mean, practical steals. I will be hitting up several of my favorite stores with Christmas money and gift cards this weekend for sure. Be sure to check out the sales!

 

 

Hope you guys had an amazing Christmas and have an awesome new year.

 

Got lots of fun new posts planned that are coming up featuring an at home workout, my favorite playlists, and new years resolutions!

 

 

Christimas is Right Around the Corner...

 

Christmas is right around the corner, and as it always happens, I thought of everything that I wanted for Christmas less than week before Christmas day. So when I told my mom, she said it was too late to ask for anything else. Figures. so I guess ill just have to be surprised! But I already had a wishlist made with some things I am pretty sure are sitting under my tree right now and here are just a few of the things that were already on my wish list that I made a while back...

 



These awesome camp socks from Jcrew, a few of which I have already received. I also have a few from Gap that are awesome and for a cheaper price

 

 

 

 

This Patagonia vest. I like this furry one but any of their vests I would more than happy to own

 

 An Eno! I have wanted one for a few months now and I am hoping that one just might be sitting under my tree this year! They aren't that expensive but I'd rather receive it as a present then spend my own money. In Memphis where I live, we have a lot of super hipster outdoorsy folk, so if you see a cluster of trees, you're also bound to see a couple Enos strung from them. They are super great and so easy to strap up just about anywhere. they have single nesters and double nesters, and I want a double nester because they are more spacious and because someone could also sit in it with me....



 

 

My mom bought me a Lands End pullover (which are supperrrrr comfy might I add) in maroon and is getting a white monogram for me! It's a Christmas present so I can't wear it yet...

 

Gap's PJ pants are amazing. Period. I have a small large obsession with sleep pants at the moment, and Gap has 'em! Some other good sleep pants can be found at target, vineyard vines, old navy, L.L. Bean, Lands End, and Jcrew.

 

Hunter rainboots. Who doesn't want these?! It's a must have for any rainy season. The ones I want are hunter green, but the black and red are also a couple of my faves.

 

 

The Anthropologie volcano candle! If you ever want your room/house/anything to smell like an Anthropologie store, this is your ticket to amazing smelling places. I have actually already gotten this as a late birthday present!

This skosh cross necklace is simple but so cute. I wear it 24/7 because I have already received this gift!

 

 

The "rising star" ring from Pandora! I received this gift for my birthday (which was December 2) and its so gorgeous! My parents are the best for getting it for me!

 

 

 

I am so excited for Christmas, although I feel like it has come a bit too fast! I mean, it was just Thanksgiving, right? I don't know how I feel about Christmas being only 2 days away, but I am excited! The festivities began yesterday for me and there won't be a break until Friday! So pumped! It really is the best time of the year. Especially since all the high school grads who used to be on my swim team with me come home to visit. And they are guys. Hot, swimmer guys.

It's a privilege. A privilege.

But let's stay in the Christmas spirit:)

well this is awkward

The fact that I haven't posted in....my goodness I don't even know how long.
Its actually a long story to why I haven't blogged but here it is in summary:

I was tired. Tired of the hype of blogging. I felt like every time I got on and read others' blogs and got on to write one of mine, I was filled with greed, jealousy, and encompassed with the need for more things. Isn't that what it's about though? "Hey, go buy this thing and you'll instantly be the center of attention!" "see how many followers you can get if you do... *blank*" "you have to be cute though" and "money money money" and etc. Why can't we be happy with the things we have? Well, I felt that every time I blogged, I wasn't. I was so very discontent. Even though my closet may be bursting and my wallet be so much more full than the majority of the world, I felt like I still needed more. So I needed a break. I took one and I have come back with a fresh look on things and ready to get back to it again but with a new mindset! A mindset of contentment, fun, and knowing that the purpose of life isn't to see how much cashmere you might own. ;)

I'll be back with posts in the next day or two!

#1 superfood--CLPL

quinoa.

Pronounced KEEN-wah, this is the best food you can possibly eat.

Packed with all sorts of nutrients and amazing stuff, it aids in weightloss, supplies energy, and is amazingly healthy for you.

My friend who is super obessed with healthy food (she does the paleo diet, is organic, and even went vegetarian WHILE on those diets for a while) showed this to me. I tried it and I was like whoa.

There are so many things you can do with it. It's a grain, but it's not. It's gluten free, its not a wheat.

I looked up some recipes you can do with it and there are an endless supply. Everything from breakfast quinoa with cinnamon and maple to quinoa tossed in a salad with tomatoes and spinach!

crispy quinoa bake

cinnamon maple breakfast quinoa

quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes

I had a swim meet this weekend and i knew quinoa would be the perfect thing to eat. Saturday morning I made up my own breakfast quinoa. I cooked the quinoa according to the directions on the box, then while it was still simmering, I added about a teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 1/2 tbs of brown sugar, half of a chopped up apple, and a bit of honey (to taste). I mixed it all together and it was delicious! Later that day (after I had raced) I baked a sweet potato and put some quinoa on there with a dash of cinnamon. That was great too! I would highly reccomend trying some quinoa. It is such an amazing superfood and it will help you feel and look better! 

It's not hard to eat healthy! You just have to do it!

All images from this pinterest board.

Like, The Perfect Night on Holy Ground

 

I had the amazing privilage of being able to go to Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran's finale concert of the Red Tour in Nashville with my cousin and little sister last weekend.

It was one of the best nights of my life. No doubt.

 We were so close to Taylor and Ed at one point I could have spit on them. That's a bad example but you get the point.

It was just so....beautiful....those are the only words I have to describe it.

AND HUNTER HAYES MADE A SUPRISE PERFORMANCE ENOUGH SAID.

 She waved at me at one part don't tell me she didn'tl.

And I swear we were standing on Holy Ground. All I wanted to do was stay stay stay and I just want it to begin again.

#punsandfun

The Lucky One

This is ed singing. Watch all the way through because his vocals at the end are amazing!

He is just perfect ok.

Sadly I'm not posting videos of Taylor Swift up here because I already have so many pictures...I have some though so if you guys BEG i might post them.... ;)

P.S. me and ed sheeran are getting married any of who objects is wrong.

Pre-concert fun!

We are never ever getting back together!

Opry Mills Mall trying on shoes...

It was the best weekend and I wouldn't have traded it.

The Project

Some people write these things, and it seems as if they had gone through a time in their life where their closets were filled with extremely dated clothes, their drawers filled with papers with only a few scribbles on them, and their house looked like it could be an episode of Hoarders. And all the sudden they were sitting in their messes, they decided to clean up, and now they are super organization clean freak with all those cute little file folders.
That may be the case with some people, but I am coming to you from the midst of the story. My life is not one big cluttered mess. In fact, it may seem as if I've got everything worked out. But in all those drawers of the freshly dusted dressers, are a bunch of old letters I don't know what to do with. When I wake up in the morning, sometimes I wonder how I am going to get it all done and I pray to God for some free time to do something productive that doesn't include homework or swimming. When I do get some free time, I find my self regretfully staring at my phone screen or at the back of my eyelids to find the time has disappeared and oh look it's time to go to swim practice.
I strive to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Get straight A's. Make it to at least 7 out of the 10 practices each week. Have a perfectly clean room when I get home. Be socially active and popular. Have a boyfriend. Have all the newest and latest trends and all the cute expensive clothes. Run a blog like a pro. Get at least 8  hours of sleep. Be fit. Have each meal that I eat be all healthy and yummy and fresh and perfect like a avocado panini with sun-dried tomatoes and stuff ya know. But...in the words of the late Hannah Montana, nobody's perfect. Which I have come to learn pretty reluctantly.
Why not, one step at a time, learn how to manage your time, keep away clutter, eat healthy, stay fit, and stay alive?
I think it's a great idea.
I have already begun to analyze how I am going to go through this process. To be able to allow time to at first learn how to do, I will have to keep track of my time. But with a little hard work and determination, I feel like I may be a much happier person at the end of it.

I am going to do a series where every other week, I will post a way in which I've (hopefully) succeeded in...how do I put this...becoming more successful in what I do. Being more productive. Managing my time. You get the point. As some of you know, I will begin to redo my room soon, and so I will show you some of the ways I am going through that process. My fitness routines. How I am managing my time. How I am budgeting. How I am planning my outfits. Etc.

Hopefully you guys can hold me accountable to do this, I want you to! Knowing people are reading what I have done and all my ideas sure will be motivating. I have already begun to work on this project, and the posts will be coming up soon!

I am calling the project....

The Clean Life Purposefully Lived
Life is a spiral...and it can be a smooth spiral...until the frizz happens and then everything starts going whacko and everything goes in different directions and before you know it you don't have a 6-pack abs and your closet isn't colorcoded anymore.

And I want ya'll to contribute to this project! If you have or will post about something in these topics (clean eating, budget, organizing, fashion tips, fitness, etc) then link up with the button on my sidebar!

If you do, it gives people a chance to come back to my blog and see more ideas that are similar, because I will create a page to link up all the people who have taken part in the CLPL project!

Feedback would be awesome!

Note: this will be a series, therefore I will post about this for a while, but the CLPL project will not be my only post topics at all!


.

of the beach and not posting

 I think it's about time for a beach post.

 It was by far the best beach trip ever

 It rained the first couple days, but the waves were awesome so it didn't matter; we played anyway. After the rain cleared, it was as sunny as could be!

 We were there on a blue moon! And no, it wasn't blue, but it was beautiful!

 My sister is basically my best friend. I couldn't live without her!

this is the best picture ive taken in my life and am in fact extremely proud of it. So stare at it and admire it. ;)

The evening we went and took pictures had a beautiful sunset!

We never wanted to leave.

Sorry for the lack of posting. School and swim is crazy. Will try to post as much as possible! Thanks for understanding. Hopefully this week I will get back into the swing of things!


All pictures are mine and the property of Sara Beth Pritchard

the hardest yet

Everybody told me over the summer that my sophomore year would be my most difficult one yet.
I've been in school for 4 weeks and it has already been proven quite too true.

The lack of posts has been entirely my fault; I probably could have found time if I had really tried, but it was just hard.

I was at the beach for a week, so I wasn't able to post then. But I have been back for almost a week and have no done a real post at all.

But, hun, it's just hard to find time. I have been dying to share with ya'll about my beach trip. It was SUCH an amazing trip and I got some amazing pictures too. But whenever I am on my computer, it is solely to do homework. Sad, isn't it? School has just been overwhelming. It all came in one big wave that kind of swept me off my feet. With honors chemistry, advanced Algebra 2, and a tough literature teacher, along with everything else, it can make your sched pretty full.

I just wanted you to know that I didn't run off and forget about my blog at all. I wanted you to know to not unfollow because posts will be coming as soon as I have a free hour or so. Might be able to pull it off tomorrow, although I am not sure. I've got some posts planned but just haven't had time to put them together yet! But they are coming soon-I promise! That is a promise to myself as well.

Don't go far because I will be right back ;)  

been beachin' it

-------------------------Been at the beach this past week! I didn't give ya'll very much of a heads up about that, sorry! A post will be heading your way about our wonderful beach trip within the next couple of days!

xoxo,

Sarabethy

graceful

I have recently come across a life-changing book.

My friend's mom found it, my friend read it, and immediately let me borrow. Then another one of our friends borrowed it. Then another. I swear it's becoming the sisterhood of the traveling book.

But that's only because it's so good.

"Graceful", written by Emily P. Freeman is a book for young woman about letting go of your try-hard life.

It's for the good girl. Not necessarily the one who does all the good things, but the one who so desperately wants to do so.

"For the quiet girl who sits in the back, the loud girl who thinks she should be different...For the daughter who just wants to please her parents, the student who wants to do it right....For the athlete, for the star...For the worried and the hurried and the sweet smile fakers...For the girl who is tired of trying...For the girls who win and those afraid to fail...For the girl who knows everything and nothing...

There words are for you."

-Emily P. Freeman

This book, I can honestly say, changed my life. To know that I don't have to be perfect, that I am wanted and loved, that God has a plan for me, that all I need is God's GRACE, is more than I could ever want.

For the girl's who just want to be perfect (whether you think that way or not) I highly suggest reading this book. Some this book will apply to, some it won't.

After my mom saw how much I loved this book, she bought me my own copy. I've marked and noted that thing up. It looks used for sure. Used books are a beautiful thing. 

I knew I had to share with you guys how wonderful this book is. I hope you consider giving it a read. It can apply to any girl from as early as possibly middle-school, all the way up to college, or even maybe college graduates.

If you don't know if you'll read that book yet, Emily has a great blog where she blogs about lots of different things. You should go and check it out!  You'll love it! She is a brilliant woman who has really encouraged me.

If you stop by her blog, make sure to let her know I sent you! Leave a comment saying I sent you and my blog link so she will know it was me! 

Love you girls!

xoxo

Sarabethy

Extreme Makeover {Room Edition} Part 1

I GET TO REDO MY ROOM.

{Really long background story to the orignial point of this post below}

So, big news.
My house has been for sale for a while now, because my house was just so far away from everything that my  family and I do (practice, friends, socials, church, etc) and so we were trying to move closer to all of that. Not a drastic move, just 15-20 minute difference move.
The house was for sale for a while, and lots of people were very interested in it, but for some reason there was always a reason that person couldn't buy our house; wrong location, out of price range, etc.
My parents finally felt that, just for the fall atleast, to take the house off the market. Just to get back into the swing of things and so that we wouldn't be so busy. We felt God obviously did not want us to move, atleast right now, because he had constantly been keeping it from happening in one way or another.
Of course, when my parents told me and my sibilings, I expected all of us, me especially, to be devestated. We have been planning and wanting to move for ages. We need and want a different house for many reasons. I had every reason for being mad.
But I wasn't.
When my dad told me, I had this strange sense of peace. And joy.
It was one of the best things I have ever felt. When I have every reason to be upset, and I was almost so happy I could cry.
I have come to realize I don't want to move. I have practically grown up in the house I am. It is beautiful. It smells like us. It is home. It is just home to me, to everybody in my family. Even though there are cons to us being in this house, we feel like we can atleast live with them for a little while. We've been living with them for almost 10 years so why not a little longer? Our house is great.
My dad says also that as long as we are here, we can do some bedroom rearranging, swapping, new decor, etc.
And I about went crazy at the sound of that.
An excuse to redo my room?!
LETS DO IT.
Even though we still might end up moving in a few minutes when/if we put the house back up for sale, I am going to love love love this house while we are here.
It is ours.
Our home.
From building forts in the living room, sibiling campouts in the playroom in our little play tents, to the long months spent building a treehouse in the backyard, to winter nights cuddled by the fire, to bringing home a brand new chocolate lab puppy to his new home and him proceeding to go to the bathroom all over the carpet, to sleepovers and family gatherings, to my little sister coloring on the walls at age 4, everything is perfectly imperfect.
And even though I love it here, I am also perfectly fine with the idea of moving. Can't wait to see what God has in store for us!



Back to the whole new room thing. I started a so-called 'private' board on Pinterest several months ago for bedroom decor ideas and I might finally get to use the things I pinned!

Here's a look at what I am planning so far...

A bedroom fit for a lady. This isn't exactly how I want my room to look (a bit bright for my taste) but, something along these lines. Classy. Elegant. Ladylike. Something I won't ever really grow out of.

This is super cute too!

Brilliant idea and there is no doubt in mind that this will soon be in my room. So adorable!

I want some chalk paint somwhere in my room! Obviously not all the walls, but a small wall or a door or something. Or just an outline around a window. So simple and cute and if you don't scribble all over it can look really chic and neat.

Love this too! Going for something bright and sunny but that I can easily cozy up in in the fall with some candles and christmas lights without it feeling to summery

This is so smart! Easy way to stay organized and clean and take up less space! I am going to have to keep my out for one of these!

I like the wallpaper! Similar to the chalk board paint, I want maybe a small space to have a little pop on the walls. Different color paint or simple patterened wall paper to give it a bit of kick.

Great way to store your jewelry!

This closet might be a bit out of my price range, but I am in love with it. I have a walk in closet, so if I painted it and put some more drawers and cabinets in, I could have a mini version of this. My dream.

Would be really super cute for my bathroom!

Love this sort of rustic preppy look with the chevron! Not sure if I would want something like this, but maybe!

Major love it. Going to make it a priority to get me a couple strings of these before the fall!

Love this duvet! I want my bedspread to be something neutral yet fun and elegant and I think this is perfect!

Super cute way to organize!

Ok. I know this is like a barn, but I kind of fell in love with it! Like how cozy does this look. I can't even stand it. I don't know why I love it so much, I just do.

For my room I want something crisp and fresh and a bit bright. But I also want it to look cozy and homey. Me and my are still brainstorming on how to incorporate everything I want into my bedroom and it still look classy and not trashy ;)

I will keep ya'll updated on my room makeover, and if ya'll have any ideas at all please let me know! Comments are my favorite and I would love some ideas to help me brainstorm! Just comment if ya'll can think of anything or if you know of any great furniture from any stores like anthro, urban, pottery barn, etc.

All pictures via Pinterest.