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25 Things to do Before December 25th


In less than 24 hours, it will finally be my favorite month of the year: December. I love Christmas so much, and there are tons of traditions and activities that I do each year with my family and friends. I love discovering new Christmas traditions, so this year I've put together a Pinterest graphic containing a few of my favorite traditions for y'all to gain inspiration from. Enjoy!



Obviously these are in random order; I'm not going to make Christmas Brunch on the 17th and I'm certainly not going to wait until the 6th to pick up an Advent calendar! These are just a few ideas of some fun activities to do with your friends and family this month. I'm going to try to do as many of these as possible, and I encourage you to do it too! I'll be posting pictures of these activities on social media, so make sure you're following along and if you do any of these activities, just post pictures of them and hashtag them with #livethepreplife for the chance to be featured! Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great December!
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Friday Picks

I'm feeling mixed emotions right now, because Thanksgiving Break is coming to an end but today I'm planning on spending all day in my pajamas, decorating for Christmas which is always a good thing. Still, I had so much fun this past week and I really don't want it to end. I didn't do a Thanksgiving recap like I did for Halloween, but I did post a few pictures on Instagram, so make sure you're following me, especially because you won't want to miss out on any of my Christmas decoration pictures (and trust me, there will be plenty!).












I love Jamie and Nicole's perspectives on how gift guides turn gift giving into a chore.



41 Little Things to be Thankful For - #galpalholiday

Is anyone else having a hard time believing that tomorrow is Thanksgiving? And that Christmas is one month from today? Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, for three reasons. One, my mom and grandma are the best cooks and I know our dinner is going to be amazing. Two, I get to see a bunch of family members that I don;t get to see that often. And three, I have so much to be thankful for. Obviously, I'm thankful for the big things that God blessed me with, like God Himself, my two sweet (though annoying) little sisters, the fact that I have a roof over my head and access to food and water, and my amazing friends, just to name a few. But I'm also beyond thankful for the little things - the little things we seem to take so often for granted.



1. Cozy blankets
2. Warm hugs (I'm Olaf, if you didn't know)
3. Red and orange and yellow leaves
4. Going to church
5. Connecting with people all over the world, thanks to the power of technology
6. Taking pictures of the most random, yet wonderful things
7. Soccer
8. The moments when you laugh so hard you cry
9. Inside jokes with your best friends
10. DIY projects
11. Homemade desserts, fresh out of the oven
12. Volleyball
13. Road trips
14. Snow days
15. Good teachers - I have ones starting all the way back from 3rd grade that have made such a big impact on my life.
16. Fuzzy socks
17. Inspirational quotes
18. Pinterest - you had to see this one coming!
19. Travel
20. The fact that I am able to share my ramblings with you on my little corner of the web
21. Music
22. Childhood memories
23. Movie marathons
24. Stationery and paper goods
25. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets
26. Baking, and just cooking in general
27. The great state of Texas that I have lived in my whole life
28. Girl power #likeagirl
29. My snail mail buddies - shoutout to Katie and Samantha!
30. Nature - taking pictures of it, hiking through it, just embracing it in general
31. Outfit photoshoots - although my sister would have to disagree (but thanks for taking all those pictures!)
32. Running, because even if I hate it it makes me a better soccer player
33. Lazy mornings when you get to sleep in
34. Party planning
35. Giving back & donating to charity
36. Fancy dinners
37. Little companies that I have the privlege of supporting and working with
38. Polyvore sets
39. All-nighters
40. Disney World
41.Last, but certainly not least, #galpalholiday and the wonderful girls behind it! If you haven't already, go check out the blogs of Rachel, Cathleen, and Cristina!

This list, however long it may seem, is so short compared to the amount of little things in everyday life that we have to be thankful for. Everywhere you look, even on your worst days, there is always something to be grateful for.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

A Weekend in Waco

Here's a fact you may not know about me: I have a *slight* obsession with Fixer Upper. So much of an obsession, in fact, that I actually co-own a fan account with a few of my friends and ever since the new Magnolia Market opened at the Silos I've been dying to go. Because it is finally Thanksgiving Break, which means no school for a week (!!!) my family decided to take a weekend trip down to Waco to see the Silos and do some other fun activities. We just got back last night, and it was so much fun... if you live in Texas and you haven't spent a weekend in Waco, what are you waiting for?

We got to Waco around 2:00 on Sunday, and spent most of the afternoon walking around, picnicking, and taking pictures at Cameron Park. It was so peaceful and now I really want to go back and go hiking there! If you're into hiking, they have some great trails, but we mostly stuck to the scenery (although we did a lot of walking!)


The view was insanely pretty, and unfortunately this picture doesn't even begin to capture how beautiful the view really was (even though the picture is really pretty). You'll just have to take my word for it!
You gotta love cold fronts.... including the one that came in right before we left. Thank goodness for cozy sweatshirts - and although we didn't plan it, we all ended up matching! The sunlight came through the trees at just the right moment and angle, and out of all the pictures we took at the park this one is my favorite.

There were a lot of looking points where you could look down and see the water, trees, roads - basically whatever was below.

On Monday morning, we got up early so we could fit in all we had to do before we went back to Dallas. Our plan was to get to the Silos when it opened, and we arrived right in time.


There were so many Christmas decorations and displays in the shop. It was by far my favorite part of the trip and I wanted everything! I love Chip and Joanna's style and I'm so excited about the goodies we bought. The lady checking us out said that they get customers from all over the world - the farthest she'd seen was a family from Dubai! After seeing all of the decorations and just being in the atmosphere, I can see why.


I loved seeing everything from the show and their pictures on social media in person. Now, when I see something they post or film I recognize it and it's so cool to think I might have been standing in that exact spot!



After seeing all of their gardens, I really want to plant one of my own! They had pumpkins and all of these flowers and plants that I couldn't name to save my life... but I'd love to plant them, regardless!

After the Silos, we went to Spice Village. We honestly had no idea what it was, but we'd driven by it several times and decided to stop in... well I was in love. It's basically an old warehouse room filled with little boutiques and tables that carry unique designs and brands I'd never seen anywhere else. And there's cafes and sandwich shops on the floor below, too!


Spice Village carried so many of my favorite brands - ban.do, Kate Spade, Jadelynn Brooke - and I found some new brands to love too! We picked up a couple Christmas gifts for family members and friends, as well as some goodies for ourselves, so you could definitely call the visit a success!

Our last stop before heading back to Dallas was this old suspension bridge from the 1800's. It was the right time of the day and the water was so pretty... again, these pictures don't capture it at all though.




This scarf is the coziest thing ever. It's so soft and it's become a staple for me lately. Of course, it's from Target (and so is the shirt; I have way too much stuff from Target. But that's okay, right?)

I literally have one camera pose... me standing still and smiling. If you've see my outfit posts you know that to be true... and the pictures that I'm not doing this pose are likely all candids.


I love fall. I love the colors, the cool breeze, the crunch of leaves under your feet, and this picture had all of those things. It was really chilly, I couldn't walk without jumping on leaves, and the colors? They're perfect. So basically, this tree is goals.

If you're reading this, it means you've made it to the end of this post, so congratulations! Thank you for sitting through my ramblings, and scrolling through an endless stream of pictures. It really means a lot to me. I hope you've had an amazing week so far, and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.




Friday Picks

This week felt like the longest week ever - weeks before holiday breaks usually are, you know? I'm so glad that we've finally reached Thanksgiving Break, and I am beyond excited. I'm not going to give out any spoilers, but you should definitely stay tuned for some really fun adventures on Instagram and oodles of new blog posts next week! 

Oh, and have I mentioned? THANKSGIVING IS IN SIX DAYS AND IT'S OFFICIALLY THE HAPPIEST SEASON OF ALL IN ONE WEEK and if you couldn't tell I'm so pumped.



I cannot stress this enough: Be. Careful. Who. You. Promote.






 I've got my eye on this... and this... and I'll just have it all #obsessed






What are your plans for Thanksgiving break?


How to get Free Preppy Stickers Part Two

I've said this before and I'll say it again - I'm a sticker addict. I counted my stickers the other day and I have a grand total of 241 stickers, not counting the ones I've used. I'm not as obsessed with filling out sticker requests as I was a few months ago, (pretty much because I'm fairly sure I've filled all of them out already) but I still have so many brands that I haven't shared with y'all, and my posts about preppy stickers are by far the most popular posts on my blog, so I thought it was time to make a second installment! I hope you enjoy, and once you've filled out all of these forms go check out part one for even more free stickers!

As I said, these posts are my most popular ones, so if this is your first time reading my blog, hi! I'm Brooke. Click here to learn all about me - I hope you decide to stick around!



Most of these are either sticker forms or contact forms and are fairly straightforward. Just fill out the information in the sticker form, or if it's a contact form, just nicely request stickers and provide your address. Your stickers will be on their way! 

(Note - these forms all work as of November 2015, but may no longer work depending on when you're reading this post)

Sloane Ranger - you have to send out a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) for these, but they're some of my favorite designs and totally worth it!



Half-Moon Outfitters - Again, you have to send out a SASE. In my opinion, these aren't the cutest so I don't know if it's worth it to you to send the envelope out, but I'm glad to have them in my collection!






High Cotton Outfitters - Email them at sales@highcottonoutfitters.com

I hope you found this helpful and are on your way to a huge sticker collection! Once you get your stickers, if you post a picture on social media don't forget to tag me (@livethepreplife) so I can see! Thanks for reading!

Friday Picks

It's been a heck of a week... my band had a Veteran's Day performance that we literally had three days to put together, I've been practicing non-stop for my district band auditions next week, and to top it all off, I have three soccer games and a volleyball tournament this weekend. Fall is coming to an end (13 days until Thanksgiving, y'all!!!) and it feels like everyone is trying to cram everything in before Thanksgiving week. It's kind of crazy to think that after Thanksgiving, there's only two weeks until finals week, and then there's Christmas Break! I'm getting ahead of myself, but 2015 is almost over. How did that even happen? I could honestly ramble on and on about this, but I'm just going to go ahead and let you read these links!



My schedule is about to get hectic with the holidays coming up, so make sure you're following me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss a post!






Five Thanksgiving Outfits Perfect for Any Occasion!

Lately, I've been getting really into Polyvore. It's so fun to put together outfits and find new pieces (honestly, I kind of have an obsession) and since Thanksgiving is only two short weeks away, I've been planning lots of Thanksgiving outfits, so I thought I'd share some ideas with y'all! Whether you're going out, having a big dinner with all of your relatives, or just spending time with your immediate family, I've got you covered. I hope you enjoy these sets and pick up a little Thanksgiving inspiration, and if you like what you see go follow me!


Thanksgiving One

Friday Picks

I feel so bad for not getting a post out this week... and for waiting until Friday morning to write this one... but my creative juices just weren't flowing and I didn't want to force it. I did get a post out on Sunday but I was hoping I could get another one out on Tuesday or Wednesday, but that obviously didn't happen. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this list of links to brighten your Friday (it's really short, sorry) and I hope it makes you even happier that we have exactly 7 weeks until Christmas! I'm so excited and I can't wait, so be on the lookout for some Christmas themed posts REALLY SOON!


I'm sure you've heard about the girl who deleted her social media by now, but I just really love what she has to say.



How to fix the biggest mistake you're making with your blog images (something I have yet to do but it's on the list)






Halloween 2015

Happy belated Halloween! I know many of you aren't that crazy about Halloween - it's not my favorite either, but I still had so much fun and I just really wanted to share some pictures with you!

live the prep life

So I'm just going to start off with Friday night, AKA Halloween Eve, because for me that's where the holiday really begins. We carved some very last-minute pumpkins, and roasted the most amazing pumpkin seeds ever, thanks to Elly!

pumpkin seeds

These pumpkin seeds were covered in cinnamon and brown sugar, and I honestly had no words to describe how good they were. If we had more pumpkins to carve I'd definitely make them again!

I spent most of Halloween morning playing around with my new favorite website, Canva. I actually updated a couple of my posts (In vs. Out & 5 Quick and Easy After School Snacks) with higher quality images and I'm really proud of how they turned out! It was so nice to stay in my pajamas and be wrapped up in a big blanket.


I also finished painting my pumpkin from the night before. See all of the pumpkins I did here!


For lunch, we grilled burgers, a Halloween tradition for us because we carve out faces in the cheese. We haven't done this in a couple of years, but I reminded everyone and we got the grill going.Oh, and these3 sweet potato fries? Best. Thing. Ever.



We stopped by Central Market after lunch and it was so fun... all of the workers were dressed up in costumes, with full-on hair and makeup too. There were also pumpkins throughout the store and this one was just so creative that I had to share it.



When we got back from running our errands, we started to get ready, but first I had to have a mini photoshoot with my pumpkins so I could add them to my pumpkin inspiration post. Of course my sister wanted in on the action! She made these and she was really proud.


Now for the big costume reveal... yup, I was a disco girl! I ordered the dress from Amazon awhile back, and I paired it with some black boots that I already owned. For makeup, I played with some blue eye shadow and finished everything off with this bright lipstick from Tarte. 

My little sister was a vampire princess and her costume was the best I saw this year. You can't really tell from the picture but her hair was all teased and she had on this thick black lipstick with pale face powder. Her dress was my favorite, though, because it was so detailed and high quality. I love those lace sleeves!

Around 5, we went to our neighborhood block party, and it was so fun! We talked and ate pizza, then after that we did trick-or-treating.


Yes, we took pictures in front of random houses. This is such a bad quality picture (nobody in my family can take good pictures so I just have to settle for editing them) but the decorations at this house were so cool, and how cute is my little sister dressed as Elsa?! I loved seeing all of the decorations and we got some inspiration for next year. We live at the end of the street so nobody bothers to come down to our house and we literally had one trick-or-treater.



After we got back from trick-or-treating, we all sorted through the candy and put some aside for ice cream sundaes, a pile to donate, and a pile to keep. We were tired, cold, hungry, and our feet hurt, but we had so much fun.

Once we sorted, we put some candy in the food processor and made ice cream sundaes, another family tradition. My ice cream was melting and I was hungry, so I didn't take the time to decorate it properly or pose the mug in front of a cute background. This picture will have to do and you can just take my word for it that the ice cream was really creamy and delicious, because this picture doesn't show it.

That's about all we did1 Even though Halloween isn't my favorite day of the year, I had really fun and now I can start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas! I honestly can't believe that it's already November. Is it just me or did it feel like yesterday was January first?