Colorful Blanket Scarf

I'm not normally one to shop the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Although it seems like every blogger is talking about the sale nonstop when July rolls around, I personally don't think that the deals are that great.

However. This blanket scarf is the exception to that rule. When I came across this scarf back in July, I knew I had to have it. I love blanket scarves (have I made that clear yet?) but this one was so unlike any other one I'd seen. Most blanket scarves come in your traditional fall hues - burgundy, olive, taupe, the likes... but this one adds a fun pop of color to any winter wardrobe!

Coral Top (similar) // Colorful Blanket Scarf (also available in this style) // Jeans // Boots (similar; exact ones on Poshmark here) // Earrings

I wore this outfit while touring TCU with my family last week. I was so impressed with their campus, especially the journalism department. I met the dean of communication, and she was kind enough to give me an informal tour of the journalism building. I was blown away by all they had to offer - a student-led radio station, an advertising department, a student newspaper, and broadcast journalism... the list goes on! I could definitely see myself attending TCU one day.

We also grabbed lunch at Pizza Snob on campus and had dessert at Susiecakes, the cutest little bakery! It was such a fun day and I loved getting to explore another beautiful college campus (see pictures of my UT visit here & SMU visit here).

Gift Guide: Ornament Exchange

I love decorating for Christmas. My mom, grandma, and I decorated for Christmas last Friday, and it made me so happy to pull out all of the Christmas ornaments and decorations. Today I'm keeping the gift guide theme going by sharing some of my favorite ornaments of the season. These are great if you're participating in any ornament exchanges, want to give a small gift to someone, or are in the market for some new ornaments yourself! Enjoy!

Colorful Snowman // White & Gold Set // Gingerbread House // Pink VV Whale // White Christmas Tree // Sprinkled Cupcake // White Cross // Gold Glitter // Pink Nutcracker // Avocado Toast // Silver Monogram

It's always really fun to me to go ornament shopping and find the craziest, most unique ornaments - like this avocado toast one, for example. I think it's so cool to build a collection of fun ornaments like those throughout the years! Another favorite of mine would be this snowman - it's way out of my price range, but we can all ooh and aah over how pretty it is!

In my experience, World Market, Sur La Table, Anthropologie, Target, and Altar'd State all have great selections of ornaments. If you'd rather go ornament shopping in person, I'd highly suggest looking there first!

Which ornament is your favorite? Where do you buy your Christmas ornaments? Let me know by leaving a comment below - I'd love to hear from you!

Your Ultimate Guide To The Best Black Friday Sales

Interrupting today's regularly scheduled content to bring you the best of the best Black Friday sales! Today is the perfect day to stock up on Christmas gifts for your family and friends, all while indulging in leftover pumpkin pie & putting up Christmas decorations. I've included a bunch of my favorite picks from each store to make your shopping a little easier. Enjoy!

ASOS
30% off everything with the code WIN30

EXPRESS
50% off everything

GAP

50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY

J CREW
40% off everything

J CREW FACTORY
50% off everything

KATE SPADE
30% off with the code GIVEJOY

LILLY PULITZER
gifts with every purchase!

LOFT
40% off everything with the code GIFTITUP

MADEWELL
25% off your entire purchase with the code DONTSTRESS

NORDSTROM
an extra 20% off sale items

OLD NAVY
everything is 50% off & fuzzy socks are only $1!

TORY BURCH

30% off your purchase of $250 or more with the code THANKS

URBAN OUTFITTERS
everything is buy one, get one 50% off

OTHER NOTEABLE SALES (I couldn't include a widget of clothes with these)

EVELYN HENSON | everything is 20% off

FRANCESCA'S | everything is buy one, get one 60% off

KJP | 25% off everything with the code SETSAIL

LAUREN JAMES | deals vary, but pretty much everything is on sale!

VINEYARD VINES | 25% off everything & free shipping

Happy shopping!

100 Things I'm Thankful For

It's become a tradition here on Live The Prep Life that every November, I make a list of things I'm thankful for, both big and little. This year is no exception; in honor of Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I'm sharing 100 things I'm thankful for. These things range from obvious (my health) to small and random (fuzzy socks), but they're all things that shouldn't be taken for granted and are important in some way to me (because seriously. fuzzy socks are the best.) In no particular order, I present to you: 100 things I'm thankful for!

1. My sweet sisters

2. Food

3. Soccer

4. My bunny

5. Pretty sunsets

6. The Bible

7. My phone

8. Chocolate

9. My school

10. Shopping

11. My city

12. Trader Joe's

13. The USA

14. My camera

15. The holiday season

16. My parents & grandparents

17. Brunch

18. The opportunity to travel

19. Flowers

20. Running

21. Homework-free afternoons

22. Inside jokes

23. Lazy mornings

24. Pinterest

25. Candles

26. Good books

27. Cozy blankets

28. Summer vacation

29. Sponatenous day trips

30. The fact that Jesus died for me

31. Movie nights

32. Music

33. Photoshoots

34. Celebrations/holidays

35. Texas

36. Grocery store runs

37. Inspirational quotes

38. Access to clean water

39. Memes & funny Tweets

40. YouTube

41. New friends

42. The moments that you can't put into words

43. Fuzzy socks

44. My health

45. The feeling of a completed to-do list

46. Free things

47. Childhood memories

48. FIFA 17 games with my dad & sister

49. Good grades

50. VSCO

51. Electricity

52. Rain

53. Braces, because they'll give me straight teeth

54. Christmas

55. Sweater weather

56. Instagram

57. My room

58. The amazing community of content creators that I'm a part of

59. My church

60. Flowers

61. Art

62. My coaches

63. Gorgeous scenery

64. Bad puns

65. The radio

66. Francesca's

67. The power to inspire others
68. Magazines
69. Those moments when you can't stop laughing
70. Journalism
71. Home decor

72. Road trips

73. Carbs of all kinds

74. The amazing companies I get to work with
75. Easter
76. Sunrises
77. Being able to give to charity
78. My amazing friends
79. Being organized (however rare it may be)
80. My job as a referee
81. Freshly painted nails
82. Swimming
83. The Internet
84. Bible journaling
85. My happiness
86. Time spent with loved ones
87. Sunshine
88. Clothes
89. My school
90. When hard work pays off
91. Ski trips
92. Bright colors

93. Peanut butter
94. The good future ahead of me
95. All of my extended family
96. Coffee
97. My strength
98. Makeup
99. The beach

100. And lastly, all of you who support LTPL :)

I hope this list reminds you to be grateful this Thanksgiving and maybe even inspires you to make a list of your own! If you do, I'd love to see it, so definitely send me a link if you make one!

Have a great Thanksgiving filled with food, family, and fun!

Gift Guide: Secret Santa

I am so excited to announce that the holiday season has officially begun here on Live The Prep Life! While I am usually very adamant about enforcing the "no-Christmas-before-Thanksgiving" rule, I'm making an exception today because I have so much Christmas content that I want to share with y'all, so I better get started early! Plus, I know that a lot of y'all are doing your Christmas shopping right now, so I wanted to give you plenty of time to utilize my gift guides.

Here's the schedule for the upcoming month: Every Monday, I'm going to be sharing a gift guide with y'all. Each one will have a different theme/topic. Then, on Wednesdays, I'm doing regular blog posts such as outfit posts. Lastly, on Fridays, I'll have my usual rotation of Link Love, Currently, and Life Lately posts. Oh, and I'm doing Vlogmas, too! All on top of studying for midterms and doing all the quintessential Christmas activities. Is December going to be hectic? Yes. Am I putting wayyy too much on my plate? Yeah. But is it worth it? HECK YES, because I love Christmas and want to share as much Christmas spirit as I possibly can!

Okay, enough rambling. Let's get on into the gift guide!

Essie Nail Polish // Sugar Lip Balm // Pom Pom Beanie // Corksicle Tumbler // Fuzzy Socks // Starbucks Gift Card // Hexagon Earrings // Volcano Candle // Chocolate Bar

I love participating in Secret Santa exchanges, but it can be tricky to find a good gift to give, especially if you don't know the person that well. I've tried to find some items that pretty much anyone would love, and I've kept them all under or around $25 since most Secret Santa exchanges have some sort of budget. Obviously, if you're doing a Secret Santa with coworkers and you're finding a gift for a guy, most of these might not apply, but I think any girl would love these!

P.S. - you can check out my gift guides from previous years here! A lot of the products might be sold out, but I'm sure you could gain some inspiration and find similar products. Happy shopping!

Link Love Vol. 30

Happy Friday! Today is an especially exciting Friday because I have Thanksgiving Break next week, so I'm looking forward to nine days full of festivities, food, and family! I'm going to try to keep the introduction to this post pretty short and sweet, so let's go ahead and get into the post - I've rounded up some of my favorite links from around the web lately, so I hope you enjoy!

Because it's Friday & we could all use a cupcake at this point

1 // PSA: Freeform relased their 25 Days of Christmas schedule!

2 // Wondering what to do with that random 1/2 cup of pumpkin you have left over from all your fall recipes?

3 // Shelby is so pretty in this sweater + skirt combo!

4 // So many Christmas gifts under $25!

5 // Want to know how to be an AMAZING influencer? (This is probably my favorite article featured in this blog post)

6 // What beauty means to Molly

7 // Kate has rounded up a bunch of holiday dresses for all price ranges!

8 // To everyone who thinks Taylor Swift just writes about love...

9 // On the blog recently: Thanksgiving Outift Inspo + My Favorite Movies + The Perfect Fall Outfit

10 // Gabby visited New York and all of her pictures look so fun!

11 // Meet Harris James Patrick, AKA the cutest and preppiest baby EVER

12 // Target stores are getting a makeover, and I love their new design! It's been really interesting to follow their process of rebranding.

13 // How to preserve classic holiday traditions for the best Christmas season possible

14 // Why you hate running + how to love it

15 // Jess shares some insight as to what it's like to make a living off of blogging

16. How fun is this flare sleeve sweater? It's such a good price, too!

17 // Mackenize's wedding photos are simply gorgeous!

18 // These pearl riding boots are definitely an investment, but so pretty!

ALSO - I'm currently planning out all of my holiday content! If you have any blog post or YouTube video requests, email me or leave a comment letting me know!

Have a great weekend + Thanksgiving break!!

5 Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas For Any Occasion

It's no secret that fall is my favorite season for fashion. I love all the subdued tones, layered items, cozy sweaters... I could go on and on. Today I've put together a bunch of different Thanksgiving outfit ideas for all sorts of occasions - these outfits range from casual to dressy and have everything in between! Enjoy!

Sweater // Coat // Scarf // Jeans // Boots // Earrings

If you live in a cold climate, this outfit is perfect for you! Complete with multiple layers, it's bound to keep you warm during all your Thanksgiving Day festivities. For some reason, this reminds me of something you might wear to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - I'm not really sure why, but that's what comes to mind when I see this outfit!

Sweater // Fur Vest // Jeans // Boots // Earrings

I absolutely love this outfit! While its colors aren't exactly the most fall-queue hues ever, this outfit is put-together and nice, but it's not too fancy - perfect if you're having a small get-together with family and don't feel like wearing a dress.

T-Shirt // Pullover // Jeans // Boots // Socks // Necklace

Let's be real - sometimes you just want to be comfy and cozy on Thanksgiving! If you're just lounging around the house, and don't feel like getting dressed up, this outfit is perfect for you. It's full of fuzzy components like this pullover and these boots, but the Thanksgiving t-shirt still allows you to be a little festive.

Dress // Cardigan // Scarf // Boots // Earrings // Nail Polish

This outfit is very similar to what I'm going to be wearing for Thanksgiving. I'll probably be wearing the outfit I wore here, since it's dressy but comfortable - perfect for a day when you're going to be eating a lot of food! :)

Sweater // Skirt // Boots // Purse // Necklace // Lipstick

This outfit is probably my favorite of the five - I love how it combines some of this season's biggest trends! This bell-sleeve sweater would look perfect when paired with this burgundy skirt and some suede over-the-knee boots... I'm obsessed!

Want more fall outfit inspo? Click here + here + here to see some of my recent outfit posts!

Happy shopping!

Currently... Vol. 4

Happy Friday! This week has felt so long, but it's been a good one because a) the weather was super chilly this week, b) I've made so many yummy pumpkin spice treats recently, and c) knowing that Thanksgiving Break is right around the corner keeps me going! I honestly love fall so much and it makes me so happy - as I'm proof-reading this post, I see so many exclamation points, but I honestly don't care because I've been in a really good mood lately!

I had my first holiday drink of the season today and it was so good! Chestnut Praline Lattes are the BEST!

Wanting... I have been wanting a button-front skirt for the longest time, and I love this suede one from Old Navy! It comes in three colors, and I can't decide which one is my favorite. I also keep meaning to order Chip Gaines' new book (also, while we're on the subject of Chip.. HE CUT HIS HAIR).

Reading... my APHUG textbook. As depressing as it sounds, it's the only book I've cracked lately. I've been so busy lately that I don't really have that much time to read books, but thanks to the 27 pages of notes I'm assigned every week I can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about languages, migration, demographics, and folk culture... I wish I was kidding :/

Wearing... scarves! This week was pretty chilly, so I broke out my arsenal of scarves. I wore this one with my pink Hunter boots, this one in this blog post, and this one with a black shirt and black boots! Scarves make me feel so cozy and put-together - they're my favorite winter accessory!

Listening... to Reputation! I may or may not have stayed up last night for the release of Taylor Swift's new album, but it was so worth it because it's so good! She has such a wide variety of songs on the album, and they're all so different from what she usually does, but I'm obsessed with them all!

Eating... Halo Top Ice Cream! It has been my new obsession lately - it's so good, and you don't feel bad eating the whole pint because it's pretty healthy. My favorite flavors are Red Velvet and Cookie Dough, but I really want to try Birthday Cake and Chocolate Peanut Butter!

Watching... nothing at the moment. I want to start Riverdale, but I also want to start Stranger Things... and then Ashley has been telling me that I need to watch Friends. So I've resulted to watching nothing, because I'm indecisive like that. Also, the 300th episode of Grey's Anatomy was last night, and you know that I'm going to watch it the second I get home from school today!

Buying... this concealer, these earbuds, and this top. I haven't gone shopping in FOREVER, but I have been doing some online shopping. I bought a new bottle of my favorite concealer after it ran out, a new pair of earbuds after mine broke, and this top, which sadly is not like the picture - but I guess that's what you get for ordering from SheIn.

Have a great weekend!

10 Movies You Need To Watch Now

In my opinion, nothing beats a good movie night. I always enjoy making pizza or nachos with my family, starting a movie, and then pausing it halfway through to make some popcorn! I've always preferred TV over movies, but over the summer, I got really into watching movies and found a ton that I love. Today I'm sharing ten of my favorite movies with y'all to give you some inspiration for your next movie night - enjoy!

Also... I think we all know that I could make this entire post about Disney movies, because I'm actually five years old, but I tried to keep this post about movies with real people in them :)

Pitch Perfect // I had to start off this post with my all time favorite movie! Between the lively choreography, the hilarious situations, and the witty one-liners, I can't get enough of this movie. I've been counting down the days until Pitch Perfect 3 comes out, and I am beyond excited!

The Parent Trap // If you haven't seen this movie, what are you doing with your life? I've seen this movie at least ten times, and I will never get tired of watching it. In case you live under a rock (kidding!) it's about two twins who were separated at birth but end up going to the same summer camp and decide to switch places.

Can't Buy Me Love // Honestly, I'm just a fan of this one because it stars a teenage Patrick Dempsey (aka McDreamy) but the plot is still so good! Plus, it's available on Netflix, which is always a good thing :) It's your typical geeky-guy-becomes-popular flick, but it's so good!

The Proposal // This movie is tied with Pitch Perfect for my favorite movie. I've watched this 3 times in the past 4 months, and it's so good. The romance and plot is so sweet, but it's also downright hilarious and I no matter how many times I watch it, I find myself dying of laughter.

How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days // I watched this movie with my mom, and it was so relatable! The main character does everything she can to get a guy to dump her, and is basically the clingiest girlfriend ever, but little does she know that he is actually trying to make her fall in love with him...

13 Going on 30 // Also availible on Netflix, this comedy is about a teenager who wishes to be 30... and just like that, she's 17 years older and her whole life is upside down. I've seen this movie quite a few times, and it never gets old!

The Blind Side // This movie is about a family who adopts a football player with a big heart and helps him reach his full potential. It's an amazing movie, guaranteed to make you cry (and laugh!)

Mean Girls // If you can't quote every line of Mean Girls, who even are you? JK, but for real, this movie is all kinds of amazing and another one I can (and will!!) watch over and over again without getting sick of it.

Bride Wars // Two best friends end up scheduling their weddings on the exact same day, and the rest is complete chaos...

The Devil Wears Prada // I watched this movie a few weeks ago, and I must have been really tired because I don't remember that much of the plot, but I do know that it was really good and I'll definitely be watching it again sometime soon!

Some honorable mentions....

-  all the Harry Potter movies
- Forrest Gump
- all the Star Wars movies
- any Christmas movie in existence (see my favorites here)
- annnndddd basically every single Disney movie ever made

What are your favorite movies? I'm always looking for new ones to watch, so let me know in a comment below!

Life Lately Vol. 30

It's crazy to think that I'm publishing my 30th volume of Life Lately today... time really does fly by! I love writing these posts for y'all, and I love looking back on old installments and seeing what my life was like a year or two ago.

My Life Lately posts are usually pretty fun, if I do say so myself, and this one is no exception! From Halloween, to football games, to Dallas day trips, it's been a pretty fun past few weeks!

For Halloween earlier this week, Ashley came over and we ate a ton of Reese's peanut butter cups & s'mores!! She was "a chip on my shoulder," and I was "Dunkin' Donuts." We thought our costumes were pretty creative, but nobody really got them... but it was still such a fun night even if I was in a candy coma by the end of it!

The night before Halloween, my family and I made these cute Jack'O'Lantern pizzas to get in the festive Halloween spirit! I posted them on my Instagram story, and a lot of y'all really seemed to like them, so I thought I would share them once again even though Halloween season is officially over.

My school's rivalry football game was a couple weeks ago, and even though I hate football, I honestly had a great time I got to see some of my friends who go to the opposing high school, and overall it was such a fun night! Of course, it was the one day in early October that it was below 40 degrees, but even though I couldn't feel my toes, it was definitely a night to remember. (Plus, my mom and I made hot chocolate once we got home, which is never a bad idea on a cold night!)

This was awhile back, but my dad, sister, and I went to the Texas State Fair a few weeks ago! I hadn't been in seven or eight years, and my sister had never been, so we thought it was time that we made a trip out to Dallas to visit Big Tex. It was such a fun day filled with food (I tried fried cookie dough!!), games, and sights to see!

Have a great weekend!