Welcome!

Hey "y'all"

Welcome to my blog, pull up a chair and grab a glass of sweet tea!

To hunt for the latest on my blog, click the above tabs...you'll find everything southern from traditions to the growing southern lifestyle to food to fashion!  I hope you enjoy! 

Southernly,

Jane

 



Hey "y'all"

      I'M BACK!!  Sorry it's been so long... I've been on vacation and trying to figure out how I'm going to revamp my blog to make it only more southern!  I hope you like the new touches.  I wanted to keep it southern belle style; but, stay on task with blogging about all things southern because lately I feel like I've been straying away from that lol.  Some changes include: my blog background, tabs, fonts, ALL Southern themes, etc...
So I hope you enjoy the new and improved Southern Girl 101!
Southernly,
Jane

Try This...Blue nails!

Hey "y'all"

     For Tips/Try This Tuesdays I figured it would be good to talk about the fact that lately I've been wearing blue shades on my pedicure and I don't normally go for colors of that shade to wear for a manicure or a pedicure; but, I've gotten so many comments that I am now more open to trying blue colors.  I think Blue nail polish is actually trending because I've seen so many shades of blue on many different people as well and it really does pop!  Below, I've added a few of my favorite blue shades so far!  I hope this encouraged you to try a blue nail polish colors if you are like me and mostly stick to pinks and reds lol. 
Country Song of the Day:  "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line

Sweetly,
Jane

Bobbing for Baubles by Essie

is a really nice gray-blue color, makes a great wintery or fall vampy color

Aruba Blue by Essie

This is a really fun blue color and I find it works year round...I love using it for my pedicures (I usually keep it really simple with my manicure and stick to light pinks; but, sometimes I do add fun and bright colors like this one lol)

Bikini So Teeny by Essie

I'm wearing this on my pedicure now and I've gotten so many comments on this...it looks really great with a tan lol

Sag Harbor by Essie

This shade comes out like a light gray-blue...I love it just with the name alone because I love the town called Sag Harbor, it's a small waterside town that has such a nice atmosphere & it's located not too far from me

A Girl's Guide to Dating...Southern Style of Course!!

Hey "y'all"

     An Excerpt I found from one of my favorite books The Grits Guide to Life by Deborah Ford includes a southern girls guide to dating or going out.  Here are some of the tips

When it comes to going out, a Girl Raised in the South...
-Never leaves home without "putting on her face"
-Knows her fashion limitations and sticks to them
-Has a versatile wardrobe, which covers every occasion and mood
-Never shows up for any occasion empty-handed
-Always demonstrates kindness and consideration --- even when she doesn't feel like it
-Never forgets to write a thank you note

I hope y'all had a great day & found this helpful!!
Country Song of the Day:  "Dancing Shoes" by Green River Ordinance

Sweetly,
Jane




I found this little group of all preppy labels on google and I loved it so I wanted to share it with you lol

A Weekend Quote

Hey "y'all"

      I hope y'all are havin' a great weekend so far!  I decided to put up a quote for today; but, check back in tmo for Miss Monday Manners!  I'll be hanging poolside today with my mom and sister...I plan to catch up on my summer reading while getting my tan on lol.

"Preppy isn't just a style...it's a LIFESTYLE" ~Lilly Pulitzer

Country Song of the Day:  "Drink On It" by Blake Shelton

Sweetly,

Jane

Friday Night Baseball Game!

Hey "y'all"

      Yesterday (while I was out shopping of course lol)  I got a call from my sister, Emma and she said that my dad had gotten us home plate tickets to a baseball game!!  My sister and I decided to go with two of our friends.  Unfortunately, the home team lost; but, it was still a lot of fun!  The part I really looked foward to was the Daughtry concert that was going to be played on the field after the game!  Daughtry was amazing...I definitely need to download some more of his songs because I really liked a lot of his songs that I had never heard of before and I definitely like his music!  Just incase you were wondering what I was out shopping for yesterday...I had heard great reviews from my friend who works at Bath and Body Works, he told me about their True Blue Spa Green Tea Facial; so, I picked one up because I wanted to see for myself.  I haven't tried it yet but I will let you know how it worked on my skin tmo.  After that, I went to Old Navy to find my perfect pair of fitting jeans...and guess what!?! I WENT DOWN A SIZE!!  Other stores I paid a visit to included H&M and Nordstrom...Love this store!  Nordstroms is having their anniversary sale...I got to see the clarisonic skincare system at work and LOVED IT!!  I want one for myself so badly lol and I also looked at Hunter rain boots which are a definite must in my future lol!  Picutres to come from the baseball game and concert!  I hope y'all are having a great day!
Country Song of the Day:  "Fearless" by Taylor Swift

Sweetly,
Jane


this is the facial care I picked up at B&BW yesterday



This is the Clarisonic Skincare System that I fell in love with lol


These are the Hunter Wellies I love!  Between the picture above and the color of the Hunter wellies...can you guess my favorite color!?! lol

Kenny's 21st Party Pictures!!

Hey "y'all"

     The pictures of Kenny's Crazy 21st bday party have finally arrived lol!  Such a fun night!  We are so thankfull to have my aunt, uncle, and cousin in our lives and glad we were able to host this party for Kenny.  Right now we are having severe thunderstorms ...'tis the season lol.  My dog Harry is a nervous wreck right now and I feel bad for him.  Today, my dad; sister, good friend, and I all went out on the boat; but unfortunately not for long because the storm started to roll in.  Summer storms are really cool to watch lol!  I hope y'all are havin' a great day!
Country Song of the Day:  "Take A Little Ride"  by Jason Aldean...this song just came out the other day and I LOVE it!!  Jason Aldean is one of my favorite country singers lol

Sweetly,
Jane


Just the beginning of the night...

Kenny a.k.a the 21st bday boy (the one with the beer coozie) was surprised with beer and boob cupcakes...2 of his favorite things lol


Eventually the HOT & HUMID weather got the best of me, my hair, and skin but this is me and the 21st birthday boy, Kenny.


This is me and my honorary brother, Chris...we made a pretty good team at beer pong lol


A closer look at Kenny's cupcakes


My sister, Emma and my cousin Kenny


My dad puttin' out the yummy apps

My dad and honorary Grandma Ellie (Kenny's Grandma) ...yes adult drinks were consumed before this picture


The Bridal Shower Review!

Hey "y'all"

      So this past Sunday I went to my future aunt's bridal shower and it was great!!  She was so surprised and it was really nice getting to finally meet some of her friends that will be attending the wedding as well.  Everything about the party was well thought out and put together and I am looking foward to my uncle and future aunt's wedding!  I am so happy for them!  With that being said, as fun as I had at the bridal shower, I did pick up on a few flaws of the guests (unfortunately guests on my side of the family...oooops) during the bridal shower.  Unfortunately, these flaws are common and most definitely common within my family; but, I guess it's a good thing that most of us know better so we know for the future not to make these mistakes.  I don't actually know if these were flaws or just pet peeves of mine lol; so, I looked up in one of my Emily Post's Etiquette books (18th edition) to find some answers.  I love these books as a guide for manners, it covers all of my questions and gives such helpful information and of course it has answers to the "flaws" and I wanted to share them with you. 

The following excerpt is from Emily Post's Etiquette 18th Edition (p.255)
[Being A Good Guest]
As important as it is to be a good host.
~good guest manners begin the minute you recieve the invitation
~once you've committed there is NO turning back unless there is a very good reason to
~if you are wondering if you can bring a guest, the invitation would have specified

Guest Manners 101
~Arrive on time
~TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!!  ( Jane:  a big pet peeve of mine, especially when seen at the dinner table...however, it's good to know it's not just one of my many weird pet peeves lol)
~Be considerate (go outside to smoke, wipe your feet, or stay home if you have a cold)
~Be complimentary (about the food, decor, the house, etc...)
~Respect your host's trust (don't snoop around, and if you break something, tell the host immediately and offer to pay for it)
~Be a willing participant (offer to help serve the food for instance)
~Try not to overindulge
~offer to help when you can
~unless invited in, keep clear of the kitchen
~Don't switch place cards
~Leave with the group
~Thank your hosts on the way out

A note from Jane:  it's always good to return the favor or at least with a thank you note or a little hostess gift.  I try to always offer to make or bring something to the host's house because I feel awkward sometimes walking in empty handed lol.

I hope y'all had a good day and found this information to be helpful!  Thank you for tuning in!
Country Song of the Day:  "Takin' Pills" by Pistol Annies...The music video just came out and I love it lol so I thought I'd post it today!

Sweetly,
Jane

Emma(Left), Kerri/bride-to-be(Center), and Me!
This was the three of us at the bridal shower on Sunday

Kenny Finally Turned 21!!

Hey "y'all"

     This past week my cousin, Kenny, my Aunt Lisa and my Uncle Kenny were visiting from KY!  We had a blast as always and this July, Kenny finally turned 21!  My family and I decided to throw him a surprise party last night which turned out to be a hit!  I will definitely be posting pictures of the birthday bash within the next few days.  Also, my good friend Christina just had her high school  graduation party too!  Unfortunately, it was on the same day as Kenny's party so I could only stay at her party for a little while; but everything was great about her party and I wish her the best of luck in college!  Today I plan on relaxing and getting ready for my soon-to-be "Aunt" Kerry's bridal shower!  My uncle and Kerry are getting married this September and I'm so happy for them!  They are a perfect couple and we love Kerry and we are so glad she will be joining our family!  I need to do my nails and get my outfit ready.  I can't wait!!  I hope y'all are having a great day!
Country Song of the Day:  "Always Gonna Be You" by Kenny Chesney

Sweetly,
Jane

Finally...My latest purchases!!

Hey "y'all"
      I hope you're having a great day!!  It's finally being posted...all of my latest purchases (sorry it was so long overdue)  
Btw, I was on Facebook this morning and came upon this really preppy monogramming website, of course I liked it!  It's called Marley Lilly and everything is reasonably priced and they have a huge variety for all of your preppy needs!!

Country Song of the Day:  "Truck Yeah" by Tim McGraw
*a new song of Tim's & I love it!!
Have a great day y'all!
~Jane

This was the pretty floral centerpieces at my neigbor's 4th of July celebration...I totally forgot to post them in my blog the next day; so, I thought I'd at least share them with you now lol

This is the sunset nearby where I have a house in Upstate NY ...so beautiful

I ordered Lilly Pulitzer watches because I never leave the house without a watch on; so, I thought these would be a perfect summery watch!  This one is featured in Chum Bucket

This one is featured in Floaters

a first of many Lilly Pulitzer scarves I will be buying!  I'm so excited to finally own a murfee scarf!!  My next one will definitely be more pink and green though lol

I bought stickers from Lilly Pulitzer to put on my calendar for next year

My calendar book for next year!  So excited these planners are the perfect size

new nail polish colors I have bought...nail polishes are so my guilty pleasure

The cover box to Bobbi Brown's Party Shimmer Brick

The Party Shimmer Brick palatte...I thought this would be perfect to add a little shimmer for nights out

Weekend Getaway Recap!

Hey "y'all"

  I hope all is well with you!! This weekend as I'm sure most of you know, I went to my upstate house with my sister and our good friend Chris. It was probably one of the better times I have had up there because there were many fun things to do together. We cooked together, went to Howe Caverns, the race track, etc.; but, most of all it was nice bonding time lol. We had a lot of good laughs and overall it was a really nice time and it's always an experience. Here are some pictures to see for yourself!  Have a great day!  Tmo's post will be all of my placed orders... and yes they are in picture form!
Country Song of the Day:  "Little White Church"  by Little Big Town... this song was stuck in our heads all trip so I thought it'd only be appropriate to post it to go along with the Weekend Getaway Recap!
~Jane

My sister, Emma and I

  

Chris and I

Oh So Thankful Thursday!

Hey "y'all"

     Sorry it's so late; but, I am finally able to get to a computer today lol.  Today I am thankful for my family and all of the things that come along with it...especially the upstate house right now because I need this weekend getaway like I need water right now lol!  I am so lucky I have a country house I am able to grow up and make memories with!  I'll try my best to blog while I'm up there but pictures will have to wait until I get home unfortunately lol...and I'll have to catch you up on all of my recent purchases that I've been so excited to share with you!  I am looking foward to a good time because it's been so long since I was up there (I'm talking months) and I just really miss the house and I'm so grateful to have the country house!  What are you thankful for today??
Country Song of the Day:  "Time To Get A Gun" by Miranda Lambert

~Jane

Happy Fourth of July!!

Hey "y'all"

      Happy Fourth of July!  Thank you for all those who have served our country well... we wouldn't be where we are today without you; so, thank you so much!!  America is truly such a beautiful country and there is so much history and meaning.  I am so fortunate to be living in this beautiful and free country!  Today I'm off to my neighbors backyard BBQ that they host every 4th of July...I can't wait!!  They always put on an amazing firework display and there are always good times!  What are your plans for the 4th of July?  I hope y'all have an amazing day and remember all that we should be grateful for today! 
Country Song of the Day:  "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band *I think I've already blogged about this song; but, it is perfect for today and is definitely worthy of being re-blogged lol!
God Bless America,
Jane

This was taken at the BBQ last year!  In the picture there is my sister and her friend Chris!

This was taken two years ago with my friends, Christina and Amanda, and my sister Emma! We were in Disney this year on the fourth of July...it was a vacation for the four of us to help celebrate Christina's (far left) sweet 16

These are the mini cupcakes I made for the 4th of July party last year, they were red, white, & blue striped!

Sharing My Latest Purchases & My Beach Adventures

Hey "y'all"

     Today I'm blogging all sorts of recent pictures to catch you up to where I am and hopefully inspire you to "try this" ...Tmo I'll be blogging about what's to come in the mail for me from my recent online purchases and "island shopping" lol.  I hope y'all are having a great day!
Country Song of the Day:  "Singing Me Home" by Lady Antebellum

~Jane

These are a pair of Coral slippers that I ordered, they have free monogramming too!  I thought these would be perfect for summer and because it matches my summer robe lol!
I found these on Etsy.com

One of the many shells I found on the beach!

A perfect day at the beach!

if you look towards the left of this picture you can see the huge sand cliff that formed after a storm we had a couple of days ago

looking out onto the water, it was amazing that the water was so calm that day

I had to slide down the sand cliff to get to the water, it was probably a 3' jump

The G.R.I.T.S. rules

Hey "y'all"

     For Miss Monday Manners, I chose to take something I've read out of the G.R.I.T.S (Girls Raised In The South) book by Deborah Ford.  I love this book, it's a guide to life for southern belles and it has a lot of helpful information on many southern traditions.  I picked a set of rules from this book that is somewhat meant to be comical and somewhat helpful!  This book has that comical southern flair and that's one of the reasons I like this book because while it's giving you the 411 it's also very funny!  I know I'm definitely guilty of rule number 6 lol!!

Here is the set of rules:
1.  Never drink straight out of a beer can or bottle.
2. Never walk down the street with a lighted cigarette.
3. Never date your best friend's ex.
4. Never be impolite to a police officer.
5. Never wear white after Labor Day.
6. Never wear different-colored polish on your toes that you're wearing on your fingers.
7. Never cross your legs at the knees, always at the ankles.
8. Never talk about age, real hair color, how much you paid for something, or how many times you've been married
9. Never pry into embarrassing family details (not openly, at least).

I hope you found these small set of simple rules helpful from G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised In The South) by Deborah Ford

*Tmo I have a lot I'll be blogging about from my latest shopping excursions to the beach life and probably more lol...I will most definitely having a picture overload tmo so check back in to see what my learning Southern life is up to for Tips/Try This Tuesdays to hopefully inspire you!!

Country Song of the Day:  "Summer Girl" by Jessica Andrews

Sweetly,
Jane

A Working Weekend!

Hey "y'all"

      The past two days have been a little busy for me.  I've been running around food shopping and cleaning and now today I am headed to my aunt and uncles to babysit my cousins!!  I love spending time with them....it'll be the first time by myself that I'm kinda doing a far drive since I've had my car; but, everyday is a new adventure!  Because I know my little cousins have a sweet tooth like me, I baked them my red velvet cookies so they can try them for themselves.  It is kind of a further drive than I'm used to; so, I'm gonna leave a little earlier so I'll be already in the area because there is plenty of shopping in the area so I'm gonna have to hit up the Lilly Pulitzer store to see what I can find...hopefully my new adgena book and some other goodies!  I have to go soon but I will blog to let you know how it all goes in the next day or two!

Country Song of the Day:  "Georgia Peaches" by Lauren Alaina (I love her she's so cute and the song has been stuck in my head all day lol)

I hope y'all have a great day!!

~Jane

Keepin' it Simple

Hey "y'all"

     I haven't found anything to blog about today so I thought it'd be a good idea to just keep it simple today & just post a quote.  I hope y'all are having a good day!

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." ~Elbert Hubbard
*I found this quote on RealSimple.com ...such a great website, I love it lol!!

Country Song of the Day:  "Angel Eyes" by Love and Theft

~Jane

The 17 Day Diet

Hey "y'all"

     I hope your weekend has been going well so far!  Today I've officially started round two of the 17 Day Diet!  I did this diet last year over the course of summer and I lost a lot of weight and I want to try doing it again.  For those of you who are like me and struggle maintaining their weight this diet works perfectly for me!  Basically, it's drinking lots of green tea, water, and eating plenty of lean meat, 2 servings of dairy a day, fruits and veggies, and no carbs after 2pm.  It gets even better, this diet only requires you to do 17 minutes of exercise a day!!  I am not a fan of working out I have to admit but I can handle 17 mintues of sweating lol.  I like this diet because I don't feel deprived and I say to myself that it's only 17 days and then I can take a break and get back on track.  I love how I feel on this diet, it has quick results and I feel so energized.  In addition to this diet, I think I'd like to keep a exercise and diet log just so that I can reflect from start to finish.  With that being said I hope you find this as helpful as I do!  I also wanted to share with you that I officially gave in and joined Groupon.  Groupon is a website that has extreme couponing for places in your area and it's so easy to join...so if you're a person who budgets like I do then I definitely suggest joining this website!
I hope y'all are having a wonderful day so far!
Country Song of the Day:  "Right Back Atcha Babe" by Tim McGraw

~Jane

"Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality" ~ Ralph Marston



My Latest Purchases

Hey "y'all"

     I hope your Friday was amazing!  Sorry I didn't blog, I was busy helping out at a birthday party...I now realize that havnig 20plus kids in a pool at one time is definitely a lot of worrying and work.  I give those lifeguards a lot of credit.  Anyway, when I came home yesterday it was a nice surprise to see what I had ordered a couple of days ago waiting for me at my doorstep!  I recently ordered "clippies" from such an awesome website called Etsy!  I have shoulder length hair so I part it to the side and clip it off to keep it from getting into my face and I thought these would be a cute way to accessorize because they are perfect for my hairstyle and they are so cheap I thought why not!?! being that I'm on my tight high schooler with a car budget lol.  I also ordered from the same website cute hair elastics that are just a thick piece of elastic that come in all different colors because if my hair is not parted to the side, clipped off, and down; I'm usually wearing it pulled back.  I hope this inspires you to give 'em a try and find this helpful...if you try them, let me know what you think!   After, I still realized I was in need of more summer clothing...don't get the impression that I'm a shopaholic, I do LOVE to shop but I got rid of most of my summer wardrobe because it was seriously way too small.  However, I always try to give back by donating all of my unwanted clothes to the local thrift store.  With that being said, I recently ordered a few things from GAP and Old Navy which I will blog about in the near future once the order arrives (and I promise I will follow through with more pictures).  I feel a little less guilty when I shop lately because while I still want these cute accessories and clothes all of the time, I'm always told I know how to save my money and how to spend it with only things that I need and a few accessories of course...c'mon what "Southern Belle"  doesn't want accessories lol.    I hope y'all had an amazing start to your weekend...I'm off to the our local farmer's market with my mama & I will try to take some pictures to share with you of the beautiful fresh produce and setup!

Country Song of the Day:  "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band...my sister, Emma recently started listening to this song and has me now hooked on it, I love it and it definitely sounds like summer lol

Have a great weekend y'all!
~Jane

These aren't the exact clippies I ordered but I just googled pictured of clippies to show you the style
I already own a few clippies but I really like having them on hand because they are small yet stay put in my hair

these are also the hair elastics I ordered; again, they aren't the exact ones but I just wanted to show you the style I ordered neutral colors so they'd go with a lot
I've heard they are great at holding hair and are becoming very popular,  I know that if you like these but don't wear your hair back often, they make them bigger for headbands,  I got mine a lot cheaper but a popular websit to order these from is emijay.com

My fave German meal

Hey "y'all"

     So the other day I joined my grandma, uncle and cousins for a nice family dinner the other day!  I couldn't pass up the offer to join them because my grandma was making some of the best German food ever and plus my parents were away on vacation that week and I didn't feel like making myself dinner the first night they went away!!  I am of German background and my grandma is from Germany so she's the head chef when it comes to making all things German!  However, I love making German food with her and it means a lot to me that I get to do that!  I wanted to make sure I posted pictures of the food for you guys to see for yourselves how yummy this food looks! 

p.s.  ~ I want y'all to know that my cousin tried to make the German recipie that I'm known for making in the family, and she forgot to add the salt...Just goes to show that you don't mess with the best lol

~Jane

Spaetzle (spet-zle) kinda pronounced like pretzel but with a "sp" sound infront and no "r" lol it's like German pasta...so good!

"German Chicken"

Red Cabbage...yum!

my cousins plate of the spaetzle and "German Chicken"

my plate...including a little bit of everything & applesauce