Five on Friday

Happy Friday, y'all!  I hope everyone had a great first week of the new year.  I have to admit, I'm happy it's almost the weekend.  This one got me.  While it started out warm (record-breaking 80 on Tuesday!), it's dropped every day, and there's a chance it might even snow here tomorrow.  I know what I'll be doing: watching football, Netflix, and definitely not helping those New Year's resolutions.  Here's what I've been up to:

Lilly Overload: Did anyone else shop the After Party Sale (eventually) yesterday?  What a mess the morning was, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much Lilly made up for it with TONS of inventory.  There are a few more hours, and if you're looking for some fun pieces, here are my favorites:

Essie sleeveless in Multi Roar of the Seas ||| Ellie shorts in Gypsy Jungle ||| Amberly swingy dress in Iris Blue Casa Azul ||| tassel necklace ||| Lilah romper ||| Kelly ankle pant in Indigo Sunken Treasure ||| boxed soap set ||| Egret top in Multi Tile Wave 

Healthy eating: Like I said this week, getting healthy is one of my resolutions this year.  I've started looking up healthy recipes using my Crockpot on Pinterest.  Typically, we always make really heavy, saucy dishes - but if I can combine good food with easy cooking, what's not to love?

Giveaway: Have you checked out my Sephora Instagram giveaway yet?  Today is the last day to enter, so make sure you do: @megd_taylor

Hawaii: Mike and I are making our first trip to Hawaii later this winter.  We are staying at Ko Olina and are looking for suggestions on Oahu!  All we know so far is that we will be golfing, checking out all the beaches, and visiting Pearl Harbor but any restaurant, beach, or fun things to do would be awesome!

Charleston Blog Society: Last night was our January event at the cutest little fabric and sewing class shop in Charleston, Five Eighth Seams.  They taught us how to sew our own infinity scarves and Liz from @charlestonweekender gave a fantastic Instagram talk!  Thanks to @aloadofcraft for the first two photos!

Linking up for Oh hey, Friday, Five on Friday, High Five for Friday, and two doses of Friday Favorites

And A Look Forward...

New year, new goals.

Time for those resolutions.  The last two years (2016, 2015) have been about bettering myself (healthy eating, exercise, and makeup), blogging, and family, and this year looks like it will be much of the same with one additional: travel.  We are looking forward to using our Southwest Companion Pass (every time Mike flies, I fly for free) in 2017!

1. Visit 3 new-to-us cities: combining that pass with our baseball bucket list is going to make for an awesome summer.  Our dream is to see a game at every MLB park together, and so far, we've done San Francisco, NYC (Yankees), Atlanta, Denver, and this year we're looking at Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, St. Louis, or Kansas City - any suggestions?

2. Style my hair everyday: Okay, don't laugh.  Last year, I really did well with my "wear makeup everyday" resolution.  While it might only be mascara, concealer, and blush, I really did feel more put together walking out of the house every morning.  This year, I need to stop leaving for work with wet hair.  I think if I spend 5 minutes blow drying it each morning, I will have even more confidence throughout the day.

3. Improve my health: Here is my vague, perpetual resolution.  This year, my ideas are: vitamins, more salads for lunch, consistent eating, and finding more outdoor activities I enjoy.  We'll see how it goes!

4. Cook one recipe from every cookbook I own: Thank you, Christy for this one!  Mike and I have definitely been better about cooking for one another, but I have all of these cookbooks with pretty photos that I need to use.  I am going to go sticky note crazy this month and find delicious recipes to make all year!

5. Stay in touch: Two years ago, I sent birthday cards to friends and family.  I love the way it feels when I got a card, and while I fulfilled that resolution for most of the year in 2015, I didn't send a single one last year.  Unlike my makeup resolution that really created a lifestyle change, I think I need one more try to get the same to happen with this one.  This year, in addition to birthday cards, I want to try to make one call per week and be more purposeful about replying to messages (emails and texts) when I receive them.

Lastly, because we all want to start our year and resolutions on the right foot, I am hosting a giveaway over on my Instagram page: Tartelette palette, new brushes, and a $50 Sephora gift card to look good and "look ahead" to the new year!  Click here to check it out and enter!

A Look Back...

Talk about the ultimate review on a Monday... all of 2016.  It was quite a year, and while I will remember the highs of this year (a new home, new friends, weddings, and weddings) fondly, there were so many ways that I dream 2017 will be better.  On a personal level, I hope that all of my eye troubles are behind me, and for our world, I wish that we can all find peace, love, and acceptance, no matter who we are, who we love, or where we come from.

I also want to thank all of you for your support this year.  I thought I'd round up my top post from each month in 2016, and I was pleasantly surprised at what y'all enjoyed the most:

January - Tax Tips for Bloggers 

February - Carmelita Bars 

March - Disney Glass Slipper Race Recap 

April - (New House:) Framed and Financed

May - Guide to Charleston Breweries

June - Host a Spa Party at Home & Southern Proper Style on Kiawah Island

Two posts within two days got the most page views all year, so I thought they both deserved to be shared. 

July - Watermelon Sangria

August - A Lilly Look

September - Game Day Football Banner

October - The After Matth(ew)

November - Builder Grade to Custom Made Bathroom in Five Easy Steps

December - But the Prettiest Sight To See...

And continuing with December, Mike and I spent the last week in New England with our families.  I can honestly say that I've never "unplugged" for a vacation so much in my life.  I snapped a few times, but took literally 11 photos on my phone.  It felt great, and I am definitely recharged for a new year of blogging.

Mike and I always do our own Christmas before we leave for New England so we don't have to bring the presents for each other up and back down on the plane for no reason.  The cats were obviously very excited about his tickets to the Daytona 500 this year!

I don't even understand how my ring bearer and these twins are getting so big!!

 Coffee dates with old friends

Our annual college friends reunion and Secret Santa party!

New Year's with fantastic friends!

I hope y'all had a fantastic New Year's - happy 2017!  Linking up with Biana for some New Year's Weekending!