dear SSA {a love letter to my blog}

I love you. Like, really truly big puffy pink sparkly heart you.

I devote so much time to you, and yet I don't get everything I want to do to you done. Posts are forever silenced in the drafts, the spacing is all wonky (not my fault; blame Blogger) and the photos are less than amazing most of the time, but you never complain. You take what you can get, which usually isn't what you deserve.

You are the place I come to say my piece, to share my opinions, fangirl, and share my faith. My two cents on life. I'm not afraid to shout from the rooftops how much I love my youth group or my undying devotion to peanut butter sandwiches and apple as a school lunch. I can be random and I can be serious. I am free to do what I want and say what I want to say here.

Probably the best thing that has come out of you (bad mental picture) is the friendships you've made possible. For reals, the online friends I have are amazing & I love them so much. To think that I wouldn't know these people if you didn't exist makes me fall into a depression.

I love you SSA.

Inspired by this post by the slap your knee hilarious and drop dead gorgeous Erin @ Living in Yellow.

48 things about little ol' me

Saw this floating around the blogosphere and had to join in!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30. Ughhh.

2. How do you like your steak? I don't eat steak. Really, truly. It's tasty, but if I could have my choice of meat it would be a burger, preferably Five Guys.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Sherlock Holmes 2. Amazing movie! I love anything that Robert Downey Jr. is in, so I might be a little biased.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Doctor Who (DUH), Wipeout, White Collar, Grey's Anatomy, Last Man Standing, the Middle. Man, I watch a lot of TV.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Right here in Eastern NC. Sure, I'd love to live overseas for a season or two (namely Scotland because I am a sucker for their accent), but NC has everything: the beach, farmland, and mountains.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Nothing. Bad SA.

7. What is your favorite food? It depends on my mood and/or season. In the summer, a good pasta salad, corn on the cob, or watermelon but in the winter cheese sticks and soups are always my first pick. 

8. Foods you dislike? Mushrooms, okra, collards,etc.

9. Favorite place to eat? Chili's, Rucker John's CHICK-FIL-A.

10. Favorite dressing? None. My salads are raw veggies only.

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? I share joint custody of a 1996 navy blue Volvo wagon

12. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans or a good summer dress.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland, Scotland, and Africa. 

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 empty.

15. Where would you want to retire? Dude, that's a long way off. Maybe the beach?

16. Favorite time of day? Early afternoon or SUPER late at might when I'm the only one up.

17. Where were you born? Same place I've lived for all my life.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Does this need answering? ;)

19. What is your favorite fragrance? Japanese Cherry Blossom. 

20. What is your favorite face cream? Bwahaha. I am not girl enough to even consider putting on face cream.

21. Favorite baby/kids products? Considering I don't have kids, none.

22. People watcher? Are you kidding me?! It's as good as watching a movie.

23. Are you a morning or night person? If you ever wake me up, I will CUT YOU. At night I'm ready to partay.

24. Do you have any pets? A fat cat and a sick dog.

25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? I'm about to purchase something BIG.

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher and a mom. Now I want to be a nurse and a mom of 7. I'm crazy, I know.

27. What are some of your favorite memories? Too many to name but generally just the simple things are the things I remember the most vividly.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Cat, although Bullet has swayed me in the other direction some.

29. Are you married? Yes, didn't I tell you? I'm married! Hahaha. Gotcha. What 16 year old gets married?!

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yep. I feel like such a rebel if I realize I haven't and we're at the end of the driveway.

31. Been in a car accident? Nope. Been close, though.

32. Any pet peeves? When people talk over other people, when people say "like" too much, smacking, and having a messy/ dirty house...

33. Favorite pizza toppings?Veggies. Onions and peppers, please. I'm sure my breath smells ah-mazing after I eat 3 slices.

34. Favorite flower? Gardenias or the little lavender buds.

35. Favorite ice cream? Moose Tracks. Man, that sounds good now.

36. Favorite fast food restaurants? Sonic.

37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? Hahaha, I just about failed my permit test. Was one question away from having to go back to the ::shudder:: DMV.

38. From whom did you get your last email? Jack. Ya'll remember him, right?

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I'd need a credit card first, but Target or Old Navy. Any online shop like Ruche or ModCloth as well.

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Nope, although I do love a spontaneous event.

41. Like your job? Who doesn't like babysitting little kiddos with their friend?

42. Broccoli? A good broccoli salad is amazing.

43. What was your favorite vacation? Probably the time we went down to the beach for a WHOLE WEEK. Our vacays are three days tops so that one was extra special.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My family. Gotta love them.

45. What are you listening to right now? The birds chirping.

46. What is your favorite color? Purple.

47. How many tattoos do you have? None. I'm a rebel, but not that extreme. I don't feel like breaking the law to go get a tattoo when I can use a Sharpie.

48. Coffee drinker? Nope. I prefer to get my caffiene in via other ways, but I do love a good mocha frap from the Coffee Shack.

So guys. Know anything about me that you didn't know before?

like what you see? i do.

Like what you see? I do. Oh, man...I do. For the first time I think I can ever remember, my blog looks semi-profesh and I did ALL the work myself. ::gives self a pat on the back::

This tutorial from Clover Lane (found it blog hopping...don't ask me to retrace my steps) helped me create the awesome header you see up there. Free & oh so simple with Picasa (which is probably what most will start using now that Picnik is going away...R.I.P), I whipped it up over my lunch break. LUNCH BREAK, ya'll. That's 30 minutes or so. 30 minutes of time well spent, my friends.

Updated sidebar greeting, about me (pictures coming) & blog roll page (work in progress), and uncluttering the sidebar give the blog a new look. The best part? Since my headers are so easy to do now, I can change them up monthly. Can't wait to start my monthly makeovers again!


Happy Wednesday, readers.

blimey cow

A year or so ago, I used to love Julian Smith. My friends and I would laugh our heads off at this video...and this one. And maybe this one too. Oh yeah, can't forget this one. TOO funny. Then we fell off the bandwagon and I forgot the awesomeness of funny YouTube videos. That is, until I watched this video that's circling around the blogosphere (and Facebook. but, ya know, i wouldn't know about that).

While Seven Lies about Homeschooling is amazing, Stupid People Who Do Stupid Things on the Internet convicted me while making me laugh so hard tears ran down my face. Just watch...




Convicting, right? I mean, I do things for the sole reason of telling ya'll about it. It's not nessicarily a bad thing because it keeps me accountable on projects, New Years resolutions, etc...but when it gets in the way of your life, that's when it gets bad.

Let's vow to share the good AND the bad with each other without losing who we are in the process. Agreed? Agreed.

where in the world is carmen san diego, er, sarah-anne?!

If you've asked yourself that question in the past couple weeks, you're awesome. 

Truth is, I can do everything EXCEPT read blogs on my Kindle Fire. Which stinks, but you win some, you lose some.  & since that's the only thing I can't do on the Kindle, I forget that we own a laptop & sink into a Words with Friends coma (wanna play? leave your username in the comments & i'll beat you! or maybe you'll be me...50/50 chance). Thus, no blog posts. 

Forgive me?!

Happy Monday, friends. I hope you've settled back into a normal routine nicely since the holidays are over ::sniff sniff:: Be on the lookout for a bunch of new catch up posts! 

a christmas tag

In honor of it being one {ONE?!} week until Christmas, I'd thought I'd to a little Christmas tag. But really, it's just an excuse to do yet another tag. I'm sorta addicted to them. Casey did it as well so I know it's pretty cool ;)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate & popcorn is my favorite nighttime snack. Not ever lying when I say I'll have it days in a row. 

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them...although this year Santa ::cough cough Mama & Dad cough cough:: is getting behind in setting out the presents.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. Traditional all the way.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I've always wanted to but never have. Mostly, it's because just so darn high up in the trees & heights are not my friend.

5. When do you put your decorations up? I make myself wait until after Thanksgiving, but this year we were a little late getting everything up. 

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Tough question...I'd have to say green bean casserole. I'll totally addicted to the fried onions.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Again, tough question. A couple that stand out in my mind are my little bro getting a fire truck bed {he was REALLY into fire trucks that year} and reading two or three books in bed one Christmas morning waiting for everyone to get up.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents never "did" Santa...plus it wasn't hard to figure out; my parents didn't hide the fact they were Christmas shopping for us.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Every year since I can remember...and it's always PJ's.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? It's not a themed tree by any means. Just full of our yearly ornaments with regular ol' lights.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT! Sorry, all capitals had to be used. It's my favorite weather type after all. 

12. Can you ice skate? I absolutely love it, but I can't say I'm amazing. At least I don't fall down a lot.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Probably Just Dance 2. So many memories playing that game!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering that it's not about ME, but about Jesus. Without him, we would be nothing...and there would be no Christmas at all. Harsh, but true.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Crockpot candy. Recipe coming!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?  Opening up the pajamas, of course! 

17. What tops your tree? A gold star that my mom spray painted YEARS ago. This year we intertwined lights inside it as well...looks amazing!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? While I love receiving {I mean, who doesn't?!}, getting the perfect gift for someone & seeing their face light up makes me oh so happy.

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? YUCK! Can't stand peppermint/mint. It's a wonder I can stand brushing my teeth.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Confession: I'm not into the holiday movies. We're going to watch It's a Wonderful Life for sure!

21. Saddest Christmas Song? Mary, Did You Know or You're Here. Total tear-jerkers.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Amazingly, You're Here. I'm a sap for sure!

Merry one-week-til-Christmas, readers!

happy birthday Simply Sarah-Anne!

Wow, time flies doesn't it? Seems like just yesterday I was pulling together Etsy sellers & writing up the giveaway posts for my first blogoversary celebration, waiting in anticipation to see who won what giveaway. But in reality, that was a year ago and you're 2 now. So, happy birthday Simply Sarah-Anne! Here's to many more blogoversaries over the coming years. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, I just wrote a birthday post on my blog FOR my blog and yes, I realize that I do the same thing with human friends. I'm certifiably crazy and you can commit me to the mental institution now.

But, this blog connects me to my human (blogging) friends and I'm so grateful for that. Simply Sarah-Anne is like that mutual friend that introduced you and your best friend. Through my blog I've met so many inspiring, Christian, gorgeous (Yes, I just pulled the beauty card, but I seriously follow all the blogs that have the prettiest authors out there.) bloggers. Is it possible to be in debt to something that's not alive? Because I am forever in debt to my blog for leading me to all these wonderful ladies.


This blog means friendship to me and through that I'm encouraged on a daily basis, both in my walk with Christ and life in general. I hope it means the same to you and my readers stick around for another year...and another and another and another. 

In addition to the friends I've made, I've grown as a writer and challenged myself in so many ways. From my photography (I bought a DSLR and just this year, switched to shooting in all Manual), outfits (I used to wear blah stuff over and over again no matter what), and projects (like i said, inspiring people inspire you) I've grown so much. Call it peer pressure, but it works for me...seeing someone else do something so I can take the plunge and do it yourself.


So, happy birthday to Simply Sarah-Anne. Here's to many more friendships to be made and blog posts to be written!

such a bad blogger am i

This is sad. I'm so out of the blogging loop I can't even think of a catchy post title.

I might as well lower you reader's expectations because it seems like I can only post about once a week now. Now, that's not my intention, but I hate to get your hopes up for nothing. Maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised to see more than one post per week in your dashboard? I certainly hope so.

Happy Monday readers...or should I say happy weekly update day? It's up to the people to decide.

it's the little things {link up #2}

I'm back with It's the Little Things after a week off...and it's go to be back, sharing the little things God does to bless me during the week. If you think you'd like to join in, read her rules then go to this week's post to link up!

...rainy afternoons.
...productive school days; so productive that I got two days off! Yeah baby.
...premade cookies in the fridge so I could satisfy my chocolate craving right.then.
...hanging out with the cousin TWICE, on back to back afternoons.
...babysitting for an mom whom I'm so close too; and chatting about camp after she got home.
...Halloween candy out & buying a bag of Snicker's just because.
...having my Dad take my outfit pictures.
...party planning and setting up!
 ...little boys that are turning into men laughing wayyy into the night outside in their tents.

Happy Friday readers! I'm off to greet our party guest and drink a lot of Dr. Pepper. Because you know that's the drink of choice at our parties. ;)

blog facelift

If you've been hanging around Simply Sarah-Anne for awhile, you know that when I have a blog design, I usually stick with it for awhile until the seasons change or I just tire of the same colors staring at me each time I open my blog {which is a lot. A LOT.}

While I did love the header my IRL friend Emily & I designed one afternoon, it was bringing me down, putting me in a blogging slump. It was just so...dark & I couldn't stand it anymore. So, a bloggy facelift was in order.

My love for neutrals became an obsession and I knew exactly what I want the blog to look like, so off I went to make a new header on Scrapblog.com only to have about a million width problems. I ran to Emily begging for help and she graciously helped me install the header in all of it's glory.

All that to say: what do you think? Do you like it? I need to know anything that might need to be changed! Some other changes are coming too; an updated blog roll list & just this afternoon I switched back to the good ol' Blogger commenting system {I never really liked Intense Database system; too many problems}. While the comments aren't showing up on the blog, I have all of them saved in my email :) Thank goodness, am I right?! It would make me oh so sad if they were lost forever.

Happy Tuesday readers; almost halfway through the week.

it's the little things {link up #1}

My blogging hero, Lindsay, started hosting a link up called "It's the Little Things" to remind us that God blesses in a not-so big ways. A whole day can turn around when I get a special little something in the mail or my favorite show is on TV that night, and it's great to document the little things God puts in our day to show us he loves us!


...nutella on sale at the store.

...going to a movie with my cousin.

...late night, spur-of-the-moment texts from a friend inviting down to the river.

...a fresh new haircut.

...library books just waiting to be read. 

...ice cold Dr. Pepper & popcorn as daily snacks {hey, i gotta get my junk food in sometime, right? ;)}

...tea & toast in the morning.

...cooler temps & fleece PJs.

What are the little ways you see God working in your life & showing you He loves you lately?

Favorite Things Friday + Saturday Shopping {13}

Today I'm linking up with Kim's  Favorite Things Friday and Gussy's  Saturday Shopping blogging meme's. I absolutely love finding new Etsy pretties and sharing them with you, so here we go!
{Warning: Lots of cuteness coming your way. Just sayin'.}
 
Okay, so it's official: 1) I like to have themes in my FTF + SS and 2) I'm in love with the color coral.

{1. Coral Headband}

{2. Coral Fabric Necklace}

{3. Coral Ribbon Pearl Necklace}

{4. Coral V Dress}

{5. Coral Infinity Scarf}

{6. Cleopatra Earrings}

{7. Chic Coral Tree Pillow}

{8. Seaside Beaded Coral Bracelet}

{9. Coral Crochet Lace Trimmed Dress}

{10. Coral Beaded Triple Leather Bracelet}

{11. Coral Art Collection}

{12. Chrysanthemum Post Earrings}

Happy Saturday readers! Hope your weekend is amazing :)

Favorite Things Friday + Saturday Shopping {12}

Today I'm linking up with Kim's  Favorite Things Friday and Gussy's  Saturday Shopping blogging meme's. I absolutely love finding new Etsy pretties and sharing them with you, so here we go!
{Warning: Lots of cuteness coming your way. Just sayin'.}

Again, running with the OMG-its-Fall theme of Simply SA this week, I decided to make a Etsy Mini FULL of Fall pretties. And again, I had to stop myself of <3ing everything in sight; Etsy is so so so addicting!    

{1. Fall Poppy Dress}

{2. Silver Tree Necklace}

{3. Autumn Wedding Necklace}

{4. Vintage Flapper Dress}

{5. Autumn Art Case}

{6. Fall Leaves Necklace}

{7. Falling Leaves Earrings}

{8. Linen Ruffle Necklace

{9. Goldenrod Poppy Garland Headband}

{10. Brown Leaves Wristlet}

{11. Acorn Necklace}

{12. Autumn Tree Necklace}

{13. Orange Ribbed Cowl}

{14. Autumn Bridesmaid Clutches}

{15. Autumn Headpiece}

{16. Forest Hobo Bag}

{17. Autumn Oak Leaf}

{18. Fall Flower Garden Necklace}

{19. Felt Rosette Fall Wreath}

{20. Woodland Whispers Headband}  

Happy weekend readers! I'm going to be busy tracking ECU's first game of the season & having a blast at WOL kickoff this Sunday!  

7 things about me {blog party}

I was inspired by my new blogging friend Erika from the Etsy shop Rouge & Whimsy  {along with the original  to, once again, bombard me readers with random get-to-know-me questions in hopes of when, someday in the future, I met a blogging friend we'll already know each other because of these types of blog posts. Am I the only one whose goal is the same when we do these blog parties? No? All right then, moving on... 

7 Places I Would Like to Visit 

1. Africa -- As always, it's the first on my list; I can't wait to go {Lord willing}!!  

2. Ireland -- I'm a 4th generation Irishman {woman?} so that's a duh. 
3. Czech Republic -- I'm also a third generation Czechoslovakian as well; Can you tell I want to go to my family's birth places? 
4. Paris -- just because I want to say I've been there...and because I want to take a picture of the Eiffel tower at night.
5. All 50 states would be pretty nice. I feel a RV trip coming on in my retirement years; who's with me?
6. A handmade market, like Creative Estates or Queen Bee Market. I could do some serious damage to my non-existent bank account.  
7. The beach -- such a lame answer but I love <3 the beach like whoa. 


7 Things I Would Like to Make
1. This camera strap {which I can't find a link for, grrr}... 
2. ...along with this flat iron cover from the same person, my blogging role model Raechel. She's crafty beyond belief. I've also got a person in mind I'm gonna make this for ::hint hint:: ;)
3. This AWESOME canvas by Lindsey -- so fun & customizable!
4. This Gussy organizer -- I'm forever making little to-do lists for post ideas & I'd love to have them all in one place to reference. 
5. A driftwood star -- Lindsey's done it again with another great idea; what a good idea for all that driftwood you collect on summer vacays
6. Crayon art -- First saw this on Pinterest & fell in love; a great way to use up old crayon bits. 
7. Ruffled Scarf tutorial -- I've looked at this tutorial for a year now trying to get up the courage to use elastic thread & jersey material. So far I'm thisclose to doing it...




7 People I'd Like to Meet (Dead or Alive)
All my blog readers would HAVE to fill up this; I'm pretty sure that I would DIE if I meet Raechel, Keight, Davene, Emily Joy,  Ruthanne, Gussy or Ilene...just to name a few Or, to be exact, 7! I totes didn't plan that one; I'm not that clever.


7 Things I Would Like to Own
1. A summer house...on the beach, of course! 

2. A Ford. Preferably an Escape or an Explorer but any Ford will do!3. My own business -- a coffee shop or handmade biz maybe? I'm not crafty but I want to be one of the cool people that has their own booming business at home.
4. An upgraded camera -- Maybe a Ti or anything with a D after it? But first I must  
5. A regular house & all I need to decorate it with aka money
6. A unlimited gift card to Target & Old navy because I need some jeans like WHOA for the Fall. 
7. Season tickets to ECU games -- something I'm looking forward to when I go to ECU is going to be able to go to games each weekend.  


7 Things That Annoy Me


1. Blogger's that make everything sound like rainbows & unicorns & Skittles. -- Homegirl knows that people want to be uplifting but sometimes you get to feeling down when you read all about their "perfect" life. But! That's a whole 'nother post, friend.
2. People chewing gum; it's gross & unhuman to me.
3. Cursing in books & film -- It's one thing to curse out loud, but in a book?! Really, come on.
4. Textures -- Velvet creeps me out & I can't touch anything slick...Sand bugs me & I can't stand anything sticky on my hands.
5. Loud things -- Yelling & the TV turned up wayyy loud bug me so bad.
6. In relation to #5, people that can't hear -- I hate saying everything 2 or 3 times.
7. The Internet not working. We have people on the moon but can't have Internet sometime?! I thought we were better than that.

7 Films I Love

1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
2. Iron Man 1 and 2
3. Tangled
4. The Spiderman Trilogy -- that's where my nickname SA came from {from Peter calling Mary Jane "MJ" all the time, thankyouverymuch}
5. Back to the Future trilogy
6. Day After Tomorrow
7. National Treasure 1 and 2 

7 Funny Words

1. Peeps
2. Any coffee related word - I feel so stupid saying it because I'm deathly afraid of being laughed at because I said something a funny way. Plus, they're just weird words.
3. Thug {and on that note...Gangster is pretty funny too}
4. Precocious
5. Surprise {for the record, I LOVE <3 surprises I just can't spell it. that "r" throws me off.}
6. Schedule {again, the "c" and the "h" throw me off!}
7. Comfortable -- To this day I can't say that word right; I say comfy instead. 


About a billion bonus points to you if you got through all this; you are forever my friend. ;)

a new look + 100 followers to celebrate!

After an afternoon of blog construction dust, my new look is revealed! I've been inspired by lots o' bloggers by their new fall looks and more streamlined designs, so I enlisted the help of my IRL bestie, Emily, to help me with a new header. Thankfully I was able to keep my template from Megan & make a new header via Scrapblog, succeeding in having a new blog design for free. Wheeee!!

Lots of rearranging will be done, don't worry. I'm still trying to get everything just perfect so check back over the weekend for updated pages 7 less sidebar widgets. Thanks for sticking with me through all the blog redos readers!


And, as the title states, I've reached a hundred followers!! ::happy dance:: 102, in fact. I'm not a follower fanatic that asks for followers in every post & comment, promising a giveaway if you'd just pretty please follow my blog already!! I want my followers to follow my blog because they like it, not because they have to be a follower to enter one of my giveaways...and I think I've accomplished my goal.

Happy 102 followers to me! :)

a sweet surprise in the mail

On Wednesday I was feeling crumby. Like, really really really crumby. I spent the day on the couch trying to get comfortable & was just starting to feel better when Mama walked in the room with an envelope...addressed to me. I LOVE <3 getting packages in the mail, and just the thought of getting a little handwritten note was enough to perk me up. But exactly what was IN the package was something I wasn't expecting at. all.

A few weeks back, my blogging friend Emily received a camera necklace from Forever 21 & I commented on it with my over-the-top enthusiam as always, ha! Little did I know Emily would send me one of my very own AND the sweetest letter to boot! Thank you sooo much Emily; I think it captures {get it?!} our personalities so well, don't you think readers?!

Thanks again Emily!! This gift was such a thoughtful thing to do for a friend. :) Also? Am I lame at taking "model" pictures or what?! Oh well, I'm still insanely excited about the necklace to care about my awkwardness.

Etsy shop feature: TheMerchantMariner

Alternately titled Favorite Things Friday + Saturday Shopping {10}


Today I'm linking up with Kim's  Favorite Things Friday and Gussy's  Saturday Shopping blogging meme's. I absolutely love finding new Etsy pretties and sharing them with you, so here we go!
{Warning: Lots of cuteness coming your way. Just sayin'.}


We're shaking things up a bit, readers, for this week's edition of FTF + SS; instead of featuring a bunch of random shops, I've found one of the coolest shops known to man: TheMerchantMariner! Seriously, a whole shop devoted to nautical-themed jewelry?! I die from awesomness. 


Since I obviously can't feature all 35 items of TJ's, I can however share with you my favorites & hopefully spread the word about all her awesome jewelry items. Ready? Get set. GO! 

{Dead Fish Necklace}

{Sand Dollar Necklace}

{Nautical Ship's Wheel Earrings}

{Anchor Necklace}

{Seahorse Necklaces}

{Brass Anchor Necklace}

So...was I right or was I right? It's that shop too cool?! I love it. Very original & beachy. 


Happy Saturday readers!! 


Disclosure: I was in no way compensated for my feature of this shop, just like any other FTF + SS feature. TJ probably doesn't even know who I am. I simply LOVE <3 sharing my Etsy finds & promoting the handmade business' of others. All photos copyright TJ's shop! 

memories of the beach {a guest post by Meredith}

Ya'll. This girl named Meredith? She writes some of the best posts I've read...and I've read a lot because I'm a blogging junkie. But we weren't talking about that, were we? No. Like I said, this girl is amazing; I literally LOL'd when I read this post and I'm 100% sure you will too. Take it away, Mere {I call her that because we're friends. Be jealous.}

        Ahh, the beach. It's kind of wonderful, no? I mean, who goes to the beach thinking “I really wish I wasn't going to the beach?” (If you just said “I do,” go visit a mental hospital or something.) The beach is fantastic. I would know, I just went to the beach! I'm pretty much experienced in the art of...beaching. 

{via weheartit}

      But, as experienced as I may be, I have never been able to achieve any level of beachy cuteness. I need to know how those girls do it. You know the ones. The ones with the perfect hair, the perfect tan, and a cute nautical themed outfit that's, well, perfect? I usually end up looking like a freckled tomato. And forget keeping my hair in place. It usually ends up in my mouth. Take my advice, if you need beachy fashion help, ask the girl in that picture. Not me.

     Moving on. Trips to the beach are lovely. There's something about the salty breeze and the sound of the waves that makes me want to just plop down on the soft sand and sleep. Going to the beach is the vacation of all vacations. Leaving footprints in the sand, gathering sea shells, feeling the waves lap against your legs, chasing sea gulls, they're all sweet, simple memories you'll never forget.

        The highlight of my beach trip was probably walking down the shore line, talking to my friend about "the old days". The sand was cool beneath our feet, the waves were gently teasing us, and soon we jumped in. Wild horses couldn't drag me out of that water. It was blissful. Sadly, all good things come to an end. We had to leave, and on the car ride home I could feel myself swaying to the swells of the ocean. I'm thankful I still have all those wonderful memories. Beach trips are the best.

          Speaking of all good things coming to an end, I'm afraid I've said my speel and it's time for me to go. I'm so honored to be guest posting here at Sarah-Anne's blog. She's such a sweet and lovely girl! & I hope you'll all come visit me on my side of the blogosphere. Until then, I remain yours truly & beachy,

                                                                       Meredith

BIO: Hello, I'm Meredith! I'm a fun-loving fifteen year old gal. I have hair that some might describe as a sandy brown or a golden blond or a strawberry red. My eyes are the color of the sea. My hobbies include reading good books, making people laugh, baking and frosting cupcakes, and blogging (over at mere words of mine.) I love the color yellow {just to let you know}. I also love Christ Jesus more than life itself. I'd be thrilled if you came by to see me. I dearly love new friends. Well, ta ta for now!

The Beach {a guest post by Emily N}

Can you believe it?! We're on the second day of guest posting, and this post was written by my IRL bestie, Emily N!! I'm sure you've heard of her because only every other post here at Simply SA mentions her & her family. She's got a great line-up of her fave things about the beach, so stick around & read her post if you'd like! Take it away, woman! ;)

I'm so excited to write a guest post for Sarah-Anne! She really wants all of us to keep the beach theme for each of our posts this week, so I’m going to write about my favorite things about the beach.

First off, I love the beach. I have always dreamed of living at the beach all during the summer, but I’m pretty sure that it’s not going to happen. I would love to live down there in a big pink house like this one:

I bet you never guessed that one. Pink? What do you know?! It is my favorite color… =)

I think it would be absolutely amazing to be able to walk on the beach anytime I wanted during the summer and come home to my own cozy beach house. It doesn’t hurt to have big dreams, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some ingredients for a blissful day at the beach (in my opinion):

A bright blue sky…

Sticking my toes in the water and jumping in the waves…

Sand between my toes…

Visits from a friendly little crab…

Getting seafood at a waterside restaurant…

Sitting on the beach and reading for hours under a bright colored umbrella…

Windblown hair that smells like the sea (and that gets extra curly with the humidity).

Flips flops, cute beach bags, and stylish sunglasses…

Ice cream at Dairy Queen…

Photoshoots on the beach...

Fishing on the dock…

Long walks down the beach before the sun goes down for the night…

and...

You can't forget the gorgeous sunsets over the water, right?  Is there anything else that you would add to the list? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for letting me guest post, Sarah-Anne!  

P.S. Sarah-Anne has some pretty amazing guest bloggers lined up for y'all for the rest of the week… I would definitely check back in the next day or so because it's going to be pretty spectacular!

Hi Everyone! It’s Emily from Practically Pink (otherwise known as Sarah-Anne’s “in real life friend”). I live in a small town in NC with my family; my wonderful father, my older sister, Katie (21), and my younger brother, Andrew (almost 14). Also, you might already know this, but my mother just recently passed away due to lung cancer. We are a Christian family and are trusting in Him as we start this new chapter in our lives. He is going to help us through this difficult time, but we just have to lean on Him and walk by faith. My little corner of the internet is a snapshot of our life, mixed with an assortment of many other things that catch my eye on a daily basis. Come on over and say hello! I would love to "meet" ya'll!

etsy beach finds {a guest post by Emily S}

First up in Simply SA's guest post week is my blogging friend Emily {and by friend I mean really good friend. We're currently plotting to meet up sometime; too bad neither of us can drive!}. She was immediate in her response to guest post so she got first dibs & ya'll get to look at Etsy beach-themed pretties. SCORE! Give it up for Emily!! 

Hey everyone! This is Emily from Flip Flops and Polka Dots. When the lovely Sarah-Anne asked me to guest post, my immediate reaction was 'Um... YES!!!'! Sarah-Anne wanted to stay in the theme of the beach, and so I scoured Etsy to find anything and everything beachy and nautical! Here are some of my truly beautiful finds...

Beach View photograph by MarascaPhotography:

Isn't it just breathtaking???

Dreaming of the Sea necklace by pennymasquerade

Be A Square Knot Bracelet by junghwa

So simple and beautiful!

I Spy Telescope Necklace by pennymasquerade

And it works! How cool is that???

Happy Seahorse Family Wall Decals by graphicspaces

I had to throw these in... Aren't they just too cute? :)

Beach House Decorative Pillows by PillowThrowDecor

I adore these pillows!

Sugar Starfish on Brown Headband by ShepherdoftheSea

I would loooove the have this!!!

Nautical Lighthouse Cushion Cover by mojosewsew

This is soo cute!

Beach Sign by Twigs2Whirligigs

If only I had known about this sign when my rooms theme was the beach! I totally would have bought it!

Turks Head Knot Rope Bracelet by WhatKnotShop

These bracelets are incredibly popular, so I had to throw one in :)

Do you have any favorite Etsy beach items?

ABOUT ME:
Hi there! My name is Emily, and I'm a 15 year old girl who lives in beautiful Virginia! I love so many things {swimming, baking, playing piano, my puppy Oliver... you get the idea :)}, but my top 3 most favorite things are my Savior, my family, and photography! In that order too :) I love photography SO much, but I know what's really important in life, and what really matters! I really hope you'll stop by my blog to read more about me, my life, and basically everything else! :)