31 Days of SCG: Day 2 - Fall TV

My first fall love is college football, but fall television definitely comes in a close second! Here's a glimpse of what I'm currently loving and shows I'm planning to watch this fall...

Currently watching...

Castle - Mondays 10pm

Finally a couple on one of the shows I watch gets together!! The combination of author Richard Castle's wit and humor along with Detective Kate Beckett's strong will and bravery make this a very interesting couple to watch. We're 2 episodes into the season and so far I have been loving every minute of "Caskett"! 

Law and Order: SVU - Wednesdays 9pm

This should come as no surprise to anyone that this show is on my list. After Detective Stabler left at the end of season 12 *tear* I was nervous as far as if the show was still going to succeed. But judging by the body of work from last season and this season's premiere (if you watched it too...HOLY COW RIGHT?!?), I will be one of the first to say this show is as good if not better than it has been in years. Yes I do miss the relationship Benson had with Stabler, but it gives so much more for the character of Olivia to play and we get to see her confront feelings and circumstances she hasn't before. If I watch one show during this week, this is the show. 

Dancing with the Stars: All Stars - Mondays & Tuesdays 8pm

I used to watch all the seasons of DWTS, but for one reason or another had lost touch with the show the last couple years, but I started watching All Stars last week and saw some of my old favorites (Shawn Johnson! Melissa Ryecroft!) and knew I had to stay tuned this season. It's definitely a harder season to watch because everyone is SOO good and stars who dance really well are getting voted off on week 2!

 

666 Park Avenue - Sunday 10pm

I kept going back and forth with wanting to watch this show, but then Sunday night rolled around and I decided to give it a shot. And lemme tell ya, it is definitely a show that keeps you on your toes and a shocked look on your face! There were a couple times in the first episode where my mouth fell open in surprise! I'm not sure if it's a clear winner yet, but I'm planning to watch for at least the next couple weeks. I'm intrigued.... 

Planning to watch....

Nashville - Wednesday October 10 10pm

Drama + country music + Hayden Panettiere = can't wait for this premiere!

The Vampire Diaries - Thursday October 11 8pm

I will be the first to admit that I am NOT a vampire person. I have never read a Twilight book nor seen the movies, but for one reason or another I found myself on youtube last week watching clips of The Vampire Diaries. TWO HOURS LATER...and watching how the last season ended...well it sucked me in  *no pun intended* enough to want to know what happens between Elena, Damon, and Stefan. (totally Team "Delena" in case you were wondering!)

What TV shows are you looking forward to this fall? Any good ones I need to be watching???

Saturday Night Thoughts

There is no rhyme or reason to this post tonight. Just some random thoughts and happenings going on I wanted to jot down. Sometimes these are my favorite posts to read so I hope you enjoy! 

• This is the first Gamecock football season in 5 years where I'm not going to every home game. Not only am I not going I've actually been at work when the games have been going on. So needless to say the fact that I'll actually get to watch the Kentucky game next week AND I'm going to the Georgia game the week after makes me a happy fan!

• Today was an overwhelming day at my new job. We offer what are called 'express services' which can be anything from a foundation match to an eyeshadow look. I was only zoned in 'color' for an hour but during that hour I had 3 people ask for a concealer match and another wanted basically an eyeshadow 101 lesson. So I have to tell the customers that I will be more than happy to find someone to help them out, but I hate not being able to help them myself! My managers (who I love and are very supportive) and I discussed this and they wholeheartedly agreed that next time I work I'm gonna be paired up with a buddy to watch some services so I can get more comfortable. My main manager also told me tonight that she was proud of how I was coming along, which is SUCH a huge thing to hear when you only had a so-so day!

• I have the day off tomorrow and I am SO. EXCITED. Since starting my second job I've told them everyday I had off from CVS I would work. So naturally that equals no days off for this girl! AND I have Wednesday off too! I'm not gonna know what to do with myself! 

look at all that space!! 

• Fall TV comes back this week!!! As busy as I am I have no idea how I'm going to keep up with my shows, but two of my all time faves are coming back, Castle and SVU!! If I only watch 2 shows this fall these will be it. I may be a tad obsessed.

Happy Saturday everyone!! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!! 

Sunday Social Link-Up!

I know I know...where the h*** have I been?!?! I have no excuses, only that I have missed this little blog and am hoping to get back into a writing routine. Especially since I have a couple of big events coming up in the next couple weeks, from my college roommate getting married to family vacation in London! So to kick things off....

I saw this link-up mentioned by one of my new favorite bloggers Meghan @ Shine On...tales of a twenty-something and thought it would be a great way to dive back into things (even though I am a day late!)



The Sunday Social linkup is hosted by Ashley and Neely, and each Sunday they are going to post a set of questions with a central theme with the main goal being so that you can link up on their blogs and get to know some new bloggers! I wasn't a reader of either blog before tonight, but I am definitely a follower now! With this being the first week of the link-up, the questions had a "get to know you theme"
How did you come up with your blog name? Originally, I named my blog carolina prep (see URL since I've never changed it), but about 2 years ago I realized I wasn't so much a fan of that name and decided to switch over the Sweet Carolina Girl. I think it's much more a representation of what my blog is about, as well as matches my twitter name (@swtcarolinagrl5) and other social media sites. If anyone has an idea how to switch over my URL lemme know! 
What is your favorite thing about blogging? Hands down all the friends and people I have met. This is also largely in part to Twitter, but I would have never met any of the fabulous people I now talk to on a daily basis if it wasn't for the blogging world. I also love that even though we all live our crazy hectic lives, most of the time you're able to find someone who is going through similar situations you are and you know you aren't alone. I've said it multiple times but I so wish I lived closer to some of these wonderful ladies!
What is the one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can't live without? O my goodness, there are so many things. Erin Condren life planners (SOO excited about the new planners coming out!), Etsy, flash sale websites, new makeup products, the list goes on and on and on!! 

Facebook or Twitter? and why? TWITTER!! Even though I haven't written on this blog in almost 4 months, I am on twitter constantly. The obsession only grew when I got my iPhone and literally had it all day everyday with me in the palm of my hand. I think twitter is a great way to develop the relationships you have made with the people you met while blogging. It also often acts as a source of news (it's where I first heard about Osama Bin Laden's death) and always keeps my updated on my SVU scoop! 
If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be? The woman is way too busy, but my fave Mariska Hargitay. The woman can do no wrong! 
What is something you want people to know about your blog? I may not post all that frequently, but what I post is 100% me. I am a twenty-something recent college grad trying to find my dream job in this crazy place they call the "real world." I'm obsessed with all things beauty-related, will watch Law and Order:SVU all day everyday, and will be a Carolina Gamecock fan until the day I die!!

Hope everyone has a great start to their week. If you have any kind of blog post you would like to see, please let me know! I'm hoping to put up a couple mail-order beauty box reviews and some favorite products soon! Love yall!!
xoxoNatalie

Q&A Monday #2!

1.  Favorite place you've traveled?

2.  Where would you want to go if you could have a paid ticket and hotel?

3.  If you have a trip planned, where is it to?

4. Were you an honor roll student in school?

5. What was your major in college?

6. Ever go to camp?

7. Favorite tv show of all time?

8. What was the last thing you ever got grounded for?

9. What was your childhood nickname?

10.What would your dream job be?

Hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!!

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: Finals Distractions

Once again I am linking up with Rachel from Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesday! Of course this week's topic is something that is lingering on the minds of college student everywhere...finals! I am in the middle of what is hopefully my last week of *undergrad* finals EVER! My first true final is Thursday evening and then the one that I am most worried about is Friday at 2pm.

Since I have had 4+ years of finals experience, I am an EXPERT at procrastination and finding things to distract me from studying! Here are what I have as my Top 5 distractions this exam season (in no particular order)...

1. College Football

Even though the regular season of college football is over, this post-season is giving us TONS to talk about (I'm currently watching the Experts on ESPNU)! I spent all day this past Saturday watching the SEC and ACC Championship games and now there's tons of talk about the BSC National Championship game and the Heisman. I've always been a big college football fan but for some reason this year I am OBSESSED! I love hearing all the differing opinions and we all love a good rivalry or two! ;)

2. Youtube

O my goodness Youtube is a HUGE distraction!! Yall know I am a beauty junkie and Youtube does nothing but contribute to this obsession! I subscribe to 40+ "beauty gurus", meaning I have about 60 videos sitting in my subscription box ready to watch. This also does nothing for my spending problem...so many items get added to my beauty shopping list from these videos!

**Side note: I've been thinking about doing a post highlighting my favorite Youtube "gurus". Would yall be interested in that?**

3. Law and Order SVU

Yall know this had to make the list! It's not only the show itself that causes a distraction (hello Tuesday marathons!) but its going online to watch sneak preview clips and get updated on the latest news. And it doesn't help that Mariska Hargitay has been out and about all over NYC, meaning there's tons of photos to ohh and ahh over!

Sephora Wants by swtcarolinagrl on polyvore.com

4. Sephora

A beauty junkie's dream! As a VIB Sephora sent me a $20 gift card to use but you have to spend a minimum of $50. So of course I've spend hours trying to decide what I wanted to purchase and making sure that no new items have been posted that I just have to have!!

5. Pinterest

I think Pinterest would show up on any college girl's procrastination list! At first you don't really get it, but then you start filling up your boards and it becomes an obsession! Pretty soon you have 20+ boards with hundreds of pins and you can't stop! Here are a few things I have pinned over the last couple days (click here to follow my boards!)

Source: theamericanlegacy.tumblr.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: media.photobucket.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: collegefootballstore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Some honorable mentions: Facebook, Twitter (I sorta don't count this cuz I have TweetDeck so all my tweets are directly on my desktop), Tumblr, Target

What are you Top 5 distractions? How did you get yourself to focus and actually get stuff done?!?

xoxo

Natalie

Top 5 Tuesday: October Favorites

I'm linking up with Rachel @ Just Peachy again for Top 5 Tuesday, and this week's theme is Top 5 October favorites. Let me know if you link up because I would LOVE to read!

1. Bath and Body Works Paris Amour Triple Moisture Body Cream

I started using this before October, but I used up this last little bit of it this month and have had to resist buying more! I'm only resisting because I have SO many different body lotions and creams that I need to use up others, but I swear none of them moisturize like this body cream, even B&BW's lotion isn't as good. And  if I can remember correctly, this is the first Bath and Body Works product I have finished COMPLETELY!!

2. Davines Love Lovely Curl Enhancing Shampoo & Conditioner

I will admit that I was having a total fan-girl moment when I purchased these 2 products. The guy who does Mariska Harigtay's hair on SVU is on twitter and was getting so many questions about what they were doing to her hair this season and what products they were using, and he mentioned that this was the shampoo/conditioner pair they were using. I had never heard of Davines before, and it's a little more pricey than what I usually pay, but thanks to eBay I got the 2 for a decent price. 

I've only been able to use these a couple times since I got them in mid-October, but each time I've used them I have LOVED the results! I can't tell you how many products I have (shampoos, conditioners, styling products etc) that I used to attempt the "tousled, effortless" waves/curls with no luck. I use these at night and stick my wet hair up in a bun while I sleep and when I wake up, I have the tousled look!! 

3. Dr. Pepper 10

I may have found a new soft drink fave! I had a coupon for a free 2-liter of the new Dr. Pepper 10 and when I got it home I almost drank the whole thing in one night! It's much sweeter than Diet Dr. Pepper without all the calories of regular Dr. Pepper. Don't listen to the advertising campaign ladies, this drink is NOT just for men!

4. Gamecock Football

College football is one of my favorite things about fall in general, but October is when things really start to get interesting. At this point all the games are important, tough games that have the "we have to win" mentality. And for the most part the Gamecocks have done their job! It hasn't been pretty, and we've definitely had our struggles (our QB suddenly being dismissed, star RB getting injured and being out for the season, etc) but the important this is that we're 7-1!! Here's hoping the month of November is kind to the Gamecocks as well!

5. Fall TV

Just like football, fall television gets into full swing during the month of October. It's when you can see what new shows are actually going to make it and you need to keep in your schedule and which ones you need toss aside (and you hope the network feels the same)! I'm hoping to have a post up soon about my new fall TV faves and my tv 'schedule', but until then...

Fave returning show: Law and Order SVU (duh!)

Fave new show: Revenge (SOO good!)

BONUS: Birthday month

October will always and forever be my favorite month since it is my birthday month!! I just couldn't write a post about October without mentioning it haha. I had a fabulous birthday and can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store!

xoxo

Natalie

What I'm LOVING Wednesday

Ok so technically it isn't Wednesday anymore BUT I thought this was too appropriate not to use WILW. Let me just preface this by saying....

• today started out awful! I set my alarm for 7am so that I could wake up and study for my spanish test that was at 10:10. Well, I didn't wake up till 9:40, so I had to rush out the door without washing my face or makeup and made it to my test just in time. Needless to say I didn't do much studying before hand.
• Wednesdays are my long days where I go from 10:10am until 5pm. From 2:30 to 5 I am in lab, and if you've ever had a college lab, it is SO frustrating to have so much work to do for a ONE CREDIT HOUR class!!
• For said lab, I had a paper due at 11:55pm that nobody had any idea how to do correctly.Needless to say I submitted mine with about 2 minutes to spare and it wasn't even completely done.

So after all that, this news that popped up on twitter MADE MY NIGHT!

Mariska Hargitay and her husband adopted a baby girl!!!! You can read all about it on people.com. When I saw this news I quickly got tears in my eyes. Adoption holds SUCH a special place in my heart (read my story here) and this makes me love Mariska even more. As you all know I am a huge fan of L&O:SVU and a major reason is because of her. After learning more about her and her life story, she is SUCH an inspirational person to me. These days when Hollywood is filled with people going crazy, I feel people like Mariska, who work hard and use their notoriety for good, don't always get the credit that they deserve. She is someone I consider a role model and comforts me to know that she didn't find her 'purpose' in life until she was in her mid-30s when she started SVU (an issue I'm struggling with now).

Anyways, my not-so-fabulous-day had a HUGE pick-up when I heard this news. Everytime I look at this picture I can't help but smile :) Hope everyone else had a great hump day. I would be excited for the weekend but starting tomorrow I am working 5 days straight :/ Which I guess is a good thing considering I have about $10 in my bank account!

xoxo

N

"The riskier the endeavor, the more exhilarating the reward"

-Mariska Hargitay

Versatile Blogger Award!

Chelsea Lauren at Finding a New Me just awarded me the Versatile Blogger award!!

Thanks girlie :)

Guidelines:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

2. Tell us 7 things about yourself.

3. Award recently discovered new bloggers.

4. Contact the bloggers and let them know they've received the award.

7 Things About Me:

1. I have never dyed my hair! Brunette for life :)

2. Most days on campus you're gonna find me in yoga pants/norts and a tshirt. (don't judge!)

3. I will always and forever be a Gamecock (even though I am applying to other SEC pharm schools *gasp*)

4. I waste WAY too much time watching L&O:SVU

5. Over the past couple months I have spent most of my money on makeup/beauty stuff instead of clothes.

6. I am just slighty obsessed with my ipod touch. It never leaves my side.

7. Crystal Lite energy packets in the wild strawberry flavor are the only way I get stuff done in the library!

Some of my newly discovered blogs...

1. Sole Matters

2. Peace, Love & Margaritas

3. Confessions of a 20 Something

4. Too Much Is Never Enough

5. The Pink Owl

Hope yall have a fabulous week!!

xoxo

N

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

• Law and Order:SVU!!!!!

I know I know! I talk about this show all the time, but this week's episode (that JUST aired) was a-FREAKIN-mazing!! As I'm sure you can see from all the caps in this explanation haha. I'm not gonna bore you with all the details that made it awesome, but if you are not watching this show, YOU NEED TO!!!

• Kappa Kappa Bible Study

Last week we started a bible study on Wednesday nights and I absolutely LOVE it! Wednesdays are my longest days (class 10 until 5) and this gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. All the girls are just amazing and I'm constantly reminded how blessed I am to be a part of this amazing organization.

Random Early Morning Thoughts

• My phone had decided to fritz out for the last couple days. It randomly drops calls, won't hold charge for longer than a couple hours, and it takes hours to get texts. FRUSTRATING!
• I finally signed up for skype! Leave your skype name in a comment or email it and we can chat :)
• My pharmacy application is FINALLY sent it! I procrastinated as long as I could. goodness only knows why
• I went to the library for the first time this semester Tuesday night. My friend Kate and I sat there for 3 hour talking about how much we do NOT know for our biochem class and wanted to go get mexican
• we went to Monterrey's afterwards :)
• the jingle at the beginning of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson makes me happy everytime I hear it!

• My mom signed us up to do the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston in April. Have I even started running yet??? NOPE! :O
• Did anyone else watch Castle Monday night??? If so, WE MUST DISCUSS!! This is quickly becoming my second fave tv show after SVU
• SVU star and fellow Kappa Mariska Hargitay's 47th birthday was on Sunday. I can only hope I look half as good as she does at that age. She's gorgeous!!
• I really want to go see Black Swan, but I feel like my mind has to be completely empty of everything else so I can take it all in. When that will be, who knows!
• Let me know if you like this style of posting!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Day 4 - Favorite Television Program

I am a complete tv junkie. Sit me in front of the television and within 5 minutes I can find something that will keep me entertained for hours. Having said that, here is my current tv fave along with two of my all time favorite shows.

If you've been reading my blog at all the last couple months, you know I would have to include Law and Order: SVU. This used to be a show that I would sit down and watch if I happen to see that it was on. But somehow, one day I was watching and roaming around the internet reading about SVU and quickly fell in love with the characters, storylines, and the brilliant actors. SVU concluded its 11th season this past May, but due to my *fabulous* Netflix subscription, I have been able to watch seasons 1-10 instantly on my computer and was able to fall in love with this show even more. Its not simply a show about perverted sex crimes, but truly intelligent writing that gets you thinking the entire hour its on and the emotions the actors bring to the helm convey all the feelings we are feeling as we are watching. Plus it can only help that the 2 main actors are hot together!! Season 12 begins filming in the beginning of July and I can't wait!!

Friends is one of those shows that I think you can watch over and over and over again and still have tears in your eyes from laughing. I very rarely watched the show while it was actually on, but thanks to the wonderful invention of syndication, I was able to really see how special this series was and why it was so loved. I remember watching the season finale with all the surprises and my best friend and I would call each other during the commercials to quickly discuss the going-ons of the last segment before the commercial break ended. This past Thanksgiving I got VERY lucky and was able to purchase seasons 3-10 on DVD for just $8.99 a piece!! I'll probably have to wait until November again to complete the collection, but being able to watch all the episodes in order is awesome!

I don't think any girls list would be complete without Sex and the City. I was too young to watch it when is originally aired on HBO, but catching all the reruns on TBS I couldn't help but fall in love with the girls. I will always and forever identify myself as a Charlotte, but I feel the show does such a perfect job and showing that 4 completely different women can be the best of friends. Sometimes I'll be thinking that I am so different from my girlfriends that I wonder how we can have anything in common, but I look to Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte and see that their differences are what make their friendships so special. Makes me feel confident in who I am and that the friends I have now are amazing and I couldn't imagine my life without them.

June Favorites!

How I Spent My Sunday....

Thank goodness I didn't discover USA's marathons until summertime. Otherwise I REALLY wouldn't have gotten any schoolwork done!