Update in Under 20 Pictures

Well, hello there.

In my most recent post ("recent" being used very loosely), I said I was back. And then I disappeared for about 7 months. I like to keep people guessing...

I hope to check in a bit more regularly, so I thought I'd write a post to catch you up on where I've been and what I've been doing since March. It will be quick, so try to keep up. 

Fall Goodie Swap!

Hi, strangers!

Hope you've all been doing well since I announced my less frequent blogging. 

Guess what? I got to participate in a Fall Swap with another blogger...none other than Brittany from The Lady Lawyer! (yes, she is a lawyer, I work for a law firm...meant to be!)

I really enjoyed getting to know her a bit through email and through exploring her blog. If you have a few minutes, I would seriously recommend doing so! She's got great style inspiration and some drool-worthy recipes.

Blog-tember Challenge: Get to Know Morgan

I'm back! 

So, I have read a lot of fun posts from Bailey Jean's "2015 Blog-tember Challenge" which I am hoping will help me get back in the blogging game more consistently. Things have been crazy busy, but I will do my best! I'm a day late, but bare with me...

The first prompt is an introduction of moi. So, instead of giving the very basics (which you can find on my "About YDD" page), I thought I'd get more specific. So here goes!

Join me on Camellias and Copper

So, yeah. I'm still training for my half marathon! 

In addition to a few lessons I've learned so far (which you can read here), I thought it might also be helpful for anyone considering starting a training regimen to share some things you should do before you begin. 

You can catch my post "What To Do Before Training For A Half Marathon" over at Camellias and Copper. Enjoy! (and say hello to Michelle while you're there!)

Until next time - - 

Sponsor Q&A with Danielle-Marie

As (I hope) you've seen, this month's Sunshine Sponsor is Danielle from Danielle-Marie! Danielle is a Christian wife and mother, living abroad in...get this...Thailand! She's adopted two gorgeous children, and supports her missionary husband amazingly. Be sure to click on over to her blog to get to know her even better (and to see some fun facts about Danielle - including the fact that she lived in Columbia for 12 years - !!!! - visit her About page). 

Ad Space Giveaway!

Guess what - It's time for the best giveaway ever again...that's right, The So-Called Homemaker's famous/infamous ad space giveaway! I have teamed up with her and 16 other bloggers to giveaway a total of twenty-three (that's right, TWENTY-THREE) ad spaces! That means that 23 lucky readers will walk away with FREE ad space, no strings attached! The spaces being given away range from 200x200 spots to in-post ads, and are from bloggers you've all heard of and love!

Classy, Sassy, & a Bit Smartassy // Wife Mommy Me // Southern Hope // Sage // The Jessa Olson Blog // All the Joys
Whimsical September // Sea Salt Secrets // Love the Here and Now // Alanna & Company // Yellow Door Diaries
Everyday Thoughts // T.O. & fro // That Southern Mama // Keeping Up with Ashley and Cody
Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilletos // Southern Beauty Guide // The So-Called Homemaker

Exciting Week

TGIF!

Hope you all had a great week. The past week has been full of some exciting things. My cousin, Casey, had a baby (a girl! Lilly) last week, and I get to meet her tomorrow! Our friends Joey and Natalie also had a baby girl, Simonne, this week and she's a doll. 

Aside from baby news, I have completed my third week of half-marathon training with my friend Stephanie, and we're still going strong - well, we're still going. Yay!

Today is an important day here in SC. If you've been under a rock the past couple of weeks, there was a tragic shooting in Charleston last month, and since then a lot of people have been pushing to remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds.

Motivation and Accountability: My 1st Half Marathon

Hey, strangers! Long time no talk.

Today starts the beginning of a new journey for me. One that will involve willpower, accountability, mental and physical strength, and lots of hydration.

I, my friends, am beginning training for a half-marathon. That's right. 13.1 miles of running. Running from nothing, towards nothing, with nobody chasing me. 

Sponsor Q&A with Rachel Nordgren

Hi there, and happy Friday!

As I've mentioned already, I have a Lemon Drop Sponsor this month! It is none other than the fabulous Rachel Nordgren! Please skip over there and check out her website and her blog if you aren't familiar with Rachel (or even if you are). She's awesome!

The 4th Year Begins

Yesterday Spencer and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary, which is insane to me. It seems literally like only months ago I was anxiously putting on my dress, opening my beautiful Tiffany bracelet, and crying over the longest, most heartfelt letter from my groom. I will never forget the church doors opening, and seeing him waiting for me at the end of the aisle - laughing because my mom, my dad, and I were all crying as we walked down the aisle together. :)

Guest Post: 2015 Summer Trends

While I am away on vacation, I have a few wonderful guest posts lined up for you! I hope you enjoy them. Today's post is written by my dear friend Casey (who you will recognize from a couple of other posts - my crazy birthday lunch and this amazing apple pie recipe).

Enjoy these tips!

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

Get Trendy With It!  The weather is finally heating up, so it's time to hit the racks!  Here are some pieces that you should look out for as you enhance your summer wardrobe.  

Color: Aquamarine

The number one color of the summer is AQUAMARINE!  Who doesn't love aquamarine?  I really think this color looks great on every skin color and hair tone!

Source

Pattern: Gingham

Going on a picnic?  Well, maybe not, but this pattern is a must this summer - from dresses and bathing suits to shorts.

Source

Jumpsuits & Rompers

Jumpsuits and rompers, OH MY!  You can dress up or dress down. The only down-fall is going to the bathroom - full clothing removal (meh). Man oh man, are they cute though!

Source

Gladiator sandals

Lace up or zip up?  The strappier and taller, the better.

Source

High-Waisted Bathing Suit Bottoms

Lower belly pooch?  Worry no more!  

Source

Were you one of the lucky ones that snagged these Lilly bottoms at Target?  Too bad they are sold out now!

Source

Scallops

This lovely detail can make any ordinary dress extraordinary! It's simple, classic, and feminine.

Source

You will be sure to catch some eyes if you have these cute trends on this summer!

What are your favorite trends this summer? What are your summer wardrobe "go-to's" and staples? 

Until next time - - 

Big News from Rachel...

Do you know Rachel from Our Yellow Door? Well - the news is finally out! 

Drum roll please....

She now has a gorgeous, brand-spanking new site: 

Rachel Nordgren

Rachel and I originally connected on Twitter, when we realized we both had blogs about our yellow doors - how funny is that!? Well, pretty soon we were tweeting back and forth, and I fell in love with her sweet blog. She is fun, down to earth, and a great writer. If you don't know Rachel yet, you are totally missing out!

Her new site, Rachel Nordgren, is stunning! I think it captures her personality perfectly, and it's obvious how much time and effort went into creating this gem. The site itself is lovely, yet simple - just like Rachel! She loves to write about simplicity and uncomplicating things. In fact, she has a series called Simplified Series where she shares awesome tips (and I feel pretty confident in saying we all could use help in this department)!

I'm so excited for you, Rachel, and look forward to keeping up on your brand new, beautiful site! 

Go say hello, check out the site, and follow her blog!



PS: Did you see Monday's post and take a guess which option was a lie? WELL - the lie is #1!

I never got suspended - I hate (and always have) getting into trouble. Suspension would have killed me! But yes, I used to sleep outside of my family members' bedroom doors (I don't know why), and I do always check behind shower curtains. Too many scary movies, maybe!?



Until next time - - 

Friday Funnies

Were you ever a comic strip reader? I was. I loved the Sunday paper as a kid because there was a whole section of funnie pages - in color! I didn't always understand them, but I read each and every one of them.

As a throwback to the funnie pages, I thought I'd share some things that made me laugh and smile this week  (thus the title "Friday Funnies." Because who doesn't want to smile on a Friday?).

Here we go!


My aunt posted this image to Facebook:

Faith, blogger at Life w/ Mrs G & the Artist, cracked me up with this lyric mug: 

Rachel, a new buddy at Our Yellow Door ("yay!" for yellow doors!) - I mean, tell me this isn't one of the best things you've seen this week...:

Kerrie, from Rarely Taken Seriously, really got me with this one! I hear ya, sister!

My friend Christine, The So-Called Homemaker, cracked me up with these tweets about her daughter! 

Last, but certainly not least, I really connected with Sarah from Seriously, Sarah? and her picture of baby coffee mugs.

I'd love to hear and see some things that made you laugh and smile this week! Leave me a comment, or catch up with me on social media.

Have a great weekend!


Until next time - - 

True or False: Guest Post - Tin Foil Curls

Have I mentioned that I have the best friends? I think I have once or twice. Once again, a friend shows her kindness and thoughtfulness. Casey reached out and offered to guest post for me since I have been traveling and visiting with family. She's the sweetest! Enjoy her "True or False" experiment!

______________________________________________


Morgan has had so much going on in her life over the last week, so I decided to come to the rescue.  The last thing I wanted her to worry about after traveling to be with family due to the passing of her aunt was writing a blog post. 

I recently saw a short video clip on Facebook of a lady with long beautiful curly hair.  The subtitle was, "Crazy way to curl your hair! All you need is tin foil and a straightener. It's amazing how this works."  Well, I have hair, tin foil and a straighter!  I occasionally curl my hair with the good 'ole curling iron but thought this would be easier, so I gave it a try.

View the clip before reading on.  https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203521003777865

My hair is much much shorter than her's, but that's ok - it should still work!  Oh, and let's just say my hair is straight as straight can be!  This is my hair right after blow drying it.  (I do have product on it as it has no body - anyone jealous of my hair yet? :/  Did I mention that it's super thin too? Well, you just wait - I am about to have beautiful locks!) 

Ok, here we go with the 2 finger wrap method.


Make a loop:

Wrap it with foil:

Press the straighten on it for a second and let it set. 

Check, check, check, check-- Easy!! A beautiful ringlet is about to appear when I pull the foil away! (eeek!  Excitement!)

WRONG!!! If I were going for the bedhead look this would be perfect!  What a kinky mess!  Fail!

Maybe someone with long hair should give it a try but it was a major fail for me.  Now, I have to go wash my hair to straighten this mess out.



Verdict:
FALSE (at least in this case).

______________________________________________


Womp, womp. Well that stinks. What do y'all think went wrong? Have you or would you try this method? 



Until next time - -