Up in the Northwoods

My little brother Christopher has been at a summer camp in Northern Wisconsin for the past three weeks. The session ended on Friday, so my two sisters and I hopped in the car with our parents on Thursday to make the 7 hour trip to Sayner, WI, to pick up my brother. We made a mini-getaway of it and had a wonderful time! 

We left late Thursday afternoon, and found ourselves in Minocqua, WI by about 9:00. Minocqua is a quaint little resort town right on a lake, with plenty of unique shops, restaurants, and ice cream parlors in its "downtown area." I loved how relaxed it was! We stayed the night at a local hotel and headed to camp the next morning to pick up my little brother and take him out to breakfast.

Downtown Minocqua

My little brother was at Camp Highlands for Boys, near Sayner, WI, which is about 15 minutes from Minocqua. The drive there on Friday morning was beau-ti-ful. Dense and lush forest, glistening lakes. Truly spectacular.

We went to breakfast at the Wolf Pack Cafe in St. Germain. If you find yourself in the Northwoods, you MUST eat here! It's rather small (but very cozy!) so I suggest getting there early. They are known for their pancakes (which my sister ordered), but I guarantee whatever you decide to have for breakfast will be outstanding (and big!) I ordered a breakfast taco, which was a tortilla spilling with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, sausage, and onions. My dad ordered the pan-fried perch which came with toast, eggs, and hash browns. My mom ordered "Joe's Breakfast Special" which was more or less cheesy goodness." (full description of the menu here)

Ah, I wish I had remembered to take pictures of the food. I guess you'll have to make the trip yourself! :)

We dropped Christopher back at camp to complete his final day, and returned to Minocqua to do some shopping. The downtown streets were lined with cute little clothing boutiques, and housewares stores. Most of the stores sold things with a "log cabin" theme. Think bears, moose, evergreen, pinecones, etc. My mom and I enjoyed browsing for rustic accessories for our lake house.

One of the indoor shopping "malls" in Minocqua

I loved smelling all the candles in the stores. Frasier Fir Woodwicks are my fave!

I bought this bracelet by Bella Ryan at a gift shop. It's the perfect addition to my daily stack.

After shopping, we headed back towards Sayner and the camp. We did a little scenic driving, and then stopped at the Sayner Pub for a pizza lunch. It was yummy!

We returned to Camp Highlands for the closing ceremonies of camp. This included a water carnival in the afternoon, a picnic dinner for all the campers and their families, and an awards ceremony. Let me tell you, this camp is amazing!

The camp was founded in 1904, so it's rich in tradition and heritage. It has been owned and operated by the same family since the 1960s. It is founded on 17 core values that every camper should follow. It also abides by the motto "I'm third." That is, put God first, others second, and yourself third. What a good lesson for all of us to reflect upon.

The camp itself is beautiful. It's situated right on beautiful plum lake, and has two swimming areas, a huge diving platform, speed boats for water skiing, sailboats, kayaks, canoes, and fishing equipment. They also have several tennis courts, a soccer and baseball field, a small track, a frisbee golf course, rifle range, arts and crafts building, and a basketball court. The boys stay five to a cabin and are divided into age groups. Each cabin has about two counselors. Basically, its a boys' paradise!

Christopher was in cabin 14. The cabins are very rustic. The walls and bunks are filled with inscriptions and names of campers past. The boys leave the windows open at night, and sleep under mosquito netting. 

The dining hall. Does it not look straight out of Parent Trap?!

Everyone at Highlands was so friendly and polite. It definitely has a family atmosphere. Christopher  said that almost everyone at camp knows everyone's names. He said his cabin and his counselors became like a family to him. He met boys from all over the country, and the world (two of his cabin mates were from Mexico.)

The boys were all very mature, which surprised me. And all the older boys and counselors were extremely good looking ;)

Can I go to camp next summer?!

My mom and sisters and I posing by the lake. What a beautiful day!

Colorful kayaks lined up on the shore all ready for the boys to use.

Sitting by the lake during the water carnival. Ahh, this is the life!

(note my J.Crew anchor flip flops circa 7th grade, I'm sorry, I just can't part with them!)

{similar pair here}

Christopher gave us a tour of the camp. I'm so proud of him, and it was so good to be reunited with him after three weeks.

Exploring camp. (And wondering to ourselves why mom and dad never sent us to summer camp, eh we were the guinea pig children after all ;))

The Highlands Man himself. 

Someone was beyond excited to see her little boy

On the dock. Wearing J.Crew shorts (with fishes) and an H&M denim shirt. Vintage Coach crossbody from the 70s. (Thank you dad for cutting my feet out of the picture.)

We want to go to camp!

Beautiful blue sky day

Finished the night with a big scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Oh, summer!

Find out more about Camp Highlands for Boys here.

What kind of adventures did you go on this weekend? Did you ever go to summer camp? 

Stay Stylish, Stay Classy, Be Creative

Emily

Let's Take a Swim

The first official day of summer has come and gone, and we are now into the month of July. 

Summer is cruising by at an alarming rate!

Personally, I have only been to the pool TWICE this summer! And, I have been up to my family's lake cabin once, but no, I did not jump in the water. 

It's already the Fourth of July, and I've barely dipped my toes in the water. 

In my defense, It's probably because I have been working 30+ hours a week at my restaurant job. 

But I digress, something needs to change, and during the month of July, I'm vowing to get to the pool for some R&R a little more often.

What better way to motivate myself than with a new swimsuit and pool accessories?

So, whether you've been living at the pool so far this summer, or, like me, have barely made an appearance, here are my top picks for bathing suits and the like. Shop on!

Striped bandeau and ruffle bottom

Striped tote

polka dot flip flops

(This look is perfect for the 4th of July!)

Striped one-piece

Printed canvas tote

Leather flip flops

(I love this one-piece! Perfect if you desire a bit more coverage, but it's still super sleek, and the buttons on the side are really fun!)

Pineapple print bikini top and bottoms (I'm in love!)

Gauze tunic

Tortoise sandals

Farmer's market straw tote

Chevron print bikini top and bottom

Navy pom-pom tote

Gold flip flops

Polka dot bandeau top and bottoms

Pink polka dot tote

Metallic sandals

Where do you usually buy swimwear? Have you had time to go to the pool this summer? I want to know!

Stay Stylish. Stay Classy. Be Creative.

Emily

Weekend Recap

What a great weekend! 

The weather was near perfect: Not sweltering or humid, but not too cool. 

I didn't have to close at work on Friday night, and only had to work Saturday morning.

On Saturday, my grandparents came into town, we went to Mass, and then had a super fun girls' Pinterest night.

Sunday morning brought breakfast on the terrace at the Country Club, my other set of grandparents coming into town, my sister's senior voice recital, and a delicious dinner on the patio with my grandparents and Aunt.

Perfect summer weekend.

Pinterest Night

Earlier this year, we started to put together girls' nights where all of us girls would get together at someone's house, eat dinner (everyone would bring a dish to pass), and watch a movie. Recently, I decided it would be super fun to all get together to do a "Pinterest craft" for our dorm rooms.

We got together on Saturday and tried out "Sharpie Mugs" that have been floating around Pinterest.

From my Instagram: All the completed mugs. They turned out great!

We had so much fun customizing our mugs and it was so easy to do! There was minimal smearing and smudging. All of us found our mugs for under $5, and I bought multi packs of Sharpies at Walmart for like $4.00. Such a fun project and not a lot of money required! That's what I'm talking about.

We spent the night talking about boys, college orientations, traveling, and dorm decorating. 

We also watched The Uninvited.

Hannah's Voice Recital

My sister Hannah has been taking voice lessons for five years now. She has an AMAZING voice and I am so proud of her. She has had leads in the school musical the past two years, and has had several solos at school choir concerts. Not only does she have a beautiful voice, but she is also an entertaining performer.

On Sunday, she had her senior voice recital. She and her voice teacher worked very hard to put together a program featuring thirteen songs, ranging for Taylor Swift to West Side Story. 

It was beautiful.

Our family, close family friends, and high school friends came to watch. What a great performance.

 Hannie singing during her recital

Natalie and I with my Grandma and Grandpa Russell before the recital

Hannie's adorable outfit: She got her dress at a little boutique in Charlottesville, VA.

Nine West pumps

Summer Sundays call for Pink, Green, and Lilly Pulitzer

J.Crew Popover (striped version here) 

Lilly Pulitzer Skort (old)

Lilly Pulitzer Clutch (my mom's) (old)

Jack Rogers Navajos

From my Instagram: I love the crocodile detail on the clutch!

Also Kate Spade bangle

Fossil Watch

Sisters!

How was your weekend? What adventures did you go on? What did you eat? What did you make? Let me know!

Stay Stylish. Stay Classy. Be Creative.

Emily

Stylish Laptop Sleeves

My new Apple MacBook that I ordered to take with me to college arrived last week. I took it with me to orientation, got it configured with the Mizzou network, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been spending a lot of time at my desk playing around with my "new toy." I worked with a Mac briefly when I was yearbook editor, but my family has always had PCs. I definitely went to the library and checked out a "MacBook for Dummies" book.I can obviously figure out most of the features, but I got the book to walk me through the fine details. I want to take full advantage of my new computer!

So, a new computer calls for a new laptop sleeve, right?

Right.

Don't even think about heading off to school/work without some sort of protection for your precious computer. I compiled laptop sleeves, as these are easy to slide into backpacks/totes/etc., and still comfort and cushion your computer. A laptop bag is also another choice, but just a little more bulky then the sleeve.

Here are my picks for stylish laptop sleeves (at varying price points and varying sizes.)

Monogrammed (17in) | Lilly Pulitzer (love the handle/shoulder strap!) (15in) | Kate Spade (13in)

Chevron Trina Turk (13in) | Black/White (15in) | Jonathon Adler (15in)

InCase Neoprene (13in) | Snakeskin Calvin Klein (13in) | Vera Bradley (14in)

The Vera Bradley sleeve is also available in 17 inch, as is the InCase sleeve

I purchased the Vera Bradley sleeve pictured here, and my 13 inch laptop fits with room to spare for my laptop charger.

Have you purchased a laptop sleeve to take to college? If you already have one, where did you get it? Do you prefer laptop sleeves or bags? Comment away!

Stay Stylish, Stay Classy, Be Creative.

Emily

BRIGHT White

Memorial Day has come and gone, and today is the last day of May. This means that most people are out of school, and summer has officially begun. It's time to dig into the back of your closet and dresser, and pull out those white summer staples that have been in storage all winter. Hurry! Labor Day will come faster than you think!

Dress

Watch

Shorts

Hat

Sandals

Necklace

Sunglasses

Purse

What are your "BRIGHT white" summer essentials? What will you be pulling out of the back of your closet, and what will you be scouting out to purchase? I'd love to hear!

Be Stylish. Be Classy. Be Creative.

Emily

The Art of the Thank You Note

Thank You notes are one of the simple pleasures in life, but unfortunately they are increasingly forgotten. I love receiving handwritten thank you notes in the mail on crisp stationery. In this age of technology and social media, people often think that handwritten thank you notes are outdated and are something of the past. This couldn't be more untrue. According to The Emily Post "Etipedia," 

a handwritten note is still the right thing to do. 

Daniel Post Senning offers this quote about the importance of the handwritten thank you note:

"Would I ever send a digital thank-you for a gift I was given? No way. It just isn't enough - not personal enough, not weighty enough. You can't hold digital thanks in your hands the way you can hold a note. When was the last time you printed out an e-card? Right. Email is read and deleted. A mailed note is seen again and again on a desk or counter. Would you rather your thanks be remembered or deleted?"

Sure, a quick text or e-mail is better than no thank you note at all. However, I am a firm believer in a traditional handwritten note. It shows that the person took time out of their busy day to sit down and reflect on the meaning of the gift. The person who gave you the gift spent time and money picking out something just for you. You should make time to thank them for this thoughtful gesture.

Having recently written several thank you notes after my graduation party, I know how time consuming writing thank you notes can be (and I like to write!) However, your efforts will be appreciated when your note is received by the gift-giver.

One of the other reasons I just love a handwritten thank you note is because of the stationery. I will admit to being a stationery addict. I may or may not have an entire desk drawer dedicated to stationery. It's just so fun!

Here are some current contents of my stationery drawer:

Clockwise from Left:

Jostens Stationery (very classic, typical for high school graduations. It's a good option if you are going to have to write a large amount of Thank Yous.)

Lilly Pulitzer Fold-over notes: I love this patchwork design. I got these at TJ Maxx for maybe six dollars. (Great place to find stationery.)

Houndstooth Initial fold-over notes: I got these in the $1 section at Michaels.

Sailboat side-fold card: again, $1 at Michaels!

Blue initial fold-over note: $1 at Michaels

You don't need to spend a lot of money on fancy thank you notes. I usually get mine in the $1 section at Michaels. They have some really cute and preppy designs! TJ Maxx and HomeGoods are also great places to look. I've seen many a Lilly Pulitzer or Kate Spade stationery set at my local TJ Maxx for under $10. 

If I could splurge on stationery (that would be dangerous!) These would be my top choices:

TOP (L-R)  Flat Anchor Card | Monogrammed Madras | Kate Spade "Talk of the Town"

BOTTOM: (L-R) Initialed Chevron | Lilly Pulitzer Flat Card | Monogrammed Zebra

Great websites for "splurge worthy" stationery:

Lifeguard Press

Boatman Geller

Nico and LaLa

Other stores to check out are Crane & Co., Papyrus, and even Target!

If you are really adventurous, you may want to check out Etsy as well.

I hope this post inspires you to take the time to write thank you notes if you don't already do so. It is a very thoughtful and fulfilling practice. Make it a habit, and always have cute stationery on hand.

Happy Writing!

Do you love a good handwritten thank you as much as I do? Where do you get your stationery? Do you prefer flat cards or fold-over notes? Let me know!

Stay Stylish, Stay Classy, Be Creative.

Emily

Graduation Weekend Recap

I had originally planned to get this published a few days earlier, but I have spent the last few days writing thank you notes for graduation gifts, and recovering from our grad party. Thanks for bearing with me!

This past weekend, I graduated from Central Catholic High School. The weekend was so eventful and so memorable. The action kicked off on Thursday with the Senior Awards Ceremony and Senior luncheon, Friday my grandparents came into town, Saturday was our graduation party, and Sunday was the actual ceremony. Definitely a busy weekend, but it was very enjoyable and lots of fun!

I thought I'd write a post (more for my own reference and memories) recapping the main events of the weekend.

Thursday: Senior Awards Ceremony and Luncheon

On Thursday, we had a senior Mass, and the awards ceremony and luncheon immediately followed. It was the last time our senior class was in the school building all together. Various academic, service, and athletic awards were given out at the ceremony, as well as recognition for scholarships. After the ceremony, all of the seniors and their parents headed to the cafeteria for a luncheon. The junior class, our senior class adviser, and our principal spoke at the luncheon about our class. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get emotional. We celebrated with cake, and also received our first official "alumni mailing." So weird!

My mom, me, my sister Hannah, and my sister Natalie before the awards ceremony. We are all wearing Lilly Pulitzer, naturally. Hannah's dress is available here.

And....

I sent in this photo to Lilly Pulitzer Madison Avenue's "Throwback Thursday" contest on their Facebook page. (The photo had to feature vintage or previous season Lilly dresses.) About ten minutes after I sent the email, our photo was posted as the contest winner. I was so excited!

There we are on the FB page!

One of many pictures we took with our friends

It was so weird to be addressed as "alumni." I guess that term always makes me think of older people. Nonetheless, I love this pencil sketch of the school that the Alumni Association gave to all the seniors.

Saturday: Our Graduation Party

We held our party on Saturday night, which was actually the night before the ceremony. All of our family was already in town for the weekend, so it worked out really nicely. We invited family, family friends, a few teachers, our high school friends, and classmates. We had a pretty great turnout, and the weather was perfect! It was a great evening!

THE SETTING: We held the party in our backyard. We rented a tent and some tables. For the color scheme, we stuck with blue and gold, our high school colors. It looked really great! 

Here's the tent all set up. As you can see, we alternated the tablecloths with blue and gold overlays. In the middle is a long table that we used for the food.

More details: 

Top: Cake pops! I made cake pops for the celebration. (I use the tutorial from Little Miss Momma) I made yellow cake, and alternated dipping in milk chocolate and white chocolate. I then embellished with blue and gold sprinkles. I printed a little decorative tag with our names and college logos, and attached it to the cellophane bag with ribbon. They were a hit.

Bottom left: Mizzou napkins! Yes my mom bought Mizzou plates and napkins for the cake.

Bottom right: the centerpieces were little fish bowls filled with blue and gold flat stones, water, and a floating flower candle. My mom also bought gold doilies and blue and gold grad confetti.

THE FOOD: The party was catered. It was so much easier not having to worry about food, and we knew the food would be good! Our cleaning lady's son is a professional chef in Chicago, but also caters for private parties. We had him do all the food. He's Mexican, so his specialty is classic Mexican cuisine. The food was OUTSTANDING. Rafael and his assistant spent the day in our kitchen whipping up delicious dishes. The menu included pork, rice, shrimp ceviche, homemade guacamole, Mexican slaw, salsa, and fruit. Naturally, each table was set with its own bowl of chips and salsa as well. I'd be lying if I said I haven't had the leftovers for lunch everyday this week. So good!

(Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the  food!)

For dessert, we had the cake pops, and then we had a cake for each of my sisters and I. I had carrot cake with cream cheese frosting with the Mizzou tiger, my sister Hannah had a lemon cake with buttercream frosting with a St. Louis Billiken, and my sister Natalie had a chocolate cake with buttercream frosting with an Iowa Hawkeye. Most of the cake was gone at the end, which was so surprising, and definitely a good thing! I think it was probably because our grad party was one of the first of the season, so people weren't "caked out" yet.

The dessert table! Complete with plates and napkins with our respective school logos. Only my mother would search the Internet for those!

Here we are posing with our cakes. So nicely decorated, and so delicious!

I can't wait to be a Mizzou tiger!

For cards and gifts, we put together this little table. My mom ordered wrapping paper with each of our school mascots, and wrapped a gift box and cut a slit in it. We used these for cards. We also put a small framed wallet senior picture in front of each box in case people didn't know who was going to school where. I originally wasn't going to do any sort of picture collage. Some parties you go to have like three massive photo boards, and I honestly think its overwhelming and kind of tacky. I decided to do a small photo board with a few key pictures, using a tutorial from Pinterest. 

Close up of the board.

Here we are with my little brother before the party. All of us girls wore Lilly, again! Hannah wore the same dress from the awards ceremony (see link above.) Natalie wore the Pearl dress in Shorely Blue Chomp Chomp. I wore a Lilly from last season that I bought on 6pm.com. And of course, I wore Ralph Lauren pearls and my Jack Rogers Navajos in Platinum.

We had such an enjoyable evening. It was great to chat and catch up with family and friends, and it was the perfect summer evening. Party was a success!

Sunday: Graduation Day!

Sunday was the actual ceremony. The ceremony wasn't until 5:00, so instead of doing a dinner afterwards, we had brunch on the terrace at the country club with family. It was a beautiful morning, and very enjoyable.

Since I go to Catholic school, the graduation ceremony consisted of a mass with the graduation ceremony afterward. The ceremony went well, except for the fact that it was ungodly hot in the church and one of my classmates fainted. Otherwise, the ceremony was beautiful! It was a very happy moment walking up to the altar to receive my diploma. One of my best friends was the valedictorian, and yes, her amazing speech made me cry. (Good job, Magz!)

My immediate family, both sets of grandparents, my aunt (Mom's twin sister), my nanny Bertie (she's been with us since I was six months old), and my sister's boyfriend came to the ceremony. I was so lucky they could all be there to see me graduate!

After the ceremony, all of the graduates and their families gathered outside the church for pictures. There was cake and punch in the church basement as well.

Receiving my diploma

 

Throwing up our caps! We did it! (I took this photo from our school's Facebook page.)

Here we are with some of our best friends! McKenna, wearing an adorable green dress from The Limited, is going to study journalism at Indiana University. Neely (4th from left) is going to study international relations at George Mason University. Hannie is on the end, wearing an adorable polka dot dress from TJ Maxx. She is going to Mizzou (yay!) to study business.

Sarah and I. She is going to Eastern Illinois University to study special education. She's going to be so great!

Here we are with our best friend Timmy. We've been best friends since Kindergarten! Timmy is going to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study computer engineering in the honors program. He is going to be unbelievably successful!

Isaiah was in our pre-kindergarten class and we used to have play dates with him. That seems like just yesterday! We remained friends in high school. He is going to the University of Notre Dame to major in pre-med.

Here we are with our very stylish friend, Marion (she's wearing a J.Crew dress!). Our families have been great friends for as long as I can remember. Marion is going to Villanova University to study business.

Here's little miss Valedictorian on the left :) Magz is one of our very best friends. Couldn't have made it through the awkward junior high years without her! She is attending the University of Notre Dame in the fall.

Here we are with Bertie. She is basically our second mom. She has been our babysitter/nanny since we were six months old. She has taught me how to sew, and do so many other things. I can't imagine life without her. Love you!

My parents and I. (Loving my mom's seersucker dress and my day's Lilly tie!)

With my Aunt Linda

With my grandma and grandpa Russell. I'm so lucky to have them in my life!

With my grandma and grandpa Woodcock. Love them so much!

Showing off our outfits and our honor cords and caps. Nat and I wore the same thing as we wore to the party. Hannah wore a fun skirt and shirt combo from TJ Maxx.

Hats off!

I love this picture! Inspired by the College Prepster.

OUTFIT RECAP:

Left: (awards ceremony) Vintage Lilly Pulitzer dress, Onex sandals.

Middle: (Sunday brunch) Loft dress (old), BCBGeneration sandals (old), consignment necklace, Longchamp bag.

Right: (party and ceremony) Lilly Pulitzer Dress. (old)

Graduation weekend was so memorable. I am so lucky I was able to spend it with my closest family and friends. My time at CCHS has come to a close, but I will always look back on my time in high school with a smile. I'm so so excited for college!

Did you graduate high school recently? What did you do to celebrate? What did you do for your grad party? What did you wear? Comment away, I want to know!

Stay Stylish. Stay Classy. Be Creative.

Emily