Liebster Award!

Y'all I was nominated for an award!! The lovely Melissa over at Simply Sweet Melissa nominated me for the Leibster Award. This award highlights new blogs with less than 200 followers. Melissa thank you so much for nominating me, you are too sweet! Launching a blog has been a dream of mine for a while but I always let fear of failing prevent me from starting one. If you ever need a pep-talk about not letting fear stand in your way, head on over to Lara Casey's blog {here}! 

After finding Melissa's gorgeously designed blog and reading her post about learning to not compare herself to other bloggers {here}, I knew I needed to stop comparing my blog to others as well.

Hi y'all! I'm Morgan, I'd love for you to follow along my journey of finding new things to love in life :)

Rules

{one} Thank the blogger who nominated you.
{two} Answer the 11 questions given by the blogger who nominated you.
{three} Nominate 11 bloggers and give them questions to answer.

Melissa's Questions for Me

{one} What is your favorite childhood book?

I have always loved to read. It is something I wish I had more time to do now! Growing up my favorite book was either The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein or Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

{two} How would you describe your style?

My style is preppy. I love all things monogram and am obsessed with stripes at the moment. I'm more of a flats or riding boots girl over heels and I love cozy layers!

{three} What is your favorite season (Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall)?

My favorite season is fall by far. I love the cooler transition of summer to fall and how it's the start of football season!! Fall leaves... bonfires... hot chocolate... boots... vests... and so much more. Also getting new school supplies was also something I enjoyed growing up... yes nerd status haha

{four} What is the one piece of jewelry you cannot live without?

My sterling silver monogram oval ring from my Aunt Lynn. My Aunt gave all her nieces these rings when we graduated high school!

{five} What is your favorite color?

My favorite color tends to change with the season but currently it is a light yellow :)

{six} What is something you have never done but want to do?

I have always wanted to visit Europe. I wasn't able to study abroad in undergrad and hope to possibly backpack Europe after I graduate in May!

{seven} What is something that people misinterpret about you?  
I am an animal science major but I do not want to be a veterinarian. The question of vet school is a common one because of my major. I chose against the vet school route my sophomore year at NC State and rather than changing my major, I added a communications minor!

I wish I could say I know what I want to be when I grow up since I graduate in May but I can't. Being a planner, that is a hard thing to say but I know The Lord knows the plans for my life so I am not afraid! 

{eight} What kind of blogs do you enjoy reading?

I really enjoy reading wedding industry blogs but also lifestyle blogs!

{nine} Do you have any favorite hair or makeup products?

Gosh, I am lucky when I have a good hair day. My usual hair style is all natural down or in a loose French braid. I'm pretty low maintenance!

{ten} What is your workout routine (if you have one)?

I have been majorly slacking lately in this category with my senior year in full swing. In the rare chance that I do have time, I really enjoy biking or walking around a lake trail here in Raleigh... I just love being outdoors!

{eleven} Do you have any blogging advice for those who are having a hard time getting started?

Try not to compare your blog to the established blogs you see! Everyone has to start somewhere, might as well start now. I designed my blog myself but there are also so many customizable options available for purchase!

I Nominate the Following:
Katie at Midwestern Charm
Chesson at A Southern Twenty-Five
Mackenzie at Bell Bliss
Emily at Dixie on my Mind
Victoria at Happily Ever Strader
Jenna at Just a Southern Girl in Pearls
Taylor Rae at Something Turquoise
Taylor at Tattered to Taylored
Lauren at Peach State of Mind
Andrea at A Thrifty Shopaholic
Kaysie at A Day of K

My Questions for Y'all:

{one}What made you start blogging?

{two}What blog do you visit/read the most?

{three}What did you used to want to be you "grew up?"

{four}What is your favorite holiday tradition?

{five}Where is your favorite place to shop?

{six}What is your favorite rainy day movie?

{seven}Where is somewhere you have always wanted to visit?

{eight}What or who inspires you the most?

{nine}Dog or cat?

{ten}If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

{eleven}What is your absolute dream job?

Can't wait to learn more about other new bloggers!

Michael Kors Look-Alike

DEAL ALERT!! Remember that Michael Kors gold chain watch look-alike I posted about {here}?! Well today and tomorrow Jane.com has VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES of the popular watch for sale again! {here} This is not a sponsored post, I just love for y'all to get a good deal... and who doesn't love a Michael Kors watch?!

                            

Michael Kors                                                               Jane Lookalike

Five on Friday

Joining Christina {here}, April {here}, Natasha {here} and Darci {here} for the weekly Five on Friday link-up! 

{one} I'm going to be a Second Cousin y'all!! It sounds silly but the Jones side of my family is so close. We are lucky that all of the cousins are in roughly a 15 year age range {33 to 19}. Growing up our families would go to the North Carolina coast every summer for vacation as well as have annual holiday gatherings at Grandmom and Granddads. I love how close all us cousins are to each other and how we feel we can call or visit each other whenever! Last week the family received the most exciting news from the oldest cousin Matt, who is married to Christina of Carolina Charm, that they are having a baby!! AHHH I couldn't be more excited!! The news came in the sweetest form of Grandmom finding out...

{two}Does anyone remember Phantom?! When I was little we would take a Phantom with a cute little rhyme on it and a bag full of Halloween goodies and spread the spook around the neighborhood! Otherwise known as the only acceptable time to run around in all black at night and ding-dong-ditch friends...so much fun! This past weekend when I was home I was able to babysit the sweet Johnson kids. When I was brainstorming something fun for us to do, Phantom came to mind! I headed to the store and loaded up on fun things like glow sticks and of course... mustaches!

 Needless to say the mustaches were a hit!

   The kids and I had such a great time! It's always fun to run around and act like a kid :)

{three} Updating a blog is an all consuming task! I love decorating and am a little bit of a perfectionist so I find myself trying to make improvements whenever I can. This week I worked on the logo, getting rid of the pixel look and centering it! I also made a new pin it button and will be working on a blog signature in the next week. Lets just say I definitely enjoy working on the blog more than my building pile of school work.

{four} The State Fair is in town! This is the absolute symbol of fall in the Raleigh area. My roommates and I are lucky enough to live so close to the fair grounds that we can hear the 10 minutes of fireworks everyyyy nighttt from 9:45 to 9:55.... but other than that, I love the fair!

{five} This week was the Making Things Happen conference in Chapel Hill! This inspiring conference was created by the oh so talented Lara Casey and Emily Ley. While I in no way had the funds to be able to attend the conference, I was able to follow along on instagram and twitter with #mthconference. These women are incredibly inspiring... fear is something that drives our lives and unfortunately prevents a lot of people from pursuing what they love.

Fear is something that has followed me all of my life, especially during creating this blog. Fear told me I was not good enough, interesting enough or creative enough to be able to create a successful blog. I often feel inadequate in the blogging world as there are so so many blogs out there that are very similar. I want to stand out in this crazy blogging world and show whoever comes to my site who I truly am. Being transparent, that's what I am aiming for!

Y'all, I have such big dreams for this blog and my life in general! Making Things Happen is all about conquering your fears and pushing yourself to reach your goals today, not tomorrow. We all have something standing in our way of that illusive goal, why not move it out of the way today!

        {via}                                                                                                                                   {via}

Have a Fall filled weekend :)

A New Life for Old Candle Jars

I have recently been updating the look of my blog! Hope y'all like the new clean look:) I don't know about you but I love candles. Whenever I get back from class or work I tend to immediately light all the candles around the house. I enjoy the warm glow of candle light and the cozy smells that fill the house. That being said, I go through candles quite quickly and am left with a pretty glass jars with a thin  layer of wax at the bottom. These jars could be used for so many other things rather and just being tossed in the garbage.

How to Remove that Pesky Bottom Wax Layer in Candle Jars:

Boil water on the stove top or in the microwave. Carefully pour into the candle jars making sure to cover all of the wax with the hot water.

 The wax will begin to melt and rise to the surface. ** Important: wait for the wax to cool and harden before trying to remove it from the jar.

 After the wax has hardened, cut out the remaining pieces and clean the jars with soap and water. YAYY new glass jars!

I'll use mine to hold pretty flowers and my makeup brushes {for now} but these are just a few of the glass jars many new uses! Hoping to turn one into mercury glass and add some tea lights :)

Hope y'all find uses for your old candle jars!

New York City: Top Five Visiting Tips

My Five on Friday is a bit different this week! I got back from an amazing trip to New York City with my best friend and roommate Emily this past week. We planned this trip back in June and were able to get great flight deals because of how early we booked. Emily and I visited so many places in our short five day trip... Day One Post {here}, Day Two Post {here}, Day Three Post {here}, Day Four Post {here}, Day Five Post {here}. We definitely learned the city as we went, which is why I wanted to post my top five visiting tips! 

{one} Transportation is key in the city. My number one recommendation is public transportation! There is no need to spend money on cabs when it could be better spent eating out and going shopping. You can even ride the M60 bus from LaGuardia Airport to 125th Street and take the 6 train downtown to Grand Central at 42nd Street. I would definitely purchase the $30.00 weekly MetroCard because $2.50 fares add up quickly. 

The key for learning the subway is that DOWNtown is down towards the Financial District (numbers get lower) and UPtown is up towards Central Park and the Upper Eastside (numbers get higher). You'd think this makes perfect sense but sometimes you can't access both uptown and downtown from the same entrance so it is important to read what station you are going into before you swipe! 

We took the 6 train everyday, it takes you from the Upper Eastside to Grand Central where you can transfer to the S which is the Times Square shuttle or we would ride to 14th Street Union Square Station where you can transfer to trains to take you anywhere in lower Manhattan.

{two} Broadway tickets are a tricky business. Emily and I had our hearts set on seeing Wicked but it is a very popular show and it's tickets hardly ever are discounted. Broadway has an understated discount process that does not involve the long lines in Times Square at the TKTS red booth. A majority of the shows have something called Rush Tickets and some even have Student Rush Tickets. 

These tickets range from $20-$40 and are available in the morning when the ticket booths at each show's specific theater open. We were able to get $40 rush tickets to Annie! They generally reserve the first few rows for rush tickets so its not the best view but we were so wrapped up in the magic of the musical it didn't matter. Click {here} to see which shows have Rush Seats Available!

{three} Walking the Brooklyn Bridge was one of the standout memories from the trip. It was absolutely incredible. The views from the bridge are remarkable! We took the 4 train downtown from 14th Street Union Square Station and got off at Fulton Street. From there we transferred to the downtown A train and got off at High Street in Brooklyn. We walked down to the water and devoured a whole pizza {here}. If you have a day to give to Brooklyn definitely take the subway there, enjoy pizza, gawk at the waterfront views, and walk the iconic Bridge back to Manhattan.

{four} Restaurants are where we spent the majority of our money. We didn't go anywhere that would completely break the bank but an average low price meal in NYC still costs between $10 and $20. For breakfast we mosly ate breakfast bars we brought with us along with a Starbucks Coffee... they are on almost every block and they make you feel like you need one haha! Here are some of our favorite places:

Penelope

159 Lexington Ave New York, NY

We went to Penelope on our last night and it was by far our favorite! It is such a southern comfort food restaurant with great prices, atmosphere and food. The water is served in old milk jars, how cool is that?! {here}

The Little Cupcake Bakeshop

30 Prince St New York, NY

Whatever you do, EAT HERE. Emily and I shared an enormous piece of pumpkin spice cake with maple cream cheese icing... my mouth is watering just remembering it! The cakes and cupcakes are incredible, I wish we had made it here more than once to indulge. {here}

Chelsea Market

75 9th Ave New York, NY 

We went to the Chelsea Market twice during our trip. I have decided this market is where all good smelling things reside... IT SMELLS DELICIOUS! All of the fresh bread, pasta, spices, cheese and everything else mix beautifully together. It definitely makes actually picking one place to eat really difficult. Be sure not to miss the free samples from Rana {here} (I recommend the Spinach and Ricotta Girasoli with Butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and Fresh Baby Spinach) and Friedman's {here} also has HUGE sandwiches you can split and still fill up on. {here}

The Smith

55 3rd Ave, New York, NY ‎

Katie took us here for dinner one night, it is a delicious comfort food restaurant with a young, "hip" atmosphere. If the great food doesn't sell you they have a photo-booth downstairs, yep sold. {here}

Shake Shack

original location: Madison Square Park

Great burger/hotdog/milkshake place to grab a quick bite! {here}

Ignazio's

4 Water St Brooklyn, NY

Be sure to enjoy mouthwatering New York pizza with an incredible view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. It is right on the water and there is an ice cream place right across the street!

McGee's Pub

240 W 55th St New York, NY

I am a HUGEE How I Met Your Mother fan, so visiting the pub that started it all was legend...wait for it...dary. It is a classic bar with great pub food and of course drafts. {here}

{five} Different neighborhoods other than the traditional NYC 42nd street area are where we spent most of our time. Don't get me wrong we still visited Times Square numerous times, walked Fifth Avenue's designer shops, and went to Rockefeller Center but we also explored so much more of New York City than I ever had before. 

We walked the streets of Greenwich Village, West Village, SoHo, Garment District and the Meat Packing District. The High Line is in Meat Packing District and it is a great stroll above the streets. It is an old railway that the city turned into an above ground park and trail along the Hudson River.

And if you have time on Sunday, you should MOST DEFINITELY head to Hillsong Church NYC {my post here}. They hold service at Irving Plaza which is right beside 14th Street Union Square Station at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm, and 9pm!

Hope you enjoyed my top five tips for visiting NYC! Please feel free to ask any questions:)

New York City: Day Five

THANK GOODNESS the state of New York decided to pay to keep the Statue of Liberty open while the government is shutdown! I have always seen the Lady from Battery Park...it was an incredible experience to ride the ferry to her island with so many people from all over the world.

One World Trade Center standing 1176 feet above the city

This is the original torch that welcomed hundreds of thousands of immigrants to the New World.

The view of Manhattan's financial district from the statue's pedestal!

The view of the statue from the statue's pedestal haha

Ya know just trying to be the next Lady Liberty!

Trinity Church in the Financial District

World Trade Center Memorial... speechless

South Tower Memorial

North Tower Memorial, the way the water falls... goodness it gave me chills

We took the A train from Ground Zero to the Chelsea Market for lunch. We went there earlier on our trip but I actually took pictures today:)

Afterwards... we headed to Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue to look at sparkly things. Lets just say we weren't disappointed! 

Tonight we went to eat at Penelope's on 30th and Lexington, it was delicious, highly recommended.  Then we headed to Times Square with my cousin Ann who is living in the city but hasn't seen it yet!

Goodnight one last time from the city that never sleeps! Headin' back to Raleigh in the morning {cue Wagon Wheel}