Memorial Day Fancies

Oh hi there. It's me...Mason...ya know, like the jar. 

You might not remember me. I've somehow gotten away with posting zero times this week. I don't know what my deal is but I've been the world's worst blogger for the past sevenish days. Seriously I'm the worst. I haven't even been on social media either...except looking at Instagram of course because I check that about a gazillion times every day but that's neither here nor there. What happened to me this week? Your guess is as good as mine, boobear. Yeah I've been busy, maybe a tad busier than usual, but I just somehow never found the time or inspiration to open up the ol' blogger machine and ramble on about whoknowswhat. 

Okay. Now that that's on the way, on to the good stuff.

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, which means the whole of America has one extra day to bask in the sun and drink heavily before going back to work. That is what it's for, right? Juzzgowithit.

Whether you're going out of town or staying home, I hope you all have an absolute ball during this summer kickoff weekend. I think a lot of people spend Memorial Day Weekend at the beach or by the pool or whathaveyou, but I would rather spend it partying away at a lovely little fiesta with friends drinking beer next to little tiki torches...ya now, like at Bahama Breeze but way cooler. #theirjerkchickenisbangin #notashamedtosayit #justkidding #totallyashamed

Maybe I'm just a little fancypantsdivaface, but when this long weekend gets rolling, I would rather dress cute and consume beverages at a party than sit in the sand.

SO, for Friday Fancies this week, my outfit is just that: Memorial Day Party Time. I think this would be the perfect little outfit for a Memorial Day cookout or something. The dress is light and summery so it's comfy, and the accessories add just enough glam to kick it up a bit for nighttime festivities.

ModCloth Dress // BaubleBar Earrings // Tory Burch Sunnies // BaubleBar Necklace // Stella & Dot Bracelets // Rebecca Minkoff Bag // Kate Spade Wedges

Enjoy your weekend! I'm spending the next four days in Atlanta with Eric and his parents so...not a whole lot of partying for this gal. It will be fun though ;) 

Catch ya on the flip!

Oh...and don't forget to #backdatazzup because a little party never killed nobody...

Friday's Fancies: Earn Your Stripes

Summer always brings out my nautical side. I find myself wanting to wear stripes and sail...even though I've never sailed before. Whatever. I still want to.

And when I sail, it will be in all the striped clothes.

earrings

bracelet

watch

purse

top

shorts

necklace

ring

shoes

Linking up with AV from Long Distance Loving.

I Was Working On The Railroad...At Age 12

I will warn you...this is most likely the first of a series, so hold onto your hats, people.

It may come as a really intense shock to you darlings, but between the lives of this ridiculously adorable child:

and this supremely well-adjusted and stunningly beautiful young lady: 

there lived the most awkward human being that ever did live. Unfortunately she and I share a name...and a body at that. For real though, you don't even understand. Between ages ten and, for the sake of this post let's say...14?...Mason Like The Jar was someone I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Except yes I would because I would love to see someone I dislike forced to interact with this hot mess of a person.

Middle school Mason was a basket case. Seriously, I was weird. Like...really weird. I loved cows and cheese and VeggieTales to an absurd degree and didn't have any problem telling people about how much I loved these weirdo things. How I turned myself around enough to become the elegant lady you see in the photos above, I'll never understand.

Like I said, this is probably going to turn into a series of posts, so I'll start you off gently. And by gently I mean I'm starting you off with one of the best things to ever grace 35mm film.

When I was 12 and my little sister was 7, we were bored one day, so I proposed we play dress-up.

Most little girls play dress-up and they put on princess costumes or dress like Disney characters or whathaveyou. I took my little tiny baby sister McRae and instructed her to dress in very specific ways with me, and I had my ever-so-indulgent mother photograph the event.

Breathe for a second. You aren't ready for this.

First up: Goths.

For your viewing pleasure, I made this photo extra large.

Little Mason and Little McRae dressed as goths. This is no joke. We even used Crayola washable black marker for our lipstick and nails. 

That's me. The one with the frizzy hair cracking her right toes.

Good.

Next: Boys.

Now, judging by this picture, I had no idea how to imitate boys. First off, there's some non-gang sign throwing happening. Also we're wearing about a pound of makeup. 

One thing I remember vividly about this photo is that I told McRae that since boys are lazy, they wouldn't care enough about their appearance to put on both socks. That's why we're wearing only one.

Sorry guys. When I was twelve, I had zero faith in you.

Lastly, the piece de resistance: Railroad Workers.

Before I show you the photos, I would like to preface this by saying I have no idea what "railroad workers" are. I don't know why little weirdo middle school Mason thought they were a distinct category of people, and I have no idea why she dressed up the way that she did in order to portray this non-stereotype. 

Railroad workers? Okay.

See that dirt on our faces? That's thanks to a mascara wand I literally rubbed all over our faces so it would look like dirt.

And I guess I thought they were drunks because I scoured the refrigerator for beers. Unfortunately, I only found one beer...so McRae got to hold wine to demonstrate how much "railroad workers" drink.

Or something.

Also, I teased our hair.

All aboard!

{linking up for throwback thursday}

Four Favorites

Happy Wednesday, muffins! Here are four of my very favorite cheeky little items today :)

Julep Lipsticks {New York, Paris}: I adore these. I haven't taken the plunge and bought them yet, but I'm dying for them. I feel like coloring my kissers with these fabulous colors will make me feel like the cities they belong in. Paris and New York are calling, baby!

Kate Spade Popsicle Studs: Could these be any more darling?! I'm obsessed.

Kate Spade License Plate Clutch: This clutch makes me want to hop in the car and drive. I'm all about a road trip...especially if it's crosscountry and unplanned ;) #offwego

Toms Ikat Wedges: Dude. Toms has some killer wedges right now. These ikat wedges are like something out of a dream. I think I need them.

Arguably The Best Weekend Ever

 But seriously you don't understand. It really was the best weekend ever. Like, all other weekends are jealous. All future weekends have a lot to live up to and are really stressed out and taking to the bottle because they know they'll never live up to this weekend. It's that serious.

Friday Night

I. Met. Alexa.

Oh yeah and her hubby, Glenn Coco, too. But ohmygoshImetAlexa.

And they're wonderful. I know you think you know them because you stalk her darling little blog as much as I do, but you don't even know the half of it. I'm obsessed. We're in love. It's fine.

And I didn't just meet them. Eric and I hung out with them all night. Like we played with them so much and had such a love extravaganza that I was hungover in the morning. Well, actually... that could have been the drinks. I had a lot of those too.

We also thought Sami needed to join in the fun. Even though she's allthefreakinway across the country, her picture was with us, so it was almost like she was joining in on all the weekend shenanigans (see what I did there?).

Saturday Night

"Oh, hey, Mason? You skipped daytime on Saturday." Yeah, I know. Did you not read everything above? Saturday was spent recovering. And it was beautiful. Oh and also coffee with my friend Adair...but coffee equals recovery, no?

Saturday night, I went out with a group of seriously awesome people I've known my whole life. My friend Ashley was in town from Birmingham for the weekend, so we got a group of our old church friends together for a big ol' blasty blast.

We started the night at Boylan Bridge Brewpub for beers and talked and laughed til we cried...and maybe peed a little? So so fun. I love a good reunion :) 

After lots of chatting and catching up, we went out downtown for some more drinkies and some quality dancing at the 80s and 90s bar. So fun. I love this crew!

Sunday: Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, I got my cute little mama tickets to see The Drowsy Chaperone at the theatre in downtown Raleigh. One of my mom's very best friends from high school, Beth Leavel, has had a successful career on Broadway and the role of the Drowsy Chaperone was actually created for her. She won a Tony for her performance in the role a few years ago, so when I heard she was going to be revisiting this super fun show in Raleigh, we absolutely had to go. My mom hadn't seen her in about 20 years, so it was really special. I think she had a ball :) 

Oh, and Clay Aiken was also in it...so...there's that. (He was actually really hilarious. Who knew?)

Sunday Night

Eric and I went out for wine at Angus Barn, our favorite spot in Raleigh to get a head start on Monday's anniversary festivities. Angus Barn is never a bad idea. And neither is wine.

Monday

Monday was Eric's and my anniversary, so we took a little day trip to our favorite vineyard, King Family Vineyard just outside of Charlottesville, VA. We went the day before Thanksgiving and fell so in love with the magical scenery and the amazing wine, so in our minds, there was no other place to spend our first anniversary. You know how we feel about a good day trip :)

We did a wine tasting with Matt, the same guy we met the first time we were there, and we spent most of the afternoon chatting with him. And drinking wine, of course.

That's Matt, our wine tasting buddy. We're bffs now. It's no big deal. So we had a bit of a photo shoot with him. Photos taken by James King, one of the King family sons, who was also super fun. We really enjoyed hanging out with both of them.

This is our very favorite place. It's like a little slice of heaven. It doesn't even seem real, but more like a painting or a chalk drawing that Mary Poppins helped us jump into.

We headed back home via Richmond, so we stopped off at The Jefferson Hotel for drinks to end our fabulous little day. 

We tried to go the last time we were there but they closed early that day for an event, so I'm so thrilled we were able to go this time. It is the most gorgeous building, and you can't help but feel luxurious being there. And I had probably the best mint julep I've ever had.

All in all, it was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. I'm so glad I got to spend it with so many seriously fantabulous people :)

It's Been A Year: Let's See How Well Eric Knows Me

Hi friends! We'll be back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow (no weekend recap yet...my weekend's still going! woo hoo!), but I wanted to do something a little special and different today.

If you don't yet know Eric's and my story, we've known each other a long time, and we dated in high school. A year ago today, we found each other again and got back together. Best decision ever. So today is our one year anniversary...about five years too late.

To commemorate, I thought I would share with you a little dating game of sorts that I saw on Bre's blog. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make Eric do it :)

So, let's put Eric and his bad long-term memory to the test and see how well he knows me. (We answered them separately and didn't see each other's answers til we were finished.)

Here goes:

How long have you been together? 

Eric: 52 weeks

Mason: One year today :)

How long have you known each other?

Eric: 8 years

Mason: Eight and a half years

Where was your first date?

Eric: Village Draft House

Mason: First date ever was to see Star Wars Episode 2 in July 2005 (ha!). First date this time was drinks at Foundation and Fox Liquor Bar. (I'm right, he's wrong. Boom.)

Where was your first kiss?

Eric: At a warehouse party in 2006

Mason: In my parents' kitchen on my 18th birthday (earlier the same day as the warehouse party, so he was close)

Who first said, "I love you" and where was it said?

Eric: I did. In the rain in the parking lot outside Brad's apartment.

Mason: Eric said it first standing outside his car during a torrential downpour in his friend Brad's apartment parking lot. It was ridiculously romantic.

What is her most commonly used phrase?

Eric: Obvi

Mason: I don't pay enough attention to what I say to know the answer to this. So it's probably whatever he says it is ;)

What is she most scared of?

Eric: Bugs and snakes

Mason: Fish. Every time. No contest. (no idea how he missed this. fish terrify me.)

Who is her celebrity crush?

Eric: Jennifer Lawrence

Mason: Jennifer Lawrence

If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?

Eric: Balvenie and Sorcerer

Mason: If it's cocktails, then an old fashioned for him and a manhattan for me. If it's at Angus Barn, then a Balvenie 12 for him and a glass of my favorite wine, Sorcerer, for me.

What is her favorite movie?

Eric: Funny Girl

Mason: Funny Girl

What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?

Eric: Croisant sandwhiches with salami and pepperoni and spicy mustard.

Mason: He's obsessed with these baked croissant sandwiches I made him with salami, ham, chipotle smoked gouda, and spicy mustard.

What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?

Eric: She hasn't made a bad one yet, honestly.

Mason: He hasn't complained so far...

What is the most-played song on her iPod?

Eric: Call Your Girlfriend by Robyn, but probably because I played it.

Mason: Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin

What would she say is your most annoying habit?

Eric: humming incessantly 

Mason: Omg his incessant humming. It's maddening.

What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?

Eric: Watches scandal

Mason: Watch Hulu. Lately, it's been Scandal.

If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?

Eric: her pink and purple necklace

Mason: He would probably throw out all of my Lilly Pulitzer because he says it looks like wallpaper.

What would you say is your favorite thing about her?

Eric: Her kindness.

Mason: How much I love him.

What's her go-to drink at Starbucks?

Eric: Grande skinny hazelnut latte

Mason: Grande skinny hazelnut latte

What's her blog's name?!

Eric: Mason Like The Jar

Mason: Mason...Like The Jar

Meh...he did pretty well. What a good sport that sweet one is. 

Friday I'm In Love...With Gatsby (among other things)

1. Oh. My. Lanta. Gatsby.

You know by now how I feel about Gatsby. You know I've read it between twenty and thirty times. You know I'm a complete nerd about it.

So...you probably know how insanely, unnaturally excited I was about the new movie.

So I made a pretty big deal about it because...why do anything half way?

Eric, who loves Gatsby almost as much as I do, went with me to the first showing last night. Usually they only do midnight showings, but we found one at 10pm that better suited our old-people sleepiness and attention span. We made a whole night of it, and it was blissful, really.

I dressed in my Gatsby finest for the occasion:

and since you can't party with Jay Gatsby without champs, I packed my bag and brought my own to liven up our Gatsby-viewing festivities. 

Yeah. We were those kids. Everyone in the theater was jealous. Duh.

The movie was exquisite. It was beautifully done, but it was beautiful in an entirely different way from the beauty of the Robert Redford version. It was bold and energetic and artistic and full of life, as it should be. I adored it. You simply must see it, old sport.

Cheers!

2. Friday's Fancies: Easy Weekend Wear

I'm linking up with AV for another fabulous week of Friday's Fancies.

earrings // necklace // purse // tshirt // shorts // sunnies // bracelets {1, 2} // watch // wedges

3. Anniversary

Monday marks one year with a certain sweet little nugget of mine. One year ago on Monday, Eric and I reunited and over a few beers bonded over our shared adoration for Gatsby, and after that we realized we couldn't imagine life without each other (barf). See? My Fitzgerald love runs deep on so many levels. I am so thankful for that night, and I'm wildly excited to celebrate this amazing year we've had over the weekend.  

Our story is kind of wild and sounds too good to be true, but I'm so glad we've been through as much as we have over the last eight and a half years because without it, we wouldn't be where we are now.

So happy almost anniversary, darling! xo

4. Butler Please

After everyone raved about it, I just had to bite the bullet and buy Essie's Butler Please, and I'm so ridiculously obsessed with it. I can't stop staring at my nails. It's such a fun vibrant color, and I love it enough to dedicate a few sentences of my blog to it.

Yeah. It's just that good.

5. And finally...it is time to #backdatassup with pretty Whitty

In honor of Gatsby, which you know I'm overthemoon about, I thought I'd pay homage to the flapper girls of yore with The Lumineers and their song "Flapper Girl." Cheesy? Yeah, probs. Bite me.

Have a fabulous weekend, love muffins!