the lovely list. part one.

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"the lovely list" as defined by the dictionary of lacey ostoj: a list of things i love. products that make my life easier. good thoughts and happy feelings. anything relating to chocolate. 

i don't want to say this will be a weekly thing because i'm afraid of commitment, but i will say that i like the idea of making this a weekly thing. that's as close to a promise as you'll get from me.

1. baby pigs. come on.

2. ben howard. his voice is like a soft cotton pillow to my ears. that's weird. he doesn't sound anything like a soft cotton pillow. he sounds better. like maybe a down pillow. 

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3. a weekend in southern pines starting tonight! ames and i are running a 5k with our friend matt, my parents have already promised homemade pizzas on the grill, and i'm pretty sure my mom will do my laundry for me if i ask very sweetly. i love, love my sweet hometown. 

4. hot french press coffee in my hand right now.

5. the warrior circuit class at arrichion. it makes me want to throw up and fist pump simultaneously.

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6. deep chocolate nail polish. perfect for fall. opi's "i'm with brad" is what i like to use. 

7. pumpkin cookies with butterscotch chips. the skill level to make these is rated easy peasy, and the recipe yields about 300 cookies. which means 3 for you, 297 for me. (blog post soon!) 

8. not working on fridays. 

9. stretch jeans that make my legs and butt look yowza.

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10. spending my morning with bedhead and lots of paper crafts. 

ok! well, that wasn't very scary. i think i can handle this on a weekly basis. don't quote me on that. i might choke and run away from the blog altogether. 

happy first day of fall

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hello, fall. 

where have you been?

summer overstayed his welcome once again. 

(he is the worst. i think you would have to agree.) 

anyways, i just wanted to leave you a little love note 

and tell you that i think you are a dear.

you bring out the best in me. 

i'm not the sweaty, crabby girl that summer always turns me into.

nope. i become a giddy schoolgirl when you roll into town. 

you make me laugh nervously and say stupid things,

because i have a major crush on you. 

is it weird to have a crush on a season?

don't answer that. 

all my love, 

lacey

p.s. you know that thing you do with the leaves? 

when you turn them pretty colors? 

i really love that. 

fall fashion

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in my opinion, fall is the most fun season to dress for. the sweltering heat of summer is over, and the cold winter winds haven't hit yet. the few weeks of cool weather allow light layers. you can get by with wearing dresses and tights without bundling up in a huge jacket and ear muffs. but who still wears ear muffs anyways? oh, you too? i knew i liked you.

i feel the most creative with my wardrobe when the weather becomes cool. the clothes in my closet look new and fresh because i can pair summery items with cardigans, light blazers, and my favorite skinny jeans. i can get away with short-ish skirts by pairing them with tall boots. almost any summer dress becomes appropriate for fall with white, textured tights.

here are a few stylish images that have me stoked for this season. can't wait to emulate these outfits with what i already own/what i find at tjmaxx and goodwill. that is, when i'm not wearing pajamas or my gym clothes.

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scarf. you usually hide my cute belts, but i got tricks you ain't eva seen. 

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i love when socks come higher than the boot.
it's like, i did this on purpose. no, i didn't. yes, i did.

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plaid anything is, like, so hot right now. 

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pink shirt + striped skirt + just the right amount of 

golden hour sunlight = the perfect fall outfit. 

also, being blonde and tiny helps a hair. 

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i pretty much have this outfit minus the short trench, the black clutch, the green plaid shirt, the green striped shirt, and her hair. 

for those indian summer days. i love the mixing of patterns here. people are confused intimidated when you mix patterns. it's fun to intimidate confuse people. well, now i'm all messed up. it's one or the other.

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heeeey, chiseled cheekbones. didn't i say plaid anything is so hot right now? yes, i did. exhibit a. the only way this picture could get any better is if he was wearing red plaid. and maybe if he was holding a sign asking me to dinner.

happy fall fashioning! what's your favorite thing about dressing for fall?  

priorities

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after a long, hard week, we all need to spend a little time with the ones we love. 

swatch and see

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i don't consider myself to be a super girly girl. yes, i like to shop and paint my nails, but i also like to get dirty. i like to have adventures. i like to kick things and break sticks and go exploring. my go-to uniform is a pair of gym shorts and a tee.

however, the moment i step into a lowe's hardware, i feel like a total girl. i become completely overwhelmed and totally vulnerable. why are there 17 different kinds of ladders? i feel like very question i ask sounds like this: "hello, kind sir. nails? do you have any?"

there are so many aisles. so many power tools. so many things with nuts and bolts and extension cords. i wonder if this is how guys feel when they walk into a homegoods. instant panic and the feeling of suffocation? ah good, we're even then.

i recently saw a craft project demonstrating how to make a banner out of paint sample swatches. i don't know where to find many things in lowes, but i know exactly where to find paint sample swatches. i pride myself a little bit in this.

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sometimes it's the most simple ideas that blow my mind. i'm sure every mom in america has had this idea, but when i saw it, my mouth dropped open. i think the lady who thought of this should be given a nice pat on the back, an ice cold lemonade, and then sent on her merry way to think of more craft ideas for the rest of us to copy.

i didn't particularly want to make a banner, but i wanted to use the same idea to make some art for a bulletin board we have in our kitchen. a lonely bulletin board that we hung directly above our trashcan. i'm positive that breaks one of the top ten universal decorating dont's.

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give it up for free paint swatches! this idea is so fun, easy, colorful, and cheap. i'm planning to take the same idea and make frameable art. i'll use smaller letter stencils, pretty paper, and cheap thrift store frames to make a happy little collection. goodwill, here i come.

what's that? you haven't had enough of paint swatches? you want more ideas? i thought you might. you readers are so predictable. here's a few images to get your right brain whirring.

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paint swatch gift tags 

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pretty (cheap) chandelier

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holiday garland

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 it's hip to be a square art 

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if you have no life and unlimited time, knock yourself out and make this dress.

you made it to the end of this post. you deserve a little something for your time. here's a special treat. 

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bulletin board and trashcan. best friends. 

happy birthday, ames!

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happy birthday to my sweet rooms! when i moved to raleigh two years ago, i didn't know a thing about her except that she was going to be one of my roommates. i facebook stalked her before we met, and i got very nervous. she looked really fun and cute and awesome. she was moving from california, she had a tan, and in every picture she was with someone who looked equally as cool. i knew she was going to take one look at me and think i was the dorkiest person alive. i mean, i was homeschooled until the 8th grade, people. the first day we met, we started talking and haven't stopped since. she's every bit as cool as i thought. (and also more dorky than i would have guessed.)

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she has been my constant companion in the "big city" of raleigh. she's there for me to talk to when i need a listening ear. she encourages my creative endeavors. she is always willing to taste test new desserts that i make. i am so thankful for her.

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love you, ames! happy birthday!

p.s. i eventually confessed to having facebook stalked her before we met, and she admitted to doing the same thing. for reasons beyond me, she thought i was the cool one. i still have no idea how, unless she's lying to make me feel better.

word play

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i always tell myself not to buy more craft supplies because i have enough paper to supply an army. a craft army. i'm embarrassed to admit that i have a huge box of unopened scrap paper in my trunk. our coat closet has turned into lacey's craft/junk closet, and our dining room table is perpetually covered in scraps of paper, glue sticks, and stick-on jewels.

buuuut i couldn't resist when i saw these multicolored chip board letters for $1 a pack. (deal! bargain!) they were so fun to make cute phrases and words with, but now i've used all the vowels, so my leftover letters are a jumble of consonants. i don't think anyone would buy a card that said "sstwrz". then again, i've been wrong before. i thought bugs bunny was a real life cartoon person. my mom had to tell me someone had drawn him. it kind of crushed my little six year old soul.

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is there an item that you can't help but want/buy when you see it? if you're a crafter like me, does your heart leap for joy when you see craft supplies on sale? do you tell yourself you don't need them but end up buying them anyway? did you also think animated cartoon characters were real people?

when life gives you lemon cake mix

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attention please. i am about to tell you something so amazing and unbelievable that you may ask me to be the godmother of your children, born and unborn. you will want me in your life forever once you read this recipe for cake mix cookies. it is the easiest recipe in the entire world. it is. really. i checked library records.

ingredients:

1 box lemon cake mix

1 tub of cool whip

1 egg

1 bowl filled with powered sugar

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cookie sheets with wax paper. 

open the cool whip and eat a good sized bite straight out of the tub. put the remaining cool whip in a bowl with the egg and lemon cake mix. mix. mix. mix. the dough will be very, very sticky. i'm talking, if you drop an earring in this batter, you will never be able to pull it out. so, do all of your friends a favor and don't wear jewelry while you make these. 

once you have combined all the ingredients, drop small, spoon-sized portions of the tar-like batter into the bowl of powered sugar. cover the drops with sugar until coated. only now should you pick up the batter and roll it between your hands to form balls. place balls on cookie sheets. bake for 8-10 minutes. cool on cookie racks. eat until your pants don't fit.

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since last wednesday, i have made these cookies three (3!) times, and i think i am making them again today. they are especially yummy if you spread jam or frosting in between two cookies. i spread raspberry jam between mine and made little lemon raspberry sandwich cookies. mmmmmmMMMMM. i also made this same recipe using chocolate cake mix, and it was just as divine. my next idea is to use spice cake mix and pumpkin/apple butter. helloooooo fall flavor combination. 

i can't take credit for this recipe even though i really want to. chelsea is the one who told me about it first, but she doesn't like to receive praise or credit for anything (so humble. what a dear) so you can send all of your thank you letters/the deed to your southern estate to me. 

happy baking! 

holiday monday

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today's agenda:

wake up when i feel like it. (check.)

morning coffee with jesus. 

craft time-paper, glue, scissors, glitter.

hang out with my rooms! 

hit the gym. work on my fitness. 

by this time, i'll need more coffee.

volleyball with friends. 

bake something delicious and bad for me.

monday night trash tv.

sleep. 

wish this was my schedule every day. 

what are you doing today on your holiday monday?

september mix

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happy september 1st! let's kick the month off right with a fresh mix. you'll notice that ray lamontagne is on heavy rotation. i get to see him on the 19th, and i can't wait. let me get a big heck yeah from the ray lamontagne fans like me. heck yeah. 

september : earth wind and fire

let it be me : ray lamontagne 

sparrow and the wolf : james vincent mcmorrow

are we really through : ray lamontagne 

not over you : gavin degraw

for the summer : ray lamontagne 

block after block : matt and kim

you are the best thing : ray lamontagne 

modern drift : efterklang

can i stay : ray lamontagne 

you can bring me flowers : ray lamontagne 

your love is strong : jon foreman

draw me a map : dierks bentley

maybe tomorrow : stereophonics

all the wild horses : ray lamontagne 

happy listening!