Saturday/5

On Saturdays, I'm going to share my favorites from the past week. Whether my favorites are thoughts, recipes, Bible verses, songs, movies, people, looks, food, etc. Whatever they may be, I am going to share them on Saturdays! You can see my last post here.

Food: I had Zoes Kitchen the other day..oh my word. It was so GOOD. I had chicken kabobs, pita bread, hummus, and a Greek salad. YUM.

Show: The Bachelorette. This sounds really stupid, but I find it way too entertaining to stop!

App: Retrica. I just got this app for free and I really like it! I'm a sucker for any photo apps, but this one blew me away. It has a timer, filters, borders, and you can take photo strips (it takes the pictures by itself-one after the other) like the one above!

Website: us.cottonon.com. The other day, I was reading through blogs and I came across a blogger who mentioned this website in one of her posts, so I checked it out. I was on for less than 15 minutes and found over ten items. They have so manny cute things! I found a pair of printed jeans for $10!

What did you love this week?
-Carrie 

College Series/1 & 9 Things Every College Freshman Needs

Hi, everyone! Today is the start of a new series about college. I came up with this "College Series" to inform those headed into college of the many things a student needs to know. So, here is my first post in my College Series!

To start off/give a recap, I just completed my Freshman year at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I studied Business Management there. As I've said before, I decided to transfer schools this summer and I will be attending the University of Alabama in Huntsville this fall as a Sophomore studying Business Management, but more specifically Human Resources and Entrepreneurship.

My freshman year at UAB was incredible. To cut it short, because I am the oldest child in my family (meaning I'm the lab rat of the fam), I didn't really know what to expect going into college. I didn't know what to bring, what to wear, what to do, nothing. Zip. Zero. Through much experimentation and failure, I figured it out, thankfully. To better prepare others, I made a short list of 9 Things Every College Freshman Needs for all of you Freshman going into college this Fall!

9 Things Every College Freshman Needs:

1. Backpack: Although this may seem like a no brainer, investing in a good backpack is key in college. You have to lug heavy books across campus all day, with a few folders, a laptop, and whatever else you keep in your backpack. A sturdy backpack is a must!
2. Water bottle: Every morning before class, I would fill up my water bottle and carry it all day to my classes. Having a water bottle throughout the day keeps you hydrated and it can relieve that itch in your throat in the middle of class that you can't cough out.
3. Rain Jacket: After walking to class in the rain without a rain jacket more than three times my fall semester, I realized I needed a good rain jacket. It doubles as a windbreaker in the windy winter months!
4. Smartphone: I remember being at Freshman orientation with my mom a few weeks before starting school in August and walking the blocks of Birmingham panicking that I didn't know my way around the city at all. However, having a smartphone can really help you navigate even while walking a few blocks.
5. Comfortable shoes: Being in college, you walk. A. Lot. Having comfortable shoes is a definite must. You can pull off the sporty look with tennis shoes, or you could pull the girly look with flats (I recommend Yosi Samra flats, which I absolutely love)!
6. Umbrella: An umbrella goes hand-in-hand with a rain jacket. However, an umbrella can't really help you if the rain is coming down at an angle (yikes!).
7. Jacket: Having a thick jacket/peacoat (depending on where you live of course) is another must. Walking from class to class in the winter can be miserable when you don't have a good jacket. Having a thick jacket that you can layer other clothing beneath is something you'll definitely need!
8. Laptop: Having a laptop in this day in age is so common that I shouldn't have even mentioned it, but I wanted you all to know that having a laptop is such a luxury as a college student. With a laptop, you can watch Netflix, catch up with friends, keep in contact with teachers, Skype your parents/siblings, take notes, and keep up with homework.
9. Planner/Calendar: I'm a really big organizer/planner. I like knowing what I'm doing. Having a planner and calendar is dire in college. You have to keep track of your homework, papers, meetings, appointments, etc. A planner helps you plan ahead and keep track of everything at once.

I hope you enjoyed my list and found it helpful! Please don't be shy about leaving emails/questions/comments!
-Carrie

MICHAEL Michael Kors wool blend peacoat
$570 - net-a-porter.com

Patagonia lined rain jacket
patagonia.com

Yosi Samra ballerina flat
$115 - conleys.de

NIKE mesh tennis shoes
nike.com

Patagonia oxford bag
patagonia.com

Tech accessory
ebay.com.au

Speck laptop case
nordstrom.com

Totes umbrella
$15 - debenhams.com

Mum's School Year Diary 2013-2014
$23 - oliverbonas.com

Nalgene Tritan Wide Mouth Bpa-Free Water Bottle
amazon.com

Sunday

As I said in my last post, I've been busy/lacking inspiration lately. So, Thursday I came up with a few ideas, but today, I sat down and wrote ideas for this blog down on paper (5 pages) and to say the least, I am so excited for the future of this blog! However, for today, I just wanted to share a bit of my Sunday :).
A week or so ago, my mom was out of town working and my dad asked my sister and I if we could put together a small get-together for my mom's birthday (my mom hates anything that draws attention to her, so this was a bold move). We hesitated at first, but then we obliged. My sister (Maggie) and I went to Publix on Friday and ordered a cake and then yesterday we went grocery shopping for some appetizers. We celebrated my mom's birthday last night with a few friends. Man, it was fun!
I just had to snap a few pictures (with my iPhone) of the food because it was so yummy! We had hummus, pita bread, pickles, olives, cheese, crackers, chips and dip, fruit, mini weenies, and pork...delish!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful momma!

-Carrie

Honesty

To be honest, I've been lacking inspiration (that's why I took a small hiatus). I've tried laying in my hammock, thinking about topics to discuss. I've tried sitting by the pool. I've stared at my computer, trying to find this inspiration. I have failed time and time again to receive inspiration-all I needed was a small lightbulb to go off. So, I thought why not ask girls around my age what they would like to read in a blog. This may seem like common sense to some...however, I'm usually the last person to ask for help (especially if it's something I got myself into). Starting today, I'm going to work extra hard on this blog-why I created A Tangled Tale, who it's for, what I get from writing, and many projects. I thought about completely closing down this blog, but I couldn't let myself do it. I knew I had more ideas bottled up and more thoughts to be discovered. So, here's to all you out there who support me and A Tangled Tale by reading. I may not know you, but I just want to thank you so much for stopping by.

-Carrie

Nashville

Today, Gary and I are headed to Nashville! Since he's been working a lot and I've been training at my new job, we haven't been able to find a time to go. However, today we are making a day trip! We're so excited. We both love the Nashville area and today, we are going to explore! I'll share more of our trip later this week.

Happy Monday!
Have you ever been to Nashville?
Where are you going this summer?

-Carrie

Elastic Hair Ties

Something to keep you cool this summer...elastic hair ties! Once again, I'm selling hair ties. But this time, I have 26 colors that you get to choose from. You can buy a set of four (of your choosing) from me for $4 and shipping is $1.75. 

If you're interested in buying hair ties, come back tomorrow and visit my "Elastic Hair Ties" tab for more information!

-Carrie

The Rocket

Today I have another product review! [The opinions and views shared are my own]

I am going to talk about Maybelline's the Rocket Volum' Express waterproof mascara. I usually change up my mascara every time I run out and I hardly ever buy waterproof mascara, but I like having a little on when I go to the beach or pool, and I thought what better time to try it than the summer, so I bought the Rocket. The first thing I noticed when I opened the packaging was the brush. I love the blue brush! It's like rubbery, soft, and it has a good number of bristles-while looking cute too. With this mascara, you don't have to worry about it smudging under your eyes during the day or running when it rains (or when you need a good cry). It doesn't move unless you use makeup remover. It doesn't clump, but it doesn't define every single eyelash (if that makes sense) which makes the lashes look thin. My only issue with this product is that it lengthens more than it "volumizes." Overall, I really like this mascara!

Check back tomorrow for elastic hair ties!
-Carrie

Volumizing mascara
walmart.com

Volum waterproof mascara
maybelline.com

Saturday/4

On Saturdays, I'm going to share my favorites from the past week. Whether my favorites are thoughts, recipes, Bible verses, songs, movies, people, looks, food, etc. Whatever they may be, I am going to share them on Saturdays! You can see the last post here.

Favorite snack: I have two favorite snacks this week. S'mores and Yoplait's vanilla Greek yogurt. So yummy!

Favorite show: Gossip Girl. My sister and I started watching it together--I can't get over the clothes! And who doesn't love Blake Lively??

Favorite verse: 1 John 4:12 "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."

-Carrie

Update

Hi, everyone! I apologize for being absent the past few days--I've been busy. I went to Birmingham early Tuesday morning to work with my mom and the business she works for and came back Wednesday night (where I stood for 8 hours straight each day--I don't know how my mom does it). Yesterday, I was at my sister's high school taking pictures of their volleyball camp going on. Watching all the varsity players teach all the younger girls about the game was so precious and it made me want to play again! Also, while I'm updating you all, I have decided to transfer colleges. This fall, I'll be living at home and attending UAH. The decision was really hard, but I feel a peace abut my decision which I really needed. I'm so nervous! Anyways, I'll be posting tomorrow about my favorites of this past week and next week, be on the look out for some elastic hair ties :)

-Carrie

Chicken Fried Rice

Hey, everyone! I'm going to start off by apologizing for constantly changing the template of my blog! I'm a total perfectionist and I cannot make up my mind about how I want this blog to look. For future reference, it may change again. Anyways...I wanted to do something different today and share a recipe with you all. I've been looking for a chicken fried rice recipe on Pinterest for some time now. I narrowed it down to two recipes and combined them and made my own because I am always in the mood for Asian food--especially chicken fried rice (from P.F. Chang's). So, here it goes!

[Feeds 4-5 people]
What you'll need:
2 cups of rice
1.30 lbs. of skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 cups of frozen peas & carrots
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 eggs
about 1/4 cup of soy sauce--add soy sauce in stages
vegetable oil

How to:
First, start working on preparing your 2 cups of rice (I had some left over at the end) in the microwave. Then, take your chicken and cut it up in small bites. Then, get a ziploc bag and put salt and pepper in it. Once your chicken is all cut up, put the chicken in the ziploc bag and shake it. Then, heat up your pan and cover the bottom of the pan (you'll need a large sized pan) with vegetable oil. Once you've spread the oil around the bottom of the heated pan, place the chicken in the pan and cook it until all the pinkness is gone.
After you've cooked the chicken, take the chicken out and place it in a bowl. Then, add more oil to the pan if needed and put the carrots and peas in the pan and let cook for 1 1/2 minutes and whisk the two eggs in a separate bowl. Once the carrots and peas have been in the pan for 1 1/2 minutes, add in the minced garlic, mix them together, let sit for 30 seconds, then push the peas and carrots around the sides and add in the eggs. Begin scrambling the eggs.
Once the eggs are done, add the all the chicken and add a few scoops of rice at a time. Mix well. Add soy sauce to your liking.

I hope you all enjoy!
-Carrie

Saturday/3

On Saturdays, I'm going to share my favorites from the past week. Whether my favorites are thoughts, recipes, Bible verses, songs, movies, people, looks, food, etc. Whatever they may be, I am going to share them on Saturdays! You can see the last post here.

Favorite recipe: I made chicken fried rice the other night for dinner and I loved it! I'm going to share the recipe on Monday--so be on the lookout  for that!

Favorite song: "Beat This Summer" by Brad Paisley found here. This song has been stuck in my head for a week and I really like it. The music video is too cute!

Favorite snack: This week I've been snacking on something not so healthy. Chocolate chip teddy grahams in Nutella. This is the best snack ever.

Favorite hobby: Cooking and baking. Since I've been home, I've found every excuse to be in the kitchen. I have a list of recipes to try this summer :)



What are your favorites this week?
-Carrie