a lonestar state of southern

Three cheers for December! I know I’m not the only one who finally feels completely justified in belting “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carrey 10x a day now, and for that I’m feeling #blessed. (Side note – I’m definitely listening to it now.)

It’s been a little over a month since my last Coffee Date, so I figured I’d take today to fill you in on this past month – both the Instagramed moments, and the not! It’s crazy to think that this is our TENTH Coffee Date together here on Lonestar Southern… Wow, wow, wow. I’m so grateful to have each of you here, caring enough to come back and check in on me from time to time! Thank you so much for making me a part of your day.

If you’ve got too much time on your hands or are feeling especially stalker-ish (let’s be honest, we all have a little of that in us) I’ve linked all ten coffee dates below. I wrote the first one at the beginning of my junior year of college, y’all… my, how time has flown! The Lord is faithful, and it’s cool looking back and being able to see how he’s orchestrated the past few years of my life.

No. 1   |   No. 2   |   No. 3   |   No. 4   |   No. 5   |   No. 6   |   No. 7   |   No. 8   |   No. 9

Now get ready to start scrolling, we’ve got a lot to get through!

Give me a cozy sweater and a plate of macaroons, and I’ll be a happy camper.

Nothing like a good old selfie. Sarcasm. But this leopard scarf has been on repeat all winter. It’s $20 and I love it!

I’m sorry… wasn’t Halloween just yesterday? We’re swapping out the pumpkins for garland over here!

I’ve found a new favorite closet staple… a camel coat! Turns out a fur-collared shift dress isn’t awful to have in your arsenal, either.
One day I found a horse sweater at H&M. So I bought it. And it makes me pretty happy.
I always seem to gravitate towards warm tones as opposed to cool. Blushes and tans and browns, oh my!
If you don’t own this pair of burgundy flare cords, you’re missing out. Trust me.

 

Barbie shoes in real life. Because why not?! (P.S. The icon of the black pumps actually takes you to the pink pair. Fret not!)

This grey sweater and these leopard flats have been my go-to for chilly days recently.

 Every once in a while, you’ve gotta get glammed up. I’d be lost without my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette! Have finally figured out an easy smokey eye… the key is this $1 brush!

I love that fur vest season is finally here. This one is a favorite from Chicwish!

Highlight of November? Blue Bell ice cream coming back to Dallas! If you’ve never tasted it, all I can say is you’re missing. out.

Favorite travel companion… this Barrington beauty!

Love layering up in this shearling vest and my favorite circle scarf! Do the colors scream “winter” or what.

Before boarding my flight to Paris… Fun fact? The seat next to me ended up being empty! Best. Surprise. Ever.

A quick snap taken from coffee at the cutest Parisian spot with my friend Katie! (Who you NEED to be following on her Paris travel Instagram, @RueBleue)

Restaurant recommendation for Paris… The Cottage! The sweetest restaurant owned by a husband and wife who do it all, from serving to cooking. If that wasn’t enough, the food is unbelievable.

 Since the friends I visited in Paris worked most days, I was left to explore the city on my own for a little. This was taken in the little park right outside of Notre Dame. The foliage was gorgeous!

On one of our (many) shopping trips, Katie and I stumbled across this hot pink tree. Naturally, photos were taken. Any suggestions on shipping this to Texas?

The moment of beauty on November 13th before the tragic events of that evening took place.When you show up at the airport with too many unspent euros… a box of 36 macaroons is the only logical way to get rid of them! (P.S. I bought this pink Tory Burch passport holder for the trip, and have been using it as my wallet ever since! Golden Christmas gift right there.)

One of my favorite souvenirs from my short stay in Paris was, funnily enough, this beautiful guide from a french J.Crew! Easily one of the prettiest stores I’ve ever been into.

When you have to hold your pet against their will to take a photo… Rufus was not happy about this.

 Just like that, temperatures dropped and leaves finally changed here in Dallas! While it’s the beginning of December here now, we’re finally catching up to what a normal city’s fall looks like mid-October.

 New heels for the holiday season! They run true to size, and I loooove ’em.

 A post-feast amble on Thanksgiving. The constant drizzle was NOT helpful in our effort to get up off of the couch.

 Remember that time these babies went on sale for 50% off this weekend? I ended up buying the black, too! *monkey-covers-eyes emoji* They’re selling out everywhere, so don’t wait if you want these under your tree!

Friends… meet my favorite sweater. Hello, red! Plus, this faux leather jacket (with a removable fur collar) is has been my favorite outer layer lately.

I dubbed the caption of this Instagram, “Shep shirt and chill.” Because y’all… it’s just so comfy!

Classic accessories I always have on hand.

The J.Crew obsession is real. This sweater, scarf, vest and jeans are all from there!

Again with the leopard scarf… oops!

Absolutely crazy over this personalized puppy mug! I think it would make the cutest Christmas gift.

Well friends, there you have it! A quick recap of the latest Instagrams over on @LonestarSouthern. Now for the life update!

If you’re caught up from my last Coffee Date, you might remember reading that October was a bit of a rough month. You know what the incredible thing about time is, though? It can change everything. I’m feeling so thankful to be looking back on November with a whole lot of happiness in my heart. It was incredibly fun, incredibly busy, and incredibly memorable. A few highlights in no particular order…

• Going on a junior high retreat (oh, the memories) with a small group of sixth grade girls that I help lead. My co-leader, Anna, and I had the best time wrangling our group of cuties to a church retreat at a summer camp outside of Dallas. Rest assured there were plenty of dance routines choreographed, covers of “Let It Go” sung, and bags of candy consumed!

• Getting to spend time with family while stuffing my face over Thanksgiving.Always love getting my baby sister home from Texas A&M! What a cutie.

• Making new friends here in Dallas (insert winky emoji here, take that for what you will….:)

• Traveling abroad on my own for the first time and seeing much-missed faces in the beautiful city of Paris.On a more serious note… I want to thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers during the tragedy in Paris. They were deeply felt such a comfort, and I was only a visitor. I’m continuing to pray for those affected with you – I can’t imagine what it’s like to more forward from that. For those of you who don’t know, I was actually in the city the night of the attacks. By the grace of God, my friends and I were able to get to safety quickly. Instead of staying until the following Thursday, I sadly decided to end my trip short, heading home that Sunday. It’s still a lot to process, but I am in awe of the strength and bravery of my friends there, Katie, Margaret Anne and Julie Anne, and of the Parisian people as a whole as they walk through the aftermath. Thankful there is One who is bigger than all of this.

• Giving A Lonestar State of Southern a facelift!

By now, I’m sure you’ve noticed quite the change around here. I have been in the process of branding/designing/dreaming up a refresh of A Lonestar State of Soutehrn for the past two (yes, two!) years, and it’s finally come together! The first thing you’ll notice? The name! A Lonestar State of Southern was the very beginning and foundation of this blog, and will continue to be it’s heartbeat. But over the years, “Lonestar Southern” has naturally emerged as a quicker, easier and more commonly used colloquialism. So, after much debate, I decided to bring it to the forefront. It’s a little sad moving away from the full “A Lonestar State of Southern,” but the new name incorporates all I loved about the original, and is a heck of a lot easier to say if we’re being honest. :)

The second huge change? The new logo by the incredibly talented Hannah Sparks Potter! Believe it or not, Hannah and I are actually friends from high school. She went on to graduate from SCAD, and was the first person I thought of when I decided to incorporate a logo into this new space. Working with her was a dream, y’all! I brought to her my vision of a colorful, fun western saddle silhouette (in my favorite shades of pink and orange, of course) and she did wonders. Don’t you agree? This saddle embodies everything I want Lonestar Southern to be… bright, fresh, colorful and fun with a heavy influence of Texan tradition and Southern hospitality. Would love to hear your thoughts on it below!

So feel free to go and have fun exploring the new site! A favorite feature? Being able to view posts by outfit here. I could play with it for hours!

• Seeing Harry Styles in person.

On Monday evening, one of my best friends Julie and I were texting about how One Direction was in town the following evening and how badly we wanted to see them. Then, just as we did with the Taylor Swift concert last month, we thought to ourselves… “What the heck. Let’s go!”

Sure enough, that’s exactly what we did! Do we qualify as spontaneous now? The Jingle Ball was too. much. fun. Not only did we see One D, we also saw our girl Ellie Goulding, 5 Seconds of Summer, Shawn Mendes. An evening to remember for sure, and a fun reminder that the unexpected memories are the best ones!

Friends, I am officially wearing out my keyboard. What a month it’s been! I say it all the time, but I can’t tell you how thankful I am for you and much I care about y’all. I’m praying for a beautiful December for each of you, and that in the hustle and bustle, we find time to rejoice with loved ones over the birth of our Savior! What joy.

One final thing I wanted to share before wrapping up, because it’s giving me chills as I think about it now. I ended our last Coffee Date with this verse:

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Psalm 37:23-24.

Wow, y’all. A month away, and I can already taste and see the truth and hope in that promise. My prayer is that same hope takes root in your heart! Whatever darkness you find yourself in right now is no match for His redemption and restoration.

Love from Texas,

Kate