Lady Lessons from Hello! Happiness

Well, hello there yall! I am so happy to be guest posting here today…when Cambron asked me to be a participaint in her Southern Sophisticate Series, I happily obliged. I love anything and everything pertaining to the southern way of living, and am here today sharing some little tidbits/advice/necessities/etc.

For those that don’t know me, I am Natasha and I am the blogger behind Hello! Happiness. I am a wife to my husband Jeff, mother to my two darling girls (Caroline-17 months and Carson-2 months) and I am a lover of all things happy… so good to meet yall (yes, I say yall…the epitome of southern dialect, right??)

I thought I would start off by offering my advice on a few important details:

Wardrobe Essentials

For the spring and summer, you need a hefty supply of sundresses to combat all the heat and humidity…it’s unbearable at times I assure you. These keep you cool and I love the fact you can dress them up or down, depending on the occasion, and they are the perfect staple for church on Sunday mornings too once paired with a simple cardigan. Other essentials in my closet are skirts, tank tops, and plenty of flat sandals.

When it comes to fall and winter, I am the queen of tunics, leggings, and boots…simple, casual, and comfortable, too (especially now with two minis to tote around everywhere). I have a fascination with scarves and probably have more than 30 in my collection-it’s a weakness but they can totally “make” an outfit. I also love thick sweaters and staple jeans…you can’t go wrong, there!

Other favorites I swear by–no matter the season–are statement necklaces and fun, colorful earrings (Kendra Scott are my favorites).  Adding in an accessory of two can pull your look together and add a pop, too! I do have to admit though, that if you were to see me out and about on the weekdays, I am most likely sporting workout skirts/capris and tanks paired with tennis shoes…oh heavens, is that not TOTAL mom wear?? Who have I turned in to?

All Things Etiquette

My best friend and I are the go-to etiquette gurus in our circle of friends, and I have a few rules to live by:

1. Thank you cards are a must. NO EXCEPTIONS. Handwritten letters go a long way, I promise you that.

2. When you receive an invitation, please pay attention to the RSVP component…hosts REALLY appreciate those that kindly let them know if they plan to attend or not.

4. When you go to a get-together/party/function at someone’s house, ALWAYS contribute…whether it be an appetizer, bottle of wine, etc…it’s better to bring something you grabbed at the store than being the one who comes empty handed.

5. All is fair in love AND football. We can all play nice and be friends during most months, but when football season rolls around, all bets are off. I am a die hard TN Volunteer and loathe those “other” teams…especially those in the SEC. GO VOLS!!

And finally, I wanted to make sure I answered the fun southern questions…

1.) Sweet Tea or Lemonade. Sweet Tea! My Mom’s is THE BEST

2.) Favorite Southern City. Not going to lie, I love my hometown Nashville, but a close second would be Charleston, South Carolina.

3.) ACC or SEC. SEC..as far as I’m concerned, there is NO other conference 😉

4.) Bow Ties or Necktie. Bow ties. I wish Jeff would wear more of them!

5.) Linen or Seersucker. Oh, that’s a hard one. It doesn’t get much cuter than my girls OR Jeff in some seersucker…I ordered Caroline’s Mothers Day Out backpack and lunchbox in lime green seersucker and now I want one for myself.

7.) Fried Chicken or Barbecued Chicken. Barbecued on the grill…nothing better!!

8.) Gulf Coast or East Coast. Gulf!! Jeff and I have this debate all the time because he grew up going to the East Coast beaches, but I’m a Gulf Coast girl… let’s just say I usually win this war!

9.)  Garden and Gun or Southern Living. Garden and Gun.
10.) Favorite Southern Saying: “Bless Her Heart”