The Best Shopping Apps

"Pop" print by Lilly Pulitzer

Today is Black Friday. Those words often evoke a sense of excitement or anxiety...or a combination of both. Either way, Black Friday involves amazing deals in shops across the country. Whatever you're looking for, it's probably on sale today and the rest of this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend, I've loved the inclusion of Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. This has given other businesses - especially locally-run ones - the chance to join in the fun.

Let's talk online shopping for a second. It's super-convenient these days to open your laptop and blaze through your Christmas shopping list with a click of a mouse - and the sales are often more abundant online as well. But let's say you're not on a laptop. Instead, you're braving the Black Friday crowds, standing in line with a cart full of goodies. There's something from another store you could be ordering while you wait.

That's where apps come in.

These apps I'm about to show you can be used beyond Black Friday/Cyber Monday, but I figured these would come in handy this weekend. ;) So, without further ado, here are my favorite shopping apps for iOS! (You may be able to find these apps on Google Play or Android Market.)

Retail Me Not

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This is often the first place I go when I'm ordering things. Retail Me Not has so many coupons for so many stores, and I've often been able to get free shipping on many purchases. Just browse to see what coupons are available!

Amazon

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I love Amazon so much as it is for their great deals on books, but they sell many other items, so it makes one-stop shopping so, so easy. It's even easier to shop on my phone; I ordered my Halloween costume this year through this app. :)

Sephora to Go

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I haven't bought anything on this app, but I installed my Sephora VIB rewards card into my Passbook. It's super nice to pull your phone out when you're shopping there, and the card on Passbook keeps track of your Beauty Insider reward points. Since I installed the app, I've gotten quite a few notifications of sales, which is also nice.

Casetify (formerly Casetagram)

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I've talked about Casetify before, but I love this store and the wide variety of cases they have. You can buy a case from any of the artist collections OR make your own, all with just a few swipes on the app. You can find coupons and sales - some are exclusive to the app - and you can even track your order once you place it. Yay! (Also, their social media department is super, super nice!)

BONUS: Deliveries

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This is lifesaver for package tracking. All you have to do is plug in a tracking number and carrier, and the app will track the shipment and give you a countdown of when it arrives, with notifications for every stop on the way. This is super handy for this time of year and beyond. :)

Have you ever shopped via an app? If so, how do you like it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pattern by Rifle Paper Co.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! :) Today, I'm celebrating the holiday with my family by eating amazing food and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. More adventures will probably ensue throughout the day as well.

I hope that you and your families all have a wonderful Thanksgiving too, stay safe if you're traveling today, and God bless!

Have Faith

You can find blessings in unexpected places.

Let me explain.

Yesterday, my grandfather and I were grabbing some food from Chikfila. While grabbing said food, I noticed that in the back, Luke 17:6 was written on the back of a whiteboard. I love Chikfila for the values they uphold so - naturally, this piqued my interest.

It was the moment that I picked up a cup of lemonade that I noticed the same verse written on the side of the cup. Huh.

I really think that verse was there for us - in that moment - for a reason.

In my personal experience, God has always found a way to find and help me out in ways that I never thought I'd need. Something simple as scribbling a verse on a lemonade cup actually made such an impact that I'm sure the waitress helping us didn't see right away. It's moments like these that help my faith and make it even stronger.

So, what I'm trying to say is that if you find a verse you love, share it. If you even have some insight that you discovered while living daily life, share it. You never know who - and how many - you'll help and support by doing so.

A Golf-Carting Adventure in Peachtree City

This Thanksgiving week, I've been visiting family in Georgia. It's been great to catch up with and see friends and family down here. :) Plus, Thanksgiving is in just a few days! Yay!

The other day, my cousin took me on a golf cart ride through the entirety of Peachtree City. Then, yesterday, I took it for a spin myself.

It's basically one giant circle of pine trees, with various shops and a huge park and golf course in between. Residents can literally drive to school, work, or even Walgreens', just so long as they stay on designated paths or very, very specific subdivision roads. It's amazing, and I wish they had golf cart accessibility in Franklin.

We had a great time on the cart. :) My cousin gave me a tour of the town in a way I hadn't seen before. Through each and every winding path that our cart traveled, we got to see both the town and the nature that surrounds it. The great Fall weather didn't hurt, either.

When I drove yesterday, I was amazed at how easy it was. If you can drive a car, driving a golf cart is cake. I told my grandfather (who rode with me that day) that it was dangerous that I was able to access a Target so easily. ;) Ha!

For now, here are some of the the snaps I took while riding with my cousin...and they are gorgeous. :)

My favorite thing that we saw by far was this "Leave a Book, Take a Book" mini library in one of the yards in the subdivision. My cousin told me that she enjoyed seeing what books were in there. These neighbors were thoughtful and sweet to give so many people access to books if they want to read, and I absolutely love that.

Red-Eye Flight Tips

I've said it before, but this week is a huge week of travel for many folks, especially leading right up to Thanksgiving (or any other holiday coming up). What if your schedule won't allow you to pop into town until the day before (or morning of) a holiday, meeting, or any special event? This where the red-eye flight comes in.

The earliest I've ever left my home for a flight was probably around 3 or 4:00 AM. I'm pretty sure I've hopped on planes at 6 AM, but I guarantee that there are flights that will arrive at your destination by then. Since they depart during the night and arrive in the morning, red-eye flights give you the entire day at your destination once you arrive, but flights that early require special preparation.

So, here are my tips if you just so happen to be traveling by a red-eye (or extremely early-morning) flight. :) (Some of these can even apply to international flights, as they depart in the evening and arrive in the morning...just not quite as early.)

• Err on the side of comfort. Actually, camp out on the side of comfort. Even if you've got a day planned, chances are, you'll be able to take a quick nap or at least change clothes for any event you have when you land. I'd do something like what I wrote in my "What to Wear On Planes" post, but I'd swap out jeans for sweatpants or leggings. Any layers I'd have would be a lot warmer, too, socks included.
• If you can sleep on the plane, sleep on the plane. Otherwise, get a lot of sleep beforehand. I personally can't sleep on planes, so I rely on great sleep the night before and a great cup of coffee (or two...or three ;] )
• Bring chapstick (and any other moisturizers you want). Airplane air is notorious for drying out skin, so items like these are lifesavers. Also, on that note...
• Drink water at some point during your flight. Staying hydrated is always important for any flight; not to mention it will help you feel better while you sit still on a plane that early in the morning.
• If you do decide to stay awake, here's what I recommend for such an early flight:
• Preloading an episode or two of your favorite TV show on your iPad/tablet/phone.
• Really, really great music.
• Coffee. Or tea.
• A really, really great novel.
• Or, if all else fails, bring a pair of headphones. Noise canceling or not, these will help you relax on a flight this early.

If you're taking a red-eye flight this Holiday season, I hope this helps you out! :) I know I'll be referring back to this when I hop a red-eye flight one of these days.