Finals

Hey darlings. There will be no posts this week on Haute Table due to final exams, this is the final week of classes and there is just too much to be done. Check back here on Saturday, December 5th for a round-up of all of the posts you would have seen throughout the week. Have a fabulous week-xoxo darling, Hayden.

P.S. this is me right now but instead of Chanel boxes there are books 

and papers & I am not sitting in the Paris Ritz...just my apartment. 

Saturday Inspiration

Articles I Am Reading

1. So I know this already happened but it was so pretty and I was so sad I couldn't be there // Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2015 // The Neo-Trad
2. I really like all of these, maybe I will test them over winter break // Three Nail Art Trends You Can Do At Home // The Everygirl
3. Slowly trying to collect these for my coffee tables // Favorite Coffee Table Books // Prep in Your Step
4. Oh James //  James Bond's Cars Keep Getting Faster Cooler And Sexier // The Daily Beast
5. Me right now // 24 Animals That Are Too Tired To Animal // Buzz Feed
6. I still find this article funny // Why You Hate Google's New Logo // The New Yorker

Rock Solid

Week Re-Cap

It has been a nice week. Not a whole lot of stress but a lot of friends! Spark Magazine had its release party on Thursday, so I went and grabbed my copy. We played broomball late Thursday night and Friday morning I went to drop of clothes from a clothing drive. Saturday we had some photoshoots for HT {check back in tomorrow} and Sunday I had a few meetings. Monday we went shopping for presents {eek! I love giving gifts!} and Tuesday I cleaned my apartment {such fun}. My parents flew in late last night so today we are hitting the town! What are y'all up to? -xoxo darling, Hayden

via

Angela & I went to the release party for the Fall 2015 Spark Magazine! 

Some of my extended family grabbing pizza before a 

very heated match of Broomball.

I don't really understand this sport, or how it came about but it was highly entertaining. 

We may have lost {badly} but we are still the winners at heart {also, everyone said I looked like Daphne, do y'all see it?}.

Smize.

CC Love!

Comm Council & Liberal Arts Council

Me & the little!

We filled a whole car with clothing for our clothing drive! 

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We saw "Suffragette" on Saturday night and loved it! 

Went shopping on Monday for some holiday presents! 

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Book Lover Gift Guide

It is that time of the year again...when we have to buy gifts for all of your "best" friends. This year, instead of being specific about who you give the gifts to {here, here, here, here} I am doing it in categories. Let me know what y'all think of this way below! I will also be doing one a week for the next four weeks! Lastly, the tote bag & t-shirt by Litographs is totally on my list-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Around the World in 80 Days Book Poster // Magnolia Bakery Recipe Book Clutch // Ulysses Women's Book T-Shirt // Edgar Allan Poe-ka Dots Canvas Pouch // A Book Lover T-Shirt //  Victorian Whale Bookends // Preppy Bookmarks // Literary Map of Ireland // Shakespeare Mug //  The Great Gatsby Book Tote Books and Stuff Print //Book Lover Gift Matchboxes // Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock Book T-Shirt

Quotes of the Week

I cannot believe I am up this early but hey it is for a good cause! This week should be pretty amazing because I only have two days of classes & my parents will be visiting! Keep up with our adventures on Instagram & Snapchat (hap213)-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Saturday Inspiration

Articles I Am Reading

1. I still have to try some of these // The Everygirl's Weekend City Guide to Austin // The Everygirl
2. THIS IS PERFECTION // Adorable Lilly Pulitzer Inspired Party // Pizzazzerie
3. I love this interactive map // Instagram Food Capitals // Photoworld
4. This is a lot to handle // A Montage of Every Brand Ever Mentioned On Sex & The City // Who What Wear
5. YAAAS // Queen Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa // Buzz Feed
6. These are so cool! // Movie Posters // Cinespia

Big Appreciation

This past Sunday was my spirit group's "Big Appreciation Party." It is where the littles plan out a party for their bigs and give them the wooden Texas they have painted {think paddles in a sorority}. I had an awesome time & my little did an amazing job on her Texas! Check out some of the shots below from the super cute party they through us-xoxo darling, Hayden. 

Photo Booth props

 All of the little's gifts were so cute! 

 Most of these flowers now reside in my apartment...

 They had little Texas cookies for us to decorate! 

 The cutest littles ever! 

Love this one! 

My reaction to my gift {filmed by my little}.

She knows me so well, my bin was full of delicious food & the cutest Texas! 

Week Re-Cap

   It has been an interesting week. On Wednesday I had a biology exam and...it went horribly bad. I studied for so long and so hard and then it ended badly. I was extremely upset. School has not been going as well this semester as my previous semesters at UT. I think I am in my sophomore slump and that I am taking some pretty difficult courses that I have no interest in, so my GPA is going to drop {but not a lot, I'm still in the 3.-- level}. I just kind of feel defeated by my classes and workload, which is something I don't show on HT. Because who would want to see photos of my laptop screen with 26 page study guides? Or the crying sessions because I don't think I can do it sometimes. I remember a while back Shannon of Prep Avenue did this post about how your grades don't define you and it is helpful for all of you college students out there. 

    It's going to be fine, I will just do better next semester, but I wanted to explain how school has been affecting the blog. I feel like HT & District have been in a boring state, like I am just going through the motions. So thank you for continuing your readership of HT. I will keep publishing posts six days a week and having new content but my life is about to get crazy with finals so keep that in mind if some of the posts are not the most interesting. I am currently working on finishing my gift guides for the season and doing some photoshoots for the fall/winter in Texas. Once I go on winter break, HT will be getting real interesting again and I am very excited about it. Next semester is going to be a lot of fun & I might have exciting news to share with y'all soon {as in February/March}-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Hannah was craving cream of corn so we went to Rudy's {it was my first time & I loved it}!

Before we went to the Beyonce Sing-Along we grabbed some TCBY.

The Beyonce Sing-Along was perfection.

Then Friday Hannah & I needed a break from campus so we ventured out and ended up at Counter Cafe {an Austin staple} for brunch. 

And we ended that day with dinner at Hoover's. 

Saturday was retreat at the always beautiful Enchanted Rock.

And Sunday we had our Big Appreciation Party 

{click back tomorrow for more photos of that}! 

Monday, Tuesday, were really boring {lots of schoolwork} but tonight I have Comm Council, tomorrow I have the Spark Magazine release, and Friday my little {pictured above} is coming over for movie night! Saturday we might go see Suffragette {because I HAVE to see that film} and Sunday will be lots of homework and cleaning. 

Retreat(ing)

This past Saturday my spirit group had their retreat {last semester's here} at Enchanted Rock! We had a blast, took lots of photos, and got VERY winded. Have any of y'all been to E-Rock before? -xoxo darling, Hayden

Quotes of the Week

Saturday Inspiration

Articles I Am Reading

1. This is so freaking pretty // Paris in Three Minutes Video // Town & Country
2. Loving their new brand  logo, so chic // Wolfgang Puck cooks up a new brand identity // The Fox Is Black
3. Hermes wallpaper?! HECK YES // Hermes Wants To Help You Make Over Your Walls // Town & Country
4. Such a cool read // Andrew Bolton, Museum Visionary // The New York Times
5. How many have y'all been to? // 50 State Houses // The News-Press
6. I mean I agree with most of these // Ranking: James Bond Theme Songs From Worst to Best // Consequence of Sound

In Defense of "Me" Days

Life is an insane, hectic, crazy time. And I love that life is like that. But sometimes you just need to let it go and have what I refer to as a "me" day. Now some people might not understand or like this idea but I honestly think these are necessary. Did I probably get behind in classwork because I took a "me" day? Yes. Did I waste time during my "me" day? Yes. Did I have a fabulous day that was stress free? YES!  "Me" days are basically "treat yo self" days without spending money. You lay around, binge watch tv {Gilmore Girls anyone?}, catch up on your magazines, drink tea, bake, paint your nails; basically you do whatever you want. Because you are letting go, de-stressing, saying no to people who want to hang out because you need time alone. Everyone needs time alone. I need time alone and I am one of the most involved people. We need space and time to decompress and my "me" day was a LONG time coming.  I am not saying you need a "me" day once a week, maybe not even once a month. But when you are starting to really feel the stress, block off a Sunday and just relax, do what you want for once-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Week Re-Cap

I started off Wednesday with a lot of assignments due but it ended with Voodoo so it wasn't so bad. Then on Thursday I went to pancake night for Texas Thon, an organization that raises money for the local children's hospital. {I am inserting shameless plug here, if you are interested in donating to an amazing cause, you can find my donation page here}! After pancake night I saw Spectre...which if you have seen it please comment below or email me with what you thought of the ending because I am seriously concerned! Friday the bestie and I went shopping at Nordstrom, the sale is AMAZING {I bought this dress for ~$30!}, and had Cheesecake Factory for dinner as part of "treat yo self." Saturday night we had our second to last home game {WE WON!}. Sunday morning my spirit group had a photoshoot for the yearbook on campus and my friend from high school {she's a senior contemplating what college to attend} visited! We went to SoCo, had P. Terry's, & visited the original Whole Foods. Monday was hectic {yay for 5 hours of sleep!}. I studied, had some meetings, and had some spontaneous dance parties. Tuesday was also hectic, that bio test today was killing me. But by the time you are reading this I will be done with that & on to my next assignment...lots of papers! What are y'all up to? -xoxo darling, Hayden

Another Wednesday night that ended in Voodoo...

Pike's Pancake Night for Texas Thon was on Thursday!

Went and saw Spectre on Thursday 

night for it's opening! 

Hannah & I went to Nordstrom for their 

sale...and IT WAS AMAZING.

We followed up shopping with Cheesecake...

 The weather was amazing at the game on Saturday!

We took our yearbook photos on Sunday!

My little is literally perfect.

Besties for lyfe.

Some pretty fabulous lighting encouraged selfie taking.

Can we talk about this amazing chocolate display at Whole Foods?

It was one of our Ladybird's birthday's on Monday! 

101 in 1001 Update

Hello darlings! So it has been a while {here} since I last updated my 101 in 1001 with y'all so I thought it was time. I am SLOWLY getting there! Below are some updated to the list! How are you doing on yours? -xoxo darling, Hayden

No. 2: Read at least forty new books total.

Going home for summer break really helped me accomplish more of this goal. I am currently at 35/40! I plan on reading some over winter break and I am trying to finish some coffee table books I have in my apartment. Out of all of the ones I have read I would highly suggest The Handmaid's Tale {if you like feminism}, The Assassin {if you like historical fiction}, the Rock Chick series {if you like funny books with strong female leads}, & Murder with Peacocks {if you like murder mysteries}. 

No. 8: Host a brunch.

I have actually done this twice in the past year! Both times it was for my spirit group, The Ladybirds, but I hosted it! The first one we had cute decorations while the second one was just eating at the restaurant. 

No. 9: Guest blog for at least 10 people. When I did my last update I had written one guest post but I have now done my second! It was the most important things I learned my freshman year of college for Dani Dearest. It was a lot of fun to write it & I got so many comments back from it! I am currently working on another guest post so I should be up to 3 by early december!
No. 13: Do at least 5 DIY projects. 

I am almost done with this! I made a boot jack, a tassel garland, sugar scrubs, and a burlap garland. All of these were super fun to make and they weren't even that hard! I am currently looking for my final one and I want it to be BIG.
No. 19: Start a travel page on Haute Table.
This was a HUGE step for me. I love to travel but I was super nervous about writing my opinions about the travel world. I think I might want to work for a travel magazine when I graduate so I finally took the plunge and created the new travel section of HT. Right now it is just simple stuff like my top 10 places to visit in Paris and some re-caps of trips. But I am working on HT's Definitive Guide to Boston {and boy is that tough} so keep your eye out for the evolving HT Travel Section!

No. 20: Visit all four museums at UT.  I had already visited the LBJ Presidential Library last year {and have since been a LOT}. But I finally visited the other three: Harry Ransom Center, The Blanton Museum of Art & the Texas Museum of Natural History. Each one is so unique & so interesting! I have been back to the Blanton many times because it is my favorite & I recently visited HRC again -- they are doing a Shakespeare exhibit next semester so you'll be able to catch me there at least once.                              No. 21: Study in all fifteen UT libraries. Slowly but surely I am making my way through this. I studied in the Life Sciences Library in the tower last time I updated y'all but since then I have been reading in the Architecture Planning Library and doing group projects in the PCL {our massive, not to mention ugly, library}. 

No. 29: Go to at least five live music shows. 

I have done 2/5, which I think is pretty good for me! I saw Sam Riggs perform on my birthday last semester and I went to a Ra Ra Riot/Small Pools concert in the spring. I think I am going to try to catch some people at the Cactus Cafe on campus and the bestie is always a source of information for concerts so we shall see!                                                                             No. 27: Start a book club.So this is not exactly true. Instead of starting one I decided to join a brand new book club last semester. We read The Girl on the Train {which I LOVED}, but I kind of hated being part of a book club. I did not like reading and waiting until the next week to discuss it. In the end I went ahead and read the whole book. I also was not a fan of discussing the whole thing. I like talking about a book maybe once but talking about "how I felt" and stuff like that was not me at all. So I am no longer participating but I happy I tried.                                                   No. 30: Go to a basketball game at UT. Achieved this very early last semester! I had a pretty good time, I am still not a huge fan of basketball but it is fun to go. I plan on attending a few more this year and who knows, maybe I will fall in love with it. 

No. 34: Attend a Bollywood dance class.

YAAAAS! I was so happy about this one! Earlier this semester a dance center in downtown Austin was having its grand opening so they were offering free dance classes for an entire day. We ended up doing two but my favorite was definitely the Bollywood class! It was so energetic and it took me until the end of class to finally have the whole combination memorized. 

No. 45: See ten "classic" films.

I really need to work on this, but to be perfectly honest I am not sure what a "classic" movie is! I saw Lawrence of Arabia, which I totally understand why it is amazing and I really did enjoy it. But I am unsure what to watch next...also I only get 20 channels at my apartment and watch the rest on Netflix. So if you know of a "classic" film on Netflix Watch Instantly comment below with your suggestion! 

No. 47: See five Audrey Hepburn films.

Now I have seen 3/5, Funny Face & How To Steal A Million were added. But now I am out of AH movies to watch on Netflix! I need them to add more or I need to watch them when I go home for winter break {which is what I will probably end up doing}. Funny Face is one of my old favorites and How To Steal A Million was adorable. Interestingly, my dad and I watched it over the summer for my second time because he had never seen it. I think he liked it! 

No. 52: Try at least three food trucks. 

This was not as easy as I thought...and they ended up all being desserts...we can clearly see my Gordough's quite a few times, tried Cow Tipping Creamery {it was delicious} and Casey's New Orleans Snowballs {which was surprisingly delicious}. I have never really enjoyed snowballs/sno-cones but this was pretty fabulous. 

No. 54: Buy the Haute Table domain name.
THIS WAS SUCH A BIG STEP!!! I am so proud that HT now resides at www.hautetableblog.com instead of the "blogspot" one! I purchased the domain for two years and I am sure I will renew it after that because I cannot see myself stopping talking to no one on the Internet {hahaha, but really are you out there world?}.
No. 55: Get Haute Table 100 likes on Facebook.Still not sure how/why 100 people like HT on Facebook but I am so happy that y'all do! If you still haven't liked HT, but you are reading this...I am confused...go like the page please!

No. 57: Do a balloon photoshoot for Haute Table. 
For HT's third birthday I bought one of those cheesy gold number balloons {hello Pinterest} and made my dad walk all around our downtown in the 95 degree heat taking photos of me. But I am so happy with how they turned out and it was such a fun shoot to do! I am hoping to do more shoots like this but with normal balloons because what girl doesn't like balloons???
No. 60 & No. 61 : Start Cupcakes For Charity at UT & Make a website for Cupcakes For Charity. 
So I did not start CFC at UT, however I am trying to incorporate it into my spirit group! We can add it to our website once I have transitioned it but I didn't think starting two separate clubs was a good idea for my mental state. But an update: CFC is still going strong at my high school & I am so proud of that!

No. 66: Have sparklers at the Fourth of July
YES. Just yes. I finally convinced my family to do sparklers this Fourth and I loved it so much we had them at my spirit group's initiation ceremony! They are so much fun and it felt iconically Fourth of July because my dad took me down memory lane with him and we bought various fireworks as well.
No. 71: Interview someone.

Looking back this was kind of a stupid item to put on this list. Not because I think interviewing someone is stupid but because I do it so frequently in my college...because I am a journalism major. I also have interviewed countless cover girl's for District Magazine. Each time I do an interview I think I grow as a person and learn even more about the community {and world} around me.

No. 79: Keep fresh flowers in my dorm for a month. I will admit this was a challenge, but I accomplished it thanks to the $4 hydrangeas at HEB! It was nice to have them in my dorm room because they really brightened the space and made lonely days/homesick days a little happier. No. 82: Give up soda once and for all. So I have pretty much done this. I occasionally have one if I go somewhere that has Mexican sodas because I LOVE that stuff! But I no longer drink Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, any of that nonsense! I am happy with the decision, I am sticking to water, lemonade, coffee & tea, but I'm trying to limit my lemonade in-take now. 

Upcoming Goals:

No. 14: Mail care packages to BFFs from high school.

I have been avoiding this one but I think I am going to send one to my bestie in Gainesville this month. I found really cheap boxes at Dollar Tree so I think I am going to finally start working on this goal. I am shooting for sending 3-5 care packages to people. 

No. 39: Make ten recipes off of Pinterest.

I am going to get started on this goal this month. I'm not sure which one I will start with, you vote in the comments for either this one, this one or this one. I have a feeling Hannah will help me accomplish this.

No. 48 Attend a ballet.

I think I am going to attend The Nutcracker put on by Ballet Austin in December. They are putting on a matinee of it in the afternoon and then I have a formal that night for Comm Council. I have seen ballets in the past but this one should be really good! And I have never seen The Nutcracker all the way through! 

No. 70: Study abroad.

I am currently working on my study abroad plans but I will most likely be abroad THIS SUMMER! Yay! I am so excited! Y'all will be so sick of this subject soon because once I finalize where I am going I'll start the planning and then I will be there for like 2 and a half months...so expect lots of photos! 

Quotes of the Week

This should be an interesting week. I have a TON due for classes and it is totally crunch time. But hey on the upside it's going to be fun! What are y'all up to this week? -xoxo darling, Hayden

Saturday Inspiration

Articles I Am Reading

1. I know Halloween has long past but this costume was just too cute not to share // DIY Pantone Color Combo Couples Costume // Sugar & Cloth
2. Ugh I want it all // It's Nantucket by Way of Paris -- Zac Posen's New Vision at Brooks Brothers // Vogue 
3. This book looks really good // The Clasp // Sloane Crosley
4. I understand some of these but I was born in 1996 // 18 After-School Rituals That Kids Born After 1995 Will Never Understand // Thought Catalog
5. Why can we not do this anymore? We would look so cute // This Is How American College Students Used to Dress // Town & Country
6. This is amazing & as someone who loves Instagram & does stuff like this, I know it is accurate // Incredible Photo Series Reveals The Truth Behind "Perfect" Instagrams // Elite Daily 

Initiation Fall 2015

On Monday night my spirit organization initiated our third class. It was such a magical experience seeing these girls who came into our group as strangers officially become our sisters. I've included just a few of the hundred photos we took that night-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Me with our new class!

 The VP & the Prez.

 Hannah became the paparazzi and snapped lots of photos like this.

Our officers!

Throwin' what we know.

 Love this girl.

 My little is kind of amazing.

The bestie is officially a sister! 

Week Re-Cap

This has been a pretty good week. We started off REALLY stressed out on Wednesday night/Thursday but it improved exponentially Thursday night after I took my government test. Hannah & I got to try a new restaurant, I dressed up as a pineapple {twice} and as a classic French girl, baked some cookies, ate some queso, and relaxed. Today is stressful because I have a journalism story due but tomorrow night I am going to see Spectre in IMAX {I AM SO EXCITED!!!!}. Then a friend from my high school is coming to stay with me to check out UT {editor-in-chiefs unite}. What are y'all up to? -xoxo darling, Hayden

My Comm Council family was "Fruit of the Loom." 

The perfect study spot for a cool fall day.

Finally got to try Bacon after an incredibly stressful Thursday. 

We had a great view of downtown.

On a SUPER rainy day my little from Ladybirds & I got bagels.

Yep. I am that person.

We had a murder mystery party on Friday, find the photos here. 

Grabbed dinner with Christina.

 I seriously love Torchy's.

Late night shopping at Trader Joe's on Halloween.

Some Sunday night studying with Hannah.

Followed by a stop at Pinthouse Pizza. 

The delicious taco plate @ Gabriel's Cafe

Halloween 2015

Halloween consisted of two nights for me. The first involved a party with my spirit group in which I went as the quintessential French girl, stripped t-shirt, scarf, beret, baguette and everything. Then on Halloween I went out with some of my friends as a pineapple {because I already had the costume & it is a huge hit!}. How was your Halloween & what did you go as? -xoxo darling, Hayden

French girl meets Hogwarts teacher

A pumpkin & a flapper.

Rosie the Riveter

Audrey from Breakfast 

Cat & Mouse

Pineapple & Minnie Mouse

Fairy Godmother, Minnie, & a Devil

Rosie! 

Getting down to Hotline Bling.

A witch joined the squad.

I was dancing to the Cupid Shuffle {hello middle school}!

Quotes of the Week

Can we talk about the fact that it is already November? Because I cannot begin to believe/accept that. It seems like just yesterday I moved into my apartment. Life has been really hectic lately and extremely stressful but this weekend was a nice change of pace. I went out for Halloween {check back tomorrow for that post} but other than that I laid around the apartment, slept a lot, watched Scream 2 & 3 {I couldn't find 1 on Netflix}, and just recharged my batteries. I am ready to hit November running. So let's make a toast to figuring out study abroad, getting those last minute grades together, publishing the next issue of District, not having as many freak out sessions, seeing Spectre on Thursday, enjoying time with friends, and having a great month; 2015 is leaving so quickly! What are y'all up to this month? -xoxo darling, Hayden