{Making the most of pool days since the weather has been so warm in Virginia! Swimsuit details below in post. Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk!}
This post contains affiliate links, and today's wishlist is in collaboration with Wikibuy. All opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!
Ramblings:
- Headed to Richmond! I am so thrilled to be heading to Richmond this weekend for a fun blog collaboration! Since I had my first taste of Richmond in April, I've been wanting to explore more of this amazing city, so I was so excited when this opportunity arose. Follow me on Instagram this weekend for updates, and I'll be sharing more about this on the blog over the next couple weeks! The thing I might be most excited for is that my favorite photographer Deeana is coming up from Charlotte for the weekend to help me with this project- can't wait to see her!
- IHOP vs. IHOB? In one of the weirdest restaurant PR stunts that I've seen... IHOP, switched their name to IHOB this week to celebrate their new burger menu. IHOP has always been one of my favorite chain restaurants (I actually ate there on Saturday night!), and no name change will keep away my love for them. Bring on the pancakes, turkey bacon, and hashbrowns! However, it has been hilarious to see social media reacting to this! There are some pretty epic tweets from other restaurants chains' accounts joking about changing their names. What are your thoughts on this?
- Girls' Weekend: I had another guest visit Charlottesville this past weekend, and it was so fun! Another former roommate of mine from Charlotte, my friend Ciera, came up for a whirlwind 24 trip. We had an absolute blast, and it was so fun to give her a little taste of C-Ville! She and our other friend Priyanka are both coming back to spend almost a week here in July, and I can't wait to have them both and have more time to show them around. I seriously love having people visit me here in Virginia- there is so much fun to stuff to do with guests!
- Summer TV: So normally I very much prefer The Bachelorette to The Bachelor! I think it's so fun to see all guys in the mansion instead of all girls (girls can have so much catty drama, and I think each season of guys are just funny!). However... I just cannot get into Becca's season of the Bachelorette?! Anyone else? I couldn't even make it through the first episode. I have been so busy lately that giving two hours a week two a show that I'm not 100% invested in anymore just seems stupid. (I'm still a big Reality Steve fan though so I'll always keep up with it through him!) Anyways, so far the only summer show I've been watching live on TV is Younger on TVLand! Love this show- I first discovered it in Vermont last year and I binged the first three seasons in like a week, which I've never done before with anything!
Purchases:
- This was an on-the-whim purchase, but I'm super excited about it! I found the prettiest blue sneakers this weekend. I wear my black Nikes all of the time with athleisure outfits, so I can't wait to have a pretty colored pair of casual sneakers to wear this summer!
- I always love an amazing clearance rack find! I found the cutest pink wrap top at the Charlottesville Madewell store this weekend while taking my friend Ciera shopping. Typically I'm not a big Madewell shopper... I think their stuff is a bit overpriced for what it is. But I'm all about a good sale- this is marked down from $72 to $20 online right now, and I got it for $10 in store! Can't wait to style it for an upcoming blog post.
- The bathing suit that I'm wearing in the photo above was part of the monthly package that I receive from Shein as apart of their blogger collabs! You can shop it here.
Wishlist:
- I have so much jewelry and I'm always on the hunt for new and cute ways to store it. I already have one set of clear drawers that I use to store bracelets that are so handy. This little set of clear drawers is under $20 and would be great for either makeup or jewelry storage!
- This tie front top would be so cute for casual workplaces like mine! I'd pair it with distressed skinny jeans and flats for work.
- What a unique high neck top! But all in all it makes for a very classy look- this one comes in three colors/prints, and I think it would look great with white jeans!
- Okay so I'm not usually a Free People fan (I'm definitely more of a Lilly girl!), but I just love something about this maxi dress! It's so vibrant and beautiful for summer.
- I found a cute little striped skirt that's such a good dupe for similar styles that I've been seeing at other retailers!
Song of the week: Take Back Home Girl by Chris Lane ft. Tori Kelly. Finally sharing a country song for this weekly feature on the blog- haha! To be honest I haven't been in love with a lot of the new country music over the past month or so... but I'm really starting to like this one. I think Tori Kelly is a perfect addition to this sweet song!
Recipe of the week: Okay so this isn't a specific recipe- but I did make this twice in the past week. Something that I forget how easy it is to make and how much I love is pizza done at home! I cheat a little bit and buy pre-made crust, sauce, and shredded cheese, and whatever toppings I'm feeling like. It's so much cheaper than ordering delivery pizza, and quite fun to make!
On the blog this week:
Happy Wednesday! Halfway through the week!!
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese
I feel sorry for IHOb's poor PR person having to deal with the Twitter backlash! That being said, Burger King, Whataburger, and Hot Pockets had ~fantastic~ Twitter responses which kept me laughing all day. I also made my first Madewell purchase this week; I got a necklace on sale that I know I'll be wearing all summer!
ReplyDeleteThe IHOP/IHOPB name change was interesting... I really loved the twitter exchanges with other companies though - so entertaining!
ReplyDeleteCoffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes
haha love that you added the IHOP vs IHOB in here, def something I have been wondering too!
ReplyDeletehonestly the new ihop name is terrible.... lol they should've chosen something as impactful as ihop xD plus ihob is so hard to say....
ReplyDeleteI had a similar set of clear drawers for my vanity in college! Totally game changing
ReplyDelete-Emily
https://norepeatsorhesitations.com/2018/06/13/7-facebook-groups-for-growing-your-blog-social-media/
Bless the ihob PR/ social media team. I know they have had to deal with so much. I’m all for rebranding but right now I’m counting it as a branding fail
ReplyDeletelove love love this bikini print! polka dots are classic!
ReplyDeleteXo Mindy
amixofmin.com
I feel like IHOB is a bad idea and won't end well for them. Not a fan.
ReplyDeletethe ihop/ihob thing was pretty funny! loving that precious polka dot swimsuit!
ReplyDeleteThe best thing that came out of IHOP changing their name was all the trolling other restaurants did on Twitter. I definitely laughed my way through them (especially Whatapancake). That's so funny that you mentioned pizza done at home. My boyfriend and I had a date night at home and made our own pizza. It was the first time I had ever made my own pizza dough.
ReplyDeleteMaking pizza at home is so fun. I haven't done that in forever. You've inspired me to make it soon!
ReplyDelete