Midweek Ramblings.

 

{Enjoying a quiet Sunday livestreaming church from home this past weekend. Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk!}

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

Ramblings:

• Crazy fact from the show Cheer - I've been making my way through the new season of Cheer on Netflix over the past couple weeks. I recently stumbled across this article about the big Daytona cheerleading championship that's featured in the show... and reading this absolutely blew my mind! I don't want to spoil it- but read it if you dare! I feel a little duped now haha.
• New free app I love: I talked about this on the radio at work this past week, but I think I forgot to share here! There's a new free app that I downloaded and am loving. It's called Hoopla, and public libraries can subscribe to it and give cardholders access. I was able to make an account only using my Virginia Beach library card number. In addition to having a ton of audiobooks available for rent, Hoopla also has a huge category of movies and TV show seasons available to rent too! A lot of the titles that I saw available are ones that popular streaming services don't have. How cool is that? (There is even a Hoopla app available for Roku on your TV.) You should definitely check to see if your local library is part of Hoopla!

Weekend recaps:

• Last weekend: It snowed in Virginia Beach on Friday into Saturday morning! The snow totals varied throughout Hampton Roads (the metro area), but most of Virginia Beach had around 6 inches, which is pretty significant for this area. Apparently the past few years it has only snowed like an inch or less for the entire season, so this really was a lot! Although my apartment parking lot did get plowed, the roads near my complex were not in the best shape, so I decided to stay in all weekend. I watched a lot of TV, finished a library book, did some baking, and got a lot of blogging work done. A very restful and snow-filled weekend.
• This weekend: My Virginia friend Cara is supposed to visit this weekend!  (Cara and I met in 2020 from The Carla Marie and Anthony show podcast meet-up in Richmond- so cool that a podcast lead me to a great friend!) The only problem is that there is currently snow forecasted again for Friday into Saturday. I'm hoping that will change soon so that we don't have to reschedule!

Purchases:

• I majorly lucked out at a consignment shop over the weekend! I went in just to browse, and found a cute pair of these sandals in my size for just $7.63! They normally retail for $50, so I was beyond thrilled.
• I asked on IG Stories what everyone's favorite drugstore concealer was. This was by far the winner, so I grabbed some this week. 
• I'm excited to try this brand of nail wraps soon. I haven't tried them yet, and some of my friends rave about them! 

Wishlist:

• One fashion item I will always love is a tweed jacket. This one is absolutely darling!!
• Cute and classy blue and white shorts that have me dreaming about spring and summer.
• This might be the cutest Valentine's sweater I have ever seen- no exagerration.
• I got this affordable and super cute sundress in neon yellow last year (see it styled here)- it's back this year in more colors!
• This would be a darling dress to wear for a Valentine's date or fun Galentine's plans.

Currently reading: American Baby: A Mother, A Child and the Shadow History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser - This book has heavy subject matter but is well-written and hard to put down at parts. It examines how socially taboo pregnancies out-of-wedlock were in the first half of the 20th century, and exposes the maternity homes that popped up nationwide for unwed mothers-to-be. It follows a young teenage mother who unwillingly gave her son up for adoption in the 1960s, and what became of both of them.

Recipe of the week: Red Beans and Rice from Damn Delicious - This was an easy weeknight meal that I made this past Monday evening. I decided to serve it with coconut-herb brown rice instead of regular white rice.

Song of the week: Somewhere by Tallisker and LA Vision - This is such an upbeat and happy little pop song. I used it in a recent reel on Instagram, and it's been stuck in my head ever since. It's by an international artist, but the lyrics are in English.

Favorite blog posts of the week:

• Oh What a Sight to See - Hannah is wearing what might be the prettiest and brightest winter business casual outfit ever! Love her pink coat.
• Design Darling - This post from Mackenzie is too cute- she shared some recent one-liners from her two year old son Teddy.
• Heather Bien - Heather's travel guides are some of my favorites- especially her weekend guides. Loved reading her recent Miami recommendations!

On the blog this week:

• The Southern Belle in Training Origin Story: How I Fell in Love With the South

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese