Favorite Things Thursday: Lilly Pulitzer

      Favorite Things Thursday is finally back! I have no idea why I took such a long absence from it... anyways, it's here again and here to stay! As always, I would love for y'all to join in! Just be sure to grab the special FTT button from the homepage of my blog if you would like to participate. :-) Now for today's Favorite Thing:

     I am normally very much of a bargain shopper, and I rarely splurge on things if I can find a cheaper alternative. But, there is an exception to this... a big exception... called Lilly Pulitzer. I.Love.Lilly.

     I love the brightness and the fun patterns of Lilly prints, I love how cute these prints look on clothing (especially dresses!), and I am also obsessed with Lilly accessories! I have a Lilly travel mug, my planner for school is a Lilly agenda, and since getting my iPhone 5S in October I've had only one case... which you guessed it, is Lilly! (Side note: it's one of the best phone cases I've ever had and many phone drops and three months later it still looks brand new!) I think the prints are so gosh darn cute that I have even made a Lilly inspired craft project before!

     The only downside the Lilly Pulitzer apparel is that it isn't cheap. But I have learned how and where to shop for Lilly sales, and I can proudly say that every Lilly clothing item that I own wasn't bought for full price! You can read about my best Lilly bargain in this post!


     Lilly just released the Spring 2014 collection this past week online, so I thought this would be the perfect time to highlight some of my favorites from the brand new collection:

Iona Shell - $148

Charlton Sheath Dress - $278

Annette V-neck sweater - $118 (this picture would only download for a back view!)

Brielle Fit and Flare Dress - $178

     The above items are some pieces that I really like from the new collection! But I am about to show you something that I am in love with, and have decided that I cannot live without. ;-) It's Lilly's famous Callahan short in two of the new spring prints, and a print from the winter resort collection!

Southern Charm

In the Garden

Trippin and Sippin 

     Y'all. These.shorts. So freakin' adorable! The Callahan short is priced at $64... definitely not a price that I would normally pay for a pair of shorts! But near the end of last semester I got some babysitting jobs, and since this semester has started I've been babysitting non-stop! I have baby-sat every Saturday night since school started again (this Saturday will be my 4th in a row!), and I've had two extra jobs on top of that. So I do have a little bit of extra cash right now, and I will be going somewhere warm and tropical for part of Spring Break (can't wait to blog more about that soon!), so I know these shorts would definitely get used! Plus, it's fun to splurge and treat myself every once in a awhile. :-) 

     Which print do you think I should get for my shorts? I'm planning to stop by Charlotte's Lilly store sometime within the next couple of weeks to see what they have in stock! 

     xoxo Miss ALK 

Favorite Things Thursday: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

     Favorite Things Thursday is finally back after an unintended few week absence (which I am deeply sorry about)! Today I am going to be writing about one of my favorite movies of all time. And I'm not saying that lightly. This is one of the few movies that I have seen more times then I can count, and each time that I watch it I still laugh just as much as the first time! This is what I think the definition of a romantic comedy is:

       Oh, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, how I love thee. The biggest reason that I love you is clearly because one of your supporting actors is Joey Fatone... a member of *NSYNC... aka a member of one of the world's greatest boybands ever. ;-) Alright, alright, that's not the biggest reason, but certainly a factor!

     But really, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is hilarious. It's in-your-face comedy, and it doesn't require sarcasm or a deep sense of humor to find what is funny. It's centered around a family, and I love any sort of movies or TV shows around family drama (I mean 7th Heaven IS my favorite TV show). I also love how it isn't overly raunchy like many other popular comedies these days. It's rated PG, and is still super hilarious and doesn't have too much "kiddy" humor. A beautiful love story is the center of the movie, and there is a great message about how love between a man and a woman shouldn't be confinded to one race or one culture. Below is the official trailer!

 
     Is there a romantic comedy that you can watch time and time again and never get tired of?


     xoxo Miss ALK

Favorite Things Thursday: Buzzfeed Rewind

     Since I'm smack in the middle of midterms week I don't have time for a long post today, but I still wanted to share with y'all one of my favorite things. This one will kind of speak for itself. :-) As a proud lover of anything do to with 90s or early 2000s pop culture, the content Buzzfeed Rewind pretty much makes my life complete! Below are the links to some of my favorite articles with a few photography gems:

• True or False: How Well Do You Know 2003 in Pop Culture?  (I scored 10/12 on this fun quiz!)
• This Photo Of The Cast Of That 70s Show Reuniting Will Make Your Day (I almost cried tears of joy after seeing this... so cute!)
• Seventeen Magazine Covers That Immortalized 1998 in Pop Culture
• 30 Songs From The '90s That Will Instantly Put You In A Good Mood (It's true!! 90s music does wonders for the soul.)

     And possibly the best thing EVER...

• 11 Questions For Whoever Made Teen People's Covers in 2001 

Now after seeing this you HAVE to see more! ;-) 

     Are you a Buzzfeed Rewind fan?

     xoxo Miss ALK

Favorite Things Thursday: Yogi Perfect Energy Vanilla Spice tea.

     As a college student, I am often sleep deprived. I don't pull all-nighters, and I always make sure to get at least six hours of sleep (minimum), but even with the usual 7ish hours that I get on most weeknights I'm still exhausted the next day. That's where my BFF caffeine comes in. I'm not a coffee fan, and I never have been. I don't like the taste or the smell... weird I know, but I don't like forcing myself to drink something that I think tastes disgusting. :-) I only drink coffee if I need a very large amount of caffeine (like before a big test in the morning or something). I do love tea, but I've always had trouble finding a strong enough tea to deliver the type of caffeine that I need on school mornings (and that tastes good).

     Friends, I have have good news. I have found an amazing tea that can be purchased at most chain grocery stores (I found it at Target a couple weeks ago). Today's FFT is the Perfect Energy Vanilla Spice Tea from Yogi Tea!

   

Image via Google Images

   
     This tea tastes absolutely amazing. I love almost anything with vanilla... the smell, the flavor, and this tea has both, along with a delightful spice blend to add to the taste (but isn't nearly as spicy as chai tea). But the best part about it is that it gives you a very hearty dose of caffeine! It is exactly what I need in the mornings to stay focussed through my classes. In just about half an hour after drinking it I always feel *so* much more awake and alert.

     I am currently drinking this tea as I'm finishing this post. I really needed it today, because my poor roommate and I somehow had a chirping cricket in our room past midnight last night. Since we live on the third floor and we don't open our windows I have no clue how the thing got into our room. My roommate is a bit more of a deeper sleeper than I am, so she was able to sleep through it. I however could not, so thankfully my amazing sorority sister Hannah let me crash on the spare bed in her room last night. I have had a really long and emotional week, and so the cricket incident was the last thing that I needed. But I'm so thankful that I was still able to get some sleep- that's what sisters are for. :-) And luckily I didn't need to wake up until like 9:45 today... Thursdays are my sleep-in days.


     xoxo Miss ALK

Favorite Things Thursday: My first car.

     It's Thursdauy so it's time to share another one of my favorite things! To start this off, I Love Lucy. No, not the TV show (although that's great too), but my car!!

     I titled this post "My first car," but in reality, Lucy is my only car. I didn't get my drivers' license until the summer between my junior and senior year of high school, and my parents made me wait six torturous  months before getting me a car. Both of my parents have very busy schedules, so I like essentially didn't drive at all for the rest of that summer and my first semester of senior year. Come to think of it, that was probably a good thing since I wasn't a very good driver at first... ;-) But anyways, I was very anxious to have a vehicle of my own!

     My dad found Lucy through a private sale in October 2011. The only problem was that the owners needed to find a replacement car before they could sell her to us, and that took two additional very very very long months. It was awful for me knowing that I was soon to be getting a car of my own but that it still wasn't mine! My parents and I worked something out so that I would be using my savings for a portion of the car, and they would be covering part of it, and my grandma was also paying for some of it as a combined 17th birthday/Christmas/early graduation gift.

     Finally on December 16th, 2011, I got to pick up my Lucy! I don't usually name things (such as my phone, computer, etc), but I knew that I wanted to name my first car. I picked the name "Lucy" since I'm a HUGE fan of the TV show 7th Heaven. 

Me picking up Lucy at her previous owners' house! I couldn't even wait to get the plates on for a picture. :-)

     Lucy and I have had a lot of memories together. She's now made trips from Maine to North Carolina, then back to Maine, and then back to North Carolina again! The longest trip that I have ever gone on by myself in Lucy was a few weeks ago when I drove through North Carolina to my meet my blogging friend Gina! My family has also taken Lucy on family trips to Connecticut, daytrips to Boston and New Hampshire, and I've taken her on many daytrips with my college friends throughout the Carolinas. 

     Most of my good friends have been in Lucy, and many times this has resulted in blasting our favorite 90s songs (or Sexy and I Know It-- my JAM) or laughing until we're all crying. I have also had serious heart-to-hearts with friends in my car. I often run to Lucy when I'm very upset, and I take great comfort just sitting in the drivers seat in my driveway at home- it's a good place to cry, pray or clear my head. I've sung so terribly loud and off key in my car, and it actually happens on a regular basis. My car is the one place that I will sing... I never sing in the shower or bathtub. My grandma always told me when I was younger that her car knew its way to the mall... Lucy knows her way not only to the best shopping in both the Carolinas and New England, but also to any Bojangles near where I am in NC! ;-)

     Lucy and I have been through a few minor accidents together, but nothing too bad yet. Hopefully things will stay that way! I've also never been pulled over, so that's something we have yet to experience. I don't think I've actually said what Lucy is yet... she's a Mazda6. I didn't know much about Mazda's before owning one, but I am now hooked! I hope that my next car is also a Mazda. They have so much pep and are so fun to drive! *Zoom zoom zoom* (Did I get that jingle stuck in your head?)

     Fun fact, my first ever friend to ride in Lucy is my friend Jules, who's one of the very few people from my high school that I still keep in touch with, and she's one of my best friends. We were definitely close in high school, but I think that we've gotten a lot closer since I graduated which is kind of interesting. Anyways, I'm not sure if I've shared this already or not on my blog, but Jules is coming to visit me down here in NC in less than a month!!! (She is a freshman at a university in Maine). She's coming for a long weekend in October to spend Fall Break with me. I can't wait to show her around the Carolinas and I get more and more excited every day!

Me and Jules before our high school's homecoming dance in 2011; my senior year, her junior year!

     xoxo Miss ALK

Favorite Things Thursday: Violet colored nail polish.

     I love nail polish... like kind of *a lot*. I realize that I haven't talked much about my favorite polishes here on the blog. I'm determined to change that! But anyways, I thought that a fun idea for an FFT post would be to talk about my favorite color of nail polish:

     Violet colored nail polishes are my favorite. I think that light purple polish is something that looks good at all times of the year. (And if you're picky there's certain shades that are better for summer and winter!) It's a fun alternative to traditional pinks and reds, but it's not quite as "out there" as say neon yellow polish. Blue is my favorite color and also my favorite color to wear in terms of clothing, and shades of violet are usually nice compliments. Below are my two favorite violet polishes!!

1. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Color in No Hard Feelings

     This was the violet polish that started my obsession with violet nail polish. My high school friend H gave me this in part of her Christmas present to me in 2011. I think she mainly picked it out because a few of us in our friend group had an inside joke about the color purple... but I'm sure glad she got it for me! This is the best drugstore nail polish that I've ever seen. It is so easy to apply, and this is the one nail polish that never gets all over the skin on my fingers when I'm putting it on! There's just something about the brush that makes it go all where it's supposed to. If you use a top coat with it than it stays on for just as long as the nicer brands such as Essie! I'm also shocked as to how dark this looks in the picture-- it's actually quite a light violet once it's on the nails! This is a quintessential Spring nail color, but I use it at all times during the year. 

2. Essie in "Boxer Shorts"

Image from Yahoo! Images

      I just received this nail polish as a birthday present last week from some of my new friends. I've only had the chance to wear it once so far (I put it on both my nails and toes), but I LOVE it! It's definitely a cooler and darker violet than my favorite Sally Hansen polish, but that makes it perfect for fall and winter. I think it looks especially great on my toes! I have said before on my blog how I hate spending money for the "good" brands of nail polish (I usually only buy ones that are $3 or under) so I was thrilled to get two new Essie polishes for my birthday. If you're willing to make the splurge for Essie than this is a great color to try!! 

     Do you ladies like shades of violet for your nails? What is your go-to nail color?

     Hope that y'all are having a great end to your weeks! Rush week at my school for the sororities starts TONIGHT! I literally *cannot wait* and I guarentee that I'm more excited for recruitment than I was for my own birthday. ;-) I'm just so excited to find my sisters and my Greek home!! Be checking my Instagram this weekend for updates on my recruitment outfits, and I can't wait to tell y'all on Monday which sorority I will be a member of!

     xoxo Miss ALK

Favorite Things Thursday: Posts from the first year of SBIT.

     Happy Thursday evening dear friends!! My week has been so very stressful, and because of that I wasn't able to get this post up as early in the day as I would have liked. But here it is, better late than never. :-)

     Since my first year blogoversary (and 19th birthday!) is tomorrow, I figured now would be the perfect time to look back at some of my favorite posts that I've written in the past year! I also have gotten a lot of new followers this past summer, so this might be a fun way for some of my newer blogging friends to look back at my older posts. 

1. Here is post that I wrote in November 2012 about how attending a Christian college was impacting my faith for the better!! (My former college was a Christian school.)  "Going Deeper."
2. I wrote in post in February 2012 about one of my favorite memories from my senior year of high school... prom dress shopping! "One of my favorite senior year memories."
3. I wrote about my thoughts on Victoria's Secret in April 2013. This post only got one comment, but I consider it to be one of my best posts! "Victoria's Secret: more than just a fashion statement?"
4. Right after my freshman year of college ended in May 2013 I did a post documenting some of the best moments from fall and spring semesters... and since I ended up transferring I'm so glad that I have some of my best memories from my old school all wrapped up in one post. :-) "First year of college = DONE!"
5. In June and July 2013 I decided to get brutally honest on my blog and share about two situations with guys that had happened during my freshman year of college. Both situations involved me having a crush on a guy, but neither resulted in relationships for different reasons. I learned a lot through both experiences and decided to share what was on my heart! "Guy lessons from reflection {Part 1}" and "A sort of part 2 on "guy lessons from reflection."
6. Following up after my two posts on failed crushes/relationships, I wrote a post with a new perspective on singleness. I think this is one of my best blog posts to date. "From failure to triumph."

     I also have a few favorite OOTD posts! You can see those here, here and here! Something ironic is that my favorite outfits from my closet are dress or skirt outfits, but all of my favorite OOTD posts on my blog involve jeans or shorts. 

     Stay tuned tomorrow for a special birthday/blogoversary post! I'm off to enjoy my last night as an 18 year old... aka doing homework and then going to a club meeting on campus. :-)

     xoxo Miss ALK

Favorite Things Thursday: American Eagle floral sundress

     It's Thursday, which means that it's time for my new link-up, Favorite Things Thursday!! If you'd like to particpate then please put the official FTT button in your post, and I'd love it if you shared the link in a comment! :-)

     In January 2012 I went to the mall one weekend with a few of my high school friends. A few stores had started displaying spring fashions... although why I'm not sure since spring doesn't arrive in Maine until like May. But anyways, American Eagle Outfitters had a few sundresses out, and one of them was a gorgeous orange color with beautiful flowers on it. It was part of the brand new Spring line which meant that it wasn't on sale, and the price was I think around $45ish. I thought it was a lot for a cotton sundress, but after I tried it on my friend convinced me to buy it. And gosh am I glad that I did!

     It is seriously the perfect sundress. I can dress it up with wedges and a cute hairstyle, or down with flip-flops and sunglasses. It fits me so well and it flatters my body. I also love it because it flatters my chest without exposing cleavage... it stays where it's supposed to which makes it modest! I plan to wear it on Move-In day for college next weekend. I remember from last year's move-in that a lot of pictures are taken on the first day, so of course I want to look cute! But at the same time I don't want to wear anything with delicate fabric that could get damaged or stained. This dress has been through the wash a ton of times and still comes out looking great, so I don't have to worry about getting it dirty in the moving process. 

     Here are just a few of the ways that I've worn it!

Freshman orientation at my former college!

As a beach cover-up during our NC beach trip last summer!

A get-together with my good friend Katie

Bad mirror picture but this is a way that I styled the dress during my senior year in the early spring months when it was still quite chilly out.

 I wore it most recently last weekend when my old exchange student friend Anna was visiting Maine from Japan!

      And lastly, I wore this sundress on one of my visits to the college that I'm transferring to! I had actually looked at my transfer school as an original option for college when I was still in high school. I wore the dress when I came to the campus for a high school visit day on my second trip to NC in March 2012.

     

     Do any of you have a beloved dress that gets you through so many important events?

     xoxo Miss ALK

Favorite Things Thursday: Bunnies

     Welcome to my very first Favorite Things Thursday link-up! I announced Favorite Things Thursday as last week's Summer of Something New post, so be sure to read all about it if you haven't yet!

Bunnies!

Picture via Google Images

     

     Some girls are cat ladies, some girls are dog ladies... I'm a proud bunny lady. Truth be told, kitties were my favorite until I was diagnosed with bad cat allergies three years ago, but that's a story for another day. Bunnies are a cute and cuddly animal that I am happily not allergic to, and I love them oh so much! What doesn't help my bunny addiction is the fact that I used to have the cutest bunny in the world- meet Lily everyone!

Don't the little brown spots around her eyes look like eye makeup? I used to tell people I had a very stylish bunny ;-)

     My parents never intended to bring home a pet bunny after we took a family day trip to Maine's biggest fair in October 2005. But we happened to pop into the bunny barn at the Fryburg Fair towards the end of our day... and fell in love with this little cutie! I named her Lily and she was such a joy to own. She lived in a little shed in our backyard. We always left the cage door open so she could jump out and play on the floor of the shed if she wanted, pretty sweet life for a bunny! We called her shed "the bunny condo." :-) We also used to take her outside around the backyard for walks on a little rabbit leash. In her later years we stopped putting the leash on her and would let her run free around the yard. Even though we didn't have a fence, she never ran away!

     Lilly was with us until April 2011, when she passed away. She was a mini rex rabbit, and the smaller breeds don't usually live more than 5-6 years.  

     Speaking of mini rexs, they're an awesome breed of rabbits! All rex rabbits have super soft and plush fur that is softer then a beloved stuffed animal. A mini rex rabbit is simply a smaller, cuter version of a rex. ;-) They're a very friendly breed, and although they aren't big cuddlers they can be very affectionate. Lily used to love "bathing" our hands for us. 

     When I get out of college, I definitely want to get another rabbit! Someday I would like to own a dog since I've never had one, but I think that a bunny will be the first pet that I get on my own. They do require a decent amount of work which teaches responsibility, but they can also be left alone for more periods of time then a dog, and they're pretty mellow. Plus they're also freakin' CUTE. 

     I also love bunny accessories. I have a really cute set of bunny notecards for writing letters, and stuffed rabbits have always been among my favorite stuffed animals. One of the reasons that I love Easter/springtime is it makes it acceptable to put up bunny decorations all around! 

     If you're linking up with me for FTT be sure to include the special button in your post! Can't wait to see what your favorite things are!

     xoxo Miss ALK

Summer of Something New blog challenge: Week 5

     Yes, I am posting this week's SOSN topic a day early. ;-) I'm doing this for a specific reason though: the "new" thing that I am doing will be done on Thursdays, and since today is Thursday, that felt more fitting than posting it on Friday.

     Something that's been a blog dream of mine since I really started getting into blogging a couple years ago was to start a popular link-up/weekly post type series thing that anyone could participate in. That description probably sucks, so let me throw out some common names of popular versions of these and see if you recognize any: Awkward & Awesome Thursday, Hello Monday, What I Wore Wednesday, What I'm Loving Wednesday... and there's probably many, many more, but these are some that I've seen pop up on the blogs that I follow.

     It took me a long time to figure out what my series could be about. I wanted it to be a simple enough concept that any blogger could participate. I also wanted it to be something that reflected positivity. I may try and sound positive in most of my blog posts (and honestly there is a lot of good in my life!), but I have to be honest and admit that I'm a pessimist at heart. It's a constant battle for me to try and fight this, and I believe that and important part of my faith is for me to keep trying to see the good in things and the blessings that God gives me. So with all of this in mind, it finally hit me:

Favorite Things Thursday!

     

     The concept is quite simple: join me on Thursdays in the future by sharing one of your favorite things! It can be literally anything... but expect to see a lot of 90s pop culture and Southern food references on my end. ;-)

     

     When Meg did my blog design, I made sure that she created an extra button for my new series. The only thing that I ask is that if you decide to join me in the future, please snag the code for this button from my homepage and put it in somewhere in the post! If this gets really popular I may consider doing an official link-up, but I think the button is a good place to start! 

     So stay tuned next Thursday for my first FTT post! And in the meantime please check out my college fashion guest post on The Darling Prepster!

     xoxo Miss ALK