The '90s from A-Z

Y'all are in for a treat-today I am doing a '90s flashback. I have been inspired by a couple of Twitter accounts devoted exclusively to all things '90s that have jogged fond memories of my childhood. Follow @The90sLife and @90sgirlproblem (and while you're at it follow me as well: @EvrythingPearls ). The '90s will always hold a special place in my heart because it is the first decade where I was alive for the entire ten years. Plus I was old enough to remember most of the '90s fairly well. I thought I would do a '90s highlight for each letter of the alphabet. There are a few letters where I did multiple '90s memories because I couldn't choose just one. Enjoy!

A- American Girl dolls

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I had Samantha and the American Girl of Today. For several years my birthday and Christmas list consisted entirely of items from the catalogue.

B- Babysitters Club

This series was a staple of my childhood. I especially loved the Super Specials. I gave a lot of mine away but kept a handful and my best friend and I will sometimes skim them to get a good laugh. Not ashamed to admit it!

Beanie Babies

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Whenever we were on family vacation, my brother and I used to drag our parents into any and every store that might possibly carry Beanies and have the ones we were dying to add to our collection.

Birkenstocks

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Once upon a time preps wore Birkenstocks, and not just hippies. I think I had four pairs at one point.

C- Converse high-tops

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Sadly I could never wear these because my foot was too narrow and I was stuck with plain Keds. I envied the girls who had the hot pink ones with Tweety Bird-remember those?

D- Doc Martens

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I find it hard to believe these were such a status symbol when I was in middle school. I think they are absolutely hideous! Again, I could never wear these because of my narrow foot, but I always wanted a pair back in the day.

E- Eureeka's Castle

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While this wasn't one of my absolute favorite childhood TV shows I do remember watching it some on Nick Jr, and I especially remember the theme song and closing song. Click here if you want to take a trip down memory lane!

F- Full House

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Best TV show ever! I remember being so sad when it was the series finale. I have several seasons on DVD and it is so fun to watch them now and cringe at the awful '90s fashion!

Fun Dip

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I vividly remember this Fun Dip packaging from the '90s. Nothing better than dipping a candy stick into pure sugar. I was super excited when Target recently had Fun Dip in the dollar spot.

G- Gak

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Gooey toy that made weird noises

H- Home Alone

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This will forever be a Christmas movie staple.

I- Instant Messenger

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The good 'ol days of AOL instant messenger, before we had text messages and Facebook. What was your screen name?

J- Jellies

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These were definitely my shoe of choice the first day of middle school. Cool huh?

K- Kenan and Kel

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Any '90s kid remembers this hilarious duo from the Nickelodeon show All That who later had their own Kenan and Kel Show and starred in the movie Good Burger.

L- Limited Too

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Anyone who was anybody bought their clothes here.

M- Macarena

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Latin line dance that was played no fewer than six times at each middle school dance.

N- Nancy Kerrigan

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I was so intrigued by the Nancy Kerrigan-Tanya Harding scandal surrounding the 1994 Winter Olympics figure skating competition that I even made my Barbies act it out.

O- Overalls

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It was socially acceptable to wear overalls to places other than the farm or a hoe-down. I had denim, corduroy, and a pair of hot pink Talbots Kids shorts overalls.

P- Power Rangers

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I thought Power Rangers were so stupid but had to listen to the theme song every afternoon when my younger brother watched the show. And he had these flip-head Power Ranger toys I used to make fun of.

Q- Quailman

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Doug Funnie's alter-ego.

R- Rugrats

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Definitely my favorite '90s cartoon.

S- Spice Girls

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Back in the day when Victoria Beckham was known simply as "Posh Spice."This was one of the first CDs I ever bought and their hit "Wannabe" brings flashbacks to middle school dances as well.

T- Tamagotchi

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The virtual pet craze- my brother got one for his birthday and I was so jealous so I had to go to Kay-Bee Toys (remember that place?) and buy one for myself. I played with it constantly for maybe three weeks then never touched it again.

Titanic

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The most famous movie of the '90s, featuring '90s heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio.

U- Umbros

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I don't think I ever actually had a pair of these, but I remember them being cool to wear to places other than soccer practice.

V- Videocassette

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Kids today have no idea what it's like to have to rewind a movie before they return it to Blockbuster, or the guesswork involved in fast forwarding to a favorite part before the era of DVD chapter selection.

W- Walkman

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Back when the iPod was unheard of. I don't think we could have conceived the idea of there ever being something like an iPod. When my fourth grade class took a trip to Washington DC we all thought we were so cool listening to our Walkmans on the bus.

X-

Um couldn't really think of anything good but I made up for it by doing multiples of B, F, and T.

Y- "You got it dude"

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Full House fans will remember one of Michelle Tanner's famous catch phrases.

Z- Zebra Stripe gum

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Who else begged for a pack of this at the grocery store check-out? 

Well that does it for my "'90s from A-Z." Hope y'all got a good laugh or a good history lesson, depending on your age. What do you remember most about the '90s? Comment away!

-L

xoxo

Stay Hydrated!

While you are enjoying fun in the sun this summer it is essential you drink PLENTY of water and stay hydrated! This is especially important if you are working out or doing strenuous activity but even if you are relaxing poolside with a great book it's still important to drink water, particularly if it's one of the 100+ degree days we've had recently in the South. Remembering to bring your water to the pool or beach is a lot easier when you have one of these super cute travel cups:

24 oz. UNC Tervis Tumbler with travel lid

Of course I'm biased towards UNC, but Tervis features many different schools in their collegiate line. So show your team spirit while staying hydrated. Add a travel lid to make it easy to transport. Tervis tumblers are my absolute favorite-I just might have to do a post in the future devoted exclusively to them!

Tervis Tumbler Souther Belle Water Bottle

I currently do not have any of the Tervis water bottles but think they are a great addition to the Tervis Tumbler line. And I do have the "Southern Belle" design in one of the 24oz tumblers that a dear friend gave me last Christmas!

Lilly Pulitzer Acrylic Tumbler in Scarlet Begonias

This cute Lilly cup comes with a lid and a reusable straw. It is available in other prints as well.

What cups/bottles do y'all use to tote your water to the pool or beach?

-L

xoxo

Beach Week Outfits

As y'all can see my beach trip has inspired lots of blog posts. Today I want to share a few more featured outfits I wore during the week.

My best friend came for a couple days and we went out to dinner the first night she was there.  I wore a lightweight sleeveless printed top from Old Navy, my white Joe's Jeans skinnies, Honora Pearls, and my Kate Spade Metropolitan Pearl stud earrings. You can't see in the picture, but my silver Jack Rogers completed the outfit nicely.

The next day we went to a surf shop on the island that also carries lots of preppy clothes, including Lilly, Vineyard Vines, and Trina Turk; as well as a decent selection of Citizens of Humanity and 7 For All Mankind jeans. Here I am sitting in a Lilly chair wishing I could take it with me! I wore my Lilly Pulitzer Petula dress from Resort 2009, along with a Lilly watch (similar style here) and cocktail ring. Lilly croakies are holding my vintage Ray-Bans around my neck. My Honora pearl necklace and Kate Spade earrings made a repeat appearance. 

The last day my bestie was there we both rocked printed shorts. I am wearing a sleeveless Polo Ralph Lauren top I've had for about seven years with my favorite Lilly shorts-the Creme Fraiche Callahans from Summer 2010. I'm also wearing the Honora pearls, Kate Spade earrings, Lilly watch and ring, and vintage Ray-Bans again.

-L

xoxo

Beach Reading

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my favorite summer activities is spending hours on the beach with a good book. And last week, I was fortunate enough to be able to this about every day! During my week at the beach, I made it through four books and enjoyed them all. Here is what I read:

Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu. 

I loved this memoir of the darling of the 1996 Olympic gold medal winning USA gymnastics team. Dominique Moceanu is the daughter of Romanian immigrants and it was really interesting to read about how that influenced her childhood and gymnastics training. She also reveals what it was like to train under the legendary Bela Karolyi for four years, and her insider perspective unveils a drastically different picture than what the cameras portrayed at gymnastics meets. Moceanu describes the ups and downs of her personal and gymnastics life post-Atlanta 1996, including her comeback attempt in 2006, and the discovery of her long-lost biological sister in 2007. I highly recommend this and it will definitely get you in the mood for the upcoming Olympics!

Leaving by Karen Kingsbury (Book One of the Bailey Flanigan series)

After a couple friends gave me glowing recommendations for Karen Kingsbury's Christian fiction novels, I had to check them out for  myself! Leaving is the first in a series of four books. Main character Bailey Flanigan is 21 years old and is preparing to leave her close-knit family in Bloomington, Indiana to head to New York City to pursue a dream of singing and dancing on Broadway. She is also seeking God's will for a blossoming friendship with her co-star from her recent movie and coping with the pain from her first love Cody walking out of her life. The minor characters and subplots in Leaving are intriguing as well and I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thin Rich Pretty by Beth Harbison

This chick-lit novel chronicles three young women who originally met at summer camp when they were thirteen. Holly and Nicola have stayed in touch the past twenty years and remain best friends. One day Holly unexpectedly runs into Lexi, her and Nicola's arch-rival from Cabin Seven, and is shocked at how things have changed. She and Nicola then set out on an adventure to right a wrong that they committed all those years ago. The book alternates between the past at summer camp and the present-day.

Oceans Apart by Karen Kingsbury

This riveting stand-alone novel by Karen Kingsbury tells the story of Connor Evans, a pilot who is a happily married father of two. His world as he knows it is shaken apart when he gets a phone call and learns that the Hawaiian flight attendant he had an affair with one dark stormy night eight years ago has died in a plane crash and left behind her seven year old son Max who happens to be Connor's son as well. Max has no family and his late mother stated in her will that she wants her son to spend two weeks with his father before being turned over to the state. Connor must then confess to his wife about both the affair and the son he never knew he had. What follows is a powerful tale of forgiveness that is only possible through Christ. I was in tears at the end! You won't want to put this one down!

What books have y'all read and enjoyed lately? I'm always looking for more great ones to read!

-L

xoxo

Fourth of July Fashion

Hope y'all have had a great weekend! I wanted to share how I celebrated the Fourth of July in style. During the afternoon on the beach I wore my red, white, and blue Old Navy bikini and used my navy blue Vineyard Vines koozie. Banana Republic sunnies and a J.Crew floppy sun hat complemented my patriotic beachwear nicely. Here is my Polyvore set:


After some beach time with beautiful weather I got ready for the evening Fourth of July cookout with my family and some family friends. Here is my outfit:

Top: Banana Republic outlet; Skirt: J.Crew outlet seersucker mini; Necklace: Honora Pearls; Earrings: Kate Spade Metropolitan Pearl Studs; Watch: Lilly Pulitzer; Shoes: Jack Rogers silver Navajos

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Blue toenails! OPI "No Room for the Blues."I think this color is discontinued-I bought it on clearance at Ulta about six months ago.

Red, white, and blue fruit salad was on the menu! Blueberries, watermelon, and sprite melon! I can't take credit for putting this together but it was definitely the most patriotic item on the buffet!

With a dear family friend roasting marshmallows for s'mores using the remaining coals in the grill. Here you can see what my outfit looks like on me!

What did you wear for the Fourth of July and how did you celebrate?

-L

xoxo

Weekly Favorites

Hey y'all! I have not posted as much as I would have liked lately. The past couple of weeks have been super busy. Plus last week I was at the beach with no Internet access except via iPhone. And the iPhone Internet connection was very slow and unreliable on the island. Also, I do not like posting via the mobile Blogger app because it is very inefficient and not user-friendly at all! (I just fixed the poor formatting that was in the two posts I did via Blogger mobile while at the beach). But I can't complain because the weather was absolutely glorious the entire beach week, and I read four books!
Anyways, since I missed yet another "Friday Favorites" I will do a "Weekly Favorites" post again this week.

Sun hat:

J.Crew Factory Classic Straw Hat. I bought this floppy straw hat a couple weeks ago at the J.Crew outlet and absolutely love it! I was wanting a wide-brimmed hat that would provide more sun protection at the pool and beach than the baseball cap I usually wear. Plus it would be a fun hat to wear for a Kentucky Derby theme party (or to the actual thing)!

Food:

Watermelon. Nothing says summer like some juicy watermelon from a local produce stand at the beach!

Dessert:

Oreo Cheesequake Blizzard from DQ. Creamy vanilla soft-serve blended with Oreo pieces and cheesecake bites. Need I say more?

Lunchbox:

Lilly Pulitzer lunch tote in Later Gator. Even if you are well past your "lunchbox days" of childhood this adorable insulated lunchbox is great for taking your lunch to work or for keeping a few drinks cold at the pool or beach.

iPhone App:

Diptic. For awhile I had seen people post photo collages on Facebook and Twitter but wasn't quite sure how they did it. Thanks to Hannah at The Pink and Green Prep I discovered the Diptic app from the iTunes store could do this! It is only $0.99 to download and well worth it! After you select your layout, images, and filters you can choose to save the photo collage to your phone or export to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The photo above is a recent "Outfit of the Day" Diptic exported to Instagram format.

-L

xoxo

Patriotic Pretzels

Hey y'all-hope everyone is having a great week and looking forward to tomorrow's 4th of July festivities! I already have my red, white, and blue outfit picked out. The other day my best friend and I made my famous covered pretzel recipe (that I originally got from my aunt) using red, white, and blue m&m's. If you're looking for a quick and easy dessert to take to a patriotic picnic tomorrow here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
One pound bag of Snyders Tiny Twists pretzels
24 ounces of vanilla flavored almond bark or white candy coating (do not use white chocolate chips)
Medium bag of red, white, and blue m&m's

Directions:
Spread wax paper over a large area of kitchen counter.
Pour pretzels into a large bowl and pour m&m's into a small bowl.
Put almond bark into a microwave safe bowl and melt in microwave according to package directions. Be careful not to overheat!
Once almond bark is melted pour most of it over pretzels in bowl-leave a small bit in the microwaveable container to use later.
Use a spatula to stir pretzels until they are evenly coated with the almond bark.
Spread coated pretzels out on wax paper quickly, getting them into a single layer as much as possible (the key here is to be quick).
Once pretzels are spread out on wax paper sprinkle m&m's on top of pretzels, before the coating sets, so that they will stick.
After m&m's have been sprinkled go back and attach any loose m&m's to pretzels, then take almond bark left over in microwaveable bowl and drizzle over pretzels so m&m's will stick better.
Once coating dries completely (this doesn't take long) store pretzels in an airtight container until time to serve!

Hope y'all enjoy this recipe! And have a safe and happy 4th of July!
xoxo
-L