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hey y'all, it's still Lily and Abigail, just with a whole new blog  and name! visit us at pennyloafersandprep.wordpress.com

A southern fiesta-lily

What better time to throw a fun party than summer?! My birthday was this past june 11th and this year’s theme was….tacos! It’s tradition in my family to have a big fun party and what better way to party than with tacos! Here’s a few pictures I took of the party! All the decorations are from target.

                     

                           The table ft. my mini pinata “Kevin”

                              

The dessert table. and oh yeah, that’s a monogrammed cookie cake

                                

    The drink table, “fiesta like there’s no tomorrow” sign, and DIY sombreros                            

                        

   And last but not least, the tacos. With a sign “taco ‘bout a party”

I hope this inspired some fiestas in the future!

xo

Lily

15 productive things to do this summer

Hi everybody! like I said in my post from last week, i’m on summer vacation! The high school musical 2 soundtrack has been played nonstop by me. As much as we love summer, we often find ourselves thinking “what am I going to do all summer!?” And the answer seems to be “watch netflix in our pajamas all day and maybe socialize twice.” But that just feels so unsatisfying very quickly!

I’m someone who can be a binge watcher occasionally, but I love being productive and of course checking things off lists. This summer i’m planning on having a “project or assignment of the week”, whether that be a craft (i’m not the most pinterest-y DIY kind of chick) or learning a new fun piece on the piano! Here’s 20 things to make you feel great and inspired this summer, and it doesn’t include “change your instagram theme” or “find something new at starbucks”

1)learn to play an instrument or a new piece of music (ukulele anyone?)

2)learn to cook my grandmother and mom are gonna have to help me here

3)make fun summer treats gummy bear popsicles or watermelon lemonade?

4)Read a classic Gatsby, Sherlock, pride and prejudice, the Bible……

5)Be crafty sew(i can do that) or cute desk decor!! i’m going to try so hard *no*

6)1 thing on your bucketlist this does NOT include trying every starbucks drink, k?

7)organize your closet for me, this is entertaining, I find some STRANGE old stuff

8)Take daily bike rides it’s a great way to clear your mind and make you feel really good

9)go for a run this is hard, but it’ll make you feel great! your marathons will no longer be just on netflix:)

10)Swim laps at the pool reading in a chair or standing in the water talking isn’t exactly exercise, which won’t feel productive

11)try a summer sport tennis is something I would recommend, and playing with friends is even better

12)rearrange your room changing things around is one of my favorite things to do when it comes to decorating (my room) and it’s nice to mix things up

13)paint a picture not furniture! I can kind of draw, but NOT paint, which is why it would be fun to experiment and try to do something hard

14) Find some good healthy meals to make having a healthier lifestyle is an awesome way to feel better and more productive, so try it this summer!
15)explore your city it’s always fun to find new places, especially historical ones, and hey, adding a little bit of education won’t kill anybody

Embrace this beautiful summer!

xo, Lily

Summer essentials! (Abigail)

Summer Essentials!

Summer has not officially started for me (patiently waiting for June 5th!), but, I’m so ready for it. I only get five weeks of summer, which is a travesty, but I’ll be getting an extra week this summer because of a missions trip (it’ll be worth it to miss my first week of high school).

My summer normally consists of beach trips (there may be a trip to Europe this summer… crossing my fingers), hanging out with friends, watching Netflix and fruitlessly trying to get a tan. I also love buying school supplies and prepping for the next school year. The following are my absolute summer essentials:

Good books!

Finding a good book means finding a book that you a) enjoy reading and b) are sure is not really stupid [*Twilight*]. Find something that has meaning. Below are some of my favorites:

Beachwear!

Summer clothes are so adorable. I normally don’t buy that many clothes and normally go for quality over quantity. Here are some things that I will be buying/already own/seriously want:

Boden Breton Tee

Boden Erin Shorts

J. Crew Printed Chino

Anthropologie Morning Glory Tank

Good Music + A Project!

When I say a project, I mean something to keep you busy and on top of things. You don’t want your brain to be totally gone by the start of the next school year. It’s a great time to try something new and build good habits. If you don’t have anything to do, you slip into a Netflix and food coma, and it kinda sucks. Try out a new language, plan a party, become an expert on something, cook or bake, write a short story.

For music, I love the sixties and the music that comes with it. So, I love the Beatles, the Kinks, Neil Young and CSNY. But, as far as modern music goes, I love MIKA and also the occasional clean version of Eminem. And as far as Christian music goes, I love Matt Papa and anyhting that’s slow. But, I admit to not listening to enough of that as I should. What do you like??

P.S. “We Are Golden” by MIKA is my summer jam. Even though it’s, like, from 2009.

Have an amazing summer!

Abigail :)

WHAT TIME IS IT? [my preppy summer essentials]

summertime!

Hi everybody! I am officially done with school as of this past May 28th!! I'm a huge high school musical enthusiast (and so is Abigail!) so OBVIOUSLY there was plenty of musical breakouts! We had exams the last 3 days so i got to leave by 11:30 each day which was great! I had an amazing school year with more new friends, and a whole lot of “scandals” (i consider myself a relationship expert, at my school i’m the one to tell the couples to “stop holding hands in class!” and “leave room for Jesus!”).

Anyway, I’m super pumped for summer, i’ll be a mermaid like always, meaning i’m constantly swimming! Whether that means the pool, lake, or beach! Now i do like to sit out and read in the sweet sunshine, but I LOVE to swim.  Now enough stuff about me, here’s my personal summer preppy essentials, and some recommendations too!

Swimsuits

i’m assuming we all know what these are? So i’m not one to flaunt myself or want to look good for other people by showing off a lot of skin. I don’t wear bikinis, or the oh-so popular triangl swimsuits. Yeah it’s weird that I don’t wear bikinis like 99% of girls my age (and mind you i’m in 8th grade) but that’s ok! I don’t wear grandma one pieces either. so if you’re like me, I like tankinis, and i’m ok with cropped ones! I’ve got some from target as well as from monokini suits, and lilly and J.crew make some gorgeous ones too!

monokini                             J.crew                          target

Southern tees

we all wear ‘em year round, but getting some cute colorful ones can easily be a simple way to improve the outfit. Vineyard Vines, southern proper, Lauren James, frat collection, they’re all fun places to shop!

Baseball Caps

These are great for sitting outside, so why not wear a cute one that’s convenient too?

  

Sandals/Jack rogers

Steve madden makes some great sandals that are really easy to make a statement with! I have a jeweled pair from last season, but leather ones are really popular right now too! I also just got a pair of platinum Jack rogers and I LOVE them. Jacks are probably one of the first things that come to mind when “preppy” is mentioned, but really anybody could rock them

  

Water bottles & tumblers

it’s good to stay hydrated in the heat, and what better way than in style? I love using my monogrammed camelbak and lilly and kate spade have gorgeous tumblers as well!

      

xo,

Lily

May favorites & what's on my radar

Hey guys, happy spring! my last post was on my favorite shows and music right now, but today i'm sharing with you my other favorite things of the month! I absolutely love spring (if you would consider raleigh's 87 degree average as spring!!). I'm a lover of bright colors and bold patterns, so may is a perfect month for that.

1) Gap jean shorts

I got a pair on spring break, they were slightly different but aren’t online. the great thing is, these are on sale! gap has really good quality denim, and their boyfriend jean style is just right, not too tight, but not awkward &  baggy!

2) Southern Marsh t-shirt

I got this back around spring break too, and omG guys it’s so soft and comfortable. And me being from a southern family, the duck logo makes it all the more better

3) Anthropologie Royal Apothic Eau de Parfum in Pineapple Sunset

this smells SO sweet. a great spring scent, and the pineapple make it 5436017% better. and the best thing is, it’ only $16

4)Hubert’s Lemonade

I’ve actually been drinking this a lot longer than this month, but it’s such a great drink for spring and summer! We go to whole foods after school a lot (and my mom and I basically live there) and they always sell it there. And i’m sorry, but can we just talk about how CUTE it is!

5)TRIVIA CRACK
this game is the most addicting little game! it makes me appreciate my education:) if you want to play me, i’m @lilyjran

On my Radar…

1)PITCH PERFECT 2! oh my flying mexican food (it’s a fat amy quote,i’m not crazy) guys i’m so excited!!! Pitch perfect is one of my all-time favorites. I just love quotable movies, and I love music. On friday my mom and I are planning on seeing it!!

2)Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James. there’s been a lot of talk about it by the preps recently, and it is SO cute. Reese Witherspoon has such a classy style, I mean LOOK:

3)”The preppiest office in America” Vineyard Vines new office. It’s absolutely adorable and is obviously decked out in whales! what a perfect job!

4)Kate Spade #missadventure. i watched this a little bit ago and immediately subscribed to kate spade on youtube! I absolutely love Anna Kendrick (again, pitch perfect 2!)

5)More music! this is just a personal thing, not news. but I totally forgot to add a few songs to my “may music” post

Back home-Andy Grammar

Under my skin-Jukebox the ghost

Geronimo-Sheppard

Your man-Josh Turner

Somebody-Natalie la Rose ft. Jeremih

    xoxo Lily

 

p.s: I'm trying to post more often, be a true blogger!:)

p.s.s.: Happy Mother's day! Serve your mama and appreciate everything she does:)

                    

favorite shows and music

Hey lovelies, happy thursday! These past 6 weeks (spring!) have been so fun and exciting! Spring is absolutely beautiful in North Carolina, although we pretty much go straight to summer, sunny and 75:) I’ve gotten to a point in the school year where i’ve been studying a lot more, as i’m not one to think much or get uptight over grades, but let’s just say math has been slippin’ lately (but i’ve got a B now). Anyway, there is a time to study and time to enjoy life. Music has really gotten me through the last few months, and i’ve been watching a lot of fun shows lately. Ok so this introduction was super random, but I thought i’d share with y’all a little of my life:)

Shows:

American Idol-I’ve been watching this show since about 3rd or 4th grade (Scotty Mccreery was my everything) and I have LOVED this season. all of the contestants are so original and are so different than before. Clark Beckham is my current fave, I mean he sang Otis Redding last night, what’s not to love!?

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-THANK YOU ABIGAIL! She has some great sense in t.v., and this is by far the best she’s recommended! this show is absolutely hilarious. And titus is fabulous (you’ll get it when you watch it)

Music:

ok, so i have a reeaally varied taste in music, and I joke that I have a “daily song”. I’m always finding new music, since i’m constantly listening to it, in the morning, in the car, shower, doing homework, even outside! I guess you could say I almost “crave” music. I have had a LOT of favorite songs lately, so here’s a handful of them:

Thanks for reading!I hope y’all found some of these ideas helpful!

xoxo,

Lily