A Moment of Thanks

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for, like, two weeks or something. School is getting super crazy and this is my worst week so far. In case you haven't done so already, check out the poll on the sidebar and vote on what blogposts you want to see! The poll runs until the end of the month, so you have four more days. 

In the meantime, I wanted to take a minute and write a blogpost that I think is a little different. I don't know if anyone else does this, but I alllwayyyyys check my follower activity on Tumblr. Really I just like to look at the graphs - it's fun to see how they change over time and what the slopes are (NERD ALERT). 

The one thing that always sticks out to me is that Tumblr tells you who your top followers are. These are the people who visit your blog the most, or reblog stuff from you the most. Every once in a while, I will peek over at the blogs, because I want to express my gratitude to them.

So today, I'm coming to you with a little post saying thanks and highlighting a few awesome blogs who are listed as my "Top Followers." I want to do this, not for me, but for you guys. It is amazing to me that people all over the world are looking at my blog, and it makes me happy to know that there are people out there who love what I do! People deserve to know about these smaller blogs, because they're awesome and deserve just as much recognition as any big-name blogger.

Let's get started, shall we?

This is what I see on my blog when I look at the past month. These four girls are awesome!! I'm going to go into a bit of detail about each blog, and tell you why I love their blogs. Screenshots will be included wahooo

1 // preppyrhodyliving

I love how bright this blog is when you load the homepage! Michaela has a wide mix of posts on her blog, everything ranging from fashion to funny posts to food (my favorite). I also love this theme! Her blog gives a good reflection of her personality, and I would love to get to know her even better (: Also, RI represent - that's where my roomie is from!

2 // preppy-little-anchor

The chevron gets me every time! It's such a fun print and it adds a bit of flair to this blog. The first thing I notice is the contrast between the navy background and those gorgeous pink peonies - such a perfect pairing! The posts are all adorable, and I love being able to see where she reblogs from and who this lovely blogger follows; it's great inspiration to find other blogs you may not know about!

3 // plaidpucksandpeonies

I love the newspaper vibe of this theme, and I love how this blogger made the background light peach instead of keeping it white. Sometimes the all-white themes can hurt my eyes (so bright!) but this pastel puts me in a calm mood. I'd want to scroll through this while drinking my coffee on a Sunday morning. She has great gif posts and lots of quotes which are super relatable. Love it so much! 

4 // annaroseaustria

Unfortunately annaroseaustria doesn't have anything posted on her blog :( Anyway I wanted to send her a big shoutout and a cyber-hug to let her know that I appreciate her following me. Thank you so much, Anna Rose!

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Is there anyone you follow who deserves a shoutout? New blogs I should check out? Old faves that are making a comeback? Post it in the comments below!

Stepping Stones

Hey there guys! I wanted to drop by with a little mid week reminder for you all. There has been so much going in my life, from recruitment to starting back up at school, homework and reading to mentally preparing myself for this Valentine's Day alone. Speaking of which, I made a whole blog post about it here. You can find some cutie patootie things to #treatyoself!

Sometimes life gets tough, but we have to keep pushing through. It always seems like the second one thing ends, the next begins. We don't often have time to stop and take a break. We just need to dive in to ourselves and spend sometime not worrying about what comes next. Why is everything so calculated?

When my second cousin posted this quote on her Facebook page a while back, it really stood out to me. My great-grandfather apparently used to say this all the time (in Italian, of course!) and it's so true. We spend a lot of our days sweating the small stuff when we should be soaking up the entire world like a big ole sponge. Every second doesn't need to go right as planned. Sometimes our paths change or we make decisions that lead us down a road we never thought we'd take. But the more we worry about those tiny, insignificant details, the more time we are taking away from the betterment of ourselves...

Which reminds me of a funny story. My brother and I, and later on my sister as she got older, always used to have these races at my beach house. On the side of the house was a pathway made of many large, flat stones. Like football players, my brother and I would time each other to see who could run from one end of the path and back, while stepping on every single stone. It was pretty hard! Thinking back on this quote reminds me of those summer memories, and more than anything makes me wish I was on a warm beach right about now! 

I purposely made this humongous so you can read it hehe

Along those same lines, I am making it my goal to follow the Optimist's Creed to the best of my ability. I absolutely love this little verse, and think that its outlook and message are so wonderful. I love that not only does it focus on being positive, but also taking time to look at the bigger picture and not worry yourself with small things. You may have noticed that my header on Tumblr contains a phrase from the creed.

I conveniently have it taped up on my desk next to my computer, and I look at it and read it frequently. My mom and I both also have a copy posted to mirrors in our bedrooms at home! I hope that it can inspire you as much as it inspires me. 

What mantras do you follow? Do you have one phrase or motivation that keeps you going when things get stressful? Let me know in the comments below!

PS. Please stop by the sidebar and take the poll with different blog post ideas so that I can focus on the ones you want to see most!

Liebster Award

Hey there! Sorry I've been missing recently; I just finished recruitment and have been adjusting to my new semester of schoolwork. 

When I'm not busy doing all that, I absolutely love finding out about new blogs! I will always scroll through Instagram and Tumblr clicking on lots of different blogs and reading away, way in to the wee hours of the night. Last week, Emma from Dash of Serendipity nominated me for the Liebster Award, which allows you guys to find out about lots of fancy shmancy blogs here online! 

Here's what this entails: I'm going to answer 11 questions that have been presented to me by Emma, and then I am going to nominate some more people and ask them 11 questions of my own. Let's get started!

1. Where did the name of your blog come from? I started my blog a long time ago and changed my URL many times. When I finally decided to finalize my URL, I wanted my followers to know that my blog was preppy, and then wanted to think of a word that described my style. The best word I could think of for my style was timeless, because even though it isn't distinctly preppy, edgy, or something else, I try to dress classically and in styles that will look good for a long time. That's how TimelessPrep was born! Pretty basic story haha
2. What's your favorite season and why? I love the summer. The beach is my favorite place in the entire world, and I get to relax with my friends and family. Plus my birthday is in the summer, and I love spending it with my twin brother! If I had to choose a backup season though, it would be the Christmas season! All of the winter festivities are another favorite part of the year, but after New Years I would rather have warm weather than another three months of cold.
3. If you could be invited to any show during fashion week which would it be? I adore everything about Elie Saab. The designs are just beautiful and so ethereal. Every time I see his dresses on Tumblr, I can not help but SWOON! Seeing one of their fashion shows would be a dream come true.
4. Is there any app on your phone you don't think you could live without? I check Snapchat, Tumblr, and Instagram probably 600 times a day. I could live without them, but I use them the most!
5. Finish the sentence: I'm at my happiest when... my hard work is seen through to completion and I can feel proud of what I've accomplished. 
6. Name one TV character you'd like to trade places with for a day and explain why they're your pick. Rachel Green. That is all.
7. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? I definitely want to spend some time in either Europe (Italy and Spain) or Australia!
8. What color is your go-to nail polish choice? Take it Outside and Spin the Bottle, both by Essie. Or Mod About You by OPI (:
9. Are there any jewelry items you never take off? I wear my pearl earrings almost every day, as well as my Michael Kors watch.
10. What's one thing you can't leave the house without? I always always always have my phone and wristlet with me! And Burt's Bee chapstick!
11. What's your favorite thing about having a blog? Honestly the best thing about having this blog is getting to know all of you. The idea that people all the world could be reading my blog is incredibly fascinating to me, and I love getting to know you guys. I want to post content that you enjoy, and hope that you continue to follow along. This is all for you guys<333

Alrightyyyyyy! Now here are my questions and nominations:

Mallory | Meredith | Shannon | Adelaide | Frannie | Caroline | Gracey | Meredith (youtube video!!!) | Dorothy | Claire | Sammy 

1. Pick your favorite ice cream flavor and rename it.
2. Tell us a funny childhood story!
3. What is one cool tradition in your family/school/town/state?
4. What is one item you are looking to purchase soon?
5. If you had unlimited money for recreational shopping, what is the first thing you would buy?
6. Do you have a holy grail makeup product?
7. What is your go-to beverage? Water or something else?
8. Talk about your favorite pair of pajamas.
9. If you could have animal slippers of any kind, what animal would they be? (remember those? throwback!)
10. Do you like to match your nails and toes when you polish them?
11. What's one book you can't live without?

Thanks so much for reading! I can't wait to see all of the responses (:

Cat's Out of the Bag (A Peek Inside My Recruitment Tote)

Hellllloooooo world!

Recruitment started yesterday and I had the best time in the entire world! I loved meeting all the girls from different sororities and learning more about them. Everyone I talked to was super nice and was interested in me as much as I was in them. I loved being able to link a conversation to a funny story or event in my life and think it makes me more memorable as a PNM.

I lost my voice yesterday morning and so the first few rounds were a little rough. At my school, we don't have houses, so the sororities meet in various halls and ballrooms around campus and we talk there! Over 300 girls were going through the recruitment process, so there was a lot of yelling when the halls were echo-y. But by the end of the day, I managed to pull through and most people couldn't even tell my voice was gone. (Thankfully when I woke up this morning I actually had my voice back!)

Packing a tote bag the night before was more stressful than it seemed. There are always a ton of little things that you don't want to forget, but also wouldn't even think you need!

Here's what was inside mine:

For starters, I would recommend a bag that is bright and colorful. I used an LL Bean Nylon Everyday Lightweight Tote with my monogram on it to distinguish it from everyone else's bag. A lot of girls used Longchamps; if you do so too, I would suggest bringing something colorful so that it doesn't blend in with everyone else's bag!

The first thing I knew I would need was food. I packed granola bars, biscotti, nuts, an apple, and a bagel from the dining hall. Along with that I brought my Camelbak since I knew my voice may need lots of water and rest in between rounds.

I packed a small makeup bag full of various essentials: chapstick, lipstick, a compact mirror, mints, gum, tissues, and cough drops, as well as a few "just in case" feminine products and my asthma inhaler (or any other medication you need). I liked having the smaller bag inside of my big tote because I reached for it so frequently, and it contained all of the essentials!

Along with that, I made sure that I brought an umbrella, as well as a good pair of shoes to walk around in. The weather forecast for yesterday had predicted a wintry mix, and I didn't want to be stuck without my rain gear while walking to and from the different parties. I brought my Bean Boots with me yesterday, but on the next two nights, I will probably swap them out for a pair of comfortable loafers or Uggs. A pair of sweatpants is also going to be a must for Preference Night, since it will be chilly walking around in just a dress. I can throw sweats on over my dress while walking and quickly change when I get to each location! Brilliance. A hat and gloves are also super important because it's so cold right now.

On top of it all, I of course wanted to have my phone and wristlet/ID case, as well as a backup charger. Even though I didn't use my phone except during our break, it was important to have the charger with me since we spent six hours at parties. And, of course, I wouldn't be able to swipe back into my dorm without my Student ID!

I decided to wear a peacoat over my outfit yesterday, and luckily I was able to stuff that into my totebag as well! If you're going through spring recruitment, feel free to change out some things (ie; the sweatpants and heavy jacket) for other items that may be more important. Think sunglasses, deodorant, hairties, etc!

Hope you all enjoyed! I can't wait to share the rest of my recruitment experience with you!