About Donnica Smalls

http://www.donnicakelsey.com

Resident Palmetto Peach expert on glitter, baking and why football is the 5th season. Pragmatic dreamer. "I might bend a little bit, but I don't fold."

Posts by Donnica Smalls:

Summer Bookworm Guide: 7 Books to Read By the Pool

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Dear bookworm, whether you prefer the beach or the pool, you know there’s nothing like having a great book to keep you entertained. Here are a few I plan to check off my list this summer:

Summer Bookworm Guide: 7 Books to Read By the Pool - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

 

For My Bookworm That Loves A Thriller

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

Have you read The Girl On The Train? If yes, then know the suspense and mystery that will wrapped in this one. In Into the Water. a single mother turns up dead at the bottom of a river and her teenage daughter knows that there’s more to the story than suicide. I can’t wait to crack this one open!

I’ll Eat When I’m Dead by Barbara Bourland

Think Devil Wears Prada with as a thriller. Here’s the synopsis: A high-powered fashion editor dies in her office, her best friend / work wife Cat knows that it wasn’t because of something she ate (or, in this case, didn’t eat). Cat enlists the help of a detective and they get on the case — which winds the duo up in a web of sex, lies, and makeup counter madness.

For The Bookworm That Loves YA Fiction and a Little Romance

Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) by Jenny Han

I’m a big fan of the first two books in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You. So I’m excited to revisit all of these characters sipping frosé by the pool. Start with the first book and you’ve got a summer series.

Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories


Ok, this one isn’t out until next week, but it’s a perfect beach/poolside read of yeah you guessed it 12 love stories written by young adult authors.

For the Woke Bookworm

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Ace included Between The World and Me on her summer reading list and it’s also on mine. However, I thought I’d give you a classic option to consider. The Fire Next Time was originally a letter, written by Baldwin to his nephew on the 100th anniversary of the “emancipation” of black America and is completely relevant today.

“The impossible is the least that one can demand.”
― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

For The Bookworm Who Also Loves Pop Culture

Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper: A Novel by Hilary Liftin


This is a funny pool read that plays out like a E! True Hollywood story and is written by Hillary Liftin who is a ghostwriter that specializes in celebrity memoirs.

For My Bookworm Who Rereads The Great Gatsby

No One Is Coming To Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts

I saw this book in so many articles about what to read in 2017. The story is basically a 2017 version of Gatsby, but I admit – I’m intrigued.

Do you have any suggestions for summer reads? Leave them in the comments below!

Donni Siggy--The Palmetto Peaches

The Bachelorette: Let It Be Your Guilty Pleasure

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The Bachelorette: Let It Be Your Guilty Pleasure - palmsinatl.comOk ya’ll. We have to talk about this season of The Bachelorette. Now I’m a pretty inconsistent watcher of The Bachelor/ The Bachelorette franchise. I basically decide if I’m going to watch based on who is cast as the lead. I mean sometimes they just choose big douche bags/ f*ckboys — I’m looking at you Juan Pablo! Or the bachelorette is just uninteresting. However, this season is probably the one I’ve been the most excited for and not only because the lead, Rachel Lindsay, is the

first black Bachelorette!

Although, this is important.  The Bachelor began in 2002 and The Bachelorette a year later. Neither show has had a black lead, although one Hispanic man has been the bachelor. Y’all it took 33 seasons –  33 damn seasons!! Interestingly enough, Rachel’s also the oldest (not old though) – she’s only 32. So why is Rachel’s race important?

Black women are often overly sexualized, but not seen as objects of affection or marriage material. There are studies that show black women on online dating sites have the lowest message response rate from men of all races, while being the most likely to reply to men.  To see the beautiful, intelligent, funny, black bachelorette be courted by men of all races vying to be her husband, is such a beautiful reminder for women that look like me that we are desirable and deserve the love we seek.

More about Rachel:

  • Rachel is a lawyer from Dallas.
  • She’s got an adorable dog named Copper… like Copper and Tod from  The Fox and the Hound. 

We’re only two episodes in and while I think you would be thoroughly entertained binge-watching these four hours of greatness, here’s a quick catch-up.  If you plan on watching and don’t want any spoilers here is where you need to stop reading.

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Music Festival Essentials: What Should I Pack?

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So earlier this week, Ace and I shared our Hangout Festival playlist with you all. Now maybe you’ll be out at Gulf Shores like us or perhaps you’re hitting the road to Sasquatch!, Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Essence Music Festival, Lollapalooza or one of the many amazing summer festivals. Either way you’ll probably need to pack a few items and I’ve got you covered with some music festival essentials.

Music Festival Essentials: What Should I Pack? - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

Music Festival Essentials: What Should I Pack?

Sunscreen

Talk about essential. Everyone needs sunscreen and this includes my melanated friends. A bad sun burn can ruin the rest of your trip. I love the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunscreen in SPF 70 for my face.It sits flawlessly under makeup without giving you that weird blue cast. For the rest of my body, my go-to is the Neutrogena Wet Skin Sunscreen Spray Broad Spectrum SPF 50. If you’re one of the unfortunate souls that does get burnt, I recommend Banana Boat Aloe Vera Sun Burn Relief Sun Care After Sun Lotion.

Portable Power Bank

If you’re going in a group there’s a likely chance that not everyone will want to see the same sets. I personally think you should have a festival buddy. But in case you plan on wondering off. I would suggest a portable power bank to charge your phone in case it dies before you can link back up with your squad. There are plenty on the market, but I purchased the
Polanfo 12000mAh Portable External Power Bank last year when my old Samsung S6 had the battery life of a yawn. I recently upgraded, but I’m still packing the power bank.

Beach blanket

Many festivals don’t allow you to bring in chairs, so I would recommend a blanket. I ordered one of these really cool round beach throws from Zulilly, but of course it didn’t ship on time.

Water Bottle

This is not a game people. Hydrate! Between the heat, the dancing, sweating and the booze, it is so easy to get dehydrated. If you’re camping, buy gallons of spring water to have handy. Otherwise make sure you have a stainless steel refillable water bottle or even consider bringing a Camelbak (if they are allowed).

Body wipes

Sometimes you just need a little refresh. I’m a big fan of the Pacifica Deodorant Wipes because they have coconut milk and essential oils. The wipes are also 100% vegan and cruelty-free. I went to Target and purchased the travel size version, but I love these for after the gym or a workout. Some old-school baby wipes will also do the trick.

Mini Bottle Of Hand Sanitizer

Since we’re on the topic of hygiene. Let’s talk about port-o-potties. They are gross, but you have to just suck it up. For these instances, make sure you have some hand sanitizer.

Meds

In addition to any medication you regularly take, think about packing some Advil or Tylenol. I feel like I read somewhere once that immunity boosters like Emergen-C and Airborne don’t actually work. It doesn’t matter, I will not let anything have me down and out for the festival so I plan on packing some Airborne for a little extra dose of Vitamin C.

Optional: Flower crown

Listen…I’m that girl. Flower crowns are on everyone’s festival bingo. Forever 21 usually has a good selection or you can DIY your own with a few supplies from the craft store. I found some other great options on Amazon as well.

Obviously, your list will include some additional items, but these are some music festival essentials I stand by. Do you have any items that are must haves for you? Let me know in the comments below. 

Donni Siggy--The Palmetto Peaches

Why We Need #BlackGirlMagic & #BlackBoyJoy

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Why We Need #BlackGirlMagic & #BlackBoyJoy - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.comScrolling through Facebook I stumbled upon the cutest video ever posted on the Because of Them We Can page.

I should have just moved on, but instead I read the comments. You never read the comments.

Is there a specific need to call this “Black boy joy”? I think a more appropriate title would be simply “Boy joy”. Someone from any race would be happy to see someone after being away. The person who captioned this must be trying force segregation.

Yeah, I don’t understand the difference between Black boy joy or white boy joy after not seeing a loved one for a significant amount of time.

This is awesome I agree. However are we going to label emotions by color now also ? Isn’t joy and other emotions the same in all races? Stop the labels !!!!

“Black boy joy” title was unnecessary. Creating animosity for no reason.

Actual footage of me reading the comments:
Why We Need #BlackGirlMagic and #BlackBoyJoy - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

To be fair many people backtracked after being educated about the hashtag, but a lot of people didn’t. I didn’t understand why the first extinct was to try to criticize something so positive. However, I remembered the first time I wore a my Magical Black Girl shirt and was “lectured” in Starbucks. (More on that later.)

Why We Need #BlackGirlMagic & #BlackBoyJoy

Just in case we’re not all on the same page, let’s break down these hashtags quickly.

#BlackGirlMagic

#BlackGirlMagic is a concept and movement created to celebrate the beauty, power and resilience of black girls and women and to congratulate them on their accomplishments.

#BlackBoyJoy

The Root writer Danielle Young has the best definition of #BlackBoyJoy I’ve seen:

It [the hashtag] also shows that black boys and men, who despite life or its challenges, still possess the jovial spirit that you can identify in carefree black boys, that enables them to spread infectious joy and happiness through their smile, their outlook, their confidence or simply their presence. It doesn’t minimize the men by saying they have Black Boy Joy. They’ve just managed to retain what we hope none of our boys lose as they get older – joy.

Why We Need #BlackGirlMagic & #BlackBoyJoy - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

“Never Let Go” by Ronald Draper

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Seasonal Living: Spring Foods

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If you’re looking for some cooking inspiration, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve pulled together a list of seasonal fruits and veggies and some ideas for spring dishes. Also check out the Pinterest board Seasonal Living: Spring Foods for more recipe ideas and inspiration to elevate your plate this season.

Seasonal Living: Spring Foods - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

Seasonal Living: Spring Foods

What’s in season?

  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Asparagus
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Fava Beans
  • Fennel
  • Leeks
  • Mangoes
  • Peas
  • Pineapples
  • Potatoes
  • Rhubarb
  • Spinach
  • Turnips

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Magical Music: 25 of The Best Disney Songs of All Time

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Debate me if you dare, but some of the best songs of all-time come from Disney movies. So how can you create a list of the best Disney songs?  I started writing down my favorites (my list had 35 songs) and then I took to social media to get some additional perspective for this near impossible task. If the song was one I wrote down and it received more than one additional vote it made the list. I’d like to confess right now that there were no outside votes for any Artistocats songs and I was offended. I added to them the list anyway. 🙂 There were a lot of votes for songs from Beauty and the Beast, but just about every Disney fan has gone to see it, so I expected a lot of votes for those songs.

Magical Music: 25 of The Best Disney Songs of All Time - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

25 Of The Best Disney Songs of All Time

To be very very clear, this is not a ranking. To quote one of my favorite movies, Ever After: I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens.
  1. “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You”— Mulan 
  2. “Circle of Life” — The Lion King
  3. “Let It Go” — Frozen
  4. “Beauty & The Beast” (C’mon you know where this is from) The original version obviously. No one will ever sing this better than Queen Celine and the legendary Peabo Bryson.
  5. “Under the Sea” — The Little Mermaid
  6. “Hakuna Matata” — The Lion King
  7. “Be Our Guest” — Beauty and the Beast
  8. “A Whole New World” — Aladdin
  9. “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” — Toy Story  This one’s a Disney/Pixar, but it counts!
  10. “Part of Your World”  — The Little Mermaid
  11. “Reflection” — Mulan
  12. “Almost There” — The Princess and the Frog
  13. “Colors of the Wind” — Pocahontas
  14. “Be Prepared” — The Lion King
  15. “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” — Hercules
  16. “When You Wish Upon a Star” — Pinocchio 
  17. “Everybody Wants to Be A Cat” — The Aristocats 
  18. “You’ll Be In My Heart” — Tarzan
  19. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” — The Lion King
  20. “Cruella De Vil” — 101 Dalmatians
  21. “The Bare Necessities” — The Jungle Book
  22. “How Far I’ll Go” — Moana
  23. “Thomas O’Malley Cat” — The Aristocats
  24.  “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” — Cinderella
  25. “Ma Belle Evangeline” — The Princess and the Frog

One of my friends loves A Goofy Movie and one of her suggestions was I2I. Yup, so although it technically only had one vote, it makes the list as a bonus song. I mean you really can’t go wrong with a little Tevin Campbell.

Bonus: “I2I” — A Goofy Movie

 If I make a part two of the best Disney songs what songs should I include? Leave a comment below!

Donni Siggy--The Palmetto Peaches

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