Donni’s Dash of Sparkle

“Leave a little sparkle where ever you go.”
These posts are sprinkled with Donni’s dashes of sparkle on a variety of topics included but not limited to beauty, food, and yes – sports.

90s Kind of World: Renaissance Apparel

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I was born in the 80s (’89 but it still counts) and raised in the 90s. Argue with me if you want, but the 90s produced some of the best entertainment of all-time! Don’t @ me. So when my good friend Ashley started a clothing company, Renaissance Apparel, dedicated to the 90s, I was ecstatic. In honor of #ThrowbackThursday, I thought I’d do a little Q&A with Ashley to get some thoughts on her 90s fave and to learn more about the company.

90s Kind of World: Renaissance Apparel - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

90s Kind of World – Renaissance Apparel

Donni: Tell the readers a little bit about Renaissance Apparel. How did you come up with that name?

Ashley: A millennial’s favorite tool: GOOGLE! I knew that I wanted the name to represent the era and not me. The era of the 90s represented so much from family, friends, growing up, culture and so much more. I knew I wanted it to be a rebirth of all of those characteristics. I used google to find synonyms for the word “rebirth.” After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally settled on Renaissance Apparel.

90s Kind of World: Renaissance Apparel - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

P.S. That gorgeous lady in the middle is my friend Ashley! 🙂 Photo Credit: Renaissance Apparel

D: What was it about the 90s that inspired you to create this company?

A: Being born in the late 80s, I’ve always been fascinated and in love with 90s sitcoms, music and culture. That decade basically raised me on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. Looking through my playlists of music, I discovered that 70% of my library contained 90s music. Seriously, who doesn’t love Biggie, Aaliyah, and Tupac?

D: That’s true. I was just jamming to Aaliyah this morning. If you could bring back one 90s TV show, which would you choose?
A: Bringing back one 90s tv show would be awesome! If I had my pick, I would choose The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. That has to be my favorite show of all time. The comedy, underhanded jokes from Will and Geoffrey, and sense of family are definitely needed in 2017. I’d love to see how the characters deal with today’s issues that are prevalent.

D: I don’t know why a Fresh Prince reunion hasn’t happened yet. What are some of your favorite 90s movie(s)?

A: My favorite movies from the 90s are:

  • Bad Boys
  • Power Rangers Turbo (don’t judge)
  • Friday
  • Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
  • Forest Gump
  • Clueless
  • BAPS

D: Me, judge? I couldn’t even if I wanted to because these are all good choices. Add The Sandlot and the list is near perfect. Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead is one of my favorites, too. Reasons why we’re friends. 🙂 Okay, here’s a hard one: Tupac or Biggie?

A:Don’t make me choose! I love them both for different reasons. If I had to choose, I’d choose Tupac.

D: I always choose Tupac, so I approve. Magic School Bus or Rugrats?

A: Definitely Magic School Bus! I love Miss Frizzle so much that I made it my IG name 🙂

D: Hmm, ok. Proud Family or All That?

A: I’d say All That. It was basically a younger version of In Living Color. I loved the skits!

D: I miss All That. What about Fresh Prince or Martin?

A: Noooo! My two favorites! I’ve seen every episode from both of these shows. I’ll go with Martin!

D: That’s all I have! I can’t wait to see what new releases you have and don’t be surprised when you see my second order come through.

There’s a 40% off sale going on right now. So if you enjoyed reminiscing about the 90s go grab a few tees. Be sure to follow Renaissance Apparel on Facebook and Instagram!

What are some of your favorite 90s TV shows, movies, or songs? Let me know in the comments below!

Donni Siggy--The Palmetto Peaches

Fall 2017 TV Preview: Let Me Be Your TV Guide

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It’s that time of year, peeps. In my head/ former life, I just know I was a TV show writer — all hits of course. However, since I’m in this life, I’ll just give you a fall 2017 TV preview. If you’re behind on any of your favorite shows, you may want to skip my commentary and just jot down the dates because there may be spoilers.

 Fall 2017 TV Preview: Let Me Be Your TV Guide - The Palmetto Peaches

Fall 2017 TV Preview: Most Anticipated

This Is Us (NBC)

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 9/8c

I basically needed a box of tissues for every episode last season. So I’ll be buying in bulk before the second season begins. You know the saying about failing to plan. As you may recall, this is how we left the Pearsons:

  • Back in the past Jack has left Rebecca after a huge fight
  • Randall threw the idea out to Beth about adopting
  • Kevin scored a big movie right after winning Sophie back
  • Kate decided to pursure singing, like her mom

Things I need Answered: HOW DID JACK DIE? But most importantly will the second season live up to the amazingness that was the first season and what kind of narrative tricks are they going to pull on us?

Scandal (ABC)

Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 5 at 9 p.m./8c

This is the FINAL season of Scandal. I was still in grad school that fateful premiere day: April 5, 2012. As sad as I am to see it go and as much as I will miss the Twitter conversations, it’s time. I will have popcorn every Thursday and I will even drink red wine instead of my usual white. I’ll continue to @ Scott Foley – aka Jake aka Pillow Lips – (who has liked my tweets to him several times) and Papa Pope himself, the incomparable Joe Morton (who has also retweeted/liked my tweets).

 I’ve read the final season starts 100 days into Mellie’s presidency and we’re going to really see a new side of Olivia as the new head of B613. I’m also very curious to see the new Quinn Perkins & Associates and how that storyline all plays out. Finally, will Fitz and Olivia end up together? I hope not. #TeamJake. 

The Walking Dead (AMC)

Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 22 at 9 p.m./8c

The season 8 premiere is going to be the 100th episode of The Walking Dead. That’s crazy! And I have a feeling that the executive producers Scott M. Gimple and Greg Nicotero will pull out all the stops for this episode. The comic-con teaser had me hyped from from the first moment we hear Negan’s voice over about two seconds into the teaser.

Here’s what to expect: ALL OUT WAR

The battle is coming, y’all. Those trash people double-crossed our group to work with Negan and the Saviors, but we’ve got the Kingdom and Hilltop on our side. I say our because obviously I feel like I’m a part of Rick’s group.

 Stranger Things (Netflix)

Premieres: Friday, Oct. 27

Y’all I’m geeked. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling Stranger Things the first episode or two. It just started so slow to me, but then I was hooked. Did you know the first season nabbed 18 Emmy nominations? That’s how good it was.

So here’s where we left off: Eleven, played by the oh, so charming and cool, Millie Bobby Brown, sacrificed herself to defeat the Demogorgon. Meanwhile, poor little Will gets rescued only to cough up something. A slug? Will, little man, what did you bring back from the Upside-Down?

I want to see how Nancy handles Barb’s death and what looks like could be a love triangle with Steve and Jonathan.

Fall 2017 TV Preview: Oldies but Goodies

A few of these shows are only four seasons in, but that’s enough to call it an oldie, right?

  • American Horror Story: Cult → Season 7 premiere; Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 10 p.m./ 9c
  • You’re the Worst (FXX) → Season 4 premiere; Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 10 p.m./9c
  • Dancing with the Stars (ABC) →  Season 25 premiere ; Monday Sept. 18 at 8 p.m./7c
  • The Voice (NBC) → Season 13 premiere; Monday,Sept. 25 at 8 p.m./7c
  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox) → Season 5 premiere: Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 9:30 p.m./8:30c
  • Empire (Fox) → Season 4 premiere; Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. /7c
  • How to Get Away With Murder (ABC) → Season 4 premiere ; Thursday, Sept. 28 at 10 p.m./9c
  • Black-ish (ABC) → Season 4 premiere; Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m./8c
  • Once Upon a Time (ABC) →  Season 7 premiere; Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m./7c
    • The cast got all shaken up for this season, so I’m not sure it’s going to fly. I almost considered putting it in the hit or miss section.
  • Jane the Virgin (The CW) → Season 4 premiere; Friday, Oct. 13 at 9 p.m./8c
  • Shameless (Showtime) → Season 8 premiere; Sunday, Nov. 5 at 9 p.m./8c

The Mindy Project (Hulu)

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 12

I love Mindy Kaling and I love Mindy Lahiri. However, the upcoming sixth season will be the final season of the show. Bless Hulu for keeping this one alive after Fox canceled it.

When we left Mindy, she was proposing to Ben (beautiful Bryan Greenberg). I’m interested to see if marriage actually works out for Mindy and what her happily ever after will look like. I follow Mindy on Instagram and it’s been weird seeing her post photos of the final wrap days for some of my favorite characters.

 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m./7c

Until Shonda makes the sun set on this show, I will continue to watch. No matter how many gallons of tears I shed over these fictional characters, I will keep coming back for more pain (and laughter).  Season 14 should bring a lot of drama with Meredith’s promise for new love (R.I.P Derek) being ripped from her. To be honest, I think Alex and Meredith are endgame. Don’t @ me!

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It’s Okay Not To Be Okay: A Pep-Talk

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I used to tell myself that I shouldn’t cry because there were people going through so much more than I was. I thought crying (outside of the sappy-movie-watching type of cry) meant I was mentally weak.

All of this is false.

I’m not a person that battles with anxiety or depression, but sometimes I just bad have a bad day or bad days. Plural. Life is hard. Adulting is hard.  One of the things I dislike the most is when people try to tell me how I should be feeling. What problems could you really have? Suck it up. It can’t really be that bad.

It's Okay Not To Be Okay: A Pep-Talk - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

Well you know what? Sometimes it can be that bad. Stress and sadness can affect anyone.  So here’s a pep-talk for anyone else struggling with anything.

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay: A Pep-Talk

You’re allowed to have bad days.

There will be days when you just feel stuck. 

Sometimes you need to have a good cry.

Break all the way down if you have to. Because life can get really hard. Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re feeling doesn’t matter or that you shouldn’t be feeling it. It’s okay not to be okay. It’s probably worse to pretend that everything is okay.

Call a friend. Turn your phone on silent. Watch a ton of Netflix movies and continue to tell it you’re still watching. Order that pizza with double the meats and get the bread sticks too. Talk to your dog. Crawl under the covers and wallow for a bit. Drink some tequila and dance it out like Meredith Grey.

You’re human and it’s okay not to be okay. Here’s the thing: have your bad day (or two) but don’t dwell in it.  Start putting yourself together. Figure out the root of the problem. Make a plan. Talk to someone. Refocus. This is not the end and you are still here. Heal.

This is not the end and you are still here.

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Bonus: Let Kid President give you some words of encouragement.

How do you deal with your bad days? Leave a comment below. 

Donni Siggy--The Palmetto Peaches

Total Eclipse 101

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I’ve been belting “Total Eclipse of the Heart” just about every time I come across a solar eclipse story or hear someone mention needing glasses.  I’ve seen a lot of questions or confusion about the upcoming total solar eclipse – one friend even asking if special glasses were necessary.  

P.S. Yes, they are if you want to keep your eyeballs and not go blind!!

So like the nerd I am I’ve pulled together a little info – just the basics – about the eclipse.

Total Eclipse 101 - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

Total Eclipse 101

Wait so what is it?

Basically, a solar eclipse is what happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking out the light from the sun and forming a fast-moving shadow on the surface of our planet.  

Why is everyone freaking out?

This is the first total solar eclipse to occur solely in the United States since 1918. For most Americans, this is the best chance we’ll get to see a solar eclipse in our lifetimes. There’s another solar eclipse happening in 2024, but it’s not a coast-to-coast event like this.

Anyways, this go around will put an estimated 12 million people in the path of totality (more on this later). Also, the greatamericaneclipse website, estimates that between 1.85 and 7.4 million people will visit the path of totality on eclipse day. Basically, this is America’s golden ticket to get inside the Wonka factory.

What is “the path of totality”?

Okay folks, so people are going to throw around this term a lot. The path of totality is the 70-mile-wide, 3,000-mile-long area that lies directly in the shadow of the moon. For this eclipse, it will start off the coast of Oregon and sweep across the country to my beautiful hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. If you’re outside the path of totality, you will see a partial eclipse – like a cookie with a bite taken out of it.

Total Eclipse 101 - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

Source: NASA

 

What to expect

It’ll happen pretty quickly. From everything I’ve read, the most people will view the full event in about 2.5 minutes. Here’s the funny thing: apparently eclipses give Mother Nature a buzz or drunk goggles, if you will.  The sky will grow dark, birds will stop singing, some  around the horizon, temperatures will drop, and you might even spot a few stars. Eclipses also confuse Mother Nature, so animals be going a little batty.

What not to do

For the love of pizza, do not look at the sun without some protective eyewear. There’s basically a 50% chance of vision loss. For anyone along the path of totality, you’ll get to take your glasses off temporarily when the moon covers the entire sun. But look, you’re not going to sue me for bad advice.  Check out this website for eclipse safety.

So that’s it! Is anyone taking a trip to view the solar eclipse in the path of totality? Or do you live in that area? Leave me a comment below!

Donni Siggy--The Palmetto Peaches

The Bachelorette and Breakups

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I’ve spent approximately 25 hours in the past few months watching Rachel Lindsay as The Bachelorette. I avoided every spoiler and blocked any mention of Reality Steve from popping up on any of my social media feeds or Google cards the entire season, but had my guess which man would get the final rose.

The Bachelorette and Breakups - The Palmetto Peaches - palmsinatl.com

The final episode aired what Chris Harrison would say was one of the most dramatic breakups in Bachelor history. I haven’t seen every season but it was pretty emotional and I think there are some real world takeaways regarding breakups. Okay, but before I get to the real world application I have to admit I was #TeamPeter.

The Bachelorette and Breakups

PETER

 

A post shared by Peter J Kraus (@peterkrauswi) on


The entire season I fell for what the producers wanted America to see of Peter: perfection. Perfection that came in the form of a former model, with the cutest gapped-tooth smile, salt-and-pepper hair, and swoon worthy moments. Please see the evidence of my infatuation:

And even watching Monday night’s finale, I was all the way here for him making breakfast shirtless and giving Rachel forehead kisses for the rest of their lives. Alas, Peter would not be the last man standing/kneeling and Twitter was outraged.
However, I think Rachel made the right choice. Through editing we only saw them swapping kisses, but it was clear she lit up around Bryan. We’ll have to see if they will be one of the few Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise couples to make it, but I’m rooting for them.

THE BREAKUP

Many people were calling Peter reasonable for not wanting to propose after a short amount of time. I applaud him, but I think people are forgetting he was completely aware of how the show works. I saw tweet after tweet and many articles calling Rachel a ring-chaser or claiming she was just after a proposal. It was more than that. Peter’s reluctance wasn’t just about not wanting to rush things. He was actually saying, “I’m not sure I will ever be ready to marry you.”

Rachel had every right to be frustrated that after being very clear of what she wanted, and not wanting to peer pressure him into proposing. That was her decision people. Homegirl, said I’m 32 and I’m over being someone’s girlfriend with no promise that they’ll ever want to commit to me.


Yes, sis!!
She asked for what she wanted and would not be persuaded of otherwise.

PETER THE PETTY

After a lot of back and forth about this process ending in an engagement and what the future would like, Peter hurled one of the cruelest, f*ckboy statements out at Rachel: “Go find someone to have a mediocre life with.” My immediate thought was how could Perfect Peter say something so mean to the woman he’s allegedly in love with.  It also took reminded me of a breakup where I was lashed out at. Instead of telling me to go have a mediocre life, I was told I would never find love. Anyways, the format of the show is obviously not made for someone like Peter. So if he’s the next Bachelor, I call shenanigans and will be convinced he used Rachel. Compare Peter to Eric (who was rocking a sexy revenge beard), who struggled at the beginning with the format of the show, but eventually came around and took a leap of faith.

The Bachelorette and Breakups: Real World Application

In Rachel’s post-finale interviews she mentions of how she felt manipulated by Peter. He would give her just enough to keep investing in him and then pull away. I’ve been Rachel. Maybe you’ve been Rachel. Not arguing over a proposal, but commitment. Peter is the guy who talks about your future together, but still has Tinder on his phone. Peter is the type of guy that will stay with you for seven years and make a statement like: Why do we need a paper/ring, I already feel like I’m married to you. To be fair, this could be a guy or girl, purposefully stringing you along or saying just enough to keep you. The argument is that Rachel settled for Bryan (for a ring). I think she was always ready and willing to be with Bryan.

So take Rachel’s lead: Be firm in your expectations in a relationship. Don’t settle for the emotionally unavailable man or woman you have to work for.

Any advice on The Bachelorette or breakups? Leave a comment below!

Simplify Your Life Week – Blog Roundup

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I recently learned that the first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. Now I know there are national days and weeks for just about everything, but a little late-summer simplifying will be a great excuse to declutter as fall approaches. However, as I talked about in the minimalism challenge simplifying your life isn’t just about removing the physical clutter out of your closets and cabinets. Minimalism pushes us to examine our lifestyle and eliminate the things that keep us from truly enjoying life.

Simplify Your Life Week: Blog Round Up - palmsinatl.com

While there isn’t just one way to simplify your life, I’ve pulled together a list of blogs that may help you in a pursuit for a simpler lifestyle. First up are a few of my blog posts to get you started:

Minimalism 101 | The Art of Decluttering |  Decluttering Challenge

Simplify Your Life Week – Blog Roundup

The Minimalists 

If you’re going to start anywhere, I would suggest The Minimalists – Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. They’ve got books, a podcast, and a documentary that will help you understand what minimalism is all about.

Un-Fancy

Un-Fancy was one of the first blogs I found on the topic of simplifying your wardrobe. I’m still battling with this because I love clothes. However, if you’re interested in capsule wardrobes – this is the blogger for you.

Minimalist Baker

Dana and John, a wife and husband duo, create recipes that consist of 10 ingredients or less, require a single bowl or pot, or takes 30 minutes or less to prepare. Can someone say: Amen!!

Save. Spend. Splurge.

 Ok, one other area to consider simplifying – finances.  Sherry, of Save. Spend. Splurge , managed to pay off $60,000 in just 18 months. So if you’re looking to live more minimally when it comes to financial aspects this is the blog for you.

Lavendaire

Lavendaire is a lifestyle youtuber and podcast host. She writes and vlogs about ways millennials can embrace their true potential and create their dream life. She has some great organization and minimalism videos that I love.

Happy Friday, peeps! I hope you find some of these blogs interesting and informative. If you have any favorites send them my way. 

Donni Siggy--The Palmetto Peaches

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