YAYAYAY!

DH got a huge promotion today! Congratulations Schmoo!!!

I call it "Yummy in My Tummy"

I had such a good day today. I don't like to talk about work on my blog (my time isn't work time) but I will say that I had a plan, it went really well, I got tons of stuff done, and the day flew by. I love days like that!

I'm now enjoying one of my favorite drinks. In a mixer put the following:

1 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen pineapple

Cover in diet 7Up. Blend. Add a shot (or two) of Patron. Blend. Stick in little umbrella and a pink silly straw. Enjoy on your balcony, watching the world go by.

Genius finds of the day

1. Jorge Garcia AKA Hurley from Lost has an Absolutely Hysterical Blog.

2. 1 tbs reduced fat JIF + 1 chocolate graham cracker = the exact taste of Girl Scout Tagalongs.

Welcome back

Charlotte was always my favorite SATC lady. Only Charlotte could utter the words "Schooner and Rebecca need each other" with a straight face. I also taped up the quotation "I've been dating since I was fifteen. I'm exhausted. Where is he?" on my bulletin board in grad school. She's right - finding the right guy takes forever. :)

I can't wait to see the movie! (And I wonder if I can find a tweed suit like this one.)

I also looove this white polka dot dress.

I take that back; I looove this dress. Truly stunning.

This is how I wish I looked. Pulled together, classic, beautiful.

Cheers to Charlotte!

PS - Did anyone else covet the Burberry novacheck trench she wore in the park during season 1?

Phew.

So I'm finally back home after being in Sacramento for a week. My hotel was meh but it was next door to a really good mall. Thus the purchases:

J.Crew flip flops (the best - hands down)

A really really really cute bracelet sleeved swing jacket from Banana. Totally the wrong season but I imagine that it'll get some decent wear when I'm in England.

Blue striped sailor skirt from Old Navy. I thought the front would give me a tummy but surprisingly, it does the opposite - totally covers everything up! And the buttons have tiny anchors which makes my day.

Blue circle silk skirt from Banana. It is fuller than my normal skirts so I feel very 50s in it.

Hot pink J.Crew strapless linen dress. It's perfect for the pool. (I've already had it out!)

The eyelet lace bottom is adorable. I'm trying to track down the same dress in kelly green.

Another hot pink dress from J.Crew. It has a high neck but the slit keeps it oo la la.

I also picked up a bunch of headbands (madras, polka dot, and yellow silk) from J.Crew. A girl always needs another headband, no?

Last minute trip

See you Monday!

Where have I been

...that I didn't know about the cutie mccute-cute stuff at Pottery Barn Kids? C'mon preppy bloggers with kiddos, you gotta help us child-free households out!
I want this for my preppy guest bathroom. It comes with a lid and I think it would be adorable to hold all the guest bath toiletries and like, a washcloth.

Hello preppy beach towels! This is for me...
and this one too!

Happy Birthday, DH!

Happy Birthday, my amazing, wonderful hubby. I'm sorry I'm sitting in a hotel room instead of showering you with gifts and celebrating your birthday.

You are the most amazing man I have ever met and I'm so proud to be your wife.

I'm also amazed that your mother gave birth to the biggest baby EVER.

I'm so glad that your sartorial choices have moved on from blue hair and the Sex Pistols. On second thought, I kinda like you as a bad boy. Meyow!

I'm so impressed with your brilliance and education. You could have taken the easy way out and stopped your PhD but you persevered. I'm so proud that you did. (And you know my mom loves talking about her "Doctor" SIL.)

I love your sense of humour and that you understand the innate hilarity of naming a moss dog "J.Lo."

I love that you are just as comfortable schmoozing execs as you are hanging out at the corner bar.

I thank you for accepting the preppiness that goes along with me and my family. I know horses aren't your thing but I love them and you humor me. And you look amazing in that hat!

I think you're an amazing snowboarder and I love watching how excited you are whenever it snows. I promise we'll make it up to Big Bear for lots of long weekends this winter!

I love that you charmed the pants off of my friends. I've never had to worry one second about leaving you alone with them - you fit in perfectly with our group. And that is a difficult thing, I assure you.

I don't know if you remember or not but this is the first photo I ever saw of you, that night we first "met" online. I thought you were so cute. Hee!

I admire your wrapping skills. Truly, one of the best wrappers, ever. And you totally threw me off the scent of a little blue box by giving me that snowboard.

Your proposal was one of the greatest moments of my life. I also love that you drank so much champagne to prepare that you're a bit snookered in our only photo of that night.

Here's to you, my amazing husband and best friend. You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I love you more than I can say.

Cheers.

DH is a genius

I mentioned a little thing about my blog was a bit wonky and two minutes later he had it fixed and showed me a ton of neato back features that I never knew about.

I told him how amazing he was and he replied:

"Well, that's why I'm a technology genius."

Lol.

Seriously though, he is so smart it kinda freaks me out sometimes. I'm (somewhat) book smart but he kicks my intellectual butt, hard.

And now he knows about my blog and I've given him permission to read it. Ai ya ya... there goes my secret shopping! :)

A Revolution is underway

As you know, I transfered out here about two months ago. My initial reaction to the office was...odd. It was deathly quiet and my area is way in the back where no one sits. I kinda figured, ok, no one socializes. That's cool. Well, not really, but you know what I mean...

Four other people accepted the same transfer, including three other people from DC. (We have a lot of offices in DC so I didn't know any of them.) Well, this last week I put on my big girl panties and asked if two of them wanted to get lunch. They were like "OMG, YES! NO one in this office is social!"

So it turns out they were social people too and no one had bothered to say anything! Go me!

Last night the three of us had a happy hour (apparently the office's first in oh FOREVER) and five people showed up! And more people wanted to come but they weren't able. Yes! We new transfers will make the office social! We will united over cheap beers and nachos!

As an aside, my two new peeps are coming downtown for dinner with me and DH. Awesome. We have friends now!

Is it just me...

...or is Gio on Ugly Betty totally smokin'?Especially since he shaved his head this season. Meeyow.

"I don't want to be the rebound guy. I want to be the guy." Aww.

Fall into the Gap

• Great sale on at the Gap (pardon the messy bed - it's clean sheet night!)
• Blue and red (they were out of the green and pink - drat!) straight leg, lightweight chinos
• Green tank (because it was five bucks)
• Pale pink striped cashmere cardigan
• Pink and yellow gingham "flower" pins

Used the $15 coupon they sent in the mail and all of the above was a dash under $60. Not too shabby.

Annoying

So here's my pretty, new Banana dress that DH bought me when we were out shopping on Saturday. (Yes, my hubby buys me frocks. It makes me happy.)I freaking love the print and the silk is feather light. I love that it's a maxi dress but isn't so freaking long that I have to wear ginormous platforms. (Yes, I bought that dress last year. It's hot!) It totally makes me feel like I should be walking around Cannes.

However, I didn't notice one thing before we left which now necessitates a return:

They sewed the bra strap holder onto the OUTSIDE of the strap. Just on the right side, but still. I even had DH look at it to see if I was crazy. Banana, you let me down.

Anxiety

DH and I stopped in at a condo building that we've walked by a ton and always said "Hey, we should look there when we want to buy."

Which is supposed to be in 11 months.

And we found an amazing townhouse today. Today. Not 11 months from now. Today.

And it's an incredible steal. We know - we've looked at the comps.

Anxiety, thy name is breaking a lease and buying a home.

AIIIIIYYYEEEEE!

Happy Mother's Day

my wonderful muhmoo!

Thank you for letting me make (and be) a mess. It's only knowing that you'd be there to pick me back up that I've gone and done some amazing and sometimes incredibly stupid things.

Thank you for letting me go to Strawderman for so many years. I know it wasn't easy to leave your baby but those 8-week sessions gave me a real sense of independence. (But I still loved the care packages!) And I'm really glad we didn't call you after my bad fall where they thought I might have broken my back.

Thanks for listening to the 8000 crying phone calls when I started boarding school. I know you were crying on the other end of the line but told me it'd all be fine. And you know what? It was.

Thank you for "tricking" me into going to Vandy. You knew, much better than I, that it was would be a perfect fit. And if you had ever suggested as such, I would have run screaming in the other direction. Going there made me a much better (and smarter!) person. Thank you.

I know you hate California, Muhmoo. But it's really not that bad. Thanks for letting me get a big jump on my career by moving here.

I love you very much my wonderful mother.

Please don't liquidate and move to Belize in protest.

If a monkey bites you and you contract Ebola, I will NOT forgive you. I don't care if you can drive a golf cart all day and yes, some of the people speak English and French.

No moving. Except by me.

Love, E.

Someone hit Whim at Target

Me!

And we're off to the beach to try out those two 7-ft long beach towels!

All you've ever wanted to know about me and more!

Running Just as Fast as I can is hosting the Summer Preppy Swap! I'm super excited but a bit apprehensive, I mean, I saw the Spring Swap items and everyone was so creative! I promise, No Dieting, that I will try really really hard to pick cute things for you!

So my swap buddy(ies), here are my answers to the fun meme:

1. Favorite preppy designers? VV, JCrew, and Ralph

2. Favorite preppy accessories? Pearls, headbands, and silk scarves. ("Let's fold scarves!" is my favorite movie quotation.)

3. Any hobbies? I like snowboarding, crafting (see below), reading chick-lit, and mixology.

4. Enjoy crafting, if so anything in particular? I really getting into the crafting thing. I've picked up knitting and am starting on a set of embroidered kitchen towels. (I'm REALLY excited about my towels; I hope they turn out as cute as they are in my head!) I did a bunch of stamping and paper design for my wedding so I do that now too.

5. Favorite books/magazines? I love chick-lit. I shouldn't but I do. And anything I pick up in the airport that is suspense/conspiracy based. I was ALL over Angels & Demons way before DaVinci Code came out. I am also a huge magazine lover. I subscribe to Self, Marie Claire, Allure, Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, Shape, Lucky, and Real Simple.

6. Any other favorite things? Kelly Green, navy, and pink are my favorite colors. I love anything related to dogs (bulldogs in particular), the kitchen, and horses (polo especially).

7. Collect anything? Not really. Local art, I suppose. Oh, and lip gloss. I LOVE lip gloss.

8. Any kids/pets? Not yet. We're contemplating getting a Bulldog from the SD Bulldog rescue.

9. Any allergies? Hold on to your hat: any animals with fur (especially cats and dogs), grass, trees, flower pollen, avocados, wasps, poison ivy (like, I go to the hospital every time I get PI, I swell so badly), and bees.

10. Favorite thing to do in the Summer? Hit the beach, barbeque, and go have cocktails outside with my friends.

11. What most makes you think of Summer? The smell of Coppertone, iced tea with mint ice cubes, lightning bugs, and Avon Skin-so-Soft.

12. Favorite treat/drink? I love a Campari and soda in the summer, Jack Daniels at all other times. I also really like ginger beer and root beer. And my biggest indulgence is a York Peppermint Patty. I freaking LOVE those things.

13. Anything else your partner should know about you? I'm quite laid back. I bought a boatload of little paper umbrellas and now use them in all my drinks - even if it's just a glass of iced tea! I'm trying to grow my own herb garden on our balcony. I can keep a cactus alive as well as our orchids. Herbs are way harder!

And here are some more things about me!

5 things I can't live without under $10:
1. Tea bags - Irish Breakfast, Zen (Tzao mint and green tea), and roobios from South Africa.
2. York Peppermint Patties
3. J.Crew argyle socks (but you have to get them on sale to get in under $10!)
4. Fresh herbs - we fly through mint, cilantro, rosemary, and basil!
5. Vaseline gel oil - OMG does it smell amazing and leaves your legs super soft!

5 Favorite Movies:
1. Dangerous Liaisons
2. Bridget Jones
3. French Kiss
4. What About Bob
5. Honeymoon in Vegas

5 favorite girls' names I love but won't use:
1. Chase - It was supposed to be MY name but my Dad vetoed it.
2. Cannon
3. Phoebe
4. Piper
5. Hunter

5 favorite boys' names I love but won't use:
1. Jack
2. Holden (that would just be cruel)
3. Hunter
4. Crispan
5. Richardson

5 songs you could listen to over and over again:
1. I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
2. Baby Girl - Will Hoge
3. When Your Mind's Made Up - Once soundtrack
4. On the Radio - Regina Spektor
5. Light and Day - Polyphonic Spree

5 things that stay in my handbag at all times:
1. Mobile phone
2. Kate Spade sunglasses
3. Blackberry (yes, I have both a BB and a mobile - one's for work and I have to have it all the time.)
4. Burt's Bees lipbalm in various colors
5. Coach braided leather keyring that I bought with my allowance at age 12.

5 obsessions I have right now:
1. The Cynthia Rowley line at Target
2. Embroidery patterns
3. Finding Slatkin Kabala candles on ebay (they're discontinues and I burn NOTHING ELSE in my home)
4. My herb garden
5. Campari + soda + splash of grapefruit juice + lime = AHMAHZING

5 places I'd love to go:
1. Japan
2. New Zealand
3. Italy (I can't believe I STILL haven't made it to the home of PRADA OUTLETS!)
4. Senegal

5. San Francisco (going in two weeks!)

I feel like such a bad blogger lately - stale and infrequent posting is not good for the reader soul, dear Elliott!

I'm finally ready to let y'all in on a little secret; I've been working like a crazy woman on my promotion package. And it's finally done. HEE!!

Let me 'splain. No, there is too much; let me sum up.

Promotion packages are a series of essays where you prove that you have the knowledge and skills to work at the next level of responsibility. They are, to put it nicely, a complete PITA. Unfortunately, they use a standard list of skills and responsibilities for my job title. It doesn't matter if your actual work covers these skills; you still have to prove that you can do them.

It's an incredibly stressful thing to put together a package and everyone universally hates it.

If I don't pass (I'll find out in a couple weeks) I will be disappointed but not surprised. I just hate the fact that I can be really really good at my job and still not qualify for the next step up.

I'm hoping that my new office will broaden my experience so that the next PP I put in will be easy to do.

So, yeah. Sorry I've been distracted - I'm trying to get my name on a door! :)

Dear J.Crew

While I haven't forgiven you for taking down all the free shipping codes, I am willing to entertain a truce while you send me these lovelies from your sale:

Jamie Oliver's Cucumber Salad

Work has been tough lately so I've been in no mood to cook. Tonight I made the following salad and some dim sum - fast and tasty and I don't have to slave over a stove.

Use a mandolin to slice (length-wise) three or four persian cucumbers. Add a bunch of cilantro and mint, chopped. Top with a dressing made of evoo, rice wine vinegar, dash of sugar, a thumbs worth of peeled and grated ginger (I add more to make it really hot), 1 finely chopped stalk of lemongrass, salt, pepper, and a dash of soy sauce.

Easy, doesn't require measurements and looks beautiful.

What's in your fridge?

I was running around the blogosphere and saw a bunch of people posting pics of their fridges/freezers. So here's ours, rather empty except for drinks. We're fanatical about throwing out food and condiments, we buy food for one or two days and we don't keep many leftovers. Let's see. I spy wine, beer, hard lemonade, ginger beer, ice tea, tonic, 7up, and diet coke. A big hunk of carne asade and tortillas for Cinqo de Mayo. Lots of herbs, persian cucumbers, lemons and limes, peppers, four pounds of cut-up strawberries, and a tub of blackberries. And on the right of the lowest shelf, my personal stash of Trader Joes baby beets and microwave-ready lentils. (OMG - SO good if you put s&p, lemon, and herbs. )

Our freezer is carb central. We never get through bread so we stash baguettes and ciabattas in freezer bags. In the door we have a ton of walnuts and almonds, butter for baking, my sprouted raisin bread, goats cheese, and Dulce de Leche froyo. Let's see. I also spy a bunch of chicken breasts, Trader Joes pesto ravioli (our go-to "we don't want to cook" meal), and a lone piece of kahlua cheesecake. Mmm. Cheesecake.

So I've shown you mine. Show me yours!

At work

My desk needs a little something.

Dozi paperclip holder, $21 MoMAstore

Etsy finds

I've been playing around Etsy and found two great little shops:

The Little Astronaut is full of cute cards:

But I'm really ga ga over the bookplates:

The paper peony (what a great name!) is full of beautiful letterpress. I'm still sad to this day that we weren't able to get letterpressed invitations to our wedding. Oh well, I'd rather have another table full of friends than beautiful invitations, right?

And I am completely in love with these adorable pink pig coasters. Can I get them before our next barbeque, DH?
Nautical by Nature, I thought of you when I saw these!