the makeup/beauty products that changed MRM's life

In the makeup world, beauty products that change your life are considered especially important. In MRM's makeup bag, they are represented by the following items. These are their stories.

I've mentioned on here before that despite the fact that I don't wear a lot of makeup and still can't even put on eyeliner correctly, I seem to have more makeup than the average 25-year-old girl. In fact, I have more than some small Sephora stores. KMH can attest to the fact that letting me loose inside of a Sephora can be a very dangerous thing. I thought I would do a post to share with you some of the products that I absolutely cannot live without.

1) Clarisonic Brush

I cannot say enough about this brush. I've mentioned in a previous post just how in love I am with my brush. I had wanted this brush for a while, but had a hard time justifying the $195 price tag. When I had $165 in gift cards to Sephora, I decided to buy it to try it out. Since then, I have fallen in brush love. I have definitely noticed a difference from using it, and if I go away and don't take it with me, after several days, my face starts to feel dirty. If you can afford to get one, do it. Your face will thank me.

2) Benefit Boo Boo Zap

I am one of those girls who was blessed with good skin. I am one of the only girls I know who managed to get through those awkward teenage years without having to worry about pimples. (Of course, I did have plenty of other things to worry about, but that's neither here nor there...) Of course, what this means, is that now that I am older, every time I get even the tiniest hint of a pimple, I automatically go into panic mode because I just don't know how to deal with them. It was on one such day that I frantically ran into Sephora on the verge of tears begging the saleslady to give me something that would get rid of my pimple. When she responded with "what pimple?," I thought she was crazy. How could she not see what was going on on my face? In any case, she led me to the Benefit counter and gave me a little tube of this wonderliquid. I have seen similar acne products, but nothing that works quite as well as this, in quite so little time. Bonus points for the fact that it does not sting at all. Since then, I always carry a tube of this on me, just in case.

3) Perfekt Liquid Foundation

To reiterate #2, I have very good skin. This means that I don't want to wear a heavy foundation that clogs up my pores. I hate the feeling of having a lot of makeup on my skin. This is why I don't wear it a lot. On one of my many trips to Sephora "just to look around," I discovered this little wonder. It is a gel foundation. You put a little dab on your finger or a sponge, and rub it into your skin. It is so light and airy that you don't feel like you're wearing anything, yet your skin instantly feels smoother and silkier to the touch. And looks softer/smoother as well. It comes in several shades, and is so light that you can wear a darker shade to get a hint of color without looking completely fake baked. Bonus points, it also comes in a smaller, TSA-friendly, 0.25 oz. size.

4) Imju Fiberwig Mascara

This is where you all start gasping ladies: I hate wearing mascara. I love the way it looks on me, but for some reason it hurts my eyelashes. By the end of the day I am annoyed and irritated and cannot wait to go home and take it off. I have tried every single brand of mascara known to man to see if I can get around this. Drugstore brand, higher-end brand, hypoallergenic, all natural, etc. And this was the only thing I found that doesn't make my eyelashes hate me. Another problem that I seem to have with mascara is that whenever I try to take it off, no matter what, I cannot get all of it off and inevitably look like a raccoon the next morning. Not only does this wonder mascara not irritate my eyes, but it also completely washes off in cool little rubbery clumps without smearing all over your face. No eye makeup remover required. Just warm water. How cool is that?

5) Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen

Despite the fact that I was blessed with perfect skin, one thing that I was not blessed with, is a lack of undereye circles. I have very fair skin with dark hair and even darker undereye circles. I've sometimes wondered if I'm the secret love child of Snow White and Rocky Raccoon. A sorority sister showed me this in Sephora, and since then, I cannot go anywhere without it. It conceals undereye circles and reflects light to make them appear lighter. Amazing product. I cannot stress enough how much I love it.

6) Sephora Brand Makeup Eraser Pen

The most ingenious invention ever! This pen is fantastic to get rid of any mascara dots that may form around your eyes or any other makeup mishaps so that you don't have to start all over. Every girl needs to have one of these in her makeup bag

sorry for being MIA

Dear bloggers, I want to apologize in advance for being slightly MIA from blogland for the next few weeks. I once again am working like crazy on projects for work which means lots of frantic late nights and being crazed at work during the day. I will still keep up with this blog, but if I miss something from one of your blogs, please do not take it personally.

x's and o's,
-MRM

wedding situation update

After I posted my previous entry, TLS and I talked about it some more. Unfortunately, after Labor Day, I will not be able to come visit him because of work. After that, is the High Holy Days, and after that, I will be at a conference. Shortly after that, he is being sent to Turkey for Air Forcey stuff (the official name for it, clearly) and will not be back until January. Unfortunately, due to 1) the nature of my job, and 2) his vacation plans, I cannot see him before Labor Day. This means that if I don't go over Labor Day, I may not get to see him until 2010, and neither one of us is crazy about that option.

I was emailing with the bride today about her shower, and explained the situation to her. Fortunately, her groom is from Canada so they have been doing the whole uberlong distance thing for a bit and understand how there may only be certain times to see the other person. She said that she understands and won't be upset if I can't make it and is grateful to me for throwing the shower. I wish I could make it to her wedding, but it just doesn't seem like an option for me, both logistically and financially. So unless something changes with my job or TLS's assignment, I will be going over to England at the beginning of September. I got quite a few comments and emails about this, with opposing viewpoints, and I want to thank everyone who replied with either viewpoint. The situation is what it is, and now that I know that the bride is understanding and won't be upset with me, I got confirmation from the one person whose opinion mattered more than all the others.

I am already excited for this trip and am beginning to look up things to do for when I go over there. I have been to London once before and am so excited to go back! Do you have any "must do" things in England? If so, please share them. Note that I will be travelling with a boy, so anything overly girly will be vetoed by him.

a wedding dilemma

Ladies, I need your advice here. Do you remember my friend JK that's getting married? The one whose shower I'm hosting? Well her wedding date is set for September 6, 2009. That is the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend. TLS and I had talked about me going to visit him over Labor Day Weekend since that would be less leave that he would have to take. Obviously, I can't be in both Detroit and London at once. So my choices right now are to:

1) Go to the wedding and go to England later on, will most likely have to be in October

or

2) Go to England for the week of Labor Day and not go to the wedding.

TLS is more of a fan of option #2. My question to all of you is- do you think that JK would be upset with me if I did this and didn't make it to her wedding? I really want to go but it doesn't seem very feasible right now since I already have to plane tickets that I need to buy, plus time off work, plus all of the cost of going to a wedding. What should I do?

ETA:
The bride is not someone that I am incredibly close with. I am already spending several hundred dollars for her shower, which is why I'm wondering. I will not know anyone at the wedding and will have to buy another plane ticket and hotel room for this.

I changed my relationship status this weekend

So I know some of you are anxious to hear about how my weekend went, so here it is.

Friday night, I went out for drinks with my mom and one of her best friends. After that I went jeans shopping (KMH knows from firsthand experience that this is the bane of my existance.) A note to the saleslady at Levi's: I am 5'2". This means that I am short. I have accepted this fact and moved on, so should you. When I ask you for jeans that are a size short, do not bring out jeans that are a size regular and suggest I wear heels or hem them. Thanks.

Saturday is the day that you all really want to hear about. I finally met up with TLS. We went to Times Square (ick) to get him a slice of NY pizza and did the Circle Line boat tour around the city. We got fortunate that the weather was absolutely gorgeous that day. Despite the fact that it's catered to tourists, I absolutely love the Circle Line. If you come to NYC in the summer, I highly recommend it. After the boat tour, we went to Crumbs for cupcakes, another requisite NYC stop. From there, we went to dinner, took the cab back to JFK, and ate our cupcakes in the cab. We have decided to try to make things work, and since nothing is official until it is posted on facebook, we changed our relationship statuses. This means, that for my birthday, instead of getting a David Yurman ring for myself, I will be getting myself a plane ticket to London to go visit TLS. Stay tuned for posts in which MRM will undoubtedly whine about how much it sucks being in a long distance relationship. I think that a large appeal of my blog is my luck with guys, or lack thereof, so hopefully it will still be interesting to read.

Sunday, I met a very hungover friend in Bryant Park for cupcakes and coffee and we went to Papyrus (my kryptonite) and Barnes & Noble (her kryptonite). Actually, in all fairness, we went to three different Papyrus stores. Yes, I have a problem. I am well aware. On my way back home, I stopped by Target and bought How I Met Your Mother season 2 on dvd. I spent all day Monday on the phone with TLS and watching dvds and just relaxed. That was wonderful.

favorite things

Happy Friday and Happy Long Weekend ladies. Since it is so gorgeous in NYC now (and I am hoping that it stays that way!), this week's favorite things list is a random compilation of cute clothes I've found that I want.

First up, from Nordstrom:

Burberry Puff Sleeve Polo, $95 (how shocked are y'all that I found another polo that I want?)

Leifsdottir "Cloud" Skirt, $169.90
I found this skirt a while ago and have been eyeing it, but have never heard of this brand. Has anyone heard of it? How do their sizes run? We don't have a Nordstrom in NYC and I am a bit skeptical about ordering it off the internet without trying it on. It is such a beautiful skirt though and would be fun for brunch or all of the non-existant summer dates that I'm sure to have.

Next up, this Swiss Dot Voile Top from Marc by Marc Jacobs, $178

I adore Swiss Dot patterns. I have a white Lilly Swiss Dot top and a white J. Crew Swiss Dot dress, so it may look like something that I already own, but really, this would be branching out my wardrobe!

Next up, from J. Crew:

A great pair of go-with-everything heels, Juliet patent leather midheels, $99.99

Picture them with the skirt from Nordstrom.

A cute clutch in my favorite color:

Belle clutch, $69.99

From Anthropologie:

Coral Way Dress, $188

From Vineyard Vines:

Women's Polo Dress, $125

A polo and my favorite color. Shocking.

Pay it Forward and Back

The three names that I drew for the Pay it Forward and Back are:
1) Southern Starlet
2) Lauren Nicole LLC
3) Preppy Coastee

Ladies, email me with your addresses (Southern Starlet, I'm assuming you'll want to wait until you have a permanent address) and watch your mailboxes for a surprise. When you get it, send one to me and to three new people. Enjoy.

Freecycle #4

Sorry for being a bad blogger and not posting this yesterday. I have a ton of stuff to freecycle, some of it brand new, but have not gotten the chance to photograph all of it. That may be my rainy day plan for this weekend.

First up, we have two items from SMW.

A brown strapless dress from Ann Taylor Loft, size 14P.

And a pair of black pants from the Gap, size 12 regular.

If you are interested in either of these items, please contact her at smw957 {@} gmail {.} com and please pay shipping.

Also, the person who was originally going to take the black and white dress from this freecycle change her mind, so it is once again available. If you are interested in it, please email me at whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.} com and please also pay for shipping.

guys ::sigh::

So CRF and I have been talking lately. Last night was his birthday so I im'd him to see if he had fun and if he was still alive. We started talking and he said "so I've decided." Then he made an HIMYM reference and changed the subject. I was joking around with him and said that I'd tell him what I decided if he told me what he decided. He said that he didn't want to say it because I would shoot him down. Eventually he said that he decided that we should hang out. Like J, he is also superflirty so I can't read him. I im'd B, my exboyfriend turned best friend, to get a guy's perspective on this. I showed him the conversation and his reply was "it's possible but yeah hard to tell depends on the guy." Thanks B. Superhelpful. Totally why I keep you around.

Pay it Forward and Back

I was lucky enough to be picked for Katie Lake's Pay it Forward and Back, and received an adorable pink and green fabric bracelet in the mail. It is now my turn to pay it forward and back. The way it works is you have to send a small gift to the person who sent one to you, and gifts to three additional people (3 forward, 1 back). If you would like to participate, leave a comment on here. I will pick three names tomorrow at noon.

Wine a little, you'll feel better

GNB, my resident wine expert who has written several articles about wine, has agreed to do a guest column on my blog talking about wine. If she were to do this, what would you be interested in learning about? She suggested things like- best wines from _____ region/area, best wines under $10/$15, best pinot grigios (or other type of wine), etc. If there is something that you would like to see her write about, please comment with it here, and she can do an upcoming post on the most popular subject. No, Prep-E-Girl, she cannot do a column on how to drink a lot of wine and not be hung over!

I love having friends with cool jobs

So my BFF, GNB, works in the wine industry. As part of her job, she is expected to go out to eat at restaurants to maintain good relations with them. Yesterday, she invited me to be her date, and how could I turn her down? Best friend, perfect weather, cute new DvF dress, and free food? Perfect combination. We first met up for Amaranth on the East Side for drinks and snacks. We had their signature dish, the Foccacia Robiola. Despite the fact that it is a relatively simple dish, I have never tasted anything like it, and we both really loved it. Amaranth is located on 62nd between 5th and Madison Avenues, so if you are visiting NYC and want a place to grab lunch or dinner at after shopping on 5th Avenue, this place would be perfect for that.

After Amaranth, we walked a few blocks north to L'Absinthe on 67th between 2nd and 3rd. L'Absinthe is a really nice French restaurant with a terrific menu and an extensive wine list. Since we were still full from restaurant #1, we split the Salmon Tartare as an appetizer, I had duck confit for my entree, and she had seafood dumplings in a lobster sauce, and we split orange caramel flan for dessert. Along with some white wine. I did not try her entree, but everything else was absolutely delicious. Also a place a highly recomment. Best of all, all of this was free! :)

After that, we took the train down to Freeman's for some drinks. At this point, we were too full to even think about ordering any more food, so we just sat at the bar. We clearly did not drink enough at the first two places, because we got more wine. (Rather, I got more wine, GNB was wined out and got a Stella.) The wine that I had was also excellent. We got to watch their bartender make some of their specialty drinks and they looked really interesting, so we will be going back there for drinks and food. This place is also a possibility for MRM's Birthday.

After drinks, GNB and I took the train back together to Brooklyn. She had a bottle of wine from work with her, and just in case I was still sober, gave it to me to take home. I was too tired when I got home last night to open it, but am hoping to get into it either tonight or this weekend. I love my BFF and her cool job.

a question for any retailers all here

The International Gift Fair is coming to NYC in August. Every year, I see the banners for it posted on the pier and by the Javits Center. I have always wanted to attend, but am not able to do so because I am not affiliated with any store. I was really bummed about not being able to go to NSS, which seemed totally up my alley, for this reason, and am now determined to go to the Gift Fair one way or the other. I was wondering if any of you retailers out there want to go to the Gift Fair this year but can't due to time/budget constraints? I live in NYC, and if you can register me as an associate of your store, I will go there, take pictures/information of any products for you and email them to you, along with handing out your business cards/flyers to other buyers and retailers. Please, please, please help a girl out.

A. Tierney promotion

I just wanted to share with y'all a fantastic giveaway and discount code that one of my favorite sites, A. Tierney, is hosting on its facebook page. Click on the picture below to enter.

Is it wrong that I already know what I'm going to be spending the $500 on before I've even won?

and now the moment you have all been waiting for

I know some of y'all are sitting here thinking "oh she's back. Great. Now who won the Tory Burch tote?" Well, you don't have to think that any further. Because I am taking another break to post the winner of this contest.

Before I do that, I have to say that we only received two entries for this giveaway, and KMH and I ended up being too busy to actually read the stories when I was in Chicago (well who didn't predict that one happening?) so I picked the winner solo. As a result, I would like to award a consolation prize to HannahLaneCo for submitting a story. Please email me your mailing info.

And now, for the moment of truth,

Ladies, ladies, and more ladies

Please give a hearty congratulations to

Prep-E-Girl!!!!!

Her story made me laugh, it made me cry, mostly because I was laughing so darn hard- that's a Gilmore Girls reference for you. I think Erin is an amazing writer and she needs to write a book. And now, without further ado, I would like to present you all with your Hump Day reading:

Date from Hell
"Fun fact: when I ripped off my wristband, I punched myself in the face. Rad."
Seriously?
Seriously? Am I seriously hearing this? I am aren’t I? Lucky me. For crying out loud, I have been on this date for what – 25 minutes and he has told me his seventh (yes, I have been counting) fun fact of the evening. What the eff? Is he trying to filibuster our date or something? Am I on one of those shows?

No lie. I, so far, have learned about how many of his frat brothers have accidentally peed in the closest (awesome) after a late night of beer pong, what his older brother got him as an embarrassing gag gift (inflatable livestock) for his latest birthday and now this – the explanation as to why the adorable guy I gave my number to last weekend is covering his two black eyes with hideous 1980’s Christian Bale in Heathers style Ray-Bans. Apparently it had something to do with a bar fight over plastic wrist bands and inflatable hats shaped like sharks – I don’t know, I stopped listening after he told me something regarding a urinal. And, did he really use the term RAD? Yup. Good grief.

In a situation like this, I usually can’t help but scour the room, looking for someone who is having an even more pathetic time than myself. Hmmm… Well, at the bar there’s this guy in a charcoal colored suit (that looks like something Chuck Bass would wear – and not in the hot socialite sense – more like the pseudo gay show tunes way) who is trying his damnedest to woo a woman who looks like Marie Osmond. Yikes!

Then, to my right, at the bar – there are three cougars scoping the place for jail bait. Sweet, one of them is wearing a pair of tight white pants with a hot pink thong underneath (I only know because she just walked by me – even my date saw that one). Ick. I feel like I am in a bad movie.

So, this is the current chapter of dating life. I kid you not. After 27 years of being alone: the past 5 of which, I have lived with a one eyed cat, Blinky (what can I say, it was a stray and I felt bad!) and the pizza delivery kid being the only person of the male persuasion who has repeatedly been to my front door, I decided to actually at least start accepting invitations for dates. At least that way, I can hopefully convince my grandmother that I am NOT a lesbian (or “awful daughter that will never give my poor mother the gift of grandchildren” as she constantly likes to tell me – nice, huh?) and keep the, terribly nice but terribly misguided, woman who sits in the cubical next to me to stop trying to hook me up with her nephew (who is the head of his local chapter of Dungeons and Dragons role playing league – enough said) all because I once made the drastic error of claiming to like sci-fi movies (I watched Rocky Horror once in college).

Alright, back to Mr. 1983 who has just pulled out his cell phone to show me – get this – photos of his friends penises so that I “have something to compare him to later on.” Oh my sweet lord. I now know what the most private parts of his 2 roommates, one frat brother and that brother’s roommate look like. Oh boy, this is just getting better and better. I try my best not to raise my eyebrows into that “what the Hell…” look I am told I always give. I know it’s probably applicable here but – I just, for some insane reason, feel bad. I’m not sure if this guy is drunk or nervous but he is really trying hard.

I threw back what’s left of my pinot noir and realize that I really need another glass of wine (or more like the bottle). And, sweet – the red wine is now all over the front of my shirt. Now, this guy has yet another reason to keep looking at my chest. I know he’s probably thinking - ohhh…boobies - and maybe even that he thinks he’s going to see them in real life if he keeps buying me more wine (which, sadly, right about now, is pretty correct).

Wine, my cure for everything: hangover – drink more wine, embarrassing moment – drink more wine, date from hell – drink more wine, taking public transportation – drink more wine, going to spend time with my crazy aunt who swears it’s 1964 – drink more wine, you get the point. What can I say? I like wine. It’s fruity and calms the nerves all at once. You buy it, I’ll drink it – and I’m not so sure that penis boy over her has picked up on that yet, since he has asked me twice if I wanted a shot of “dirty girl scout”. No thanks, had one too many at old roommate’s 21st birthday – I think I’ll pass. Big girl wine, please.

Five more glasses (no, not bottles – I’m not that desperate, I mean crazy) and I am slouching on the couch in this (now) fabulously adorable man’s apartment, trying to ignore the overwhelming smell of gym socks mixed with the Aqua Velva that Mr. Romeo just slathered on himself as well as the urge to pick up and start messing up the perfectly aligned Rubik’s Cube on the coffee table, when all of the sudden – I am being groped by a man who is howling at me, claiming to be ready to treat me “like a vampire.” What the eff? Why, why do I always get myself in these situations? “A vampire”? Seriously? Was he going to try to, oh yes he is, gnaw at my, yep – neck. And, since when did vampires howl? I had to stifle myself from hysterically laughing directly in this guy’s face (fyi : thinking about auto wrecks and dead birds really helps with this – in case you ever find yourself being treated like the living dead).

Just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, it does. All of the sudden, Mr. Wonderful jumps up and runs over to the stereo to turn on his iPod. Maybe he could sense my discomfort and decided to sooth my tension (more like fears) with some mellow music. What does he put on? Milli Vanilli. Blame it on the Rain. Apparently, I had neglected to notice that it was now absolutely pouring outside. Sweet – I was wearing my new $400 Manolos. What a waste of fabulous footwear for this shotty date.

So, now, in front of me this man is singing along to his romantic mood music song selection. Wait, who puts Blame it on the Rain on their iPod in the first place? Seriously? I didn’t even know it was available for purchase. I guess I do now! Lucky, lucky me. Single ladies around the world just squealed with jealousy! You know you did. You know you did! Who wouldn’t? This is the kind of stuff that dream dates are made of.

He sits back down after my private concert and proceeds to continue to suckle me as if he never got up and started to gyrate to a bad 80’s song on his desperately needing to be vacuumed floor. Sadly, it feels kind of good – so, I don’t stop him. I can only hope that he doesn’t leave a mark. That would be fun trying to explain to my cubical mate, who probably would believe that I burned myself with a curling iron.

Alright, I cannot let this continue. Despite the fact that I have certainly had my share of alcohol, I need to catch a taxi and get back to my own apartment, where Blinky patiently awaits my return. When I tell him it’s time for me to fly (sorry about the bad REO Speedwagon pun), he lets out a groan that is not unlike Meg Ryan’s famous outburst in When Harry Met Sally. Apparently my leaving excites him (maybe he has plans with his cell phone and frat buddies? Who knows?).

He tries to give me a fantastically wet kiss good night as I make my way to the door, which I cannot get to fast enough. It made me think of when I was in 7th grade and was coerced into playing Seven Minutes in Heaven. I had to make out with a guy who had about as much experience as I had – which only lead to a disgusting amount of shared saliva.
I think he was trying to get me to stay but, that kiss down memory lane was more of a buzz kill than romantic gesture. And, finally – best of all – he whispers to me: “But baby, you’re going to leave me here all alone throbbing for you?” Is he Danielle Steel? Good grief. I don’t even try to hold back the laughter this time – no more auto wrecks and dead birds. Just leaving is enough right now.

Oh Delta, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways

Instead of telling you all about my trip, I will go in semi-reverse order and will tell you about my flight first, particularly the return flight.

Around 30 minutes before I was going to leave work for vacation on Wednesday, I checked the Delta website and realized that they now charge for checking one bag (the last time I flew Delta, they didn't). I was determined to not have to pay any more money than I already did, so I managed to pack everything into a carryon sized suitcase and a "personal item." When I got to JFK on Thursday to check in, I was told by the ever-so-friendly attendant there that I could not carry my bag on and I had to check it, not gate check it, and pay $15 to do so and he was not going to let me into security with it. Lovely. What choice did I have? I checked my bag and went along on my merry way without any more problems.

On the way back, I didn't even bother attempting to carry on my bag and just checked it. There went another $15. When I got to JFK, I arrived in Terminal 3. I did not see my bag and waited for about 20-30 minutes, at which point it became apparent that my bag was not coming out. I went to Delta's baggage customer service (using the words "customer service" very loosely here, folks) and was told that my bag would be in Terminal 2 and I had to go over there. Anyone who is familiar with JFK, knows that to get from baggage claim in Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, you have to exit the airport, walk through a maze of taxis and walkways, and go back in the building. I did that, and lo and behold! my bag was not in Terminal 2. I went to the Customer Service kiosk in Terminal 2, where they scanned my claim ticket and informed me that my bag was, in fact, in Terminal 3. I had to go out of the airport again and repeat the trek to Terminal 3. I got to Terminal 3, went to the exact same kiosk where a lady who looked like she was occupying herself by watching paint dry scanned my ticket again. She told me to hold on while she retrieved my bag. After about 30 minutes or so, she came back and told me that my bag was not where the system said it was. Lovely. She then called Terminal 2 where they had to manually check every single suitcase and confirmed that mine was among them, apparently about to be shipped to some Midwestern State. At this point, I told them that I was not going to be spending my day walking the labyrinth that is JFK, and someone was going to have to bring my back from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3. At this point, the Delta lady made me sign for my bag, before I had even received it. About 45 minutes later, I was told that my bag would be arriving on the carousel any minute now. 20 or 30 minutes later, it finally came.

I should mention that in all of this going on, in between two terminals, there was only one other person in the customer service line, so they weren't exactly swamped. Now that Delta is actually charging me $15 for the same service that they provided for free around 6 months ago, I expect them to be on top of their game. Especially since less and less people are checking bags on domestic flights, which should really make the work of the people who work at baggage claim so much easier. While I appreciate the fact that Delta thought my suitcase was thirsty and attempted to ship it to Milwaukee, if it ever wants a good brew, I will take it to the local watering hole by myself.

and I'm back

Hey y'all. I am finally back from Chicago. As you probably guessed, KMH and I were busy having too much fun for me to blog. I have just finished and tackling my inbox and returning emails that I received when I was away and will attempt to tackle blogspot as well. Stay tuned for sporadic posts and updates as I have free minutes in my day. I will also try to catch up on all of the blogs that I missed this week, but in case I miss or overlook something from your blog, don't take it personally.

the absolute last thing that I will do before I leave work today*

*aside from kicking TLS's rear end in Lexulous

Will be to post my weekly favorite things!

In honor of my trip to see KMH (32 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!), this week's favorite things will be devoted to luggage tags.

One of my favorite things about travelling is getting fun luggage tags. I have a really cute matching Lilly luggage tag and passport case set that I won from one of Kappa Prep's giveaways that is going with me on this trip! Despite the fact that I have so many luggage tags, I always seem to be acquiring more. Probably because they make a cute gift "extra." Here are some great ones:

Pink and Green Leather Crown from Baekgaard, $9

Pink Heart Luggage Tag from Tiffany & Co, $60 (if anyone can figure out how to post better pictures from Tiffany, let me know

Pink and Yellow Polka Dotted Flip Flops Luggage Tag from SB Design Studio, $9.95

Pink Polka Dot Luggage Tag from Etsy Seller thecottagecupboard, $9.50.

Silver Stripe luggage tag from Flight 001, $9.

Set of 6 patterned luggage tags from Flight 001, $12.50.

I'm unusual, not so typical

So ladies, at the risk of tooting my own horn too much ::toot toot:: I have to say that I am a ROCKSTAR. At my job at least. That report that I was working hard to finish? Handed it in yesterday! With a significantly better end result than last month's report which was still amazing. My boss was grinning from ear to ear. I even managed to convince her that there is no reason for me to come in to work tomorrow, and I got Thursday off as a free day! (I will not be at work, but this doesn't against against one of my vacation days.)



I have quite a few items to freecycle, but don't want to list anything until I get back. One person contacted me about the freecycle but did not send pictures. I will be putting the freecycle on hiatus for the week and will resume it next Thursday.

I got one entry already for my Tory Burch giveaway. If you can get yours to me by 5pm today, I would appreciate it. If you can't, then KMH and I will try to do it at her house. The official deadline still remains the same. If I receive your entry after 10am tomorrow EST, it will not be considered for the giveaway. Also, my flask giveaway only has three entries now, so if you want really good odds at winning a giveaway, enter this one. Remember, for one entry you have to either leave a comment (or send me an email if you don't want this out on the internet) with your funniest underage drinking story.

I will be posting my favorite things before I leave today. Then will go home to do laundry, pack, and sleep in tomorrow before making the trek out to JFK to go to Chicago. I don't know how much time I will have to blog while I'm there, KMH has already made it clear that she expects me to post on a daily basis, but I probably will not have time to read through all of my blogs and respond or do awards/giveaways. If you give me an award or I don't respond to your post, don't take it personally. Also, I have email on my phone, so if you need to get in touch with me, I will be accessible that way. Oh and in case anyone was wondering, the title of this post is the lyrics to Rockstar by Hannah Montana. (Have I mentioned that I'm a dork?)

this song gets me every time

It's no secret that I love country music. Since I have been living back at my mom's house for a week and a half, I have taken advantage of this and have spent quite a bit of time watching her television, especially music videos on GAC. I have watched this video quite a bit on rotation, and every time I see it, it makes me tear up or sends chills down my spine. This song is enough to make anyone feel patriotic, and even if you ::gasp:: don't like country music, you need to hear it at least once. So, without further ado, please give the next 3 minutes and 41 seconds of your life to the one, the only, Mr. Rodney Atkins.

It's America

I've got weddings on the brain

Or bridal showers actually. Ever since last night, I cannot stop thinking about J's upcoming bridal shower. We scheduled it for August 9th, and I already booked the place, and am working on a theme and looking at invitations and all that. Since the bride is an awesome cook, I am thinking of going with a cooking theme where everyone has to bring their favorite recipe on a card to be put into a recipe scrapbook for her. I am looking at favors and invitations now. There's just so many cute things to go for! Obviously, I have quite some time, but still. For all you bloggers out there that have attended/hosted showers, what were the best elements of those showers? What were your favorite and least favorite favors? Please note, the bride and most of the guests will be Orthodox Jewish and keep kosher, so please do not suggest any edible favors. I have a few ideas, but am always looking for more. Also, if any bloggers own favor/invitation/party supply stores, and are willing to give a fellow blogger a discount, I will greatly appreciate it, and will certainly thank you in my blog!

gift advice for a friend

One of my good friends asked me to make a blog post for her asking for your advice. She is looking to buy "Thank You" gifts for her thesis committee. There are four women on it, all are in their mid 30's to early 40's. All four women have small children and two of them just gave birth. She is looking to spend around $40 on each gift. The gifts don't have to all be the same. Directly from her:
I want to get the nicest present for the post doc with small kidsthe next two nicest presents for the genetic counselor with small kids and the genetic counselor who just gave birthand then the least nice present for the doctor who just gave birth.

Can any of you ladies recommend good gifts for her? Thanks in advance for your help!

weekend recap

Friday night, I was supposed to go see the Wolverine movie with one of my sisters. I had to work late and was so exhausted from this week, that we ended up postponing. (Like I've said before, I work in a place where it is very rare to work more than the standard 35-hour work week, and I worked 50 last week, so our payroll department is going to have a field day when they process my timesheet.) Friday was my first time back at my apartment. I got to catch up on my mail, use my Clarisonic brush, etc. I was so exhausted from work that I ended up going to bed at like 10pm. Saturday morning I got woken up by the postman. I got a package from TLS. He was on vacation in Ireland and Germany and sent me some souvenirs. Here's what was in it:

A set of three shotglasses from Ireland- one with the harp, one with shamrocks, and one with a claddagh on it, one box of Irish truffles, a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar, 7 Curly Wurly bars (the greatest candy EVER!), one Guinness Chocolate Pint.

Do y'all see a theme here? He did good. The Irish Truffles are amazing and the box is about halfway gone. I told him that he will be going back to Ireland soon...

After that, I ran a ton of errands and then went to my sorority's alumnae vs. actives softball game. The sheer idea of me playing any sport involving a ball is just funny, and let's just say that I provided some comic relief for all. I did actually make it around the bases once, of which I am very proud. After that I went to my Nana's to give her her medication. She only asked me three times why I'm not married yet, so it was a good day.

Sunday was devoted to more errands, and packing for Chicago. KMH- the madras monogrammed beer koozie and engraved flask are already packed. After that, I went to J & B's engagement party. The party was fun except for one borderline crazy girl who decided that I was going to be "next." She told me that the Lord loves her and she was going to give me a blessing that would make me find a man. Then she proceeded to actually bless me! Yes she was sober. Yes she was serious. (Note this girl was like 24, and not a little old Yenta.) That was a bit, um, bizarre. Other than that I had a blast.

As promised, I will leave you with pictures of my beloved teddy. But first, a back story. I was given this teddy bear by one of my mother's friends the day I was born. I named it "Mishka" which is the Russian name for Teddy. I was so original. I used to take this bear everywhere with me. Note at one point in my life, it was bigger than I was. At age 4, I once delayed a flight with my screaming because I had forgotten my Teddy. When I got older and started going to summer camp, I had to leave Teddy at home on trips simply because he took up too much room in my suitcase. Then in around 2nd or 3rd grade, I decided that boys were icky and had cooties, so even though I got the cootie shot for life, I decided to play it safe and change my Teddy into a girl and gave him a girl's name. A few years later, I decided that boys were more fun than girls and better listeners, so the bear became a boy, once more. This time I call him the English version of Teddy. He has been with me through 2 surgeries, several hospitalizations, countless breakups, and Lord knows what else. And he shows it. I wish I had a before picture, but alas, I only have after.

A full body shot, leaning agains my pillow. This should give you some idea as to his size.

A close up of his face. Please note the lack of a mouth, and slightly chipped eyes. Also, until I took this picture, I did not notice just how smushed his snout is or how his eyes are slightly lopsided. I love this bear. So so much. The Coca Cola commercials in winter make me happy because they make me think of him. Have I mentioned that I am pretty much world's biggest dork?

How Crazy Am I?

So remember the engagement party that I was telling y'all about? It was tonight. I went and had a blast. The couple is getting married in September and had several registries made up. Most people didn't bring a gift, I ordered something off one of the registries. It didn't come in in time but will go to the bride. For anyone who suggested that I get something monogrammed, I'm not a fan of monogrammed engagement gifts for two reasons:
1) Not to sound totally negative, but engaged is not married. You don't want to think about it, but what if the couple realizes that they're not right for each other? Then what?
2) Unless you are 110% certain that the bride will be changing her last name, you could make the situation a bit awkward. I actually found out today that this bride will not be changing her name, so I am really glad that I did not get anything monogrammed for them.

You could tell that the bride really wanted me there and was really excited when I came. We spent a lot of time talking, and really got to know each other a lot better. She asked me if I would host her bridal shower (she's not having a bridal party) and I agreed. She really liked the one that I threw for our friend L and wanted something similar. I can't believe I agreed to throw a shower for a girl I've only met three times, but I'm actually excited about it. As much as I may gripe about weddings and being the last single girl in the world and all that jazz, I really love throwing and hosting parties. Plus now I have an excuse to buy Lilly invitations and partyware. (Preppy Princess, be prepared for a large order sometime in July/August.) Plus, the shower I threw for our friend was not as much as I thought it would be, and I will not be the only person paying for this one. So ladies, am I totally crazy or do any of y'all totally enjoy hosting parties to this extent?

Weekend recap will come tomorrow, with a few pictures.

favorite things time

Well, it's time for my weekly post. This week's post is once again brought to you by the one, the only, Lilly Pulitzer, since I have been spending quite a bit of time obsessing over her site, the sample sale, and figuring out if I can go to the warehouse sale.

As some of y'all who read this blog regularly know, I have a love affair with pretty summer dresses. Lilly gives me another outlet for it. Here are my current favorites:

Nadja Printed dress, $268. This dress combines some of my favorite things, a bow, a v neck, and the color palette. The fact that it is not loudly Lilly (i.e. not hot pink and neon green) means that I can wear it out in New York City without soliciting a lot of dirty looks.

As I've said on here before, one of my biggest gripes is my chest. (And before y'all start telling me how lucky I am and how blessed I am- have you ever tried to shop for a bra or swimsuit top in size 32F? Not easy or fun.) I absolutely cannot wear anything that is strapless without looking like a $5 hooker. (Hence the love of V neck dresses.) Please tell me why Lilly just couldn't make this dress with straps? I heart it so much and it would be in my closet 5 minutes ago if only it had straps.

Bowen Dress Sewn Patch Braid, $248. This dress is adorable and falls under the category of things that another blogger needs to buy so that I can live vicariously through her.

Another cute one:

Tori Dress, $268.

Moving away from dresses and on to shoes. I had a really cute pair of pale metallic gold J. Crew flat sandals that got very worn. I was going to replace them with a pair of Platinum Jack Rogers, but when I went to try them on, I was shocked at how uncomfortable they were. Since then, I have been on quest to find the perfect pair of flat pale metallic gold sandals. That color goes with everything. These two are my frontrunners:

McKim Sandal, $168.

Jackie Sandal, $158.

Here's hoping one of these two is more comfortable than the Jack Rogers one was.

Now on to tops...

Bidi Tank colorblock, $58. Cute, basic, fairly inexpensive and can be dressed either up or down.

A cute unboring basic. Percy Top, $88.

Proof that I'm a creature of habit- the same top in two different colors/styles:

Meri Top Printed, $158

and Embroidered, $168.

I love both tops, but am way in love with the coloring and detail of the embroidered one. It would look so great with dark jeans or a denim skirt with the above sandals, and, of course, pearls.

how NOT to ask a girl out, take 2

In this entry, I mentioned one surefire way to not get a date with me. Here is an even better one. There was this one guy in college, CRF, whom I had a huge crush on. He was my total package- the awkward Jewish dorky mama's boy next door, except that he wasn't actually Jewish. (I was one of like 10 Jews in my school.) Of course, he had a girlfriend all through college. He was a great guy- really fun, easy to talk to, made me laugh, blah blah, and so we kept in touch after graduation. Like J, he is superflirty. (Why do I always seem to go for those guys, anyone want to analyze this for me?) After college, he decided to pack up and move all the way across the country. His girlfriend didn't like this and broke up with him. We remained in touch and would call/flirt/text a lot. Eventually we lost touch. A little while ago, he sent me an email asking how I was doing and saying he missed our chats and wanted to see what was up. He moved back to NY and was trying to reconnect with all of his friends. We started talking again and he's been all Debbie Downer all day today. About two months after he moved, his girlfriend found someone else and has been dating him since then (for about 3 years now). He never really got over her and it has caused him to screw up all chances at having a serious relationship with anyone else. He still thinks about her, etc. After telling me all this, he asks me if I want to go out with him. Right. While I appreciate the fact that he's 1) incredibly honest, and 2) my friend, I have zero desire to delve into THAT can of worms. I've had enough crazy this year.

tonight I'm cleaning out my closet

I can't sleep, I'm addicted to music videos on GAC, and have consumed way more soda than I should have, especially when you consider that I hate soda to begin with, so now I am cleaning out my closet at my mom's house. Which means it's time for more Spring Cleaning giveaways. For your drinking enjoyment, I have a flask.

It is stainless steel, holds 2 oz. of your adult beverage of choice (or H2O if you're ubergreen), and is engraved with the word "Lush" on it. I *think* I got this as part of a gag gift for a friend that ended up not getting used.

I have no use for this because I have another flask that I received as a gift that 1) holds more than 2 oz. of liquidy goodness, and 2) is engraved with my name on it. Obviously. So let's see if any of y'all can use this. (Before anyone suggests this- let me just say that no, it will NOT work for a Jimmy Buffett concert, so don't even bother saying it. There's 2oz. and there's Jimmy. If you drew a Venn Diagram of the two, you would see that they just would not overlap.)

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment with your most hilarious underage drinking story by Friday, May 15th, for one entry, become a follower for a second entry, and blog about this for a third entry. (If you do not want to post your underage drinking story here for professional reasons, you can email it to me at whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.} com.)

Le'Chaim!

showing just how much of a dork I really am

So I have been working crazy hours all week because of a project at work, and ended up moving back into my mother's house for the week because she lives 15 minutes from my job, whereas I live way further. I'm packing up tonight to go home tomorrow from work. Sunday I will be back here for an engagement party and then maybe Monday night if I have to stay late for work again. I'm sitting here thinking about all that I have to do this weekend- laundry, go through all my mail, pack for my upcoming trip, visit my Nana to give her her meds, and somehow, all I can think about, is my teddy. I have this big stuffed polar bear that one of my mother's friends got me the day I was born. At the time, he was bigger than I am. It used to be white, but is now a dingy brownish-grey color. The bow that was tied around his neck disappeared ages ago. His mouth is gone. His eyes are chipped. Basically, anyone who sees this thing is afraid to even be in the same room with him. And he is the greatest gift that anyone has ever gotten me and the greatest man ever. Being that he is pretty big, I don't get to take him a lot of places with me, so I absolutely cannot wait to get home tomorrow and cuddle with my man! Expect a picture post on Monday morning. My mother sometimes teases me and asks if he's going to be in my bed on my wedding night. Totally appropriate. (Maybe not the wedding night, but certainly every night after that...) So be honest ladies, do any of y'all have a favorite stuffed animal since childhood? Tell all.

Freecycle #3

Hello ladies and welcome to our third Freecycle. Since I have not been home all week and have been living at my mom's house because of my crazy work schedule, I do not have any of my items for this week's freecycle. However, we have some great items thanks to two bloggers.

First up, from Politics and Pearls:

An orange/melony polo from Lacoste, size 42. I am not 100% sure what size this corresponds to, but you can probably look it up online.

Next up, she is offering a pink and white striped polo from the Gap, size medium.

Lastly, she has a gorgeous dress from Forever 21, size Large.

If you are interested in any of these items, please email her at brittpennington {@} gmail {.} com. Taker pays shipping.

Katie Lake also has two great items for this week.

The first item is a soft cotton dress from Gadzooks. The size tag is missing, but it is most likely s small.

This is an adorable summer dress.

Katie also has two pairs of jeans. There is only one picture available since the two pairs are identical. Both pairs are from Express. One is a size 0S, and the other is a 0R. Both pairs of jeans are in great condition and don't have any stains, rips, etc.

If you are interested in any of these items, you can email her at lilkatielake {@} gmail {.} com. Please pay for shipping if you will be taking one of these items.

Also, the shoes from last week's freecycle are still available. That's all for this week, folks. Stay tuned for more items next week. Also, if you have something to freecycle, email it to me by next Wednesday.

Pandora Bracelets

So I'm sitting here talking to TLS, and being the guy that he is, of course he forgot about Mothers' Day until about an hour ago. He mentioned that his mother, sister-in-law, and future sister-in-law are all into Pandora bracelets and he wants to get his mom some more charms for her bracelet. I have heard of these bracelets before, but have just heard the name, nothing else. I'm sitting here looking at the site with him thinking to myself "oh some of these are nice" until I see the price tag. Some of these are $180- for one bead!!!! At this rate, Tiffany is cheaper. It seems like a lot of money for something that is a fad. Does anyone remember Nomination bracelets? I still have mine, actually. Do any of y'all have a Pandora bracelet? Do you think it's worth the price tag?

Also, totally unrelated, but I am in love with these Mother's Day sets from Lilly Pulitzer:

Each set includes a 1.7 oz bottle and a makeup bag for $50. Considering the eau de parfum itself costs $48 for that size, I think it is an awesome gift. I already have the 1.7 oz. bottle of Wink, but am thinking of picking up a set in one of the other scents since I love all the bags so much.

I don't know where I'm gonna go where the volcano blows

So last night after staying at work past 7, I met the boy anomaly also known as J for dinner. His finals start next week, and then I leave for Chicago. As soon as I get back, he leaves for DC for the summer for an internship. He invited me to come visit him for a weekend, but I'm not sure if I really want to do that. So basically, last night was our last date for a while. Yesterday, I was emailing with Prep-E-Girl about Buffett and we were discussing my sober Buffett conundrum. Seriously folks, there is no point to going to a concert where they will be singing songs about getting drunks and screwing if absolutely no one is getting drunk. She asked if there was a concert that was nearby that was margarita-friendly and I googled the tour. I found out that he is playing in NYC at Madison Square Garden on November 24th! Granted November isn't exactly Buffett Season, but you can drink before, during, and after the show at MSG. I brought this option up to J and he also liked it a lot better than the Jones Beach option in August. The second that tickets go on sale, I will have two. This also means that as soon as summer ends and Target puts all of its summer stuff on sale, I will be the proud owner of a giant inflatable shark. Fins up!

you know you're crazed when

Someone ims you to wish you a Happy Cinco De Mayo and your response is- that's today? Seriously folks, how could I forget one of my favorite holidays? Margaritas and more margaritas and even more margaritas? Bad MRM. My date with J didn't happen this weekend, and it got moved to dinner today instead. He asked where I wanted to go, and I told him I'm ok with going anywhere just as long as it has a liquor license. He picked a restaurant that's supposed to be really fun and good. It's across the street from the restaurant that we ate at when we went to go see Phantom. Ironically enough, I'm wearing the same exact outfit that I wore that night. The only thing that's different is my purse. I really love my white Lilly top, one of the greatest articles of clothing I bought. Thank you once again to all of my readers for your kind words of inspiration. What are all of your plans for today?

Mondays suck more than I thought

So I know I owe y'all a weekend recap, but this ain't it. Thank you to everyone to commented on my post today and emailed me words of encouragement. Unfortunately, I got the short end of the stick in a professional situation, and now it looks like I will pretty much not be seeing the light of day until my trip to Chicago. I calculated that I won't even get the chance to get a mani/pedi/eyebrow wax before I go, and thankfully it's KMH to the rescue, who promised me that we could go for mani/pedis on Friday.

I stayed at work until 7:30 and then decided to bring my work home with me to my mother's house so I could watch Gossip Girl and do some work on her computer. I got an im from AJB, my old college roommate. She got married last summer in July and unfortunately there was quite a bit of drama between me and her surrounding her wedding and the bridal party. Her and her husband lived together for two years before getting married, and they had a few issues, but that's normal for any couple. At the wedding, all of our friends were saying that they thought that her and Steve were the perfect couple and how they were soulmates, would last forever, blah blah. I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach (call it woman's intuition) that the two of them just wouldn't last and would probably not make it past a year, but what are you supposed to do at a wedding? Tell the bride and all her friends that you think she's making a mistake? I think not. I smiled, took a lot of pictures, and drank my cosmo in silence. After the wedding, we didn't talk for a while. She would im and text me from time to time, and every time I asked about Steve, she would quickly change the subject. Once again, I had an off feeling, but couldn't say anything. Today, I'm sitting here trying to do a financial report, and I get an im from her, we start talking and all of a sudden she says "so I left Steve in December." I was stunned and did not know what to say. He was abusing her both physically and emotionally. They tried counselling, but that only made the abuse worse. I asked her what took her so long to tell me- I could have come and stayed with her so she felt safe or let her move in with me, and she told me that only like 5 people know because she is embarrassed. She's 25 and already has a failed marriage under her belt. I feel so bad for her and hate this asshole with every fiber of my being. (Those of you who read this blog regularly know how much that is, because I despise profanity.) In addition to physically hurting one of my best friends and stealing time from her that she will never get back, he made her doubt herself, which is even worse. She grew up from a blue collar family and got several scholarships and worked all through college to support herself. After graduating with honors, she got an MSW in one year, again completely on her own without anyone's support. She has worked in women's shelters and has made such a difference for so many people's lives, she really is one of the most incredible and inspiring people I know. Yet, despite all of her accomplishments, all that she is able to see right now is her failure. I wish there was a way that I could make her see that leaving a guy who is hurting you is a huge success, not a failure. It's the same thing she tells women in her shelter every day, I wish there was a way for her to see that for herself. I'm so upset right now and wish there was something I could do.

bad mood

Just to warn y'all, I may be very grumpy for the next week and a half. I just found out that I have to hand in a report that three people do all by myself a week early. This means I will be staying late just about every night until I leave for Chicago. Fun times.

Happy Unbirthday to Me

It is time for me to post my weekly favorite things post. Partly because it's Friday, and partly because KMH has been harassing me about it all morning. My mother is on vacation now, and before she left, she told me that I need to start thinking about what I want for my birthday. Every year for my birthday, Hannukah, and New Year, she asks me to do this and it always ends up being an excercise is futility since she never gets me what I ask for, and decides to get me something that I will never use. However, it has been brought to my attention by KMH that 1) I will be in Chicago two months before my birthday and the birthday festivities will commence then, and 2) my friends would like to get me presents for my birthday that do not cost $600 so I need to post something more affordable. With that said and done, this week's favorite things is also known as "MRM's birthday wishlist."

Fuzzy Bunny Slippers

Being that I am basically the world's biggest dork, I have always wanted a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers because I think they're quirky and fun and cute. This falls under the category of things that I would not buy myself but would love to own. $29.99 at Runaway Rabbit.

Lost Shaker of Salt

If you haven't figured this out about me from reading my blog yet, I like Jimmy Buffett. While perusing Jimmy Buffett related sites, I found this:

The lost shaker of salt. Totally something that I do not need but want. Badly, for my bar. $6 from Margaritaville.

A Nutcracker

Sure, what the hey, let's put it on the list and see if this is the year that mommy actually gets me one...

A Pink Pen

This is the most random thing on my list. And also the cheapest. When I started my recipe journal back in college, I devised a system for it. I write the recipe title in pink, and then the ingredients and directions in blue or black. My pink pen has gone AWOL and I have not replaced it. Every time I go stationary shopping or order office supplies, I always seem to forget to get a pink pen. This has not boded well for my recipe journal. If someone could please get me a pink pen, I would really appreciate it. Actually, come to think of it, I need a new recipe journal.

A New Badge

When I was getting initiated, I really wanted to get a nice badge, but was not sure how often I would wear it. Since then, I have gotten to wear my badge quite a bit and have regretted not getting a pretty one. This is the one I really really want:

Gold with pearls and ruby points. I have no idea how much this cost because it seems like every time I look at the jewelry order form, the price has gone up.

A Monogrammed LL Bean Boat and Tote

I love these bags so much and want more. In just about every single color that they come in. I have so many bags that I cannot justify possibly getting myself another one, but if someone wanted to get me one, well then it would just be rude of me and bad manners to not accept it, no? Mommy, take note.

$26 at LL Bean.

Pearl and Starfish Necklace

Hey KMH, it isn't $600. :p I love pearls and starfish. And most things Tiffany. So this is an obvious one.

Couldn't get a better picture, sorry. $350 at Tiffany
Now for more Tiffany items. I have a slight fascination with really tiny jewelry/trinket boxes. You know the ones that can never hold more than two rings or a pair of earrings or so? I have quite a few of them and like to buy more when I go somewhere. I have one big jewelry box for my necklaces, and the rest of my jewelry in in these tiny little boxes. Obviously this is the most efficient use of space ever, but I like them so I don't care. These are my top three favorites:

Pink Leather Travel Jewelry Box ($75)

Tiffany Blue box ($75)

Duck handpainted Limoges Box ($215)

Yes I am well aware of the fact that given the price tag this will not be happening. But considering that I have been collecting rubber duckie stuff since 1998, I couldn't not put this on my list.

Lilly Pulitzer Party Crown

I have a weird fascination with wearing weird things on my head for pictures, and as soon as Lilly came out with these, I knew I had to have them for my birthday. No ifs ands or buts. KMH, you will be getting these for MRM's Birthday Celebration, the Prequel.

$10 at Lilly Pulitzer