my facebook profile is not Jdate or I'm being stalked by a girl

As I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before, the Russian Jewish community is really small. (Cue Disney music.) You only ever need to know two people. Those two people will know two more people, then they will know two people, and so in any social situation where you are a complete stranger, you will be surrounded by people you've never met but have heard all about you and you will be able to fake your way through anything.

The area I live in is in the heart of a massive Russian Jewish community and there is a big Jewish center accross the street from my house. I don't really fit in in the Russian community (I have lived in America for over 18 years and am really Americanized), but when I first moved, I went there a few times just so I could meet people and make friends. Needless to say, I did not fit in, and a lot of people made that very obvious to me and made it clear that I was not welcome, so I stopped going there pretty quickly. A couple of people from there were nice to me and friended me on facebook. More of their friends that I've never met started friending me from the "people you may" know feature, and I am now friends with the congregation of an entire synagogue including the rabbi, after having met only about 4 people there.

I am one of those people that when I get involved in something, I get really involved and hands-on. My facebook profile attests to this because it says how I'm a chapter advisor, have another volunteer role within my sorority, and am also the president of the NYC alumnae chapter. This one girl who friended me, J, saw this and clearly this made me attractive to her because she is very involved in Hillel, a nation-wide Jewish organization that is on just about every single college campus in America. I say just about because there is a Hillel chapter for Brigham Young, but not for the college that I attended. This girl J is very active in Hillel and several other organizations geared specifically towards Russian Jews and is always looking to expand them. Being that I have had my share of frustrations with volunteering, I completely sympathize with her on how hard it is to get an organization off the ground and how frustrating it is when people don't care or don't show up to events of an organization that you put your heart and soul into. J started inviting me to a lot of Hillel events, but to be perfectly frank, I have zero desire to hang out with 18 year olds named Boris who drive souped up Altimas with illegally tinted windows, or to belong to a college organization that I did not participate in during college, at a school that I never even attended in the first place. Every time she invited me to events I would always rsvp no. Then she started inviting me to executive board meetings of these organizations and asked me to be involved with the eboard. I sent her a polite message saying that I would love to help out but don't have the amount of time that is necessary to devote to being an executive board member of an organization. I told her if she needed any behind-the-scenes stuff and I was free, I would help her out because I'm a pro at stuff like that. She never responded to my message but continued inviting me to executive board members-only events. It got to the point that as soon as I saw "J invited you to the event" I would automatically delete it or rsvp no without reading it.

A couple of days ago, I got a friend request from a boy that I've never heard of or met. His message was "Hey MRM =)." Being that we had a bunch of friends in common, I was like ok, I'll accept the request. It's no secret that I love to cook and bake, so I generally like to have someone over for dinner at least once a week so I have an excuse to cook for someone. I usually put up status messages asking if anyone wants to come to dinner. Well boy I've never met apparently does. Because J told him that I'm a great girl and we'd make a terrific couple so he should ask me out. Boy I've never met is several years younger than me and is still in college. J and I have never met. Why is she setting me up with guys? Seriously folks, wtf?

need boy/skiing/fashion advice

(I apologize in advance that this will be a long post.) I usually post boy-related matters over at The More Boys I Meet, but since this blog gets a lot more visitors and I need the advice, I'm posting it here.

So you may be wondering what the three things have to do with each other and here's what. In December I met J at a post-wedding celebration for my friend and her new husband. We hit it off right away and started facebooking daily. We ended up going to the Rascal Flatts concert together and had a blast. We've been facebook flirting like crazy. Basically, this is the summary of my facebook wall:

post from J
MRM wrote on J's wall
J posted a picture on MRM's wall
MRM wrote on J's wall
J wrote a comment that can be interpreted in a sexual nature on MRM's wall
MRM wrote an innocent comment ending in a winking face which thereby made it dirty on J's wall
you get the idea.

Let's just say that since we've met, his level of productivity in law school and mine at work have plummeted. My friends have started noticing and saying "so who is this J boy?" to me.

About two weeks ago, I was having dinner with my friend L. (I met J through her and her husband.) I casually mentioned going out with J to the concert (in the context of- "oh J and I went to dinner there before the concert and I really didn't like the food") and she said that her husband had made a comment jokingly about being flustered by the level of flirting that was going on between us on facebook. My response was "oh I'm sorry, does it bother your husband that I'm flirting with J? Because I could really up the ante." Hers was "please do." Since then, we've been flirting much more heavily, in all fairness, he upped the ante not me.

In case you can't tell from this, J is superflirty. One day when we were back and forth flirting, he made a comment about me going upstate with him for a night to go skiing. Thinking he was kidding and just being funny, I replied in the affirmative. About a week later, one day when he called me (we talked for about 2 hours!) he made a comment along the lines of "oh bring the ZO2 cd with you for the drive when we go skiing" and I was like "oh hmm, he wasn't kidding" (that part didn't get said out loud). I told him that I am basically Charlie Brown epitomized- I can do anything as long as it involves no skill or talent whatsoever, and of course, this only made him want to go more so he can mock me. We will be going skiing next weekend, Lord help me.

I asked him where we would be staying and he said that his family has a condo up there and his dad lives there and we can stay there. No mention of how many bedrooms the condo has. We have plans to hang out a couple of times after the skiing weekend, but I don't know. Usually guys are so paranoid about introducing girls to the family, and J is doing it so freely after we've only gone out once, that I'm tempted to think that it's more of a "hey dad, this is MRM, she's basically one of the guys" kind of thing.

So my questions for you ladies are:
1) Does he like me? (keep in mind that I am the poster child for "He's Just Not That Into You")
2) The last (and only) time that I was ever on a pair of skis, I was five years old and still living in the Soviet Union. Is there anything that I should know about skiing?
3) What do I pack/wear on this trip? My idea of bonding with nature is having a picnic in Central Park, so I don't exactly have a lot of outdoorsy sporty clothes. Being that I am someone who gets cold in anything less than 73 degrees, I also don't have a plethora of winter activity garb. I know I need chapstick, SPF for my face and sunglasses, all of which I have, the rest I don't even know where to begin. What are some things that I absolutely have to have and should bring with me? Being that I'm not exactly Picabo Street, I have no plans to make skiing with boys a regular part of my life, so please don't suggest that I buy a grand worth of ski garb that I will only wear once.

Any other comments/suggestions?

for all my Lilly Lovers

Bloomingdale's finally started carrying the Lilly perfume in store so I got a bottle of Wink this weekend. In case anyone wants to buy the Lilly perfume, I wanted to let you know that Bloomingdale's is doing a Lilly Gift With Purchase. I'm not sure if there is a minimum purchase, but I bought a small bottle ($48) and I got it. You get a small pink plastic see-through tote. Inside it are samples of all three perfumes, and an adorable Lilly notepad with pencil. If you are like me and are always buying notepads, I highly recommend this.

Also, I received an email from Beth Dunn, author of Social Climbers. On Monday, March 16th, from 5-8pm she will be at the Lilly Pulitzer in the King of Prussia Plaza for the unveiling of the Lilly Jubilee Travelling Retrospective. The first 10 people who make a purchase will get a signed copy of her book. Sadly, I can't make it since I live too far away, but if anyone is in the area, it sounds like a lot of fun, considering there will be cocktails and prizes and I am not one to ever turn down a cocktail.

My First Award!

Thanks to The Coastal Belle for giving me my first award. Thank you girl!



"These blog are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight more bloggers who must choose eight more bloggers and include this cleverly written text in the body of their award."

I will give it to my favorite blogs to read:
1. Say Shenanigans (BFFs for 8 years and still going strong)
2. The Southern Starlet
3. I Don't Want to Wait
4. Newbie New Yorker
5. Lisa
6. Jane

fabulous new giveaway

One of my favorite bloggers and close friend, The Southern Starlet, is hosting a kickbutt giveaway on her blog all about cocktails. I would love, love, love, love, love to win this, but she's my friend and new to the blogosphere, so I would love for her to get more readers as well. Go here to enter.

I *heart* being an advisor

As some of you know, I'm an advisor to one of my sorority's chapters in the area. As much as I love my sorority, I frequently tell people that these girls are my reason for drinking. The girls have a big problem with attendance and showing up on time to things, so I have started to be stricter with them when it comes to excuses. Last night, one girl showed up 30 minutes late to chapter. When she walked in the room, she announced that she was late because she was giving her bunny a bath and couldn't leave until after she had finished blowdrying its fur. In case I didn't believe her, she brought the bunny with her to chapter. Dead serious. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

and the winner is

Thank you ladies for being so patient with me. I am happy to announce the winner of my first ever giveaway. And the winner is...

Drumroll please...


Miss Indiana!

Send me an email to whaleflipflops at gmail dot com with your address and I will put it in the mail!

Thank you to all who entered, followed, and posted about my giveaway. If you haven't done yet, be sure to enter my Pay it Forward L.L. Bean giveaway.

my apologies

Ladies, I sincerely apologize, but I had a situation come up with my sorority's chapter that I advise this weekend so I had to spend all of Sunday doing sorority stuff. Therefore, I did not get to go to all of the cupcake places that were on my list. I have covered most of them and think I know what the best is, but will need a few more days to complete the list. I have back to back meetings all day today, but as soon as those are done, I will post the winner of the cupcake giveaway.

favorite things

A couple of weeks ago, I posted that I found a cupcake recipe that requires you baking the cake in an actual teacup and serve on a saucer. Since I have been a little (ok, A LOT) obsessed with baking lately, I have been dying to try this recipe. However, in order to make it, I first need to find a set of teacups that are cute and oven-safe. I started out searching the dollar stores thinking I could get a set for cheap, but everything there was neither cute nor oven-safe, so then I turned to my trusty computer. Therefore ladies, this week I bring you MRM's Favorite Things: The Teacup Edition.

First things first, here is an adorable teacup and saucer candle set in the ever-so-adorable pink and green combination for $28 from Tracy Porter.

I love this and think that this would make a lovely gift for someone, however I have a bit of a candle problem. I love candles and have bought so many for myself and received even more as gifts. I literally have a shelf in my closet that is just devoted to candles, so I have put myself on a bit of a candle moratorium until I can use some of them up. However, if one of you should buy one, please let me know, so that I can live vicariously though you.

While this is not a teacup, I felt this mug from Anthropologie was too cute to not be included. I have a rather large assortment of mugs with various sophisticated designs such as Hello Kitty, Disney princesses, polka dots, my sorority letters (there's even a mug that has polka dots and my sorority letters on it) and I think that this would be a wonderful, and slightly more grown-up yet still fun addition to my collection. Did I mention that I love monograms?


Here are two more not teacups but still too cute to not be included mugs courtesy of Max Brenner. Max Brenner is a restaurant from Israel that came to New York. It specializes in chocolate and has become a bit of a tourist trap, but I love their hot chocolate, chocolate martinis, and desserts so much that I don't care. To my NYC ladies- the place has bad dating karma, so if you go there, go with girlfriends, not a boy. The first of the two is the "Drink Me" Mug with metal straw for $12.50.

I love how it's unique and references Alice in Wonderland.
The second mug from Max Brenner is the Hug Mug for $8.90.

The hot chocolate in the restaurant comes in the mug and once again, I love its unique shape.

How about just one more mug? As some of you already know, Lilly Pulitzer recently debuted her new stationary line. I am obsessed with these Latte-da! mugs for $15. They are available at the Preppy Princess.


Ok so time for some actual teacups. I am absolutely head over heels in love with these teacup and saucer sets from Henri Bendel.

However, at $75 for a set of one, they are a little pricey for something that will be going into my oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

So the winner is, this set from Crate and Barrel.

At $5.95, it's affordable, plus it's classic and it's white which means it will go with just about anything.

Sale at Ida Claire

Hi ladies. A couple of weeks ago, I posted how I was eyeing this magazine holder from Ida Claire.


The company is having a sale until the end of today, and everything is 10% off plus free shipping. They have a lot of cute stuff, and a lot of different monogrammable options, so it's great for gifts.

Engagement Gift Advice

One of my good friends from high school and one of my sorority sisters both got engaged this week. I am meeting up for drinks with both of them to celebrate. I need to find a nice gift to get each of them. My standard engagement gift is a set of monogrammed wine stoppers from Red Envelope.


I can't do that for either of them because M already has a set, and S and her fiance are not really wine people. Can someone recomment me a good engagement gift that's not too pricey?

Pay it Forward

Since I won BLC's Pay it Forward giveaway, it is now my turn to spread some good cheer around blogland. I will be giving away one of my favorite items. A medium sized L.L. Bean Boat and Tote bag in your choice of color, strap length, and monogram or personalization.


To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this entry by Monday, March 2nd. If you win, you will have to Pay it Forward and host a giveaway of your own.

Good luck!

Red Rover, Red Rover

BLC over at The Company She Keeps tagged me on her blog. So here goes, seven things you did not know about me.

1) My first crush ever on anyone was Kermit the Frog.

2) When I was in high school, all I really wanted was a pair of Gucci sunglasses. I used to break sunglasses like there was no tomorrow and my mother said no way in heck am I buying you a pair. If you want one, buy it yourself. I saved up for a couple of months and bought a pair. That was 7 and a half years ago and I still wear them.
3) I love melted cheese in all of its forms. On my 21st birthday, at the end of the night, I walked into a pizza place with some of my best friends and asked them if they serve melted cheese.
4) My favorite song of all time is Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners. I even had a fish named Dexy after the band at some point.
5) I love to travel and have a goal to Drink Across America. I want to have at least one drink in every single one of the Continental United States. (I would love to do Alaska and Hawaii but those would be harder to arrange.) So far, I've covered NY, NJ, PA, MA, OH, IN, NM, CA, VA, and DC. Quite a ways to go.
6) I used to go to sleepaway summer camp when I was little. I miss those summers so much and wish that I could go back again.
7) I love Harry Potter so a lot of friends told me to read the Twilight Series because I would absolutely love it. I read all four books and hated them. I don't know that I will ever be able to recover all of the brain cells that I lost while reading those books. I saw the movie on a date too, and had more fun mocking it than actually watching it.

I will tag my newest 7 followers:
Organized Chaos
Seaside Smitten
Shauna
Modern Eve
The Dirty Martini Diaries
Cardigans and Clogs
Capperspon

giveaway reminder

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, you have until this Sunday at 10pm Eastern. You get one entry for leaving a comment with your favorite type of cupcake, one more for being a follower, and a third for posting about this on your blog. (If you do this, post a link to the entry on the comment.)

weekend update

I had a good but pretty uneventful weekend. I started out by going to two of the cupcake places on my list and rating them. On my way, I took the train down with a coworker who emailed me yet another place to add to my list. After that, I worked out a lot. Just because I plan on eating 20 cupcakes this week, it does not mean that I have any desire to look like I've actually eaten 20 cupcakes. The good news is, I've lost more weight. The bad news is pants sliding down- not that great a look at work. Like I needed another excuse to go shopping. Saturday I went to my mom's house and watched several continuous hours of GAC and CMT. Yes folks, I love country music that much. Saturday night I babysat my rabbi's kids. He put them to bed before I got there and they didn't wake up the entire time. Easiest job ever. As I mentioned before, February 15th is the anniversary of my open heart surgery, so every year around Valentine's Day, my mom does something nice and cutesy for me. Since this is my first year living on my own, she decided to take me grocery shopping and buy me stuff that I normally wouldn't buy myself. I also found out that yet another one of my friends from high school got engaged. We had plans to meet up this weekend even before the engagement, but now it's going to be really fun because we have something to celebrate and I get to see her pretty new ring. Monday I decided to hit up Target for 50% Valentine's stuff. I had incredible self-control and did not actually buy any Valentine's chocolate, but got more baking stuff at half off- icing sugars and a spatula. I was doing so well until I got to the checkout line and saw that they had Orange Creme Hershey Kisses. Those things are heavenly and taste just like a creamsicle. I was supposed to go to Long Island for a meeting with the sorority chapter that I advise, but thanks to the MTA, my train stalled and I missed the train to Long Island by one minute. The next train would've put me there 50 minutes after the meeting had started so I couldn't go.

Good Lord

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2233878.ece

A 13 year old boy in Britain and his 15 year old girlfriend just became parents. Neither of them has any income, but the boy said that his father occassionally gives him 10 pounds. He's not sure how much diapers cost. Don't they have places to get birth control for free in England? None of those three kids is going to have much of a future.

it's Friday, and you know what that means

It's time for my favorite things post. In honor of my great cupcake quest, the theme of this week's list will be baking related stuff.

I have been drooling over this baby since I moved. I put it on my housewarming registry just in case someone felt like being really generous and knowing full well that it wouldn't happen. I have already decided that the second my tax refund comes in, it will be mine.


I love cookbooks. I have a lot that I always buy myself and get from other people as gifts. I also love love love afternoon tea and drinking tea in general. When I found this book all about tea and recipes for baked goods to serve with tea, at one of my favorite stores, Anthropologie, I knew it was fate and that I would have to have it.


I have mentioned in the past that my favorite color is Tiffany Blue. Imagine my delight when I found this plaque on Etsy:


It's available from seller jennysbakeshop for $28 and would be a great fun quirky piece to hang in the kitchen.

I love fun quirky stuff, and being Russian, I have a soft spot in my heart for nesting dolls. How darling are these measuring cups shaped like Russian nesting dolls from Anthropologie?

even New York City's got one or two hillbillies ready to hit the road

Oh my Gosh. The Rascal Flatts concert last night was absolutely amazing. I don't know how I can still hear or talk today. The guys are so fun and put on a great show. They have so much energy and are just generally all around great. I went with my friend J. We got pretty good seats too, section 108. I wanted to get something closer on the stage, but couldn't get two seats together. Jessica Simpson opened for them and she was one hot mess. The entire back section of her hair was completely messed up and flat. She has multiple stylists working on her backstage. Did not one of them think that needed fixing? Also, she kept on drinking from a little coffee thermos on stage. J and I thought it was pretty funny because once she opened her mouth to talk, it became very clear that she was drunk! She kept on swaying back and forth and slurring her words. I'm not a big fan of hers, but I really wanted to hear her sing Take My Breath Away because I love her version of that song. As Murphy and his law would have it, she didn't sing it. The rest of the show was absolutely amazing though and even J who doesn't like country music had a great time.

Before the show, we went out for dinner. Because J keeps kosher, we had to find a kosher place. He picked My Most Favorite Food. I looked it up online and it got quite a few not good reviews, but I trusted J's judgement so we went there. The restaurant is great, the company was great, the food was so-so. I love tuna steak and order it whenever it is on the menu so I was excited to see that they had an Ahi Tuna Steak on the menu. I ordered it medium-rare, and the waiter brought it well done. That was disgusting. Tuna is not meant to ever be well done. The vegetables, however, were delicious. J kept on raving about their desserts since the place used to originally be called "My Most Favorite Dessert." Sad to say, my triple mousse cake was also subpar.

3 posts in one day, because I can

In honor of my quest to find the truth in carbohydrates, I will be hosting my first giveaway. In keeping with my cupcake quest, the entire thing will be cupcake themed. The lucky winner will receive:

1 Hello Cupcake book


1 box of Red Velvet Cupcake Mix from the Barefoot Contessa


1 set of Valentine's themed cupcake liners from Crate and Barrel


1 set of Cup a Cakes so that you can take your yummy cupcakes with you


The deadline to enter is 10pm, Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 22nd. The winner will be announced on Monday, February 23rd, after the revelation of New York's Best Cupcake. To enter, leave a comment on this post with your favorite type of cupcake or other dessert and receive one entry. Become a follower and receive a second entry. Post about this on your blog and get a third entry.

Have fun!

the cupcake wars

Ladies, I have decided to devote next week to my undying love of cupcakes. I am going to travel around the city and try all of the places that are deemed to have the so-called best cupcakes in New York, including my personal favorites, to find out what the true Best Cupcake in New York is. On Monday the 23rd, I will post a lengthy post reviewing each place. If there are any places that you have been to and think I need to try, or if you don't live in NY and want to live vicariously through me, post them here and I will make sure that they make it on my list.


May the best carbohydrate win!

Thank you!!!!

Yesterday, I came home to find a padded envelope in my mailbox. What was in it? you may ask. A present from Southern Startlet that she got me in Scotland. She got me an adorable rubber duckie keychain that has a white duck on it with brightly colored hearts and flowers. It's so adorable. I can't post a picture of it now because my computer is being worked on, but I absolutely love it! (My best friend and I have an inside joke with rubber duckies and have been obsessed with them and collecting duck stuff since freshman year of high school.) Thank you so much!

p.s. You have really nice stationary.

you're it

Jane in the Waiting Line tagged me on her blog. I did this recently, but some of the questions/answers have changed, so I'll do it again but will only aswer the ones that have changed.

here are the rules of the game:


step 1: respond and rework -- answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
step 2: tag - eight other un-tagged people


1) what are you wearing right now?
A Max Studio wrap dress and my Tory Burch Reva flats
2) what is your biggest fear?
Mushrooms. This sounds really weird and irrational, but since I was around 5, I have been terrified of mushrooms. I can't look at them, touch them, taste them, or smell them without getting physically ill. I always tell waiters that I'm allergic to them, but really, I'm just scared.
3) do you nap alot? I'm not really a napper, if I get tired I'll lie down for a bit, but my eyes are almost always open and I don't fall asleep
4) who is the last person you hugged?
my best friend G
5) what websites to you visit when you go online? gmail, blogspot, facebook, my sorority's sisters-only site
6) what was the last item you bought?
a Lilly Pulitzer polo that I got at today's sample sale
7) you are on the oregon trail, how are things going?
I have died of dysentry
8) if you woke up tomorrow and were a boy, what is the first thing you would do and why?
oh my
9) has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle?
nope
10) what is your most embarrassing moment?
I was born in the former Soviet Union and moved to the United States when I was 7. Obviously, at that age, they don't teach you all of the words in the English language. One day, this boy in my class kept saying that this one girl was a whore and I had no idea what that meant, so halfway through a class about the history of whaling ships, I raised my hand and asked the teacher what whore meant. Everyone started laughing and the poor teacher did not know what to say. She said that a whore is a woman who sells herself for money, which my naive 11 year old mind just did not comprehend. I kept asking more questions, the class started laughing harder and harder, one boy fell out of his chair, and the teacher had to leave the room and come back in to change the subject.
11) what brought you to blogland?
I found Monograms and Manicures' blog when I was doing a search for Lilly Pulitzer perfume, and got addicted to blogspot after I started following it.

I'm going to tag:
Monograms and Manicures
Lisa
Good Gals Inc
Preppy Pink Crocodile
All American Preppy
Megs
KAG

weekend update

Saturday was my errands day. I did more of the Gilmore Girls workout, went to Target, did laundry, etc. Whenever I go to Target, I always end up finding a lot of things that I must.have.now and walking out with a lot more bags than I ever intended to. This time, I actually got less than I was anticipating since they were sold out of some of the things I needed. However, the dollar bins did have these adorable ladybug notepads, and since ladybugs are my sorority's mascot, how could I say no? I couldn't, obviously. When I got home, I had the urge to bake once again. So out of character for me. Inspired by Suki, I was going to make merengues. The separator didn't separate the whites from the yolks well and a lot of yolk got into the bowl which made the mixture runny and unusable so I had to give up on that dream once I ran out of eggs. Sunday morning I decided to wake up early to work out. I now can't move any part of my body. It was beyond gorgeous out which made me super-happy. I refuse to listen to a rodent that chooses to take up residence in middle of nowhere, PA. Spring is definitely upon us. I got to wear my new Tory Burch jacket which also brought a smile to my face. I love that jacket. It was also my best friend's birthday celebration. Her actual birthday is in November but it's at a really inconvenient time because it always ends up being either the week before or the week of Thanksgiving which almost always guarantees that we can't celebrate her birthday on her actual birthday. Then with vacations and her working on Saturdays and such, this ended up being the best weekend for us. We went to see He's Just Not That Into You and then went out to this amazing sushi place and then to a chocolate place for dessert. It was also really great to catch up since we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like.

wear RED for women

Ok ladies, I have a confession to make. I hate Valentine's Day. It's actually a childhood trauma for me and I never got the point of the holiday. However, on February 15th, I had open heart surgery that saved my life, so I always get a little sentimental when I see all the heart stuff this time of year. (There was a very high chance that I was not going to survive the surgery and everyone told my parents not to get their hopes up and my healthy heart can have its first legal drink this year!) In honor of this and the fact that today is the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Day, I've decided to make today's favorite things post dedicated to all things heart-shaped and Valentine's themed.

To start things off is this adorable and not cheesy looking heart paperweight for $28 from Kate's Paperie.


Up next is a 2 pack thong set from Hanky Panky at Nordstrom.

For anyone who wants to try their luck, the Blue-Eyed Bride, is giving away a pair on her blog!

Next we have a tin of Valentine's Day Hot Cocoa from Crate and Barrel that turns pink! On sale for $1.95 now, it is a steal. The little tin is adorable and would be a cute extra to throw in someone's gift.


While we're on the subject of edibles, let's take a look at these dessert plates for $24.95 from Red Envelope. I don't know if y'all have picked up on this, but I'm a little obsessed with baking and love cute dessert plates and serving pieces, so I am a little in love with these plates that are made to look like conversation hearts.

If you think these plates are cute now, wait until you see how darling they look when they have some pink frosted cupcakes on top of them!

For the girl who loves her accessories, here are four adorable pieces:
The Coach Scribble Heart Neckerchief Scarf ($58)

The L. Erickson Wild Hearts Ribbon Headband, $32 at Calista Cove

Since every girl loves getting something in a little blue box, here is the Elsa Peretti Open Heart Pendant, $455 at Tiffany & Co.

Now I know what you're thinking- isn't the Elsa Peretti open heart a bit redundant and doesn't everyone and their mother already have one? Absolutely. However, I love the stone collection and these three little hearts are so adorable and the colors are great.
At $795, this is the priciest item on this week's list: the Silver Leather Marc Jacobs Love Clutch from one of my favorite stores, Plaza Too.

I tend to go for more conservatice pieces and this is not my style, but if you could make it work, this would be cute with a black outfit.

Lastly, is this Clinique Love Long Last Glosswear set for $25 from Nordstrom.

For four glosses, the price is great, and as a bonus, they come packaged in an adorable pink heart box that you can reuse afterwards. How cute would it be to mail someone cookies in that box? Ok folks, I'll stop with the baking talk now.

the attention deficit workout

I am one of those women who wishes she could just will herself to be thin and suddenly lose weight. I have been on several diets successfully, but those were all short term, because let's face it- complex carbohydrates are your friend and any diet that tells me that eating cupcakes and cheese fries is bad for you, is the enemy.

One of my obsessions, among the many that I have, is tv on dvd. I buy whole series and just sit there watching them over and over again. A while ago, I saw this excercise kit at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (another one of my big obsessions) and just had to buy it.

Being that I'm basically a big five-year-old, you can see what I would find appealing about a really big, silver, bouncy ball. (That's right folks, I actually tried bouncing the ball to see if it could bounce. It can. Don't worry, no one lives underneath me.) Sitting on the ball is supposed to engage your core and engage more muscles than if you were just doing it on the floor or a bench. Lately, I've been leaving it inflated and sitting on it and watching my tv on dvd. I keep a set of weights nearby and do a couple of reps, take a break watch some tv, do some more reps, take a break watch some tv, etc. I find this works well for me because I still get the excercise, but it lets me do them without making myself hate the world or feel like I'm going to die. It works really great with my tv on dvd, because I've seen every episode multiple times and work out when there's a scene I really don't care to watch again and then take a break and watch the show when there's a scene I really want to see. I did not expect to lose a lot of weight by doing this, but after about a month, last night I tried on a pair of work pants that I just don't wear very often because they're a bit tight. Well ladies, they fit! In total, I've lost about 7-10 pounds. It may not be a lot, and had I actually worked out intensely, I could have lost more weight, but how many girls can say that they got this rear end by watching Gilmore Girls?

old-fashioned customer service

About a week ago, I went to Bergdorf Goodman to buy new Bobbi Brown makeup. Last night, when I got home, there was a thank you card from the saleswoman for buying the makeup from her and saying she hopes that I enjoy wearing it and to contact her if I have any questions. I love it when stores do that and I never understood why more stores don't do that. I understand that for small items it is not necessary, but for bigger purchases it is nice and always leaves a good impression in the customer's mind. That's right Louis Vuitton, when I'm paying $800 for a bag, I'd like some recognition or a side of customer service with that. I have gotten cards like that from Coach and BCBG and it always makes me remember the salesperson's name and want to shop there again.

SHOES!

One thing that I am known for is my obsessive love of shoes. I have tons. Literally. When I moved, more space went to my shoes than anything else. The Southern Starlet has asked for my help in finding a pair of green shoes for the NKOTB concert, and how could I say no to such a worthy cause? Here's what I've found:


Jane Suede Ballet Flats from J. Crew. Available in Kelly Green. $98



Jack Rogers Navajo sandals in Green Ostrich- $88.95 at Nordstrom



Jeffrey Campbell Posh Peep Toe Pump- on sale for $47.90 at Nordstrom



Loeffler Randall Olive Leather Peeptoe Pump- $111.99 at Plaza Too.

my first tag!

My first time being tagged! Thank you Ari!

Step 1: Respond and Rework.Answer the questions on your own blog. Replace one question that you don't like with a question of your own invention. Then add one more question of your own invention.
Step 2: Tag eight other un-tagged people!

1. Make a list of things you can see without getting up.
My dresser, window, and bookshelf.

2. Favorite Football Team.
Is football that thing that goes on in between the Superbowl commercials?

3. What are you wearing now?
Gray pants and blue v neck sweater.

4. What's the last thing you read/are currently reading?
Currently reading Maybe a Miracle by Brian Krause.

5. Who was the last person you hugged?
no clue, probably my mom

6. What's you current obsession/addiction?
blogspot, lip gloss, baking

7. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
An astronaut, a ballerina (very original, I know), a sea lion trainer at the zoo, a teacher, a nurse (I blame Barbie for letting girls think that they can have about 50 different careers with the matching cute clothes to match. Please note that I didn't actually have any Barbies growing up in the Soviet Union.)

8. What was the last thing you bought?
A Lilly Pulitzer polo.

9. What are you listening to right now?
Rascal Flatts- Feels Like Today

10. What is your favorite weather and why?
Late Spring/early Summer when the rain stops and it's nice and warm out but not uber humid

11. What is your most challenging goal right now?
I can't really think of one at the moment. That's not to say I don't have goals. It's to say that it's 9:35am.

12. Say something to the person who tagged you.
Ari, I don't know if you this, but I was actually born in Leningrad/St. Petersburg.

13. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Hard to pick just one place, making decisions has never been my forte. Probably England.

14. Favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere in Europe, the Dominican Republic

15. If you could have a car totally paid for and the environment and gas wasn't an issue what would it be?
I know absolutely nothing about cars, but I would go with a cute all-American vintage car like a '57 Chevy.

16. Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you?
Utz Cheese Balls

17. What was the first tape or CD that you bought for yourself?
The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. I'm a little obsessed with Phantom. When I was younger, while other girls were singing into their hairbrushes and pretending to be the Spice Girls, I pretended to be the Phantom.

18. Describe your perfect day.
Going to brunch and shopping with my friends, spending a lazy day on my couch at home, watching House on DVD and baking.

19. Who is the most famous person you know?
A scientist who helped discover the fat gene.

20. What would you do if you won the Lottery?
Invest it or put it in savings for a few years, then take a long (at least a year or more) trip around the world, like with Abercrombie and Kent.

21. Who do you admire?
My Nana

The added question:
22. What was your first concert ever?

Like Ari, I'm fairly new here and don't have 8 people to tag, but I'll tag:
The Urban Whisk
Nautical by Nature
Say Shenanigans
The Southern Starlet

Martha = goddess

I have always loved cooking, but lately I have become beyond obsessed with baking. I love to try out new cookie and cupcake recipes and am always searching for more. Right now, the one thing that I want more than anything is a KitchenAid stand mixer, and I have already decided that as soon as my tax refund comes in, I'm getting one. This weekend, I went to New Jersey for the day to help out one of my sorority's chapters with some business. I always like to have a book or magazine with me for the train and planned on getting a magazine at Penn Station. I was going to go with Real Simple, but then I got to the Hudson News and saw that the cover of Martha Stewart Living had cupcakes on it and that basically sealed the deal.

I usually don't read everything in a magazine, but I read this one cover to cover. Twice. It is seriously the greatest magazine ever. I decided to subscribe to it. There is a whole cupcake section with tons of recipes and decorating ideas. Saturday night, I was in Joann Fabrics with some of the girls and I was checking out the dollar section. There was a cookbook for cupcakes and muffins, so obviously I had to take that home with me as well. There are a lot of recipes that I'm dying to try out on someone. There's a really cute one for these cupcakes that you bake in a teacup and serve just like that on a saucer. That one prompted all sorts of "awwwwwwwwwww"s from me. I will now commence scouting Target and the dollar stores to find a cheap set of teacups that can go in the oven.