Thursday, April 30, 2009

random posting catchup- Buffett and Tory Burch

Hey y'all, I figured I would do one post before I went to bed to clarify some things about Buffett and my Tory Burch tote giveaway.

Buffett:
If we go, I will obviously bring a flask. That goes without say. They check your purses at Jones Beach, but I can just get a garter and wear a sundress and put it on my thigh. Not that I've ever done this. Ever. Clearly. One flask is NOT enough for a Buffett concert. I don't know if the entire Buffett experience will be compromised by the fact that we will only meet up at like 7 or so, sober, which makes it a lot harder for me to justify the astronomical cost of the tickets. Someone asked if there is a Margaritaville near me where I could go. Despite the fact that I am not a fan of chain restaurants, I have been wanting to go to Margaritaville for a while now. The closest one is in CT in Mohegan Sun. I do want to go there, but 1) none of my friends are willing to go, 2) the only one of my friends who would be willing to drive to another state for Buffett is J, and he is Orthodox and keeps kosher, and needless to say, any place that has a Cheeseburger in Paradise on the menu isn't exactly Jew-friendly, so that is not an option for us. So my question is, do I get tickets anyways or sit this one out?

Tory Burch Tote Giveaway:

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here for more info. I've gotten a few emails/comments that had questions about the rules for it, so here I will attempt to publicly answer them.
Will you post the winning story?
obviously
Can I curse in my story?
I'm not a fan of profanity, but in this case, I will make an exception in the name of artistic license and say "absofuckinglutely." Especially if your story is about a sailor. If your story is about a sailor, then it is pretty much a requisite, no? However, if your story wins, it will be edited before being put up here. MRM is a family-friendly blog. At one point, Jimmy Buffett changed the lyrics to one of his songs from why don't we get drunk and screw? to why don't we get lunch at school? to make his concerts family-friendly for all of the Parakeets that were coming to his concerts with their parents, and by golly, if Buffett can do it, then so can I. (For anyone who doesn't know, a Parakeet is a child of a Parrothead. Take a wild guess what I'm listening to now.)
I really like that bag and want to enter but I'm not a good writer.
Ok so technically this isn't a question but I still feel that this point needs to be adressed. Folks, please understand something here, the people judging this will be 2-3 inebriated 20-something sorority girls. We aren't exactly looking for Pulitzer-prize winning material here. In fact, if you write something that is worthy of a Pulitzer, it probably will not win you this contest. If however, you write a touching fluff piece about an armadillo that becomes BFF with a turnip and the two of them get pedicures and have many adventures together and make a pit stop at a strip club, well then, you just may find another bag in your closet. No, you cannot use this as the plot line for your story. If you do, that's an automatic -20 points.
Can a guy enter this giveaway?
Absolutely. The more the merrier. If you are a guy who writes the winning story, you can either take the Tory and give it to your mom, sister, girlfriend, wife, etc., or I will find a mantastic prize to give you, most likely a J. Crew polo since I like those. Like I said, there are no points for second place. If a guy wins and chooses not to take the tote, one of y'all won't get it. It may be used for a future giveaway, however. If you really really really want this bag, it may be in your best interest to recruit your significant other to write a story as well.

I think that may cover it, for now. If you haven't already done so, please enter my charity donation giveaway. You still have a little bit of time left to do so. To the bloggers who gave me awards, thank you! I have not forgotten about them and will try to catch up on my awards within the next few days.

a question for all my Parrotheads

After thinking about it long and hard (insert "that's what she said" here), I decided that my birthday gift to myself will be tickets to Buffett for J and I. We talked about doing this for a while, but now I am having second thoughts. Here's why:

The concert is at Jones Beach. Anyone who is familiar with the area knows that Jones Beach is dry. You cannot bring in alcohol or consume it on the property. They don't sell it at the concession stands because most people drive there and they want to discourage drunk driving. I have a flask with my name engraved on it, and can sneak that in, along with maybe my Nalgene bottle from Vineyard Vines, full of margaritas of course. J and I had originally talked about tailgating, and he said that it's hard at Jones Beach, but not impossible. The concert is on a Wednesday night, and my original thought was that we were going to take off work that day and tailgate and pregame before the show. Last year was my first time going to a Buffett concert. Before it, we tailgated and drank for 13 straight hours. I'm not saying that I need to drink to have a good time, but when someone has songs titled Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw?, Margaritaville, and It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere, you do not go to that concert sober. It ruins half the experience. J will be starting a new job that week, and told me that he isn't going to be able to take that day off. By the time I get done with work and make it out to Long Island, it will be close enough to the show that we won't have time to get dinner and drinks somewhere. I don't know if I want to spend like $5-700 on orchestra seats when we won't have half the experience. I would maybe get cheaper seats, except that 1) I'm kind of a seat snob, and 2) Buffett tickets are expensive, and even the nosebleed section would be like $300 for the two of us. I have zero desire to pay that money to see a show when all I'll be seeing is the back of an inebriated 300 pound frat boy with a parrot on his head and an inflatable shark in his hands. I really really really want to go to this concert, but I don't know if it will be the same now. What do y'all think?

NYC Blogger meetup

Hello lovelies. B is for Brown and I are organizing an NYC blogger meetup for the summer. It will be on June 3rd at one of my favorite places in NYC, Alice's Tea Cup. If you would like to attend, please email me for more info and so that I can know how many people to make the reservation for.

whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.} com

Freecycle #2

Thank you to everyone who participated in the last freecycle and has contacted me to let me know that you have items for an upcoming week. I will have a lot of items to list since the vast majority of my closet does not actually fit me. Here are the items for this week's freecycle.

1) From yours truly, I have a gorgeous 100% silk Ann Taylor sleeveless dress, size 10p. It is a beige color with burgundy circles on it, and ties in the back. It is great to wear to work in the summer. item is no longer available
2) Also from me, I have a size M black and white print dress from NY & Co. It has three-quarter sleeves, a faux tie/ruching on the sides, and a double V neck. I don't like this dress very much and only wore it once. I just bought it in an emergency when I had nothing to wear to a Seder and had like 2.5 minutes to find something. item is no longer available




If you would like either one of my dresses, please email me at whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.} com. I would prefer it if you paid for shipping.

3) From Pink Cupcake, we have a pair of Steve Madden Studden Heels, size 10.


If you are interested in them, please email her at clarapinkcupcake {@} gmail {.} com. Please pay for the shipping if you take them.


4) From not a blogger, but someone who follows me on google reader and whom I've known IRL for years, my friend Chani has a light blue and white polka dotted American Eagle button down shirt, size 10. It is very cute and perfect for summer and has not seem the light of day, and has not really been worn. Chani says it is most likely a size medium. item is no longer available



If you want this shirt, please email her at justchani {@} hotmail {.} com with MRM Freecycle as the subject line. Please also pay for shipping if you take it.

That's all for this week, folks. If you see something you like, please contact the person who has listed the item. Once your item has been claimed, please email me to let me know so that I can edit this post to say so.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

want a free Tory Burch tote?

Yea that's what I thought. Read on.

May 14-19, I will be visiting two lovely sorority sisters in Chicago. This requires a lot of reading material for the flights and trips to and from the airport. There are only so many times that I can read articles about my best orgasm ever, which jeans are good for my behind, and how to get men to ask me out for a second date. (With most of the men I date, I don't want a second date.) "Fabulous," you say. "But what does this have to do with a free Tory tote?" Here's what. Since I follow your blogs, I know you all can write. Incredibly well. So I am leaving the topic of my summer reading entirely in your hands and keyboards. You have to sing for your supper, and you have to write for your Tory tote.

To enter this giveaway, write a story that begins with "Fun fact: when I ripped off my wristband, I punched myself in the face. Rad." Your story has to be at least 5 pages long, typed, double-spaced, and use at least 10 of the following words: Twitter, interrogation, sledge hammer, fillibuster, latte, hayloft, babies, vacuum, spot, mother, Istanbul, gong, auto, bee, straw, boobies, charcoal, pizza, traffic, error, Fear Street, pearl, lotto, moonshine, rubik's cube, Ray-Bans, hedgehog, fax machine, ants, vampire, Parrothead. Email me your story to whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.} com by Thursday May 14th at 10am Eastern Standard Time. I will print out all of the stories and take them on the plane with me. When I get to Chicago, KMH and I will go through them and pick the winner and award her this beauty.


We will most likely be under the influence when doing this, so the more random and hilarious your story is, the better your chances of winning are. We are not against reading something that is worthy of a frat house. Or a harlequin romance novel. Or both.

There are no points for second place. The plaque for the alternates is in the Ladies' Room.

I will not scream at my computer, I will not scream at my computer, I will not scream at my computer...

I have this guy "friend" who is one of the cockiest people I know. He was in the Israeli army at one point, and has definitely used that as a medium of picking up girls. Pretty much, at this point, the only two females in our synagogue that he hasn't slept with are the rabbis' wives and myself. Don't think he hasn't tried. He does not drink and is very into working out. Not a bad thing. A couple of months ago, he started doing this daily email called "______ daily :)" which is about several paragraphs worth of diet and excercise advice. On a daily basis. With an emoticon attached. I know that I am not the skinniest girl out there. Or the prettiest. I also know that I am not a heifer. I eat healthy (at times, at least) and work out at least an hour a day. I did not ask to be put on this email list. Being that this boy has the attention span of a turnip, I figured he would drop it faster than a round of hot potato. Surprisingly enough, he hasn't yet. I get enough mailing lists and other junk in my inbox and really don't need to hear all about how I need to eat nothing but alfalfa sprouts and work out several times a day. If I wanted my body to look like I had survived basic training in the Israeli army, I would join the Israeli army. Just saying. During Passover, him and his friend came over for dinner. They were joking about the email list, and I casually mentioned that I never read it and could he take me off the list? He said of course. That was about 18 or 19 emails ago. I'm still on it. These emails are really holier-than-thou and basically say that unless you are perfectly thin and toned and eat only organic foods, you are a failure at life and will never be happy. The same reason why I hated Skinny Bitch so much. Today, I sent him an email in response to the daily email asking him to please remove me from the list. His response? I can do that, but are you sure you want me to? I mean, I know you're single and you should to lose weight to find a guy.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



1) I didn't realize he and my mother were related. 2) I didn't realize I had somehow moved into the 1950's when I moved to Brooklyn. 3) Shut the youknowhat up. 4) I'm not taking dating advice from a guy who once slept with his best friend's girlfriend at the best friend's birthday party. Speaking of birthday parties, guess who's not going to yours buddy?



On a totally unrelated note, Happy 61st birthday Israel! You don't look a day over 60!!!!

single ladies, please never do this

Do y'all remember this post? Well here's an update. I went out to dinner with that friend, CSK, last night. She still has not yet officially moved to Philadelphia, thankfully, but has been job searching there like crazy and has been pretty much living with him as it is. This friend is a little bit nutty and is one of those people that can't let you get a word in edgewise. She kept on asking me about my boy situation and J, and every time I tried to tell her about him, it would remind her of something that her boyfriend did or said or this one time... and I did not get to tell her anything. But I digress.

A couple of years ago, one of the women's interest magazines, I believe it was Marie Claire, did a checklist of things that you should do while you're still single. One of the things on that list was to plan out your dream wedding. Personally, I do not agree with this at all. I am not one of those girls who has had her entire wedding planned out since she was five. I think that it is perfectly fine and normal to know what flowers or style wedding dress you want or if you want a June wedding at the Plaza or something in the winter, but it gets to be a problem when you don't know where to draw the line. The problem with a fantasy wedding is that it is, well, a fantasy. There is no budget and you can go crazy with planning it. However, once that ring is on your finger and you are planning a wedding for real, you start to pay attention to how much things cost, and it sets girls up for a whole world of disappointment when they realize that oh, they can't have the Vera Wang dress, and the Sylvia Weinstock cake, and the celebrity wedding planner, and all that jazz. I have had my engagement ring picked out for years (actually, there are two rings that I am obsessed with) and being that I know what price point they start at, I know there is NWIH I will ever get one.

So anyhoo, we're at dinner, eating a lovely platter of raw fish, when CSK starts telling me about her cuddlebear and how he is the love of her life. After 2.5 months of dating. Raw tuna is not one of those foods that you want to regurgitate so I sat there pretty much paralyzed trying to keep my food down. She then has started telling me that she sees the two of them getting married and has started thinking about their future. And by their future she means their wedding. And by started thinking about it, she means has planned it down to the last T. Once again folks, there is nothing wrong with fantasizing about your wedding. Nothing at all. But please know when to draw the line. This girl already has the entire wedding party picked out, her colors, the bridesmaids' dresses, the rabbi who will be marrying them, the location of the wedding, their gift registry, the floral arrangements, and most scary of all, the exact time of day that the wedding will take place because the caterer that they will be using is 2 hours away from the reception site and will need time to get there. I wish I was kidding. Is there a ring on her finger? Of course not. She also has the exact date by which he has to propose so that she has enough time to plan out everything. Let me just say that I am already planning a vacation for October of 2010 so that if this wedding actually happens, I have a reason why I can't be there. (I am not in the wedding party, but it has been "suggested" to me what colors I should wear. To the wedding that will most likely not be happening.) I have never pegged this girl to be a bridezilla, but apparently I was wrong.

It should also be noted that CSK's younger sister got married two years ago at age 20 to a man who was 14 years older than her and had just moved to the United States four months before the wedding. Her husband has been living in her mother's house while the girl is in school, about 4 hours away. They are finally moving in together on their own this summer. When I asked CSK how they were doing, her response was "they're ok, but I feel like they haven't really been married since they haven't really lived together. Who knows if the marriage will work out after they move in together?" So says the girl who was ready to move in after no time and all and has already planned out every last detail of their wedding.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Freecycle

Hi ladies. Several of you have left me comments and sent me emails saying you have items to freecycle. Please get them to me by midnight tomorrow so that I can put it together for the week. All three dresses that I put up last week have found happy homes, and at least one of them was delivered. I will have more things to put up as well.

yet another motivating reason for me to work out

Rue La La is having another Lilly Pulitzer sample sale on May 1st. Perfect for my upcoming vacation and maybe I can find something cute to wear when TLS comes to visit. He really likes me in black, so nothing will say "welcome to New York" quite like head-to-toe pink and green. I know he'll appreciate that.

Email me if you want an invite to Rue La La. I can't wait for the sale. Last time, I scooped up a polo shirt, and am hoping to get a few more.

Kermit the Frog giveaway winner

Well, it looks like quite a few people had crushes on JTT. Shocking, I know. Reading this brought back memories of sitting in my bunk in summer camp with my friends and plastering the walls with pictures from Teen Bop, Tiger, etc. magazines. There were not a lot of entries for this giveaway, but two of the people who entered really wanted to win Kermit and had plans to regift him to someone who would appreciate him. Congratulations to:

Southern Starlet!

I think either one of your sons or your husband will be very happy. Being that the APO is not my #1 fan, I will hold this and send it out along with your notepad, cosmetic case, and bag.

I could not find a video of my favorite SNL skit online, Justin Timberlake and Kermit singing Rainbow Connection, so here is the Debbie Harry version.

Monday, April 27, 2009

engagement gift question, take 2

A girl I met through one of my friends recently got engaged. I have met the bride a grand total of two times- once at our friend's bridal shower which I hosted, and once at a post-wedding party for my friend and her husband (that's at the Sheva Brachot, for all my Jewish readers), which she hosted. We are not exactly BFF. I have met her fiance a grand total of zero times. Clearly this is a couple that is very near and dear to my heart. She invited me to their engagement party next weekend. Judging by the fact that 1) the invitation was a "secret" one so non-invited guests wouldn't see it and 2) the small amount of invited guests, it looks like she actually wants me there and isn't just sending out an invitation to every single person that she has ever met. Even though I'm not exactly close with the bride, I make it a point to attend functions to which I'm invited unless I have a prior engagement, and am free on the day of their party so I will be attending. My question is, what do you get a couple that you know absolutely nothing about? I know both of their names, where the bride went to college, where she lives now, and that she makes really good cheesecake. And not much else. I know that I don't want to get them a wedding planning book because they most likely will not use it.

Well I'm a Bright One

My best friend, GNB, has been trying to buy a loft in Brooklyn for a long time. The building has finally finished construction and her apartment is still empty. She decided to have a pre-housewarming party while it's still empty. As soon as I heard about it, I put it in my planner. (Once something is in my planner, it is pretty much set in stone.) I was looking forward to it and was so excited, and Saturday morning while I was out shopping, I sent her a text message asking if I could bring over a bottle of wine or something. Three minutes later, she called me and goes "M, the party was last night." I felt sooo bad.

Friday night, after work, my mom discovered that the bar we go to for happy hour was having $5 Cosmos, so happy hour got moved to Friday instead of today. After that, we went shopping at Saks and my mom put her fur coat in storage. (NOTE: if you are anti-fur, I don't want to hear it. I don't like fur either, but 1) my mom works hard and this is what makes her happy, 2) no matter what you do or say, it will not bring the poor mink back to life, 3) my mom was not the one who killed it, even if she hadn't bought the coat, it would still be dead, so whatever you're thinking, just can it. We've heard it all.) Saturday morning, I woke up early to bake cookies for TLS and mail them to him. (Because sending a package to an APO address requires a customs form, I can only mail him things on Saturdays.) While I was out shopping for flour, I discovered that I accidentally bailed on my BFF. :( Fortunately, we've been best friends since 1998, and she knows that I never miss parties and was not upset with me. I baked a ton of cookies and also sent him a present. Since TLS stalks this blog on a daily basis (hey there!), I will not post what I got him, email me if you would like to know, but let's just say that there will be quite a few jealous boys at the base on Wednesday/Thursday when the package arrives. While I was at the PO, I got to pick up two packages as well. First of all, thank you to the amazing Angela who sent me this pink and green whales frame:


Two years ago, for my 24th birthday, GNB and I went to Boston for the weekend to go whale-watching so I'm going to print out one of those pictures and put it in the frame! (Why yes, I did wear my whale flip flops to go whale watching. Obviously. I'm just that cool.) Thank you so much girl.

Second, after ~miller ribbons~ hosted a giveaway on my blog, I decided I wanted to order a second keyfob from them. Well, not only were these folks kind enough to host the giveaway and give keyfobs to 5 winners, but they also sent me a whale keyfob.
You can't see from the pictures, but the inside of the whales keyfob has pink and white polka dots, and the inside of the MRM keyfob has red and white stripes. Recognize my favorite color combination?

After running errands and going to the PO, I worked out a bit, went for a walk since it was so beautiful out, and went to a program at the synagogue near my house. I didn't stay for very long because I hate that synagogue but I was put in a position where I pretty much couldn't say no.

Sunday, GNB and I went shopping since we didn't get to hang out on Friday night. Lately, I've been having an "off" time shopping. It seems that everything I try on is either too big, too small, or not right. All I bought the entire day was three unsweetened Passion Iced Teas from Starbucks. Thank you Miss Type-A for getting me addicted to them. GNB did not have my bad luck shopping and got a new purse, wallet, and two pairs of shoes. Lucky girl. We were going to go for lunch/dinner, and were walking around and saw that the cafe that this family that my family knows had expanded and just opened a new location. The owner recognized me and started talking to us to catch up and ended up giving us free dinner which was amazing. GNB had a burrito and I had a Mexican Tuna Salad, so yummy. J and I spent the entire day flirting again, shocking, and have a date planned for this coming Sunday. After that he's starting finals for law school, when he's done with that, I leave for Chicago, and right after I get back, he leaves to go to DC for the summer, so this may be my last time seeing him for at least a while. He asked me to come visit him for a weekend in DC, but I don't know how I feel about that yet. For some ungodly reason, I thought it would be a good idea to work out yesterday morning, then walk several miles while shopping, and then work out again in the evening. It seemed like a good idea at the time, except that now there isn't a single part of my body that doesn't hate me. I think it may be time to head to Bliss for a massage.

Dearest Ex boyfriend

Thank you so much for your thoughtful gift of the dildo that was inspired by you. I appreciate the fact that the sex toy company only gave you one free one, and you felt the need to send it to me. I also appreciate the fact that you were considerate enough to send me lubricant samples along with it. Thank you so much. Your kindness really is astounding. I understand that you would want me to take you back and give you another chance, but that will not be happening. Also the next time you want to try to buy my love, try saying it with flowers or cupcakes, not sex toys. Thank you once again for your kind gift. I will be sure to think of you all those times when I don't use it but mock you for it at happy hour with my girlfriends.

X's and O's
-MRM

think Emily Post would approve?

Friday, April 24, 2009

reason #3833030094382 why I love my mommy

She just called me and asked me if I want to go to happy hour/ladies' night with her on Monday night.

who's ready for my favorite things?

This week's favorite things post is devoted to something I have been buying a lot more of recently, pretty stationary.

First up is an item that I have been lusting over and begged the Preppy Princess to stock. Boatman Geller Ladybugs Repeat notecards. How many times can I use the phrase awwwwwwwwww until it starts to completely lose all meaning?
These cards fall under the category of need, not want. Right now may be a good time to remind my mother that I have a birthday coming up and already have a nutcracker. $66 for a set of 25 at the Preppy Princess.

Also from the Preppy Princess are these Fuschia Edged Folded Notecards by Donovan Designs. $20 for a set of 10. I am a sucker for anything that's personalized.


Next up, an Etsy find that pretty much defines what it means to be MRM. Red, pale blue, and a ladybug? Yes please! $5 for one at Arlissa Vaughn.

Another thing that I am obsessing over is notecards that have fabric on them. I love the colors, textures, simplicity, well everything of these Pink Lotus cards. $17 for five from one of my favorite stores, Kate's Paperie.



Being that I'm a big dork, I think these cards are so cute.That's snail cards for snail mail, get it? $9.95 for a set of 14 at Papyrus.

More cards from Papyrus and the reasons for why I'm going to go broke:
Flocked beetle notecards. These may be some of the most beautiful and classiest cards that I've seen. $24 for a set of 8.

Also pretty but much more affordable, these Calligraphic Swash cards with caddy make a great gift.

The caddy includes 40 notecards and 40 envelopes for $24.95.


Flowers and Silhouettes note cards in my favorite color combination. $14.95 for a set of 20 cards/ four different designs
Really, I can't have an opportunity to blog about Lilly and not take it.

Notecards with cutouts made to look like the classic shift:

$15 for a set of 10 from Lilly Pulitzer.

From Lilly's personalized stationary line, foldover note cards in my favorite pattern.

$75 for a set of 25 from the Preppy Princess. Mommy, please remember that I am an only child and you love me very much.

Freecycle #1

I did not receive any emails about clothing for the freecycle this week, but I did get a chance to start cleaning out my closet, so all three items for this week's freecycle are courtesy of yours truly.
The first item is a turquoise and white flower print halter dress from Ann Taylor, size 8p. item is no longer available
(please excuse the unmade bed)

This used to be one of my favorite dresses and is great in the summer. It has a cute little grosgrain bow left side. It would be good for a brunch or a summer afternoon wedding.

a close up of the print

The next item is a blue and white polka dotted dress from the Gap, size small. item is no longer available

This is a slip on kind of dress and has an empire waist. I took the tags off but don't think I ever wore it. It has cap sleeves and a low v neck so you would need to wear a cami underneath it.



a close up of the print

The last dress is one of my all-time favorites. It is a hot pink and white silk wrap dress from J. Crew. The size tag came off when it was getting dry cleaned, but I am 99.99% sure that it is a size 8. item is no longer available



It has a short sleeves and a v neck with a ruffle around the neck. You would also need to wear a cami with this dress. (I usually wore black or white.) This was one of my favorite dresses to wear to work last summer.

For some reason, the print looks orangey-red in this picture, but it is really a fuschia/hot pink and white.


If you want any of these dresses, email me at whaleflipflops{at}gmail{dot}com.

If you have something that you would like to pass on to a fellow blogger, email me with all of the details for next week's freecycle.

Lilly Pulitzer 101st Post Giveaway Winners

Thank you to everyone who entered, followed, and blogged about this giveaway. This ended up being my biggest giveaway yet- I wonder why? Could it be because we all love Lilly so much. As promised, there are three winners for this giveaway- a winner and two runners up. And here they are.

In third place, we have the one, the only KLC!

In second place we have bellamartinelli!

And for the big prize in first place we have the very lucky Suburban Prep!

Congratulations ladies. Email me your info to whaleflipflops{at}gmail{dot}com.


Also, while I have gotten a good response for my charity donation giveaway, it is not as high as I hoped it would be. Please enter it and tell your friends about it. It takes less than a minute to enter and can make a difference to a worthy cause.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

giveaway reminder

Lilly Pulitzer surprise giveaway ends at mignight tonight, EST.

tweet tweet

I have decided to join the twittering masses. Find me here:


Want a free Pocket Lilly Pad? A free one goes out to the first person who can tell/help me get my twitter account linked to here.
::tweet tweet::


Not Soap Radio

I am one of those girls who loves shopping for makeup and beauty products. Despite the fact that I don't really wear makeup all that often, I seem to have the contents of an entire Sephora store in my apartment. I could probably go for several months without buying any lip gloss, lip balm, soap, lotion, or shower gel, and still have enough to last me. Does this mean that I ever stop acquiring more? Of course not. So when I was contacted by Not Soap Radio and was asked to do a product review for them, my response was an enthusiastic yes. This company is totally up my alley because they have a line of sorority-lettered beauty products. The only thing I love more than lip gloss is anything and everything having to do with ASA (except for maybe the chapter that I advised). When I got the package from the company, I thought Hannukah came early.

Inside it was one big lip gloss, one tube of ASA Narcissus-scented roll on perfume oil, two body souffles, an ASA makeup palette, and a trio of ASA lip glosses. (Why yes, I am an Alpha Nerd, thank you for asking.)

The first thing I ripped open was the big lip gloss. I have to say in all honesty that I was disappointed. The color was all wrong for me and very metallic made my lips look like a Christmas ornament. Seeing as how I didn't really tell the company what I look like or what colors look good on me, I can't blame them for sending me a product that looked horrible on me. I took it off before I got the chance to see if it plumped my lips as promised. KMH, I will be bringing this to Chicago with me so you can try it to see if it works better on you. My first thought was "uh oh, what if I agreed to review their products and hate all of them?" Well folks, I had no reason to be. Later that night, I took a shower and then slathered on the "I'm Not Here, I'm Really at the Spa" Body Souffle. The texture was thicker and creamier than a lotion, but not as dense as a body butter, and did not leave that oily mess on my fingers. If I were stuck on a deserted island and could only take one lotion with me, this would be it. Coming from a girl who has at least 7 lotions in her medicine cabinet, 1 on her desk, and 2 in her purse, plus others in her closet, this is high praise. There was another body souffle in the package as well in a much smaller size which I did not get to try, but got relegated to my travel cosmetic case to be used for all of my upcoming trips.


Being the total sorority girl that I am, I was most excited to try all of the ASA products. I am one of those sorority girls that loves just about anything that has letters on it, but am getting to that point in my life where unless I'm at a conference or other sorority event, it is no longer acceptable for me to be wearing a hot pink t shirt with 4" polka dotted letters on it, so I am always looking for cute lettered stuff that is practical and I can use. Alpha Sigma Alpha's two flowers are the Narcissus and the Aster. The ASA pefume oil that the company makes is Narcissus scented. Now I have never sniffed a Narcissus in my life so I cannot tell you how it smells, but I can say that the roll-on perfume oil was pretty darn amazing. It is not too strong, but musky with just the right amount of sweetness and is really convenient to take with you when you travel. I would love to know how the other sorority ones smell, but it would be a bit weird for me to own something that said "Delta Delta Delta" on it, so if any of y'all buy one for your sorority, be sure to let me know how it is.

My camera decided that it just did not want to photograph the inside of the ASA beauty palette well, so here is the outside packaging.
Lis and KMH, are y'all squealing yet?

All of the colors in the palette as well as the lip glosses in the lip gloss trio were the exact colors that I love and look best on me, so I was very excited about that. I rolled on some ASA perfume, put on some eyeshadow and a cute lip gloss and went on my merry way. I got a mani/pedi and then went to Sephora for some concealer. The flamboyantly gay person who helped me in the Dior area told me that my lip gloss looked good on me and wanted to know if it came from the store. If it can pass the gay makeup salesman test, then I guess it means it's really good. Check plus. (Bonus, the lip gloss is small enough that you can just stick it in your pocket which makes it great for travelling if you have a lot of beauty products to take with you and not a lot of room in your little ziploc bag.)

After Sephora, I went to my Nana's house to see what she though. Sadly, my mommy was out of town so I couldn't get her to weigh in. The conversation went something like this.
me: Nana, what do you think of my makeup?
Nana: You look very pretty. Do you have a date?
me: No I don't.
Nana: How old are you?
me: 25
Nana: Are you married yet?
me: no
Nana: You need to find a man, you're getting old.
me: yes Nana
5 minutes later
Nana: You look very pretty. What's different about you?
me: It's this new makeup. Do you like it?
Nana: Oh you met a boy!
me: No Nana.
Nana: Then what's the point of wearing makeup? You're getting old. You need a husband.
2 minutes later
Nana: How old are you?
me: 25
Nana: when do I get to meet your husband?
me: when I get one
repeat this dialogue about 7 or 8 times
In retrospect asking an 85 year old woman with Alzheimer's and dementia who is desperate to dance at her only grandchild's wedding about this was probably not a smart move on my part.

Two days later, I met my mom after work for dinner and grocery shopping. (My mommy is one of my best friends.) It was gross out that day so I wore the new lip gloss and eye shadow so I wouldn't look and feel like a total shlub. Plus I wanted to know if it looked good on me, and commenting on my appearance is one of my mother's strong suits. I tend to wear neutrals or very matte colors and do not like glitter anywhere. The eyeshadows had a bit of shimmer to them, but not enough to make me look like a Vegas showgirl. It is just sparkly enough to be good for going out, but not enough that it will make you look weird if you wear it to work. After the usual hugs, kisses, how have you beens, etc. I did not have to even ask my mom what she thought of my appearance. "You're wearing makeup! You look so pretty! Did you finally meet a guy?" Will someone please explain to my family that the problem isn't me meeting a guy, it's the type of guy that I meet? I mean does my mother really want a penis model or boy whose only hobby is watching porn for a son-in-law? After convincing my mom that I am, still single, I did her to say that she thinks I look very pretty. So there you have it folks: it's sorority-girl tested, Jewish mother approved!


After perusing the Not Soap Radio website, I have to say that one product that I really wish they had sent me was this Flirtini Cocktail Party Lip Gloss:



The color is exactly the kind that looks great on me, I love lip gloss way too much, and cannot resist anything with the word cocktail in the name. Am I going to have to order this? I think so!
The good news is: Not Soap Radio has generously offered MRM readers a 20% discount on anything on the website with coupon code flipflop. The code is good through May 5th, and ladies, I cannot say enough times how much I recommend the body souffle. If it were legal for me to marry one of these, I just might. The site also has fun things for bridesmaids and if you haven't started thinking about Mother's Day yet, you may want to get on that.

a tag and an award

The lovely Angela gave me Neno's Award:The goals of this award are: 1)As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging. 2)To seek the reasons why we all love blogging. 3)Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it. 4)Don't forget to mention the person who gives you the award. 5)Answer the awards question by writing the reason why you love blogging. 6)Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like. 7)Don't forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

Thank you dear! Why do I love blogging? 1) I have "met" so many wonderful people as a result of this blog and have made some good friends from it. 2) It is a welcome distraction from my job and hectic work schedule. 3) I have discovered many new companies/products as a result of blogging. (Blogging: good for you, bad for your wallet.)
I would like to pass this along to
Also, Megs tagged me for this questionnaire.
1.Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.2. tag other un-tagged people.
The Questions:
What is your current obsession? Stationary from Papyrus. One of the few substances out there that makes crack look cheap. (That one's for you Whitney Houston.)
What do you think your name says about you? That I'm Russian. Also that I'm a palindrome.
Who was the last person you hugged? my mommy
What’s your favorite dinner? tuna steak, medium-rare
What was the last thing you bought? a box of Slim Fast bars
What are you listening to right now? the sound of KMH im'ing me on gchat
What is your favorite weather? summer
What is your least favorite season? Winter, I get cold in anything below 73 degrees.
What's in your bathroom cabinet? A ton of lotions/beauty products, a headband for pulling my hair back when I wash my face, a toothbrush and toothpaste (always important to have), and some contact solution.
Say something to the person/s who tagged you. Megs, you are one of my absolute favorite bloggers and I hope to one day shop/drink with you. Not necessarily in that order.
What is your favorite tea flavor? Green Tea
What did you want to become as a child? A teacher, astronaut, ballerina, and about 20,000 other things. All at the same time.
What do you miss? Spice Girls lollipops from Chupa Chups
What's your favorite brand of jeans? Joe's Jeans
What designer piece of clothing would you most like to own (new or vintage)? a Burberry quilted jacket or trench
If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Anywhere in the world where it's happy hour and has good wine. So let's say Spain for Sangria.
Who do you want to meet in person? Carrie Underwood, I have a girl crush on her
What is your most challenging goal right now? to lose weight
What’s your 5 year plan? To be alive in 5 years and be happy. I really suck at answering questions like this.
Why is today special? I used my new Fekkai hair products and my hair is now shiny and happy.
What is my favourite sport to watch? baseball To play? frisbee
What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own? My Yeshiva girls ring that I got from Hadaya when I was in Israel. He custom-makes the rings to say whatever you want on them. Mine says "it is a great mitzvah to always be happy" on it in Hebrew on the outside, and the inside has the Jerusalem skyline and my Hebrew name/middle name, Rachel, on it in Hebrew. There isn't another ring exactly like this anywhere in the world, and every time I wear it I think of my Birthright trip to Israel and of me and my friend walking around the Old City trying to find the store.
For this I tag:

you can't make this stuff up

I was born in the Soviet Union (back when it was still called the Soviet Union) where ballet was a big deal. By the time I left when I was 7.5, I had seen quite a few ballets with my family. One tradition that we had was that every winter, my parents would take me to go see The Nutcracker. As a result of this, I developed a soft spot in my heart for nutcrackers. Every year, for about 11 consecutive years, I would ask my mom to get me a nutcracker for Hannukah/New Years. Each year, the holidays would come and go and I was still nutcracker-less. I would ask my mom where my nutcracker was and her response was always "oh you were serious about that?" Gee mom, after 10+ years, you think you'd get the hint? When I told my ex (not schlong boy) about this his response was "why don't I just get you a nutcracker?" I told him that at this point, I needed my mom to get me one, it was a matter of principle. The following year, I realized that oh, mommy was never going to get me one, so I needed to take matters into my own hands. The Southern Starlet and her hubby are currently living in Germany (but not for much longer!) thanks to the Army, and when they went to a Christmas crafts fair in a town that is known for its nutcrackers, she asked me if I wanted any souvenirs. My response was yes please! Thanks to this lovely lady, I finally have a nutcracker standing on top of my dresser. (Nothing says "a Jew lives here" quite like having a red and green nutcracker, but no mezzuzah on your door does.) Why am I writing an entry in April about Christmas decorations, you may ask? Well I'll tell you why. I'm sitting at work and my phone rings. I pick it up and it's my mommy. (I should insert here that my mother has a long standing history of getting me epic fail gifts. A lof of the stuff that she gets me is actually nice and would make the perfect gift. For someone else. Every year, she tries to surprise me on my birthday, and every year the surprise comes in the form of- after 20+ years, my mom still doesn't know me at all.) So my mom is starting to think about what to get me for my birthday (both my mom and I like to plan/buy gifts months in advance). She goes "so dear, what do you think of me getting you a nutcracker for your birthday this year? You'll like that, right?" Thank you mommy. Maybe next year for my birthday, you can get me that California Blading Baby that I wanted 18 years ago. I love you mom.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

making green bags even greener

Being that today is Earth Day, we are inundated with blog posts, online specials, google images, etc. about being green and eco-friendly. As someone who generally despises trends, I am not happy that caring for our environment has become a trend, but being that I love Earth Day and participate in events when I can and try to be green whenever possible, I am thrilled that people who otherwise wouldn't care care about the environment are starting to be aware of their actions. As most people know, one of the easiest things that a person can do to be greener is to use a reusable canvas bag instead of a plastic grocery bag when (s)he goes grocery shopping or runs errands. These bags are being sold everywhere in different sizes, colors, patterns, etc. I have a few and I have to say that this one is my personal favorite- My Bag Cares.

I received it from a fundraising event that was held at ny job and I love it. The bag is huge and I use it when I'm going to the post office or have to drop off dry cleaning. While I will be the first to admit that this bag is not the most attractive option out there (I love the aesthetic factor of the Flip & Tumble tote that I won from Megs a lot more), it is a unique one. Not only are these bags eco-friendly, but for every bag that is purchased, the company plants one tree! (My job planted a lot of trees!) I am absolutely in love with this concept and have to give major snaps to the company for doing this. The bags are available on the website for $25.

Insert shameless plug here: people who see me carrying my bag have asked me where to get one before. My job has several left if people are interested. However, because I work for a non-profit and these bags were purchased for a fundraising event, if you would like one, please contact me and we will be happy to send you one in return for a donation.

Clothing Freecycle

Hey ladies! So glad to see that there are people interested in doing a clothing freecycle. I have decided to host a weekly freecycle. Here are the guidelines.

1) Go through your closet and figure out what you are willing to freecycle.
2) Take pictures of it, if possible, and if there are any imperfections (a tear, a missing button that be easily repaired, etc.) take a picture of those as well.
3) Send me an email to whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.} com by every Wednesday night at at midnight with the pictures, your blog name, contact email, and a description of the item. Indicate the condition of the item, size, brand, etc. If the item is a size 8 but fits more like a 6 or a 10, for example, indicate that as well. Say if you are willing to ship for free or if you would like someone to pay you for the shipping. This is not ebay and you are not allowed to ask people to pay you for the actual items, only for shipping costs.
4) Every Thurday, I will do a freecycle compiling all of the items that bloggers are willing to part with. I will post all of the pictures, descriptions, and contact info. When you see something that tickles your fancy, contact the blogger parting with the item and let her know. Once your item has been claimed, please either contact on the original freecycle post, or shoot me an email letting me know and I will edit the post to remove it.
5) We all have stuff we want to get rid of, but for now, let's keep this freecycle fashion-related (clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, etc.). If you have children who have outgrown their clothes, this may be a fantastic way to pass them along to other bloggers who are expecting or have little ones of their own!

Since it is already Wednesday, I am giving everyone until tomorrow at midnight to contact me if they have any items to freecycle. I will do the first ever freecycle post on Friday. Happy swapping!

speaking of Earth Day

Last night, my sorority's alumnae chapter hosted a speaker on closet organization and decluttering your space. When I got home, I had a wee bit of energy in me (could it have been the wine?) and decided that at 11:00pm what I really needed to do was refold all of my tshirts and reorganize my closet. As I was going through my closet I noticed something. Last year, I was a bigger size than I am now. Consequently, I have a good amount of clothes that look great but no longer fit me. I have some articles of clothing that I never even got to wear and can't be returned. I am sure that I am not the only blogger in this situation. (Most women only wear about 20% of what they own, 80% of the time.) Since we post about clothes we love and it seems that a lot of us have similar tastes, I thought it might be a fun idea to host a clothing freecyle. We can all post items that we have with sizes and pictures and see if anyone wants them. Depending on the items, after listing, selling, and paypal fees, you might not make anything off them on ebay, and this way it's less hassle and you know your items are going to someone who will use them. And how great would it be knowing that you got that dress to wear to your roommate's wedding for free thanks to a fellow blogger? What does everyone think? Would anyone want to participate in this? I would be happy to host it here if people are interested. I have a few items that are up for grabs and will be posting them here later this week.


And while you're realizing that you have clothes to get rid of and want to buy more to replace them, remember that you have until midnight tonight to get 20% off your purchase from Ball and Buck with code WHALEFLIPFLOPS ED.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Bar Sign

So after going back and forth between what I wanted, I finally decided to go with the Fins Up, Y'all sign. Partly because it's quirkier. Partly because whales have fins. Partly because Fins is my ringtone. I have been conversing with myflipflopz and she is so sweet and is making the sign for me and also one that I ordered for one of my favorite bloggers, Southern Starlet, as a housewarming gift for when she and her husband finally move back to the United States and down South where they belong! (She already knows about this so it's ok for me to post it.) I cannot wait to get the signs and will post pictures as soon as I get them.

'Cuz I'll be there in the back of your mind from the day we met till you were making me cry

As a warning, this is going to be a long boy rant post.

About two and a half years ago, I was at my best friend's birthday party and I started talking to this guy there. He was funny, Jewish, dorky, great conversation, basically, my ideal type. He was there because he's best friends with my best friend's roommate. The following day at brunch with my best friend and her roommate, I casually gave her my number so that in case he asked for it, she could give it to him without making a big production of it. Sure enough, he called a few days later. This turned out to be none other than schlong boy. We went out twice and I enjoyed myself both times, but something just didn't click, it was like he was trying too hard or something, so after that we remained friends. Or rather, as I should say, I remained friends with him. He tried for a long time to get me to be his girlfriend and I kept on saying no. Finally, one day I decided to give him a chance, partly because he was a great guy (or so I thought) and partly because he was persistent. We went out a few times and then two weeks into our "relationship" I got sick.

As I've mentioned on here several times, about a year and a half ago, I got really sick and spent nearly a month in the hospital and another month on bed rest. I had open heart surgery when I was four. Unfortunately, being that this was in the Soviet Union, the hospital's medical ethics were not totally up to par and no one bothered to check to see that that cute little four year old on the table was actually awake! Thankfully I went under right after the first cut, but really, one cut was all I needed. I have many irrational fears, but because of that horrible experience, my fear of hospitals is totally 100% justified. As you can imagine, after that, I was thrilled to have to be admitted to the hospital. In the beginning, the doctors did not know what was wrong with me, and I was starting to feel like I was never going to get out of there. I was not allowed to eat anything, was miserable, and depressed. After 10 days of being there, I started to get this feeling like I was never going to be discharged. I called my so-called boyfriend and asked him to come over to visit me to try to cheer me up. I should also mention that at this point, he had just lost his job and was at home all day. His response? "I'm sorry but I can't come visit you because hospitals and sick people scare me. I hope you understand." I told him I hoped he understood why I could never see him again. He did not call me once the remaining time that I was in the hospital. Although I did get a lovely text message saying that he hoped I wasn't angry at him. That New Year's Eve he wound up being at the same party with as my best friend. He tried to apologize to her and her response basically made him cry. (Girlfriends are so much better than boyfriends at times.)

Fast forward to several months ago. He started im'ing me on gchat again and trying to talk to me. I've been responding but keeping things curt. Mainly listening to him and not really talking. The only notable exception being Friday night when he told me about his new modeling career. Ladies, do I know how to pick 'em or what? Basically, for the past month or two, he has been im'ing me constantly trying to apologize and asking me out and saying that he wants a second chance. I always cut him off before he even gets the chance to formulate an apology because at this point, I'm not all that interested in hearing what he has to say. There's a day late and a dollar short and then there's him. He has not taken the hint and has just gotten more persistent once again. What the hell is wrong with him? (Aside from several obvious characteristics.) Does he really think I want to give him another chance?

Spring Cleaning Giveaway, take 2

As promised, I was going to have more Spring Cleaning giveaways to get rid of things that I have never used. This next giveaway is brought to you courtesy of one of my mother's well-meaning friends. As I've mentioned on here before, my first crush ever on a celebrity was on Kermit the Frog. Don't judge, we've all been there. How many girls out there had their first crush on Charles in Charge? Mhmm, that's what I thought. As a result of this, I received a Giant Kermit the Frog Pez Dispenser. Not only is it giant and Pez-like, but it is also musical. I kid you not. I hate Pez. And things that look like this:

I am very sad to say that this is one of the best gifts that I have ever received from my mother's friends. I have zero use for this thing whatsoever, but hey, there has to be at least someone out there that does, so I am looking for a new home for my 12" tall, musical, Kermit the Frog Pez Dispenser. If you have children or a dorky boyfriend/husband, they may like this thing. Or if you just really like Pez and want 12 free packs of it. (Note: if you do this, you have to take musical Kermit along with the Pez in all his glory.) To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on here by Monday, April 27th at midnight with the name of your first celebrity crush ever to earn one entry (yes you have to do this to be entered, no matter how embarassing- can it really be much worse than an amphibian in a trench coat?), become a follower for two entries, and blog about this giveaway for three entries. Ribbit Ribbit.

ETA: For all who are interested, it plays the Muppets Theme Song.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Ball and Buck made an appearance in my dream last night or why I can't drink wine before bed

So last night, after finding out that my ex boyfriend was used as a schlong model, I decided that the best idea was for me to consume a lot of wine. After this, I proceeded to put on my favorite pajamas (read- charity tshirt from a walk) and go to bed. And here is the result of this lethal combination:
I was living in an apartment with several of my old roommates from college who had all become The Girls Next Door. They did not look like my old roommates, nor like the Girls Next Door, yet somehow I knew it was them. I have to say that whoever designed our apartment clearly was bottom of his/her class at architecture school because the design was just awful. (Oh wait, that was technically me.) There was a giant hot tub in our living room and our linen closet was really deep and we actually pondered taking out some of the shelves in it so that we could put a washing machine in there. (Apparently the Girls Next Door do their own laundry.) I went into the linen closet to see if I could make the change to the closet by myself (clearly no one is more ideal for the job of converting a closet than the genius who thought to put a hot tub in the living room) and by some twist of Narnian proportions, I walked through the closet and into a hibachi grill. In the grill, all of the Girls, playmates, and bunnies were there doing a promotion of sorts. They were all running around in their thonged and sequined glory. I was wearing a Ball and Buck black long sleeve tee, a pair of loose fitting casual jeans, and flip flops. And zero makeup. With all that, someone mistook me for a playmate and told me I had to do the promotion with the girls. So there I was, fully clothed, and standing next to someone in a turquoise G-string body suit with gold sequins on it. I have no idea what this means, but I promise free cookies to whomever can decipher this for me.

If you would like to order your own Ball and Buck tee, you have until midnight on Wednesday to get 20% off your order with code WHALEFLIPFLOPS ED. Take it from me, they are the perfect thing to wear when cavorting with Hef's girlfriends.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Oh My G-d

So I'm sitting here at my computer just chatting with one of my exes talking about restaurants that I can go to when TLS comes to visit me next month. All of a sudden, my ex ims me and says "I have to tell you something and you can't freak out." I was just like "mhmmm" totally not thinking what it was going to be. Well, this is what he says "I got asked to model a sex toy a while back and now it's hitting stores next month. I'm nervous." Now when he says model, he does not mean take raunchy pictures with it, he means his manhood was used as the model for the sex toy! Women all over the English speaking world are going to be pleasuring themselves with my ex's stuff in several weeks! I have no words. Another one for the "only happens to MRM" file.

ETA: apparently, if you date a penis model, you get free sex toys before they come out on the market. Where is another bottle of wine? Quote of the night: He is sending you his penis?- my little sister. Love you Kelly.

bar decoration

I have a built-in bar in my apartment that is attached to one wall. I would like to hang one piece of wall art above the bar to make it more fun and colorful. (Sadly my landlord did not let me paint my apartment so I have plain boring white walls.) Right now, the bar is decorated with 6 Vineyard Vines pint glasses that have pink and blue whales one them. Ideally, I would want something in complimenting colors to hang above it. Originally, I was going to buy this monogram from the Monogram Merchant,

but lately I have been thinking about getting something more whimsical, in the form of a sign from My Flip Flopz. I was thinking of getting a custom sign in pink, white, and blue with "Fins Up Y'all" on it, referencing my favorite Jimmy Buffett song. I really love the colors of this sign: Which do you think I should go for?

favorite things

It's Friday, it's gorgeous out, and due to the fact that I handed in my report four days early, I have literally no work to do today. That means it's time for my weekly favorite things post. This week, in honor of my charity giveaway, I will be showcasing items that donate back to a non-profit organization. (If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, please do so. I want a lot of entries for this one.)
First up is this lovely necklace from Jewelry Without Jewels, $15 from her Etsy shop.

The color is pretty darn close to Tiffany Blue (yes, I'm a creature of habit), it's cute, perfect for summer, and makes a great gift. Also, 10% of it goes to the Save the Music Foundation which helps fund instrumental music education in public schools.

Since I can only go for, oh, 5 minutes without gushing about Lilly (I'm pretty sure it's 5 minutes, KMH you've been timing me- what's the official time?) here is a piece from their celebrity designed Jubilee Collection- A Colorful Cause.

The Shields Bikini, $178. I am in love with this print. Unfortunatly, I am one of those people who is two different sizes on the top and the bottom so I cannot buy a bikini that's sold as a set as opposed to two separate pieces. If you can buy it, do so, it's gorgeous and 15% of the sale of it goes to The Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation.

Moving on to more Lilly, another thing that I have been buying a lot of is pretty stationary. I am absolutely in love with the idea of personalized stationary and hope to acquire some soon.

I am absolutely head over heels in love with these Winter Playground Pink Foldover Cards from The Preppy Princess. $75 for a set of $25, with 5% of the profits going to the Fisher House.

As I have mentioned on here before, I am really into ladybugs. Partly because they are my sorority's symbol, partly because I adore polka dots, and partly because they are too darn cute. When I found this serving platter from Uncommon Goods, my fingers could not type in my credit card number fast enough!




I always serve cookies on this platter when guests come over, and it's fun when I have sisters over for dinner and they see the ladybug and start to squeal. $40 with 10% going to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. (KMH, are you shrieking yet?)

For a long time, I was very fascinated by the Clarisonic Brush at Sephora, but could not justify the hefty $195 price tag. I just knew that if I bought it, I would only use it a couple of times and then it would sit there. Boy I was wrong. One day, I had a $165 gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so I decided that I would buy one. Since then, I have used it almost every day, and my face seriously feels dirty if I go for a few days without using it. When I got mine, there was only the plain white version available, but since then Clarisonic has created the pink version as well. Not only is it cuter, but the proceeds from this one go towards funding breast cancer research.

Since Passover has finally ended and I have survived another year, I can now talk about baked goods without turning into something resembling a drunk Cookie Monster on crack with slightly less fur. Therefore, I bring you to my final item on this week's list, something that we are all familiar with and that many of us hold near and dear to our hearts: Girl Scout Cookies.

At around $4 a box, these are the cheapest item on this week's list. They come in many varieties, my favorite being the Samoa, above. (Does anyone find it coincidental that my favorite cookie just happens to be the most fattening one? I sure as heck don't.) What could be better than knowing that while I'm sitting on my couch watching Phantom of the Opera on dvd, I'm actually helping girls become better and stronger leaders? You tell me.


a very different kind of giveaway

Bloggers, I have been toying with the idea of doing this for a while now and am deciding to give it a try. A lot of us hear how in these hard economic times many non-profits are having a much harder time than normal raising funds and unfortunately, donations to worthy organizations are oftentimes one of the first things that people cut back on. I am offering all of you, my dear readers, the opportunity to help out your favorite cause. How, you may ask? Well it's simple. I have hosted several giveaways recently where there is always one winner who receives a cute purse or some nice perfume or a fun keyfob and at most, only 1 or 2 people ever benefit from it. This giveaway will be different. Instead of winning a material item, the winner of this giveaway will receive an $18 donation to the nonprofit organization of their choice. It can be an organization of any size, scope, etc. My only request is that it be a 501c3 non-profit. If you win, you will have the option of having the gift be made in honor of, memory of, or support of yourself or a loved one. $18 may not seem like a lot, but it is a step and to some people, it can make a world of difference. To enter this giveaway, leave a comment with the organization you would like to allocate your $18 to for one entry, follow me or become a follower for two entries, and blog about this giveaway for three entries. If you are passionate about supporting an organization, tell your friends to enter too. The more times an organization is entered, the better its chances of winning are. I will keep this giveaway up for two weeks to allow for more entries. It will close on Thursday, April 30th at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

thank you to two bloggers

So I have finally figured out what was wrong with my camera and got to take pictures of the adorableness that is my pink and blue whale bar. Oh, you were hoping to actually see pictures? Yea, well sorry about that. I took the pictures, charged, the camera, did everything right. Except for that whole forgetting to take my camera with me bit. Sorry about that. But seriously folks, considering I am the walking embodiment of Murphy's Law, did you really expect anything else from me? I got home last night to come home to a full mailbox. One of the things that I hate the most about living alone is the fact that all the mail I ever get is either 1) bills, or 2) adressed to "resident at..." Last night was different. Here are the contents of my mailbox- 1) movie I ordered on Netflix (penguin mating is so darn cute- even in 60+ degree weather), 2) Bloomingdale's catalog, 3) pizza flyer addressed to "resident at....", 4) Songs You Know by Heart- Jimmy Buffett's Greatest Hits (Fins Up!!!!!!!), 5) the giveaway I won from Dollface, and 6) the giveaway I won from Lilly P Wannabe. I got all excited and immediately put Buffett on repeat (I woke up this morning with Fins still playing in my head) and ripped open the packages to photograph and play with my goodies. Again folks, this was supposed to be a picture-full post, but Murphy just didn't feel like it. From Dollface I got a pair of Hanky Panky panties (my most favorite underwear ever!), Hershey Kisses, a strawberry lip balm, a really pretty necklace, and a red string bracelet with Star of David and Chamsa charms on it and two things against the evil eye. The charms have Tiffany blue rhinestones on them, my favorite color. I think I was pretty much meant to win this giveaway. It was fated. From Lilly P Wannabe I won a My Pair Tree flip flop holder. I saw her post about this and I was intrigued but I did not fully grasp the ingeniousness of this creation until it arrived in the mail last night. I have at least 30-40 pairs of flip flops. At least. That's a lot of closet space. I hung it up, put 6 pairs of flip flops on it, and suddenly I had an extra shelf in my closet to devote to more shoes! My first thought was "how did I ever live without this thing?" If you have several pairs of flip flops, you NEED not want this. Believe me when I say I will be ordering several more of these babies. Thank you ladies!

Vera Bradley Kelly Bag Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. It sounded like a lot of y'all were excited about this one and had picked some great outfits to pair it with which is exactly what I wanted. A bag that cute deserves to be paired with a cute outfit and taken out on the town, not lying in a crate in my closet. With that said, I typed up all of the eligible entries in order and instead of cutting up a ton of little pieces of paper, I used a random number generator. (Earth Day is coming up folks- blogging can be green too!) Congratulations to:

#40- Lis

I'm really happy she won this because this was by far my favorite reply. Lis wrote:

If I won this I would give it to my cousin (who is also a bff!), she is a devoted Vera lover and who has recently lost about 30 lbs!! (The first of her 50 lb goal!!) We have been shopping a lot for her lately and she just picked up a cute brown dress that is super flattering and would look diving with this bag too!!

Congratulations to you and your cousin. She is lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive friend in you. Email me at whaleflipflops{ @ }gmail{ . }com with your info so I can get that out to you. If you didn't win, have no fear, my 101st post surprise giveaway is still going on and there will be three winners for that one. Also, as I continue to discover things that I have never used, be on the lookout for more spring cleaning giveaways!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Apparently I am an overachiever

Last night, when I stayed at work until 9, I thought it was because my boss wanted the final report today by 3:30 instead of Monday at 5:00. Well it turns out that she just wanted to meet with me and see where we stand on it. She was seriously shocked and surprised that I had finished the entire thing four days early! She let me go early today so I am off to enjoy this beautiful weather. Staying late sucked but here's what's nice about it: 1) respect from my boss, 2) the extra pay, 3) knowing that while all my counterparts will be stressed out tomorrow, I will have very little to do and will spend a beautiful Friday at my desk ordering Ball and Buck tees and LL Bean totes and making my mani/pedi appointment. Thank you to all the bloggers for your words of encouragement last night. Happy Spring!!!!

Ball and Buck promotion

You can never have too many tshirts, right? Right! Enter Ball and Buck. They make custom tees with fabric pockets that you can design. And they have Lilly fabric!
These shirts are great for running errands, just lounging around, or hanging out with friends. I'm planning on getting a few before my trip to Chicago, and now you, dear readers can get in on the fun as well. For a 20% discount, enter code WHALEFLIPFLOPS ED in the comments section of the paypal checkout. This code is good until April 22nd at midnight, so have fun designing and shopping and be sure to post pictures of your finished products!

layout

I have been thinking about getting a custom layout for my blog. Of course, I have no clue as to what I would want for my layout. So, I'm turning to you, my dear readers. Going by my posts and all that jazz, do you think I should go for a custom layout? If so, what do you think I should do (colors, graphics, etc.)?

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

just one of those days

So that report I blogged about earlier today? Yea, I'm still finalizing it. My hours are very much 9-5 and I just had dinner delivered to my office. In the place where I work, it is very unusual for someone to stay past 6 or so, and the security guard just came by to check up on me because he was worried that the light is still on in my office. Lovely.

I have a fever and the only prescription is more pink and green

I just found out from my boss that a report I had due at 5:00pm Monday got bumped to 3:30pm tomorrow. So naturally I'm freaking out. What am I doing about it? If you guessed spending all of my time on the Lilly site to make a wishlist, then give yourself a pat on the back. How am I supposed to get any work done?

Also, not only is today tax day, it is also 3 months to my birthday. I have decided to buy myself a present since you need to spoil yourself when you are single. As of right now, I am debating between a nice piece of jewelry from Tiffany or Yurman, or orchestra seats for me and J for the Jimmy Buffett concert in August. What would you pick? I'm torn. Here are the options:
David Yurman Cable Pearl Ring, $450

David Yurman Petite Albion Pearl Ring, $625

David Yurman Petite Albion Blue Topaz Ring, $590


Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Knots Cuff, $525


(sorry, I couldn't figure out a way to get a better picture off the site)

Tiffany & Co. Starfish pearl necklace
(I guess the fact that it's no longer avaiable makes making a choice one item easier)

Orchestra seats to Buffett and the ability to see this again live:


Can't you feel them circling honey? Can't you feel them swimming around? You got fins to the left, fins to the right, and you're the only bait in town.



So, what do I do? Sadly, getting them all is not an option.