What I Learned in 2012

*No matter how much cute workout gear I buy, it's useless unless I actually use it to go to the gym. I won't.
*That despite what anyone tells me, I do not enjoy hiking, it is not fun, and my idea of a good time is not walking up a mountain in the rain. No matter how pretty the view at the top may be.
*That cherry glühwein is disgusting.
*That I like German ketchup more than American ketchup.
*That a friend who leaves vodka on your doorstep when you're having a bad week is a friend for life.
*That buying nail polish on clearance at the lingerie store will not end well.
*How to take off glittery nail polish.
*That no matter how many people tell me to read a book, if I'm not interested in it, I still won't. 50 Shades of Grey, I'm looking at you.
*That when I grow up, I want to be Alex Guarnaschelli.
*How to sometimes get Marriott rooms for cheap in Europe using eBay. (if you go to eBay.co.uk and search for Marriott under holidays and travel, lots of times the individual Marriotts will put up auctions for 1-3 night stays with breakfast included)
*That nail polish really is the new lip gloss.
*How to be able to spot the really good German wine in the store and not just buy what has a pretty label on it. (The trick is to look for this symbol at the top.

VDP is awarded each year to the 200 or so best wineries or individual wines in Germany. If you see a bottle with this exact logo on it, you know you have something good in your hands. And it's not always fancy, expensive stuff either. I've seen VDP bottles for as cheap as 6,50€ or so in the grocery store.)
*That someone up there is looking out for my husband. 
*How to make vodka gummy worm shots. (I swear I'm not a total lush and had non-alcohol related moments in 2012 as well.)
*That after being convinced that costume jewelry just was not for me, after discovering Bellevue Newport, I realize that I was wrong all those years.

Weekend Craziness

I had intended for this to be a post chock full of pictures from all of the Christmas markets we've been to and things we did over the weekend, but the universe had other plans for me. Yesterday, while we were at the Trier Christmas market, my iPhone was stolen out of my coat pocket. I am not shocked at all that this happened, the market was beyond packed and it was impossible to move around so it really was a pickpocketer's dream. TLS tried using "Find my iPhone" to locate it, but it only works if the phone is in a data connection at the time, and whoever took it, turned the phone off.

I am beyond upset for several reasons. First of all, I am seriously hoping that our renters' insurance will cover the phone because needless to say, we don't have several hundred Euros to spend on a new phone at the moment. Second of all, I had a lot of pictures on the phone that weren't on the cloud, so I am upset about losing them. Third of all, I am a chronic listmaker. I had lists on my phone of things to buy at the store, packages I was expecting, packages to send out, holiday cards to send out, etc. Now, I feel lost without my phone. I am trying to recreate the notes in my planner, but am having some difficulty doing so, which is making me very flustered and upset. To add insult to injury, I bought myself a cute iPhone case at the Kate Spade cyber sale which is supposed to come this week. Oh the irony.

I have been beyond upset and trying not to cry since this happened and in need of cheering up. Has this ever happened to you? Were you able to get it replaced through your homeowners' or renters' insurance?

MMS's Hannukah Wish List

It's funny. I'm a fairly materialistic person (hey- at least I'm honest about it). I always know what I want and have a wish list going. When holiday shopping season started and people started asking me what I wanted, I realized I was happy with what I have and there wasn't much I wanted. (Not a bad problem to have.) Instead of having a big list, this year I only asked for a few items.

1) Kate Spade Cooper Strap Watch

This one was on my birthday wish list and I never got around to getting it for myself as I had originally planned. I asked my mother to get it for me for Hannukah and now it is on its way over here.

2) A monogrammed wooden or leather jewelry box
Not any one in particular, would just like something elegant.

3) Codello Peanuts Scarves
Up until my trip to Berlin, I had never even heard of this brand. I think it's an Italian or German company. My mother wanted to go into a department store to look around and I saw these scarves and immediately became excited!

 I want almost any one of the scarves in the collection.

4) Lilly Pulitzer NYC Murfee Scarf and Bangle
Added these two to my wishlist last night when I saw someone post them on facebook. Two of my favorite things combined.

Oy to the World

I love my faith. I really do. However, to quote Adam Sandler, it sucks "when you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree." The one thing I hate about the holiday season is when I go shopping and stores are full of Christmas decorations and stuff, but either they have hardly any Hannukah decorations, or the ones that they do are generic and awful. My biggest pet peeve with Hannukah cards is that they are always the same- blue with a menorah on them. Yet Christmas gets the fun non religion-specific cards like polar bears drinking martinis. Who says that polar bears can't be Jewish?

This year, I am very happy to report that retailers have finally caught up to the fact that Jews like shopping and decorating too (shocking, I know!) and have several lovely Hannukah decor options to choose from.

First up- Pottery Barn:

How cute would these Tree of Life menorah platters be for serving latkes and jelly doughnuts on?

I love this Hannukah table throw (matching table runner and napkins also available).

I really wanted to get the full set but it was a bit impractical to spend over $200 on linens that I can use for only 8 days out of the year. Maybe when they go on super sale after Hannukah I can get them for next year?

Pottery Barn Kids:
I know this is technically for kids, but I love this glitter garland and would love to hang it up during the season and for pictures.

Again- technically for kids but I love this tumbler set for myself:

Also- while we're talking about Pottery Barn Kids, can we please talk about the fact that this dreidel set costs $29 (or did before it went on sale)?

Thank you Pottery Barn Kids for realizing that Jews are as willing to overspend on holiday stuff as our Christian brothers and sisters are.

Crate and Barrel:
Love that this Dancing Dreidel plate has more colors other than just blues on it!

I have a serious love of dreidels and collect them. I always get at least one new one for Hannukah (usually of the cheap plastic variety). Love this set of three dreidels.

Williams-Sonoma:
I love practically everything Williams-Sonoma and I love baking, so naturally I was drawn to this Bundt pan. I love that because it's a Star of David, you can use it year round for other holidays and not just for Hannukah. And btw- Bed, Bath, and Beyond has a much cheaper version here.

While these mini iced cookies are adorable, Williams-Sonoma loses major points for these not being kosher.

Plenty of Jewish people eat only food that is certified kosher, so to me, it makes no sense to make a Hannukah food item not kosher because it means that you're excluding a large part of your customer base. (And in case you're wondering, I did in fact plan on giving these as a gift to someone until I contacted Williams-Sonoma and found out that they aren't kosher.) Boo.

Speaking of Bed, Bath, and Beyond and dreidels, how adorable are these?

I love fun and whimsical salt and pepper shakers and have them for many different occasions. I love love love the fact that these actually spin and can be used as real dreidels in a game! Someone get me these pretty please.

I love lip products and I love Not Soap, Radio products. I gave this 8 Days of Luscious Lips gift set to a friend one year for Hannukah and she loved it. It is a great value for $18 (love that it costs chai!) and all of their products are amazing.

Have you seen any fun Hannukah items in stores anywhere? Let me know if you do!

Mary Beth Goodwin Cyber Monday Deal and Giveaway

I don't know about you, but I am addicted to my iPhone. If you ever see me, unless I am at work or asleep, chances are you will see me with my phone in my hand. Right now, after going through several iPhone cases, I am using TLS's old plain black case until I can find something I like. While I was looking around for a phone case, Mary Beth Goodwin popped up on my twitter feed and into my life. At first, I fell in love with her witty tweets and comments. When I checked out her etsy store, I fell in love with her designs.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! There are 6 pages of cute phone cases, mugs, tumblers, and melamine items for you to choose from!

To kick of the season of giving and gifting, Mary Beth Goodwin has a fun giveaway for you. She is offering one Preppy Girl Meets World reader her choice of personalized tray or iPhone case from her shop. Enter via the Rafflecopter Widget below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't want to wait to see if you've won? Then Mary Beth Goodwin has a fabulous Cyber Monday Deal for you. Today only, if you buy an iPhone case from her shop, you can get a matching monogrammed drink tumbler for free!

A guide to some sales this holiday shopping weekend

Friday (Black Friday)
After Sunset- free shipping with code THANKFUL (good until November 27th)
Scarlet Threads- 25% off with code lex25 (good all weekend)
Kustom Kissers- 20% off with code PGMW20
Frat Collection- 10% off with code URI (good year round)
Lemon and Line- 20% off with code frosty (good from November 23rd-27th)
Mary Beth Goodwin Design- 25% off all phone cases and melamine with code HOLIDAYDISCOUNT (good through December 7th)
Anchored Style- 25% off sitewide with code THANKFUL (good through Monday)
Kelly Moore- $25 off any bag with code BLACKFRIDAY25 (good for 24 hours starting Friday at 12:01am)
Monogram Merchant- 25% off any order with code GRAVY (good Friday-Monday)
Ida Claire- 15% off any order with code HOLIDAY2012 (good through Monday)

Saturday (Small Business Saturday)
Not Soap, Radio- 20% off with code small

Monday (Cyber Monday)
Preppy Princess- 20% off with code PGM
Bellevue Newport- special sale on Monday from 10:00-4:00EST in addition to their regular sale, will post more pricing details when I know more
Lilly Pulitzer- free bow cocktail ring with purchase of $100 or more. (VIA shops may be running their own promotions



if you are a business owner and would like to be added to this list, please email me at whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.}com and I will add you to it.

Greeting Cards from Treat

Have you heard of Treat? It is a greeting card company that is run by the same parent company that owns Tiny Prints and Shutterfly.  Treat gives you the opportunity to send personalized, one-of a kind cards for any occasion. You even have the option of putting your own pictures in several of the cards!

Here are some of my favorites.

love the humor in this one since everyone spells it differently

To spread the cheer and holiday merriment, today and tomorrow only, Treat is offering everyone one personalized card completely free with code TREATBLOGR.

Have fun and make something pretty!

Holiday Gift Idea

If you are anything like me, then you can't say no to a good monogram. You just can't. I love the now ubiquitous monogram necklaces that have been popping up everywhere. The price tags which are usually three figures? Not so much.

Once again, enter my beloved Bellevue Newport to the rescue.* A little while ago tonight, they posted an offer on their facebook page.

For $48 (lower than anywhere around), you can get a monogrammed necklace in your choice of sterling silver or gold plate. The delivery takes 4 weeks and is guaranteed by December 20th just in time for Christmas.  The price includes shipping. 

To purchase your necklace, visit the Bellevue Newport facebook page and claim the offer that is posted. Then, email bellevuecollection@gmail.com with your choice of monogram and color and they will send you a paypal invoice. The offer closes on Tuesday to make sure that everyone can get their necklaces in time for Christmas with the 4 week delivery time




*Disclaimer- I was not financially compensated for this or any other post. I talk about them a lot because I love them and want to see the company do well. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Charity Giveaway

With the season of giving and gifting upon us, I think it's important to share and give back and give to those who are less fortunate or who may need the help more than we do.

In that spirit, I am doing a charity giveaway. I will donate $18 to the charity of your choice.

I'm keeping the entries for this one simple, just leave a comment with the charity of your choice. Please leave your email address to make sure that I have a way of contacting you.

This giveaway will run for a week and will close on Friday the 23rd at midnight EST. Feel free to share it with your friends to give your charity more chances to win.

can I borrow a cup of oil?

In all of my years of baking, I have never been that person that had to go to the neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar or whatever else. I kind of always thought that it was an urban legend. Or something that only happens in tv shows or rom-coms. Until last night when I was baking pumpkin bread and was just short of vegetable oil. Not wanting to abandon my recipe mid-project, I put on my fancy clothes (read: Old Navy flannel pj pants and sock money socks) and went to the downstairs neighbors to "borrow" a cup of oil. (Side note: but why do people say borrow instead of take? Does anyone expect to return the cup of insertperishableproducthere?)

Our neighbors speak two languages- Portuguese and German. Guess which two languages (among many others) I don't speak? Portuguese and German. There was a lot of improvised sign language, some broken French on both sides, and a lot of confusion all around.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: (showing him cup) Essig bitte (turns out Essig is German for vinegar, NOT oil, that could have been bad!)
Him: zucker? 
Me: kein zucker, essig ohne oliven (translation- no sugar, vinegar without olives)
Him: honig? (honey)

Lather, rinse, repeat this song and dance in both German and French for the next 5 minutes until his wife figured out what I wanted and produced a bottle of oil. I think he was trying to say that we can keep the bottle of oil that they gave us. Either that or he will break both of my husband's legs if we don't return it 5 minutes ago.

Moral of this story: learn German ASAP.

Veterans' Day

Happy Veterans' Day to all of the brave men and women who have served or are currently serving in our Armed Forces. We are more grateful than we will ever be able to put into words.

Living over here, TLS and I have been able to visit Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France and Luxembourg American Cemetery in Luxembourg. Here are some pictures from both.

it is a Jewish custom to leave a stone when you visit a grave- we took some stones with us and laid them on the graves of the Jewish soldiers that we saw there

Here Rests in Honored Glory a Comrade in Arms Known But to G-d

Tomorrow, to pay our respects, TLS and I will go visit Lorraine American Cemetery again. If you have a relative who is buried there and would like us to leave flowers at the grave or to take a picture of it for you, please email me and I will be happy to do so for you.

I will leave you with one last picture of me with my favorite veteran at his squadron's Thanksgiving function this year.

thank you to Jessica Marie Design for editing out our last name on this one!

A final note: please remember that Bellevue Newport is generously donating 100% of the proceeds from tomorrow night's sale to a Wounded Warrior who lost his leg in an IED attack in Afghanistan. Please join them tomorrow night if you can. If you make a purchase from tomorrow night's sale, you will get an extra 5 entries into my giveaway.

Bellevue Newport Giveaway

 It's no secret that I am a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Bellevue Newport. I have been following their sales since the beginning and I have to say that my jewelry collection has grown exponentially since discovering them.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bellevue Newport, it is a jewelry company that has facebook auctions every Monday and Wednesday night at 8:00pm EST. They sell the cutest items and have amazing prices that are cheaper than any of the other companies out there. Not to mention the owners have some pretty big hearts. Read this post for more on that. Win win!

Take a look at some of the jewelry that Bellevue has had in the past:

just kidding- the puppies weren't actually for sale but I can't resist a good opportunity to ogle Jack and Spot

These have been posted as teasers for tonight's sale:

awesome idea for a Christmukkah gift for someone

In short, I just love them.

Right before I went to Berlin, my love for Bellevue Newport grew when I got a message saying that in my honor (::humble brag::), they were going to be featuring whale earrings! (insert about a jillion and one high-pitched sorority girl squeals here if you will)

so cute! so perfect!

Of course I had to have them.

Since the best things come in small packages, Bellevue Newport is giving away 2 pairs of the Preppy Girl Meets World earrings to 2 lucky readers (that's one pair each in case your math is sometimes as bad as mine). Enter using the widget below and show them some serious love because the company really is amazing and they have adorable puppy mouths to feed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bellevue Newport

I know I've talked about Bellevue Newport (formerly Bellevue Collection) here before. It is a facebook jewelry flash sale site that holds sales every Monday and Wednesday at 8pm EST. They have the cutest jewelry and at wonderful prices to boot. (Usually their prices are several dollars cheaper than other preppy jewelry sites.)

If you are in the military or are a military spouse, you automatically get 10% off your purchase. How nice is that? The generosity and respect for our military and their family doesn't stop there. A few weeks ago, one of the co-owners of Bellevue Collection emailed me letting me know that they want to donate $500 or the proceeds from their November 12th sale (the one after Veterans' Day- donation will be whichever amount is greater) to a Wounded Warrior. I was so overwhelmed and touched and it just so happened that I did know someone.

Lieutenant Richard Kent is someone whom my husband knew in his freshman year of college when they were both pledging Kappa Sigma. They lost contact after that, but kept a mutual friend in common. This friend contacted us over the summer saying that Rich had joined the Army and had stepped on an IED while he was serving in Afghanistan. He lost one of his legs in the explosion and sustained other injuries as well. He was airlifted to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center here in Germany and then to Brooks Army Medical Center in Texas. He has been living in San Antonio now while getting care and getting fitted for a prosthetic.

Bellevue Newport is generously donating the proceeds from its sale to Rich and his family to help out with bills that they have acquired during his treatment. I am so overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity and I know that Rich's family is very appreciative of this gesture. Be sure to check out their facebook flash sale on November 12th to support this wonderful cause!

Rabbit Rabbit!

Rabbit Rabbit!

Hard to believe that November is already here. Feels like it was just summer 5 minutes ago. Even though I really wish that time would slow down, here are things I am looking forward to this month.

*Bagels!- Thanks to a sweet German friend who found me a kosher bakery to get bagels from here in Germany, I ordered a dozen and have them coming tomorrow afternoon. We won't be home tomorrow so I bribed our downstairs neighbors with a homemade pumpkin pie to sign for it for me. Went to the commissary today and stocked up on the essentials- orange juice, cream cheese, olives, capers, and salmon. Can. Not. Wait.

*Squadron Thanksgiving- TLS's squadron is doing a potluck Thanksgiving tomorrow night. I love Thanksgiving food and am so looking forward to it. I have four pumpkin pies baking as we speak.

*Thanksgiving- For the past two years that we've lived over here, we've done a trip for Thanksgiving. Porto, Portugal two years ago and Manchester, England. This year, I was lucky enough to get both Thanksgiving and Black Friday off work so we are looking to plan a trip somewhere, not sure where just yet though.

*Photos- We are getting our Hannukah card photos done on Sunday. I'm so excited to get them!

*Holiday bazaars- Tis the season to do holiday shopping!

*The start of Christmas Markets- Gluhwein season is finally upon us again!

What are you looking forward to this month?