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Ahhh...the time has arrived. Every season I look forward to purchasing a few new staples to refresh my wardrobe. Fall is here and I am going to share a few items that I simply could not live without. I'm consistently asked where I find certain items. Anyone who knows me, knows my love for J. Crew. However, I'm an equal opportunity shopper. Variety is the spice of life, and my shopping habits are no exception. My husband describes my closet as my "Trophy Room". A reference I grew to love and appreciate. With that said here are a few new trophies I'm adding to my "shelf": (Left - courtesy of Ann Taylor. This defines my style perfectly)(Below - J.Crew tees are my go-to staple, I'm a mom and I like to be comfy without
compromising my style) (Below: Cashmere tie-front Cardigan from J.Crew. So feminine and soft - so delicious!) (Below: I'll let you in on a little secret - a great deal of my outwear comes from Old Navy! Believe it or not, each Fall/Winter, they come out with terrific coats! This 3/4 sleeve coat is a throw-back to the 50's, such a fabulous faux vintage find!) (Below: Another fab find from Old Navy. This paprika colored swing coat is one of my fave purchases of the season. I can't wait to pair it with jeans and boots!)   (Left: Speaking of boots, J.Crew came out with these beautiful cognac colored pair again this year. Lucky for me, I purchased them at the end of the season - at a fraction of the price!)
 (Left - Forever 21 has a wide variety of berets this year, such a great little hat to place on your head when you don't have time to fix your hair or touch up those roots! My closet is full of hats)  (Above: Tory Burch Flats - Need I say more? Well um, yes. Truly the best flat ever made. No blisters, thanks to the elastic back!)
 (Left: Anthropologie necklace - in case you haven't put the puzzle pieces together - I love vintage and bold!) (Left: The quintessential blouse! I can't get enough of these ultra feminine ruffle shirts - complements of J.Crew - they look wonderful under all of my cardigans!)(Below - I don't believe in spending a great deal on trendy items - which is why I purchased this red studded belt from forever 21 - under $10.00. Check out their selection for yourself. You will be happy you did!)  (Below - Joe's Jeans in Muse. I'm a Mom, these jeans have the perfect rise. Sexy, but comfortable! I wear these when I'm going out. However, on an average day you will catch me in Gap Long and Lean - like I said, I'm an equal  opportunity shopper!)Below: Perfect outfit for a Mom who is playing with her kids, picking up in the carpool lane and grocery shopping - Divine!) Honorable mentions:
I will be forever a leopard wearing girl! J. Crew has a beautiful pencil water colored leopard skirt that is to die for!
Lily Pulitzer is the poster child for "Preppy Wear". I fell in love with the Shauna Tunic (now sold out online) I have a weakness for tunics and dresses)
Nicole Miller's ready wear collection is an old reliable for me. Her line of dresses fit to a "T" and are made to accentuate a woman's figure.
Trends I would like to fall off the racks:
Visible zippers - in a word, "NO"
Tight Rolled Jeans - It was hideous in the 90's and a decade later, guess what?? Still hideous!
Leggings - I know I will get grief for this, but seriously...why???
Finally - The 80's called and they want their garb back. If there was ever a decade of cankerous clothing, hair, make-up and overall trends - it would be the 80's, so I ask why bring it back?
Got your attention?
On multiple occasions my spouse has expressed his concern for my love of the Internet! Before I move forward, let me explain that I communicate purely through email. My whole life is on the computer. We live in a small town, where shopping and activities are sparse. We move frequently, so my friends & family are spread across the US (among other countries).
I also run an online boutique. Perhaps you have heard of it, The Preppy Poppy (www.preppypoppy.com). ;-) Consumed with online marketing, website updates, etc - I spend several hours on the computer daily. When I combine my work with pleasure (i.e Facebook & Twitter) I have created a recipe for disaster.
Am I obsessed with the latest technology and the Internet, am I obsessed with staying in touch with all of my friends & family on the net, am I obsessed with shopping on the net, am I obsessed with doing research (all together now) on the net, am I obsessed with working on the net? The answer is "Yes". Do I feel that I use the Internet in excess? The answer is "Yes". Will I ever admit this to my husband, the answer is......."No"!
To say that my husband is jealous of an inanimate object would be an understatement. We have routine disagreements on the topic weekly. I can't seem to pull myself away from the computer. I find comfort hearing the clicking of my lap top keys. I literally get high from the sound of an incomming message. I LOVE my computer!!! I find comfort in my computer. We are linked at the hip - we are one. My computer is my therapist. My computer is my friend. My computer is my mentor. My computer is my companion.
As I write this, I am realizing just how sick I am. I DO cheat on my husband with my computer. I do neglect him, because I am too fixated on my laptop screen. Still, admitting my severe infatuation will most likely not change my ways.
My computer makes me happy, my computer makes me money, my computer engages me and fills my need for knowledge. I fear I would curl up and die without my "window to the outside world".
I've been challanged many times to go 24 hours without my computer or smartphone. A challange I have refused to take. I can barely go an hour without accessing my email or checking my twitter or facebook.
I hear there are programs for those needing to "detox" from the internet, such programs as this one:
http://www.cmaj.ca/earlyreleases/15sept09_detox.shtml
Though, I don't think I'm quite at the stage to be admitted for detox. However, I do think I'm possibly at the stage where an intervention is needed.
So today at 3:45 (as I complete this post) I am tuning out and turning off anything that has to do with my computer. I may shake, I may sweat, I may go into actual withdrawls, but tonight I won't be cheating on my husband, tonight I will talk to him, I will watch a show with him, I will close my "window" and who knows...I might actually survive.
Every morning, as my youngest daughter watches Doo..Doo...Doo...Doo...Doo...Dora, I get my news via the Net. Today I see a human interest story: World's Priciest Dog Costs $582,135.
I couldn't help but scoff at the price tag. Now granted, the Tibetan Mastiff is a glorious dog. The article described it's face to that of the Cowardly Lion (I must agree). A Chinese woman by the name of Mrs Wang, purchased the dog while looking for a suitable peer to breed her current Mastiff. The pooch, black in color - is named, White Root.
White Root's life expectancy is 10-12 years. Which means that the new owner gets mister fluffy for a bargain price of about $58,000.00 a year. $58,000.00 a year will get you shedding on the furniture, shoveling poop, vomit on your Persian rugs, potty walks in the rain and drool on your favorite outfit.
Now to the irony: I am the proud owner of a Goldendoodle. A Goldendoodle our family paid $1500 for. A bargain price of $1500 - for a dog that is not even considered a breed. A dog that by purebred enthusiast - is nothing more than a mutt (at best). When the price tag was discussed among family, we were ashamed to admit what we paid for our fantastic puppy. What would people think? We come from a modest family. A family that would possibly spend a couple hundred dollars on a dog, but certainly not over a thousand. In-fact, they prefer shelter dogs. So, we lied. We said we got a great deal - that the breeder was taking a hit because of the economy. Shall I say, a little "White Root" lie. :-)
What you spend on a dog is all relative. I'm assuming that Mrs Wang's purchase was a drop in the bucket. We didn't feel $1500 was a great expense for our little guy (though, not a drop in a bucket either). Though, other's viewed it as unnecessary excess. So Mrs Wang - you enjoy your $58,000 a year Mastiff and I'll keep spoiling my $100 a year mutt!
To quote Mrs Wang, "Gold has a price, but this Tibetan mastiff doesn't."
"Ollie Doodle - The Magnificent Poodle" (our little song we sing to him)
(P.S. I am NOT in anyway opposed to Rescue animals. I was raised adopting. However, I have two small children, and animals are unpredictable - I was not willing to put my children at risk - so please no complaints about our choice in contacting a breeder - Thanks!)
 Though it is my intention to share with you stories of humility and my daily trails and tribulations as a Mother - occasionally I would like to give a shout out to my business, which helps put food on the table (and "feed" my Preppy habit)!!
Last month The Preppy Poppy started placing Fall/Halloween and Holiday goodies on the website (www.preppypoppy.com). You can now purchase Personalized Halloween Trick or Treat Bags, Personalized Fall Harvest T-Shirts, as well as Personalized Holiday Tutu Ensembles! We are adding new items each week. We started early, so that you could get a jump start on your Holiday shopping (wasn't that "nice" of us!).
Our Tutu outfits make an ordinary family photo extraordinary! Add some pizazz and character to your picture pose this year!
The Halloween Bags are silly-spooky and guaranteed to bring smiles at each door.
View our Girl bags on our site!
You will love the design of the detachable & wearable Halloween bow that we added to the bag this year!
Our Fall Harvest Personalized T-Shirt (as shown in picture above) is designed to be worn through Thanksgiving! That means your child can maximize the wear from September - November!
Help The Preppy Poppy attract 250 fans on Facebook and the ENTIRE month of October, receive 15% off your order AND discount shipping!!! Must be a Preppy Poppy Fan to qualify for the discount.You can start by clicking on the link below:
Thank you for shopping The Preppy Poppy, as always we appreciate your business!!
Yes, you heard it correct. The self professed germ freak, the women who wears hand sanitizer on her hip (not literally), is actually grateful for Swine Flu!
I'm going to admit something that is a bit embarrassing. I rarely cook for my family. Not because I can't, but because I just don't. I would prefer to run through the drive thru or order out. My husband's work schedule is crazy (we will leave that for another posting) and my kids are beyond picky eaters.
Which leads me to my point. As a self proclaimed germ freak (think Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets") the whole Swine Flu episode put me in a tizzy. Our community was hit with confirmed cases, schools closing and I...the women who feared sickness, was a nervous wreck.
My oldest daughter has had the flu twice, and each time she developed pneumonia. One reason this new strain of flu stressed me to no end. I didn't want to see my baby girl get sick, nor did I want to see her suffering and unable to breathe. So I went into (as what my husband and kids would call) "Super Germ Freak Mode", otherwise known as "SGFM".
I did what I had to do...I sent my husband out to the grocery store, with a list. Not just any list. A three page list. A list unlike anything you have ever seen. A list so long, the poor man had to get two carts in order to make it to the check out line. Why you ask? Because as the Swine Flu starting spreading throughout our community, my SGFM sent me into protection mode. It was time to stop eating out!!!! I armed my husband with a list so long, that we could have fed a bunker filled with 100 people for ten years. You might as why? Here is my rationalization for this: Sick person hands credit card to server, server touches my food, plate, drink glass, my credit card, or worse, server is sick...coughs in hands and then touches something my family is about to consume (I told you I was a freak). I simply couldn't allow this to happen.
For the last three weeks - this Mom, the self proclaimed germ freak. The woman who wears a fanny pack with 10 tubes of hand sanitizer (not literally, but you know the saying "there is truth to every joke) has cooked each and every night!
Now to lead with irony. Come to find out, the H1N1 virus was not as bad as anticipated. Still, I remain vigilant. I wash my hands 100 times a day (this is my normal routine, not because of the oink oink flu), use my hand sanitizer...but now...I have also taken the stance of not eating out (McDonalds phoned me yesterday to say that they have fallen into a recession, and they need their best customers back).
Avoid eating out....A phrase I never thought I would say...but this mother of two - has done just that. A mother who felt guilty for feeding her children junk, a mother who wondered why I couldn't get it together and make a meal for her family each night...is now an accomplished chef (okay, a bit exaggeration - considering I have made a frozen pizza a time or two).
Even though I have lifted the household ban of eating out - I find that I don't want to. I'm proud of myself - I'm proud of my family for sucking it up, and eating my less than stellar grub. I don't want to fall back into the old rut of relying on someone else to feed my family....So, we continue to eat at home, we continue to stuff our faces each night as a family... and me...Well, I continue to thank the Swine Flu for invading our community and scarring me into changing my ways.
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opportunity shopper!)
