Butter! Part 2

A pretty package was delivered yesterday!

Wow, they really keep my product safe!

Another cute wrapper. It's actually a baggie that has been wrapped around the polish and closed with the classy sticker!

"No More Waity, Katie"

Bad pictures... it looks gray but it's really a shimmery purplie blue.

I think I like it. It's different from what I usually wear but I can see this as a fun alternative.

What Preppy means to me....

This post has been circulating in my head for a few weeks now. I've only just gotten the guts/ inspiration to write it down.

I'm interested to see what others agree with/add to/disagree with.

What Preppy Means To Me...

• First and foremost, Manners. Being able to conduct yourself properly in society and Society.
• Limit the potty mouth/cussing. Not very becoming and shows lazy use of Language.
• Looking polished in whatever you wear, whether it's a formal dress to a gala or an oxford and khakis to the market.
• Modesty... both in behavior and apparel. Nobody wants to see it so keep it to yourself!
• Traditions!
• Being ready for anything and any occasion (yes, I was a Girl Scout at one point as well!)
• Being girly and all those goes with it.
• But on the other hand, do not afraid to get your hands dirty (or manicure chipped).
• Being involved in the community, at church, at school, etc.
• Having hobbies/athletic pursuits that one is passionate about.
• Quality over quantity (this could mean many different things).
• Being educated (in all sense of the word).
• Respect/Admiration for elders
• Interest or at least knowledge of family ancestry.
• Having a personality (nobody wants a stiff at their next cocktail party).
• Graciousness towards others and self.
• Giving back financially to schools, churches, events, programs, etc.
• Can mix a great cocktail (great addition!)
• In terms of clothing, classics that will never go out of style (and of course a little pink and green in there somewhere for good measure)!
• Headbands, Ribbons, and Barrettes.

I'm sure I'll be adding to this as I think of things but these are the things I value in regards  to this lifestyle we all love!

What do you think?

An award... Yippee!

Elizabeth at That Short Blonde Girl has bestowed a mighty nice honor... The Stylish Blogger Award. I know I am repeating myself when I say I am honored. I've been a fan of her blog for a while now (being a fellow petite and all) so I am so excited to accept this award!

Here are seven things about myself:

1. I read The Boston Globe every Sunday.

     The Globe has been apart of my household my whole life. My dad read both the daily and Sunday Globe and I would steal it as soon as he was done with it. He instilled in me a love for reading, and of course, The Boston Globe.

2. I love Target!

     Love is actually an understatement. I swear, I must go there at least once a week, whether it's to pick up something real quick or just take a quick walk through. I can always find fun, stylish, and practical things.

3. My hubby and I are college sweethearts!

     Mr. S and I met his freshman year of college because our work study jobs were next door to each other. It took almost a full year before anything developed, but I am so thankful for my Student Activities job! Our 10th year of dating is this April and we'll be celebrating 5 years of marriage this June :)

4. I want to join my "local" Junior League.

      I've been researching the Junior League since Hopsy at Monograms and Manicures mentioned it (2009/2010?). The only problem is the most local chapter is located either in Boston (30 minutes away) or Worcester (15 miles from work; 45 miles from home). I have a request in to them for information but I don't know what will come of it since I live so far away. I wish there was a NH chapter! It would be more convenient!

5. I'm currently working on my M.A.T in English.

     As a teacher, it is important to continue learning and growing as a professional. I'm working towards this degree because it will also help me gain a professional license, which helps in terms of seniority and pay. I also love to learn and love talking about literature. It's a win-win.

6. I listen to alternative music.

     I love Boston's WFNX. It plays awesome music like Foster The People, The Black Keys, Adele, Deathcab for Cutie, and others.

7. I'm picking up tennis this summer.

     My town's recreation department holds lessons every summer for adults on the town courts. This year I'm going to sign up. I'm very excited to add another sport to my skill set.

I would like to pass on this award to five new blogs I've enjoyed following recently...

1. A Little Bit of This & That

2. Confessions of a Teenage Political Queen

3. Hoosier in Pearls

4. Pink Maple

5. Teaching in Heels

Please stop by and say hello to these lovely ladies!

For those who were tagged, please....

1. Link back and thank the person that gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 5 recently discovered blogs.
4. Contact them and tell them about their award.

Giveaways!!!!

Two awesome giveaways on two of the newer blogs I follow. Def. check them out. Very preppy and girly!

Hoosier in Pearls - giving away a Smathers and Branson key fob.

These are a few of my favorite off the website!

Greenwich Plaid

Bulldog!

There's also a cute golf cart on that I want to buy for Mr. S (or maybe just for me!)

***

Another awesome giveaway is at How Sweet It Is

This sweetie is giving away a personalized Tervis tumbler

With so many options, how could you not enter!

***

Nothing really new on the home front. This past week and the next two are state testing, so things have been a little crazy/stressful. Luckily I've taken up a new fitness routine and I'm not letting the stress get to me! More about that later.... hope everyone has a super (and hopefully Pink and Green) weekend.

A-Z

I stole this A-Z questionnaire that has been circulating various blogs from LoneStarPrep. I hope you enjoy learning about me as much as I've enjoyed learning about all of you!

A-Age:  29 (I'm getting so old!)

B-Bed size:  Queen!
Enough room to spread out but close enough to cuddle :-)

C-Chore you hate:  Laundry! It never goes away!!!

D-Dogs: I grew up with Labs and Beagles but my heart belongs to our English bulldog, Rosie.

E-Essential start to your day:  Brush and Floss, Clinique 3 Step, Mascara,  and SPF.

F-Favorite Color:  Pink and Green (together or separate)

G-Gold or Silver:  Gold

H-Height: I'm a shortie... 5'3''

I-Instruments you play:  Trumpet in elementary and middle school

Bells in high school

J-Job title:  Middle school English teacher

K-Kids:  Not yet, but hopefully soon!

L-Live:  New England

M-My mom's name:  Mom's have names?!?!

N-Nickname:  KStar, Tin (short for Kristin), Higga (my maiden name shorten)

O-Overnight hospital stay:  No... and I'm not looking forward to that day/night!

P-Pet Peeve:  So many to choose from; if I had to choose one I guess it would be people who drive and talk on their cells (but can't do both at the same time!)

Q-Quote from a movie: Another tough one; Anything from "The Hangover".

R-Right/Lefty:  Righty

S-Sibling: "Little" brother... he'll be 26 in May!

T-Time you wake up: too early! I usually wake up around 5:30 and I'm out the door by 6 because I have a 45 minute commute to my school :(

U-Underwear: Vital! 

V-Veggies you dislike:  Anything really mushy like spinach.

W-What makes you run late:  My husband!

X-Xrays you have had:  Both arms and teeth

Y-Yummy food you make:  New England Pot Roast, Beef Stew, Chicken Parm, Scones

Z-Zoo animal:  Not really into zoos...so I guess any would work.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little more! Thanks for visiting :)

Giveaway alert!

If you haven't visited ROS yet, what are you waiting for?!?!?! He is celebrating his 100th post (congrats!!!) by doing a little giveaway...adorable and super preppy coozies! You get to choose between a Lilly or a Vineyard coozie, but the deadline is tomorrow. Good luck!!!

Monday night!

Every Monday night from 8-10, I join my girlfriends at our local Margarita's for Stump Trivia!

For those who have never played,  the dj/trivia master guides teams through 4 rounds of trivia. Each round has four questions and as a group you decide how many points you want to earn if you get the questions right. There are also bonus games between each round (for example, between the 1st and 2nd round there is the picture round, where you have to label the pictures of musicians, cartoon characters, etc) . Trivia questions range from movies, music, sports, literature, rocks (yes, we had a rock category one week), and anything else you can think of.

We do a pretty good job. Our team (Team Uh-Oh!) usually finishes in the top three, except for last week where we had our first place win! Our team each got a coupon for a free appetizer and some fun swag from a promotional night they had recently.

If you have a trivia program near you, I highly suggest it. We always have a blast and it is a great way to start the week :)

The Romantics (and not the poets!)

This past summer, I saw this novel at my local bookseller in the section "Coming to the Big Screen". I bought the book but didn't think about it again until I got my J.Crew catalog with the cast of the movie featured. I then devoured the book in a weekend.

Don't they look adorable?

The movie was a limited release with the closest showing in Boston or Newton, MA. I never ended up at either location during the limited schedule.

The movie came out on DVD last month and I've already watched it twice. I love the music, costumes, and location of the film. This is a movie I'll be purchasing soon and adding to my library.

If you haven't read the book, I highly suggest it. I've read it at least three times. While the movie is not an exact match in terms of the plot, I did like what they did with it.

 

One of my favorite songs from the movie

Butter!

     So I have a bit of a nail polish obsession. Right now I'm wearing Lavender Creme, which is a Miami pink (what my friends call it). I felt like a change so I bought it on a whim (I think it's a drug store brand...Wet and Wild?!?!) and I really like it (in moderation).


     My favorite brand is called Butter. It has a cute bottle, goes on thin, and lasts for a long time (at least a week, and I'm always washing my hands/putting on hand sanitizer).

Dahling

Blowing Raspberries

The top two are my favorite! I use Dahling most weeks (I'm a creature of habit, of course!) and Blowing Raspberries is my going out color.

 The two below are on their way to my home :-)

No More Waity, Katie (their special nail color in honor of the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton!)

Yummy Mummy, which they claim looks good on all skin colors.

The best part about Butter nail polish is that it's 3 free (without Fomaldehyde, Toluene and DBP) so not only are they beautiful colors but they are healthy colors.

What is your favorite brands/color of nail polish?

Firecracker Burgers...Yum!

My favorite grilling meal is Firecracker Burgers! Mr. S does the grilling (of course) but I get to make the actual burgers, which is very fun because you have to mix the ingredients in the hamburg. Reminds me of play-dough days! I got the recipe from my two favorites, Ashley and Ms. McCormick, the spice maker.

You can find the recipe on the back of the Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne Pepper) container but I'll save you a step by posting the recipe here.

Firecracker Burgers (makes 4 medium size patties)

Mix 1 lb ground beef, 1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I use the dried onion since I don't always have onions on hand), 1 tbsp parsley flakes, 1/2 tsp of garlic salt, 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp of ground red pepper. Shape into four hamburger patties. Grill over medium heat 10 minutes or until cooked through, turning once.

Tonight we had petite peas and garlic egg noodles for sides. My mother-in-law taught me to always have a starch and a veggie with your protein.

Hope you enjoy the recipe. I know my family does :-)

Making Me Smile...

Pastel M&M's

My Pink Netbook

Another love... tea!!!

Lavender Pearls

L.L. Bean Totes (My monogram is in Pink with the Green bottom and handles)

It's a tough time of year.... state testing, rumor mill in full swing at work about next year's positions/teaming, and trying to patiently wait for the ground to thaw so we can break out the golf clubs and tennis rackets!

What are you looking forward to/making you smile today?

Book Review- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

My co-worker recommended this book to me, and since she had it in her personal library, I decided to give it a try. I remember trying to read it when it first came out back in 2005 but couldn't get into it. I should have remember that because I had the same feeling this time around when I read it this past week.

Basic premise: Lee, a Midwesterner, arrives to the East Coast to attend Massachusetts boarding school, Ault School. The novel follows Lee through her four years of high school at Ault, each chapter representing a period represented by year and season (Junior Fall for example).

My hope was that as Lee continued her time at Ault, she would develop into a different version of herself: into a confident, happy, social young woman. Instead I find her the same person (and how do characters not develop? Especially during high school?) and I would compare her to Belle Swan (for all those Twilight series readers out there). Lee seems trapped in a one dimensional world, and she often views others around her in a one dimensional way. Character development is missing and it is hard to fall in love with the characters.

The only reason while I continued reading (plowing might be a better term) was to be redeemed at the end. Instead the ending felt flat and anti-climactic.

I give it half a headband (out of three headbands), my preppy rating system.

*Note: Keep in mind that I'm not a critic by occupation but instead just lover of books* 

I'm interested to hear your opinion of this book. Please let me know if you agree or if I'm off base, which I totally could be! Read the above note ;-)

Hope everyone has a terrific weekend!

Winner!!!!

     First of all, thank you so much to all those who commented, followed, and posted about T&CP and my first giveaway! I feel so blessed to know that there are people out there interested in the same things I am. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here we go:

And now the time we've been waiting for:

Congrats Preppy Lane!!!!



Land's End-Spring 2011

     My Land's End catalog arrived last week and I just got around to looking through it. Boy, am I excited about a few pieces! Here are some shots:

The Fine Gauge Cardigan (you can never have too many!)

Roll Sleeve Pop-Over

Stretch Boot-Cut Chinos (you can never have enough of these as a teacher)

Poplin Skirt (I can see me wearing this at Sunday brunch)

For those interested, Land's End is doing a special sale (today only!!!), 30% off any one item you choose!

Also, I'll be posting the winner of the Three Designing Women notepad and custom stamp giveaway tonight at 8pm! Congrats to the winner and thanks to all those new and old readers :-)

Happy Ash Wednesday!

Wishing everyone a Happy Ash Wednesday!

I'm eating my one full meal today in a few minutes then off to Mass to receive my ashes.

I hate going at night because I like to wear my ashes all day (Random fact: I'm very shy so it makes me go outside my comfort zone to wear them on my forehead for all to see) but there aren't any churches that work in my extremely early teaching schedule. Oh well! At least Rosie will see them when I get home :-)

This year I chose a very challenging thing to give up: Gossip.

This means none shall pass my lips and I will not read or watch any gossip as well (Goodbye, People.com!!!)

I'm doing something different this year in terms if or when I slip up. I usually give a certain amount of money each time I slip up and do the thing I gave up. This year I've set a dollar amount that I want to give to a charity (Yet to be named. Any suggestions?).  Every time I gossip or read/watch gossip, I have to take away 25 cents from that amount, with the goal being that I give as close (if not all) to that amount as possible.

*Friendly reminder: My awesome giveaway (the package just came in yesterday and the notepads are really cute... brown and blue on one and pink and green on the other!) ends tonight. I will post the lucky reader tomorrow afternoon*

Maine! A recap of Sunday's trip...

Welcome to York!

First stop: Flo's Hot Dogs. A must have. I order it just with the special sauce, but you can order it any way you like :-)

Doesn't look like much on the outside... you may even drive right by it the first time by accident!

Next stop: A walk along Marginal Way (too much snow this time but we will next time we visit in the Spring).

Then on to Perkins Cove!

Cute fishing cottages turned into shops!

I have my eye on this one. I'll be back when it opens for the season.

Sea Glass anyone?

My favorite two places in the area... so nice!

Great shot of Rosie and Mr. S

"Nubble Light"

Where Mr. S proposed 8 years ago

Isn't that cute! A St. Patrick Lobster Trap Tree :-)

Finally, no visit to York and the surrounding are is complete without Stonewall Kitchen.

Thanks for joining me on my visit to Southern Maine!