Random find at Ross Dress for Less...

This dress was only $12-- yeah!

Catching up on Sunday morning...

Yes, I love the first day of school, but it also means WORK and READING. I think I am adjusted now and should be back for daily updates in the coming weeks.

My lovely car turned 4 on Wednesday! I only have about 42,000 miles on it. It is my first car. I bought it right after I graduated from college because I knew I was going to need a car in Indiana. It has worked out really well for me (except for doing a 360 on an icy hill in NH- nothing happened). Here's to many more years with my car!

My mother had a hysterectomy last Monday and came home on Thursday. I have been playing "Nurse LPP" and making sure she takes her medication on time and follows her diet. She is still in a lot of pain and I do not look forward to having that procedure someday.

That brings me to another point: I am living with my parents during the six weeks of classes. Yes, I am going away to see friends on weekends, but I am getting used to being asked what I am doing all the time and following their rules. It is nice to see them despite those minor inconveniences.

Pink and green wall of shame:

This water looked like a good option in a vending machine. I needed something with no caffiene, minimal calories, but not water (I get picky). This was the most disgusting tasting beverage I have had in a long time. However, it makes a pretty water bottle at the gym.

First Day of School- the biggest thrill of my life!

Patty:. Oh, I just love the first day of school, don’t you?
Rizzo:. It’s the biggest thrill of my life.

Rizzo is not very enthusiastic or genuine about her assertion, but I am! I love the nervous excitement and anticipation of the first day of school as both a student and a teacher. I am only 1/3 of the way through my day, but it has been great.

I woke up to an e-mail from the guy I dated from Sept-Feb. It was really nice, he never wanted to lose contact with me and sent me a nice little update on his life. The last e-mail I received from him was in February when he wanted to tell me he had started seeing someone else.

My Nobel Writers Literature class had 10 books assigned to read in 6 weeks. I was pleasantly surprised when the professor decided to knock 4 off the list! I was assigned to do a presentation on an interesting book with another woman in the class who seems to know what she is talking about. She is an English teacher. Almost everyone is an English teacher, I am the minority as a history teacher, but I think my knowledge of history will be important for all the books we read.

I have found a great table outside to have my lunch and blog. The only problem is that people have started to smoke around me and I need to move because I do not like secondhand smoke.

I have six more hours of class to go... wish me luck!

New England bound

I am in New England for six weeks seeing my parents and taking some graduate courses. I went to my lovely little town library and thought I saw someone I recognized; however, I checked the monogram on their bag and it was not who I thought it was. Ah... this is what I love about New England... the beautiful town greens, everyone driving Volvos/ Subarus, cute little preppy kids, and everyone with their monogrammed apparel!

Overexercisers Anonymous

Yesterday, I walked for 2 hours, did a 1.5 hour Budakon class, and then went hiking on hilly terrain for 3 hours. This morning I woke up with what I call an "exercise hangover". In other words, I could barely move, but still went to walk with my friend and do Pilates AND yoga today! I think I will take a break for the rest of the day. A friend just called and wanted to go out for Indian food to celebrate her husband's new job. Her husband is going to teach across the hall from me- yeah!

I have no other news to report, except that my Pilates teacher's 41 year old aunt just found out she is 31 weeks pregnant. She thought she was going through the "change of life." Surprise!

Have a good weekend, everyone!

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Boo and Hooties Mom for winning the giveaway. I used a random number generator to generate a number 1-16 and came up with 3!

Please e-mail me at lepetitprep (at) hotmail.com to claim your prize.

The dinner party last night went without a hitch. I have such nice friends here. We dined and then played games--Boggle, If Book, and Balderdash.

I just returned from my walk and am about to go to Advanced Yoga. I am attending a good-bye barbecue for some friends that are leaving this school and going to a school near Boston. E (who is leaving) has been my best friend here since I arrived. We both went to boarding school in New England and similar small liberal arts colleges. It is strange--she wanted to go to my boarding school, but did not get in and I wanted to go to her college, but did not get in. It is funny that we finally crossed paths here. She is an avid Lilly fan, excellent athlete, crafter, listens to the same music that I do, and an excellent teacher. We coached the field hockey team together, but more importantly help each other out a lot. Her husband does not work at the school, but he has also become a close friend. I am thrilled for their opportunity and know that we will always be close.

Last day for Lilly Pay-It-Forward giveaway...

Make sure you enter for a chance to win in the Pay-it-forward giveaway. I will pick the winner late tonight and post it tomorrow morning.

Thank you all for making my birthday special. Keep commenting on my ordinary posts as well... I will try to keep them interesting. Dinner was great. I had a seafood risotto and a fresh salad. I spend a cold, rainy Father's Day on the Cape with my parents. We were at my cousin's graduation party. Driving out there brought back memories of family trips. We would always go to the Cape to Truro with one other family. My mother would bring the three kids in my family and the other mom brought her daughter, the dads stayed home and worked. My sister and I would insist on wearing matching outfits (even a lot of pink and green) each day and dressing my little brother up in whatever we could find. The house we would rent would be "upside down." The bedrooms were downstairs and we walked upstairs to the kitchen and living room. We thought the outdoor shower was quite possibly the coolest thing ever. We went out to the Cape once when we were really little and bought pink dresses at a children's boutique. My sister and I always begged to wear our pretty pink "Gape God" dresses. Wow, what memories...

I returned to PA on Monday. My friend and I had plans to play tennis, but there were thunderstorms and I cooked dinner instead. I cooked parmesan tilapia, asparagus, and basmati rice. He brought over a nice wine, a birthday present, and a movie to watch. This "friend" and I always have very romantic dinners together, but nothing has ever happened. I think he is shy with me, but that is OK. I went "gaga" over Gaga's original lemon. I served it for dessert with berries.

I walked this morning and then went to the gym to do spinning and rowing. Working out with other people makes it go SO fast... Tonight, in honor of my father's cooking, I am making his favorite "Million Dollar Spaghetti" for some of my friends who are still around on campus.

26 Candles and a giveaway

Today, I turn 26! I am going out to breakfast, driving back to Connecticut to have dinner here with my family, and going to Cape Cod on Sunday for a family gathering on Father's day.

I do not (at the present moment) have any deep reflections on turning 26. I had a wonderful time being 25. I lost weight, dated a great guy from September to February, did well in graduate school last summer, improved in skiing/ running, remained close with my family, and developed a niche teaching middle school. I hope 26 can be just as good or better.

To celebrate my birthday on the blog, I would like to do a giveaway. I purchased some unique things at the Lilly sale yesterday and will give them away to a lucky commenter on this post. There is a Frisbee and three adorable mini Lilly dresses on hangers to use as Christmas ornaments or whatever you please. Meg was so nice in her pay it forward giveaway, I thought I would give a preppy blog reader to have some different Lilly things to supplement (or start) their collection.

Start commenting and the winner will be chosen on Tuesday night!

Back from the Lilly jungle...

To begin, I am usually very conservative with my money and I do not want to seem as if I went overboard on my latest shopping spree. I lost about 25 pounds this school year and none of my old stuff fits me anymore; therefore, I needed to buy some new clothes. Of course, I also stocked up on gifts as well!

First, a pair of really cute capris. I LOVE the pink and green!
Very cute bermuda shorts...
Cute giraffe skirt... at least there are tall creatures on my under five foot body.
I hate to get khakis from Lilly, but these fit just right.
The yellow pair would have been lonely if I had just bought the pants in khaki...

These wall hangings were very nice. The one on the left is for my good friend whose prep school mascot is the zebra.Belated Mother's Day present:
Cute coasters for the sister's birthday:
My brother and dad are going to be so cool in their Lilly boxers...
So, that was my day in the pink and green jungle of the Lilly sale. It was fun to see what everyone was wearing and the other shoppers were very nice. Next sale is in November!

Tagged by Kappa Prep!

1. What were you doing ten years ago?
I had just finished my sophomore year at boarding school, about to turn 16, completely uninterested in getting my license, completely interested in a boy I had met that year, ready to go to camp in Maine, ice hockey, and lacrosse camps for the summer, starting to look at colleges, and missing all of my school friends.

2. What 5 things are on your to-do list for today?
1) 6 AM walk with E and A
2) 9:30 AM Advanced Yoga
3) Pay renter's insurance
4) Order books for graduate school this summer
5) Write thank you notes for teacher gifts

3. Snacks you enjoy?
dried apricots, string cheese, Baked Cheetos, Trader Joe's fruit and nut bars, Fudgeicles

4. Places you've lived?
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania

5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1) Obtain another advanced degree
2) Buy a house on the waterfront
3) Donate money to schools that are important to me
4) Ensure that my family was comfortable
5) Take a trip for an extended period of time to New Zealand? Asia? South America?

New favorite summer salad dressing

Summer makes me crave fruits, veggies, and salads like nothing else! I just found the perfect salad dressing at Fresh Market. I added it to fresh baby lettuces, low-fat crumbled bleu cheese, and strawberries for an amazing salad for lunch.

Maine Goodness

I was the lucky recipient of Maine goodness from Megan in Maine's pay it forward giveway. Let me briefly touch upon my history with LL Bean... Most of my mom and dad's wardrobes are full of LL Bean items. I remember them in their puffy Bean's vests and sweaters for many winters and in the mesh polos during the summers. Of course, they had matching winter boots as well. My fascination with the place began while going to camp in Maine. We would always stop in Freeport to see the trout pond, shop for camp necessities, and bask in the glory of a company with remarkable products and excellent customer service. Now, as an adult, LL Bean is my go to place for my collection of cable knit sweaters, preppy belts, polos, hiking boots, cool shoes, flip flops, workout clothes, non-iron oxfords, and much more!
I opened it up to see a beautifully monogrammed pink Boat and Tote bag. I love the green Meg chose to accent the pink.


I was in awe of the goodies that were inside. The boat and tote notepad was so cute and will look perfect on my desk at school. Blueberry lip balm will keep my lips yummy all summer. The pine scented candle reminds me of summers at camp in Maine. The ribbon belt was something I had picked out for myself and will look really nice with khakis this summer. I needed another magnet. This one will help me get through the winters while dreaming of summers in Maine. The maple lobster candy is so cute and will be a welcome treat. I am also dying to try the chocolate covered cranberries and the mints. Yum! Last but not least, the lobster mug is so cute and will be ideal for ice cream a cup of tea. Meg also wrote me a cute note on some preppy stationary.

Thank you, Megan in Maine for making my week!

Readers- Look forward to my pay it forward giveaway coming soon!

Why I have not been blogging for a week...

Thursday
- I gave the history exam and proceeded to sit down with 53 writing intensive exams without correcting a single one... I did, however, look over the extra credit Haikus I had the students write on each exam. I told them the Haiku had to be about how much they enjoyed my class... they were very cute to read!

Friday
- I laid outside with the said exams and corrected! I also was slightly sunburned by this experience. I always think lacrosse game=sunblock, beach= sunblock, I need to start thinking correcting exams outside= sunblock! The other dorm parent and I took the seniors that help us run the dorm out to dinner. We went to a great pizza place in town and truly pigged out! I had a salad and a slice of pizza, but also picked at the buffalo chicken strips and jalepeno poppers (something new I tried). I rushed off to the Middle School Graduation. The girls looked beautiful in their white dresses. I was the only teacher to have taught every 8th grader. I went back to change quickly for the party and a 7th grader came to my apartment with a little blue box in hand with...

this was such a pleasant surprise and is quite the reward for working very hard with this student. I continued to dance the night away with the 8th graders!

Saturday
- I slept in for the first time in forever and then went running. I helped the girls clean out the dorm and we had our parent-senior award dinner. I think the school gives too many awards and that the awards would be more meaningful if there were fewer of them. Oh well!

Sunday
- It was HOT! I was not so thrilled to be dressed in black academic regalia under the blazing, hot sun; however, the ceremony was short and we had an interesting speaker (a Congressman). After the ceremony, I said good-bye to all the girls I helped raise over the year (another post about this). There were a lot of tears because many of them have become very attached to the dorm and to our lives together. It is always strange not to hear the little pitter patter of feet upstairs or the knocks on the door to bake banana bread. I made an artichoke dip:

1 can of artichokes
1 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup freshly grated parmasean cheese
2/3 cup powdered parmasean cheese
2 cloves of garlic
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until brown and bubbly)

Whenever I bring this dip to a party it is gone within 15 minutes. I was off to an end of the year party at the librarian's house. People were enjoying "letting off steam" and it was very fun.

Monday
- Our headmaster started off our end of the year meeting asking "Did you all get baked on Sunday?". He meant by the sun...ha! He is retiring and basically used the meeting to tell all his favorite stories from 23 years at the school. We ended early and I was off to the gym. I went to a double baby shower for two teachers' wives who no one really knows. It was a bit awkward because of that, but it was fun watching them open up the gifts. Of course, I am excited for more babies on campus. On Monday night, some young faculty members have started a tradition of a "College Party" complete with a keg, pizza, and drinking games. An older faculty member came, but his girlfriend was actually in college (40 year old dating a 19 year old- different!). We had a great time!

Tuesday
- I had to finish correcting exams, doing grades, and writing comments for all my dear students. I went to the gym and then to the headmaster's end of the year party. I wore my reversible Lilly skirt on the side with margaritas! The meal was great- garlic mashed potatoes, steak, salad, cheesecake...

Wednesday
- I had a Middle School Meeting and then submitted my grades. After a workout, I passed out of exhaustion. I had a girls night to watch Sex and the City. We had dinner and cosmos here. As for the movie, I LOVED it! I will write a full review later once all of America has seen it.

Thursday
- I woke up to a lovely package from Megan in Maine. She did an impeccable job shopping at LL Bean. I will share pictures on Saturday. I drove to CT to see my sister who is going to be home for a wedding this weekend. It will be a short trip because I have to drive back to PA for the headmaster's retirement party on Saturday night. I am realizing the $4 gas in PA is a bargain compared to CT!

So, there are some snippets of my life... back to daily blogging... promise!