Recent Preppy Purchases

Lately I have found some great items. I went into my local Winners (which is the Canadian version of Ross) and came across a wonderful smorgasbord of pink and green items:

I found some monogrammed note cards (because really, one can't have too many), a pink towel with green palm trees (channeling my Florida past again), a TH preppy quilt (it will fit in perfectly in my pink and green room back at school), and a pack of face towels (which I use for the gym). I couldn't believe I manage to find so many pink goodies. It definitely made my day.

Because my father was making a trip down to FL to help my brother move, I decided to take full advantage and do some online shopping. I mailed the goodies to my brother's house and anxiously awaited my father's return:

The flip flops, paper goods, striped tote, and dress key chain are all Lilly Pulitzer (my first Lilly items!), the palm loafers are By Paige, and the grey Medium Shopper Tote and pompom shoes are Kate Spade (aren't the shoes simply darling!?). Oh how I love happy summer accessories to liven up my wardrobe, and I refuse to put them away until the snow comes pouring down. But honestly, I think pink transcends through the seasons.

My New Love, My New Life, My New Macbook Pro

Dear MacBook Pro,

How I love your new, sleek aluminum frame and your bright, vivid screen.  How I love how your Internet actually works, unlike your older Dell brother.  You make me happy.  Please be kind to me.

Sincerely,

Your New Mommy

Shopping Success at Last!

So even though I did not manage to take advantage of the great sale at RueLaLa, I did succumb to some retail-therapy via Piperlime and Under the Palm Tree. This leads to a necessary confession: I have never purchased anything Lilly before! Scandalous, I know. However, I just attempted to make up for my void with the following purchases:

Dry Erase Board (I will definitely be posting this on my door back at school)

Cabanarama Sticky Notes ( I have a post-it obsession)

Largo Skirt in What's Your Sign McKim Sandal
Cabana Stripe Tote

And lastly, I bought those pink flamingo needlepoint shoes. I just know they will make me smile every time I look down at my feet.

I'm so excited to be able to add a little more pink and green (and Lilly!) into my life. And even though pink and green is not exactly the color comination of choice in Canada (my roommates actually make fun of me when I wear it), I will wear my colors with pride! I can't wait to receive my orders!

Sad Shopping News

So after finally narrowing down my selection on Ruelala and triple-checking that my address was correct, I click "purchase", only to have my purchase rejected with no explanation. I proceeded to call customer service, desperate to get my hands on those green Tory Burch sandals and Marc Jacobs pumps, only to learn that my Canadian credit card is no good! Even though I was shipping my goods to my brother's house in FL, apparently the payment must also come from the United States. Now I am so very sad. Bye bye, Tory and Marc. I feel like we could have been such good friends.

On a happy note: I did end up purchasing the pink flamingo and palm needlepoint shoes, and an Apple Store is opening in Ottawa (first ever!) this weekend. So it appears I will soon be purchasing my laptop, as well.

Current Preppy Cravings

Now that I finally got my income tax return, I can finally purchase some of the items I have been jonesing for:

• So my current Dell laptop has been less-than friendly lately. It's time it be replaced by a MacbookPro. I've had a Mac before, but switched to a PC for university, assuming it would be easiest. Of course we all know what happens when we assume.... Needless to say, I am ready to become a loyal Mac user once again.
  



• I am an absolute headband addict. I swear, there is a paranormal force that pulls me towards them. While I already have a pretty hefty collection, there have been a couple that I've had my eye on for quite a while.

Tucker Blair

Southern Proper

• I stumbled upon these needlepoint shoes from By Paige, and I think they are absolutely darling.

• It's been a while since I bought a new watch. I have loved this Lacoste one from the moment I saw it, but considering the absolutely awful luck I seem to have with my watches, I'm thinking I may have to go the thrifty route and buy a cute pink Anne Klein watch instead.
  
  

For a rose by any other name...

DW and I were lucky enough to experience sun last week. Although it was a tad chilly and overcast, we ventured out and hit the regular Ottawa tourist sites (it was her first visit to our nation's capitol since her grade-school days). Along with another friend from school, we first visited the beautiful rose garden at the Governor-General's house. Apparently we showed up too late because the roses had been at their best the day before. However, they were still positively gorgeous, and I loved the bright and cheerful colors:

And of course, we had to use the scenery for an impromptu photo shoot:

We then made our way to the Royal Canadian Mint, to see where collectible Canadian coins and a whole slew of other nations' coins are produced. We also had the opportunity to pick up a real gold brick (and at over 20 lbs, it made me re-evaluate all of those classic bank theft films. I now find it inconcievable that one could walk out of a vault carrying a duffle bag full of gold bricks).

We were drawn to the Kodak picture-spots:

With a final trip to a local coffee shop for non-fat vanilla lattes, it turned out to be a truly splendid day. In two weeks one of my friend's from FL will be visiting, so I will have to plan another tourist-friendly visit of Ottawa. I only hope the weather improves from its current state (rain rain go away!).

Happy Belated National Holidays!

It has been an incredible last couple of days. My bff DW, who I have not seen in months, came in to Ottawa to visit me for the weekend. Wednesday we met up with others from our school for the official Canada Day celebration. It was the best Canada Day I have ever had. We began with a free Chamber Orchestra concert at the National Arts Centre, continued with a walk through Parliament Hill, had a BBQ back at my house, and finished the day off with a free celebratory concert of Canadian musicians at the Hill with featured guest Sarah McLachlan and fireworks.

And to the vast majority of bloggers out there who come from the United States, Happy Independence Day!!! I hope you all had a lovely day, even if the celebratory colors were red, white and blue, not green and pink. I suppose we all have to sacrifice our favored colour scheme every once and a while.