What I Wore Wednesday

One of my favorite things about "preppy" clothes is that they never go out of style.  I love that I can mix and match pieces that I have purchased over the years and still put together a great outfit.  It is great to have classic clothes that transcend the trends and never look tired.  Today's outfit:

The mirror looks super dirty!  I think it is because I just used dry shampoo (after actually washing and conditioning my hair...it is great for volume).



The cardigan is a soft violet from Ann Taylor - a v-neck.  It was $14.88 on sale with an additional 40% off last year.  I bought it in three other colors and consider those three sweaters the best purchases I have ever made on sale.  I was super proud of the deal; they were all originally over $70 each.  Good job, Coach!

Underneath the sweater is a plain white cami from J. Crew. 

The pants are from Banana Republic.  I am not sure when I bought them, but they fit so well!  They are the Ryan fit, which I can barely find anymore.

The shoes, ah yes, the shoes.  They are THE BEST shoes I have ever worn.  Cole Haan Air Tali Wedges in the silver.  I got them in black with patent leather toes and I absolutely need another pair.  The patent leather toes are a bit tight, whereas the silver are all the same material and amazing.  They have Nike Air insoles, which make them all the better!  I never wear my orthotics with them because it is totally unnecessary! 

The scarf is a Loft infinity scarf that I purchased for myself right before Christmas.  It is gray with silver threads throughout.  Jewelry is a standard for me: either diamonds or pearls.  Today I wore my diamond earrings and silver necklace with my daughter's name and baby footprints. 

:-) Fun times with a timeless outfit!

At Least Monday TV is good!

Monday has the best lineup for shows I watch.  Thank goodness for DVR because three of my Monday shows are at the same time.  How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars are three of the shows I watch and all three are Monday at 8:00 on three different channels! 

I am currently blogging and catching up on PLL.  I have never read the books; I only watch the show.  I am not a 13-year-old girl, but I still love it. 

How I Met Your Mother is hysterical.  I wish it was on for an hour, rather than just 30 minutes!  Gossip Girl is getting ridiculous, but I will still continue to watch until I deem it too over-the-top.  I nixed Grey's Anatomy a few years ago because it got too ridiculous.

In other news, I am still not used to living in my house.  I just woke my husband from definite REM sleep because I heard a "bump."  Maybe I am 13 after all!

:-)

Fitness Lust List

I had such a great spin class this morning at NYSC!  I am excited that I can get back to weekend spin classes, now that I have a little more time on my hands at the conclusion of basketball season.  After a great 8:15 a.m. "Super Spin" class, I have a few things I would LOVE to have for the next holiday/occasion.  I would not, at all, be insulted to get workout accessories as a gift.  Here's what I am hoping for:

1) White Cycling Shoes (These are from iO).  I like this look and I am a huge fan of white sneakers (or tennis shoes, if you will).  I have two pairs of gray sneakers, but I prefer white and would like to invest in white cycling shoes.  I won't be riding any real trails, so they'll stay pristine.

 

2) A White Heart Rate Monitor (Polar) Notice a trend?  I love white workout gear (not tops - - - they would yellow in time).

3) A Pink Squirt Water Bottle.
I had a cute blue one, but it disappeared.  Pink would not get lost!

Those three items would be killer!  The pink water bottle is a measly $5, so I probably should just order it, but I am lazy in the online shopping department sometimes.  I need the instant gratification of a purchase in my hands when I lay out the money.  That's why Zappos is awesome! 

Enjoy the weekend!!!

Fun Facts Friday

I have been reading a lot of different blogs lately (OK for a while) and everyone has Wordless Wednesdays, or other weekday themes.   A blog I really love reading, Monograms and Manicures, has Friday Five of things she is loving/using that week.  This week, she is looking for mint green jeans - - - so am I!  I want a matching pair for my little lady and I for St. Paddy's!  Anyway, I think I will institute Fun Facts Friday.  Maybe it will last, maybe it won't.  Since today is the 24th, I will list 24 today.  Here goes:

24.  24 is my little brother's football number - - - it used to be his number in everything, but since he's only a sophomore on varsity basketball (yep, I am bragging), he wore 12 because someone else already had 24.  Maybe next year.

23.  For as long as I can remember, Michael Jordan has been my favorite celebrity, HANDS DOWN.  I used to write essays in fifth grade about him.  I knew everything about him (like that he had a birthday that just passed).  I still retain a lot of that information.

22. I love Jay-Z and Beyonce's baby name.  Call it weird all you want.  It's cool.

21. Dora the Explorer annoys me to the core.  My daughter loves it.

20.  I met my husband coaching basketball.

19.  I did not talk to him the first time we met.

18.  I got a tattoo at 18 that I deeply regret.

17.  I was (and am) a Britney fan, which probably caused the tattoo.  It is a sunflower.

16.  I have one of the ugliest kitchens in America and want to enter one of those contests to have it made over because I am overwhelmed by it.

15.  My sister is an actress, model, and singer.  A lot of her music is about Harry Potter.

14.  14 was/is my number.

13.  I used to be really superstitious about things.  By used to, I mean it lasted until about this year.

12.  I am Greek, Irish, English, and Dutch - - - 1/2 Greek.

11. My daughter's middle name is my late grandmother's name, Katherine.  There were about five different ways it was spelled on a lot of her documents.  She went with Kathryn, but I liked Katherine and it was on a lot of her early papers.

10.  My mom, a few of my female cousins, and I share the middle name, Lynn.  I don't know where it came from...probably just sounded good.

9.  I do not understand why kids on Yo Gabba Gabba all have strange names when they "like to dance."

8.  I used to be able to recite Billy Madison and Forrest Gump from start to finish.

7. My husband loves the Backstreet Boys.  I have gone to see them five times.  When I went into labor with our daughter, he was at a BSB show.  He had wanted me to go.  I am glad I did not.

6.  I love the feeling of brand new socks.

5.  I wear a lot of different scents.  Summer: Lilly Pulitzer Beachy.  Fall: Kate Spade Twirl, Burberry Brit Sheer.  Winter: Burberry Brit, Vera Wang Princess.  I like Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Heavenly, and I LOVE Gilly Hicks La Perouse.  They get into the mix as well.  I am always adding new fragrances.  I used to rock Tommy Girl and Cool Water in high school. 

4.  I have the same birthday as Beyonce, 9/4.

3.  I love spin.  It is such a good workout that forces a person to challenge him/herself.  I hate cardio, but will take spin so I can get cardio into my routine.

2.  I waited until I was five months pregnant to tell people.

1.  Being a mom is my favorite.

:-)  Have a good weekend!

On Vacation Together to SHOP!

We are all officially done with basketball season.  Unfortunately, my husband's team lost last night to probably the best team in the county.  Some questionable calls put the game out of reach for his team, when they could have battled through, but doesn't matter.

I did hit two of the outlets near his game, but I was disappointed in the selection.  The J. Crew Outlet had a lot of things for me, but I did not feel like trying anything on.  They had colored jeans, which I am dying (no pun intended) to get, but I have my heart set on green for both my little lady and myself.  I think they will make a great St. Paddy's Day matching outfit for us!  Off Sacks had Jack Rogers, which I am a huge fan of, but no colors that I would care to wear.

Not to worry!  We have another outlet mall here on Long Island that my cousin, little lady and I will be hitting hard this afternoon.  There's a Vineyard Vines there as well and I really want to get some cute outfits for my girl.  The outlets we are going to have an actual crewcuts Store, not just a section of the regular J.Crew!  :-)  So EXCITED for that.  What is disappointing, though, is that I have wanted to get my little girl some sequined tee shirts, but in the size 2 and 3 (she can go between both), they just make the shirts with sparkles, not sequins.  What's wrong with that?  Nothing, but they charge the same price for sparkles as they do sequins.  For some reason that seems wrong to me, so on principle I will not buy the sparkle shirts.

Wish us luck in finding a few deals!

Worldless Wednesday is Easy to do with a Face Like This...

We Have a Winner!

My husband's team won their first-round playoff game last night!  Must have been the food...

They beat his own high school alma mater, which made it so much sweeter.  The other coach was a little bit rude leading up to the game, so on to the next round where they will play the number three seed (his team is number six) from my team's league.  We lost to them twice and I think they should have been the number one.

What I am really excited about is making a stop at the outlet mall that is just around the block from the opposing school.  I love crewcuts for my little girl, but the prices seem ridiculous since she 1. grows quickly 2. wipes her face on her shirt 3. likes to slide on her knees.  Everything seems to destroy her clothes, so hopefully I can score some good deals!  There's also a Pottery Barn Outlet, which is hit or miss, but sometimes the hits are amazing!

She needs this (and by needs, I mean I want to get it for her) dress.

Little lady and I are hanging right now, watching Little Bear and eating waffles.  She keeps feeding me the waffles, which is adorable, but gross.  She rolls them into balls then tries feeding them to me.  I can't turn her down, so I have a pocket of waffle crumbs.

Monday Q&A

I am ripping off someone else's post and making it my own.  I know I don't have a lot of (read: any) readers, but maybe this will help the one or two people who stumble upon A North Shore Pearl get to know me a little bit.  I will not be posting a video, but writing my answers.  Here it goes:

1.   What is the best advice you've ever given and received?

Best advice received: Iron your clothes on Sunday nights.  My mom and several others have told me to do this and just recently, I followed through (I used to do it until I met my husband and it went away).  My mornings are so much smoother.

Best advice given: Keep them off the boards... haha...Get a body on someone... Box out!  Get the ball inside!  Definitely good advice for any basketball team, I think :-)

2.   Type of music you like most?

I love hip hop music.  I am a big fan of Beyonce and a sucker for Jay-Z.  I know, I know...I don't look the part.  I love any kind of music that gets me moving and that I can have fun with.  I love the band, O.A.R., as well.

3.   Shoe size?

10 in Nike, 9 1/2 Sperry Angelfish, 9 Sperry Originals, 9 1/2 Cole Haan Nike Air (Air Tali Wedges need to NEVER be discontinued)

4.   Who sent the last text message you received?

My husband

5.   If you could meet any one person (from history or currently alive), who would it be?

This is a tough one.  I think it depends on my mood.  I love Bill Clinton (in a crush way, yup, I said it), so probably Bill Clinton.

6.   Have you ever been fired or “let go”?

Yes, from a teaching job at a charter school that lost its charter...says it all.

7.   What's under your bed?

Probably, embarrassingly, dust.

8.   Do you believe in love at first sight?

Nope.

9.   What is your middle name?

Lynn

10.   Do you think that you are a good singer?

Not at all, but I sound pretty good when I am alone.

"On Vacation," yet up at 5 a.m.

I have been falling asleep on my couch because my daughter has had a cough and I feel like I can hear her better from the living room. It doesn't make sense; our bedroom is just next door to her room, BUT my husband shuts the door every night. He is stubborn and doesn't change his habits, however irritating they may be. SO - the couch it is. We need a new couch soon, anyway. This explains my morning President's Day early wake up.

While flipping through the channels, I came across "The Tummy Tuck Belt." It is basically a belly band (the ones women wear to keep their pants up when pregnant) and some "special" lotion that is applied before the 10 minute session. Seriously? Seriously? Seriously? Who is buying this? What else will people do to avoid putting down the fork and hitting the gym. AND, when I say hitting the gym, I mean going hard. The Tummy Tuck Belt...

http://www.tummytuckbelt.com/about-tummy-tuck-belt.php

Pasta Party at Our House

(S'mores Brownies)

We recently purchased our first house and have yet to really have guests, as I feel it is not ready for visitors. We bought the house in October, basketball started in November, and we got about 1/100th of what I would like done finished. That being said, my husband likes to invite people over. We have no curtains, I have yet to put a switchplate on the light switch in the main bathroom, and we need a new driveway, if not an entire landscaping crew to fix up the front of the house, BUT my husband's basketball team will be coming over this evening for a pre-playoff game Pasta Party. I am not exactly the most thrilled I have ever been in my life, but I tried my best (which is very hard) to cook for them instead of catering the whole thing.

I made baked ziti, meatballs, S'mores brownies and a family favorite, our no muss-no fuss "taco dip." The S'mores brownies recipe I used was courtesy of Preppy in the Pantry. I just started reading her blog after I saw her mentioned on another blog I read. She and I had a few classes together in college, and I had no idea she was so talented in the kitchen. If you see this, Preppy in the Pantry, THANK YOU! Those brownies are sure to be a hit.

I loathe being in the kitchen, but tend to like the results when I do make food. The meatballs are definitely good (I may or may not have eaten two or more). Right now, the ziti is a cookin' at my parents' house (long story short, I broke the oven in our house about two days after we moved in. I was trying to clean it. The stove works, but the oven won't open and I want to wait until we completely redo the kitchen...which will be soon...

to get one).

Anyway, here's what the finished product of the "Taco Dip" looks like:

It is super simple and a hit every time I whip it up. Here's how-to:

Spread one block of Philadelphia cream cheese (I leave it out for about 10 minutes to soften) on a plate or platter.

Spread one jar of salsa (I like Tostitos Mild) on top of the cream cheese.

Shred one small block of extra sharp cheddar cheese on top of the salsa.

Cut green peppers and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and spread over cheese. DONE!

The version you see above is without tomatoes, as my husband is not a fan.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy! Simple, yet perfect!

Hopefully, the food will lead to at least one playoff win in the family (see earlier post).

Go WM Patriots!

February's Worst Heartbreak

Possibly worse than ending up without a valentine on February 14 is the dreaded high school basketball playoff loss. It stings worse than frostbite (which, thank goodness we have been without this winter). It cuts deep for the many who work themselves hard year-round, but mostly from November to February.

In two days, I have been a part of two of these heartbreaking losses. I coach high school girls' varsity basketball, and my brother plays high school boys' varsity basketball. Friday night, my team lost by a tough, 6-point deficit. Yesterday, little brother's team went down by 10.

Both dealing with the same heartbreak, we are back in the gym today to shoot around with one another. Nothing like the hair of the dog to get you back on your feet! It has been years since I have played competitively. My college career was lackluster, ending after only two seasons, a transfer, and a transfer back to my original school. It doesn't matter, though, I love the game. I love to shoot, I love to score; I love to coach and teach the game to my girls.

Disappointment will always be a part of sport. Only one team can win it all. Maybe next year, little brother and I will see it through to a county championship. One thing's for sure, though: we will work as hard as we can to get there.

(Side Note: my husband also coaches girls' varsity basketball and his team is still in contention...Good luck to his girls!)

I'm BAAAACK

I've said it before, but I am going to try this blogging thing again for real!

The beginning of the school year (I am a teacher), and then field hockey season (I also coach), and then basketball season (I guess you could say I am a multitasker) got in the way of any blogging I could do. Oh yeah, and I have a one and a half year old who I love spending time with too! She literally hit keys on the laptop and added her own touch to this post about five seconds after I typed the previous sentence. No more excuses. I really want to have my own blog. I really love reading all of the amazing blogs I follow and I would like to be a part of the blogging community.

I read a lot of the preppy blogs and definitely consider myself to be preppy, especially at this point in my life. I spent some time in my late teens and very early 20's exploring style options (and hair colors!), but I have been a prep at heart since my mom bought me my first Izod winter coat as a kid and brought me to Gap Kids when it first opened (you know, back when Gap was a preppy haven). She bought me matching headbands for all of my little outfits, making sure my sister and I always looked classically adorable.

I rock Sperrys, Hunter rain boots, and have more cardigans than I care to admit. As I type, I am laying back on my plaid couch in jeans and a pink Polo oxford, but what is awesome about a preppy lifestyle is basically that it is always in style. Investment pieces last a lifetime, and even deals that one can get last a long time too. I love adding a few trendy pieces now and then, but I always head back to the button-down and cardigan. It is crisp, clean, and neat. It is a lifestyle choice as well. Preppy people always seem to have it together (which I try to for the most part, but no one is perfect).

I do not, however, care for some of the snootiness that comes along with preppiness. I do not think that true preppies are snobs. I do not think that not being preppy means that the person does not have style, money, class, or anything else. I think the snootiness that some people associate with being preppy is the antithesis of prep. Everyone has their own style and they should all be appreciated. I do not care for every preppy look, i.e. men with sweaters around their shoulders. My husband is 6'4" and 220 lbs.; a sweater around his shoulders would look wrong. Why can't you just leave the sweater in the coat room, or in your closet? What is it keeping warm? I will admit, I have tried the tied sweater shawl. It was simply annoying. Sorry if that detracts from my preppiness, but I am a mover and shaker. I cannot be tied down by an over-the-shoulder sweater. But hey, if you like it ---go for it. I think it is adorable when the ladies can pull it off, but not so much on men.

I want this blog to be more than a "preppy blog," though. I will try my best to chronicle the amusing times in my life, sales I score, restaurants I visit, foods I try, etc., then see where it takes me. Who knows? If I can stick with it this time, I may just get some followers.