I AM ADDICTED TO POLYVORE

I am a little addicted to Polyvore. These are color combinations and clusters you select or you can just flag other's collections. In addition, the pictures have the "who makes it" so it like a shopping list. You can copy pictures from websites and make a collection list. These are some fun groups I came across. NOTE: These are other people's collections not mine--great taste out there!

You must try it. Preppy Bunny has cute items in her list!

JUNIOR ZOO KEEPER CAMP!

My 15 years of experience as a mother has taught me is that there are a lot of different camp options for your children in the summer. Some are better than others. I really stopped most day camps unless I am sure that they have a great track record and really give my children a unique experience.

This year, my daughter C--11yrs. and son T-8yrs are off to the Toledo Zoo. C-is a Junior Zoo Keeper and T- is in a Reseach and Enrichment camp. Tonight T had to hang two different types of bird feeders he made at camp today and write/journal about the success of each. My daughter C fed a Giraffe today. What a great experience! Makes me feel better about the 2 hours I am driving (4 tomorrow since I have a meeting back home).

Here is my list to evaluate a day camp:

1. Who is putting it on and is it providing a unique experience for my children?

2. Are they acquiring a skill or exposure to a group of people that is not possible any other way? For example: My daughter B is at the University of Michigan Tennis Camp this week. She is loving being with the college players. She has met good friends (she met them last year), is playing a lot of tennis and it is 10 minutes from home.

3. Is is educational?

4. Cost per hour. U of M Tennis Camp is $16 per hour including lunch and bowling outing. Zoo Camp is $10 per hour plus one meal at the zoo on Friday and drinks everyday--a bargain!

5. Education of Staff (are these college graduates or high school students?) My daughter C said...I did not know you had to go to college to take care of animals at the Zoo.

6. Is it Fun!

MY DOG IS A "MODEL"

I love reading the blog "One Fabulous Mom". Not only is this blogger cleaver and entertaining to read, she actually has brushes and sighting with celebrities. Since her husband is in the film business, just reading this blog make me feel like I have a connection to Hollywood from the perspective of non-celebrity, interesting person.

In Ann Arbor, we have a few celebrities...mostly sports related. Of course Jeff Daniels (Dumb and Dumber--which I am sure he thinks of this movie as his finest work) is around living the quiet life in Chelsea,Michigan. So, my only brush with fame is with my dog CoCo.

My dog CoCo is a Model! Yes, you can purchase a picture of Coco on a the Nina Hauser Photography website . In addition to Nina's beautiful, unique photographs, she takes pictures from the perspective of her dog, Theo. My English Springer Spaniel likes to scare and bark at Theo. I told Nina that we would pay for the therapy.

Preppy Daughter Goes to Saddlebrook Golf Camp

Vera Bradley Pinwheel Pink DuffleVera Bradley Pinwheel Pink Backpack Dash Rolling Hardside Carry-On, Red Keri Golf Alice Bag (Monogrammed)

(a little short for her clubs though) Custom, Monogrammed Shoes by Footjoy

Yes, while other children are going to camp to sail, ride horses, and play capture-the-flag, my 11 year old daughter is going to summer golf camp at Saddlebrook Resort. She pretty much made the all plans and organized herself to go....what can you say? She heard that if you can shoot under 80 you can get a college scholarship! That would be great with me!

In preparation, she is wearing lots of Lilly Pulitzer skirts and tops. She will look adorable and hopefully will learn some new skills. Only 2 girls and 14 boys in the golf program. She is going to be staying with other girls in the tennis program.

Cute top from Old Navy she wore on the plane.

Now, my other daughter is heading off on a Mission Trip to Tennessee. I think she will be camping but doing some interesting work. A little different experience, but good for her. She will be attend a tennis camp next week and my other two kids will be junior zoo keepers at the Toledo zoo. Fun, but busy!

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SCHOOL YEAR WRAP-UP

My crazy school year life is slowly wrapping up. I managed to squeeze a few fun activities in for me too including book group where my friend MP put strawberries in our wine...yum! She had glorious mini cupcakes too. Tomorrow is graduation for 8 th Grade. A one hour ceremony, new dress, manicure, and hair cut for my oldest daughter plus a small reception at our house before she and her girlfriends go to a party at our teen center (started by the Junior League). We have field day/barbecue for my son at a park (I am hopefully trying to squeeze in an appearance), my second daughter is taking her Senior Buddy out for lunch (6th graders team up with a senior) and the mom is coming and then a separate high school graduation party that night. The end of the year is crazy and fun. Even though eighth grade is a small mile-stone, it is hard to believe we only have 4 more years with my oldest. So many things I still want to do with her...Grand Canyon, Asia, Galapagos Islands, etc.

PREPPY WINE BOTTLE TAGS

What can I say, Boatman Geller does it again!

My New Puppies--Foo Puppies

I would like to introduce you to my newly adopted Herend Foo puppies Dingbang (English translation: Protector of the Country) and Wang (English translated: Wish) adopted from Ebay for 25% of the retail value! The dogs that no one wanted are finally mine. My long awaited anniversary, birthday and Mother's Day gift. They will placed along side my tureen (pictured below).

On the Bandwagon Again!

Dear Whole Foods, For all the organic food you produce and purity you promote, you were always quick to slip my shopping goods in a plastic bag and a very nice heavy one at that. So after ten plus years of plastic (actually I usually requested paper), you have changed. Now, as always, the good towns people of Ann Arbor have jumped on the most recent crazy...BRING YOUR BAG TO THE STORE MONTH! In fact, they bring the dirty bags ( I think they use to stuff in their mattresses for extra cushioning). It just looks unclean. I guess some bag "style" is order for these people so their raw chicken juice can drip into something really expensive and chic! Since I cannot usually remember take my keys out of the ignition before I leave the car, I probably will not remember my snazzy grocery bags...but when I do, I will look great. Here are a few ideas for my preppy friends:

" The Original"

My Favorite

From : B-Happy Bags

By Marc Jacob

A little German Flare

Longchamp

A little French Flare (cannot find the source) Made of recycled sails.

Now that is recycling!

Recycled Sails

From : B-Happy Bags

From : B-Happy Bags

Walmart Bags Are Not too Bad!

(Available at Any Fine Walmart Store)

My Favorite Store Bag ($1.99)

Trader Joe

A TISKET A TASKET...A PINK AND GREEN PREPPY BICYCLE BASKET

My monogram would look perfect here!

Hung on Words will put your monogram or saying on your basket. The baskets come in 2 sizes small $70 large $90 includes the custom sign. Many color options are available. A Monogram Shop owner in Harbor Springs has an adorable baby blue cruiser with a white seat and a white basket with a baby blue monogram. She parks her bicycle in front of her store! To order

Contact: Denise Copp

Hung on Words

404.351.7161

404.351.7101 fax denisecopp@mac.com info@hungonwords.com

Love this Bicycle! Does it come in Pink?

Like Tres Posh Preppy, I am on the hunt for a Beach Cruiser that I can ride to our neighborhood tennis/pool club and around town. I even have the basket picked out with a monogram wooden plate on the front of it. Since I need a few gears (to make it up the hill), I am looking for something with at least 3. I discovered this great blog Heather "Bunny" Tomerlin where she featured this bicycle and several other items that I love. I adore this blog and this bicycle, but would like a pink or baby blue version. Still searching....

Outdoor Decorating

Well, trying to get my back patio organized. We have been sitting on these uncomfortable wrought iron dining chairs for ...many years. I saw these preppy outdoor fabrics at Ballard Design and fell in love. I have been looking for a black & white stripe and the Arden black updates my look. I am going to purchase round seat cushions in the Arden and cushions for my outdoor sofa and chairs in the black and white stripe. I will keep you "posted". I just added the Chanel sign because it matched.

Jack Rogers, Steven Salario and Stephen Bonnano .........Oh My!

Recent Outlet Purchase

Steven Salario --Tampa

There has been much debate and discussion in the blog-o-sphere about the difference between these three shoe makers. There was also some pretty heated discussion on the blog Biscuits are Never Boring and I went...wow... lots of bad feelings and opinions out there. I thought I would give my humble thoughts on this subject.

As a business person, the pie that is being fought over is relatively small. Jack Roger posted sales of $1.2 million (I believe US tennis shoe sales are 14.5 billion) and I believe Jack Rogers is the largest seller of these shoes. Jack Rogers seems to be marketing to medium to large retail and Internet stores and is very successful. Dividing 1.2 million by an estimated cost of $20 per shoe, that is 60,000 shoes. There was a great video of with the current president of Jack Rogers Shoes that is great to see (JACK ROGERS INTERVIEW) Based on this video, Jack Roger shoes are produced in the US.

On a recent visit to Tampa, I stopped by the Steven Salario outlet store in Tampa near Hyde Park and had a a lot of fun. Some 8 pairs of shoes later, I am a happy camper. My 11 year old daughter snagged several pairs of $5 dollar sandals and a few pairs of of discounted Navajo patterns as well. Of course I spent full dollar to replace my pink and green Navajo loves. This was such a fun store and a great place to visit. Steven Salario is heading down the retail sales route too and is working on updating their website. I purchased the most adorable pair of hot pink driving moccasin that I think I need to get in every color. Steven Salario is a shoe wholesale company and can be seen in better stores throughout the country including Best Dressed Child.

The Address is:

2810 Long St

Tampa, FL 33605

Stephen Bonanno seems to be the love of the Palm Beach and the blog world, and guess what..... they work hard at it. They have a great website, a fun blog, and a nice store in Palm Beach. They also offer creative ideas for personalization which this is really their specialty. This maker has a boutique, personal feel to selling their shoes.

In spite of the small market size, there is a passion by all these manufacturers and customers to really find out who made the originals. I would like to care about this, but I do not think we will ever know the truth nor am I interested in reading any more debate on the subject. To put this in perspective, we are also not talking about cheap imitations here..the quality is "fairly" consistent across companies and it is purely a matter of personal taste and brand preference.

I just order baby blue patent personalized shoes from Stephen Bonanno. Since I have all three shoe brands I am in good shape.

COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET...I PURCHASED CROCS

Last summer, I finally broke down and purchased a pair of Crocs for my husband and me. I noticed that Monogram Mama came clean on her blog so I thought I would finally publish my Crocs post.

Crocs remind me of Earth Shoes from the 70's (dating myself here) only made out of plastic foamy material... presented in p r e t t y colors. One thing that Crocs have going for them that Earth Shoes and other preppy shoes do not is that .....they are water proof (plus a 100 year life in a landfill)! My Crocs are hot pink with a big pink and green flower on them. I wear them primarily around the house. Also, when you are in the shower at a club, pool or at the beach, I like my feet protected from the unclean elements...also these little numbers hide a less then perfect pedicure.

My husband's Crocs look kind of like LL Bean Boots (ok, not really, but closer than mine) which makes him feel a little better. He wears them to water the flower and herb garden, and in the morning when he runs out across the wet lawn to get the Financial Times and Wallstreet Journal.

My kids love them and wear them to the club in the summer. Mine, for the most part, are kept in the privacy of my home. I guess they have replaced flip flops.

If you have gone over to the dark side or the Croc side, let me know. Unfortunately, there will not be any Earth Day awards for you either if you have.

Preppy Political Style!

Well, we had dinner with a former US Ambassador and his wife at our club on Saturday night. We were discussing how drawn out this political race has been and we were looking forward to the election and hopefully the Inauguration. We have already purchased our Black Tie and Boots Tickets from the Texas Society by the deadline of March 31st. If our candidate looses, we will sell them on eBay. If he or she wins, we are heading for a fun few days in DC.

Even thought the election is rather ugly, that does not mean we have to dress that way. Some of our favorite vendors will make sure we look good.

For high-heel relief under your

Inaugural gown so you can run to the after-parties

Stubbs & Wootton

For the keys to the Country (that's USA)....

Smathers & Branson

To wear election night so there will not be "tie"

Vineyard Vines

Wear these because they are just plain CUTE!

Angela Moore

To wash the candidates, their spouses, their staff or supporter's mouths out-with-soap! Maybe a few news people would benefit from this too.

And something for those independents... so you may have some neutral options too.

A.Tierney Stephen Bonannos

In summary, the author of Freakonomics (great book) had a contest to come up with new slogan for the USA (a more current option). The winner was:

"EVEN OUR WORST CRITICS CHOOSE TO STAY"

Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Designer Water...Evian

When I am entertaining at our home, I am a little picky about the look of my beverage table.

Several ways to entertain groups of 12 or more:

1. Servers provide drinks and all drinks are filled in a private area (unseen area)

2. Drinks are passed on silver trays

3. Bar area with servers (guest come to the bar area)

4. Bar area that is self -serve (servers clean up only)

When I usually have a large party, regardless if there is a beverage helper or not, I like to have my beverage area look nice. I purchase soft drinks, sparkling and non-sparkling water in glass bottles. Coke, Diet Coke, Spirte and french lemonade, etc. all come in glass bottles. In terms of water, I definitely provide sparkling water in glass bottles and I go back and forth on crystal pitchers of still water or still water in glass bottles. For a dinner party, I definitely serve water in a pitcher.

These Evian bottles are really incredible. I think they are mostly for commerical use but lovely non the less.

If you have any other thoughts to share on your beverage area, please let me know.

Happy Birthday Linda & Anita

My little sis and mother-in-law were born today. Happy Birthday!I picked out a cake for each of you!

I STRONGLY DISLIKE SCHOOL POTLUCKS!

Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses

I am sure that I am not alone on this one, I am not a mass-potluck-kind-of-girl. I love parties and most social functions, but there are good reasons for restaurant inspectors in our society, people are not always careful when they are cooking food. In terms of food preparation, some people do not know any better, others try to get ways with dropping a chicken on the ground then trying to serve it to guests (this is actually a restaurant story), others just are not paying attention that cat is wagging its tail in the batter (while on the counter). If you have ever sampled frosting while making a cake, then my point is made.

Our public elementary school loves potlucks...one in the fall and one in the winter. Three hundred kitchens with 300 different standards. When we go the a school function that are potlucks, my children always eat first and I tell them to not eat the food..it never works though.

On the hand, potlucks with close friends are fine. A friend of mine gave me this book for Christmas and I love it. I thought I would share it with you.

Note: The irony of all this is that when my daughter's private school catered a dinner for french week, several people contracted food poisoning. You never know!