Springtime in the Hood

It has taken me a while to warm up to Georgetown but I've felt my heart thawing a little these past couple of weekends (finally, with pic enlargement capability...).

Blanket of crocus...

Forsythia bushes en mass...

...en mass...

Pink and green!

Sweeping up crabapple blossoms...

...that have showered down...

Just so striking...

...and majestic...

One of my favorite vistas...

Spring pansies...

Our view...

Maybe, just maybe, I may even grow to love our little neighborhood.

Girls Day in G'town

My niece Emma, who attends Furman University (yes, FU) in Greenvulle, SC is flying into DC today to spend the night and shop til she drops before heading to the beach for Easter. On the requested itinerary of eating and shopping:

Chop't is my sister Julie's one and only request for the day (famous last words...). If she was ever to end up on death row her last meal would be a salad.

J. Crew is just a given. It's the place the Frost girls look for wherever we travel. Inevitably, one of us has looked ahead online for a Crew , and if there is one, then we know the town must be okay. It's kind of our familial Le Guide Michelin.

And, since the above pitstop is right next to Dean and Deluca, Julie will insist on stopping in for a decaf. Now...she's had her beloved salad, and she's sure to be toting a Crew bag, let's get her a coffee so that Emma and I may get down to business....

Off to CUSP for Milly, Loeffler Randall, DVF and other varsity players.

Peut-être, Sherman Pickey for Lilly, Tory Burch, CKB and Calypso...

Sassanova for shoes and, new love, Lauren Merkin bags...

And, the pièce de résistance, Georgetown Cupcake where we are all sure to leave carrying a pretty pink box.

Preppy Easter Pails

How cute and preppy are these pails from The Macbeth Collection for the Easter Bunny to leave all his loot in?

They come in a range of sizes, depending on how much loot you are expecting and/or giving, with beaucoup prints and patterns to choose from. They can easily be personalized with a monogram, initial or an 80's old school icon. Can you say Dottie Smith belt clips???

Receive 25% off your entire order if place by April 12th. Just enter HIPHOP during checkout. See, being fabulous has it's privileges!

Our Little Patient

We had a scare last week when George needed to be rushed to Friendship Hospital for Animals late one night because he was having difficulty tinkling and I spied some blood (somewhere private). Once we arrived he was immediately whisked back for triage and checked for a blocked urethra. One of my favorite things about Friendship is that their inner sanctum is glass enclosed so I could actually watch them as they worked on our little nutcracker (another pet name).

After his sonogram came the ole temp taking...


Once they were sure that there was no blockage it was back to the waiting room for 3 hours while the only vet on call tended to a serious dog fight victim. Thank goodness for Eleanor, the cute little Boston Terrier who was in for eating a bottle of super glue.

She danced like a ballerina, chased her leash and snorted all of which George found immensely entertaining. After hours of squirming in my arms he had finally relaxed and became transfixed once Eleanor began to perform. Around 2am we were finally called back into the examining room.

We were both sooo tired and scared and momentarily dozed off together when the vet rushed out to help sedate Tiger, another dog fighting victim. Then it was back home and a 24 hour wait for urine test results. After a long night that finally ended at 3am we both spent the following day convalescing.

Another predawn rush a day later back to Friendship Hospital (where we saw poor Eleanor still being treated), more testing to rule our bladder stones, and the diagnosis was a chronic lower urinary tract disease which means no more self feeding. Off to break the bad news to Templeton who is not going to be happy with the loss of his round the clock offering of dry food for snacking...

Kindness of Dr. Covert, the entire staff at Friendship Hospital for Animals and Little Pilge, for allowing me to post some very personal pics.

Stalking the Pink Reva

You know how you can vaguely admire something in a boutique or in a picture but, then when you actually see it in person, on someone else, you MUST have it immediately? Well that's my story of the Reva in hibiscus. I had a casual flirtation going with said pink Tory Burch flat online until, last fall, when it literally walked into where I was lunching. I stealthily snatched up my Blackberry and whisked off a picture text to Emma for immediate approval.

The lusting had begun but, it was a slooow burn. I still had time, it would definitely be my next Reva purchase, but it could wait. Until...last nights sighting in Whole Foods....It was all I could do to slow my breathing by the time I met Babe in the checkout so as to not set off any of his internal warning bells alerting him of an immediate, impending purchase.

This shortlist is becoming quite long.

Kindness of 2 random preppy fashionistas...

Tit For Tat

Mais oui, your prep guy should also get as much thought and élan put into the making of his Easter basket. But, whereas we girls like an equal quality to quantity ratio, the majority of guys are more comfortable with only one to two quality items.

If you asked Babe what his favorite gifts from me have been I'm pretty confident that he would, hands down, say his handmade needlepoint belts and cummerbund.

They most definitely require an investment of time and money but are very much appreciated and become instant prep heirlooms. The kit with a sweet note attached promising completion would be perfect. I've purchased all but one of the many, many kits I've done from the lovely ladies at The Elizabeth Turner Collection in Kentucky.

And, speaking of Kentucky...An additional "sure to win brownie points" idea would be a bottle of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon...
...and a hand blown double old-fashioned glass from Simon Pearce.

Another Babe fav is Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Scrub for men. Okay, okay...maybe he would argue that point saying he would use whatever I put in the lineup for him but it's definitely my fav for him.
And, the pièce de résistance of this Easter basket would be a Chick-fil-A gift card.

Trust me on this last one...

Kindness of Babe for allowing me to use his name and invade his privacy.

April Food Day

Although, I love talking about, shopping for and buying lovely items, at the end of the day it's just stuff. And, as exciting as it seems when the UPS guy raps on my door with a much anticipated delivery, we all know that it's a short lived high and then we're on to the next conquest. Not so when you're giving or helping someone in need; that's a good feeling that never quite dissipates.

Right now our nations food banks are being depleted at a rapid rate and they need our help. I am asking all of my fashionable prepsters to make a donation, even if it's just $1, to help those less fortunate than us. Please go to Feeding America to donate and to www.aprilfoodday.blogspot.com to read more about this dire situation. We are all in this together, preps and nonpreps alike, and together we can make a difference.

Trust me, the feeling is better than a new pair of Louboutins!

Kindness of Easy & Elegant Life and Pigtown*Design.