As the world falls down

Labyrinth was one of the first movies I remember watching. When I was little, living in Japan, we had tons of videos. They were apparently pretty cheap, so for some reason, my dad bought Labyrinth. And then...I just couldn't stop watching it. I still love this movie. This is one of the best scenes from the movie -- isn't it gorgeous?

Who wouldn't love to go to a masquerade ball?

American Dreams

I love, love, loved American Dreams when it was on NBC. The show took place in Philadelphia in the late 1960's. I guess the show reminds me a lot of my dad, who grew up just outside Philly. Like JJ, he enlisted in the Marines around the same time -- 1968.

I really wish that this show was still on the air.




and



and this one is sad...

Amazon Love

I love anything kitchen related. Dishes. Cookware. Spatulas. Potholders. Even dish rags.

So, here are some things I've been drooling over lately...

Chantal and Le Creuset












Chantal makes a matching tea kettle, but I just don't know. The funny thing is that I've seen that blue cookware on Friends, Seinfeld, 90210 and Home Improvement. It's pretty famous. You can only order the cookware from Chantal.com and from Amazon, as far as I can tell. I really want to see it in person, just so I can lift it and check out the finish. Am I a nerd or what?

Five

1. What were you doing ten years ago?
It would have been the summer between 9th and 10th grade. We moved from Virginia to Maryland. We had just had the house built and I was upset because I didn't know anyone. That was a tough summer.

2. What 5 things are on your to-do list for today?
1) Finish some things for work
2) Eat
3) Go to the gym
4) Pack
5) Watch tv with Scott

3. Snacks you enjoy?
Pitas and hummus, bbq chips

4. Places you've lived?
NJ, SC, Japan, NC, AZ, VA and MD

5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1) Not work
2) Buy a house and have kids
3) Travel
4) Presents for everyone!
5) Donate to cancer research

A Nice Homecoming

I saw this on another blog, Southern Comfort, and I had to repost it. I can't even see straight my eyes are so watery.

Survey says

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? An umbrella...never go anywhere without one

2. When was the last time you threw up? A few months ago; I ate an undercooked hamburger

3. What's your favorite curse word? Crap. I really don't curse

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? Scott, so far

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Making coffee

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Making another pot of coffee

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Heading off to a party

8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope!

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? "Bye" on the phone

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Strawberry

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Coffee

13. What was the last thing you ate? Sushi

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Sure: two skirts from Harold's and I'm fighting temptation to order from jcrew.com. I love sales.

15. When was the last time you ran? Does the elliptical count?

16. What's the last sporting event you watched? Who knows

18. Who is the last person you emailed? A coworker

19. Ever go camping? Yup, most recently the 4th of July

20. Do you have a tan? Not at all. I rely too much on self tanner.

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Only at restaurants

25. What did your last IM say? Haven't done that in awhile

26. Are you someone's best friend? I sure hope so!

27. What are you doing tomorrow? Coffee and bagels with Linds in the morning, then packing, then hosting some guests

28. Where is your mom right now? I'm sure she's at home

29. Look to your left, what do you see? The printer

30. What color is your watch? One is silver and the other has a light blue band

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Kangaroooooos

32. Would you consider plastic surgery? Only if my stomach looked like Kate Gosselin's before she had surgery

33. What is your birthstone? Garnet

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thru, I don't have time to be parking and going inside

35.How many kids do you want? At least two

36. Do you have a dog? Not since I was 8

37. Last person you talked to on the phone? Someone for work

38. Have you met anyone famous? Sure.

39. Any plans today? Well, I need to go to the gym, go to a party with Scott and then go to sleep.

40. How many states have you lived in? 6 states, 1 other country

41. Ever go to college? Finished!

42. Where are you right now? In the "office"

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? I feel so tired for some reason.

44. Last song listened to? Something in the car...I forget

46. Are you allergic to anything? Pollen

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? I wear my flip flops from NY & Co a lot

48. Are you jealous of anyone? I'm a little jealous of Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Garner

49. Is anyone jealous of you? No idea

51. What time is it? 4:36 pm

52. Do any of your friends have children? Yup

53. Do you eat healthy? 88% of the time

54. What do you usually do during the day? Work, eat, hang out with Scott, go to the gym, talk to my parents...

55. Do you hate anyone right now? No. I try not to hate.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Of course

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 26

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Once and that was enough.

60. How did you get one of your scars? When I was two, I scratched at my chicken pox on my nose, and well, there you have it

I Heart Etsy

A few things I added to my favorite list:


1) A pretty apron from "momomadeit"

2) Crochet dish cloths from "earlygirl"

3) Sophia slouch bag from "debos"

4) Slices of bread magnets from "skirtsandscarfs"



5) And lastly, because I can't end a list on a FOUR -- this adorable bunny from "neet"

I might just have to buy one and pack it away!

An online shopping trip.

I've discovered Harold's. In my little town, there is really nowhere to go shopping. We have Target, Old Navy and JcPenney's. There's also Ross and Marshall's. Otherwise....it's a good hour or so to get to a decent mall in Annapolis or northern Virginia.

Apparently there's a good sale going on, so I found a few skirts for work:

and

Now, I just need a few more pairs of sandals.

Three R's

When I was in 7th grade, I remember this worksheet from Science class that really annoyed me. It was about recycling and finding ways to reuse everyday trash. Each item had a piece of trash and then a blank, to write down a creative way to reuse it. Okay, so some items might have been paper towel roll, empty soda bottle, shoe box, dirty kleenex, etc. Okay, I'm kidding about the kleenex, but still. One of the items was an empty juice box. Yes, I remember this because it bugged me. Anyway, I asked my friends what they were writing down for that one -- I was stumped, because seriously -- who saves a juice box?! I probably made up something, like deciding to use it as a toy. I should have challenged my teacher, but I was one of those nice kids who just finished the assignment, no questions asked. I'm all for reusing things, but at some point, it just turns into clutter. And there's no need for that. Instead of trying to figure out to reuse 30 empty juice boxes -- stop buying juice boxes. Instead, buy a larger container of juice and fill up reusable bottles instead. Take the large container and recycle that. End of story.

You know, I'm wondering if I should have named this blog Green Peach instead of Preppy Peach. I'm sure I'll have something preppy to say eventually, but I've become so aware of living green lately. It's all of the little stuff that gets easily missed, and yet, it's all of the little stuff that can make a difference. At the gym, there are rolls of paper towels to wipe the machines down after use. We usually take our own towel, but I'll notice empty paper towel rolls sometimes. Plastic cups, too. Umm...I've been taking them when I see them and then I add them to my recycling pile in the kitchen. Is that weird?

The Joys of Vinegar

I've almost always liked cleaning. Organizing, straightening up, laundry, dishes.....

Lately, I've discovered how awesome vinegar is. Yes, vinegar. Apparently, it does more than get thrown into pasta salad. It's a natural disinfectant (look out, bleach!) and is a greener way to clean. It's so versatile.




Ways to use:

1) Add into the laundry as a booster; use instead of bleach with the linens. Be sure not to mix with bleach.
2) Sunburned? Take a washcloth and soak with vinegar. Let the washcloth sit on the burn for awhile, and the vinegar will take away the sting. (My mom has always done this.)
3) Dirty shower? Spray some vinegar where needed, and then sprinkle baking soda. Or, you could make a paste. Let sit for a few minutes, then take a sponge and clean. This method is easier on the lungs, than say, lime away.
4) Dirty countertops? Vinegar can actually cut grease. Take a spray bottle, and fill half with vinegar, half with water. Spray and wipe dry. The vinegar smell will eventually fade, but the results are amazing.
5) Need to clean the coffeemaker? Fill the resevoir with equal parts vinegar and water. Turn on the coffeepot and let it go. I usually repeat the process once or twice with water, to rinse. The vinegar will help remove the build up, especially with hard water.

Want more? Try this site: All-Natural Cleaning