What the duck?

Looking for a new job? Can you pronounce "Aflac"? Well this may be the job for you.

peaceloveandaflac.

C

Yo-Yo's

KK knows the pain I am feeling sitting at my desk, and has been great in keeping me entertained all week (as if looking at my own facebook album from vacation roughly 250 times isn't entertaining enough). Today's entertainment? An incredible drunk dial. I truly feel bad for this girl. And Ryan.

peaceloveandbooze.

C

Reality Blows.

Mentally, I am here:

Physically, I am here:

Once again, I am in denial about being back from vacation. I think at this point, I just have to accept the 3 day post-vacation depression as inevitable, and plan on accomplishing nothing at work or in my life during that time. Seriously. I haven't unpacked. I haven't checked a good amount of my emails, and I certainly haven't crossed anything off my to-do list. I am thinking those things will just have to wait until next week.

Until then, I just sit at my desk, sending emails to my friends about upcoming trips I would like to plan. This is all an effort to escape from reality.

peaceloveandgchat.

C

New walls

E and I are moving apartments at the end of the month (if all goes as planned!), and I've come across a few things I'd like to add to my bedroom.

Feminine prints by Emma Tina.

Elephant hook.

peaceloveandmoving.

R

WHAT the heck are these?

Please explain, Prada.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

No.

This is a horrible song / video. I watched it just to see what the hype was about.

Why does it have 65,877,519 views???

peaceloveandgchat.

R

Lilly / Barbie.

C-Mac, did you play with these as a child?

peaceloveandlilly.

R

That Ain't Right.

Spotted at PHL.

No one's hair (slash life?) should get to this point.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

ZARA

Success at Zara this weekend. Obsessed with all the color (and stripes!) in that store right now. WOW.

Fine-Stripe T-Shirt.

Dress with Cord.

Satin-Finish Blouse.

Striped T-Shirt.

Probs need to go back this week. Oops.

Striped Blouse.

Mini Skirt with Pockets.

Double Fabric Shorts.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

Ba da ba ba ba!

This is quite disgusting. Click on the link to see the image bigger.

peaceloveandmickyds.

R

Run Wit Wiz

L and I had a very productive morning on Saturday in Philadelphia! We got up, grabbed some coffee and ventured out on a 5 mile run around the city. We ran past Penn, around some super cute neighborhoods, jogged past she and her hubby's new house they juuuust bought (! ! !) and then through the Italian market. Great way to see the city while we both train for our upcoming races!

Oh wait, did I mention the 5 mile run ended at Pat's King of Steaks? And that I downed a cheesesteak wit wiz in mayyyybe 2 minutes?

Yup.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

RUE.

YAY BAILEY ! ! ! !

Check out Rue - starting on page 104.

Love ya Bails and Pete!

peaceloveandpeppermintbliss.

R

Stumbled Upon...

C-Mac. These are all you.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Bianca Enamel Bow Studs.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

WORST NIGHTMARE.

Thanks to CMcG for posting this. . .ew ew ew ew.

"One possibility is that the squirrel was raised by humans and then released into the wild." . . .no.

peaceloveandihatesquirrels.

R

Stumbled Upon...

C, this is perf for Sapphire Beach!

Anthropologie Elephant Ears Maillot.

peaceloveandsun.

R

Shhh!

We will be joining bloggers tomorrow, Friday March 18th, in a day of silence for Japan. Check out For Japan With Love to see what you can do to help!

peaceloveandjapan.

C&R

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We would both be indulging in this today, but since we both have to be in bathingsuits within the next 72 hours (and neither of us have the time or pateience to make it), we will opt for the vegetable version of green.

Top O' the mornin' to ya!

peaceloveandirish.

C&R

Color!

Spring is just around the corner and as I begin to pack for Spring Break, I am reminded that my wardrobe does NOT only consist of greys and blacks. I wouldn't mind a few additions to make my closet even more colorful. . .

Brian Atwood Maniac Patent Leather Pumps.

Kate Spade Shady Side Magazine Tote.

Michael Kors Chronograph Sport Watch.

Tory Burch Bev Bag.

Zara Skinny Stretch Jeans.

Marc Jacobs Quilting The Single Leather Bag.

peaceloveandspring.

R

One step closer. . .

to Spring Break.


Cute as a Button on my fingers and toes.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

Hot Couple Alert!

Two great companies pairing up for a great cause!

One Day Without Shoes.

Essie One Day Without Blues.

Tom's and Essie. Cute couple.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

Did I write this?

I definitely could have written this article. . .

peaceloveandgchat.

R

Kokomo

KK, AW and I woke up at an unGodly hour on Saturday morning, and instead of doing anything productive with our lives, we laid in bed and watched youtube vidoes on my phone (why reach for the computer when you can strain your eyes?). We spent 20 minutes searching for this video, when we came across a much more comical version. Nothing like seeing Miss Piggy in a hula skirt!



peaceloveandkermit.

C

Hey Tay

See ya August 10th!

WOOOOOOOOOO.

peaceloveandspeaknow.

R

Orechiette.

Last night's dinner was most definitely not a Cooking Light recipe, but I felt the urge to splurge a little bit at the end of a fun weekend.

Pasta with Prosciutto, Snap Peas, Mint and Cream.

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound prosciutto shank, finely diced
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1 pint cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/2 pound fresh snap peas, whole, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 pounds (3/4 box) pasta, farfalle or orechiette

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the garlic for 2-3 minutes until just beginning to color.

Add the prosciutto and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. I use whole prosciutto shanks because my butcher has them, but you can also ask for a 1/4 inch thick slice of prosciutto and chop that up instead. I think this works much better in pasta than thin slices.

Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften, and season with a pinch or two of salt and a turn or two of fresh black pepper.

Meanwhile, bring your pasta water to a boil, salt it, and add your pasta. You will want to time the pasta to be finished just as the sauce is finishing so that the cream doesn't sit long.

With about 3 minutes left on your pasta, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes. We want them to retain their crunch. With one minute remaining, add the cream and quickly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cheese, stir, and reduce the heat to low.

Drain the pasta, and toss with the sauce to coat. Sprinkle liberally with fresh mint, and serve with black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I actually nixed the mint for the recipe (not a huge fan of the flavor), but I don't think that took away anything. The pasta was soo delicious and I think orechiette pasta is soo cute! We made a little side salad of arugula, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar, and it really was a perfect Sunday dinner to end the weekend.

peaceloveandpasta.

R

Less than a week!

This time next week, I will be well on my way to looking like a Lobster with yellow hair! Can't wait!!!!

I thought this week would never come. And I've been counting down for what seems like forever. 6 days!!!! I cannot tell you how long these next 6 days will feel. I've already packed, sent out the annual Spring Break Mama C email, and if I could print my boarding pass this early, I would have done that as well.

Jealous? Don't worry, I will continue the countdown as the week goes on. Sorry I'm not sorry!

peaceloveandbeach.

C

Mama C: Part Duex

Sorry to those of you that read last years. Got a few repeats. Had to share though--traditions, right? And as you know, St. Thomas is pretty much the only thing on my mind right now, so I figured I might as well copy and paste something I wrote last week. That way I can focus the rest of my energy on day dreaming. (And for the sake of my own well being, I am going to refrain from providing you with the disturbing a crude responses that this email led to--sorry, my friends are vulgar). And BTW, we will miss you, R. Here ya go:

Hola Spring Breakers (can we still call ourselves that??) !!!

I know you have all been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this lovely spring break preparation email! The do's and do not's of SB2K11 (I almost wrote 12...really getting ahead of myself here). I can't even begin to tell you ladies (ha) how excited I am for this trip! It has taken over every thought of my day, and has resulted in me staring at the live beach web cam all day instead of doing work (which don't worry, I checked out around 10 pm last night, and for those of you planning a late night skinny dipping session, you can NOT see the water from the web cam. You CAN, however, see the beach. So AW, when you get out of the water, might be wise to put your dress on instead of just covering the front of your body this time).

While I know almost all of you are veterans, I'll give everyone the low down, for KK’s sake. (Which btw KK, I hope you like the taste of the tropics, because I think C-Mac has a little something up her sleeve for your arrival. Get ready to be hazed.)

Here we go (sorry if there is a bit of overlap from last year, but gotta cover the same points!):

1. CELL PHONES: They work down there. They just cost like $2.00 a minute to talk. BBM is free(for you suckers still rocking the blackberry). Texts are 10 cents a text. This is if you have Verizon. ATT...I'm sure it works down there and I'm sure its about the same cost. Might want to just call and ask. If someone needs to contact you, the phone number to the resort main line is ###-###-###, extension #### (for our condo).

2. CREDIT CARDS: Call your banks and credit card companies. They will undoubtedly put fraud alert on your card if you use it down there, even for the smallest thing. Just let them know you are travelling and when you are coming back. Will avoid a lot of hassle if you don't do this beforehand.

3. MONEY: Most of the bars are cash only, and ALL of the cabs are cash only (not that that is anything different from DC ha). Bars are cheap, cabs are a little pricier. They are shuttles (sniper vans), and charge per person, as you might be riding in the cab with other people. They charge you based on your destination. So dumb, but it is what it is. We will each need $180.00 in cash for the catamaran (that includes tip). On top of that, we are going to need cash for groceries. AW, C-Mac and I will go to the store on the way home from the airport, and the DC girls can pay us back. I am going to bring between $350.00 and $500.00 cash with me. You can leave your money in the safe during the week, and just take it out as you need it. We will likely go out to dinner twice. One night will be more low key, happy hour. And we can do one night at a nicer place! TBD.

4. PASSPORTS: You don't need them, but ML makes me bring mine every time. Those can go in the safe as well.

5. MEALS: ML has once again gone to Costco and purchased a ridiculous amount of food for us. We have the basics for pretty much the whole week taken care of. All we will really need to buy when we get down there is Veggies, Fruit, Milk and Booze. Please let me know if anyone has any requests as to something we should pick up at the store. It might be smart for some people to bring stuff like cereal down there in their suitcases. Random foods get rather pricey and the store isn't in walking distance or anything. If you have requests, speak now or forever hold your peace (or something like that).

6. TOWELS: The beach will supply beach towels for us. As most of you know, the bath towels are a different story. If you could each bring one towel that will stand out, that you can use as your bath towel for the week, that would be great. The tiny ones that they give us can be used for our hair, or soaking up AW’s pee after a wild night at the Fat Turtle. Nobody's judging. We will just be putting you on the air mattress that night...

7. BLACK: I don't think I need the no black rule this year. Quite frankly I am so sick of the color black and it just reminds me of this terrible winter that we have had. So if any of you are foolish enough to want to wear black when you're at the beach, so be it. I will be questioning our friendship however, and you may not be invited back next year...kidding....kinda. I do FULLY support dark navy though! Nautical is in...duh.

8. WORKING OUT: I don't think I need this rule this year either. Nautical may be in, but skinny is SO out.

9. AIRPORT/TRANSPORTATION: NYC Girls: I am going to schedule someone to pick us up at the airport and take us to the grocery store, then to the condo. We will get the keys, etc and then unpack the groceries while we wait for the girls. DC Girls: When you arrive, and get your baggage, you will walk directly outside of baggage claim and there will be a ton of black men standing by vans asking if you want a ride. While your first instinct might be to say "no," take the ride. Tell them where you are going. He will take your luggage and throw it in (or on top of) the van. This will cost $15.00 a person. Not including tip. If he asks you to blow his conch shell, just follow M’s lead.

10. RANDOM:

-We have a hair dryer down there. It's not the most powerful but it gets the job done. I might suggest that at least 2 more people bring one. Any takers? We can't use more than 2 at a time anyways, so no use in having 7 hairdryers down there. And i know everyone is picky about their straighteners, so I won't even bother telling you not to bring yours.

-Sunscreen-bring some. We have some down there but its mainly SPF 50.

-Shampoo, etc-bring some of that too. We have very little left down there.

-AW-you should totally bring those little ipod speakers! That way we can have some upstairs and downstairs. Just a thought.

-I by accident called O's friend that tried to meet up with us last year (I meant to call my parents in the condo). Anyways, he texted me back informing me that he is arriving in St. Thomas on the 19th and doesn't have a charter that week. he works on a chartered boat and does week long trips. He also lives on this boat. He wants to hang out with us, and says he will "give us the hook up." Whatever that means. O said hes a cool kid and we should def hang out with him....and I mean, he has a boat. Why not?

-The Rolex Regatta is this year again. We are absolutely going to the strobe light show so Hawn can pop an addy and take pictures of millionaires yachts.

11. INFORMATION FOR YOUR PARENTS: We all watch the Natalee Holloway story when we were down there last time. Let's make sure our parents know where we are.

peaceloveandspringbreak.

C

Stumbled Upon...

So C.

Markus Lupfer Giraffe Sequin Sweater.

peaceloveandgiraffes.

R

Pretty!

Huffington Post's World's Most Colorful Destinations.

Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, South Africa is my favorite.

"Happiness!" - C-Mac.

peaceloveandcolor.

R

Stumbled Upon....

HHS: is that you??

peaceloveandwebeffects.

C

Need a beach read?

Now, I am normally a Mary Higgins Clark or Jackie Collins fan when it comes to beach reads (right C-Mac??), but I definitely can make an exception.

Go out and purchase these books. ASAP. You won't be able to put them down.

Room, by Emma Donoghue.

The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins.

Don't judge - I am fully aware The Hunger Games series are teen novels. . .

You're welcome.

peaceloveandreading.

R

Do not try this at home.

If you have been cooped up all winter and have barely seen the sun in 4 months (like me), then I highly recommend NOT trying on your bathing suits in preparation for an upcoming sunny vacay.

Unfortunately, last night I thought this was an excellent idea. I nearly blinded myself when I looked in the mirror. I immediately changed into my pjs and settled down for the night, dreaming of the day when I will have the balls to get a spray tan.

Ugh.

peaceloveandpale.

R

New Logo = Better Coffee?

Starbucks has a new logo. Thoughts?

I like it. I even think it made my coffee taste better this morning.

Hah.

peaceloveandgchat.

R

Dreaming of the beach

My upcoming trip to St. Thomas has taken over every thought of my life (awake and asleep). This past weekend I had 2 very vivid dreams. It was almost as if they were flash-forwards to what will be taking place in 12 days!

The first dream involved me, C-Mac and HLR having a few too many frozen concoctions during dinner and sneaking out when everyone went to bed (sorry girls). The night continued at Duffy's, and while I woke up before this took place, I am sure there were shot shower's involved! I'm obviously assuming this is an omen for what is to come. And now it is not just HLR's dream to take a shot shower, but mine too apparently!

The next night I had another vivid dream. But this one was not quite as liquor filled as the previous. It was the first day at the beach, and naturally, I wanted to get a nice little bronze going. This is where I go wrong every year. I didn't put enough sunscreen on. And i looked something like this.

I woke up from the dream in a deep sweat. Proceeded to hop in the car and run to the nearest store to pick up the following items:

SkinCeuticals SPF 30 for my face. Gotta keep that skin wrinkle free, so I don't mind spending a bit more for the good stuff.

And some Kiehl's Lip Balm with SPF 15. Nothing worse than blistering lips. And I should know, it happens to me frequently.

And sticking with the blistering theme, I purchased some Clear Zinc for my nose. While you may think that seems a bit extreme, it is not. I am Irish. And it is March. Therefore, my skin is more see through than a costume on Dancing With the Stars. And on top of that, I constantly wear sunglasses when I am in the sun (blue eyes). The reflection of my shades cause a SERIOUS burn on my nose. To the point where I have a permanent line across the arch. So mock me if you will, but I will be rocking some Zinc all day, every day on SB2K11. I can be responsible AND have fun, right?!

And a plethora of products for the rest of the bod. For starters, Bull Frog in both SPF 30 and SPF 50. JUST in case (you can never be too prepared, right?).

And once I've had at least one solid day in the sun, I can star rocking the Coppertone SPORT SPF 15. (Maybe even the afternoon of that first full day...ok maybe not). Love this stuff.

And to those of you going on this trip with me (or have been on a trip to the beach with me in the past), you know this is nothing new. I carry roughly 8 bottles of sunscreen in my Mary Poppins-like beach bag at any given time (along with an array of hair lightening products, but that's for another time). Never know when you're going to run out! And no matter how much I bring with me, or how much/frequently I reapply, I WILL get burnt.

peaceloveandsunscreen.

C