sick days.

I rarely get sick.

But when I do get sick, I feel totally out of commission.  Let me tell you... I am out of commission.  (I'm writing this post in advance, and already praying that by the time it goes live I'm feeling better!)

My body is fighting me right now.  I haven't been taking care of it in the way that I should, and it is letting me know in a big way right now.  With trips back and forth between NYC and DC, I got a little behind in, well, everything.  Emails, school, blog posts, sleep.  Yikes!!!

I was up really late and awake really early pretty much every day last week.  And it totally caught up with me.

Yay?

I guess it's my own fault... The good news, though, is that it's forcing me to take it easy.

Sick days for me:

Nail Polish

Thick Socks

Tons of Oranges

Boxes of Kleenex

One Tree Hill on Netflix

Sometimes you really do need to listen to your body.  I needed to rest and my body is forcing me to rest.  It's a good thing.

xoxo

PS Sunday @ 10pm update... I'm actually feeling a little better.  I survived the trip to NYC and I actually was out and about a bit today.

Bathing Beauties

It's cold.  It's February.  It's midterm season.

But... Spring Break is RIGHT around the corner.  Georgetown has an early break; it begins on March 2.  This is the first real spring break that I've had since freshman year... of high school.  I've always had to train for crew, but now that I am not coxing I get to have a real break!!!

We're going to Mexico!!!!!!

As a family.  I'm really excited.  I'm also trying not to worry so much about the fact that I might have to live under an umbrella slash hide under towels to avoid the sun.... But I digress.

I am really looking forward to just having a few days of relaxing.

Picking out bathing suits is always a challenge.  I'm quite particular about bathing suits.  I don't like strings in the back of the top.... I hate the knot when you lean back or wear a coverup.  Coloring is a trick too since I'm pretty pale ;-)

Here are my top three pics for this year:

I love the seersucker bandeau top and the fun print and mixed pattern on the bottom.  This is most definitely my number one pick.  I think it's a "must-have" actually!!! 

J. Crew is always a good option as well.  The bright red is quite fun and the ruffling is just an added bonus.

I have never tried on a Nanette Lepore bathing suit before... but this one has me tempted!  I like the teeny-tiny cut out with the bow!

Where are you going for Spring Break?  Where do you normally buy bathing suits from?

xoxo

Giveaway :: Francesca Joy

SO excited about this giveaway.  I'm a pretty big fan of Francesca Joy PB and I'm loving all of her new product lines!!!  (The bow ties are too cute!)

I met Elise (she's the brilliant artist behind the prints!) last September and tried on one of the Francesca Joy dresses.... I fell in love!

Her totes are also super cute.  They're all handpainted and perfect to carry around for errands, to the pool, the gym, the beach.... anywhere.

The giveaway is for this Francesca Joy iPhone 4/4s case! 

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below!  If it isn't showing up, try clicking on the title of this post and refreshing :-)  You have to be on the page of the actual post, as opposed to the homepage www.thecollegeprepster.com.  It's a little confusing, but the widget will really help me cut down on time spent typing up entries!

New CP Desktop and iPhone Wallpaper!

The most bizarre thing has been happening.  You know the "It's a Small World" ride at Disney?  I promise you that the catchy (albeit extremely annoying) song has been stuck in my head for the past three weeks.

As my world gets bigger, the world gets smaller.

This whole thing has been going on for a while, but I really began to notice it more last semester.  However, it's almost gotten to the point now where it's scary how small the world is.  The more people I meet and connect with and talk to, the more I'm realizing it.

After being in NYC last week, I realized that because my world has been both simultaneously growing and shrinking (read: meeting more people, but connecting more "dots")... I needed to dream a little bit bigger.

Instructions for Downloading:

Right click on the image.

Select "Open in new tab" (or window)

Right click the image again.

You can either save the image to your computer and then set it as a background. On macs, you should be able to right click and "save as desktop background."

And here's a version for your iPhone :-)

xoxo

PS This has been one crazy week for me.  So much work on just about every single front imaginable.  Please bear with me while I try to play a little catch up :-)

Sponsor :: Emma Graham Designs

So excited to announce another College Prep Sponsor...

Emma Graham Designs!

I've been watching this brand since its beginnings... and I must say, it's come a long way from the campus trunk show days and I'm SO impressed.

The new Spring collection is really cute.

These are my two favorite dresses on the website right now.

On the left:  The Jordan Dress

On the right: The Mandy Dress

This is the coolest part about Emma Graham Designs I think.... 

You can design your own dress.  I think it'd be great to coordinate a bunch of dresses with your friends/sisters for sorority events.  You pick the style and then the colors.  A great way to stand out!  (Oh, and you can customize hats too for derbies!)

Something to keep your eyes out for is the Campus Collection.  It's only available from August to November, but the game day dresses are so cute!

xoxo

PS You can be a Design Consultant on your college campus... Check out more information here.

College Prepster Book Club

I think I underestimated the amount of work that I would have for my classes this semester.  It's not completely unmanageable, but on top of College Prep & Sweet Lemon (and not to mention those trips to NYC), I'm not spending as much time reading.

Well, correction... I read a LOT.... but it's mostly boring textbooks and HBS cases.

I've worked my way through four books this year, which is definitely behind my book-per-week goal, but that is okay.  I'm getting my schoolwork done, which right now is the most important thing.

The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway

I chose this book while in the library because I remember so not enjoying having to read Hemingway in high school.  I really actually hated any required reading during high school.  (Except for The Count of Monte Cristo, but technically I first read it in middle school.)

I picked it up because it's not something I would normally read for "pleasure," and I wanted to see if I really shouldn't have rebelled against high school English teachers.

(Surprise, I ended up breezing through it!)

xoxo

Sponsor :: The Paper Cottage

I'm really excited to announce College Prep's newest sponsor...

The Paper Cottage

I love that the website boutique is run by two moms!  They have experience in the "business world"; Beth worked in the magazine industry and Michelle did PR.  I love that they used their experience to run their website now "in between carpools and play dates."

The boutique carries many of my favorite brands and lots of fun styles, patterns, prints... and, of course, monograms!

Nico & Lala has been a longtime College Prepster favorite for some time now.  

Boatman Geller is also my stationery of choice.  I love the selection of BG note cards on The Paper Cottage, but these elephant cards are definitely my favorite.

For the sorority girls, The Paper Cottage also has a super preppy collection of licensed Clairebella Greek products.  The water bottles and cell phone cases are really fun.  (Perfect gifts for littles, yes?)

So long boring brown clipboards!  The patterns on these are too cute.

The picture frames are another great gift idea!

They also carry a few Lifeguard Press/Lilly Pulitzer products, like the cell phone covers.

Be sure to head over to The Paper Cottage to check out the rest of their products!!!

xoxo

PS They have a blog!!!  Check it out here.