View From My Office

I know I am have been MIA this week. The new Grove will open on Monday...yes I kknow a week late, but I have decided to be positive and consider it fashionably late. Since my birthday is on Tuesday, it will be an early birthday present!

The view from my office has been pretty much products photos, listings, iced tea and salted caramel popcorn. I escape at night for a run on the treadmill or a spin on the elliptical, but I am so excited to launch!

I wanted to do a quick post rather than answer all of the emails in my inbox that are pretty much the same question. PLEASE don't be mad at me, but I think this post will answer everyone's questions!

A lot of you have emailed about Julep since I blogged about it. My April box arrived today so I thought I would post photos so you can see for yourselves.

My April box contained amazing foot cream (can't wait to use this after the stiches come out from my foot surgery in 3 weeks!), 2 bottles of polish and some chocolate. One is a light purple, which Mini K already has her eyes on, and I love too! The other polish is great dark pink.

Julep Maven is $19.99 a month which includes your monthly box, FREE shipping on all purchases and 20% off.

Today is the last day you can use the code: MARCHINTRO which will get you your trial box for a penny! I decided I loved my Julep box so I continued. It is a great way to take your own polish to the salon and know you are in style!

You can join HERE & don't forget to use MARCHINTRO to save $19.98!

Hands Off

I think I have been logging 6-8 hours in front of my computer every night getting the website ready to launch. The Grove logo is getting a little freshening and I am waiting on 2 more boxes of samples to photograph, but otherwise it is almost finished! This has been such a labor of love and basket of nerves at the same time!I took yesterday off from the website. Mini K had her friend C over to make chocolate covered peeps, complete with sprinkles in more colors than I can count. I am pretty sure our scottish terrier ate his weight in sprinkles last night! After that I drove her to her friend S's 6th birthday dance party. After all of that I decided we needed some mother daughter time so headed to our favorite nail salon and 2 manicures later we emerged for an evening of Food Network and an early bedtime!

I mentioned on Tuesday that I had joined Julep Maven to see what I thought. I'll confess I tend to use the same brand of make-up so while the Birchbox has great product, most of it is not sold in stores and I haven't been convinced to order it online and pay shipping based on a small sample.

Julep is the EXACT OPPOSITE. Once you join Julep Maven, you get FREE SHIPPING on their entire site. My "box" was actually an adorable cello bag, filled with treats, and tied with a double faced satin bow and filled with FULL SIZED products. It gets better, each month you can select what product colors you will receive in your box, what I like to call a pre-determined surprise. While I don't really stray on make-up, I love to try new nail colors and always take my own polish to the salon. Yesterday I took my Julep Whitney to the salon and I am loving the grey-khaki color on my short nails.

I had already been using the hand scrub, and I am convinced it has some secret hidden in it, because my dry hands haven't had a hangnail, rough patch or shaggy cuticle since I started using it. For April, I selected the bright orange Parker, and can't wait to try it out.

You can join Julep Maven HERE. And you know I wouldn't send you somewhere without a coupon code, but this one expires at the end of the month so you have to hurry! Use code: MARCHINTRO to save $19.98 off of the $19.99 monthly price. How can you not try something for a penny?

The Countdown Has Started

One

Week until the new Grove website launches. I finally had to FORCE a deadline on myself. Once it launches, I will still have some things to tweak, but I am so excited to share our new look and products I need to hustle! If you havne't liked us on Facebook, you might want to...because we believe that every launch should involve a favor!

Two

The number of kids that I have to get settled and ready for the next day before I turn my evenings to working on the new site.

Three

The number of birthday presents that I need to wrap and either ship or deliver this week.

Four

The number of monogrammed carryalls that people ordered today!

and......

FIVE

The number of pounds it looks like you have lost when you wear these Skinny Jeans. I am NOT kidding, and full disclosure I am a normal size 8. I paid full price, but you can get them HERE for half price. I am buying a second pair!

Friday FIVE!

Let's just say I am so happy it is Friday! Mini K is so excited to see what shanigans St. Patrick's Day brings in the Grove tomorrow and I am almost finished with my list!

Here is what I am been loving this week!

1. Brach's Jelly Beans. Well really just the white, orange and pink ones. They may have been my "dinner" 3 nights this week!

2. Rowen Footwear. I am loving their classic style and their prices are even better when you purchase through Uscoop. $130 worth of shoes for $65! I LOVE my black Tillie's and just ordered the Peach Tillie's with today's deal.

3. Mini K's new Lilly Pulitzer Sandy swimsuit! She requested ruffles, Greystone requested a onepiece and thanks to Lilly P we both got what we wanted! We have tried just about every swimsuit and I think the Lilly ones are worth every single penny....they last and don't fall apart!

4. Deals! I mean is this news to any of you? Several of you have told me that the colored jeans at Old Navy are just as cute at the Kate Spade jeans and one-tenth of the price...well tomorrow you can get 17% off your ENTIRE Old navy purchase with this coupon!

5. Julep! I may be the last one to know about this, but it is essentially a different sample box company, similar to Birchbox. You pay $19.99 and get $40 worth of samples delivered to your door. Well you can use code MARCHINTRO to get your first box for $0.01 (yep a penny!) plus shipping. I figured I would try it out for a penny and if I don't like it I can cancel it!

Spring Has Sprung!

I am in denial that it is Thursday! The weather in D.C. this week has been nothing short of beautiful! 70 degree weather during the day and 60 degree weather at night...absolutely perfect, unless you are Mini K and Baby C....and grew a TON over the past year and NONE of your spring clothes fit, unless you are waiting on the great flood!

So the Grove had to do a little shopping this week! Thankfully, I could run down the street, literally, to The Purple Goose and pick up all of our Olive Juice favorites without waiting for the UPS man to bring them to me! The Purple Goose is owned by Ms. Paula (the big boss) and her daughter, Ms. Linda according to Mini K and she adores them both. How can not love a kids clothing and toy store that has a treasure box full of treats tat you can pick from EVERy SINGLE TIME you are there and a mailbox in December where you can drop off your letters to Santa and he will actually write you back! Even if you don't live in the D.C. area, you should "LIKE" their facebook page as they have amazing sales. Mini K, no surprise, is a girly girl, so when she saw this year's Morgan & Milo sparkle flops we HAD TO HAVE THEM in both blue and pink. Let's not talk about the fact that we aren't allowed to wear them to school. DETAILS.

Since I am all about keeping it real I will tell you that the blog schedule for this week that I had actually written out is now lost in the piles I "pre-cleaned" before our cleaning ladies come today so I must find it tonight.

Until then, I am off to clients meetings, the doctor to drop off camp physicals, my doctor and an event for Mini K's school at Bloomingdales tonight.

Miss you all, but promise to blog about our St. Patrick's Day pinchings tomorrow.

Spring Forward, New Week

Spring forward seems to have started early in the Grove! I am not sure what was in the water last week, but I feel like I have been on a roller coaster since Thursday morning! Meetings for my day job, building out the new PGG website at night, interviewing summer nanny candidates, finalizing the plans for our addition, reserving our storage pod and signing Mini K up for all of her summer activities. Add to that list Baby C's never ending eating spree and I don't think I have been anywhere but the kitchen, my computer and the treadmill in days!

Before I forget we will be introducing our new products on our Facebook page this week with an extra special GIVEAWAY to come when we reach 1,000 fans!

Mini K couldn't wait to sign up for swim team this past Saturday. I am not sure if was the new uniform swimsuit or the new goggles and swim backpack. Wouldn't you know that as soon as we purchased all of her gear, I find an AMAZING deal on not one but three pairs of FINIS swim goggles! Even though I missed the deal, you can still get 3 pairs of goggles for $24 HERE (they are usually $24 a pair!) and use code address10 to save an extra 10%. I always think a pair of swim goggles and a fun beach towel make a great birthday gift and I always take a beach towel and goggles as an extra thank you for all of the kids when we stay at friends' beach houses.

Around here it seems every kid we know as a spring birthday and I am always trying to think of something fun to give to both boys and girls alike. I knew I found a keeper, or I should say a giver, when I found this slap watches. Digital with a touch of adventure, so many colors and only $9.99! You can find them HERE.

I got a head start on graduation and birthday gifts for the boys in our life with a great deal on needlepoint belts HERE. Tucker Blair pretty much has their entire collection on Gilt today. I ordered the shamrocks and American flags for our two soon to be high school graduates.

It's only Monday, but I am already riding high from crossing things off of my to-do list, in a key lime green Sharpie of course! Now if only I could make an evening of boxing up ebay items while listing new items sound glamorous, because that is what I will be doing tonight!

Calling All Preppy Clothing Lovers

Have you heard about Country Club Prep? I am so excited to for their launch on March 15th! While some of the flash sites have preppy sales every once in awhile, I am looking forward to being able to head to one site to fid great preppy clothes!

If you haven't signed up, you can sign up HERE and get FREE SHIPPING for life! I know I am not alone in the scenerio of one thing in your shopping cart and you walk away from it because you don't want to pay shipping for just 1 item!

Tuesday Deals

I am sneaking in a quick post as we do the evening double task. Mini K is doing her homework and I have somehow managed to get Baby C to watch Elmo Gives Up the Pacifier in hopes it has subliminal messages that make him want to do the same thing!

As soon as I saw this deal in my inbox I had to share it with you. For those of you that read my blog, follow me on twitter or know me in real life you know that I have EXTREMELY thick and curly hair and I spend way too much time and money drying and processing it straight. I also have a huge problem finding cute pony holders that actually keep my ponytail in place!

Emi Jays are my favorite and today you can find them on super discount right HERE. Mini K is also an Emi Jay fan and they work just as well in her hair. I took advantage of the sale to pick up a multi-pack of pony ties and headbands for her Easter basket!

I know I am not alone in my love of Slatkin candles so I was super excited when I logged into my ebates account today to see that they are having a special...actually a steal. When you click through ebates and enter in code: EBATESFRESH you get 30% off your ENTIRE purchase. For those of you not familiar with ebates, I confess I am a BIG BELIEVER. You only need to provide them with your name, email address and mailing address, go to ebates.com before yous start shopping and then click through to your favorite stores (Tory Burch, Nordstroms, Kate Spade, Boden, Piperlime to name a few) and cash back is deposited into your ebates account. Every quarter ebates will mail you a check..FOR REAL. It's like getting money back for things that rarely go on sale that your would buy anyway. For the last two years our biggest source of cash back has been from diapers.com, thank you Baby C! If you haven't joined yet you can join HERE.

And finally, all baby, boys and girls Mini Boden is on sale for 25% off. Just enter in code: W3DE

Happy Shopping!

Ebay...Ebay...and more Ebay

Don't be envious...I made myself a tervis full of Target's Market Pantry sugar free lime margarita, opened a plastic tub and two hours later have listed the first of 4 tubs on ebay.

It's a combination of both Mini K and Baby C's now too small clothing and I started the bidding out LOW (translation $0.99). I hate taking their good stuff to Goodwill and I doubt anyone will know what it is.

So if you have a little boy that wears size 18-24 months or a little girl that will be in a 5 or 6 you might want to check out my listings....Lilly Pulitzer, Pink Chicken, Orient Expressed, Crewcuts and more!

You can find the listings HERE.

After all of that I am rewarding myself with an hour of Pinterest before I hit the hay. Now I pray I will be able to move tomorrow morning when the alarm goes off because Crossfit was ROUGH today!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

I feel like I have been in a rut for the past few months so I have been trying to brnach out and try some new things. Nothing earth shattering and of course my new favorites all seem to be on the same style path as my trusted favorites!

Miss Headband had posted these two items on her blog so I tweeted her on my recent CVS visit so I could pick them both up. I have to confess the mascara is just as good as my $40+ Chanel tube, not kidding. This eye roller is amazing...the puffiness is done in mere minutes!

While I wait for Mad Men to come back, I am excited to see that one of the books we read in book club will now be a Sunday night ABC show. Let's hope GCB lives up to its promos as I am not impressed with Smash.

I know many of you warned me that little boy clothes just weren't as cute as little girl clothes so I am always on the hunt. I am happy to report that Grove will be carrying these cute sweaters, and they are available by special order on our Facebook page now. Just leave a comment with your size, colors, monogram and email and we will take care of the rest. All of the sweaters are made BY HAND not machine in the USA and ship within 2 weeks!

Mr. G gave me some Zobha workout clothes for Valentine's Day (I ASKED for them...I say this because I have gotten some strange looks outside of Crossfit when I am excited to talk about new activewear!). I feel like the line has been in all of the magazines lately and while I love my Lulu they never really seem to have longer tops. I have the low impact tank and tha capris and LOVE them! The tunic is longer than most and the phantom grey capris are the perfect change from my standard black. The best part is when you sign up for their emails you get a promo code for 25% off and shipping is ALWAYS free. I feel like the sizing is the same as Lulu.

Anyone else in a rut? Found a good deal? Have a new favorite to share? I would love to hear! Until GCB, I am off to sterilize the dishwasher and washing machine!

Babies on the Brain

I lost count at 6 friends who told me they are expecting a baby in the last month. Grove Gal E and I LOVE to help our clients and friends throw parties and every good soiree starts with a invite. I know a lot of people have switched to evite and paperless post, and they are cute, but they don't give me the thrill of finding an envelope in the mail!

We don't know if any of you have been getting calls, emails and hearing from friends that they are expecting, or maybe you are, so in honor of all of the babies on the way we have put ALL of our baby shower invites and birth announcements on sale for 30% OFF. You can find all of our baby announcements HERE.

You can find all of the shower invites HERE.

Just enter code: JOYFUL30 to receive 30% off your shower or announcement order.

As you know, I love to give the mom of honor thank you notes as one of her gifts so she is ready to say thanks after the shower. We have extended our DOUBLE your flat or folded notes for FREE special so you can take advantage of both sales and save on shipping. You can find all of our notes HERE.

I don't know about you, but I HATE it when stores don't let you stack discounts...at the Grove we DO!

I love this invite for a baby boy. Who doesn't love a bowtie? (I confess I almost used this invite for Baby C's 1st birthday party, and you might want to look around, because you can find a lot of possible invites for your little ones under 4!)

This is one of my favorite invites for when you don't know boy or girl? Even our clients who don't like yellow and green love it!

And pink is always the go to color it seems for girls. This is one of our best sellers.

Love a Bow

If I had to list my top 10 favorites I think a good bow might make the list...we all know that a monogram, bags and baubles are in the top five!

So I loved seeing that this clutch is the marriage of a good bow and a bag. It comes in either red and white stripes or navy and white stripes and the bow is actually a hidden handle. Can't you just see it paired with a button down, white jeans, some chunky gold or pearl jewelry and sunglasses in the spring and summer?

Well since our weathermen are claiming it will be 70 degrees in D.C. today I had to share.

The best part...this bag is only $32 when you purchase it HERE.