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!