Back To School!

Today I head to my first day of class for the fall 2010 semester! I am taking so many neat classes, some very hard, but I am up for the challenge! Wish me luck! To all of those who start classes, or start taking their little ones to school today, I wish you all the best of luck on a successful and fun filled semester! Of course I'll have my first day outfit posted sometime this week (I LOVE it!). Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

Au Revoir Pittsburgh, Hello Junior Year of College!

This past weekend, I organized my life, packed it up, and as you are reading this, I am headed down south for my junior year of college! Classes don't start for another week, but I want plenty of time to socialize before getting back to the grind! Of course I am so happy to be heading back to school because I love every minute (yes, even when I'm in the library studying for hours on end, or in a boring lecture) however, I of course miss my family and friends from home and lots of other Pittsburgh things. Here are the things I miss the most while away at school:

Primati Brothers Sandwich. I love the Capicola and the Pittsburgher the best! Of course it's a Pittsburgh institution, and it has been featured on the Food channel and the Travel channel numerous times!

The Palm Place. The best store in Pittsburgh to buy Lilly, VV, Eliza B., and other beautiful clothing!

Beto's Pizza. Yes that is cold shredded mozzarella atop warm pizza bread and sauce. It really is amazing.

Mac- The best dog in the entire world. I miss him terribly while I am away and have a large blown up picture of him framed in my room while I'm away!

Going to Steelers games! Preseason started August 14! I miss being able to see my team live in action! No worries, as long as my cable at school gets the games, I watch!

Country Club! So many friends to catch up with and lots of fun eating on the porch, going to the driving range, and laying out by the pool.

The many tunnels and bridges. We are the city with the three rives!

Riding the incline up to Mt. Washington or down to Station Square. We have two inclines, are are they only city in the country that can say that!

The View from Mt. Washington. To me, this is my favorite place in the entire world. So romantic, so nostalgic, so Pittsburgh.

Hands down the best diner. Of course you can't forget the smiley cookies or the grilled stickies! 

Of course, most of all, I always miss my parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, family friends, high school friends, puppy, and neighbors. 

A tip for the college ladies: I found that I would get bouts of home sickness during my freshman year. They weren't bad, but from time to time, I of course missed the place that I had lived in for 18 years of my life. To help me be less homesick, I created a folder in my Pictures and labeled it "slideshow". I added all of the pictures that reminded me of home. All of the pictures above are in the folder, plus tons more. I got some off of Google images, some from friends, and some I took myself. Then I set my screensaver to only play these pictures. The pictures would go by when my computer would sit idle, and it was like I had  a little slice of home. 

If you are headed back to school, I hope you have a safe trip. And for those of you that start classes today, I hope everything goes smoothly! Have a fabulous day!

Yours, 

sCe

The "F" Word

Don't worry.. this post is totally G rated! The "F" word I'm talking about is a particular season that just may be coming up, however, I cannot bring myself to actually type the entire word out due to it still being JULY. I actually love the first couple of weeks in August where I take requisite Target trips, mall trips, outlet jaunts, and the like to find things for back to school. It really is a great time because you get to have a lot of fun shopping for things that you actually need (okay so maybe I don't actually need another new pair of flats...) but nonetheless, I am a total nerd: I love back to school shopping. So I guess this post is another directed toward the college aged ladies (can I get a shout out?! only kidding!) . Here are several things that I cannot return to school without:

This may seem a little out of the ordinary but I get a lot of groceries before I depart pour l'ecole. I know it makes a lot more sense to grocery shop while actually in the same zip code as my school so I don't have to lug all of the food with me for the 5 hour drive, but I love having Market District brand products in my dorm. For all of 'yinz' who don't have a clue what I am talking about, Market District is a magical little huge grocery store for Pittsburghers that has tons of options and their own brand which is great as well. I find that having Market District products in my dorm make it feel a lot more homey than have WalMart brand products (I know, I know, I told you this was a bit odd). I like to stock up on French Roast coffee (I used to brew Starbucks French Roast but MD's is 10x better and I'm guessing it's 10x cheaper as well), chocolate covered almonds, pretzels, MD Sparkling Pomegranate Lemonade (this is seriously the best drink), Flavor packets for water, papertowels, etc.

The Company Store down throw. I own it in sage and adding a monogram is only $6 extra. When it comes to this throw, I am like a 4 year old child that has to take their teddy bear everywhere with them. It is hands down the best blanket in the entire world. I leave it at the end of my bed for naps, take it on long car rides, and cuddle up with it when it's cold. If you have someone heading off to college, or need a care package idea this is the best idea I've got. I cannot say enough about how much I love my down throw. (And just when you're thinking that it will get stained and dirty and then you'll have to throw it out.. no worries! It is machine washable! And if that's not enough to sell ya, there is a lifetime guarantee.. see once you have one, there is no getting rid of it.)

This is on my wanted list. For $17.50 I say how can you pass it up! I love the white zin print because it seems to be the brightest, but I just can't decide! I would really like to see these in person before purchasing because I am very particular about my water bottles. When starting my blog, my second post was about my love for Camelbak water bottles. My Camelbak is now in water bottle heaven after discovering that yesterday the mouthpiece came completely off. I am most definitely going to be purchasing a new one ASAP because it is SO worth the $22. I had mine for 2 years and literally used it every single day (that's 730 days!). So while I won't be replacing my Camelbak with a Lilly water bottle, I will certainly give Lilly a chance!

Coasters! I am thinking that 99% of college students do not use coasters, especially on the school's dorm room furniture, but I can't help it but to always reach for a coaster when setting something down. I guess I was just brought up that way. Above is a picture of 2 coasters that I made in my senior year of high school in a graphic arts class. I keep them right in my desk drawer at school and one next to my bed so my drinkware is always elevated away from the furniture.
These are only some of my many back to school packing tips but I'll be sure to add more tips as back to school approaches. Next up is my vacation re-cap! Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

*Don't forget to enter my headband and key ring GIVEAWAY! It ends on Sunday!

Back To School!

Lilly Pulitzer Smart Cookie Backpack $78

It's back to classes for me! First week of classes are either a breeze or overwhelming, let's hope this semester they are a breeze! With this Lilly backpack, it would just brighten everyone's day; Unfortunately, I think I'm a little too old to be toting around this beauty. Someone please buy this for their child! I have several classes with some close friends so that is something I'm definitely looking forward to. Also rush starts in just 2 weeks and I cannot wait to get new girls into our sorority and find a Lilly loving little. Everyone who is going back to school, good luck and best wishes for a fun-filled year!

Yours,

sCe

**EDIT

Here is my 2nd day (first day of second round of classes) outfit:

New song!

The car is packed, more like my life is packed away and I am headed for Virginia tomorrow! I move in Saturday and I cannot wait! I can't wait to see all of my friends and sorority sisters and catch up with everyone. I can't wait to show you all my room. I'm usually so good at packing but I might have gone a little overboard with clothes. Oops! I have a few posts scheduled for my move in period, but I will post about my room and everything ASAP! So here is my apology in advance if my posts are not as often as usual!
Anyway, last night on Sirius radio I heard this great song called "Love Drunk" by Boys Like Girls. Usually I'm not one to like these "punky" bands, and in fact this band came to my university last fall, but I had never even heard of them so I didn't bother going. This song is really catchy and brings up your mood instantly. The chorus sounds a little like "Somebody told me" by the Killers from a few years back. Nonetheless, I cannot get enough of this song! Check it out:



Makes you want to run! Have a great weekend everyone! Wish me luck on the moving-in process!
Yours,
sCe

Back to college tips!

Preppy Perfection gave me a great idea! After my packing tips seemed to go over so well and I got several e-mails telling me how great they were, I am going to do packing for college tips. So all of you college students getting ready to go back to school, I hope this helps! (just a side note: I'm totally high maintenance when it comes to packing for college, I have to have the whole place transformed into a place that will be acceptable to call "home", so some of these things may not be necessities to you, but these are just recommendations because I'm no expert! I would also welcome suggestions as to what your packing for college tips are!) I also think I'll do this post in installments over a few days, because I just have so many tips! Enjoy!

I personally am moving back into a dorm room and know all of the details and measurements. If you don't know or are an incoming freshman and haven't got a chance to see the room you will be living in, try calling the residence life office. My residence life has an e-mail address and I just e-mailed her to get the exact measurements for things such as the closet height, width, and depth, and the window measurements for drapery. Also, this year my roommate and I are going to have our own bathroom which is new to me, so I also asked in the e-mail what I will need to bring that the bathroom doesn't have (ex. shower curtain, bath rug, toothbrush holder, etc.).

Next, make a list of things you will need. Group the list by store. It iss also helpful to know what stores are located in your college town. I personally would wait until you get there to buy what you need. The town my college is in has pretty much everything: Target, Walmart, Michael's, Home Depot, a tiny mall, a Costco, and a grocery store. So for example you would put shampoo under Target, or pencils and pens under Walmart. I find that lists are the way to go so you don't forget anything.

Here are some things that I HIGHLY suggest, I learned from my mistakes:

-Make the color pallete of your entire room based on your comforter. I suggest getting a down comforter only because it makes the bed more comfortable, and believe me, you will want your bed to be extra comfy when you get into it ( found a super cute pastel plaid down comforter at the Ralph Lauren Outlet)! Also in addition to sheets and such, I suggest getting a temperpedic type mattress topper. The mattress that is provided has been slept on my other people which is really gross to think about, so the topper gives you comfort and raises you above so you are not sleeping directly on the mattress. Another necessity is a hypoallergenic mattress cover. I found mine at Target and it's almost like a fitted sheet, with a little padding, and it would go over the temperpedic layer and the mattress. That way, you are safe from allergens and that gross mattress. Also, I wash my sheets every week. I know that sounds a little much, but it is so much nicer when you are always sleeping on clean sheets (every bit of good sleep you can have is so worth it!).

-When I had my graduation party, as most people do, I made posters in the color of my high school colors and put a ton of pictures on these large posters. I thought these would be great to take to school and hang on my walls. Well they didn't look bad, but they didn't match my room and were not very sophisticated. I have since then bought several things for my wall. I featured these frames in one of my older posts. I also bought a large collage frame to hang above the head of my bed. You can find a lot of low priced frames at Marshalls and TJ Maxx. I just think that frames instead of posters, pasted pictures, or paper make for a more homier room.

-Buy a cute lamp. I hate the harsh over head lighting that comes with the dorm room. The lamp lighting is much more cozy, and makes the room look like home. Also you will want to place it next to your bed in case you need light and your roommate is trying to sleep. I bought my stand and shade at Target. They have adorable preppy lamp shades, and it wasn't hard to find one to match my color pallete.

- Get a Brita Pitcher. It filters your water and makes cold water readily available to you in your room. I got a cute one that is called grand green.

- You are going to want to have plenty of healthy (and well, not so healthy) snacks in your room. For this, I recommend a large tupperwear container. The reason you should keep all of your food in a container is because bugs will find the food, and that is just gross. I found a cute transparent pink one at Target, and I just slide it under my bed for easy access.

- Don't buy large packs of water bottles. Get yourself a trusty water bottle. It saves a ton of space. I wrote about a great water bottle here. Also, I'm obsessed with Crystal Light packets of all flavors. If you are like me, get another water bottle for your flavored drinks becuase getting the taste out of the water bottle is hard. So I have a water bottle just for flavored drinks and one just for water. My favorite Crystal Light packet is Pink Lemonade, and runner up is Pomegranate Lemonade!

- Don't buy a desk hutch from your school. At my school they are literally just slabs of unfinished wood constructed into a caveman-like shelving system. I went to the container store website and found this amazing hutch. It will deliver right to you, there is hardly any assembly required, and it folds up flat so traveling with it is a piece of cake. I also bought matching bins (not the exact ones but somewhat similar) to put on the shelves. Along with the bins, my printer rested on of the shelves (remember extra printer paper and ink!!!) (real bin shown to the right).

These are only a few things that I think are important for every college girl! There are plenty more tips to come, so keep a look out. My next posts will include a list of often forgotten items, items that I think are very important, and how to pack, haul, and store you clothing/shoes/accessories! Also, if anyone wants any specific tips on college packing, feel free to e-mail me at Summerwind41490@gmail.com. I don't tend to over-pack, but I do always go to school prepared and organized to make my dorm room neat, clean , and "homey".

Yours,
sCe