Lilly Summer Wish List!

Summer is the perfect season for Lilly Pulitzer! Here are a few pics from the current summer line I can't wait to own!

 Lilly Pulitzer Callahan shorts in Turquoise High Beams. I love Lilly shorts, they are the perfect length, not too short to show too much, but not too long to make my legs look awkward.

Every pattern that the Janice has come out in has complimented the dress so well. Honestly, I would love to own all four patterns in this dress, it looks so great!

I love this color yellow! This Foley dress is absolutely perfect for almost any summer occasion!

I loved last year's You Gotta Regatta, and at first when I heard that Lilly will be coming out with another nautical boat theme print, I was a little unsure of how it would look and if it would be different from YGR enough to want to own both prints. But I really like it and I can't wait to buy it! Get Nauti Liza shorts.

This is my Holy Grail. I loooooooove the Marie Kate!!

Graduation!!

This past weekend I graduated from WVU with a Bachelor  of Science in Engineering!!

But you don't have to be drab to be an engineer, I wore Lilly Pulitzer's Rosaline which might be one of the most flattering dresses I have ever worn.

 I have absolutely loved my college experience. Many people will tell you that engineering is hard, stressful, that you won't have a life, and will try to talk you out of it. And many of these things are true. Did I spend most of my time at the engineering building? Yes I did. Did I pull all nighters when I should have been out with my friends? Of course. But all of that hard work and dedication to a field of work I actually enjoy has led me to meet the most wonderful people and to my dream job.

The Petroleum Amoeba!!

 The big moment!!

Decorated my cap! It's kind of funny because I was worried that other caps would look similar to mine, completely forgetting that I was graduating with 400 guys and that of course none of them would have Lilly caps! Also, it was about 200 degrees in that robe and by the time this picture was taken I was pretty sure I was going to pass out from dehydration.

All in all, I am very nervous and excited to start the next chapter of my life. In a couple of weeks I'll be moving and starting my awesome dream job with one of the best companies I could ever ask to work for, and I know that whatever obstacles or challenges wait ahead, what I have learned inside and outside the classroom will help be overcome them.

An Apartment Of My Own

So I've come across an interesting prediciment. I got a job across the country and will be flying there in a month and half by myself, six or seven months before my fiance joins me.

Which means...I can decorate the apartment any way I want!!

So here are a couple of ideas I want to put in my dream home!!

 Although the saddest day will be my last day of college, I am excited for the next chapter of my life. I want to commemorate my time in college with a shadow box. But I seriously have the hardest time picking the best memories of college, I'll end up just making a shrine haha.

 I have become obsessed with foxes. I really want to subtly have fox pictures and figurines around my apartment.

 I love this idea. I have been browsing Craigslist, and when I get to California, I'll probably start antiquing to find teacups for candles as well as for use. Because, seriously, who doesn't enjoy a good cup of tea in an adorable tea cup? I will probably also have a cabinet just for my teas.

 I really love this idea because 1. I love books and 2. these are the kind of flowers you can have for extended amount of time without taking care of them. They aren't tacky fake flowers, and I made these once for my best friend, I can probably go to a Salvation Army and pick up an old book and turn it into a couple of bouquets.

 I love this because I am relatively unorganized. However, something like this would be easy to make and would keep me interested in completing the tasks I have to do.

 I am in love with this chair. If I can at least find a wooden frame similar to this, I will have it re-upholstered.

 More foxes, what did you expect?

 I am in love with the Etsy page that carries these quilts. I would love either a quilt for my bed or at least a throw for my future couch. My dad hinted my grandmother is sending me some graduation money so I might just take the plunge and order one.

 I am in love with this print. I might try to get it custom made and have it above my couch or in my bedroom. I might also try to get it printed large, and if it is super pixelated, I will go over it with paint to give it more of a realistic/3D feel.

Finally, I want a wine cabinet. This is one I found on Craigslist. I am not a super big fan of the color of wood, I like my wood to be a more rich brown, but that doesn't mean I can't go over it with another color to try to darken it.

Well, there you have it! I am so excited for an apartment I can decorate without my fiance complaining it's to girly. I guess he's just in for a surprise in January ;)

She Loved Life and It Loved Her Right Back

The great woman who this blog was inspired by passed away this past Sunday. Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau, at age 81, passed away at her home, The Jungle.

A few years ago when I discovered the bright patterns of Lilly Pulitzer, I wanted to know everything about this woman. Although incredibly popular, the only story anyone ever seemed to know was how she started her business by creating dresses that would keep her cool at her juice stand. I was very fortunate to receive her biography as a present from my sister, where I got to learn more about her. So here are my top ten not very known facts about Lilly.

1. She spent a short time in college, but ended up leaving because she realized it wasn't her thing. Lilly went on to spend some time riding her horse for Frontier Nursing Services, through the backwoods of Kentucky, helping with child birth as well as medical care for rural people. Because of her, many children and mothers lives were saved.

2. She and Peter preferred staying at home to going out. They would throw parties and dance all night long. They would drink champagne, and then use the champagne bottles to douse water on the floor so that it was more slippery for dancing.

3. On her mother's side, her family money came from Standard Oil and  Carnegie Steel.

4. After Lilly Pulitzer's business started to grow, she would help her friends who were struggling financially open Lilly Pulitzer stores in different states. At the height of her business when she ran it, her business was making $15 million dollars a year.

5. The dress that Jackie is wearing in one of the most famous Lilly Pulitzer pictures was made from five-and-dime kitchen table fabric.

6. Lilly's family was well-known for breeding great horses. There was one story of how they were debating about keeping a horse or selling it, and by the flip of the coin they decided to sell it. Today, that horse is known as Secretariat, the legendary horse that won the Triple Crown.

7. Lilly and Peter's divorce was very mutual. It was also his much more successful marriage, he later went on to marry a woman who would turn his world upside down. He and Lilly were very private people, and when he and his second wife divorced, she made every secret they had a public affair in the court. Lilly's second marriage to Enrique Rousseau was very successful. People who knew her personally could tell how much happier she was with him.

8. Lilly was a boarding school classmate of Jackie Kennedy. According to stories, parents would tell their daughters not to hang out with Jackie because she was quiet, reserved and studied too much. They thought that if their daughters were associated with Jackie, it would make it hard for them to socialize and find husbands.

9. This isn't from the book, but Lilly's earlier children's line was named after her daughter, Liza, and today's line is her second daughter's nickname, Minnie.

My future daughters should be forewarned that we will be taking a picture very similar to this one!!
10. The Lilly Pulitzer brand we know today does so much for charity. Constantly, there will be scarves, bracelets, and even animal crackers to raise awareness and donate money. Some of the charities they are involved in are The Breast Cancer Charities of America, Operation Smile, and Mitochondrial Disease Advocacy. How can you not love a company that gives back to the community in such a great and colorful way?

This is my little tribute to a woman who has changed my wardrobe as well as my outlook to life. One question new candidates in my sorority as active sisters is "If you could meet anybody, who would it be?" and my response is always Lilly Pulitzer. She was such an amazing woman, and will be greatly missed by millions.





Book Review Time!! Part 1

So as one of my New Years Goals this year was to read 5 books. Well, it's April and I have just about completed that. Here is a review of two books I've read this year so far!

1. City of Bones (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare : This isn't a book I would have picked for myself. I was given the book as a Christmas present, and it was finished some time after the New Year. It's the story of a young girl who can see demons and shacks up with some demon hunters. Whenever people asked me what the book was about, I feel like I spent 20 minutes trying to describe the book, because every time I talked about it everyone thought I was reading a demon version of Twilight.
Story: Clary is a normal girl until she finds out she can see demons and starts to hang out with some cute demon hunters after a sketchy night at a club (by the way, if I lived in New York City and was 15-16, there is no way my parents would ever let me go to some night club. Never.). Her mother is kidnapped and the rest of the story is that she has to try to find her mother, while also discovering that the story her mother has told her about her life was actually untrue, and she finds out more about herself than she bargained for.
What I like: I liked Simon. I think out of all of the characters, he understood how ridiculous the situation was. Cleary jumped to do everything with Jace, but I really had hoped that Simon and Cleary would somehow end up together by the end. My only consultation for this is that in the movie previews, Simon is better looking than Jace. So HA!
What I didn't like: I'm a pretty light person. And this to me seemed like a very goth book, and I didn't really get into the characters because I just kept picturing pasty white guys with eyeliner, chains, and trench coats (very similar to some kids who I went to high school who always made me feel uncomfortable).
Rating:*** All in all, it wasn't a terrible book. It did grip me at times, and the characters worked well together. However, I do think it heavily relied on you being interested in reading the rest of the series, and I don't think this book gripped me enough to be interested in that.

2. Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick : While on a trip to Oklahoma City, a friend of mine bought this book in the airport and finished it in a few days. Once she was done, I borrowed it, and the book blew my mind. It is written very similarly as Catcher in the Rye (one of the dirty thirty my mother tried to forbid me to read and I spent a portion of my summer hiding from her and reading that book) and Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Story: A mentally ill man who is still in love with his wife Nikki, but cannot remember the last few years of his life while he was in a mental institution. During his time in the institution, he works hard to make himself more physically fit, because he believes that will bring his wife out. Once out, he continues to workout as well as read the books from his wife's reading list. He and his father have no relationship, other than their love for the Eagles, and his closest companion is his shrink. His friend tries to get him to date his wife's (his friends wife, not Nikki) sister, who turns out to be as crazy as him. She convinces him that if he helps her in a dance competition, she will help him get back together with his wife. Long story short, he doesn't end up with his wife and he realizes he has feelings for Tiffany, even if she did lie to him a third of the book.
What I like: I feel like the author did a really good job writing first person as a mentally unstable person. He really caught the emotions of all the characters. And even though the book is kind of sad, it was hilarious as well. Pat was someone who I wished to know. Tiffany was someone who I wanted to be friends with. Honestly, as soon as I was done, I wanted to reread it again just to live through every moment again.
What I didn't like: After reading the book, I was so excited for the movie. I had made plans to watch it with the friend who had lent me the book, but after a day I was too excited and watched it myself. It was awful. I understand that in a movie, somethings aren't going to be the same, but the story might as well have been completely different movie.
Spoilers
a. In the book, he doesn't remember the terrible thing he's done, in the movie it's given away far too soon.
b. In the book, he doesn't have a good relationship with his father, in the movie they are close.
c. Book Pat loves the Eagles, Movie Pat could care less.
d. Book-several letters are exchanged with "Nikki". Movie-Pat gets one letter and figures out it's Tiffany
e. Book-the competition Tiffany talks about isn't a competition, but instead a self-esteem booster dance show for people with severe depression, also, no Nikki. Movie- the father might lose all of his money if the Eagles don't win and Pat and Tiffany do not get at least a 5/10 in the competition.
f. Tiffany doesn't drink. Or makes ridiculous scenes and tries to get him arrested. WTF.
g. Pat's friend from the institution. Nothing. Like. The. Book.
Basically, Rotten Tomatoes rotten reviews is how I feel about this movie. And believe me, it's not often I really agree with Rotten Tomatoes.
Rating: *****All in all, this might be now one of my favorite books. I laughed out loud. I cried a little. I questioned my own sanity. But seriously, avoid the movie at all costs.

Next blog post will be about:

3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. Fat Vampire by Johnny B. Truant

Stay tuned!

Goals For My Last Semester

Every Semester I try to write down a set of ~25 goals I wish to accomplish. This year it will be made online.

1. Get a job
2. Buy a new purse- my Longchamp has been one of the best purse purchases I've ever made, but it's time   for something more structured and perhaps leather.
3. Finally buy the Helene 
4. Actually finish Atlas Shrugged (Which, by the way, is a fantastic book, but actually having to pay attention in class sometimes gets in the way of reading)
5. Lose 15 pounds (this has been on the list since I was 15. We'll see if it actually happens this year).
6. Actually do P90X Ab Ripper and P90X Yoga workout.
7. Read 5 more books this semester.
8. Finish a crossword puzzle.
9. Finish a sudoku (you would think as an engineer I would be able to do simple math, but these things get me every time!)
10. Take a gun safety class.
11. Make myself a better person on weekends (like instead of laying on the couch watching friends, do something productive)
12. Make a tie themed headband (such as these)
13. Keep my pets happy and healthy :)
14. Take a trip to Nemacolin one weekend
15. Actually hike through the local state forest once the weather lets up.
16. Read an entire news paper.
17. Hang out with my little sister more.
18. Have a successful recruitment week for my wonderful sorority.
19. Have a better vocabulary (avoid using the words "super" and "very"...
20. Spend more time with my friends before I have to move in the summer.
21. Write to my grandmother more often.
22. Finalize plans with my sister for a sister graduation trip.
23. Create a quilt.
24. Keep the apartment clean.
25. Take an amazing spring break, since it'll be my last :(

A Rose By Any Other Name...

How to choose the perfect name for your blog?
                                               

What you write in your blog says a lot about you think, and what your name your blog says a lot about what you think about yourself.

So what does my blog say about me?

I love clothing. I have since I was a little girl and would wear three dresses at one time (my favorite winter dress, my favorite summer dress on top, and a dress on my head to represent the long hair I wished to have).

I love Lilly Pulitzer clothing. When I stumbled upon the designer, I finally discovered a designer that actually consistently made clothing that I would want to wear. Preppy, floral, bright colors. Nautical in the summer; beautiful deep hues in the fall; fun, bright colors in the winter (to beat the mundane black, gray, and blah); and wonderful floral designs in the spring. 

I can't say I love calculators. I can say I have one in my purse more often than my actual cell phone. I am studying engineering (which means I don't see the sun 9 months out of the year, and I'm pretty sure my eyes are permanently damaged from staring at computer screens all day long). 

So what will this blog be for? Who knows. I don't even know if I will keep writing after today (which will be unfortunate for anybody who wants the name Lilly and Calculators). But if I do, then I guess it'll just be about what I want, what I'm thinking about, and whatever else. Lilly, science, fashion, engineering, cute animals, cute outfits, acute angles..

Enjoy!