Pretty in Pink

Have you ever bought something you will never wear or use? I don't mean have you bought something and then never worn it or used it. I mean when you were buying it you were thinking I don't think I will actually wear this but I want to wear it and so you buy it in the hopes that maybe you will. Please tell me I'm not the only one who has done this. Oh well, whatever. I did it.

I went shopping with a girlfriend for clothes. Let me start by stating that I don't normally do this. I hate clothes shopping because I am overweight and I get very frustrated which only makes me want to go home and do something I am good at - eating. You see the problem here.

So, GF and I went shopping because she has lost a ton of weight and needed new clothes desperately. I went for moral support I guess, I'm not sure. Anyway, she did very well buying some nice things that all fit her fabulously.

I started rummaging through the sale rack to see what I see. I had no intention of buying anything when I walked in with her but you never know what kind of a deal you can find if you don't look. Then I started thinking I do have my son's graduation coming up, I could get something for that. Actually, I should get something for that otherwise I am in danger of wearing the same thing I wore to the last graduation. I pulled out a few blouses (4) and went to try them on. No deal. One was too tight, constricting the girls, another too tight in the arms, and the others were just too clingy and showed way too many bulges. I went back out and kept looking. I tried on 3 more. Nothing. Then I was going through the rack with GF and the fabulous salesgirl that was helping us. No, I am NOT being sarcastic. She was totally awesome. She searched and found and suggested and explained and brought and took all kinds of things. She was great. I pull out a few more tops and GF finds this pink one. It's my size. It's even my style but it's really pink. I'm not talking pastel baby pink. I am talking they can probably locate me from the Space Station if I stand outside bright pink. I tried it on. It fit. Nice. I looked at myself in the mirror from all angles. I wasn't sure about it. GF saw it. She liked it on me said it was a beautiful blouse. It is but I don't know. I hold on to it and go look around again. I find another one that's sheer and gray tones. I try it on. It doesn't go down past my hips and has a belt which I won't wear and if I pull it up I can flip it so that the bottom pillows over and it doesn't look like a straight blouse anymore. It works.

Now I am walking around with these 2 blouses. One that fits if I wear it this way and the other one that is bright bright pink. Let it be known that once upon a time I wore all kinds of colors everyday to anywhere but that was before not now.

I bought both blouses. I hung the gray one up in the closet because I think that's the one I will wear fro graduation. Maybe. The pink one is hanging on the knob of my armoire. So I can see it and get used to it. When I look at it I can hear it saying, I am totally you - please wear me. But I don't know. Maybe I'll let it hang there like an art piece. A new decoration for my room. It's really bright and cheery.

Really? Back to School Time?

Is it really Back to School time? I can't tell. I have one starting his second year in college and the other starting his Senior year in high school and it just seems like another month to me just like the last one.


Sure, I bought some hugely overpriced books and spent all of 2 hours scouring the Internet for cheaper versions to bid on and win one at half price (can I hear a WooHoo!) but I'm not elbowing anyone for that last 8 pack of crayons, or the 2-pack of glue sticks etc. etc. Any I am NOT rummaging through tight aisles looking for uniform pieces and dragging a child to the dressing area explaining to them where exactly their waist line is. I don't miss any of that at all. But I do miss the the general get new stuff for school feeling. I remember taking them to the big box department store for them carte blanche to pick out folders (4/$1) and packs of fancy pencils that weren't going to last 2 weeks and fancy pens and the binders and folders and the pencil cases! oh the pencil cases! that never fit all the things they wanted. And going home and sorting, labeling and organizing everything. They were going to be so successful because I had gotten them all these wonderful tool they needed to excel and be smart. What a feeling of accomplishment.

Now, I give them cash to go buy shoes, I order books online and everything else they tell me they will buy as they need it and I no longer cover books.

I got a coupon for a big box office supply store and I think I need to drag my teens there this weekend and at least make them pick out a pack of pens (say that 10 times fast) just for old times sake. After all I think this is really the last year I can make them do this. We can watch other families melt down and maybe sit and have a coffee and reminisce about the years gone by. Yeah, I don't think so! So, sorry for all of you trying to get everything on the list. I'll have an extra cup of coffee for you this weekend as I relax staring out my front yard that is so calm birds actually come visit now. Comfort and Joy! Hey, maybe I'll even watch a movie.

The gift of go out and do something.

I had so much fun this weekend buying things! I didn't buy things to clutter a table or closet. I bought things to go do things. I love it!

It was friend's 50th birthday. I didn't get him a shirt or picture frame. I got him a gift card at a great Argentine restaurant so that he could go out and celebrate with dinner. Love it!

Then there was a sale at the Performing Arts Center and I went to buy tickets for a show for MIL for Mother's Day and ended up buying her 2 tickets, hubby's aunt 2 tickets, myself 2 tickets for another show, Fuerza Bruta, on my birthday and 2 tickets for me and a friend to see Alvin Ailey. I had a blast just buying the tickets. Imagine how much fun I will have going to the show.
Plus all the tickets were Buy one Get one Free. Well, except for Alvin Ailey but the rest were. So, how could I NOT get them. I had to. They practically forced me. You weren't there honest. I just couldn't say no. I am so looking forward to it.
Woo Hoo!

Ornaments

I have already done my annual ornament shopping. Each year I give ornaments to my boys.

They went through the Hallmark Wish Book and initialled next to each ornament they would like and then I go through and pick out what I want from there or not and surprise them. I try to get them each one they picked. I also try to pick an ornament that has a significance, that ties into something they did in the past year or a favorite thing.

Like when the boys loved Power Rangers, they each got a Power Ranger ornament. Or for example 18 graduated high school in May, so it's easy to get him a graduation ornament because there are tons of them. Sometimes it can be related to a vacation, an activity or similar event. Like their first fishing trip, they each have a different ornament for that.

Hubby likes Santa, so his ornaments are usually Santa doing something whether it was playing golf, surfing on a remote control, juggling sports balls etc. Those are some he's received in the past. All 3 of them are also big on Super Heroes. We have a quite a few hanging on the tree as well as athletes or ornaments representing the various teams they support.

I am happy with what I got this year. I was thinking about this last night because tonight I will probably sit and write a note on the boxes and date them with the year to commemorate the reason for the ornament and wrap them. That way, if they find them, they will be wrapped and they can still be surprised.

Getting there...

I'm almost done with my shopping. But I have been steadily working on this since mid-November. I have shopped online and on Black Friday. 15 happily gave me a list which is fabulous. Since his list is quite substantial, I asked him yesterday what his top 5 items would be; I happen to have all 5! Yeah, I'm so happy with myself! Plus, I thought of something that he didn't put on his list that he's going to flip for when he opens it. 18 didn't give me a list. I know he wants clothes so I asked him can you please just sit and write down what sizes please. Did he tell you? Cuz I'm still waiting. He has told me a few things and I did buy some clothes but I'm just not as excited about what I got him. I guess because I don't know if it's going to fit right, if he'll like it etc... I do have a couple of things that I KNOW he's going to flip for. Then there's the hardest person of all my hubby. Ask him what he wants, he tells you nothing. So very helpful. I did get him something but it's not enough. I have to get him something else. Everyone else is pretty much done. I am going to get my dad's gift today. I know what it is, I just have to go to the specialty store and get it. Then I have one more pre-teen boy to buy for, a cousin. He's tough because I do think he has everything and I refuse to give a gift certificate. We'll see what I do. But I am almost done! Yeah me. Now, this weekend I start my baking gifts. I have more Crema de vie to make and cookies and I will make some cakes, one for the school office and one for my eye Dr. (he's also family) for their offices to share. Also, on the Xmas horizon this weekend is Christmas cards and of course, to start wrapping gifts.

I won't go into that my house is not decorated yet because that's a hot spot with me and hubby right now and I am taking the high road and choosing not to fight or kvetch about it. Aren't you proud of me? If you knew me, you would be.

happy shopping

I was at the store at 4am. I walked the entire mall. I'm almost done with the Christmas shopping. I am at work now. I will leave early because today's the second round of the playoffs. I am tired. I am blessed but I also must be crazy!
Somebody, save me from myown self!

To shop Black Friday or not to Shop Black Friday

For years I have been getting up at the crack of dawn after studying the sales ads fro days and strategically planning my attack on the stores to get great deals on Black Friday. My planning always served me well. I saved loads of money and got great stuff. The past few years I have been going with 17. We have a blast. We split up in the store to go get great deals and meet in line. We take turn standing in the checkout line while the other one cruises the store looking for additional deals. We save lots of time calling each other on the cell phone (yes, we are in the same store) and many times 17 has brought sale items to others in line so they don't loose their spot. Much fun us had. A typical Black Friday sees us up at 3:30. We drive to the first store and I stand in line while 17 keeps sleeping in the car. I call him to wake him up and join me @20 minutes before the store opens (5am) and we are typically one of the first 100 people in the store, assuring we will get what we want and the available door buster sales.

This year, I don't know if its me or the stores but the sales don't seem to be so hot. Most of the ads can already be found online. As I get email notices every time one is added I have perusing them for a few days now. The things I want to get just aren't that fantabulously on sale this year. What a bummer! I don't know what I am going to do. On top of that I will be on my own this year since 17 has the next playoff game that evening, he will not be crack of dawn bargain shopping with mom. I guess I will keep looking, I have a few more days to decide. I can't imagine NOT going. I usually am 95% done Xmas shopping after that weekend. Actually I would say I am about 40% done now. I'll let you know what I do.

Do you shop Black Friday?

Weekend stuffs

Randomness from the weekend...

* Finally saw my dad! Remember that I hadn't seen him since Christmas and he doesn't live that far away to justify it. I invited him over for dinner on Saturday and a couple of other friends I hadn't seen in a while. It was nice. I made Ropa Vieja for the second time- I've got it now. I think a good time was had by all. I certainly enjoyed myself. I love cooking for people!

* Went to an Indonesian restaurant with some girlfriends. YUMMY! I ordered this traditional rice dish. It was a scoop of rice in the middle and assorted scoops around it like a yummy chicken in coconut sauce, egg with curry, shredded beef, green beans and something else. It was all good. Others ordered the duck which I will get next time or maybe I'll get the fish. It was all good!

* Took 14 shopping with hubby. @&%#^*#%&$% He may not be label conscious but he didn't like this because it looked faded, he didn't like that because of the button, he didn't like ANY shirts if they had a stripe; only solid colors for him and only certain shades of certain colors. OMG! WAAAaay too complicated. Don't know how often I will do that.

* I cleaned. My house is presentable. I mean we dusted EVERYTHING and cleared off EVERY surface (ok, except one) That's a rarity. Just don't go into the bedrooms and there won't be any bloodshed.

*GM is back in the hospital. Her PTI levels were super high. This is because she is taking blood thinners and her weekly blood work came back abnormal so they sent her to the hospital and are monitoring her to see that it goes down. Today she is hallucinating again, insisting that some man came and took her out and dumped her in the hallway. She wants me to go see her without driving! When I go she gets furious that I am there and when I'm not there she calls me to say that I have abandoned her. Hopefully, the levels will normalize and she will go home soon.

* I saw the movie Dreamgirls on Friday. I loved it but I love most musicals. I thought Jennifer Hudson was awesome!

* I finished my book, well I won't go into that here because I 'll write a little review later.

* Laundry did enough laundry to last me a lifetime. The loads seemed to never end! Granted when I started the hampers were overflowing. But now every hamper is empty, all the throw rugs were washed, all the towels, all the sheets were done and changed. Everything is washed at least for 24 hours.

It was a very productive weekend.