Year: 2010

  • It’s only a matter of time before she starts reading the Thrifty Nickel

    So I was all set to write an entire recap of our weekend on Sunday night, but then I watched the season finale of Mad Men and was so overwhelmed by all the twists and turns of Don Draper’s life that I was rendered temporarily incapable of discussing anything but events that take place at a fictional ad agency in the 1960’s. But I won’t be talking about any of that here because I don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who haven’t made it a priority on your DVR. All I can say is OH MY WORD.

    But enough about 1965.

    Last Friday morning started off on an interesting note around here. Mainly because P called the police around 6:30 a.m. when a strange man kept circling the block in his car with the lights off and finally parked right by our driveway. As it turned out, our neighbors were having a garage sale that was scheduled to open at 8:00 and the man was merely an early bird. And was soon joined by a whole band of fellow early birds who sat outside on our back steps and smoked their cigarettes while they waited for the neighbors to open up their garage. Needless to say, P was ready to run them all off our property and Caroline was completely invigorated by the drama of the morning.

    By the time we left for school, the neighbor’s garage was open and Caroline and I both saw racks and racks of what appeared to clothing, purses and all manner of boots. She said, “OH MAMA! LOOK AT ALL THAT GOOD STUFF OVER IN THEIR GARAGE!”

    After I dropped Caroline off at school, I decided it was only neighborly to go over and check everything out. Especially since I knew this particular neighbor used to own a really cute boutique here in town and there was no telling what might be over there. Sure enough, I was not disappointed. I totally scored. Not only did I walk away with a few brand new shirts and a great necklace, but I also found this adorable chandelier for Caroline’s room.

    Use your imagination and picture it actually hanging somewhere instead of just sitting on my bedroom floor.

    Then P walked across the street to investigate how I was spending the cold, hard cash I’d just begged him for and discovered what has become the greatest thing that has ever happened to Caroline EVER.

    When she came home from school on Friday and discovered her new beaded curtain hanging over her bedroom door, she exclaimed, “I DON’T KNOW HOW I COULD HAVE ANYTHING BETTER THAN THIS. IT’S WHAT I’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF!”

    Which absolutely made the $3.00 we spent on it seem like a total bargain because how much is too much when you want your room to look like a Moroccan casbah?

    I had to pull myself away from the yard sale bargains because my friend, Jill, was on her way to my house. Jill is one of my oldest friends in the world and, before Friday, we hadn’t seen each other in over twenty years. Actually, we’d seen each other once briefly during our freshman year of college but I didn’t even remember that until she reminded me. Probably because that period of my life is kind of hazy due to a lot of BAD DECISIONS AHOY during that particular year.

    Anyway, Jill and I have been friends since second grade but lost touch sometime during college and hadn’t communicated at all until we found each other on Facebook about a year ago. As it turns out, she and her family are about to move to San Antonio. Which, HELLO SMALL WORLD. And the best part is that we picked up right where we left off and had the best time catching up on the last twenty years. It’s nice when you realize that the same people you liked at seven years old are the same people you like now.

    I picked Caroline up from school and she immediately requested that we head over to the garage sale, but, alas, they had already closed down for the day. I promised we could go on Saturday morning after her soccer game. Which is how we ended up over there at 10:30 a.m. in full soccer gear buying all manner of newsboy caps, pink hairpieces, faux zebra print jackets, a flower mirror, several pieces of costume jewelry, and a pair of floral suitcases that are right out of 1967.

    Caroline had brought her own money to pay for her purchases and so she approached our sweet neighbor with her pile and asked, “What kind of deal can you give me on all this stuff?”

    The neighbor looked at her and said, “Well, that zebra print jacket alone is priced at $30”

    Caroline just looked back at her. Unflinching.

    Our neighbor knew she’d been beat. She looked at Caroline and said, “You can have it all for $20”.

    Caroline thought it over for a minute. I assured her she was a getting a great deal and so she handed over her money.

    As we carried all her loot back to the house, she exclaimed, “OH MAMA! I DON’T KNOW WHY WE DON’T SHOP AT MORE GARAGE SALES!”

    And, thus, a new generation of garage sale shopper has been born.

    Nena will be so proud.

    And also probably a little jealous of what we found.

  • She believes less is more. More boring.

    Over the weekend someone discovered how a few well-placed accessories can transform an outfit

    from plain and boring to hobo chic with a side of Lady Gaga.

    At some point we may need to discuss the famous Coco Chanel principle of “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.”

    But how is a girl supposed to choose between her newsboy cap and her hot pink hairpiece?

  • Fashion Friday: Edition a little of this and that

    This is where I usually like to tell some fashion-related story or just a regular story or basically any kind of little anecdote to lead into Fashion Friday. But I’ve spent most of the last week in some version of my pajamas and/or yoga pants and don’t really have much fashion-related insight to offer to anyone right now.

    Except for this. If you spend a good amount of time in some version of your pajamas and/or yoga pants and your husband’s old Abercrombie shirts, it will significantly cut down on your dry-cleaning bill/laundry time. Of course you’ll look like you’ve given up on life, but that’s just an unfortunate side effect.

    But I knew I had officially re-entered the land of the living when Caroline and I walked in Target yesterday afternoon to shop for assorted creepy decorations for our front yard and the first thing that caught my eye was a darling striped cardigan sweater. I made Caroline walk over with me so I could get a closer look at the quality workmanship and the price and, most importantly, if they still had my size and she said, “THIS DOESN’T LOOK LIKE A ZOMBIE. WHERE ARE THE ZOMBIES?”

    And that was the end of my clothes’ shopping for the day.

    Also, we didn’t find any zombies. I can’t say I’m too torn up about it.

    (I originally uploaded more pictures, but my computer ate them and I have no idea where my computer’s digestive tract is located. So I give up.)

    1. Mossimo Waterfall cardigan sweater

    This is the sweater I saw at Target and I think it’s adorable. And I certainly need one more loose, flowy sweater to add to my collection.

    It comes in oatmeal and cream or black and gray. I’d be happy with either.

    2. Funky tunic

    Oh my. I adore this. Just adore it.

    The end.

    3. Cable knit tunic

    This is one of those looks that I think looks great in theory but can be hard to pull it off. But if you can pull it off, then I implore you to wear it. WEAR IT LIKE THE WIND.

    I love it.

    4. Autumn’s in the air dolman top

    5. Nick and Mo Molly French jacket

    6. Mossimo peep-toe bootie

    I didn’t see these at Target, but I wish I had.

    7. Velour lounge pants

    I do not even want to get into the discussion over the appropriateness of velour pants. No one says you have to wear the full velour suit. No one says you even have to wear them out of the house. But if you can make it through the entire winter without putting on some velour, then you’re a better person than me.

    You’re also a less comfortable person than me.

    8. Ruffled wool-blend coat

    How cute is this?

    9. Asymmetrical pocket burnout top

    This top looks so cute paired with a slim-fitting long sleeve tee under it. Paired with jeans, it’s the perfect casual fall/winter outfit. It’s the layering that makes it work.

    And the softness.

    And the cuteness.

    10. Button-up scarflette

    I saw this and thought it was great because it’s so versatile. I like all the different ways it can be worn and I’ve always been a fan of keeping your neck warm.

    That’s it for today.

    Y’all have a great Friday.

  • Odds and ends with an emphasis on odd

    I felt like I had some loose ends to tie up after yesterday’s post. Or maybe it was just in my head. Either way, it seems like this is a good time to throw out a few odds and ends about various things.

    Also, don’t miss the giveaway/review link at the end.

    1. I don’t know why I chose thirty-three as an ideal age to get married on yesterday’s post. Maybe because I know so many single women who hit thirty and panic as if time is running out. And I’m trying to singlehandedly change that perception.

    So, thirty-three might be the right age for some people and twenty-four might be the right age for someone else. I’m just a believer in having a little time to get to know who you are before you get married. And that may take some of us a little longer than it does others because we are slow learners. I say this as a slow learner who had to continue to learn a lot about myself and being unselfish long after I got married at twenty-six.

    In fact, I am still learning.

    And that is my soap box for today.

    2. Hazel says you need to be careful about who you marry because you could wind up married to a man who’s about as useful as a pocket on the back of a shirt.

    Also, Hazel is on her way out. But I bet she shows up again before flu/cold season is over because I have a tendency to get the bronchitis when my immunity is down.

    3. Caroline’s shirt in the picture yesterday came from Zara. If you don’t have a Zara near you, then I am so sorry because you can’t buy their stuff online and they have some really, really cute things for grown-ups and kids.

    4. I had an epiphany the other night. I should state that it was while I was in lying in bed after a heavy dose of prescription cough medicine.

    People don’t play enough card games anymore. Or maybe it’s just the people I’m around that don’t play enough cards. Or Trivial Pursuit. Or whatever.

    I want to bring the game night back. I dream of a future filled with holidays where we all sit around and play games.

    And if there is wagering involved, so be it.

    5. I’m giving away two copies of Choosing To See by Mary Beth Chapman. I read the entire book in a little under two days and it is just so, so good. Click on over to my review page and leave a comment to enter.

    Have a lovely day.

  • Funny knows no gender

    On Saturday evening Caroline and I were driving to the ranch, just the two of us. And she had a lot of thoughts she wanted to share and questions she wanted to ask. After we covered everything from why no one lives on Mars to how cold your feet would get on Pluto to what we would do if a grizzly bear ever came in our house, she asked, “Mama, what was your real middle name before you married Daddy?”

    “It was Melanie Anne.”

    “Melanie Anne?”

    “Yep, that was Mama’s name for twenty-six years.”

    “So you were twenty-six when you got married?”

    “Yes.”

    “Is that how old you’re supposed to be?”

    I explained that there is no right age to get married, although somewhere around thirty-three is preferable, and that the most important thing is to wait for the right man. A man who loves you and treats you like you’re the most special thing in the world.

    “So, not a bully?”

    “No, baby. Definitely not a bully.”

    “So someone who treats you sweet?”

    “Definitely. And someone who will make you laugh. It’s important to marry someone who makes you laugh.”

    “Aww, man.”

    “What is it?”

    “It’s too bad that I’m not a boy. I’d be a great husband since I AM SO HILARIOUS.”

    Yes. Yes she is.

    And the self-confidence doesn’t hurt matters either.

    (Yes, I took this picture about a month ago when my kitchen was still turquoise)

    __________________________________________

    There’s a new chance to win $100 gift card on my Kellogg’s giveaway page.

  • We are in need of a big toe

    Well, Hazel went to the doctor yesterday and received an official diagnosis of bronchitis. She was sent home with a prescription for all manner of steroids, antibiotics, inhalers and cough medicines. Which she promptly filled at the pharmacy even though she suspects all these fancy medications are a big scam that started when Medicare took over. In her day, all a person needed to stay healthy was to take a little exercise and drink an occasional glass of homemade wine to keep away the sugar diabetes.

    Speaking of sugar, it has come to my attention that Halloween is just a little over two weeks away. The good news is Caroline has already picked out a butterfly costume, complete with silver sequin clip-on earrings because that’s what all the butterflies wear these days, and it’s just sitting in her closet waiting for the big day. I kind of hoped she’d go with my suggestion of being a black cat so I could make a black tutu and paint little whiskers on her face, but my sad little suggestion never had a chance against the sparkly clip-on earrings.

    The bad news, at least the bad news for Gulley, is that Will has decided there is no other costume option for him this year than to be Big Toe. And for those of you unfamiliar with Big Toe, here he is:

    Shockingly, there is no Big Toe costume available in the aisles at Target.

    Big Toe is part of a line of stuffed animals called Ugly Dolls. I personally think they’re adorable. And Will feels the same way. He has at least ten of them, along with an Ugly Doll lunch box, journal, and assorted books. There is no greater show of affection than when Will informs you that he’d like for you to draw in his Ugly Doll journal or to go with you to the store to help you choose an Ugly Doll of your very own.

    So, since some of you seem to be a little crafty (I mean that in the Martha Stewart sense, not the sneaky and backhanded sense) Gulley and I thought y’all might have some suggestions as to how one might go about making a Big Toe costume. Please, help us Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re our only hope. I would so love for Will to be able to add “and she makes Big Toe costumes” right next to “and she builds floats” on my resume’.

    As for Hazel?

    She couldn’t care less about the whole thing. She thinks Halloween is just an excuse for children, who most likely already have way too much quit in them, to roam the neighborhoods like a bunch of ne’er-do-wells begging for candy. If she wanted to share her Luden’s cherry cough drops with the neighborhood, she’d move to one of them foreign countries and become a Communist.