spring find

Don't you just love those days when  you go out shopping for something specific in mind: a pair of jeans, a swimsuit, a coat, a pretty new dress... and you find it?! I sure do. I feel like those shopping trips are somewhat rare though. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have go shopping in hopes of finding the perfect dress [or swimsuit or you name it] and not found it. I have money, I have time, I have energy, but there is no dress to be found. I feel like this happens to me all the time. Is it just me or does this ever happen to you to?

Anyhow. Today must have been made special just for me. Emerson's Grammy and Poppy were here visiting us and asked me if I wanted to go shopping [his Grammy asked, not Poppy] for a Spring dress/outfit. Yes, please! So off we went, an adventure with to the mall. While I walked around and perused through a few stores they walked with Emerson around the mall. The first store I went in I had no luck so I walked to a second store and as soon as I stepped in the store I saw dresses galore. Pretty dresses too. Dresses I would actually wear. I was so excited! This never happens to me. I picked a few dresses to try on and loved the first one I wore. I can't even remember the last time that happened. Actually, I can. It was five years ago when I was shopping for my wedding dress, the first one I tried on was the dress. Anyhow. I was sooo excited to find such a pretty dress. I can't wait to wear it.

please excuse the fuzzy picture, it's the best I could get 

... at least it gives you an idea of what it looks like :)

via

What a happy day. I was so excited to actually find what I was looking for [even though I didn't know exactly what it was I was looking for :] Don't you just love it when that happens?!

Graduation Gift Please?

Yesterday I went out and did my weekly grocery shopping trip. I normally go to the same store to get my shopping done, but some times I like to go to a different store. It really depends on my mood. Well, not really, but I do like to mix things up a bit. And since we have five different stores that sell groceries within five mile of our house I am able to go to which ever one I feel a fancy to go to. It's quite nice. I can pick from Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, Target, and 10 more Krogers that are right near by.

Anyhow. For some reason I decided that yesterday I wanted to go to Meijer and get the groceries for the week. My reasoning was sound: I hadn't been there in a long time and I just felt like it. I am a great one to reason. So true. Or maybe not. But you will never know : ) Now, if you don't know what Meijer is I will tell you: it's a very big store with everything you could ever want, need, or imagine, in it. Clothes, food, cleaning stuff, pet stuff, toys, office supplies . . . everything. Like a Super Walmart or Fred Meyer or some other such place. So I went on my merry way.

I have a tendency to walk around and look at things, admire them and wish I could keep them forever and ever. I don't. Buy them and keep them that is. But I still admire and wish I could. Maybe that's a bad thing. I don't know. But I do know that I did this yesterday. I walked around the entire store thinking how I loved that or how cute this was. But I kept on walking towards the food. As I was walking I passed the prettiest placemat I have seen in forever. And napkins. And napkin rings. These placemats had pretty red, orange, green, and pink flowers on it. They were so fresh, pretty, sweet, and perfect for adorning my table this Spring and Summer. Oh, how badly I wanted them. But I refrained. As I always do.

Then I stumbled across the cutest, the best, the most perfect set of dishes ever in the world. They were made for me. The colors were perfect and would complement my kitchen in the ideal way. I knew right then and there that I had to have them. Here's the problem though: I have some dishes already and the hubs would remind me of this and how we don't actually need them, that it is more of a strong desire. So sensible. But seriously, I need them. I'm thinking for graduation (which is 25 days away!). I mean, why not? I won't get to participate in the actual graduation ceremony (long and boring story about that) which would have cost around $375 if I had. But . . . I'm not. So right there I am saving us $375 dollars. Bam-a-ram. What's a little graduation gift of $60 dollars compared to that? Nothing! Right? You need to agree with me on this so I can tell the hubs I'm not the only one who thinks it the perfect reasoning. I mean, I've worked hard for that degree. 21 whole months of reading and writing and going to class and teaching and observing and learning . . . 21 months. And soon I will be done. I will have graduated my Masters of Teaching program and be a real certified teacher. And as a little graduation reward/gift/present all I ask for is a set of beautiful dishes? . . . and a job, but the hubs can't get me that. This is where the hubs might pipe in and say, "When you get a job, then you can get the dishes." But what kind of treat is that?

I suppose, I don't need new dishes. I don't need anything. And I don't need a treat or present for graduating, for earning my masters degree. I just really want it. Plus, when the hubs was finishing up his Masters degree we went to Sea World. Sea World. That is more than $60, let me tell you. And no, I don't think everything needs to be fair . . . heh. Or maybe I do.

Regardless, I will stop from my ramblings right now and let you get on with your important activities. And to give you an idea of just how adorable and perfect the dishes I came across yesterday were I will leave you with this:

                              

perfect!

(note: these are very nearly the dishes I have picked out in my head. Sadly, there was no picture online to share with you, I will have to wait to do that when I get my new dishes. But they pretty much look like these beauties)

Cheers! Have a happy Sunday!

Christmas Shopping

With Christmas comes the joy of giving presents. Lots of them. And with presents come shopping. Lots of it. Kind of. Most years I start shopping after Thanksgiving, and when I start shopping I really only look around and think about what I should get the Mumsy and Papa and sisters and hubs. But that's all I do. Look. And think a little bit. But I usually never buy anything. Until it's really almost Christmas and I realize I only have a week left to get the stuffs I need.

Not this year. I am pleased to say that this year I managed to get all of the presents in one single day ... before Thanksgiving. yep. I know. It's a record. I even wrapped and mailed some of them off too. The reason I was so motivated to get this all done before Thanksgiving was because I knew that after Thanksgiving I wouldn't be able to get anything, well, unless I wanted to get everything from one store (that didn't have everything I wanted to get for everyone) and pack it in an already quite cramped car. I didn't want to have to think of ways to creatively pack our car for the trip home so I decided the best way to do it would be to shop and buy everything before hand. So I did.

Now all I have to do is wrap the pretty packages and stack them under my tree, and then I'll get to admire them for a whole day. Yep. One whole day of admiring. I usually like to admire the twinkling tree and the pretty packages underneath it, but I don't get to do that this year. Sad. But, true. And it's fine. I've come to terms with it. I will just wake up super early in the morning, wrap up the gifts and sit in front of the tree all day long. That way I will get maximum enjoyment from it. ... and hopefully the pup won't eat all of the pretty packages.

I'm sure he won't. He doesn't like to chew on anything. not.

Have I mentioned how excited I am for Christmas? I just love it! Not only because it's so pretty with twinkling lights and pretty trees and packages, but because you get to see family and eat lots of yummy foods and really enjoy being together. But most importantly it's perfect to remember what Christmas is all about. Yes yes. I'm thankful we have Christmas.