This is Ashlyn…don’t tell Mommy…

SSHHH…my mommy is in the showuh wight now. i know she wites abowt me heuh. she thinks i don’t unduhstand evything she says when she talks and wites at the same time. but i’m smahtuh than she thinks. let’s keep it that way, k?

i want to take the opputoonuty to clear up sum miscept…misconert…miscontracept…misconceptions bout me. i know mommy gets fwustwated wif me sumtimes but it’s onwy becawse she’s not a baby anymo. the othuh kids in the horwible pwace i get stuck on sunday monings nursuwy tell me that pawents foget what it’s like to be baby. i know that fo a fact.

 

fo infere…advance…instance, just now i was in the bathwoom with mommy. i kept twyin to open da showuh doahs. as soon as i’d get wun slid open my mommy wuld close it yellin that i was makin’ her cold. so i’d go and slide open thu oduh wun. i just want to see why she’s standing up in da baf tub? i aways hav to sit in this wittle seat that won’t wet me move anywheuh. big pepul stand up in da tub.

 

mommy may hav tode you i put up a fight on da changin table. i’m not fightin wif mommy, we awe pwayin a game! she has to get my new dipuh on befo i can tickle her tummy wif my feet! sumtimes it duz look like i huwt her though. maybe i kick a wittle too hawd. she gets a mad face, gwabs my wegs and gwowls at me to stop. i win!!

 

she may have awso tode you i shwed toiwet papuh. i’m not doin anything bad, i’m instruct…decweas…incweasin someting cawwed my fine moter skiws. it takes a wot of work to wip that papuh up so smaw. then i like to make da howse pwetty so i spwinkle it all ovuh. it wooks snowy. she shuld be pwowd uv me! i think she gets mad becawse then she has to cwean. has she towd you she dusn’t wike to cwean? cuz she dusn’t.

 

i know mommy’s told you abowt how i wike to jump a wot…on her and daddy. you see, i’m short and can’t see much. when i’m on theuh laps i haf to jump to be able to see ovuh the seats in fwunt of me. in the pwane i just wanted to see evwywun and tell them hi. those pwane people weren’t havin a good day. and at Wagan’s award serious…certin…cewemony i was so pwoud of her! i culdn’t hewp but jump and showt fo joy! i think mommy thinks i hav too much enewgy. i think she’s just owd. don’t tell her i sed that. she doesn’t wike it when people say that.

 

she hasn’t towd you abowt my wag fettish desire to cwean the howse has she? she tells y’all evwything…i wike wags not becawse i wike to suck on dem. I wipe aw de stuff mommy doesn’t wipe. did i tell you she dusn’t wike to cwean? cuz she dusn’t. it’s up to me to wipe stuff. so what if i wipe da flo wif da wag and den suck on it?

ooh! she’s owt of da showuh now! i hope you unduhestim…unduhstand me mo now. don’t bewieve her if she tells you i’ve been wubbin my hed acwoss da flo when i cwal. i’m not siwwy or cwazy. i’m pwetendin to be a…a…vaccoom…yeh…that’s it.

Friday 13: Great Shopping Sites

  I♥SHOPPING

When I turned 30 I went to New York City with Heather. We flew up Thursday morning and came back Sunday afternoon. We did nothing but shop. We barely stopped to eat. Not kidding. We averaged 10 to 12 hours a day walking around the city. Shopping. We did take one sight-seeing tour. It was a shopping tour of various designers’ work rooms where we got to pick from their stashes for pennies on the dollar. And we went to a couple of sample sales. And we hit the shoe stores in Soho. And I got a birthday present from Tiffany & Co. Nothing but shopping. Thank you for being my shopping bud that weekend, Heather! I would so do that again.

 

Although I love shopping I do not love paying full price. I’m the one you always see making a beeline towards the back of the store to the sale racks. What was so great about my trip to New York was that I got to do some fabulous shopping at bargain basement prices. My best deal was finding Italian pants, originally $220, my price: $25. I know! I bought three pair. Two black, one cream.

Since then I’ve had to fulfill my shopping habit online. In most places that I’ve lived the good shopping has been a drive to get to. Sometimes hours. The brick and mortar shops do not hold as much appeal to me now as they used to. Not since internet shopping has become so, so, easy. So in honor of my bday trip to NYC and my internet window shopping habit (or as the French say “faire du lèche-vitrine”, literally “to window lick”) I’ve compiled a list of 13 great frugal shopping sites. Because who wants to spend all their money shopping when they don’t have to (I say use the leftovers for travel!)?!?!

These are in alphabetical order because I really couldn’t pick a favorite. Some of these stores I have purchased from, some I’ve just licked their virtual windows.

 

Friday 13: 13 Great Shopping Sites

  1. Bag, Borrow or Steal Fulfill your desire to have the latest, greatest, most awesome designer handbag without paying the Gs for it. You “rent” the merchandise and pay a small fee for being a member. They’ve ventured into accessories as well so you can just bling yourself out to your heart’s (or wallet’s) content. The best thing is you’re not stuck with that weird looking handbag after it’s out of style. You can send it back for the latest and greatest.
  2. Charles Tyrwhitt Classic clothing from England. Head immediately to the back of the store (the clearance section). Before that though, click the little American flag at the top of the page so you see the prices in dollars. Sometimes their clearance offerings are insanely low. Great men’s wear.
  3. Charolotte Russe Of the moment clothes without having to fork over all the $ you have at the moment. Har har. I’ll stop. I actually have a brick and mortar CR store…an hour away. It’s cheaper to buy online because their shipping is only $6. Gas would be, what, $24 round trip?
  4. Christabelle’s Closet Ahh, I cannot express enough love for this consignment site. It puts designer within reach. I’m talking within a “one income budget” reach. One of the great things about this site is you can search by size. No click, click, clicking through the pages past all the great stuff other people are able to wear but not you, so who really cares about that stuff anyway. If you sign up for her email list she’ll send you sale coupons every once in a while.
  5. Laila Rowe This is one of the stores we visited in Soho. It’s the kind where you go in and everything is eye candy and you wish you didn’t have to watch your purse because you just want to have both hands free to play and explore and try things on… It’s a great accessories store because who wants to pay a lot for that stuff when you know you’re either going to lose it or lose interest within months.
  6. Retailmenot.com and Mallphobia.com A two for one deal (I’m even frugal with my 13 list!). Both do about the same thing. At retailmenot you type in the store you’re interested in and they see if anyone’s posted any coupons to that store. Or if the store has alerted them to any sales. At mallphobia you’re basically at the mall right there in your jammies. It lists most stores that most malls have and even lets you know which ones are having sales at the moment.
  7. Newegg This is a techie site. They seem to have some of the best prices out there for electronic goods. This is where I’ve found the cheapest price for Photoshop Elements 6. All that’s left is to actually purchase it.
  8. Rue La La, Regent’s Secret, Hautelook.com, Ideeli.comAll of these (and I’m sure there are more) have the same premise. You have to be “invited” to play. This seems to be the new “thing” in online sample sales. They’ve got designer clothing, linens, etc. at discount prices. The sales last for only several days each. To me these really are only good if you want to window shop. But, they give you a taste for what’s in style. And you never know! One day you may find the exact thing you’re looking for.
  9. Shop It To Me This is probably my favorite because I don’t even have to strike out onto the internet. They bring me exactly what I’m looking for right into my inbox. You sign up by going through several screens telling them what type of clothing, sizes, name brands, etc. you’re interested in. They send you daily emails with the sale items that match your picks. Could shopping be any more efficient?
  10. Smart Bargains, Overstock.com At these sites you can find everything to outfit your house and yourself at discount prices. I’ve found that Overstock tends to inflate the original price somewhat on some things. I bought a punch bowl from WalMart for about $20. I later saw it on Overstock. I can’t remember what their sale price was, but their “original” price was somewhere around $130. I almost spit coke out of my nose (the drink, not the drug). So, just know that before hand. They both have great prices, but you’re not always getting as much of a bargain as you think. But hey, if the price is low, the price is low.
  11. Top Button Another site that will bring the sales to you. On their main page they’ve got a bunch of sales listed (along with a scantily clad Paris, so please, no kids). If you click on “Online Values” it will list a couple of online sites that are offering discounts. These are stores that I usually don’t see listed anywhere else. If you click on “Style Society” you can sign up for their newsletter which brings the sales right to your email.
  12. The $15 Store The clothes are more for “younger” kids than what I’m starting to become. BUT, that being said, I’ve gotten a couple of great summer tops on here before. And shoes and handbags don’t really have an age limit like clothes do.
  13. Woot Ahh, woot. Every morning I check my email and there’s another one from Woot letting me know what the deal of the day is. It could be anything: a Dyson, a computer, an ear bud, pistachios… Shipping is only $6 so whatever it is they’re trying to sell you, you really are getting a good deal. But it’s only good for that day, or until it sells out, whichever is first. The best things though are the woot-offs. During these events they will sell something until it is sold out. Then they’ll sell something else until it’s sold out. etc., etc. People, you better be good at hitting the F5 key, because if you blink too slowly you could miss a deal.

There you have my latest Friday 13. If you’ve got any great shopping sites, please SHARE!

Mowin’ and Sewin’

They say when you do a job you should do your best at it. Put your best food forward and maximize your effort. They also say to own it–make it your own. I’d say I did that today.

 

I needed to mow the lawn again. It couldn’t wait until the weekend for Du. So, I did my best and made it my own:

OH YES I DID!

A close up of the awesomeness.

And it’s still like, yes it is. I mowed around the letters so the grass wouldn’t be knee high by the time I got around to actually cutting the whole yard. I hope a plane flies over and sees this. I have a connection in the helicopter sector…hmmm…my brain is working…

I could be starting a new fad. Lawn personalization. Here’s my new tag: 

Sew Petit
Personalized baby items…and lawns.

 

My other foray into putting my best foot forward and making it my own is this:

This is the first jacket I’ve ever made. I started it yesterday and had little distractions to contend with both days. It was actually pretty easy. Even setting the sleeves in.

This is a close up of the buttons. They’re for show.

A close up of the slit in the sleeve. That was the hardest part–figuring out how to turn it from inside out to right side out. I love the shiny material. Du’s not so hot on it. But, he doesn’t have to wear it does he? He must stand by me though when I’m showing it off.

 

I’d say I was pretty creative today.

This May Scare You Away Forever

MommiePie did it. Because Sweetney did it. Now I’m doing it. Probably not the best thing to do, since I think I’ve got a couple new readers. But it was fun. And hey, who’s not into baring all these days?

COME AS YOU ARE

Au natural. No false pretenses. No pretenses at all.
I thank God though for the help in the sunlight reflecting off the counter uplighting my face.

Reagan saw that pictures were being taken and naturally wanted to play along.

 

Her idea. Notice how she’s cute even when making a funny face?

Ashlyn got upset when I had Reagan on my lap. That. should. not. happen. So, I let her play.
She’s looking at herself on the computer preview screen.

OH. and she stank.

So there you have me. Warts and all. Still want to be my friend? Even if not please print these out and place them in those corners of your house where the bugs like to creep and crawl. It will keep them away. I’m already doing it.

Sale at Sew Petit!

Editor’s Note: This has been a post-heavy day for me! Three in one day. So, for those of you who regularly check this blog without using a feed reader of some sort, please scroll down to see the other posts after you check out this one.

SEW PETIT IS HAVING A SALE!

Well, a mini one anyway.

I have several beach towels left and want to sell them before we move. So, for a limited time only, purchase a beach towel ($15) and receive a tote free! The beach towel will be embroidered with a name of your choice. The tote bag will be embroidered with an initial of your choice. You choose the font as well! Visit Sew Petit to place your order.

I have three of the Ocean Blue towels left and two of the Pink Sands. The tote bags come in three colors: denim, hot pink, and spring green.

Be on the lookout for more of these mini sales before moving time!

How Do You Find Good Blogs?

As you can imagine, being a mother to two young girls, a wife to a busy man, an owner of a business, and a lover of crafts means that I am fairly busy all the time. I love reading blogs though. I am constantly on the search for the good ones. The ones I think are good. Leigh Anne has sent me an answer to my prayers, or at least a halt to my searching. She introduced me to:

I am way excited about The Secret Is In The Sauce. They do all the hard work for me and will provide me with a new blog each weekday to check out. A new blog each day! That’s, like, 20 a month! My RSS subscriber list could jump from 75 to bazillions in the next couple of months. Look for my blogroll over there on the right to grow.

Bring it on SITS!