Dress Decision

*Update: Feedback has already been rolling in. Thanks guys :). So, I thought it best to mention that I found these shoes, and am about ready to commit to them..in red. Which leaves me down to accessory decisions. More help is always appreciated.


Remember when I asked for input on finding a dress for my upcoming anniversary cruise? Thanks for all the advice by the way. Well, due to my extreme cheapness, and inability to purchase things that are not on some type of sale...I never bit the bullet and ordered any of them. I'd also like to point out that none of them EVER went on sale. It seems impossible that in several months they could still be exactly the same price...but they are. So, Xander and I were cruising the mall today looking for a dress while Leia was at preschool and I found a couple of cute ones on sale that I liked at JC Penny of all places. However, as usual they never carry size 2 in the women's department, and everything in the junior's department at this moment in time is hideous. I could tell just by looking at the 4's that they were not going to fit, but I did notice they were both the same brand...American Living. One of them looked to be a very similar cut to dress 3 ($130 Ralph Lauren dress) from my previous dress post, except it had cap sleeves instead of long sleeves...even better.

Well, clearly I am not as fashion clueless as I generally appear, because when I got home to look around for that brand online...lo and behold it is actually a line from Ralph Lauren. I was totally pleased with myself for identifying the similarity. Yes, I know this post is getting tremendously long and you likely are not terribly concerned about what I'll be wearing on formal nights on my stinking trip. But I'm still rambling...so bear with me. I could see that stock was already low, and of course I knew if I didn't snag up a size 2, I would never get another chance. (why do they always run out of 2's first?) So, I googled up a promo code and got the price down to an acceptable $54...which seriously...I'm so cheap that is really like the absolute limit that I would pay for any article of clothing. And I officially am done looking for a dress. I hadn't really wanted to do black...but under these trying dress finding circumstances, I accepted that if I wanted a flattering cut, in my size, at a good price, I was going to have to compromise on the color. I suspect this dress may be a long term staple in my closet because I love the cut and the fabric. So now I need to punch it up with some shoes and accessories. Suggestions anyone?

Spring Has Sprung

I've spent the last 24 hours working on sprucing up the front porch. Got a cushion for the bench, a new pot, some flowers, a new fern for the hanging basket, etc. Leia and Xander "helped" plant flowers in the skinny bed by the door this morning. Notice the strain on his face while he attempts to be manly and help his sister with the heavy watering can."Our mom takes too many pictures of everything and has decision making issues about which ones are most important to clutter the internet with.""What do you mean I'm stepping on the new flowers...I'm totally helping right now."
Now the real question...should I paint the bench, or just seal it? It annoys me that it partially blocks that low window...but I don't see a better solution. I was definitely going to paint it, but now I'm wavering a little. Mom, I'm talking to you. Since I've noticed this blog has gotten ZERO comments for a LONG time, feel free to call or email me if you have an opinion and cannot bring yourself to press the comment button. ;-)

I made these no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars on Superbowl Sunday. They are deceptively delicious...and addictive. I find the weight loss ad underneath the recipe to be an amusing juxtaposition of page content. I made some more today. It's like self sabotage, but I had a taste for them, and happened to have the ingredients on hand. Hopefully the kids will gobble them up quickly so that I only get 1 or 2. :)

Field Trip

We went on a preschool field trip to a museum last week. Our main reason was to see the frogs, but there was a lot more to see than that. I've officially reached the point where I don't have a helpless infant to carry around on fun outings, and I've got to say...it is AWESOME. We saw a lot of cool rocks and crystals, frogs and tadpoles, touched a neat ice wall thingy, saw a 360 degree Sesame Street Astronomy movie inside of a dome, and got to see a really neat Narnia exhibit. Not shabby for a local museum branch. We didn't even have to go downtown.
I was busy messing with my camera, trying to get a few decent pictures, chasing Xander who kept trying to run off, and trying not to lose the extra preschooler that I had with me. Thank goodness there were other mom's to help keep Leia interested. (Thanks Suzy)
Checking out one of the frog and toad cases. It's so exciting to see him being interested in things like a big kid.
They had lots of cut open geodes and stuff with plexiglass on top. Perfect for the kids to really get up close and examine.
Some kind of wireless communication dishes. There were 2 across the room from each other. You could whisper in and the other dish would pick up your voice.The Narnia exhibit was pretty awesome, but there were no photos or video allowed inside.

I took these pictures yesterday afternoon. Sometimes the best prescription for exhaustion is hanging out in bed playing with mom's glasses, laughing, and watching PBS kids. I know I needed the resting time. Unfortunately, the laundry is now a mountain. A clean, wrinkly mountain.

NIT (Nerd In Training)

Dear Sears,

It is not nice to dangle a super awesome deal on a great treadmill in front of someone's nose, and then charge $209 for shipping. The dream of an awesome new Proform 9.0 Competitor treadmill for $499 died a painful death in my shopping cart during checkout. Maybe you haven't heard that my cholesterol is slightly high and I need to get more exercise. Would this sway you to give me a discount on that psychotically high shipping price? Yeah...I didn't think so. Your loss. I'll continue my Craigslist negotiations for a cheap used one. Good luck pulling the rug out from other shoppers during the checkout process.

Sincerely,
Disappointed shopper

School Mail

The girls sometimes send each other letters through the school mail system. I found this one in Juli's stuff today.

February 12, 2010

Dear Juli,

How are you? I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day. I love you. I am really glad you get to come to school with me. I hope you can write back soon. I really love you. Happy Valentine's Day.

Love,
Bella


...tear.

*I was pleased to hear from another mom at the DI tournament on Saturday that she has seen my girls holding hands at school and noticed how loving and caring Bella is toward Juli just casually observing them. (she has 2 girls also of the same ages). It's always nice to know that they still love each other when no one else is watching and monitoring their behavior. They're the best.

I'm trying to make a grocery list. Xander is wearing my glasses. Leia is singing, "Every dinosaur poops." My life is so glamorous.