Top 10 Tuesday...Shopping Spree

A couple of weeks ago I got rid of 80% of my wardrobe. Where were Stacy and Clinton when I needed them! I was holding on to this wardrobe thinking "Oh, I will be able to fit in these again, someday." Who was I kidding! I cried. My husband thought I was crazy, but those clothes were a part of my identity. Boys just don't understand a girl and her clothes. So I've been looking around on the Internet for some clothes. If money grew on trees I would have no problem purchasing every bit of these, but of course that does not happen. Who knows if I will make any purchases at all I am a very frugal girl.

1. I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I've been eyeing this shirt for a while found on Etsy (imagine that!). I just love the colors and the paisley and lotus design. But again I am VERY frugal and let's just say I would not want to pay the listed price. If you like what you see visit the KimmChi store for more silkscreen apparel.

2-5. I've been looking at Chadwicks, well because it's more in my price range. That's a lot of purple in that picture. I guess that color is "in." If I order I won't order everything in purple. However I do not think I have any purple in my wardrobe, guess it's time! Have any of you ordered from Chadwicks before? I'm hesitant to order online and am worried about fit - do their products run to size? Please let me know as I have a hard time fitting "the girls." Oh and here is a code for 40% Off any one item: CH22627

6-7. Oh how I love L.L. Bean, but wait to put items from there on my Christmas list. I am a fan of all things "hoodies" and I just love this cashmere striped sweater. I'm ready to wrap up in it, but I'm thinking I will have to wait. Hopefully it will go on sell around Christmas time, don't want to put anyone out $100 just for a sweater! What's so great about cashmere anyway? I know it's soft, do you know why it's a big deal?

8-9. Old Navy I like you a lot, but you need to rethink your sizing. I really have a hard time shopping there, again because of "the girls." If I need a Large that means my chest does not measure a 34B!! I know some people like to show off their assets, but I am not that person. This blue and white strip shirt would be perfect for a Kentucky football or basketball game. And just the site of this pink sweater makes me want to sit by campfire with my smores.


10. My BFF is getting married soon so I better budget for this dress. I love it! It's so beautiful and again here is something purple. It's her favorite color. I'm so glad she is going for something that has a halter rather that something with no straps. Again it's my issue with "the girls." (As you can tell all my shopping revolves around fitting a certain area!)

I hope you have enjoyed shopping with me. For other fun Top 10 lists visit Oh Amanda. Some fun posts today include pictures from Disneyland, 10 easy recipes, Restaurant reviews and several others.

Fall Into Reading

Within the past year I have fallen back in love with reading. I am so excited that I have come across a low-pressure reading challenge at Callapidder Days. My goal for the year was to read 50 books, well that is not going so well! I will be honest and will tell you that I have completed only 17. Having a one year old has not made it easy to reach 50!! Anyway I have accepted the challenge just to see how many books I can read this fall. I get all of my books through PaperBackSwap (it's the best thing since sliced bread!) It is a given that I will not finish all the books listed. I will be picking from the list. Have you read any of these? Let me know your favorite.

1. Life, Libby and the Pursuit of Happiness by Hope Lyda (just finished 2 days ago)
2. Pick Your Poison: A Yellow Rose Mystery by Leann Sweeney (currently reading)
3. Hey Diddle Diddle, the Corpse and the Fiddle: Callie Parrish Mystery by Fran Rizer
4. Wicked: The Life and Time of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
5. The First Assistant: A Continuing Tale from Behind the Hollywood Curtain by Clare Naylor & Mimi Hare
6. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
7. True Colors by Kristin Hannah
8. The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

Join in the Fall Into Reading challenge. Here you can also find out what everyone else is reading this fall. Happy reading to you all and have a wonderful Fall!

Prayers for a Dear Friend

Please join me in praying for a very dear friend today who has had her second miscarriage. Please pray for comfort, peace and understanding. I do not know what it is like to experience this or what to say. I just know God has the answers and the best thing I can do is pray for her.

Dear God,
Please hold my unborn child in your ever-loving embrace. Please let my child know that my love can't be erased. Please bless me on this earth and help to ease the pain. Please plant a seed within my baby's heart of sunshine, not of rain. Please help the days get easier and the nights go quickly by. Please hold my hand when I can't do anything- but cry. Please increase my faith so I believe my baby is with You. Please forgive me when my sadness makes me come completely unglued. Please let my baby know that there will always be a place-within my heart, just for my baby, full of Divine Grace. And, when You call me Home to Your Kingdom up above-Please let me hold the baby-I never held...but, always loved. Amen. ~Ellen DuBois

Top 10 Tuesday... Love Some ETSY

So it seems that I only blog on Top 10 Tuesdays! Horrible blogger that is me. Oh well, I guess that I could use the excuse that I started a very part time job, but it only takes up about 6 hours a week! Anyway on to my Top 10. I LOVE ETSY! Etsy is a place for all things handmade and for those to sell what they love making. I believe in purchasing to help support Etsy members. So I am listing my Top 5 purchases and my Top 5 favorite stores! You have been warned, there are LOTS of links to check out!

1. My first Etsy purchase came from Alaiyna B. Designs who sells hand stamped personalized jewelry, wearable art jewelry and lampwork beads. I bought this necklace charm and had it personalized. On it I had my son's name, birth stats and dedication scripture hand stamped. I also included the birthstones of myself, my husband and my little man. I love it and get so many compliments on it. And of course I send them to Etsy when they ask about it! I am so happy with this purchase. A great gift for moms.

2. I purchases these Clean "In-Style" Cleaning Gloves as a birthday present for my mother in law. These oh so cute gloves come from Julie Meyer. When visiting the in laws one weekend my MIL busted out the boring yellow cleaning gloves. When I saw these I knew these would make the perfect gift and would maybe make her cleaning a little more enjoyable!! Julie Meyer also sells reusable lunch and snack bags, insulated grocery bags and all natural laundry soap. A place for great gift for those are trying to make and effort to be eco-friendly.
3. My little man started his Mother's Day Out program at our church. We needed a tote bag to carry all of his stuff and the diaper bag just wasn't big enough. I ordered this tote from Chrissy's Creations in royal blue (a favorite family color) and had his name and soccer ball (a favorite family sport) monogrammed on it. The tote fits extra diapers, a change of clothes, his nap mat, blanket, lovie and lunchbox. There is also room to tote his new art projects home! Chrissy's Creations also sells custom embroidery for aprons, very cute baby bloomers, bath sets, handkerchiefs, cosmetic bags amongst other things.

4. OK. So I went a little tote bag crazy. I purchased another tote bag from Ella Ba Della's. This tote was a small black tote with my little man's name on it with Ella Ba Della's custom appliques. We kept little man's name a secret so now I've gone crazy purchasing things with his name on it. She worked great with me as I got to pick out my own fabrics to create his name appliques. Ella Ba Della's specializes in custom appliques. Currently you can get 5 for just $12 she has a cute Turkey for Thanksgiving, bats, pumpkins and spiders for Halloween. Other cute appliques are turtle, dinosaur, high heel shoe, you name it she can do it for you.

5. YAY!! Finally something I can throw in the diaper bag or new tote bag. This was a custom wallet/pouch from Sewing and Stuff Too just to hold my necessities. One great thing about Etsy is that you can make requests for custom items and you name your own price then sellers bid on your request. I wanted a wallet (something in blue and paisley) for around $15 to hold my cell phone, the important plastics, lip gloss and a little cash. Sewing and Stuff Too sent me example fabrics and laid out how many pockets I would need. This was PERFECT!! She also has made cute iPod cases, diaper caddy, baby shoes and totes.

6. Now on to my favorite shops! The first shop runs in the family!! So of course it's one of my favorites. At one time I did have things for sale, but I've become side tracked. I'm hoping to get some of my projects up soon. I share 4 Crazy Ladies with my mother in law, sister in law and her twin sister. Our motto is "Crazy about Kids, Crazy about Family." Three of us are stay at home mom's and love to craft! We sell pillowcase dresses, pillowcase Jon Jon's for little boys, reversible pinafores, layette gowns, Baptism Gowns, monogrammed burp cloths and bloomers. Great for fall is create your own pillowcase dress. And I just love this Pottery Barn Pillowcase Dress. If I had a little girl, I would own it!

7. Another store in the family is Name That Thing your all things personalized store! Right now Name That Thing has a great variety of Halloween Tote Bags. She also has some very adorable Stuffed Animals that hold a baby blanket. Here you will also find tote bags, messenger bags, backpacks, garden flags, towels, desk caddies and other great finds!

8. I can't leave out my friends! Anna at Purty Girl Designs and I went to college and we had a couple of art classes together. She was the real artist I just took the classes to complete my electives. Anna helped me out a lot in class. She is so creative and has a very unique designs. This necklace is one of my favorite pieces she has done. Oh and I can't forget this necklace either!

9. Here is the work of a home town acquaintence. We did go to the same college, but different years. Anointed Art by Mo's Designs sells jewelry, hair clips, photography and painted works. I love this necklace. I might just have to purchase a whole new outfit to match it.

10. I just love Etsy! My list could continue beyond a top ten. When purchasing gifts please check out Etsy. You never know who you are supporting by purchasing their goods. It could be the starving artist, the college student having to pay their own way through, or a stay at home mom who is trying to contribute financially to her family.

I hope my post has not worn you out with all of the links! For more fun Top 10 lists check out Oh Amanda's Blog.

Top 10 Tuesday... In My Makeup Bag

It's a Top Ten Tuesday. I love these because it gives me a blog topic starter. Remember in Third grade how you had to write in your journals and your teacher would give you a topic starter? Something like "My favorite color is (blank) and here are some things that are my favorite color..." So today my Top 10 are things I always have in my makeup bag. Well, I'm not much of a makeup person, so it's things in my toiletry bag or carry on or whatever you would like to call it. I also got my inspiration from my new blog friend over at Makeup Design Work, she does amazing things with makeup. Go give her a visit!

1. My extra contacts! We would be in A LOT of trouble if I didn't have any extra on hand. By no means am I blind as a bat. Things are so blurry if I don't wear them. I can't sit 10 feet away from my TV without squinting if I don't have them in.

2. There is nothing like that fresh cool feeling when I rub on my Noxzema. I've always had complexion issues and now since I have aged Noxzema does the trick for me. My grandma has always used it and so has my mom and their skin is still as beautiful as ever. Growing up I would always get sunburned shoulders my mom would spend a while just rubbing this on my shoulders. It was so cool and it would draw the heat out. It did so much better than Aloe.

3. My Goody's hair elastics. I've got long hair and a 1 year old. Those two things don't go well together, especially when we are playing. I've always worn my hair pulled back, so when I wear it down my husband says there is something different about me. It still takes him a little time to figure out what it is.

4. When it is time to get all of that face "sluff" off I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub Renew and Refirm face scrub. I use it 2-3 times a week. It just depends on if I have worn sunscreen or have perspired. I love the smell and the tiny apricot grains that give your face a good scrub and you can feel it being cleaned.

5. Nail polish. I don't know why it's there. I haven't painted my nails or toes in the longest time. Maybe it's there for a run in my hose (which I don't wear!). Maybe I think "Oh, I will have time to paint my toes, I can't go out in public with them looking this way!" Yeah, still no paint on my toes and it's even summer.

6. Finally! I have found a sunscreen for my face that does not cause me to break out or burn my eyes or the sensitive skin around my eyes when reapplying. I use Neutrogena Oil Free Healthy Defense. I'm excited because I got a so called "free" small tube of Neutrogena 70 SPF Healthy Defense with "helioplex" (don't feel like looking that one up, but guessing it's a good thing!) This will be great for my ghostly color for vacation next week!

7. Bobby pins. If and that is a big "if" I wear my hair down I always have to wear some of it pulled back. I can't stand any of it hanging in my face. The bobby pins do the quick fix.

8. To me nothing feels better on my dry skin or sunburned cheeks that Avon's Nurtura lotion. Something again I've grown up using because my mom used it. It's so rich and creamy. Because of complexion issues I do not like to feel anything greasy on my face. This lotion is just smooth and is immediately soaked up by my skin and leaves it so soft. I once recommended this to a friend and now she is hooked.

9. Q-Tips. I know, I know I'm not suppose to clean my ears out by shoving a Q-Tip in it. My audiologist friend told me how bad it was to do so. My reply in return "Well, it's better than a bobby pin isn't it?" Oops! I still use a bobby pin at certain times. After I shower my ears do not feel completely clean until they are swiped with a Q-Tip.

10. Toothpaste is a given, but hubby is particular about his toothpaste. Any toothpaste is fine with me as long as it leaves my mouth cool and clean. Hubby likes the Colgate Maxfresh with breath strips in the cool mint flavor. A plus is that it has made my teeth whiter and it does leave my mouth feeling clean.

Want more fun Top 10 Tuesday reads? Hop on over to Oh Amanda to find Top 10's about driving irks, books on CD, PBS Shows. Have a great Tuesday!

Vacation!!

We are leaving for vacation in 4 days! I couldn't be more excited! We are going to the beach where my family has been going for the past 25 years. We have met some great families who are there the same time we are so it's like one huge reunion. However I am kind of nervous about it. Now in tow we have a 15 month old. I'm nervous about the flight and how he will act. I am worried about his little ears when the pressure changes. I am prepared for him to eat sand. I just hope I don't have to play chase all day and I can get a little relaxation in. I'm still so excited to see how my little man reacts to a new surrounding, the sand and the ocean. I'm also nervous about my after baby body, well I can say was. I found some great swimsuits to hide what need to be hid and hold "the girl" in place without showing too much! Reebok makes a great tankini. So I bought 3 for the trip (we also have a pool at home). I tried on bathing suits everywhere! I finally wound up at Dick's Sporting Goods and hit the jackpot. So if you a looking for a suit to hide and support I suggest Reebok! Here is one of my cute suits (sorry it's as big as I could get it!) Where are you going on vacation? Safe travels to all!

1 Word Wednesday.... Laundry

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