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AuburnChick’s Public Service Announcments

Posted on April 11, 2010 by auburnchick

PSA #1

Sunday Morning Church Etiquette

Please don’t talk in church during the praise singing or the sermon.  Others in the service use the song time to prepare their hearts to receive God’s message, and oftentimes, the songs speak directly to them, preaching a sermon that rivals any pastor’s.  Talking during a sermon is distracting, no matter how hard a parishioner is concentrating on the pastor’s message.

If you feel like you can’t wait to share the latest gossip with your friend, kindly step outside…to the baby room, perhaps.  Another option might be to pass notes…like schoolchildren.  Or even better…arrange a meet-up at Starbucks later.  Chats over lattes go well together.

PSA #2

Blog-Commenting Etiquette

When commenting on a blog, be kind.  Take into consideration that the writer has feelings.  Granted, a blogger opens himself/herself up to critique simply by airing private thoughts on the internet, but still.  Don’t assume you know how a blogger is feeling just because you read a few paragraphs, which are only intended to be a snippet of the blogger’s life.

If you feel the need to convince a blogger that the feelings that were wrested from deep within his/her heart are wrong, kindly leave a comment that says something like, “I’d love to discuss this further.  Please send me an email.”  Then, the blogger can choose to respond, privately.

Filed under: This-n-That | Leave a comment »

AuburnChick Buys 14 Boxes of Brownie Mix

Posted on April 10, 2010 by auburnchick

Today was Grocery Shopping Day at Chez AuburnChick.

The Mr. had the unfortunate timing of announcing that he was running to Publix.  I told him he could tag along with me rather than take two cars.  Chicky and Rooster laughed evil laughs and wished him well.  They knew what he was in for.

The Mr., though, is the son of Coupon Queen.  He well remembers visits to stores when the cashiers handed HER money back.  Stores don’t do this anymore, unfortunately.

Here’s the stuff I came home with…

For fun (I’m mean, I know), let’s look at how much I spent per item, after sales and coupons:

14 boxes of brownie mix – $.32 each – savings of 88%

8 bottles coffee creamer – $.14 each – savings of 93%

3 bottles shampoo/conditioner – $.79 each – savings of 80%

5 boxes of potatoes – $.50 each – savings of 72%

2 bottles 7-Up – MONEYMAKER of $.15

Midol – MONEYMAKER of $.31

2 bags salad mix – $1 each – savings of 68%

1 bag coffee – $4 – savings of 56%

2 blocks cheese – $.75 – savings of 85%

2 bottles olive oil – $3.88 – savings of 67%

2 pkgs Purex 3 in 1  – $2.99 – savings of 57%

1 pkg Arm & Hammer 2 in 1 – $1.99 – savings of 50%

Total Spent:  $30.08
Total Saved:  $139.41
% Saved:  82%

Now, let me tell you a funny story.

There I was in line, and a small, elderly woman got in line behind me.  She only had two or three items.

The cashier (my favorite, by the way), told the woman that she might want to go to a different lane because I had a stack of coupons.

The elderly woman said she didn’t mind waiting.  She sidled up to me and asked if she could see how much I saved.

You know me.  Of course I didn’t mind!

Publix has those big screens that face the customers, so we can watch, line by line, as things get rung up, or in my case, as coupons get taken off.

But, before the coupons came off, the elderly woman caught her breath.

Just with store sales (buy 1, get one free and advantage buys), I had already saved over $70.

I told her to wait.  The fun was only beginning.

First to come off were five $5 off of $20 Rite Aid coupons.  Publix will allow you to stack these coupons, as long as you don’t go over the dollar amount.  So, my pre-coupon total was $108, hence, I was allowed to use five of them!

Bet you didn’t know that you could go to the Rite Aid website, watch videos, and earn coupons.  Because Publix accepts competitor coupons, customers can use the ones mentioned above.

So, straight out, I saved another $25.  Right off the top!

She looked at the Mr. and asked, “Are you this young lady’s husband.”

I’m not sure if he wanted to answer honestly, but his mama taught him right, and he answered politely…in the affirmative.

“You should be very proud of your wife.  She’s saving you a ton of money.”

He nodded.

I turned to her and assured her that I was only saving it so I could spend it somewhere else.  She chuckled.

Then, we watched as each coupon got scanned, and the savings increased.

By the end, I thought I was going to have to help the woman pick her jaw off the floor.

I asked her if she knew how to use a computer.  She said she’s had a brand new one for three years but has not plugged it in.

Um, it took all I could do to ask her to let me take it off her hands.  I mean, if she’s not even using it…you get my drift.  LOL

Apparently, my mama taught me manners as well.

I suggested that she take a class, because there are people in the world who do the hard work for you…tell you what’s on sale and where to find the coupons.  I found all of my deals on Southern Savers.

I walked out of the store with a smile on my face.  It only grew wider as the elderly lady followed me out to my car.  She was such a lovely lady.  I think she was thrilled to have someone to talk to.  I was more than happy to oblige her.

Meanwhile, the Mr. just sat, not embarrassed (except that I had pulled coupons off of the Olive Oil bottles…but that’s another story).

And now, here I sit, wondering what’s for dinner.

Brownies anyone?  I think they’ll accompany the Au Gratin potatoes nicely!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

A New Beginning and a Lesson in Trust

Posted on April 9, 2010 by auburnchick

Look what Chicky was up to this week…

I don’t know if you can tell, but that box contains graduation invitations.

Yet another milestone for the girl…for all of us, actually.

As I write this, Chicky and the Mr. are on their way home from an out-of-town visit.

They were down south, visiting a college.

But it wasn’t Rollins.

It was another college.

You see, the hard week I referred in one of my recent posts was about Chicky’s recent announcement that she wants to attend a different college.

In a way, I wasn’t completely surprised, but the news still came as a shock.  It’s been something I’ve been coming to terms with over the last two weeks.

This has been similar to a grieving process.  Rollins seemed like the perfect fit – academically, athletically, and socially.

I was numb at first.  Then, I got angry.  I asked a lot of questions.

In between those phases, I cried a lot.

I tend to be a woman of my word, so for me, her going back on her promise to play soccer at Rollins just reeked of poor judgment.

Poor Chicky.  I know it was hard for her.  She had wrestled with this decision for a while before getting up the courage to speak her mind.

She told us that she believes that God is leading her somewhere else.  She recently found out that Rollins’ head coach accepted a position at a larger school in a different state.  She took this as a sign from God that this was not the school for her.

She wants to attend a small, Christian college – Southeastern University.  It also happens to be the college that Guy Friend attends, although she made quick assurances that his presence there isn’t the reason she wants to attend (I’m not completely sold on that).

The thing about this college is that the environment is Christian-oriented.  Chicky wants to immerse herself in this atmosphere where partying isn’t the main reason students choose to attend.

The school has a number of athletic teams, including a women’s soccer team.  Guy Friend plays on the men’s team.

I’ve gotta tell you that this has been a defining moment in her life and mine as well.

As a mom, Chicky’s decision has become the event that has led me to let go of her.  I have come to the realization that Chicky is her own person, and this is her life.

For her, I think it has become important that she be the “driver” of her life, so to speak.  I pray she understands that she’s only riding in the front seat beside God, who is really the One in control of her life.

This decision, though, has caused Chicky to take up the reins and drive the vehicle that has turned off the path already paved into the unknown.

She spent the following days calling Rollins’ coaches (oy, but this grieves me so much as I LOVE them), getting her soccer release taken care of, and applying for admission to the new school.  She has also been applying for scholarships and financial aid, as this is another private college and not cheap.

She wants to go, and she’s making every effort to make it happen.

This is a new beginning for her.

It has become a huge lesson of trust for me.

I know that God has a plan for her life.  I don’t know if she’s making a mistake.  I thought, at first, that she was.  Now, I’m not so sure.

But I know that whether it’s a mistake or whether it truly has been God’s plan for her all along, God will use whatever comes to shape her life and make her into the woman He intends for her to be.

The trust comes in letting God do His thing without my worrying about it.

I am also having to learn to trust Chicky.

In the middle of my huge sob-fest, Chicky drew near, tears running down her own face, and asked me to trust her.

I’m trying.  It’s hard.  But God is working on my heart.

This is, quite obviously, a new beginning for me as well.

Filed under: children, Christian | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

AuburnChick’s First Fair Isle Project

Posted on April 8, 2010 by auburnchick

When you have a hobby, to get better, you want to challenge yourself to learn more difficult skills.

Such was the case with my latest project…the Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat, a free pattern found here…

The yarn is Mini Mochi, and the colorway is #111 (aka Baby Face).  I was drawn to it because of the bright colors.  One touch of its smooshy softness, and I was in love.

My original intent was to make a pair of socks with it (what did you expect?).  However, after reading about people’s failed attempts to get the striping to match on the socks, I ditched my original plans.  I am anal.  I like things to match.  So, I headed to Ravelry to find another project and lit on the hat pattern.

I’d never done fair isle before, but the chart looked simple enough.  I put my skeins in their own baggies and labeled them Yarn A and Yarn B.  A few viewings of YouTube videos on how to hold my yarn, and I was all set.

The going was slow at first, but I finally got the hang of maneuvering two strands of yarn, and I got a kick out of seeing the pattern emerge…

I’d read lots of complaints about the splittiness of this yarn, but I did not have any problems with it.  It reminds me a lot of Malabrigo.  The only thing that made it tough to use was if I needed to tink back.  The yarn stuck to itself, so I had to be careful.

I cast on this project March 23, after deciding to make the medium.  I used US 1 1/2 needles for the ribbing and went up to US 2 1/2 for the rest.  I knit eight pattern repeats but probably could have gotten away with completing only six or seven.  The hat is a little bit long.  I figure I can always roll up the brim if I need to, although the extra coverage will be perfect for cold days.

Ok…so let’s talk about the crown and the decreases.  IF you decide to make this hat, you need to study the pattern very carefully and heed my advice.

RUN!

No, I’m just kidding.  Sort-of.

This pattern gives very little instruction on the specifics of the crown decreases.  It tells you when to decrease and to do it “in pattern.”  Well, that is much easier said than done.

Trust me.

I sent an email to the pattern’s designer and was pleasantly surprised when she sent me a response immediately.  A couple more messages flew back and forth as I asked for clarification on some points.

The designer likened the decreasing to folding wrapping paper onto itself, with the decreases being the creases in the paper.  You are supposed to continue the pattern vertically with the decreases laying over the diamonds.

I decided to place one type of marker every eight stitches, marking the pattern repeats, and a different kind of marker every 14 stitches, marking the decreases…

In my case, by making the medium, I continued the pattern repeat, picking up where the decreases left off.  So, for the first decrease, I did a k2tog at stitches 13 and 14 and resumed the pattern at stitch 7 from the chart.  If you make this, you’ll understand.

Where I started getting confused was as I worked my way up, and the total number of stitches decreased.  It was very difficult for my wee little brain to figure out how to keep the pattern running.  So, I figured out that if this was a sheet of paper, the folds would eventually cover up the design on the “paper.”  I worked the stitches to the right of the decrease markers by starting over in the pattern repeat.  The stitches to the left of the decreases were worked by counting backward from eight to figure out how much of the other half of the repeat I had left.

I’ve probably confused you.  Simply put, envision lines going up the top of your hat.  These lines will lay over the pattern, splitting the diamonds.  You want to make sure you can see each part of the diamond.

I got very frustrated by the last few rounds and decided to simplify things by knitting the decreases and decreased stitches (even rounds) in Yarn A and everything else in Yarn B.  By then, there weren’t a lot of stitches left, so I don’t think I messed up the patterning too much.

Because the Mini Mochi is self-striping yarn, I had to keep an eye on my color runs.  I did not want Yarn A and Yarn B to have the same color.  That would have messed up the pattern.  So, I had to make lots of cuts, tying yarn pieces together, which made for lots of weaving in of ends.  Oy!  But, because the yarn is carried across the back of the stitches, I had an easy time of it.

Which brings me to another point.  I never knew how warm a fair isle project could be!  The carrying across of the yarn thickens a project, adding an extra layer of protection against the elements.  Just look at the inside of my hat…

My overall impression of the pattern is that it was pretty easy.  The thing that will keep me from making it again is the crown.  This was the first time I’ve ever wanted to put a project down and walk away.  Thank goodness I’m tenacious, my word to describe myself during yesterday’s Random Dozen post (or stubborn, as one gal commented).  I refused to let the pattern beat me.  I’ll be especially thankful when winter rolls around!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 5 Comments »

Random Dozen

Posted on April 6, 2010 by auburnchick

Oy, but the Random Dozen has some very thought-provoking questions this week!

You know the drill…post your questions and then link up on Linda’s blog.

1. Define a great relationship.

Communication.

2. Why is it called a “drive-through” if you have to stop? (Real question: What was the last food/drink you purchased at a drive-through?)

On Monday, Rooster and I went through DQ’s drive-thru for Blizzards.  Yum!

3. As I type this, the Butler Bulldogs are getting ready to play in the NCAA championship game. Every Hoosier is hysterical about this except me. So in honor of the Bulldogs … what is your favorite breed of dog? (I tried.)

Mutt!  Seriously!  I think mutts make the best pets.  I have three of them, so I should know!

4. If you had to move to a state besides the one you currently live in, where would you move?

Hawaii.  Beautiful scenery and amazing sunsets!  I’d love to be on vacation every day!

5. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

I thought about this question all day.  If you’re a parent, you can’t help but compare the way you were raised to the way you are raising your own children.  So, this is a hard question for me…very painful.  My mom did not know how to parent very well.  She was inconsistent…strict about stuff she didn’t need to be and lax about stuff I would never in a million years be lax about.  I once got grounded for an entire year because I stayed at a friend’s house too long after sleeping over.  No sleepovers for an entire year.  She kept her word on this.  I also lost a birthday party one year because I had chewed my nails.  My mom had been trying to break me of the habit.  Yet, I knew how to worm my way out of “instant groundings,” like, “You can’t go to the football game tonight.”  Ugh.

Ultimately, I couldn’t pick one thing.  It was a smorgasbord of things.  But, you don’t get do-overs.  I am extremely thankful that God put a hedge around me and protected me during those years.  I could have easily strayed in the wrong direction.

6. Who’s the funniest person you know?

Ms. G, the school’s receptionist.  She is responsible for scheduling subs, along with a host of other tasks.  She always has a smile on her face, and she has the best sense of humor.  Her laugh is unique and contagious.  I adore her because, most of all, she doesn’t take herself too seriously.

7. Did you get enough sleep last night?

Did you read my previous post about being up until 2am playing Mystery Case Files?  No, I did not get enough sleep!  It’s my own fault too!

8. What’s the first thing you thought about this morning?

Getting ready to shop at Target.  I knew some deals awaited me, and I needed to get my coupons ready!

9. Grilled or Fried? –HONESTLY

Grilled.  I do not like the taste of grease, so I’ll take grilled over fried every time.

10. Are you afraid of the dark?

Nope, unless I’ve been watching a scary movie, which is rare because I tend to have dreams where I’m the one being chased.  Do you remember the Nightmare on Elm Street movies?  I watched one when I was a teenager and did not sleep well for weeks.  Seriously.  I slept with the lights on and would only allow myself to sleep in spurts.  AuburnChick doesn’t do scary movies.

11.When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Lots of things…teacher, school psychologist (they call them guidance counselors now), accountant (that was before I had to try word problems).

12. If you had one word to describe yourself , what would you choose?

Tenacious. When I set my mind to do something, there’s not a whole lot that’s going to stop me.  I am usually very determined to be the best at whatever I try as well.  Hence, my return and graduation from college as an adult, my straight A’s when I went back to school, and my steely resolve to secure a teaching position.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 22 Comments »

AuburnChick Buys a New Purse

Posted on April 6, 2010 by auburnchick

Day 2 of Spring Break, and can you say HAPPY?!!!!!

Yeah, that’s probably the best word to describe me right now.

I’m sleeping in, I’m shopping…does life get much better than this?  (Please don’t answer that and ruin my fantasy.)

So today, I went out and spent the rest of my birthday money.  I picked up something a woman just can’t do without…

A new purse!

This purse is way fabo than my other purses.  You see, it is made to hold some special items in its compartments…

Ok…who am I trying to kid.  This isn’t a “real” purse, per se.  It’s specially made for my Nintendo DSi.

You might recall that on Saturday, I purchased three new games…

I immediately opened all three, but I have only begun playing two of them…Super Mario and Mystery Case Files.  The jury’s still out on the Mario game as it’s not quite what I expected…not the original like I’m used to from the regular Nintendo system.

Now, the Mystery Case Files game…

Oh

My

Gosh.

First off, I had an inkling I would like it because back when I was scoping out the system at Best Buy, this game was always in the demo the store had for customers to play with.

Let me tell you…playing the game at home any time I want is WAY better than getting five minute snippets of it here and there.

Folks…I must admit.  I’m addicted.

Yep.  It didn’t take long.

Chicky has taken to calling me a Nerd.

Like I’ve ever heard that before!

Where else, except in Game Land, can I practice the sleuthing skills I’ve acquired as a mom?  With my keen sense of lie-detecting, I am the perfect candidate for mystery solving!  And oh the drama on each supposed “villain’s” face.  It’s almost like watching the newest installment of “It’s Not Fair” at home…

And let’s not forget my ability to find missing objects like car keys, reports, and socks…

Oh yeah.  I’m hooked.

Wanna know how I know?

Cause I’ve stayed up until 1:30 and 2:00am two nights in a row in my quest to finish each chapter in the saga.

Folks, I’ve official become a gamer.

Have purse.  Will travel.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

Spring Breakin’ and Knittin’

Posted on April 5, 2010 by auburnchick

Ahhh…the first “official” day of Spring Break.

If you heard singing, it was my heart rejoicing at the extra five hours of sleep I got this morning.

Spring Break is all about catching up on chores but finding time to relax too.

The first thing I did was take Rooster to DQ for Bizzards.  I had received a B1G1 coupon through my email (sign up so you get one on your birthday).  It expired today, and I did not want to let it go to waste.  I think you can get arrested for something like that, and you know me…I’m a rule-follower…most of the time.

Sorry I don’t have a picture of that, but I kind of forgot in my haste to inhale it.  Just take my word for it.  It was heavenly!

After dropping off the boy at church to paint some backdrops for this summer’s VBS, I decided the fun was over…for a little while.  I had a lot of coupons that needed to be cut out and filed, so I got to work…

Coupon Queen is very generous with her extras, and she passes quite a few to me every time we cross paths.  This makes for a TON of filing!

Meanwhile, there was laundry to do.  As I said in one of my Random Dozen postings, one of my favorite things about Spring is hanging the clothes on the line.  Today was the PERFECT day for it!

By leaving the side door and the garage door open, the breeze blows through, making for even faster drying!  With the wonderful fabric softeners I’ve been able to pick up for cheap prices, the smell of the clothes is incredible!

While I was filing coupons and my clothes were drying, I had a little something that was on my blocking foam…

What, pray tell, is it?

Well, let me show you a better picture first…

This is my Linoleum Dishcloth.  It’s a Kay Gardiner (of the Mason-Dixon duo) design, and it’s free!  You can find the pattern here.

What a fun, fun pattern!  I completed it in about three hour’s time…while I was watching my Sunday night shows.

I used size 6 needles and Peaches ‘n Cream yarn (Yellow, Cornflower, and Soft Teal).

The texture is perfect for washing dishes!  It is thick because of the slip stitches and the way the yarn is carried behind the cloth.

I am envisioning more of these babies in my future!

So, will knitting be a part of the rest of my week?

Like…

DUH!

heehee

Off to watch Dancing With the Stars!  Maybe I should have titled this post, Spring Breakin’, Knittin’, and Dancin’!

Woo Hoo!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

What are You Really Celebrating?

Posted on April 4, 2010 by auburnchick

First of all, Happy Easter to you!

My family spent a portion of the morning at church, listening to our Youth Pastor give a very stirring sermon.

Then, in true Family With Teenagers style, we parted ways…Chicky leaving to eat lunch with Guy Friend’s family (he came home for the weekend), the Mr. and Rooster headed out to grab lunch, while I took Molly on a 40-minute walk.

As I booked it (cause that’s what I do when I walk…not a stroll, mind you), I pondered something I’ve been pondering for a while.

What do people celebrate at the major holidays like Christmas and Easter?

I mean, these are probably two of the most important holidays of the year.  Although these are Christian holidays, they are accompanied by many secular traditions that invite all to participate.

This gets me to thinking…

What are people really celebrating when these holidays roll around?  Are these days just days of fun for those who do not have a relationship with God?

Let’s take this train of thought a step further.

Why don’t the masses participate in other “religious” holidays, such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa?  Both involve the giving of presents.  I found this site, which is geared toward Kwanzaa-themed gifts and this one for Hanukka gifts.

Now, I’m not saying that other holidays are bad, mind you.  That’s not what this post is about.

I’m just curious how and why people choose the holidays they want to celebrate, and what kind of meaning they get from them if they don’t actually believe in what those holidays are about.

My family does not celebrate Hanukkah because we are not Jewish.  When we lived in South Florida, which has a very large Jewish population, my children tried their best to talk me into the Hanukkah tradition of eight days of gift giving.

However, this holiday is steeped in deep, spiritual undertones that we are not a part of.  So, we don’t celebrate it.

What about people who do not attend church?  Why do they participate in the Santa or Easter Bunny traditions?

This was something I wrestled with when my children were babies…should I also participate, or shouldn’t I?  I had grown up in a family that was active in church, so I understood the tie-in.  As far as the AuburnChick children were concerned, I knew that I would be bringing them up in a Christian environment, and that I would find a way to turn their eyes toward the real reason for the holidays.

I have found it fascinating…the way that churches swell during these two pivotal holidays.  Chicky calls people who attend at Christmas and Easter “Chreasters,” a blend of the two words.

The good thing about having a large amount of attention on these holidays is that many people do walk into churches on these days.  Only the Lord knows when their hearts will be ripe to receive His Word.  It could very well be one of these special days.

However, for the rest of the people, I’m simply as a loss.

It’s times like these…when my brain goes into overdrive on the philosophical thinking, that I am glad that God is in control…that He had a plan from the beginning of time.

I am so thankful that God knew His creation, as perfect as it was, would falter (thanks to free will) and need a Savior.  I am so thankful that He willingly gave up His own, and that Jesus willingly became the sacrifice that would serve as payment for my sin.

I just pray that those who mark these days in secular ways will pause a moment to consider why.  Perhaps their eyes will be opened to God’s truths…His mercy…and His love.

Every day that the Kingdom gains a new believer is TRULY a day of celebration!!

No Easter Bunny required.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Shopping Day with the Family!

Posted on April 3, 2010 by auburnchick

The Mr. declared today Shopping Day.

He had a coupon for Kohl’s, and he wanted to take the family out shopping for summer clothes.

Why, pray tell, would I blog about this seemingly everyday task?

Well, because it is highly unusual for the AuburnChick family to do such things…together…these days.  Money is tight, and the kids are growing up.  Chicky usually shops by herself or with friends.  I, on the other hand, cannot stand clothes shopping, so I prefer not to go.

My dislike for shopping goes back to years ago, when we lived in South Florida.  We lived within 30 minutes of numerous malls…most of them much nicer than the one that is in Podunk, USA.  We lived about ten minutes from Boca Raton…shopping mecca for the rich (I’m surprised we were allowed to even window shop in that ritzy area).  We were only 20 minutes from one of the largest outlet malls in the nation.

Most weekends, we stuck the kids in the car and headed out.  We bribed them with food.  I’m 100% pro-bribing, even though all the “books” tell you not to.  What do they know?!

Anyhoo, we spent hours shopping.  The Mr. comes from a long line of get-the-best-deals kind of people!

Oh, and for those of you who are married to men who hate to shop, I will hire the Mr. out on an hourly basis.  He loves to shop!  I used to tell the kids, “Hang in there.  Just keep Daddy happy, and he’ll buy us food.”  And he did.

So, I was less-than-thrilled to go out today.

As soon as we hit the store, we scattered.  Chicky had just responded to my rhetorical comment about my thighs (kids, always tell your Mamas they look good, no matter what they say about their butts and legs).  I got mad because she was her usual, blunt self (some things do not have to be said…”Yes, Daughter, I know that exercise will help get rid of my flab, thank-you-very-much).

But I digress…

I didn’t want to look at Chicky while I shopped, so I went my own way…to the Still Teensy for a 40-year-old Eat Your Heart Out Teenager Daughters Section (otherwise known as Juniors).

Let me tell you…it didn’t take me long to get in the spirit.

Man oh man, but I do love Kohl’s.  This store puts on some great sales, and the clothes are good quality!  They are stylish…conservative, but cute!

I quickly made some selections and headed to the dressing room, where I glared at my thighs a while before trying everything on.

After discovering that yes, I still fit into the same size I wore in high school (not bragging…that’s for Chicky, should she be reading this), I headed to the shoe department…my favorite.

Now, let me ask you a question.  Are you like me and try on the shoes stores have out on display, or do you find the size you need from a box and try that one on?

See, this is where I’m lazy.  I will squeeze my foot into a size 5 if I have to…just to give me an idea of how it looks on me before making the effort to hunt for the right size.

Years ago, stores were dumb.  They put out the smallest sizes possible.  Perhaps it was to discourage people like me from putting their nasty feet into sample shoes.  I don’t know.  But nowadays, they put the bigger sizes out!  Woo Hoo!

I never have trouble finding shoes I like.  Plus, I have longer feet, so there are always sizes available.

I quickly found a pair I liked and headed over to the rest of the family…clothes hanging from my arm.

Chicky’s mouth dropped open at the number of things I had.  She had selected three for herself.  Rooster only found a couple of things he liked.  The Mr. had picked a few.  I had the most.

I heard Chicky mutter, “Of course, Daddy probably won’t say no to you.”

And he didn’t.  The Mr. has a lot of faults (as do I), but he can be very generous, and he knows that where it comes clothes shopping, he never has to worry about me spending too much.  In fact, he knows I never buy clothes and that my dresser is sorely lacking.

So, here’s what we got…

My haul:  Three shirts (all of which I can wear while I teach), two pairs of shorts (love the plaid ones, which are a little longer and cover my icky thighs), and a pair of nice sandals, which I love so much that I took a few more pictures (please excuse my ugly toes…no amount of working out will fix those):

Chicky’s selections were practical…

Love the shirt on the left! Hope she leaves it at home when she goes to college (wink)!

Rooster couldn’t resist the shirt.  The vines intertwine to make a set of drums…

And the Mr.’s haul…

And you know me…ever the deal-finder.  We managed to save a little over $250 during this shopping trip!

The next thing we did was go for lunch at Moe’s, where I had a coupon for a free entree from my birthday (sign up at their website, and you’ll get this coupon a few days before your birthday).

Moe’s is located next to Best Buy, and since I still had birthday money, I asked if we could go in.  What a dumb question.  I was with the Mr. and Rooster (Chicky had departed for the beach).  Boys love electronics!

The store has its Nintendo DS games Buy 1, get the 2nd for 50% off.  The only game I’ve had since Christmas is Brain Age, so I was more than ready for something new.

Here’s what I got…

I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon playing the Mystery Case Files game, and boy is it fun!!

We bought a fourth game, but it’s for my nephew’s birthday.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic day and a great way to kick off Spring Break!

Filed under: Saving Money, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

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