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Sunday Shopping

Posted on June 22, 2017 by auburnchick

Last Sunday afternoon, the Mr. and I headed out to run a few errands.

One of the places I wanted to go was Best Buy.  Rooster had called me a couple of days before to tell me about a purchase he and his girl had made.  The pressure was on.

I wound up indulging my inner geek when I purchased this . . .

It’s the Apple Watch 2, which was on sale for $70 off.  What girl doesn’t like a sale?

The newest Apple Watch can be worn in the pool or beach!  That was the main reason why I had asked for my Garmin watch a couple of years ago.  I’ve loved it too!

But the Apple, y’all.  I have had an iPhone for years, and my laptop is a Macbook Pro, so I’m all about Apple stuff.  I bought the smaller size.

It didn’t take me long to find a watch face I liked . . .

When you tap on the center of the clock face, Minnie tells you what time it is.  She’s adorable.

Now, I’m not going to lie, making the transition was a little overwhelming.  Although it immediately synced with my phone, I still had to figure out how to navigate, which buttons to push, etc.  I had to change a few things in my setup (I’m using Apple Health now, which integrates with MyFitnessPal).

The good news is that my Under Armour Record app works seamlessly with my watch.  When I start a workout on my phone, my watch automatically starts up, so I can look down and see my calories real time without pulling out my phone.

I was able to use it to track Monday’s physical therapy session.  I had been curious about how many calories I’d been burning during these sessions . . .

Apparently, I work hard.  Crazy, eh?

I also love that my watch tracks my heart rate.  That was the biggest drawback to my Garmin.  I didn’t have the HR model.

By the end of the first evening, I’d even learned how to set up the watch as my alarm clock.

One less-than-ideal thing is the battery life.  It’s something like 18 hours, so it needs to be charged each night.  My Garmin lasted for ten days without a charge, unless I was using it to track runs.

I still have a ton to learn, but I can honestly say that I’m in love with this device.  I can use Siri on it (and actually did while I was getting directions, and it even connected automatically to my car and started talking through those speakers while I was driving to a new place).

Happy Summer to me!

After we finished at Best Buy, we headed to Kohl’s.  The Mr. had some Kohl’s cash that had to be used that day.

I had not been feeling well, so the plan was to run in, quickly pick out something, and leave.

I wound up trying on a few tops that had not been on sale the week before.  I really liked the tank top in the picture below.  It made me think of my Rooster boy.

I loved the next top.  It’s a sweater material and wine colored.  It is so soft.

By the way, I have no idea why I felt the need to flex my muscles in both pictures.  I guess the weight training I’ve been doing each day has gone to my head.  Ha!

I liked the next top as well.  Blue is one of my favorite colors, and the Mr. thought this top would pair nicely with a pair of flowered shorts he had picked out for me (I didn’t pose with those though).

After all of that shopping, I had to go home and take a nap.  Who knew that spending money could be so exhausting!!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Why a Man Should Never Go Purse Shopping With a Woman

Posted on March 23, 2014 by auburnchick

Oh, Spring Break, how I love thee!

With my lesson plans finished for the first two weeks after we come back from Spring Break, I felt free.

Thus, it was without any guilt whatsoever, that the Mr. and I headed out for a day of shopping on Saturday.

We ate lunch at our favorite, vegan-friendly, pizza place.  We enjoyed people-watching while we waited for our pizzas to be prepared.

I bought a couple of items at a boutique at the beach’s mall…

For the record, those two items are not meant to be worn together.  Even I know that.  I was too lazy to take separate pictures.

I went to Ulta and treated myself to OPI Muppet polish for my tootsies…$3.50 coupon in hand.

On the way home, we stopped at Kohl’s.  The Mr. had a 20% coupon…a rare thing because all we usually get are 15% coupons.

We shopped with a vengeance.

As we looked around, the Mr. asked me what I wanted for my birthday.  It’s at the end of the month, and he, wise that he can be at times, was thinking ahead.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted…

Until I spied the purse section.

That’s when I remembered that I was in desperate need of a new one.  The purse my sister had given me two Christmases ago had straps that were nearly torn in half.

I’m rough on purses.

So, we started looking.

Oy.

Vey.

What.

An.

Ordeal.

A man can go into a store to look for a new billfold and be out in twenty minutes happy as can be.

Women are completely different.

We need certain colors.

We want a certain number of pockets inside.

We look for roominess and wonder if the wallets we currently have are going to fit well.

We might look for short, thick straps that hang snugly over our shoulders, or we might prefer long straps that allow a purse to dangle.

Or, we might want both.

Most of the purses were 50% off, so price wasn’t really an issue.

Now, the Mr. is very opinionated.

He loves shopping more than I do.

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

I would eyeball a purse, and he’d give me a reason why I shouldn’t get it.

“The colors won’t be good all year.  You’ll need another one in the Fall.”

Yeah, that wasn’t the brightest comment.

“That’s too big.  You don’t need a suitcase.”

Yes, I do, because I have, like a bajillion things I might need in case of an emergency.

“You probably have 142 pens in your purse.  Get rid of them.”

Um…guilty?  I am, after all, a teacher.  Wanna make something of it?

Back and forth we went.

I kept going back to one particular purse.

Was it simple enough to pick it up and walk to the register?

Not with the Mr.

You see, there were three different styles of the purse…all different sizes.

So, I stood, pulled out the paper from each purse, and examined each one closely.

One purse wasn’t long enough to set my wallet inside.

“Turn the wallet on its end,” said the Mr.

Um, nooooo.  If a wallet is supposed to sit on its end, it will be short and square, not long and rectangular.

At one point, I looked at the Mr. and said, “This is why a man should never go shopping with a woman for a purse.”

I went on to tell him that this was a blog post in the making.

Ahem.

In the end, I got the purse I first laid eyes on…suitcase that it is…in the Spring colors that had grabbed my attention…

Here are the rest of the goodies purchased yesterday…

New pajamas!

I went back today and got the next thing…a dress I’d tried on yesterday but that the Mr. didn’t really like.  I bought it anyway…after asking a couple of friends for their opinions…

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

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Posted on April 14, 2013 by auburnchick

Friday night, I stayed up until 1am.

The reason?

Lesson plans.

I had succeeded in completing my plans early the previous weekend, and I had really enjoyed having the rest of the weekend off, so I forced myself to repeat the routine.

I am so glad I did, for I woke up to this…

20130414-000911.jpg

The Mr. and I headed out early to attend a pancake breakfast…a fundraiser for a local traveling basketball team.

Then we ran to Office Depot for a couple of boxes of glue sticks for a project my classes will be working on.

Before we headed home, we stopped at Kohl’s, one of my favorite stores, where I picked up this pair of shoes…

20130414-001155.jpg

The Mr. also bought me a blouse that had caught my eye.

We made it home for lunch, and then I left again…this time for an afternoon of pampering.

I had spent some time on Pinterest…planning the next method of torture for my nail tech. She’s not fond of the designs I beg her to add each time I visit her.

She left after filling in my nails, and another girl painted them.,,

20130414-001502.jpg

20130414-001519.jpg

Does they look Spring/Summery to you?

Of course, I had to get my feet done too…

20130414-001614.jpg

I was so relaxed.

I didn’t think much about work. In fact, I didn’t think much about anything but simply let my brain zone out.

I feel rejuvenated.

It was definitely a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

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

Decompressing

Posted on June 29, 2012 by auburnchick

This past week has been so sad.

I’m so grateful that I have this blog to pour my heart into.  Thank you for all of the supportive comments and prayers.  We have definitely felt God’s presence!!!

For today’s post, I decided to be more whimsical…a little random.

First, I thought I’d share a picture of my latest shoe acquisition…

I found those at Kohl’s.  My cashier was a real piece of work, though…rude to the hilt…wouldn’t let me use my coupon…nasty to the lady behind me in line too.  I put the shoes back, found a coupon online on my phone, and walked to the other set of cash registers across the store where one of my former students was working.  I mentioned what had happened, and he and a manager rang up those shoes for me, using the online coupon code.  I suspect the other cashier got an earful from the manager after I left.

The next picture is one that I drew in the game Draw Something.  I’ve got a long game running with a knitting friend…almost 400 drawings thus far.  I am not an artist, so I was a little surprised and, yes, proud of myself when I wound up with this little sketch…

I got the stitches out of my mouth this week…thank goodness!  It felt like I had hair growing in my mouth!  I’m pleased with the results.  The skin is still growing, but I’m so thankful for medical advances that allow little things like teeth to be saved!

Now, it’s time for pictures of my pups.  How dearly I love these four-legged critters.  Throughout the week of tears and sadness, these little ones never failed to bring smiles and joy to my heart.  They are so affectionate and always up for a game of ball or tug of war.  They always wait anxiously for us to wake up…their little tails wagging when they see our eyes open.  I sure don’t know what I’d do without my fur babies!

Sweet Aubie…old girl that she is…hearing on its way out…still happy-go-lucky…

Comfy dog…he thinks that rolling on his back, looking cute, will get me out of bed…

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

Good Shoes Come to Those Who Wait…

Posted on May 20, 2012 by auburnchick

…for the prices to drop, that is.

Take, for instance, two shopping trips I went on this weekend.

Kohl’s had sent me a $10 coupon…that I could use off of anything.

Naturally, I headed to the shoe department first.  I found a pair of boots I liked.  They were on the clearance shelf, marked at 80% off.

The Mr. poo-pooed the idea saying, “We only have a week of winter in Florida.”

Whatever.

We walked around the store so I could look at clothes and jewelry, but nothing really struck my fancy, so I left with my coupon in my back pocket.

Well, let me tell you…I WANTED those boots, so I went back after church on Sunday to buy them.

I was shocked to discover a new clearance sticker on the box…

90% off!!!

Conveniently enough, there was another shoe box beside the one I’d been looking at…

HEELS!!!

On sale for 90% off as well!!!!!

Hello, Lord, I know you speak to your people and all, and, well, this was one time I really didn’t mind heeding your instructions.

heehee

I walked out of Kohl’s after spending $1.59.

What a deal!

I’m so glad the Mr. told me not to buy those boots.

I’m even happier that I did my usual thing, ignored him, and went back to get them anyhow.

😉

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

A Girl’s Just Gotta Shop Sometimes!

Posted on April 1, 2012 by auburnchick

Super Sis sent me a Kohl’s gift card for my birthday, so I waited until today, when a coupon I’d gotten in the mail went into effect, before heading out.

I figured that it was the least I could do for myself after working all afternoon on Saturday and turning in a Reading Endorsement assignment after church.

I shopped and shopped and shopped…tried on quite a few things…before settling on these…

Oh, how comfy!!  I love that they’re like sandals but a bit dressed up with the wedge…

What a fun way to show off my newly pedicured toes!

Thanks to the coupon and sales going on, I was going to have a few dollars left over.

Well, I couldn’t just let them sit on that gift card, now could I?

I indulged in a little bit of bling…

I love the “rope” that the pendant hangs from.  This is DEFINITELY my style!

I found a matching pair of earrings that I simply could not pass up…

I was drawn to these pieces because they match one of the blouses I bought the last time I shopped at Kohl’s, and I know they will match some other things I have in my closet.

Besides that, with the 40% off sales plus the 20% coupon, it would have been a crime NOT to buy these!!

heehee

Thanks, Super Sis, for a practical and thoughtful gift!!  I had a lot of fun and will think of you every time I wear one of the items I purchased.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Work First, Play Later

Posted on March 16, 2012 by auburnchick

That was my motto for my Spring Break.

I was determined to get my lesson plans and classroom ready early in the week so I could relax the rest of it.

Turns out that I was a little slow on my feet the first couple of days.  I don’t exactly remember what I did those days, but I think it involved working out in the gym (more details forthcoming in a future post) and reading (I’ve already blogged about the new books I recently purchased).

Tuesday evening, I hunkered down on my couch and got busy with some lesson planning.

As a good reader, I’ve taken my ability to read to granted.  Now that I teach intensive reading, I have to think critically about what I do, exactly, when I read and comprehend.  Hence, the lesson planning is slow going for me, breaking down the steps into understandable bits for my students to process.

I hit a wall and put away my plans.  Wednesday, I got up, and God zapped me with a great site on the internet and good ideas.  Thank you, Lord!!  I went into my classroom for about an hour or so, talked to a few of the other teachers who were also there, and got the low-down on how to use the new technology that had finished being installed while I was gone.

Then, I went to lunch with the gals.  It was impromptu and fun.

I worked hard on finishing up things that evening and went back into my classroom on Thursday morning, spending a solid four hours straightening my room, setting up my stations, practicing with my new technology, and brainstorming with a fellow teacher who had stopped by.  I took a few things home with me to finalize and worked hard that afternoon.

Thus it was on Friday (yesterday) when I was able, finally, to play.

First, I stopped by my classroom and dropped off what I’d finished the night before.  I didn’t hang around long, afraid to get sucked into the world of work.  I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t and that what had not gotten done wasn’t going to.  Sometimes you just can’t do everything.

Then, I headed out for some fun.

First, my nails.

As you know, I’m very eager for the movie, The Hunger Games, to come out.  I read all three books in the series.  The reading teachers are taking our students to see it on the 27th.  I’m giving serious thought to attending the opening night.  Yes.  I know that’s midnight, but that’s part of the fun.  Barb has suggested that I take a half-day of vacation.  We shall see.  I’ll probably just suck it up and nap during my planning.  😉

In honor of the movie, I walked into my nail salon with a plan and a couple of pictures.

After being told that no, she could not draw a bird (ahem…it’s a mockingjay…sheesh), I settled for Plan B…

Those are flames.  She did her best…refusing to do the red that was in the picture I’d printed out.  Although a couple of the nails on my right hand messed up a teensy bit when I left, I’m pleased with the overall result…

After lunch, I headed to the beach.  I had a coupon for the store, Ulta, and my friend Jane had agreed to meet me there.  You might remember that Jane and I taught together last year.  She says that I left her when I took the job at the public school.  I’d offer the suggestion that she didn’t follow me.

Semantics.

She had never been to Ulta, so it was my pleasure to introduce her to this fun, girly store.

Jane is 61 (or is it 62), but you’d never know it from talking to her.  She’s incredibly young at heart and pushes herself to the highest standards in everything she does.  She’s got such a wonderful sense of humor, so we laugh CONSTANTLY when we’re together.

She’s the person I took with me when I won free tickets to the Christian Concert last August, and it was so funny to watch her jumping around to the music…even commenting on how cute the guitar player was (for the record, he was butt ugly and looked about 90.  She needed her eyes checked.  heehee).

Anyhoo, though Jane and I are friends, there are times when she feels like a mother to me.  She has a daughter close to my age, and according to her, the daughter and I are very similar.  I just love having this friend/mother figure in my life, so today was especially fun as we shopped and discussed nail polishes (she refuses to go wild, unlike me with my crazy nails).  We ate lunch at Panera and talked the entire time.  Then, we returned to Ulta because I’d forgotten something.  She had to buy a little something for the road.  Parting from her is always bittersweet.  Though we talk weekly, we only get to see each other every few weeks.  Life is NUTS for both of us.

By the time I got home, it was 4:30.  As soon as the Mr. got home from the gym, he asked, “Who wants to go to Kohl’s?”

Um, hello?  That was on my to-do list but I was so busy that I hadn’t gotten to it.

I had been carrying around 20% coupons all day!  He informed me that I needed to check my email for a $10 off of a $10 or more purchase coupon.  I finally found it…in my spam folder!

Off to Kohl’s we went, expecting to be back home shortly.

Two hours later, we finally returned, with me sporting a few new things…

Those are shoes designed by Jennifer Lopez.

In case you’ve had your head in the sand and have not been watching TV much lately, J. Lo is the new spokesperson for Kohl’s.

As I had walked around shopping, I realized that I had not hit the shoe department.  The Mr. was actually shocked when he’d gone looking for me fully expecting that to be the FIRST place I visited.

heehee

Anyhoo, I spied the black heels first and had to try them on…

Let me tell you…though the heels are high, the bottom is thick, so it doesn’t feel like your feet are arched very much.  I have no idea what kind of leather they used, but it is COMFORTABLE!  Trust me.  I have much experience with these things.

The shoes are very well made.  The heels actually mold around your heels, so there’s none of that foot-coming-out-of-the-shoe thing.

I love these and knew I was going to buy them as soon as I walked around in them.  I didn’t care how much they cost.  For the record, they were roughly $31, down from $75, and I had a 20% coupon.

The second pair only cost $21, and I love them almost as much as the black pair.

They have some sort of suede-like covering…definitely not your smooth leather.  I love how thick the soles are, which makes walking in them much easier than you’d think.

Please excuse my white legs.  Apparently, working and Spring Break do not add up to much time to tan.  I’ll try to fix that in the next couple of days.

Anyhoo…

I tried on lots of other things at Kohl’s and came home with a couple of new tops for work…

That’s not the best picture.  It doesn’t show off each top to its best.  I love both of them!  The black one is a similar style to a few others I have, but it’s just so doggone pretty!  I love, love, love the pink one.  It’s made out of some sort of rayon or something, and it is just so “blousy.”  It’s thin…perfect for hot Florida weather, but it’s very dressy.

One thing that’s really caught me off guard this year is how observant students are.  They notice EVERYTHING (except for due dates written in all UPPERCASE red Expo markers on the whiteboard).  When I wear something they’ve never seen, they comment.  They have their favorite outfits, and they don’t hesitate to tell me.  So, finding new things to wear to work is fun because I know that they will appreciate my effort to be professional, stylish, and a bit whimsical.

My day of fun ended with a dinner to a local Japanese restaurant where I had Miso Soup and cucumber and asparagus rolls.  Yum!

Work is going to slap me in the face next week.  I think I’ll take the next day or two to relax, recharge my batteries fully, and count my blessings.

One thing I was reminded of as I talked to Jane today was how different my life is this year compared to last year.  Last year at this time, I was a very hurt and angry gal.  I felt betrayed by people I had trusted, and I had some major regrouping to do.  It was during this time last year that I knew that I wouldn’t be returning to that school…that the fit just didn’t fit any more.  I knew that God had other plans for me.

He was true to the nudging I felt in my heart and here I am…in a place where I fit in completely…content and as thankful as I can be.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

How To Fix a Crappy Day

Posted on February 25, 2011 by auburnchick

One word…

Folks,

I did not have the best day.

Teaching is like that.  You have good days, and you have bad days.

During the course of a day, you have good moments, and you have bad moments.

If you’re lucky, you are able to string one good moment after another for an entirely great day.

If you’re not lucky, you get the opposite.

Kids are humans.  They have good moments and bad moments, and those moments don’t always line up with the teachers’ moments.

Today’s bad moments took the wind out of my sails, and I went home very down-in-the-dumps.

I still love teaching, mind you.  I was simply having a downer kind of afternoon.

I called my friend, Christina, and I cried on her shoulder.  She’s a wonderful listener.  She’s also very funny, and she cheered me up.

Then I sat on my couch, ready to settle in for the weekend.

Until the Mr. came home and made an announcement:

“I’ve got a coupon, and there’s something I want from Kohl’s.  If you want to go, I’m leaving in a few minutes.”

I don’t know about you, but when I hear “if you want to go,” I know that means that someone is willing to spend money.

I did not hesitate.

Neither did Rooster.

We parted ways as soon as we entered the store.

I bet you know which section I headed to first…

SHOES!!!

Oh.

My.

Word.

Shoes are the bane of my existence.

I.

Simply.

Love.

Them.

Take a gander of what I saw (and tried on)…

Obviously, I am into wedges and all things glittery right now.

Speaking of glittery, I saw the most FABULOUS pair of shoes ever…

This pair reminds me of Dorothy’s red shoes in the Wizard of Oz.  Sure, they are totally impractical, but I did not care.

I.

Wanted.

These.

Shoes.

Look how amazing they looked on my feet…

When the Mr. and Rooster came looking for me, they saw me wandering around with one pink, glittery shoe on.

I did my best to convince the Mr. that owning these shoes would make me a better teacher.

Can you imagine the connections I would make with my female students?  They would ogle my shoes.

They would think I was cool.

The Mr. wasn’t buying it.

In fact, he gave me the same look as last week when I asked him if there was any way we write a sauna off of our taxes as a “business expense” since I do my best lesson planning while in a hot, steamy shower.

Yeah.

You can’t blame a girl for trying.

I left the Mr. and Rooster so that I could find a potty.  All of that shoe shopping was a little too exciting for me.

When I exited, I walked back to the front of the store…taking a different route…one that led me to the clothes section.

Oh boy.

I usually HATE shopping, but something had gotten a hold of me.

I began scooping up clothes to try on.

Before too long, I had quite an armful.

That’s when the Mr. and Rooster caught up with me again.

Rooster sighed.

He has been through this a few times.

Fortunately, there were comfortable padded seats beside the dressing rooms.

I tried on more clothes that I’ve tried on in two or three years combined.

Nearly everything fit, thanks to this healthy diet I’ve been on.  I am able, once again, to comfortably wear the sizes I’ve always been accustomed to wearing.  I felt like my old self as I tried on item after item.

Some things were discarded immediately.

Most things, though, found their way onto the “buy” pile.

Rooster groaned.

He had one shirt and one pair of shoes on his “pile.”

The only problem I had was with the blue jeans.  Being 5’2″ has its drawbacks.

Pants are always too long.

One pair of jeans was only an inch and a half too long, so I told the Mr. that I was sure that buying a pair of high heeled shoes would make the jeans fit perfectly.

😉

We headed back to the shoe department.

We walked around and around.

I moseyed over to those pink shoes.

I sighed wistfully.

An eight-year-old girl lovingly handled “my”shoes.

The Mr. gave me a pointed look.

I told him she had good taste.

I don’t think that’s what his look implied.

I ignored his subliminal message (“If an eight-year-old likes it, that should tell you something.”).

He did not change his mind.

Darn it.

When I win the lottery, I’m totally buying those shoes.

I did find a couple of other pairs I liked, though, and we headed to the register.

I won’t tell you the total.  We did save quite a bit of money when we combined sales with the coupon we had.

I floated on air as we made our way to the car.

Wanna see what I wound up getting?

First, the clothes…

And now, the shoes…

These are the cutest sandals!  They zip up the back (kind of strange, but it works).  They are so comfortable too!

And my other pair of shoes…

I adore these shoes!!  In fact, as I was trying them on, another lady was watching me.  She commented that I had better be careful not to fall.

I didn’t.

I’ve been walking in heels for more than twenty years…

What I love about these shoes is how great they look with blue jeans…

The lady who had watched me try them on liked the way they looked on my feet, and she decided to try them on too.  She wound up buying a pair.  I should have made a hefty commission!

Oh, and did I mention that these shoes were designed by someone famous?

Look at the cute little insignia that I discovered on the sole…

And so my crappy day turned out A-Okay.

I am so grateful that the Mr. took us shopping.  It was the perfect way to end the week!!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

A New Year and a New Pair of Shoes

Posted on January 1, 2011 by auburnchick

Can you believe that it’s 2011?  Wow!

Molly spent the last few days of 2010 catching up on sleep…

She came back from the kennel where I had boarded her over Christmas not quite herself.  I’m not sure if she picked up a doggy bug, was sick from eating their food, or was just emotionally drained.  She’s a skittish dog.  Her nerves are constantly on edge, and I don’t know why.  Regardless, we’ve been giving her an extra amount of loving.  I also gave her some canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie kind) in her food to help her go potty.  I’m hoping this improves her disposition.

Anyhoo…

A couple of weeks ago, I found a Kohl’s gift card in my billfold.  I found out that it still had a balance of $7.  I felt like I’d won the lottery!

Yesterday, armed with a 20% coupon I found online, I headed to the store.  I didn’t plan on coming home empty-handed.

When I got to the store, I found two pairs of shoes I liked.  They were very different styles, so I had a hard time making up my mind which pair to get.  I called Chicky and asked her to meet me at the store.  She declined.  She’s so kind, that one.  I will have to remember this when her birthday rolls around at the end of the month.

So, what did I do?

I made friends with a lady who was sitting in the shoe department.  She was dressed stylishly, so I figured she had good taste.

I asked her opinion, and she told me she liked the pair below…

I liked them too because they looked “teacher-y.”  Plus, I figured I could wear them with my all favorite uniform…blue jeans!

The second pair was cute…in a different way…

They reminded me a bit of Mary Janes…a style I have fought against buying.  But they were oh so comfortable and cute with my blue jeans too…

This pair was also very comfortable…extra cushioning inside.

What to do, what to do?

My new friend changed her mind and told me she liked the second pair better.  Then, she brought over her daughter and granddaughter.  The daughter liked the second pair.  The teenage granddaughter liked the first pair.  I figured Chicky would agree with the granddaughter’s opinion.

I got out my handy-dandy phone and did some figuring.  These Croft & Barrow shoes, which are regularly priced at $54.99, were on sale for $20.99.  With my 20% discount, I could get them for $16.59.

Plus, I had the $7 gift card, which meant less of an out-of-pocket expense for me!

So, I did what any woman would do.

I bought both.

Happy Dance time!

There is nothing like ringing int he new year with new shoes!

And glittery nail polish…

(and a little rain…)

Happy New Year all!!

Filed under: Saving Money, This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Nothing Beats the Blues Like Shopping!

Posted on August 9, 2010 by auburnchick

I am not one to wallow in self-pity.

Although I will continue to carry a kleenex with me in case an unexpected flood of tears rushes in, I am moving on.

Chicky is at college.

Chicky is having a wonderful time, as evidenced by her Facebook pictures.

What happened to cause this turnaround in my attitude?

A little store called Kohl’s.

Oh, you remember this store, don’t you?  I’ve blogged about it a time or two.

But, if you’ll recall…I am also a teacher (gee, that feels so good to be able to say that).

Teachers do not make the big bucks.

Especially when they work for very small, private schools.

BUT, if teachers have generous Grand Poobas who hand out a little bit of $$ when said teachers are taking their oldest and dearest to college far, far away…

Well, one might have a little something something to go shopping with.

And so I went.

The Mr. had Kohl’s cash that was burning a hole in his pocket, so we took Rooster and headed out.

I, of course, immediately made a beeline for the shoe department…

Where I did not emerge for almost an hour.

Oh

My

Gosh.

The summer shoes are on clearance.

Folks, you might recall that I live in FLORIDA – where it stays hot 80% of the year.

It’s always summer footwear time around here.

Now, when one should always have a method for bargain shopping.  This was the method I employed when hunting for shoes:

If the box said 8M and had a clearance sticker, I opened it.

Hey, you never know what something looks like until you try it on.

Especially when said something is marked down to $10-$20 dollars.

I did, of course, find a pair I liked.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, the Mr. and Rooster were already at the cash register.  They, like typical guys, had finished their shopping quickly.

Rooster called me on my phone.

“Mama, where are you?”

“I’m in the shoes,” I said.

And yes, I meant that quite literally.

“No you’re not.  I looked for you on every aisle,” he continued.

“Um, yes, I’m here right now.  I’m squatting so as to better see the boxes on the bottom shelves.  Come find me if you can,” I replied in something a tone that sounded a bit like a dare.

heehee

He appeared much sooner than I would have liked and wearily sat down.

I have a bad reputation for shoe shopping.  Especially in stores where you can actually try on stuff without asking for assistance.

Heck.  I’ll even try on the itsy bitsy size 6 shoes the high-fa-looting stores set out on display.

I look like Cinderella’s step-sisters trying on the glass slipper…trying to stuff their big ugly feet into something way, way dainty.

Anyhoo…when I finally emerged from the shelving, Rooster had the audacity to say, “Mama, you don’t need more shoes.  You have plenty.”

Hello?

Please tell me I did not hear him say that.

At that exact moment, a friend I had run into earlier happened to walk by.

“Excuse me, dear woman friend of mine.  What do you tell a male child who thinks that his mama has enough shoes?”

She looked at the shoes and then at me and asked, “Do you really need them?  What will you wear them with?”

Great.

I picked a practical person to ask.

Seriously?  How unlucky can I get?

I proceeded to tell her that the shoes were marked down from $49.99 to $18.97, and I even had a 15% coupon to add on top of that.

“Well, in that case, you HAVE to get the shoes.  Who cares about being practical,” she said.

That’s my girl.

I turned and threw a smug look in the Mr. and Rooster’s direction.

They looked away.

Well, they finally shamed me into not getting the shoes.  I waited outside until they paid for their stuff.

We went home for a while before the Mr. left to take Rooster to the youth group at church.

My thoughts were on those shoes…those sparkly-gem strewn shoes.

As soon as I heard the car pull out from the driveway, I hightailed it out of there, coupon in hand.

I had devised a plan.

I had the money Grand Pooba had given me.  It was burning a hole in my pocket.  This was the last day to use the coupon, and because I haven’t been couponing much lately, I figured I had to get back on track.  What better way to inspire myself than with buying my pair of shoes?

All you females out there…you understand, right?

So, I headed out.

I did make sure I checked out the store’s other sales.  I even tried on a few things.

But, my mind had already been made up.

I wanted the shoes.

I tried them on again.

I walked over to a full-length mirror.

The shoes fit perfectly.

That’s when my phone rang.  It was the Mr.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Buying the shoes…spending the money Grand Pooba gave me,” I said.

“Ok.”

Twenty years of marriage will do that to a person.  If one is persistent enough to go back and get something, you don’t say a word.

It’s called survival.

And so I floated out of the store, shoebox in hand and the blues at bay.

I’ll be hunting something in my closet to pair with my oh-so-cute shoes.

What do you think of them?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

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