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Shopping For a Prom Dress

Posted on March 29, 2009 by auburnchick

Saturday was a busy day in the AuburnChick household…so busy that we didn’t let a series of downpours stop us from what we needed to accomplish.

Chicky and I slept in, a rare thing, and got up raring to go.  We were on a mission…

To find a prom dress.

These are words that can strike fear in the heart of any teen’s mom.

Chicky invited a friend to tag along.  This is one of the twins who came to visit her every day after her knee surgery.  A good friend.

We visited Dillards first.  Chicky approached the dresses hesitantly.  She’s a soccer player, used to wearing shorts and knee-high socks.  Dressing up is not her thing.

After a few “no’s” to dresses we pointed out, we finally told her she was trying on dresses, even if she didn’t think she would like them.  The point was to start narrowing down the styles and colors she preferred.

Thank goodness her friend was there with us.  It’s been a long time since I looked at fancy dresses, and some of those straps were like puzzle pieces…fitting around her shoulders in unique ways.

Chicky tried on quite a few dresses, but nothing really grabbed her interest.  We did figure out that blue and silver are good colors for her.  Guy Friend, who will be her date, prefers purple…for selfish reasons.  It’s his favorite color.  It didn’t look the best on her, though.

After leaving Dillards, we visited the only other “real” gown store in town…the one that “all” the girls go to.  Chicky’s good friend was there working, which was nice because she knows Chicky’s tastes.

This store was a dream to shop in…every dress covered by a clear bag to protect it.  Gowns were organized by price, size, and color.  For an organized person like me, this was awesome!  I cannot stand rifling through clothes to find the right size.  Ugh.

Chicky tried on a few more dresses…and then she found THE one.  It surprised her because she fought trying it on…not being very interested in it while it was on the hanger.

Boy, did she change her mind.

Although the dress is a bit too big at the top, and it’s also a bit too long, we could tell that this dress was perfect for her.

We looked for a price tag…the dreaded part of the entire trip…and sighed.  Even with the $100 discount tag, it was way beyond what we could afford.

We walked out, resigned.

We took Chicky’s friend home.  She offered to let her borrow a dress, but Chicky’s heart wasn’t into it any more.

An idea came to my mind in that moment.

Grandparents!

I suggested that Chicky call them and ask if they could help her out.

You could see her mind turning.  Hmmm…

Before she called, she told me she was concerned about seeming greedy.  Now, Chicky may be rude and unappreciative of what we do for her, but she never, ever asks her grandparents for things.  She understands the value of money.

I walked into another room to give her privacy, and she made the call.  The grandparents answered her call for help with the generosity they have always showered on members of our family.

Chicky came into the room with a huge smile on her face.  She was ready to go back to the store.

We went back, as fast as the speed limit and weather would allow…Chicky was nervous the entire way.  “What if someone else bought the dress while we were gone,” she asked.

“Then that wasn’t the dress God intended you to have,” I told her.

The dress was still there though, and it went home with us after I gulped and payed.  A check is on the way from the grandparents, so I’m not overly concerned.  But still…

As Chicky and I walked out of the store, she whispered to me, “This must be what it feels like to be rich.”

I had to laugh.

Oh gosh…you probably want to see pictures of this dress, don’t you?  Ok…here they are…

The front

A close-up of the top

A close-up of the top

The back

The back

Close-up of the back

Close-up of the back

I know that the top looks a bit revealing, but after it’s altered, it will hug her slender body…a body that doesn’t boast cleavage, thank goodness.

I’m so thrilled that we had a wonderful day of shopping…no fighting (amazing, eh?)…just a regular day out with my daughter.

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

A Sensory Experience

Posted on January 17, 2009 by auburnchick

We’re spending the weekend in Metairie, Louisiana.  Soccer Chick has an ODP (Olympic Development Program) regional tournament.

I drove her over on Friday after school, stopping to pick up a teammate along the way.  We had a pleasant drive.  I dropped off the girls at the team’s hotel and made my way two exits down to my own hotel, spending the night by myself.  I must admit that although it felt odd at first, I quickly grew to appreciate being totally alone.

Chicky woke me up from a sound sleep by sending me a text message to remind me to take my sneakers to her hotel…long story not worth telling.

Once I was out and about, I figured that I might as well go exploring.  I mean, I had the GPS, so why not!

Metairie is just north of New Orleans…an easy drive…especially when you’re looking for a certain type of store.

Getting my drift???

As I drove, I saw the Super Dome (famous site of Hurricane Katrina victims):

I also saw this lovely church:

The streets in New Orleans are very quaint:

And then I parked the car and made my way down the street to this place:

I consider it my mission to inspect yarn stores across the country and give you a review of them.  Can you tell that I’m trying to justify my latest adventure??

Here’s the view you get when you walk in:

To your right is the “Sale Room.”

Everything in the Sale Room was 50% off.  Here’s another picture of it, so you can see all of the lovelies in the room:

As you continue further in the store, you see, to the right, shelving with lots of books and magazines:

As you pass the shelving, you see the following, along the left side of the store, extending towards the back:

This is just one section of that wall on the left:

And on the right side:

The right side of the store is a sock knitter’s paradise.  This is an entire section dedicated to Koigu sock yarn:

And here’s a section of various other sock yarns.  The right section of this wall is all Tofutsies…the most colors I’ve ever seen in one store:

Here’s a couple of gals I spent time talking to.  The lady in front was learning how to knit in the round.  Her ribbing looked amazing for a first-time knitter!  The gal behind her works at the store and was providing instruction and encouragement to the other gal.  She was quite knowledgeable, friendly, and enabled me in my purchase (you’ll see later in this post).  Her blog is here.

So, with all of that fabulous yarn, whatever was I going to do?  It would have been rude to walk out without getting anything.  Especially after everyone had been helping me pick my jaw off the floor.  I mean, I’m from a small town where such delicious yummies do not exist!

Here’s what I got:

And here are close-ups of the yarn.  I have to say that the Misti Alpaca was a total splurge.  Once I touched it, I knew I had to have it.  I am already feeling it around my neck.  I will cast on for a scarf tomorrow when I get home from LA.

Misty Alpaca - Colorway is Marvelous

Misti Alpaca - Colorway is "Marvelous"

The Koigu was too much to pass up.  All of the Koigu was beautiful!  The colors are vibrant.  I selected a solid color to give me more leeway in pattern selection:

Koigu

And the last purchase is Boomerang.  The colorway is White Zifandel.  I bought it because it’s worsted weight, and I am going to use it when my friend Christina (Rabbitrescuer) and I make socks.  I’m going to walk her through her first sock pattern, and she wants to use worsted weight.  I wanted to make my life easier and not have to adjust the pattern for thinner yarn.  Sure, whatever excuse works, eh?  And besides that, because it’s worsted weight, I’ll be able to get two pairs of socks out of the 320 yard skein.  Ha!  Two for the price of one, eh?

Boomerang - White Zifandel

Boomerang - White Zifandel

Now, I have to tell you that after I left the store, my head felt like it was in a fog…in a good way.  I have never gotten to visit such a fabulous yarn store.  The assortment of goodies was vast.

I called a friend and shared my giddiness.  She totally understood.

Yarn shopping is a sensory experience, as many of you know.  First, you experience visual satisfaction as your eyes lay sight of vibrant colors.  It’s like a mosaic, with all of the colors combining to form a masterpiece.

Yarn shopping is also about touch.  As you roll the yarn between your fingers, you envision yet-to-be-worked projects.  Will this make a good scarf, you wonder to yourself.  What about a pair of socks?  How will this feel on my feet? Your mind starts working overtime as it tries to process the visions placed before it.  Will a hat be warm if I use this yarn?

Yes, shopping for yarn is an uplifting experience.  It’s as if you are transported to a time of innocence and wonder, much like that of a child’s when something is brand new.  If leaves you filled with joy that’s difficult to explain to a non-yarney.

Filed under: soccer | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Word of the Day

Posted on January 4, 2009 by auburnchick

Skechers.

Simply put.

I went back to Kohl’s to return the pair of Dockers I purchased a few days ago…this pair:

They were a Wide instead of a Medium.  I have a brown pair just like them, only they are a medium and fit much better.  The new pair was just too loose on me.

Fortunately, I had not worn them outside yet…only back and forth in the house a few times to test-drive them.  I got store credit (fine by me) and returned to the shoe section to shop again.

I knew that I wanted a pair of black shoes.  I knew that I wanted slip-ons.  I also knew that I wanted something I could wear to work (i.e. pretty casual but no sneakers).

I have to tell you that shopping right now is so much better than the few days after Christmas.  There were hardly any shoppers.  Of course, it was only about noon, so most people were probably just getting out of church.  Soccer Chick and I had attended the 9:20 service.

The lack of shoppers made it easier to think and try things on.  I probably tried on ten pairs of shoes before settling on these:

Yes, it’s another pair of Skechers.  You might remember that when I went shopping before, I had purchased two pairs of shoes…one of which was a white pair of Skechers.  I have worn them almost every day!  I think it’s the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever owned.

So, when I saw that many of the Skechers shoes were on sale, I had a field day trying them on.  My enthusiasm did not go unnoticed.  When I took the shoes to the register to pay, an older gentleman ahead of me in line asked me if I had finally made up my mind on a pair.  I had to chuckle.  I had actually made up my mind on several pairs.  Alas, my budget only allowed for one though…given that it was a gift card to begin with.

Yay for gifts, twice enjoyed!

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

New Shoes for AuburnChick

Posted on December 27, 2008 by auburnchick

This morning, Rooster awoke without a fever.  Now, this isn’t saying much, because the routine has been for him to be fever-free in the mornings and then slide into fever kingdom by bedtime.  I’m holding my breath, but let’s just say that things are looking good (except for his upset tummy – courtesy of the antibiotic).

We’re both tired of him being sick too.  I have all confidence that if I put my hand on his forehead one more time, I might find myself googling “How to Knit with One Hand.”  To make matters worse, every time he gets up to go to the bathroom, I inquire as to the medium of his output.  Yeah, it’s not cool to ask a 14-year-old boy how solid his poop is.

With him waking up in such fine spirits (and waiting to take the dreaded dose of medicine until AFTER a planned outing), we went to Best Buy.  Rooster has a couple of gift cards and money to spend.  Surprisingly, he really couldn’t find anything to buy.  He doesn’t have enough money for a Wii (which I would love), and his fascination with other video games has waned a bit.  He walked out of the store after buying a new case for his iPod and an iTunes card.

We went back home to allow him to rest.  His energy level is not very high.  His physique resembles a Survivor contestant’s.  The child is thin!

A little later on, after making token attempts to straighten the house, I headed out to Target to buy a few essential items.  Then, gift cards safely tucked into my wallet, I stopped by Kohl’s.  I took my time, making sure I gave myself every opportunity to browse…home furnishings, jewelry…etc.  I finally settled on two pairs of shoes:

Black Dockers

Black Dockers

Black Dockers - A Side View

Black Dockers - A Side View

The Dockers will replace a much-used and much-loved pair of Merrell’s.

Here’s the other pair of shoes I purchased:

Skechers

Skechers

Skechers - Side View

Skechers - Side View

These are so comfy!  I can’t wait to “wear” them for the first time!

Both pairs were on sale, but I had to chip in some of my other cash (saved from wise shopping for the ball winder and swift).  It was worth it, though.  I haven’t had a new pair of shoes in a long time.

Not much else is going on.  I’m hoping that Rooster can tolerate some heavier food soon.  Fingers are crossed…

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

I Think I Got Cheated

Posted on December 5, 2008 by auburnchick

A couple of nights ago I went shopping online for one of Soccer Chick’s Christmas presents.  She wants a new Chi flat iron.  If you’ve ever bought one of these, you know that they are expensive!  Being short of money, I am looking for the best price.

I headed on over to eBay to see what the sellers over there have and found a really good deal, so I “Purchased Now,” and proceeded to the check-out.

The next morning, I received an email from eBay explaining that the listing had been pulled from its site for various reasons…of which I, the purchaser, was not privy too.

Eh?  What’s this?  How come I can’t know why?  I mean, I paid for it!  I should at least be allowed to know why I can’t have it!

So, I went to PayPal to make sure I was going to get my money back.  This is where things are starting to get hairy.  My payment had already been processed, thanks to instant gratification via the internet.

Great.

I have attempted to contact the seller and haven’t heard back.  I have a strong suspicion that I won’t, so I’m going to open up a dispute to get my money back!

And I’m going shopping again.  This time I’ll shop from a store, pay a bit more, but be assured that I’m getting what I want.

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

Content to Just Be

Posted on November 28, 2008 by auburnchick

Today is Black Friday — the biggest shopping day of the year.  It’s the time when people take advantage of sales, knocking over one another to grab the perfect gifts for loved ones.

So why am I sitting here writing this post?  Well, it’s because I’m content to just be.

I actually cannot stand to shop, and I like crowds even less.  Why torture myself when I can be sitting home working on this:

Pom Pom Baby Booties

Pom Pom Baby Booties

It is the beginning of a set of Pom Pom Baby Booties to accompany the ruffled hats I recently finished.

Being home alone also gives me the chance to indulge in this:

Chocolate Chip Cake

Chocolate Chip Cake

You saw the empty cake plate the night before Thanksgiving.  Well, I surprised my brother-in-law and made another one yesterday.  There’s still a little left (the pictures above and below was what it looked like when I placed it on the table for Thanksgiving dinner).

How many of you got up early to shop?

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

Getting the Holiday Season Started

Posted on November 8, 2008 by auburnchick

Today was the first “official” day of the holiday season.  At least it was for me.  I bought my first Christmas present of the year, so I consider this my own personal kick-off.

Ms. M and I went to a holiday shin-dig this morning.  It’s a fundraiser for the Junior Women’s League, and people from all over come here to attend.  Vendors rent space in the host hotel’s ballroom, and holiday music lends a festive air.  It’s crowded, noisy, but a ton of fun!

We took our time, admiring all of the bling while doing a good job of restraining ourselves.  I did find a beautiful teapot for one, which I immediately snagged for my mom.  Last year, I discovered that she collects teapots when I gave her two of them for Christmas.  I had purchased two very different ones and couldn’t make up my mind which one to give her, so I wrapped up both.  Mr. AuburnChick thought I was nuts.  She expressed immense joy when she opened the packages, much to my relief.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the teapot yet.  Ms. M offered to keep watch over my bag of goodies (yes, I bought a few things for Santa to gift as well) since she dropped me off at a soccer game, and I didn’t want anyone to see their stuff.  To be fair, I’m holding her Malabrigo scarf hostage at my house.  Long story…we’ll exchange our stuff via a friend who works at the firm and happens to live down the street from me.

I wonder how many of you have started or even finished YOUR shopping?

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

AuburnChick Loves a Sale!

Posted on September 1, 2008 by auburnchick

I started off the long weekend down in the dumps.  With Soccer Chick down in Orlando playing in a tournament (they lost in PKs in the semi-finals), and Rockin’ Rooster cheering on the Tigers (they won…WAR EAGLE), it’s been quiet.

I was very lucky with Hurricane Gustav.  Had I been located one hour west, I would have been in the area that had tornadoes.  This was the worst weather that my city saw (the date on my camera is wrong too…I need to fix that…this picture was taken today, 9/1/08):

A Little Rain

A Little Rain

The dogs didn’t seem too concerned about the weather either…

Hurricane Who?

Hurricane Who?

I managed to cast on two new baby blankets for the West Coast Oddball Baby Blanket Project.

This one is called California Coast.  We’re going to knit this blanket in blue and gold, which are California’s state colors.  I did a simple garter stitch.  The Rainbow blankets that I’ve worked on in the past have been so pretty using garter that I thought it might be a good choice for this blanket too.

California Coast

California Coast

I also cast on Disney Land.  I used I Love This Yarn (Red) and adapted this pattern for the blanket.  I cast on 90 stitches and knit a 25-stitch garter border on each end.  I worked the pattern on the 40 stitches in the center of the blanket.  If you look closely, you can just make out the hearts.

Disney Land

Disney Land

I slept in a bit this morning and then busted my behind cleaning the house.  I didn’t want the kids to think I had sat around twiddling my thumbs all weekend.

After cleaning, I resigned myself to completing the online driving course that will keep the points from my recent speeding ticket off of my record.  In case you’re new to my blog, I received my first ticket a couple of weeks ago.  I’m still mortified but have learned my lesson.  The class took a little over four hours.  I’m really glad I took it.  The information presented was quite sobering and reminded me how much of a privilege driving truly is, and the potential that exists to cause harm (both to myself and others) when I’m sitting behind the wheel.  I think that adults should be required to take this exam every few years.  We tend to take this privilege for granted.

After finishing (I passed, by the way), I decided that I had better take a shower.  Even I couldn’t stand the smell of myself.  I have to tell you that I am loving the new dishcloths/washcloths that I recently made.  The I Love This Cotton is incredibly soft!

Once clean (and presentable to others), I decided to go shopping.  I still had a $50 gift card from Kohl’s, which is located a couple of miles from my house.  I figured that there would be good sales today, and boy was I right!

When I got there, I headed straight for the clearance racks.  I like sales, but I like clearance racks even better, except that you have to dig through 1,000 things to find one thing that’s the right size and style.  Some people might cite this as part of the “experience.”  I cite it as a royal pain in the behind.  I am not a shopper.  In fact, when I want something, I want to grab it quickly and leave.  But I gritted my teeth, reminding myself that I wasn’t under any pressure.  Usually I have Soccer Chick yapping unpleasant things in my ear, “Mama, you don’t need that…Mama, you’re a Mom now — you can’t wear THAT.”

Sometimes silence is bliss.

I found a couple pairs of shorts that were 70% off.  Because I live in Florida, I’ll be able to wear these for a couple more months.  Next, I headed off to look at the shoes.  I don’t know of many women who go to a clothing store and don’t look at shoes.  Unable to find flip flops on sale, I took a peek at the sneakers.  I last purchased a pair when Rooster was in the first or second grade.  Pretty sad, huh?  I told you I’m not much of a shopper.  The shoes were on sale for $19.99.

New Shoes for AuburnChick

New Shoes for AuburnChick

New Shorts Too!

New Shorts Too!

The Tags Dont Lie

The Tags Don't Lie

I wound up spending $42.xx.  I still had a few dollars left and was determined to spend them too, heading back into the store to look at the jewelry.  The things that appealed to me weren’t on sale, of course.  I wound up leaving with my $7 still on the card.  I’ll save it for next time.

Did anyone else take advantage of Labor Day sales?

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

AuburnChick Goes Shopping…

Posted on June 24, 2008 by auburnchick

…but it wasn’t for yarn…

If you’re a male, feel free to skip this posting.

If you’re a female, read on…

Let me first preface by saying that I fully expected this to be a stressful week. There is a special project going on at work, and your’s truly is responsible for making sure the computers are at tip-top working order.

Great…

Today, I went on-site to set up the computers, so I was not very close to home. Testing revealed that one of the computers was not working properly, I left to pick up its replacement. That was when I discovered that Mother Nature had wreaked havoc on my life..in a very obvious way. You’ve probably been there once or twice in your life, so you know what I’m talking about.

For the record, I don’t believe in “Mother Earth” and that sort of thing. However, I have a difficult time believing that the Lord, merciful as He is (and I know that He has his judgment side too) would allow such a travesty to befall me. Of course, I’ve been fighting with Soccer Chick an awful lot lately…maybe this is punishment for that.

Regardless, it happened. As “together” as I seem to be in my life, appearances can be deceiving. I do not think quickly on my feet. This latest event proved to be no exception to the rule.

I did a waddle/shuffle step back to the office that I had just exited, found my button-down sweater, and tied it around my waist, with Mr. Computer Guy (who was helping me) giving me the eye.

“Don’t ask,” I tell him with a look that silenced him…a difficult task if you know this man.

I get in my car and promptly call Mr. AuburnChick. He’s a man. He’s supposed to have the answer for everything. At least that’s what he thinks.

“Drive home,” he tells me.

Um…easier said than done. Mr. Computer Guy is waiting back in that office for me and is expecting a computer to appear in the next 20 minutes.

“Go buy yourself some new clothes. Dillards is right down the street,” says Mr. AuburnChick.

Are you kidding me? You think I should do the waddle/shuffle step into Dillards with a sweater tied three or four times around my waist? And to make it even worst, I had to turn that stupid sweater so the tie was hanging down the side of my body so everything was covered adequately. No, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to start a new fashion trend today, thank you very much.

Walmart happened to be really close, but I’m a dummy. I’m at the beach location, and I get lost here. Why in the world do you have three roads that run parallel with stores in-between…all within 1/2 of a mile from the beach? I can’t remember what is where. I get lost when I go to that part of town. And now I have to find a Walmart, pray it has pants to fit me, go back to our beach office, pick up a computer, and take it back to Computer Guy to set up…all within 20 minutes??

Mr. AuburnChick was nuts.

We’ve been married a long time. He knows how I am. He patiently gives me directions that, for a change, happen to be right on. I’ve never been so happy to see that blue and white sign in my life.

Out of the car I go…

Waddle/shuffle…waddle/shuffle…

Of course, I parked at the food end of the store…dang it. And now I’m getting a blister on my left foot. Stupid dress shoes.

Waddle/shuffle/limp…waddle/shuffle/limp…

All the way to the juniors department, which I know is going to have clothes that are too big.

I really wanted a skirt, but guess what? I didn’t shave my legs today. I have shaved my legs every day for about a month, and out of all of the days for this to happen, it has to be today. It’s much easier to fudge on sizes when it’s a skirt.

Great.

I’m trying to hurry as best as I can while looking for something to wear that meets our company’s dress code. Grrr…I’m totally missing the job where I could wear blue jeans to work. Grrr…

At some point I quit looking at styles and focus in on sizes. I’m desperate to find anything…the clock is ticking.  Size 14 seems to dominate the racks. What is up with this store? Don’t they know that little people shop there too? C’mon Walmart! You have got to do better than this.

Then, my eyes spy a size 4. It’s the smallest size of anything remotely business-like that I can find. I’m very petite…0’s and 1’s are what fit. I don’t say this to brag but so you understand the complexity of the situation. The pants are Capris. It will be okay if they are a little long. And they’re in a color that semi-matches my shirt.

I grab it and don’t even bother to try it on, rushing through the self checkout lane as best as I can.

Waddle/shuffle/limp…waddle/shuffle/limp…

I’m so glad they put the bathrooms at the front of the store. I ease in one of the stalls, change my clothes, and walk out of the store. This time, the walk is different…

Walk/limp/pull up pant…walk/limp/pull up pants.

I eventually arrive back at the site with another computer in my arms. Mr. Computer Guy doesn’t even bat an eyelash. He better not. I would have slugged him.

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

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