Purgatory

Oh, it is. Trust me.

Today I am going to go pick up a friend’s niece so she can come over and hang out with my girls. That sounds fine so far, since they get to play video games and gossip. But that’s not all…

I’m taking them to the mall.

 

Yes, I’m still on a financial diet, and yes, I have been very, VERY good. But that’s not the worst part. No….taking three very excited girls in a vehicle and shepherding them is the worst part. I might as well fix myself a drink and have it waiting for my return. Maybe two drinks.

I’ll make a pitcher.

Pray for me!! 😉

Shopping for Daddy

In one phrase: it’s hell.

My dad is happy with a gift card to Barnes and Noble™. DONE!!! My father-in-law? Cooking stuff. DONE!! But Hubby? He doesn’t want anything. He has stacks of gifts still in boxes for which he has no use. One year, I gave him a miniature Stonehenge for his desk. It’s in a drawer, along with the Leonardo Da Vinci 3D Vitruvian Man. Oh, and yesterday I found his stash of plush microbes.

Yes, he has some of those. He is a pathologist, after all!

It’s sweet that he always tells us he doesn’t want anything, but it’s difficult to make Father’s Day special for him. This summer he was invited to return to Hungary to a medical school there, and I’m seriously thinking of packing him up and screaming “HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!” as he passes through TSA checkpoints. It would be a lot simpler!!

What are y’all’s plans for the dads in your life?

On a Diet

But not a regular, run-of-the-mill diet.

I’m on a financial diet. I admit I lurves me some shopping, but in my opinion, I think I have been using it as a substitute for something. Perhaps being alone, or maybe wanting to feel good about myself. Frankly, I’m not sure. I do know I buy gifts for a lot of people, and having a large family doesn’t help. Luckily I am done with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts, and almost done with Christmas.

Yes, I am that bad.

I’m not cutting my card, but I am cutting myself from using it, with the exception of grocery shopping and getting the kids clothing they need. I pretty much have everything I need as does Hubby, and having lost weight during Lent facilitated me fitting back into my clothes, so that is a major plus. Oh, and I’m still losing weight. Getting in the habit of smaller portions sure is helping there!

And gift card shopping doesn’t count 😉

When Cleaning Pays Off

I decided to adopt The Queen’s dictate about cleaning five things or areas per day. Hubby thinks that this house is in need of Niecy Nash or the Hoarders crew, but that’s his minimalistic nature talking. I do admit we have junk drawers and piles of paperwork around the house, though. And being fond of scrapbooking, I admit to having piles of material and “junk” that I use for that purpose. But overall, I keep it contained. The same way I contain myself in jeans, I suppose.

Anyway, I was cleaning off a pile of receipts over by the kitchen sink and guess what??? I found a $50 gift card!!! Yes, it is addressed to me. That was a very nice surprise, but not as good as the one I found while cleaning yet another stack of paperwork in my room, where I found a $200 gift card to Pottery Barn!!! Mom and Dad’s gift from Christmas, which I can be forgiven for forgetting about since my life has been a bit topsy-turvy.

And if that weren’t enough, I just found $13.45 in the laundry. It’s almost like Fate is forcing me to go shopping. I guess Fate knows shopping therapy works wonders for women. So I’ve heard 😉

How to Get Brownie Points on Mother’s Day

Yeah, I’m still operating at impulse power, and what better way to use impulse than to go shopping, right?? Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and I know some of y’all tend to wait until the last freakin’ minute overthink about the perfect gift.

Well, that’s what I’m here for. I am your Fairy Aggie. Oh, shut it, and read on.

Jewelry and knick knacks tend to be perennial favorites, but there comes a time that they become run-of-the-mill, and totally expected. Try to think outside the jewelry box. As y’all know, I am a big, BIG fan of PJs. Nothing better than wearing comfy PJs and relaxing, in my opinion. If the mom in your life is like that, she would looooove these:

As always, model not included, so don’t bother asking.

Back to Earth

Well, Hubby has been back almost a whole week. As expected, the euphoria is starting to recede a bit in favor of the mundane. That always happens. The trick is to make the mundane fun.

I’m talking about home improvements, people.

I am ashamed to say that my patio looks like a tornado hit it. Today I am enlisting Hubby’s help in cleaning and repairing stuff, as well as helping me get some pretty flowers for the pots outside. Right now he is having fun playing a videogame keeping busy, but sadly, his relaxation is coming to an unfortunate end.

YAY!!! Petunias!! I love them, and they love Texas heat. Hopefully they will come back the way the ones from last year did. Those are in the front sidewalk, and are doing very well. With my luck, Hubby will want to get something more exotic. He always tries to push the bounds of my black thumb 🙂

The Heart of Cooking

Sometimes my titles are a bit misleading. Actually, most of the time. But this one is pretty literal.This is one of my favorite pots, a gift from Hubby for Valentine’s Day long ago.

I love my Le Creuset™ pots. I own only three, but use them regularly. Just last night I made beer-braised beef in my 5 quart Dutch oven. This one I use for small casseroles and rice dishes. And of course, the 3 quart is for everything. I’m finding that I prefer cooking in porcelain cast iron far more than non-stick. And let’s face it: the color is far prettier than the dull charcoal of most non-stick pots and pans. It makes me happy to cook in a pretty pot, and if Momma is happy, she tends not to burn anything 😉

It’s Not Just a Job. It’s an Adventure!

Ok, so for me, shopping isn’t exactly a job. I do enjoy shopping a bit. Ok, quite a bit. FINE!!! A LOT!!! Anyway, sometimes shopping doesn’t go the way I plan it. This past Sunday we went to the outlet mall in search of Timberland boots for Hubby. His were quite old and worn, and he was in desperate need for a new pair.

And since he was getting new shoes, I saw a window of opportunity!

I have been toying with the idea of acquiring cowboy boots. I know, I know…. I live in Texas and don’t own cowboy boots. In my defense I could never make up my mind over which style/ leather/ heel I like. But I think I found a pair I could really enjoy wearing.

Yeah!!! Aggie boots!! And let me tell you, that toe can do serious damage. Anyway, I decided to go look for them at the Cavender’s Factory Store. Full disclosure: I have never been in a “cowboy store” that sold women’s wear. I was bedazzled by rhinestones everywhere!! Jeans, shirts, sandals (yes, sandals at a boot store), candle holders, wall hangings, even cowhides had rhinestones on them. Once I got past the blazing kaleidoscope, I made my way to the women’s shoe section. I had little hope of finding the boots, since we live in relative proximity to three major universities. But look I did.

And ended up questioning my presence on this planet when I saw these:

These are actually rain boots made to look like cowboy boots. My question is WHY?? I just don’t get it. Rain boots don’t need a makeover. It didn’t help matters when I witnessed several women fawning over them. Hubby said they looked like Vera Bradley had metastasized, which is another story altogether. We had gone to the Vera Bradley outlet and his first words in the store were, “It looks like a unicorn beshat the place,” and “This is what happens when a leprecaun vomits.” Needless to say, shopping that day came to an abrupt halt.

He is so much fun to have around 😀

Back in the Groove

Some of you may be familiar with what I’m typing about. Hubby is deployed for a certain amount of time, and upon return, we need to re-establish our habits once again. Last time he was deployed, I pretty much left him alone for the first few weeks, letting him acclimatize to his surroundings again. It makes for a weird living arrangement, but it seems to work.

This time I figured on doing the same thing. After all, the Sinai is not exactly the most stable region in the area. But I get a vibe that some things have changed in the weirdest ways. Yesterday he told me he was ready to get rid of his old clothes, since “that’s not his wardrobe” any more. And he told me he needed to go shopping for shoes. SHOES!!! Yeah, that tripped me up a bit, until I saw his Timberland boots. They are almost ten years old, pretty torn up and need replacing. I did heave a sigh of relief. So today, WE SHOP!!

But not for long, for obvious reasons. He has Mass Effect 3 waiting 😉

Because More of a Good Thing Is a Good Thing

You know the feeling when you find a pair of shoes that are comfortable, or jeans that fit you so well that you wish you had more in every color??

Yeah, I get that feeling, too. I just take it further sometimes. Last year I found really comfortable sweat pants, so what did I do? I bought five pairs, two in the same color. That was either because I forgot I owned them in that color already, or because I was a little over zealous. This applies to lipstick and nail polish, as well. There have been a few times when I have found a beautiful shade of rose only to find out it was a limited edition nail color. This last week I found the perfect summer pink and bought three bottles of it.

This past month I was at the Soma™ store, and found a really nice dress. It was on sale, but they had a medium, which was too big (WHOO HOO!!!!) and an extra small, which fit rather clingy. Clingy can be good, but I tend to avoid it. I like more “flowy” dresses for two reasons: 1) I can move more freely, and 2) well….let’s just say I prefer no one else to know my sizes in everything. Sadly, there was no size small, so I thought my search for the dress was over. Until I went online.

Model not included, especially since she is wearing an extra small.

THEY HAD IT IN MY SIZE!!!! And that’s not all. They had two other solid colors!! So of course I have to get those, too!! It’s one thing to have two pairs of black sweat pants, and quite another to have two dresses in the same print. Just not done, right? And since I am so short, the dress comes down past my knees, which makes it perfect.

Of course, this means now I have to go find the perfect pair of shoes. More than likely three pairs, in different colors 😉