Shoelaces

Today, I went up to the Mall to redeem my Gap Cash.  I had received a certain amount for spending a certain amount before Christmas, and I have between now and 2/4 to redeem it.  It amounts to about 50% off if you spend $50.  I don't normally fall for those kind of gimmicky deals, but this one seemed good (tell me if I am wrong, please).

Any way, when I arrived, I noticed this older couple in the parking lot, walking really slowly. I didn't think much about it, but then I started walking behind them.  It looked like they were just there, just walking around.

  My Aunt Lucille used to do that with my Uncle Bill.  They would go to the food court, get a little something to eat, then go home.  This is what it looked like this couple was doing.

But then, I noticed how tenderly the man was walking with the wife.  She is obviously not well.   Maybe just recovering from something, but she was walking really slowly.   I was touched.  I started thinking about all the old couples out there who are grumpy and snippy with each other, but this couple seemed really happy just to be together.    Walking slowly around the mall.

And then I saw the woman lean up, say something to her husband, and they stopped.  And then the man, with some difficulty, leaned down to tie her shoe.   I couldn't remember seeing anything so lovely in a long time.  It reminded me of all the shoelaces I have tied....for my children.   And here, this man was doing for his wife, who had, at least momentarily, become unable to tie her own shoe. It was really sweet.

So, in the end, it is just about who we have with us to tie our shoes. 

My 90% off Target after Christmas Clearance Purchases...a month later

I know good bloggers are supposed to be timely with their posts, but I am doing this for my children, and they don't really care when I post these things ( I don't think they care if I ever post, but I think I am giving them a gift...a written chronology of our lives, starting in 2014).  I have to admit that I absolutely love seeing pictures of what other people buy during Target clearances....it makes me jealous, happy, and realize that I need to get a job...more on that later.

So, I went out early on Sunday, January 4th.   I thought there was the slightest chance it would go down to 90% off on the 3rd, and actually thought it might not be until the 5th since it went 70% off a day later this year (December 30th vs. December 29th), so I was really excited when I saw 90% off in my favorite Target store.  The first thing I did was head on over to the Elf on The Shelf display--these went down to 90% off!!


I was able to get several of these sets for 2.99 each.

 I have lots of people who want them...they are almost all gone.  I also gave away three at the cash registers to a group of my some of my favorite cashiers who came over to see what I got --I just ask the cashier to print out a gift receipt so they have something to prove someone paid for it, and then I handed it to them.

I decided I was going to give out Elf on the Shelf themed gifts next year.  I got several of these games...I think they were 1.49 each, originally $14.99.

I got a pair of these girl Elf on the Shelf pajamas for Lily...I am so happy there was her size!!

 I  like this mistletoe.  It was .90, originally $9.00.  It is festive.

  I was able to get 4 fake wreaths, just plain green.   They were originally $10, I got them for $1 each. I am thinking I am going to make some wreaths next year, so I got about 6 of these sets of ornaments, which are actually quite large.  They were .50 each, down from $5.00

I also got these SpinBrushes.  I got about 10, mostly these boyish ones, which is fine.  My boys will use these, and I will put the rest in Operation Christmas Child boxes.

I got a lot more, but I wanted to just put up the best stuff...I will add more later.  This really didn't take too much, time...and the savings are amazing.      The first store, I was in from 8-8:55, went to my body pump class, and then came home at 10:30. After dropping off Lily at CCD, I got to the following at store #2  at 11:15.   I left at 12:30.  I wasn't going to go to store #3, but I called home, and Lily didn't want to go swimming with me, so I decided to go to the last store, which is actually my closest.  I got a few more things, and I was home by 1:15.   By that time, everything is picked over.   It is amazing how quickly things go....you really have to get there early if you want the best stuff!!

UN-SNOW DAY!

So, they have been predicting this crazy big storm for Philadelphia for days.  Actually, the Friday night into Saturday morning storm (the top story on Action News on Friday night was "Nor'Easter coming"...but it didn't)  took up some of the news coverage, but by Sunday afternoon, the tv stations here were going on and on about this latest snow "event."

 First, it was supposed to snow Sunday into Monday, and then taper off, begin again Monday night,  get really heavy snowfall overnight Monday, and be bad all day Tuesday.    None of that happened.   There was a dusting on Monday, and then it stopped.  Completely.    No other precipitation at all.  You didn't even need to wear boots.  And yet, the schools were let out at noon on Monday--with completely clear streets, and no precipitation in the sky.   I almost feel bad for whoever makes that decision....really bad call.   I was out driving around until 8:30 last night.   It wasn't bad out at all.

As of last night, at 10, Cecily Tynan started to say that she was "modifying her earlier predictions."   What?  Seriously?  I told my children they probably wouldn't have school today.   I got up at 4 am to look, and the street was essentially clear.  The district called at 5:15 to tell me there would be a two hour delay.  My kids were really bummed out.    So, they all got dressed, and walked out into 2 inches of snow...and went to school.

I was a little bummed out, also.  I was planning to do all kinds of things with them, and make them all sorts of food....and I didn't do any of that except make waffles.    It is really hard to make children who think they are going to be off get up and go...and really, this is at least the third storm that really wasn't much around here.  

The only one who was off is Anna...and we went to Fil A Bagel for a late lunch--I think she thinks she is artistic!

  They were much happier when they got back from school... Timmy had a presentation, and yes, his eyes are open--that is how he smiles!

Lily was going to Grace's to sled!!

January

I haven't posted anything for almost three weeks, because, well, it is January.  I don't want to post anything. I don't want to do anything, actually, because it is January.  I really don't like January.  More specifically, I don't like cold weather, and that happens in January where I live, so I don't like January.  Plus, nothing really goes on in January (unless you consider the Target Christmas clearance sale an event....I kind of do).

Our dear friends, Missy and Joby, moved to Florida on January 7th, along with their four children.   I was going to do a post about that, and how much we will miss them, and how sad my children are...but I just don't want to.   I took photos of them, and the truck outside the house to show, but I don't want to write about it anymore, except to say briefly that we really miss them.  Lily misses Maura, and Paul and Kevin were Matthew's best friends.    It is so weird.   Missy lives on the street down from me.....we didn't see each other every day, but I talked to her a lot.   She kept me grounded when I was going nuts about something.    I am really going to miss her.  I think that they haven't been gone long enough for me to realize that they are really gone.  It seems like they are just on vacation.

I think I mentioned once before that I adjusted my attitude about cold weather about 5 years ago.  I decided that rather than hating the cold, I was going to succumb to it.  I wasn't going to fight it anymore.   I just don't do anything for most of December, all of January, and February.  I just don't do anything that takes me outdoors, especially at night.  I don't want to go to dinner (unless all my children are there), and I don't want to go to...anything.  I just want to stay inside, with my family.  I read the Little House books to Lily, and I like that Laura's family stayed inside in bad weather (of course, they lived on the prairie), but she talks a lot about how her home was snug and cozy.  So is my house.  It is snug and cozy, and I  don't want to leave it for two months straight.  I found that once I adopted this new attitude, and I stopped fighting the cold, I was much happier.

So, that is about it.  Plus, I feel a little bad about complaining about the cold here, since it is really cold at Notre Dame, but I don't think college students mind the cold.  I can remember at Bucknell, I didn't mind the cold.  Even though we walked everywhere, the distances between the buildings wasn't bad.  I can remember when I spent the Spring 1983 semester in Washington, D.C., I worked at the Federal Reserve Board, and it was REALLY cold that winter in Washington.  Plus, I was dressed up for work, and it was cold.   Maybe that is when I started really hating the cold.

Anyway, I won't be posting anything, because I really just want to do nothing in January. I would love to share my Target 90% off clearance finds, but it is too late now.  That is the problem, really, with posting clearance things.  By the time you post about it, I don't think anyone really cares anymore.   Anyway, I got great things, in a total shopping time on the first day of three hours for three stores.  I went in, got my basics, and then left.  I got great stuff....maybe I will post about it later, just so I can enjoy looking at the stuff I bought.  Really weird...it makes me happy to remember all the great things I got.   There is something wrong with me.

Lilly Pulitzer Online Sale starts on January 5, 2015...are you ready?

This was in the email I got today from Lilly!!

As much as I love Lilly Pulitzer clothing, I must admit that I never paid much attention to Lilly's online sales, until I first got an email in January 2014.   I don't really shop online,  and I am fortunate that I live close to Philadelphia and can shop at the Lilly Pulitzer Warehouse sale every June (more on that later!), but when I looked at the stuff being offered during the sale, the prices were amazing, and the selection was really good--really, the same or cheaper than the prices you will pay at the Warehouse sale.  Last August, I got a few items that I wish I had gotten at the June 2014 sale.   I was really happy with them, and I got them in a few days,  so Lily and Anna had time to wear the clothes before the end of the summer.

Well, we just got the email--the Lilly online sale starts on Monday, January 5th at 8 am, and goes until midnight, January 6th.  They definitely do sell out of certain items quickly (the Elsa is always popular), but it is definitely worth trying to sneak a few minutes out of work, or before the kids wake up, or after they go to school...to get on the Lilly website, and look at what is for sale.

There are a few things that will help you buy, and get your items on time.  First, make sure to you set up your account in advance.  You will register your name, other information, including the shipping address you will be in 3 weeks (so if you are going back to college...don't enter your home address unless it is okay that it goes there).  And remember, the items will sell out fast, so check out after every two items or so...it is free shipping, so don't put 8 items in your cart and expect all of them to be there when you check out.     Checking out after every two items or so makes sure that you get all the items that you want....and tells you what items sell out while you are waiting, so you can move on!!

Happy New Year-January 1, 2015

Happy New Year 2015!  Last night was not a great New Year's Eve.   Chris got sick on Monday, had to go to work on Tuesday, and literally didn't get out of bed on Wednesday.  It seems a lot like the flu (yes, he had the flu shot--the hospital requires everyone get one).   So, I had to make sure everyone got to where they were, and then got picked up.  This year, at 5:30 the calls started coming in, wanting to know if my children could go to parties, houses, etc.   I wanted them with me (Chris didn't move out of bed) at the lovely party we were invited to go to, but I knew they wanted to go elsewhere, so I let them go...and gave them all rides.

This is Lily...the only one who went with me to the party...she was so excited.

I sneezed at around 5 on New Year's Eve, and then I felt myself slowly go downhill.   By 9, I was full-blown sick--I felt achy, nose running, fever, headache.  Just not well.  I had to go get Anna, who was at an early event....and I thought I might go back to the party, but I just couldn't.    I think Lily was disappointed, but Maura had left, and so she wouldn't have had a lot of girls her age.   We came home, got into our pajamas, and started to watch Rudolph's Shiny New Year...and then we fell asleep. Matthew came in at 11:45, so we dozed a little until midnight, watched the ball drop...and then we fell asleep again.  

On New Year's Day, I woke up not too late, but then I had to go back to bed...and I stayed there until January 2nd....I literally got out of bed once in 24 hours.  In the meantime, Chris had rallied, and took Anna, Matthew, and Lily to the Mummers Parade...and they had a great time!

Behind all those feathers, there are two Mummers...such good sports to take photos with my children!

I was so happy they all had a good day--just not me!     Anyway, Happy New Year!!