School is out in 5 days and I know I'll be spending lots of time at our pool (free entertainment!) I thought I should get one more suit so I'm not always washing the one already have. So, I went bathing suit shopping Tuesday.

It was awful. Horrible. Demoralizing. I tried on 8 suits at Marshall's and hated them all. If I could wear this I'd have no problems:
But alas, this body ain't a bikini body. My quest for something like this continues:


I did not, however, come home empty handed:


Ahhhh! Isn't it fabulous? I love, love, love it. Only $20! I've been looking for a purple jewelry box for the longest time. Shhh, don't tell my husband. It's in the trunk of my car for now.

And here's what I ate Tuesday and yesterday:

Tuesday
4 grapes
Half a cantaloupe
My smoothie
1 bottled water with Crystal Light To Go fruit punch flavor
8 Sprees
Chicken nuggets
French fries
Baked beans
12-15 gummi bears (I lost count, Weeds is such a great show!)

Wednesday
Half a cantaloupe
Half a multi grain bagel, toasted with peanut butter
1 mug Chai tea latte
2 bowls of homemade chili over spaghetti, sprinkle of cheddar and 4 crackers
1 mug Tazo Apple tea
1/4 cup chocolate caramel trail mix

The Quickest Way to Know a Woman is to Go Shopping with Her - Marcelene Cox

I've been bad. I've been shopping. I know I shouldn't have but sometimes I can't stop myself. The bargain bins call my name and I love how it feels to score a great deal. I'm sharing my latest finds along with my Mother's Day gifts to myself and what I gave to my MIL.

By sharing my good fortune with the two of you, I can justify my purchases because I'm helping other people with any gift giving needs they may have. And I'm nothing if not helpful.

That's my story anyway.


Aren't these just the cutest! I hate not having gift bags, wrap and assorted cards on hand so I stock up whenever I can. I got all 14 of these for $6!

I could have gone crazy with the baby and wedding themed bags too, but my trunk is only so big. These are from Dollar Tree.

My other discount fave for things like this is 99 Cents Only. I usually go there for party bag filler and stocking stuffers.

I Love, Love, Love this straw tote! This is going with me to the beach, to the pool, to the farmer's market, to the library... This will probably be on my shoulder all summer long.

Guess how much it was?

Nope, guess again. Give up?

$2.50 baby! I love Target!


I will probably be wearing these while carrying my awesome straw bag. I had a devil of a time choosing between these in white or brown. The white just looked so summery. $20 at Payless.

These scream for khaki capris, a white sleeveless blouse and a fresh pedi.

And maybe a latte. And my straw hat.




I told myself at the beginning of the year I would do less email more snail mail. I love getting mail other than bills and I think letter writing needs to make a comeback.

I haven't been doing that great with it so naturally I figured that meant my current stationery was uninspiring.

Hence, these. 20 per box for $4.99 each at Marshall's. I love the retro colors! They are sold here, but for significantly higher.

These are what I gave my MIL for Mother's Day. The mug is so pretty! The other side has an Asian-like design. My photo taking abilities don't do it justice. Sipping coffee or tea out of a pretty cup is mandatory. The mug was $2.99 and the 12 teas were $6.99.



I bought my own Mom's Day gifts while at the Carlsbad street fair. When we went to the Red Bull air races, there were lots of vendors set up along the sidewalks. This couple makes the jewelry by hand. The necklaces are awesome with semi precious stones wound inside. We were leaving to make it back to car before the meter ran out and I asked if they would be at the fair the following and weekend and to my joy they said yes! I took so many shots of this and unfortunately this is the best one. $25

Every time I go to craft fairs I always look for fused glass pendants. This woman had some that were more unique than others, plus, she had purse hangers and I really, really want a unique and pretty one that can handle the weight of my heavier bags. $35 for both pieces.



Those are my latest finds. I hope you've enjoyed my trip down girly lane. I wanted a break from the more "serious" things I've been thinking about lately. BTW, none of these people know I linked to them, there's no kickbacks involved. I'm just spreading the love!

I've Been Bitten

By the shopping bug that is. I really like to shop. I mean REALLY. I could probably buy something every day. Clothes, shoes, purses, books, pretty things for our house. Even groceries. I love looking through the racks/stacks/bins. Clearance? Bring it!

Alas, since I am on holiday, I have had to curtail my spending in favor of essentials like, oh, food and gas. But, I can still look! The Carnival has exposed me to so many great sites (you people are tres crafty!)

I thought I'd let you see some of the things I want need am obsessing over would like to have right now, both from the Carnival and in general:

• Glass jewelry from Amy Burhoe. I may have to send this link to hubby for Mother's Day.
• Boxed cards from Mariella Designs. Always nice to have on hand.
• A pretty teacup and saucer by Sentou for breakfast on the patio.
• Mommy Calling cards from Sophie and Spice. They just speak to me.
• This T-shirt from SuperMaggie.
• More re-usable shopping bags, but cuter than the ones I have from Target.
  
• This Sigg water bottle.
• These to die for sandals from Charles David.
• This dress, this dress and this tank top from Old Navy.
• A pendant from The Broken Plate.
• Sugar scrub from Archipelago Botanicals.
• More of these crafts for my son. It's hard to find things for boys! Everything I see in Wal Mart is knitting, sparkly and just all around girly. I bought him the airplane from the clearance section at Target.
• A Wii Fit. I'm convinced my life will be perfect once I have one.
• A new digital camera like this. Mine is a brick like the first cell phones.

I found some of this stuff while surfing through PinkPurpleandOrange.com. What a great site! I can (and did) spend a lot of time there. I added them to my Google Reader and will definitely go there to look for gifts and such. Much thanks to them! Anyone else have visions of shopping bags dancing in their heads?