Grandparents, Shopping & Beestings!

Grandparents:

 

Mom and Dad Schuh

We said goodbye to my parents today.  They headed toward home this morning.  I always love when they come and I hate it when they leave.  I love living in Michigan except for being so far from family.  The spot where they parked their trailer looks sadly empty.  Sigh. 

 The entire clan posing for the camera (set up on the BBQ)

 Closer pic with me at the camera... the way I prefer it!

 The kids... do they look hot and sweaty?  We all were... it was right before we finally got a storm to cool things down.

 

Shopping:

I made two discoveries while out shopping today.  1. If you are looking for flip-flops and/or sandals now is the time to buy.  All the stores are clearing out their summer stuff in order to make room for fall items.  My pair of dress flip-flops (yes, I said dress flip-flops- I might be a redneck.) broke a couple of days ago necessitating replacement.  I found a great pair for $8- 1/2 off. I am pleased.  I was willing to spend up to $15. 2.Sadly, it is cheaper to buy full length pajama pants at Old Navy and Sears and cut them to the needed length (long shorts) instead of sewing your own.  My daughter needed some summer sleepwear and she didn't want the short shorts or full length pants that most stores have.  She was willing (and able) to sew some but the fabric she wanted was $6 a yard (which is actually not that expensive as far as fabric goes) and she needed around 3 yards.  Hmmm... $18 to sew or $10/$12 dollars premade.  For pajamas we'll go with the latter but it is still hard for me to buy something new and then cut it up.  It seems wrong, just like buying jeans with the holes already in them.

 

Beestings:

It would appear that some type of stinging bee-like creatures have made a nest in the ground in my red lettuce.  I was picking tonight and felt a prick.  I thought maybe it was a thorny weed I had brushed against but while inspecting the injury (on my lower leg) I noticed "bees" flying around the area.  Ahhh... I've been stung.  The pain was not very strong at first but boy did that pain level rise.  I had to call harvesting to an end and rush inside to tend to it.  Thank goodness for plain old baking soda and water paste.  It may look funky on my leg but the relief was almost instantaneous.

 

What home-remedies do you use for bee-stings?

Little Lady Reagan

Being a proper lady is serious business- but who needs shoes?

Just let me grab my baby!


I'm ready for my close up!

I'm ready to go shopping!

Little ones sure do like to imitate grown ups. I forget how much they like to watch and follow.

Pictures of Tay- For Grandmas

My sister, Seven, is 12 years old. She got to choose my clothes today. She likes color.

My brother loves me!

I don't quite have the concept of sitting down yet.

My sisters love me too, but I hate this hat!

I can blow great raspberries these days. Momma thinks I'm starting to teethe.

Easter Egg Hunting- For the Grandmas!

Reagan- Dress courtesy of Grandma Lewis

Seven with full basket

Gabrielle Hall and Grandma

Reagan with best friend Will Hall

Seven adding more to her stash

Andi Rose on the go- Dress courtesy Grandma Lewis

I know Easter was a week ago but I'm a bit behind. Here are the pictures I managed to snap in the midst of the chaos. As you can see, poor Rem didn't get a picture. He was moving awfully fast though. I think he pulled in the most eggs and candy. I also didn't get a good shot of Seven's dress which Grandma Lewis also made. I'm still planning on dressing the kids back up and taking posed shots. They'll just have to be Spring photos and not "Easter" photos.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hey all!

Hope this day finds you happy and celebrating with your loved ones. The kids have enjoyed their cards and candy and I enjoyed having breakfast in bed from the DH. He unexpectedly ended up having today off and surprised me. It was quite nice. I also surprised him with a gift.

Let me tell you, it has been a long time since I have shopped for sexy lingerie. (Like, since before we had kids- Eleven years +.) I had a small budget so I started with my local discount retailer (Meijer) and also Target. What I found there were $20 items that looked cheap and raunchy. Okay, off to Victoria's Secret. They had nice items and a good selection but $50 is more then I can spend right now. (Especially on something that is going to spend more time on the floor then on me.) So, since I was at the mall, I checked out Kohl's and Penney's. I was pleasantly surprised. They had a few nice pieces which at regular price ($35) was still more then I wanted to spend but they had them on sale. I walked out of the store (Kohl's) with just what I needed for $18. Less then the discount stores. The piece was nicely made and sexy but not trashy. So for all of you who need something like this in the future- skip the low priced stores and the high priced stores and go for a mid-priced store's sale. Enjoy!

Target Clearance Racks

Note the ninja turtle slippers that go so well with the dress...LOL!

Note the "poser" in the background!

If you are in the need for children's clothes or clothes for yourself or spouse, Target (at least my local store) has rack after rack of clothing on discount every things from 30% to 75% off. I managed to find outfits for all four kids for under $26 total. At 2 pieces each that averages $3.25 per item. Not bad for new clothing. I was pleased. Got to love it when it's the dead of winter and they are clearing out winter clothes to make room for spring wear. I need to remember to never buy clothes at the start of a season. Wait till mid-season and they'll be much cheaper!

New Store Discovery

I have discovered a new store and a new line of clothing. The store is Steve and Barry's and the line is Bitten by Sara Jessica Parker. Steve and Barry's sells affordable clothing for the entire family. It's like a cheaper Old Navy. Bitten does not have any thing over $20: jeans, coats, shoes, etc.

I went to check it out. (Go online to find a store near you.) The entire store was on sale with nothing over $8.98. They called it "Winter Clearance". I got a cute, new, stylish pair of jeans for $8.98 from the Bitten Line.

I don't know how they will wear. It might be worth it to pay a bit more for a longer lasting jean but we shall see. The price was good but they are made overseas- a trade-off. I will go back in a couple of months. I'm hoping to find cute, modest, everyday skirts or dresses for affordable prices. Spring tends to be the best season to look for skirts and dresses.