Mother's Day Shopping for Myself

Yesterday we took the kids to Barnes and Noble so that the boy could use a gift card that he received for his birthday.  Our trips to Barnes and Noble usually consist of my Hubby taking the kids to the children's section to look for books while I go and find some magazines I want, then I head back to the children's section where I sit with the kids while he looks at books.  Eventually I am ready to go and I call him on his cell to tell him it is time.

Well the greatest thing happened.  For his birthday, the Hubby got a Nook.  And while in Barnes and Noble, you can read any book they sell on your Nook for free.  No need to go and find it to see if you like it.  So the Hubby sat in the children's section with the kiddos and his Nook, while I went across the street to Pier One.

Best trip to Barnes and Noble ever!  Don't get me wrong.  I like books and bookstores, but I never seem to remember what I want to read or look at while I am there.  And I haven't been inside a Pier One since I moved to Texas.

I bought myself a Mother's Day present:

Just the small one on the left.  Actually 10 of the small ones on the left.  They will be the cutest dessert bowls and they remind me of my grandma.  She always had really cute dessert bowls.  Of course, I always have a hard time deciding how many to buy.  It is like place setting.  So how many do you get?

I talked myself out of this bowl, because I knew I wouldn't use it as a serving dish like it was intended, but after looking at it online, it would have made a gorgeous centerpiece filled with flowers:

And I seriously stood in front of these for 15 minutes putting them in my cart and taking them back out:

They were just too small to use for anything that I would want to use them for.  They are oven safe, but really the size of pinch bowls.  And these ones were too small too, and they only had green and yellow left, so it was easier to walk away from them:

I loved these, but they were $8 each, and knowing that I would want at least 10, I couldn't talk myself into them:

And I am not a tea cup person, but if I was (or if these patterns had come on regular bowls) these would be mine:

These were the second runners up for dessert bowls, behind the white flowers.  I just figured it was safer to go with white:

Man I still want those though!  *sigh*  And they didn't have these in stock...otherwise I would probably still be there trying to decide:

I am the type of shopper that can talk myself out of anything if I stay in the store long enough, and I usually do.  But if someone is with me, they can usually talk me into buying things, which is why I like to go shopping by myself.

  What about you?  Are you a rational shopper, or do you lose control when you look at all the pretty things they have to offer?

Liberty of London

I see new dishes in my future:

Liberty of London is coming to Target on March 14th!

Patterned Cupcake Liners

These make me want to bake cupcakes:


Don't they remind you of Easter Eggs! Unfortunately you can only get them in this cupcake kit:


It is a great kit, but it comes with things (like pastry bag and tips) that I already have. So I now have to find these super cute cupcake liners without the extras? Anyone have any ideas?

Silly Soles

Trumpette, the company that brought you my favorite baby socks of all times:


now has shoes.

Silly Soles:



And luckily I found out about them before Toots was too big for them! I might have had to have another baby because of these shoes!

Wear Your Ice Cream and Cupcakes

I have a friend that is SUPER CRAFTY! Especially with the sewing machine (which I am not!!) So I usually call her when I find a project that is REALLY cute but requires sewing that I am just no good at.

And when I saw this shirt from Pink Taffy Designs on droolicious today, the first thing I wanted to do was call her!

But I am already responsible for her buying a small fortune worth of fabric to make these last week:

image from pettiskirt style

So I thought I should probably wait before I give her another project. Otherwise her husband may not let her talk to me anymore! ;D

And look how cute it is paired up with a tutu!!

image from Pink Taffy Designs

I think it would be EVEN cuter paired with a pettiskirt!!

Oh wait, it IS:

I found this cupcake shirt (she has an ice cream cone on her site too) at Pettiskirt Style:


I am not sure which one I love more! I may have to get Toot's this outfit for her second birthday!!

Blankie Bungee

Every once in a while you find something that is just a really good idea. Who ever invented those tethers for Binkies was pretty darn smart! Not that any of my kids ever took a binky. And it wasn't because I didn't give it to them! Trust me! But if they had I would have used them.

And I wish I would have known about Blankie Bungees 7 years ago!

You see these:

I saw them on droolicious. They are identical to the clips that used to come with dresses in the early 90s. You clipped the back of your dress sort of like a belt. Do you have any idea what I am talking about? I can't be the only one that had them? Can I?

The whole dress thing might not have been a good idea, but these are! Because they are used to do this:
It hooks your kiddos blanket to the car seat so that it doesn't fall off! And I am sure it works just as well on a stroller!

My kids were ALWAYS kicking their blankets off! Best case scenario they got dirty, worst they got lost. I would kiss the person that invented them, but they really didn't do me any good because I am past the kicking blankets off stage. So they missed out on a smooch from me!

Leaf Garland

See this cute leaf garland:


It would be cute in a bedroom, but I am thinking this is a cool alternative to paper streamers. Paper streamers are not my friend.

You can buy this cute leaf garland from Sparkle Power on Etsy.


Or if you are a sewer and have some extra scraps of fabric sitting around I bet you could make yourself one!! I am guessing there is batting in between the fabric to give it a little more weight. But I am not a sewer, so what do I know!!

Forget the Playhouse

Who needs a playhouse when you can have a whole play TOWN! The 6-in-1 Town Center Playhouse from Little Tikes goes from this:
to this:

And even though part of me thinks this is too much (I mean they would probably be happier making their own town out of cardboard boxes!!), part of me wants to find a way to make something similar. You know, for all that empty space I have! Bwahahahaha!

Drumstick Pencils

Ever since The Boy played Rock Band for the first time (actually I think he played Guitar Hero World Tour first...but you get the idea) he has fallen in love with drumming.

Lucky Me!

We are sticking to the piano for now, but that didn't stop me from letting him get a set of drum sticks at Disneyland when we were there this fall. And it probably won't stop me from buying these pencils from Perpetual Kid:

Thanksgiving Sales

A lot of places have started marking down their Thanksgiving items. So if there was something you saw online and LOVED, but didn't want to pay the price tag for, you might want to go back and check. You obviousy won't have it in time for Thanksgiving dinner tonight, but you WILL have it for next year! And at a SCREAMING deal!

Like this cute table cloth from William Sonoma.

More Acorns

I can't help it! This pan from William Sonoma is just too cute!

Am I wrong?

Now THIS one is funny!

Okay, that last onesie has NOTHING on this one:


Thrifty Decor Chick commented on my last post about seeing a onesie that said this and I HAD to find it. Forget the last one, this is my new favorite! So Annie, you can look at the other one now, but not this one!

This made me laugh out loud!

Oh how true it is! Annie, don't look because I might have to get this for NuNu! If you need one you can get it at Cafepress.

Holiday Countdown Calendars

My sister-in-law ruined me. I had no need for countdown calendars. Sure, they were cute, but I didn't drool over them. That was until she gave me this one from Pottery Barn Kids.

The picture doesn't do it justice. This felt calendar is one of my favorite Halloween decorations. I love all the details. Including the tombstone on the 14 that has my brother-in-laws name on it. I love that! But I don't deserve it. I never remember to put candy in it until way too close to the end of the month. Which is why I don't need this one either:

But that doesn't mean I don't want it. I have thought about attempting to make something similar. But there are only 21 days left until Thanksgiving. And it would take me at least 20 of those to get around to doing it. This might have to be a September project next year.

Isn't it cute. Sometimes I dream of sneaking over to my sister-in-laws house and stealing it from her entry way. Okay, not really, but it is cute enough to cause dreams of evil doing. Unfortunately these were both last years designs. And this years Thanksgiving countdown calendar isn't as cute. Although I am sort of in love with the Christmas advent calendar.

I am thinking this one might be easier to make. And instead of squares you could do circles. And just do easy patterns (so they look like Christmas balls) instead of the harder stuff like the Santa. Or you could just buy one if you are lucky enough to get them before they run out. Maybe with the state of the economy they won't fly of the shelves like they did last year!

Fall Aprons

I am always on the lookout for cute aprons. I never wear them, but I should. I mean I REALLY should. I should put one on when I get dressed in the morning and keep it on all day. I have a bad habit of getting stuff all over my clothes. It doesn't matter if I am cooking, eating, crafting or cleaning I am very good at ruining my wardrobe.

These cute Fall aprons from Daisys & Dots won't save my shirts, but if you aren't as messy as I am they might be a fun addition to your Fall cooking couture.

Trumpette Problem

Have you ever hear of Trumpette socks? I received my first set when Lou La was born. They are about the cutest things in all the land!

These Mary Janes were the first set I received!
They have a ballet slipper set, but these always looked a little like ballet slippers to me when they were on Lou's feet. Her cousin was born about the same time and had the same sock, but in pastels. Weezy looked like a little ballerina in them. She had the longest, skinniest legs I have ever seen on a baby! Lou on the other hand looked like the little girl in the ballet class that you knew wasn't going to grow up to be a ballerina! She had the shortest and roundest legs! Her baby rolls had rolls. And it was SO CUTE! They looked the same on Toots when she wore them too. They would have looked that way on The Boy too, but of course he was a boy. I love my little butterball babies!

On a side not, and totally not related to how cute they are or my dilema, I think they are magic. These puppies actually stay on their feet! I mean really. Of course they still have the habit of disappearing in the dryer, so they aren't COMPLETELY magic!

Back to my Trumpette dilemma! Before Toots was born they added a Disney collection. Hubby's aunt bought us this Minnie Mouse set:

LOVED THEM! They are too stinking cute. And if you know anything about me I am a S-U-C-K-E-R for anything Disney! Seriously. Anything. It is a sickness and I am pretty sure there are people out there that need a 12 step program as badly as I do, but I am sure that Disney is powerful enough to squash any attempts at creating one.

So, here is my dilemma. Look at what they have done to me:

Seven Dwarfs Socks!! And they are Argyle!! Seven stinking cute argyle socks with the names of each of the dwarfs embroidered on the side. And now I am contemplating having another baby JUST so I have an excuse to buy theses stinking socks!! I could just buy them as a gift. But that isn't the same. I need them! And I need a set of short chunky baby legs to put them on. That is a problem.

I hate Pottery Barn!!

Seriously how many really cute countdown calendars does a person need? I received last years as a gift from my sister-in-law. I LOVE it! Is is so so SO cute!

And this year they come out with a NEW one!


Now, mine from last year is cuter, but that doesn't mean I don't want this one too! Dang them! They are MEAN!

So much cuter than masking tape and a sharpie

I label everything with a masking tape and sharpie. Hubby even has a label maker hidden somewhere. I still use masking tape and sharpie. Low tech. Old school. I like it like that!

But these bumpy name orbit labels from InchBug are really cute!



And they would be so helpful for moms! Every mom knows that there is always the question of whose sippy cup is that anyways? I am not sure it would really solve the problem of kids drinking other kids sippy cups, unless you can teach your toddler to read. And even then I am not sure it would solve anything. At least not for us. I think Toots KNOWS when it isn't her sippy. I think she PREFERS when it isn't her sippy. She likes drinking Knocky Knocks sippy better than drinking her own!

But at least when you catch your kid red handed you will know whose germs they are sharing.

And they are cute! That is important too...right?