New Desk!
I (finally) purchased
this desk after months of admiring it. I opted for the "Click & Pick Up" option where you essentially purchase the item online and then just pick it up at the store to save on shipping. Or in my case, purchase it online and then have Ron pick it up at the store.
Note to self: next time, find out how much item weighs before making husband pick it up solo.
Labels: random, shopping
Just Write Sucker on My Forehead
Items recently purchased:
In the hopes of being able to breathe well, a
Neti PotIn the hopes of getting my husband to wrap presents:
pop-up tape strips and a
wrapping paper cutter.
Labels: Living, shopping
TV
I need a new TV stand. I need one with doors on it. Doors to hide all the electronic devices from Rolo, who nearly swallowed my iPod the other day. And who has taken to turning on the DVD player randomly. He does this while the TV is on but not on the right setting for a DVD. So the DVD starts playing in audio, like a CD. And it's alarming. You'll be sitting there, watching House Hunters, minding your own business, not realizing that Rolo turned on the DVD player. And then WHAM! All of a sudden, the Baby Einstein, or some other nonsense, music comes on AT TOP VOLUME on the surround sound system. It can make you jump out of your skin.
Because we have a flat screen, and can no longer balance the cable box on top of the TV, I was initially thinking a TV stand with glass panels. You know so the cable box can be in the TV stand and still work with the remote. I love the look of
this one. I love me craftman style anything. But large, unreinforced glass panels + toddler = emergency room trip waiting to happen. At least for my kid who loves to bang on any piece of glass he can find.
So now I'm thinking smaller glass panes for smaller risk of breakage, like
this one. I love that it's red, but it's not very deep. And have I mentioned that our entire apartment is on a slant? It is, and boy, what a challenge that makes everything. So I'm not sure putting our top-heavy ginormous TV on top of a skinny media stand on a slope is the answer.
Of course I could get a
large media center, but that's a large-ass piece of furniture for not a very big space. And interestingly, a piece that large would make the slope that much more noticeable. Because I'd have a large-ass piece of furniture which would look all slant-y. I know this would be an issue, because I have several large bookcases in the same area that I have on wedges to make them look less slant-y.
Oy. It's never easy.
Labels: shopping, style
Shoot.
I love Haba toys. But I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before the
recalls started
. None of the ones Rolo has. Yet.
I still believe the toys are well made, but honestly, many do have small parts.
Labels: parenting, shopping
Swimwear
I have a confession to make. Just about every swim suit I own came from Victoria's Secret. I swear, they are all tasteful, but they were VS nonetheless. Department stores never seemed to have a good selection and frankly, I didn't know where else to look. It's not like there are a plethora of swimsuit stores around here. I tried a J.Crew swimsuit once but the problem there is that every suit (and actually, this often goes for their clothes too) is for someone with no boobs.
My boobs may be considerably smaller than they were pre-baby, and joy of joys, gravity has totally taken over. So even more than before, I need, er, support. J.Crew is not familiar with this. And due to my new found anxiety about what a mom should wear, I don't think a swimsuit from Vicky's is going to cut it either.
I got a catalogue from
Athleta recently and you know, their bathing suits aren't bad looking. There's a good selection, particularly of tankinis (which are my new best friend) and because it's geared towards athletes, it seems like there would be a good amount of support. I particularly like the
Moroccan Tile tankini and the
Victorian Scroll tankini.
Plus, I do enjoy some of their beach dresses and yoga gear. I feel a buying spree coming on.
Labels: shopping, style
Opinions?
So today I'm going in search of
this dress at Banana. It's likely that they won't have it or won't have my size (HA! My size! Although I have one size. Right now I'm ranging in sizes all over the place). Regardless if I actually find it and if i actually looks good on me and if I actually purchase it, what shoes to wear? Black? Which wouldn't be my first choice, but I think that's what's on the model wearing it on the website. Dark brown? Tan?
For all the clothes I have, I usually always anchor bright or light color with a dark color. I may have bright green or pink or blue tops but those are matched with black or gray pants. Or brown if I'm feeling particularly ballsy. So it's easy to match shoes. But this dress is green and white and therefore I have no idea what shoe to wear.
Labels: shopping, style
Traces of My Former Self
And I'm back!
Over the weekend, I bought 4 pairs of shoes:
These in black
These in tan suede
These in black suede
And, my new favorites,
these in (what else?) black.
It's good to be back in action.
Labels: shopping
I Really Do Need New Dishtowels
I really want to order
these, in like every color they come in. However, looking at them all in my online shopping cart, I've somehow accumulated a $50 bill. Which seems silly for dishtowels. Particularly when I am reminded that I like to buy all-new EVERYTHING when moving into a new place. Today it's the dishtowels. But tomorrow it will be lampshades. Next week it will be shower curtains, bathmats and a closet organizer.
Labels: shopping
Pink Elephants
So my girlfriends, Hope and Kim, got me
this diaper bag, in the pink elephant pattern. I love it. Yesterday, I was strolling by Robinson Luggage, which carries Vera Bradley and decided to pop in on a whim. I knew that a couple of style handbags were on sale,
including this one, which I really like. They had one left in the pink elephant pattern and so I got it. Now I have a matching purse and diaper bag. I can't decide if that's a good thing or if it's over the top (given we are talking about pink elephants here). But I do know that it's next to impossible to carry two Vera bags of different patterns simultaneously, because most of those patterns are way too busy to go together. So at least now if I want to carry the diaper bag and a purse, I can match.
Pink elephants make me happy.
To my last point, I think Vera should start making coordinating, but not necessarily matching patterns. She does some non-patterned microfiber bags, but they're just too blah. I often carry a large tote bag to work, but I like putting a smaller purse inside it. So, take the pink elephants pattern for example. She could make purses that are mostly plain pink, the same pink as the elephants, and then maybe just have a black accent stripe on them with the elephants. That way you could coordinate without looking too matchy-matchy....or for that matter like a
floral arrangement exploded all over you.
Labels: shopping, style
The Fat Lady Has New Clothes
People, I am wearing pants with an elastic waistband. Just four days shy of being 20 weeks pregnant, and I've had to resort to this. All of my regular pants in larger sizes are at the dry cleaners. The problem is I haven't yet mastered the feel of an elastic waistband, so I'm in a constant state of feeling like my pants are going to fall down. Maybe they are.
An elastic waistband.
I had my first real anxiety attack about clothes two weekends ago, when I learned that maternity pants, even the "career pants" are not lined. I do not enjoy unlined pants. I surmise that this is because the lining in pants most likely does not stretch, but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy feeling my inseam rub against my thigh either.
Motherhood Maternity,
Mimi Maternity and
Pea in a Pod are all owned by the same parent company, it seems. The interesting part is that the quality of their pants is all the same. Doesn't matter if you get the low-end Motherhood ones, or if you go with Diane Von Furstenberg's high end version in a Pea in a Pod. Sadly, it's pretty much all the same quality, just a matter if you're going to pay $24.99 or $220 for that quality.
That's not to say the stores are all created equal. Most Motherhood stores make me break out into a rash. I mean, did you click on the Motherhood Maternity website? I believe it features a woman in a canary yellow satin dress with a bow. Eck. There's just way too much color going on in that store and not in a good way. Crappy styles too--almost impossible to find pants for work that aren't actually yoga pants that they're trying to pass off as work pants. I mean seriously, in my job a knit pant is completely unacceptable and to me is decidedly NOT a dress pant. The only luck I've had with Motherhood is when I've found their brand in department stores or in a Mimi Maternity. Mimi actually isn't too bad. Their stuff is slightly more tailored so I can see myself shopping there. So far I've only gotten pants though; I have yet to buy any maternity shirts. I'm sticking with my usual brands for shirts for awhile.
So, I'm picky about clothes. We know this. The problem with maternity clothes is that there is so many ways to go wrong. Like the bows. There are cute bows and then there are bad, bad maternity bows. There are a lot of really bad floral patterns out there too. Actually, there are just a lot of really bad patterns in general. And the ties behind the back. I hate the ties behind the back. I realize this is to give a woman some sort of shape, so she doesn't look like she's wearing a tent, but really? I think it's a look strictly for the last trimester. If I wore one of those now, I'd look ridiculous.
But I digress. I think the key to dressing, particularly for work, involves getting some decent tailored (or as tailored as you can get with a messed up waistband) pants in colors like grey and black and pairing them with structured sweaters and shirts. I went on a totally shopping bender over the weekend and got a good start on a work wardrobe. I think I'll probably invest in some basic sleeveless dresses for work too since I'll be pregnant during most of the summer and pair them with some cardigans. For my casual clothes, since I never, ever dress in sweats, except when going to the gym, my jeans, capris, tees and other casual stuff will most likely come from Old Navy and the Gap.
It's not easy, this dressing-while-pregnant business. It involves being selective. But it is a shopping challenge and we all know how much I like a shopping challenge. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go hike up my pants.
Labels: preggo, shopping
