Lately, I've been a bit of a shopaholic. This is rather ridiculous since my husband's school has laid him off, and I have a bambino on the way. I think, though, that it has a combination of causes: 1) it's a symptom of the nesting impulse, 2) who knows when I'll be able to shop again? and 3) I want to be a little selfish while I still can.
Anyway, I've done it, and I may as well share the fun!
Motherhood Maternity
~If you read More Mini Sequins, you probably saw that lovely black tank top with (appropriately) tiny sequins at the neck and hem. It's gorgeous. I may wear it to my first shower.
~I said I wouldn't buy maternity pajamas. It seemed a silly waste. But then, my pajama pants began to feel like tourniquets. I also started to think about what I would want to wear in the hospital. Those Wal-mart nightgowns (which I mentioned in Mini Sequins) have been great (so much so that I added a cornflower blue one), but I spotted something special when I was scoping the Destination Maternity sale online: a gray pajama set with silky silver ribbon ties. The pants are loose enough to last through the pregnancy but won't fall off later. The tank top is ruffled and has an elastic neckline for nursing. The mini robe/jacket ties over the top for warmth and modesty. It's a beautiful set, and if I actually wear it there, I think it will make me feel pretty (or at least human) at the hospital. And for all my thinking I wouldn't buy maternity pajamas...I've been wearing these constantly. They're nice enough for lounging with family (my brother is visiting). I was even wearing them when my landlord stopped by.
I ordered these two items, and they arrived at our new address on Friday while we were busy with preliminary cleaning. That's a nice housewarming gift.
(Image: http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-06-13T07%3A33%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=10)
Bath and Body Works
Of course, B&BW has that month-long, wild sale in June. I wanted more essentials (as in candles, hand soap, and Wallflowers...see Making a Home) for the OLC, so we went to the location that we have (shockingly) in town.
~I found True Blue Fancy Foot Fizz for 50% off. With the stunning onset of third trimester pain and swelling, I thought the fizz would be worth trying (it was, if only for the moment in Those Unexpected Moments).
~Sugar Lemon Fizz antibacterial hand soap...smells like lemon drops plopped in Sprite. $3. I'll love it in the kitchen.
~Cinnamon antibacterial hand soap. The scent is comforting, and the label (foamy beverage and a cinnamon stick) is incredibly engrossing for a soap label. I got two. $2.50 each.
~Butterfly Flower items were in the 75% off bin. This is worrisome--is B&BW discontinuing the light, sweet fragrance? It's one of my favorites. I got bubble bath for me and body cream for my mom.
~The lip glosses B&BW sells are, I believe, the only ones worth buying. They aren't cheap, though, at $8 a pop, and I always wait for the Buy 2, Get 1 Free deals. But I saw bins of glosses for $2! I got two clear sparkly ones--coconut vanilla for me, and Kiss Me I'm Irish peppermint for mom.
~When Wallflowers are $5, rush in. Most of the fragrances were already gone, but I did snag Kitchen Spice and Vanilla Caramel.
~A new candle graces Josh's desk--it's pink and smells exactly like rose petals. The scent is Flower Shop.
~I have a container of Warm Vanilla Sugar body butter. It was in the toe of Josh's stocking from his parents one year (we have a joint stocking sometimes). It's very luxurious, and I'm used it sparingly because it's expensive, and I doubted I'd ever buy more. But it does feel very nice on pregnant feet and bellies, especially when one does not have fancy belly balm. But I spotted mini containers of body butter for $5! I got a sweet scent (Sweet Pea) and a sassy scent (Twilight Woods).
~You may recall that we have a soft spot for chubby and unrealistically cute bees. I found a rubbery little bee cap for the hand soap pumps. Absurd? Yes. Adorable? Totally.
But that trip wasn't enough. I had to see if Monroe had a different selection. I did find a few things.
~Lemon Gelato is a fresh scent with a hint of dessert. It fared well in the Josh-swooning test. The giant candles were 75% off. I got two.
~This store had even fewer Wallflowers left, but I found Warm Vanilla Sugar and Lilac Blossom.
~I also got two new Wallflowers (the actual plug-ins) in white. A couple of mine don't seem to be working...not surprising since they are probably six or seven years old. The new ones are so crisply white compared to yellowed old ones.
B&BW...wait for the mega sales, and don't go often. Luckily, I hadn't been there in a long time. Now, I just have to stay away.
Shoe Show
Josh is on a constant quest for brown boots. I don't mean cowboy boots. I mean those short, European dude boots. And he's very picky. He miraculously found a great black pair at Shoe Show, of all places, and he's been going back ever since just in case. He had no luck this time. But I did! I've been thinking that I really need more flats since heels are getting uncomfortable/somewhat unsafe. I do have some excellent flats, but they're not very versatile (violet and teal, for instance).
~I found, on super sale, silver flats with rounded toes and silver ribbon threaded around and tied in a bow. They will go with just about anything.
~Also on super sale were a pair of flexible (like ballet slippers--real ones on little girls' jittery feet) black flats covered with a pattern of black sequins. Wow.
Josh, dejected at the limited availability of cheap and stylish man boots, was still just delighted to take my pregnancy-friendly shoes up to the counter. They're so cheap that even if they don't last past the pregnancy, they'll be worth it. Plus, as is becoming clear, anything pretty is increasingly important these days.
Target
On Monday morning, we finished another car trip of stuff from the near-empty and now very hot CLP. After sweating and wearing ratty clothes for days, I was desperate to feel pretty. We were meeting my mom in the afternoon to return a daybed we'd borrowed while living at the CLP. We took our showers, and I put on my Pea in the Pod gray leggings, red maternity tank top, black bead cluster earrings, and my new black sequined flats. Josh said a few times that I was beautiful. I felt great.
~Josh has a gorgeous, huge desk that this grandfather made for him. It takes up most of our living room, but it's totally worthwhile. Our chairs, though, don't really fit under the desk (not with our knees, anyway). So we found a tiny office chair that sit low to the floor. It was under $20! You have to love cheap, compact, "dorm-style" stuff like that. It works perfectly with the desk, and we were able to move the desk back a bit to make more room.
~I've been liking the idea of an exercise ball. Supposedly, just sitting on one tones core muscles. Am I realistically going to work out during this pregnancy? It certainly seems unlikely at this point. But might I sit on a ball and read? It's very possible. After multiple unsuccessful explorations at the local Wal-mart, Josh found such a ball at Target. He inflated it for me last night, and I felt so cheery and relaxed just sitting, bouncing, and stretching on it. It seemed to take off some of the extra weight's pressure in a way that even sitting or lying down don't.
~I spotted a lavender shirt with tiny buttons and flutter sleeves. It's not maternity, but it has a bell shape that I thought might work now and later. It's pretty and sweet, and it shows off Oliver's growth.
~I've been wishing I had one or two light summer dresses--not necessary work-y--to make me feel a) cute and b) less hot (temperature wise) and uncomfortable. I found a Liz Lange teal dress--soft cotton, beautiful color, sleeveless, with a little past-the-knee length to guard against awkward shortness when my belly takes up even more material. It's light and pretty, and with a short-sleeved cardigan, I can wear it to work. Again, I was amazed to look at myself in the mirror and see my belly in unfamiliar clothing. The woman at the fitting room desk asked when I was due and said the dress looked pretty and comfortable. I thought, "I have the most wonderful secret...and everyone knows it!"
Drinking a decaf soy Coconut Mocha Frap and eating a very nutty piece of banana nut bread while shopping around with Josh and my mom was pretty blissful, and I'll always remember that when I sit down at the desk to grade papers, wear those clothes, or (hopefully) sit on that exercise ball.
Gifts from Me to Me
Gifts are my love language (yes, according to Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages), and even the ones I give to myself are emotionally valuable...not simply because of the stuff but because of the experiences I tie to buying and using them. Pick something up in my house, and I can tell you who bought it for me and when and why or where I bought it and with whom and what was going on at the time. So these indulgences will be reminders of a happy time--feeling close to my husband, moving into Oliver's Love Cottage, and waiting for that sweet, sweet boy.
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