Prom Dress Shopping -- Not for the faint of heart!

Ah yes, it's that season. Prom Dress Shopping Season.

Now, you think that this specific type of dress shopping would be a fun mom-daughter bonding experience... and it can be, but I can also tell from personal experience (this was not my first Prom Dress rodeo), it can be an exhausting and stress-inducing situation. Let me explain our Saturday...

We first went to Macy's. While we found some cute dresses, nothing popped. We decided to cut-to-the-chase and just make the trip to the mecca of Prom Dresses -- a high-end Prom Dress shop (yes, those do exist) that would allow my girl to get a feel for what style dress she would like. 

My mistake. 

We tried to go for as inexpensive as possible -- which at this store is basically a $250 marked-down dress. They carry dresses that cost anywhere from the $250 dress to over $900. FOR PROM. And people were snapping them up -- WTF???

Of COURSE, she fell in love with the first dress she tried on. Now, in my opinion, this dress was not THE dress. First, it was too big and they did not have a smaller size. The gal helping assured us it could be altered (off-site of course, because why would a specialty prom dress shop offer alterations?!?!?). I've gone down that road before to the tune of $100 or more...so, um, NO. 

Second, it was a black/white combo which, while beautiful, did not flatter my daughter's pale complexion and hair. It was pretty, just not knock-your-socks-off pretty on her. 

Third, the price...it was $250 - the cheapest dress we had found that she liked. Now, don't get me wrong, if it WAS a knock-your-socks-off kind of dress, I would be happy paying $250 for my girly to have the prom dress of her dreams. But $250 for meh and additional $$ for alterations? Again, a big ol' NO. 

And finally, as she tried on at least 5 dresses, each one getting more expensive, I was starting to break a sweat. I was terrified she would fall in love with a $400 dress. 

I had to get out of there. I was getting stressed. The peer pressure of all these other moms oohing and aahing as their daughters came out and modeled dresses over $500 was vomit-inducing. There was not a single person in there freaking out over price, except for me. I overheard many a mom saying something along the lines of "Now, let's just not tell your dad how much the dress costs. Once he sees you in it, it won't matter."  WHAT THE HELL??? Nope, nope, nope. Not gonna do it. Oh, and also -- ALL SALES ARE FINAL. That's right. You get home with that pricey dress and Dad pitches a fit? Ooops, sorry daddy, because I CAN'T RETURN IT. I'm sure that went over well with a load of dads this weekend. 

So, anyhoo, I told my girly we would put the dress on hold, but would go to another shop or two to see what else we could find. I could tell she was not happy. We went to the other shop and tried on at least a dozen dresses. I got a dozen responses full of attitude and sass because my lovely daughter thought the other dress was 'IT'. She was not open to anything else at this point. I was spent. We left the shop and had a tense discussion on the way home. The hubs and I had been talking and decided we were not going to buy that other dress, because in the end, it would be just be too expensive. This prom is her Junior prom, not Senior prom, and she is going with a friend, not a boyfriend. Not spending top $ on that situation. 

Luckily, we got home without anybody completely melting down and I took a breather. There had to be other options out there. I told our lovely girly we would go out again on Sunday, but she wanted to try again at the mall. Fine. Let's just get it done...

And then, we found it. THE DRESS. (cue the angels singing...) At Carson's, no less.

It was perfection on her. Flattering fit, no alterations needed. Flattering color -- blush, which enhanced her porcelain skin and blonde hair. And the price? $149.00!!! DONE!

As we got to the register, I thought, "I wonder if Carson's has any coupons out there?" I looked them up online and BINGO! There was a coupon -- $50 off a $100 or more purchase. WHATT?!?!?!!?

So we got the dress. For $99.00. The universe heard me and came through. And my daughter?? She couldn't be happier. Me too. All is well again. 

Monday morning aches

For goodness sake, I really need this flu virus to leave my household. Let me explain myself...

First, our daughter was sick two weeks ago. Really sick, as in a week out of school. Then I got the virus. Not as bad, but terribly achy and exhausted. Thought I was over it and we were good to go.

HA! How naive of me to think it would be done so quickly. 

Late last week, I was feeling better and wanted to be out and about. I went to the beach with my hubs (Lake Michigan - to collect rocks, of course), I cooked full dinners from scratch, ran to the store for necessities, walked the dogs in the glorious sunshine, and I was even up scrubbing the bathrooms and bleaching the house. And then I woke up Sunday morning. 

Asshat.

This flu, that is. This flu virus is a major asshat.  

I woke up at 7:00a terribly achy Sunday morning. I got up, started the day thinking it would subside. Then I took a nap -- at 9:30a. For TWO HOURS. Got up again and was in a total haze. Took a shower because, that should help wake me up, right?? Seriously, I think I was firing on only 2 cylinders. Decided I needed to change location to get my mojo back up and running. That worked for another few hours. Hubs and I decided to watch a movie. Made it one hour into the show, then took ANOTHER NAP. Again -- it was TWO HOURS. Got up, finished the movie. Went to bed at 9:30p and slept until 6:00a this morning. 

WTF flu virus?? I slept yesterday more than I was awake. This morning, I again am completely achy and am doing my best not to nap. I really want to gargle with bleach and run it through my veins. I have never had my ass handed to me like this from a flu virus. Blerg. I feel like I have been run over by a convoy of trucks, not just one truck.

But enough about my viral hell. 

The reason I am really on here today is because I wanted to show you the projects I DID finish last week during my small surge of energy. 

The gardening planter I was working on? Yep, it is done...and it is ADORABLE! Just what I had pictured. 

Perfection -- Am I right???

Additionally, I had started working on an old, small globe that I purchased at the resale for $1.99. It is about 10" tall and the globe itself is about 5" in diameter. 

I painted the globe black, spray painted the stand gold, and added a cute little message:  "Darling YOU are my Greatest Adventure"... 

Pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.

I still have to put a layer of ModPodge on the globe, to make sure none of the vinyl peels up. But I just looooooove how it turned out. Now I'm on the hunt for other globes so I can make even more!

Enjoy the rest of your day -- I'm off to take another nap with my heating pad.

Good Morning!

Good morning everyone...

I've been laying low the last few days. My daughter's flu from last week? Yep, I have it as well, but nowhere near as bad as her bout. I have been hanging out in bed with terrible aches (especially in my lower back), occasional cough and some random stuffiness. Some times I'm congested, other times nothing. Weird. Oh, and exhaustion. Crazy exhaustion. I'm talking three naps a day. I feel like I've run a marathon. But no worries, I'm on the mend...today I am only slightly achy so far. I will take that as a good sign. Fingers crossed!

Good thing I am feeling better because I have a project mid-stream hanging out on my kitchen table. I started it this past weekend after my hubs and I went out to the resale shops in the area. I found this adorable small wooden toolbox and I am turning it into an herb container garden. I need a little Spring here in Chicago -- I think this will do the trick. 

This is one of those little boxes they have the kids build at Home Depot. You know what I am talking about... 

I cleaned it out and removed the dowel handle (which I will reattach after it is painted a contrasting color). I've chosen a nice dark purple mixed with a little bit of gray paint. I am thinking the handle will be ivory and gold, then I may create a little vinyl doodad to put on the front of the planter. 

For the herbs, we have four small terra cotta pots that fit neatly inside. I am going to leave those as is...I love the natural color of terra cotta pots. As for the herbs, I'll probably plant our favorites -- thyme, basil, oregano, parsley.

I'm going to try my best to finish this one up today. I have a couple of other projects up my sleeve as well. Stay tuned! 

Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone!

It's been a looooong week. My HS Junior has been home all week with the flu. Influenza B, to be specific -- which I now know is not the crazy bad flu that is sending people to the hospital. That would be Influenza A, also known as H3N2 or H1N1. Thank goodness she doesn't have that particular strain...I have to admit that I was a tad bit worried. 

We went to the doc on Monday after a horrible Sunday filled with aches, coughing, and a crazy bad sore throat. They swabbed her nose and within minutes she was diagnosed. I love how quick we got an answer -- Yay for scientific technology! With her flu diagnosis, we were issued a prescription for Tamiflu and sent on our way. I thought, "Well, thank goodness... Let's get her the meds, some chicken soup, and set her on the path back to healthy! She should be feeling 100% better by Thursday or Friday."

Yeah. That didn't happen.

Unfortunately, my lovely girl is one of the small percentage of people who has an adverse reaction to Tamiflu. Having never taken it before, how could we possibly have known? She took the meds as directed, with food, but the poor thing spent the next few days not only coughing, aching, and exhausted, but once the Tamiflu really mixed it up in her system (less than 24 hours after first dose) -- she was a GI disaster. Vomiting, horrible bad stomach pains, and let's just say it is a good thing there was a bathroom nearby. I felt so bad for her. We made an executive decision that she should stop taking the meds after multiple times of this reaction occurring. And now that we have stopped the Tamiflu -- no issues. In fact, I feel like she is getting better faster. It's no wonder; she is finally able to rest and let her body recover. 

Now, I'm not a doctor, so please do not use my daughter's situation as reason for you or yours to stop taking Tamiflu. For so many people, it is a miracle medicine that shortens the debilitating effects of this virus. Just not for her. Lesson learned. For my little chickita, we will not be on that course of meds ever again. 

She is so much better today. Just a slight cough and that's it. Her energy levels are still wavering, so we chose to keep her home again today from school. By the time Monday rolls around, I know she will be itching to get back to school and back on track with anything that she has missed. 

It's been a crazy week. Thankfully, I'm blessed to be a work-at-home mom so I didn't have to take time off in order to be with her. Now I am busy working to bleach the living daylights out of my house so no one else gets sick. 

Woo hoo -- what a fun weekend for me! Talk to you soon...

Spring has sprung?

Such a lovely day here in Chicagoland. Let me set the stage for you...

The morning started sunny, with a hint of humidity in the air. High 50's, which is amazing for this time of year in northern Illinois. Nice!

Fast forward to 1:00 p.m. -- somewhat misty rain has started and it is now a whopping 64F degrees. What??? Needless to say, I had all my car windows down as I was cruising home from Target. 

It was glorious. 

I also sent a picture of the temp on my display to my KU girlie (because it is 29F and icy rain in Lawrence today. Ha!). Yes, that is the kind of mom that I am. 


So now it's about 5:00p, it has dropped to 44F, and it has been full-out raining since 1:30p. My sump pump has been going to town. To top it off, apparently I now own lakefront property -- our backyard now leads to a ever-growing pool in the field behind our house.

Thank goodness the berm of leaves we create each fall is holding strong. When we moved in 20 years ago, we knew that the field behind us had a little bit of wetlands. No worries though. We don't mind all the water as long as it stays on the far side of our lovely leaf berm. It guarantees us that in the late spring and long into the summer, we will be able to hear frogs singing each night. Which is THE most magical sound...aahhh.

So, for now, all is good. I am headed downstairs to double-check on the sump pump, let the dogs out, and get started on some dinner. Have a wonderful night!

Blerg...

Blerg...

I feel like I have a 10-gallon drum of congestion in my sinuses. ((blows nose)) Being sick sucks. And before you ask -- Yes, I did indeed get a flu shot this year. But this is not flu. Just your garden variety cold virus. 

You see, silly me, I was travelling last week and totally forgot to up my vitamin C intake. 

I first thought about it as I got into the airport and saw people milling about, wiping their noses and touching everything. Gross. I thought about it again as I got on the airplane with an alarming number of sniffling and coughing passengers. Again, gross, and cover your mouth, please! Then once I landed...I promptly forgot. Oy. And now here I sit, up since 3:30 a.m., dripping like a faucet from my very raw and sensitive nose. 

They say it is 7-10 days incubation for a cold virus. Yep, spot on. Thank you, fellow travelers, for bringing your petri dish selves onto my flight. Now we can all share in your viral suffering. 

Seriously, just stay home if you're sick. Really, it's okay, I promise!

My poor hubs has had to listen to me for the last 24 hours as I snort and sniffle my way through the day. He's doing his best to make sure I am comfy and feeling as good as possible, all things considered. I have hot tea, tissues, a bag for the gross used tissues (because, EWWW, I am not going to leave those sitting on my nightstand), and lip balm. All the necessities. Hopefully by Monday, I will be able to breath out of both nostrils at the same time. Woo hoo! ((blows nose again)) I always take that for granted until it is not possible...such a luxury.

But onto better subjects. With less germs.

So last night, I was freezing. Seriously, I am Queen of the Hot Flashes, yet I was wearing 2 shirts, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and thermal socks. Not my best look. As I said, I was sitting there freezing when my pups all decided it was their job to come onto the bed and help warm me up. (I love being their alpha...)

Anyhoo, as I sat with the pupsters, our little guy, Bailey, decided that his brother would make a good pillow. Not his twin brother, but his BIG brother, Gus. It was adorable... see for yourself.

This is not the first time that Bailey has decided to lean on his big bro. They've been like this for years. How sweet is their bond?? Gus lets Bailey clamber all over him, sleep on him, curl up for extra heat. You get the picture. Best big brother Bailey could ask for. And a cute photo op to boot!

So there it is, my effort for this morning. I'm off to take care of myself as the sun is now rising. I need to get more tea and more cold meds. And some Shea butter for my nose. Ouch.

Have a great weekend -- and take your Vitamin C! 

Survived another V-Day

Good morning all my lovely friends. Did we all survive the chocolate onslaught that is Valentine's Day? While I do love the sentiment of V-Day, I feel like the pressure has gotten out of control. My hubs and I have resorted to celebrating the weekend following V-Day. We can go out to dinner without a reservation, the inundation of red and pink is gone from all the venues, and we can buy V-Day specific items at half price in the days after the official celebration. 

Sounds like a win for us!

Now, we are not doing this simply for the economic savings. I still got together a V-Day care package for our daughter at KU (Rock Chalk!) and had it delivered a few days before. I also put together a gift bag for our cutie-patootie high school junior daughter and gave it to her last night. We're not animals, after all...

Anyhoo - One of my favorite things I gave to the girlies was one of those felt letter boards... you know, the kind where it is rows of rolled felt and you push in the plastic letters to create messages? Like this:

That would be my motto. 

For the ladies, they each received one of these boards courtesy of the Target Dollar Section (best part of the store). My college daughter got the pink and my high school daughter got the teal. I was eagerly awaiting what thought provoking messages they would create -- they are both smart as all get-out, so I had high hopes. 

My KU gal delivered... 

My HS junior, let's say she delivered the laughs...

I love these gals. They are so much fun.

Of course, after receiving the pix from my KU girlie, she then texts "...on weekends we're gonna change it to funny alcohol puns." Yep, that sounds about right. 

It was a good V-Day. All fun, no broken hearts. What more could I ask for? 
Talk to you again soon!