The Thrill of the Hunt.

Three days ago, my husband gave me his blessing to buy everything on my wish list at work.  What?  Seriously?  I could not believe it. My frugal hubby, who just last week was telling me I needed to keep an eye on my spending, told me to get crazy and spend some of our hard earned money on myself.  Friends told me to take the money and run, not to look this gift horse in the mouth.  It is 3 days later and I have still yet to spend the money.  I can't help but wonder why?

After thinking about it, it finally hit me.  Much like the episode of Sex and the City where Aiden and Carrie are getting along too well, I was missing the thrill of the hunt.  Not just the hunt for those amazing finds or deals, but the hunt for MAKING the purchase and bringing it home.  I was getting to shop without the drama.  No calculating, hiding, sneaking around, just smooth shopping on the horizon.  No need to hide part of the purchases in the closet or in the trunk until I can get it past him at a later date.  I was missing the excitement and drama that is usually attached to a big shopping trip!

OK, ladies.  Let's be real.  We all try to pull things over on our men, especially regarding shopping.  We know we do it.  They know we do it.  It is all part of what keeps our relationships exciting.  The excuses  we make, the half truths, and the outright lies are all the thrill of the hunt which is shopping.  Can you honestly say the following has never left your mouth?

• "Oh, I have had that forever..." - Since when does forever equal one week?
• "These never go on sale.  It was such a good deal, I couldn't pass it up."  - Really?  Never goes on sale?  Just this one time?  No one really believes that, not you, not him.
• "No, I only spent $XXX today." - Yeah, right.  You probably spent twice that and hid the rest on your "secret" credit card or used your cash stash.
• "I just haven't worn that since before I had the kids." - This one was my favorite.   It doesn't work anymore, but it did for awhile.

There are hundreds, if not thousands more I could add to this list.  I am sure my hubby could even add a few of his own.

Really, it is by far not the worst problem to have.  I am sure most of you are screaming at your computer/iPad/phone screens that I am an idiot for waiting this long, even if my husband has spoiled the hunt for me. I am extremely thankful my husband desires to make me happy.  The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but my path just might start in the closet.  Happy wife, happy life, right?!

In the end, I will suck it up and go shop.  It is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Dress for it!

My sister recently went shopping at La Rue Marche, a cute little shop in Hudson, Wisconsin.  As she was happily showing me her new wares,which included a super cute skirt I anticipate she will wear to death and meal planning guide which I would realistically give about 3 months max before she quits it (Sorry, Carrie), I noticed a cute label on the outside of her bag.

I was struck by the simplicity and truth behind the message.  Everyday IS an event.  We SHOULD dress for it.  Frequently, I run into moms, both at work and in my personal life, who tell me they would love to dress more stylishly but they don't go anywhere.  I'm sorry, did I not just run into you at Target?  Are you not out running errands or shopping?  Doesn't your husband see you daily?  These are the questions I find myself wanting to ask (and at work I frequently do ask).  Why NOT get dressed for life?

Am I saying you need to "put on the dog" every single time you leave the house?  Nope.  Do you need to "impress" your husband or anyone else?  Not at all.  I would be lying  if I said I always wear makeup and cute clothes when I leave my house or on my stay home days.  But I still try more often than not.  It makes me feel good to be presentable for not only my family, friends, or strangers but just for myself.  My confidence is lifted and I have an extra pep in my step. I feel like the days I "dress for it" are some of my best days, in and out of my house.

So, this morning I was feeling inspired by the idea of dressing for my day.  So I pulled out the yummy fall sweater (which I have been dying to wear for the past two weeks since I bought it) and paired it with some mom friendly shorts and sandals.  Add a scarf and some earrings, my look was almost complete.  I even felt inspired to get a little crazy with the new eye shadows from Sephora and create a little smokier eye than normal. 

Sweater - Free People

 Shorts - Paige Premium Denim

Scarf - Thirty Nine 42

Shoes - Dr. Scholls

(all via Hot Mama)

The few minutes of extra thought and effort must have paid off, because I kept getting compliments on my outfit and makeup, even from random strangers.  I will be honest, it felt good to have people notice!  To continue my good feelings and attitude, I have left almost the entire outfit on (except the scarf and shoes) while chilling at home after work.

 So next time you find yourself in  a "getting dressed slump" (you know you have them) or believing that you don't go anywhere or see anyone, think about the day ahead of you as an event and dress for it.  Who knows what could happen?

The monster in my closet.

There is a monster in my closet.  I know, because I have seen it.  Everyday it is there, lurking, waiting, taunting me.   No matter what I do, it is too scary to address head on, so I try to pretend it is not there.  Today, I am coming out and admitting my fear of the monster and what I must do to defeat it.  Here it is, the monster in my closet.

No, that is not a pile of dirty laundry (I wish).  Those clothes are CLEAN!  This is my dreaded ironing pile, which currently stands between 2-3 feet high.  Now, I know everyone is going to think, "Why the heck is she ironing?  This isn't 1950 and it doesn't matter!"  Unfortunately, I was raised by an ironer, probably the ironing master!  My mom would spend hours watching movies and TV shows in our basement while tacking the family wrinkles.  It is arguably in my blood.

Please don't think I have such a huge closet that this pile is 100% mine.  While I do have a clothing addiction,  the majority of this pile belongs to my darling husband.  His love of wearing button downs to work is the main contributing factor to this pile, because I abhor ironing them. Heck, even my daughters have an item or two in this pile.  How a 3 year old and a 5 year old get to wear clothing that wrinkles is beyond me.

Nevertheless, the monster lurks in my closet, taunting me daily with clothes I would love to wear but must first dig OUT of the pile, and then (horror of horrors) iron.  Truthfully, I don't mind ironing overly much.  It is something to do while I catch up on my DVR'd guilty pleasures (Deadliest Catch, EastEnders, Warehouse 13, etc).  It is just the size of the monstrous pile that terrifies me!  Even if I take out all of my hubby's button downs (which we have agreed I do not have to iron if I don't want to), it is still a daunting task to undertake.  

So I will do what I must do.  Tackle the mountain head on.  Make the effort to get out the starch and wrestle the wrinkles into submission! Act like the 1950's housewife my my tried to raise me to be!



Tomorrow.  Definitely tomorrow......



Or maybe next week.



 Maybe I should just buy something new to wear instead.  That would be much easier.

Well, I'm in trouble....again.

My husband is balancing the checkbook.  Yup, he still does this every month, sitting down with a pencil, highlighter and calculator.  I like to call those our "fight" days.  One time, he even tried to do it on our anniversary!

This month, he has discovered my early love of the new Sephora which is opening only a scant mile from my work.  What is worse, my cousin is the manager and has the ability to talk me into glorious pampering items designed to make me look and feel fabulous.  What is not to like about that?  You think he, of all people, would WANT me to be as amazing and relaxed as possible.  Happy wife = happy life, right?  Apparently, not in the eyes of my spouse, who would like me to curb my obsession with Sephora and my place of employment, Hot Mama (HA!!!!  Not going to happen).  It is times like this I must be reminded of the following:

 Yes, I would love to purchase every single Benefit, Philosophy, or Urban Decay product waived under my nose, but I must remind myself that it will disrupt the wedded bliss usually I experience at home.  It is up to me to reign in my own love of delicious products to sooth the savage beast I am married to tonight.

BUT, fear not, my intrepid readers!  Fall is my favorite season for fashion and my hubby has already been warned of and agreed to some shopping adventures for me.  I am now weighing my love of Sephora with my love of Hot Mama.  Hmmm.....which do you think is going to win????  So in the near future, I will be reminded of this following:

And I can't wait!!!!

To be continued......