Sassy Black Friend

On the bright side

Thank goodness for pregnancy, am I right? As weird as it is for Little Sister to be turning into Little Mama (not THAT Little Mama), I’m super excited. So, in between trips to the hospital this week I’ve already started shopping for her. Yes, I know she’s only 10 weeks along, but still.

I mean, it’s going to take a while to find the perfect inappropriate slogan onesie. And don’t even get me started on baby shower invitations. The kid will be in college before I choose one.

Oh, and if anyone knows where I can get a temporary tattoo that says knocked up, let me know.

Shopping is shopping

I was on the phone with my mother last night and we talking about buying clothes. She mentioned that it was harder to shop for certain ages and body types. I agreed, but told her a good shopper can find what they want. Being a good shopper means knowing the stores you’re going to, and which ones to avoid.

It’s all about the research. Don’t drive for an hour to visit a shoe store that doesn’t carry boots if you really want boots. And if the shoe store you love always runs out of your size, don’t just go there and expect to get lucky. Find out when they get new shipments. Or better yet, get the style number and try their website, if they allow in-store returns.

There’s no point looking for plus size corsets in Forever 21.

Doing a little work up front will save you time and aggravation. Shopping should be fun, not excruciating.

Final holiday push

This evening is the last time I’m letting myself do any gift shopping before Christmas. I have to get a couple of little things for some family members I just found out I’ll be seeing. Then I am done, done, done. The boyfriend is getting his parents (along with his sisters) the samsung lcd I’ve been drooling over, but that’s being shipped.

This weekend I’m planning to concentrate on recipes for our little DC holiday dinner on Wednesday before the boyfriend and I head off to our respective hometowns.

Dancing shoes needed

Not for dancing, though. I don’t really do that. I mean, if I go to a wedding or a club I’ll get up for one number, but I don’t really dance. But I need a pair of cute, comfortable shoes for winter. I’m looking in stores and at online auction sites for options based on reviews. The plan is to come up with something soon so I can convince someone to get me a pair as a gift. Two specific someones have mentioned their failure to get something for me yet. You know who you are. You’ll be getting an email with links as soon as I find what I want.

Also, it’s cold. Still. Really cold.

The battle expands

Yesterday I mentioned my dear friend Marcus arguing about everything. Today we’ve finally managed to drag the boyfriend into the fray. We’re all about to head over to holiday party #134 of 2,956 and stopping to look at some glass mosaic tiles. I know, I know. But we’re running early and this place is kind of out of the way. So it makes sense to combine the trips.

We spent some time looking at options online, but really wanted to see the samples in person. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and don’t want backsplash tiles that I’m going to be sick of in two months. So I think pleasant but understated is the way to go. Marcus and the boyfriend think something bright and eye-catching is better. I think eye-catching can turn into an eyesore right quick.

Less ‘splodey is better

So, you know how a computer will work perfectly right up until the day after your warranty expires? Yeah, happened to me. My laptop experienced a catastrophic failure. Calling what happened an explosion isn’t as much of an exaggeration as you’d think.

That’s what I get for buying something quickly, rather than going for the custom laptop I wanted to get.

Thank goodness for credit cards and a very very good backup habits. I did a full disk image the day before it died, so I’m not losing anything. Plus, we have two other computers in the house I can use while I wait for my new one to arrive.