When in Texas... Finding the Perfect Cowboy Boots

When in Texas, you've got to get a great pair of boots. I think that's a rule posted at the border of the Republic.  Thus, I made a visit to Allen's Boots on South Congress Ave. while in Austin. I found it online in my pre-visit research, and then was confirmed by the pedi-cab driver who said that yes, it's a great boot shop, but no she wouldn't take me there because it was too far and all uphill for her to pedal over there.

When I walked in I was overwhelmed - although that may be an understatement. First, the smell of leather hit me when I walked in the door. Then I was met with rows and rows and rows of boots. I've made a couple visits to DSW and such shoe stores, but wow! They were arranged by size, so that made things a bit easier.  'Til I realized there were a couple hundred pairs of boots in my size.  So I tried on a whole bunch of boots.  There were three things I considered in my boot try-on, and I can't say which one was the simpler factor: design, fit, and price.

Design

A thing about the style: cowboy boots are pointy so that they can easily get their foot into the horse saddle stirrups.  They are heeled so the cowboy's foot doesn't slip all the way through that saddle stirrup. I don't know how important that is to my suburban, horse-free life, but it was good to know.

I pulled out short boots, high boots, solid color boots, decorative boots. They were made from all kinds of hides or skins - leather, as you would expect, and snakeskin, but also crocodile belly, ostrich body and ostrich leg. Ostrich? Who knew?  And they were in every color - brown, black, red, yellow, purple, green and turquoise! Of course, turquoise, being southwest. And then there were designs - flowers in stitching and other colored leathers, swirly stitching, bling!, lace trellises - absolutely beautiful.

Fit

Some of them fit great, some were way too tight. Some fit, but felt a little tight. I learned that when you try on new leather boots, they will be tight. Across the top of the foot, maybe around the back of the feel. The two salesladies said that the leather stretches as it wears, from the warmth and movement of your foot. It should not however, be tight on your toes - that might not stretch and then you'll have some ill-fitting (expensive) boots. The ostrich, however, wasn't expected to be as stretchy, so they should fit right.

Price

And now - let's talk about the wide range of cost. There were some boots at about $150. That's the lowest ticket price I saw, if there were lesser priced boots, they must've not been in my size.  I tried on one pair - they were turquise and beautiful and the most softest, comfortablest pair of shoes ever, on the inside and outside. I don't know what they fed that cow. They were over $500.  It almost seemed that the price was related to how likely one would be to come across the animal owning the hide and want to pet it.  A cow. A crocodile. A snake. An ostrich. You're up to about $1300.  Yes. $1300. The decimal is in the right place. They went higher too, but I just couldn't bring myself to reach up to that shelf. But they were pretty, no doubt, they were pretty.

There was some careful balancing of these three criteria to finally select the perfect pair of Texas boots.

     

Afterwards, the evening was cool and breezy and I considered walking back to my hotel, since I imagined it would now be all downhill and it really wasn't that far. I didn't have walking shoes on, but hey! These boots...

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Currently...Looking forward to Spring!

I was up late, finishing reading "On The Come Up," thus now benefitting from the full pot of coffee as I go through my to-do list for the day.  What else am I currently up to? 

Watching... the sky for the forecasted snow - tomorrow! Can you believe it? More snow, post-vernal equinox. Is that really allowed?

 

Shopping for... silver shoes and dresses to celebrate my upcoming 25th anniversary in my sorority.  Doesn't it always seem impossible to find the perfect dress when you need it? Any other time, there's great silver shoes all over the place. What milestones or special events are you celebrating?

 

Planning... spring break. It's coming soon and we're debating on a way down south where it's warm trip (and thinking about the price of 6 airplane tickets), a road trip (but anywhere far & drivable is still cold), or a relaxing, low-frills eastern shore trip (a couple hours drive & we can take the dog).  In the meantime, I'm piling up books to read and a crochet project.

 

Selling... the last of these Girl Scout cookies! Do-Si-Dos anyone? Whatever's left, I can always bake into these yummy brownies.

 

Hoping... that the DC Police or somebody find this missing 8-year old girl, alive and well.  And that someone have a serious sit-down with her mother about grown men who befriend your daughter and offer to let them stay at their home, without you.  And that this be a lesson to other mothers who don't see the blaring, flashing red flags when a grown man you barely know brings your young child gifts. It's a scary thought, I know, that you can't accept everyone's generosity at face value as genuine and sincere. Unfortunately, there are sick people out there who prey on the defenseless and vulnerable. It is our duty as parents to protect our children, even if that means being a little over-protective sometimes.

 

What are you currently up to? 

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Gathering Food for the Tribe

It's grocery shopping day.  Not that I have a regular grocery day, I know some folks do (do you?) and go to the store like clockwork so they are never without milk and bread.  Me? I go when the fridge is starting to look bare or, more importantly, when I am totally out of coffee creamer.  Like today.

I had to go to McDonald's this morning for my coffee. And I got an egg white and cheddar biscuit, to go along with my coffee.  If you don't know, I do like McD's (I don't really care what folks say, they are the best french fries) but this was not part of my meal plan. See what happens when you run out of coffee creamer?

I have a pretty routine process that at least keeps me organized when I do go to the grocery store.

Materials:

• list of stuff I've run out of
• recipes
• family calendar
• coupons

Grocery List Prep
My grocery list is in order of the grocery store layout.  Veggies and fruits first, fresh fish and meat, dry foods/pantry staples, cold/frozen foods, household cleaning stuff.  This saves me from wandering back and forth though the store.

What are we out of? I keep a running list on the side of my fridge - the stuff that I run out of and will definitely forget to put on a list. Salt, dishwashing liquid, butter - all those pantry staples that you always think you have, until you reach for it and remember you used the last little drop three days ago.  Then consider basic household staples - drinks, juices, food for lunch, breakfast food, etc. All that stuff goes on the list.

I also, when organized enough, put this stuff on my cozi.com app grocery list for when I have a few minutes between dropping kids off places and can run into the store.

Flip through the latest issue of Cooking Light (or whichever issue I find first) or a cookbook off the shelf  for dinner ideas for the week.  Then I check the family calendar to figure out when we'll actually be eating dinner at home, when we'll be eating on the way to somewhere, and when I'll be home to cook dinner.  Based on all of that, I plan for the meals that require dedicated kitchen time, quick dinners, crockpot and cook ahead meals, and inventive sandwiches and quesadillas.

Add all of the food stuff from the recipes to the grocery shopping list.  If there's a particular recipe that I'm not sure I'm going to make or requires some odd-ball ingredient that I may or may not find at the regular grocery store, I list all of those ingredients together, so I know that if I don't find everything, I don't need to get the rest of it, either.

Check for coupons.  I pull out all the coupons for food and cleaning items on the list and clip those together so I can find them when I get to the checkout line.

Grab all my reusable shopping bags - save 5 cents for each bag!

And off I go to gather food for my little tribe.

Now if there was just someone waiting to bring it all in and put it away, that would be great.

Share in the comments any other grocery shopping tips you have!

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Mom-Me Celebration - Day 16: Go Buy Yourself Something Pretty

I'm out today enjoying my sorority chapter's fashion show.  It's a big to-do. As well as it being our scholarship fundraiser, it's a fun day to get dressed up and hang out with girlfriends and ooh and aah over pretty dresses that you can't imagine where you will wear them to in your current lifestyle of chaperoning field trips and hanging out at sports games. But it definitely gets you in the mood for today's challenge - go buy yourself something pretty.

Don't you deserve something pretty?

You may have noticed that several of my challenges thus far (and coming up) are to go out and buy something for yourself - lipstick, nail polish, a new bra - and now "something pretty". Why? When was  the last time you bought yourself a pair of shoes? Or a new dress? Or whatever it is that makes you feel special or ladylike or attractive or whatever positive way you want to feel about yourself? I recently saw an online survey (not very scientific, I don't guess) asking moms how long ago it was that they did buy something for themselves and if a long time, why? You can imagine, or maybe you are one of the moms who could answer "I haven't bought anything in 6 months because the kids needed XYZ."  It points to the sacrifice that moms make for their kids. How often have you thought, "oh, I'd like a new dress, but Johhnie needs new cleats." "I'd love to have those new shoes, but Suzy needs a new tutu." Or maybe it's not even financial; perhaps by the time you get off of work, run the kids all over town, throw together dinner, and get the little folks in p.j.s, the mall is closed and you're too tired to even point & click to a new pair of shoes. Moms - you give up a lot for your kids. Take a moment, a few dollars, for yourself.

Now, I realize that there are families in financial hardship and I'm not suggesting that you put your family's shelter and food in jeopardy for your own frivolous spending. You'll notice that there's no dollar value attached to "go buy..."  I bought a flower hairclip at H&M for about $2 the other day; maybe that'll be enough for you, too. Or maybe, a new $500 pair of shoes fits into your budget, I don't know. But the point is - be selfish for just long enough to make yourself feel good.

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Follow along here on my blog or on Facebook - JustPiddlin with Frances for our 30-Day Mom-Me Celebration all the way until Mother's Day.

Mom-Me Celebration - Day 14: Buy A New Bra for Yourself

The last few days, we've relaxed, cleaned our car.  Now, time for a little shopping because like the advise on the shopping bag, every woman wants to FEEL BEAUTIFUL.

Weight gain - weight loss, pregnancy related or not. Breast-feeding. Age. Our bodies have gone through a lot of changes. Our undergarments need to keep up.  According to Soma Intimates, 80% of us are walking around with the wrong size bra.

If you've ever watched "What Not to Wear" or Oprah you know you've got to measure yourself and have properly fitting bras. You've got to check the inch measurement - the circumference of your ribcage/torso - as well as the cup size, the measurement around your breasts.  Both sizes fluctuate with all your body changes, so don't guess.  Someone at the lingerie stores or department stores can help you; and if you are shy, you can do it yourself - just use a real tape measure.

Now that you've got your measurements - has what you want the bra to DO also changed?  Support. Lift. Push-up. Accentuate. What are you trying to do with your figure?  That probably changes on different days. Do you need the push-up padded red lace trim peeking out the top of your blouse for your volunteer-at-school day?  (The correct answer, if you are wondering, would be "no".)  Maybe you want more than the basic beige support for date night. And do you have one of those clear-strap or strapless bras so that when you wear that cute sundress you don't have ugly bra straps hanging out (even if they are a matching or coordinating color, bra straps aren't supposed to be visible).  Or maybe, you need something totally functional - a sports bra so your work-out is more comfortable.  What do you want your bra to do?

Think about how you want your bra to LOOK. Do you feel any particular way depending on what you wear? Sexier? Older? Straight-laced? Do you want to feel a different way?  You can do more than white and black and beige.  Consider a new color, a fun pattern - it'll be your own little secret of what's under your basic mom button-down shirt (well, unless/until you want to share your secret with someone).

And don't whine about COST.  Whether you are shopping at Target or LaPerla or buying that VS diamond encrusted bra - your bra should still FIT.

Even if you don't have time to go shopping for a new bra today - at least go through your current inventory. I bet there's at least 1 that doesn't need to be in there anymore. Too big, too small. Broken strap, pokey wire. Ugly (definitely get rid of the ugly ones). All your breasts are spilling over the top not in a cute and sexy way.  The cups are only half-full - or half-empty, depending on how you look at things. You don't even need a good reason other than "I don't like it." Get rid of it.

Today's summary: Toss an old bra, measure yourself, buy a new bra.  Simple.  Enjoy!

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Check out other ideas for your 30-Day Mom-Me Celebration!

Tips for Black Friday Shopping

What are you more excited about this week - the turkey and cranberry sauce or the Black Friday sales (which, it seems, now start on Thursday, or even Wednesday)?

Each Thanksgiving, for years now, as I spoon through another slice of sweet potato pie or red velvet cake or banana pudding and a cup of coffee, I watch a master get-the-best-deal, Black Friday expert at work.  To prepare you for your holiday shopping, I'm going to share some of her tactics (I hope these aren't proprietary and I get kicked off the Christmas list).

• A week before Thanksgiving, call/text/email everyone on your Christmas list and ask them for their wish list, current sizes, favorite color, and mailing address.  Act surprised when they (again) are not ready and don't know their children's shoe sizes.
• Collect all the sales papers for every store in a 50-mile radius that might have anything on your shopping list.  Add to your pile - coupons, special codes, random gift cards, and spare change.
• Map out the locations of the stores, especially plan for the ones that are in the same shopping center or the mall.  Refer to floor plan of the stores to map out shopping strategy.
• Based on hourly sale specials, figure out how many assistants you will need to efficiently and economically navigate the stores.
• Arrange childcare for any children who are too young to push a cart and stand in cashier check-out line alone, they will slow you down and take up cart space.
• Remind hubby, while he is distracted watching the football game and eating banana pudding, that he is on shift as driver and package carrier.
• Remind everyone who is not going with you how sorry they will be when they: have to pay higher prices later, are still shopping the week before Christmas, can't find the stuff on their gift list.
• Debate whether you can stay up for midnight madness shopping and continue through to Black Friday 4 a.m. openings.
• Go to sleep, power shopping requires you to be at peak performance.

If all that is more than you are ready for this year, let me share with you my Black Friday shopping plans.

• While eating another slice of cake and cup of coffee, watch expert-shopper (also known as "sister-in-law") plan shopping.
• Note some sales items in store ads.
• Realize that people are planning on getting in line at 4 a.m. to get sales prices.
• Beg expert-shopper to take your money and do your shopping.  Note - she may refuse, be prepared to have to do fill your gift list yourself.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Pack Your Bags: Back to School!

“You must be a teacher – getting ready for back-to-school?” The cashier commented as he began ringing up my notebooks, pile of composition books, couple dozen pencils, and peeked into my cart full of school supplies.

“Actually, no, I’m not.  These are just for my own kids.”

With four school-age kids, there’s a LOT of school supplies.  And it adds up.  Here’s some ways I’ve found to save a few dollars (and my sanity) in checking off our supply lists.

Stocking up for the school year

The bag: Of course, the kids need a bag to carry all of their stuff to and from school; most popular is the traditional backpack.  Before you purchase a backpack that's too small or too big, consider the age of your child, what they will be carrying, where are they carrying it, and the comfort of carrying it.  Does your kid ride the bus or get picked up at school or do they walk home?  Do they have to bring home textbooks or do they keep a set at home?  Will those wheeled back-packs fit in their locker?  

Spend a little extra on bookbags and lunchboxes.  I know, that doesn’t seem like a savings tip, but in the long run it is.  I purchase my kids’ backpacks from Lands’ End and they’ve lasted a few years through school, vacations, and camp.  The key is to pick a design that they won’t get tired of before the bag wears out.   We replenish lunchboxes every school year.

School supplies

• Take the school supply list with you when you go shopping, then stick to it.  If the teacher is asking for 24 crayons, don’t bother to get 48, no matter what the 7-year old tells you.
• Take the kids with you.  I generally prefer to shop without my kids, but I do take them school supply shopping.  1 – Because it’s their stuff, so they get excited about school by picking out their folders and notebooks and all that.  2 – Some of the sale items are a limited quantity per person.  Put each child in line with their own stuff and their own quantity limit.
•  Buy at least 3 of everything on the list now while its on sale, not including binders and big stuff like that, but pencils, crayons, notebook paper, etc.  Send one to school, put one away in your stash for when your kid runs out and tells you at bedtime she needs more glue for tomorrow, and put one at your homework station/supply basket.  Put a few extras pencils and crayons in a school box in the car for doing homework on the go.
•  Consider the store brand.  Sure, there are certain things that you have to have the commercial brand just because, for instance, crayons.  But other stuff, like pencils, if it doesn’t matter, compare prices.
• What will they need for an upcoming project this semester?  Think back to last school year or ask parents of older students about this year – are there any big projects that might require specific supplies?  Last year, my daughter had a research project and everyone else in the county must’ve been assigned one at the same time because there wasn’t a 4”x6” lined white index card anywhere to be found.  They aren’t on sale right now, but I still picked up a pack to save the aggravation later.  Also consider those tri-fold science fair boards and report covers.
• Maximize your savings - use all your coupons, discount cards, send in the rebate forms.  I went to Staples and found that they have a school supply discount card – you get 15% of your total, the card costs $10 and is good through mid-September.  Do the math to figure out if it’s worth it for you.
• For some of the big purchases, wait until school starts or at least, don’t use the product and hold on to the receipt.  My second middle schooler’s supply list for 6^th grade math includes a super-duper calculator that runs about $120.  I don’t recall my older daughter needing it for that math class, so I bought a much less expensive one for now.

Once you've brought home your haul of pencils and scissors and papers - make sure it doesn't all end up in Lost & Found or someone else's desk.  

Mom's labeling supplies: sticker labels, Sharpie, label maker

• Label all your kid's stuff.  With a sheet of stickers (order some low-cost stickers from online vendors or print your own), a Sharpie, and a label maker (I love my label maker!) you should be able to get Little Susie's name on everything she owns.  
• Don't forget their clothes!  Think your Little Tyrone is the only one with that red jacket?  Take a walk past the Lost & Found rack one day, you'd be surprised the stuff kids lose.  There are vendors who print iron-on labels for clothing or you can use a Sharpie, a regular one or I found some specifically for fabric.  

We're almost done checking off our supply lists - I think we've got one more binder to get.  Any other supply-shopping tips?

Back on schedule

Look at that pretty pink datebook that arrived in my mail this morning!  After the post about my search for a datebook, several people e-mailed and posted on FB links and suggestions to continue my quest.  A friend from college sent me a list of sites that had really nice planners (thanks, J!).  I passed on the $500 one and found this one at The Hach*.  They had so many cute options, if you are one of those people who like wandering around stationary stores looking at paper-stuff, you'll love this site.  

Mine is the LiveWork Agenda, I got the small - 4"x6" - exactly what I was looking for, but was tempted by the 5"x7".  There's a map of the world (I could trace the route of my planner - produced in S. Korea, sold on a website based in Canada, sent to me here in the U.S. of A.) and a yearly calendar (maybe I'll actually get some birthday cards out on time).  I was surprised to find that its an un-dated calendar, so while there's a space for each day, I'll have to write in the dates.  No problem, I can do that while watching Real Housewives since that doesn't take any brain power.  

In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I could go ahead and order one for next year, or start stockpiling them for the eventuality that they may stop making them altogether.

*2015 Update: The Hach is no longer a site (went out of business, renamed? I don't know) but the LiveWork Agenda is available at FallinDesigns.

Adding to the to-read pile

I believe that if God let me live long enough to crochet all the skeins in my yarn stash and read all the books on my shelves, I shall live ‘til a very old age.  Beyond all logic, I have an - hmm, shall I say "obsession"? - for purchasing books and yarn (even books about yarn).

Today, I found myself with a spare 45 minutes in between shopping at the Girl Scout store and picking up my daughter from school.  As I wondered what to do with this found time, I realized I was passing Politics and Prose, a popular local bookstore that has been on my list of places to visit for years.  It was fate that I found a meter right out front in the middle of the rainy afternoon. 

I wandered through my favorite section - fiction - browsing the new authors and recommended books, then perusing the shelves.  I nodded as I passed titles on my "to read" pile – either physically at home or on my virtual stack of e-books.  Great House, Under Fishbone Clouds, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Please Look After Mom.  I flipped through The Postmistress, forgetting that I already had that at home, too.  I picked up a few new ones – The Night Circus, The Post-Birthday World and debated with myself whether I really needed some new books.  Is "wanted" the same thing?  Hmm.  I carried them around while I thought about it. 

Then - ooh! - a coffee & sandwich shop downstairs (I know, I’m so easily distracted.)  This place is exactly like the kind of bookstore I always wanted to own myself. 

While eyeing the menu board, I made a compromise.  Today, I’d get the grilled tuna melt on sunflower seeded bread and put the titles on my to-buy list.  I’ve got to keep the shelves full, just in case our lives are measured in the number of pages we read.

Souvenir Yarn shopping in London & Madrid

In addition to the key chains and coffee mugs emblazoned with the names of various cities, I most always come home from vacation with at least a few skeins of yarn. During my trip to Europe, my intention was to find a local yarn shop in each city and collect a scarf-to-be as we went along.

When traveling, I find yarn shops using knitmap.com. Its basically Googlemaps for yarn fanatics. Enter in the city that you would like to search, as well as some optional criteria such as “Open Right Now”, “Snacks/Refreshments” and it returns a list of yarn shops plotted on a map. Each store has a basic listing of location and hours, and some have comments and website link.

Although I did find listings for shops in each city, I did miss a few stops. Here’s my first tip for yarn shopping while on vacation: check the shop hours and plan your shopping into your sightseeing. The times that I did this were the only times I made it to a shop; when I thought I would just get there eventually, I didn’t. Also, because we were traveling in Europe, there were a couple of other snags – some of the shops were closed at lunch, which was the time I had thought I could get there, and some were closed for holiday (in August).

Note here that I am one of those yarn shoppers who buys what I like when I see it, not necessarily for a specific pattern or purpose, so in some ways wandering through yarn shops is easier since I have no particular thing in mind. If you are looking for a particular yarn, you would need to have a good idea of the weight and yardage needed to be able to make substitutions, if necessary.

In London, I visited iKnitLondon, a short walk from the WaterLoo Station, across the bridge from Big Ben. I went in the evening, and the street was pretty empty, all the other stores closed, with the exception of a convenience store or small restaurant or two. I did think “this does not look like a yarn shop street,” but was pleasantly surprised (and happy that I hadn’t gotten myself lost) when I came across the bright yellow shop sign. Inside was packed, not only with yarn, but knitters, too. It was one of the nights that they are open late and customers could gather for knitting, chatting, and refreshments. Along with yarn and supplies, they also sold wine – the young lady working said that they are the only yarn shop in England with a liquor license; I’m sure that would be a unique combination here in the States, too. The shelves were jam-packed with yarn, from cotton to wool to silk. I was pleased with the selection, and to the chagrin of my 4 kids, took some time to feel the yarn, consider all the colors and imagine all the possibilities. I finally settled on a skein of Scrumptious lace (with a name like that, how could you pass it up) - an oyster colored lace-weight silk and merino blend, from fyberspates - destined for a late-summer/early fall shawl.


In Madrid, tucked into the outside wall of Plaza Mayor, I found El Gato Negro (again – what a name, right?) It was a spacious shop, stacked from floor to ceiling with skeins and skeins of unlabeled yarn. My favorite feature was the library-style ladders that wheeled along the shelves. There were two older women working, neither of whom spoke English, but were very pleasant and helpful. All the yarn was sold by weight, in skeins of about 100 grams. Of course, I had no idea of yards per gram for various types of yarn, so I took an experienced guess on how much I would need to be able to complete a project. In my rudimentary Spanish, cobbled together from what I remembered from high school and what I acquired over my few days in Spain, I figured out yarn content, weight, and price, and took home a couple skeins of gray mohair and pink and gray wool. The prices were very reasonable and if my husband would’ve allowed me to buy another suitcase, I probably would’ve grabbed up a few more sweaters worth of yarn.

If I lived in Madrid, I think you would find me sitting in the Plaza on a regular basis – a pitcher of sangria, a skein of yarn, and people watching to last all day.