Most Excellent

I can't say enough about these great clothes. They are fashion forward & trendy.
The coats are to die for.

http://www.tulle4us.com/

I first found this line of clothing at 1 of my favorite gift shops in the world. It is Catching Fireflies in Berkley. Every time I walk in this shop which is not that big, I spend hours looking in every nook and cranny. Sadly, they no longer carry clothes but I have bought many gifts there. My last purchase was for my anniversary. I bought a wallet & change holder for my uber-organized husband.

http://www.catchingfireflies.com/

Waiting on my nightstand is the new Real Simple magazine for November. I happen to like this magazine, not to mention my sis used to work there. They have some great tips & excellent photos.

http://www.realsimple.com

I loves Cooks.com too. It always has good recipes plus on the side is a little bar of recently searched recipes. Yes, I am a huge snoop. I love to even see what random people are cooking. And sometimes I get inspired.

www.cooks.com

Finally, I liked all of these mommy tips from parenting.com but I do most of them already. I need more time or better tips.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/mom/organization/0,,428f-3,00.html


My biggest tip is condense all of your errands in 1 trip & try to map it out before you go!
What are some of your time savers?

Fabulous & Most Excellent

There are a few cool things that I found this week.

I went to a Cabi party last night. The clothes were great. They were a little too worky for me but the shirts, casual jackets & sweaters were nice. Plus they have these great blouses made of t-shirt material. I am sure many of you like me have that peek-a-boo effect with the buttons that just do not seem to close in the chest area. These shirts do not button but cleverly zipper! The clothes were classic and comfortable. That is a great fit for anyone. I bought a great black shirt for going out. I also loved the shoes but guess what, they were not part of the line. Darn!

www.cabionline.com

Guess who is planning the 5th grade Halloween party at my son's school? You!! You are awfully generous. No, it is moi. I have done a few of these and my go-to web site for ideas is the Family Fun website. They have great recipes, games & party ideas. I can't say enough about this web site & magazine. It has been a great help to me with ideas to entertain and excite my kids on sunny & rainy days, any holiday and anything in between.

Plus I was there yesterday looking for recipe ideas for dinner. They have a whole month of recipe ideas. I am going with the baked ziti - what about you?

www.familyfun.com

Have you been to the E.L.Johnson Nature Center yet? My kids & I went this summer. They loved it. Plus what an inexpensive outing for a family, It has an old-fashioned cabin with a working swing. The walkway over the small lake is fun too. They also have some animals to visit. My neighbor told me all about this great place. Go & enjoy the quiet time with your own family.

E. L. Johnson Nature Center
3325 Franklin Road
Bloomfield Township, MI
48302

www.friendsofjohnsonnaturecenter.org

Don't wear the Cabi clothes to the nature center. Save those for dinner out! Enjoy the weekend.

Buying clothes on a budget-part 1

TJMaxx, Marshall's, Old Navy, Gap & Loehmann's are just a few stores that I prowl through looking for a good bargain. I had 3 sisters growing up and we all had clothing needs. I remember when the first discount store came into town, it was as if my mother had found nirvana. All of the other mothers and daughters were thankful too because there were lines out of the door and down the street. I remember my mother driving an hour away just to get discounted Jordache jeans for my older sister. When my parents went to San Francisco they would go to the Esprit warehouse and come home with armloads of clothes for us. I still dream about that place.

I digress. I have a plan of attack for bargain shopping. I do not keep an eye on the sales. The clothes I want never go on sale or sell out quickly. When I go to a store, I hit clearance first. Places like Old Navy and Gap cycle through their clothes so quickly that if I love a black t-shirt in the window, chances are there is a similar one on the clearance rack for way cheaper. Or I buy the shirt I love and find bottoms in the clearance rack. I wanted black yoga pants from Old Navy. The pair in the front of the store was $10 more than the pair in the back! I love saving $10 because than I can possibly go to Starbucks and save some money at the same time...

Pass it on

I spent today going through stuff. We have clothes, boots, books and more stuff. How I do get so much? How do I give so much away? I ended up having 3 piles. 1 pile was for the Salvation Army but the other 2 piles are for friend's kids. This is my favorite part of passing it on.

When I was young I hated hand-me-downs but of course but as an adult I see the value in them. I came from a family of four girls. Luckily I was the second oldest so I did not suffer with really worn clothes but I did get some. My youngest sister had a choice between two sets of clothing since my other sister and I were 19 months apart. We often wore the same size. So why would I want to subject anyone else to hand-me-downs?

My kids grow so fast that often they outgrow the clothes before they have actually been worn. Other times my kid had to have an article of clothing but when it came home it sat in the closet never to be worn. Another major reason for giving clothes away is that some of the clothes they received were so cute that they just had to be passed on. I think each reason is valid in its own way and I want to hand over these great clothes so they can be used enough times.

Sadly, I have a girl and a boy and passing clothes on from one sibling to the other is challenging. I bought many non-gender boots, pj's and sweatshirts. I wish I had two of each so that the smocked baby dress could have been worn again or the adorable overalls my son had at 9 mos. could have been shown off again. I couldn't cross the gender lines though. I had a friend who made her son when he was baby/toddler wear girly pj's because no one would see him. I wonder about him to this day...

I am a huge advocate of recycling. I think this is 1 major way to keep the earth greener. I still get hand-me-overs from sisters still occasionally. I am also not above "borrowing" from my husbands or now my grown daughter's closet. I myself am a huge fan of making the earth green by buying my clothes on sale but that is another story.

Bodenite, bodenphile

O.k., o.k. I have a serious hang-up. There are very few things in life that I love. One major thing I have is a serious crush on Boden: www.bodenusa.com. It started a few years ago when the catalog came in my mail. I opened it up & saw on every page clothing I could, I would & I did buy. I do not know what caught my eye first. Was it the simplicity of the clothes? The newness of the catalog? The cool models on every page who told names & small bits of info about themselves.

I also dream of working for them. I dream they call me out of the blue & say they noticed I am their number one purchaser with an eye for style. Could I come work for them? Oh yes, I would say. Let's discuss it over a cup of tea & a scone!

I also dream the owner of the company. Johnnie Boden spots me in the airport in one of his smashing yet casually chic outfits. He instantly falls in luv. He asks me to come to England to be with him. O.k. JK, I know he is married. But wouldn't it be great to be married to him & open up my closet or just walk into the office. I would have my pick of clothes.

I am drawn to their clothes and the lifestyle on the pages (beaches & outdoors everywhere yet many weekend in the city pics). I am around 30-40 & do not want to look 20 nor do I want to look 50. Where, oh, where does my age shop? I first ordered a simple, long, pink tweed jacket with fringe a few years ago. It was perfect for those dress up times when I did not need to be in a formal length gown (ha) but needed to look chic & cool. Mind you this is a a catalog from Great Britain not Paris. (where a French teacher should shop) I wore that jacket with jeans. I wore with a simple black skirt. I had a great little scarf that I tied around my neck with it. Oh, I was the Boden in Paris girl.

Their skirts are brilliant, just brilliant. (I do have to throw some British slang in here.) My first skirt was a brown velvet with large appliques that I bought 4-5 years ago! The compliments I still get today give me chills. Women will stop me & ask where I bought such a great skirt. I tell them it is vintage Boden now. Their summer skirts are just as cool! I have bought 1 a year starting with a smart red & cream designed skirt and ending last year with a pink, blue & cream print skirt that I match with a blue & cream striped top. I am so classy mixing prints.

I cannot end this blog without bringing up the children's clothes. For a few years my daughter too received a great summer dress that she could wear anywhere. Alas, she has outgrown Boden. I have passed the addiction to my sister and her 1 1/2 year old. Her daughter now sports the Boden line. My son wore his flannel, comfy pants to death. He refused to give them up even with the holes everywhere.

Sadly, I am on a budget now. I cannot make as many purchases from Johnnie & his crew. I look for their sales & have bought 1-2 key pieces this year! Johnnie, I will not forget you. I get your emails & your letters a.k.a. catalogs. I will remain faithful. I will never leave you totally. If you ever get to Michigan you have to look me up. If I ever get over the pond, I will stop by and discuss upcoming fashions. maybe you'll like my ideas and ask me to stay. I am a little older but would make a great intern. I can fetch the tea from Starbuck's- they know me there too! (that is another blog)