Summer Wardrobe

Since Mr. Shawn's birthday is on Monday, we've been going out this weekend to try to buy him some new jeans and things, since he's always complaining about all his clothes being old and worn, that his shirts have holes in them, and that he feels like a schmuck next to me. After reminding him that I like the way he dresses, I suggested getting some new clothes for his birthday this year.

It turns out, he's rather picky when it comes to clothes shopping. We left Macys, Nodstroms, Gap, JCPenny, Target, and Kohls empty-handed. Well, he left empty handed. I, on the other hand, left Target with a sackful of delicious new outfits for Miss Violet to wear this summer.

Now, I've been working on my bargain hunting habits. Just recently, I was able to get a brand new jogging stroller online (as it happens, through Target as well), that, to my good fortune, started out on sale, and after doing an internet search for "Target promo codes" was able to find a coupon code that took off an additional $5, PLUS free shipping. Shipping on the stroller was a whopping $23, so that's a nice big win. In the end, I got a stroller that is roughly $110 retail for just over $80. Sweet! (p.s., I highly recommend doing a search for coupons or promo codes + the name of whichever online retailer you're shopping before placing an order there. I found a great website, RetailMeNot, that seems to have lots of great coupons and codes for a whole slew of big name stores, and you never know what kind of little known or secret promotions a store is running. You may not find anything, but it never hurts to check!)

Which is why, when I walked past the kids clothes section at Target and saw that all these delightful little pieces were all less than $10 each, I was in hipster heaven.

First of all, you don't get much cuter than kids in rompers. And these ones are just so off the charts adorable with their sunny summer colors and little girlie decals, it was too much to resist. The flowered dress is also a charmer. As much as a part of me hates to be matchy-matchy, I also can't stop buying purple clothes for Violet. Soon she'll be dressing herself and probably taking after her father and wearing black and whatnot, so I'm taking advantage of all the girlie stuff I can until then.

I've been waiting for her to be old enough to wear a tutu since before she was born. And this one was $5. That's Five. Dollars. There was also a smashing lime green option, but, again, with the purple thing. It looks more pink in the picture, sadly. The matching top was also a steal at $5. The rompers were $8 a piece. I mean really, I only wish they made them in my size for that price. 

We're still working on what to get Shawn, it's entirely possible that he will end up with a video game instead, and the same old jeans he's been wearing for 12 years. Do boys have it easier or harder than us? Sometimes I can't tell.  

It's a Super-Sweet Thing!

Oh. My. Gosh. I feel like I've just been handed my key into the Grown-Up and Fabulous Club. Let me explain.

Shawn and I have been planning on moving a few towns over for a while now, to get into a nicer neighborhood and find a place where we will want to stay for a few years. I was lining up apartments to go and tour when a friend of ours casually reminded Shawn that another friend's mother owns a big, beautiful, and uninhabited home on the border of Alamo and Danville. Now, the house has been unoccupied for quite some time, and the plot of land it's sitting on has gotten totally overgrown, the spiders have set up shop, and some bored rich kids broke in at some point and spray-painted some of the walls in the upstairs bedroom.

But have I mentioned that this is a big two-story house in Alamo?

The owner knows Shawn from childhood, and when he mentioned the idea of us living in the top floor unit while also taming the yard, repainting, and repairing the rest of the house, and managing the tenants she is trying to get moved into the in-law unit on the property, she was immediately in love with the idea.

So there you have it. I don't know specifics like what rent we'll work out to pay, or how soon we can start moving in, since some things like fixing the spray paint need to be dealt with first. But let me tell you, I've spent the better part of this evening day-dreaming about how I'm going to decorate the baby's new bedroom. Since her bedding is purple, white, and brown, I'm pondering various combinations of lavender and white. Something like this, perhaps:

(thank you, weedecor.com)

I'm just all aflutter over the idea of having a real house to fix up and decorate, within reason, to make it look nice and get to live there. There is a huge yard with a built in bbq and firepit on the patio; I feel myself morphing into Martha Stewart at the thought of all the amazing gatherings we can host there, and just in time for summer, too. The thought of putting on some overalls and gardening gloves, cutting back all the ivy and tall grass and giving the rooms fresh coats of paint, really making the place shine again and bringing it back to life, has really got me excited. 

The house is steps away from the trail that runs through that part of town, and about a block or so down from the shopping area in town where the Peet's and Safeway etc are located.

And did I mention there's a fireplace? Upstairs? And a washer and dryer, which sounds like small potatoes as far as amazing house amenities, but when you've been living in apartments for the last ten years, that's a big potato. 

Plus, I'm still in the Bay Area and close to my family and friends, and now even closer to the bun of my dreams, LJ, who has been living out that way for a while, and who I desperately want to see more often and drink wine with while the kiddos become besties, just like their mommies. 

I just, I don't even know what to do with myself. I have a feeling my Pinterest is going to be getting about 10 new boards on it tonight!