Last week, I went to Borders for Day 2 of their going-out-of-business sale. I expected the discounts to be too shallow to be worthwhile. I also figured the children's section would be really picked over, and that was the main area I was interested in.
I was right on both predictions! All the books were 10% off. Maybe you are someone who does not scoff at 10% off, but I do. I start to perk up around 30%, but what I really like are half-off of half-off kinds of deals, with an additional coupon to boot. Does 10% ever really make the difference between buying and not buying? (Anders stopped in again today and said they've upped it to 20%.)
And the children's bookshelves were stripped. It was the same way when our Blockbuster went out of business: the markdowns were laughably negligible, and the kid's stuff simply vaporized.
The greeting cards were 40% off, and they did have a good selection remaining, so I picked up a handful (hearing Cam from 'Modern Family' in my head as I did so - justifying the purchase of so many expensive greeting cards by repeating "40% off" for each one). I didn't bother scouring the store, so maybe I missed out on some good finds.
I'm a book-lover, but I don't feel too sad about Borders. I always preferred Barnes & Noble, but the store I have a real affection for is Half Price Books. Dad used to take me on dates to dinner and Half Price Books. I loved the particular one we went to, which has since closed. The books there were nice and worn and cheap, and the shelves were overloaded, so you could sometimes find books stacked behind rows of other books, which was exciting. And back then I still had unread Jane Austen and Jules Verne novels waiting to be found by me.
It's Amazon that put Borders out of business, right? Are e-book readers also to blame? Are the other chains close behind? Why can't bookstores sell books for the same price as Amazon? I wish they would.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Favs so far!
I have to share just a FEW of my fav gifts so far. I've already been given so much. People hear "baby" and are seized by a spirit of excessive generosity. (Plus, even the wrappings are so stinkin' cute.)
Today, Anders' mom, sister, and aunt traveled to Eau Claire to throw me a LOVELY little shower, complete with showery things like green tea spritzer, homemade cinnamon fingers, pink-frosted cupcakes, pleasant games, and a ridiculous amount of gifts.
Last week, my coworkers threw a surprise triple shower for the three of us office girls who are pregnant. (The shower was an especially fun surprise for me, as my boss had requested a private meeting, and I was pretty sure I was in trouble, until I walked into a room with balloons and cake.)
Even without showers, baby gifts keep being haphazardly thrust upon me. People can't seem to help themselves. They already know how sweet little Jabberwocky is going to be, I guess.
Here we go:
Today, Anders' mom, sister, and aunt traveled to Eau Claire to throw me a LOVELY little shower, complete with showery things like green tea spritzer, homemade cinnamon fingers, pink-frosted cupcakes, pleasant games, and a ridiculous amount of gifts.
Last week, my coworkers threw a surprise triple shower for the three of us office girls who are pregnant. (The shower was an especially fun surprise for me, as my boss had requested a private meeting, and I was pretty sure I was in trouble, until I walked into a room with balloons and cake.)
Even without showers, baby gifts keep being haphazardly thrust upon me. People can't seem to help themselves. They already know how sweet little Jabberwocky is going to be, I guess.
Here we go:
This afghan/hat/mitten set was hand-knit by Anders' grandmother, who went to be with the Lord in January 2010. She made them a couple years ago, at the prompting of Anders' mom (as well as a set for Anika's future baby). We had no idea this was coming. Deb had us open it this afternoon when just family was present, and there weren't many dry eyes. I can't wait until our little girl gets to put these on. They are beautiful.
Beautiful, beautiful duck painting that miraculously has a grayish-blue mat and pink accents. Guess what color our nursery is? Grayish blue. Now that we know our bundle of joy is a girl, we're looking to dress it up with pink accents. This painting does a lot of work for us. It's from my friend Alisse, whose taste, I'm sure we can all agree, is pretty frickin' exquisite.
This came from my work shower. It cracks me up. I love the positive spin on the up-all-night thing.
From Anika (Anders' sis), who is hilarious. She has an aptitude for picking out inappropriate cards. Intentionally. Like the birthday card she sent me a couple years ago that said "Congratulations on your triplets."
Headband with awesome, big, feathery bow, from Elisa. It is over-the-top, and simply fabulous. I can't wait to take pictures.
"Daddy's little fishing buddy." From Anders' mom. The joys of fishing are deeply ingrained in Anders, who's always been his dad's fishing buddy, so this was quite touching.
Hand-made tutu! From Anders' Aunt Carla (affectionately known as Sasta). Can you even COPE with how ADORABLE a baby girl is going to look wearing this?
Here I am opening a Pack-N-Play from my parents and sister. First of all, great gift. An absolute necessity, and something Anders and I would have had difficulty picking out for ourselves. Second: great colors. Gender-neutral blues and browns. But third, and best: it's called the "Little Hoot Collection," and it's owl-themed. Owl fabric, and a totally rad owl mobile. I kinda have an owl thing ... thanks to Elisa ... who one day (years ago) decided to start giving me owl gifts ... and what do you know, it caught on! Love this Pack-N-Play!
Part of a giraffe-themed gift bag from my friend Bergen. I was going to take a picture of one of the other giraffe elements of this package, Sophie the Giraffe, "the world's most famous teething toy," because it's French and wildly popular within a niche crowd and SO like Bergen to discover such a thing. However, it's really the book I like best. I intend for books to be a big part of my children's upbringing, and quality kid's books like this one are exactly what I have in mind for my library.
Beatrix Potter anyone? Like many a child, I LOVED this story growing up. So it's kinda like the fishing buddy shirt for Anders. Mom sent a copy to continue the tradition for our daughter.
Umm ... I bought this one.
So, I used to get a little panicky when I've had to get a baby gift for someone, never having had a baby, and feeling profoundly clueless. But now I have all kinds of great ideas!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
24-Week Appointment
Today at my monthly doctor's appointment, the nurse asked if I had any swelling, and I said no. Then I looked down, and discovered that during the course of the day, my feet had turned into giant puff-balls. This is the first day I've noticed my feet swelling. They are sort of billowing around my sandal straps. It's absurd-looking. The doctor said to even out the fluid in my body, I should lie down for half an hour after work every day, to which my Type-B personality responded, sure! can we make it an hour?
When they take Jabberwocky's heart rate, it sounds to me like it's racing so fast it's going to explode. But the nurse smiled gently and said it's perfect. The doctor also measured my baby bump and said it was perfect.
And it is also normal that my fingers aren't as bendy as they used to be. Also that Jabberwocky's moving a lot. Sometimes I can see my tummy twitching with her movements.
When the nurse left me in the doctor's office, she told me the doctor was running about ten minutes late. No problem, I said, and fell asleep. I've always been pretty good at sleeping in odd places, but I tell you what, I can nod off in the blink of an eye these days.
Next appointment's in a month.
When they take Jabberwocky's heart rate, it sounds to me like it's racing so fast it's going to explode. But the nurse smiled gently and said it's perfect. The doctor also measured my baby bump and said it was perfect.
And it is also normal that my fingers aren't as bendy as they used to be. Also that Jabberwocky's moving a lot. Sometimes I can see my tummy twitching with her movements.
When the nurse left me in the doctor's office, she told me the doctor was running about ten minutes late. No problem, I said, and fell asleep. I've always been pretty good at sleeping in odd places, but I tell you what, I can nod off in the blink of an eye these days.
Next appointment's in a month.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Watsons, I miss you
Memorable snippets from my sister Elisa's three-week visit to Wisconsin, along with her sons Kiefer (6) and Cooper (nearly 4), and her husband Todd (he came halfway through), which sadly just concluded this past weekend:
Fireworks in the driveway. My first ever experience setting off our own fireworks. I'd never so much as held a sparkler before. The nephews were in raptures (so was Uncle Anders).
Mini s'mores. This is a loosely held summer tradition between Elisa and me, and one which we occasionally subject friends to, who invariably react with a mix between "this is cute" and "why would anyone ever do this?" The process is to stick a mini marshmallow on a bent paperclip and roast it over a candle, then to sandwich it between two Golden Grahams with a chocolate chip. The result is adorable, and maddeningly unsatisfying. It's good for kids, and adults who aren't hungry. You have to eat about thirty or so before you feel like you've eaten any at all.
Milwaukee weekend: tailgating, lots of Kopps custard, baseball. Maybe the best part: my Arizona nephews in Brewers T-shirts and Brewers hats. Kiefer, the 6-year-old, was conflicted about this. He couldn't understand why we were putting Brewers paraphernalia on him, since he is a Diamondbacks fan. He finally came around after repeated assurances that having a second-favorite team in no way diminishes one's loyalty to one's first favorite team. I think this crisis of conscience is wonderful and I am proud of him. Both the boys were VERY handsome in their get-up.
Taking the boys to live concerts in the park, where they did, much to our delight, dance in front of the band with the other kids.
Watching Harry Potters 4-7 with Elisa, then going to the theater to see 7.2 twice.
Watching Trollhunter, a Norwegian low-budget Blair-Witch-style film. Few people besides Elisa would ever watch and enjoy a movie like that with me!
Our backyard magically sprouting toy pirates, knights, and Transformers for the boys to find.
Buying clay-pendant necklaces from the local pottery shop.
Shopping for Miche bag shells with my sister -- if that's not enough to make a girl giddy ...
All the boys (including Anders & Todd) going fishing for an afternoon. This was one of the Harry Potter 7.2 days for Elisa and me, so I only saw pictures of the fishing trip, but it looked perfectly delightful.
Two trips to Obsession Chocolate.
A matinee of Winnie the Pooh. Most heart-warming.
Kiefer and Cooper shaking up pieces of biscuit dough in bags of sugar and cinnamon for Monkey Bread. Possibly the most perfect baking activity for boys ever.
Fireworks in the driveway. My first ever experience setting off our own fireworks. I'd never so much as held a sparkler before. The nephews were in raptures (so was Uncle Anders).
Mini s'mores. This is a loosely held summer tradition between Elisa and me, and one which we occasionally subject friends to, who invariably react with a mix between "this is cute" and "why would anyone ever do this?" The process is to stick a mini marshmallow on a bent paperclip and roast it over a candle, then to sandwich it between two Golden Grahams with a chocolate chip. The result is adorable, and maddeningly unsatisfying. It's good for kids, and adults who aren't hungry. You have to eat about thirty or so before you feel like you've eaten any at all.
Milwaukee weekend: tailgating, lots of Kopps custard, baseball. Maybe the best part: my Arizona nephews in Brewers T-shirts and Brewers hats. Kiefer, the 6-year-old, was conflicted about this. He couldn't understand why we were putting Brewers paraphernalia on him, since he is a Diamondbacks fan. He finally came around after repeated assurances that having a second-favorite team in no way diminishes one's loyalty to one's first favorite team. I think this crisis of conscience is wonderful and I am proud of him. Both the boys were VERY handsome in their get-up.
Taking the boys to live concerts in the park, where they did, much to our delight, dance in front of the band with the other kids.
Watching Harry Potters 4-7 with Elisa, then going to the theater to see 7.2 twice.
Watching Trollhunter, a Norwegian low-budget Blair-Witch-style film. Few people besides Elisa would ever watch and enjoy a movie like that with me!
Our backyard magically sprouting toy pirates, knights, and Transformers for the boys to find.
Buying clay-pendant necklaces from the local pottery shop.
Shopping for Miche bag shells with my sister -- if that's not enough to make a girl giddy ...
All the boys (including Anders & Todd) going fishing for an afternoon. This was one of the Harry Potter 7.2 days for Elisa and me, so I only saw pictures of the fishing trip, but it looked perfectly delightful.
Two trips to Obsession Chocolate.
A matinee of Winnie the Pooh. Most heart-warming.
Kiefer and Cooper shaking up pieces of biscuit dough in bags of sugar and cinnamon for Monkey Bread. Possibly the most perfect baking activity for boys ever.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Jabberwocky
I sure am grateful for maternity pants. Until recently I wasn't ready to buy the bandy-topped pants that have always looked silly to me hanging in stores. I just bought bigger pants, and wore all my low-rise ones that could button under the belly. But at 24 weeks, that STOPPED WORKING. Now, every time I put on my new maternity pants, I breathe a sigh of relief. I keep thinking it'll be nice for Kid #2 that I'll already have this stuff on hand.
We are pretty proud of our daughter's due date: 11-11-11. Our brother-in-law Todd suggested (in humor) the name Elevenor. Which would be a pretty name, if it were a real name. We promised him we will name her Elevenor if the following conditions are met: she is, in fact, born on 11-11; she is born at 11:11 a.m. or p.m.; and she is the 11th baby born that day in the hospital. Since that exact scenario is unlikely to occur without using the improbability drive from Hitchhiker's Guide, we felt pretty safe making that commitment. What we actually plan to name her is -- we don't know yet. Feel free to make suggestions.
In the meantime, she's going by Jabberwocky. I picked that nickname after we saw her on the monitor during our ultrasound. I'd seen 'Alice in Wonderland' recently and that's why it was in my head, but at the time I forgot that's what it's from. I vaguely thought it was something from Star Wars. Sort of a combination of 'Jabba the Hutt' and 'Wookiee,' I guess. Jabberwocky is actually the name of a nonsense poem that Lewis Caroll wrote. It's a big bad creature with eyes of flame. So that doesn't fit at all. But I'm still calling her Jabberwocky, because it's a cute name for the little Thing that I can feel moving around in me.
We are pretty proud of our daughter's due date: 11-11-11. Our brother-in-law Todd suggested (in humor) the name Elevenor. Which would be a pretty name, if it were a real name. We promised him we will name her Elevenor if the following conditions are met: she is, in fact, born on 11-11; she is born at 11:11 a.m. or p.m.; and she is the 11th baby born that day in the hospital. Since that exact scenario is unlikely to occur without using the improbability drive from Hitchhiker's Guide, we felt pretty safe making that commitment. What we actually plan to name her is -- we don't know yet. Feel free to make suggestions.
In the meantime, she's going by Jabberwocky. I picked that nickname after we saw her on the monitor during our ultrasound. I'd seen 'Alice in Wonderland' recently and that's why it was in my head, but at the time I forgot that's what it's from. I vaguely thought it was something from Star Wars. Sort of a combination of 'Jabba the Hutt' and 'Wookiee,' I guess. Jabberwocky is actually the name of a nonsense poem that Lewis Caroll wrote. It's a big bad creature with eyes of flame. So that doesn't fit at all. But I'm still calling her Jabberwocky, because it's a cute name for the little Thing that I can feel moving around in me.
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