Harajuku Mini for Target

Okay, so, last night I saw from some blog (think it was 80s purple) that Harajuku Mini was at Target opening this morning.  Until then I didn't even know anything about this.  So I immediately found out when the store opened and set my alarm clock for 7:30am.  On a Sunday.  Sleep day.  I got up and quietly got dressed so I didn't wake up hubby or baby and just rinsed with listerine and left.  I got there at 8am and they opened the door I was at last, of course.  So in my mind everyone was there for Harajuku and there would be nothing left by the time I got to the racks.  I might be the only one who actually cared about this collection in South City.  So here are a few things that I bought but there are way more things than they show on the Target website.  I bought a baby hat, shoes for Russell and the baby, cool plaid jacket to go with these pants, and I might get more stuff because there's some things that was on the website that I didn't see in the store.  Maybe they didn't have everything out yet because there were some blank spaces on the racks. 

Another Japanese Halloween

This year we decided to do another Anime Halloween.  Last year Russell and Sam dressed up as characters from Naruto.  This year it's Pokemon.   

We ordered Russell's Ash costume from ebay.  It was only around $25.  Not bad.  And after materials and my time it cost the same to make.  Russell and Sam were skeptical that I could make the Ash costume.  Whatev.

I made this pokeball bag and finished it today.  I started it a few days ago and was all proud and stuff but then I found out I made the ball upside down with the white on top.  It took me a day or two to get over how upset I was before I fixed it.  For the circle I just traced the bottom of Jade's exersaucer.  For the black circles I traced Beqi's bobbin container.

This is the Pikachu costume that took me 2.5 hours to make.  I made the first part Friday in two hours then it took me 30 minutes to embroider the face and add the tail.  I just totally pulled this one out of my ass because I had never made a baby one piece before and never made anything with a hood.   

I totally would have ordered this costume online for a reasonable price but I couldn't find any.  Originally I was going to be a (slutty) Pikachu and baby was going to be a Pokeball but I felt like Pikachu for the baby made more sense.  While we were at Boo at the Zoo we had the theme song for Pokemon playing on the iBaby.  Sam and I haven't made costumes yet for this year and we probably won't.  Ofcourse we could be Brock and Misty but I don't have red hair and it'll be too cold to wear shorts and a tank top. 

Please Sir Can I Have Some More

Here are a couple of shoes that have really caught my eye

Most likely, I will get the silver brogues if I get any of them at all.  I JUST bought brogues in September too.  Ugh.  And I double checked that you can't buy either of the JC ones up top at any local store.  Does that mean I'm a bad person?  Hateful of people that have money, maybe.  Who do I think I am? 



Green Patterned Wall

I am FINALLY finished with my green circle patterned wall.  I started on this wall April 2010.  The wall stayed unfinished since August 2010.  When I started on the wall last year, I knew I wanted to be finished before the school year ended.  Now that another school year is almost over, I wanted to hurry and finish the wall.



Hammer Time

My nails remind me on MC Hammer.

My Baby's Bassinet

So, since I'm doing the whole "Montessori" esq thing I'm not buying a crib since the baby will be sleeping on the floor eventually.  I found this crib on Craigslist for $20. 

(Sam was really worried when we picked this up from a church that children died of malaria in the crib.  I told him that the woman that sold it to us used it for all of her kids.  He said that he didn't see any kids when we picked it up so that means they all died while sleeping in this crib.)

It's a vintage crib with super ugly lace around it.  Just thinking about lace makes me itch. 

So I knew I was going to recover it but I didn't know what fabric to use.  I forgot I found a twin flat sheet at Goodwill originally from Target.  I love all things colorful and graphic so I decided to make a cover for the lace.  If for some crazy reason I wanted to have the lace back then I could just rip out the seam of the new fabric piece.  I also made a fitted mattress sheet with the same fabric.  I've never made one before so it looks kinda crazy underneath but it will last through washes and such. 

 

I love this print and would paint my walls in this pattern if I had the time or the money to pay someone to do it.  Now I just need some baby pop art to go with it.  I'm sure it's what Maria Montessori would have wanted.

My Coupon Experience

So I started on the coupon bandwagon.  I have been doing it for about 3 weeks now.  It's super awesome and a great hobby to have.  Everything pictured below I got for either free or close to free.

These are JUST the toiletries.  And I have wayyyy more coupons that I haven't even redeemed yet.  Also there are 48 rolls of toilet paper that I didn't photograph.  I didn't get the toilet paper for free but it was only $0.16/roll.  I am used to paying around $0.70/roll.  Last Thursday I went to the grocery store and saved 50%.  I am definitely going shopping more often (nearly every day) but I am not spending anything except gas.  I don't even consider myself aggressive as far as the couponing goes.  This is super mild.  I don't go out and buy newspapers.  I print coupons at home and there is usually a limit of two coupons per computer.  Definitely not extreme.

Also, yesterday Sam and Russell bought me an Azalea bush for my Mother's Day present.  So sweet of them.  I used to have one in the back yard that my dog ripped out of the ground when we first got him.  Russell's so cute.

Nadine's Gin Joint

Yesterday I went to Nadine's Gin Joint because it was my friend's birthday celebration and that's where she picked. It's in Soulard on 12th Street. You have to make a U-turn off of Gravois to get to it. It's better to get there via Russell. She picked this place because the website said they have Karaoke.  They don't have Karaoke.  Or dessert.  The food was good. One of their specials was a steak with a twice baked potato that was deep fried on the bottom. I didn't get it but I heard it was good. It was also only $10 which is a good price.

I ordered wings and french fries. Their french fries were homemade and were great. There was no added seasoning salt. The wings were good. Much better than Blueberry Hill. But they weren't great. The hot sauce was kind of watery.  There were only 9 of them in one order that cost $6.75. I don't know how much the wings were. My total with tax was $11.25. And I ordered an unsweet tea. They only have unsweet tea. A plus.



Overall the place was AAIIGHT. The patio was big but it was crappy. The clientele was awful. Just a bunch of backwards caps, Nike's, cargo shorts, and Polo's with the collar popped. Everyone was tripping on this ramp going up the patio. One lady actually fell and her husband had to pick her up. One of the cement blocks came off and someone just put it back on. It should have been removed for the rest of the night. Oh well. I'll probably never go there again. The food was good though.

Oh yeah, and this is what I wore there.  I like to blend into the crowd.  Dressing myself is becoming a challenge.  Sam stopped me from wearing bike shorts.  I think bike shorts is acceptable for wearing in public. 

I've had this dress since 10th grade.  I bought it at the vintage store in Chapel Hill, NC.  It was originally a romper but I turned it into a dress.  I wish it was still a romper.  But if it was then I couldn't wear it pregnant.  I miss rompers.  I bought two good ones last summer and I can't wear them till after July.  Breastfeeding will be difficult in them.

Creden-zzzaaahhh

I would like to someday replace my ugly tv stand with a Credenza.  Put all of the video games and dvd player in the cabinets.  I guess I would have to drill holes in the backs for the cords to go through.

This one is in S. City and is $100

Like

This one is in Cape and is $210.  I want to email this person a link to the first one to show them how much better and cheaper it is.  Craigslist people are DILUSIONAL.

This one is also in S. City and is only $85.  Good price.  Still like the first one better.

Small Things

I love the idea of living in an efficiency apartment and having to find interesting ways to save space.  In this dream EVERYTHING has a dual purpose.  My toilet would also have a sink on top.  My microwave (or toaster oven) would have burners on top.  I would use those little ketchup bottles you see on airplanes.  I would also have an awesome divider in my room to separate my bedroom from my living room.  My bed might even come down from the walls!  Also in this dream everything is super high design and expensive.  As if I have this great job and make lots of money and only live in a 250sqft apartment by choice. 

When I was younger I used to want to turn my bedroom into a mini apartment.  You know, because I didn't live under my parents but rather leased the space until I could get on my feet.  I paid for my room with dish duty and laundry folding (I don't understand how anyonce can enjoy folding laundry).  Once I even put an ice tray in my room and filled it with water.  That was going to be my sink.  That lasted minutes.  I used to tell my friends that when I moved to the next house (army brat) that I would be getting a mini fridge.  With what money and permission?  I never even asked for that.  I still don't have a minifridge.  My mom now lives in a town house in DC that is small in comparison to her past places and has 2 full size fridges AND a mini fridge.  She used to also have a freezer.  My mom is a "collector", not a hoarder. 

If my husband and I ever break up for some reason and we are still alive (because most likely it would be a double homicide), I will move into a super small place.  I'll look for the smallest place I can find.  Give me a 200sqft challenge.  I am trying to get my husband to make Russell a loft bed so we can maximize the space in the kid's room.  I want EVERYTHING to be able to fit under his bed.  Closet, dresser, bookcase, toy box.  Under a twin size bed.  If Russell asks me for a minifridge when he gets older I will probably buy one for him and be super jealous about it.  I feel like it all starts with the minifridge.  Maybe the minifridge will have an attached microwave on top with burners on the microwave. 

Here are some super cool space saving appliances

This one is still a possibility. (above)

14" and 7 1/2" deep

Griddle, toaster oven, AND coffee pot. 

This is a sink AND dishwasher.  The only reason I have a two sided sink is for washing dishes. 

This has a cooking top, oven and dishwasher.  BRILLIANT!

This is a washing machine that uses the old water to flush the toilet.  I don't think it's for sale yet.



My Generic Spring Look

So this is pretty much what I choose to wear almost every day.

RayBan Aviators, loose fitting button down with the sleeves rolled up half way, leggings, and a high bun.

You can find me wearing this exact same outfit atleast once every week.  So far I have 3 shirts to choose from that are of similar style.  Two of them are from H&M and this one is from Macy's in the old lady section.  I got it for over 50% off.  The ones from H&M constantly need to be ironed but sometimes they're worn unironed.

I wish that I had bangs sometimes so my hair looks like the photo below.  I need a temporary bang.  A faux-bang.  A FANG!

These are ths new sandals that Sam bought me today.  Isn't he sweet?  It's my first pair of nice flip flops that aren't $1.50 shower shoes.  I'll have to get used to walking in them though.  They fell off a couple times on my way to the car.  I have really fat big toes that have extra meat facing inwards thanks to my dad and sad looking pinky toes thanks to my mom.  Russell ended up having crooked toes on both feet (that are really cute).  His kid will probably end up having 3 toes and their kid will probably end up having no toes.   

At the beginning of the month Russell lost his first tooth.  It had been loose for a long time and we were just going to let it come out on it's own (not with pliers or a slammed door like my mom did to me).  We were playing Wii Sports and Russell hit me in my hip and I pretended to be really hurt and crying so he bent down to give me a kiss on my hip.  He ended up kind of slamming his face into my hip (but not real hard) then noticed the taste of blood.  Then he noticed there was a missing tooth and we had to look for it in the carpet.  Russell was really distracted this whole time by the video game.  For his first tooth the toothfaerie (I spell fairie "faerie" because of Neopets.  That's how they spelled it on there and I liked it.) gave him $1.33.  Reasonable price for a tooth.  He shows everyone he meets his missing tooth.  His other bottom tooth is loose too.  It will be really cute if he has both missing.

Stop Moving Your Head!

I told Russell to look tough.  This is what he gave me.

Russell likes to wear his mohawk up when he goes to karate because he likes it when people say stuff like "Cool mohawk Russell!"  He also doesn't know the meaning of "Stop moving your head!"

I went to Value Village today because they were having 50% off all coats.  There was a certain coat that I wanted back in October that was one of those long belted buffers in ELECTRIC BLUE!  I really should have bought it back then.  So I wanted to see if it was still there.  Of course it wasn't.

BUT, there was a fooseball table for $13. 

So it came home with Russell and I.  He was super excited about it.  He really didn't want to go to the store in the first place but he thought it was awesome we now have a fooseball table.  It will eventually go in the basement.  Right now it's in the dining room until Russell has had a chance to show all of his friends and we're done challenging each other.  Russell moves my goalie when I'm not looking.

Small but much needed improvements

Today Sam put some stuff up around our house.  Thanks Sam!

Before this door didn't have a handle at all.  Sam informed me that the door was put on backwards and that the hinges should be on the other side.

This is another space saver thing.  It's a rod with hooks.  Repurposed rods and hooks.  It works just the same.  I don't have matching stuff because it's not that serious.  People with matching things have too much money and time on their hands and should probably be shot.

Here is a wine rack that is above my sink.  I won't be grabbing anything from the rack for another 4 or 5 months.  I don't like the sign that is there but when I took it down I noticed a huge hole.  One day I will replace it with something that WASN'T purchased at the dollar store.

This here isn't new.  I just haven't shown it yet.  It's rice bags that I hung up last fall.  Nothing fancy.