The Splurge

Have you ever splurged on something and then thoroughly regretted it?

Have you ever splurged on something and then felt not one ounce of remorse?

Have you ever not splurged on something and then regretted it?

These are all common feelings surrounding a splurge (or lack thereof) and they all went through my head as potential outcomes last Saturday night.

The Setting: Girls Night Out with one of my best friends at a high-end shopping mall.

The Store: An adorable little boutique called, appropriately, "Two Friends." Think purses, jewelry, accessories, picture frames, and home decor. As girly as can be.

The Item: A pink/purple pashmina scarf/wrap. 70% genuine pashmina wool, 30% silk. So soft and silky you wouldn't believe it. A delicate, barely-there floral damask pattern woven into it, a slight sheen that allows you to see the faint outline of blossoms. Pretty much the prettiest thing ever made.

So here's the story. My friend and I have been walking around all night, going into stores and perusing the racks of sweaters and blouses that cost about 98% more than I usually spend (I'm a Goodwill outlet shopper, people). We've been fingering their fine fabrics and admiring their detailed workmanship and gasping at the outrageous price tags for over an hour now.

I have reached the point in my life where I'm not miserable doing this: I can accept the fact that my hard-earned money is better spent elsewhere. However, the diva inside me sure does appreciate fine things. And her little voice, every once in awhile, is whispering, Ohh, that would look good on you, and Oooh, this fabric is so soft. But I'm not buying. I'm just looking.

I had already decided that if I found something inexpensive, possibly useful and really nice (clearance racks, anyone?) then maybe- maybe- I could spend just a little. Less than $10 for sure.

So that was my state of mind when my friend and I entered the store. We walk around, appreciatively picking up and putting down various items, making our circuit around the store's perimeter. We're just approaching the opposite side of the front of the store where we had started when I see it: the Scarf. It had been carelessly tossed onto a display table next to its counterparts, all of which paled in comparison. I touch it and discover that yes, it really is as soft as it looks. I hold it draped over one hand and run my fingers down its length, as little cartoon hearts start shooting out of my eyes. The only tag on it reads, "Pashmina, 70% pashmina, 30% wool". No price tag. I sigh, fairly certain it is far out of my price range, and place it back onto the table, puddling it gracefully so that its beauty can be fully appreciated by other shoppers.

I move on to look at other items in the store, but my eyes keep returning to that amazing, lovely scarf. I am walking toward it one last time to bid it farewell when the saleslady calls from across the store, "The pashmina scarves are $22.95."

$22.95????

I have $22.95. Well, not in cash in my pocket, but in my bank account. And it's just at that threshold where it will still be at the eye-roll-and-sigh from-my-husband and not the angry-YOU-SPENT-HOW-MUCH?? from my husband. This I can live with. My mind starts racing, desperate for a good excuse for why I must buy this scarf.

Do I need a scarf? No. I have at least five scarves at home that work perfectly well.

Maybe I could give it as a gift. That idea gets thrown out quickly. I know that once it's in my hands I could never part with it.

Did I do something to earn this scarf? Well...my etsy shop is doing pretty good. After money spent on crafting materials I'd still have to sell a few more items to pay for this, though...

Is it a killer good deal? Well, it's not a bad deal, but killer good? Probably not. I could buy 5 shirts on clearance for what this scarf costs.

My brain goes through every possible scenario, leaving me with only one excuse. And it's not a good one. I just want it. Really bad. Because it's so pretty.

I know what I have to do. It feels strange, unnatural, so not me, and so good.

I buy it. Just because. I have no good reason, other than that I am in love with this scarf and I believe it loves me back. (Okay, I know scarves are inanimate objects and have no capacity for emotion, but this one is special. Really, really special. Trust me.)

As I carry it triumphantly to the register and hand over my card, my hand is shaking a little. I chat with my friend and the cashier about how much I love the scarf and they both agree that we were meant for each other. It makes my high even higher. The cashier carefully wraps my new purpley-pink pashmina prize in a lime green tissue paper and carefully places it into a bright purple bag (it all clashes terribly with my scarf, but I don't care). As I leave the store, my mind is already racing as I try to think of when I will be able to wear it for the first time.

My lovely scarf is now home with me. I took it home that night, showed it to my husband (promptly met with aforementioned eye-roll-and-sigh) and wrapped it around me as we sat on the couch watching tv. Then I took it upstairs and hung it on a hanger in my closet. It still hasn't been quite cold enough to wear it yet, but each morning when I get dressed I finger it lovingly and it just somehow makes me feel special.

So for me, this was a splurge that was definitely NOT a regret. Because sometimes a girl needs to stop pinching her pennies and for once let them make her feel beautiful and special (and purpley pink and soft and silky too).

THE END!

Spiritual Sundays: A Day to Remember

This is the candlelight vigil held on the evening of September 12, 2001 at Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington) in Fredericksburg Virginia. I was there.

On this day of remembrance I felt I would be remiss if I did not write a special post in commemoration. I have struggled to know what I could write today that has not already been written, what words of wisdom I might share that have not already been spoken, what comfort I might offer that has not already been given. But I believe in situations like this, originality is not the goal; often, God works through repetition to teach us those things we just can't seem to learn on our own.

I was just watching a recorded episode of Miracle Detectives in which the "detectives" were exploring various stories of miracles from 9/11. While one detective believed in miracles, the other was very skeptical. She said that she didn't see God at all in the events that happened that day- all she saw was pain and suffering. It was her opinion that to claim that some survived because of God's plan would be to also say that so many others died according to God's plan. What kind of God would make a terrible plan like that?

I started thinking about how sometimes, as God's children, we want to scream, "It's NOT FAIR!!!!" Then I thought of the many times I have heard my own children say those same three words, and how I can seem like such an unfair and unloving parent to them.

I let my 7-year-old son ride his bike down to his friend's house, but I make my toddler stay in the driveway. It's NOT FAIR!! But if I let my toddler run down the road alone, she could be so seriously hurt.

I give the yummy medicine to my 5-year-old and my 7-year-old is told it's not for him. It's NOT FAIR!! But if I were to give him medicine he doesn't need, it could make him very sick.

I let my 7-year-old use the big scissors to cut off a tag, and tell my 5-year-old that she must wait for me to cut off her tag for her. It's NOT FAIR!! But if I were to let her use the big scissors, her uncoordinated movements might cause a serious injury.

Do any of these situations demonstrate that I love one child more than another? In my adult wisdom, I clearly see that they do not. In fact, it demonstrates just how much I love each of my children, and how mindful I am of their individual well-being. But to my children, I am being grossly unfair. They cannot see what I see. I see them in all their abilities, both advanced and still growing. I see the danger in the world around them, and I know what they can handle and what they cannot. I see the unseen: pitfalls and consequences known only through my personal knowledge acquired through years of experience. I see the bigger picture.

I once read a quotation that I believe was by G. K. Chesterton (I tried to find it but I couldn't) that said something to the effect of, "We know as much about God as the pancake we're making for breakfast knows about us." I think we could extend that to say that we also probably know just about the same amount about the universe that God created for us. I truly believe that our Heavenly Father is a loving father, and while we may see so many things in life as being awful and unfair, they are such a small part of the greater whole, and we too such a small part of that whole, that we often can't possibly hope to see the purpose behind them.

After I have to tell my children no, sometimes I am able to explain the reasoning behind my actions. Other times, especially when they're very young and I know they just won't understand, the best I can hope to do is to comfort them with a hug and guide them to another activity that might help them feel happy again. Fortunately, our Heavenly Father does the same for us. He gives us explanations when He can, though not always right away. He is more than generous with offering comfort, when we turn to Him. He guides us toward future happiness and peace, easing the pains that come along with growth and trial.

For me, it is the feeling of His love as we work through the grief that helps me to know that He is there, and that He loves me. It is the lessons that I learn from the heartbreak that help me to understand that what, at the time, seems like an all-consuming flame is really just the refiner's fire, making me stronger and better than I ever could have been without it.

Please know that it is not my intention to make light of the events of September 11th, or to downplay the grief and pain that so many suffer. That day was a nightmare, no doubt, for many, and they are entitled to mourn. Their suffering is real. We don't know why God chose to take so many home to Him that day, and why others were left. But as we turn to Him, He can not only salve the raw wounds, but He can help us to see the bigger picture. I truly believe that He loves each and every one of us, and that He wants us to be our best selves. He sees the divine within each of us and He has a purpose for us that is far greater than anything we could ever dream for ourselves. Unfortunately, sometimes that means enduring things that seem far greater than anything we could ever imagine enduring.

I'll leave you with the words to one of my favorite songs by Michael McLean:

All I've ever wanted, all I've ever dreamed of, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given: I've been given what I need.

Even when I didn't understand, when I thought you had no heart, thank you for rejecting my demands and always giving me the better part.

All I've ever wanted, all I've ever dreamed of, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given: I've been given what I need.

To learn more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org.

More T-Shirt Fun: T-Shirt YARN!

Hope everyone made it through the storm okay- we were very blessed that our home was fine and we were all safe and sound. :-)

Check out this old t-shirt! Now, you know how much I get scissor-happy around old t-shirts. And this one was an XXL, so I decided it needed a LOT of cutting! It was the perfect candidate to create t-shirt yarn! I found the tutorial by Polka Dot Pineapple at one of my very favorite sites, So You Think You're Crafty. It's genius, really- since jersey knit t-shirt material doesn't fray, you can get an old t-shirt without side seams and create one looooong piece of material from it.

It took a long time to cut that baby up, but you should have seen the look on my face when I wound my masterpiece into an orb the size of a softball. I was positively giddy.

Now I'm using it to knit this scarf...or neck warmer? (might not be long enough for a scarf, we'll have to see)

I'm planning on getting more side-seam-less t-shirts and making more yarn so I can try out this great No-Knit Scarf from Martha Stewart. Fun stuff! I will be sure to share my results!

Winners PLUS Infinity Scarf & Flower Tutorial!

And the winners are...

1st Place: Alyssa, of Live. Love. Craft. I'm so glad that Alyssa won! She's a fantastic young lady with a terrific blog and a heart of gold (not to mention oodles of creative talent!)! Congratulations, Alyssa!

2nd Place: Lyness! A great friend and a phenomenal mom. Congratulations, Lyness!

3rd Place: Alicia! Alicia and I go waaaaay back. Like, Dark Ages, seriously. She is also a phenomenal mom and can always make me smile! Congratulations, Alicia!

I will be contacting all of you to choose your prizes!

FYI, winners were selected by making a numbered list of every comment (16), then putting tallies by each for the numbers of entries received. I then wrote the numbers on slips of paper- for example, since my 7th commenter had 3 entries, I wrote '7' on 3 slips of paper and tossed them in the box (there were a few duplicate comments and comments that were 'outside the contest' that I excluded from the box). Numbers were then drawn at random.

Okay, so maybe you didn't win my giveaway. Are ya bummed? Well DON'T BE! Because today I'm going to show you how EASY it is to make your own infinity scarf and flower!! Yes, I know that it makes me a lousy businesswoman to show you how to make something that I'm trying to sell, but I prefer to be a friend first, businesswoman second.

If, however, you prefer to purchase a set (or anything else) from my etsy shop, I'll help you out- For one week you can use the code THANKS300 to get 20% off your entire order in my shop for the rest of the month of August! A little thank you gift from me to you. 'Cuz I love ya. Anything that doesn't get claimed as a prize from the giveaway will be listed within the next few days (plus even more goodies).

On to the TUTORIAL.

For those of you who have been following me for awhile, you will probably see that this is very similar to the Felt Flower Clip tutorial I did a few months ago. If anything seems confusing to you here, just check out that tutorial (I had a few additional photos in that one) and it may help clarify.

Quick, go grab an old t-shirt. Doesn't have to be yours. Raid your husband's drawer. One without side seams is preferable, but not mandatory.

Find one? Good. Now get scissors. Good, sharp ones.

Got 'em? Great. Now plug in your glue gun. Let it heat up. It's time to start cutting! (insert evil laughter here)

Step 1. Shirt. Check.

Step 2. Cut bottom seam off shirt. I cut way above my bottom seam because this shirt had some stains on it. Goodbye stains!

3. Cut off rest of bottom of shirt, usually just below the arms. Now you have a big loop. Stretch it.

Ta-da! Infinity scarf!

On to flower! (Yes, you may wear your scarf while you make your flower.)

Step 1. Use extra shirt material and cut it into circles. I just do this freehand- try it, it's easier than you'd think! They do not have to be perfect. Do several layers at a time. Makes it go faster and the fabric is easier to handle that way. Give me 10 circles, ladies!

2. Glue gun nice and hot? Yes? Good. Stick a dab of glue in the center of a circle. Fold it in half. Put another dab of glue on the halved circle and fold it in half again. When you're done, it should look like this. (Don't they look like they should be hopping around and meeping?) Leave one circle unfolded for the base!

3. Prep your clip. (By the way, you don't have to do a clip. You can always just make the flower and then pin it.) I happened to have felt, but if you don't that's fine. You just need to sandwich the top part of your clip between two pieces of fabric. Clip one piece of fabric in the clip, then put hot glue on it, then stick your other piece on top. This is the underside of my clip.

4. Flip it over and start gluing down your petals! Fit them together just like this. Do your second layer of petals so they overlap the lines between this first layer.

5. For your center, cut off the bottom corner of one of your petals. That gives the glue something to hold on to. Glue it right in the center, standing straight up.

Ta-da! Flower hair clip! Now, if you want to get a little fancy, here's another technique you can try...

1. Take your fabric circles (for your petals) and fold in half.

2. Fold 1/3 over to center.

3. Fold other 1/3 over to center, so they overlap (do you love the dried hot glue on my thumbnail?)

4. Use your scissors and round the corners

5. Open it up and you'll have this! If you use these for your petals, you can use the same method in step #2 of the flower clip instructions- just fold them in fourths. The layering looks really cool and makes for a more flowery flower.

Ta-da! Finished scarf and clip set. Go, my little crafters. Go and make your own and rejoice in your craftiness!!!

Are you going to try one? Leave a comment and let me know how it goes!!

Linking up to...

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

First, I want to remind everyone of my 300th Post Giveaway Celebration that's going on right now- don't forget to enter to win your choice of infinity scarf & flower set or flower hair clips! 3 winners! Very few entries, so your chances are good!

As I mentioned before, I have been reading a book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. The premise of the book is that the author and her family moved from Arizona to Virginia in a quest to consume only food that is locally grown. If possible, they grow or raise it themselves. If not, they should at least know the name of the person who did, and be able to drive to their farm within 30 minutes.

I always thought I was pretty smart about my food. I try to eat healthy- big on fruits and veggies around here, not too much meat- and I know where my food comes from. Well, I know in the sense that I know that apples don't magically just appear on shelves at the supermarket- they grow on trees (like MINE!). The chicken in my crockpot was once a living, clucking animal, and somewhere a wheat field was mown down to make my crackers. I'm okay with all of that.

What I didn't consider, however, is the point that Barbara Kingsolver is making in her book: lettuce doesn't grow in Virginia in January. Which means if I want to have a salad on New Year's Day (always good to kick off the new year with a healthy start) the lettuce I purchased in the store had to come from someplace where it's springtime- or at least feels like springtime. And last time I checked, that ain't the Midatlantic coast in January.

So yes, it grew on a farm, but what farm? How much gasoline was required to ship that head of lettuce from Springland to my grocery store? Could we maybe make a better choice for our planet by forgoing well-traveled lettuce and stick with more seasonal vegetables? Kingsolver writes, "Transporting a single calorie of a perishable fresh fruit from California to New York takes about 87 calories worth of fuel. That's as efficient as driving from Philadelphia to Annapolis, and back, in order to walk three miles on a treadmill in a Maryland gym."

In her book, Kingsolver recognizes that in order to embrace the "locavore" diet, she and her family would have to be very aware of the seasons and the produce that comes with them. No more peaches in April, no more strawberries in February. But in so doing, she discovered a few things:

1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. When it's not there, it just makes you even more excited when it's finally time!
2. Real fresh is different from grocery store fresh. Ever eaten a strawberry straight from the plant? You know what I mean!
3. If you can't have what you love, you love what you have. Kingsolver and her family have discovered incredible recipes using only seasonal ingredients that they never would have enjoyed otherwise.

Kingsolver's daughter wrote,

"The first step, shopping, is actually easier. When you peruse the farmers' market for fresh produce, the options are clear. You don't miss what's not there, either, like Skittles placed at a third-grader's eye level at checkout. No wailing kids or annoying tabloids (omg...is Brangelina really over?!). Just wonderful, fresh things to eat.

When I saw giant boxes of strawberries piled on the tailgate of a farmer's truck, I didn't waste ten seconds asking myself the questions I would mull over in a conventional grocery: "Hmm, do I really want berries today? Are these overpriced? Are they going to mold the minute I get them home?" I power-walked past other meandering shoppers and bought a bucket load."

(She had been waiting for those strawberries all winter long!)

Ahh, the joy of the farmer's market. The funny thing is, there are so many people who assume that a farmer's market is pricey, but in truth I've always found farmer's market prices to be quite comparable to that of the grocery stores, if not better. Plus, you know for a fact that you're getting something fresh and, most likely, miles tastier than anything in the supermarket produce department.

On Saturday I stopped by the farmer's market in Ashland, VA to pick up something to take to a family gathering. I found a good sized "passport melon" (cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew) for $2 and bought a half dozen pears for another $2. The pears were sold to me by a very kind elderly gentleman who insisted that I take a bite of one before I bought any. I had one bite and I was hooked. The sweetness was incredible. Little Boo swiped it from me and by the time I wrestled it out of her little hand all that was left was about a nickel-sized piece of pear flesh with five seeds stuck in it. Not sure where the stem went. Hmm...

My farmers' market shopping experience was lovely. I got to chat with the people who grew the food I was about to eat, and there was even a musician there serenading the shoppers with live music. Little Boo was free to run around in the grass while kind shoppers and vendors laughed at her silly antics. It was a nice day and all in all, I felt happy to be there.

So I've decided to try. I can't go totally locavore like the Kingsolver family, but I can try to choose fruits & veggies that are in season and I can try to be more conscious about exactly where my food is coming from, and attempt to make better choices according to my knowledge.

I am also going to try to think of my garden as more of an important food source for our family and not just a nice hobby. I am one of those people who hear about others harvesting their pole beans and I think, Pole beans? When did you plant those? Am I supposed to be planting something now? I recently did some research so that I can stay more on top of this stuff, and I went to the Virginia Cooperative Extension website and discovered this fabulous Vegetable Planting Guide. It gives you nice little formula to figure out when to plant what- you just fill it in on the handy dandy chart!

I am also very fortunate to have a brother who was smart enough to marry a wonderful woman who is a walking green thumb. She blessed me with this bounty from their garden, her kitchen, and their chickens.

That's a dozen free-range organic chicken eggs, 3 zucchini muffins (okay, there were more, but we had them for breakfast!), yellow squash, zucchini, and some kind of strange long purple beans that she says are really tasty. That's a whole meal right there!

After I had gathered the eggs my 7-year-old son looked at a chicken, then at the basket of eggs. He pointed at the chicken, then to the eggs and asked in a worried whisper, "Mom, does he KNOW?"

I laughed. Yes, Monkey, she knows. And so do I. :-)

Help!!

First, don't forget to enter my 300th Post Celebration Giveaway!

And now, remember that Wedding Letters contest I entered last month? Well, I'm a finalist! Hurrah! The finalists are posted on Jason F. Wright's facebook page (he's the author of The Christmas Jar and several other fabulous novels) and the letter with the most "likes" wins an iPad2.

So come help a sista out and vote for me! Then tell your friends to vote too!! THANKS!

Belated 300th Post Celebration Giveaway!!

This was my little project this morning. Weird, knit wrap shirt thing turned into a cute vest and flower clip! Woohoo!

It has been a reeeaaally long time since I've done a giveaway on here, and so I decided that a giveaway would be the perfect way to celebrate my 300th post! (it was last week...I kinda missed it, but oh well.) Here are the details!

- There will be 3 winners- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place

- Contest closes at midnight on Thursday. If you comment after that, it won't count!

- Winners will be announced on Friday morning, the 12th

- You have 3- count 'em THREE!- ways to enter:

1. Leave me a comment. Say hey, what's up, whatever. Just give me some love.
2. FOLLOW me! I love me some new followers. If you follow me, mention it in your comment (follow me everything is alright, I'll be the one to tuck you in at night and if you wanna leave I can guarantee you won't find nobody else like me....come on, you know you were singing it in your head too!)
3. Twitter/Facebook/Blog me- just post about my giveaway on one of your favorite places to pontificate and then let me know in that great comment you're going to leave me.

So, for example, if someone posts and says, "Hey, what's up? I am your newest follower and I posted your contest on facebook!" Then they get 3 whole entries! If they say, "Hey, I just posted you on Twitter!" Then they get 2. You get the idea. I would recommend, for your friends' sake, that you not post about it EVERYWHERE, because as much as I would love the publicity, it might annoy people. I don't need human billboards. Just sayin'.

- In your comment, PLEASE leave me your e-mail address so that I can get in touch with you. name(at)whatever(dot)com. No e-mail address = no prize = sad you. :-(

- If you forget to mention something in your comment (like that you blogged about me or started following or whatever) please go back and delete your first comment. I am easily confused.

- Winners will be chosen at random for all 3 spots- first name I pick will be first, second will be second, and so on. Last one's a rotten egg! (just kidding)

- PRIZES! I have gathered a selection of goodies that are going to be listed in my etsy shop (that's right, you'll get a sneak preview!) and the three winners will get to choose their prize from among them. First place winner will get first choice, then to second place, and then to third.

Prizes are as follows:

1. Your selection of Infinity Scarf & Flower set. This baby is so versatile, it's crazy. A big shout out to my bloggy friend Alyssa of Live. Love. Craft. for her fabulous Mum Clip Tutorial that inspired me to do these matching flowers! She is having her own giveaway this week (in which I'm one of the sponsors- so you can win more goodies from me!!) so head over there and give her some love!!

Here I am rockin' the Misty Mint:

You can go long...

You can wrap it up...

Or go relaxed and dress up the hair!

Infinity Scarf & Flower sets are available in the following colors (only have 1 of each right now!): Lemon Butter, Misty Mint (pictured above), Fair Skies, and Berry Blossom (the one on the far right below- no matter how hard I tried, I could not get it to appear the same color that it is in real life- it's purple. Really, honest-to-goodness PURPLE!).

If an infinity scarf isn't your thing, you could choose from these lovely bloomin' hair clips- pick any 2! I have plenty of fabric left over from the scarves above as well, and I could make you one of those flower clips (without the scarf) if you'd like one of those to be one of your two that you choose.

And heck, since I'm feeling generous, take a look in my shop. If you win and you see something there that you'd rather have for a prize, let me know and I'll bet you we can work something out! ;-)

Whew! This contest stuff is COMPLICATED! I am looking forward to hearing from everybody and giving away some FAB prizes!!!

Linking up to...

Moneysaving Mom

Frugal Freebies