Shop 'til you drop!

This past weekend, PC and I headed out with some good friends (shout out to the Sellers) on a weekend shopping excursion in Syracuse, NY. The trip did not disappoint... we shared a lot laughs as per usual, and the shopping was filled with good finds!

Many Canadians from this area head to down to Syracuse quite often to shop. There are great savings, and just a lot of things accessible that we can't get in Canada. It's been a while since PC and I have gone to Syracuse, but we've been saving our pennies for a quite some time and we were definitely excited to spend them on some great things!

We left early Friday morning, and our first stop was Watertown, NY at Kohl's. We did a little bit of damage there! Then we trucked onto Syracuse and did DSW and a few stores at the Carousel Center, and finally an hour or so spent at Target before hitting Dinosaur BBQ for dinner (more good friends were also in Syracuse doing the same thing as us, so we met up for dinner - BONUS)!!

We saved our 'shop til you drop' attitudes for Saturday, when we were up at 6am, showered and out the door (with coffee) by 8am! We tackled (no pun intended) Bass Pro Shop and a second Kohl's in Auburn, NY, and then braced ourselves for a FULL day of shopping at the Premium Outlets in Waterloo, NY.

After a long day, we opted for a quick bite at Heid's of Liverpool, as we were EXHAUSTED, and then had a good night's sleep before heading for home on Sunday.

Sunday we managed to hit The Christmas Tree Shop, TJ Maxx (x 2), a party store, Wegman's Grocery Store, and Price Chopper. We capped it off with a meal at Panera Bread in Watertown, and we busted through the border with no troubles!

It was an all around good trip, and a much needed get away from the stress of November!

Thanks to this trip, I have my Christmas shopping well underway, and some new clothes to head back to work in, in the New Year.

When we stopped to unload our passengers, this is what the back of our car looked like...

JAMMED!

All around great weekend! If you are thinking of a shopping getaway for yourself or with friends and family, Syracuse and surrounding area is great place to do it!

I am already starting to save for late spring, when I'll need to spruce up my summer wardrobe!

Move over Sears Catalogue!

Back when I was a kid... the Sears catalogue was a big deal.  Every new season, my Mom would bring home these catalogues and I'd browse through them making my wish list for games and toys. The Christmas WISH Book was of course the BEST catalogue of the bunch, but as I grew a bit older I came to appreciate the seasonal catalogues which were more clothing based.

My biggest memories of the Sears catalogues were in relation to my Grandma Wilson... she shopped religiously out of them, so for birthdays and Christmas I got to point out a few things I liked and then she would order it and surprise me with it on a special occasion.  My Mom too has always had a fond appreciation for the Sears catalogue.  I think it has more to do with living in a small town and not having access to the bigger stores that were 60 minutes away... or the power of the Internet (at the time). Back in the day (and still today) you place your order over the phone, and within a week or so, the items arrived at the little depot in our small town, and once you picked up your order, you try on the items and decide to keep them or return them.

When I was growing up, my mother did this often.  She wasn't afraid to order two or three hundred dollars worth of clothes and only keep about fifty dollars worth or nothing at all, if nothing fit. She had me try on everything and decide what to keep and what could go back.  Still to this day, I know she does this for her and my Dad, and if my Grandma were here, she'd be doing the same thing.

I have to say... that I don't think I have ever placed an order in the Sears catalogue, but in my adult life I have called up my Mom and asked to her look for something in the catalogue and order it up if she found what I was looking for.  I'd like to say that I am really fond of the Sears department store, but truth be told, I never find much in the store, so I don't bother going there to shop unless something on their flyer catches my eye, and its a real deal!

However... while I'm not much for the Sears catalogue these days... I am all for GAP Canada ONLINE! Make that, GAP, OLD NAVY, and BANANA REPUBLIC online.  These online stores have only been available to Canadian residences less than a year, and let me tell you, I am LOVING this little gem of a clothing store.

I have always been a GAP girl at heart. Since highschool, I fell in love with the classic arch logo hoodie, and I haven't looked back. I worked at the GAP in University for some side cash... but really the side cash was spent at the GAP! Since having kids, I have found a new appreciation for GAP... in Baby GAP and GAP Kids.  Old Navy too... has some great finds, for both myself and the boys. And... when I'm feeilng rich and more engaged with the working world, I love me some Banana Republic!  All this to say... when these store finally came online and available to Canadians, I was beyond thrilled. Slowly I started browsing the site, and was a bit disappointed that not everything in the stores was available online - however, over time this has improved. What has also improved is my flexibility in being able to get to GAP to shop! I no longer have to make a special trip, I can just do it online 24/7.

So... where was I going with all of this, ahem... right... GAP online is like new aged Sears catalogue to me. I have been ordering up a variety of outfits, trying it all on in the comfort of my own mirror, matching shoes and accessories to everything, and then returning what I don't like or don't need, including the items I just ordered so I would clear the $50 threshold for FREE SHIPPING.  It's now become a bit of an obsession of mine... to the point where I absolutely refuse to pay anything less than 30 percent off of my entire order.  One the three stores in this little marriage is always having a SALE, or there is always coupon code to be had. The last time I paid full price at the GAP was ... high school (which was many MANY years ago)!

Yes... shopping online, especially at the GAP, is like the new-aged Sears catalogue experience... I love it. My wallet hates it, and I am sure the mail lady is so SICK of delivering GAP packages to my mailbox, but hey... it makes me happy, and keeps my Mommy wardrobe somewhat updated... although, my kids looks a helluva lot better than me these days!

Do you remember the days of the Sears catalogue? What's your favourite online shopping site?

Digital negatives please!

I read a post on photography the other day on Postcards from the Mothership about what some photographers are willing to work for, and while I didn't take the time to comment over there, it got me to thinking a lot about the price of photography and how hard I think it is to find affordable good photography these days that includes some of the digital negatives as part of the package.

I am definitely not out to discount any one photographers talent ... as I think that the art of taking good pictures is definitely a skill that one can benefit financially from. And who am I to say what your skill and talent as a photographer should be worth? No one.  But why can't most photographers include at minimum, low-resolution digital images, and a couple high-resolution retouched images as part of their overall fee?

It seems the more I look around for a photographer, the harder it is to find one that:
A. has an affordable sitting fee,
B. offers a few digital negatives,
C. is in the Ottawa area.

I get that by providing the digital files of the shoot, I have no reason to come back to you if I have the goods in hand, ready to copy and print as many times as I want, in as many sizes as I need, but here's the kicker for me... if you're a good photographer, and the pictures are as good as you advertise, I'll be back... every year, if not two or three times for a family session (and any other big occasion in between).  I have young children and young children change rapidly, and if you are charging $175 or $225 for a session, plus tax, and I'm happy with your services, you are going to get anywhere from $500 to $750 dollars out of me in a year. In addition, I'm going to tweet, and facebook my network of friends and colleagues, and recommend your awesome photography skills to everybody. and. their. dog.

I don't so much mind a steep sitting fee, as much as I mind the $50 charge for an 8 x 10, when you and I both know I can go to Shopper's, or Costco, or Walmart and get it for under $5. I know that its not going to printed uber high-quality paper, or with premium ink, but I could care less about that because I'll have the digital negative to print it again in 15 years when it fades, for probably less than $5 - which will still not be anywhere near $50.

I get that photography can be a competitive and time-consuming business and making a living off my $750 dollars/year is probably not going to pay all the bills (or even some of the bills) but put me together with 30 of my friends and 30 of their friends, and we're starting to make some headway I would think.

As you know, recently we had a friend of ours, Greg Snyder, take family photographs as a favour to us. We paid him minimal for his work, but now I am out recommending his work to my network, and in the future, when we need new family photos, we will be calling him and paying his full session fee because he was great and I was really happy with the results of the shoot. I have the digital negatives in hand, and I'm planning to use his services again!

I have also used the services of Cherie Lynn Buchanan in the past when she too was just starting out.  At the time (2009) she offered the digital negatives of the session, and I loved this about her. She takes amazing photos ... but now she doesn't offer affordable digital negatives and this honestly has deterred me from using her again - because it goes back to me not wanting to pay $50 for two 8 X 10s when I've already paid $225 or more for the photo session. These days she does run specials that includes print credits of $50 or 15% of her a la cart gallery, but no high-res digital images (unless you want to pay $400 in addition to your session fee). Like I said, her photos are AMAZING and she definitely has the talent to charge more money than average for her skills, but I still want digital negatives without breaking the bank.

In looking for local photographers (which I often do), I found this great looking website in the Ottawa area called Baby & Belly Photography, and I think that it is AWESOME - great pricing, great package, and great portfolio. I haven't had the time to try her out yet, but I have to say, she - Daisy, has definitely got the right idea when it comes to capturing the moments of young families and capturing the right price. For $135 you get an hour session, and a CD with 10 retouched images, and all your untouched images from the entire session mailed to your home within 2 weeks. To me, that rocks! I would have been satisfied with 10 retouched images, let alone all of the images from the session. For $135, I don't have to break the bank, I get great affordable photos, and I now have a photographer to call up the next time the family portrait is looking a little outdated or my boys are graduating from kindergarten, etc. (Note: a gift certificate from Baby & Belly would make a GREAT gift for any young family *ahem*).

Don't get me wrong... I really admire photographers who have a knack for shooting families and young children... it really is a skill to be able to get a young child to act themselves in front of a stranger, and to capture those special moments, we as parents see every day, but for the love of pete, please make it affordable to print those special moments and store them for many years to come.

Do any of you have fave family photographer that offers some digital images as part of the fee? From a photographer's perspective, am I being too unreasonable in wanting a couple digital images to keep?

Is it wrong to wish for a divorce?

Easy folks, I am not talking about my own marriage... I definitely NEVER want to get a divorce, especially not to PC - I love him way too much (feel free to take a moment if your choking on a bit of puke!).

But ... I am in love with a house that was built about 2 years ago, and slowly the owners have been doing some landscaping, painting, adding on a deck, paving the driveway... all the little extras that a house needs. The design of the house from the outside is beautiful, and its on a big lot... and is surrounded by a nice tree line, yet still within town limits, and accessible to everything.

Last night, coming home, I managed to sneak a peek inside the house, as the curtains were open and the house was well lit up. Turns out, the inside looks tastefully decorated, and appears to be just as nice as the outside. This little observation makes me want the house even more now.

However, my thinking is... who (in their right mind) would put up for sale (at a decent price) a perfectly good home, that they have obviously worked hard to get it to their liking? No one... unless of course, the owners were getting a ... DIVORCE!

What an awful thing to wish upon someone - really - I know. You are reading this, thinking - has she no shame, and frankly, I question that about myself all. the. time. I guess this couple (who I don't know or have never seen before), they don't deserve the wish of divorce... perhaps I should change my thinking just a bit - and hope that either of them gets a bigger better job that requires them to move somewhere else, or that they will win the CHEO Dream of Lifetime Lottery and move into it, leaving their house perfectly purchase-able (if that's a word) for PC and I.

I will try to scope out a pic of the place I am talking about on my BB tonight on my way home... and then perhaps if any of my local readers know the house or the owners, you can have a hand in saving their marriage, and moving the couple safely to a new address, with their marriage intact!

Do any of you have your eye on a home or property in your 'hood.... that you are secretly wishing something 'interesting' happens with the owners so that you get the chance to buy it?

*** Edited to add ***

This is the best I could do with a drive by photo. You get the idea!

Here's a tip!

Here's a tip for those of you are planning to have kids, but are not yet pregnant - FIND OUT THE SEX OF THE BABY.

In the beginning I really didn't want to know what I was having... the fact that so few things in life a really ever a surprise was the part that sold me on waiting until the baby is actually born to know the sex. I have always made the analogy that finding out the sex before its born would be like knowing what people are getting you for Christmas, before Christmas morning - what is there to be all that excited about on Christmas morning if you already know what every gift under the tree is?

However... me and all my analogies haven't gotten me anywhere in my hunt for crib bedding for this baby to be. Honestly, if I knew the sex of the baby I think I would be at home on weekends maxin' and relaxin' with my feet up and an ice-cold (non-alcoholic, but wishing it was alcoholic) beverage - it would have been easy to select some fashionable bedding for a boy or a girl by now. BUT, the fact that I don't know the sex has had me running from store to store to store to website to website to freaking insanely mad that I can't find something I love.

I am waiting to make any decisions on paint for the baby's room until I find some crib bedding I like. I think once I find the bedding, it will be easier to choose the paint than the other way around. Every time I run into a dead end I say to myself (in a rather annoying voice) 'if I knew the sex of the baby I wouldn't be having this problem'!

Last weekend, when my sister was in town we headed across the border to the US of A as I had saw so many bedding/nursery sets online that I really liked. I thought... we would hit Watertown where there is a Target, 2 Walmarts, KMart, Sears, JC Penny, Kohl's... but the selection at all of these stores was complete CRAP, if you didn't know the gender of the baby.

One of my big things is that I don't want to come anywhere near any animal or character themes... I just want something modern with cool stripes, polka dots or argyle prints... but that apparently is not what is out there in the stores. While in Watertown I did discover a few polka dot prints but not in the right colours as I felt everything was too boyish or girlish... hence allowing me to conclude: KNOWING THE SEX OF A BABY PRIOR TO BIRTH IS A GOOD THING!

I have to admit I was pretty deflated when we returned from Watertown empty handed (although we did find some cute/cheap Carter's baby outfits), but I regained my composure and went back to the websites, discovering this set from Walmart Online:

I really really liked it... and so between my sister and I, we put our heads together and figured out a way to get it ordered to the states, as its not available in Canada and they won't deliver it to Canada either.

I went all out, ordering pretty much every piece you see in the second picture... and its suppose to arrive sometime in the next 2 weeks, so I am pretty pumped about that. I got the whole she-bang for just over $250 dollars... curtains, extra crib sheets, pillows, the rug, the mobile, wall decals, etc - you name it I ordered it!

So... provided that I like the set in person, I think the search for non-gendered crib bedding may be officially over! But take it from me, don't put yourself through this - find out the sex of the baby and your life will be so much easier!

Desk Hunting

I am on the hunt for a new computer desk/workstation.... and I can't seem to find ANYTHING that suits us me. I have been looking for something since November, and no where in my travels have I found anything that I just LOVE.

However, I did see a desk at IKEA, and although I really didn't love it, it would work for the space I have for an office desk, and at this point I was sick of looking for anything more, so I decided to just get it, and live with it.

On Saturday, PC was available for the day, so I decided we would go to IKEA and pick up the desk I had been pondering about for over a month. In my mind, we would go into Ottawa, go to IKEA, get the desk, and then do whatever else we wanted to do afterwards. However, the day did not go like that at ALL.

First of all, when you take PC out for a day of shopping, you definitely follow his agenda first... and you make it your agenda or else you risk him not leaving the house with you.

First stop... St. Laurent Mall. This was on both our agendas because we were hungry, but more so on PC's because he wanted to get a button replaced on his leather jacket at the mall. So we accomplished those two items... then I made my way to the Body Shop to use up my free birthday gift (best rewards card ever at the BS - but that's another post entirely). After that, PC lured me into Koyman Galleries as they are closing their St. Laurent store, and 30 minutes later we purchased not 1 but 2 Group of Seven numbered prints for our living room.

Then... while I wandered into a shoe store, PC went to his own shoe store. I used my birthday money to purchase some new EMU boots and was pleasantly surprised with my find (I didn't think I would find the ones I liked). I managed to team up with PC again at his shoe store and we left the mall around 4:30.

The majority of the day was gone, and we hadn't even done the second item on his agenda - Lazy Boy Furniture.

PC's dream has been to get a La-z-boy recliner for the basement. I use to use the idea of purchasing one as ploy to get him to finish the basement quicker, but when it was finally done neither of us really mentioned it. However, he had not forgotten about the chair, and with La-z-boy's current sale on, we spent an hour or more sitting in chair after chair after chair, before finally deciding on one. Yes, we bought a brown leather La-z-boy - PC's dream chair... well let me rephrase, PC's amended dream chair. The Cadillac of all Cadillac chairs was a little too big for my liking... and so I had to talk him down to the more modern Cadillac version, which took some convincing on my part, but luckily I prevailed, and we ended up with a far nicer chair (in my eyes), and bigger savings in the end.

So... at this point it is 6:00 pm, and we are just leaving the east end to head to the west end, as we have dinner plans with friends, which means no time for IKEA, AND we spent way more money than expected on a day that reserved for purchasing one item - a desk.

Fortunately, our friends also wanted to go to IKEA, so after arriving at their house, having some snacks, we decided to tackle IKEA together. The only problem is, when we arrived at the desk section, the desk I had picked out (after numerous visits to IKEA on my own) PC wasn't thrilled about it. This made me not excited to get it, and then we started looking at all of the other desks in the store... ending up back at square one, with nothing. After another hour of looking, we walked out the store with $93 worth of stuff that wasn't on our list, and NO DESK.

What a frustrating experience. I don't know where to shop for desks in this city? I have been on every office supply web site from here to France, and still nothing that is half decent, and in a decent price range (I did find a really nice one for only $1449!). I am not sure if I will ever find a good desk... and one that both PC and I can agree on. Tonight I don't curl until 9pm, so after work I have 3 solid hours to put looking for desks.

Do you have any suggestions on where I might find a decent dark wood desk, with storage, a key board tray, and lots of working space? Please do share any suggestions you might have... I could really use them today... or all week for that matter (until I find a damn desk!).