Happy Holidays and all.

Hi there! I know it's been a while. Seems the only time I have enough time to post is on the odd day (thankfully not often) that I am home with a sick child. Actually I should be doing one of a long list of other things right now but what the heck.

Thought I'd take a moment to say Happy Holidays. I hope that you share a wonderful holiday season with the ones you love.

I've got about half of the decorations out. My tree looks like crap because my 2 year old enjoys taking ornaments off, playing with them and putting them back where he sees fit. And you know what? I like watching him do it. Nevermind that my MIL & SIL silently gasp when they come in and see the condition of it. I also am having trouble locating the tree topper. We have a lone gold spike up there waiting for the star that sits on it. I think I'll find it this weekend.

I am longing for a trip to the mall & Target. I have neither where I live. I didn't make a Pottery Barn Kids and Amazon order this year so I've been scouring the local stores (which do a decent job) for gifts. I just miss the experience, the selection, the PRICES.

I'm still a little bitter because I was forced to stay home for Thanksgiving this year. I wanted so bad to be back in the US with my Stateside family but no. I had to work for 4 stinkin hours so we had to nix the whole trip. Grrrrr....

But my sister arrives in 10 days and I do get to take some time off for the holidays. There are many days I wonder why I thought it was a good idea to go back to work - then the tuition bill arrives (for PreK-4 no less) and I'm abruptly reminded. Folks if you can send your kids to a good public school - thank your lucky stars!!!

This weekend I will be:

attending my 4 yr old daughter's ballet performance

attending 2 birthday parties with her

making card for the other kids in her class because they have requested no baked goods (bummer!)

finishing the holiday decorations AND putting the boxes back in the garage (I am shooting high here)

possibly having a date with my husband if this tummy bug my 2yo has is a 24 hour thingy

and hopefully a load of other fun family things!

I should squeeze in some gym time since the dozens of treats I got to take home from a cookie exchange have mostly been consumed by yours truly.

So yes, this is scattered and likely unexpected - but hey, that's what my life is all about.

Hope this finds you all enjoying your day. Happy holidays!!!

Till next time-

Elle :)

My Day

Today I am spending my day in my little boy's bedroom. He's been attacked by a tummy bug :( You see, his big sister started school last week and that inevitably means virus bombardment in our house. He's 2 & she's 4. I hope this gets better soon. I'm so irritated - I really thought they'd stay well for longer than a week. Grrrr... I wonder if I got sick this much when I was in preschool. My mom doesn't seem to think so.

So I'm here - sitting and waiting. Feeling guilty about doing not a lot of anything while he's sleeping. I had time for a short little post. Maybe I will start a book. Or download a new app on my phone to occupy my time for the day.

Hoping my little man fights this one off quickly. Till then I'll be....

Elle :(

Style Me!

Ok, I admit it. I am at work and I'm totally goofing off which is very unusual for me (seriously!). I have friends arriving today from California and I just can't get into work mode. I'm too distracted and excited! So I sat down at my desk this morning and decided to catch up on my blog reading. Tisk, tisk.

So anyways, I'm wearing an outfit today for the first time. And I don't know - something about it is a little uncomfortable for me. Is it because it's my first boyfriend cardi? I'm not sure - so tell me what you think. Is my ensemble complete, or what am I missing??

Cardigan & tank - Lilly Pulitzer...Cotton Skirt - Island Company (a new fave brand)

Bangles - Kate Spade....Necklace - Queen Bee...Flip-Flops - DVF

Forgive the off color, this is all navy & white - I'm just in a very pink room & it's taken with my phone!

Happy Monday!



Elle :)

Shhhh....

Do you hear that? It's the sound of near silence in my house on a Sunday morning. Excuse me while I enjoy it!

Happy Sunday-

Elle :)

Polo's

{lacoste at bloomingdales}

So I was at work the other day and I work with 2 supercute gals. One is a twentysomething and one is 19 (I'm the old one in the bunch!). I discovered that neither one wears or really even likes polos. I was shocked! Huh? You don't like polo's??

For me, polo's are a wardrobe staple. Most of my weekends are spent in some cotton twill shorts and a polo. Admittedly I'm a bit of a prepster, but I'd like to think I'm still fashionable. Fashionable in a classic kind of way - only occasionally trendy. Oh and I should note that my weekends are generally spent at home with the kiddies & running errands.

So I was wondering what you think - do you wear polo's? Why or why not?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Elle :)

New Fall Arrivals?

I just saw this on a website. Hello?!?!? It's still July! Am I the only one who thinks mid-July is too early to have "new Fall arrivals"? Let us enjoy Summer will you? I just bought a new swim ensemble Friday - that seems like appropriate July shopping to me. Certainly not sweaters and trousers.

That's my little Sunday complaint.

Hope you are finishing up a nice weekend. I'm thinking a cold glass of wine by the pool sounds like a great idea right about now....

:) Elle

Stating the Obvious

Well I guess I needed a blog hiatus. I say need because it really wasn't something I wanted. Somehow nearly 3 months have passed since my last post. Where has the time gone??

It all started with a computer repair that took much longer than I thought. Add a new job into the mix, your 2 existing kids and viola! No blog time.

Here's my quick catch up (as if there are hundreds dying to know! )

My baby will be 2 on Saturday!! And he got glasses about 2 weeks ago. We are on pair #2 and are figuring that this new expense could really cut into the budget!

My job is going well. Sometimes I wonder why I thought it was a good idea to go back to work, but for now I look forward to going in most every day and I look forward to going home too. So I figure that's a good thing. Oh and paychecks are really exciting. Though small by most standards, I haven't had this much cash in my wallet in almost 5 years! ( don't let your mind exaggerate - we are talking $25 most of the time!!)

I got 3 new rugs in my house and I love them. Only thing is it really just whet my appetite for more upgrades which do not fit in the current budget. Especially with the addition of toddler eyeglasses.

I'm still in love with Kate Spade. Thankfully fall is around the corner which doesn't work well in the tropics. Cashmere on an 80 degree day? I think not! So hopefully my temptations will be smothered with wool.

I've been totally sucked into the Bachelorette this season. I found myself watching the last episode this morning at 4 am (I was awake, couldn't go back to sleep and realistically it's the only time I can squeeze it in!!) with tears in my eyes. What the heck?!?! I admit it's the craziest silliest thing, but I totally understand why it works - it suuuccckkkkkssss you in. So judge if you want or email if you want to discuss bcs I have no friends who share my obsession.

If you are about to splurge on a laptop - I'd totally recommend the extra $300 for the lit keyboard. It just took me 3x in the dark to find that dollar sign.

Well it's approaching a reasonable hour in my world so I will sign off - time to make the lunchbox for camp & hit the shower.

OH WAIT - I almost forgot. I had my first fellow-blogger sighting recently! You read it right. In my little remote corner of the world - there I was waiting for my fast food drive through order and I almost felt like I was living a celebrity sighting. My dad was in the car - and his former concerns regarding my mental health were completely confirmed as I got giddy and explained to him who she and her husband were. Of course I kept it all inside the car. And actually haven't even gotten around to emailing her. But anyways it was kind of exciting.

So for now who knows, maybe I'll be awake at 4 every morning and have a little time to post OR maybe I will just continue to be the occasional commenter. I'm non-committal at this point because sometimes my lack of blogging makes me feel guilty which is just plain silly. So here we are.

Hope you are having a grand summer wherever you may be!!

Elle :)

Absense

Please excuse my prolonged absence. MacBook in for repair and repair is more complex than originally thought. Remember when I spilled water on my computer? Yeah, well that is haunting me months later. Have so much to share so hope to be back pronto!

Elle :)

Sneak Peek

Well here it is: The lovely place I spend my mornings! But not this fine morning - I'm in THE city of cities and I can't wait for husbs to wake up so I can go out and devour some cheese blintzes. Rain, rain stay away. Pretty please??

Have a fab weekend lovelies!

Elle :)

I'm excited!

For a few reasons...

The store I am working for finally opens TODAY!!! I promise to share photos one of these days.

My husband & I are NYC bound on Thursday sans kiddies!! (our first trip alone in over 4 years)
**cheese blintzes, here I come**

Hope you are having a fantastic Tuesday (I'd insert more exclamations here but my enthusiasm may be considered moderately annoying then)

Elle :)

Lame-o

That's me! I've been a horrible poster lately. I'm sorry - I have been soooo busy. Adding a career into the mix is very time consuming. I've been exhausted and in bed early almost every night. Plus my son has decided that 5:55 am is a great time to get up in the morning. I've done some brief reading today and I hope to have some time later in the week to do some commenting.

My goal is to do at least one post a week and at least one night to catch up and comment. We'll see how it goes.

I really, really want to take some photos of the store and share them with you. We should be open on Friday if all goes well.

I hope all is well with each and every one of you.

Until next week-

Elle :)

Hi again!

I'm back. Yes, I got back a week ago - it's just been busy. As usual!

I'd love to make this post all fun and full of photos but truth be told it'll never happen unless I sit here right now to catch up, photoless.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I did end up scouting out the local shops and was lucky to find a few bargains. I got 2 solid tops. Kind of fancied up t-shirts with nicer sleeves & a cute neck in a solid turquoise & kelly green. Paired them w white pants and dark jeans respectively, dressed them up with some BARGAIN jewelry and voila - I was set. I even got a compliment on my heels that look brand new but are really "I can't remember how old"!

Our meetings were over around 3pm on Friday. We were staying in West Palm Beach and meetings in Palm Beach. I'd never been and had always wanted to go to Palm Beach... Worth Ave, the Via's, The Breakers, etc... But heck, when that meeting was over my boss and I made a beeline for the closest nice mall ($40 cab fare away) and hit the shops. Such a shame we didn't have time to explore Palm Beach.

Sidebar here - I discovered the MAGIC of Moleskin while I was away. Moleskin is an inexpensive adhesive felt (you can find it in the Dr Scholls section of your local drug store/supermarket) that you cut and stick on to your foot wherever your shoes are uncomfortable. Ladies let me tell you - this stuff is awesome. You may remember me mentioning a while back that I wear flip flops or the sort 24/7. My feet survived the business trip quite well thanks to this simple product. I've even used it since I've been back on an adorable pair of flip flops that had a metal piece where the 3 straps meet that was terribly uncomfortable on the tops of my feet. Cut out a little piece of moleskin and I don't even notice the piece anymore. Go out and get some!

Apparently I'm getting old. I say this because my trip to the mall was a little anti-climactic. Banana Republic was a little blah to me and I found most of the tops a little odd. It was such a muted palette I was a little bored. It's spring people!! I did score a cute pair of dressy jeans, a cute black shirt dress & some fake jewels. Then I went to J Crew. Cuter colors but a tad strange. I don't know - I just can't get excited over racks of Dukes of Hazzardesque plaid shirts that look like they've been crumpled up on the floor forever before they were hung up. Anyone else relating to me here or am I truly just getting old? I didn't even have palpitations in the Nordstrom shoe department. They had a sale going on and it was a little too crowded and confusing. Thankfully our shopping was topped off with buzz-worthy margaritas and a yummy dinner at PF Changs.

I was so busy I hardly had time to fret over my babies. I was gone for less than 48 hours. Of course, they did fine without me but they were super happy to see me. Nothing like that greeting - oh the love!

I'm so proud of my weekend project... I made a velvet lining for my jewelry drawer! I can be quite crafty & innovative when inspiration strikes. I mentioned my recent bargain/fake jewel acquisitions. I couldn't take the mismatched boxes and ziploc bags any longer. I went out and got me a piece of foam board, some black velvet, dusted off my glue gun and $18 later I had a pretty impressive drawer liner if I do say so myself! Fake on the left, real on the right. I don't really have a very extensive jewelry collection. I'm a classic kind of gal with a few diamonds and pearls. Wasn't much into the fake scene for a while. But with the latest "statement pieces" trend, it was either pass the trend all together or embrace costume jewelry. I chose the latter.

What else has been going on. Oh yes - work. We got our first merchandise delivery last week. Ooh-la-la how fun! This week our components & cabinetry are supposed to be installed. Hoping to open early next month. I WILL share photos of the shop because let me tell you it is going to be nothing short of FABULOUS! We attended a hoity-toity fundraising tea on Friday and donated some items to the auction & raffle. The response we got was fantastic. Our auction item went for triple the minimum bid and I know the winning bidder. Yay!

Well I guess that pretty much brings you up to speed here. Oh I must mention that I watched Precious last night. My goodness I had a splitting headache all night from crying my eyes out. Have you seen it? It just broke my heart to pieces. Geez Louise, if you are ever feeling like life's dealt you a crappy hand - sit down and watch it and you will likely feel like the luckiest person alive afterwards. Unfathomable to me, yet way too common in our world. How? Why? Ugh....

Nighty night everybody. I'm going to catch up and comment on what some of you have been up to!

Elle :)

Business travel

So I'm super-d-duper excited because on Thursday I'm going on a business trip. Read: free trip to the US, land of Target and malls galore! I was a tad disappointed when my boss sent me the itinerary as it doesn't leave much time at all for shopping. But a little and that's all I need can afford.

Today I decided to go through my closet because I was having a tough time thinking of what I could pack. Well for once it wasn't a case of memory loss. I really have nothing to take that I'm happy with. First of all I have to take weather into consideration. It's a little cooler in Florida so I can't exactly dress up some of my summery dresses. Second of all I haven't done much shopping for chic items in a long time. The single item I pulled out is a winter white trench with lavender lining that I got at Benetton in London 5 years ago. How depressing. And Im working in fashion retail. Double whammy. I've got to come up with 2 traveling outfits a meeting outfit and a post-meeting outfit. I'm sooooo tempted to scout out the local shops but I'll end up spending a fortune. It's really bugging me.

At first I didn't even have a "look" in mind. I went to visit Chloe (that girl knows how to dress!) and did get some inspiration. Thanks Chloe!

Tomorrow I just may embark on a hunt. Any suggestions from savvy & chic business travelers out there?

BTW this will be my first trip away from my kids. Only 2 nights. I'm looking forward to it but I know, at the same time, my heart will be aching.

And if you are wondering what I wear to work normally - we are still at a pre-opening stage. So I can wear pretty much whatever to our temp office. Our first deliveries should arrive next week from which my work wardrobe comes.

Hope you had a lovely weekend - I did!

Elle :)

I'm so happy

I could explode! Here's why:

About 15 years ago (holy moly has it really been THAT long?!?!) my husband's (then boyfriend's) cousin started dating a lovely Danish girl. She & I got along like 2 peas in a pod. The 4 of us did stuff together every weekend for a few years pretty much. Dinners out, movies in, travelled, etc.. We became best of friends. Then they got married and had a baby and it changed a bit, but not much. They moved abroad, came back, had another baby. I finally joined the baby club about the same time they decided it was time to move abroad again. She & the kids left when my first child was about a week old. That was a little over 4 years ago. Well this past summer they split. Things got pretty crazy for them. We understood but were so sad. You know they were the couple you thought would be together forever. Then the slander started. The can you believe she did this and he said that? I wondered if I'd ever be able to visit my best friend again. You know when family is involved it gets even stickier. Well tonight we got a call from them. They are BACK TOGETHER!! Hooray! They are planning to come visit this summer and I'm just so stinkin thrilled I had to share it with you. I love it when love wins.

:) :) :) Elle :)

Kate, you're killing me!!!

I was getting a little bored doing Play-Doh "sand art" with Miss S.

As it goes, I often do a little blog surfing when I get bored and don't have other more pressing things to do. Ok, who am I kidding, there are obviously more pressing things to do but sometimes I just don't feel like it.... Well I found

Chloe. She captured me in an instant. I love the David Yurman heart necklace and I read on. Read on to find some fabulous discount codes and a super chic gal with some lovely "outfits of the day". Her Kate Spade discount code led me to do a very dangerous and ill-advised thing: I headed to KateSpade.com to see if there was anything on my imaginary wish list that a 20% discount would justify. I fell in love, once again.

With this

and these!

Kate! Please, stop. Every time I go on your website I am soooo tempted. Which really means you are doing your job but it's not helping me one bit.

So Chloe inspired me, because I thought it was hilarious (my attire in comparison, not the concept!), to post my very own outfit of the day. I couldn't figure out the self timer on my 2 month old camera so I had to resort to the photo in the mirror. Taken in Miss S's room.

Polo, Lacoste. Shorts, J Crew.

Oh and flip flops (taken whilst trying to figure out the darn self timer) Havaianas.

Tres chic!!

Elle :)

I'm crushed!

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a big fan of the Yonka line. It is my facial cleansing routine. These products won me over a few years ago mostly for one reason: they smell fabulous. This is the one splurge I have allowed myself to continue as a stay-at-home mom. The products are on the pricey side, but they do last for a while.

So I recently ran out of my regular moisturizer (Creme PS, still love it) and my local day spa was out of stock. Since I had several sample sized moisturizers, I decided I would use the samples as they would surely last until the next shipment arrived. Now usually anti-aging products don't work well for me. Especially if they contain fruit acids - my skin gets all prickly. But as I had a few anti-aging samples I thought I'd give them a try. Much to my surprise - there was only a slight twinge of the prickly feeling upon application and then it completely disappeared. But in no time, I noticed a difference in my skin. It felt softer and smoother. I had a change of heart and instantly requested the Fruitelia moisturizer. A few days later the product was in and ready for my collection - the bill: the equivalent of about US$89. I thought there must've been a mistake. My regular moisturizer usually sets me back about 40ish dollars. So she must've had both products put aside for me. WRONG! I struggled with it a bit and then thought "oh what the heck - it amounts to cents a day" and bought it. (Don't you wish you had a twin sometimes for these experiments? Ok twin #1 - you use the $6 moisturizer and I'm going to use the $60 moisturizer and lets see where we are in 10 years... ) Well that was on Saturday and today.....it fell off the shelf in the bathroom and smashed on the floor. I thought I might cry! Why the glass bottle?!? I'm kind of torn. I don't know if I should bite the bullet and buy another bottle, replace it with my other cheaper Yonka moisturizer or attempt to use the cream I scooped up off the (clean) bathroom floor and placed in the plastic container. Yes, with the latter option I am running the risk of spreading glass shards on my face... it sounds horribly foolish. Don't you just hate it when things like this happen?

You may be wondering how the bottle fell off the shelf and I'll tell you. It was totally my fault. My little boy had just stepped on the scale and we were doing a little celebratory dance because he's back up to his pre-stomach virus weight of 22 pounds. In our craziness I managed to swing him around in just the right way to knock a few things off the shelf. Only one being glass.

*sigh*

Elle :/

PS - To end on a brighter note. My friend is treating me to a "Thai massage" & a pedi tomorrow. Apparently they give you some type of loose clothing to wear during this type of massage. Sounds interesting.

Changing the subject...

There's going to be a little of that going on because I haven't posted in a few days...

First off I hate to report that we still have pesky viruses attacking my kids. It's been bang-bang-bang this year. Runny noses and coughs barely phase me these days. Overall we are all doing pretty well.

On to American football. I'm minutely pleased that the team I was pulling for won the Super Bowl. Frankly I don't have much interest in the sport. For the life of me I cannot understand the game. Even with the fancy yellow lines they stick in electronically these days. I've lived in a family of sports lovers my whole life. It just isn't in me. I aced (ok maybe a B) Trigonometry, Calculus and Statistics in my high school days, but the rules and game play of American football are completely beyond me. I do enjoy the Super Bowl for one reason: snacks. It's like the Thanksgiving of snacks. And I like it when a newcomer wins. I needed no further info than the Colts have been to the Super Bowl before and won (I think) and the Saints had never been to know that I was pulling for the Saints.

On to Kate Spade.

Dear Kate, I wish I could afford to adorn myself in your label. I trust other labels in my price range will have similar items in their Spring offering. I know it's not quite the same but it will have to do. I do find it quite interesting that your handbag prices are not, in my opinion, crazy expensive. Though I'm sad to report I don't own a single one.

P.S. I'd love to know where I might find your Outlet.

I mean seriously - I love this outfit. I don't need to be fancy.

{via Kate Spade.com}

And how lovely is this? Living on an island and all - it's so nice it's not cliche´.

{via Kate Spade.com}

I really should stop stalking her website. It's just a wicked thing to do to myself.

Subject change #3.

I'm getting excited about my job. I think I can totally handle the hours and I know it'll be fun. I am admittedly worried about the whole "getting vacation time approved" again. My dreams of summers in Europe have been tossed out the window. And let's not even talk about the subject of December holidays in the retail world. But heck, I'm going to give it a shot. And I couldn't have picked a nicer boss. For now I'm working a few hours here and there till the shop is ready to open which should be in late March. Then I'll be a regular. I let you know how it goes.

Well I guess I better get back to the laundry. Before I have to turn the dryer on another 5x to get the wrinkles out.

I'm going out for Sushi tonight - yum. What have you been up to??

Elle :)

I'm back, I think...

My goodness. We have had an absolutely horrid stomach virus visitor in our house for about a week and a half. Somehow I've managed to escape infection. Not sure if that's a mother's immunity or the grace of God. First and foremost I am beyond thrilled that my babies are well again. And who are we kidding, putting it into perspective this was a relatively mild virus. But I've gotta tell you - I'm WORN OUT. Caring for a sick and needy family for the better part of 2 weeks has taken a little toll on me too. I couldn't use the toilet without my offspring hanging on to my legs. So I'm going to take a little break. Yes, I'm only dreaming but what the heck... Come along.

I'd never heard of Sanya - had you? So many places to see in this world.

If you need me, I'll be here (alone, just like her).

Or here.

Getting ready to relax on one of these and have the most fabulous massage ever.

Hope you are having a grand day!

Elle :)

Dear friends

Please excuse my absence. First a cold went through our house and now it's a stomach virus. I will spare you the details. I miss you but will be back very soon.

Elle :)

It's important to pay attention.

Just making a quick check in. The babies are snoozing, the husband is out for at least another hour and I'm snuggled in my new bed* ready to dive back in to my book: The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I'm about a third of the way through it and I'm really enjoying it. I'm having a little trouble keeping up with the characters. Not that there are many, but for some reason I'm having a bit of trouble keeping track of who's who. Problem is probably me and nothing to do with the book...

The weekend is looking up. There's a Sunday family gathering that is brewing and may be the perfect excuse to retract my RSVP to the expensive baby shower. I received an apology email from the g-o-h. Her request was for a low-key, inexpensive & no-gifts policy shower. Something got lost in translation.... I could make it a big blow-out and not only attend the baby shower but tack on a few hours at the Ritz spa afterward. That would surely send my dear husband into cardiac arrest. Well at least when next months AmEx bill is due.

He nearly spit (I'm using my manners) a brick when I sent him this month's total. Here are some snippets from our convo. Please note that the AmEx total is always sent sugar coated via email....

*****

Laying on new bed in bedroom:

Elle: Hey, I found that $100 you asked me about the other day. Guess where it was?

N: I hope you put it towards the AmEx bill.

Elle: It was STILL in my wallet! And no, I didn't put it towards the AmEx bill, I paid for the bouncy castle for S's party (our daughter).

N: I don't know how you think I'm going to pay that bill.

Elle: Well $X was on AmEx and the rest ($Y) was on the MasterCard so we don't have to pay that one in full.

N: What exactly Made up the $X+$Y?

Elle: Well $1000 of it was the tires and coffee you ordered.

N: $1000 on coffee and tires?!?!?

Elle: Yes. And some was food and the rest was Christmas oh, and a little that I spent on myself while we were in Atlanta.

N: What part of Christmas?

Elle: The Pottery Barn Kids stuff and Land of Nod stuff.

N: Pottery Barn Kids?

Elle: Yes remember you went in the store with me and we came out with a very large bag of stuff for the kids?

N: Oh, yeah. Land of Nod?

Elle: Yes, that's where the train table came from.

N: How much was that?

Elle: $400.

N: For a train table?!?!? I could've made that for $50!

Elle: Well it was actually $395 plus I got that smock and splat mat. And I showed you the train table on-line and you agreed that we should get it.

N: Well I wasn't paying attention.....

Elle: [(thinks to herself... "imagine that"]

****

Have a super fab weekend!!

Elle :)

P.S. * though not sparkly, a wonderful gift indeed!!

2010 & Random Ramblings

Well here we are in 2010. Hope it's a great year. Any resolutions? I'm not a big resolution kind of girl. Every year I would like to be a little more organized. This year I'm hoping to work on my scanning photos project and I'd like to learn how to use my new fancy schmancy camera well. These are only plans though, not resolutions.

On to some very important subject matter.... So I was invited to a baby shower. The guest of honor is a lovely gal and a friend. I don't know many of her other friends, we generally get together with our husbands. Well I got an evite with a save the date and details to follow. Checked my calendar, no plans, so I confirmed my ability to attend. Last night the details arrived: tapas and drinks outdoors at the Ritz. Oh and guests pay a fee of US$62.50. Plus a request to donate ~$40ish US$ to a gift. Say what? Tell me ladies is this a new trend I am unaware of? Asking guests to pay to go to a baby shower? I often think I need to be paid to attend some of these events. Especially when they want you to smell baby diapers and drink bottles in front of strangers. I'm a little perplexed. Frankly, I'd rather spend the money on a gift of my own choice. I likely won't spend much quality time with the g-o-h at the shower. And while the idea of over priced sparkling water and a handful of nibbles on a lovely January day at a luxury Caribbean resort sounds dreamy, it's just not sitting well with me. In my opinion you either host and foot the bill or come up with a more reasonably priced venue, like say your house. So tell me what you think. Please, I really want to know!

Well the kiddies are up now so I'd better get going. Oh, guess what? Our shower door spontaneously shattered into complete smithereens. Yes, the one that we JUST finished. There's something about that bathroom....

Until next time-

Elle :)