Kiss Me, Dyson

It's here! I know, I'm terrible. I broke down and bought the Dyson DC25 Animal for $459 (free shipping) on Amazon.com. I put off showering all day because I didn't want to miss the UPS guy!

We took it for a test drive and it:
- isn't louder than other vacuum cleaners
- lighter - only 16.23 lbs
- moves smoothly and turns on a dime, love the ball technology
- turbine spins super fast, picks up everything but hair does seem to get wrapped around so it will have to be cleaned regularly
- crazy suction - there was another pug in the canister by the time we were done with 2 rooms

I'm not sure the mini-turbine tool is worth all the trouble. Petunia's hair in her bed was stubborn. But, I love it and can't wait to finish vacuuming the rest of the house and our new apartment.

Carpe Diem

Ikea runs these "Seize the Day" promotions and this deal was so good it got M out of the house before 11 AM to brave the crowds at Ikea all by herself. She didn't even get lost. Further, Ikea mediated M and my debate over number of place settings. She wanted 4 place settings, I wanted 8, so now, by Ikea's eternal wisdom, we have 6.

Fairy Sister

My friend S emailed me "Well, I just happen to know of a Dyson that will be looking for a new home around the beginning of July. Any interest in my orphan?"

I wrote to her work email, "I am going to crap myself!"

Yay! The vacuum search is over! Hallelujah!

Get Off My Wusthof!

Ok, that is not as clever as "Leggo My Eggo", but it is the best I can do at midnight. In my mind, there are 3 major home purchases that I should not skimp on. 1, the All-Clads which I have ordered off eBay. 2, my knives. 3, the Dyson DC25 - locked and loaded. I don't mind getting everything else at Ikea. Ok, maybe I'll also get nice sheets.

I found my knives on Craigslist. The guy selling them was REALLY nice. I am highly suspicious of nice people. He offered to make us a knife block or drawer block, advice on how to care for the knives, to sharpen our knives for us anytime, throwing in a sharpening steel and wine opener, and inviting us for wine and tea. Since he was giving us such a great price ($325 for $500 worth of knives), I played along and made sure that M would protect me during the transaction which took place at his HOME (I mean, who does that?).

He and his wife turned out to be really nice and gave us lots of advice - even demonstrated dicing a onion and how to use the sharpening steel. They had my dream kitchen - lots of Le Creuset, All-Clad and knives everywhere. I couldn't help but point out the awesome cookware to M - you see, you see? This is what real people cook with! It's not that expensive considering we would be using it FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!

Sure, we could get a pretty good deal on eBay but the sets on eBay were always missing something. We got the exact knives we wanted. Nothing more and nothing less. Okay, I do want 4 more steak knives for our 8 piece setting. And M is finally excited about them. She started looking for a wood block to keep them in good condition.

All-Clad, All Mine

I had been writing with this woman from Baltimore for her 10 piece set but it was just impossible to find a time to pick them up, especially during Easter weekend. Then, I read what was in her set and I did not need the casserole. I checked on eBay and found this awesome 9 piece set (free shipping) with a non-stick fry pan. It is exactly what I wanted.

The Thrill of the Hunt

I am proud to report that I did not purchase the Marc Jacobs bag - I'm actually looking for a light tan/ beige spring bag and the ivory color was just not versatile.

I have discovered craigslist and got $500 worth of Wusthof knives and sharpener for $325 and my $470 Dyson DC-18 vacuum for $250. YEAH!

Ok, someone else bought the vacuum but I now want the DC25 for animal hair...the search continues.

Bag vs. Vacuum

It must be a sign of maturing. I am having to choose between this gorgeous ivory Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier hobo with shiny lux gold hardware that I've been wanting for months and my slim bagless Dyson DC18 vacuum. Lucky for me, the auction on the hobo ends a day before the vacuum.

Seriously though, this is representative of all my purchasing decisions going forward. Cute gifts for me or all this stuff that we need: dishes, flatware, pots, knives, couch, chairs, dining table, and on and on...

SQUEALZ!

It's here! Oooo, maybe I'll get a silver buckle, too...

V Takes Manhattan

Yee-Haw!

I have been looking for boots forever. I'm short, have skinny calves and can't rock heels outside of SFactor. I have been willing to shell out dough for Frye, Marc Jacobs or Loeffler Randall but it has got to fit and got to be perfect.

So after looking for hours, ordering and returning countless pairs, I found non-suede grey boots to match my grey bag - yes, I'm a matchy matchy girl. They're flat, have a little scrunch but do not look like wigwams, tapered at the ankle so I don't have cankles but still can pull on, hit right at the thickest part of my calf, and are super light and comfy. And of course, since it was buy one, get one half off, I HAD to get the black cowboy boots. No crazy stitching, just a basic casual boot with a little heel. All for $85 and same day shipping! Now that's a recession bargain!

Blankie

After 2 resounding recommendations, I had every intention of driving to TJMaxx to get my electric blanket but it's really cold out there and once I stepped in the door, I was not about to leave.

So, I googled "best electric blanket" and I found something that raved about Sunbeam blankets and took me directly to Amazon. Sketchy, yes, but I googled "electric blanket" and Amazon's deal was pretty good. Doris allayed my fears about shipping by saying her stuff arrived pretty quickly.

The purchase took a really long time. I had to find the right blanket at the right price - Sunbeam Imperial Nights Polyester Cotton Blend Heated Blanket. Comfort set digital control, 10 settings, preheat, auto-off, finer temperature control, 2 ft longer power cord, 2 separate controls, and exclusive warming system senses and adjusts to deliver consistent warmth (the "brain"). Machine washable!!!! And then, I had to pick a color that M would like because I soooo wanted the pink one. I settled on "seashell" and Doris confirmed it was a beige even though the name would indicate a blush pink (I'm completely color blind). Then king or queen... I have a queen now but maybe I'll have a king in the future?

Oh, I can't wait for it to arrive, to set it on the bed to pre-heat, and climb into the warmth... And yes, M, you can turn the heat on your side off.

Try It On?

What a concept! I am an internet shopper. I HATE the mall and dealing with crowds and parking and the feeling that I'm paying a premium plus tax. But, I've bought and returned so many pairs of boots that it is just a waste to order them.

I've had my eye on Anthropologie's Fountain Pen Boots and Peaks & Plateaus Bag. They have been in the cart, ready for purchase but I just couldn't pull the trigger because I just wasn't sure. I received some good news at work today and thought I could get a little gift for myself.

So, I called 2 Anthropologie stores and of course, the shoe and bag can't possibly be in the same store. I mapped out the route to each of them and off I went.
Turns out, the leather of bag wasn't that soft and the handle drop - as I already knew - was too short. And, it was bigger than I wanted. Then, I took the E to Spring Street - for ONCE, the E train wasn't crowded. Must be my lucky day. I had a nice walk with window shopping (nothing really interesting) and got to the second Anthropologie.
13.5 inch shaft my ass. More like 15. I KNEW the boots would be too tall. I left both Anthropologie stores empty handed.

This apparently is my new budget strategy. If I want something, I will have to try it on. Which means I'll have to find time to get to the store, make sure what I want is there waiting for me and see if I really truly do love it.

Grey Bags (cont.)

This is a continuation of "Grey is the New Black" and "Meet Grey Bag." I think I really missed out on the Marc Jacobs Dr. Q Grovee shoulder bag but I console myself in that it was a weird beige grey color.

I found the Peaks & Plateaus Bag on Anthropologie and LOVE it - except that the top handles are too small to go over my shoulder. That is a huge problem. I cannot have a bag that I have to hold in my hand or wear on my elbow. Bag is going to be put down somewhere and forgotten.

Then, I saw LV's new Angele Platine bag. It is lovely but Doris and I think it is too long. I measured it out and it is HUGE. It is the same size as my Prada laptop bag and that thing is so ginormous that I don't even carry it anymore - such a waste.

So, the search continues and in the meantime, I'll wear my Bica Cheia bag which is almost close to perfect except that the quality of the leather is not very good. I call it my elephant hide bag.

I Heart: Jersey Knit Whitney Skirt

I saw this skirt possibly last spring and it had not gone on sale and actually disappeared from the site. It FINALLY came back in the sale section and while more than I cared to spend, was $40 cheaper and everything I love (except dry clean only). As you know, I love JCrew sale/ outlet- style, sale prices, color, service and the ability to return something at any time - even years later. I love jersey knit. I want to live in jersey knit - soft, stretchy, comfortable, oftentimes machine washable (but not this time). It fits me perfectly and just hits my knees (this model is a bit too tall because the skirt looks short on her). It has small pleats in the front along the waist and POCKETS! And the flippies in the back. I love them. I love how it is slimming, feminine, comfortable and classic. I think I may buy an extra one (or 2 or 3!) in case I damage the first one... M, you always talk about buying something you like in bulk, don't you?

Found: Perfect Boots

Hello, my name is A, and I have a boot problem. I have been looking for the perfect boots for nearly 2 years and ordered and returned countless pairs. I think I'm on the black list of every online shoe store. I get my finickiness from my mother who starts her criticisms usually with, "the shoe is too heavy." So, the boot has to be light, flat, flattering at the ankle (no cankles please), 13-15 inches high, fitted but loose enough to tuck jeans under, with some kind of character. I thought I had nailed it with the Frye Sam Button boots to your left and purchased them from anthropologie.com for a ridiculous price (they named it something else) and then found them $100 cheaper. I re-read the measurements and it has a circumference of 15.5 inches. That is way too wide even with jeans and I realized that the cuff would make me appear shorter (if such a thing was possible) because it would cut the line of my legs. I quickly emailed both websites and cancelled my orders. I also really wanted something kind of western but not all out western with stitching, cutouts, a stiff sole or toes that pointed upwards.

Mom was dying to go to Jersey Gardens and I went for the exercise, after Christmas sales, and hope to make use of M's Forever 21 store credit. I got a great price on some pima cotton sweaters for M from Tommy Hilfiger because she is all about how soft they are and machine washable. The discounts were certainly steep but there was nothing interesting - I thought, this is insane, there was so much junk made that people don't want to buy. What a total waste of resources. We ended our excursion at mom's favorite store, Old Navy. I got a great cotton grey cardigan and tank with black "jewels" and spotted shoes piled in a corner.

I like Old Navy flats and flip flops. You can get a million of them in every color and they are comfortable and low maintenance. While the flats of late have not been up to par, I saw these black boots with subtle cowboy detailing on the top, tall, flat, zipper at the ankle and rounded toe (makes your feet look small). I couldn't believe it. Sure, they aren't real leather, but hey, they won't need to be polished and are pretty waterproof. I am concerned about the breathability (think footed pajama smell) but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I popped some gel arch supports in them when I got home and voila, the perfect boots for $39.99.

Pink, You are So Skinny!

Pink arrived today and she is sooooo thin! I mean, ridiculously thin. There's 16 GB in there? I'm in love but she is going to be really bad for the wallet. A season pass for 30 Rock is like $60.

On a separate note, my sinus are acting up again. I was doing so well. Augh. Back to the old sinus rinse, Zyrtec, Benedryl routine.

Good-bye Speedy, Hello Pink

With all of mom's "did you bring this?" and "did you remember that?", I left my silver nano at the hotel we stayed at over the weekend. I remember taking it out of my bag and putting it with my luggage but then, I didn't see it after that and only realized it was gone after I had downloaded my podcasts for my morning commute.

I did call the hotel but Speedy is as good as gone. New name of nano? "If Found, Please Return Me."

So:
- Spending money - boo
- Corporate discount - yay
- Tax - boo
- Videos/ TV Shows - yay

Frye Maxine Campus Boot

[in progress]

Me: Who are these women with 15, 17, 18 inch shafts?!

Doris: Transgendered women?

I gave up on the grey boots since I saw a woman on the subway with grey boots that were water stained. Quality, comfort, 1 inch heel, right shaft height (12 inches) and circumference (14 inches) for a shorty like me. Can't wait to wear it with leggings! Hurray for corporate discount!

Oh, I'll Take 7

On my way back from lunch, I passed the holiday fair at St. Bart's (I'm a sucker for street vendors). I spied these Burberry-esque cashmere scarves and only had enough cash for 1 fuchsia plaid scarf. It was so cute, soft and at such an irresistible price that I took an order from M, got cash and went back after my 2:30 meeting. I chatted with M about my initial offer and went in, expecting to haggle.

I had chatted the guy up in Chinese before and he was really nice. I made my offer and he said in Chinese, "For a pretty girl, sure." I grabbed 5 grey ones, a red one for mom and a pink one for Doris. I came in the door saying, "who wants gifts?" Mom ran over saying, "I do!!!"

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