Fall photo shoot

My boycott of school photos continues. Here are some of the results of our fall photo shoot:

I survived

For those of you who did know, and for those of you who didn't, I survived my surgery on Friday. You know you're getting old when you start to have certain health problems - particularly ones that women don't normally get! I had a hernia repaired, so nothing serious, but certainly not fun either. I am so extremely grateful to wonderful people in my ward who helped us out that day. I didn't know until the day before that I would need to check into the hospital at 6 am the next morning for the surgery. My oh-so-wonderful Relief Society president came to our rescue and was here bright and early to be with our children until the girls went off to school and Daniel went to another oh-so-wonderful friend's house.

Another surprise came when I was waiting in pre-op and found out that I had a student nurse anesthetist that would be working with me. I guess I didn't mind that so much since he had an anesthesiologist that would be supervising, but I also didn't know until that moment what kind of anesthesia (general) they were planning on using. It was kind of a lot to process all at once. The surgery went fine, but I think it's safe to say that I would make a lousy druggy. Even after getting home it took hours before I didn't have to remind myself to breathe (an interesting sensation to say the least), and narcotics make me hurl. Sorry - I guess I could have said that a little more eloquently. Narcotics make me very sick to my stomach.

I am extremely grateful to my sister-in-law Elissa who is an angel and will be here for the next couple of weeks helping me out since I can't lift anything over 15 lbs for 6 weeks! Daniel's not very happy with me at the moment.

I may be frugal, but I'm not cheap

I have been wracking my brain trying to think of what I should write about next. I have a lot of things that I could write, but it is not going to mean much to me or to anyone reading it if it isn't something that I feel strongly about at the time. I finally decided that I would write a little about making wise purchases, and specifically, about how spending more can sometimes save you in the long run.

For example:

Haircare: Something that I have discovered in the past 6 months is the benefit of spending a little more on my haircare products. My stylists have always said how the salon products are more concentrated, better for your hair, yadda yadda yadda. I was given a few samples after a haircut back in March, and since then I have been hooked! I couldn't believe the difference in my hair. I have naturally curly hair so I used to go through conditioner like crazy, and styling products too. With good quality products I use a fraction of what I did of the regular store brands. Now, I'm not stupid - I won't just buy the stuff for top dollar at the salon. But there are a lot of places where you can get the salon products at cheaper prices. I have been doing more and more shopping at Beauty Express (Trade Secret) lately because they can have some smokin' sales! And don't forget to check the clearance section where you can sometimes find discontinued products, or ones that have had a packaging change for 75% off. I've also bought stuff on Ebay, and even with shipping it was cheaper than what it would have cost at the salon. Frugal tip(s): I have a stylist friend who told me about a study she read regarding hair care products. The results of the study found that there was very little difference in the results produced by shampoos you find at the store compared with the salon brands. So if you're going to splurge, put more money into conditioners and styling products. Also, see if the place you purchase your products from has a frequent shopper program where you can get points and discounts.

Children's Clothing: I've been a die hard fan of second hand clothing stores for a long time - places like Kid to Kid or Once Upon a Child . The trouble is, as my girls get older I find that the selection in the larger sizes is getting to be slim pickings. So I've had to start buying new more and more. Children's clothes are NOT CREATED EQUAL! When I go shopping I want clothes that are going to be good quality, but I also want clothes that will make them look like children. My girls may be getting older, but I refuse to dress them in the grungy, skanky hoe clothing that is so prevalent today. I have been doing more and more shopping at Gymboree because, once again, they can have some fabulous sales. I can't afford their regular prices, but get on their emailing list and you'll be informed of sales in advance. I'm finding more and more that I can buy brand new, good quality, cute clothes there on sale for the same prices I was paying at the secondhand store.

Shoes: I really don't mean to be endorsing so many specific retailers, but I have to put a plug in for Famous Footwear. Getting my frequent shopper card there was one of the best shopping decisions I ever made. Great sales, decent quality, online purchasing (with easy, in-store returns), great discount coupons, and great rewards. It just couldn't be easier. Get on their email list, get one of their frequent shopper cards (totally free) and voila!

Although all evidence may seem to the contrary at the moment, I'm not a fan of shopping. I like to get in, find what I want/need, and get out. I think that's why I've never been a huge fan of yard sales. You can find some seriously good deals at yard sales and they certainly have their place. In my experience, however, they take a ridiculous amount time that is largely spent sifting through garbage. I'd rather be keyed in to the programs and benefits available at my favorite stores.

Daniel loves the Wiggles

Another Fort Wayne reunion - just the girls

Emily was in town for the weekend so we took advantage of the opportunity to get some of the FW girls together for dinner. It was SO fun! A good time was had by all - well, except for maybe the rest of the people in the restaurant because of all the noise we were making. ;-)

Today's blog entry is brought to you by the letter T!

My favorite things that begin with the letter "T":

1. Toronto: I'm actually from a town about 40 miles east of Toronto, but since no one knows where Bowmanville is, I say I'm from the Toronto area. As beautiful as the mountains are, I will always always been an easterner.

2. Tomatoes: The best part of summer is the fresh produce from the garden. I can't wait to have my own garden again so I can grow some of those beautiful heirloom varieties of tomatoes. But no matter how hard I try, I'm sure they'll never taste as good as the tomatoes my grandparents used to grow.

3. Thunderstorms: I love the rain, and especially love thunderstorms. There's just something so relaxing about them. I also love that my Dad used to take me outside in a storm and sit on the front porch and teach me how to figure out how far away the lightning struck.

4. Tulips: My favorite flower.

5. Tranquility: This is something that I rarely experience, but I have fond memories and look forward to the time that I will experience it again.

6. Truffles: They're chocolate - need I say more?

7. Tempura: Since I'm on the subject of food, I also LOVE tempura. The best part of Paul having lived in Japan is all the Japanese food he has introduced me to. Specifically, I love vegetable tempura.

8. Twilight: I am thoroughly addicted to the Twilight series of books. Yesterday I was telling a friend of mine about them and I couldn't believe it when she said that she doesn't like to read novels! It had crossed my mind that it's a little silly of me to be so in love with them considering their target audience. I've decided it's because I have enough "serious" in my life and need the escape.

9. T-shirts: I realized recently just how many different colors and styles of t-shirts I have. What can I say? I hate ironing and t-shirts are pretty wash and wear.

10. Tissues: OK, so this is a little lame, but I have a head cold right now so tissues are my best friend.