Early Saver Specials

New Early Saver specials. These are non-refundable big time reduced fares. If you want extra info, just email!

SHIP	PPortORT	DUR	SAILDATE	ITINERARY	Inside	Window	Balcony
Carnival Sensation	MCO	3	04/21/11	Nassau	$299	$329	$449
Carnival Imagination	MIA	4	04/25/11	Key West & Cozumel	$259	$299	N/A
Carnival Sensation	MCO	4	02/27/11	Freeport & Nassau	$259	$299	$469
Carnival Destiny	MIA	5	04/09/11	G Cayman/Ocho Rios	$399	$479	$609
Carnival Elation	MOB	5	04/23/11	Western Caribbean	$379	$429	N/A
Carnival Fantasy	CHS	5	03/18/11	Freeport & Nassau	$349	$399	N/A
Carnival Inspiration	TPA	5	04/23/11	G Cayman/Cozumel	$379	$439	N/A
Carnival Glory	ORF	6	05/29/11	Bahamas	$529	$699	$829
Carnival Spirit	YVR	6	05/04/11	Inside Passage	$499	$599	$749
Carnival Dream	MCO	7	04/23/11	Eastern Caribbean	$539	$719	$859
Carnival Elation	MOB	7	05/14/11	Western Caribbean	$529	$629	N/A
Carnival Fascination	JAX	7	04/30/11	Eastern Caribbean	$499	$569	$799
Carnival Glory	MIA	7	04/24/11	Exotic E Caribbean	$499	$609	$799
Carnival Splendor	LAX	7	04/24/11	Mexican Riviera	$459	$579	$799
Carnival Valor	MIA	7	04/24/11	Exotic W Caribbean	$439	$569	$699
Carnival Victory	SJU	7	04/24/11	Southern Caribbean	$439	$569	$749
Carnival Freedom	FLL	8	07/02/11	Exotic W Caribbean	$829	$949	$1179

Picture Day

I'm so excited! Today was Natalie picture day for the year. Last year I missed it because of Dad and I wasn't in the mood for pretty pictures. This year we did her traditional Chinese outfit, the only silk one I bought...it finally fit! Then the photographer set a second appointment so I could come back with Halloween stuff.

And buddy did I! I already had it in my mind that I was going to buy the CD. So why not cram as much stuff on it as I could?

We did winter Belle (above), the fancy Tinkerbell (what she wore in Disney awhile back) and her Barbie bride dress from a yardsale (never has a $1 dress been loved so much). It was fun and she was super agreeable the whole time.

So in a couple of weeks I am going to have some super duper deluxe pictures. That makes me happy!

Wed Cruise Specials

Every Tuesday I get a list of discounted fares, called Pack-and-Gos that I can book on Wednesdays. These are last minute, let's fill up the ship, prices. Email me if you want more info. The ones in red are my pick for price and fun-ness. Especially the Destiny one, it goes to Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk.

SHIP	DUR	PORT	SAILDATE	ITINERARY	INSIDE	OCEANVIEW	BALCONY
Carnival Ecstasy	4	GAL	12/16/10	Western Caribbean	$419	$459	N/A
Carnival Imagination	4	MIA	11/01/10	Key West & Cozumel	$179	$199	N/A
Carnival Imagination	4	MIA	11/29/10	Key West & Cozumel	$179	$199	N/A
Carnival Inspiration	4	TPA	12/09/10	Western Caribbean	N/A	$249	N/A
Carnival Triumph	4	MSY	12/16/10	Western Caribbean	$309	$349	$379
Carnival Destiny	5	MIA	01/10/11	Eastern Caribbean	$329	N/A	$479
Carnival Ecstasy	5	GAL	12/11/10	Western Caribbean	$339	$379	N/A
Carnival Freedom	6	FLL	10/31/10	Western Caribbean	$329	$379	N/A
Carnival Freedom	6	FLL	11/14/10	Western Caribbean	$329	$379	N/A
Carnival Dream	7	MCO	11/20/10	Eastern Caribbean	$499	N/A	N/A
Carnival Fantasy	7	CHS	11/20/10	Key West & Bahamas	$429	$509	N/A
Carnival Glory	7	MIA	12/12/10	Exotic W Caribbean	$379	$469	$599
Carnival Pride	7	BWI	12/19/10	Pt Can & Bahamas	N/A	N/A	$649
Carnival Pride	7	BWI	02/13/11	Pt Can & Bahamas	N/A	N/A	$629
Carnival Pride	7	BWI	02/27/11	Pt Can & Bahamas	$449	N/A	$629
Carnival Spirit	7	SDG	12/19/10	Mexican Riviera	N/A	N/A	$649
Carnival Triumph	7	MSY	12/27/10	Exotic W Caribbean	$879	$1039	$1339
Carnival Victory	7	SJU	12/19/10	Southern Caribbean	N/A	$499	$649
Carnival Victory	7	SJU	12/26/10	Southern Caribbean	$599	$779	$999
Carnival Victory	7	SJU	02/20/11	Southern Caribbean	$499	$629	$779
Carnival Freedom	8	FLL	12/04/10	Eastern Caribbean	N/A	N/A	$779
Carnival Spirt	8	SDG	11/28/10	Mexican Riviera	N/A	N/A	$699
Carnival Dream	9	MCO	12/23/10	Exotic W Caribbean	N/A	N/A	$1299

(plus tax which varies depending on the cruise)

Free Landscaping

I think I mentioned I am about 5K short for next year with all the things I want to do. In the budget for next year I have a landscaping column. My poor little house isn't very decorative on the outside because I've had to do so much on the inside. So I allotted $500 to get about 90 linear feet around the house landscaped. nothing too fancy, just some nice evergreen shrubs, bulbs and pine bark.

So yesterday, we went to the boy's hunting cabin. It is a little 500 Sf house in the middle of nowhere on a mountain in VA. He has about 5 acres with 4 of that being wooded. As we were driving in to mow (it is really overgrown and it so hard to mow - that is a different post tho) he points out the shrub I was going to buy at home depot was growing all over his property! So I was able to dig one up to bring home and saved $18.

Then I started on the ferns, there were thousands of them. Then he had the great suggestion of collecting the rock moss that they sell here at landscaping stores for a ton. You just pick at an edge of it and it comes up in sheets.

This isn't the best picture, but this is one of the three fern groupings I dug out, along with some of the moss. I have about 50 feet that is shaded enough to have ferns and moss so next week we are going back armed with trashbags and shovels.

I can't use ferns and moss on the front of the house because I have a lot of direct sunlight. But this has knocked $300 off my landscaping column for next year. Only $4700 to go!

Bargain Clothes

I've not done one of these posts in a long long time! Except for the pink sweater, all of these are for next year and the year after. Sometimes I get grief for buying Natalie's clothes this way but at least she always looks cute (unlike her mama who looks like crap most of the time).



This has super cute buttons, they are clear and have fabric in them. Sort of a country floral pattern.



I so love this sweater. It is for this winter and spring, Janie and Jack (or is it the other way around) with the tags, $44 originally.

Two basic skirts with shorts inside of them. Can't have enough of these. I think they are target brand.


These pants are fun and convertible. They are way too big though, unfortunately she'll be wearing them before I know it.

Cute little Land End and some cheapo brand skirts. She loves skirts.


Gymbo capris like her blue denim ones from this year. They are skinny cut, they will look great on her.


A cute little blue dress, can't think of the brand. The on on the right is actually a shirt from Gap, I liked it so much I'll just pack it away for a couple of years....


The one of the left is zumba or something like that and are slim cut (yay!) The ones on the right are Levis.

Gymbo top in a larger size that she'll wear in a couple of years.


Pretty church dress for next summer.


Two basic sweaters.


I thought these were cute with the rhinestones. And the are NWT gymbo - score!


Whew - these are loud. They are NWT and Natalie liked them so I bought them. Yikes...

She love love loves this shirt :)


NWT for next summer.


NWT for next summer.


NWT for 2 summers (maybe three haha). I love it.

NWT for next summer. Came with flip flops that she has been wearing constantly (I'm a mean mama, I don't like flip flops on little kids, they fall. So it's like Christmas in Oct around here.)


NWT for next summer.


NWT for next summer. This is a huge 2T.


NWT for next summer.


NWT for maybe 2 summers.

NWT for next summer.

NWT for next summer.

NWT for this winter and probably next. Her new winter shoes match the flowers so I am a happy camper.



And the finale - a dress she picked out on her own and has worn it for 2 days. I had to pry it off her. Drop waist, poofy bottom in a semi sheer crepe. Really for next summer but she loves it and we've been at home for two days so what does it hurt? lol

Cost of my little spree? $29. yup, I'm that cool :)

DC, School, Ballet & More...

We went to DC with the boy. We saw the Air and Space & Natural History Museums. We went to the Washington Monument. We ate at three Irish Pubs. We went to the zoo. I'm sure we did more but I'm drawing a blank right now. We stayed at the Kimpton in Arlington - it rocked! We rode Amtrak for the first time, that was cool.







Natalie started preschool for the third year. The school system so far hasn't been super helpful in helping me get her enrolled for Kindergarten next year but I'm still trying. She went on her first field trip yesterday with her BFFs Tia & Meisha. Tia was in our travel group, Meisha is my BF's first cousin's little girl from Hubei.

Picture day at school.

Natalie is still loving gymnastics. I hope to be buying a bar and balance beam in the near future to practice on at home.

Natalie started ballet. The green leotard was her first day. I told her if she tried really hard and paid attention then she could go every week and wear a pink leotard like the other girls. She loved it.

(I can't get good pictures at ballet, I am taking pics through a window way far away!) Look at my skinny minny. She is a whole 30 pounds now. Anyway, I am hoping to take her to see the nutcracker and to go to a special tea before a performance this dec. It's a little kid thing.

My kitchen is still moving along. I have a plumber coming next week to do my sink (which I screwed up and don't want to talk about haha) and install the new dishwasher. We installed the over the range microwave last Sunday, that wasn't too hard once we figured out how to do it. I had a wicked urge several times to resell my white appliances and go with stainless but talked myself out of it. You just don't put stainless in a house in my price range. I am going slower than slow with this remodel. I wish I had just hired someone to do it all and quickly. But I'm just too cheap.

I am putting on a new roof this month or next. I think I'm going country, since I live..umm in the country (well city - but the country side of it sort of). The house is all white siding, white window trim etc so I think I'm doing green. It will match the grass and be lovely :)

I am making hairbows to sell. I am perfecting my technique now with a simple triple loop bow in solid colors. I am going to group then in large packs and sell them on the blog and on etsy. And, if I get faster at it, I can open a little booth at the farmers market next summer. I'm trying to make a little extra money next year. I've got several trips planned (cruise, NYC, Disney, MB) and I want to max out my 401K. I'm about 4K short of doing that if I stay perfectly on budget....which I'm not very good at. Anyway, let's say 5k then lol. I don't think I can sell 2500 bows next year, but this will help I think. I'd really like to get several of my crafty friends together and share a booth. We'll see how that works out.

Bye for now! - Kim