reformed j crew-aholic

i used to be addicted to j crew. i started to cut back about 2 years ago and finally severed the cord. in 2011, i went to a j crew fewer than 4 times. i used to go weekly. for real.

back in 2010, i wrote about how j crew had drastically increased the prices of its wedding dresses. well, they did it again!

in 2008, my wedding dress was $325 (i got it on sale for less than $200. yes i was that bride if you haven't been reading very long and didn't know). 

in 2010, it had gone up to $450. 

the very same dress (no redesign, no additional bells and whistles) is now selling for $575. how can they justify an increase of $250?

that is beyond unreasonable. i just can't even bear to shop there anymore because the prices are out of line while it seems the quality is declining.  anyone else longing for the old j crew? pre-2008, when prices weren't insane and the look was also a bit less hipster?

monday treats

i was so excited that my kiel james patrick bracelet was waiting on my doorstep when i got home today!

i am a sucker for fancy packaging

even the inside of the box is pretty!

i love the anchor clasp. it is easy to put on one handed.  yes, i know it is upside down, but i was too lazy to do another picture.

that wasn't the only present waiting for me today.

i was surprised by this beautiful murfee scarf from my baby sister:

what a perfect way to end a long monday at work!

18 days until spring!

i'm slowly coming out of my winter hibernation. spring is on the way, and i've got a little more pep in my step. my grandmother is getting better every day and i've been spending lots of time with her and my family. march is going to be a good month. i can feel it!

 of course, because it is my birthday month, i had to get a few presents for myself. 

 i've been stalking this bag for a while and snapped it up as soon as it got marked down. i've been wanting a cream bag for a long time. happy birthday to me!

i wear scarves more often than necklaces, and my tastes tend to lean towards the old lady, which explains why i had to have this scarf. land's end has been my go to lately. anyone else loving land's end? i also ordered a new navy twinset and i can't wait to wear it with the scarf and white jeans.

kiel james patrick bracelets are so much fun and i'm very excited for this one to arrive! i had a hard time choosing a color and if someone wants to get me a birthday present, here's a hint.

i had a meeting in richmond earlier this week, so my work bff and i hit up carytown and found tons of cool things. we had a blast. there are so many interesting shops and restaurant. my favorite shops were:

ruth and ollie

where i almost bought this (the prints, not the chair), but was unwilling to part with $400 for it.

i did find some other fun little things that didn't break the bank. because everyone needs a 24k gold plated decorative box shaped like a wing. 

taylor hirsch 

where i may have purchased a pet rock. i know. i am crazy. i can't even explain that one.

glass boat 

where i found these awesome hand forged scissors. according to the shopgirl, they are handmade in india by a family that has been making scissors for 1,000 years. hush up and don't try to tell me that i got hoodwinked. they were not very expensive and the boy likes them too.

we ate dinner at selba, which was wonderful. i want to go back for brunch and eat in their garden dining room. it is like a greenhouse! 

i wasn't kidding about the pet rocks. i got an owl. or two. you guess.

i'm already planning my next trip back to richmond. any richmond readers out there? what shops are your favorites?

waiting for the other shoe to drop

you know how bad things always happen in threes? well, i am waiting for that third bad thing right now.  with my grandmother's surgery and some insane stress at work, i know a third thing is coming.

my beloved grandmother is at home, on the mend, after a really bad surgery.  we know she is much better because she is back to being feisty. when she is calm and quiet, it is time to worry! we've got a lot of people helping to take care of her and i am on duty this weekend. last weekend, i painted her nails and we gossiped about her neighbors. we had a blast. thanks for all the well wishes and prayers. they really meant a lot.

to help with the stressful week, i indulged in a little target therapy yesterday. the boy was working late, so instead of coming home to cook dinner, i wandered up and down the aisles at target for nearly two hours. kind of sick how that recharged me, right?

  there are 96 days until summer, so i made my first bathing suit purchase of the season.  i love the navy stripes, but now i am thinking i should have chosen the green and white striped top and paired it with navy bottoms.

summer, hurry up and get here, i am jonesing for some pool time!

i found this rugby shirt in the men's department.

wishing i had picked up this one too...may need to visit target again tomorrow...

i love a rugby shirt with white jeans. this year, i've decided that i am not waiting until memorial day for my white jeans. once spring hits, i'm wearing them as much as i want!

have you found anything really fun at target lately?

prayers please

things have been rough lately. my precious grandmother is in the hospital. she was scheduled for surgery yesterday and things did not go as well as hoped. she is in ICU and looking at a long, painful recovery. please pray for her if you pray.

i am in the dumps because i cannot visit her. i am really sick (nasty sinus infection, double ear infection, gross hacking cough) and i am not allowed into the ICU with my germs. i've been sick all week and yesterday was a really bad day.

of course i would not be as sick if i had taken off from work on monday, or tuesday or wednesday, but duty called.  why is grown up life so hard?

the bright spot this week, my amazing neighbor who brought me a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight, knowing i was not in the right frame of mind to cook for myself. 

monday stuff and thangs

this weekend was great. we celebrated tiff's 30th birthday. we are getting old. i got her a read gift and added a wrinkle cream as her gag gift.

i got to spend some time with baby dylan, who is going through a phase where he must be held by someone at all times. don't even try to put him down or else it is game over. how can you resist that face?

 

i spied these handmade rag dolls in the martha stewart catalog and decided that taylor and kennedy need some. then i saw the price. the dolls start at $180. no thank you. 

 

so, i started practicing making my own dolls. my first mockup wasn't too bad. now that i've got the hang of what i need to fix, i am going to start on dolls for taylor, kennedy and baby lucia this week. 

 

i found a perfect yarn that looks like curls for the hair. sewing doll hair is not as easy as i thought it would be, but i think i've worked out the kinks.

i also started on some cute fabric flowers in a pretty print for another project:

 

the colors should complement this little hazel eyed monster.

 

 i found a conversation heart that i loved and gave to the boy. he's got it on his bedside table. 

happy monday!

where did january go?

this month was a whirlwind! i'm glad because it means we are that much closer to spring (exactly 50 days if you are counting too).  my january highlights:

1. i got to meet positively preppy in pink. we've been blog buddies for a while and we got to meet in person two weeks ago. i had a blast. and she really does look like grace kelly in person.  we've already got plans to meet up when she visits dc this summer! i love when blog friends are even better in person.

2. i got good news about my job. it is being split into 2 jobs (because my workload is enormous and i had the biggest territory on my team). this is amazingly good news!

3. babysis has a new boyfriend and i got to meet him. he passed the big sister approval exam! i am just so happy that my baby is happy.

4. i spent some quality time with my favorite munchkins! i got to be a part of their first ice skating experience.  we had a blast. the girls are NOT naturals on the ice, but they tried really, really hard. at least they looked adorable while falling, right? it is all about having fun!

 

bring on february! i am hoping the mild winter continues and we can make it to spring without a single major snowstorm. so far, the dc metro area has had less than 2 inches of wintry precipitation. the average is about 14 inches per winter. we better not get a blizzard in the next 7 weeks.

party pics

on saturday night, my cousin and a group of her friends hosted a huge dress up party. it was a blast. the boy and i went with babysis and her new almost boyfriend. my babysis is so gorgeous, isn't she?

i had some last minute outfit drama. thankfully i found an old dress that fit.  

we were all prettifed until journey came on.

there are so many shots of babysis and i over the years just like this. sitting still for pictures was never our strong suit. 

dress up parties are so much fun.

 

especially when it means an occasion to pull out the fur!