01/27/2008-02/02/2008
We ran the same route again on Saturday. I took my point-and-shoot again, hoping for some clearer weather. It was quite a bit better than last week.
Dinosaur sculpture in the park:
And, of course, kitties enjoying the sun:
Jeter in the sun.
Jeter and his shadow.
I had some photos of my closet back from my NaBloCleanMo project. Here is what the shoe situation looked like up until last week or so:
And here it is today:
I picked up an inexpensive shelf that would fit the existing space, and put the shoe rack on top. Bonus, I can shove the Keds skimmers between the bottom of the shoe rack and the top of the new shelf!
Adding the patent boots caused the ankle boots to no longer fit as neatly under the bottom shelf of my closet organizer, but they can still stay tidy as they are.
And while it looks tight, I do actually have room for future purchases — I don’t really need three pairs of running sneakers that I can’t run in anymore. (Our local running shop recycles them. I will probably keep just one spare pair once I lift the shoe ban to make room for more!)
So for now, things are still under control.
I just don’t want to think about how it’s going to fit when it’s time to rotate out the 20+ pairs of spring/summer shoes hibernating in a box under the bed!
or, why I’m not allowed to go shopping anymore …
Since She Likes Purple inquired about my shoe purchases … below you will find the footwear that entered my house during the month of January.
Before I cut myself off on January 15.
See, there are several ladies (the aforementioned She Likes Purple, and a couple others) that have sworn off unnecessary shopping for 30 or 60 days.
At first, I thought, “Good for them!,” but it wasn’t for me. Shopping is too much fun!
I never used to indulge myself … but as we’ve gotten more established, I realize I do deserve to have nice things, and have increased my (still somewhat cheap) budget accordingly.
Though, I’ve been on a bit of a shopping spree lately. After a string of large purchases, I decided I was on board too. At least for 30 days. I’d sort of like to make it until my birthday (March 29) — but yikes, that’s really far away!
On to the shoes …
I found these Ann Taylor satin peep-toe heels on sale for $39.99, which is actually higher than I usually spend on shoes (boot budget is a big higher!). I’m a bargain hunter; while I have a lot of nice shoes, I usually get killer deals. I figured since these are exactly what I’ve been looking for for years, and they were originally $118, I could make an exception.
Technically, these bronze Ann Taylor peep-toes entered my house on January 16, one day after I said I’d stop the unnecessary purchasing. But I had things to return to Ann Taylor, and still walked out with more money than I came in with (on my credit card statement).
Also, I decided these were destined to be mine. When I was in there days earlier (pre shopping ban), I saw them on the sale rack, in my size. I wanted them, but resisted for some reason. I figured if they were still there when I brought in my returns, they were meant to be.
I’ve had my eye on these Steve Madden wedges for a while over at Endless.com. When I thought they were sold out, it made me kind of sad … and then I looked again and found them. So I really had to buy them, right?
I’ve previously documented my love for the Keds Eleanor skimmers. I had seen the “Dove” style and when I finally found them marked down to $18, I had to buy. But I also fell in love with the wood button on the “Elephant” style and got those too.
And then, Ann Taylor LOFT had these on clearance for $9, and I couldn’t resist. Also, I realized I only have one other pair of black flats which are a little more casual, so this was a great purchase!
And you already know about the patent boots.
Were you counting? Did I actually buy seven pairs of shoes in two weeks?
So yeah, I’m officially cut off.
I joked with my husband that I had to build an addition to my shoe rack!
(Um, I really did. I’ll post an update later with “before” and “after” shots!)
Yesterday, I told you about The Great Interview Experiment, brainchild of Neil at Citizen of the Month. He interviews the first commenter on his post. That commenter interviews the next. And so on.
Want to play too? Go to this post and leave a comment. This will go on indefinitely; the list is still growing!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Katie from The Dilettante Debutante.
Your blog is called “The Dilettante Debutante,” which you defined in your first post way back in July 2004 as one who dabbles in a variety of arts and sciences. To quote your post, “Basically I have a wide range of interests and hobbies and tend to get deeply involved one or more for varying lengths of time.” What are your current interests and/or hobbies?
Let’s see…film, knitting and crochet, cooking, gardening, football,literature, foreign languages and cultures, comparative religion, the Internet…
What got you started blogging?
I was participating in a knitting Secret Pal project, and you had to have a blog to participate. Before that I couldn’t imagine that I had anything to write of interest to anyone. I kind of still don’t, but what the hey.
What has surprised you about becoming a mom?
I have a much greater capacity for patience than I would’ve imagined. Also I can get by with far less sleep than I’d imagined.
What, about motherhood, hasn’t surprised you?
It truly is cool to see a baby grow into a kid and beyond.
What do you do for a living?
I’m an administrator and lecturer at a private university.
How has your education prepared you for it?
I purposely went back to school for a doctorate (while working full time and raising two small kids) so I’d be qualified for the job I just landed three weeks ago. Clearly I am insane. 🙂
Where do you live?
New England.
Why do you live there?
I moved here to go to college and just developed an affinity for the place. And there are many fine places for me to work here. But in the winter I start thinking about retiring to somewhere warmer.
What is the farthest destination you’ve traveled from home?
I spent two summers working on an archaeological excavation in Greece. It was amazing.
Where would your dream home be, if money wasn’t an object?
It sounds cliched, but perhaps a villa in Tuscany or a cottage in Provence? Assuming it had good Internet access and “all mod cons.”
Thanks, Katie!
And thanks, Neil. What a great idea!
Read other participants’ interviews over here.
Once again, Neil at Citizen of the Month is making the blogosphere a better place. This time around, it’s The Great Interview Experiment.
In his initial post, he proposed to interview the first commenter. Then that person would interview the next commenter. And so on.
This idea seems to really have taken off. Last I checked, there are over 100 interviews!
I’ve been a Kerflop reader for a while now, how nice that she was my interviewer. Go check it out!