Friendships

 

I had a dear friend stop by this afternoon whom I haven’t seen in a while. She stayed for several hours and then asked me this question, which made me melt.

She asked me if I’ve ever had a friend who I really don’t mind emailing or chatting with on the phone, but sometimes THAT just won’t do…because you want to see that person and be able to reach out and touch them.  That somehow you recieve reassurence and peace from them.

She told me that I was that friend to her….<3

She lives very far away and is not able to see me as often as she would like.

It is such times that I need to remind myself to focus on the people that matter. People that want me in their life. People that will make time to fellowship….because afterall, LOVE=TIME. Amen!

 

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Parfums & My History w/Them

Parfums

 

I started wearing perfume in the 4th grade. Sure, I had those solid Avon Parfumes that came on a cord that you wore around your neck? But as far as real parfum, that came in the 4th grade. My mother presented me two bottles for Christmas, that I absolutely cherished. Both are discontinued now. *sigh* Such good memories….

 

The first one was called Electric Youth, By Debbie Gibson for Revlon. I just loved how fun the bottle was with the pink swirly thing in the middle.

 

 

The next was by Almay Cosmetics, called ‘ALMAY‘.

 

 I’m not sure why they discontinued the Almay one, as Almay cosmetics is still very popular right now. As for the Debbie Gibson one? She was the Britney Spears of my generation, long gone but not forgotten.When I was 16, I was down in Florida at Miami Beach, and a little girl ran up to me and asked me if I was Debbie Gibson?  I never forgot her face! ❤  I also never forgot the bleach blond hair and leopard string bikini that I was wearing that day! O-o

 

I  received a bottle of Loves Baby Soft that same year, in the 4th grade. Haven’t we all worn that scent, at one time or other. It smells like baby powder, hence its name.  I have bought my daughters bottles before, but they both hate it…They don’t want to smell like a baby they tell me. They also frown if I buy them deodorant in Powder Fresh!

 

Sooooo…Guess it ended with me..*sigh*

 

 

 

 

In the 5th grade I decided to try on some of my moms parfume one morning before I left for school.. She only wore CHARLIE, the original one. It’s by Revlon. I know they make the Charlie White and Charlie Red nowadays too. Mom wore the original Charlie though. Occasionally I will open up a bottle at CVS, just to smell it.

 

 

It may sound rather sad, but I have many memories of kissing my mom goodbye, and smelling Charlie on her every day. She would wear it to work every night, and it’s just something that has always stuck with me..Until of course she made the switch to ‘Ciara’..but Charlie always remained her signature scent.

 

 

One day while she was still sleeping and I was getting ready to walk off to school, I saw her bottle next to her make-up in the bathroom,and sprayed a whole bunch on me…Like 6 squirts! I was fine for a couple hours, and then while in class, I started to itch. I itched so badly, that it felt like red fire ants were all over me. I raised my hand and told the teacher that I had to use the bathroom, and when I got the bathroom, I looked at my neck and arms and I had all these little red dots all over the place. Apparently, I was having an allergic reaction to it. I went back to class and told the teacher what I thought had happened, and she said she was wondering who had on the strong smell! She sent me to the nurse and we waited for my mom to get there. Mom was not happy at all! Needless to say, that was the first, and last time, that I decided to ‘borrow’ moms perfume. I often wonder if I’m allergic to it still. I just don’t dare want to find out, as I have never forgotten that particular ITCH!!

 

 

In 6th grade I was given a huge yellow bottle of ‘Jean-Nate splash cologne’ for my Birthday. My mom shared it with me, and told me that she use to use it before she had my brother and I. She told me that if you place a couple cap-fuls in your bath water, it will stay on your skin until your next bath. I liked that idea, and started doing it right away…Then one day I went to school right after a morning bath in it. Before class, a boy was standing next to me at his locker, and asked me if I smelled that STENCH?  I was not 100% sure that he was referring to me, so I smiled,batted my false eyelashes, and cheerfully told him that all I SMELL was myself, and I smelled real good!!

He dipped in a bit, towards me, and took a random sniff…. then assured me that the stench was indeed, me! :o(

 I was more then mortified!

 

I stopped using it that day, and have not picked it up since. In fact, I don’t even know if they still make it. I think I will try to find it, for the fun of it.:o)

 

In the 7th grade I started collecting ‘Naturistics by COTY’. I managed to get all the scents.  They came in these tiny 2 inch frosted bottles. Each perfume was pastel in color and the color filled the frosted bottle. There was several in the set—pink(Paradise),yellow(Vanilla),green(Botanical),blue(Sea Splash),clear(White Musk) and lavender(Mountain Fresh).

 

 

 

They smelled very sweet, and each time I wore them to school the other kids and teacher thought I was eating candy, or chewing gum. My favorite one was the blue one called, ‘Sea Splash’ with the runner up being the pink one, Paradise.

 

 

In High School I fell in love with one of my friends mothers perfume, called Obsession, by Calvin Klein. I could not afford the $90 dollar price tag no matter how many houses I cleaned for cash….Sooo, I opted for the generic one called CONFESS. It smelled identical, but wore off in about an hour. I went through many bottles of it!

 

 

 

It became my signature scent for years. Obsession is still very popular, as all of Calvin Klein’s fragrances are. Very classic, and very $$ still.

 

 

After High school I was at someones house and on this pretty mirror in their bathroom, was the first time I laid my eyes on Chanel..There it was, sitting so perfectly on this white doily…Chanel #5. I picked it up and smelled it. It was a very mature fragrant scent.  I sprayed it one time on my wrist, and left the bathroom. When I came out, my friend told me that I smelled like his mother! Was that good? I don’t know. :o)

 

 

 

Later that same week, I picked up a issue of Cosmopolitan magazine and saw a vintage picture of Marilyn Monroe holding a bottle of, none the less…Chanel #5 Perfume. I lifted up the ‘try me’tab, and took a deep breath. Just like the week prior! $120 dollars a bottle!! Even more then the Obsession perfume. I started thinking..How can people justify spending so much for perfumes? *fainting*

 

 

After that, it seemed like that particular perfume(Chanel #5) kept popping up. I thought it was a sign that I must own a bottle…*G*

 

Later that year I went to spend the summer with my father and he took me to my grandmothers house, and sure enough, sitting on her dresser, was another bottle of Chanel #5. Weeks later, I went to the library and checked out a Biography of Marilyn Monroe after hearing from my grandmother, that my mom was named after Marilyn…

 

In the beginning of the book there was that very same picture of Marilyn holding a Chanel #5 bottle. It was her signature fragrance after doing many ads for the company, the story read..

 

 

A few years passed and I met a women that always smelled amazing! Very classy! She told me that she was wearing new fragrance by Calvin Klein called, Eternity. (I have owned 2 bottles of it myself, and it smells like a piece of heaven.A little goes a long way.) They also make an Eternity for men which smells like sage, basil, and rosewood. Very Earthy! I just smelled it for the first time a few weeks ago….Also very pricey, as all Calvin Klein’s fragrances are. The good thing is, you can by smaller bottles at affordable prices. Yay!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Vintage fragrances that I have owned as a teen were, Taboo By Dana, Navy By Coty,Wind Song (I Bought of Wind Song,  because my mom had told me that it was my fathers favorite, while they were dating and it made me miss my father less.. somehow when I wore it) Weird, I know!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also had one bottle of ‘Vintage 4711 Echt Konisch’ (I think this was one of the first unisex fragrances.)

 

 

 

 

I fell in love with the bottle, and even more-so over its story…

*****In 1792 a Carthusian monk presented the newly-married Mulhens couple a seemingly modest wedding present. But this gift affected their future like no other; as it contained: The secret formula for an “aqua mirabilis”, later called “Eau de Cologne”.
Wilhelm Mulhens quickly recognized the value of this formula and started to build a small factory in the street “Glockengasse” in Cologne.

 

In 1794, during the period of French occupation in Cologne, the French commander ordered consecutive numbering for all houses. The Mulhens building on “Glockengasse”, where “Eau de Cologne” was produced, received the house number 4711. In 1875 this number became the registered trademark for the international brand 4711 ORIGINAL EAU DE COLOGNE.

 

A history, more than 200 years old, has built the image of this famous and successful brand 4711 ORIGINAL EAU DE COLOGNE******

 

 Such a Great Story!!!!

 

 

 

When I met my husband I was only wearing natural oil based fragrances. I had Jasmine and Strawberry. Both very sweet and I still love them both today. I’ve probably gone through about 6 of each.

My husband shared with me that he loved Elizabeth Taylors ‘White Diamonds’, That was the fragrance that his Ex-GF use to wear… I Have owned one bottle of it, and I thought it smelled ‘too mature’  if you catch my drift..

 

I did love the pretty bottle!

 

 

 He DH bought me the fragrance  ‘Narcisse CHLOE’ the day before our wedding. His mother use to wear it, and we also named our first born after this perfume. ❤

 

 

 

I was given ‘Tresor’ By Lancome from one of my sister in laws one year for Christmas. It was a very nice scent, but not me. The bottle was simply beautiful, as pictured….

 

 

 

 

Back home I was addicted to ‘Victoria Secrets Dream Angels-Heavenly’

 

 

 

I still wear it occasionally. That is, when my daughter doesn’t have it in her room. :o)

I also owned Victoria Secrets Rose perfume, which pretty much smells like rose water. I love the smell, but most men do not like the smell of flowers, including DH.

 

 

 

I also use to love Victoria Secrets So Sexy, until they stopped making it. You can buy it on Ebay, but it is discontinued, thus very expensive. They do still make the So Sexy Hair products which smell exactly like the parfum, so that is what I buy. Generally twice a year.

 

 

 

After my second daughter was born I started wearing Victoria Secrets Rapture parfume. It too, was a gift from a friend and came in the prettiest heart shape bottle that you ever set your eyes on. I always thought it was funny that you could not stand it up though. I just treated myself to a new bottle a few months ago with a gift card that I had won. It’s a very strong perfumy smell, and a little goes a long way. It lasts all day into the night. It was discontinued for years, and then they brought it back, but with a $50 dollar price tag! The cute story is, I had it on one morning, and my daughter, now 13, stopped and smelled me, and commented..OMG MOM! I remember that smell when I was little! She hadn’t smelled it since then, she said…*heartbeat*

 

 

 

 

Other fragrances that I have owned…

Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. It’s a very sweet scent.

 

GIORGIO BEVERLY HILLS, which was VERY popular in the 80’s, and I was addicted to the smell. I don’t know why, because I have picked it up and smelled it recently, and I think it stinks.

 

On another occasion, I was at the mall and was sprayed by a parfum lady (do they still do that? I don’t think they do.)  She sprayed a parfum called ‘WINGS’ on me. It smelled amazing and I wanted it. $90 an ounce–Dream On! lol

 

 

 

I use to adore Avons GOLD and Avons IMARI.  I use to wear both, back when I was an Avon ‘door to door’ girl! I loved the bottles. The Imari bottle is even plastic and when it forst came out, I was thinking…This is cheap and won’t sell! But it ended up being the number one thing that I sold each week! Maybe the color maroon, which kinda makes you feel all warm inside? I’m not sure, but what ever it is, it is GREAT marketing!

 

 

 

 

 I’m big on packaging! Sure, it’s great if the product is magnificent as well, but more often then not, the things that I buy on a whim, are because of the packaging.

 It is a good thing that I am not a hoarder, otherwise my whole house would be filled with pretty packages. :o)

 

 

Last year I bought a bottle of 360 degrees. It was on sale for $40 dollars and it instantly gave me an Nostalgia moment when I was only nineteen. A good friend at the time would keep it in her car, and spray the car all the time with it.  I had no idea it was so expensive until I found it last year, and picked it up. It is By Perry Ellis.

Once again, the bottle is so pretty. I have about 1/2 left currently.

 

 

Oh, and the ever famous Vanilla Fields–another classic that we have all tried, I’m sure. Who doesn’t want to smell like a candle?  Of course we need to ask ourselves, do humming-birds actually like Vanilla? :o)

 

I tend to buy fragrances a lot because I associate them to people that have been a part of my life. Much like people do with music. I actually do that too..

 

My old pastors wife back home only word Cliniques Happy parfume. I never knew this until I moved down here, and I smelled it on someone at church, and asked her what she was wearing? I instantly reconized it, and then bought myself a bottle. It’s one of those fragrances that just everyone loves. I always get compliments on it when I wear it. It just makes you feel, Well, HApPY! Packaging is pretty basic and to the point, but they reel you in with the bright orange, as orange is a color that just revs you up and reminds you of the Summer, and just, once again..Makes you HApPY!

 

 

Currently I own a bunch of different parfum oils. Several Victoria Secret fragrances, The 360 degree one. Three by Paris Hilton.(Don’t laugh, her parfums smell Amazing!) Cliniques HAPPY. Bath & Body Works ‘Butterfly Flower’ (This smells exactly like the REAL butterfly flower plants, that you can grow in your garden to attract butterflies.) Bath & Body works Tuber-rose.(I don’t care for this one, but it was a gift.) I thought I would love it because the Tumber-rose bubble bath smells amazing. I don’t know what went wrong with the parfum.

 

Very Popular fragrances for ladies right now are:
Honey By MAC.  I am hoping to add this one next year, if I can get a good price, which would mean, UNDER $30!

Juicy Couture Viva’La Juicy–$45-The package alone would be worth the buy, as it would look very pretty on a night stand.

DKNY BE DELICIOUS-My daughter has been asking for this one.  I checked the mall last week, and its still $65!!

True Religions Hippie Chick– I haven’t smelled this one, but want too. LoVe the packaging, and I love the name. At $80 a bottle…

 

 

 

JUSTIN BIEBER’S SOMEDAY–  This is a Christmas HOT ONE this year. It sold out the first day it hit the malls, and is going for nearly $100 bucks on Ebay right now. I have never smelled it, but I am guessing the name says it all, as well as the packaging…

 

 

 

Taylor Swift WONDERSTRUCK –Another HOT ITEM this year for Christmas that has sold out.

$60

American Eagle Aerie-$39 Pretty bottle and is said to small like Pomegranates,peach and musk.

Gucci’s GUILTY-Right up there with Chanel. $100—Made for the woman who shatters expectations, this fragrance imbues a feeling of power, a sense that she can attain whatever she wants—even the thrill of the forbidden.

 

Burberry Classic-$40–peach, apricot, sandalwood, cedar, amber and musk

 

 

 

As for mens frangrances, I plan on doing a men’s cologne post in the next few days…
The most sought after fragrance currently, for men is ‘LUCKY YOU’  By: Liz Claiborne. It made its debut in 2000, which makes it somewhat of a classic.

I don’t know what it smells like but I’m curious!  It is said to be a very masculine scent that possesses a youthful blend of fresh citrus. Sounds Good!

 

Second to Lucky You,  is Men’s Eternity, which has been on the charts since its debut in 1989. Very Classic, and not over powering as you might think, regarding Calvin Kleins other scents.

 

 

 

This is my history regarding fragrances.

 

Do you have a favorite Parfum that you’ve been wearing for years? A Scent that reminds you of someone special?

I’d love to hear about it. :o)

 

Heels,Platforms and Boots..OH MY!!

My daughter helped me put this blog together this morning while we were looking at different types of shoes that are popular right now. I’m tall, she’s short. I wear a large size 10 shoe, while she’s convinced she’ll remain a small size 7.5  for the rest of her life. She is always looking for shoes that will give her height because she gets tired of her little sister, who is much taller then she is, teasing her on her ‘lack of height’  Sisters! :o)

Moving right along…

We had some fun looking at radical heels and different types of shoes that are on the market right now. Just for the fun of it! We like to imagine where one would wear such a shoe….

ENJOY!

The NO HEEL, HEEL!

 

 

6inch height

These black non-heels are engineered to keep you balanced and tone your ankle and Calf Muscles. A must have for the lady who wants to keep in shape.  They have a 6  inch height. We really don’t know where you would wear such a shoe.  They are for the women who wants to keep her legs and ankles strong, or so they say.  To the office? Walking at the gym? We have no clue. Do you?

 And as my daughter said, one bump, and there goes both ankles! :o(

 

Lobster heels $14 grand 8 inch heel height.

 We are not sure why these are called Lobster, are you?  And $14 thousand dollars!! We both agree that our toes do not naturally go in this direction, so these look painful. They claim to be comfortable day wear though. They are made to order, and  many celebs are loving them with  blue jeans. They zip up the back and you’er ready to go!

 Hmm, 8 inches taller, They would make me 6’7″ WOW! And they would make my daughter my current height now!! :o)

 

 

COCO CHANEL PLATFORM CLOG $3Grand

 

I LOVE THESE SHOES! I would wear them if I could afford them. I have been wearing clogs since the early 80’s, when I would prance around the house in my moms trusty Dr. Scholls! When I got oder I found a pair of vintage marroon 70’s clogs at a thrift store and use to wear them to school every day. Everyone would hear me coming down all the stairs..

Clank,clank, clank! I loved that!  Of course Chanel anything sounds good to me. I have only owned one pair of Chanel choes in my life. It was a splurge ten years ago when I was doing ebay, and had a VERY good work week!  I didn’t spend anywhere near a grand on them,let alone three. I spent  $200 dollars on them, which I got back, due to the investment that high end shoes sell for, once the style stops being made….:o)

These Chanel beauties are Linen, always classic and breathable. They have the pretty modest CC logo, as shown..The detail around the tow is just brillant too! And speaking of toes, they are a closed in toe, which is very modest, or so I’m told.   I would wear them with my denim skirts. My daughter said she likes them not loves them, but would wear them with blue jeans. She is not one for clogs though…

 

DIOR Diamond Heels $250 grand

 

Both of us agreed that even though these are read diamonds, hense the price.  These heels  are just not something we would feel the need to wear, ever!  Even to a wedding…which was my first guess at where one might wear them. Yes, they are pretty, but why diamonds on your shoes?  Not much more to add about them. If you could think of a place where you would wear them, do tell!

 

VERSACE platform boot/heel $4grand

These sweeties are for a lady who’s really not sure whether she wants to wear high heels, OR boots!!! They are Versaces, so they are worth a million for that alone. They are a very good Investment!  The ad said they are a graphic monochrome woven-leather cutout heel boots. They don’t look it to us, but they have a  7 inch heel.  Wow!

Where would you wear them?  Our guess is to a fancy party.  :o)

 

 

 

Liza Bruce Stretch Boots With Hanging Beads $2500Grand

These are flats not heels, but worth mentioning. We have never heard of the brand .

 The sides of these boots are cut out, to show off your calfs, and the beads dangle and show as you walk. You would wear them with a knee length skirt, or dress. You could wear them with jeans or leggings, except then the cut-out part would not be so evident. We agreed, neither of us would wear them. The toe part is too shiny. They’re a stretch boot, which does mean they would be comfortable though.

 

 

Christian Louboutin --signature red bottoms $1 million

These pony hair heels have been sold our for months and months, hense the price tag. They They are Christian Louboutin. He is the only designer that places red soles on the bottoms of all his designs. I’m not really sure why that is so luxurious..but it is!  You may have seen these shoes on talk show hosts in the past. Oprah always use to have them on. Not this style, but the brand.  In many movies, you will also notice ladies heels when they sit down, and you see the red soles bottoms.  VERY Pretty! My daughter and I would not wear them personally, but we both agreed that we would appreciate them on someone else and both go….Ahhhh,ooohhh!! :o)

 

Dr. Scholls Leather walking shoe $19.99

 

 Lastly, we read that the most comfortable shoe on the market today is also the ugliest! (Sorry if anyone happens to own them.) They aren’t pretty though, we can all agree on that. They are very ugly, but if you’re looking for something practical, and a trusty favorite, that will get you through a long hard day on your feet..Then THESE are the shoes you would want to purchase. They come in brown, black and this nice standard grey. Real leather and breathable with non skid bottoms.

Like Crocs, Dr. Scholls makes many shoes to choose from. Some are even borderline attractive..The clogs I use to borrow from my mother looked like the ones below. Nothing I would wear today, but at the time..I thought they were great.

 

As far as clogs go currently, My favorites  are my Michael Kors. They are more of a Winter Shoe.  I just unpacked them last week!  They’re black suede with silver accents and a furry cuff for warmth. I bought them last Fall on EBay for $25 dollars. They were put on for a buy it now price. I don’t know what the seller was thinking  listing them for that cheap…But I was thrilled to stumble upon them. I bought them and  paid for them ASAP and the seller told me that they were only listed for about 8 minutes! :o)

They retail over $200, so I was thrilled. They are comfortable too. Always a plus!

 

Facebook

 I deactivated my facebook account a week ago. I’m not sure if I will be reactivating it next year. I had a few friends who called me up the morning I deactivated it, and told me that they look forward each morning reading over my inspirational quotes, and were upset that I deactivated my account. Who knew?

I thought it was interesting to note, that  the people who don’t always comment on your FB, blog, or other wise..are the very people that you make the most impact on, and/or inspire.

It was something that I had been thinking about doing for a while. Personal reasons, in which I don’t care to make public at this time. Things are not alwasy as the seem though..

Very few of my friends know that I blog, and I like it that way. Not having FB anymore allows me more time to blog. :o)

There were times that I announced a particular blog on my facebook that I had written, but I always set it up for only a certain group to know about it.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a enjoyable Christmas and New Years, and stays safe! ❤

Working Out & Weight Loss Goals

I’m down another 8lbs from November 1rst. Yay! My ‘yearly 2011’ goal was 50lbs..But I don’t think I am going to make it. So far I’ve loss only 37 this year. Still very proud of myself, as it feels great to basically  be out of plus size clothing.

 It actually feels rather weird, sort of like I’ve loss some of myself, which I have.  It’s hard to explain. 

 I have 2 favorite skirts that have been taken in several times and can not be taken in anymore, due to the pattern on them. I don’t want to part with them and have looked for the past year on ebay, hopeful to find them in a smaller size, but no luck, as they are ‘market skirts’   I also have  this pretty denim skirt that I bought at this time last year, It’s been a trusty favorite, but It became too big for me over the Spring, so I quickly went back to the store to see if they still had them, which they did,  on clearance no less. I bought two of them in smaller sizes and now I have 3 of the same skirt, and am in the smallest size that I bought. Tonight I put it on without having to unzip it! I guess I get pretty attached to my clothing. *sigh*

I also have gotten back into wearing pants(not jeans) a couple times a week. It has been a struggle in itself, so will not get into that with this post. Maybe in another though…

I’ve been going to the YMCA 4x a week and doing a one hour Zumba class that burns 1000 calories. I also do 10 laps around the track and use the weights twice a week, as well as the steam room 4x a week to detox and sweat it all off. It may sound like a lot, but it really is not compared to all the other ladies there that go 6-7 days a week..Which is very encouraging. Many of these ladies are much older then me, and here I am feeling rather old. Funny, because they take a guess and ask me if I am in my late 20’s! LOL And are taken back when I say I’m in my late 30’s! I guess I should see it as a compliment though.

So tonight I headed in for Zumba class, just as the Boot Camp work out was ending, and this lady Lisa (I don’t remember her name, so have named her Lisa!) She has been there every single time I have. She just turned 50 years old, is an empty nester of 3 kids. She home schooled them all she told me and worked for the Y for years. She is very big on Gym politics. I had no clue what this even meant until she sat me down for coffee last week!

 She told me who was who….(I am still loss though.. Info over load!) She told me how to get the most out of my membership, along with a whole other list of dos and don’ts!

So tonight when I bumped into her..(Literately!) she was getting ready to leave the Boot Camp workout and I playfully scolded her by saying…”Why aren’t you staying for Zumba tonight Missy???

 After all, she takes all the Zumba classes with me generally…*G*  Her reply was…”should I? Because the boot camp workout was the 3rd workout that I have done today!!”

I replied, “so you worked out for 3 hours today?” and she said, “Yes, so far! Gonna head to the pool now and do a few laps.” 

Same thing happen last week with another lady in her 50’s! Woh!! Talk about commitment! I love it!

I think it is about pushing yourself to do something that you think you are not capable of.

Maybe Fear? IDK–Lasy week I mentioned to my husband that I miss my old Zumba classes because they were more fun, because they were more like belly dancing..We all had these belly dancing coin belts, and it made it rather fun…Well, DH told me to just start wearing mine, and maybe it will catch on at the Y! I told him..NEVER, I didn’t want to stand out..

So, I went to class, but the whole time kept thinking about why I didn’t want to stand out. It was not like it was anything bad. I guess I was a little embarrassed? IDK..

 

A couple days past and I thought more about it, and decided to go for it..and YES, I stood out, but in a positive way, as I had the instructor and 4 other ladies comment to me, asking me where they can buy one too? They loved the idea of wearing one, and that it looked like fun they told me, Which it is! :o)

 

After class the Y manager called me over to the desk and asked me about them too.  She said that everyone that was passing the Zumba room had noticed that I was wearing one, and had asked HER if the Y was selling them…. I told her that they are at the mall for only ten dollars.  I then told her that they should go and buy a bunch and sell them for twenty-five dollars.

I mentioned this, because a couple weeks ago she asked me if I wanted to join the YMCA committee, and find people to donate to their charity of helping families in need. Not a lot she said, only a few hundred dollars each. She told me that I had the right personality for this job. Hmm, I slept on it, but the next day when I went in, I told her that I just can’t ask anyone for money, regardless of the cause. It is just not in me.

 

 Soooo, I came up with the idea for them to sell the belts, and if I was the Y manager I would be selling a whole lot of them, as I know they would sell, along with other things too! We will see though. I am really not sure if that is allowed or not. But they do sell T-shirts and mugs…

 

So that is it regarding weight loss and how I am doing it. :o)

I highly recommend joining the Y, over a gym any day. The people are different! I can say this, because I spend several years working at Gold’s Gym before I got married and know the difference. I have met some really Awesome, inspiring people this past month.

I even met a 73 year old man the other day that had a veryinspiring story that he shared with me in the hallway as I was just walking by him in passing!

 Heck, I might as well add a new blog category called, YMCA..<:o)

 

Until then…

Plato's Closet & Once Upon a Child

 

Plato’s Closet is a franchise which also owns a store called Once Upon A Child. Once Upon A Child sells very gently name brand clothing from infant to size 14/16. Both Boys and Girls clothing. They also have gently used toys and baby furniture. They are an upgraded Goodwill, but in thrift, which means you take your stuff there for them to buy it outright from you.

 

Plato’s Closet is Teen size zero to adult size XL. Once again, things need to be trendy and ‘in style’ for them to buy from you.

 They sell clothing, name brand bags and purses, gym bags,school bags, DVD’s and books. Everything needs to be current and no more then two years old. Basically an affordable mall.  They also sell jewelery and watches.

 Stuff you would find at Guess, BeBe, Aeropostale, Forever 21, Hollister, Abercombie,True Religion,Charlotte Russe,Gap and Old Navy, to name a few.

 

If you buy a bag at Guess from the mall, you would spend around $80 dollars. At Plato’s you would spend around $25 dollars. Same goes for blue jeans. True Religion jeans run for $200-$300 dollars at the mall.  *fainting*

You can find them ‘like new’ at Plato’s for $40-$60. Still too much for my budget, but you get the point. :o)

 

Last night I went to Plato’s Closet ‘sister store,  ‘Once Upon  a Child’  to try to find one of my little ones a winter coat. I could have went to Walmart or Target and bought one for $20 bucks, but I did last year and it ripped after 3 months wear. Cheaper does not mean better. And if possible, I would rather buy good quality.

 

 I decided to get a name brand one this year. One that will withstand a ‘beating’ sort of speak. I ran in and  found one within 3 minutes. It’s from The Gap, and was pretty and furry, and only 8 bucks. Yay!

 

I bought it up to the cashier, and while I was paying, the sales girl asked me if I was familiar with selling clothing to them. I told her that I am, as I have taken things next store to Plato’s Closet before.

 She encouraged me to give them a try, and bring some things in, that they were always looking to buy…. and that it was the Holiday Season, and we could all use an extra few bucks. I told her OK, and that I would be back in tomorrow.

 I then went next store to Plato’s, in search of a coat for yet, another daughter. I had her old coat that I had bought last year in the van. I also had two pair of tennis shoes that were like new that I was hoping to sell.  A pink pair of ladies Gazelle Adidas, and a men’s pair of Nike’s.

 

I entered the store and was greeted right away by three employees.
Hopeful, I told one of them that I had a few things to sell to them.
They were all bubbly and excited, or so it seemed. Yay!

 

I walked over to the counter and they told me that I should leave for an hour and come back. I looked around, it was 8pm, not busy, and asked if they had a bunch of people in front of me, (already knowing the answer to that one!)

They said, no, so I told them that I would browse while I waited, as I did need to find my daughter a coat.

 

I know that a lot of ladies LOVE…. customer service with a smile, and enjoy all the greetings that Plato’s always gives them, but I am not one of them. It’s nothing personal, it’s just when I’m on a mission, ‘in the shopping zone’ I don’t like to be bothered, or talked too.
I know what I’m looking for BEFORE I even enter the store, and don’t mind browsing other things along the way, but basically, I don’t want any help finding XYZ. If I ever did find that I needed help, I would ask! I’ve been doing this since I was eleven years old! I’m a professional! :o)

 

Sooooooo, needless to say, after having 3 different girl’s come up to me and ask me how I was doing, and if I needed any help…ONE that was suppose to be looking over my bag of items..I got aggravated, so decided to take their bait, and tell them what I was looking for.

 

 I already know the marketing game, after working in retail before, I know how it works, and I know that it is their job to lure you over to the most expensive items to get more money out of you. Convincing you that you need stuff that you actually don’t.

 

I told one of the sales girls that I was looking for two things. A coat for my daughter and a cowl neck cable knit sweater for another daughter. She asked me what style coat was I looking for, I told her a green mid thigh trench coat. She pointed over to the coat rack and told me that I would be able to possibly find one there.

 

I  then asked her when Tracy would be working again, THAT is the manager, and told her that Tracy knows me, given I’m a regular.

 

That must have made her think that I needed even MORE attention, because then she started to be even more friendly, asking me what type of sweater I  was looking for again….I figured that she would realize that I knew my way around good enough, and that she could move unto someone else. But…..

 

 I told her that I was looking for a cable knit cowl neck sweater that was not bulky.

 

 She then pointed to the sweater wall. I told her thanks for her help, and began to walk along, noticing that she was following me. I turned around and told her Thanks again! That I’ll go take a look, and she asked me what color was I looking for.  I told her brown or dark green. She then told me that all the colors were mixed in, that they were not suppose to be that way, and they had to fix that…I said, alright, thanks again. Then she asked what size my daughter was…..I told her medium, and she said that the mediums were all the way down to the left, but they are pretty mixed up right now too. I told her thanks, ((AGAIN)))while silently thinking to myself that I would have already found what I needed, had she not had me in so much conversation. *Grin*

She must have  finally got the hint, and mosied back up front. Yay!

 

I found not one, but 2 cowl neck cable-knit sweaters. They were ten dollars each. Both were name brands, and very well made. A steal!

 I then walked over to the coats, but  literately had to go through at least two-hundred before finding the exact one I was looking for. A dark green Old Navy Trench coat. It was $20… I was in Old Navy last month and they were selling retail for $49.99.  It was like new so I grabbed it, along with the two sweaters, and went to cash out.

 BEFORE I cashed out, one of the sales girls handed me back the tennis shoes. Both pairs! I asked her if she would mind telling me why they did not want them, after all, there was no signs of wear at all on either pair.

 ***DRUM ROLL***

 

 ….. She told me that they already EXPIRED!!!!!! YES, you read that right. Both pair of shoes had an expiration date on them. Who Knew!

 

Well, I felt rather stupid that I didn’t know, truth be told! 
 

I usually try to stay abreast of these things. I honestly did not know that under the tongue part of  name brand sneakers there is a date. Two dates in some cases. One says when they were manufactured. In this case it was 3/02, and next to it was another date that read 6/04. THAT was the months that they were sold, then retired…or in this case, EXPIRED. Isn’t marketing GREAT! THIS means that they know how long they will be selling things. Companies, I mean. They also are so smart to know that they can convince people to always buy retail and fresh by placing these dates on their items. Amazing!

 She told me that shoes,bags and clothing can not be more then 2 years old. That it didn’t matter whether they were like new…If they were old, then people will see the date and not want to buy it. Being LAST season and all…

 

 I asked her why won’t they buy it, and she replied….. because they will see that it’s not in fashion anymore! Woh!!

What have we turned into? *Sigh*

I had just bought both pairs of shoes a few months ago from another thrift store called, ‘Uptown Cheapskate’ I paid $12 for the pink ones but found they hurt my feet, and the same went for my husbands Nike’s.

 

Now the Nike’s, which were also like new were from 2008, and they expired just this past Summer she clued me in on. Darnnit!!!

Guess gray and navy blue Nike’s are just not in fashion anymore, and God knows that the Fashion Police will be out checking.

 

Really, I don’t know why I am so surprised by all this, but I am!

As for the Coat, which was a Abercombie & Fitch jacket, that runs for nearly $200 bucks at the mall…I had bought that for $30 last Christmas, from this exact Plato’s Closet. Not that she knew this, but had she asked, I would have told her…

 

That said–

It didn’t have an expiration date on it, but I played along and asked her if it too, Expired? 

 

She very seriously said, NO, they do not place expiration dates on their clothing because they are ALWAYS in fashion…..lol

 

So here’s too Abercombie!!! ALWAYS & 4-Ever in fashion! Gotta Love it!

 They offered me $15 bucks for it, which I took. I put that towards the other coat, and felt real good about it. :o)

I left the store a bit smarter, and that is always a good thing….

 

Lesson for today:

 

NOT only food expires, but clothing and shoes do too!

I came home and checked all my other name brand shoes, and sure enough, they have expiration dates on them.

 

 Same goes for designer clothes..Some of the brands that label their expiration dates are Gap, Old Navy,Gymboree ,Guess,and Avenue. I am sure there is more, but the brands that I have, mostly current (ha-ha) but many have expired years and years ago…..Poor me!

 

That said, TODAY I went back to Once Upon A Child with 6 little girls dresses (LIKE NEW) A cute unique 2 piece set from India, 3 pairs of girls boots, and a little boys pair of Reebok’s. The Reebok’s do not expire till this coming April! Yay!

 

 As stated, I’ve never sold to OUAC, but was hopeful, having made sure that all the dresses were washed and pressed, the shoes were clean, with barely any wear at all. Hopeful!

 

 I walked in, and the manager greeted me at the door, asking if I would like to sell the things in my hand.  I cheerfully said yes! She then asked me if I have ever sold before, I said no, but I was just in last night, bought a coat, and that I’m familiar with how Plato’s worked, if that helps.

 

She told me that they handle things differently, and I would need to show my ID and fill out the paper work, and have a seat. She told me that it would be about an hour before they would even be able to look at what I had.

 

 I looked around, noticed that it was pretty busy, and said OK.

 She was not at all friendly by now, and I was kind of feeling as if she was trying to discourage me from selling to them.

I was already warned months ago by a friend that both, Plato’s, AND OUAC will judge you by your appearance(what else is new?) Doesn’t everyone? Still bothers me to no end, but….

I made sure I was dressed extra nice today and looked the part. Whatever ‘the part’ was exactly.

 I mean, I wouldn’t be trying to sell them stuff if I didn’t need the extra cash!

 

Soooo, she handed me the paper work, and told me that next time the items need to be off the hangers and placed in a Rubbermaid BRAND bin. Preferable blue!

 

 Rubbermaid bin? $7.88 at Walmart—–Generic Bin at Walmart, or Dollar Store? $4.88

 

 Hmmm, so they want me to SPEND 8 bucks to bring them my stuff to sell.(Red Flag)
 

Then she told me that nothing can be over a year old.

 I should have left then, because the cute dresses that I had were all Vintage. But together retailed for $100 dollars! They looked impeccable! But none the less, they were Vintage. *sigh*

 

 I said alright, because secretly, I wanted to know how smart they actually were, regarding fashion. *Grin*

Weird part was, I  have shopped there for years, and always see Vintage clothing. I could have easily pulled her a side and picked out a dozen Vintage clothing items in less then 5 minutes! But Whatever!

 Vintage in actually VERY stylish right now! Don’t they know anything??

 

 **My point came to pass last night when I was in Plato’s and  over heard a mother and daughter chatting next to me. The mother had picked up a top, and asked her daughter if she liked it, or did it look to grannyish?

 

The daughter told her mom that NO, she didn’t really like me, but ‘Teen Vogue’ says that old fashion Vintage is hip right now…so she asked her mom to pass it over to her! See?

 

Vintage is in!

 But maybe for teens, not Toddlers? Crazy huh?

 The girl didn’t ‘really’ like it, But…..Teen Vogue says it’s Hip! So she wanted to take a closer look…

 

I think it’s funny, but I would be fooling myself if I said that I don’t ‘play the game’ every once in a while.

 

I KNOW that whether you are 4,14, or 40..You get judged by your looks in today’s world.

 You need to look a certain way, smell a certain way, and in some cases, ACT a certain way.

 The four year old at the play ground in the dirty ripped blue jeans and stained up over sized T-shirt, will not be having the other little girls coming over to her, asking  to play, as much as the pretty little girl with the frilly sparkle dress on.  :o(   I see it all the time!

 Same goes for the 14 year old. My daughter sees THIS first hand at church each week.  She tells me all about it, in discust!

 And as for me, I get it at every angle, and I’ll leave it at that.

So I filled out the paper work, apologized for not having the bin, Ahem…the BLUE Rubber Maid bin…and went to place my stuff on the metal shelf that she pointed too.

 I reached down to lay my stuff down, and BANG-A-BING!!  I whacked my head so hard, I nearly fainted. I seriously saw stars!  I now have an ugly egg on my forehead. Not very pretty!

 Holding back my tears, I told her that, THAT really hurt…Her reply? Oh, I do that all the time! !SHRUG!

 

 She then told me to go browse, and they will give me a store credit, and make me an offer in about an hour.

 I told her that I may not wait, as I had my husband in the car, and he has been waiting as it was. I went out to the car and told Dh, and he said that it’s not worth it and to never mind and go back and get the stuff.

 

 I told him that I wanted to give them a hafe hour, and that I was really hoping to get about $20 bucks for the stuff.

  THAT is not much, but I know they sell stuff cheap, and unless I want their prices to go wayyyy up, I would be happy with the $20! That is how it works.

 

They don’t give you much, but if they did, they would need to raise their prices, and if that were to happen, then you might as well shop at the mall.

 

I waited the hafe hour, and then went back inside, still seeing my pile. I walked over to the manager and told her that I would take my things back, and I had to leave.

 

She said that they actually did take 2 pair of shoes, and for me to get in line, and the cashier would show me their offer. I asked her why I had to get in line, not trying to be mean, but it was a very long line…

 

She told me that I would need to stand in line like everyone else that brings things in.

I thought that was handled horribly! The Manager should have handled it herself. Had it been me…Ugh!

But…..I went over to the line, suddenly not having a good feeling about it. I waited 13 minutes.(I timed the wait!)

 

 I reached the cashier, and over heard the manager tell her that I was number 44. The cashier walked over to the back counter and picked up a slip of paper. She placed it down in front of me and told me that they could offer me that amount. I looked down and saw $2.77.

 

I asked her if the dresses and outfit from India was not in style any more. The manager over heard me, and walked over and told me that there were no expiration dates in the dresses, and her guess, was that they were long Expired!

 

That some of the brands she has never even heard of.

I told her that Lil’Dolly, is Dolly Partons line of ‘Southern Frill dresses’ that are currently used in Beauty Pageant’s..and Baby LuLu is a French Boutique, same goes for Mousefeathers..

 

She then said, OH! Well maybe that is too ‘high end’ for us! LOL

 

She then excused herself and grabbed all the dresses. She put them on the counter in front of me, and turned the 2 into a 3. She then asked me if $3.77 sounded good to me for everything?

I picked up everything and told her thank you so much for HER time and have a nice day. Very politely, because as much as I hated it, I knew it was nothing personal….Just Business!

 

If this was not a franchise, I might have been even more understanding..But when there is a huge franchise, any franchise..my patience tends to runs thin. I really would love it if I could only buy locally. I have really been trying to do better, and back home, I was able to only buy local, because everything was at my beckon…As for today’s experience…..

I would much rather give my stuff away for FREE, then to take $3.77. But then again…That’s just me!

 

 

 

PS & RSVP

I have been wondering for years what ‘PS’ stood for. I don’t know why I’ve never Googled it before, but I haven’t. Today it popped in my mind, and since I use it in nearly every email, I decided to go ahead and Google it. So here it is folks..The meaning of P.S. *Drum Roll*

 

*POST SCRIPT*

 

Basically, it’s used if you have written something and then decided to add something else. I’m really not sure why you need to use it at all,  why not just add another sentence or two, or add an ALSO—blah,blah..

Then again, I’m horrid at proper English, and mostly write like I type. A major English Foe….

 

I also didn’t know what RSVP stood for.

 

I found out it stands for “Répondez s’il vous plaît”.

It’s French for “have the courtesy to let me know if you’re coming or not.”

 

PS-Did anyone else not know what it stood for? lol

 

Oh, and  regarding PPS, You would use PPS if you wanted to add one more sentence.

I always thought it was PSS, but it’s not. :o)

More Dreams

I’ve had a couple more strange dreams these past couple nights and wanted to document them here.

1.) I ran outside and a large crowd of people began chasing me down a street that I have never seen, or been to, with hair spray bottles. They were cans actually. I looked back and one lady got some hair spray in my eye. I yelled for her to stop, but each time I voiced out to them, more people arrived in the crowd, all having cans of hair spray in each can and were trying to spray me. Not just my hair, all of me!  The cans of hair spray shot far in my dream (like nerf guns), and I would over-hear when one of the people in the crowd  ran out of spray, and another can magically would appear in their hands whenever I would try to look behind me.

Then I woke up!

 

2.)My daughter walked over to me and handed me a loaf of  bread. It was in a purple bag, yet store bought. When I looked at it, I noticed that it was covered with mold. I asked her why it was moldy so soon, that I just bought it. She told me that it was not moldy and didn’t know what I was talking about. I then called for DH to come take a look at it, and he said the same thing. That he didn’t see any mold either. I started crying because they didn’t see it, Then I woke up.

People & Life

I just had a birthday this past week, which has put me into the thinking mode…

The older I get, the more I relaize that you can not MAKE people see beauty in someone, if YOU are the only person that the beauty is freely shared with.

 

Have you ever known someone that you thought so highly of,  and saw such beauty, but everyone else didn’t.. Making you feel as if you were nuts to see such Beauty & Love? 

I know the saying…We only SEE what we want to see. But I truly believe that we all have some beauty within us. It is easy to write people off for bad behaviour, or just plain mean-ness. But what about having paitence with people? What about forgivness, 70×7?

We were created as social beings, and social beings will mess up and speak without thinking. If I had a dollar for every time I have said something that I wanted to take back a moment after I said it…..We learn from these things though, and as I get older, I do find myself stopping, and thinking before I speak.

 We will all get our feelings hurt eventually, or so the claim is…

Is that depressing to you?

I don’t think it should be.

Because…

Love & Forgivness will outshine, if only given the chance. ❤

1.Are you capable of taking it directly to the cross on Calvary, and covering it all in his blood?

2.Are you capable of fully realizing that you are just as much of an imperfect human as your neighbor is?

3.Are you capable of forgiving your spouse for mistreating you?

4.Are you capable of forgiving the person who abused you as a child, or abandoned you when you needed them most?

5.Are you capable of looking at ALL people through the eyes of Jesus…

and saying, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”

…………….

Dream

I had the strangest dream last night….A whole bunch of people that I didn’t know were chasing me down a street with cans of hair spray, trying to spray my hair.

Weird!