Don’t celebrities who shop in vintage clothing stores make it sound so cool?

I hate it. I am a department store gal.

Why do I sound like such a snob? Aside from the fact that most of these shops are messy and chaotic, the biggest shopping challenge I face is my size. (Plus I do like my Saks)

I’m 5′2″, 100lbs, and I never find anything in my size that doesn’t look as if some designer had been on hallucinogens — or my grandmother’s house dress somehow ended up in the 2 for $ $5.00 bin.

But today is a celebration…I may never shop retail again (as if…) but it’s a start. I am so excited had to share my new treasures with you:

• 2 Cashmere Moschino sweaters for under $100 — Cashmere and never worn!
• Adrienne Vitadinni wrap sweater: $29 — In chocolate brown…finally the solution to my ill-advised pinkish-colored jeans.
• Micheal Stars long sleeve tee $ 9.00 — perfect teal color…and perfect under a blazer.
• Coach credit leather card holder with front snap — $20!!

Isn’t that fabulous?

But here’s the product I am sooo excited about. I love teeny cosmetic samples…love, love, love them.

If you’ve ever been in a cab, on your way to a meeting, but your hands are lobster-y…a body lotion sample in your purse is your best friend.

I received several mini body lotion packets from Thymes — in the Green Tea formula.

I have got to tell you…the fragrance is dreamy…but the affects of the cream on your skin is amazing…I put a little on my neck and the dryness and little lines became invisible!

I was so transformed today, I’m thinking even my colleagues, Kelly and Karen, at Thrifty Mommy would be proud of my value-minded shopping adventure.

Hey…it’s Friday…a little consumer therapy is in order and your local vintage shop will appreciate your business.

Technorati Tags: bargain deals, celebrity vintage shopping, thriftymommy.com, thymes.com, womens vintage cloting

We’ve been married for more than 20 years — a veritable “long and winding road”, and for some reason lately, I’ve thinking about all of the little things in our relationship that make our little world so special.

When we were newlyweds, I had it in my head that the wife is supposed to know how to cook for her husband…but I didn’t. I didn’t even know how to make coffee — seriously.

I remember the first meal I’d ever made him…again, thinking this is what men wanted, I made pot roast.

To me, pot roast meant that you bought a hunk of meat, put it in a pot of water, let it boil forever and then serve with potatoes and carrots.

This thing came out looking like a giant grey basketball.

Well, this is when I began to know how lovely my husband is. I served him and he proceeded to eat every morsel. I’m sure it was disgusting…but he said it was delicious.

As time went by, I taught myself how to cook.

I learned how to master the art of pizza dough-making, I practiced and practiced how to make fine spaghetti sauce…I think I even once attempted the recipe for New York’s famous Magnolia Bakery cupcake.

Recently, I decided to make a pot of chili…because I’d never done it…doesn’t chili always look so good on the Food Network?

Anyway…it came out extreeeemly hot…so hot that you really couldn’t enjoy it. Well, he said he loved it.

I was ready to toss the whole thing, but he pleaded for me not to…”you can make chili dogs” he sweetly said.

He’s been doing stuff like that for 20 years. And I guess sometimes it’s these little, gestures of admiration and respect that are among the things that have held us together.

p.s. He is in charge of coffee.

Technorati Tags: cooking, good marriage, marriage, secrets to marriage

If one of your goals in the upcoming year is to give more of your time and, possibly, money to charitable groups — that’s just fabulous.

Here’s a fun and fashionable way to donate to Heart Disease Awareness: SHOP!

There are many fashion companies that support heart disease by offering donations to organizations such as American Heart Association and National Coalition For Women With Heart Disease.

Here are just a few — look at all of the cute things you can get, while showing the kindness in your heart:

Silk Dress from Miostile: 30% of sales benefits American Heart Association.

Suede Pleated Flats from Matt Bernson: 30% of sales benefits National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.

Pomegranate Bath Salt, from k. hall designs: 50% of sales benefits American Heart Association.

And for up-to-the-minute information on heart health, visit Hsien — at A Hearty Life.

Products and resources collected from Lucky Magazine.

Technorati Tags: clothing shopping, heart disease, heart disease symptoms, heart disease women, online shopping

I promise I’ll stop whining about how sick I’ve been lately…but I think now I’m becoming a little wacko.

Sometimes, for me, a very bad cold can take on some characteristics of depression…so there’s a few things I try to avoid thinking about when I’m sick as I have been, since New Year’s eve:

1. I try not to worry about work so much.
2. I try to shut off my mental DVD that would normally have me revisiting my crazy up-bringing, several awful career faux pas, and well, just my overall incompetence.
3. I try not to look in the mirror too much because…it’s just, well you know what you look like when you’re sick.

But here’s something I’ve not thought about before…you should not watch beautiful movie stars when you’re in this condition.

I happened to have caught Pride and Predjudice…the remake with Keira Knightly.

This girl is so astonishingly beautiful, it became tedious to watch her. She is luminous, mysterious-looking…she’s just one of those stars that you can’t not look at while she’s in a scene.

Julia Roberts used to be my pick for most beautiful star…but she can sometimes take on that “good light/bad light” thing (Anyone familiar with the Seinfeld show?).

Of course, after the movie, I ended up staring at myself in the mirror…wishing I lived in Jane Austin’s England.

I told you, I’ve become totally bonkers with this cold.

Tonight I think maybe I’ll just read. I’m thinking something Sex and the City-ish.

p.s. Whatshername, Apple’s mother, in Emma can have a similar effect on me.

Image: Universal Studios

Technorati Tags: cold remedies, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Keirra Knightly, Pride and Prejudice

While wandering around the great ocean of blogs known as My Blog Log, I stumbled upon a small business site on which resided an article by the Gallup Management Jornal.

Here is the headline text that so harshly welcomed me to 2007:

Yikes!
Here is a portion of the excerpt that had me examining my strengths and weaknesses for days: (Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton)