Bloggable World of Target

The kids and I ventured out of the complex today. This is a rare occasion. We tend to frequent the grocery store, the bank, and the pool. Rarely do we go to actual stores, never do we go to malls. Today we did both, and I was actually overwhelmed with the amount of junk there is out there. Not just material stuff, but all the things I could blog about. No wonder, I mused silently, my blog is slowly dying. I have no inspiration.

So, I could probably make about 5 posts out of today, but since I really doubt I'd have the stamina to make it through, I'll just summarize here quickly.

1. We went to catch the free kids' flick at the Monaco, which is a super posh theatre. They were showing the Tales of Despereaux. We were excited because my good friend Kara gave us a copy of the book and Eve devoured it. We're also reading it for bedtime right now. The show started at 11. We got there at 10:30, and all the tickets were gone. Nice.

2. But never fear because Maggie Moo's was just down the mall from the Monaco. Now... for those not in Huntsville, you have to realize that this is the coolest mall EVER. It's an outdoor mall, complete with fountains to play in (note to self: bring bathing suits next time in case the movie is again full). Just being at Bridge Street Town Centre (see... it doesn't even call itself a mall, that's how cool it is) well, it makes you feel rich. Even if you can't afford anything there, which I pretty much can't. Except for when jewelers there throw in a free prong repair with my soldering, but that's a different story.

So, at Maggie Moo's, I had a waffle cone with Red Velvet Cake ice cream and Oreos mixed in. It was nothing short of divine. The only problem was that we had Ashlyn with us, and I really hate for her to have sugar, but I was able to take big bites so as to limit what she had off my cone. :)

3. We headed to Target to pick up Eve's camp gear today. We got a kick-butt sleeping bag with pink camo on it. Very cool. But I couldn't believe that cosmetic bags are so freaking expensive. $20 for a plastic package? Seriously? Fortunately, we scored the one $15 bag that was on clearance for $3. Almost walked right past it, but then that red tag caught my eye. It's plaing black now, but we'll use a little acryllic paint and have it personalized and pretty in no time.

4. Being at Target made me realize how much I've been saving by not going to stores. Seriously. I felt like every single aisle we walked down, I saw something else that I really wanted. Yesterday, I didn't want it. But just being in its presence made me think, "Oh that would be so nice for organizing." Or, "I could use that to decorate in Eve's room."

Billy and I have been focused on contentment a lot in the past couple of years. Part of it has been out of necessity. We're commited to having me stay home with the kids and to being responsible with our money, so there's just not room in the budget for excess. Because of this, we've been intentional about being thankful for what we do have and trying not to focus on everything we don't have.

But money aside, we just don't want to be slaves to stuff. Dave Bruno has an inspiring on-going 100 thing challenge that began as his quest to get out from under the control of stuff. He continues to be an inspiration to me. Sometimes, I see posts about the CVS game, and I feel like some of the women that play that are just accumulating more stuff because they can afford it with their shrewd couponing skillz. I'm tempted to play that game. I'm tempted to find my worth in how far I can stretch a dollar by obtaining things I wouldn't normally buy anyway. (Seriously, CVS rarely has bonuses for things I actually need.)

Lesson learned: stay out of stores whenever possible.

5. Another thing I was looking for today was some sandals to replace the ones I got about 7 years ago. I am sad to see them go, but lucky me... looks like I get to keep them for a while. I looked while at Target, but not surprisingly didn't find anything that caught my eye. (Well, I did find some fancy flip flops, but I was really looking for something a little more durable... something to last me another 7 years, maybe.)

I also stopped by Shoe Carnival since it's over there anyway. Row after row after row of sandals. But alas, nothing of what I wanted. All I'm asking for is a nice brown leather sandals with a chunky heel (but not a wedge!) that are dressy enough to wear with business casual attire at the pregnancy test center, but casual enough to wear everyday in my back yard. Basically, I want the exact sandal I have now... but new... and not falling apart. Is that too much to ask? I'm gonna try to find one more shoe store near me, and then I'll resort to some cheaper dressy flip flops from Target for $8. Then, I guess I'll try it all again next year. :(

Whew... all that in a few hours. Who knew there was so much in the world?