retail therapy

Josh and I got a little time away on Saturday evening and we hit up our favorite coffee place and the used bookstore down the block. I seriously love this bookstore. The smell, the stacks of books, the random categories…everything about it is perfect.

We wandered around leisurely since Jasper wasn’t with us. I found a copy of Emily Post’s Etiquette book from 1937. I wanted to rescue it but I already have a copy of that book. That’s the only problem with a used bookstore is that some of the really old beat-up books I just want to save.

I could totally work there. It seems so laid-back and everyone working is so knowledgeable. It’s like I would have to read all day just to do well at my job. I could also pop down the street for the best caramel latte in town. I would probably end up working just to pay for my book addiction. My thought is you can never have too many books. Thankfully the books at this store are cheap and some of the thrill is just wandering around there. I really like that you never know what you’ll find. A bookstore is probably one of my favorite places to go and I don’t care how nerdy that sounds.

For New Year’s Josh and I will continue our long standing tradition of camping out on the couch together watching movies. It has bothered me in the past but now I kind of like not doing anything. Some year though we’ll go to a big party and get all dressed up. If we were doing that this year, this is what I would be wearing. (Side note: I spent a ridiculous amount of time finding this outfit, especially deciding on the shoes.)

Dress – ModCloth
Shoes – Caparros (Zappos)
Earrings – Elisabeth Space on Etsy
Clutch – Forever 21
Necklace – Forever 21
Nail Polish – OPI Glow Up Already

I decided to go with golds even though I almost never wear gold. Thought it would be fun to do something different. I was going to stick with the different idea and pick out a really expensive purse. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even fake-buy a $400 purse for my fake New Year’s. It just doesn’t compute in my head. So here is my New Year’s Eve outfit: festive, fun and still slightly practical.

Runway Lapel Coat via Anthropologie
Nikon 1 camera
Choc Paisley Jacquard Scarf via Miss Selfridge
Photo A Day Album via Urban Outfitters
Living Ecosphere via VivaTerra
Noorvik Thermal Cowl in Citron via Ozetta
Wire Basket via Willow House

All things I should have put on my Christmas wish list but didn’t make the cut (likely because of cost but some because I just discovered). Maybe Santa will surprise me with the Nikon 1.

I have been trying to go the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago for years. I always ended up scheduling a session or wedding for the same weekend. This year I looked up the date months ago and put it on my calendar. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

Josh and I left first thing in the morning after dropping Jasper off at my awesome babysitter’s house (my parents). We got into the city and drove around looking for a parking spot. I seriously thought we were going to park miles away. As we turned down a street, a car backed out. Josh quickly pulled in and we saw that we were a half block from the fair.

We made our way through the fair looking at all of the amazing vendors. We even ran into Katie which was awesome. Josh got the two things he went for: a leather wallet and cycling hat. I, on the other hand, could not make a decision. There was so much pressure especially since we took a set amount of cash to spend and no more. I just kept thinking I would know something when I saw it. I did introduce myself to Elsie and Rachel since I’ve been reading their blogs forever. I felt like such a fan girl/dork but knew I would be mad if I didn’t say anything. We made it through once and I had only bought a small robot pillow for Jasper. So we stopped for lunch and regrouped.

We met up with our very good friend Brian after lunch. We haven’t seen him in almost two years so it was great to be with him and meet his boyfriend. I had told Josh before that I didn’t know how to dress for the day. 1. I would be outside and walking all day. 2. I would be surrounded by hipsters. 3. I would be with my gay friend who’s into fashion. This presented quite a dilemma. Luckily Brian approved of my outfit and commented about how he liked my “style”. Score.

Josh and I went through a second time continually saying “we lost our gays” because Brian loves talking to everyone. However this gave me time to make my decisions. I tried on a necklace that I looked at the first time around and realized I didn’t want to take it off. So I didn’t. I picked out earrings that I had seen online and a couple small pins. I was really pleased with my purchases and we left the fair $1 under our budget (which included food).

Next up was the amazing pizza that is Giordano’s. Oh good grief, that is the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. My friend, Fran, met up with us so we got a chance to visit quite a bit. It was so great to spend time with my friends.

Before we left the city we had frozen yogurt with Brian and his boyfriend. Great end to an awesome day. I absolutely loved the fair and hope to go back next year.

A few weeks before Christmas I found this website called Sophie & Lili. Adorable little dolls were created completely customizable. There was no listing for any boy dolls (there is now) so I emailed the owner and asked if she ever made custom boys. She emailed right back and said she did. Although she told me it wouldn’t be here in time for Christmas I went ahead and got one ordered for Jasper. I was so excited and surprised when it arrived on Christmas Eve. I absolutely love it and so does Jasper. We call the doll Super Jasper. He gets lots of hugs and gets thrown around because he flies, of course. I really wanted Jasper to have a little doll of some kind and this is just perfect.  Beautifully made and so sweet!

I’m not quite sure why I love scarves so much. They are just such an easy accessory. Anytime I go into a clothing store I have to check out the scarves. Then I have an internal battle convincing myself not to buy another one. Here are a few I really like right now:

AE Pointelle Loop Scarf
Anthropologie Fill-in-the-Blanks Scarf
Scarf Shop Regular Gossamer Scarf
Striped and Grey Knit Infinity Scarf
Fog Loop Scarf

Josh and I were checking out at Best Buy recently when the checkout lady made a comment about all of our reward points and asked if we were saving them up for something special. Turns out we’ve been banking points since we bought our washer and dryer a few years ago. When I looked at the receipt I was surprised to see over 6,000 points. I had no idea but that seemed like a lot.

I looked it up on the website when we got home and found out we can get $125 gift card to Best Buy. At first we were going to use it for a new printer since mine is getting pretty old and temperamental. I decided that instead we should use it for something fun since we don’t have the money these days to just buy something random.  Josh got the new Donkey Kong Country for Wii and I got a hair straightener. Why yes, I do think a hair straightener is fun. I never would have been able to afford a hundred dollar straightener otherwise and it is incredible! Totally worth the money…  I think I’ll have to do a product review of it because I love it so much.

I guess I should keep better track of those things. However, not knowing and the surprise of $125 was awesome.

I decided to make a little birthday wish list for my upcoming 30th birthday. Thirty things for my thirtieth. Some are things I’ve been obsessing over for years (ie. the Orla Kiely bag, a new hair straightener). Others are things I would never actually own (ie. the $400 pair of shoes).  It was fun to do some online window shopping though and come up with 30 things I’d like.

1. Metal Knot Studs (Urban Outfitters)
2. Umbra Wall Flowers (Bed, Bath, & Beyond)
3. Chie Mihara Women’s Arizona Platform Pump (Amazon)
4. HAAN Slim and Light Steam Cleaning Floor Sanitizer (Bed, Bath, & Beyond)
5. Orla Kiely Classic Shoulder (Piperlime)
6. Rusk Flat Iron (Amazon)
7. WeSC Oboe Headphones – Teal (Amazon)
8. Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts (Amazon)
9. Cosco Retro Chair/Step Stool Yellow (Target)
10. Topeak BabySeat II with Rack (Amazon)

11. Compact Digital Food Scale (Smarthome)
12. Mini Camera Ring (Etsy)
13. Epiphanie Lola Bag (Epiphanie)
14. Etre Touchy Gloves (Etre Touchy)
15. Endless Appeal Scarf (Anthropologie)
16. Japanese Masking Tape – Rich & Deep (Happy Tape)
17. Lush Ocean Salt Cleanser (Lush)
18. Signature Three-Ring Binder (Russel & Hazel)
19. Goran Folding Table (Ikea)
20. City Flat (Gap)

21. Rosette Ribbon Cardigan (Boden)
22. Bird in Flight Necklace (Etsy)
23. Bella Necklace (Etsy)
24. Recycled Wood Sign – Home (Etsy)
25. Reusable Cup Sleeve (Etsy)
26. Shine Collage Print (Etsy)
27. 500 Custom Letterpress Business Cards (Etsy)
28. Etta Hat (Etsy)
29. Soaring Sparrow Necklace (Etsy)
30. Bird Cup (Etsy)

If someone had told me a week ago that there would be a 2008 Jeep Liberty sitting in my garage I would have laughed. Josh and I have been talking about getting something a little bigger for awhile. My Grand Am was nice but difficult to fit a kid and even just groceries in. Plus I was having a really hard time getting Jasper in and out because it’s so low. However, we had just decided a week or so ago that we would keep the car for awhile. We could get by with it. Since we would not have a baby in November, we had more time to figure out what to get.

The day we got back from the procedure my dad informed us that my car is shot. We had driven their car since my car had been acting kind of funny. My dad took it in for us to get serviced. Turns out there were quite a few things wrong…to the tune of at least $1200. Surprisingly, I laughed when I heard that. I think I was just all cried out. I told Josh I just couldn’t talk about it yet. Although my parents and Josh were in agreement that it was time for something new.

On Sunday I analyzed our budget and Josh looked up vehicles online. We drove through a few dealerships so he could get a better idea of what I wanted. One vehicle he suggested was too small, another too big… On our way home we happened to think of the Jeep Liberty. We both have always wanted a Jeep so we checked out the reviews. He found a nice one at a good price near us.

Monday we went to test drive it. Tuesday we bought it. I still just cannot believe the timing of this. I’m kind of in a panic figuring out how we’ll afford it. I guess I wouldn’t worry so much except I know we’ll have a lot of bills coming in soon. Like my mom says…everything always works. Plus it’s a pretty sweet ride!

The thing about having your own business just on the side is that you don’t really want to make a lot of money, unless you’re prepared to pay a bunch of taxes. It kind of works out for me because that means I can buy camera equipment and write it off. “I’m just keeping my expenses up.” Since I’m shooting six weddings this year, I realized I was either going to have to save money to pay the government or just spend all of that money on Knight Light stuff. Hmm…which should I choose?

Although I’m not going to try and spend everything I make this year, I do want to use that income to get some Knight Light expenses out of the way. Some big things that I’m considering: a laptop, a Nikon D3 (drool)… We’ve also decided we need some items that are smaller expenses so last night Josh and I did a little online shopping for Knight Light.

We have been talking about getting a second camera bag since we first got the D200. Since Josh is my lovely assistant he ends up carrying everything. Poor guy. I thought it would be wise to let him pick a bag he thinks will work best for us. So we purchased “The Sinking Barge” by Crumpler. And yes, I do believe it is as big as a barge. But it’s what he wanted.

We also ordered fun camera straps for our camera. Abbey sent me an email with an Etsy shop that sold camera straps about a month ago. I had bookmarked half a dozen shops that made straps I liked. It probably took us a good 45 minutes to select our camera straps. C’mon…it’s a big decision!

After doing the shopping, I plugged the expenses into my trusty spreadsheet. Josh looked at me and said, “Seriously, when did Knight Light start making money!?”. Ha…I have no idea. Guess I better do some more shopping.