Wish Lists - Toddle Along Tuesdays

The Cupcake has enough stuff. That is not even a question. She is easily amused by little things, so if our day feels stale I can just hand her a bowl, spatula, or set of measuring cups and she'd probably be good to go for another hour at least. She has a really nice indoor climbing structure/slide, a basket of stuffed animals, a barely used playhouse, and most recently a huge collection of pots, pans, and play food. She is enamored with all of it.

It's me that gets bored.

I'll admit it, I over-buy for TC because it's more fun to splurge on her than myself these days, and since such a huge percentage of my life involves entertaining her, it's still a treat for me to get new toys and books.

Sometimes it's a mental health necessity.

We sometimes sit down and read through all of the board books we own at least twice in a day. That gets old pretty quick. If you would like me to recite "Oh the thinks you can think" or "Are you my mother?" or pretty much anything by Sandra Boynton, just ask. It's taking up way too much brain space, and I may have ripped a few of the Dr. Seuss books in half and thrown them under the couch when I just couldn't take them any more - and then gone out to buy new, even though we didn't "need" them.

So when looking at this week's Toddle Along Tuesday prompt about your Toddler Wish List, I have to just admit straight away that these are MY wishes. The Cupcake will probably enjoy all of these, or would be just as happy with a few cardboard boxes and a $1.99 balloon.

Currently Coveting:

1. Play Kitchen - I've been looking at these for a long time, and I'm currently leaning towards this one (pictured above). I like that it's wood, and not obnoxious colors. I don't think it makes obnoxious noises either. I was in love with this one for quite a while because it has a bakery case, but some of the reviews say it's not clear enough to see through, and it seems really big, though I'm still waffling. We actually don't let TC into the kitchen (danger + always a disaster area anyways = easier to just gate it off), so she doesn't really understand the functions (I think - though she pointed out a "guitar" to me today at Costco, and I was pretty sure she didn't know that word yet either), so I'm also tempted to go with one of these that could be a fun display or double as storage. In a perfect world I would wait until Christmas/Birthday to buy this big gift, but I'm really itching for it, so we'll see how I do :)

(gorgeous felt cake available here)

2. Play Food - for my (her) play kitchen, obvs. We inherited a big set of plastic stuff from a neighbor which has been really fun - especially now that The Cupcake  is learning to talk and identify the items. We got a couple nice  sets of pots and pans from a JBF Sale, but what I'm really coveting is fancy felt food, like these found on Etsy. And these. And these. And so many more. If you actually click on any of those links  you'll die from the cuteness, or if not that, the price. So I probably won't actually purchase any of this, at least not for The Cupcake to destroy, but it's still on the wish list :)

3. Chuck E. Cheese's Gift Cards - I have been pleasantly surprised by how delightful Chuck E. Cheese's can be on a weekday morning, it's my go-to hot spot right now. There is a lot of great stuff for toddlers, and mostly TC loves to see the other kids. We can kill a morning there on a handful of tokens (again, the tokens keep ME interested, she could care less if the games are working or not). I can trail along behind her drinking a coke, and the food isn't as bad as I remember (the pizza is similar to Little Cesars). With winter coming, it's a great alternative to let her run beyond the free mall play areas/McDonald's Playland (which are both kinda gross) and cheaper than most gyms and paid play areas - but it would still be fun to have a little scratch for tokens and treats, which are not in my normal (nonexistant) budget.

I still haven't decided what our holiday plan will be, what traditions we will build and how to do the whole gifts/Santa aspect of the season, but I am pretty sure we'll be budget friendly and low key at least in these first few years. TC will probably enjoy ripping open a few packages this Christmas, but I could put balloons or Goldfish crackers or a few Cheerios in each one and she'd be just as thrilled as she would with a $45 Hanna Anderson sweater or $100 worth of Melissa and Doug toys.

But will I?

:)

I want...

Sold here


I think I have fallen for this camera bag in a bad, bad way...the red one too...

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, since I'm broke...) I'm not really up for any fun bags until I'm done hauling around a diaper bag...but *someday* I'll have a cool camera bag which I love hauling around as I take fancy pictures of the world...

Today I will be happy, dammit.

I had a remarkably crabby day yesterday (there was much discussion of stabbing someone with my letter opener, but somehow bloodshed was avoided) and in an attempt to create a much more tolerable day today, I'm pulling out all the stops to manufacture happiness:

- wearing a new sweater ($9 on the clearance rack at Motherhood)

- wearing new (to me) corduroy pants ($4.99 at Goodwill!)

- accessorized with blue sparkly necklace (bling = happiness) and striped socks

- looking forward to the cheesy but addicting "Vampire Diaries" season premier tonight

- put together the rest of my new dining set last night! The table looks fab, went together very easily, and I can't wait to start using it.

- lunch with Dad! And on a day I forgot/was too lazy to scavenge for something to bring!

- hubby and I caught up on the MOUNTAIN of laundry we had accumulated. It's still not put away, but at least it is a CLEAN mountain now

And I'm spending my morning looking at all the cute things on Etsy that I covet for my Pirates & Mermaids themed nursery, such as:


Walk the Plank print on vintage dictionary page from Etsy seller Winterberrycottage:



I love this because it fits the theme, but also because books and reading are so important to my husband and I (both English majors), and we hope that same joy will be found by our little one.

I have always been fascinated by these folded stars, we had some on our Xmas tree when I was growing up - how fun are they for a mobile?



From Etsy seller Starcraft, I'm drawn to this even though it doesn't necessarily fit the theme, the colors are so great and bright. Plus, compared to shaped mobiles which are ridiculously expensive, this seems much more my speed!

This melts my heart a little:



Mermaid Hugs print from Etsy Seller RubysBrush, it's just too sweet for words. I actually have a couple other mermaid prints I bought YEARS ago that I'm excited to find and frame for the nursery as well - I'm thinking ornate thrift store frames could be really fun.

I haven't bought anything yet, but just the "window" shopping and planning is fun. Plus, How could I be in a bad mood after looking at such pretty things?

Here's hoping your day is bright and bearable...

H.

Bakerella, you evil temptress...

How dare you introduce me to sites like Bake It Pretty. That spells trouble with a capital $.

I'm drooling a little bit...

The much less painful route...

Al brought these to my attention, but so far I've resisted their immense pull. From the etsy shop "Tattoo Socks" they're screen printed stockings with fun graphic designs. I'm pretty tough on nylons, so the chances of me spending $18 are slim, but I definitely love the look. They have a variety of designs (and also knee and thigh highs) including an octopus, peacock feather, and a lot of cool swirls. J'adore!

I Want...

I am SO BROKE I should absolutely not be shopping around on the Internet. But I also have a lot of time to kill. It's taking more willpower than I usually posses, but so far I've been able to resist these gems:


Bread - shaped cake pan: So fun, and would make decorating so simple - all the frosting INSIDE! Would be great for a pound cake with strawberry filling too. via Plasticland



Not that I'm a big fan of gin (especially after last Halloween) but the play on words is irresistible - "Gin & Titonic" ice cube molds. Would have been great for the Titanic costume party we planned back in high school, but never got around to having (and then Ryan's parents sold the pool, so we couldn't float dead bodies and wreckage in there anymore - kinda deflated the plans). Plasticland.

I Want: Fairy Tale Skirt

I have a special place in my heart for fairy tales. In high school I was in the competitive speaking category of "Storytelling", where we performed little spastic one-woman-shows based on Grimms' collected stories. Love these wrap skirts, they are screened with original prints of forrest-based fairy stories - Hansel & Gretel, Red Riding Hood, and Snow White. This would be worth shaving my legs for.

Found this via NotMartha, via someone else - the original site is here.

Ringing in the New Year...

I have a lot to write up right now - so much, in fact, that I don't even know where to start. I promise in the next few days I'll find the words (and photos) to share the fantastic birthday dinner at Fogo de Chao, and the amazing surprise 30th birthday my hubby and best friends threw for me last night - yup, squeezing in bucket list item #31 in the very last hours of 2009 was pretty darn exciting! I'm so lucky to have such great people in my life. Thanks to everyone who was involved.

But today, today I'm taking it easy, possibly a bit too easy for someone with as much laundry, dishes, and cleaning as I have to do, but I'm hoping after tonight I can just hire someone to take care of all that for me:


I managed to get 1 Minnesota Millionaire raffle ticket early in the season, before they sold out. I was hoping to snare another but never got around to it, so I have one bright shining hope - luck, be a lady tonight! I'm aiming to win one of the million dollar prizes, but I'd be cool with the $100,000 or $25,000 consolation prizes as well. Heck, even the $500 would be quite a nice way to kick off my 30th year of life :)

So in love...

So out of reach :)

I shouldn't ever look at this site, but I accidentally saw it when I was looking up my current bracelet, which I had purchased as a huge naughty splurge on my first trip to New York.

Heather Wants.

Heather will never spend $600 on a bracelet though, so Heather will just keep on wanting:) Maybe if my "Minnesota Millionaire" ticket hits big...

Photo Realism

You can imagine that winning a big prize to spend on practically whatever you want might lead to some bucket list accomplishments. Such as:


#12 Learn to take great photos and get a “real” camera

I can only claim to be 1/2 way there on this one, but hopefully the great photos will fall in line soon! That's right, prizes # 4 & 5 are my very own DSLR camera and a huge zoom lens!

I already had a very nice point & shoot, which has served me well and will continue to be my "go-to" for daily use (it's so convenient, and fits in my pocket) but as I get more involved in digital scrapbooking, travel, and making photo gifts, I realllllllllly wanted a "real" camera. It was hard to choose, but I read a lot of reviews, got suggestions from friends, and finally settled on a Nikon D3000. It seemed to get a lot of kudos as far as being easy to use, but still having a lot of functionality, which is important since I'll definitely have to "grow into" this camera! I also ended up ordering a big memory card, so that's prize #6 I guess :) Of course as soon as it arrived I had to put it together and start shooting! Norm wasn't the most willing subject (and he licked the lens right off the bat) but I think I got some pretty great shots of him! Here were my first few attempts with the new toy:

It's a Major Award...

Mr. Parker: It's a Major Award!
Swede: Shucks, I wouldn't know that. It looks like a lamp.
Mr. Parker: What is a lamp, you nincompoop? It's a Major Award. I won it!
Swede: Damn, hell, you say won it?
Mr. Parker: Yeah, mind power, Swede; mind power.
~A Christmas Story





It appears I myself have also won a "Major Award", and it required very little mind power at all.

I've actually been holding off on this post for a short while, since my skeptical nature hasn't quite let me get excited until I had confirmation, but guess what I'm crossing off the bucketlist today, quite unexpectedly?

#40 Win a big prize

WOW!
YAY!
HUZZAH!

This is just so unbelievable, I never win stuff! Especially big stuff, thus it going on my bucket list? So just what was my "major award?"




A $1500 Amazon Gift Card!
Holy Cats!

Can you tell I'm a little excited?

I've been writing and re-writing my Amazon wish list in preparation, all the while not totally believing it would ever come. When I had called to clarify the award, the gentleman said "it'll be a while," so I definitely didn't expect to get it in less than a week! Gift cards are just the perfect prize - half the fun is in researching and comparing and weighing what to get, and yet you sorta have to blow it on FUN stuff! I mean, it's not like I can pay down my Visa with an Amazon card, so I will be spending it all fully, selfishly, and luxuriously on MYSELF! (I did end up sharing a bit with the hubs...though I waffled on it for a while ;) I made a big purchase last night already (you didn't think I had willpower, did you? Also, there was a sale :) but I think I'll wait till it all comes to show you what I picked out.

What would you get with an Amazon gift card?

Random Round Up/End of the Week Thoughts...

I finished 3 mosaics last night during the Vampire Diaries (I'm banished to the witch's tower for that one so hubby can watch and record Community and Bones) but I didn't take any photos - I realized it, but the thought of climbing the stairs again couldn't overcome my laziness, sorry folks. Here's one of all the glass I cut the night before - I actually made a big rainbow mirror using all of these and several more colors last night:



Now I have some SERIOUS grouting to do, like 30 projects worth or more. Boo! That's my least favorite part. This time I'll try to avoid shredding my fingertips. Maybe gloves.

And speaking of mosaics, remember today is the last day to enter my blog giveaway! I know many more of you have stopped on my page than have entered, so go the extra mile and leave a comment on this post. It'll make me feel loved, and you could win a mosaic photo frame to keep or re-gift! Be sure to include your name & a method of contact so I can tell you if you win - and spread the word!

And to add to the randomness of this post, here's another few things I'm in want of today:


4' adjustable height folding table - which goes from kid height (useless) to normal height (useful) to COUNTER height (aka out of dog's reach height) which I would LOVVVVVVVE to have.



Vintage-inspired "flapper hat" at plasticland. Could I pull it off? Probably not. Would I love to try? Of course!


Adorable little retro robot necklace, also at plasticland. I don't particularly have a robot "thing" but lately I'm thinking they're way cute. Ditto these glass ornaments .


True Blood Season II - this isn't released yet, but they're taking pre-orders on Amazon. I do have all of the Season II episodes saved on our satellite, but I most like to watch them while I'm crafting upstairs (not hooked up to the satellite), so I'm anxious for the DVDs to come out.

I'll draw for the mosaic tomorrow, so get your comments in! Happy Weekend.
~H.

Shamelessly Coveting

I'm window shopping today via the world wide web. There are no shortage on things I would love to "add to my cart." In particular, today I'm stuck on some big ticket items:



A film scanner. This one is on sale this week at Costco but the reviews make me nervous - half of the people LOVE it, and the other half HATE it - there's little in between. I would really like to get all of my childhood negatives scanned from my mother sometime - a film scanner seems a lot easier than taking all of the printed photos out of their albums and running them through a scanner. Hmmm.



One of these great retro halter dresses from AudreyAndGrace - aren't they to die for? This would be worth shaving my legs for. Then I need someone to invite me to a great swanky New Year's Eve party so I can actually wear it. Did I mention this is $150, and that doesn't include the petticoat? I guess my mother was right when she said "You have to suffer to be beautiful."


A Yudu personal screen printing machine. I have always wanted to burn my own screens and print T-shirts and other apparel, and with this home kit it's easy. It's also $239 at Costco, so I won't be getting one anytime soon. And Michael's doesn't let you use the 40% off coupons on them, just an FYI. Sigh.

Adorable retro bike + cargo space to haul stuff around = WANT

I really want one of these. Probably because they're so expensive. Definitely not because I hope to do any exercise, but I would like to stand around next to it looking adorable. I could probably even handle grocery shopping in this little sucker, since we're really just blocks away from a great Rainbow, but carrying home groceries is a little awkward...not so with this guy!

Madsen Cycles