Shopping Archives - The Pennington Point

The Romance is Still Alive

by Lisa on May 21, 2013

I missed my post yesterday because James and I took a couple of days off together. We had some much needed Mommy & Daddy time. Just me and him in a mini van ready for an adventure.

We started the big date on Sunday morning by going to Lowes and shopping for a new lawn mower. Nothing says romance like yard maintenance equipment. Then we looked for some screws because, well, we don’t have any and we didn’t have anything else pressing to do.

After that excitement and some lunch, we headed to downtown San Antonio to go to the Tower of the Americas. We had never been there and always wondered what was the big deal. It’s a staple of the San Antonio skyline and we often wonder, what’s really up there? It was interesting. A bird’s eye view of the whole city and some serious wind. When I say wind I mean my skirt flew up over my waist leaving me walking around the observation deck like a Marilyn Monroe wannabe. My efforts at modesty kind of go out the window when a dozen Korean tourists are taking pictures with my Spanx covered behind in the background. My hair will never be the same.

After that we walked around the city and had dinner in a great restaurant where they served tableside guacamole. Or as I like to call it, heaven on a chip. I wonder if James realized on our wedding day that what he was actually ending up with was a wife who would eventually have avocado all over her face while complaining that her feet hurt too much to walk back to the hotel. I’m like a real life Disney princess.

We did have a wonderful time. Sure we walked at a snail’s pace and had a bit of indigestion, but we laughed and saw the city we love from a new perspective and felt no pressure to be anywhere in particular.

On Monday morning we caught an early showing of the new Star Trek movie before heading home. Yes, we are those people. As we pulled up to the theater I was chattering on about something when he shouted, “STOP!” It turns out he was just reading aloud the word STOP that was painted on the ground of the parking lot. But I thought he was talking to me, wanting me to stop talking.

So I froze and stared at him, completely quiet. He gave me a puzzled look and said, “What?”

“You told me to stop,” I said, “So I stopped.”

He gulped, “You mean that would actually WORK?!”

Oh, the joys of a healthy marriage relationship. We needed that time together to laugh, be outside, have no agenda and let the wind blow through our hair.

“May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.” Proverbs 5:18

Embracing Modesty, No 16

by Lisa on April 26, 2013

We are bouncing back to Mom this week. I often get asked about my clothing by strangers. People will stop ma and ask anything from am I Amish (that one always cracks me up) to where do I buy my skirts.

Even though I do try to look fixed up (that’s just me….I’ve always been that way) I still want to be comfortable. In fact, comfort is about #2 on my list of priorities. I have too much going on to go around feeling smushed and pushed.

This first look is from a day when I was running errands then going out to dinner with my girlfriends. My friend and I go out about once a week, so it’s very casual. I love these flowy knit skirts for comfort and femininity.

Here’s a breakdown of where I got these pieces: skirt-Lane Bryant, tshirt-Cato, Blazer-Target (I added the buttons myself), shoes-Birkenstock, scarf-it was a gift from a friend, but cute scarves are easy to find.

When I wear so much black I feel all gangsta.

This little number was something I found on clearance at Macy’s. The top was a dress that had a weird length. It was too short to wear as a winter dress (plus the length didn’t flatter me at all!) and too long to be a shirt. So I shortened it. And I used the part I cut off to make the sleeves a little longer. It’s not that the sleeves were too short, but my lunch lady arm flaps are something I’m uncomfortable showing, so I like a longer sleeve.

Shirt/dress-Macy’s, skirt-Cato, vest-Cato, shoes-Birkenstocks. And I want to say here that I love a pretty shoe. But my feet have issues. Bummer.

Oh, and while we’re here, let me also add that I am all about a fun purse. I would have a closet full of pretty purses if I could and have a deep appreciation for a gorgeous bag. This is one of my favorite crazy purses. I’m not joking. I LOVE this purse!

This last picture is just a day in town with the kids. Again…it’s all knit and really comfy. And this shows another favorite purse.

Skirt-Macy’s, tshirt-Cato, vest-Avenue, jacket-Macy’s, shoes-Clark’s (I’m going to show you these shoes next week…they ROCK!)

And the awesome necklace was made for me by my daughter Faith. Some of the beads are even wrapped in burlap….that girls knows what I love!

It’s really easy to be comfortable and modest. And for this plus-sized gal, it helps to know what shapes I look good in. I can tweak and adjust as necessary to draw the eye away from the puffy parts of my body.

Check out the rest of this series in our Embracing Modesty Gallery!

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Stopping to Smell the Roses Isn’t Always the Best Idea

by Lisa on April 3, 2013

I am now in a shopping stupor. Last Friday we shopped for my retail birthday girl and yesterday it was my thrift store girl’s turn. Sixteen years old and she’d rather go thrifting with Mom than anything in the world. How precious is that?!

Armed with a list of stores and some heavy duty hand sanitizer, Patience, Faith, Noah and I headed to the big city to see what we could find. But we didn’t make it 20 minutes before we had to stop on the side of the highway to take some pictures with the bluebonnets.

I decided to sit in the grass and have the kids take my picture. The ground was a bit wet so I called out for Noah to come help me up. It was on a small hill, so I couldn’t get a good position without exposing my backside to the cars speeding past. He rushed over and took my hands but instead of pulling me forward, he pulled straight up which caused me to start sliding down the hill. I kept trying to stop myself, but I couldn’t get traction. I felt like a cartoon character, digging my heels in and feeling my skirt slip underneath me and trailing behind. The girls came over to help and all of a sudden what was supposed to be a pleasant stop to take wildflower pictures turned into save momma from the oncoming traffic. I finally landed on my knees on the road’s shoulder and was laughing so hard I still could barely get up, my 3 children standing there speechless and trying not to laugh (well, one of them wasn’t trying too hard).

After that humiliation we were back on our way to thrifting. Grass stains and skinned knees weren’t going to stop me from spending the day looking at other people’s cast offs.

We went from one store to another without any more falling incidents. Everyone found something, including a new lens for my camera which was a huge score for me. I broke my camera lens about 6 months ago and haven’t been able to use my SLR since. Expect some great photos soon!

Driving from one thrift store to another the kids would talk about life and faith and their goals for the future. It was wonderful to connect in with these three and hear how they see their life’s direction.

Hopefully it’s not downhill in a field of bluebonnets.

I still have a couple of busy days ahead, but the birthday celebrations are over for a while and we’re in the last push of tax season. Being married to a CPA is great when I need to find a deduction for my etsy shop, but it’s a pain February through April.

Have a great day….and don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers!

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My Shopping Skills Put to the Test

by Lisa on April 1, 2013

Happy April!

I had a relaxing weekend. I needed it after my week last week. Mostly Thursday….girls’ day out.

Grace had requested for her birthday that all of the girls go out together and we did it in full force. I spent my entire life becoming an expert shopper and feel that it would be wrong not to pass the knowledge on to my 4 daughters.

We got up early and made a long list of places to go. Target, Best Buy, Charming Charlie, Michael’s, shoe stores, book stores, on and on the list went. It was planned to the minute and required careful execution. I’d drop the girls at the curb and go park. No reason to lose valuable time walking to and from the car. Or I’d drop them and go to a different store, giving them a time limit, “OK girls, you have 22 minutes and 14 seconds in this store….I’ll be right here to pick you up…..MARK-SET-GO!” We gave new meaning to the phrase “shop ’til you drop.”

In one store I had to go to the bathroom so I told the girls I’d meet them after. The ladies’ room was closed for cleaning so I had to use the family restroom. It was a one seater with a door that led straight out to the cash register area. I pushed the lock, but those locks make me nervous. You can’t really tell if they are actually locked, so I planned to hurry as fast as I could.

All I could think was someone was going to swing the door open and catch me sitting there in an awkward position. Sure enough as soon as my Spanx were down the knob wriggled and I had a small heart attack. Much to my relief, the door was actually locked and it didn’t open. But now I had the pressure of knowing someone was waiting for me outside of the door. It’s a wonder I don’t have an ulcer from all of my anxiety.

As we finished up at the last store they were turning off the lights and pushing us out the door. What’s the fun in stopping before the last possible second? The very, very best moment of the day was on that drive home. We all got quiet for a minute so I turned on a praise song. I was singing and praising and then I noticed….all of the girls were praising too. Hands raising, heads lifted to the sky, in one accord praising right there in our mini van driving along I-10. It doesn’t get much better than that.

But I needed three days to recover.

Which is basically what I did over the weekend. That and playing 100 Floors which I am now consumed with. I played it off and on all weekend, dragging the kids into my elevator door obsession. Have you played? I can’t stop I tell you! It’s free and fun for the whole family. (this is not a paid ad, I just really like the game for its simplicity and family friendliness)

We had a lovely, peaceful Easter. We didn’t do anything big or dressy. We just celebrated together at home. Dinner time was a long conversation about what Christ did for us and His sacrifice. The perfect day in my opinion.

How was your weekend?

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Soft Surroundings Make Me Happy

by Lisa on March 18, 2013

Such a lovely weekend!

On Saturday morning I left the house to head to the city while everyone was still asleep. I would normally be grumpy about leaving so early, but the long Texas Hill Country drive combined with praise music and my first sighting of bluebonnets made my heart soar. I love Texas wildflowers….LOVE!

I had been invited to go to a store at the mall before opening hours. At first I didn’t even care what store it was because, frankly, going to a store when they are closed has long been a fantasy of mine…..like parachuting or eating an entire chocolate cake. I could check this off my bucket list.

It turned out to be a beautiful store, which made it even better! Have you heard of Soft Surroundings? I’ll confess I wasn’t familiar with the company, but now have fallen madly in love with everything about it. They have the most beautiful clothes, bedding, jewelry….just gorgeous.

They also sell make-up, which is what we got to play with on Saturday. They explained all of the products and what they are for, which was great for me because I often wonder what these mystery products do. I mean, would you know what Blue Copper is? Me neither! But I have an inquiring mind. Now that I know how great it is for my skin I am saving my money to buy some. And I’m going to enter their Makeup Bag Makeover to win some of their incredible beauty products….you should too! (this is not a sponsored post, I just really liked their things!)

My friend Colleen from San Antonio Mom Blogs snapped this picture of me getting some makeup advice….

And they gave me a coupon for you if you want to go get your own makeup color consultation.

Afterward I was all made up and pretty but I had no where else to go, so I came home and took a nap. Let’s call it beauty sleep.

On Sunday we had another family canasta tournament, which was even more exciting than last weekend because this time the whole family, including Dad, joined in. We set up 2 tables with 4 players at each and every 2 hands we’d switch around so eventually everyone was partners with everyone else. We even had an official cutie pie scorekeeper at each table!

After the tournament was over I went to meet a friend for dinner. Spending a few hours with a trusted friend was the icing on the cake of a very sweet weekend.

And now that I have a some new makeup tips and the wildflowers are blooming, I’m looking forward to some beauty both indoors and out.

Have a great week!

Shopping with the Girls

by Lisa on March 4, 2013

It was an active weekend here at the Point. On Saturday I took the girls out for a mom/daughter shopping day. All of them needed something from shoes to under garments and we all needed to spend some time together. It was a day of fun, silliness and complete exhaustion.

I am telling you….I was so tired by the time we got home at 7:00 PM that I went straight to bed. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

Sundays around here have been set aside for us to just chill and hang out. We play games and talk and nap. It’s a pretty low key day, which is just what we all need to get ready for the week ahead.

So Sunday afternoon I was just hanging around in my recliner and thinking about a couple of things I have to do this week that I’m mildly dreading. Nothing huge, just little things I’d rather not do. So I thought I’d search for Bible verses. I typed in, “Bible verse about dread.” I do that all of the time. Joy, friendship, parenting, the sky….whatever I’m thinking about. This time a whole search popped up full of links to pages, “What does the Bible say about dreadlocks”. What?! Dreadlocks? Oh I’ve GOT to see this.

There was lots of talk about Sampson and the way our hair grows if we never brush or cut it and how some people feel it’s spiritual to have dreadlocks. I never knew this. I live in a bubble.

By the time I finished reading about dreadlocks I was no longer dreading anything. In fact, I was looking forward to taking a shower since my head started feeling all itchy just thinking about not brushing my hair for years. And even though I never did go back and look up “dread” verses, the search worked. I was no longer even thinking about my dread. Instead I was wishing for a scalp massage.

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing a computer game and talking with the kids. I was planning to de-February the house and get it ready for spring, but I was too worn out from Saturday’s adventure of running between 4 girls in dressing rooms looking for different sizes.

My week ahead includes putting out the spring decor and getting the house ready to paint. I’ve been planning to paint since the beginning of January, so it’s time to get this show on the road. No more procrastinating, although procrastination is one of my spiritual gifts. That and never being out of chocolate.

Have a great week!

Packing is Not My Strong Suit

by Lisa on January 24, 2013

I tell you I am lovin’ these easy, no holiday kind of weeks. Even though I’ve been decorating for Valentine’s Day it’s low key and playful. Not like the, “Just try to find a sting of lights that WORKS….people are coming over in an hour!!!” kind of holiday decorating.

Today I’m packing to head north for the Homeschool Moms’ Winter Summit tomorrow. If you’re going to be there please Tweet me and let me know. But even if you aren’t you can follow along using the hashtag #hssummit. I have a feeling it’s going to be a weekend rich with blessings.

Packing for a trip is never easy for me. I’m not a girl that just tosses a few things in a suitcase and goes. I need my powders and shoes and menagerie of hair products. It’s like traveling with the Kardashians. But with much less paparazzi.

You’d think it would be a breeze since I already posted a few outfits that I was planning to wear to the conference, so all of the decisions would have been made. But now my mood is shifting and I may wear something else. I dress for my mood, and whatever doesn’t need to be ironed. I’d rather spend today with my kids, so ironing is low on the list of priorities. Whatever I decide, I will Instagram/Tweet a picture of it so you don’t miss the glamor that is me in my Birkenstocks.

Last night I went out for a last minute shopping trip with my friend Sara. She is going with me to Oklahoma, so we needed to pick up a few things. We went into Lane Bryant where I was supposed to be helping her by standing outside of her dressing room and going back and forth with new sizes and styles for her trying on pleasure. But I am easily distracted and before you knew it I was in the next dressing room trying on a few things myself. She called out for me to bring her another size and I yelled back over the dressing room wall, “Hang on! I’m half naked!”

I’m such a good friend. At the ready to help anytime. Just let me put my top on.

I did get a shirt since they were having a 40% off everything sale.

And a striped skirt. But don’t tell James. I want to break it to him slowly. I’ll start with, “Honey, it was 40% off!” Even though I know that never really makes him feel better.

Since I’m leaving tomorrow at 6:00 in the morning for an 8 hour drive (plus bathroom breaks and Target emergencies) I will be going to bed early tonight. Hopefully. Unless there’s another sale somewhere.

See you on Twitter and Instagram!

And on Monday for the big Valentine’s Day link party! Whoop!

My Brain Works in Mysterious Ways (at Least to My Husband)

by Lisa on November 28, 2012

There’s been so much coming and going lately that I haven’t been as good as I should about keeping up with the money.

I collect and spend and pile the receipts on the table next to my recliner. I don’t do anything else with them. Those pesky receipts just sit there until James starts asking me about the money. Apparently he got in the mood last Sunday to get it all cleared up.

He knows if he comes to me with a long list of questions it will freeze my memory and cause me to be unable to answer anything. So he sends me questions by email one at a time, “On the 19th, what was $14 at JoAnn’s for?”

That’s the whole email. No hello. No, “Hi my beautiful wife and precious helpmeet. How are you today? I love you and care about you. Oh, and just wondering…..when you went to JoAnn’s the Monday before Thanksgiving, what was that $14 for? I’m sure it was something important. Love, your adoring husband.”

He shoots straight to the point. But I am a complicated woman. Nothing is straight.

Last night he sent me an email that said, “What is the $27 from Target for?”

I am sure he wishes I would say something like, “Target. $27. Clothing. Over.”

Instead he gets this, “Oh that. Yes, I picked up a scarf for Sara that looked just like one she liked at another store but they didn’t have black. So I got her the black one at Target for $27. But since I owe her $52 for that case of lotion, toothpaste, etc. I’m just taking the $27 out of what I owe her. Oh! And I also owe her $13 for eggs, so I’m going to Paypal her $38.”

I imagine smoke coming out of his ears like in the old cartoons.

His office is about 40′ behind our house and occasionally I think I can hear moaning noises coming from back there. I don’t ask. I just sit happily in my recliner thinking I am doing my wifely duty by digging through the receipts over and over to answer his questions. I’m so proud of myself for actually knowing the answer. I deserve a crown.

Our Christmas decorations are about halfway up. We decorated the tree as a family, but the next day we realized that we had put the top half of one tree onto the bottom half of another. After a very complicated search, we finally figured out why the halfs of the tree looks slightly off color from each other and kind of leaned.

So now we have one tree that’s only decorated on the bottom and another only on the top.

But it’ll get fixed and looking lovely by the weekend. I just have to take a few naps first to get my energy up. Speaking of decorating, I’ve got a post over on Life Your Way sharing ideas for seasonal decorating. There’s nothing in the post about mixed up Christmas tree halfs and if you go read it I only ask that you not share that in the comments. I’ve got a rep to protect.

Today I’m heading to the city. I get to go all by myself. It’s the first time I’ve been alone in a couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to the dead silence. I just drive. I have my own thoughts. I pray then my thoughts wander to my to-do list and Christmas shopping.

Not receipts. When I’m alone I never even think about receipts.

This will come as no surprise to James.

Have a great day!

An Animal Themed Weekend

by Lisa on November 19, 2012

The theme of my weekend was animals. Well, it starts with animals and ends with animals, with a middle of various other activity.

I’ll just start with the saddest thing that happened a few days ago. One of our miniature horses died. He was acting funny the day before so we planned to call the vet the next morning, but when we went out to feed him he had died. I had to gather the kids up and tell them the sad news….many tears. Then James had to figure out what you do with a dead miniature horse. Our city upbringing didn’t prepare us for this possibility. A goldfish, yes. Horse, no.

He figured it out, but it wasn’t easy. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear the other horse crying all day. He misses his friend.

On Saturday James and I drove a few hours to the other side of Austin for a meeting he had to attend. I sat in the lobby of a hotel all day while he and a dozen or so other people made important business decisions. You don’t want me in those kinds of meetings. While someone is showing a chart of the income from last year I just look around and think about straightening all of the crooked pictures in the room. My attention span is equal to that of a 2 year old. Except when it comes to the crooked pictures. I can’t stop thinking about the crooked pictures.

After the meeting was over I somehow convinced James to take me to IKEA, which was only half an hour away. I sealed the deal by telling him that we are 4 chairs short for Thanksgiving and I thought we could get the cheapest chairs there. That’s his love language, saving money. If I said anything like, “They have the cutest Swedish Christmas trees made out of cardboard that you assemble yourself,” he would have driven right past IKEA with me hanging out the window crying.

The problem, however, was that his back was hurting. When James’ back hurts he can’t stand still…he has to keep moving. I had to glide around IKEA without stopping. I’d circle tables and Expidit shelving…..pace back and forth past the glassware….all to keep him from noticing we were actually shopping. If I let his back start hurting it would all be over and we’d have to leave. I felt like a shark that can’t stop swimming or it will die.

We did find some $9 folding chairs and a few other little things. I made it all the way through the store before his back started to hurt. Score one for my expertize in constant motion.

Sunday morning while we were having family breakfast the unthinkable happened….we heard a little clicking sound in the kitchen. Click-click—-clickclick. My radar signals immediately started going off. I knew what it was….the thing I hate the most about country life. The thing that sends me into a frenzy of sleepless nights and terror. A mouse. James and the boys investigated and sure enough that’s what it was. Don’t doubt the power of my radar. It never fails.

I rushed to my room to hide while they set traps. I considered dipping into my coveted truffles to help the sounds of the clicking get out of my head. Thankfully, within an hour there were rumors that it had been caught and the hole where it was getting in had been covered. It turns out that mice don’t have little rounded shaped “doors” in the floorboards behind which they build teeny furniture out of your old spools and matchboxes. They are just gross, creepy, nasty little things and we will have no more discussion about it.

I spent the rest of Sunday sleeping. Well, sleeping and/or watching movies and hanging with the kids. I just decided it was time for a day off. It was a much needed rest after the drama of the weekend. That’s just too many dead animals for me.

Let’s have a better theme for next weekend. By the sound of it my next weekend theme will be, “shopping for bargains at 4 in the morning.” My four girls have Black Friday on the brain. That may be just as tiring, but much more pleasant.

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I Don’t Drink Alcohol, It Just Seems Like It

by Lisa on November 16, 2012

I made a trip to the big city yesterday to pick up everything I needed for Thanksgiving. We will have 28 people here for dinner and I need some time to prepare. I had the kids count chairs, plates, drinking glasses, fork……how do we lose forks?!

I had the boys lay the seats down in my van and put 2 coolers in the back plus I already carry 2 cooler bags with me all of the time. I ate a plateful of fresh eggs, put my mile long list in my purse and headed out the door. I felt just just like the original pilgrims as they prepared for the first Thanksgiving feast.

I put a few towels in the back also….just in case. They came in handy at around 5:30 in the afternoon when I spilled my drink down the front of my shirt in JoAnn’s. No, it wasn’t an alcoholic beverage. But I’m sure the other customers were wondering. Especially since only 5 minutes before that I had managed to knock down a sign that was hanging 20 feet in the air.

I know you can’t tell from this picture, but it was so high up that I couldn’t even reach the hanging down corner if I stood on my tiptoes. I went and told an employee and she looked puzzled, “I don’t think that’s ever happened before.” Yes, that’s because I have never walked back to that part of the store before.

The highlight of my day was when I was in Target. I know, just being in Target is enough to make any day better. But I decided to treat myself to a look at their Christmas section and that’s when it happened…..I saw from across the room….my absolute favorite, haven’t been able to find in years, nearly threw myself at it like it was an angel from heaven…..the Lindor Peppermint Extra Dark Chocolate Truffles. “Irresistibly Smooth” it says on the package….why yes, yes it is.

Since they are a Limited Edition I bought 3 bags. In theory I am planning to share them, maybe give a bag as a gift to someone special. In reality, I will probably eat them all myself by the end of the month. I ripped the first bag open as soon as I got out to my van and ate one of those balls of mouthwatering delight. Oh sweet truffles….how I’ve missed you.

I did manage to get almost everything on my list. I left the city around 8:30 at night worn out and exhausted.

My feet are paying the price today. Too much walking in non-arch-support shoes.

Now the baking begins. Cornbread, cookies, sausage, pie….all to be frozen and ready for next Thursday. I still need to get more forks. That was the one thing I didn’t check off my list. Maybe tomorrow….forks.

All of these images are from my Instagram feed….follow me there for many more FUN pictures of my adventures.

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