Questions and Answers Part 1

Alright...I have had lots of questions lately, so I wanted to try to answer as many as I can.  Hopefully I don't miss any.  I am saving all the Gracie and adoption questions for the next post.  It's too many to put them all together.




**I was asked about the girls' backpacks and if they would be big enough to use for kindergarten.  The brand of the backpack is Belvah.  I found Wesleigh's in a boutique for 50% off before I even knew Gracie existed!  I spent the summer searching for one for Gracie that would coordinate.  I finally found Gracie's at a kiosk in the outlet mall in Gulf Shores!  Crazy!  I don't know if they would be strong enough for kindergarten.  I would be afraid it would get super dirty and not hold up for the whole year.  They're only about $20 though, so it's not a huge investment. My sister in law did the monograms.




**Got Love? Gotta love this shirt! Lots of you wanted to know where to get this shirt...And now they have a new item...Tervis Tumblers!! I don't go anywhere without one of my Tervis tumblers!! I have smaller ones for my coffee and bigger ones for my water and sweet tea :) I had to make sure I ordered mine before I posted this link!! You can find it all here.

**I was asked where I get all the girls' clothes. I seem to get them from all over. We do have some great boutiques here, but honestly, I really don't buy alot there. When I do, it's almost always on the clearance rack. I try to buy the summer clothes when it's on clearance for the next summer. It's not easy to do because the extra money isn't always there, but if I can swing it, it's so worth it! I get so excited when it's time to pull out summer clothes and I find brand new clothes ready for them! The halter dresses the girls wore in the pictures of all 5 kids are an example of that. I bought those are the end of last summer. (I got them both for Wesleigh). I do buy some Matilda Jane each season. It is probably the priciest clothes I buy. It's my guilty pleasure, but I've been getting pickier about it. So far, this fall, I've only bought a couple of pieces. A couple other brands I've splurged on are Missie Moosie and Swanky Baby Vintage.

I have been blessed to have sweet friends who have daughters a size bigger than Wesleigh. They have been so generous to pass some amazing things down to Wesleigh! This has really helped the clothing budget!!

I find clothes at resale stores. This little outfit, I bought for super cheap and just had it monogrammed. (Yes, my sister in law) and by the way...I did get the chocolate stain out of it :) I even buy used or marked-down clothes off of facebook. There are tons of pages where moms list clothes their children have outgrown. Here's an example of something I got like that:  (shoes from Target) I get a few things from ebay. I have bought Matilda Jane there, but some of my best deals are "boutique" items. Since the names are as well known as Gap or Gymboree, the prices are lower. This might be my favorite dress of all time and I bought it on ebay for something ridiculous like $7!!

Target is a favorite of mine too.  This sweater is so cute and it's from Target.  All my basics like t-shirts, turtlenecks, etc. come from either Target or Old Navy.  I love to buy the $5 tanks and turtlenecks and then have them monogrammed.  We do alot of that.  The jeans and boots here are from Gap.  I splurged on those because I just couldn't live without them!!


And, of course, we can't forget Zulily!  I just downloaded their app so now, I'm really in trouble!!  I just got two packages in yesterday of some really cute fall clothes, and ordered some knit ruffles pants for $18 today!  I can't wait until it turns a little cooler here so they can actually wear some of it!! 

I guess that's about it.  I do not ever walk the malls.  Not that I don't want too, but it's just never worth the trouble.  I end up spending money I don't have.  Especially since Gracie has joined the brood...you will not catch me dead in the mall unless it's for the hour they're in school!

**My camera and lenses.  I have had some really sweet comments about my pics lately.  I took Lisa's photography class in the spring and have been shooting in manual most of the time.  I would recommend that class to anyone who wants to learn more!  I use a Nikon D90 with an inexpensive f1.4, 50mm lens most of the time.  The football pics however were shot with a 70-300 lens and I cheated and set the camera on the "running man" action setting.  I am happy with alot of the shots I have gotten, but it's been very frustrating too!!  It's still hard for me to think of everything I need to at once.

** My weight.  LOL!!  Yes, Debbie, I have lost a good bit of weight.  I call it the 2 yr. old adoption weight loss plan!  I never thought of myself as heavy, so I never really tried to lose weight.  I am the type that loses weight when things get stressful :)  Right as we were planning to travel for Wesleigh, I had all those issues with the USCIS office and then with the NVC and consulate.  I dropped a good bit of weight between that time and actually traveling for Wesleigh.  Once we got her, I was working more physically that I had in years, so the weight never came back.  Again, this time before we traveled, I started dropping weight.  Not because of any big stresser...just the busyness of packing and getting 4 kids ready to be left behind.  I also didn't eat alot in China.  (Gracie made restaurants miserable!!) By the time I left China, I was at an all time low...too low, I think.  Richard had started ordering full fat latte's for me at Starbucks to try to fatten me up.  I am not complaining!!  I would much rather have my clothes too big than too small!!  I have gained a couple pounds back, but honestly, I have very little time to even sit down these days...I did just eat a handful of M&M's though :)  And Debbie, you asked how I look so good all the time!  Don't forget that I am the one who gets to pick the pictures that get on this blog!!  I am also the one who has to say "take a picture of me"!  I don't say that when I'm in my Nike shorts and no make up!!  I will say that I do not photoshop my wrinkles!  I don't want to look back and see some odd version of what I really looked like.  I earned every line I have!!  Thanks for the compliment though!!

Ok....that's a start!  I will start working on the Gracie/adoption questions next.  So many are interrested in her English, so I'll post a video too :)