Feels Like Sunshine

Last night was a restless one for me. Not sure why. When I awoke during the night, I heard raindrops outside the window. When I got up this morning the sky was gray, and there was a fine mist in the air.

Yesterday was sunny, and we enjoyed our bonus trip to town in the sunshine. I had such a good day yesterday, that the clouds and the moisture aren't bothering me one little bit today. The happy sunshine feeling from yesterday is still there, keeping me smiling today.

After Saturday's shopping trip I wanted to do a bit more shopping yesterday. I seldom splurge on brand new clothes for myself, usually feeling more than satisfied with my thrift store finds, but sometimes it's nice to get truly new, if for no other reason than to detrmine once and for all just what size I wear. I also had another gift card to spend, so it seemed the perfect excuse to head to the Mall.

Clothes shopping at the Mall is not high on the list of pleasurable things to do for Pa or my son, so Lindsay and I had them drop us off at the Mall and sent them off on a couple short errands, and to find things more to their liking to take up their time, instructing them to collect us in about 2 hours time.

Our first stop was Ross. Having acquired 2 new tops at Freddies on Saturday, I was now in search of jeans, and a couple other items I needed. I headed for the womens jeans racks, and the section labeled size 4. Found several pair, then it was off to the fitting room. Imagine my shock when I discovered not one of the size 4 jeans fit. Every one of them hung on me like a heavy set of living room drapes. Back to the racks. We discovered the next size down, size 2 were a bit more difficult to find but we did find one pair, then we spotted the petite racks, and found a couple more. Our second visit to the fitting room was much more satisfying. One of the 3 was too short, one was too long, and one was "just right". I chose the too long (Lindsay has agreed to allow me to use her machine for a quick alteration in length) and the just right pair, and we were off again, with 2 pair of jeans draped over my arm. We found a pair of shorts for Lindsay which she tried on and is quite happy with.

Leaving all the racks of reasonably priced clothing at Ross behind was a difficult thing to do, but we did have a time limit and a budget to stay within, so leave we did, and headed for Penney's where I had a gift card to spend. They had a most excellent sale going on, with many items on sale for near Thrift store prices. Unfortunately, I was not able to find anything on those big savings racks that fit the criteria of being both visually appealing to me, and fitting my lifestyle. I did however find a top that I instantly fell in love with. It was $10 off, and that just happened to bring it within the price range of my gift card. I tried it on and liked it on me even more than on the hanger. Off to the register with my last purchase of the day, and out the door, with 15 minutes to spare!

We found Pa and Nathan looking only mildly bored not far from the store, and our family unit headed out to the car as one, where our two gender specific parties eagerly shared our great bargain finds of the day.

Once home, we unloaded our purchases, as well as the mail Pa and Nathan had picked up at the Post Office. Included in the latter was a package from my daughter for Nathan and Lindsay. We carefully opened the box to reveal 3 packages, all carefully wrapped in bright cheerful paper. These in turn were opened, carefully at first, then with excited rips, and exclamations of delight.

Kimmi could not have found more perfect gifts for her younger siblings! Lindsay is now the delighted owner of a beautiful butterfly suncatcher glass painting kit, which she is eagerly anticipating getting started on as soon as we finish school today. As Nathan opened his first gift, his eyes lit up, and he was jumping up and down squealing. When he finally finished unwrapping it and revealed it to me I understood why. It was a bird house, with a glass back, for hanging on a window so the nesting birds can be viewed from inside. Very cool! And perfect both for Nathan's interests, and for our property since we do have a plentiful and varied bird population. He quickly determined the best place for his gift, and immediately set off, dragging Pa behind to mount the house on the outside of the dining room window. He also recieved a very cool leatherworking set, which he informed us was something he'd been wanting for some time. Honestly, it would be nice if he'd give us a clue as to his desires. It would sure make gift giving a lot easier!

So, there you are. A rainy day along the Southern Oregon Coast, and oodles of new projects to keep us busy inside. It just doesn't get much better than that!