land of the dolls...

For the past few days, kara and i have had a lot of time together since she's been sick at home with strep throat. Normally I'd go stir crazy being at home so much but its actually been a very restful, productive and fun time together. We cleaned the house, did all the laundry and played with her dolls many times.

Did you know that Armor-All spray works wonders on doll hair?!? yes! It does! Spray far and just a little...but it really works well! LOL. Lots of barbies and disney princesses got their groove back today because of this great car stuff! Its for plastic and vinyl so .... it also works wonders on tangly doll hair! 

This is a pic of Kara with her American Girl Kanani Doll - from her last birthday.  The first time I heard about these dolls a few years ago, I freaked out because of how much they cost but she REALLY wanted one, and I wanted to get it for her but at the time, it was really not feasible for us. But! One of her GREAT Aunts got her a Journey Girl doll called Callie and she loved it...then another GREAT Aunt and Uncle got her an American Girl doll for her birthday and it was so sweet! Now Callie had a friend to play with!

After the initial feelings about these dolls wore off, I decided that I'd rather her have something really nice that she would love and play with for a long time rather than some junky toys that will get tossed to the side in a day or two. I LOVE that she loves these dolls. WHY? Because it enables her to use her imagination, to learn about manners, care giving and it allows us to spend precious quality time together that we will never forget. It enables me to teach her lessons through the dolls and we were even able to talk about how she felt about going to Kindergarten next week. Turns out she's not too scared, she said "it's ok, you might be nervous but you'll be fine after a few days" - whew. Got all my anxiety washed away! (well, we'll see when the day comes! LOL)

So...I'm planning a trip with her to the American Girl Place for her birthday at the end of September. She is a great kid and I'm so glad we can spend time together doing girlie things. =) We're also planning a doll teatime with her new auntie Joy when they come to visit next weekend. THAT will be fun!! Anyone else want to join?!?!

Here's a picture of her two BELOVED dolls, Callie (Left) and Kanani (Right)

And cutest ever...here's her birthday wish list. bday is Sept. 30!

(editor's notes regarding birthday wish list: Blue Princess (is a guitar?!?), Amer clothes is AG doll glothes, high heels refer to wedges, and 18 doll bed means a bed for Kanani) LOL.

Birthday Gift Card Haul and Retail Therapy

As I was in desperate need of some alone time, retail therapy and not to mention I had a good amount left on my Nordys gift card, I went over to Nordstrom Rack tonight.  They recently got a shipment in, so I knew there might be at least one or two good things. I know the Nordy Anniversary sale is on weds but I wasn't too impressed with the early access that I got. . . so off to the rack.

I immediately found a great Michael Kors chiffon hoodie with short, drawstring sleeves in a tyedyeish blue. Very cute, summery and good enough to wear to work or on a casual day. Original price $110, got it for $24.

Then I went upstairs to the shoe dept on my quest for tall shoes (remember?) and found the most amazing Charles David espadrilles. Granted they are 4-1/2 inches but when i put them on, they have this elastic banding around the foot so you are able to walk in them very easily and they are SO comfortable, I had to buy them. Then the decision making came in. Nude or Black? UGH. I ended up getting them in black but am contemplating going back and also getting them in Nude since I have wanted a pair of nude shoes and the way the black ones are make them look very different. Original price: $109.95 - Rack price: $39.95. What do you think? Should I Get the nude ones too? OH MAN, they are so cute on me. LOL Here's a video of them I found online, with someone walking in them! http://video.heels.com/shoe-video/charles-by-charles-d-thrice-beige . Here they are in black:

Cute dressed up or down.

Anyway that was the last of my bday gift cards....

I hope to see what some of you get this week at the Anniversary Sale, since I KNOW you will be checking it out!

What's going on this week....Little K's speech therapy, big K's dentist appt (pray for her! cavity and possibly needs a root canal! UGH). Work, getting ready for camp!!! WOOHOO.