"Steals, Not Deals!"

As my friend Janice would say. She and I went out shopping last night for our kids' back to school clothes. We have done this a few times in the past and have so much fun picking through the racks and pointing out the nice, and the ugly, clothes. For kids, the best place to start is Value Village (pronounced Val-loo Ve-laj :), as it is the latest and greatest kids boutique! We both managed to pick out name brand items in good condition and at a good price. It makes so much sense to buy used stuff for kids as they grow out of it so quickly, or better yet, wear it out. After Value Village we headed next door to Once Upon a Child, where the quality and style is much better. There I picked up the cutest doll stroller for Bethany for only $8.50. Our other one 'kicked the bucket' this past week, so this was a great replacement. This one happens to have all the bells and whistles too! Did we ever have a happy and surprised child this morning! She now has a perfect place to put her Baby Stella, and all the accessories can go underneath in the basket.

Finally, we headed over to Shopper's Drug Mart to pick up some essentials. As I was browsing the summer sale racks, I found a pair of imitation crocs for Colin. I think they look very cool and they were only $5. Not bad for a pair of slippers!

I think the nicest thing about going shopping last night was knowing that I was leaving the home front in very capable hands. Colin and the girls had cleaned up the whole basement (which was a big disaster), he had done all my canning dishes and had capably fed everyone dinner and put them to bed. All was clean and peaceful when I arrived home. This was only the second time, since Silas was born, that I have gone away all by myself. It was a real treat to go out with no kids and yet have the company of a good friend!

Oh, and this picture was to be included in the last post but was forgotten.

I taught Anna and Naomi how to hand sew this week. Their first project was to make little pouches to put their collectibles in. Now, Anna is working on a dress for her porcelain doll and Naomi is making another pouch. I think it's so cute to see them working so hard on getting those stitches just right and, I can't help but chuckle to myself when they poke their fingers with the needle :)