The last few weeks have left me a bit out of sorts. After riding out Hurricane Irene on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and living without power for days my family and I were able to enjoy a beautiful weekend relaxing by the pool.
I worked the first few days of my originally scheduled vacation time, spent two days preparing for the storm, two days waiting through it, and another three cleaning up and dealing with power after it was over. Needless to say I really needed those last three days of beautiful weather, but three days doesn’t seem like much of a vacation when you’ve been planning on two full weeks!
Although I was sad to leave our beach house, (I’m restricted from traveling back down there through the rest of my pregnancy), I am unbelievably happy to get back home. I thought my nesting instincts were strong before I left for vacation, but now they’ve kicked into overdrive.
I’m sorting through every nook and cranny in the house, bagging up unwanted belongings and taking trip after trip to the local donation center. Everything that I can’t seem to part with is making it’s way into large plastic containers stacked in the basement.
Two containers are filled with boxes. Am I the only person in the world that keeps these? One container holds gift giving boxes, you know little boxes that are used for jewelry, scarves, gloves, etc. The other container holds old boxes for electronics that we are likely to sell at some point or another. I’m keeping these in case I decide to list any of the items on eBay. In the past I’ve found that an item will sell for 20 to 30% more if it comes in it’s original packaging.
Of course, both of these containers take up room and could be used to store other things. So now I’m not certain if I’m being prudent or a pack rat.
Along with cleaning the house I’ve been doing a significant amount of shopping over the last few days. Maybe I’m suffering from the ‘one thing out, one thing in’ syndrome?
At eight months pregnant the bridesmaid dress I purchased for the wedding is a bit snug, so I’m trying to find a dress I can change into once the ceremony and photos are complete. Somehow or another my attention keeps getting diverted to other departments and yesterday I came home with three bags full of items from the home goods department of Macy’s.
I bought three sets of sheets, (two king and one twin), two packs of pillowcases, two beautiful serving plates and a Christmas gift for my niece. I think I made out pretty well on the purchases. The total cost after sales and coupons was roughly $100.
I didn’t exactly find a ‘wedding appropriate’ dress, but I did buy a simple, black, cotton dress from dressmelody that will do the trick if all else fails. I also ordered a nicer gown from Nordstrom’s. It cost $150, but it’s not a maternity dress so I’m hopeful I can wear it again in the future. Nordstrom now offers free shipping, so if I don’t like it or it doesn’t fit I’ll simply return it.
Unfortunately, my shopping won’t end with these purchases. I have a list of items I plan to buy before the baby arrives. I’ll start on that list tomorrow!