A Valentine’s Day Monster Hunter Recap

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On Friday the 13th, my husband and I set off on a quest. It had started that morning when I woke up to find my husband eagerly peering down at me from the edge of the bed.

“Do you know what today is?” He excitedly asked.

I slowly blinked my eyes. The night before we had gone to bed discussing all of the things we needed to accomplish, most prominently important was finishing the cleaning of the carpets that I had started the day before so we could get our house back together. In a too much information shared, both dogs had had two weeks of diarrhea, thankfully not at the same time, but it had made the purchase of a carpet cleaner necessary. I had spot cleaned, but I wanted to know that they were cleaner than before the last two weeks. Now that it looked like we might finally be done with the sickness, I wanted to go over the carpets thoroughly. I had finished one room, but all of my fingers had gone numb from the force with which I had gotten down on my knees and scrubbed, as only the best of us OCDs can do.

“Um, the day we’re going to finish the carpets. You are going to help me right?”

“No and yes.”

“Is it the day before Valentine’s Day?”

“Yes, but that’s not it.”

I was unsure what he expected me to say. Then I remembered the episode of “The Middle ” we had watched a few days prior. “Oh! Is it World Radio Day?”

He looked at me in exasperation. “It’s Monster Hunter Day!”

I sat straight up in bed. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? What’s the plan?”

It turned out that his plan was vague. This would not do. I quickly surmised that we would both need a new DS to play the new Monster Hunter games (a little bit of my love shown here) to the utmost of their awesomeness. They were being released that day after years of us waiting for them. Yes, I’m thirty seven. Yes, I love video games. Let me tell you one day of the year my younger sister got a Sega System for Christmas and I got boardgames. #notoverit. To be fair, my sister still loves video games, too. I think it plays to our love of fantasy. If you think you don’t like video games, but you read fantasy books, you might want to try them again. They have some games geared for folks just like us.

So, for the next hour I procured two new DS systems, and four video games (our kids play with us) at three different stores in three different cities. It was surprisingly hard. I had no idea the systems would be a hot commodity. We were lucky to get two, because I checked ten minutes later and all of the systems were sold out in Southern California.

My husband was thrilled.

Not about my awesome online shopping skills. I knew they would come in handy one day.

He was thrilled to be going to all of the different places to pick up the bounty we scored.

“It’s a scavenger hunt!”

I once made his day by requesting we hit five different grocery stores looking for frozen manicotti. He is easy to please.

We left at noon. We drove to the first stop and picked up three of the video games. On the way, I asked if we could stop at two different Costcos in the other cities because I had wanted to check out the different items they might have from our own. In truth, I was looking for more frozen manicotti. I have a problem. My husband was even more excited. Two scavenger hunts in one day?! I never needed to buy him a present again.

Two hours later, we arrived at our second stop. We picked up the last video game and our first system. From there we hit up our first Costco. We did not find any frozen manicotti. We did, however, find my children’s most favorite thing. A whole variety box of snack sized flamin’ chips. We also got some cream brûlée in little jars even though it is best made at home.

Another hour later we picked up our last system. We were high with the rush of collecting our prizes.

The last Costco was a bust, but we picked up some pizzas to have for dinner. By the time we got home, it was 6:30. We stayed up with the kids playing Monster Hunter in our bed until 1:00 in the morning. We set up our bed like those creepy grandparents in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” I ended up staying up until 3:00 trying to finish some quests.

So, the next morning when my husband woke me up, I had a new plan.

“Honey, I don’t really want to go out for dinner tonight. Would you mind if we just ordered Chinese food and stayed home to play “Monster Hunter?”

His silence scared me. I felt like I had disappointed him. He had been talking about taking me out for Valentine’s Day all week. Then his face broke out into a wide grin. “You are the best wife ever!” He proclaimed.

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And that is why my house still looks like this.

And that is why I got no sleep.

And that is why yesterday was the best Valentine’s Day ever.

What did you do for Valentine’s Day? Did you dress up? Did you wear red or pink? I was going to wear the perfect pink and red outfit. It was a repeat of the outfit I wore on Christmas Eve. But instead I stayed in pajamas. And not the kind of pajamas one is supposed to wear on a romantic holiday. It didn’t matter. I killed a Great Jaggi and made a weapon with its hide. My husband declared it to be beautiful. Just kidding. He totally made it for me. He’s chivalrous that way. It was so romantic.

Monarch Magic Metamorphosis

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First, I know this pattern resembles a Tiger Butterfly more than a Monarch. I must have been a little loopy when I first typed this up, because here I am now editing it before it goes up in a few hours and I am wondering what I was thinking with the title. Who can really say?

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I have found in the last year that a swing style dress is my favorite.

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The Sarita Swing Dress is beautiful. I do wish it was one inch longer but otherwise it is perfect. It is made from silk which is a rare thing to find nowadays. My grandma used to keep silk worms in her house so we could watch how they worked. She also would occasionally raise a butterfly through the stages. Green and yellow were her favorite colors. She would have loved this dress.

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I paired the dress with my Simply Livly Turquoise Necklace and a wooden turquoise ring. I also wore my favorite Chie Mihara booties with it. They were one of my favorite sale scores last year. Her shoes are amazing.

I think that every girl dreams of a fantasy world. It is kind of what is thrown on us as children. Castles, princesses, animals, pink and flowers. Butterflies fall right into this.

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Now, I do not know for certain that this dress is based on a butterfly. It seems obvious to me that it is. But I also frequently mix up the words, “prescription and subscription” so I am absolutely no good mental evaluator.

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I looked up the name of the dress, “Sarita.” It means “flowing” in Sanskrit according to the website, behind the name. It is subtle. But, oh, the missed name opportunities this dress had.

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It has the most lovely crochet lace edged lining. The dress is short, but in all of my pictures (including spinning), I did not encounter one wardrobe snafu.

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It is perfect for a windy day. The sleeves flutter magnificently. I honestly felt like a butterfly in this dress. Groan. I can imagine someone quoting that and I realize how lame that sounds, but it is true.

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This dress might not have the right name, but it does not matter.

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It simply made me happy. When I wore it I smiled. It felt like a metamorphosis was taking place. And that is all that matters to me.

NOW CLOSED 23rd Blog Giveaway: $25 Urban Outfitters e-Gift Card

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

I love February. It is a quick month. A month of possibilities. In California you never know what February will look like. It is quite typically cold, but this month has been uncharacteristically warm. I feel for everyone dealing with the cold weather. If it is any consolation, so many of us Californians are getting sick because of the fluctuations in the weather. My daughter is home sick today.

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For this month’s giveaway I am giving away a $25 e-gift card to Urban Outfitters. I have been pleasantly surprised by their fun and affordable options this last month. No, the jumpsuit I mentioned in this post that I ordered did not work out, but it resulted in a funny moment with my husband. I like their cheap shoes that are 2 for $20. I had some changes happen in January that led me to explore myself a little more. I am trying a few new things this month. And I am letting go of others. More on this later.

To enter this giveaway for a chance to win a $25 e-gift card, please answer the following question:

What has been the best thing to happen to you so far in this new year? This year has been hard so far but I am trying to look at the positives. Mine would be last Friday night when my family stayed in and watched a movie after going to Slater’s 50/50. It was the most perfect evening. One of those memories that will stay with me forever even though it was so simple. It was just loving and nice.

To enter a second time, please become a registered reader of this blog. There are many ways to do so on the right hand side of this page. Please leave a second comment if you are a subscribed reader. I count the comments at the end and then I enter everyone’s name into random.org to pick a winner. So, to be fair, it has to be a separate comment.

Limit two entries per person in the forms specified. Must be eighteen years old to enter.

The giveaway runs from February 10, 2015 12:00 a.m. PST to February 16, 2015 9:00 p.m. PST. I will be choosing one winner from the comments entered on this post for the gift card using random.org. I will contact the winner on February 17, 2015 and display the winner’s name on this blog on February 18, 2015.

Thank you to all who enter and for your positivity. I very much appreciate it.

By commenting on this post, you are entering this giveaway for a chance to win one $25 e-gift card to Urban Outfitters and agreeing to the rules outlined in this giveaway.

I will attempt to contact the winner three times with the email address provided. If I have not heard from the winner within fourteen days from the first attempt at contact, the prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be drawn.

Past winners are welcome to enter.

* Negative comments (chosen at the discretion of the owner of this blog) will be deleted and that entry will be forfeit.

*this giveaway and post is not sponsored by or affiliated with Urban Outfitters.

Anthropologie Reviews: February 2015

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I had not been planning on going to Anthropologie on this day. I had planned on staying home and cleaning my house. But my mom had sent me a gift card to Anthropologie a few days before to try to lift my spirits from January.

I wore my tasseled dress from this post and a tasseled scarf from Forever 21. I had actually gone to the store with the sole purpose of purchasing this necklace. I had seen three of them at the store I went to the last time I was there and I was stunned by how gorgeous the necklace was in person. I vowed to buy it when it went on sale. It did. My store ended up having sold out of the necklace, but they did order me one that should come later this week. The store was not crowded at all. And it had all of the new arrivals that I had been wanting to try on. It was perfect. Thank you Mom for bringing joy into my day.

My last set of reviews was a hard post to write. I ended up not really loving anything. It is difficult to write about something that you aren’t passionate about. But, oh, this time, I loved every single thing I tried on. Some just as suggestions for others, but I was very pleased with the February selections in store:

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It seems as though every blogger has The Homestead Shirtdress. And they make me want it all the more. I love it on Karissa Marie. It is easy. It is comfortable. It has breathable fabric. It is pretty much perfect. I am wearing my usual size medium and that is the size I currently have wishlisted. I did have some pulling in the chest, which you can kind of see in the top picture. The buttons felt like they were straining. I am not even that busty, so more well endowed girls might have to size up.

It was a toss up between this dress and the dress below as to which one I was going to bring home with me. I loved them both a ten out of ten. But I had all ready bought this H&M dress with a similar shape and color pallet earlier in the month with their 20% off discount. I could not justify the purchase of two dresses so close in style. For those interested, the H&M dress fits true to size. It is a heavy polyester. It hangs well. I think it is a great dress for a good price (look for a discount code. They were offering 20% off awhile back, but now I think they are offering 20% off if you sign up for their email. Check their website for more information).

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Oh, Leifdottir, they always get it right. The Sarita Swing Dress is brilliant. The outer lining is 100% silk. It is groan-worthy scrumptious. I bought this in the size eight I am wearing in the pictures and wore it immediately the next day. Wait. Immediately and the next day don’t exactly go together, do they? Well, it was as immediate as I get.

Who doesn’t want to look like a tiger butterfly? Nobody, that’s who, if they’re being honest. I was so excited to see that this dress came in sizes up to 16. Of course, that size and size 14 are currently sold out online as they never stock enough of those sizes. Tsk, tsk, Anthropologie. But I do hope that a store might still have that size for those of you who want it by calling around (often when a size is sold out online, stores still have it, like the size 10 skirt further below).

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The lining is special, too. It has the sweetest crochet lace detail on the end. I wore my dress with a turquoise necklace (post coming on Thursday) and I loved the colors together.

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I had such high hopes for The Tindaya Dress. It has exquisite detail. It is flowy. And it looks good from the front. However…

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It is a bit too flowy for me. There is so much fabric to this dress it could almost be two dresses. I have seen some girls wear this belted up high and it looks very pretty that way. I could never wear this not belted. I am in a size medium.

I all ready have a lot going on down below the waist. This just adds more volume. It is like a fabric party is going on in this dress and it is a Monday and I have to work. This is a pass for me. The tall and thin would look amazing in this.

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Everybody loves The Mixed Plaid Tunic. It is all over Instagram. Usually the girls tie it at the bottom. I am not that cool. I knew trying this on that it would not work for me. I have large arms and the cut of the arms is at an odd bias which does not work for girls with larger upper arms.

I was right, so this is a pass for me, but it is still a sweet and simple dress.

I am in a medium. It fit perfectly with plenty of room. It is a cute and easy dress. It did not have the wow factor for me. But I think it will look great on a lot of body types. It will transition into each season nicely as a good piece on its own and an even more fabulous layering item.

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But? What?! How on Earth?

No pockets!

For such a simple everyday dress this seems to be a huge miss. I still cannot believe it did not have any. I am not speaking of the ones slathered on the chest. Every girl knows that those are unusable, unless you want lumpy boobs. I am speaking of waist pockets. Of course, I am old and it was not too long ago I can remember that no dresses came with pockets. But I have been spoiled these last few years and have come to expect them. Like I said, spoiled.

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I saw the price tag of this Elodie Dropwaist Dress (sold out, but might still be available in stores) and had to try it on. It was $29.95. It was a size L which I actually think works with the baggy style of the dress. Again, it did not have enough of a wow factor for me to pick it up, but it was cute. It was also extremely itchy. It was made from that itchy fake denim fabric. So, if you have sensitive skin I would definitely avoid this dress.

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I had been wanting to try on The Dotted Jacquard Skirt for some time. It just seemed like a piece that would go with most anything. I am wearing a medium in the picture and if I purchased this (which I will not be), I would size down to a small. I like the color. I like the fabric, but it is not as easy to work with as I had originally had hoped. It would be great with pullovers and simple tees, but it just did not feel like me. Great skirt, though! I recommend checking this in the store, because quite a few of them all ready had black scuff marks on them from the hazards of women trying them on. It’s tough being a white skirt!

If you work in a casual office, the Ashby Buttondown is wonderful. I think the price is okay for it. It is a very nice quality. It has a nice substantial weight to the fabric. The pretty grey denimy texture is soothing. It will go with a lot of different bottoms. It does not fit in with my lifestyle, so it was a pass for me. I am wearing a size medium. It fit just right. I highly recommend this one.

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Oh, Clementina Skirt. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Or the large patterns on this yummy design. My husband loves pencil skirts. So I buy them. Then I feel self conscious in them. And then I don’t wear them. Round and round we go… Like a clementine. I really like this skirt. I sized up to a 10 in it to allow for my ample thighs. Too many donuts not enough clementines.

I like the design, however, I tend to avoid giant designs on my lady parts. Ugh, I cannot believe I just wrote “lady parts.” But you know what I mean. I hesitate to get nitty gritty in a review post I am writing sober. This design does not bother me as much as others because the pattern repeats at the bottom. If it was singular, it would be a pass for me. It does bother me that the design does not line up on the sides, as shown in the second picture. Despite that, I have wishlisted this in hopes of getting it on sale.

The Crossed Pointelle Pullover is pretty. I like the design. It will be easy to layer this pullover over pretty slips or longer shirts. Or you could just wear it with pencil skirts. I am wearing a medium and it fit well and was soft and comfortable.

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Tricky. Tricky. The Tecoma Blouse is going to be a love/hate item. I happen to love it. It is an online only item, but my store happened to have one in my size medium that someone else had returned. I expect this to happen a lot. The pattern is amazing. The ties at the elbow are sweet yet sophisticated. The cut is flattering. It will go with pretty much any skirt that you own.

And everything about it is perfect. Except one kind of huge thing. The fabric.

Oh. That fabric. For many reasons, and so little, I own a variety of pirate wench costumes. Huh? Let’s ignore that little confession and just get to the point. My costumes always come with some sort of striped fabric. This fabric feels like that. It is that awful silky polyester that will be hot and sweaty. But I still bought it. Why? Because I just could not get over the wonderfulness of all of its other attributes. Plus, I’m used to being sweaty pirate costumes. I plan on wearing my shirt with everything. This week I will be pairing it with my Dotty Trumpet Skirt from a few years ago. I also want to mention that the top is very short. If you have a long torso, this might be a difficult top to tuck in.

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Gawh! Did I break the internet? I think not as my bum was all ready broken. I was trying to show the back of the skirt as well as the side of the shirt but instead ended up looking like a weirdo. Next time you are in a dressing room and you hate what you just tried on, just imagine that the person next door is taking odd selfies like this one. You will feel better. As for me, well, I better just stick to my pirate costumes… instead of Arr-nthropologie. Now that probably broke the internet.

Have you tried anything good on lately? Do you want to dress up like a tiger butterfly or a pirate? Or a pirafly? Or a buttrate? Oh. This could be dangerous. I better stop while I’m ahead