Just Wanna Have Fun

If this could blog could have a theme song - it would be 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'.
Fun. Fashion and Friends to be exact!
 
Let's start with fun. Last weekend I had a girls weekend at our house. One friend needed a weekend away and we dicided to do a 'stay-cation' at our house. At first we were looking to rent a cabin, travel up north and get away. It was really tricky to schedule everything and even though I really wanted to have some fun and adventure - I was getting a little concerned that it would NOT fit into our new (and very tight) budget. My friend was happy to get together at our house. Which is great for several reasons, one - it's less expensive, two - I still could see Max and Dan a little bit instead of being far away and third I love to host and pamper my friends. Plus - it is very quiet at our house and the fireflies were ready to show off! I did a little research and we were able to find a good fish fry place pretty close to our house. The fish fry was good, the brandy ol' fashioneds were really good and the prices were GREAT! 
 

All my gal pals know that I'm on a tight budget and were all willing to pitch in for the fun. I made breakfast on sunday, quiche from my eggs with veggies from the garden, coffee, fruit and cinnimon rolls.  My friend Mayme has a state park sticker, so I asked if she would be willing to drive to Yellowstone Lake State Park - it's only 12 miles from our home in Blanchardville. Mayme also agreed to pack a lunch for everyone - it was beautiful, vegetarian AND delish! Once we figured out where to hunker down my friend Kim rented kayaks for all of us to share. It was a beautiful day to be on the water. The local fisherman told us where we could paddle up and jump off some cliffs. I love cheap thrills, so we went for it! I asked our local librarian for all the gossipy, fashion, starlet magazines that are getting recyled, so we had some great 'girlie' reading material for a day at the beach. So what if I'm 4 months behind on what Snookie and the Situation are up to?! Deb brought mixin's for drinks, snacks and the best strories that made us laugh and laugh. For supper I made Bistro Egg and Steak Salad with Crusty Bread and homemade Chocolate Dipped Strawberries for desert. The only item that I needed to buy that was not in our regualr grocery list was the steak and the crusty bread. We had a great time catching up, relaxing, playing, paddling and hanging out by the bonfire. I loved it!
 
OK, next up - Fashion.
I'm not a high fashion kind-of gal. I couldn't tell a Gucci from a Channel if my life depended on it BUT I do love to look good and feel good.  Clothes have always been my little pick me up. I love to find special outfits (or costumes as I sometimes call them) I've been known to have a cosutme change at a party, just for the heck of it. I've always looked for good deals - even shopping at second hand stores for gently used outfits. If you have been following us - you know that we did not have a budget before - so I couldn't tell you the amount I spent in a month - never a lot at one time - I'm sure they really added up. Now our monthly budget for clothing is $20.
You heard me. $20. Ladies, can you feel my pain?! I put out an emergency call (well...e-mail) to my friends that are nice dressers and in or around my size. I asked if anyone had cute summer clothes that they were willing to loan or barter. One friend lent me a bunch of dresses for the weekend - we had a wedding to go to. I found a cute Vera Wang number that was perfect for the party. Thanks C.S! The next friend had clothes in my size that she wasn't using. She had a ton of cute things, dresses, skirts, t-shirst, outfits and shorts. I was in heaven! I now have about 15 new options to wear and it's all new to me!  We figured out a good barter for the loan and we both left super happy. Thanks C.S. (a different C.S. this time)
Then I needed (not wanted) a swimsuit. My suit is about 7 years old and because it's so old it was very 'revealing' and not in a good way. I found a $138 miracle suit at Burlington for $19. Great find!
 
Now, on to the not so fun. This week I had to miss out on a few fun things due to budget. Max and I had an opportunity to go to Noah's Ark with some of my friends. I tried to find free tickets for us, but alas - no luck. I decided that the drive up there and back and the $45 price tag was too much for us at this time. Next week Max starts swim lessons and they cost $35. I think the 2 week's worth of lessons is much more of a priority than one day at the water park. It is really the first time we've felt left out because we couldn't swing it. I'm sure we will hit Noah's Ark next year and have lots of other water fun this year.
 
So there you have it. Fun, fashion and the best friends a gal could ask for. THAT is worth it's weight in gold.
-Sheila

 

Comments

[Cheryl T.]

We camped at Yellowstone Lake this weekend (thanks to the bats, not a drop of bug spray was needed - a miracle for us). What a treasure - you're foturnate to have it so close by!

[Kristi Reger]

Nice idea.