Weekend To Do

Hey, it's the return of the Weekend To Do list. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I did things on those few weekends I skipped, just didn't get my act together to document them. But there were awesome times, trust.

Anyway, here we go...

1. Very smart of me to restart this on a fairly boring weekend. I kicked Friday off with a bang by...staying in and cuddling my couch and my dog. I did laundry and a little cleaning and watched a couple of episodes of Empire (totally late to that game -- it's silly but fun, and I'm trying to get through the first season before season two gets underway). Not exciting, but I'll be out of town later this week and wanted to get my house in order (literally) before taking off.

Also, the above is not my laundry bag, but it is the chicest laundry bag I've ever seen. It also costs over $1,000. In other words, perfect for holding my Target skivvies and my sweaty running clothes, right?

2. Saturday morning I was up early for a long run, kicking off my half marathon training season (I'm running the Princess Half Marathon in Disney World next February). It was a little too hot, and I'm a little too out of shape, but I got it done. The best part of running is when it's over, and that's true whether you have a bad run or a great one. I dragged my sweaty self over to Chipotle for a burrito bowl to refuel and enjoyed a nice hour chowing down and catching up on blogs.

3. Honestly, I kind of wanted to spend Saturday night laying on the couch watching Dateline NBC, but I can't give into my hermit-like tendencies all the time. I headed out to a new-ish nightspot in town, a touristy but fun bar on Disney property called Trader Sam's. There's not a lot in the way of nightlife in my little family-friendly section of town, so having a local spot for evening shenanigans is kind of exciting. It's a fun place that has the right mix of adult fun and Disney magic. My drink was basically rum with a Dole Whip in it, and it was delightful. I could have sucked down three of them (though thanks to some very Disney prices, I exercised moderation).

4. My Sunday was pretty free, so I indulged in more than a bit of shopping. I had a GREAT day (which was fun, since I really haven't done much shopping lately):

I made a Target run to take advantage of their sale on accessories (buy one get one 50% off), and I picked up these shoes, which I've been eyeing for a few weeks. Traditional penny loafers are a little too preppy for me, but these crazy girls are like loafers on steroids. They're ridiculous and fun (and comfy to walk in!). Since the BOGO deal was mix and match, I headed to the bag selection to see if there was anything appealing but as usual, found myself pretty underwhelmed. Target bags just look cheap (and their prices really aren't). So I scooted over to the jewelry section and found this beauty. If you're a regular reader, you know how much I've been lusting after a chunky gold watch with a black dial. I was thinking about splurging on this one for my birthday, but I picked up Target's version instead and saved myself almost $300. Target does it again.

I also picked up a bottle of this Pixi Glow Tonic, which is just recently available in the US and comes with some pretty rave reviews from across the pond. I'm not usually one to jump on that great new skincare item and I don't usually use a toner, but I'm willing to take a chance on a fairly inexpensive potential miracle.

Then I hit TJ Maxx on a whim - I know the secret to getting great scores at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods is just making regular visits, so I made a quick dash in when I passed my favorite one. I'd done the same last week and walked out empty handed, so I didn't even get a cart. Ha. So naive. Cut to me waiting in an endless checkout line, both arms loaded down with goodies. So. many. treasures...

First, a fistful of Essie polishes. I'm exclusively an Essie girl. I love the vibrant colors, and I think the polish is great quality. I am not adventurous when it comes to polish colors -- I like a few classics and use those over and over again. My two all-time favorites are Mademoiselle (classic ballet pink) and Capri (summery orange-red). So imagine my joy when I plucked both from the shelf at just $4 a pop. I was feeling giddy and grabbed two other fun shades -- Madison Ave Hue (great bright pink, perfect for fingers and toes) and Nude Beach (a pale iridescent pink, when I'm really feeling crazy). 

I walked just a few feet further into the store and stumbled on this adorable pair of classic Dr. Scholl's sandals. I've actually always wanted a pair, and the navy and white stripes are just adorable. 

As with any good TJ Maxx haul, the rest of my purchases were a bit random -- a great rug, cute birthday cards, yummy fall-scented candles, treats for my dog, etc. At the register I spotted bottles of Dr. Bonner's Castille Soap, which was a nice surprise -- I grabbed the sweet almond and peppermint scents, my favorite. This is a great all-purpose body wash, shampoo, laundry soap, and more, and the crunchy granola side of me loves that this soap doesn't have those scary ingredients that I should probably be more vigilant about avoiding. 

Next was my local outlet mall. Sadly, I was there to return the tipped linen blazer I was excited about last month. When the jacket finally arrived in the mail, I was a bit disappointed by the color -- I wanted a clean ivory, and this had a pinkish hue that bothered me. It was also a little long, so I figured I'd get my $45 back. After the sales associate processed the return, she mentioned that it would go to clearance and that the current selling price would be $26. Tempting, right? 

It was a lovely jacket and a fantastic value at that price, even if I only wore it a few times. I considered rebuying it, but ultimately decided to pass -- it isn't what I want, and I thought I'd let someone else enjoy the thrill of a fantastic bargain. Sometimes you just pay it forward. I did score a cute sweater at Banana Republic -- a star-speckled intarsia sweater that looks quite a lot like this one, for about 1% of the price.

5. Finally, I'm spending Sunday evening with the Emmys and a couple of slices of veggie pizza. I missed the red carpet so I'm more interested in the audience shots than some of the boring categories, but so far it's been fun.

Monday, get ready for us!