Last night my hubby & I went to the world premiere of Big Miracle. It is a movie about whales and it was very, very well done. It is rated PG and I would highly recommend it. Here are a few photos from our big night on the town.
The movie premiere was huge. Loews Theater in Washington DC closed for the event and showed the movie on every screen. I cannot believe how many people were there. The first two photos are just of the crowd to give you a sense of how crowded it was.
The next two are of my husband & me in front of the "Big Miracle" screen. There will be more on the TAPS.org website. They had a professional photographer taking photos. These were just taken by someone in the crowd on our way out.
After the movie was an "after party". If you don't know me, let me just tell you my bed time is literally around 9-9:30pm every night. I am not an "after party" person. I don't drink, dance or eat anything "different" or "hip". We stayed for just a bit and had a virgin Shirley Temple. I took a photo of my husband with the light up cups - they are so cool!
After we stayed for about 10 minutes, we went for pizza & then came back to the hotel. It was a great evening.
Today we were busy. We slept until 10am (something I NEVER do!) and then we checked out of our swanky hotel (they had robes in the closets - awesome!). We drove the two blocks to Georgetown Cupcakes and ate a few cupcakes. The marshmallow fudge was the best!
After we got to our new hotel, we took the metrorail (a subway in Washington DC) to down town Washington DC.
Outside the Holocaust Museum:
At the Smithsonian Castle:
And finally at the Air & Space Museum.
Overall we have been having a wonderful time!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Looking forward to today...
In just a few hours, my husband & I will be driving to Washington DC. For my 32nd birthday (which is this weekend) my husband bought something special from ebay. That something is a red carpet gala, the world premiere of the movie "Big Miracle" and then an after party with the stars. I will be able to meet Drew Barrymore, Dermot Mulroney and a few more of the stars in the movie. We also get to stay at a really nice hotel ... one we would have never picked for ourselves due to the price.
And then we will be staying in Washington DC for a few more days. We used HomeExchange.com to find a house just outside of the area that was willing to swap homes with us. They will stay at our home in March.
It took me quite a while to figure out what to wear and I decided on a black dress I love with a velvet blazer & heels. It should be warm enough in the theatre but nice enough for the after party.
I will be posting photos throughout the weekend. Have a great day everyone!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Ebay Results
I have been doing fairly well with ebay. Here are some items that have sold within the last two weeks.
A sparkly dress! These almost always do well in plus sizes. I don't do well with smaller sized dresses like this though. Purchased for $4.99, sold for $49.99.
Ralph Lauren velvet dress. Purchased for $2.50, sold for $39.99.
My husband's coveralls. These had been hanging in the closet for the last few years. They were given to him by an employer and sold for $36.99. I listed them at night and by the next morning, they sold! I love those kinds of sales.
Another quick sale -within hours! This Talbots jacket is a larger size and a more current style. I purchased it on 1/2 price day for $3, sold for $36.99.
I purchased this at a thrift for a few dollars about a year ago. I wore it and enjoyed it and now I was done with it. It is a Lilly Pulitzer hoodie and it sold for $34.00.
CAbi has a cult-like following for some reason. They print style numbers on their items which makes it very easy to find what to call the item. This was a sweater with oversized buttons. Purchased for $2, sold for $32.99.
This is a Lululemon item. Lululemon is huge and it always does fairly well. I was actually surprised this didn't do better but there were several on in the same size at the same time. I should have waited until those sold and then listed but I was a bit impatient and I like when I have everything listed that I have in the house. Purchased for 99 cents (the thrift didn't know the brand since there were no tags), sold for $32.
__________________________
Here are some that I thought would sell but didn't. I will relist these when ebay has another sale. Lately ebay has been offering free listings (it usually costs about 50 cents to list on ebay) every 10-12 days or so.
Escada cropped pants. Escada has literally no following on ebay and yet I still pick it up. Escade retails for hundreds of dollars and I should be able to get atleast $10 for these, right? Nope. I will list them again closer to spring and hopefully they sell. I paid only $2 for them.
These also did not sell. Christopher & Banks is a mall store in our area. Perhaps they are nation wide? Anyway, this skirt was pretty, new with tags and was in a larger size. It retails for $50 but I found it at a bag sale so it cost me about 50-60 cents. So why couldn't I get $7.99 for it? I haven't the slightest idea.
This is also Christopher & Banks (note to self...do not buy Christopher & Banks!). This was also from the bag sale so it cost just 50-60 cents. It didn't sell for $4.99.
Coldwater Creek also doesn't do so well on ebay unless you have something special. CWC has huge sales on their website -usually you can get their pieces 75% off. This kills the ebay market for these items since you can purchase CWC retail cheaper than on ebay. For some reason I still picked this up. I have had it for months. I am not sure if I am going to try it again since it didn't sell for $9.99 with free shipping.
_________________________________
Ebay is a great place to make some extra cash if you know what to sell. Research, research, research before you start. If you have an item you want to sell, go to ebay.com and type it into the search box. Check what active listings are selling for and then if you do an "advanced search", you can search what completed listings have brought.
I saw these at a thrift shop for $1. I bought them to keep them. But I came home and researched them on ebay. I realized they sell for a lot and I didn't need them that badly. I listed them and now they are up to $61 and they still have 4 days left! Want to see the listing? CLICK HERE.
If you don't want to click, it is a set of Wrap Masters. You put your wax paper, foil and plastic wrap in these and it cuts clean.
Have ebay questions? Feel free to post them or email me. I am always willing to help!
A sparkly dress! These almost always do well in plus sizes. I don't do well with smaller sized dresses like this though. Purchased for $4.99, sold for $49.99.
Ralph Lauren velvet dress. Purchased for $2.50, sold for $39.99.
My husband's coveralls. These had been hanging in the closet for the last few years. They were given to him by an employer and sold for $36.99. I listed them at night and by the next morning, they sold! I love those kinds of sales.
Another quick sale -within hours! This Talbots jacket is a larger size and a more current style. I purchased it on 1/2 price day for $3, sold for $36.99.
I purchased this at a thrift for a few dollars about a year ago. I wore it and enjoyed it and now I was done with it. It is a Lilly Pulitzer hoodie and it sold for $34.00.
CAbi has a cult-like following for some reason. They print style numbers on their items which makes it very easy to find what to call the item. This was a sweater with oversized buttons. Purchased for $2, sold for $32.99.
This is a Lululemon item. Lululemon is huge and it always does fairly well. I was actually surprised this didn't do better but there were several on in the same size at the same time. I should have waited until those sold and then listed but I was a bit impatient and I like when I have everything listed that I have in the house. Purchased for 99 cents (the thrift didn't know the brand since there were no tags), sold for $32.
__________________________
Here are some that I thought would sell but didn't. I will relist these when ebay has another sale. Lately ebay has been offering free listings (it usually costs about 50 cents to list on ebay) every 10-12 days or so.
Escada cropped pants. Escada has literally no following on ebay and yet I still pick it up. Escade retails for hundreds of dollars and I should be able to get atleast $10 for these, right? Nope. I will list them again closer to spring and hopefully they sell. I paid only $2 for them.
These also did not sell. Christopher & Banks is a mall store in our area. Perhaps they are nation wide? Anyway, this skirt was pretty, new with tags and was in a larger size. It retails for $50 but I found it at a bag sale so it cost me about 50-60 cents. So why couldn't I get $7.99 for it? I haven't the slightest idea.
This is also Christopher & Banks (note to self...do not buy Christopher & Banks!). This was also from the bag sale so it cost just 50-60 cents. It didn't sell for $4.99.
Coldwater Creek also doesn't do so well on ebay unless you have something special. CWC has huge sales on their website -usually you can get their pieces 75% off. This kills the ebay market for these items since you can purchase CWC retail cheaper than on ebay. For some reason I still picked this up. I have had it for months. I am not sure if I am going to try it again since it didn't sell for $9.99 with free shipping.
_________________________________
Ebay is a great place to make some extra cash if you know what to sell. Research, research, research before you start. If you have an item you want to sell, go to ebay.com and type it into the search box. Check what active listings are selling for and then if you do an "advanced search", you can search what completed listings have brought.
I saw these at a thrift shop for $1. I bought them to keep them. But I came home and researched them on ebay. I realized they sell for a lot and I didn't need them that badly. I listed them and now they are up to $61 and they still have 4 days left! Want to see the listing? CLICK HERE.
If you don't want to click, it is a set of Wrap Masters. You put your wax paper, foil and plastic wrap in these and it cuts clean.
Have ebay questions? Feel free to post them or email me. I am always willing to help!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Friday Follow
I haven't been posting as often as I like. Mostly because I don't have as much time as I would like.
As most of you already know, my hubby & I were laid off from work last month. Well...he was fired (stupid thing really) and I was let go since it was a couple's job.
In the last month we have been praying for unemployment to come through. It took over a month, but we are finally getting unemployment. I have worked for over 16 years and never needed unemployment. I am truly thankful for it since jobs are scarce after the holidays.
I have been selling on ebay more and surprisingly have been doing really well with it. The hubby & I have been applying for part-time jobs to supplement unemployment.
I had a job interview today and got hired at a cute little pizza & ice cream shop. They are completely willing to work with my crazy hours (I can only make a certain amount or I lose unemployment) and are excited - most applicants are teenagers (probably due to the pay being less than $8/hour!).
We have been painting & updating my father-in-law's house. He turns 86 years old next month. He is fairly independent for someone his age but he has been thrilled to have us back home. We have painted every room, changed every outlet & light switch, re-arranged the two bedrooms, cleaned out the attic, replaced bedding & curtains and a whole lot more. It has been keeping us busy.
We also had a really, really bad virus on our computer that completely shut it down. Thankfully we have a genius computer friend who was able to fix it and it is working. I am so thankful he didn't have to wipe our photos - I would have lost a bunch.
So...that is what I have been up to. I have been busier unemployed than I had been when I was employed!
Today's Friday Follow is brought to you by my cousin. She is awesome and I love reading her blog.

As most of you already know, my hubby & I were laid off from work last month. Well...he was fired (stupid thing really) and I was let go since it was a couple's job.
In the last month we have been praying for unemployment to come through. It took over a month, but we are finally getting unemployment. I have worked for over 16 years and never needed unemployment. I am truly thankful for it since jobs are scarce after the holidays.
I have been selling on ebay more and surprisingly have been doing really well with it. The hubby & I have been applying for part-time jobs to supplement unemployment.
I had a job interview today and got hired at a cute little pizza & ice cream shop. They are completely willing to work with my crazy hours (I can only make a certain amount or I lose unemployment) and are excited - most applicants are teenagers (probably due to the pay being less than $8/hour!).
We have been painting & updating my father-in-law's house. He turns 86 years old next month. He is fairly independent for someone his age but he has been thrilled to have us back home. We have painted every room, changed every outlet & light switch, re-arranged the two bedrooms, cleaned out the attic, replaced bedding & curtains and a whole lot more. It has been keeping us busy.
We also had a really, really bad virus on our computer that completely shut it down. Thankfully we have a genius computer friend who was able to fix it and it is working. I am so thankful he didn't have to wipe our photos - I would have lost a bunch.
So...that is what I have been up to. I have been busier unemployed than I had been when I was employed!
Today's Friday Follow is brought to you by my cousin. She is awesome and I love reading her blog.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
January Giveaway - CLOSED
Today's giveaway is thanks to my sister. My sister is awesome. She is a few years younger than me and lives in New York. Here is a photo of her that was taken when we went to FL together for her birthday a few years back.
Isn't she gorgeous?!? Anyway...she is super talented. Amongst many other talents, she hand embroiders pillow cases. We recently put some of her work in my etsy store to see how it does.
Here are a few things she recently made:
b
The giveaway is for a personalized pillowcase. It will be white in color and YOU choose the name or word that you want hand embroidered. You also choose the color and font style. Great for an adult or child!
The giveaway will go until the end of the month and I will pull the winner on 2/1/12.
Here is how to enter:
MANDATORY: 1 comment - Visit the etsy store. Post anything about the store in the comment section below. Here is the link to the store: MELLISSA ROSE
1 comment - become a follower or let me know you are a follower.
1 comment - let me know what you would like embroidered on the pillow case
There is a total of 3 entries per person. Leave a comment below for each. Good luck!
Isn't she gorgeous?!? Anyway...she is super talented. Amongst many other talents, she hand embroiders pillow cases. We recently put some of her work in my etsy store to see how it does.
Here are a few things she recently made:
b
The giveaway is for a personalized pillowcase. It will be white in color and YOU choose the name or word that you want hand embroidered. You also choose the color and font style. Great for an adult or child!
The giveaway will go until the end of the month and I will pull the winner on 2/1/12.
Here is how to enter:
MANDATORY: 1 comment - Visit the etsy store. Post anything about the store in the comment section below. Here is the link to the store: MELLISSA ROSE
1 comment - become a follower or let me know you are a follower.
1 comment - let me know what you would like embroidered on the pillow case
There is a total of 3 entries per person. Leave a comment below for each. Good luck!
Friday, January 6, 2012
My Day in Photos
Running errands today...
My hubby called about 1/2 way through the day and told me one of our neighbors' house burned down. More than a dozen fire departments were there and the entire house is ruined. Our contractor was driving past, saw the flames and called 9-1-1. The family was out of the house but a dog died inside. We knew the family. They are staying with our contractor for tonight and the Red Cross is helping out. Please keep them in your prayers.
And a Friday Follow:
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Free Prescription Eye Glasses - Seriously!
I just ordered a pair of free prescription eye glasses. I found out about this site on an ebay discussion board and it actually worked.
Recently I was let go from work. I was very upset about a lot of things, one of which was that I was up for a new pair of glasses in January. My glasses were two years old and completely scratched up. I don't take the best of care of glasses.
Anyway...The site is: http://www.coastal.com/refer/8217297218
I put my reference number at the end since I get $20 for every new prescription. But...the best part is that you can enter your prescription and get free glasses. I literally paid $17 and that was for shipping & handling. I usually pay around $150 for glasses.
The code for free glasses is "GMA" but this is only good until TONIGHT. So you have to be quick. They have 46 pages of glasses and you can "try them on" a model.
I put my prescription in the box and within minutes I had a confirmation number. It worked great.
Recently I was let go from work. I was very upset about a lot of things, one of which was that I was up for a new pair of glasses in January. My glasses were two years old and completely scratched up. I don't take the best of care of glasses.
Anyway...The site is: http://www.coastal.com/refer/8217297218
I put my reference number at the end since I get $20 for every new prescription. But...the best part is that you can enter your prescription and get free glasses. I literally paid $17 and that was for shipping & handling. I usually pay around $150 for glasses.
The code for free glasses is "GMA" but this is only good until TONIGHT. So you have to be quick. They have 46 pages of glasses and you can "try them on" a model.
I put my prescription in the box and within minutes I had a confirmation number. It worked great.
My Wednesday
I spent yesterday painting my father-in-law's bathroom. We are slowly updating his house. His home is a lovely 1950's house which HE BUILT. I am amazed at the craftsmanship that went into the home. It includes glass doorknobs, wide plank wood floors, large wood baseboards and a shower in the basement. Yup...the shower is in the basement. I have been told this is a common thing for a 1950's home.
His my father-in-law is 85, he decided to finally put the shower on the main floor. Our contractor has been working hard for the last week and we were finally ready to paint.
Here are a few photos of me wearing "paint clothes" for your viewing pleasure - ha!
After painting we changed all the outlets to white. There were literally a dozen different outlet covers from the 1950's through the 1970's. My husband took off the covers, I did the wiring and he screwed the covers back on. Thankfully it was a quick process.
Today we are back up at the F-I-L's house doing a second coat of paint.
His my father-in-law is 85, he decided to finally put the shower on the main floor. Our contractor has been working hard for the last week and we were finally ready to paint.
Here are a few photos of me wearing "paint clothes" for your viewing pleasure - ha!
After painting we changed all the outlets to white. There were literally a dozen different outlet covers from the 1950's through the 1970's. My husband took off the covers, I did the wiring and he screwed the covers back on. Thankfully it was a quick process.
Today we are back up at the F-I-L's house doing a second coat of paint.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Ebay
I have been selling and buying on ebay for years. I am guessing it has been 7 or 8 years now. It is a hobby I cannot stop. It is a wonderful thing to take a piece of clothing you purchased for $2 and sell it for $20.
Here are a few things I recently sold:
1. Express mini skirt. I loved this skirt and had planned to wear it for New Year's Eve. But we couldn't figure out what to do in our boring town and I fell asleep at 11pm. Never even made it to midnight. Purchased for $1.50, sold for $25.

2. Dressbarn dress. I do surprisingly well with Dressbarn in bigger sizes. I have sold dresses from $15-$30 and they sell quickly. This one was new with tags but I found it at the thrift for $2.50. It sold for $20.

3. American Eagle madras dress. Madras plaid dresses do well, especially in the summer. I went to a new thrift a few weeks ago and when I walked in, they handed me a bag. I could fill the brown paper bag for $5. I filled 8 bags and wound up with about 70 items. I purchased the dress for less than $1 and sold it for $20.

4. Gap skirt. This is a simple skirt made of a stretchy jersey. These skirts do well due to the fact that they have a "yoga" waist - a fold-down waist that you normally find in yoga pants. I have sold them from a lot of companies and have found that Ann Taylor and Gap skirts regularly bring $10-$20. This one sold for $17.99. This was also a bag sale find.

5. This dress sold about a month ago. I loved it so much and hated to see it go. It sold for just $45. Prom dresses and used bridesmaids dresses don't do extremely well on ebay. I paid $4 for it at a thrift.

6. Talbots blazer in a "plus size". Another brand I have been doing well with is Talbots. This jacket was purchased at the bag sale and sold for $35.

7. I hated to see this quilt sell. I purchased this years ago and it has been sitting in my closet. I loved it but never used it. I got $100 for it! I think I paid about $10 for it.

8. This was a bit of a surprise for me. A "restaurant.com" gift card. I got it for free. It sold for $10. Hey, ten dollars is ten dollars!

9. My husband use to collect baseball cards when he was younger. We are going to take most to a buyer at the mall but I keep forgetting them at home when I drive that way. This card brought $21.

10. Taco bell gift cards. Our Taco Bell's had a deal that if you purchased a $20 gift card, you got a free meal. I did this a few times and then sold the gift cards. They went for . . . $20. Ha! This means I got my meals for the ebay fees...about $1.80. Not bad.

Here are a few things I recently sold:
1. Express mini skirt. I loved this skirt and had planned to wear it for New Year's Eve. But we couldn't figure out what to do in our boring town and I fell asleep at 11pm. Never even made it to midnight. Purchased for $1.50, sold for $25.
2. Dressbarn dress. I do surprisingly well with Dressbarn in bigger sizes. I have sold dresses from $15-$30 and they sell quickly. This one was new with tags but I found it at the thrift for $2.50. It sold for $20.
3. American Eagle madras dress. Madras plaid dresses do well, especially in the summer. I went to a new thrift a few weeks ago and when I walked in, they handed me a bag. I could fill the brown paper bag for $5. I filled 8 bags and wound up with about 70 items. I purchased the dress for less than $1 and sold it for $20.
4. Gap skirt. This is a simple skirt made of a stretchy jersey. These skirts do well due to the fact that they have a "yoga" waist - a fold-down waist that you normally find in yoga pants. I have sold them from a lot of companies and have found that Ann Taylor and Gap skirts regularly bring $10-$20. This one sold for $17.99. This was also a bag sale find.
5. This dress sold about a month ago. I loved it so much and hated to see it go. It sold for just $45. Prom dresses and used bridesmaids dresses don't do extremely well on ebay. I paid $4 for it at a thrift.
6. Talbots blazer in a "plus size". Another brand I have been doing well with is Talbots. This jacket was purchased at the bag sale and sold for $35.
7. I hated to see this quilt sell. I purchased this years ago and it has been sitting in my closet. I loved it but never used it. I got $100 for it! I think I paid about $10 for it.
8. This was a bit of a surprise for me. A "restaurant.com" gift card. I got it for free. It sold for $10. Hey, ten dollars is ten dollars!
9. My husband use to collect baseball cards when he was younger. We are going to take most to a buyer at the mall but I keep forgetting them at home when I drive that way. This card brought $21.
10. Taco bell gift cards. Our Taco Bell's had a deal that if you purchased a $20 gift card, you got a free meal. I did this a few times and then sold the gift cards. They went for . . . $20. Ha! This means I got my meals for the ebay fees...about $1.80. Not bad.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
I'm back
After taking a few weeks off from my blog, I am going to start posting again. A lot has happened over the last few weeks and I am sure I will catch everyone up over the next few posts.
Lately I have been selling a lot on ebay. I sell used clothing and basically anything else I can make a profit on. Recently I found something to sell at my father-in-law's house. (We are remodeling it and trying to de-clutter.) Here is a photo of it.
She doesn't look so bad far away but once I zoom in...
The poor thing is missing her eye balls. They fell back into her hollow head.
I listed the doll for $9.99. We'll see if it sells! If not, nothing lost. She will go back into the drawer from where she came.
Lately I have been selling a lot on ebay. I sell used clothing and basically anything else I can make a profit on. Recently I found something to sell at my father-in-law's house. (We are remodeling it and trying to de-clutter.) Here is a photo of it.
She doesn't look so bad far away but once I zoom in...
The poor thing is missing her eye balls. They fell back into her hollow head.
I listed the doll for $9.99. We'll see if it sells! If not, nothing lost. She will go back into the drawer from where she came.
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