The bookcase -- full of books; and weekend stuff.

This has been a nice weekend, very hot but nice. I've been plagued with allergies recently, so on Friday I picked up a box of Claritin, because it isn't supposed to make you sleepy. I am very sensitive to most antihistamines, however, so I was skeptical.

Well, I woke up Saturday morning and took the Claritin, and as advertised, it stopped my allergy symptoms! It was great! However, I felt like my butt was dragging all day. I was SO sleepy and out of it I vowed just to suffer with the allergy/hay fever symptoms. It was ridiculous! The pill was a timed-release 24 hour dose, too, so I didn't start feeling right until this morning. Geesh. Oh well. Live and learn.

Today I needed to purchase a bathing suit (mine got lost in the move somewhere. Someday when we clean out the storage, no doubt I'll find it tucked away in a box somewhere . . . ). Anyway, I went to the Avenue to shop for the suit because they are having a huge sale right now. I tell ya, July is the time to buy your summer clothes! Everything is on clearance, and of course that means that the fall stuff is coming in, and you won't be able to find a summer thing anywhere once August hits... That's one of my pet peeves about the fashion industry, is that you can't find clothes for the season you're in because they put out the fashions for the next season so early . . . but that's another rant for another time. Don't get me started on how ridiculous I think the fashion industry is . . . . YIKES!!

But I digress . . .

So I went to the Avenue to shop for a swimsuit, and they were closed for inventory!!! What's that about?!? I mean, don't most stores do their inventory at night or in the evenings when they're not open? It seems utterly ridiculous to turn paying customers away in order to do their inventory at a time that's most convenient for their staff!! How dumb is that?!? Arg. I was so frustrated. I'd already left and come back, because I'd been there at 10:30 and they don't open until 11am on Sundays; however, there was nothing on the door that said they would be opening late because of inventory. I went home, puttered around, and when I went back at 11:30, there was a sign on the door that said "Closed for Inventory"!!! So I called the store on my cell phone, and asked if they were going to be open today, and they said that they were in the middle of doing inventory and that they would be open maybe around 12:30.

Well, I told them in no uncertain terms how ridiculous it was for them to do inventory at a time that was inconvenient for their customers, and that I was going to be taking my shopping money and going elsewhere. She got huffy, but I didn't care. I mean, that's just plain stupid. So I went to Penney's.

Anyway, I'm glad that I went to Penney's, because they were having a huge sale, and I got some GREAT deals. I got my swimsuit for 40% off (even at 40% off, it was $55 -- I mean how ridiculous is it that women's swimsuits cost $90 and Bill's suit that we bought at Target cost $20?!?). Ok, like I said, don't get me started . . . it's the same thing as dry cleaning and haircuts being different prices for men and women . . . but I won't go there today. I really like the swimsuit I got. It has a top with a tropical print, and the bottoms are like a skirt. That way I don't have to shave or wax or in any way mess with the bikini area (sorry, guys!!). I don't care if the skirt is dorky -- I've got a dorky body anyway, and I am so past trying to impress anyone in a swimsuit. The style is what I'd all a "tankini" because the top still covers my midsection, like a tank top, but the bottom has a skirt -- well, you know what I mean. I'll post a picture of it. It's really cute, and comfy, except the top floats up when I'm in the water, exposing aforementioned midsection, which no doubt would scare small children . . . LOL

Here's a pic of the suit from the Penney's catalog:


Also at Penney's, I purchased a skirt and top set for $9.95 apiece, with another 10% off today. I purchased another top for $9.95 less 10%, and a camp shirt that was $19.99. Altogether, I spent $105 after tax (swimsuit was the most expensive) and saved over $150 off regular prices!! Yahoo!! The clothes I needed for work; the suit is necessary for recreation. Bill calls it "women's logic" when you "save" $150 by spending $105 -- but you ladies know what I mean!!!

When I got home, we ate some lunch and then went swimming in the pool here at our complex. I really like having that pool close by! It's hot and slightly overcast today, so there weren't any other people in the pool. The water was cool and refreshing. I got a little color today; hopefully I didn't burn. We used lots of sunscreen.

Then we came back home, and showered. Bill is napping, and when my hair dries, I will nap, too. I love lazy Sunday afternoons! Bill was really busy this morning, toting a bunch of stuff to storage (I don't know what we're going to do with our table when the new one comes in -- we don't have any more room in our storage!!) and unloading a bunch of boxes while I was shopping. We're about 90% there on getting settled in our new apt. The last thing is getting stuff on the walls. We'll do that next weekend.

And is anyone else out there that can't WAIT until the new Harry Potter book is released later this month?!? :-)

Oh, by the way I took some pics of our bookcase with books in it -- it looks a lot better and shows what a nice bookcase it really is. When it was empty and I posted the pics, it looked cheapo because of the wavy back. But here it is again, full of books and looking nice:



Well, it's back to work tomorrow! Bill is grilling some brats tonight (the food, not the children!!!!), and I am fixing fresh corn on the cob. Yum!!! Hope everyone has a fantastic week!