Good Morning, Rovers! Happy Friday… hope you have exciting weekend plans {like cheering on my Auburn Tigers!!}. DDoll has 2 announcements to make.
First, she says, “WAR EAGLE!”
Second, Darby Doll would like to inform folks that she is working on getting her inbox under control… it’s a lofty goal but she is soliciting help from a friend with the advertising emails, many of you are waiting for replies and she wants you to know that she is all too aware of what her inbox looks like! I actually heard her crying in the closet last night and I had to remind her that her commitment is first to the Lord, then to her husband and family… everything else comes after that, she quickly settled down and slept well. She woke up refreshed and ready for the day… I even heard her scheduled an appointment this morning to have her hair relaxed.
It’s almost time for school I need to hurry… yesterday Rover had Mother’s Morning Out and the picture above was taken before we walked out the door and he’s clearly sporting his attempt at undressing. He’s been a little rascally at MMO lately with warnings of bad behavior… oh heaven help me… the girls never had warnings like this. At least I can completely sympathize with his sweet teachers. They tell me he won’t wear his art smock, won’t wear a jacket, and takes off his shoes on the playground… oh and add to that a little throwing toys action. I just tell them he gets all this from his dad!!
While I had a few hours to myself yesterday I ran to TJs {aka TJ Maxx} I was was looking for either a purse or black boots, first I came to the purses. Our store has at least 10,000 purses. Which is great… I mean, 10,000 to choose from! I rarely do these kind of things {shop} without Help Wad. Thank goodness for picture text. So I found one purse that I really loved {notice 10 more on my shoulder and 10,000 behind me}…
I loved it… it was olive/grey and would be perfect with black or brown so no switching would be necessary. Then I looked at the price tag… Erika may be a Help Wad but I’m a Tight Wad. It was $169.99 and I wanted to cry. TJ’s has purses for $16.99 and I, of course, like the one that’s $169.99. I text her… she says “Ahh… naaa… too much! Let me clean out my closet and see what I can find for you.” So then I text Cousin, she says, “You should get it, you’ll have it forever!! And $169 isn’t too much.” So what do I do? I leave TJ’s without boots or a purse and instead I buy this {and a few other random things}…
And if you were to walk in my house you wouldn’t smell a new leather purse but you would say, “Oh Darby, your tree smells SO good!” And then you would look around and not be able to find it because we don’t have one yet. But we have an Iowa Pine Meyer’s Scent Diffuser and it smells like Christmas and for now, that’s good enough for me.
Next time I’m here I hope to show you pictures of our beautiful Christmas tree… I’m secretly hoping that Justin doesn’t check in on our friend’s blog and get any ideas about traipsing through the woods for our very own Charlie Brown tree! And Abby, do I spy Cranberry Salad on the table!? 🙂
Kellie
December 3, 2010 at 9:36 amLet me just say….Boys are different from girls…in case you hadn’t noticed! Emma Claire is a model student. Wilson gets on yellow from time to time for not obeying and sticking out his tongue at his teacher – OH MY! Henderson was a biter for about 2 months. Now the first thing he says to me when I pick him up is “I not bite today!!!” And he prays about it at night. Can you tell I talk to him about it alot??? Boys will be boys, but we still must mold them to be like Jesus, who was a boy after all!!!! Exhausting exhausting exhausting, but so worth it!!!! 🙂
mary-kathryn millner
December 3, 2010 at 9:48 amfirst, $169 at TJ is always way harder than say $169 at somewhere where you weren’t expecting to find a deal! Also, finding Mrs. Meyers at TJ is like striking gold. and that is a good one!
Amy
December 3, 2010 at 10:02 amDarby, you are so wise to tell Darby Doll that your priorties lie first with the Lord, then husband and family and lastly business. Sometimes it is so overwhelming. But in keeping your sites on what IS the most important in life, all other things will fall into place. God Bless you Miss Darby and your beautiful heart. Oh, and I love the scented Christmas diffuser. We have a “faux” tree and need a little Christmas tree scent to fill the halls of the house this season.
Tessa
December 3, 2010 at 10:03 amDear Darby… I just wanted to tell you age 2.5 to 3.5 is ROUGH, but age 4 is bliss with boys (at least in my experience) So hang on. You are a really great Mom! One day at a time… Thank goodness there’s all sorts of sweet moments in between too.
Lindsey
December 3, 2010 at 10:17 amI loved this post so much 🙂
Ashley
December 3, 2010 at 10:49 amFunny because if I had an Ashley doll she would have been having the same crying spell in the closet as well last night 🙂 I too had to remind myself of the same priorities…the Lord then my family then other things. Glad to know I’m not the only feeling a tad overwhelmed!
And LOVE the purse! Do not love the price. I like you would have put it back. I’d wait to see what your sis has in her closet!!!
Have a great weekend!
Kimberly
December 3, 2010 at 10:58 amYou always crack me up!!! Ah, boys….
Denise
December 3, 2010 at 10:58 amDarby,
I have my shirt on again today and so does MM…I am having so many compliments on them. I LOVE them!!! You are the BEST! I am also a purse lover, however, I have to agree…wait and see what Erika has in her closet….I am sure she has one that is just right for you!
Merry Christmas!
kathleen
December 3, 2010 at 11:03 amNot a psychologist here but has the Stickler bunch ever gone on a dig with the Chief Archeologist? Does snake charming husband wear hat and dress like the guy from Raiders of the lost Ark?
HannahJ
December 3, 2010 at 11:06 amIsnt that just the luck???I always have the problom @ TJMaxx and Marshalls- I always find the expensive purses in the slew of cheap ones! Expensive taste w/o the budget to support it:)
Katie
December 3, 2010 at 11:18 amhahhaha I would have done the exact same thing at TJ’s.
Melise
December 3, 2010 at 11:22 amThat sounds EXACTLY like a trip to TJ’s for me too! I would never pay that much for a purse. I recently took my (designer) sissy to the mall to help me purchase a new one (i cannot shop for clothes, accessories or home decor with out her approval) and I paid $90 for a Nine West and I about croaked. My last purse was $17 from Target! But, hey a woman needs a nice purse every now and again, and with the help of Mr. Ramsey I’d saved for it! 😉 Good luck on the Christmas tree hunt!
Melise
December 3, 2010 at 11:24 amPS- WAR EAGLE!!
Samantha
December 3, 2010 at 11:26 amHi Darby!
Help wad sounds like the best sis! Let her look in her amazing closet first. But, I do have to say…
I am like you, and I only used to buy cheap Target purses, which are fine for what they are. Then a couple of years ago I decided I really wanted a nice leather purse. So after Christmas I found a beautiful one at a leather store (I think it was really on sale for like $50). I love it so much and I think it’s going to last forever! I pull it out every winter and feel so glad I bought it.
The moral of the story is that I think it is fine for you to splurge on one nice purse that will last forevs!
Love your blog & Darby Dolls priorities!
Sam
Katherine @ Grass Stains
December 3, 2010 at 11:30 amI have three “undressers” at my house, so I can sympathize. Also, Jake (2) just gave a little GIRL in his class a black eye on Wednesday. Hit her in the face twice with a wooden block. We are klassy around these parts.
Leslie
December 3, 2010 at 11:42 amI agree with another comment – somewhere between 3.5 and 4 is the turning point with boys. I have 2 – my older son was actually pretty good as a tot, but Lord can he negotiate. My youngest is 20 mths old and can throw a mean tantrum. He thinks it is funny to grab ornaments off of our tree and then throw them 10+ feet when he is caught. Thank goodness I switched to non-glass ornaments last year…
Beth
December 3, 2010 at 12:19 pmI laughed out loud when I read that Darby Doll was trying to squeeze in a hair relaxion! Um, not that she needs it.
Sarah
December 3, 2010 at 12:20 pmi sympathize! I always pick up the most expensive purses too! I really never get out so going to TJ Maxx for purses is a big outing for this momma but I’m always drawn to the soft leather ones and the pleather ones just don’t seem to cut it. I recently bought a purse at the Maxx and had to return it cause it was just too much money and I was having anxiety attacks about it on the drive home. I’m a DORK! Merry Christmas!!!!!
pam
December 3, 2010 at 12:53 pmdarby, you won’t believe this… looks like your friend abby spent her thanksgiving in north bend washington. that’s 3 miles from me!! it’s the town just east of mine! i’m lovin’ her blog….
ps i wouldn’t pay $170 for the purse either.
Alyson
December 3, 2010 at 1:34 pmThat purse is so cute! You’re right, it would be perfect with black or brown! It would definitely be worth it and you’d wear it forever. You should put it on your Christmas Wish List. 🙂
Tara Verdigets
December 3, 2010 at 1:44 pmWar Eagle, D-Bone! Let’s do this!!!!
Jennifer
December 3, 2010 at 2:05 pmTotally unrelated-
I know you and your children like Rosemary Wells. Do you have Morris’s Disappearing Bag? This was a Christmas favorite of my sister and I growing up, and I have been able to find gently used copies for both of us at Better World Books:
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/morris's-disappearing-bag-H0.aspx?SearchTerm=morris's+disappearing+bag
I pretty much stalked this site until I found the perfect one for each of us.
Funnily enough, the story version we grew up with my mother tore out of Working Mother magazine in 1981. We each have a laminated copy (one page front and back) that we used prior to tracking down the actual book.
Enjoy!
Jennifer
December 3, 2010 at 2:14 pmps–I only paid $3.98 for each and got a bargain bin discount, and they always have free shipping.
Snekcip
December 3, 2010 at 3:14 pmLove that purse!! I bet you get it for Christmas!! LOL!!! I clicked on the link to The Morris Family and loved the “Christmas tree” story!! What a great laugh for a Friday!!!
Abby Maddox
December 3, 2010 at 3:22 pmThanks for the shout-out friend! I suddenly started getting all these comments on a post I did several days ago, and I thought it was kinda strange. Then I noticed that almost all said they were coming from “Fly through our window” I wondered why there was a sudden influx :)?
I want to know how you got Darby doll that T-shirt?! I want you to go back and get that purse immediately.
Sara
December 3, 2010 at 3:24 pmWhat an adorable purse and I absolutely LOVE all of the pictures on your blog. You have a gorgeous family 🙂
Beki - TheRustedChain
December 3, 2010 at 3:28 pmI started 2010 with over 13,000 emails in my inbox. It’s December now and I’m down to 2,000-ish.
I feel your email pain.
Joy
December 3, 2010 at 4:02 pmWAR EAGLE I too love this post. Thank goodness for little boys and girls but boys tend to have an extra special place in their momma’s heart. I also seem to find the expensive items at the maxx. Last but not least thanks for reminding us of where our priorities are to be.
meghan
December 3, 2010 at 4:03 pmI have 2 boys and ANOTHER on the way! whoa nelly is it fun but exhausting! I have one that doesn’t care for clothes and thankfully I can still put him in onsies most of the time 🙂 He has a much harder time removing those, though he CAN do it.
p.s. both my husband and i graduated from Clemson University and though we are not Auburn Tigers, we are still Tigers at heart and will gladly and fiercely be rooting for you guys this weekend. We are greatly opposed to those silly chickens 🙂
Mary Elizabeth
December 3, 2010 at 4:41 pmI’ve been cracking up while reading your posts about your son…and his dislike of clothing!
I just wanted to tell you that I also had a son with an extreme aversion toward clothing. I was mortified, embarrassed, and pulling my hair out. Eventually (just before kindergarten) he decided clothes were great. Not all clothes, just certain clothes. I was grateful that the neighbors stopped talking. He’s 30 years old now, always in a suit (he’s an attorney), and getting married this month.
I wish him many things…including a first-born son who likes to be naked.
I believe in karma.
M.E.
Erin
December 3, 2010 at 5:04 pmHi Darby,
I don’t know you, but I have been following your blog for over a year. This post made me laugh and feel so much better. Just last night I picture-texted my very fashionable sister when I was looking for the right pair of skinny jeans. Thank God I have her to give me some perspective. (I am a stay-at-home mom of 4 under 9 yrs. — 3 boys 1 girl). I shop the same as you…but you NEED to treat yourself to that purse!
kayce hughes
December 3, 2010 at 5:10 pmMy mother had 5 girls and then my brother. When he was around 3 she had to call all of her friends with little boys and appologize. She had thought that our (5 girls) behavior was because of her great parenting.
Darlene
December 3, 2010 at 7:11 pmnearly all my purses come from Tj’s!!!! seriously dangerous place.
I probably would have walked away at $169…. you will find a better deal + gorgeousness next shipment!
hubby and I did get in a fight once over a TJ purse………
😉
Brittny Hemphill
December 3, 2010 at 7:36 pmLove the purse! Glad you didn’t buy it though. I can’t even begin to understand what it would feel like to spend that much on one thing. I feel like $29.99 is too much sometimes. I’m also glad I’m not the only one without a tree up! Monday is the day though.
Olivia Sanders
December 3, 2010 at 8:19 pmhahaha… More than 3 years ago I fell in LOVE with a Cole Haan leather purse at TJ Maxx and paid $199.99 for it! I still carry it every.single.day. THREE YEARS later! I love it as much as I did then! It’s perfect. I won’t even buy another purse until this one falls apart and it’s built to last so that’ll be awhile!
Mary
December 3, 2010 at 9:02 pmDarby, you should post a “greatest hits” of your readers’ comments. I do not know kayce Hughes or mary Elizabeth, but hello!! This is part of what’s so fun to read. Someone on an older post said their son was 24 and now is clothed in public *she thinks*. Y’all are killing me.
b.a.
December 3, 2010 at 9:22 pmi went to TJ’s yesterday, too! and on the same search! (well, for black boots, that is.) i got a pair of black rubber riding boots. AND…i bought that same scent diffuser! i actually live in iowa, so i kinda thought maybe they’d made that specially for iowa. i’m a dork. either way, i’m proud to have my house smelling like iowa pine!
Sarah
December 3, 2010 at 9:45 pmDarby, your posts always crack me up, and I always get excited when I see a new one on Fly Through Our Window.
Merry Christmas to your family, and please keep it up!
alyssa
December 3, 2010 at 10:52 pmOh Darby, I totally relate to the little boy bad behavior warnings…and not ever wanting to wear clothes! It was in the 50’s yesterday and my son(4 years old) didn’t understand why I made him take off his shorts and tshirt to put on warmer clothes. He cried when I told him he had to wear a coat, and then he promptly took his shoes off as soon as he got outside(after it took, like, 15 minutes to put the things on!). And while he doesn’t throw toys very often, he has been known to wield his light saber around at people and threaten to cut a limb off. Good thing our boys are so darn cute, b/c I say mine would be in a heck of a lot more trouble if he wasn’t!
annek
December 4, 2010 at 12:26 amI too have trouble spending money on purses…(don’t know why, dresses, etc never seem to bother me.) But I learned my lesson a couple of years ago…saw one for $89.00 or so…decided to get a cheaper one…which I really didn’t like…rarely used. Bought another cheaper one… still wanted the original one….bottom line…I should have just bought the one I really wanted in the first place…since I finally broke down and got it…after spending almost as much on the other two. I still have it and the other two are long gone.
Ange
December 4, 2010 at 2:01 amHi Darby, I am a huge fan of your blog! When I read your posts about your rover I laugh and totally sympathize with the parenting energy you are expending! I have 2 girls and a boy, and my son is 2.5 years old as well. He is giving me a serious run for my money!
He also might be secretly reading your blog because just last week he decided he didn’t like clothes either. Or diapers or underwear….and he “boomed” a friend in the face today during playdate. Ahhhh…I’m spending a lot if time on my knees praying for patience! But we are not in this alone!
I just received a Christmas shirt and love it! Thanks for the energy you put into the blog, it is really encouraging:)
Jill Cribb
December 4, 2010 at 6:53 amGlad I am not the only one who picks out the $169.00 pocketbook at TJ Maxx, when I really went for the $16.99 one. Wishing “your” Tigers good luck today…I am from South Carolina and I am a Clemson fan…so I am sticking with the Tigers today!
Cari
December 4, 2010 at 8:45 amI love that purse and it’s one that I would pick as well and then walk around the store several times before telling myself that I just couldn’t pay that much for a purse at this time in my life. It’s fun to dream though!
Lynn Campbell
December 4, 2010 at 12:20 pmMrs Meyer’s ROCKS!! Got to go get some of that Iowa Pine! Dear Rover… snicker… bless your heart! 🙂
I had to go check out the Christmas tree from the woods – it was ADORABLE and what a grand day they had in the beautiful, pristine and COLD, SNOWY NW! But I sure am glad for our weather in Dothan today. Just not cut out to live in such conditions.
Yall have a great day!
Hugs,
Lynn
P.S. Anxious to see the Bama Belles show after Sarah Palin’s Alaska Sunday night. They BETTER be good to us Bama Belles! LOL!
Amy Hill
December 4, 2010 at 4:18 pmHey Darby! I have never commented before but I felt the need to as I am sitting here watching the Auburn game. I am from Lexington, KY and a wildcat fan but I am rooting for your team to win it all! Thanks for writing such a great blog. It is my favorite!
Lindsey
December 4, 2010 at 6:32 pmWAR Eagle! Watching the game and getting a kick out of your post. I was in TJ’s yesterday and did the same thing! Bummer on the purse! Also wanted to let you know I made the cranberry salad for Thanksgiving and it was a hugh hit. Everyone loved it and ate almost the whole batch!
Bernie
December 6, 2010 at 8:10 amMy problem is I always pick out the most expensive shoes, or the ONLY style that ISNT on sale when I shop. BTW, you will look back on these days with your son as “the good old days” when they turn 20 and are supposedly adults, you have no REAL say, and they do really dumb things (blue hair, face piercings!).Mine would unintentionally scare his grandparents neighbors at their condo. Thankfully that was just a stage and I now have my handsome, normal looking, employed, son(who was always wonderful) back.
cousin
December 6, 2010 at 4:52 pmwell, i still say you should’ve gotten the purse:) you work so hard and never treat yourself! you deserve it! that rover is a piece of work! he’s hilarious! good thing he’s so stinkin’ cute! i could send you down a purse as well…i’ll go through mine and see if one suits you:0 that is if you haven’t gone back for the other one! love you!xo
Allison
December 9, 2010 at 4:33 pmHi Darby,
I haven’t ever commented on your blog before, but I enjoy reading. I went to AU around the say time as you. I was in Target today and saw a purse that reminded me of the purse you mentioned here. Here is the link:
https://www.target.com/Mossimo-Large-Satchel-Grey/dp/B003VKSFBW/ref=br_1_13?ie=UTF8&id=Mossimo%20Large%20Satchel%20Grey&node=370215011&searchSize=30&searchView=list&searchPage=1&sr=1-13&qid=1291930332&rh=target_com_brand-bin%3AMossimo&searchBinNameList=target_com_category-bin%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin%2Cprice&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1
…And it’s a LOT less than that other purse! 🙂
Morgan Mccarthy
December 23, 2010 at 3:45 pmGood Morning, Rovers! Happy Friday… hope you have exciting weekend plans {like cheering on my Auburn Tigers!!}. DDoll has 2 announcements to make. First, she says, “WAR EAGLE!” Second, Darby Doll would like to inform folks that she is working on getting her inbox under control… it’s a lofty goal but she is soliciting help […]