Hurrah, spring is here! Everyone is welcoming the warmer weather and the chance to break out those tank tops, linen skirts and preppy twinsets. Of course, no outfit is complete without shoes, so Ross Dress for Less in San Francisco is holding their annual Shoe Event this week! It began on March 23 and runs through April 30, with every style of shoe you can think of for spring and beyond.
To celebrate their Spring Shoe event, Ross kindly sent me a $25 gift card so I could check out their new spring styles and tell everyone about it (
they've also given me a second gift card to give away, read all about it below!). $25 goes a long, long way at Ross, and I eagerly made a visit to Ross to see just how far that $25 could go.
As I approached the shoe section, I was assaulted with style upon style:
Strappy sandals! Wedges! Espadrilles! Peep toes! Spring colors... pink, white, yellow, tan .... and the accents... flowers, glitter, gems... to cute to be true! The choices were great, even for size 9, 10, and 11 (if you're a Bay Area Bigfoot like me, note that the
San Francisco Market Street Ross has THE biggest selection of large-size women's footwear!). None of the shoes I saw, by the way, cost more than $25, so I was spoiled for choice.
Espadrilles are all the rage now, so I tried on quite a few pairs.
I absolutely loved the natural weave pattern on this pink pair. It was so comfy and cute!
I was sorely, soooooorely tempted by these peep-toe espadrilles. They are so feminine and dainty, and they'd look equally great with a skirt or capris. I really wanted a navy pair since I plan to wear lots of white and navy in the coming months... unfortunately these were a tad uncomfortable for my feet. They are canvas, so I think they probably would stretch, but I'm always nervous about shoes that don't feel good from the get-go. Still, I was all set to buy them.... and then I saw these beauties:
This is a match made in heaven! Ultra comfy, ultra-stylish, ultra-casual, just what I was looking for. I got them for the unheard-of price of $12.99! They were so inexpensive, I had enough left over to indulge in these pretty, strappy sandals:
These will go so well with the dress I bought for our school mother-daughter Easter brunch! I'm so excited to wear them! These were only $14.99, so I paid less for those 2 pairs of shoes than I would have paid for just one of them at a department store. In fact, I may run back to Ross and get those peep-toe espadrilles.....
Win a $25 Ross gift cardRoss is providing a $25 Ross gift card to one lucky Bonggamom Finds reader!
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RT @bonggafinds Time to buy new spring shoes -- win a $25 gift card to Ross Dress for Less! http://bit.ly/GOj2i1The RulesThis giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on April 10, 2012; I will draw a winner at random on April 11 and post his/her name after she/he confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only.
For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!
Disclosure:Ross Dress for Less provided me with a $25 gift card to shop at their store, and a second one to give away. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
Boudoir photo shoots are all the rage nowadays; many women are dressing up (or down) in their lingerie and having a professional photographer take their photos. Some do it as a birthday or anniversary present for their husbands; others do it for themselves, to celebrate a milestone such as a weight loss, birthday, or other accomplishment. I recently had some boudoir photos taken for Alfie's birthday, and I can tell you, it was a liberating experience! I got to smile and smolder for the camera, and the resulting photos were amazing. I'm no Victoria's Secret model, but seeing those photos has done wonders for my self esteem.
In clockwise order, from top left: Dale's Caramel, Double Chocolate Drizzlecorn, Peanut Butter & White Chocolate Drizzlecorn, and Black & White Biscotti.
Dale and Thomas, where, oh where have you been all my life? These are soooooo good. Each and every one that we've tried is fresh and crunchy. Each one has a distinct flavor, so with 12 of them, you're pretty much guaranteed to find one you like. Even Alfie, who generally dislikes popcorn, is enjoying it! My favorite so far is the Black & White Biscotti -- somehow they actually managed to make it taste like chocolate-coated biscotti! Dale and Thomas is like the holy grail of gourmet popcorn!
So far, the only one that has not received rave reviews from my family is Dale's Caramel -- it seems to be the most heavily coated of all the varieties (the rest of the sweet ones are merely drizzled), and it is cloyingly sweet. I'm wondering whether the Cinnamon Creme DrizzleCorn will be the same way... I'll update this post once I've tried it.
In conclusion: Beware. These would tempt even the Dalai Lama.
Want to try Dale and Thomas gourmet popcorn? You can enjoy 20% off your order by using promo code BMA12 at checkout (offer expires April 30, 2012).
Strappy sandals! Wedges! Espadrilles! Peep toes! Spring colors... pink, white, yellow, tan .... and the accents... flowers, glitter, gems... to cute to be true! The choices were great, even for size 9, 10, and 11 (if you're a Bay Area Bigfoot like me, note that the San Francisco Market Street Ross has THE biggest selection of large-size women's footwear!). None of the shoes I saw, by the way, cost more than $25, so I was spoiled for choice.
I absolutely loved the natural weave pattern on this pink pair. It was so comfy and cute!
I was sorely, soooooorely tempted by these peep-toe espadrilles. They are so feminine and dainty, and they'd look equally great with a skirt or capris. I really wanted a navy pair since I plan to wear lots of white and navy in the coming months... unfortunately these were a tad uncomfortable for my feet. They are canvas, so I think they probably would stretch, but I'm always nervous about shoes that don't feel good from the get-go. Still, I was all set to buy them.... and then I saw these beauties:
For Alfie and me, date nights are like unicorns: rare and magical. Oh, we veg out in front of the tv after the kids have gone to bed, and we sometimes we even manage to turn the tv off and have a real conversation and - *gasp!* - a romantic moment or two. I'm talking about actual dates where we go out to dinner and a movie, or dinner and a show, or attend a party (kid-free!) or just dinner. Heck, even coffee after some boring school function counts as a date in my book. Anything that gets us out of the house and away from the kids!
When I first heard about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I wanted to watch it right away. After all, it's based on the John LeCarre novel and has a powerhouse cast of well-respected actors (note, I said actors, not stars!), so I had a feeling I would enjoy all the mind games and the drama. Alas, I was already too late; it had long since gone from theatres and was already an Oscar and BAFTA- nominee. 
The first kind they sent me was a Mini-Cable Lock, identical to the one I got for the boys, but in pink. The Pea is so happy! She has started biking to school, so this could not have come at a better time. Her old numerical cable lock has started getting rusty, and she has been so envious of her brothers and their WordLock bike locks. Her new lock winds easily around her bike frame, so it doesn't bother her when she pedals. It's light and flexible and easy for kids to handle. The password is pre-set and cannot be changed, but it's much easier to remember than a 4-digit combination. This is waaay better than your run-of-the-mill kids' bike lock!
