Posts Tagged ‘TJ Maxx’

Skinny Jean Saga

Posted in Uncategorized on February 8th, 2011 by Monika – 2 Comments
I don’t consider myself to be a jumper of bandwagons. When it comes to fashion, I don’t hop onto every trend or buy only designer, brand name clothing. I’m a big fan of Target and TJ Maxx brands like “Pretty Good” (which, I’ve found is pretty good). But despite this fact, I can’t avoid being a copycat all the time.

Case in point: skinny jeans. While I love the look of them, skinny jeans never quite fit me. They’re always either too tight in the calves or too big in the hips. But for some reason, I never let this deter me from trying them on, in hopes that I’ll find that ever-elusive perfect pair.

Over the weekend, during my weekly TJ Maxx therapy session, I grabbed not one but THREE pair of skinny jeans. After an 8-mile run Sunday morning I thought maybe my luck had changed. Not so. The first pair I tried on stuck to me like cat hair on black velvet. From the moment I started, I knew I was in trouble. Just getting them around my knob of a heel was a challenge. But for some reason, I continued to wiggle into them, nearly falling over in the process.

I stopped after one leg and decided it was a loss. But here came the tricky part: how to get the sucker off (it was literally sucking at my leg like a denim leech). For a moment, I worried I would have to dig out the pocketknife I keep in my purse (for moments of Girl Scout-like heroism) and use the scissors to cut myself free. Thankfully, my friend Carolina was in the neighboring dressing room. Hearing me struggle, she came to my rescue, nearly falling to the floor herself as she yanked the pant leg over my foot. I left the other two pair of skinny jeans on their hangers and despondently gave them back to the dressing room attendant. Eventually, they’ll find their home with a girl who knows her place in the world of jeans.

In case you can’t tell, none of this was graceful. But then again, I never said I was graceful.

In the meantime, I’m sticking with bootcut jeans until I regain my dignity. Or who knows, maybe I should switch to these.

‘Tis the Season… Or Something

Posted in Uncategorized on September 29th, 2010 by Monika – 1 Comment

Today, little less than three months out from Christmas, I’m thinking about the holiday season and filled with nervous excitement. I’m not usually ahead of schedule with these things, but this year, I’m planning on getting my holiday cards done early. It may be that I’m just ready to go home and see my family…

Last year, I didn’t mail out many cards because I was on a budget… and a little lazy, honestly. This year, I think it would be nice to let my friends and family all over the country know that I’m thinking of them… just in case they’ve forgotten me way out here in the lonely Lone Star State.

Holiday cards are one of those annual rituals I used to watch my parents complete with admiration. How do they know so many people? Don’t their hands hurt from all those signatures? Aren’t they tired of licking stamps (this was before the sticker-stamp)? And each year, our living room would fill up with colorful cards and photos of families I’d never met.

In an age where the impersonal has become personal, it’s nice to send (and receive) something palpable that says “I’m thinking of you.” I enjoy having trinkets to display on my mantle (if I had a mantle), and you can’t put scotch tape on your Facebook wall posts and hang them on your refrigerator.

I think this year, I’ll design my own card. Usually, I raid the TJ Maxx bins for their “Last Season” stock of holiday wonders. I’d like something nature-y this year, something neutral and non-denominational. The design is only half the work though. In addition to the frenzy associated with picking a printing website, I’m already anxious about my list of recipients. What if I forget someone? Who should be added? Who should be removed (I have people on the list who probably don’t remember me anymore)? Don’t even get me started on the subsequent gift purchasing. WHY DOES CHRISTMAS HAVE TO BE SO NERVE-WRACKING?!

I know I’m crazy to already be thinking about the holidays, but my amazing friend Brooke is already listening to Christmas music, and I figure, it’s never too early to think about telling the people who matter in your life that you care. Plus, maybe if I put the word out there now, I’ll get some extra use out of my scotch tape this year.

Addictions

Posted in Uncategorized on July 28th, 2010 by Monika – 3 Comments

I don’t have an addictive personality, but if I did, here are some things I could easily see myself getting hooked on.

1. DQ Ice Cream cake. I had some again tonight for the first time in years. The last time I had one was probably my 10th birthday party. It was the sweet taste of nostalgia mixed with chocolate crunchies. The fact that Dairy Queen calls them “Chillabration Cakes”, however, makes me cringe a little.

2. Twitter. I just jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, and I’m starting to enjoy it. It’s still a little strange updating people about the mundane details of my life, but then again, that’s kind of what I do on this blog. If I think of Twitter as a micro-blog, I don’t feel so bad. Plus, I can see what Ben Folds is up to, which is really pretty awesome.

3. Tabbed browsing. Okay… there’s no point in sugar coating it… I’m ALREADY addicted to tabbed browsing. So addicted in fact that Patrick had to put a limit on the number of tabs I can open at one time on Firefox. My max is five. If I exceed this, a pop-up box comes up to scold me. What can I say? I love information overload. I love having the world at my fingertips. I love being able to set something aside, knowing that I can come back to it later. Tabbed browsing rules no matter how you slice it.

4. Bravo. I don’t have cable right now, but the Real Housewives are one of my guilty pleasures. Cut me some slack.

5. Target and TJ Maxx. I’m giving myself a break from both these stores for a while. While I may love them, my credit card does not. They are my oasis in the desert. I am led to water, and I leave satiated but much, much poorer.

6. Saving stray animals. I have been known to rescue a stray cat or two. Some of them I find homes for. Some of them wind up living with me. I’ll be sure to introduce you to Fish Taco and Simba. I’d rescue them all if I could. Nonetheless, spay and neuter your animals, people.

Happy Shoes

Posted in Uncategorized on June 11th, 2010 by Monika – 5 Comments

I’m not a “shoe girl.” In fact, I sort of hate shoe shopping. But every once in a while I find a pair of shoes that sing to me as I walk past them in the store. And when I found these shoes at TJ Maxx, I literally giggled. (By the way, I’ve decided that shopping at TJ’s is an art form. Either you get it, or you don’t.) I’m dubbing them my happy shoes.

(For the record, I’m aware this post may seem a little frivolous, but it’s Friday, and Friday equals frivolity. Happy Friday, everyone!)