If you have a little cash, this economy is great!

Honestly, there are some seriously incredible bargains to be had these days, if you just have a wee wodge of cash burning a hole in your pocket!

Take Eddie Bauer, for example. I spent last Sunday at Southdale Mall (a ghost town, to be sure, these days....), and wandered into Eddie Bauer on a whim. Their sizing fits Dad well, so I was hoping to buy him a shirt or sweater as a Valentine's Day present. But ay, caramba! They were having a sale: 50% off the already marked clearance prices!

So for the royal sum of $23.50, I walked out with a lambswool 1/4 zip sweater, two waffle weave cotton henley button shirts, and a long sleeve tee shirt. The sweater alone was originally $55, and I bought it for $10. Amazing.

Amazing enough to Dad that he wanted to go back on Wednesday while Lydia was at confirmation class to see if he couldn't pick up another sweater. Hit the jackpot again! Two more henley shirts, a v-neck wool sweater, two tee shirts, and a pair of jeans: $42. It's incredible.

I essentially bought him two week's worth of clothing for sixty bucks.

Dad continued our family's personal effort to stimulate the economy by buying me a Valentine's present on clearance as well: I got a fabulous Sony digital camera, half off the original $230 price. $115, and it's amazing. Of course, Lydia immediately tried to con me into trading cameras with her, but for once I held firm and kept my own gift! (I thought you'd be proud of me...)

When I get a bit of time this week, I'll take some photos of the current state of Amelia's embroidered purse project. It's going a bit more slowly than I'd like, mostly because the instructions provided by the amateur designer are piss-poor. I've had to re-do three of the individual pieces because her construction method caused them to completely mess up. I can assure you, it was not operator error! I'm getting better at being able to decipher her files and see through the construction methods for each piece to figure out where the pitfalls are going to lie, and to correct them myself, but it's kind of a pain.

I spoke with Grandma Jan this weekend, and let her know that you would probably be spending part of your spring break in Connecticut. If you get a chance next weekend, give her a call to formally let her know that you need bed space, and to give her your approximate schedule. She'll be delighted to see you again, and so will Jennifer.

And in conclusion, congratulations on your STAR recognition at UVM - that's great! Are you sure you don't feel the need to apply to the Honors College for next year? You'd be a snap to get in, I'm sure at this point.....

Love,
Mom