Rain Drops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens.....these are a few of my favorite things.....

Well, I am totally stealing this from another friends blog (Darby and Erika, just remember imitation is the highest form of flattery) but I thought today would start my favorite things blogs. I have so enjoyed getting ideas from their favorite things, and I hope some of my faves will inspire you!

I once read if you want to quickly kill a blog then constantly blog about your children. If this is true then my blog clearly needs CPR! So here goes on something other then my oh so wonderful and beautiful children (P.S. I've heard seven is the magical favorite things number, oh and these are in no particular order).

This week will be my favorite stores!

Gatherings on the Prairie, Junction City, Kansas

If someone had told me, in 2001, when we moved to Kansas that there would be an amazing home decor store in the heart of Junction City I would have NEVER believed them. When I first went to check it out I was skeptical. Surely anything called Gatherings on the Prairie would carry kitchy sunflower crapola and little else, boy was I wrong. Rob the owner of the store has an amazing sense of style, combining old with new. The items he chooses for his store are beautiful, unique, inexpensive and have nothing to do with sunflowers! Last February I went back to Kansas to visit some friends, and visiting "Gatherings" was on the top of my list of places I just had to go. While there I bought, beautiful pictures and Easter decor. I even carried a life size bunny on the plane. You should have seen him going through security, the guards were a little taken aback when he went through the x-ray machine! I love this store, this picture by the way does not do it justice! If you are ever on I-70 between Kansas City and Colorado make sure to stop by this store! (I don't know what the other two items that aren't showing up are supposed to be, there was only one picture, so who knows)(Now there is 3 of the same post....I think this blog may have "issues")



Okay, who doesn't LOVE IKEA!! Even my kids love IKEA, okay maybe that's because they have a kids area, where they get to play without Mom and Dad and without ever actually shopping, but that is beside the point! Why didn't I know about this store when I first got married?! The items at IKEA, while at times seem rather modern, have a spot in any house. I will miss IKEA when we leave DC!

I used to really love the GAP. Now I just "like" the GAP for me, but for kids clothes I still love them. When we first moved to Kansas the GAP had amazing deals. Every Monday night GAP would do mark downs, every Tuesday morning I would shop online for super cheap clothes! GAP allows price adjustments for up to two weeks after purchase. The manager at the GAP in Manhattan, KS, knew me so well that he allowed me to call and get price adjustments over the phone, instead of having to drive all the way there! We had amazing wardrobes back then. The deals aren't quite as good as they used to be BUT they were the first company to come up with the adjustable waist pants for kids. My children, who are all rather slim, wouldn't be able to keep their pants on if it weren't for this nifty little creation! My latest favorite thing about the GAP has been their newest "fit" option for children. Most of their pants now come in Slim, Regular and Husky. The Slim pants are the first pants Sam has ever been able to wear without any adjustments. They fit him so well and look very nice on him. I just ordered four pairs online for him. OH and get a GAP card! For every $200 you spend GAP will send you a $10 gift card. With four boys to outfit, it doesn't take me long to spend that kind of dough!


Need I say more? This place has awesome clothes! They come in petite, regular and maternity and if you catch them on sale, they have great deals. LOVE IT!


Greg and I love Costco! Sometimes I wonder how I ever lived without this store. We walked in the other day and I asked Greg if he thought you could get away with only ever shopping there. They have everything; electronics, food, clothing, shoes, jewelry, glasses, tires, plants, Christmas trees, etc. Sometimes we go there just to feast off of the "tastes". With a $.55 soda you can make a meal off of their samples. Oh, and did I mention their photo processing, they have fantastic deals on enlargements and photo cards. The best part of Costco is their return policy. They will return just about anything for just about any time frame. I like that kind of costumer service. If you haven't joined the "club", but want to, make sure you get an Executive Membership. Every year you will receive 2% of your annual purchase price back in the form of a gift card (does that make sense). Last year we were members for six months and received almost $100 back (don't figure out how much that means we spent, it's scary!). I love Costco, it is definitely one of my favorite stores.


If you love Nordstrom you will love the Rack. The Nordstroms around here are not very big, so they have very little room for sale items. When things do need to be marked down they get shipped off to the Rack. They have a huge, amazing selection of expensive name brand items at great prices. I've never seen so many shoes in one place. I just discovered that they have a petite section so I am even more in love with this store. Now if I could just figure out how to get down there more often without my children!


Woodbridge, VA has a Nordstrom Rack, a Costco, an IKEA and an ULTA. It is a great place to shop. The reason I love ULTA is not because of their products (I could get them almost anywhere), it is because of their coupons and reward card. I'm not exactly sure how they work the program but I do know that I now have enough points to get a free eye brow wax (I didn't have to buy much to get this either)! A couple times a year they have triple points so your purchases get you free things even faster. I love free things, so this store rounds out my favorite stores!

I hope you enjoyed my list of favorite stores. Sorry if the blog is a little disjointed, I've had a lot of interruptions, imagine that. Stay tuned for more favorites, and be sure to share yours on your blog!

Heather