Shopping Adventures

Wednesday I only worked half a day, but Ryan had to work the entire day. So...I decided to use my free afternoon running some errands and doing some shopping that he might not find all that enthralling. {Though to his credit, he's REALLY REALLY good about shopping with me - even at Cato and Hobby Lobby.}

So. Y'all know that Hobby Lobby is like my mother ship, right? Waves of calm sort of hit me the minute I walk in the door and I was SO excited to shop, knowing I could take as much time as I wanted...look at as many things as I wanted...and it didn't matter if I killed two hours straight. I bothered no one.

So I got my little cart and headed for the clearance aisle. Right now, they have a 90% off clearance aisle. I'm sorry, did you SEE that? I said they have a 90% off aisle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be still, my precious beating heart.

I entered this aisle of joy with my ready-to-peruse-every-last-item hat on and saw at the other end, a woman with four children who all appeared to be under the age of five. One was trapped in the cart. The other three were free-range. I didn't give them a second thought and began my shopping.

I found three treasures - just decorative "thingies" that could probably double as extra large chess pieces, each about a foot high - which were on sale for a collective $9.00. The red one stays red, the other two are about to get a coat of black spray paint {bless you, Emily Clark, for teaching my rule driven mind that it is okay to spray paint things} and they'll go in the newly color schemed dining room.

I was so excited about finding these things on such a deep sale that I scarcely noticed my cart was about to kiss the other lady's cart.

I should probably stop here to tell you about my shopping cart rules. In my mind, this is just logic and good sense, but I've learned that most people {including Ryan} didn't read the same shopping rule book I did. Aisles, to me, are like roads. You stay to the right, and no one gets hurt {like from a toe/cart collision}. So I was hugging the right {and my new treasures} and her cart was just right there. She was shopping on the left! So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I might have gone around but I wanted to look at what she was looking at {on my right}...and I promise you, she had no clue I was there. NONE. I was wearing a lime green shirt and she had no idea I was in front of her.

She was also unaware that her three children were beginning some playground games in the clearance aisle. With great shrieking and delight, they made up some charming chasing games that really were sweet to watch...um, if they had NOT been in an aisle filled with glass and ceramic! I cringed - for their safety and my shopping - and waited for her to realize that recess had begun.

She finally did - when they actually climbed up on the shelf and started running the length of it. The stomping got her attention and she said "Stop that. Come here."

Everyone who thinks they did that....stand on your head.

This continued for about 15 minutes or so. They chased and shrieked and laughed and tattled on each other for inflicting injuries during the games...and every 8th offense or so, she'd say, "Stop that. Come here."

{I must add that my favorite part was when I managed to escape about 10 aisles away and as I shopped for scrapbook paper, two of the kids showed up at the end of my aisle, continuing their game. After a minute, they looked at me and one grabbed the hand of the other and said, "A stranger is here. Let's get out of here." I guess it's good that they were on their own lookout, because I am not sure they'd been missed in the posse yet.}

Despite the less-than-calm atmosphere, I also managed to unearth a 14x18 picture frame for $4.60. That was enough to make me forget the mayhem.

All in all, a good little day at the Hobby of the Lobby. I managed to escape with an $18.00 bill and not one single item rang in at full price. THANKYOUVERYMUCH.

And I may or may not have to take Ryan back to look at just a FEW more things.