Monday, February 22, 2010

Happy (2ndhand) Birthday!!!!







Suffice it to day that our youngest child was SO EXCITED about her birthday that she could barely contain herself! I was astounded at the amount of thought that she put into it this year!!! She wrote an entire book on how her birthday should progress including such tidbits as:



1. Everyone should be peppy



2. No cell phone use on my birthday unless it is about my birthday.



3. Pink plates for girls/white plates for boys






There was SO MUCH MORE....literally pages upon pages of birthday instruction! A few weeks before her birthday, her present list changed from ZhuZhu pet accessories to a hopeless and all-consuming need for Breyer horses. I bought her a Breyer craft kit at a thrift store which happened to come with the catalog. She spent hours paging through it and marking all of her horse desires! I was happy to jump on the bandwagon, until I started checking prices. Those horses are expensive!!!! I steered her towards the less expensive options of the Breyer "Stablemates" (smaller version), and let her check a few options that she might like. I was almost ready to place my online order when I decided to check Craigslist. Lo and behold....there was an ad for a Breyer barn with horses that looked fantastic and for only $75. I immediately called the gentleman and asked if we could arrange a horse hookup! He agreed to meet me in the parking lot of a local Denny's. I was a bit nervous about this meeting, as you do hear all sorts of horror stories about situations like these....but decided to trust in the goodness of the universe and the happiness these things would bring my daughter and went to the meeting. Certainly my life was not destined to end in the parking lot of a pancake house???!!! When he pulled up, I almost fell out of my car!!! The barn was SO BIG it took up his whole front seat. And in perfect condition!!! A huge box of horses and accessories was also included. This was turning out to be one of the greatest deals ever!!!! But what was the icing on the cake was this.....my daughter has a "special friend" named Fathead. Fathead has been the love of her life since she was 2. She has toted around this little horse EVERYWHERE with us. He is definitely a part of our family. Inside the box of Breyer horses was a miniature "Fathead" stuffed animal. I was thrilled!!!! This alone was worth $75, and turned out to be my daughters favorite gift!!! I had no idea that such a small version of fathead even existed...and I though that I was privy to ALL fathead info! She was so excited with all of her birthday presents, and I feel like it was a fantastic deal! Never be afraid to shop second-hand....even for gifts! You can get so much more for your $$$, and the fact of the matter is that something is only "new" until it has been opened.



Also included in the pics....my gorgeous Missoni dress from Buffalo Exchange. Trying very hard to stay out of that place, but it is a difficult venture! Maybe I should have given it up for Lent instead of giving up red velvet cupcakes!??

6 comments:

  1. Wow, what a wonderful birthday your daughter had!! And what a great deal you got on all those horses and the barn!! I got that same Breyer barn for my birthday 14 years ago and adored it :) (and I knew it was priced over $100 so I was extra careful with it!) In fact, it was so special to me, I still have it (and all of my Breyers, carefully packed away). and you got her so many horses with the barn - you found a good deal and a great gift! Happy Birthday to your daughter!

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  2. Thanks so much Brooke! This barn is also in perfect condition. I can tell that the person I bought it from took amazing care of it. It looks brand new! It will definitely be a keepsake!

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  4. Wow! Boy do you have LUCK when it comes to scoring deals!

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  5. Shayna...not just luck but persistance!! I am always on the hunt! :)

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  6. I just hope she enjoyed her personalized birthday gifts from you. :D Cool...

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