Shhhhhh....Can You Keep a Secret?

We....I mean Santa Claus....just began Christmas shopping for the kids and I am so excited about what they are getting this year!

Since my husband and his daily news programs remind me that this is the worst economy since the Great Depression, I cashed out my Amex points for gift cards. The options are limited to high end out-of-my budget stores so I went with my favorite...did you guess Pottery Barn? (BTW, did you know Amex does e-certificates for PB? I didn't even have to wait for them to come in the mail!!!)

I tried something different with Annelise because 1. she is way beyond her four years of age and 2. too smart for her own good on almost every occasion. I suggested that we needed to go shopping online and in the mall before we visited Santa and so she knows exactly what she is going to ask for when she has her moment with him.

Of course, we searched the PBK site together (after I'd already looked about five times before, cashed out my points and I already had my mind made up on what to get her). My plan was in place and I had been warming her up to the idea of a dollhouse in conversation. It was easy because every little girl wants one!
(Okay...so we used my computer but you get it, right?)

Due to the fact that Annelise is practically me 22 years ago, she immediately chose the same one I did on her own....(Sigh of relief)

We headed off to mall because Annelise needed to make sure that this was the exact dollhouse she was going to ask Santa for and she needed to deliver the message to him in person...And did I mention I was in serious need of a shopping fix and online shopping just does not have the same effect?

At our mall, the PB Kids store does not have it's own entrance from the outside so we were forced to walk through PB. I loaded up on catalogs and drooled as my husband drug me over to PB Kids. In those few moments, I retained plenty of inspiration for future projects and had reference materials.

My little Annelise loved the PB store too...she was oooing and ahhhhing. She's the apple of my eye ;)

We did make it to PB Kids and I was reliving my childhood. Annelise was drawn to the Westport Dollhouse and claimed it as her own. I was surprised with how larger it was in person than I thought it would be from the internet pictures.

The Westport was an easy transaction to make as Annelise was glued to the display with my husband. Plus I had money left to spend on my gift card so my Amex was thanking me!

Fortunately, PB Kids is high class and they make deliveries to your trunk in the dark of the night. Annelise thought we were getting a barbecue grill for Grandma and Grandpa. She had absolutely no idea and was excited that we were getting them a grill for Christmas....

The code word for her dollhouse is now BBQ Grill.

My in-laws do already have a grill so we will be telling her that we changed our mind on that grill later on.

Did I mention that furniture for this house is ala cart and it comes to more than the actual house itself. I have suggested that the in-laws get some accessories for this "bbq grill" and I will be cashing out more points when then post in the next couple days!

Stay tuned for Little Michael's big gift!