1. Okay, first things first:

 

2. Okay, now that we have that important note taken care of…

I used to spend a LOT of time entering giveaways and sweepstakes and such online. A few year ago when blog giveaways were at their heyday, I won things pretty often – some cute flip-flops, my beloved hiking shoes, several gift cards, jeans, etc. I still enter a few when they pop up in my email or blog feed, but  I don’t devote anywhere near as much time to it as I used to.

So I was pretty surprised to get an email a couple of weeks ago that I’d won the grand prize in a recent giveaway – any pair of Christian Louboutin shoes of my choice under $700.

 

 

The challenge was that there aren’t a lot of shoes on the Louboutin site that are under $700, except for the flats, which I never wear in general, but in the case of this particular brand seem like a waste since you can’t see the red bottoms. I finally picked the Miss Gena slingbacks pictured below, which come in at a mere $675. 😲

 

So, here’s my conundrum: Having super fancy designer shoes is freaking cool. I can’t think of any time I’ve ever spent more than like… $60? on a pair of shoes. (And that was a pair of Kenneth Cole heels I’d been lusting after for ages that I got on ebay. They got destroyed two years ago when my sister left my apartment windows open while I was in Florida and molded everything.) And I can’t imagine ever spending this kind of money on shoes – even if I had way more than I needed, I’m pretty sure it would still go towards practical things, travel, or charity before I’d feel comfortable blowing almost a month’s rent on shoes. So winning fancy shoes is basically the only way I’m ever going to own them.

THAT said… I need to get some super expensive dental work done ASAP, and let’s be honest – how many occasions am I going to have to wear these? I picked a pretty sensible heel height (about 3.4 inches), but still, $700 shoes don’t really fit my lifestyle – especially my current life in middle of nowhere Missouri. If I was back in Orlando I could imagine a few occasions each year where these would be great, but here? Nada.

So… do I keep the shoes, since when am I going to get such expensive shoes ever again? Or do I sell them on ebay or Poshmark or something and get several hundred dollars to put towards much more needed things? There’s the practical choice and the fun, indulgent choice. I know which one I’m leaning towards, but I don’t think I’ll be sure until my shoes actually show up. What would you do? (And hey, maybe I’ll win a ton of money in the meantime and not have to decide!)

 

3.

These are so good. That is all.

 

 

 

4. When this cat food came up as an option for this month’s Chewy Influencer review items, I was intrigued because I’d never heard of the brand before. It ended up being a perfect choice, and not just because my cats absolutely loved it. The meat is in tiny (minced) pieces with a fair amount of gravy. My cat Remy had managed to hurt his mouth fighting with his brother the day before this arrived (nothing serious, but it was definitely uncomfortable for him), and I’d been trying out different foods to see what was the easiest for him to eat. Big chunks and shreds seemed tough for him to chew, but he wasn’t interested in pate or liquidy things… but this worked *perfectly*. Probably not a situation that’s likely to pop up in your life, but if you do have a kitty who is having trouble chewing bigger pieces (maybe a senior cat or kitten who is new to solids?) this cold come in handy.

Even without the weird situation that made it perfect for that week, the other cats loved this food so much that I’d definitely recommend it. We got the Poultry & Seafood variety pack, btw, and Chewy currently has a promotion going where you can get your first case for half price!

I was just looking at their products on Chewy.com and now I really want to try the dry food, too. Look how cute the package is!

 

5. This is kind of a two for one, but I picked up this acai flavored lip balm and oatmeal soap on my last trip to Lcky’s Market, and I’m loving both. The soap isn’t entirely fragrance free (fragrances are my arch enemy most of the time), but the scent is so soft it’s not a problem, and the built-in oats offer some exfoliating action. $2 for the soap and 99 cents (on sale) for the organic, fair trade store brand lip balm = a lot of good stuff for three bucks! I’d recommend both if you have a Lucky’s near you.

 

I’m getting ready to run to the DMV (ugh) and Target (yay!), then work all weekend. Hope your weekend is full of adventure or relaxation, as your mood dictates!

 

 

*