Cyber Monday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and for those of you brave enough to go out on Black Friday I hope you scored some big deals!  Tomorrow marks another big shopping day, Cyber Monday, when everyone goes to work and uses their high speed Internet to shop online.  I don't know how true this is anymore with many people having high speed Internet at home, but anyhow the deals are out there.

If your looking for a one stop place to check out the deals, try cybermonday.com.  This site boasts that it is the official Cyber Monday website. It highlights the best deals from over 700 online retailers.  Some notable deals if you are shopping for loved ones (or yourself):

1. $40.00 off at Express
2. 25% off clearance at Nike
3. 50% off everything at New York and Co.

Plus most stores are offering free shipping deals.  Shopping online is the perfect solution to fighting for parking spots, standing in long lines, and trying to find that perfect gift in stores that have already been picked clean.

Happy Shopping!

Black Friday

Has anyone noticed that there seems to be some kind of competition going on between the retail stores about who can open the earliest on Black Friday?  It's getting a little out of hand.  I thought 6am was early but Kohl's is opening at 3am, some others at midnight.  I heard Walmart was actually going to be open on Thanksgiving day!

I think Tysons Corner in Northern VA takes the cake for over the top ideas:

The mall is opening at midnight, and of course they have the requisite free give aways for the first 200 people, but on top of all that they are having a LIVE DJ at the mall from midnight to 5am.  Really, people?

I might actually go if I didn't have to work, just to see the spectacle first hand.

Lands End...trendy?

I get a lot of catalogs in the mail.  A lot.  And with the holidays upon us the volume seems to have doubled.  So I was flipping through the stack yesterday when one caught my eye.  The first two words were "Lands End" and I was ready to toss it into the recycling bin as I am not over 65 nor do I live in Maine.  But wait, the outfit on the front was really...cute.  Was this some kind of joke?

Turns out, Lands End has a second line, called Lands End Canvas.  And it's really updated from the original granny line they normally carry.  I guess the best way to call it is updated preppy.  I happily flipped though the catalog and then scoped out the website (The catalog is much better styled).

I love this entire outfit, especially the double belt.

And I'm kind of crushing on these Duck Boots which are really in style this season and on sale at Lands End Canvas for only $52.13.  You'd pay almost three times that much for the similar style at LL Bean.

So, the verdict on Lands End Canvas?  Cute, stylish wardrobe staples at reasonable prices.  Might be worth checking out. 

Day Trip! I want to live in St. Michaels, Maryland

One of the best things about living in Baltimore is the variety of choices you have - and I'm not just talking about the great restaurants, nightlife and shopping in the city.  We are less than an hour from DC, just a couple hours from Philly and New York, and within three hours you can be at the beach or the beautiful mountains. 

My Other and I recently took a day trip to beautiful St. Michaels on the eastern shore.  This quaint little town is the kind of place you read about in books.  The houses are charming, the streets clean, and the shop keepers are friendly. 

A church in the middle of town

There are plenty of places to eat at, some right on the water so you can enjoy the coastal view as you dine on crab cakes.  We ate lunch that day at the Key Lime cafe which is perfectly situated on the main street running through St. Michaels, which makes it a great spot to rest up between shopping.  The food was fresh and delicious!

St. Michaels is also home to St. Michaels winery, so after lunch, shopping and site seeing we hit the winery to do a tasting of one of their "flights"

The tasting are pretty cheap and you can also buy wine by the glass and enjoy it out on their little deck.  Make sure you ask for a complementary cheese plate when you go!  We also picked up a couple of bottles of their Chocolate Zin for Holiday gifts, so yummy!  They even wrap them up for free!

For those of you not into wine there is also the Eastern Short Brewing Company right around the corner.  On our way back home to Baltimore we stopped by the Queenstown Outlets.  I mean, it's right there, it would have been a shame not to have stopped, right?

The one good thing about shopping with a man is that I have someone to hold all my packages.  And if you keep them fed, they can't open their mouth to complain.  All in all, a great trip!