Borders in Waikele GOOB sale

I love Borders.  My kids love Borders.  I was so sad when my co-worker exclaimed (on Thursday) that, "OMG the Borders in Waikele is closing!"  But at the same time, being the crazy book worm and bargain hunter that I am, I was glad to coincidentally have Friday off.  (It was also a State holiday- Prince Kuhio Day.)

After running some errands, my son and I drove over to the Borders in Waikele.  We got there shortly after opening and by the time we were ready to leave, the line for the checkout was snaking through half the store.  It moved pretty quickly, but still took just over an hour.  The best deals are still to be had, IMHO.  Right now, all periodicals are 40% off, most of the books for grown-ups are 20% off, toys are 20% off, and kids' books are 10% off.  I grabbed 4 different beading magazines plus some reading material to include in a care package for the hubster.  My son picked out some manga for his birthday next month.  I think we're going to take another cruise through the store in about a month or so to see if we can snag some better deals on books.

The store plans to be closed by the end of May.

Don't Forget: Etsy Homefront Team Cute Stuff Sale!

Just a quick reminder- don't forget the Etsy Homefront Team edition of the Cute Stuff Sale is about to start!  Like Nice Girl Notes on Facebook if you haven't already, and don't miss out on the crazy fun!



Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

The Cute Stuff Sale on Nice Girl Notes

The Etsy Homefront team paired up with Roo of Nice Girl Notes to bring you a crazy shopping experience dubbed the "Cute Stuff Sale."  Basically, over 200 items are being offered to her FB fans on April 1, 2011, between 8-10pm EST.  That means 2-4pm HST.  BUT for those who can't get to FB from work, you might want to check it out ANYWAY because there will also be coupon codes.

You can read a little more on the specifics of the sale on her blog, here.

Here's an excerpt that explains how this works:

Here’s how all this action is going to go down and how you can be a part of it.

1)  “Like” NiceGirlNotes on Facebook.  This sale is exclusively to NiceGirlNotes Facebook fans.  The sale will be held directly on the Facebook page.

2)  Put Friday, April 1st on your calendar. We’ll be staying up late that night.  :)  The sale starts at 8:00pm EST and ends at 11:00pm EST.

3)  Get your Paypal account ready. You’ll need it to buy sweet homemade goods!

At 8:00pm, I’ll start posting pictures of items.  If you’re the first person to comment that you want an item, you’ll get to purchase it at that special price.  I’ll declare you the winner, and then you can post your email address.  The shop owner of that item will send you an invoice so you can pay via Paypal.  Here’s an example of how it works:

Some things to consider:

- No takesies backsies!  When you say “I want it” and you’re the first to comment, choo got it.  So choose wisely.  ;)
- Each price will include shipping & handling.
- There are 200 ITEMS up for sale.  :D
- The majority of these items are between $3 and $20!

Last time was so intensely fun.  Come hang out, shop a little, trash talk (BACK UP OFF MY PLEATED WRISTLET, HOMEY), stay up late, discover cute things, and spend time with fun people.  Namely me.  Hahaha, I’m kidding!  Sort of.

So there you have it.  And don't forget to check out the Homefront Artistry Team Blog for more info and other specials not related to this particular sale.


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Adventures in San Diego, Part III

We also hit Sea World.  Lest you think I was deprived as a child, my parents did bring me here when I was 7.  I remember it being super hot and Shamu being super big.  With the death of the whale trainer about a year ago, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all, we saw even more polar bears.  As soon as my daughter saw the picture of polar bears on the map, she insisted that we had to go see them... so we went... twice.

These bears were a lot cleaner than the ones at the San Diego Zoo!  :)  The kids got even closer to the polar bears here than they did at the zoo, too.  This was a great exhibit.  I think the kids would've spent all day here if I let them.

We did move on to see some Beluga whales, including a baby Beluga...  I didn't know babies are gray.

And we saw some penguins too... so cute!  The great thing about this exhibit was that there were different types of penguins together so you could compare the size difference as well as the different feather patterns, etc.

We also caught up with some college classmates of mine and saw the sea lion show (highly recommended) and Shamu (of course!)

Another really nice day, but I think this is another one of those places you'd be better off coming to a few hours at a time instead of trying to cram it all in at once.


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Botswana Agate Pendants

I love the simplicity of this design and the natural variation of the agate...

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Bubbly Button Pearl Earrings

This is a one of a kind pair of earrings using sterling silver marquise findings I picked up from a Bead It trunk sale and side drilled button pearls with remarkable luster...

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Adventures in San Diego, Part II

What trip to San Diego would be complete without a trip to the world famous San Diego Zoo? This was a hit for all ages, even Grandma and Grandpa, who appreciated the moving sidewalks and Sky Tram.

Everyone had a great time looking at all the cool animals!  SO much better than reading about them or seeing them on Animal Planet!

We had a great time strolling around, trying to guess what the animals were or where they were from.  Even my unimpressed 'tween couldn't hide his interest.  Maybe we should get to our own local zoo a little more often... 

We saw the world's dirtiest polar bear...  and a cute little panda bear!

All in all, a nice way to spend an afternoon.  If we lived in San Diego, I think we would have to have a membership...

Definitely something to go back to!


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

My Secret Guilty Pleasure - MIOBI

Now, I know this is totally ridiculous, but I am SO excited because Make It Or Break It is starting up again on March 28th.  Don't ask me why I like this show.  The girls are obviously too old, too heavy, and too tall to be Olympic hopefuls by current standards.  The "stunts" are obviously being done by "real" athletes who don't really look like the actresses.  The plot lines are predictable and contrived.  But I still love this show!!!

That being said, it's a little scary to think of all the pressure on girls who really are Olympic hopefuls.  When I was a little kid, gymnastics enthusiasts were always approaching my mom about starting me in gymnastics.  It always interested me, but there was only one coach in town.  My friends hated him, and when a one showed up to school with two broken arms (in the first grade), that sealed the deal for me.

Who knows what might've happened, had I decided to give it a go?  Eh.  I probably would've sucked.  Falling hard is not my idea of fun.  But, it's cool to watch other people flipping through the air.  (Yes, I also watch figure skating.  Shhhhhhh...)  And the show is actually interesting- at least, it is to me!

So now you know my little secret!  There went any cool points I might've had.


Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Eh, you FBI??

There's a T-shirt that's pretty popular around here, if you're from the Big Island... I thought it was kind of funny, but I'm not really into wearing T-shirts with silly sayings on them these days.  I feel like I'm a bit too old for that kind of thing.

To make a long story short, I was playing around with my butane torch the other afternoon and came up with a fine silver link in the shape of the Big Island.  I'm super stoked about it!!!

I might just have to invest in a jewelry tumbler to get these polished up and work hardened...

Please visit our Etsy store for all kinds of upcycled accessories and jewelry, created in Hawaii!

Adventures in San Diego, Part I

During soccer season, one of my son's teammates' parents said she pulled her kids out of private school in order to travel and homeschool for a year. She got the idea from another friend (their family blog here). At first, I thought the idea was a bit unstructured and a little crazy, but it grew on me after I had some time to absorb the concept. Trust me, we are not rich by any stretch of the imagination. Our home is very old and small, and while we don't scrape by to pay our bills, we do have to keep an eye on where our pennies are going. But although we can't afford to take a year and travel the world with the kids, I still think it would be great to take the kids on shorter trips...

When the reserves insisted on sending me to San Diego for a week to do some admin processing, I decided it was an opportunity for the kids to see something new. Personally, I wouldn't mind being stationed in San Diego. It's been a long time since I've been there, and I was never there long enough to see anything beyond the Gas Lamp Quarter. :) So this time, I was determined to take the kids to hit all the major high points, with the help of my parents. On our first full day in San Diego, we hit Legoland.


My two year old was an inch shy for most of the smaller kid things. My nearly 12 year old wasn't able to make it into the one workshop he wanted - the Mindstorms. However, we did have a nice day.  Both kids enjoyed driving the cars and boats, and checking out the Lego sculptures around the park.

There's also a great little toddler playground in Duplo Town... so it wasn't a complete loss for the 2 year old, but I think the older one was a little old for Legoland. (He might've been ok if he liked rides, but he doesn't.)

Anyway, I think we might bring the little one back again someday, but leave the older one to do something else.