I started this long post about Christmas and which gifts for the girls were big hits this year. I decided not to post that one, at least not yet, because, well, it hasn’t even been a week since Christmas. So, how can we even really know which gifts are true hits or misses yet? So, that remains a post for another time.

This year, we did most of our Christmas shopping online. I’d say that about 90% of the shopping was done online and about 90% of that was via Amazon. There are two big reasons that I tend to hit Amazon first when I’m shopping online – one is their incredible selection and the other is Amazon Prime.

If you have ever shopped Amazon before, you know that they sell almost anything and everything you can imagine. Books? Of course. Music? Naturally. Toys? Oh yes. LOTS! Shoes? Coffee? Sports equipment? Jewelry? YES! All over the place…YES! There are very few things that I’ve ever searched to buy online that I couldn’t find with Amazon. And, frankly, that’s impressive. That makes my Christmas shopping very easy. I’m a shopper by nature, but I tend to avoid busy shops during the holidays. I completely appreciate that I can sit down at my computer, click on Amazon and find gifts for basically everyone on my list. That saves me a lot of time, needless to say. It also saves me the stress of dealing with the craziness of retail places during peak shopping season. I like to shop, but I prefer to avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic and chaos in stores. My first online stop is almost always Amazon. If I shop anywhere else online, I try to go through eBates and that is another post for another day.

If you haven’t heard of Amazon Prime, let me introduce you to this great program.  For $79/year, you get free second day shipping on all Prime-eligible products AND you get other great benefits like $3.99 overnight shipping on Prime-eligible items, online streaming and Kindle loaning. Check out their site for more details. This is something we’ve subscribed to for a number of years and it just makes sense for our family. We have family members in various locations around the country, so we do a lot of shipping for birthdays, holidays, etc. Amazon makes it easy. With free second day shipping on Prime items, we are set! It’s also nice to have Prime for Christmas shopping because I can depend on packages arriving here at our home or wherever we ship them on time. You simply cannot beat $79/year for shipping when you use Amazon as much as we do.  To date, our biggest Prime shipping item was a new basketball goal. That thing weighed nearly 100 pounds and it shipped second day for FREE. Our UPS driver wasn’t thrilled with us, but it just goes to show that Amazon carries almost everything and you can really get your money’s worth from Prime.

I am completely spoiled to Amazon shopping. When I have anything to buy, it’s most often the first place I check. I’m not endorsed by Amazon in any way – I’m not an affiliate, nor have they asked me to blog about their site or service. I just like it all THAT much. And, I felt like sharing.

Happy shopping!

I got these Bjorndal “Manchester” wedges recently at Rack Room Shoes:

I don’t think the photo does these shoes justice. They are SO much cuter in person. The color is a nice neutral. They are amazingly comfortable. I can literally wear them all day and not have any issues. If they made these shoes in every color, I’m sure I would have every color they made. That’s how great they are.  If you are looking for a great pair of wedges that go with practically everything – look no further.  These will be getting a lot of wear this summer.

Another cute pair of wedges I got recently came from Payless.  Yes…Payless. Have y’all seen their shoes for summer? CUTE!! I am hard on shoes, so I don’t often spend a ton on them. It makes no sense for me to drop big bucks on shoes that I am going to have to replace by the end of a season in all likelihood. So, yes, I even buy shoes at Payless. And, I like them. Don’t write them off – they do have cute shoes. Like these Montego Bay wedges in pewter:

Seriously…how cute are those?! They go with so many things AND they are pretty comfortable too. I got them last Friday and I have already worn them twice. I’m a big fan of these fun shoes.

I’m currently on the hunt for some great black wedges. I haven’t found any in person yet that I just had to have. This is probably great news to my husband. I’m a woman on a mission and I *will* find cute black wedges soon. It’s a must. I have decided to wear dresses often this summer, so what better compliment to a cute dress than cute wedges? If you all see any cute ones, post some links. I have to try on most shoes these days, so I need to be able to try them on, of course. But, it never hurts to “window shop” online.

Happy spring,

Kelly

First, for the girls, I got each of them a pair of these DARLING shoes!

Those shoes are more vibrant and even cuter in person! Mariana has already taken off the sparkly tennis shoes she had on today in favor of wearing these cuties around the house. I may just have to talk myself (and Mickey – lol) into getting these in the next half size up because they go with SO many of the girls’ spring and summer outfits. Don’t want to chance them not fitting all summer.

For me, I got three pair of adorable shoes. I am so excited to have some CUTE new shoes!

Mickey often jokes that all of my shoes look alike to him. Well, he cannot say that about these hot little numbers:

These are even cuter in person and are really lightweight too. I can’t wait to wear them. I think they are so fun and versatile. I don’t have anything even remotely like them in my closet and I am eager to put them to lots of good wearing!

Now, admittedly, these are pretty standard for me as shoes go. Black and versatile. But, SOOOOO cute too!

and

Love all my new shoes and the ones for the girls. I am so excited about SPRING and getting back into sandals and slides again. Gotta love Payless and new shoes!

Macey also got the matching pencil case and lunch box. She loves the print and has been so thrilled with her school “stuff.” In September I received this email from Hanna Andersson:

I saved the email in one of my trusty Yahoo folders and didn’t think much more about it because at the time we weren’t having any issues with Macey’s backpack. About a week ago, I noticed that one of the lining in the backpack straps was starting to come undone and was fraying. I called Hanna Andersson and was given the option for a refund or to get a new backpack. I opted for the new backpack because Macey already loves hers so much! I was told to keep our current backpack and they will send a replacement in another month or so once they are in stock again. Excellent! We haven’t gotten it yet, but I have no doubts that it will arrive in the timeframe given.

That is excellent customer service from a very reputable company. For one, they were proactive in getting the word out about potential defects in their product. This wasn’t even a defect that would be harmful to children and I wouldn’t really consider it major, but I am glad it was brought to the attention of the consumers and that solutions were offered. Kudos, Hanna Andersson! I was already a fan, but now I’m even more impressed!