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There are a lot of things I need/want right now. Let's take a walk down Shopping Lane, shall we? (note: when I first posted this, I think I had five items. Funny how I keep thinking of more things!)

• Fixin's for Halloween Costumes. If I can get everything for $50, I'll be happy.
  
• Lauren: Blue Princess Since I did a similar pattern last year (with the white panel down the front), I guess I'll do the solid blue version, but with the puffed sleeves. Don't know if I'll put trim down the front seams or the belt, but I'll need about 4 ½ yards of fabric, 4 or 5 yards of trim, thread, 24 eyelets (no zipper, but I'm not sure how I feel about eyelets), and buckram for the crown. I'm not going to bother with the veil.
  
• Sarah: Simplicity Cheerleader 4040 The pattern is on sale for $2 this weekend, and I'll need about 1½ yards of fabric and 6½ yards of braid. She wants purple, of course, and I'm doing the sleeveless version so she can wear a turtle neck under it and not get too hot when we're inside.


• I'd also like to buy fabric for Christmas dresses, since we're going to have pictures taken right after Halloween, but I don't think I can handle that right now.
  
• Kids' Winter boots: LL Bean has a really good deal on their Northwoods kid's boots right now--$20/pair instead of $35.


• MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit $38 at Amazon, with free shipping. This only a few dollars more than I'd pay through ebay, after you figure in shipping. Jeff is going to be taking a certification test at work sometime, and this is supposed to be a good study guide.


• German curriculum: The BBC "Muzzy" program is supposed to be very good, but to get levels 1 & 2, it's at least $150, even on ebay. There's currently an auction for some Muzzy & Berlitz kid's tapes, but none of the sets are complete. This means that it'll probably go for considerably less money, and since I think I'll be able to fill in the "holes," I might bid on that one. It's currently at $25, but there are still more than 4 days left in the auction, so I'll keep waiting.


• Kim's haircut: after tip, about $35. Part of me wishes I'd cancelled it, because I don't really hate my hair right now. I don't love it, either, but I don't know what to do with it. I don't really have a style, but that doesn't bother me so much right now.


• Ink cartridges for the printer: Probably about $40 or $50 for color and B&W.


• Top up my cell phone: $20.


• There are a number of new computer games I want to get for the kids. The Smart e-store has a lot of titles for $5 each. We're using them as incentives for Sarah's reading, and they're good Christmas presents. Freddi Fish, Dora, CyberChase, Smart Steps 2nd grade, etc.


• There's a scrapbook crop at church Sunday. $10 for the crop, and I don't even know if I have any pictures printed. I could go just to socialize and catch up on my journaling, though.

Some of these are wants. Some are needs. Some just aren't happening right now, because I found out on Tuesday that I'm working many fewer hours than anticipated (and this after Jeff took the rest of his vacation time this year to accomodate my schedule). On that same day, we also got a $1K bill from that little hospital stay back in June. So I'm working more now than before, but not as much as I'd anticipated. I have to learn to stop counting on classes that might not happen.