Newlyweds

After a day and a half of heavy humidity, ominous clouds and off-and-on downpours, we were beyond delighted to awaken Sunday to a perfectly sunny, crisp autumn day for our wedding in Central Park's Conservatory Garden.

The flowers exploded in rich, fall color around the perimeter of the fountain and nary a cloud appeared in the bluest of skies. "Lucky" is too small a word to describe how we felt (and how I'm sure our 80 guests felt, enjoying the glorious garden without the need for umbrellas!).

It was a truly perfect day and I'm still slightly dazed and emotional three days later. Countless thoughts, images and emotions swirling around in my head today... I know I'll need to get them all out sooner or later! Meanwhile, thanks to everyone for the warm wishes of luck and congratulations. We are truly blessed.

Distraction

In an effort to spend 5 minutes NOT thinking about how overwhelmed and excited I am to be getting married this weekend(!), I thought I'd throw out something useful--this guide to 99-cent store shopping, courtesy of the chock-full-of-neato-stuff website, Brokelyn*:

The Do's & Don'ts of 99-cent Store Shopping

DO BUY

Spices and herbs: Canadian-based Encore makes FDA-approved seasonings, spices and herbs you can find at many Brooklyn dollar stores.

Gift wrap: The recipient probably won’t notice if you spent on "good" wrapping paper—most times, it’s ripped up and tossed within 5 minutes.

Laundry detergent & cleanser: If you don’t balk at big names, try these instead: Trend (made by Dial), Suavitel (Colgate-Palmolive) or Ariel (Procter & Gamble). Among household cleaners, Spic ‘n Span is from the same manufacturer as Comet, but a lot cheaper.

Pregnancy tests: Dollar-store pregnancy tests are under $5 and detect HCG at the same levels as more expensive, name-brand tests.

Shampoo: Often, dollar stores have name-brands like V05 and Suave, but try out Hairvitalize, Fruitamin and Johnson Parker’s line—all $1.50 or less.

Baby wipes: You can get 80 for under $1.50. Sleek Sensations, one common brand, is hypo-allergenic and alcohol-free; Soffs wipes have aloe and vitamin E.

Kitchen utensils: A stainless steel whisk is the same at a dollar store as anywhere else. But stay away from dollar-store can openers—they never seem to work!

DON’T BUY

Batteries: Most dollar-store batteries are carbon-zinc, which drain very quickly. Look for alkaline—they last much longer.

Toothpaste: Some dollar-store toothpaste (even name-brand) is made in other countries, and may contain many times the amount of fluoride allowed by the ADA. Check the label.

Vitamins (dollar-store brand): In a 2004 study, over half the dollar-store multi-vitamins they tested were missing at least one listed nutrient.

Electronics: They can contain undersized wiring, which poses the risk of overheating. Be sure the product is UL certified.

Toys: Many have sharp edges or pieces that can be easily swallowed. No-name packages don’t always include the appropriate age range for the toy and many have been recalled for containing lead paint.

Jewelry: Also has been recalled for having high levels of lead.

*I know--it's a copout. I have so much I want to write about my emotions leading up to my wedding and I've been trying to organize my scattered thoughts in a way that won't leave me or anyone else completely flummoxed. I hope I can soon write something coherent to express the myriad emotions I'm experiencing these days. Most of all, I am excited and exhilarated!