Thursdate No. 2: One-man whoop-pack, Hippo fannies, and Maggie

 

"I bet you two are on a Thursdate." You were correct, Ryane G, Keally and I did go on a Thursdate this evening! Here's what we worked, ate, and saw:

Worked: Triceps, Biceps, That kind of hurts-ceps

Tonight, Keally and I took a class called Group Power. You need about 700 weights to do this class so set-up and clean-up time can take awhile. Also, there is a mega fan on the ceiling, and another very loud fan in the corner that make hearing the instructor very difficult. This could be the reason for the pain, because I wasn't listening and strictly imitating whatever Keally was doing. Two interesting observations from Group Power: 

1) Remember the very enthusiastic whooper and shouter from Step? She goes to Group Power, too. Although, no one else in Group Power has caught onto her shout it from the rooftops style of working out. She was a lone whooper today, a one-man whoop-pack.

2) The choice of music at WOW needs to be reevaluated. The songs that they play in these classes are all covers done poorly. It's like Kidz Bop, for adults. I didn't care for it, I think the lone whooper was the only one who liked it.

Ate: Sushi!

Starters: 

Thai Basil Roll with a lemon vinaigrette

Edamame

Entree: (We went to town, Group Power works up quite the appetite.)

R'ville Roll : Not sure what was in this, I definitely tasted mango and spicy tuna. So good.

Salmon Avocado Roll

California Roll

Asparagus Roll (It's refreshing!)

To compliment our sushi dinner, Keally brought along a very adorable wine called Fat Bastard. Upon the bottle, sits a very adorable hippopotamus with a large tush. After reflecting upon our dinner, I think she was trying to tell me something with her choice of wine. "Remarkable full-bodied." I get it Keally...I get it.

Dessert: Maggie Moo's Red Velvet : Kids Size 

I think the folks at Maggie Moo's are feeding the child from Honey I Shrunk the Kids 2. This portion is huge. KBP and I were also fortunate enough to observe the hijinks of Maggie Moo, the ice cream parlor's mascot. Keally and I think Maggie may have just come from Group Power, too, because she was flexing quite a bit. She was also headbutting random passerbys outside on the sidewalk and reading a newspaper upside down. Perhaps Maggie has mad cow?

Can't wait for the Thursdate No. 3, we've made plans to go dancing with Ryane G. Maybe the three of us can form our own three woman whoop-pack?

-L

Weird Clipart Wednesday

Weird Clipart c/o Clipart ETC

Reasons Crocodile, Reading a Letter made the cut for WCAW:

1) What could this reptile be reading? A note of complaint from a disgruntled swamp neighbor that's grown tired of hearing our reader blast Crocodile Rock on repeat? Whatever it was, the expression on his face begs the question of timing. Are his letters waterproof and the content was so shocking he needed to come up to the surface for a better look, OR, did someone hand him this unsettling piece of mail when he rose to the air for some sun? I don't blame him for looking so smug, I don't want irritating mail first thing in the morning, either.

2) Tricia Gail and I agreed that we make the same face as Crocodile, Reading a Letter, when we grade papers.

Happy Weird Clipart Wednesday,
-L

Number Crunch

Readers! I've missed you! It's been way too long. I don't particularly enjoy when bloggers apologize for their absences; however, it has been almost a week since my last post. I am not going to let Weird Clip Art Wednesday sneak up on me without a post prior to. 

Ever the lover of math, I calculated what I've been up to since we last chat. Although, chatting would involve a reciprocal conversation, and this little blog gets very few comments. Yes readers, I've called you out. Here's the arithmetic!

Teaching: 270 minutes x 3 = 810 minutes. Seriously. At least 500 of these minutes could have been spent in blogland, various thrift stores or curbside picking. At least.

Tutoring: 60 minutes x 7 children = 420 minutes. 120 of these minutes were spent with a child who spontaneously breaks into song during our lessons. Today, I learned he can recite the poem Old Ironsides. Of course, he shouts where there are exclamation points, in the library, quite the little harpie of the shore.

Sweating: 60-45 minutes x 6 days = 360-275 minutes. With the upcoming trip to Florida, this number should be much more significant.

Volleyball: 90 minutes x 2 = 180 minutes. And, I have a third game tomorrow. For me, this is heaven.

Being an Art Slave: Is there a mathematical sign for infinity? I don't know how many minutes I've logged doing this; but, I love it. The computer and I have been working together to design quite a few projects for B&K's wedding in July, among other things I've been up to on the creative front. All this work is making me seriously consider taking some classes over the summer for graphic design. Think of all the weird clip art I could put to use...Lady Walking Cat, we haven't seen the end of you. On a side note, I believe my future sissy-in-law's got my number. In a recent e-mail conversation where she asked for my help with some projects, the subject line read "To my incredibly artistic and creative future sissy in law." Call me artistic and you'll have me jumping through hoops of fire for you, even if you're not my future sissy in law whom I very much adore.

Are these equations acceptable, dear readers? I know, I've missed you, too. Tomorrow, we shall reconvene with my new favorite day of the week, WCAW. 

Minutes I've spent missing you, 7200. Do the math,

-L

Weird Clipart Wednesday

I have a very strange infatuation with weird clipart. I'm also very adamant about creating my own handouts for my classes and not copying materials out of textbooks or other resource materials. I'm pretty sure this stubbornness is an excuse to provide myself with the opportunity to use weird clip art in my handouts. In spirit of those blogs I know and love who reserve a day of the week for a thematic post, like a Things I Love Tuesday or What Did I Eat for Dinner Thursday (I haven't seen this yet; but, I bet it's out there in blogland, somewhere), I've decided to start Weird Clipart Wednesday. Enjoy:

Oh, before you check out WCAW, there are three things you should know:

I don't design or title these images. These beauties come with the hysterical nomenclatures you see featured alongside them.

A majority of these images, if not all, will come from my favorite website of all time, Clipart ETC. I think this site will become one of your favorites, too. 

The captions below the WCA are my own.  If you love the clipart, click on the link in the caption to find the image in a variety of sizes for your own use. But only if you love it.

{Weird Clip Art Wednesday 1}

Weird Clipart c/o Clipart ETC

There are a few reasons why Woman Walking Cat made the cut for WCAW.

Reason number one is because I would very much like to come across this carefree lady taking her feline for a stroll in the image's original publication. What piece of literature, fiction or non, could have prompted the author or illustrator to say, "This needs a visual aid, but what could we use? Got it, Woman Walking Cat."

Reason number two: I am guilty of alerting my entire neighborhood to the fact that I was on my way to crazy cat lady-hood. Growing up, I really wanted a dog; unfortunately, we only had a very antisocial cat. Because I had no dog to walk, I walked the cat around the neighborhood on a leash. I'm pretty sure my mother encouraged this. "Why do we need a dog? Take Muffy for a walk, trust me, it's the same thing."

Fortunately, I grew out of this crazy cat lady phase, owned a few dogs, and never looked back to the feline persuasion ever since. Except for Steph B's cat, Zeke, we're friends. I'd walk him on a leash any day of the week, but only if he wore his formal attire, and our walk consisted of him driving me around in a classic car.

 Happy WCAW,
-L

"E.T... phone your mother"

Dear Readers,

Do not grow accustomed to this type of post. I'm simply fulfilling a request of Keally Bridges' because she wanted to see how the new dress I bought at Banana Republic looked. As I said before, friends, don't get used to this. I don't like it one bit.

The dress is lovely, the post- work-day, static ridden haired, lady wearing it... yet to be determined. It's hard to see the accessories, so I posted a flash (ick) photography picture of them below because they are two of my favorite parts of this outfit.

The necklace is from BCBG ($10.00, outlet!) and the ring is lia sophia (don't ask...). I don't know how  the fashion bloggers I follow do this on the daily. It takes a lot of work and self-confidence to photograph yourself and label your finds every single day, so kudos to you, ladies. I appreciate your efforts because your posts are truly inspiring and delightful.


What do you think, KBP?
-L

Bedside Blogging

Cross stitch. Bed. Bliss.

Tomorrow, the weekend in 7 or less? snaps.

Promise,
-L
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

{for japan with love}

Radiation, very cold weather, no electricity, shortage of food, water, fuel, etc. are all desperate situations the Japanese are currently facing in the aftermath of the earthquake. On bbc.com, a series of photo galleries are posted containing a variety of pictures of the earthquake and its effect on Japan. As devastating as the images of the large areas of damage are, I was sincerely moved by the photographs of the individuals.

Images courtesy of bbc.com

Today, bloggers all across the internet are teaming up in a day of silence {for japan with love}

Please visit www.forjapanwithlove.com to check out the different ways you can show your support. Remember, "Rich gifts wax poor when the giver proves unkind." It's not what or how much you give, but your intentions and how you do it.

-L

Meet Amelia

Happy Irish Day! Yesterday, as he gave me a full weather report, degrees and all, for the weekend, my second favorite hall monitor at school asked me, "Teacher, is tommorow Irish Day?" To which I replied "You mean, St. Patrick's Day?" "Oh yes! St. Patrick's Day! Thank you, teacher! Irish Day comes later." Who knew we celebrated the Irish so frequently? And when is Polish Day?

Most of the time, I am responsible for the ridiculous, yet somehow poignant, names I give for the inanimate objects in my life. A prime example is Kitchen Swan. This porcelain figurine really didn't need a name, but life in the kitchen is much more fun because she has one. Another example would be Howard, the mallard duck pencil sharpener. (Pictures forthcoming, he gets lost quite a bit.) My students even ask for him by name. The more polite say, "Miss M, can I use Howard?" The less than mannerly, or the majority of my darlings say, "Where's Howard? I need him." 

During my perusal of the boutique, I people-watched an eccentric man discuss the topic of luggage to a perfect stranger who seemed none too interested in sharing any of her personal space with him. The conversation went a little something like this (I shall give these folks "creative user names" like I make my students do when they write character tweets):

2Close4Comfort: Take a look at this suitcase I found! It's a little out of my price range, because I'm a college student, but isn't it wonderful? By the way I play the flute.

StayOutofMyOxygen: Do I know you?

2Close4Comfort: College education for a flautist can be really pricey, but I love a great suitcase so I don't really mind spending the thirteen dollars...or do I? What do you think, perfect stranger I met two seconds ago who is quickly becoming my soul-mate? Should I get this?

Stay OutofMyOxygen: Only if you are going to use it to pack your belongings and travel via train, plane, automobile, or foot farthest away from me as possible.

The flautist's luggage was quite lovely. If it wasn't completely inappropriate, I would've liked to take a picture of him with it because his lime green polo matched the piece, but I think this request might have creeped him out. On second thought, I think he would've loved it and asked me to co-sign on a mortgage with him. Anyway, the stranger with no social skills' suitcase got me thinking, maybe I should check out the boutique luggage. 

So I did, meet Amelia. 

 

I didn't even need to name her! Though, it slightly worried me that this piece of luggage is named after a missing pilot.

She looks like a normal suitcase, ready for travel. However, Amelia is staying right here in the 'boro because she is filled with...

Craft supplies! 

Now all my creaftion disorder can be tucked away in a lovely piece of luggage and all will be none the wiser! This was not my original idea, but I'm not giving the flautist the credit either. I'm blanking on the name of the delightful Etsy shop that sells vintage suitcases as means of storage. These restyled suitcases aren't meant for the air, track, or road either. The seller takes a previously owned suitcase and repaints and modge-podges vintage wallpaper and the like on the exterior. Very awesome. I'll get back to you on the name of that one.

A few other items that made their ways home to the boro' on Thrifty Thursday:

Summer Shoes! 3$..H&M's were $12.

Vintage Wrapping Paper

Poppy Tart Pan & Porcelain Pin

 

Bird Bookends

P.S.
Hey Flautist, my suitcase was only $8.00.
-L

Whoa! P.P.S!
I can't believe I almost forgot! Tricia Gail took 3rd Place in the Irish Soda Bread contest at school! Congrats TG! Look at that presentation:

Maybe she'll post her recipe and a first hand account of the exuberance she felt when she found out she was a winner on And Dog Makes 3. I don't think she'll share her plaque with us, though.
 Looking at this picture, I don't know what makes my mouth water more, the soda bread or the Depression era Green Glass.

Reader, update your blog. -L

Before I go all athletic on you, let's talk pink, pretty, embroidered things. I saw this gorgeous cross-stitch mural on Sublime Stitching.

Ever since, I have not been able to think about much else in terms of crafting. I've got an encyclopedia of needlework sitting on my nightstand, a ton of ideas, but I've yet to go to Michael's for supplies. I know, I need to get cracking or stitching, whatever. This mural is truly beautiful and I would very much like to try my own hand at painted cross-stitch. Perhaps on a re-styled recipe box? Or upcycled cake plate? Hmmm..

Onto boy stuff, or March Madness. The GOAT and I...wait who is the GOAT, you ask? The GOAT, is none other than my dad. For those of you unaware of what this humble acronym stands for, it is The Greatest Of All Time. Where did this name come from? He gave it to himself, when he was choosing his blackberry messenger name. Not that my brothers and I disagree with his self-proclaimed nomenclature, it's just entertaining that he came up with this label for himself.

Back to the bracket, every year, the GOAT helps me come up with a March Madness college basketball bracket. Back in the old days, the GOAT would bring home a newspaper with a blank bracket, we would choose our teams, and post the bracket on the fridge to check during the tournament. Two years ago, my friend Rosie started a March Madness tournament via facebook. The GOAT and I put one together online and he's been obsessed ever since. The man loves any kind of athletic competition online. You should see him during football season, absolutely nutty. This year, we're taking it up another notch. We're using the ESPN Tournament challenge to make our bracket this year.

For those of you unaware of how to make a bracket, it's very simple. There are only 2 steps:

Step 1: Choose Louisville as the winner of your bracket.

The great state of Kentucky is truly wonderful and Loo-ville belongs no other place than in the champion spot of the bracket. Yes, I have them winning by three points. I imagine a beautiful three point swish with two seconds left on the clock. Love that Loo-ville.

Step 2: If you don't choose Loo-ville, you may pick anyone else. Anyone else, that is, but Notre Dame.

If the GOAT and I weren't taking it to the big leagues this year, I would have chosen Akron over ND in the first round, even though the odds are very much in ND's favor. Why don't we like Notre Dame? You should be asking yourself, why do you?

And you're done! 2 easy steps.

I created this bracket pretty late in the evening, so I was unable to consult with the GOAT on my picks. We share the bracket in the sense that I do the technology work and he barrages me with text messages and e-mails informing me with the scores of games. They look a little something like this:

GOAT01: Lauren, Gonzago take St john update bracket -Pop

As you can see, there are a few problems with this text from the GOAT:

This message doesn't really need a salutation (Lauren,) nor a closing (-Pop). I think the GOAT presumes he's writing a formal letter when he texts. 
Gonzago is not a team, Gonzaga is.
You don't update an online bracket, it updates itself.

Also, note the 01 he uses after his BBM name. In case you weren't sure, he's not only the greatest of all time he's number one. I'm thinking he may be distantly related to the Mandelbaums?

All teasing aside, I love the GOAT01. His name really suits him and I feel quite lucky to consult with his greatness on these basketball matters. <3

2 days till the boutique to restock my upcycled inventory,
-L

A Meatless Wheatless Chili Story

MW day one was successful, after lunch, that is. I truly hate to throw away food, it is an obnoxious waste. I still have a few items in my fridge that fall under the meatless wheatless ban, so I did my part this morning by using up one of the tortillas in a breakfast wrap. Tricia Gail made a ridiculously good buffalo chicken salad for lunch bunch, today. Like I said, it's a slow start to meatless wheatless, but I think I can do it. 

Onto the part you care about, how to make Meatless Wheatless Tofu Chili in the Slow-Cooker!

Step 1: Assemble the troops

I really like this recipe because any vegetables that you aren't sure what to do with are fair game. I had 6 or 7 carrots and half of a red onion skulking around in my produce drawer that went into this recipe. I also used half a container of fresh mushrooms.

Step 2: Beans & Sweet, Sweet Hominy

If you haven't had hominy, you haven't lived. It's actually just corn without the germ, whatever that means. I take that back, it's actually just delicious. Proudly displaying your beans and hominy in a delightful Pyrex is not necessary; however, it is lovely to look at.

Step 3: Squeeze!

You need to drain your tofu, otherwise your chili will get too watery and be more like a soup. It's really simple, my sister-in-law taught me this little trick awhile ago and it makes a big difference in a short amount of time. I like to do this step while I'm chopping up veggies. Watch your fingers!

Place your tofu in a pie dish deep enough to allow room for excess water to drain out.

 

Place an upside down plate over the tofu. Rest a heavy object like a brick, filled tea kettle , or  a patient cat on top to create a press. I used a ceramic canister filled with water. There are no patient cats in my apartment or this world.

 

The weighted plate and the pie dish will create a press for the tofu and squeeze out any excess water. If you really want to take out the moisture, wrap your tofu in a paper towel before you press it.  I didn't, because, well, I forgot.

Step 4: All together now...

Combine all your fresh and canned ingredients. Leave the spices until the very end. I goofed and layered everything into the slow cooker. If you do it this way, all your vegetables and beans won't get enough contact with the spices and tomato sauce. Throw all your stuff into a big bowl and allow everybody to get close and cozy with the chili powder and ground cumin. 

Step 5: Cook, slowly.

I cooked my chili in the crock pot for a little over three hours on high while I was at the gym. If you've got more time to kill, go for 5 or 6 on low.

Step 6: Eat your Meatless Wheatless heart out.

This chili is so so good and very inexpensive to make. I've never made this recipe before, but it will definitely make a second, third, possibly weekly appearance in my fridge. I used a small slow cooker for this recipe, too, and it still made a ton. 

Need ideas for meatless wheatless toppings and pairings?

Brown Rice

Shredded Cheese

Salsa Verde (If you don't know what Salsa Verde is, get on it. It's like tomatoes, pickles, and garlic had an undercover romance. I know, extra scandalous because there are three of them. Not sure who they're hiding their union from? Salsa Verde is the result of this unscrupulous veggie coupling..tripling? I don't care for this pun anymore.)

If you try this recipe out, let me know how it goes! If you aren't going meatless, the tofu can tag in ground turkey or ground beef and the recipe will still be awesome. By the way, if you're new to pepper&poppy, thanks for following and pleased to meet you!

-L

Listening to: Feist, Now At Last

Eating: I'll give you one guess...

The Weekend in 10 Snaps

We've lost an hour, so to save your time and mine, here is the weekend in 10 snaps:

Snap 1,2, and 3: Saturday night marked the official debut of pepper&poppy's upcycled, vintage-glassware cake, dessert, and jewelry plates! Tricia Gail and I spent Thursday night making a ton of these creaftions. At Saturday's Shop&Swap, I sold three plates. Each plate is named after a lovely lady from literature or my own lovely little life. The three gals who found new homes were:

The Alice: This heroine was from Lewis Carroll's fairytale adventure. She went home with Steph B's grandmother. I couldn't have wished for a better home for her!

The Wendy: This caretaker of Lost Boys went home with swapmaster herself, Shauna B. It was funny because when I made Wendy, I actually thought Shauna would love her :-)

So pretty.

 

 

 

"Annie Lou" the cake stand.

The Annie Lou: Not named for a leading literary lady, The Annie Lou is named for my maternal grandmother for two reasons. 1) In one professional photograph we have of her at my parent's house, she looks stunning in a pink suit from the 40s. 2) My mom has a set of pink glassware that my grandmother won during a game of Canasta. Hence, the color pink was the inspiration for the naming of this stand. Annie Lou went home with Dr. Murphy's neighbor, she will be a Mother's Day gift. 

Snap 4:  Shopping and Swapping

Besides marking the debut of p&p creaftions, Saturday  night was also home to Shauna B's much-anticipated shop&swap! The shop&swap is a picker/thrifter/bargain hunter's dream come true. Here's how it works:

Everyone invited is asked to bring any or all of the following:

Gently worn clothing, shoes, and accessories

Housewares

Books, DVDs, etc.

An appetite for snacks, dessert, wine, fun, good conversation, and the like

Why is this so awesome? Because it's fun and free! You don't have to pay for a single thing. There are no limits as to how much you can take home. It's a truly wonderful thing. If the swap isn't for you, you can head over to Shauna's shop and buy some brand-name, health and beauty aids at incredibly low discount prices. Shauna is a coupon-maven (this terminology is put very lightly), she cuts a great deal with her inventory. I love the shop&swap. The adorable flats you see on my feet above are a swap take-home from Marisa. They are super comfy and super cute. 

Now that you know how it works, have one, invite all your 70+ year old friends who have a ton of pyrex they want to get rid of, and invite me. I'll bring a u-haul.

Snap 5: Sugar Loaf Crafts Festival

Look what came home to live with me from Sugar Loaf? Literary Calligraphy from Susan Loy! I bought three pieces from Susan Loy herself. We even chatted about the scene in Hamlet where Ophelia goes off the deep end (water puns aren't really funny here, are they?) and gives Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes flowers:

Ophelia

There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. that's for thoughts.

Laertes

A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted.

Ophelia

There's fennel for you, and columbines: there's rue for you; and here's some for me: we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays: O you must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy: I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died: they say he made a good end,—

Sings

For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.

Laertes

Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself,
She turns to favour and to prettiness.

Also, check out how this guy  could have saved Ophelia from her watery demise. I so wish I could show this video in class.

Snap 6 and 7: Sundate with Keally

Fave Purchase: H&M Bird Scarf

30for30 is complete and Keally and I have been granted clearance to shop. So we did, we shopped and we shopped. If you've ever considered investing in retail, H&M and Forever 21 may be stores to look into.

Snap 8: "Basil, that's for you to eat."

If only Shakespeare consulted me on that scene, tomato mozzarella basil salads would have definitely had a scene all to themselves. Ophelia's not the only one bonkers for blooms. At Shop Rite, to reward myself for remaining mentally sound amongst the many nincompoop shoppers of New Jersey and their disobedient offspring, I bought a small bouquet of yellow flowers to put in my new-to-me pink, polka-dot glass vase. Did I mention the flowers were a dollar? To the right is the basil I'm trying to keep fresh until it's been consumed. The directions told me not to refrigerate these herbs but to cover their roots with water. If anyone has any suggestions on how to keep this plant alive and fresh until I've eaten my fair share of  TMBs, do tell.

Snap 9: "Look Mom, a decorated dumpster nightstand!" "Don't bring that in my house and wash your hands."

Yes, that's what wonderful looks like. New-to-me dumpster salvaged nightstand would not have looked right as a bar. As a nightstand, it's perfect. There is a place for my jewelry, glasses, books, and Wellington bookend. There's still plenty of room on the inside for treasures, too.

 

Snap 10:  Canister Crisis Averted!

Excuse the cell phone quality snap; but, it was a last minute decision (aka I kind of forgot) to include the rescued canisters in the snaps from the weekend post.  The foursome owes their livelihood to Steph B for rescuing them from the boutique on Friday. Look how happy they are with their new friends Kitchen Swan and Kitchen Hen! Kitchen Hen is new to the 'boro apt, so show her a warm welcome, dear readers.  As you can see, the two birds are still getting to know one another. To be honest, Kitchen Swan is a snob, but she'll come around.

Wheatless-Meatless

I'm going wheatless. My anatomy has made it very clear that wheat is not its friend and would like me to remove it from my diet. I protested and tried to compromise with my body; but no means no. In high school and college, I thought I was lactose intolerant. I went for allergy panels, switched to soy milk, took lactaid, you name it, I tried it. When Celiac Disease became more popular  in the news (this sounds like CD had noone to sit with at lunch for awhile, or something), I did some reading and discovered gluten and I could no longer be friends. We broke up again and again and I always felt way better, but like a typical scorned female I kept crawling back. Enough is enough, gluten, I'm going wheatless, so pack your things, you've got no place in my kitchen anymore. While we're on the subject, I have an abundance of Fiber One granola bars and 100 calorie pack Chips Ahoy up for donation. Perhaps we can work out a deal if you have Pyrex circa-1970 you're willing to part with? Maybe some milk-glass?

I'm also taking a hiatus from meat for some time, as well. I was a much more creative cook in college when I tried vegetarianism. I don't really see this as a  reflection of my morals, but more as a challenge to my culinary capacities. My first WM attempt will take place tomorrow with the help of the slow cooker: Meatless Wheatless Chili. Also, going wheatless is much more fun if you pronounce it like "fh-wheatless". To be less educated and more accurate than my poor attempt at phentic spelling, like Stewie from Family Guy when he says "whipped".

It was a full and lovely weekend worthy of much more than 10 snaps, here's hoping yours was, too,

-L

Listening to: Belle&Sebastian The Life Pursuit

Eating: Nothing with gluten for a long time

Thrifty Thursday: A Canister Catastrophe Story

Today's trip to the thrift store was for supply purposes. With the help of Tricia Gail, my sweetdisposition counterpart Nicole, and longtime boutique professional Steph B, the three lovely ladies and I looted and pillaged the glassware section of RW&B. While I don't have an official count of all our finds, I do have a few snaps of previously owned booty.

All parts of this junket were not positive, unfortunately. I experienced a near canister catastrophe. On Wednesday, when Steph B. was scouring the boutique for all things HKO related, she ran into a set of four kitchen canisters in the thrift store.  The storage quartet asked her if they could come and live with me in Plainsboro. Being the fair lady that she is, she said she would have to ask me before she made any promises. 

Steph B. is a crafty one, in more ways than one. Instead of telling me about this lovely foursome, she waited to see if I would notice them when I went down the mish-mosh aisle. (For those of you unfamiliar with this part of RW&B, the mish-mosh aisle has everything from jewelery boxes and photo albums to giant tiki time alarm clocks and talking canisters. It's very near the tree-skirt aisle.)

As I made my way down the mish-mosh aisle, I didn't notice the adorableness or hear the importunities of the four canisters. When Steph and Tricia Gail finally pointed them out to me (After you learn of the outcome of this thrift store tale, you will see what cruel game this was to play with my emotions), I promised the canisters they would come home to the boro where they would become very good friends with Kitchen Swan.

Unfortunately, this canister story presently does not have a happy ending. After much plundering of plates, bud vases, and candlesticks took place, I made my way to the register. The canisters were very happy in my cart, looking forward to getting out of the boutique and onto a counter where they could be put to use and admired. The canisters were the first items my less than loquacious cashier rang up. For some odd reason, she put them into a bag and placed them behind her counter. (At first look, this seemed odd, on second, it was down right calculating.) I paid for my purchases and loaded them into the car. It wasn't until I unpacked the trunk that I noticed I had a catastrophe on my hands. The canisters were still behind the counter at RW&B.

I called the boutique (Yeah, I didn't think they had a working land line, either), spoke to a more chatty employee than the canister kidnapping cashier, and made arrangements to pick up the fearsome foursome tomorrow. I won't consider this crisis averted until my goods are safe and sound on my counter alongside Kitchen Swan in the 'boro. Who knows what fate will befall them this evening or tomorrow while I am work? I'm not sure I will be able to think of anything else until they are returned to rightful hands.

Snaps for you to look forward to over the weekend:

Pepper&poppy debuts a sampler of creaftions at the Shop and Swap this Saturday

Tales from the Sugar Loaf Crafts Festival

The Fate of my Kitchen Canisters

As promised per Wednesday night's post:

Organize your in-box with Previously Owned's useful and easy gmail in-box label tutorial. Previously Owned is a very  cool blog to read, it made Blogger.com's Blog of Note list in February. She also has some great vintage goods or etsy shop giveaways every now and again.

Recharge your soul batteries and get your craft on with Kind Over Matter, a blog devoted to Feel Good Nouns: kind acts, inspirational stories, art & projects. Be sure to check out all the crafty freebies, too.

Yay for checking things off! This is the battle hymn of a very cool website I discovered on Kendi Everyday, it's called Teux Deux . Teux Deux is a simple, designy, browser-based, FREE!, to-do list creating app and I love it.

Oh, and I found this blog two seconds ago and I cannot wait to check it out more fully: What Would A Nerd Wear? (Ask me! I can tell you!!)

March is National Craft Month, the SB Public Library, who no longer wants my head because I paid my fines, told me.  Go make something.

-L

Listening to: Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks

P.S.

I saw this idea at the conclusion of a few of Previously Owned's posts. At the bottom of each one, she tells you what she's listening to and what she's eating. I don't think my readership is all too interested in what made it onto my plate, but I will tell you what came out of my speakers.