It began at Target. Danielle, Leo and I drove over this morning. I like to buy mega packs of big boxes of Kleenex and big boxes of garbage bags and baggies at Target. So every three months or so, I go to Target.
I usually find other things to buy which is why I don't go more frequently. The good of it is that you really can find bargains. The bad of it is that it can be hard to stay focused in a store like that. ADD heaven...or hell.
I was looking for a Silpat, which they didn't have, but found a Lodge cast iron dutch oven instead. I've been seriously shopping around for a dutch oven the last couple of years and have been discouraged by how expensive the Le Creuset ones are. The closest Le Creuset outlet is over an hour away. If you know me, you know that the fact that I have delayed my dutch oven gratification for this long is...out of character.
We have a Lodge cast iron skillet which we've been very happy with. Although the dutch oven is not made in the U.S. (as the skillet is), the $60 price tag was most excellent for a brand I knew I could trust.
Funny story: a few minutes ago I searched the web for an image of the dutch oven and found that Amazon has it for $10 less. So I'm returning the red one to Target and now await the blue one which should arrive within two weeks or so. (Free shipping on Amazon=slow shipping...)
I look forward to making many things in this pot for many years...soups, chilis, roasts...mmm.
Onto the next thing... Our car is a mess. It's 10 years old (we bought it right before Gem was born), has over 150,000 miles on it (many of them 'hard') and I love it, but it's kind of a mess all over. I've noticed lately that the interior of the car borders on disgusting kind of often. One time too many, for me. (It has become commonplace for some form of trash to tumble out of the car when a door is opened.)
I've been researching trash containers and organizers for cars on Amazon and looked at some of them at Target today. Target didn't have the items I was most interested in checking out (though I did buy a AAA road emergency kit and some of those Armor All wipe thingies), which turned out to be lucky. Something I've thought about before, but never acted out to completion, was to check Etsy. And tonight I did!
I am so happy I remembered. I love things that are handmade...the creativity, thoughtfulness, the unique choices in design, color, prints...and I love the direct relationship you have with the artisan/seller at Etsy.
I ordered a trash receptacle (you can hang off a seat) made out of a cute baseball fabric with a washable liner.
Then I ordered a car organizer which can be hung off the back of one of the front seats. It has pockets that can fit books, a Sigg bottle, sunglasses, etc. (Sag was all over this, Gem was not. It will be interesting to see if he changes his tne once he sees it in action.) The shipping on this item was crazy because it's coming from Australia, which is also, really cool :-)
On a roll, I remembered the large pocket organizer Tiina has which I loved (I agree with her that it's a must have for ADD-brainer/homeschoolers like us). She got hers at a school supply type store. Her comment that maybe she would make one some day, and my response that she could sell it on Etsy, had remained in my mind, percolating. I searched Etsy, and found something similar.
And then, because the difference was that it only has large pockets, I found another one with small pockets. That's really cute. Which I also bought. (This is the one item of this spree which was more indulgence than serious practical necessity.)
Once I was done at Etsy, it was time to head back to Amazon. I deleted the various car organizer things I'd put into my cart and set about finally taking action on a task I've been working on for well over a month: purchasing a rice cooker. Our rice cooker has been cooking rice so unevenly that Sag has stopped eating rice at home. Our rice cooker has been with us since our commitment ceremony in 1993. Our rice cooker was a gift...so buying a new one has been kind of daunting.
I went to a local Asian market last week, but they didn't have any of the models I was interested in. I've been waiting about a month to go to the super duper Japanese market on the Hudson River (to comparison shop), but it just hasn't happened, with no likely date in sight. So, tonight, I took the plunge. And bought the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy 10 cup rice cooker, online. Phew. I think it's going to rock our world.
I usually find other things to buy which is why I don't go more frequently. The good of it is that you really can find bargains. The bad of it is that it can be hard to stay focused in a store like that. ADD heaven...or hell.
I was looking for a Silpat, which they didn't have, but found a Lodge cast iron dutch oven instead. I've been seriously shopping around for a dutch oven the last couple of years and have been discouraged by how expensive the Le Creuset ones are. The closest Le Creuset outlet is over an hour away. If you know me, you know that the fact that I have delayed my dutch oven gratification for this long is...out of character.
We have a Lodge cast iron skillet which we've been very happy with. Although the dutch oven is not made in the U.S. (as the skillet is), the $60 price tag was most excellent for a brand I knew I could trust.
Funny story: a few minutes ago I searched the web for an image of the dutch oven and found that Amazon has it for $10 less. So I'm returning the red one to Target and now await the blue one which should arrive within two weeks or so. (Free shipping on Amazon=slow shipping...)
I look forward to making many things in this pot for many years...soups, chilis, roasts...mmm.
Onto the next thing... Our car is a mess. It's 10 years old (we bought it right before Gem was born), has over 150,000 miles on it (many of them 'hard') and I love it, but it's kind of a mess all over. I've noticed lately that the interior of the car borders on disgusting kind of often. One time too many, for me. (It has become commonplace for some form of trash to tumble out of the car when a door is opened.)
I've been researching trash containers and organizers for cars on Amazon and looked at some of them at Target today. Target didn't have the items I was most interested in checking out (though I did buy a AAA road emergency kit and some of those Armor All wipe thingies), which turned out to be lucky. Something I've thought about before, but never acted out to completion, was to check Etsy. And tonight I did!
I am so happy I remembered. I love things that are handmade...the creativity, thoughtfulness, the unique choices in design, color, prints...and I love the direct relationship you have with the artisan/seller at Etsy.
I ordered a trash receptacle (you can hang off a seat) made out of a cute baseball fabric with a washable liner.
Then I ordered a car organizer which can be hung off the back of one of the front seats. It has pockets that can fit books, a Sigg bottle, sunglasses, etc. (Sag was all over this, Gem was not. It will be interesting to see if he changes his tne once he sees it in action.) The shipping on this item was crazy because it's coming from Australia, which is also, really cool :-)
On a roll, I remembered the large pocket organizer Tiina has which I loved (I agree with her that it's a must have for ADD-brainer/homeschoolers like us). She got hers at a school supply type store. Her comment that maybe she would make one some day, and my response that she could sell it on Etsy, had remained in my mind, percolating. I searched Etsy, and found something similar.
And then, because the difference was that it only has large pockets, I found another one with small pockets. That's really cute. Which I also bought. (This is the one item of this spree which was more indulgence than serious practical necessity.)
Once I was done at Etsy, it was time to head back to Amazon. I deleted the various car organizer things I'd put into my cart and set about finally taking action on a task I've been working on for well over a month: purchasing a rice cooker. Our rice cooker has been cooking rice so unevenly that Sag has stopped eating rice at home. Our rice cooker has been with us since our commitment ceremony in 1993. Our rice cooker was a gift...so buying a new one has been kind of daunting.
I went to a local Asian market last week, but they didn't have any of the models I was interested in. I've been waiting about a month to go to the super duper Japanese market on the Hudson River (to comparison shop), but it just hasn't happened, with no likely date in sight. So, tonight, I took the plunge. And bought the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy 10 cup rice cooker, online. Phew. I think it's going to rock our world.
While I was at it, I bought two more of these nifty containers (I had picked up two at Target today). One of my attention strands for the year is delving deeper into living GFCF. As part of that, I've begun buying some different GF flours like teff, millet and masa harina. My friend, Lisa, recently sent me some Montina flour. These GF flours stay fresher for much longer if they are stored in the fridge. We have some great Tupperware from our Plympton days, but need more for our new flours. These containers have a nice sealing feature, the plastic is BPA-free, and I've found OXO products to be very durable and functional. (Cap made some pirakka using the millet flour and the crust was a revelation!)
So, yeah...a lot of money was spent at once. It helps me to know myself a bit better, and to understand that this is how some people operate...that I am not an isolated freak or loser. There was a time when I would shop like this, but mindlessly (ie. on books that would that sit unread on my shelves, on clothes I could have gotten much cheaper, on yarn that remains bagged and stored and unknit years later). It's valuable to be able to discern the difference because it feels almost subtle compared to the 'rush' of activity and the motion of the mood...which feels remarkably the same.
Not to beat a dead horse, but...in the past, I would finish a spree and pretty soon begin to feel sick and really bad because of what I had done. Tonight? I feel a sense of accomplishment and quiet satisfaction. That my purchases were the result of giving careful thought to what I wanted/we needed, giving the process a lot of time and space (and yes, delaying gratification), and following through to the end by spending our money in places and ways that fit our philosophies and needs.
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