Just Bliss

Value Village beckoned a couple of weeks back.  It had been a while since I'd been on a good bargain hunt, and I was craving the chase.  And so, it would seem, was half of the city on the day I finally made it.  There was, apparently, a 50% off sale, and the place was an absolute zoo.  It was also pretty picked over, but I did find the following treasures:

I have a bit of an owl thing, and I also have a bit of a kitschy Japanese figurine things, so, these amazing salt and pepper shakers have found an honoured place in the kitchen.

I have stacks of beautiful vintage teacups, but I do like having spares for projects.  This set of four are gorgeous and will make a very pretty something or other.

I also have piles of vintage linens, which I convert into various things.  I'm currently crocheting another rag rug, and I have plans on quilting some throw pillows using the granny-chic prints.  But I really had to pick these up for the nostalgia; we had sheets like these growing up, and I still love them.

My collection of vintage pattern books is getting out of hand, but I just can't resist!  And look at these beauties.  Inspiration abounds.

Happy Hunting!

xo

s.



Crochet beachwear is all the rage. 
These guys look hot.  Like sunstrokey.

Nothing chic here, just straight up granny. 
And I still kind of want to make them.

When quilting (and lady mullets) go too far.

The family that wears matching sweaters has no choice but to stick together.

Stress-free food: Menu Monday

Once upon a time, I had a resolution that kindof, sortof stuck.

A few years ago, I was horrified by the smell that was coming from my refrigerator. (Some quick context setting) At the time, I was single.  Food was something I knew I had to consume in order to keep me alive.  I was re-exploring being an omnivore after a decade of near veganism.  I was also a workaholic, in the sense that working near constantly shielded my brain from the disaster that was my personal life.  During a well intentioned shopping trip, I must have purchased the fixings for some sort of quick and easy chicken dish.  And then I was promptly required to go on work travel.  This particular trip, as many of them did, had me leave early on a foggy Vancouver morning, had me arrive back home late on a rainy Vancouver night a few days later, and so on and so forth for a couple of weeks.  When I was finally in my apartment for more than 8 hours of sleeping time, the smell of death was inescapable.  Chicken breasts should not be left unattended for 2 weeks in a locked down apartment.  From then on, I bought only what I could consume that day.  My waste was way down.  The flip side being, when I was not travelling, my food costs skyrocketed.

When I moved to Halifax, my job requirements were far less demanding on my personal time.  I also fell in love, which reignited my love of cooking.  And Jeff got the top of my culinary game, but more cooking meant more ingredients, which meant more waste.  What to do?

I started planning: flavour groupings so that the cilantro didn't become soup in the herb drawer; two different meals that each use half a butternut squash; utilising sale items to maximise savings.  On Sundays, I find one recipe that tickles my fancy, and I build a week's menu around it.  One trip to the grocery store later, our weekly food costs are down considerably.  I thought you might be interested in a peek at this process and out weekly menu board.  

This past week, I was away on business, so the menu the week before was last heavy on the large portions so that Jeff get home cooking even though I was not there.

The inspiration for this week was cleaning out the crisper - we had a number of carrots, celery and parsnips that were near to the end of their days. My first thought for lacklustre veggies is always soup.

Monday - recipe from Pinterest. Edamame is now a staple that were buy in bulk from Costco.

Tuesday- recipe from "Skinny Meals in Heels", an offensively titled cookbook that has an impressive selection of really tasty meals. (Cilantro and ginger required)

Wednesday - soup from Jamie Oliver, salad from Chatelaine. Both soup and salad were gussied up with bacon. (Ginger, sad veggies)

Thursday- recipes from Jamie Oliver. (Cilantro and ginger)

Friday - soup from Pinterest. (Sad veggies)

Both Saturday and Sunday (ginger, cilantro) were also from "Skinny Meals in Heels".

Upcycle - The Huxtable Sweater

Americans toss over 11.1 trillion tons of textiles in the trash each year, the equivalent to about 31kg per person.  In Canada, it's closer to 7kg per person, which is better, but still gross.  It might also point to us being colder, and not wanting to toss our blankets and sweaters, or us being more fashion conservative.

And we all know those sweaters.  The ones we keep long after their best before date because they're super cosy or because of a deep sense of sentimentality.  Case in point, this crime against fashion (and perhaps even humanity) that was buried deep in the pre-married pile of my husband's closet.

Clair made Cliff get rid of this sweater in season 6.  He gave it to Elvin.

Or this stunner from  my high school Lorena McKennitt fan-girl days, when all I wanted was a university boy to quote Tennyson to me.

I found such a boy, and not surprisingly, in retrospect, he ended up being a douche.
Sorry if you're out there Tim, I'm sure you grew up just fine.

Just because these sweaters should never again be seen in the wild does not mean they have no use, not that they should become garbage.  In fact, our furry four legged friends have plenty of love for a cosy place to rest their weary heads.  How they manage to get so world weary is beyond me, but still.

Finnegan is in charge of quality control in my little one woman factory.
This bed passed inspection

The beds will be available for purchase on my Etsy shop - Fin & Batty - this fall.  If you purchase a bed, $5 will be donated to the Canadian Dachshund Rescue Atlantic in support of the rescue efforts of the group.  Jeff, Finnegan and I are all member of the rescue and encourage you to visit their page to find out more.

Snuggles to your 4-legged friend, and happy Tuesday!
xo
s.