Vonlipi's Favorites

So Soon?

2012-01-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

Yep I'm back so soon after the last post. Sometimes I read my posts only the day after and they crack me up. I'm behind the Hoarders bit 100%.

Let's face it we are all a heartbeat away from mental illness. Yes we are. It might be genetic, stress related or situational. It's lurking.

My mother had it BIG TIME and never did anything about it (except LOADS of twist off wine). My dad had bout of it and dealt with it accordingly. When it was my turn I seeked professionnal help. And it did the trick.

Some of us might have to be medicated all their lives ( a biggie to accept) to just lead kinda normal lives. When I say normal lives, I mean being at ease with oneself and being able to interact with others normally.

That being said we all have our quirks and should cherish them but if you feel life is heavy do yourself a favor and seek help.

Ok on the lighter side of things!

I was looking for some pictures for the blog and this is what I came up with:

This is my dessert table on Xmas eve complete with ice molds, Pyrex and vintage tablecloth.

Baklavah, caramel corn, ginger bread cookies, cherry sandies, pfeffernusse

So on this sweet and scrumptious note have a delicious night!

Yikes! Already 7 days!

2012-01-24T22:32:00.000-05:00

Yes it's already 7 days since I blogged! I found a couple of things in thrifty land, but I have no pictures as the sun sets real early.

Thank god for little joys and now the days are a bit longer. I have no Pyrex news.

I've been testing the camera in my IPhone and I must admit I'm having better results. Here's the latest batch of pictures...

The All Purpose label totally makes me laugh. All Purpose for what?

The color is not appetizing....

Luncheon meat

Meat of what? That is scary....Canned meat and China; you do the math!

A selection of mystery meats....

What were they thinking???? Those are particuliar looking S &P shakers!

Who designed those? Who bought them? They seem to belong in a night table drawer!

You know which ones! I know you've been around the block a couple of times....

This is the other stray that comes for a meal, a bath and a place to crash.

He's real cute and not shy!

Dan wants to call him Bambino. Well I think it's a bit early to find him a name...

We need to take our time and we've already established than our hearts are big, but the wallets not

so much, and caring for pets needs $$$

I don't want to be featured in Hoarders with a house full of Pyrex (true), walls made of newspaper (not true), crap all over the floor (not all over sometimes a kitty has a little accident that is always dealt with swiftly), trash all over (false),expired food since 1976 in the fridge (I can't believe people do that) , bugs everywhere (EEEEEEWWWWW!!!) and worst of all DEAD CATS DRIED UP UNDER THE FURNITURE!

I can't believe they don't smell the putrid stench of decaying corpses under their sofa. And if hey love the cats howcome they don't notice the cats are missing? Just how strong is their meds?

I know they are sick and it's not funny but if you have pets you have to be responsable people!

Having a big heart is great and wanting to save strays is amazing but you definitely need $$$ to do that.

The line is always thin and it's the same as losing weight....you must always be on the edge and not turn your back on it.

If only I could apply this on the weight thing! At least I do on the trash and money matters!

Well that is pretty much it! LOL! I've said my peace for tonite

Have a great evening and please throw away or donate something that you don't need anymore!

Snow and more snow

2012-01-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

About the roof shovel.....Some of you didn't know it existed. Don't worry! I learned of its existence about 10 years ago.

In 1998 we had this HUMONGOUS ice storm that even touched Ontario and some northern states. It was brutal. It rained ice for a week, we lost power for days and in some cases weeks. I think the record was 32 days on the south shore of Montreal.

Trees broke and fell all over, we had to run from our house (we have no fireplace or generator), a lot of nasty people took the opportunity to steal.

Anyways a lot of roofs met their Waterloo because of the ice storm. So when ; in fall; we had to replace our roof, we had trouble to find a roofing company....The one we found screwed us up....

We only found out about it 5 and a half years later. We couldn't sue them anymore and the company didn't exist anymore!

A sunday (5 years 1/2 later) we had a real heavy and wet snowfall. When we returned from our errands....it was raining in our kitchen! Not drops, gushing water!

The roofing company didn't remove the old damaged shingles, but merely applied new shingles on top of the old ones! How charming.

To prevent more damage every time we had a big snowfall; one of us would get tied with a rope and we would shovel the roof.....

It took a couple of years to gather the funds for a new roof....but we now have one. We don't go on the roof anymore, we would borrow the neighbor's roof shovel....But NOT ANYMORE!

We now have Dan's super thrifty roof shovel!

Right now we're having some freezing rain.....so I'm betting we'll use that shovel pretty soon!

Here's a picture of Yoda just hanging out over the weekend

Is that cute or what?

Have a great evening!

Sweet dreams.

I will dream of kitties, Pyrex and blowmolds :)

What I left behind

2012-01-08T17:32:00.001-05:00

Thank you all for visiting! It warmed the cockles of my heart to read all your comments.

I think what Dan hates about the Goodwill is the smell of poverty: Not that clean, not spring fresh, with a lingering scent of grease and tobacco. What can I say? I'll brave pretty much everything for the lure of Pyrex and a good deal! LOL

If I'd win the lottery (6/49 for my canadians friends or the SuperBall for my american friends) I would not quit thrifting, naynay, no siree bob! I would buy a mini van and thrift FULL TIME!

And let's face it Dan loves a good deal too. We were in an antique mall in Brockville when I heard the sweet music of thrifting love and I heard: Just how much do they sell a new roof shovel for? This one is 20$. Next thing I knew the guy pocketed 15$ and the shovel was in the car with all its extentions.

Yep just like that In case you're wondering retail it's 50$ plus tax.

Ok now for the Pyrex that didn't make the cut!

Not my favorite pattern!

I got a casserole in Maine and that was enough.

Besides this was not in very good condition!

24$ each, I rest my case!

I'd like to introduce a new friend, not yet an official pet. We call him Piccolo Nero and he just hangs around the house and looks famished. Dam draged him inside yesterdat 'coz he was covered with freezing rain. We dried him off, fed him and he played and napped, finally he went back outside only when he passed Dan's dry test.

Well that's all folks! Have a great night and a sweet Monday :)

Oh my thrifty finds!

2012-01-07T17:23:00.000-05:00

I took the day off and since Dan was on vacation we decided to go on the first thrifting road trip of 2012.

So we packed some snacks and a Tim Horton's gift card and headed west to Ontario. I must admit thrifting was not the first reason to make this day trip. The real reason was to reach Gananoque and scraf some BBQ brisket at the Pig Iron.

It's soooo good and comforting, so homey and everything is homemade. The bread, the meat, the tangy cole slaw, the creamy potato salad, the lemonade, the sweet tea....Truly finger licking good. The owner ever remembered that we had come in September of last year. Oh I forgot the the horseradish sauce that tops the brisket....every time I eat this sandwhich I cry little tears of joy!

On the far right is the Pig Iron BBQ restaurant and on the left you have the Socialist Pig coffee shop. It is situated on King street in historical Gananoque just feet away from a plaque commemorating the Raid on Gananoque during the war of 1812. The American soldiers sure did try very hard to invade the northern shores of the St-Lawrence seaway! You can see plaques in every village bordering the great river.

After a deliciously satsfying lunch we made our way to Brockville, Ontario (I won't bother you with the plaques, the war of 1812 or assorted battles).

King street has amazing historical buildings but at a certain point it becomes more down and out, crusty and sad (read thrifty). There is this really sad Salvation Army store that Dan hates....but I always insist on going....never found anything until yesterday!

Actually the well trained by moi eye of Dan spotted this....

Hum dirty! And fuzzy lol

Dam perfomed some charm magic and the nice lady said the price was .50 cents.

No I don't need a bag. RUN RUN RUN before she realised she made a mistake!

I also found this in a curiosity/antique store still on King Street

I always long for vintage cheap tins but I always

find them crazy expensive. So since the price was right I brought it home with me!

There are no Goodwills in Quebec so I'm always excited to visit one especially on 50% off day!

I found this cutie hiding behind an ugly baking dish....

It is dainty and small and a really cute example of english Pyrex!

Next thing we knew the sun was setting and it was time to go home!

That was a wonderfully fantastic day and really therapeutic too.

I hope to do that again real soon, Dan is the BEST thrifting companion.

With luck i'll be back tomorow to show the Pyrex I left.....

Tata!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

I wish you all the best year ever! May all your dreams come true but mainely may you be healhty and happy.
May you realize that happiness lies in the most unexpected places and in everyday things.

Joy is coming home after a hard day's work, seeing little furry faces. Noticing a new bloom on a plant, clean flannel sheets, a warm meal, laughing with your sweetie, a drawer full of socks still warm from the dryer.

I know, I know I wrote that I was going to post yesterday but I was in couch potato mode BIG TIME!

I read, I ate, I watched tv, then Dexter....We need to watch season 4's last episode and Dan is a total wuss so your guess is as good as mine when we'll be watching it.

Today I cooked the turkey that was still frozen yesterday...I rubbed it all over with bacon grease, salt and pepper, it was delicious! We have plenty of leftovers and I'm thankfull for that.

I'm working tomorrow and I love to be prepared. Some cooked food in the fridg; I.E: cooked turkey, mushroom risotto and pumpkin soup. The wash is all done, my lunch is ready, my cereal is in a Tupperware with dried fruit, I have snack size baggies with pumpkin seeds, vitamins and jasmine tea bags. I just need to wake up, drink coffee and shower! SWEET!

We cleaned out the crap/tool/craft closet and it should be more organised....A work in progress!

The Danmeister is on vacation this week and I've heard promises of painting and door building.....We'll see lol!

I anted to participate in a 365 picture project, but I didn't take any today :(

Here's the one I took yesterday

I'm still trying to work out the Iphone pictures...but I'm not so crazy about them.

Dan thinks that I developped an unhealthy obsession with Anthony Bourdain...What can I say? I got 2 of his dvds for Xmas. We had a marathon on Travel channel and I can watch him on my Iphone for free when in the comfort of my own WIFI. Like I told Dan: I love traveling with that crazy guy with the dry wit and potty mouth.

I'm sure we could hang out all together if we would meet.

His episodes about Quebec and Montreal really cracked me up!

Well until next time.....

Thank you for all your good wishes! Hugs and kisses to all ;)

Year round up and other tid-bits

2011-12-31T12:56:00.000-05:00

Well 2011 was certainly an interesting year.

I had the big falling out with my mother's family in January. I decided I didn't want to waste energy on that battle and that I would never have contact with them, ever again and that suits me just fine.

I learned what I was worth and that is priceless.

We went to Maine in the big snow storm of February 2011. You can see pictures here

I found a job in February. It had been rocky at times and I realized that when you're a temp you're not worth a lot. You're considered half a person. How crazy is that?

In the midst of all I actually made a friend and we share a lot of values that are not necesseraly those of the company we work for.

I didn't enjoy summer the way I normally did, maybe it was because I was not used to work yet. You do remember that I stayed 3 years at home, don't you?

The thrifting scene was let's say not so great. Dan will say that it's because I have all the Pyrex in the world, but we know it's not true! Once in a while I'll find a piece I was missing and shout with glee!

I still smile when I see this cutie!

We went back to the U.S in September and we got to discover Rye beach. I hope to go again in 2012, but that is another ball park :)

In October to celebrate our 21st anniversary we treated ourselves to a dinner at Joe Beef (one of the best restaurants in Montreal) We still talk about the food; which means this was totally worth it!

in November well my contract was nearing its expiration date....but my contract was renewed for 6 months, which was definitely better than nothing but still.....

We made purchases which are totally at the opposites ends of the technology spectrum, really!

A IPhone. It is loads of fun and now that we both have a telephone we will (I hope) avoid some commuting snaffus.

We did get a greeeeaaaaattt deal, on of the perks of working for the phone company!

Now here's the other end of the spectrum....

A 1969 yelow Contempra phone for the living/dining room....These babies are scarce and pricey! I've seen some at 80$ plus shipping on Ebay....This baby was waiting for me and I won it for less than 30$ shipping included.

It needs a good cleaning but I should be getting around this tomorrow or Monday.

On December 16th I got a huge surprise! I got offered a permanent full time position with benefits! Merry Xmas to me! I still don't know what possessed my boss but I'm glad she changed her mind. I did work extra hard and upped my numbers and I decided not to be stressed anymore. I'm guessing it helped.

One thing that struck me in 2011 (this is really on the small scale of things) is that some retailers are making loads of money and laughing at us at the same time. I have 2 luxury stores near my office and I go from time to time just to window shop. You can tell that their regular customer base is rich people or wannabees, i'm neither.

Before Xmas I saw an 8oz jar of pickled veggies for 65$. That's sixty five dollars! I could get 1 pair of pants, 2 pairs of socks, 1 t-shirt and a sweater for that price!

After Boxing day I saw an airplane cushion for 125$ instead of 250$, a really cute wool cap I wanted to buy until I saw the price tag....125$ instead of 250$

and last but not least....

These kids mittens are about 3 inches long and were 49$ instead of 65$.

to top it all off the sales clerks are snooty! This is a crazy world!

I don't think I would shop there if I suddenly became rich! I would probably give my 2 weeks notice, thrift until I drop, volunteer at a pet shelter maybe even start a shelter and go spend the summer in Maine with the cats!

On that note have a nice New Year's Eve, don't party too hard and I'll be there sometime tomorrow with my New Year wishes.

Xmas was a blast!

2011-12-27T19:48:00.001-05:00

First of all I want to thank everyone who left a comment on the last post. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday! Hugs to everyone!

I had so much fun at Xmas! And you know the best parts? I had no disasters and I remember every minute of it.

I'm no saint; I've had christmases where I didn't remember a whole lot.....But not this year and we laughed a lot!

I spotted this cute blowmold outside one of my favorite vintage (yet very expensive) shops in Montreal... Kitsh-N-Swell

I have been spoiled to the gills! I got slippers, pijamas, an Hello Kitty Iphone case, dvds, cook books, Photoshop ( I can't wait to try it!)

Did I mention I got a boat load of licorice?

Oh so cute!

And even a big ceramic jar to store it in!

Some No Reservations dvds

And I now live in a WIFI! It has been an incredible Xmas.

Yesterday we went to see the Nutcracker ballet at the Place des Arts. My dad has been designing the costumes for this show since I can remember, It's always good to see my dad's work. I'm so proud!

I've seen it maybe 40 times and its always so magical.

I just know the best is yet to come!

Be well, be safe, sleep tight and crack that window open! :)

Wreath? Check! Snow ? Check!

2011-12-24T19:18:00.000-05:00

Well this is it folks! The pinacle of the season, Xmas! I'm short on sleep, but my spirit is soaring!

I redid the wreath

And I'm happy to report, it is still tackylicious!

I've heard that a lot of Quebecers have been praying for a white Xmas and our prayers have been answered!

The blownolds looks so much better with a bit of snow!

The penguins are a bit crooked...but who cares!

This is the little guy I found in a church basement for a dollar.

All the cookies are baked, the presents wrapped, the kitties asleep....

Oops lack of focus....the tree is finished

Let the feast begin!

May you all have a beautiful Christmas with all your loved ones!

I gotta go the roast is ready and I have a cosmo waiting for me!

More WTF Xmas decor....

2011-12-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

I was able to sneak a couple of pictures from the freaky carnival Xmas decor from my job's lobby....

Are you ready?

WTF? You know I don't go around saying WTF all the time, don't you? LOL

Just what were they thinking ? They look like caricatures of old people!

Just plain scary!

Sleep tight and dream of sugar plums...

WTF? Tuesday! Yikes!

2011-12-20T05:50:00.000-05:00

I have'nt done WTF Tuesday for a couple of weeks now. None of the thriftshops I visit have cool disgusting stuff like Vagisil and pikcle butts.....

Actualy today's offering doesn't even come from a thrift store....It come from the lobby of my work place!

I give you....

S_C_A_R_Y!

You know how I hate all manners of clowns, mimes, jesters and the like!

I will try to take pics of the other vignettes, but it's hard with the security guard looming near....

Have a great day!

Just around the corner!

2011-12-18T18:11:00.000-05:00

Xmas of course! Even if I,m running out of time, I'm having the best December in a llllllloooooonnnnnggg time!

I feel happy, in the moment, full of joy and light! I feel really lucky for the love and riches in my life and I give thanks every chance I get.

I managed to finish the wreath for the front door. Didn't even think of taking a picture! Silly me! It's still a vintage tacky christmassy one, but I had to pull it all apart because the cedar had gone all yellow and I had to try different dollar stores for artificial Xmas tree garland. As you might know not all dollar stores are created equal!

I got some help from Yoda. She's such a sweetie!

No Xmas tree yet. We were supposed to get a real one but we decided to use the one we have in the basement that belongs to Dan's daughter....I hope it doesn't reek too much of smoke....

Can one Febreeze an artificail Xmas tree? Well see about that!

I planted the official flower of the holidays here....That's definitely a tradition I picked up from my dad. Paperwhites! I've been grownig them every Xmas for years and at one point Dan will say (I'm not making this up) It smells like pee in here! Where's that pee smell coming from? I swear it's pee!

Every year, without fail! And I have to say every time, it's the paperwhites dear. Really? I could've sworn it was pee!

Planting paperwhites.

Planted in Pyrex (of course)

Now an update on the paperwhites.....I needed to change them to another pot because the roots were like steel rods!

So we're seeing my dad on Xmas (it's been ages) and he just informed me there will be a Xmas tree! Yipppeeee!

Until next time.....Be good, and full of Xmas joy!

Really? Are you nuts?

2011-12-13T21:56:00.000-05:00

Time flies that is a fact ! Let's just say that the Xmas baking is not really under way but I will be rocking and rolling over the weekend! I need to make gingerbread cookies, caramel corn, bake pfeffernusse and shortbread cookies.

I still don’t know what we'll be having on Xmas, it all depends on the flyers! I do smell a ham (bone in of course ) in my future. We will go and buy the tree bright and early on Saturday....I can’t wait to get it in the house and see the cats all a sniffin’ and checkin’.

Today’s offering is another unbelievable video! This one is courtesy of my pal Tracy from Crazy Suburban Mom. It’s tastelessly priceless!

This is like Febreeze for the body. I don’t believe I’ve made my stance on Febreeze known here....It sure has its uses, no question about it...BUT if your bathroom rug smell WASH IT! If your duvet cover smells WASH IT! If you don’t have a washing machine, do yourself a favour and go to the Laundromat and wash the damn thing! Don’t tell me all of life’s stinky dilemmas are fixed with some Febreeze and air freshener! OPEN THE WINDOW once in a while!

True story: I have a greek boyfriend in the early 80’s and his parents never opened the windows in their apartment, I would suffocate every time I visited! His mother was really a bitch and would always tell hime (in front of me) Zjimmy (the letter Z conveys the accent) why don’t you marry a nice greek girl? Well needless to say I didn’t marry him. That relationship was a real eye opener! I realized that for them married life consisted of being tied to stove, servicing the husband every night at the same time , poping out kids and keeping the windows closed. The plastic covered furniture, lampshade and pillows was a real turn off too!

Now just how important that the A spray is made in the U.S ? Really!

Sleep tight and don't forget to crack a window open!

If you liked the Forever Lazy....

2011-12-03T12:39:00.000-05:00

You might like this must have for everybody!

At first I thought this was a JOKE! But it's not!

I think I need one for the train ride home , because I nap almost every day....

I'd buy the large one of course!

Well I'm off to put up more Xmas lights! Stay warm and kepp thrifting!

Yes, I'll be wearing my Forever Lazy fleece suit in the yard for all to see....NOT!

Are you kidding?

2011-12-02T05:27:00.001-05:00

I saw this commercial for the first time a couple of weeks ago and I just couldn't believe it!

You've probably seen it tons of times but I just can't help myself, I just have to share it!

Ok it looks confortable and warm but just how tacky is it? I kept imagining people I know answering the door wearing that; cooking, cleaning and even hanging out OUTSIDE!

With my cats I would look like a pink fuzzy ball....

Would you be wearing this at a tailgate? A football game? I can't just hear the neighbors : Who is that big pink blob? Well it's Miss V of course installing her Xmas lights, how charming!

You can even go to the bathroom with the convinient hatch!

Have a great day and stay warm!

WTF? Tuesday! Old Crusty Jam

2011-11-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

This is a good one. I took the pictures in the Gannanoque Flea market in Gannanoque Ontario in June 2011. It was still there when I went back for canadian Thanksgiving. I swear it was there in December 2010 or even before....

Yes it is! An old jam, tea and soggy candies basket. Who would sell food at a flea market?

Tell me who!

By the way the wrapping is greasy and dusty.

For more strange and creepy (sometimes hair raising) fun be sure to visit

Sir Thrift-a-lot's WTF? Tuesday!

Night night my thrifty friends!

More signs that 'this the season!

2011-11-26T21:38:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts. We had a weird week full of surprises most of them not so good.

I was really glad that we had our first snow which wrecked havock on the roads....I lost my temporary crown and had to go back to the dentist. On the same day the train going home was 1 hour late....AAAAAGGGHHHH! And they never bother telling us anything.

We had to go to the vet, another urinary track infection (it's the food it seems) and had to emergengy gift shop.

But today we just stayed home and fiddled with stuff...Xmas lights...This year it's only old fashionned lights and blowmolds. No pics yet.

Later this afternoon I made meat pies; one of my big Christmas traditions. I never remembered to buy little aluminum pie plats so of course I ran out!

Pyrex to the rescue!

In Pixie casseroles! How fab is that? I'm letting them cool as I write so I can wrap them in foil and freeze them for later!

Soooooo cute!

We have some for supper and it was delish as usual.

Xmas lights? Check!

Meat pies? Check!

Things are going smoothly!

The Ogilvy xmas window is up and running!

My parents would bring me and I would stare and point for what seems like forever.

This year it's called The Mill in the Forest. All the animals are Steiffel. My dad remembers it from when he was young.

The fogs are my favories. The image is fuzzy because they move.

I also have a soft spot for these baby deers.

I cannot help smile when I see people passing by and stopping to look at this beautiful window which has been part of Montreal's Xmas charm for more than 70 years.

Have a great night.

Gotta go wrap those meat pies.....

Vintage finds and deliciousness!

2011-11-21T21:16:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally have something to post on the Pyrex front!

There I was last thursday minding my own business at Renaissance thrift store....Really I was really on the hunt for some trashy tacky stuff for WTF? Tuesday! And I saw this...

Now I know I've said it before...this is not my fave pattern, but this little guy looked lonely and at .59 cents I didn't think twice.

Here it is with my other thrifty find...

A scorpio mug from Federal Glass.

I ran back to the car like a maniac! Imagine a Pyrex I don't have....the fever is trechterous...I start yearning for patterns I didn't really care for!

Now at Vonlipi's house of Pyrex (lol) we have been checking off things from the to do list (and trust me the list is L-O-N-G!

I finally make the list of parts to buy to install the dining room lamp. We bought said parts and with some help (mainely on the mental side) I was able to install this:

Ok I admit it doesn't look like much in daylight and I had to get used to it...

But at night YAOWZAA!

BAD PICTURE ALERT!

It looks much better in person and makes a real groovy motif on the ceiling.

It is just the kind of light we were looking for!

Financial breakdown

Rattan lampshade (thrifted) 3$

Lamp hanging kit 15$

Lamp hanging experience priceless

Total 18$ plus the pesky tax

I'll say it's a great thrifty deal!

Have a great night

Who do you think will be winning DWTS?

Personnaly it's a toss between Rob and J.R (sorry Ricki)

Xmas Joy!

2011-11-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

I don't get to go to my super fine church basement every week because of work ans when I can well it's dark. I must admit I'm kinda of afraid of the dark i.e: walking alone at night....mind you it's only 7 pm but I'm still scaredy.

Last weekend I decide I would go on my trusty bike. That freaked me out too, I'm actually afraid of being struck by a car....I woke up in sweats last night because of this.

This morning I just couldn't believe I was so scared, I decided it was high time I kicked myself in the butt and hop on the bike.

Well I did and when I got there the good lady (not the pink lady...this one is called Joan and she sells vintage Tupperware; I've had the pleasure to help her out quite a bit at the Postal Counter OF UNJOY!) greeted me with: Oh good you're here we're just setting up our Xmas table!

Well, well that was mighty nice of them!

I couldn't resist and brought this home...

How cute is that? and for a dollar! I love you church basement!

Thank you Joan!

WTF? Tuesday!

2011-11-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

How time flies! Between work, chores and life I don't always have time to blog as much as I want to!

Anyways I'm back for a bit of WTF? Tuesday!. As I said before all is a matter of taste but somethings just rub me the wrong way!

Words can't describe how I felt when I saw this.....I actually blocked it out of my mind!

I'm sorry for the quality of the pictures....It's hard to dodge evil-eyed do-gooder employees....

What is this really? It's a big shaker. About 5 inches high.

Full of holes in the top...shaker holes for scary stuff...maybe salt...that's a lot of holes for salt! This is not a low sodium shaker.

Ok the scary part is that this thing has no face!

I spotted this at the Renaissance shop in Verdun.

Is this dawn of the dead shaker?

I was about to write that I'm joining Sir Thrift-a-lot Blog for more WTF? Tuesday action, but I'm not sure he's into it this week.

Anyways be sure to visit his blog, it's so much fun!

See you soon thriftabulous friends!

It's beginning to look at lot.....

2011-11-07T19:53:00.000-05:00

Like Christmas!

I'm beginning to see signs that the Holidays are just around the corner!

I spied this beautiful swag on Mountain street last week.

And this secret window....

I can't wait to see what this window is hiding!

On the food front, I'm beginning to see some really kick ass sales on Holiday essentials....Like lean ground pork for .99 cents a pound! I bought about 12 pounds and packaged it all in one pound bags and froze them.

Now I can make meat pie (tourtiere) and meat ball stew (ragout de boulettes) and even meat stuffed salad rolls (petits pains fourrés a la viande).

Now I need to work on some cookie doughs....Ginger bread cookies, pfeffernusse, sandies.....

And I'm happy to say my shopping is well under way!

Have a great evening y'all!

Halloween Fun!

2011-11-01T19:59:00.000-04:00

I really wanted to post this picture yesterday but I was just tooo tired. The weather is changing and fall colds are running around the office.....

But here it is the Vonlipi's vampire bat in all its glory!

Yes siree bob, this is yours truly in a DIY bat costume standing in our cardboard Transylvanian castle. Any good castle needs at least a bat or two, no?

We had a lot of fun but now Halloween is over; we will be able to channel all our energy towards Christmas! I've already started my shopping and I'm busy listing in the store....

But always I swear I'm on the lookout for Pyrex!

I want to thank my 2 new followers, bringing the total to 201! WOOHOO!

Be good, thrifty and crafty :)

Halloween Past....taffy

2011-10-30T22:06:00.000-04:00

Well I wante dto share a special picture of me and my BFF Stepanie 32 years ago on the last Halloween I dressed up and passed door to door for some treats...

But of course I can't find my old photo album (sad face).

So instead I will tell you about my fave Halloween candy! I loooove Halloween kisses or taffy depending on where you live.

A bit of background...Back in the 70's only really well off people would give chocolate bars on Halloween. My mother had a definite idea on what to give and that is what represents my idea of Halloween.

She would buy a big bag of peanuts with shells on, a big bag of Halloween kisses, a bag of 101 lollypops, a bag of inidividually wrapped bubble gums (the round ones) and a bag of Rockets. F.Y.I Rockets are called Smarties in the U.S.

She would fill a big stainless steel bowl with the mix and put the leftovers in a plastic bucket.

I still smell that mix of candy.

We don't have kid coming over on Halloween because we're near the water and it's too damn dark!

So I don't really buy candy anymore...Maybe a small bag of mini KitKats or Coffee Crisps but that's it.

But lately I've been craving Halloween kisses (or taffy or klandinkes- no I didn't mispell on that one...)

So I was really surprised to find these last week!

Actually these are a double blast from the past!

On the right you have Belanger kisses and on the left Allens kisses. The Allens kisses were originally made in Ontario until the company decided to modernize a couple of years ago, but fortunately the recipe was bought by Original and are now made in Québec (cool).

The Bélanger kisses were originally made in Québec but now are made by Allens in Ontario (go figure), They kept that recipe.

I prefer the Allens and Dan the Bélanger kisses. But what really matters is that we were able to find these classic candies!

Now my Halloween is complete! Well not really....I won't be a ble to watch my classic Haloween movie Hocus Pocus because our DVD crapped out on us....

Remember when a refrigirator lasted 20 or 30 year? and a VCR at least 10? Well not anymore!

Well at lest I'm watching Sleepy Hollow and I hope I can locate my photo album!

Sleep tight and don't let the neighbors bite! Unless you want to that is!

New Thrifty Finds!

2011-10-26T20:18:00.000-04:00

Isn't thrifting the BEST?

I love the thrill of finding something amazing! Here are my latest finds....

Aren't these cute? Little individual casseroles for french onion soup or individual pot pies....

These are going in the shop.

Oooh yellow egg cups! Another fab find for the store !

Xmas ornements!

These are GORGEOUS!

Both boxes will go in the shop....

Here's what I kept for myself!

A Melita filter in white ceramic; you just insert a paper filter some coffee, place over a cup and pour boiling water....and presto coffee!

A Pyrex canister in the Spice-o-life pattern and a Xmas tree paper napkin holder (I've been wanting one for AGES!)

These pieces were a dollar each....SWEET!

So folks I'm off to list these great finds in the shop because we all know that Xmas is just around the corner!

And Susie QT...I'm keeping my eyes peeled for some objects with 'shrooms! I believe that you are totally right and these are the next owls!

Sleep tight :)

WTF? Tuesday! 'shrooms

2011-10-25T22:27:00.001-04:00

I have to admit that the only way I like mushrooms are in my plate and in the woods; okay that's 2 ways....oops!

I never quite got the decorating with mushrooms thing; probably because my mom wasn't into 'shrooms. She was more into european-victorian-end of the century decor....which totally explained the lack of Pyrex!

Oh and I don't really like brown.....

So here goes!

This is some kind of planter/ wall hanging. It is flat in back with a small hole for hanging.

Brown and phallic synbols? I don't need that in my kitchen! NO WAY!

And who needs this by the stove?

Whoa that is a baaaad picture!

This is a giant salt shaker, it is about 5 inches tall!

Who made these things?

Funny thing is that things I couldn't stand 5 years ago, I'm now hunting for my home decor so who knows if in a couple of years...I might me pleading for some 'srooms!

Have a great FTW? Tuesday! and be sure to stop and say hi to Sir Thrift-a-lot who's the host with the most!

Latest thrifty finds

2011-10-23T20:11:00.000-04:00

It's already Sunday night! This was realy a crazy week! I was runing after time left and right. I did thift a bit....but no pictures yet.

Here's the coolest stuff I found in the last couple of weeks.

I got this ashtray at Value Village for .49 cents.

If you're a regular reader you know we are smoke free (for 6 yeras now!) but I definitely have a crazy thing for vintage ashrays...go figure!

Now what drew me to this one is that it was a promo item from an insurance company in Quebec and I now work for an insurance company. And how ironic is that? An insurance company giving away ashtrays? Now that smoking is considered evil...

I did get my hands on some Pyrex too! My PRECIOUS.....SO LOVELY, SO COLORFUL!!!

I got the Spring Flower Green casserole at a yard sale for a steal while on our road trip in eastern Ontario. This couple seem to have a yard sale every week. We stop whenever we are in the neighborhood.

The Gooseberry I got by chance on Etsy while Xmas shopping. I got a great gift plus a treat for little old me!

Well have a nice week faithful readers and keep thrifting!

To die for!

2011-10-17T19:29:00.000-04:00

Last friday I had an out of this world culinary experience....I kidd you not!

We had reservations at 6:30pm at one of the best restaurant in Montreal. We went to Joe Beef to celebrate our 21st anniversary.

I've wanted to try that place now for a couple of years but we were a bit unsure; being people that rarely go to expensive restaurants. But in August I read a review from my fave restaurant critic Leslie Chesterman and POW we had to go for sure!

It is located on Notre-Dame street in an old building lovingly restored The decor is modern country. And the food is unbelivable!

The first waiter I encountered worried me because he was so stiff and snob, I tought my evening was going to be ruined by his snotty attitude! But no. We got the best waiter; Patrick: and I swear he made the evening even better.

We ordered oysters from Prince Edward Island and pork belly as appetizers. I had a Joe Beef beer (local) and Dan the usual coffee. The oysters were meaty and sweet and I got an extra plus 3 huge shrimps (probably because of a small mixup in the reservation).

Then for mains we had a GINORMOUS NY strip (18oz) with blue cheese/horseradish and gentleman sauce along with the yummiest creamed spinach.....and BBQ ribs smoked 24hours with a Coca-Cola sauce and homemade parmesan french fries. I nearly cried of joy!

For dessert? I still can't believe we were able to order dessert! We did ask for doggy bags in order to sample their homemade soft serve! So for dessert we had OMG a Paris-Brest!

Imagine the same but with ice cream in the middle!

*sobbing with joy!*

The food was so fresh, plentiful and good, it's the way it should be in restaurants! And as local as can be!

This is the only pic I was able to take because either the lighting was bad or I was too busy sighing with joy!

I asked our fab waiter if I could bring the bottle home and he agreed with a laugh; It seems it's quite often!

I want to thank Patrick for a fantastic evening, we loved everything! And we will be back once we fill the coffers again!

And maybe one day Dan will stop screaming Paris-Brest every 2 seconds! LOL

I want to go in the summer to sit in the garden, I went and it's super cool. A lot of the produce comes from it. Otherwise on my next visit I want to sit in the window and be served once again by Patrick the big man from Gaspésie!

Love your cat!

Seen in eastern Ontario

2011-10-12T21:35:00.000-04:00

So last weekend I got to enjoy my B-Day gift. I got to go on a roadtrip to Kingston , Ontario. I love that area, the vibe, the thrifting, the seaway, the colors, the food....

Here some of the stuff I saw:

I nearly bought this, really! But when I grabbed the box, it smelled like old lady and dirty hair! EEEEWWWW!

These 2 casseroles have been at that flea forever (in flea market talk, it's more than a year). Old orchard is not one my fave patterns and I'm proud to say I've resisted bringing it home.

Hello there Jabba! I nearly bought this....let's just say that I know some Star Wars nuts real well...

But I finally left it in Kingston.

I fell in love with this evil eyed kitty but it was not cooperating for the picture!

OoooH! Did I just spy some Pyrex? Too bad I have them all!

Does that pattern ring a bell? It's just the same as Homestead from Pyrex but on a fondue pot.

On the way we stopped at Gananoque for lunch at the Pigiron Barbeque. Man oh man what joy!

They even serve homemade lemonade in a Mason jar. It was the perfect drink to wash down all that BBQ!

Here's yours truly waiting for her chow.

Here's the fabulous pulled pork sandwhich

Let me just say that the brisket with horseradish sauce was even better but I never got to take a pic!

Now I'm rested and full of energy for more thrifting!

Have a great night and yes I found some Pyrex but haven't taken the time to take some pics!

WTF? Tuesday

2011-10-11T20:10:00.000-04:00

Hi folks! The weekend was FABULOUS! But that is for another post!

Today I'm hooking up with Sir Thrift-a-lot for WTF? Tuesday!

I saw this and did a double take. It was minding its own business in a flea in Gananoque, Ont.

Yes it is a floor lamp with a HUGE straw hat for a lampshade.

Definitely not my cup of tea. I'm sure somebody will squeal of joy and buy it. But not me!

I can just picture it full of dust!

And I bet it smells of cigerette smoke. Eeeeewwww!

Who designed that? What were they thinking?

Have a great week, I'll be on the look out for scary things in thrifts.

WEEKEND! HEEEEEEEHAAAWWWWW!

2011-10-07T21:58:00.000-04:00

Ok so I wanted to have a lenghty post on times changing and the end of another era.....well that is for another time!

I want to shout from the top of my lungs that HALLELUYAH THE WEEKEND IS HERE!

I know, I know, I've already posted about the unrest at my workplace but I can't resist an update! Well , it's not really an update....

This is the company that told me I would get a permanent job by September for sure....NOT HAPPENING!

I'm still happy to get up in the morning and still thrilled to handle cheques and assorted payments, however I'm not feeling the love from my boss and I don't think they will renew my contract.

In a twisted way I think my boss is blaming me because the training was crappy; like I didn't learn fast enough. But really what is there to learn when they don't teach you anything or when they do it's so fast you don't even know what hits you so you can't ask questions your brain can't process it fast enough!

So now for a change of pace! No nudie bar or chip wagon or asian joint....

Really this is Roadtrip time....time to relax, thrift,nibble, thrift, relax, drink coffee, thrift some more, have a cocktail, supper and thrift some more!

This is what I chose for my B-Day gift to go on a road trip to Kingston, Ont! The road is so lovely, we take the old hihway most of the way.
The views of the St-Lawrence nd the Seaway are breathtaking and littered with little thrifts. And Chip Wagons....you can always get a snack in western Ontario.

It's the second place (besides New England) that I've fallen in love with. I just need to visit Cornwall, Iroquois, Brockville, Gananoque and all the litle places in between!

That sign is so cool, vintage and not politically correct at the same time!

That is probably the smallest bar in Ontario!

This Chip Wagon is in Brockville, Ont. Just so you know, it's pre-molded patties with crap in it not real meat!

STAY AWAY!

But these beauties are docked in Kingston! I can't wait to see them!

I might just get some of these.....If I'm lucky!

I wish! I can't wait to see what we dig up!

Have a nice weekend and a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Be sure to give thanks for all your riches vintage or new. Life is a gift to be fully enjoyed and be grateful for.

FTW? Tuesday! Big Ass Lampshades

2011-10-04T21:19:00.000-04:00

Do you remember David Letterman and his big ASS hams? Well I felt the same way when I saw these!

By the way I'm joining Sir-Thrift-a-lot's party: FTW? Tuesday! If you see something weird/ tacky/inapropriate in a thrift shop snap it and join the tuesday party!

Here they are.....

I gasped when I saw this one high on a shelf and I just had to take it down (dust and all) and try to take a pic. That's why the picture is not that good...I just propped it on a display rack.

It looks like a Phentex medusa!

This one was probably knotted/crocheted or whatever by the same crazed crafter!

They are at least 24 inches across! Over what table would these fit? A banquet table?

I shudder at the thought of seeing these in action!

Be sure to vist Sir-Thrift-a-lot and all the other hawk eyed thrifters who spotted awful stuff!

The end of an era

2011-10-03T20:26:00.000-04:00

I was really sad and disturbed to learn last monday that one of the area's 'landmark' burned to the ground.

The Miss Dorion motel is no more. This was the cheapest, ickiest dive of a motel and nude dancer bar.

I've blogged about it before. I don't know what fascinated me about this place....Was it this sign?

I have a feeling it's related to my side show fascination....

This was in better days.

Everytime we would drive by I had a wise crack remark to make. And on the rare times I failed to pass a comment Dan would ask me if I was ok.

Since the its demise I've learned that the nude dancers only arrived in the early 90's before it was some kind of show place.

When I first saw it it not only had an inground pool and a chip wagon so you could catch some exotic dancing, hang around the pool and eat fresh french fries....How classy is that? LOL!

Last year it had a 'makeover'....the owners slapped some ugly ass siding and not on all sides of the building.

See? the siding looks like fake rock. This is a pic from August when the Miss Dorion had a minor fire.

Mind you I wasn't aware of that! It had been closed and for sale since then.

Last saturday I made a special detour to witness the damage.

Only the pool is left.

A big pile of rubble. It does smell like arson!

All gone!

I sure am gonna miss bitching about you!

Will a condo tower replace you? If so I'll be there with snide remarks ready!

FTW? Tuesday!

2011-09-27T20:18:00.000-04:00

God oh GOD why am I sooo tired? It seems that I maybe suffering from the seasonnal change (you know, shorter daylight hours....cooler temps). But as a matter of fact it is really warm here in the Montreal area....77 farenheit and with the humidex factor it's 88 F.

It may not seem hot to folks down south but to us Quebecers it's a bit unsettling! I'm still using the pool every day and totally enjoying it! Tonight the water was at a balmy 74 F!

Ok enough idle chichat! It's time to FTW!

This is bar none the UGLIEST sofa I've ever seen! I saw it in a Value Village in the north of Montreal.

Did you get a load of the lazy susan in the middle? YIKES!

I couldn't help myself I just had to take a picture!

I'm joining my thrifting pal Sir Thrift A Lot for the FTW? Tuesday! party, hope you visit!

Keep on thrifting!

The Knight

2011-09-22T22:35:00.000-04:00

I love exploring the neighborhood where I work and spotting mid-century treasures!

I saw this one last monday but I had forgotten my camera so I had to go back!

But first this totally fab entryway

I would totally move there just to see this everyday!

A couple of doors up is this....

How funky/tacky is that? I love it! I want to live there as well, but to be honest the building is kind of falling apart....

Here's a bit of detail

Sorry about the flash, I couldn't take the pic any other way....

See? even the columns were covered in mosaic tiles!

Decorating tip: Painting mosaics is NEVER a good idea!

On weather news....it's summer again, it was super humid and warm today....I wonder what the weekend has in store for us....We will be painting, cleaning, re-organizing, and I hope to have time and inspiration to list stuff in the store. And maybe a bit of pool time!

Be well and keep you eyes peeled to vintage treasures!

FTW? Tuesday!

2011-09-19T19:44:00.000-04:00

Well I know I'm early but it's monday night and I'm pooped! Monday is always hard. I re-applied for my job today....I can't wait to see how that works out.

Last week when I went to Renaissance thrift I was able to take pictures of really good stuff for this party! This party is curated by Sir Thrift-a-Lot .I'm being naughty, I'm posting before the party starts.....

This week's offering is along the same lines as last week's.....OH YESSSSSS!

I actually let out a little yelp when I saw this....Hold on tight! Here it comes....

EEEEEWWWWW! I hate those just as much as I hate clowns. And just what are they called in english? In french it's Pierrot, just like the children's song Au clair de la lune.

You want a closer look at that evil face?

DIE DIE DIE you horrible creature!

Believe it or not but my neighbour (the clown) has some in her house! I didn't snoop I swear! I just happened to glance throught her living room window while looking for one of my cats.

Well sleep tight and lock you doors and windows.....tacky stuff might come and get you!

Aaaaahhhhh! The weekend!

2011-09-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

Today we had a very productive day!

A quick trip to the hairdresser, a touch of thrifting, we rented a carpet cleaning machine, the balance of the living room baseboard got painted, the hall got a big declutter, the heat registers got a good cleaning, we changed a curtain rod and many other tid bits were taken care of.....and I'm fighting a little cold.

Did I mention I made homemade chicken broth? and veggie soup too?

Here's what I harvested last night, we had a real hot and humid summer with periods of drought and big buckets of rain but the overall harvest is dismal. I thank God that we have other means to feed ourselves, otherwise we would have been skinny and mal-nourished.

The cukes are doing great we had about 20 so far, the green beans, shish....and to my great surprise we have oodles of cherry tomatoes. The italian tomato is a rogue, i didn't planted, it probably came from the compost pile.

On thursday I went thrifting to Renaissance in Verdun, and I spotted this. This is a fairly rare JAJ Pyrex gravy boat, I was totally in awe. And it was just .99 cents! I forced myself to leave it there because it had 2 big chips on the base. Maybe next time! But I did get plenty of pictures for future FTW? Tuesday!

After all that hard work, I needed a break! So around 5pm I sneaked outside to enjoy the fading day....

A cold one, one of my fave magazine and my latest Pyrex find!

I found The Cracker Barrel and in very good condition. I'm guessing that it originally came with a plastic insert to make it more air tight as with the Stack'n'See storage containers because no way will this canister keep your crackers dry! And I hate a soggy cracker!

However you have a tip on the side of the container.....If you want crisper crackers you can shove the crackers with the glass container in the stove minus the lid of course!

For supper we had grilled steak with Cow Bell Hell rub (from Maine), mushroom barley risotto and field tomatoes (from my CSA basket)

The temperature has been very cold in the last few days and I'm worried my swimming days will be over soon, rats! I hope to take a dip or 2 tomorrow in between chores. Well they're not realy chores. I see it as TCB or taking care of business. You do what you have to do. Winter is coming so we must prepare!

WTF? Tuesdays!

2011-09-13T20:42:00.000-04:00

Well folks this day has been crrrrrraaaaappppppy at best. But I always feel better coming home and hanging out with my loved ones and of course visiting my fave blogs.

So since it’s Tuesday it’s WTF? Tuesdays over at Sir Thrift-A-Lot! I always enjoy seeing ugly/scary/crappy/tacky things ,it goes perfectly with my sideshow side.

So here’s my offering this week. I hate clowns, I never found them funny and some are sad while other give me the hibbyjibbies, think It by Stephen King.

I can’t believe that someone actually designed this for a child’s bedroom. Thank god that my parents didn’t buy that for my room! I’d have been even longer in therapy!

Well that's it for this week! Sleep tight and don't let the clowns bite!

Thriftastic Day! Part Two

2011-09-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

We finally got around to empty the car trunk, however I was busy with the usual chores....cooking,washing, changing the bed, tidying the yard....and looking for Dan's glasses, which we found after 3 hours of on and off searching!

Here's some more goodies I found yesterday!

Yes I know that nobody smokes anymore, but really this is pink and Melmac and it makes me want to light up! It will bw in the shop any day.

I totaly fell in love with this.....

It is pristine! The glaze is perfect, no chips just like it was produced yesterday!

I don't know if I'll be able to list it...It's too delicious.

This frame I foun at the Montreal Mega Reuse Center. It was really cruddy and dusty and even came with it's own pigeon poop. It will look great in my living room with a coat of paint or dye (if Dan gets his way) and a new picture inside. It is soooo mid-century.

Now for a thrify find that I bumped into in New Hampshire...

It is a brand new still in box mug tree! From Kmart....SWEET

You get 6 mugs and the tree, all in mint condition.

Well that's it for tonight!

Have a great thrifting week (and working week). Be well my thrifty friends!

Thriftastic Day! Part One

2011-09-10T22:09:00.000-04:00

Yes this is part one, because we were too tired to empty the entire trunk, as in car trunk.

I was up bright and early, i.e 6:00 am because I was sooooo excited about a big demolition sale at Beaurepaire United Church. We got there at 9:10.

I was unbelivably disapointed ;some little old lady know it all had decided to sell things at market price not at church basement prices. So the prices were C-R-A-Z-Y! 2 dollars for a wood hanger! PLEASE!

I spotted this poor little guy all by his lonesome....

It had a 5$ sticker on the dish and a 1$ sticker on the lid and it was chipped.

Unless they changed their price policy later I don't think they sold a lot...

I heard a lot of comments about the prices.

After we went garage saleing and I was totally giddy when I spotted these...

If you've been folowing for a while you know that I love Yankee Candles! Except the price of course!

The larger one is 29.99 retail here and the other is 24.99. That is nearly 55$ of heavenly scents. I paid 1.50$ for both, how is that for thrifty?
Both are brand new, never been used! SWEET!

It's getting a bit late so I want share one last find you and it's a doozy.

A delicious splashproof red apple Fireking bowl that will be listed in the store shortly. How cool is that?

See you soon for more thrifty goodness from that enchanted saturday!

On Vacation Food

2011-09-09T22:10:00.000-04:00

I remember a time, in the 70's, when it was said that you couldn't get great food in the U.S. Yes that was the consensus. I , however, never had a really bad meal there. The awful meals I had were i England in the 70's, those were bad, even breakfast was disgusting.

So this trip was full of discoveries and mourning. Let's face it things change whether we like it or not!

So the first change was to see that our go to restaurant Lupo's wasn't there anymore...Instead was Coconut's Bar and Grille. We did try it on our first night and it was NOT good. Not terrible but not really fresh, they didn't take the time, probably stuff came out of pouches and cans.

I had the pepperjack burger with bacon, the bacon was MIA, so was the heat in the cheese but the ONE redeemable thing was that the meat was really good. Dan took a roastbeef club and the meat was grey deli crap. But the worst was the building itself: It had been re-decorated in a hurry, the carpet was old,stinky and way past it's prime. The wall were half painted and they showed years of dirt....EEEEWWWW! But the worst thing was the coconutty smell on top of the kitchen grease!

NEVER AGAIN! Oh I forgot that the same elderly waitress was there....and you could tell that she didn't have any choice to work there. She looked sad and limped. I hope things get better for her.

A new spot was Ray's seafood in Rye NH. Where the big blue lobster is. The chowder was a bit thicker than we are used to but delicious. The fried clams and scallops were perfect but the real kicker? was definitely the tartar sauce!

The sauce is homemade and oh so tasty. You can buy a jar to bring home.

Another discovery was The Beach Plum also in Rye. Now I don't have pics because there are no tables inside and the sun had set.....

Yep it's me with the big lobster (What's with me and the big lobsters?) If you think tacky you are right, I'm tacky and proud of it!

They serve a great clam chowder and a dyn-o-mite shrimp and corn chowder with a bite! But the lobster roll was clearly the biggest I'd ever seen! It had the meat of three lobster rolls for the same price!

It was delicious!

We also returned to Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery, a diner visited by our friend Guy Fieri.

We had chowder and a round of Lillian's fried clams (they are dipped in wash then in flour, fried and topped with french fried onions). D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

But what really cracked me up was this....

OH YEEEEESSSSSS! CRUNCHIFICATION!

I always enjoy finding new words.

Gotta go! Triple D is on!

WTF? Tuesdays!

2011-09-06T20:03:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'm liking to a new party! WTF? Tuesdays! Hosted by Sir Thrift A Lot. Here you will see scary stuff that will keep you up at night or make you dream because what I find scary might make you happy!

Here's my contribution for this week

I've already posted this pic, but I thought it would fit perfectly in this party!

Here's a close-up

Would would buy this? NOT ME! All I know is that the next time I went over it was gone....

And vintage fun was had by all....

Be sure to join the party right right HERE!

Atomic Treasures

2011-09-05T20:15:00.000-04:00

We were making our way north from Hampton Beach NH to Old Orchard Maine on rte 1.....and we were specifically heading to the Bo-Mar flea (opened year round). Next door there's this really big old house filled with antiques but it's messy and you can't really walk around because there's so much stuff.

We had decided not to go this time and concentrate on the flea. We got out of the car and like being pulled with a giant magnet we ended up on their lawn where a big sign said VINTAGE STUFF. First thing we knew we were in the house hunting.....

Holy bubbly vintage atomic goodness!

And in turquoise too!

Can you guess what these are?

Let me tell you that when I spotted these I screamed and jumped! Look,look,look,look! Don't you see?

ARE YOU BLIND?

Here they are when I first saw them in the store....

Aren't these totally fabulous? But really! I was a bit sad because I found them too expensive. I was resigned to leave them there. Then Dan asked me how much I'd be willing to pay for them, I answered and firts thing i knew there was bargaining action downstairs.

OMG I'm not a bargainner by nature so I was totally petrified to witness Dan reeling in the seller like a big fish. We ended up buying the lamps at nearly 50% off.

Here are the atomic godesses in their new habitat...

I need to re-wire them but otherwise they are perfect!

Good night and sweet thrifting dreams!

Pyrex Joy and more....

2011-09-04T15:09:00.000-04:00

It was a fantastic trip! We laughed, ate, shopped, walked, ate some more, napped, had snacks, saw the sights, thrifted, ate some more, swam, read and finnally ate some more. Let's just say that I'm done with fried whatever for quite some time! But boy was it ever good!

Speaking of thrifting....

I've always bitched that thrift shops are a rare sight in coastal NH, well hello there! This Early American casserole was waiting for me.

Another added treat....A brand spanking new Salvation Army in Portsmouth! And guess what came home with me?

A 045 Promotional Casserole Hearts with warmer. The warmer rack was and still is soooo greasy sticky even after a good scrubbing....EEEWWWW!

2 restaurant ware cups with dark turquoise bands and a darn I never remember the name of this one, I know it's not turquoise fern and Laurel is the red one....oh well!

Look at the logo! Strategic Air Command. See even military eat in Pyrex!

This is my favorite find? This avocado and turquoise mug (I've been aching for some for a while now....)

If I'd been a beginner collector our truck would have been filled to full capacity with Pyrex, but since I have soooo much (as Dan likes to remind me...lol)

Not for other finds!

These cute glasses for 1.40$ each

I just need to find the other 50!

A fantastic tin cake dome with plate sandwiched between the girls (Peanut on the left and Yoda on the right).

I did find other stuff and I'll blog about it tomorrow. A hint? Think atomic! ATOMIC! whoohoo!

All Shopped OUT? NO WAY!

2011-09-01T18:48:00.000-04:00

Today was way too cold for a dip ( I find I'm either too hot or too cold) so we headed north for some shopping.

We needed sneakers and affordable sneakers because in Montreal good quality sneakers are at least 120$ and up. So we were able to buy 2 pairs for the price of 1 SWEET!

We stopped at Marshall's, it was our first visit but certainly not our last! I found some really cute leopard flats (aerosoles) for a bargain....

And on the way to Portsmouth we spotted a thrift shop! SAY WHAT? STOP THE CAR! Holly Pyrex!

I found a nice Early American 045 with lid for a song! And a paper back because I don't bring my ebook on the beach...no way jose!

More on Portsmouth in another post...Signs of the times...I guess.

Over in Kittery, one of Maine's outlet shopping mecca....well let's face it; we always go to the same places....Crate and Barrel, Yankee Candle....and usually Bass shoes but not this time. No Bass shoes, until next time.

I totally freaked out in Yankee candle because of the Samps & Tarts Palooza! All samps and tarts a buck each! We were siffing for what seemed for ever! I was able to fill one of their sample trays (12). And we even got a free preview winter smell votive.

We stopped for lunch at Bob's Clam Hut (it was featured in triple D and we visited in February 2011). the place was so crowded it was scary! But we were able to snag the last parking place and got served really fast. It was delicious! Lillian's fried clams, one clam chowder and one fish chowder, yummers!

We shopped a bit after that but let's face it we need coffee and to go back to the condo. Well, well what do you know? We found a Goodwill and a brand spanking new Salvation Army right one rte 1!

I'll show you the finds another day because now I'm just too tired, I'm in my pj's, sipping a cold one and watching Man vs Food.

We will be getting dressed in about 15 to head out to Rye for a prize winning foot long lobster roll! I can't wait to see it!

Later my friends

At last!

2011-08-31T07:52:00.000-04:00

We are here! Oh my! It feels so good!

Our first taste of Green Mountain Coffee! I took Pumpkin Pie Spice, my favorite!

we had breakfast at Denny's, I loooove their hashbrowns....so crispy!

I spied this in their menu.....It's a cheesy super melt and there's macaroni and cheese layer (the pale one). Does that strike you as too much?

We got lost on our way to Target in Manchester! Thank you Google, you had us taking the wrong exit. We did meet a lot of nice people who tried to help us. Finally we saw the big sign!

Did I ever mention I loooovvvvveeee shopping at Target? We bought pillows and lamps and assorted knick knacks....

By the time we made it to the shore we were famished and a tad cranky. I was really sad to see that our go to restaurant had changed management.....More on that later.

We went to Rye beach and ate at Ray's seafood and lobster pound.

Yep that is yours truly hugging the big blue lobster! How cute is that?

This is what we see from the room....breath taking! Well we are off for our moring constitual!

Irene you little B.....!

2011-08-29T12:01:00.000-04:00

We had quite an afternoon yesterday all courtesy of Irene. We lost power and the telephone also even if we had taken care of plugging in an old fashion plug in the wall phone. We read and hung out in the living room with the kitties. Then I heard and felt a big thump, I knew right away what it was....

The tree behind the house had lost a limb! A big branch.

It fell right in my shade garden.

That's the other end

It squashed 2 large hostas.

In case you were wondering , we are still home. Dan wrote the condo place to make sure it was still standing and decided to push the reservation to tomorrow. I didn't quite understand this at first, but after we saw all the damage everywhere it was a super good idea.

Gotta go I'm in the middle of packing!

More B-Day goodies and a surprise roadtrip

2011-08-28T10:04:00.000-04:00

Here at Vonlipi's house birthday celebrations always last more than one day! So last friday I got my B-Day supper at La Perle an asian all-you-can-eat restaurat. It's not a buffet, you order as much as you want, eat like there's no tomorrow and pay a fixed price.

It was delicious! And we laughed so long and loud that we did turn heads a couple of times! And I scored more B-Day goodies!

I got a beautiful notebook covered with cats so I can write my thoughts or recipes, a super cool skulls and roses tampon carrier (ladies you know you hate it when you pull out a tampon out of your handbag and it's all squished and full of bottom of the handbag crap) , a gift card so I can get some super colorful 100% cotton sheets and last but not least have you seen the Rachel Ray miniature individual Le Creuset casseroles? How cute are they?

I'm seen shepherd's pies, chicken pot pies and maybe creme brulée (wink,wink).

And here's my biggest news! We are heading to the beach! Or at least what's left of it...You remember back in June we couldn't go because the cats were sick? Well Boubou and Yoda are in tiptop shape, my employer okayed a week of vacation , the condo place had vacancy and are honoring our deposit and the house sitter was free. Now if we could just mother nature to cooperate.

We've been watching the U.S. news and we're getting pretty nervous. Is it really as bad or just a big exaggeration? Are the autorities freaking out as we don't want another Kathrina mess on our hands? Well the networks are stressing me out! To be followed!

I remember about 10 years ago we were heading out to New Hampshire and the highway was closed minutes after we reached Manchester. It was really bad....roofs dripping, tumble weeds, rain,rain and more rain, terrible winds....we were dripping wet for the whole weekend!

Al start your fryers! We are coming for some fried clams and fried oysters, clam chowder and lobster stew!

I'm so excited! Irene GO HOME!

I hope everybody is safe and sound and dry. Be well and safe my faithful readers and friends :)

Happy B-Day to me!

2011-08-24T20:48:00.000-04:00

Ok so first things first! I want to thank all my bloggy friends who stopped by to wish me a happy B-Day! You know who you are!

I'm sorry I didn't answer but my internet connection fried right in the telephone pole! A tech came by and fiddled on the roof, in the wall, in the pole and 2 hours later the internet was back on.

I admit it I'M ADDICTED! OMG FOR REAL! I freaked out on monday night after it was better but still kinda weird.

Today I received my B-Day gift from me to me! I was in awe.....and still am....I got brand new vintage Pyrex storage canisters! In Spice O life pattern!

Check it out!

2 were still in their box! OMG! All bright and shiny! They look brand new!

Here's every body out of the box! I can't believe somebody actually kept them this long without using them!

On another front...The harvest has been spotty as best....but if this keeps up well be up to our necks in butternut squash!

Hello sweety! This is the biggest one, it is about 7 inches long and is only 2 weeks old...I have at least 5 or 7 more growing....I'm crossing my fingers!

Be well my thirfty friends!

A Special Day

2011-08-21T21:58:00.000-04:00

Well, well another year has gone by oh so fast....Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be 46. Where has the time gone by?

I don't regret anything, I just want more time! More time to thrift, cook, weed, can, sew, paint, laugh and please can I find MORE Pyrex?

I asked for a road trip to Kingston, Ont for my B-day. That will happen in late September or early October. Did I mention I don't really like great big humid heat like we've been having for the past 2 months, so that is why we are scheduling the road trip later. I also asked for sheets, a watch and perfume.

As much as I wanted to blog more this week, I was too tired, too busy, too tired and busy, trying to learn Italian, going to the movies and working.

Work is ok, the Italian is going well, and we went to see Cowboys and Aliens (totally entertaining). Sarurday we had a dinner party with friends but Dan was sooooo sick (I was scared) we had to cancel.

But that didn't stop me from baking some scrumptious cupcakes for my B-Day. They were delicious! I have to admit that I ate like a black hole this weekend....Oh well! It happens once a year!

On another subject....I had time to go through some Pyrex and this is now for trade....

Yep this is a Pyrex children's Circus plate. Quite desirable and collectible!

I'm looking for an Eyes 401, a 2 1/2 quart Charcoal Snowflake casserole, a Butterfly Gold 503. Hey I'm pretty flexible! I traded Pyrex for some rockin' handmade earrings.... As soon as I get them I'll show them to you!

Ok that's it! Be well sleep tight and a big kiss to Ventura .... Sleep tight you beautiful dog, you will be happy with my friend Tracy and don't worry Ginger will learn to love you!

Guess What?

2011-08-15T21:16:00.000-04:00

Guess what?

The lamp is going back!!! We took it out of the box, I held it up; I had time for a picture…..and it went back in the box!

Back to the drawing board!

Here’s a pic of said lamp

Bye Bye Lamp!

Now a couple weeks ago we bought a rattan shade that id mid-centuryish for a big fat 3$....Now I’ll be looking for a kit to hang it up.

There were discussions to spray paint it but i was afraid we would regret it....If we don't like that lamp over the dining room table, it will go in a corner of the living room.

Now this is really funny Dan keeps saying we need touches of color! Yeah, yeah I know but in this case it ‘s definitely a case of Rome wasn’t built in a day! Still tired but not as stressed out....

I’m praying to get the ok for a week of unpaid R&R. That would be heavenly!

In the mean time here are some pics of Pyrex in action

Caprese salad lunch

Leftovers! I love leftovers! From left to right:

Smashed new potatoes with green onions in Spring Blossom Green, tzaziki sauce in the small fridgie and cevapcicis in the Butterfly Gold. It was delicious!

Right now I'm off to watch Masterchef and then off to bed.

Sweet dreams faithful readers :)

WOW Pyrex lamps!

2011-08-13T20:13:00.000-04:00

As some of you might know we are now on the hunt for a dining room lamp....Doesn't help that the Danmeister changes opinions like people change underwear!

In the last 2 months I've had : We need vintage, new, black, colorful, spaghetti, homemade, homemade spaghetti, colorful homemade spaghetti, custom made vintage like, flying saucer and I'm sure I missed a couple. Of course price is a criteria as well, so that takes care of custom made vintage like, spaghetti and vintage (can you say CRAZY prices?).

We bought one today...It is colorful, modern yet vintagey looking and the price is ok. However I'm sure I saw something in those big blue eyes that told me nice but no cigars....I said heck we'll bring it home and see, if we don't like we'll take it back. I wanted to take some pictures but both my camera batteries are dead! It always happens that way.

I also wanted to take pictures of some Pyrex in action because we had some company and I made cevapcici one of Serbia's nationnal dish. it is an homemade garlicky sausage served with a yogourt sauce. YUMMY!

Well those darn batteries again!

Instead as a pic I will show you lamps that took my breath away.....Pyrex lamps! I saw those on Etsy and just had to share them with you. Ohhhh you beautiful delicious lamps....

How cool are they? This is recycling at it's finest!

They come as a pair and you can find them at MaggyBeHappy Etsy store.

I'm sure they will fit amazingly well in one of your homes.

I hope to post again tomorrow with pics of the lamp.

Have a peaceful night!

So Soon?!?

2011-08-11T20:31:00.000-04:00

While I was shopping at Shopper's (yep where I worked for a brief time last year) I was really tacken aback when I saw this.....

What the heck???? Halloween candy? It's still August! We are still drowning in Back to School stuff!

In case you didn't see the first pic.....

YESSSSS! Tons of sugary joy....But I was reasonnable, I didn't buy any....

YET!

Instead I fixed myself a niiiiicccceee healthy lunch of quinoa tabouleh salad with shrinp and smoked salmon

It was delicious!

I did splurge today and went to Santa Lucia Pizzeria on Stanley street with a friend (yes I made a friend at work more on that later) and ate this....

It is a calzone with italian sausage, green pepper, mushrooms, cheese and sauce. It was freshly made and delicious and so was the salad.

On a garden note.....

For the past 2 years I grew some wonderful pole beans native to my region.

We've been having crazy storms in the past 2 weeks and the tower full of beans fell this week for the second time up rooting all the bean plants.....Oh well what can I do.

I harvested all the pods I could to dry and disposed of the rest.

You can't fight mother nature!

I hope you're having a good harvest so far.

Have a great night :)

Money well spent!

2011-08-07T15:41:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon faithful readers and friends! So far I'm keeping my promise of blogging more often. Right now I'm blogging and watching The Next Food Network Star. Now Penny and Chris have gone and the gang just moved to New York. Who will go this week?

I swear on Sundays I could stay glued to Food Network ALL DAY! Top Chef Just Desserts, Chopped, Grill it, Next Food Network Star, Food Network Challenge.....

You know I've been shopping for some shoes.....Not Fall shoes but summer shoes, let's face it the deals are too good to pass up!

You remember these.....

30$ at Clark's (originally 90$)

Last week I got these.....

Mock Birkenstocks from Joe Fresh.

Regular 30$ clearance price 10$! Woohoo!!!

And last but not least my super girly sandals....

The heel is a short pink wedge and they are so comfortable!

Regular price 50$ sale price 20$. Another super deal!

I love being thrifty! So for 60$ I got 3 pairs of shoes

SWEET!

Hope you sunday afternoon is sunny and lazy!

Thrusday Deliciousness

2011-08-06T21:52:00.000-04:00

Last thursday we decided to stay downtown and shop/windowshop and get a bite to eat.

We stopped at a couple of small independant shoe stores. Let me tell you the experience was quite refreshing and thrifty! I found a pair of oh so girly sandals with a big pink flower on top for 20$. These would've sold for 50$ or 60$ at chain stores....I'll do a special post on the shoes soon.

But shopping makes me hungry! So we ahead to one of our faves Chinatown restaurant: Mon Shing on de La Gauchetiere street. This one definitely qualifies as an old fashion dive the decor is ugly, dingy and border line dirty but the food is cheap, tasty and plentiful!

Beef Chow Mein. Just after we started digging in.

Chow Mein? What Chow Mein? LOL It was delicious!

Before we had enjoyed a delicious shrinp wonton soup. The damage with taxes? 13$ for 2. Now that is my kind of meal! They even brought some fortune cookies and orange sections as a refreshing dessert.

This place is really popular at lunch time. It is packed with office workers. The downside? The service is often indifferent even obnoxious but I feel it's part of the Chinatown experience.

Now at work we used to have a cafeteria....It was very affordable but not that profitable so they closed it down. They opened a Presse Café which is like a cheap Starbucks, the food is ok but for a luch you can't spend less than 9$ which is quite expensive in my book.

Over the last few months I found a couple of places that have great eats and are easy on my wallet.

The Clafoutis is one. This is a downtown staple that has been opened for at least 20 years. It is soooo popular that if you want to buy lunch there you have to arrive around 10:30 AM, yes siree bob! Other wise you spend most of your lunch break waiting!

This is the sashimi salad. It is like a deconsructed sushi roll and it is FABULOUS. Party in your mouth fabulous! It was generous with tempura,avocado, great salmon

fresh veggies and a wafu vinaigrette to die for! It was the perfect friday lunch :)

I hope to post again tomorrow and show you my new shoes and part of tonight's supper!

Have a great night!

Hand Cream Fish and Urban Gardens

2011-08-03T21:29:00.000-04:00

Hand Cream Fish and Urban Gardens

Ok so I’ve made a mid-year read Xmas in July resolution: To post more, even if I’m bummed out or have nothing spectacular to write.

First a job update: There’s no BS at work ,Maureen. What happens is that my group was severely under staffed, they decided to post the jobs, I applied but didn’t get it because I don’t have the right kind of degree....So now the positions are filled and since I am a temp I’ll have to go eventually. My boss did promise they would keep me until the end of my contract; i.e November.

So now I’m trying to find another job within the company but so far no luck. Send positive energy my way tomorrow afternoon because I’ll be in another interview! I’m starting to have a lot of experience with these things!

But I’m also starting to wonder if my boss will honor her promise and really keep me until November...

I need to keep my faith that everything will be fine.

I love working in the west part of downtown. There are so many restaurants and I’m always on the lookout to try new cuisines. I love asian foods, I’m totally addicted to Dim Sum, Vietnamese soups (Pho)and sandwiches (Bhan Mi), chow mains and sushi . I tried Korean food and was very surprised that kim chee; one of their national dishes; wasn’t really that spicy. Kim Chee is a Korean pickled cabbage. They eat it morning,noon and night.....

So a couple of weeks ago I’m on the prowl and I spot a Chinese restaurant on McKay street that looks promising so I look at the menu in the window and see this.....

In English the name of the dish is Fish with cream corn sauce but they write it source and they translate it in French to Filet de poisson avec sauce creme de mains (cream of hands filet of fish) which I found totally hilarious! I don’t know where they got there translation but people be careful with web translators; whenever I used them they give me crazy stuff!

Still on McKay street you can find beautiful planters with veggies ! They are part of an effort by a Concordia community group to green up the street!

Sunflowers, onions and ground cherries

Pretty cabbage

Such a sweet sunflower!

ooh grape tomatoes! They look mighty tasty!

Those planters always make my day and I go out of my way to pass by them!

Did I metion that we are learning italian?

It is super fun and a great way to keep our minds nimble!

Still trading the Pyrex and I should post new items soon ;)

Just TOOOO Tired....

2011-07-31T00:14:00.000-04:00

I'm tired. I fall asleep in the train, and then again when I get home....I've been told I have small beady eyes (lovely). Probably the 'will I have a job tomorrow ?' stress is getting to me. I applied for anither job and I got news Friday that I didn't get it...Oh well. Now HR has found something else that I can apply for....

On a more pratical side....really down to earth. It is late July and that means END OF SEASON SALES! Well who are we kidding? Most of it is way too small for regular/ slightly chunky/ middle age ladies....

Don,t you find that there's clothing for young clueless girls and then boring lady clothes. What happened to the in the middle of all that? We have money you know (well not tons but a bit!) and we would like to see some cool colorful clothes in normal sizes ( double zero, really people WTF?).

Anyways I went to a shopping center (I go there 3 times a year) and got myslef some new undies tha is NOT a luxury! And some rocking sneaker flats that I can wear to work!

That is a BAD picture! LOL! So these are flts that have a sneaker sole and a big flower on top. I got them at Clark's and they were originally 90$ that is a craaaaazzzzzyyyyy price ! 90$ for some sneakers you might wear 10 times?

I got them for 29.99$ and in the last week I've worn them 4 times. They make my soul happy and my eyes too! They are so fresh and girly and joyful. That grey bob in the back ground is the carpet at work.....lol

Shoping for bargains is good for stress! :)

How sad is this?

2011-07-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

Last Friday in crazy hot temperatures...read 108F people this is unbearable for a middle aged slightly overweight asthmatic like me! So last friday I took a loooonnngggg walk (well it certainly felt that way), I walked down the hill and headed to Salvation Army.

It was the 50% off sale.....you know the usual....tons of stuff......tons of crazies....all the stressed out,crazy,neurotic,stinky,not so clean and some really sad and desperate people crammed in an old building with NO air conditionning! WHOA NELLY that is a recipe for disaster!

Turns out I didn't find anything interesting to me so I didn't have to fight in line to go to the cash.

But I saw 2 noteworthy items....

I first saw this a couple of months ago and in fact I saw a whole box of these. Now please tell me what the heck are these doing in Montreal ? I used to have a collection of cheap souvenir water globes but most of it got smashed by my landlord's plumber who came to fix the tub.....bummer. I still have a soft spot for them. I'm a tacky girl at heart.

And this ....this is really sad, and I'm in denial at the crazy price they want for this.....

Boohoo,boohoo,boohoo poor little Pyrex bowl! By the color I'm guessing it was a Spring Blossom Green 402. Some people call this well loved I call this being lazy! Instead of washing it by hand why not just stuffing it in the dishwasher? It's so much easier....that is CRAP!

Please if you want to enjoy your Pyrex don't put them in the dishwasher! It will damage your dishes not to mention the paint you'll wash in your waterways that are already in dire need of help!

Ok that concludes the eco/Pyrex militant part of the post!

Do you watch Top Chef Just Dessert? How crazy is Seth? He could fit right in the Salvation Army right along Penny from the Next Food Network Star! Why can't people just get along and cook peacefully?

Here at Casa de Vonlipi we are totally addicted to food competitions! Rats ! Masterchef is not on because of the President's address....

Sweet Sweet Oleander

2011-07-20T21:46:00.000-04:00

In my parents house we always had a big oleander plant. My Dad would drag it out in late Spring and drag it back in in Fall.. When it would bloom, the air was filled with the sweetest scent, a scent that always made me feel like everything was going to be alright.

When we went to vacation to Italy in the 70's, I was soooo surprised to see and smell oleanders everywhere, litterally!

I was also happily surprised to see one in front of a designer boutique near my workplace.

I stop by it every morning and take a big whiff out of those adorable pink flowers.

I can almost smell them right now! :)

Now on the Pyrex front I went to pick up a Butterfly Gold that I had purchased on Etsy. Much to my surprise when I grabbed the box I could hear the broken pieces rattling inside. UGH! So I came home and took some pics and wrote the seller.

It wasn't very well wrapped....I asked for a refund.....Stay tuned on that!

See?

Have a great night! And keep on thrifting!

Blackberry Bounty!

2011-07-17T23:01:00.000-04:00

This is an amazing ime of year it is blackberry time! More than 10 years ago a friend twisted my arm to take one blackberry plant.....I confess that I planted it where I would not see it! LOL

But since then I've learned to appreciate this easy care plant. Ok you need to trim it in September but besides that it requires NO CARE! I'm NOT KIDDING! REALLY!

I trim it in the fall (with gloves of course) and let it go. This year I've had a major BUMPER crop (sorry for the sintax, remember I am a french canadian by birth).

Usually I have to fight bird and probably rodends for fruit, but not this year....is it that the harvest is late and birds can stuff themselves on Saskatoon berries? Maybe!

Now I can understand why blackberries are soooo expensive in the farmer's market....They are quite time consuming to harvest! And you have to deal with mosquito bites, thorns and bending and stretching.

Here's part of the blackberry plant. It is really a good 12 feet longer. Usually it grows in height not lenght...

That is really strange!

Here the heat is brutal and even with the best will I wasn't able to really get ahead in the garden because of the crazy heat. I water and that is about it. I float around a lot in the pool. The vegetable garden looks great: I might have tomatoes...I see two smallish ones....No cherry tomatoes.....I picked a yellow sweet pepper....We eat our lettuce almost every night and I think we will munch on green or yellow beens next week.

On the thrifting front, well you know it's not that easy to thrift when you work full time....and most of the church basements are closed during the summer.....bummer!

But we did find this at Renaissance:

A nice shaker with all the parts and a bar spoon as a bonus for 2.99$ SWEET!

Oh I forgot to show a pic of the blackberries and my latest Pyrex find....

Yep I got a Square Flower Green cassrole, which I never liked before but now I just LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEEE the pattern! Unfortunately the seller never mentionned that this sweet casserole had quite a ride in the dishwasher.....

On the job front well believe it or not I still feel stressed out of my mind!

The company decided to add permanent positions to my group (basically my job was becoming permanent) and if I wanted to stay I had to apply for it and pass an interview, which I did.

I didn't get the job...some guy who's not bilingual (remember this is Québec folks and you need to speak both french and english to get a decent job) but has an accounting degree got the job......

I also had another interview but I'm still waiting for the result....

in my current job well now is the time when my crappy training comes shining through! It seems I did a lot of mistakes and now the crapp is raining all over the place!

I'm sure I will pull through because I'm a fighter and always have been! I survived my crazy mother didn't I?

Have a great Monday :)

Trades going well

2011-07-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

I'm really happy the way the trades are turning out! I sent 2 boxes today....I have 2 other in the works.

If you wrote me or commented and haven't has a reply don't worry, I want to be fair and treat trade requests as a first come first served basis and basically I want to trade .

Getting money doesn't advance my collection, but it's not out of the question. So be patient and I will get back to you soon. The most popular items are fridgies! I'm not really surprised, but I got other cool stuff leftover! What about those fab platters ?

They are still looking for a good home!

I still have tons of culling to do.... I predict some Flameware and Citrus bowls for trade....Stay tuned!

I have high levels of stress at work and the situation should be back to semi-normal by next week. Let,s just say that choices will have to be made; by me and by the powers that be because we all know we ain't in this playground by ourselves...

Be well and sleep tight my friends and may the thrifting be plentiful!

What's new!

2011-07-08T23:33:00.000-04:00

I'll tell you what is new! I finally posted on The Pyrex Collective my pieces for trade, well some of them at least....

Reducing a collection can be a very emotionnal venture....

So if you love Pyrex, visit The Pyrex Collective and write me if you're interested.

You could get your paws on this

You saw right, it is Pink Pyrex!

I can't wait to hear from you all!

Clamato WINNER!

2011-07-05T20:23:00.000-04:00

Well folks, this is it!

Time for the draw of my super duper Clamato giveaway!

Since I only had 3 eligible participants I didn't rely on a random number generator (why use technology for such a small number?), so I asked the Danmeister to pick a number between 1 and 3....and the result was......

Number 2!

SixBalloons you're the winner! YIPPEE! I'm emailing you right now!

Thanks to De Tout, De Rien and Yutha for commenting. I just wish I could send some Clamato love your way too!

Thanks again to everyone who commented and Mom Wald I can't wait to see your clammy tomato costume!

Remember this cutie?

2011-07-04T21:20:00.000-04:00

First things first!

This is you last chance to comment for my super duper Clamato giveaway, click HERE for a chance to win.

Now please be honest....Do you remember this?

That cutie is part of a set of 4 that were rescued from the trash in Lachine last year. Yes they are made of teak and worth a pretty penny (Why someone would want to throw them out, it leaves me speechless, which doesn't happen very often let me tell you!)

Also in the trash was the dinning room table minus legs (Go figure!). So the plan was to re-upholster the chairs and have some legs made.

These things are easier said than done! lol

Here at Casa de Vonlipi we definitely have problems with follow through. We had to figure out what we wanted to re-upholster the chairs with....originaly it was black vinyl....But I suggested we reuse some dark blue leather we had, so we bought some dye....2 months ago.

The chairs got done last weekend! I so thrilled I can't believe my eyes everytime I look at them! hihihi

Isn't she SWEET? OMG I can't believe we now have genuine mid-century teak dinning room chairs!
It cost less than 30$ for the dye and the padding so that is 7.50$ per chair which is pretty trifty in my book!

Now here are some pics of Canada Day Pyrex in action!

As an appetizer I made crab cakes....with a special tartar sauce. I haven't written down the recipe yet, but they were delicious!

A Pyrex dredging station (can you tell I watch a lot of cooking shows?)

Some of the dishes resting after a hard evening's work!

This is oe of those morning after shots....I still had the tablecloth on the table and the Pink Pyrex fridgie set just wanted to come out and play!

Look how the pink from the tablecloth is really close to the color of the Pyrex? F-R-E-A-K-Y!

Well that's it for tonight....As much as my heart wants to thrift, my mind says I should take care of the house and the yard.....sniff.....I try to do a little bit every night after work.....

Have a restful night my friends!

Clamato Canada Day SWEET GIVEAWAY!

2011-06-29T19:16:00.000-04:00

Great news faithful Canadian readers! My friends @ Clamato have contacted me to see if I would like to host a giveaway for Canada Day!

You could win this....

Isn't it to die for! You'll be the life of the party!

You just need to add spitits!

Do you want a chance to win this?

Well it is easy!

1) you must be a follower or become one

2) Leave a comment on this post

3) contest is opened to Canadian residents only (sorry about that, you know I don't make the rules)

4) contest will close on Monday July 4th midnight

Just a reminder I'm 5 followers shy of 200.....lol

Get your Ceasar on! I'm off to make myself one! Yeah baby!

Oooooh! Diamond hiding in Value Village!

2011-06-27T20:35:00.000-04:00

I had written a fabulous and witty post but blogger just ate it up! QWERTYUIOLMNBVCXZ!"/$%?&*IO)!

So here goes! Yesterday (Sunday) we decided to head west (yes again) to Morrisburg to visit the McAffie's Flea market. Morrisburg is about 35 minutes west of Cornwall by the scenic highway (translation: yard sales and Market Place flea where we got our buffet and credenza).
I had brought a boatload odf magazines (not vintage) to donate. So I say: Do you think Value Village is opened on Sundays (a surprising amount of shops are closed on Sunday in Ontario) and Dan answers: I guess so. Anyways we have to drive by...and lo and behold it is open! I'm just gonna pop in to drop the mags, ok?

So Dan says: I'm sure you're gona browse, no? Of course I am! And I was rewarded with this....

Oh yes come to mamma! You beautiful Cinderella Promotional 1958 decorator casserole!

I'm gonna make you mine! All mine, all mine.....My precious.......

And for only...

Even Dan was excited! And that is a big deal coming from someone who works to move the collection out of the house!

I really enjoy McAffie's Flea market but the sellers have CRAZY prices!

See the Friendship 403 in the background? Well the seller wanted 23$ for it!

And she kept hovering and asking me if I wanted some help! I DON'T WANT HELP LADY' YOU PYREX IS TOO FREAKING EXPENSIVE, SO I TAKE PICS TO POST ABOUT IT ON MY BLOG! OKAY?

That felt goooood!

Pardon the crappy pic, the lighting was horendous!

The big Hostess bowl was going for 35$, really!

Another crappy pic!

My fave booth is the basement! It is basically one huge, dusty, hodge podge booth and the lady wants to sell! You know what that means, right? Great deals!

My For Trade post you come out any day now!

Sleep tight :)

No thrifting for me NOOOOOO SIIIIRRREEEEE!

2011-06-25T09:23:00.000-04:00

Was I a BAD girl? Not that I know of....Yesterday I woke up to RAIN, so no yard sales! That was a major bummer!

So instead we worked in the house more specifically the living room/dining room....Since the end of May I have 2 HUGE tubs on my patio filled with Pyrex. So I have to decide what was going in, being displayed, what was going in the basement and finally what was going for adoption....

So it was an emotionnaly charged afternoon! I just had to take a nap! After a well deserved nap....I continued to sort and clean and place...

Watch for a For Trade post real soon!

On to another subject! S'Mores are virtualy unknown here in Québec....Why? who knows! I knew of them from watching tv and reading magazines but never had them. Until last night that is!

I made S'mores my way (I'm not writing S'mores with a twist because I CAN'T STAND THAT EXPRESSION! it seems every recipe is now with a twist!)

Do you see the Nutella? Yep it will take the place of the chocolate!

I melted the marshmallow on a stick over my stove's burner.

Spread some Nutella on a graham cracker, then add the melted marshmallow.

Then place another cracker on top and squeeze!

Enjoy! This is sinful and ooey gooey!

This morning I woke up at 7am and was really happy it wasn't raining, because maybe we could hit some yard sales....But at 8:00 just as we were leaving the house it started raining very,very hard !"/$%?&*( oh yeah I'm starting to get ticked off! But what can I do? I poured myself another cup of coffee and went to pet Boubou.....

See? A big (really BIG) and a regular one. What the?

He doesn't seem to limp but we're not taking any chances we are going to the vet later this morning.

If it stops raining Boubou might enjoy some yard sales too!

Be well and keep thrifting ! (because I can't for the moment :) )

In a perfect world

2011-06-23T22:27:00.000-04:00

In a perfect world I would be here

enjoying homemade fudge and various snack foods....

But instead I'm here

Yep that is my living room with Boubou and Yoda.

We had to cancel our vacation in New Hampshire....

Because we are responsible people.

Our delicious little (big) kitty cat Yoda is sick....

She has a urinary track infection and diarrahea and a skin infection as well.

We were all prepared to go to NH, we had booked a sitter and a hotel for Yoda (they were even going to give her her pills) but Monday morning she started to throw up and I did see the pills in the puke.

So after a very short early morning discussion....We decided that we wouldn't feel good to have our little one throwing up in a pet hotel and what if something was to go wrong? Well turns out taht the powers that be didn't want us to go! Our sitter had to go babysit her grandaughter and the weather is supposed to be crappy on the eastern seaboard....so....today we went shopping. We are still missing a ceiling lamp for the dining room and other stuff. We took a well deserved nap! That was so good!

Before working I was thinking of becoming a professionnal napper!

Tomorrow we want to get up early because if it doesn't rain we go garage sale hopping! We need a smaller curtain rod for the dining room and we never know what we might find!

Party! When life gives you lemons, you go garage saleing!

until next time fried clams, lobster roll,clam chowder and other delicious delicacies!

Farm Fresh part 2 and living room update

2011-06-16T23:04:00.000-04:00

So yesterday afternoon I picked up my first veggie basket. It was great to meet the farmer and chat with her, she was surprised I knew what kale was!

As expected it was a small basket because it was the first.

I got a bunch of radishes, a leaf lettuce, a bunch of young kale, a tomato, some lemon basil, an edible flower (the english name escapes me...) and 4 potatoes.

Those simple offerings filled me with JOY!

I can't wait to eat some of those beautiful veggies!

Another thing I wanted to share was the new track lighting we got for the living room / dining room. When there are no walls you need to blend the ceiling lamps; well most of them.

I spent 2 hours installing them last Saturday.

I wasn't sure at first but they are FABULOUS!

See? I wired them right so they work!

I'm so glad I have those skills and I'm not afraid to use them!

I still need to install 2 singles from the same line.

We still need to find the ceiling lamp that will hang over our dining room table...I've been looking in eBay and the prices are CRAZY! I'm not paying 500$ for a vintage lamp!

Well last but not least....

Look what we got today....

I still need to clean the inside. They are Canadian and they are GORGEOUS! And made of walnut too!

I can't wait to put some Pyrex in it!

That is a funny pic! the white bowl on the floor is water for the cats....And believe it or not we can't fit one component in it....rats!

I can't believe Jennifer Aniston came out so clear in this pic, I think she was on Oprah!

Too much!

Well it's late and I should go to bed....See you soon my bloggy friends! Stay well!

Farm Fresh

2011-06-14T05:47:00.000-04:00

Through my employer and Equiterre this year I'm able to get farm fresh produce and help support a local farm.

I've been wanting to do this for a long time. I'm so glad we signed up for this! I'll be getting my first produce basket tomorrow. I can't wait to see what I get!

The farm is in Ormstown, Qc and is called Les Jardins Glenorra.

This is so exciting!

Must get ready to go to work :)

Do you remember these?

2011-06-08T21:40:00.000-04:00

Do you remember these?

These beautiful mid-century lovelies? Last Saturday (after the church basement blowmold orgy) we headed west to Cornwall, Ontario.

After a quick and unfruitful visit to VV where I spotted these....

I got to admit I don’t really like English Pyrex. Most of their patterns are blah and remind me of old maids, what can I say to each is own!

I know plenty of people who think I’m certifiable for collecting oodles and oodles of Pyrex!

Back to the roadtrip....About 10 minutes west of Cornwall is Long Sault and what is there in Long Sault?

The Market Place flea market, it is a really small and sweet flea and that is where the lovelies reside.

We’ve been checking them out for quite a while now....

And this time they were nearly 50% off! But we didn’t get them, because we had just spend a chunk of change on the grill and the paint and the new floor.

Fast forward Sunday and Dan is running around with a tape measure and a pad of paper and next thing I know, I hear: We should get them they are not expensive, blahblahblah, they would look great, we can fit all the tv components in, blahblahblah, where is the phone book I need to call the flea!

We should get them next week! I,m really excited! I need to clear the sideboard and a bureau because it’s full of merchandise from my Etsy shop!

I'm sooo excited I can't wait to get them !

It's raining.....

2011-06-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

It was raining Xmas blowmolds! In the first 10 minutes at the totally crazy church basement sale we found these!

The penguins are so cute! They remind me of Pinotte my tuxedo cat.

See?

In the same batch I also got these

These citrusy mugs

This AMAZING cookie tin

I also got a batch of vintage wrapping paper (Xmas) from Regal- Does that ring a bell to my canadian readers? i loved Regal (Primes de Luxe) I was sooo sad when they closed!

I also got some appetizer forks, a milk glass tumbler and some Phentex slippers (new).

We saw some Pyrex, but nothing really interesting

We had a ton of fun even if we didn't buy as much as last year. That is really what I love from these sales, you never know what you'll find!

Have a cool evening! :)

It really was a.....

2011-06-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

A big old squirrel dead in the pool and it was removed this morning while I was happily balancing spreadsheets. And the motor ran for a bout 3 hours, but it seems I need to do a backwash....Slowly but surely!

Now I won't be working on the pool or in the yard for that matter....Because we'll be getting up bright and early to go here....

Ok this is where I'm very disapointed because I was so sure I'd taken some pics while we dropped a car full of stuff earlier this week.... But alas.....I didn't

We will be heading west near Les Coteaux to a huge church basement sale then on to Ontario. We hope to push until Gananoque. We will be packing a lunch and refreshments... and we'll be sure to stop for plenty of coffee along the way (Thank God you're never too far away from a Tim Horton's here in Canada!)

We hope to find some of these...

and maybe one of these...

Wish us good luck!

Oh I'm wishing for some Pyrex too! Even a little something in Jadeite!

Reno Update and Pool 2, Miss V a big fat ZERO!

2011-06-02T20:43:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to share a view of the new drapes...

New paint,new floor, new drapes= Totally fabulous!

Do you remember the curtain rods we picked up super cheap @ a garage sale a couuple of weeks ago?

here's the fleur-de-lys finial

Not bad , eh?

Now for the pool...The weather has been wet and terrible and we have a whole region that's been flooded for more than a month and they say the water should receed within 3 weeks. They won't get money from their insurance because it's an act of God. The goverment is supposed to help them, but I doubt that our prime minister will remove poop soaked gyprock anytime soon....

Now for my regular readers, you know what I do this time of year!

I battle with the pool!

So summer is coming fast and I had to start the pool. First I'd forgotten that I'd broken a part last September....so I had to buy another, then I 'lost' the blue backwash pipe and I had to buy another....Sunday I installed most of the pipes....Then the heatwave hit, it was so hot I was sweating bullets at 6:30 am. I felt dirty and sticky by the time I got to work!"/$%?&*(....

Last night we removed the pool cover and I screwed on the last pipe, I filled the pool ,added the chemicals and OMG the stench! Sweet Mary mother of Jesus! I thought I was gonna pass out in my own backyard!

It smelled of rotten eggs and judgement day, oh yes if judgement day had a smell it would be the one that emanated from my pool! SHEEESH!

It took forever to fill.....really. I had to get ready for today so I came inside to take a shower, then went back outside in my pj's and rubber boots (real sexy). Finally the moment I'd been waiting for! I turned one the motor's switch and heard the filter filling and the water circulating and then....What is that? I heard the distinct sound of dripping water and spurting water! None of my connections were water tight! OMG! With the flashlight I rummaged in the shed for a screwdriver and tightened all the connections...I flipped the switch again and water was still gushing, so I turned everything off and came back inside, sore and sick of the pool.

This evening I came in the house and went outside to check the pool. I removed and screwed back on the filter's plug and a miracle it didn't leak anymore! Since we had a lot of wind in the last few days....The pool was full of leaves that I decided to remove with the net, there was a lot of them....and also a dead something flotting in the pool! OMGOMGOMGOMG A DEAD ANIMAL IN THE POOL! I NEARLY PUCKED RIGHT THEN AND THERE! IT IS A RAT OR A SQUIRREL! I came in the house screaming EWEWEWEWEWEWEW! THERE'S A DEAD RAT IN THE POOL!

Dan promised to take care of it tomorrow. So as you can see the pool won and it's not running yet!

Pool 2, Miss V 0

Tracy, I miss posting often too! I just have so much stuff to do, it's like I have 2 jobs!

Have a great night! I hope to post tomorrow as well :)

BBQ Beast

2011-05-28T21:23:00.000-04:00

What a day! I was sure our energy wouldn't last that long, after all we've been working on the house for a week and a half. So today we brought most of the furniture back inside, glued little felt pads under the furniture's feet, installed the drapes, installed a milkglass rod in the kitchen and a new tp dispenser in the bathroom. We also cleaned a junk closet; funny how crap just seems to reproduce!

And I built the BBQ that we bought last week @ Zellers. I would be so thrilled if it became a Target store.... But we'll have to wait 'till 2013.
Ok back to the BBQ. It stayed a couple of days in the car, because it was too heavy to move....Wednesday we put it outside in the box. It has been raining since, all day everyday ; so this afternoon when I came to put it together, the box litterally melted!

All in all it took me 2 hours to build it. I confess to a lot of swearing! It came with all the tools necessary except a hammer, a pack of smokes and some liquor! It was hot and muggy and I was sweating like an animal, but I didn't let this get the best of me, no siree bob!

Here it is, IT IS HUGE by our standard and even our biggest cover won't fit it!

To celebrate and break it in I grilled some pork chops. They were juicy and delicious and perfectly cooked.

YUM!

Tomorrow I hope to install some of the new ceilling lights....I'm crossing my fingers!

New floor deliciousness

2011-05-27T23:01:00.000-04:00

This is the old floor

It really was a sub floor that we discovered when we reoved the horrible commercial grade carpet and plywood. See those big grooves? They were always full of stuff and a real pain to clean! It was also in dire need of a good sanding and a coat of varnish if we wanted to keep it; but let's face it we were as sick of it as the paint on the walls.
As in everything our decorating tastes evolve over time; and everyone is different. It is very important to march to the beat of your own drum and decorate your house to suit your tastes. Here all the window mouldings were made of cheap grade knotty pine (circa 1992 or 3) and we couldn't stand them anymore, so every moulding got the white treatment. Special primmer and 2 coats of paint.
We love it and as my Dad says: Don't forget you are the ones who live there. So the decorating style needs to meet what we like and right now it is mostly vintage!

Can you tell that this is not really wood? That it is vinyl?

It will be so easy for us to clean with our four cats. No more litter stuck in the grooves! And rumour has it that it is warmer in winter! I,ll keep you posted!

Now we still haven't shopped for the skirting,so I hope to find a sale on those.

Tomorrow I hope to set the grill we bought and to install some new track lighting. Again the existing track lighting was soooo UGLY that we got rid of it before I even thought of taking a pic of them. EEEEWWWW! Can you say overgrown pacifiers?

Now we still haven't try to decorate, but I wanted to share this (maybe temporary) little phone corner!

Still not finished but I wanted to share this dynamite chair we found a coupl of weeks ago after dance class! I kept screaming OMG stop the car I seeeeeeee a chair we might NEED!

So we stopped and got the chair, it's a dead ringer for oe we already have upstairs!

As for the cola cooler, I was really happy to score a french Coca-Cola cooler and whithin my budget!

Now can the rain stop so I can start the pool?

Have a great weekend!

It's here!

2011-05-25T22:08:00.000-04:00

I came home tonight to one of the most beautiful sight. We now have this amazing new floor, it is beautiful. It is so beautiful that I just stood there gawking that before I knew it the sun had gone down and I hadn't taken a picture.
I'm so in awe because of the vinyl flooring technology. It looks JUST LIKE WOOD! YES IT DOES! I couldn't believe it. A lot of care was applied with the wood grain and the color, it is crazzzzyyyyy!

Granted that the bottom moldings are missing. We will buy a more comtemporary shape, and I hope real soon, because we have the bad habit of starting something and then just forgetting about it because roadtrips and thrifting are so much more fun than working on the house!

I must admit that this endeavour certainly has infused some energy in our lives; and as I write this I can hear Dan snoring on the couch. REAL LOUD! The I have working nearly non-stop on this and I'm sooo exhausted that even the American Idol finale or the Moderm Family season finale (hilarious) won't keep me up.

Ok this is it as I'm blogging Ryan Seacrest is about to annouce the winner of American Idol....It is Scotty!

This means that Lauren can go back to being a teenager and loose that (I want hair just like my momma) crazy hair.

I've read that in the fianle of AI most of the votes come from the South. Read the country belt. Which is fine by me, but I wonder why they would vote in such droves on the last night!

So I just realised that: I don't even have a pic of the old floor to show you.....!"/$%?&*(
and that it is nearly past my bedtime! This girl still has to wake up at 5:00 AM get herself ready and a lunch and breakfast too :)

Another find and an update.

2011-05-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I did find something AWESOME, well to us at least! It was one dollar. I have been yearning for this for a couple of years....

Yep a rack so I can dry the wash on it. I do have a clothes line but it's not very long and i need the extra space. I tell you it is new! And for only a buck! SWEET!

The last find was another amazing bargain at the same garage sale. We bought 2 curtain rods complete with all the hardware and fleur-de-lys end pieces for a dollar each. FANTABULOUS!

So this is what we're working on this weekend. All the trims had a coat of primer and 2 coats of deliciously pristine white paint, the ceiling is done and the living room floor has been removed. The wall with the windows used to be dark blue (dated!) and we decided to tint the primer so we bought some that was supposed to kinda match the paint we choose. Surprise, surprise! The primer turned pink on the wall. It looks really ugly and reminiscent that we did have a pink living room in the early 90's.

There was a lot of trim that was in knotty pine. We couldn't stand it any more. Back in 1995 when we moved in our style of decor was more country than today. Now it's mish mash country ecclectic vintage I want all my furniture to be made of teck now and put Pyrex in all the bookcases.

It should be mostly over by wednesday night. Why? because we're having a new floor installed in the living room and dinning room. I can't wait!

Tomorrow I should work on the pool, the veggie garden, install the A/C and assist the master painter whenever my presence is needed. Oh I might even go and get a new grill to replace the one I threw out friday. I think I'll get some rest at my job on tuesday...lol!

Fiddleheads, Thrifty Finds and Kitschy Lunch!

2011-05-21T23:14:00.000-04:00

Here up north, it's a long weekend: Fete des Patriotes in Québec and Victoria Day for the rest of Canada. Usually we pack the car and head to Maine or New Hampshire and even to Ontario....But not this year.

We are painting the living room and dining room and the staircase....It was long overdue!

But first things first! It is fiddlehead season and I couldn't resist. I love the green wild taste. It tastes like the forest.

Fiddleheads are the furled fronds of young ferns.

You need to blanch them then cook them in a skillet with a bit of butter. I added some cayenne and salt and pepper.

It looks even better in a sweet Pyrex casserole!

Even if we had a lot of work to do today we had to run some errands....and lo and behold we came accross a HUGE garage sale, I just had to stop because let's face it I'm a total addict and I haven't found mucho cool stuff in a while!

I was rewarded with this:

A 70's pitcher and a melmacesque(no stamp) cream and sugar set in a lovely shade of salmon. I say melmacesque but it really feels like Melmac.

I also found a red pouch filled with stuff for a quarter. The stuff was porcelain brooches ,a brooch and earrings set- lovely with rhinestones and roseries, quite a few!

Pictures later.

Now for lunch I was in a totally vintage,thrifty mood, so I made sandwiches....

We each had one half with pastrami and the other was ham.

They were served with pimento olives and vintage sword cocktail picks. I got a box of those still sealed in my fave church basement for a dime last year. They were made in Korea for F.W. Woolworth. Now i believe the last Woolworth was closed about 25 years ago in Montreal. It was on Ste-Catherine street, when it was a real shopping street, not just shoes and cheap and ridiculously small clothes.

We painted all through the afternoon and I also worked on the BIG 2011 DE-CRAP-A-THON.

More painting for us tomorrow!

Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite! :)

Bye, Bye Old Friend!

2011-05-18T21:10:00.000-04:00

Well it had to happen sooner or later....All the signs were there! The uneven cooking ,the low temp, the difficulty lighting up....

Yep the grill was done, over, finished!!! It was not a high tech, state of the art, expensive grill....We didn't need one. We just wanted something to grill some steaks....We had gotten this little guy for under 100$ about 6 years ago and it even had a side burner! I made a lot of home fries on that burner and a lot of bacon! Nothing says weekend breakfast like bacon cooked outside! NOTHING!

Last September a big tree branch fell on the shelf and bent it pretty bad.

Bad pic and rust! EEEWWWW!

And let's face it it won't stay lit! I light it go inside, go outside with the meat and the damn thing is off, cold as death :(

I love to just throw some meat on it for a quick supper! This one is going to the trash tomorrow....and I will buy a new one shortly (finances permitting!)

Oh and it's still raining here and there's nothing in the thrifts so I feel envious of all your fab finds!