Sweetening the GIVEAWAY!

First of all I want to welcome all my new followers! 114! WOOHOO! THIS IS SOOOO COOOL!

When I announced the giveaway, I wrote that I would add goodies! Well, here are some of them.

A oack of nice seasonnal paper napkins. If you aske me you can never have too many papaer napkings over the holidays!

A lady bug eco shopping bag. The lady bug hides a re-usable shopping bag. Good for the environment and super cute (double bonus!). Why have ugly things life is way too short!

and a jar of homemade,homegrown blackberry jam. Yes they come from my garden, You can't get more local than that! Lightly tart yet sweet and prepared with care with lotsa love!

I wanted to also share my latest thrifty finds...

Those stockings are probably the kitschiest I've ever seen! It was a 'Start the Car' moment for sure!

I always try to look innocent when I find good,juicy stuff, so the lady at the cash won't overcharge me!

It's the kind of place where they pull out prices out of thin air...

I aldo baked some oatmeal raison cookies yesterday. Since Pyrex never made cookie sheets I had to settle for a regular one and a Pyrex bowl for mixing.

last thing I want to share for today....A tale of Shopper's!

 For my new followers: I worked at Shopper's drug Mart over the summer at the postal counter (known here as the PCOU-postal counter of unjoy). My boss was known as EPM- evil post mistress. It was bad, stressful under paid, customers were awful....You get the picture.

One of my duties was to check expiration dates all over the store.

I went this week to mail the light up santa and pick up some prescriptions. Well I saw a huge display of sugar free candies and get this most of them EXPIRED! LOL MOUAAWAHA (evil laugh).

So good readers don't be shy and check the expiration dates!

Are you still in a turkey induced coma?  

Have a great weekend!

I'm expiration date crazy!

More tales from the postal counter....Maybe 10 years ago Canada Post decided to sell franchises to make money, ergo the postal counter was born! Which means that Shopper's Drug Mart who bought most franchises has a postal counter in most stores. It also means that people working at the PC (postal counter), get paid the Shopper's salary (minimum wage)  compared to Canada Post salaries which are at least 2 or 3 times more...Same stress,mini paycheck.

Now I don't know if it's the same for all PCs but the store manager didn't want 2 employees behind the counter, not enough work it seems. I was there to replace EPM (evil post mistress) during her very long lunch break , but when she came back they had no use for me at the PC, so my other job was to go on the floor and check expiration dates.

Now I know that EPM and the lady whom I replaced disdained that job, they made pukey faces when they talked about it. During my 'training' I was told to check the baby products and health supplements and nothing else; when I checked with the manager I was told to check dates on everything I would put in my mouth!

I tell you it was my favorite part of the job! First of all I didn't have those pesky,bitchy,nosy,stinky people in my face, nobody bothered me and it aloud me to think about stuff! And it was FUN!

Now the lady I replaced was the sweetest but it was obvious she didn't like checking dates! I found stuff so old I was surprised it didn't run around in the store!

So I started with health supplements, meal replacements etc....I threw thousands of dollars of expired products in the bin to wait for the inventory adjustements.

Same with baby products! I then went on to skin care (ok I don't eat skin care) but I wouldn't want expired stuff on my face. After a while it got pretty boring, I was supposed to tour the store every month. The most boring things to check were toothpastes and mouthwashes.

The dust was unbearable! I asked who cleaned the shelves, it seems they get cleaned once a year, but I could do it if I wanted....Hum let me see....minimum wage,EPM, I'm already doing a job no one likes and I can clean the shelves too? NO THANK YOU!

I got to think that I should check condoms and other personnal items, because truth be told I wouldn't want expired product near my girlie bits!

I got to see all the products sold in a pharmacy and I was flabbergasted to see all the diet aids, they actually sell health supplement to make your boobs grow bigger! UNBELIEVABLE!

I would come home in the afternoon and do what? check the expiration dates! I still do all over the house!

So dear readers,please check all your products! Not just food! Some companies have freshness codes intead of expiration dates so in doubt, don't be shy and call them up to ask! 

1.25

1.25 is what I spent at my fave church basement....for these goodies!

And these...

A whole lot of cook books! Vintage cook books, you know how much I love them!

So I got 6 cook books, 3 small Mason jar (the perfect size for homemade pesto), a unopened bag of peat pellets (perfect for next spring seedlings) and a brand new still wrapped Wrebbit puzzle (I will be taking that one on vacation with Dad).

Not bad for 1.25$ !

Ok now for a SDM tidbit: When I was working there, I didn't just mann the postal counter...I did that while EPM was on lunch break. After she would send me to 'the floor' and she would say it like it was a disease; you know with a disgusted face...

What I did on the floor...I checked the expiry dates on the products. Remove the expired ones and place sale stickers on the ones that would expire in 30 days.

Now I don't want to bad mouth the lady before me (she was really sweet and trained me) but while I was there I threw out so many products the manager was flabbergasted, so it makes me wonder just what she did because I found some that were expired since 2008 ( that is ANCIENT for lube!)

Ok enough for now! Off to grocery shop I go!

BYE BYE Postal Counter of UNJOY!

Oh my, oh my how time flies! At 4:30 I'll be saying BUH BYE just like these guys from SNL....



When I first this skit I LMAO! They are sssoooo obnoxious! Heck most of my postal clients were obnoxious as were my colleagues....EPM is not working today and she didn't even say bye last night!

So good riddance to this crappy job!

Have a nice weekend!

New Guilty Pleasure

I hated him and I couldn’t resist. I couldn’t resist watching…
an episode…than another,
and another and before you could say tourtiere avec sirop d’érable (French Canadian
meat pie with maple syrup, it is quite good by the way) I was mesmerized, I was under
his spell....

I was an Anthony Bourdain’s fan. I found him so abrasive and so full of himself. But now I find funny and let's face it the guy will eat anything, mostly.
 
He actually makes me want to go to Istanbul and eat meat on a stick...But forget about Panama, too hot,too humid, too much ceviche....
 
Here's a taste
 




You may or may not like him but his show is sure entertaining! I bet he would get along with my Dad who'll eat just about anything and ate snake in China.

Today I'm looking forward to the church basement (Please Thrifting Gods be generous with the treasures and I hope the drum lampshades are still there) and also

Drumroll please!

I'm starting a new job today! yes I am! And I'm really excited of course, I'll be working at the postal counter at my local Shopper's Drug Mart. No crazy commute!

Have a great day and come back tomorrow for some Vintage Thingy Thrusday!

It's beginning to look like....

Christmas!!!!

A wall of Ferrero rochers! Sugar overload.....I do love rochers....I hope I get some in my stocking!

Seen at my local Shopper's Drug Mart.

A minute on the lips....a pound on the hips!

Today we will be continuing the cement on the basement stairs and moving a GIANT zebra grass that is obstructing the view from the river...

Have a great day folks!