Boxing week deals

I hope everyone and a wonderful Xmas  and had the opportunity to rest a bit.

Today I'm happy to say that I rested and did stuff not related to the Holidays. Don't get me wrong!
I loooooovvvveeee Xmas but I find that I need more time to prepare joyfully.

We have been engaged  in a wintery marathon of shopping,working,baking,cooking,shovelling, de-icing, working,decorating and trying to stay thrifty and sane.

And even with all the running around the house was not as christmassy as I wanted it!

   

                                            Here is a little Xmas vignette in the hall
 

                                            Do you recognize Henry the Xmas Elf?

                                            Now this being Boxing week, I was curious to see what had happened
                                              to the $120 cookies! The glass jars were gone.....all of them
                                             But  spotted this                             

                                               This is the sibbling of he glass jar $120 also

                                              A bargain at $59.00

Now for that furry frend in your life....

 A steal at $49.00!!!

Now just down the road is Ogilvy's another luxury departement store....

It is as you remember the place where I saw the $145 pannetone. That was gone too!

But I saw something far better!

I give you the most cake (pannetone) I have ever seen

 

Your eyes are not deceiving yourself!

 

And it was sitting on this cake stand

 

And since the cake was so expensive, I for just a minute, thought that

the cake stand was included

But no

 

From $95 reduced to $66.50

 

YIKES!

 I got my cake stand for $3 in an flea market....

 

Makes you think!

 

I might get to thrift later this afternoon

 

Celebrate!

Merry Xmas to ALL!

It was a lovely Xmas with good company, good cheer, plenty of food and excellent company!

And it is just beginning! We will be visiting Dan's mother and my Dad later on today!

Here are a couple of pictures from the house.

                                             The tree slightly less fuzzy than last year....lol

The centerpiece...a gift from Suzanne one of Dan's co-worker.

The candy canes are Dan's touch...

 

This is an ornement gifted from our dance teacher, Sylvia.

 

 The sweet reindeers were a very thrifty decoration.

$2.24 plus tax. The right one was free because of a mixup in pricing

and the  left one was bought yesterday at 75% off!

 

I love boxing day before Xmas!

 

Speaking of deals....

 

Too bad I don't have a dog! I would so buy one!

It was reduced to $3.50 from $14.

 

Maybe one day we'll get a dog, no 2 dogs....

 

So I digress this was supposed to be about the joy and gretefulness of Christmas!

 

So I want to wish all of you and your families a wonderful Xmas and a super New year!

 

May you all be healhty, loved and prosperous.

 

May you find thrifty deals all over.

 

May you fill you sweet sealed can with loads of  money to fulfill your goals

And may I find some interesting stuff to write about so you will continue to visit and

leave comments!

 

See you soon! 

 

 

Latest thrifty finds

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!

Money well spent!

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

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! 

Another find and an update.

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! 

Mexican Lasagna...CHECK!

Ok well I was a bit too optimistic! LOL those things happen!

Last night I ....caught up with the wash, soaked the black beans (and cooked them), pre-cooked the ground beef and defrosted the green pepper. I also blogged, finished packing one of those giant plastic bins and fetched some seedling soil and pots for the tomato plants.I downloaded music and fixed one of my favorite brooch.

Then I kinda collapsed and  just vanished for the night.

This morning I washed those wool covers and dried them on the clothes line, finished cooking the mexican lasagna (also known as enchilada casserole). Took plenty of pics, ans listed some stuff. We ate lunch and them it hit me: The sore throat was back and I was sooo tired! What kind of crappy cold is that? PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE! I HAVE BEEN SICK FOR 2 WEEKS NOW! GO AWAY YOU STUPID COLD!

Ok enough! Now for some pics!

Mexican lasagna just put in the oven.

Now for some of those thrifty finds from the last weeks....

A super sunshiny recipe box.

                                           A Glasbake Lipton mug. Funny these were given as a bonus when you bought Lipton soup. Those are barely big enough for a cuppa joe! But it's pink and I've always had a soft spot for these...this one has a lot of wear, which I couldn't see because of the crud, but it was .59cents so that is okay.

                                My first lab Pyrex! How cool is that? It was .99cents. I wanted to pick some daffodils to put in it, but that is about when I got real tired....so maybe tomorrow.

I got this bag at the Cornwall Sally Ann. It was love at first sight! I'm still over the fence if I'm going to use it or sell it...But I love it, it's sooooo cute!

This was a gift. A Mother's Day gift. Dan came home last night all proud and couldn't keep it 'til tomorrow. It's a delicious Fireking bowl with Dominoes!

I was really touched by this little bowl and the tought behind it. Let's face it I am not a mother (except to the kitties).OMG don't tell me this is my next collection?

                                                        Thank you Dan I love the bowl :)

Tomorrow I hope to be full of energy and be able to work a bit outside. I hope the weather will cooperate as well!  

Road trip deliciousness and WARM BUNS...

Yesterday was declared a road trippy fun kinda day; and that was just fine with me!

I made a lot of delicious finds! Like this....

A large Pyrex canister with Spice of life design. The lid is a bit yellowed but it came with a plastic insert that acts like a seal. Glass canister like these are really rare here so @ 2$ I found it a steal!

Then we crossed over to Ontario and headed off to VV. I found some Xmas light replacement bulbs, an amazing almost like new beautiful pink and green full duvet cover for 5.99$ and this truly amazing find....I have to admit when I saw it i got it for the store...but I fell in love with it in no time flat. Next thing I knew I was stroking it and whispering.....My precious.....

 My precious....A JAJ fridgie with the lid, all minty fresh! I have to admit the size is smallish, smaller than a 502.It was 3.99$ at VV. It's in my fridge right this minute with leftover bechamel sauce.

I also got this...Yes it is an electric bun warmer, mint in box, never been used, the cord is still all rolled up. It works I tried it. Mine is avocado green, it's beautifully tacky and hilarious. I need to invite people over and warm some buns!

We also fell in love with these beauties... 

This would look so good with selected barware and Pyrex!

They were too expensive for our taste so we left them there. I will take the pic to the guy where we bought our couch so he could be on the look out for some teck deliciousness...

Tomorrow I start my 3rd week at the new job. The instructor is ok, but I can't wait to work from my desk; she's sending some negative vibes....

Have a great week!

What a Thriftastic Day!

For the past 3 years, I've visited the Salvation Army in January and the results have been dismal. Really! You could hear crickets announcing the total lack of thrifty goodness.

But this morning I was so in need of thrift...I could feel it in my bones...the need to thrift...the need to see someone's crap and make it my treasure!

Tonight on Intervention...she started innocently enough...collecting a piece of Pyrex here and there....but she can't stop herself....She actually feels ill if she can't thrift! And stuff keeps pilling in her house and basement and garden shed and even in her father's house! A rare crossover Intervention/Hoarders...Miss V's addiction!

So here I am in the Salvation Army scoping the lay of the land....checking for treasures....

And I see some Pyrex Flameware casseroles; you know those with the removable handles, except that the handles are missing...rats!

But as much as I love Flameware I allready have some...so I left them there for a lucky thrifter.

A super cool Corelle Cornflower blue coffee pot (I left it there too)

Excuse the bad lighting...a really old Pyrex casserole with the etched lid....I nearly got it for my Dad but as he's always telling me he's in the big declutter fest of his life...I thought twice and left it there.

Ok a real bad pic. A close-up detail of the lid.

One of the tacliest kitchen gadget of all times...I give you the Rotato....Guess what? I left it there!

Here's my cart....I purged it before going to the cash....:(

I left the 2 yellow 503 fridgies. This is really freaky because those are the third and fourth ones I find in the same Salvation....And I left the clear casserole....

I wanted to take a pic of what I came home with but the lighting was too eeewww in my house...so probably tomorrow with the tartlet recipe...If I can translate it....It makes me soooo nervous....but I will give it a try...Pinky swear!

   My new fave show is the Big Bang Theory, it's hilarious! Ans surprisingly enough Canada's no 1 comedy...weird!

Thrifty Finds and Other Stuff

 Good morning everyone! Last Wednesday I skipped my usual morning in the church basement for a run around the shopping center looking for replacement bulbs....So I headed to the FCB (favorite Church Basement) at 1pm and here's what was waiting for me!

3 Xmas cups. How funny is that? Earlier in the shopping center I wanted to buy some,but I didn't really want to spend the money...So @ a quater for 3 it was a steal. They were new unused with the Loblaw's sticker under with the year 2005. They sat 5 years in somebody's basement gathering dust and spider poop!

An aluminium canning funnel, no dings. I love those and if I really listened to myself (Dan please don't read this...) I would have TONS of them. Now I need a glass one.....

A Corning stove top percolator. This one needs another good scrubbing! It was full of paint droplets....I can't wait to try this, with a metal spider under don't worry!

 Speaking of thrifty....I had 2 small pumpkins from my garden lying around in the kitchen...And they told me it was time to use them FAST!
So I got this idea watching Jamie at home: Christmas special...he did it with squash, but my pumpkins were small, so I went his way and roasted them in the oven with sage.

It looks scrumptious.Ultimately it will go in a soup, probably tomorrow

Saturday is a great day for soup!

Now I'm really ecxcited to go to Montreal later this afternoon for some heavy duty thrifting at the Salvation Army. Clear the lane, incoming crazy woman looking for Pyrex and replacement bulbs! And to meet up for a drink with some of my ex-collegues. A much I hated my job in the end, I made a lot of good friends and had a lot of fun in the 10 years I was there.

Did you know spawn of Crazy Suburban Mom had a blog? Yes! Ben has a terrific,funny blog and you can definitely tell where he got his sense of humor!

So if you want a change from thrifting, cooking, quilting head to the The Chair Fort for a different and funny point of view!