Marathon and shopping

Recently Mr. GV and I headed out for an out of town overnight stay.  He was participating in his first full marathon and it was too far to drive the morning of the race and still get a decent night's sleep.

He checked in on Friday night and got his registration packet.  Does anyone know what this thing is??  It was one of the freebies in his bag, along with a coozie (keeping it for the nephew's water bottle) and a key chain that floats (already put in the Goodwill box.)  

The next morning dawned wet and gloomy unfortunately.  Mr. GV had to run for a couple hours in the rain, wringing out his shorts as he went.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Eventually the rain cleared out and the temperatures stayed decent all day.  

So, I had about 5 hours to do whatever I wanted.  Most businesses in the town didn't open until 9:00, so I had a couple hours to kill after I saw Mr. GV off on his marathon.  My first stop was Kroger, where I bought the fresh cut fruit (pineapple, strawberries, blueberries) that he likes to have after lots of physical exertion, and a few groceries to take home.  After that I thought about going to Target but decided I would just spend money on things I didn't really need if I went there.  

I then headed to Goodwill.  One of the first items I spotted was the train in the picture below.  Oh my gosh!  I had forgotten all about this train.  You see, I had one of these when I was little, and I loved it.  There is a little cap that's supposed to be on the whistle's top, and when you wind it up, the parts start moving inside and it plays "This Old Man."  I kept that train in my buggy for a while, before I decided that even at $1.99, it wasn't worth hanging on to this piece of nostalgia.  I've been getting along just fine without this item in my life, and will continue that way.  I have a picture of it, so it can spark a memory when I look at that.  

I almost bought a basket that matches two that I already have on a table in my kitchen.  It's the exact same style, a miniature laundry basket.  This one was painted green though, and I prefer the natural look.  It wasn't worth my time to try and get all that paint off, if it's even possible.  And I put a Pokemon book back that I was picking up for my nephew, J, because I didn't want to wait in line for just that one item.  

Next I checked out a store called "Dirt Cheap."  If you mind things being messy, you do not want to go into this store.  Packages are open and things are shoved everywhere.  However, there are lots of goodies from places like Target.  I still didn't find anything here that I just couldn't live without though.  

Next stop was Lane Bryant, and I did spend some money there.  I needed new undergarments, and I got them as planned.  Then a quick stop at Panera for a couple bagels and I was on my way to Ross.

I was on a serious hunt for that basket I talked about earlier.  Either that or 3 complimentary baskets I could put on that table, and move the two other baskets back to my laundry closet.  I noticed the store was arranged differently and there were no baskets to be found.  Whoops!  There is a Kohl's, Ross, and Marshall's all in the same shopping center, and I went to the wrong store.  Next time I will check out Marshall's for sure.  

I did find a small item (can't show here since it's for a family member) and took a picture of this cute bag to send to a fellow humane society volunteer.  She loves dachshunds.  And I found out her second love is purses!  I offered to buy it since it was the only one there and she could just pay me back, so that's exactly what I did.

I took a quick spin at Books-A-Million and talked myself out of buying anything since I have shelves full of books at home and am currently reading a book from the library.  I did succumb to two boxes of Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts outside the store, mainly because I wanted to show support for the fact that they are VEGAN this year!  

The time was closing in on Mr. GV finishing his marathon, and I wanted to be there to document it so I headed to the finish line.  He had not made as good a time as he had hoped.  I know the rain didn't help, and he also had some leg cramps and had to switch to run-walk intervals.  But he finished.  It didn't matter what place he finished in....he ran 26.2 miles!  

With his finisher's medal.  He is amassing quite a collection of them.  

----------------------------

And just a couple of random pictures from the last few days:  I had some potatoes that were starting to get past their prime, so made a batch of mashed potatoes, found a box of Earth Balance Mac and Cheese in the pantry, and a Gardein roast and gravy in the freezer.  (Mr. GV also had cranberry sauce and some previously cooked collards.) Yum!  No real vegetables here, unless you count the little bit of kale that's stuffed in the roast, but oh it was so good. 

Miss Emma has been dying to go out for weeks now.  We have hawks that are known to carry off cats and small dogs, and we also can hear coyotes in the distance.  And so the cats have to stay inside.  Do I feel guilty for not letting them loose outside to hunt and run around?  Nope.  It's my job to protect them from the dangers that they don't understand.  

And so Emma now has a halter, and she is loving getting to explore outside. The others don't seem too interested, so thankfully I don't have all of them trying to get out the door whenever it opens!  

Bit o' shopping

A couple of weeks ago we ventured to a city for the main reason of seeing "Green Lantern."  There were a few other fringe benefits to going to this particular city, though. 

We shopped at a couple of Asian stores that we haven't been to in a few years.  Here's Mr. GV checking out one of the items. 

We checked out a Goodwill, where we wound up with 3 books between us, and browsed around a bookstore, where Mr. GV found a cord he wanted for his Ipod.  And right before the movie we had dinner at a favorite Indian restaurant of ours.  We were there not long after they opened, so we had our pick of seating (we chose traditional) and we had the place to ourselves most of the time.

Yum--samosas!

We each chose a dish, but knew we would be sharing.  I decided on aloo gobhi,

 while Mr. GV picked chana masala. 

Here's what we wound up buying between two Asian stores.  There's different kinds of noodles, seaweed, and dried mushrooms. 

I need to figure out a dish to make with these.  I'm thinking of them as a kind of dumpling.  They would probably be good with just a tasty broth and some chopped cooked veggies.  Hmmmmm....

Reusables

I've always known that you could bring in your reusable containers to Whole Foods and reuse them. In the past I used plastic bags and brought them back over and over. An OK choice but certainly not the best. Quite a while ago I bought several string bags and use them when necessary for produce and dry goods such as beans. Of course rice and flour don't work in those bags. And I simply never thought about bringing in mason and other glass jars, which is what I use to store beans, grains, and other items in my pantry at home. Until one day I noticed a sign at Whole Foods that said we could do just that---bring in our glass jars, have them weighed, and fill them up.


Such an easy thing to do. I only need to take them to the service desk one time. The weight is marked on top with a permanent marker. I then stuck a Whole Foods tag on the side, where I wrote the name and item number. I will be buying most of the same staples over and over again, so no need to change out the tag.


Here you see my reusable produce bags, which I love! I only use them when I have multiple loose items such as potatoes and apples. For one pepper or big items like collards, there is no sense in a bag. I know some people worry about putting their produce directly into the bottom of the shopping cart, but my thought is this: there are so many chances for contamination along the way--animals getting into the fields, hand pickers, machinery, cleaning mechanisms, warehouses, loaders, loading containers, transport trucks, unloaders, the people that put the produce on display, other customers, and more. I'm going to wash the produce before I eat it, some of it will be cooked, some will be peeled, etc. I am not the least bit concerned about having my produce directly touch my shopping cart.

I am always looking for more reusables to implement in my life!

Lil' bit of shopping

I am currently out of town with Mr. GV, who is attending a continuing education conference. My cold is mostly gone, just the lovely lingering symptoms you have for a couple weeks. Thankfully my pain is much better too. I have a test next week to see what's at the root of the pain.

Unfortunately Mr. GV caught my cold. What a switch! We don't get sick very often, but when we do usually he brings it home from the hospital and gives it to me.

Yesterday after dropping Mr. GV at his CE I decided to do some shopping. First off was Target. My one good deal there was noticing that the bike rack we had looked at in the past was on clearance, for under $30. I was thrilled to have found that deal. Next I went to Books-A-Million, where I looked around for a long time but only came out with one book, the last in a series I am currently reading.

I stopped in at Bed Bath and Beyond because I had a $5 coupon and I have been looking for a special frame lately. I was so thrilled to find it there!

Then it was on to Old Navy. When I walked in I was handed a $5 coupon that was only good for one more hour. I found 3 shirts that I really liked, and they were on clearance. Of course it's not a good idea to buy "just because" you have a coupon, and I know that. But I am very low on shirts that are not T-shirts, so I decided to go for it.

After that I picked up a couple veggie subs for Mr. GV and I, and it was back to the CE center I went. We had a nice little lunch in a gazebo on the grounds. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the center, waiting for Mr. GV to finish, as I was all shopped out and had brought along my hometown newspapers and a good book to read.

Today is very similar, only I have spent the day here in the center. This afternoon we will go to a pet store for dog and cat food and the grocery for a quick pick up of a few things we can't get at home.

Sleepover x 2

Last week, I decided to spend the night with my mom. We had plans to go to the mid-sized city (as opposed to the BIG city we sometimes go to) and do some shopping for a baby shower mom was attending the next weekend. I did sleepover, but we changed our plans for the next day, because there was something we both wanted to attend in my town the next evening.


The next morning, I headed back to my house with Casper the friendly dog, who lives at mom's house. Although Casper the trembling dog might be a more apt title if you'd ever seen him during a thunderstorm. He is the best predictor of weather ever. If you see him slink off with his head and tail down, and find him underneath mom's bed, there's a storm abrewin'!





















Mom came later in the day with her other dog, Sparky, and her overnight bag. Oh and let's not forget Sparky's fan. Yes, he travels with his own cooling system. I kid you not.

In the evening, mom and I attended a performance of the Cancer Queens, a group of 7 women who travel around the area spreading the gospel of cancer prevention and early detection to women. It was a great show!

When we first arrived, we were treated to a table full of freebies. I picked up a cute little change purse. We were given boas (the feather ones, not the snake--now wouldn't *that* have been an interesting thing to wrap around our necks?)



And here's mom with hers. Don't worry mom, I left the picture off with you twirling the boa around.


















Here's one of the scenes from the performance. The ladies were performing a skit from "The Wizard of Oz" while singing that they were off to get a mammogram.







There were songs and skits about eating your fruits and veggies, getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, using sunscreen, and of course....getting your pap smear!


After the performance, door prizes were given away, and I was lucky enough to win one. I got a cute little bag, and inside there was a scarf, day planner and pen, and travel mug, all themed with the pink ribbon. In addition, all attendees were given a purple bag and pen when we walked in.
















And the point of the whole evening:

Yes ladies, let's not forget that if we don't take care of ourselves, we won't be able to take care of our families!

To finish off our 2 days of sleepovers, mom stayed the night with us, then the next day we did our out of town shopping. It was a fun and busy couple of days!