Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Me-weekend, Day 3 & 4!

Oops... Didn't mean to leave anyone hanging! 

Yes! There was in fact a day three, and a day four in the fabulous 4-day Me-weekend, which followed my birthday last week. And, while I did have every good intention of updating before now, hot yoga happened to me on Monday night. So for now, I'm letting hot yoga take the fall for the absence of any updates since day 1 and day 2!

Day three of my me-weekend was arranged weeks ago... You see, my friend SpaBoy relocated back to his home in High Point from Chapel Hill last week so this weekend was our first opportunity to get together without one of us having to drive an hour and a half. I had his house rented for over two years; however, after my tenant vacated, SpaBoy and I decided it was high-time for him to high-tail it back to High Point! I'm so happy about this for so many reasons; but especially because his return means we'll be spending more time together doing the thing we do best... Shop!

And, that's exactly what we did Sunday! First, we met for lunch at PF Chang's, then we walked the shops at Friendly Center... We stopped in at Sur la Table where we exercised my professional discount card, then we hit the Apple Store and then Williams-Sonoma for even more goodies! Since I found this post by the lovely Lora, macarons have been on my mind. But everyone knows that you cannot properly create macarons without a food scale.

So when I saw this one on the clearance
rack at Sur la Table for $14, it was a must have!    
I had to make a bee-line to Williams-Sonoma for mini-rubber scrapers
after seeing this post on Dara's blog last week! I cannot wait to duplicate
her success with this yummy recipe... But my first thought as I read along
was that popping Nutella out of my measuring spoon would be so much easier
and less messy if I had a set of these super-cute mini silicone scrapers! Now,
I have no valid excuse for also buying this set of 3 mini spoonulas, except to say
they were on sale... And, for this Catholic, not buying them would have been a sin!
On the way home I stopped at the best kept secret in my area... It's so funky, a bit
gritty, and up until just recently, when the Law changed in North Carolina and the
employees were finally forced to stop smoking inside the store, I wouldn't even
venture in unless I had a lavender-scented hand wipe to cover my nose. But all of
that aside, the deals there are always so amazing, I didn't mind sacrificing a few of
my pricey lavender hand wipes! So what do I find there? Well, the store is packed,
wall to wall, ceiling to floor with items from every department in any retail store
you might shop. I'm talking Target to Bloomies! But... Everything for sale there
is at least 50% off, if not 75-90% off the suggested retail prices. When son #2
moved out I picked up everything from a locking mailbox to a coffeemaker by
Krups, shelving from Pottery Barn and kitchen tools from you-know-where!
Admittedly, most of the items are discontinued but a lot of it is brand new stock
that has simply been salvaged. You see, if a truck carrying goods is in an accident
or burglarized, the carrier's insurance pays the manufacturer for the entire load,
even if the shipment hasn't suffered any damage at all. Then, the carrier sells or
auctions off the merchandise for the insurance company to stores like this one!
So what prompted this latest visit to my secret savings spot? Honestly, I was
after latex surgical gloves! My s-s-s carries tons of hospital supplies, such as
disposable gowns, surgical masks and caps, barf-trays, and even empty/fillable
prescription bottles. And, they usually stock a ton of surgical gloves... Usually!
Anyway, since I cannot stomach touching raw meat, and won't polish my silver,
copper or clean my oven without protecting my hands, I go through a lot of latex
gloves in my kitchen! Sadly, I didn't find any on this trip. However, I did find a ton
of these handy food-service poly gloves! And, at only $1.95 for a box of 500, they
will do just fine until the next shipment of latex exam gloves finds its way here!
But you know me, so you know that I didn't just buy gloves... No! Eight bottles of
my favorite shower gel also flew into my cart, (only $14 a bottle!) and then, as I
was browsing the baking supply corner, grabbing up all the .25 silver-foil covered
cake boards I could, I spotted the very best deal ever! And, since this is all that
remains of my stock of disposable pastry bags... This deal arrived just in time!
That's right fellow baking-fanatics...
I'm talking about 18" disposable pastry bags...
On a Roll!
Squee!!!
I have already used one, and these pastry bags are every bit as durable
as the bags I paid much more for, but at a fraction of the price! My
friend Melanie, aka The Coupon Goddess would be so proud of me!
And, these bags are longer, which means they'll hold
almost twice the volume of my old, expensive bags,
and the extra length makes them easier to fill too!
Of course, let us not also discount the convenience of being on a Roll!
I found other rolls of 18" disposable decorating bags here, but just
look at their price! Doing the math, my roll of 500 bags would
cost well over $150! So at $9.95, at my secret-savings-spot...
I grabbed several boxes! And, I'm thinking of going back to buy more. But again,
doing the math, I'm not sure that I will still be baking when I'm 108 years old. So
I might be forced to leave some for other area bakers to discover... Drat!
Okay, that was day-3, Janet... What about day-4, you say?
Day four brought the adventure of my very first Hot Yoga class!
I listened carefully to the advice of my dear friend and Hot Yoga
devotee, Teresa and took along everything she advised me to pack! A
bottle of frozen water to hold against my pulse-points, a bottle of water
with fresh-squeezed lemon juice added, to drink during class and a plain
water for the drive home. Plus, a towel for my mat to prevent slipping and
a cold, wet towel to wipe sweat from my face and arms. Check, Check!
I arrived as prepared as I could possibly be. I am also delighted to tell
you about the best Hot Yoga studio in the area, if not on the whole
East coast! I am impossible to please, and so sensitive to stinky smells,
and yet, Hot Yoga Therapy in Kernersville impressed me with the
cleanest, freshest-smelling workout studio I have ever experienced, and
the most knowledgable, caring and helpful staff anyone could ask for! I
also found the advice and warnings about the hot yoga experience on
their website particularly helpful. Therefore, none of what I felt came
as a surprise to me. It doesn't mean I enjoyed the dizziness, nausea, or
the overwhelming fatigue I felt following my first class. It just means
it was not a surprise! Nevertheless, I didn't give up, I stayed for the
whole class and at the end, when our instructor announced that we
had just endured 105 degrees with 46% humidity for 90 minutes, I
felt really good about my first hot yoga experience! Dizzy, terribly
nauseous, and I do not remember driving home... But I felt good! So
good in fact, I am paid and signed up for 20 more Hot Yoga classes!

14 comments:

  1. I love spatulas and have quite the colourful collection going. Love your new ones! Great find on the decorating bags too.
    You should be commended for not only enduring your first hot yoga class but for signing up for 20 more! With your Clean program and your yoga you are going to fee AMAZING!

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  2. Oh please do tell - what is your secret saving spot. I love your blog and must live in your area since you said High Point is close by. I am a recent transplant to W-S and would love to visit the secret mystical place!

    I've been following you make cookies and trying so hard to learn to do this well.

    I hope you having regular contact with your son. We have so many friends with children in various parts of the world - I know how anxious I am about them, and they are not even mine!

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  3. Sarah, Hi! You didn't leave an e-mail address for me to respond to so please e-mail me at jcbridge@aol.com.

    #1) I'll give you the 411 on the store and #2) I have a tips and recipe sheet I would be happy to send you to help with your cookie-creating! Welcome to Winston-Salem! :)

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  4. I'm busting out 'Yo Gabba Gabba' cookies for Andrew's 2nd birthday party and I'm jealous of your find. Working with one pastry bag isn't cutting it.

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  5. Every time you post a new purchase, I am reminded as to how much alike we are! I can't pass ANY kitchen gadget store without going in and finding SOMETHING I need more of!! I was just telling Kristen I needed some small spatulas for my icing & that I needed a kitchen scale like that for easier measuring of my powdered sugar! The pasty bags are quite a find too!! I will have to ask my BFF if her husband buys stuff like that, as he has one of those kinds of stores in northern Michigan. If he can get me CHEAP pastry bags & that sort of stuff, I'll have to go up there and "shop"!!

    I made your cookies again last night. I made another blog's recipe but didn't bake them yet. Kristen was supposed to take some to school today but walked out the door without them...guess she & the boys will have to eat them & I'll make the others for her to take on Tuesday:) I am enjoying the practice...and am not having a lot of pain, as I've been able to sit and do parts of it. Stretching it into several short spurts helps, too:)

    Take care, have a GREAT weekend!
    s.nienhuis@live.com

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  6. Ooh I also so love your blog. I love your baking inspirations.

    I too live in the Greensboro/High Point area & would love to visit the Secret Spot.

    Can't visit Friendly without Williams Sonoma.

    My email is brucenlisa85@earthlink.net.

    Thanks so much!

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  7. I'm throwing in my request for information on your s-s-s. I travel to Cornelius and Greensboro, NC frequently to visit my niece and best friend. I would love to check out your fabulous find.
    Your blog is my first go-to blog everyday. I love to read about your adventures traveling, shopping, decorating, and baking. You have great style.


    Many thanks in advance.
    Jan
    ncva@cox.net

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  8. Would you please share your SSS with me?
    mphillips88@embqarqmail.com

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  9. I would love to know your secret store - could you please share :)

    I'm from Canada but plan on heading to the USA to visit family for our spring break and would love to do some shopping.

    Thanks

    labonte@ncf.ca

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  10. I have to tell you how much my 16 year old daughter and I love your bog. She yells "Mom" from her bedroom, "Janet has a new post go read it a figure out where she gets those bags from." But we live a long way from you way out in South Dakota. So would you pretty please tell us if you can order them on line. My e-mail is wendling4@hotmail.com.

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  11. Hi Janet-
    I am your neighbor just up the road in Mayberry(Mt. Airy). I came across your blog awhile back by accident. It was after reading for a month or so that I realized you were in Winston. I love reading about all the places you visit because that means I can visit them too. I am very interested in your secret store and of course I want to visit it. Would you mind sharing with me too? Thanks so much!
    Kathy
    kjhodges@surry.net

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  12. Where is this mystical SSS?

    dixiemedic911@gmail.com

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  13. Where is this Super Secret Store? I'm dying to know! Thanks!
    samannes@triad.rr.com

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  14. If it is not to late I would love to know your SSS as well.
    thrifty.minded.mama@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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xo