The Second Most Wonderful Day of the Year

No, I have no idea what the first most wonderful day of the year is. It fluctuates with my mood. Sometimes Christmas, sometimes Thanksgiving, sometimes garbage day. One year it was the day I found $20 in the laundry. Talk about a banner day! I guess you can have several wonderful days of the year, just have to put them in the order that makes you smile the biggest. Sometimes you may end up with a tie or like me, sometimes they are all exceptional days, unique in their own wonderful way. Back to topic, why is today the second most wonderful day?

It’s National Wine Day!!!

That’s right, my friends. Today we celebrate that wonderful spirit, literally. Finally, a day when I don’t need to make up an excuse can pour a glass and sit outside to enjoy my favorite time of day, when the world looks blue. I love to sit and let my mind wander, rambling on from subject to subject. Ok, that happens all the time but today it’s acceptable and encouraged.  And if wine isn’t your tipple, feel free to tipple on something else. Any day is a good day to celebrate.

Unless you have to go to the DMV. Then wine afterwards won’t cut it 😉

Cole Portering Over Velvet

One of my favorite songs is I’ve Got You Under My Skin, by Cole Porter. It tends to describe me well when it comes to……well, me going to the thrift store. I see something all dusty and in disrepair and it gets under my skin until I bring my vision to life. Y’all have seen my other blog, Junk and Glue, and know what I mean.

And now, it’s all about velvet. But not just any velvet. Velvet used to be a very expensive fabric. Back in the Middle Ages, it was made solely from silk, which gave it a lustrous sheen and lasted forever. With the advent of industrialization, velvets were made from other fibers such as cotton. And then came synthetic fibers and nowadays velvet is something you can now find off the rack at Target™. Good quality velvet is usually made from a mix of rayon and silk. If you want all silk velvet, you will pay hundreds of dollars per yard. And I am neither rich nor insane, so that’s out. But you can’t compromise on the quality of velvet. Cheap velvet falls apart rather quickly, but the good stuff wears well over time, adapting a soft, rich sheen with age and use.

So, now that you have a primer on velvet, you are wondering why I even bring it up. Well, A) it’s my blog and I write the fluff I like, and 2) I want velvet in my life. And I don’t mean a jacket or a shirt, or even a pillow. I mean I want it ALL OVER THE PLACE: furniture, drapes, accessories, rugs, and PJs. I understand I can’t have everything in velvet. But I really, really want a sofa in soft, luxurious velvet, with some feather alternative-filled cushioning (real feathers are good and all, but I don’t want to trigger anyone’s allergies, nor do I want quills sticking my skin).

Isn’t she absolutely gorgeous?? Yes, that’s a pink velvet sofa and I want it with the burning power of twelve Betelgeuses. Look how plush it is. I want to be able to sink into the sofa, and the big plus with this is one solid cushion, nowhere for remote, socks, or change to slip between. I want to be Great Garbo and tell people I want to be let alone with my sofa and a cocktail and Netflix. In short, I am old enough to want to luxuriate while I watch “Flea Market Flip” and plan on upcycling a ratty old suitcase into a coffee table.

I am full of contradictions, I know. But I also know me, and I doubt I will ever have a sofa like this. It’s wonderful and classy and feminine, and impractical and  high-maintenance and over-the-top. So I will just admire her from afar, and dream of the dreams I could have enjoyed while napping upon such luxury.

But a velvet chair? Oh, yeah….That I can justify 😉

Obsession is 9/10ths of the Paw

This past weekend I was lucky to host my brother and his lovely fiancée, along with Bradie the dog. She is my brother’s dog, but his fiancée is her human. Y’all know how it goes. Just as Lenny is Eldest’s dog, but I am her human. I think that is the most endearing quality of a canine. They claim a person as their own and there is NOTHING you can do to influence them out of it.

The same can be said about some people and fantasy football, but I digress.

Anyway, what made it interesting was the fact that they look so much alike we could barely tell which dog was which, unless they faced us. Lenny has a white patch on her chest, whereas Bradie is solid black. The dogs had a great time going after each other as alphas are wont to do, but their humans were not as pleased. And of course, getting confused as to which dog was which sometimes made them look at us like we were stupid, with head tilted and ear cocked for emphasis. All in all it was awesome, and now I understand what coveting really means.

I want that dog.

I want her with the burning power of a thousand Betelgeuses to seven orders of magnitude, times eleventy. And why do I want her? Because she is just like my Lenny. And you can NOT have too much of a good dog. You just can’t.

So be on notice, my brother. I will get your pretty dog, too 😀

 

I May Suck at Blogging, But I Excel at Yorling

As y’all have noticed, I have lacked the will and the fluff to blog on a regular basis. My severe lack of happy is also affecting this, to the point that even Hubby has asked when I will get back to blogging. So you know it’s serious when he has noticed. Lately time has not been on my side, what with school stuff, work stuff, and itty bitty surgery (I’m fine, no worries). No sweets and no wine make Aggie a grumpy Sith, so what is left?

That’s right: YORLING!!!

For those who are new or don’t know the history of the term Yorling, it simply means whim shopping. Our blogger friend Mitchell over at Center of the Anomaly used to go by the nick “Enas Yorl”, and he is famous for whim shopping. He takes whim shopping to a serious level. Now, I’m not insane enough to shop for stuff I do not need. Mostly. But the other day I got a postcard from the Le Creuset™ Outlet advertising two wonderful things: a sale, and the new color, chiffon pink!!! And there on the bar was a Christmas gift card from my parents along with a birthday check from my parents ( I am lazy and wait until the last possible minute to go deposit anything), and on top of that, I had noticed an obvious lack of a large round Dutch oven in my collection. It was like Kismet and Karma decided to take some pity on me and align the planets and stars.

Meet Gigi, my 5.5 quart round Dutch oven. She is lovely, and is on display awaiting her christening this Sunday when she will be instrumental in making bread. Yes, you can make bread in a Dutch oven. I have a big French oval Dutch oven (heh, French and Dutch) but the round lends itself to more even heating. The best part of this was I had enough in my gifts and the sale that I only paid in the double digits. I count it as a win.

Chiffon pink…. cotton candy and fluff. And perfect for moi 😀

Dishing Out

Last week I was once again at the thrift store, where they know me by sight. And name. First name. Anyway, I was on the lookout for some dishes for my niece. She moved out and is in need of “matching dishes”, because she has a Jones about that sort of thing. She can’t afford much, so I offered to be on the lookout for them at my usual haunt. As always, the store did not disappoint.

I found a nice set of dishes, dinner and salad plates only, and figured that would be enough. They looked a bit opaly, but sturdy, and for $3 the set I couldn’t go wrong. Until I took them home and washed them.

VINTAGE ARCOPAL DISHES!!!!!

So now I am in a huge quandary. I love, LOVE, LOVE vintage stuff. I have vintage Pyrex™ and Anchor Hocking™ and Hazel Atlas™ and Fire King™ and just can’t bring myself to give these up. But neither can I justify yet another set of dishes into the kitchen. Seriously, I am at full capacity. Everywhere you look I have a set of dishes: Polish pottery, Brasserie™, Longaberger™, Gorham™, Lenox™, Wedgwood™, Franciscan™….. Oh, and my mom is bringing me my grandmother’s bakelite from Puerto Rico.

CRAP!!!!

Something’s gotta give, and I get the feeling it will be the Franciscan, since none of the kids like the flower pattern. As for my niece, I bet she would prefer a new set of dishes anyway. That is what I will tell myself to lessen the guilt 😉

Justification in Circles

Sometimes, I’m amazed I don’t throw my back out when I try to justify my logic.

Yesterday I went to the outlet mall in search of a gift for my sister-in-law, and a Mother’s Day gift for my mom. It was a gorgeous day, and I was on my own so I didn’t feel rushed by anyone. Not that Hubby ever rushes me while shopping, but I do want to take his feelings into account. The kids’, not so much. Anyway, I had recalled that there was a Coach™ outlet store, and my mind made a quick calculation:

Handbag + Mother’s Day = Happy lady

Eh, works for most women, yours truly included. Women are all about the accessories. You know why? Because it gives us the excuse to go shopping for the outfit to match. Ask any woman. Accessories are a gateway drug to the closet. So with that in mind, I go over to the store in search of a handbag for my mom. And I am quickly overwhelmed. Seriously, I have no idea what to get my mom. Every woman has different criteria for her handbag. For example, I need inside pockets for my phone, glasses, and change. My mom prefers a large roomy inside to having myriad pockets and compartments. But they have a clearance section and that’s where I head to do my shopping, because THAT is every woman’s criteria.

I find a couple of handbags that may please my mom: a hobo-style with room enough for a kitchen sink, and a smaller tote style handbag that she can use for church and other social events. I call my sister to ask her which one I should get mom. Hilarity ensued.

Me: One is like your hobo but tan, not pink, and the other is smaller like for church.

Sis: Why are you wanting to buy her a purse??

Me: Doesn’t she like purses?

Sis: I already got her a Coach™ purse.

Me: YOU DID??

Sis: Uh, you were with me…

Me: *sighs*…. what am I supposed to do now?

Sis: You can buy yourself one.

Me: Hm…but I can’t decide!

Sis: Good luck with that!

Here’s the thing: I don’t own any fancy purses save for two. Ironically, one is by Coach™, given to me almost twenty years ago by my late brother-in-law, Draco. And guess what?? I have my niece’s wedding to attend. I NEED A NEW BAG!! But I still couldn’t decide. Apparently my dilemma was obvious to the salesguy, because he sauntered over to let me know the clearance section was on sale for an additional 40% off. So I did what any sane woman would do.

AND the wallets were on sale, as well. Don’t they look good against my pots??

You may be asking what I will be doing for my mom instead. I have a back up plan. Well, I usually have a few back up plans just in case. She may not get her gift by Mother’s Day, but better late than never, right?

At least I hope so 😀

So Here We Are…

It’s Tuesday, and the entire weekend got away from me.

It’s not that I didn’t even try to write a post. I did. Every time I sat down to write something just came up. First, a friend came in for a weekend visit, then parents surprised us with a weekend visit, then we had to celebrate said visits. It was fun and very hectic, but tiring. Probably because I gave up sugars for Lent.

Anyway, today I get to do something I haven’t done in a long time: stained glass! I enrolled in a class to get my skill level back up to “tolerable”, and will be making a pretty window hanging of a hummingbird and flower.

A word of warning: mine will look NOTHING like that. But that’s the general pattern I will be following. I’m hoping I get to keep this one. Every time I make something new, someone in my family ends up with it. Maybe I’ll have enough time to make more than one. All I know is that it will grace someone’s window next month.

Hopefully mine 😀

What a Crock

This is just not happening. NOT. HAPPENING!!

It is freezing today by Texas standards, which means hot comfort food is a must. I don’t get the chance to make beef stew often, but today was the perfect day for it. Sleety, windy, gray, cold: just like winter should be. Not what I want in a winter, but nothing I can do about that except maybe place The Goron on my Voodoo List™.

Not saying I did, mind you.

Anyway, I go to do my kitchen prep: peel and dice potatoes, carrots, onions, brown stew beef cuts, and open the red wine. Yes, I cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. I place all that heavenly goodness into the crock pot, plug it in and….. nothing.

NOTHING!!!

I am aghast. My crock pot is dead, y’all!!

I am at a loss. I love my crock pot. I use it at least once a week. After hyperventilating and walking around the kitchen island sobbing, I calmed down and decided to put it in the oven to cook, like a boss. Actually, like a boss that has a ton of cast iron dutch ovens. I’ll be danged if I let this setback ruin dinner. I mean, there is no way I am going out in this weather. Not even for a dinner out.

On the upside, Hubby has an idea of what to get me for Valentine’s Day 😉

Sunday Sithy

Things are hectic in most households this weekend. But for some, it is still the daily grind.

You go to work for a hard taskmaster. If you’re lucky, you don’t get force choked to death.

You come home to do your chores.

You do some holiday baking to put you in the holiday mood. Dark chocolate, of course.

You check your social media, in case one of your friends’ lack of faith was found to be…. disturbing.

And after a long day, you put on your black tiara and go soak your troubles away.

Have a wonderful and quiet Sunday, my friends 😉

Dreamy Coffee

I had a rather eventful day yesterday. In short, I was diagnosed with anaemia, and had to start taking iron. Yay…me…. The way I see it, I have an excellent excuse to eat a lot of bacon and steak. Silver lining, and all that.

Anyway, I finally got to sleep through the night for the first time in days. And dream. Boy howdy, did I dream! I was at Target™ shopping with Hubby, looking at living room furniture (which they don’t carry, but whatever), when Hugh Jackman rounded the corner and greeted us in his Aussie twang, asking if we knew where the coffee was. Hubby turns to me and says, “Go show him, honey. I’ll be in Electronics.”

That part is completely plausible. The electronics, not Hugh Jackman.

So, I take Mr. Wolverine over to the gourmet coffee area and he starts teaching me the finer points on choosing beans, and I tell him I grew up in a coffee plantation (my grandfather’s), and he asks me all sorts of questions about how to pick and roast, and shows me his favorite brand of coffee (comes in a  silver tin), and then asks me to come over to his place for afternoon coffee!!!!

For me? Why, thank you 😉

And then my stupid alarm goes off at 6 AM, thankfully before I make a fool of myself by screaming like a fangurl. To make matters just a bit more Outer Limits©, as I was perusing the interwebs for that drool-worthy pic, I come to find out that he has established a charity that sells fair trade coffee and tea, which comes in a silver tin.

Why can I dream about this stuff, but not lottery numbers?? 😉