[Apologies to anyone who might get an accidental double dose of this post – WordPress told me it published yesterday but that was apparently a lie…so hopefully second time will be a charm!]
This Saturday I did something rather uncommon for me which is go shopping. Now Saturday may be a day that most normal folks go out to the mall and other familiar weekend watering holes but I’m typically not the type and also tend to be working to some degree this day. But with the day fully off, a bit of a wild hair up my butt, and a little cash in my pocket…I had what I suppose is a somewhat normal Saturday. Except perhaps for my purchases.
The first shopping venture occurred due to a certain upcoming holiday (or shall we call it a Hallmark-iday since that’s really more the case with all the cards that get taped to boxes of candy). Yes, since “V” day is hovering around the corner, I figured I’d try to find something a little beyond my usual Wal-mart and Target modes of romantic apparel. That being the case, I darkened the doorway of a Victoria’s Secret. Now, I have nothing against VS or anyone that more regularly frequents such fine stores mind you but , again, I’m a Wal-mart gal – which is not typically the kind of place where a kind and somewhat overly helpful sales lady will offer to size you and help you pick out a bra. I succeeded in completing this particular trip without being sized but can’t help thinking that my purchase should have had more fabric included considering the cost. Then again, I am used to being able to buy a pack of cozy cotton briefs for under $10. Victoria’s Secret seems to be lacking in the pack of briefs department.
Not what I bought but my actual purchase still leaves me to wonder if the price actually goes up as the amount of garment decreases. If anything, it should be cheaper since half the underwear is quite literally missing.
Next stop was my local home brewing shop, Schoolhouse Beer and Brewing. I’m tinkering with ideas for my next home brew and what better way to accomplish that than with drinkable inspiration?
Here we have pictured from left to right:
Joey Pepper from EvilTwin Brewing ( a Belgian Blonde style, just tried it with dinner tonight and it is awesome, as is pretty much everything made by EvilTwin).
Dragon’s Milk Reserve from New Holland Brewing ( a Bourbon Barrel Stout Aged with Vanilla and Chai Spices – have not tried yet but this just sounds interesting. I think the link goes to the non-reserve version but I think only difference may be the spices).
El Camino (un)Real from 21st Amendment Brewery (as their website says, this is “a dark strong ale that floats between a stout and an IPA” but I got this one also mainly out of curiosity – it’s made with fennel, chia seeds, and peppercorns. Oh, and dried mission figs. Odd how a beer label can make me suddenly hungry).
Big Creek from Jekyll Brewing (a Koslch style flavored with pear – got this one mainly out of curiosity about how it tastes because of the pear aspect but it’s also a local one, made in Alpharetta, GA).
Athena from Creature Comforts (a German-style Wheat Beer, which is always a winner in my book, and it’s another local brew since it hails from Athens, GA).
Old Monkeyshine from Nimbus Brewing Company (an English Strong Ale, which is a bit of a stretch from what I usually go for but figured I’d give it a try. At 8.2% ABV though, this is definitely I one to have with a big and hefty dinner…hmm, maybe some good ole English fare even like fish and chips!).
Hop Manna IPA from Shmaltz Brewing Company (as the name implies, this is obviously an IPA. I admittedly got this one because of their rather unique account of Pharaoh finally letting the ancient Hebrew people go in the book of Exodus and how manna sustained them in the desert. They paraphrased a bit and took a little literary license on the label. If you click on no other brewery link than this one, it is definitely worth a looksie and a couple chuckles if you check out their other beers/descriptions).
Ahem, as a quick side note – yes, I realize I just complained about the price of lingerie and these are obviously not the cheaper type beers that one could purchase (most of the above were in the two dollar and change bracket). That being said, there is an art that goes into making good craft beer and while I’m sure the same holds true for mostly-not-there underwear, I just happen to have a great appreciation for the more drinkable of the two. Besides, bras and underwear don’t pair well with dinner.
My last stop was Dollar Tree (yes, Dollar Tree). Why? Because of soap (yes, soap). You see, Shugar Soapworks is a wonder I happened to spot at a Dollar Tree back in December and they initially had me at the words “Oatmeal and Coconut.” But then a quick perusal of their label revealed they also happen to be cruelty free and naturally a bar quickly found its way to my basket. Basically, this soap hits all the happy me check points when it comes to cleansing and it seems like something that would be a sad price of $5.00 a bar in the organic/health section of a grocery store…but it’s only a dollar of course at Dollar Tree.
Moisturizing soap that’s made in the US, has no weird unneeded stuff added to it, and has no animal products/doesn’t do animal testing – AND I can get it for $1.00 a bar? Time for the cleanest happy dance ever!
Fast forward to today. I’ve only been able to find this soap at Dollar Tree and that one bar I bought in December is a memory. So stopping by there today was of course mandatory. Added to this the fact my husband has been somewhat successful in making me more prepared for unforeseen circumstances (see previous post on how my long journey home during Snowmageddon 2014 helped instill that), I also thought of the fact today that Dollar Tree is one of those stores where you might find something cool/useful/needed only to find it gone the next time you shop. So naturally…I bought eight bars. Or in other words, enough to make what appears to be a miniature soap fort when stacked together and zoomed in with our cat Wobbles in the background. Yes, I was that person and didn’t care a lick. Besides the purchase included a little more excitement than just getting oatmeal and coconut soap…I branched out and got a bar of their Oatmeal and Verbena too. Man, am I wild or what?
My husband suggested that I put a halo over our cat’s head and call it the holy soap because of the unexpected light gleaming down upon it in my photo. I thought that might be a bit much but who knows, maybe it is heaven sent…via Dollar Tree.
And yep, that concludes the major purchases of today. Normal weekend shopping trip. Nothing odd. Just your usual lingerie, beer, and several bars of soap. I’m sure everyone has those items on their list in a single day.
This is either a sign that I should get out more often or that I shouldn’t be allowed to go shopping when I do.