Archive for the ‘Eat Drink Shop’ Category
You probably have a pair, and I KNOW your kids do — super-comfy, actually frumpy, wear-’em-anyway Crocs are everywhere. Despite how fun and (admit it) cheap they are, my prediction is that soon they’ll be banned for kids to wear to school, and that that’s actually a pretty good idea.
I overheard some moms talking yesterday about a story, which actually broke last year, about a kid’s foot wearing Crocs getting stuck in the cracks of an escalator (sounds like she almost lost a toe), which has spawned some interesting writing about who’s actually responsible. (Yes, shoestrings and flip-flops and all kinds of stuff can also get caught in escalators, too. Still.)
Today, though, a good friend of mine was telling me about taking her pre-school age daughter to the pediatrician, not for the first time, about what she had been thinking was maybe a recurrent inner ear infection. Sweet Girl had fallen and put a big gash in her forehead; I was actually there when she fell and cut her chin a couple of months ago. My pal was wondering if she was having balance problems.
Uh, no, said her doc. She has a Croc problem.
The tax-free holiday starts Friday and goes through Sunday. Last year I decided not to battle the crowds, but I did go online and order some new uniforms for my kids, so I saved a little money.
Some people have said you get a better deal AFTER the tax holiday when items get discounted. Have you found that to be true?
Are you shopping tax-free this weekend?
I’m making my way through Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” and though I was a little put off by the righteousness of their experiment — the gist is that Kingsolver and her family (those are her youngest daughter Lily’s hands holding Christmas beans in the cover photo) moved back to a family farm in southern Virginia, and vowed to live off their land for a year, eating only what was in season — I’m starting to come around.
Interspersed in the narrative are mini-essays by Kingsolver’s daughter and husband about genetically modified foods, why we eat the way we do, and other bits of information that are really opening my eyes. The more I think about how I could do this — eat closer to home, not live off my land for a year! — the more feasible it seems.
Every time I set foot in Easy Way or Schnucks, I can not resist buying one more bag of Ripley or Arkansas tomatoes, if they have them. I actually prefer the Arkansas variety, although this might be anathema to those who revere Ripley tomatoes.
One of my favorite summer dishes is tomato pie. I got the recipe out of a Southern Living book years ago and have added a few ingredients. You need the following: deep dish pie crust, green onions, fresh basil, mayonnaise, 4 or 5 tomatoes, Monterey Jack Cheese, frozen spinach and seasoned pepper.
Poke holes in the pie crust with a fork and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Slice tomatoes and dredge in flour and seasoned pepper. Layer tomatoes green onions and fresh basil (about three layers is sufficient). Mix about a half a cup of mayonnaise, about three fourths of a bag of thawed chopped spinach and about a cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese (Pepper Jack cheese is good also). Spread mixture over the top and add a few leaves of basil. Cook at 325 or 350 for about 30 minutes.
Do you have any recipes to share with those of us with a surplus of homegrown or store-bought tomatoes?
Stay-at-home mom Kelli Ciaramitaro is an ace at finding garage sale bargains — she once found a dress nice enough to wear to a special dinner with her husband for a dollar — and she and her pal Maureen had long consigned and shopped the big kid’s consignment sale, KidsTown, held twice a year at the Agricenter. Finally, they thought: Why not start a sale of their own, one that focuses on women’s clothing, handbags, shoes and belts? So on July 14 and 15, What’s N Your Closet will hold it’s first sale, with new and like-new clothes from all seasons.
“It’s a great way to help other women and make some extra money,” Kelli told me last week. She consistently makes $100- $150 consigning/selling kids clothes. “I’m happy with that.”
Click here to find out everything you need to know about the sale. And let me know about any dollar dresses you find!
