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Friday, March 28

Nothing

Today, I am doing nothing.

I could have gone to work, but why? I already have the day off, so that I could drive to a quilter's retreat at Camp Cascade. I was finally going to finish Q.P.'s quilt and get some work done on other projects. But apparently Mother Nature doesn't agree with my quilting habit, since it's dumping so much snow on the pass that chains are required and they are discouraging anyone from traveling that doesn't have to.

So... instead of heading off to the office I am "doing nothing." And it feels pretty good. Actually, it's a lot of work to do nothing. Since the kids were planning for me to be gone I let them take over the living room as planned (including the "good" TV with the DVR and Wii) and stayed in bed late to read a book. That's right, I had some quiet time to read for fun. Bliss!

A little later Shannon mentioned that they were going to head over and check out the new Trader Joe's. Ordinarily I wouldn't go to an eagerly anticipated store on opening day but heck, why not? Q.P. decided to come with me, while Stinky stayed home to enjoy some "alone time" with the Wii. Yes, it was crowded. But we picked up some good stuff (some needed, and some just because) and for the most part everyone at the store was friendly and happy. Say whatever you will about Trader Joe's... but you have to admit that their price point on a lot of "staples" and produce can't be beat elsewhere in town. And I love the little mini gingersnaps and dark-chocolate-dipped "Joe Joe's". We used to stock up on those when visiting friends in Portland or Scott's daughter in Eugene... it might be a little dangerous now that I can just drive to the north end of town for them!

TJ's in da hizzy Snacks from TJ's

Since we were in that neck of the woods anyways, we went to Target next. I knew that at least one child was in desperate need of socks, and we still owed Burger an iTunes card for babysitting earlier this month. There is some mystical force at work inside Target, and I can never get out without buying lots of extra stuff. But it's usually stuff that is so marked down that I can't resist. There was still a lot of Easter merchandise, and all of it was marked down 75%. Can you say "score"? One of the best things about post-holiday clearance is the stuff that is only marginally holiday related. Like the sports-themed baskets, socks, and dishes that we picked up in addition to jelly beans and Reese's peanut butter eggs.

Sports baskets Socks

After all that shopping (and looking at candy) we were hungry. I love crepes and have been wanting to try Batter & Beans in downtown Bend. Q.P. was intrigued by the idea of crepes and agreed that was the place we should go for some lunch. We took the owner's suggestion to order one "savory" crepe to share... so that we would have room for a sweet crepe for dessert. I let Q.P. pick the fillings for both. We had one with ham and cheddar (and added tomatoes on my half) then one with bananas and caramel. (After which I ran home for some migraine meds, since bananas are a MAJOR trigger. But it was just too good to resist!) Yummmm... we will definitely be back. I want to try a crepe filled with spinach, mushrooms, bacon, and cream cheese. The one thing they are missing from the "sweet" menu is cinnamon apples. I think a sweet crepe with cinnamon apples and caramel would be perfection!!

And now... back to my not-regularly-scheduled day of doing nothing. I highly recommend it!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

now I'm feeling a little badly for snarking on Trader Joe's. I'm not anti-TJ, just anti-hype. You're totally right, their prices are great (and I'll probably end up there before the weekend is over....)

Next time you'll have to see if you can talk Q.P. into a nutella-filled crepe. nature's perfect food.

Jen said...

No worries! Don't get me wrong, I am anti-hype too. Which is why I don't usually jump on the "first day" band wagon for anything. (Stores, movies, hairstyles...) But as long as I was doing nothing anyways, I figured I might as well stand in line with the rest of the lemmings and get a few things I actually needed (like real maple syrup and frozen veg) while I was at it.

simzgirl said...

Oh I loved those ginger snaps when I was pregnant with Ana. I kept the whole container in my desk drawer at work to keep my morning sickness in check. Ginger can be an amazing thing! :)

Elise Michaels Media said...

Sounds like the BEST DAY EVER! See ya tonight!

Deby said...

What a wonderful day! I was there with you at Trader Joe's. Crazy, but fun with lots of yummies. I got some vanilla Joe Joe's that I can't wait to try.

I saw that new crepe place the last time I was cruzin' downtown. They were closed that time, but I will definitely need to get there and try it out.

I am thinking of heading to Target myself today. I need some new kitchen rugs but I already know I will come home with a car full of other "stuff" I can't live without.