J'adore Montréal!

Greg and I usually take an annual vacation somewhere or other at the time of our anniversary (in August). This year, since our destination was to the north, we decided to go early in hopes of longer daylight hours and warmer days. So last week we ventured to Canada and spent 3 days in Montreal and one day in Ottawa with friends. In theory, this gave me ample chance to practice my French. In reality, I said the following things:

• Bonjour!
• Très bien!
• Merci!
• Nous avons des amis en Ottawa.
• Mon amie deteste les poissons, alors je (um, um) prendre un photo pour elle - ?? (starting to get iffy here, you see.)
• Nous sommes marchés beaucoup hier.

Unfortunately, turns out that that last sentence was incorrect. She corrected me very nicely (Nous avons marché beaucoup hier) but I think that I gave up at that point. Also, the last three were to my pedicurist, who was kind of a captive audience. Sigh.

Fish pedicure!

I made the valiant attempt to do my Wednesday Salvo-ing while there, but their stores are not our stores. I was slightly horrified. However, they do have one major advantage:

I'm making that as large as possible so we can all see what we have here. Those are size tags. Yes, friends, our northern neighbors understand how a thrift store should be run. Dear American Salvos, put things on there by sizes, for crying out loud! 

Anyway, there was one other thing that Montreal did very, very well. Food is always my favorite part of every trip and this one was no exception.

Salmon with mango chutney.

Margherita pizza (Greg's)

Smoked salmon tapa

Chorizo tapa

Tuna with bruschetta tapa

More smoked salmon (with capers, yum!) tapas

Steak et frites

Crème brulée!!!!

Spicy lamb curry for him, chicken curry with spinach for me.

 I'd call that a successful vacation!

I'll leave you with this - we stumbled upon the 30th anniversary of the "Village" in Montréal, and this, which appeared to be their motto. I wish it was everyone's.

D'accord.

Salvo Wednesday '12: #2

This week I took a short road trip out to Batavia. This was necessary for 2 reasons: 1, I never actually made it to Batavia's store last year so that needed to be remedied. Also, I just bought a brand new Kia Soul last Saturday and I couldn't wait to drive it for longer than it takes to get to church or the gym (my main destinations during the summer). I am happy to report that it was a great experience and I predict many happy years ahead with my new car. But on to the clothes!

Calvin Klein, $1.50

The material is so, so soft on this one, and my favorite thing is the slits on the sleeves. It reminds me of the episode of My Boys where PJ's boyfriend buys her a shirt with similar slits (only without the other color underneath) and she says that her shirt is broken.

Ann Taylor Loft, $1.50

A nice layering t-shirt for fall, and it's my favorite soft, stretchy kind of knit.

Don't remember, $1

 This is not for me but for my very fortunate friend Sarah.

This might be my favorite part of the Batavia Salvation Army - their very, very fancy row labels.

I also bought a bathing-suit cover up there, but you don't get to see it. There are bits of me you shall never see. However, it was Merona and $2. Let's just hope I have the opportunity to wear it!

On my way home I stopped at the Greece store. I was happier because my purchases included this:

H&M, $3

It still has the tags on it but it did NOT have the Salvo tag on it. They usually refuse to sell you items that aren't tagged, so I was very worried when I took it to an employee and explained. She just sighed and told me it had been happening a lot today (uh oh, someone's not on their game!) and to take it to the manager at the checkout and she'd take care of it. I fully expected them to charge me a high price (for the Salvo) and to assume that it was the color tag that was NOT half off - but she looked at it, and with a tone that implied clearly that she was exasperated with whomever had not tagged it but NOT with me, told me that dresses are usually $6 but we'd assume it was half off. Wheeeee!

Mossimo, $1.50

Cute, and light. I also was GIDDY over the purcase of a $3 pair of Nike running shorts - white with bright orange compression shorts underneath - not only because they were pristine and obviously unworn, but because I have a Nike top at home that I am pretty sure had to have been originally sold with this very pair of shorts. They match pefectly! 

That's it for my finds, but I wanted to share my other accomplishment this week. I obviously have a bit of a closet space problem, partly because of my thrifting addiction but also because my house was built in the 20's and houses of that era are not known for their enormous closets. There is a small closet in the spare bedroom that I have only half-heartedly used for years because the hanging shelf was so low that I couldn't fit much on it without having clothing scraping the floor. It suddenly occurred to me that if I just raised the shelf up, I could actually hang ALL of my dresses (well, MOST, anyway) in there and free up room in my bedroom closet. So, behold!

I dub thee "Dress-Up Closet"!

Ghetto Garden, Garden Grow!

The ghetto garden has made an appearance again this year at the Maine household. It is ever so slightly less ghetto since we didn't use the kiddie pool this year, but instead opted for lots and lots of pots. 

What we have here is a lot of tomato plants (celebrity, whatever that means), a green pepper plant, a sweet red pepper, and some cilantro in the mix. The tomato plant to the right already produced a beautiful, enormous red tomato that my husband was watching for a week with hungry eyes. Unfortunately, a squirrel (or one of the giant pigeons living in my neighbor's roof - this issue is still up for debate) got to it first. Greg's heart nearly broke.

In an effort to make use of every square inch, there are plants on top of our teeny little shed. Here we have multiple types of hot peppers and some roma tomatoes!

This particular pepper was so cute it got its own closeup. Teeny tiny thai peppers!!

 Basil in a pot! I liked the really little basil leaves we had last year (covered more surface area) but Greg prefers these. As he is the one who keeps the garden alive, I guess he wins.

 The multi-colored lettuce was bought at Rochester Public Market (#1 in the US, if you didn't know). It is basically awesome mixed lettuce in a planter. Yum! The green stuff was planted from seed by Greg, but the squirrels/pigeons keep digging the center up. Greg has constructed what he imagines will deter and hopefully impale one of the offending creatures.

We also keep plants along the side of our house. Here we have a roma tomato plant that is taking over the entire planet! Greg keeps having to add more sticks to prop it up, and keep it from choking the hydrangeas! 

This thing is a cayenne pepper. I had no idea they could look so twisty and evil!

And I have saved the best for last. That, friends, is the world's tiniest cucumber!!! Dear cucumber, I will be eating you shortly. Grow quickly, ghetto garden!

The Return of Salvo Wednesday!

Well, it's taken me forever to take the pictures and write about them, but I DID go Salvoing last Wednesday! For the first one of the summer, I ventured a bit further off the beaten path than I did last year. My mother and I went a bit past my hometown and visited the Salvation Army in Hornell. I did find a couple of nice things there:

J Crew, $4

 Now, I love this dress, but I was suuuuuuper annoyed that the tag was not only not on the label but on the fabric itself (a major pet peeve, as you know if you read any of last summer's blog), but through both the front and back so I couldn't try it on. They will also not sell things to you at the Salvo if they don't have a tag - they won't retag it then and there, you have to come back another day, and I certainly and decidedly was NOT planning to return to Hornell in the immediate future. So I had to take it to the cashier and ask HER to remove the tag, trembling in horror as I did so in case she doesn't know how to be gentle with those darned staples. Fortunately, the dress escaped unharmed, and it was worth it all in the end.

$1, Old Navy

Adorable, light, lovely.

Club Monaco, $2.50

 I didn't buy this one for myself, largely due to the fact that I would never be able to decide when to wear this. When it's hot? then the sleeved arm would be too hot. When it's cold? then I'd need a sweater for the bare arm. Too tricky. So instead, since this $2.50 little number is probably worth $50 even second hand, I am going to try to sell it on Ebay. I've done it once before and it was fun... now I just need someone *cough cough Sarah* to help me take good pictures.

The best part of my trip to Hornell was the brief conversation I had with a little old lady in the aisles. She offered me a gold sequined halter top, being apparently a very helpful little lady. I started to politely say, "No thanks, I'm not really -" and intended to finish the sentence, "a sequin kind of girl." But she finished it for me " - classy?" I choked on the rest of my sentence and had to move on quickly. Posted it to FB immediately, though, because the world needed to know.

On to Dansville Salvo. I usually do really well here,  but had to be satisfied with a few nice things.

$3, Old Navy

I love having cardigans in pretty much every color! It's a necessity in summer in case I go indoors. You know... where there's *shudder* air conditioning.

J Crew, $1.50

 Stretchy, non-clingy. BEADED!

Banana Republic, $3

This was my favorite item. It's Banana Republic and ANGORA! So soft, and not the creepy kind of soft.

I will leave you with one last item, purchased at Henrietta Salvo back in May at an "accidental" Salvo Wednesday. I was across the street at an eye appointment and it just called to me. I walked away with this, so no regrets here:

Maeve, $7.

POCKETS!!!

A whole summer of Salvo Wednesdays is ahead...

Bienvenu, l'été!

It's here. It's finally here! This winter was mild, but it hasn't made my longing for warmth and long summer days any less.  I had a wonderful school year (I may or may not have gotten teary as they walked down my hall on the last day), but I am still willing to greet summer with open arms. Especially since my first evening of summer break involved 90+ degree weather, reading my Kindle in the back yard with my dogs, eating sushi on the pier in Charlotte with the husband, and a glass of wine at Pier 45. This is an auspicious beginning to my favorite season.

I have been studying French for the first time since high school. I bought software (Fluenz, in case you were wondering, and it's worth every penny... many, many pennies) and am nearly through Level 3 and have been listening to French podcasts instead of audiobooks on my commute. So I apologize in advance for any French I try out on you. Hopefully most of you don't speak French and won't notice any errors.

And since I know this is what you are all waiting for: Next Wednesday. Salvo Wednesdays officially return. À mercredi!

Salvo Wednesday - Spring Break woo hoo!

Well, my spring break hasn't been exactly "woo hoo" (it's a Friends quote, for those of you who can't quote every line of every episode. Some of you got it without any explanation... you know who you are). It's been more work-out-do-housework-obsess-over-learning-French. But these are good things, if less fun than lying on a beach all day. And best yet, it means that summer is juuuuust around the corner. And don't worry, this summer I'll be back to visiting multiple Salvation Armies every Wednesday, with a few special thrifting treats planned.

This Salvo Wednesday wasn't as rewarding as some Wednesdays, but I got a few very nice items.

J-Crew t-shirt, $2
Seven jeans, $3.50

I have been seeing this color pop up in my classroom constantly lately. Sometimes I look at the room to see a FLOOD of this color, and I love it. So I had to find something in this color. I was fortunate to find it in the form of J Crew!

When I made my first stop at the Henrietta Salvation Army, I found a pair of Seven jeans for $3.50 that were CLEARLY too small for me. I tried them on anyway, because, come on. They're SEVEN! I got them zipped up but nobody needed to see me in them, ever. So I gave up and moved on, and had the surprising luck to find this pair in my size at the Irondequoit Salvo for the same price. Wheeeee!

Ann Taylor Loft, $2.50

Light, gauzy, pretty. Yes, I bought a sweater just as warmth is returning. I figure this is the best way to make sure it doesn't get cold again before summer!

To the Max, $1.50

One dollar and fifty cents. Sundress with pockets. I don't think anything else needs to be said here.

$1

I judge myself a little for wanting these, but these are solely for back yard purposes. And to make me giggle. Don't get any ideas... I still don't want to wear music in any other way. No treble clef necklaces, no keyboard belts/scarves/what have you. These are enough for a decade or so.

The only other thing I bought was not for myself. Mind you, if they had been my size instead of a size small, I would not have been so generous. I knew my vintage-loving, tiny-footed friend Sarah would go wild over them, though, so there was no leaving them behind.

And that's it, friends. The school year is winding down - just one last marking period to go, a few concerts, a few seniors to graduate and thus break my heart, and that's it. Then it's me, Salvos, and sunshine. Summer, here I come!

Salvo Wednesday - February Break!!

Every year, about 3 weeks prior to our school musical (always an event that I am extremely proud of, and also extremely exhausted by), we are blessed by a week of vacation. Now, I love vacation in general, although obviously summer is the highest form of this, but I think we can all agree that vacation of any kind is a welcome thing. This one is always especially welcome, however, after a couple of months of a crazy rehearsal schedule. We spend hours and hours together, and the kids get sick, and I get sick, and we pass it back and forth and make each other generally miserable (this year, I had three different illnesses right in a row). So when this break happens, we have a much-needed chance to get healthy. Then I usually have a healthy cast for the show.

Of course, I also welcome the chance to go to the Salvo on a Wednesday! I took a break from my resting, running and house organization (eek) to hit a couple of neighborhood Salvos. As has become my habit this year, I started in Henrietta.

$4.50, H&M

I always love finding dresses the most, especially cozy knit wrap ones with fun patterns!!

$2, Miley Cyrus

Don't judge me for the brand. I loved the shirt despite its humiliating origins.

$1, Old Navy

 An adorable shirt for a dollar? Couldn't resist. Too bad they decided to staple the tag directly to the fabric instead of the tag again - and this was a delicate fabric, so despite my careful removal procedure, there's a couple of little holes. :(

$1, Eastern Mountain Sports

 Made entirely from recycled materials, a nice basic, simple shirt, one dollar? Man, I love getting things for a buck.

$4, Ann Taylor Loft

 Cute, simple, comfy. Yes.

$1.50, AB Studio

 This is going to look so cute with a brown pencil skirt and brown Mary Janes!

$2.50, Express

 Express. $2.50. Enough said.

$3, Mossimo

This is probably my favorite find of the day. New concert shoes!!!!

Next step in the day, Greece Salvo. It used to be the first step but it's gotten bumped by Henrietta, which has the dual advantage of usually having better stuff and also NOT requiring me to drive on 104 all the way there. Ugh.

$2.00, Take Out

$2.50, Converse One Star

So, two cute things, but not nearly as good a hit as Henrietta. By the end, I had a migraine, so I skipped Irondequoit.

I also made a couple of quick stops earlier in the week, so I'll share those with you as well, mostly to torture Sarah, who is surely going to want to steal this from me:

$7

Got this little number at Goodwill. It obviously cost more than anything at the Salvation Army (of course), but ohhhhhh it's so cute. I can't wait to wear this in summer! 

$8

Eight dollars. EIGHT dollars. VOA overpriced Goodwill! For shame, VOA. For shame. Still didn't keep me from taking it home with me, but how can I enjoy it as much as my $1 recycled shirt, even if it is a dress?

One more break coming up this school year - so expect another post in April!

Incidentally, if anyone in the Rochester area wants to see an outstanding high school production of Guys and Dolls, come see us in Marion on March 9th (8pm) and 10th (2pm and 8pm). Tickets cost $8 and will be on sale next week. And I'm not kidding... this show is going to be outstanding. I love these kids and they are just so stinking talented. I'll have to wear my new black shoes to play in the pit!