Target Saro Throw Blanket

We have a very light colored couch. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea to get it just because it won’t stay that way. So to keep it in somewhat good shape, we use a blanket to sit on rather than dirty it up. And when my husband is eating chocolate chip cookies and drinking tea after dinner, it’s all the more reason to protect it. We were using an “old” beige colored blanket for that purpose and I never really liked the color. It served the purpose, but that’s about it. Last week I spent a day scouring the internet for something that had a bit more color that would go along with the general scheme of sea foam, light blue and green. I also wanted it to be eighty inches long - something that doesn’t exist unless it is an actual bed blanket. Most throws it seems are only 50x60. I found an interesting color blend at Target - a great place to find a lot of different odds and ends. It’s a brand called Saro and obviously made in China. The reviews were good and it was reasonably priced so we decided to give it a try. It arrived yesterday and looks nice, and it is as short as I expected. I suppose it will do as it looks nice enough. My husband thinks we should get a second throw because he actually likes it and it does add just the right amount of punch. So we will see how long it survives and decide if another one is worth it. In the mean time I’ll keep most of it on his end of the couch. 

Clean Shower - Target or Amazon?

Who doesn’t like a clean shower? It’s getting harder and harder to find the daily spray we use after taking showers to keep things neat and tidy. It’s a simple spray and forget kind of deal - you don’t have to scrub it with sponges or wash it off. We usually would pick up the Clean Shower product at the grocery store. But we don’t go in to the grocery store anymore. Just this month we converted from home delivery to curbside pick up. You are pretty much stuck with the menu options and Clean Shower is never available. So I tried the next best thing and searched on Amazon. Twenty-eight dollars for two refill bottles!? Foolishly I ordered it, and after waiting ten days it never appeared. So I requested a refund after telling the third party seller it never showed up. Then I searched more and found it on Target - at the price you would “normally pay” for housecleaning products. So I ordered six refill sizes for maybe twelve dollars. To make it a free delivery we ordered razor blades and toothpaste. Everything arrived shortly thereafter and it felt like Christmas to finally get a product we never dreamed would be so hard to find. Thank goodness for the internet, and delivery service. It would be really hard to cope without them. It also reminded me that there are other options besides Amazon, which is good to keep in mind whenever there is price gouging. And the service was just as good - at an even better price. 

Tyson’s Corner Mall, Goodwill, Target & McD’s

It’s hot again, and humid. So rather than take our morning walk in the park, we drove over to Tyson’s Corner Center to get in a bit of exercise. I wanted to pick up a bath mat at Macy’s anyway, but they didn’t have any. The mat we have now must be about 8 years old and looks it! After 2.4 miles of walk in air conditioning, we needed to drop off a couple of things at the Goodwill. A ride to the Falls Church/Annandale center was next on the list. It was a quick stop there so I searched for the nearest Target and found one just a half mile away. So we ventured to Target to pick up the bath mat and an extra shower curtain liner. Before we left we thought we would just have breakfast at home but decided an egg McMuffin and hash browns would be an easy pick up before we got home just before noon. We accomplished everything we wanted to including trying to see if the old bath mat could get cleaned in the washing machine. It wasn’t worth the effort because the old mat is still grungy. Maybe this time we need to follow directions and hang it up after every use - or just be lazy and get a new one in another eight years. 

Reko Pizzelle Italian Waffle Cookies

My husband is a Cookie Monster. So we need to keep the cupboards well stocked with primarily Milano, Pepperidge Farm and LU - strawberry, raspberry, chocolate chip, or anything chocolate cookies. He has these treats with tea every evening. A friend brought a large box of Pizzelle Italian wafer cookies a while back and my husband fell in love with them. They are very light and taste of vanilla - a lot like an ice cream cone, but thinner and flat. We are now on the last few bits and are trying to locate where to buy them. They could not be found at the local Harris Teeter when we did our weekly grocery shopping. We went on line to search for them and found that Target carries the brand. We decided to take a ride out to the Target in Reston on the dreary Sunday rainy afternoon. But we were disappointed to find the cookies could not be found. You can get them on Amazon, but we still want to explore a few of the local Italian places. There’s a Balducci’s Market just down the street so that will be our next stop. If nothing else we can explore another neighborhood option for groceries. In the end Amazon may be our only choice. What’s so unusual about that? 

Target Black and Decker, Room Essentials, and Threshold Stuff

Every once on a while we take a ride to Target rather than order stuff on Amazon. Yesterday was one of those days. We needed to replace my husband's winter blanket for a lighter summer one, get a set of white sheets for the new "monk's room," and replace the old run down coffee maker. So we found a couple of Threshold blankets that fit the bill. He picked the one with fringe on two sides and a neutral color. He uses it in the living room in the morning. He gets up at 6 AM! The Room Essentials polyester wrinkle free sheets were just the thing for the tiny twin bed. The white sheets off set the darker shade throw and they just feels clean. As for the coffe pot we were headed for a simple Mr. Coffee, but ended up with a Black and Decker. I was surprised when the five cup model was selected. I always thought the morning dose of coffee was a lot more than that. Turns out that was all he needed. The old clunky twelve cup model that no longer heated was disposed of immediately. We forgot to look for drink glass replacements and the laundry hampers were all too big for the slots in the closet. So another trip to the Container Store is scheduled. On the way it will be Crate and Barrel to match the broken glasses, and maybe lunch and a nice drive.

A Target and Polish Deli Day

Since my dad passed away in June, we made our first trip back to Florida to visit my mom to see how things were going. Here in DC, there are no Polish restaurants. In Rockville, there is a Polish grocery store. In Milwaukee, there were not only Polish restaurants, but grocery stores too. My mom's dad owned a grocery store, and they were very Polish. So whenever we go to Florida, we take her to the Polish deli to load up on kielbasa, pickles, veal loaf and kishka, along with cakes or breads, or whatever else she may like. A few of the housewares were not working, so we also stopped at Target to get a can opener, toaster, and extra coffee pot, along with some other stuff for the house. It seemed strange that this time we didn't have anything to do for my dad, as all the last many visits always did. It seems my mom is doing quite well for her age and her outlook is bright in spite of her physical disabilities. We even found some shoes on line and ordered up a pair, and we took her to the doctor to get a flu shot and fill out some papers. It is difficult to live far away at times like this, but we are glad we are able to get around and spend time with her. She is a real inspiration. Maybe it has something to do with being Polish!

Archer Farms Turkey at Target

My Thanksgiving dilemma has been solved! For many years in Wisconsin and when we first moved to DC, we would get a Jennie O bagged turkey. But they can no longer be found - or ordered - for the last couple of years. Since I am not a cook, and my husband does not like turkey but prepares everything else, the burden has fallen on me to figure out a solution. For the last two years, we ordered Omaha Steaks turkey dinners, which suited the purpose. But there is something about a real turkey for Thanksgiving - without the mess. So today when we were in Target picking up a few odds and ends, we wandered over to the grocery section. For whatever reason I looked at the frozen food bins. To my utter amazement, there they were - not Jennie O, but Archer Farms "cook in a bag" home style turkeys and turkey breasts! I almost wanted to get one then and there just in case they disappeared. You cannot imagine how much this means to me! It doesn't take a whole lot, but this is just one of those moments. Thanks Target! In the meantime I'll have to keep my eyes open to see if they are available anywhere else - just in case.