snadblog

After months (years?) of hoping, trying, and planning, my mother and I finally made it to the outskirts of Cincinnati this weekend, with the expressed purpose of visiting IKEA and Jungle Jim’s.

You’ve heard me talk about IKEA enough to know what it means to me, but my mother had never visited.  We entered what seemed like a perfectly ordinary store, but by the time I left, I was pretty sure it was actually Bizzaro IKEA.  Why?  Consider this evidence:

1. We were in and out of there in about an hour and a half.
2. I didn’t buy any furniture.
3. I paid for my entire purchase with a twenty dollar bill – $19.04 to be exact.
4. We didn’t have to bring the car up to the loading area to pack everything in.

Mom liked the store, but didn’t share my zeal for it.  I enjoyed the visit, of course, but it was nowhere near the usual 4-6 hour visits of the past, mostly because I’ve sort of already bought everything that I can fit in the house already.  Added all up, it was just a very bizarre (but still enjoyable) trip.

After IKEA, we headed to Jungle Jim’s International Market, which we had really high hopes for.  As high as those hopes were, the store STILL managed to surpass them.  It was amazing!  It was huge and full of just about every food we could imagine.

The cheese section alone was as big as some grocery stores I’ve been to.  I could have easily spent a fortune if I’d grabbed every wedge of cheesy goodness that caught my eye, but I held back.  I settled instead for a bag of cheddar cheese curds, a treat I can usually only find in New York.

Then we hit the bread section, and there were tons of samples sitting out to try (a trend we saw throughout the store, actually).  We got some really yummy pretsel baguettes that were quite unique and very tasty.  Had I bought that truckload of cheese, I would’ve certainly had to match it with a haul of crusty bread.

Next was the fresh meat section, where we picked up some linquica (my favorite portuguese sausage), which is nearly impossible to find in Kentucky.  (So glad we brought a cooler along!)  Then we wandered past 1.5″ thick steaks and whole ducks and gigantic pork tenderloins, and saw the “unique” meat section.  Mom spotted lots of “treats” (to her at least) that made her long for her days in Portugal and squeal in delight at each new find.  From blood sausage (”Ooooh!”) to pork tongue (”Oh, but I like beef tongue better”) to beef tongue (”Oh YUM!”) to fresh pork hocks (”Fresh!  Not smoked!  Are you kidding?”) to chicken feet and pigs feet, she was in culinary heaven, but I was quite thoroughly grossed out.  She resisted buying it all up, and instead vowed to return in the future to shop for a special occasion meal.

After the meat section was the produce.  Wow, the produce!  The most gorgeous tomatoes I’ve ever seen.  The freshest of everything, and free samples of fantastic citrus fruits to nibble on.  Unusual and unique veggies and fruits.  Yellow carrots.  Inch-long cucumbers.  Salsify.  Baby pineapples.  Still others that I’d never heard of, and some I’d always wondered about, like cherimoya (more on that in another post!).  It was craziness!

Beyond the produce bounty was the canned/boxed food sections — the real gem of the store.  Everything was sorted by country/region, and if you’re looking for a particular ingredient from another country, odds are you’d find it here.  We got some garlic plantain chips, fancy root beer, dulce de leche in a squirt bottle, crazy soda that Mom used to get as a kid, Adobo seasoning with pepper (that I’ve been looking for for weeks), fava beans, and anisette-flavored coffee biscuits.  Just think of it and there it is.  Amazing.

We then found ourselves walking through the regular soda aisle.  2-liters and 12-packs of the most ordinary sodas.  Then Mom said, “I wonder what water they have…”  See, my mother is a very devoted fan of one particular brand of bottled water.  It used to be labeled as Dannon, but last year was renamed “Spring”.  It was about then that all of the stores in Lexington stopped carrying it.  Mom has to go to Fort Knox (where she goes every couple months to the hospital anyway), Danville, or Cynthiana to get her beloved Spring water.  So it was worth a look here.  And of course, they had it.  At a ridiculously low sale price, even!  We bought five cases, which is all we could fit in the cart and still be able to push it.

Next was the seafood department.  They had a lobster tank, but that’s not that big a deal… even Kroger and Walmart have live lobster.  But next to that was a tilapia tank.  Live fish swimming around in a tank, ready for you to pick one out and take it home.  Now THAT is some fresh fish!  I can’t help but wonder how they kill the fish before they hand it over to you, but I was afraid to ask.  Instead we focused on the frozen fish aisle, in the hopes that… maybe… just maybe… they would have… the salted cod Mom loves which she calls… BACALAO!  They HAVE IT!

Words can not express how excited she was to see this.  This picture does a pretty good job, though.

We bought some, of course.  The trip would’ve been worth it for her if the only thing we’d come home with was salted cod.  She loves it that much.

Last stop was the frozen section, where I did a scan for the elusive Maple Walnut ice cream, a flavor which I can’t find anywhere outside of New England or Canada.  Alas, good ol’ Jungle Jim did disappoint me on this one quest, but I can live with that.  There were lots of other exciting flavors I’d never seen before, like the blackberry cordial (yum!) that I purchased.

This store was just phenomenal.  Fantastic.  Loved it.  And obviously, my Mom did too.  And I didn’t even talk about the quirky kitschiness of the place!  It’s a site to see even if you’re not there to buy food.  Totally worth the drive, as evidenced by the tour buses we saw in the parking lot.  We spent almost three hours in that store!

It’s probably a good thing that we don’t live closer, because we’d be stuffing ourselves with the richest of foods at every opportunity.  Instead, it’s going to be a place to visit when we’re in the mood for a special meal or need a certain ingredient.  I’d go back any time (and I’m sure we will frequently) just to see my Mom’s excited face at every new discovery.

Remember a few weeks ago when I dropped my camera and broke my lens? I struggled for at least a week on what new kind of lens to purchase to replace it. I was debating between a simple replacement 18-55mm, a better quality 18-55mm, or a luxurious 18-200mm. Still struggling with the pros and cons of each, and trying to keep my cost under $300, I was torn and couldn’t decide.

Then I did yet another eBay search and this time discovered the perfect solution. It was a single auction for two lenses — an 18-55mm and a 55-250mm, both with Image Stabilization, and both Canon brand. They were factory refurbs, but included a 90-day warranty and I’ve always been happy with refurbs in general, so that didn’t bother me. The auction also included two UV filters and two lens cap keepers (something I’ve been meaning to get for a while). And the whole kit came in at $299.95, which was just under my budget.

I just had to do it. I had to spring for this deal and treat myself a little. I didn’t have anything even close to a 250mm zoom in my bag, and could really use something with that much power and that much flexibility. And both lenses having IS was a huge boost — I don’t have that on any of my lenses, and I knew it would help my focus a lot. Plus, the price of these two lenses together was less than the dreamy 18-200 that I had been looking at, thanks to their refurbished state. So I clicked “Buy it Now” and a week later, these beauties were added to my camera bag.

I have not gotten to fully enjoy these lenses yet due to a busier-than-usual schedule, but I have taken a few sample shots and am very pleased with them. The 250mm zoom lens is a dream, and I can’t wait to really put it to use. The 18-55 is a pretty equivalent replacement for the broken lens, but with the added IS feature.

So after taking a few pictures of the ice and snow this morning, I was showing Dennis the power of the 250, and finally got around to showing him the broken lens, to see if he thought he could pop the lens back in line.

He took the lens into his hands, did a quick twist and push, and the lens let out a loud SNAP. He then let out a loud CACKLE, handed the perfectly fixed lens to me, and I did a big frustrated FLOP onto the couch. Here’s what the lens looks like now.

A few test shots later, I knew the lens was fine and hadn’t really needed replacing after all. The zoom works smoothly with no clicks, the glass is not broken, and the pictures come out just as before. Sigh. Oh well. I wanted a better zoom anyway :)

This weekend, I returned an item at a store and because I had no receipt, I was given store credit. The item was $9.99 with 60 cents tax, bringing the card balance to $10.59. After finishing the transaction, I went into the store to shop with my store credit. I decided to purchase some much-needed glasses for the house, and got eight of them for $1.25 each. As I walked up to the register, I realized my total was going to be $10.00 plus tax. That meant $10.60 and I was going to be one penny short.

Like a lot of folks these days, I use the convenience of plastic to make most purchases, and while I do usually have cash on hand, I rarely have change. I had a twenty and a one in my wallet, but nary a coin to be found. As I approached the register, I scanned the floor, hoping to be lucky enough to find a penny that somebody had dropped. I looked on the registers desperately for a “need a penny, take a penny” cup, but there wasn’t one anywhere. I really did NOT want to have to use my one dollar bill and get 99 cents in change. My head began to fill with ideas on how I could talk the cashier out of making me pay that extra cent.

I ended up at a register manned by the same cashier who had given me my store credit, and I thought she would understand and laugh and let me off the hook. It’s just a penny, right? No dice. I joked about how I didn’t want all the change and she sort of gave me a “hate that for ya” look. I tried looking around the floor again and she did too, but nothing. I finally said I would rather go out to my car and get a penny than get 99 cents in change. Not only was this the truth, but I thought it would be a good way to entice her to say “oh just forget it” and let me off the hook. She wasn’t gonna be so easy, though! I couldn’t believe it.

Finally she asked the cashier at the next register if she had a spare penny and she didn’t, but the lady she was waiting on did. She gave me the penny with a broad smile and when I thanked her warmly, she said “Honey, it’s just a penny!” Exactly! Why didn’t the cashier see that point? I’ve been a cashier before and I know you’re lucky at the end of the night if you’re ONLY off by a penny, so I don’t know why she didn’t feel the same way. And before you say “I bet she was just a young kid,” she was approximately in her forties, so none of those “she just didn’t want to get in trouble” excuses will fly with me.

Anyway, I left the store with my new purchase and my dollar bill intact, and went on to other stores to continue my errands.

And wouldn’t you know it, my very next purchase, paid for with cash, garnered me one penny in change. Boy, I sure could’ve used that penny a half hour earlier.

And then I went to the next store and made another purchase with cash, and my change? One penny. Unbelievable!

I should have done my shopping in a different order, I guess, and it would’ve worked out a lot easier. But in the end, I got my errands run and with three bags in my hand and a pair of pennies in my pocket, I was properly equipped to tell this story… and give you my two cents :)

(Ha! Even I didn’t see that one coming until I typed it!)

The dream came true last week… an IKEA opened within 2 hours of my house! We waited a week for things to calm down after the grand opening before venturing there. Then yesterday, Kris, Rita, Tabitha, and I took the day off from work and headed to the new West Chester IKEA store, just north of Cincinnati.

It was a full day of fun and we took our time getting there, shopping, and getting home. We spent about 5 or 6 hours in the store itself, but the exhaustion that resulted from all that walking was worth the treasures we purchased. We got lots of small items, a couple of big ones, and tons of ideas for the future. I spent about a hundred bucks but I think a couple of the girls outdid me :)

The store was an absolute piece of cake to get to — just stay on I-75 til you see it, then turn. The parking lot was huge and they let you take shopping carts out to the cars, which was awesome (most IKEA stores have “fences” that keep the carts in, which means you have to drive up to the building to load up). The store itself was beautiful and had two floors that seemed to go on forever, with what appeared to be the full array of IKEA merchandise (unlike some others I’ve been to). The store was well-staffed and well-stocked, except for two small items that Kris and Tabitha wanted. They were sold out and the clerks wouldn’t let us buy the displays. Darn, I guess we’ll just have to go back!

Actually, we definitely will be returning soon. I already picked out a headboard I want for my birthday (to match the dressers I got there last year), and we’re always in need of more IKEAness in our lives. I owe Heath a trip, too :) It’s just so nice to have a store close by now. No more pressure to “get everything now cuz we won’t be back for a year.”

My favorite purchases yesterday were some adorable little GODIS MIX glasses and a dozen 49-cent TEKLA dishtowels (something I’d purchased before… best little towels ever!)

P.S. We stopped at Buffalo Wings & Rings for dinner on the way home… I sense a tradition brewing!

I’m not a huge fan of regular raisins, but I really enjoy the golden ones, especially sprinkled on Indian food. Because I don’t use them often, it’s rare that I find myself needing to buy them. Rarer still when I actually know where to find them in the store.

See, I’ve long maintained that raisins are the black sheep of an organized grocery store, and they never quite find a steady home among the aisles because raisins don’t go with ANY regular department — and also go with EVERY regular department — all at the same time.

Think I’m crazy? Try to imagine where the raisins are located in the store you shop at most. I’ll be you come up with answers I haven’t even heard of before. Are your raisins near the canned fruit? Are they next to the pudding and gummy snacks? Or maybe they’re in the cereal aisle? In the baking section? Over by the bread and chips? I’ve seen raisins in all of these places before. Every time I finally spot them, it seems like they are in a spot that makes sense… but so do all the other spots!

Two weeks ago I found myself out of golden raisins and by the time I finally remembered to buy them, I was at a store I rarely visit, which means that I didn’t know where anything was, much less the raisins. I finally found them at the end of the produce section, and I was much dismayed to find that they were out of golden raisins. Through the next few days, I found myself in three other grocery stores and each time I searched the aisles, hoping to strike gold. I had varying degrees of luck, and even spoke with my sister on a couple of those trips, who laughed at my inability to locate such an ordinary item — but she couldn’t tell me where they were either! I was finally helped by a store employee who was able to tell me immediately that they were in aisle 6, on the bottom, at the far end, and I grabbed my treasure and headed straight for the checkout.

With this quest behind me, I had all but forgotten about raisins until last night when I was shopping in a nearby Kroger. They are in the midst of renovating several areas of the store, so things are moved around each time I go in. Apparently the area where the raisins are normally stored is the latest victim of the renovation, because the entire 6-foot section of raisins and dried fruits had been moved — not to any other location that made any modicum of sense, but to the front wall of the store, beyond the registers. I would never have found them there!