Woman in Real Life

While I was picking up half price green finds at the Salvation Army store, I also spotted a couple of lovely items that weren't included in the sale.

Let me just say, I don't know much about the value of things when I'm shopping at thrift stores. I am not buying to resell, so I just buy what I like, as long as it seems like a bargain to me.

I liked the rustic charm of this wire egg basket, above, but I wasn't sure if I should bring home something quite so rusty. I decided to go for it. I can't quite remember how much it cost, but I believe it was under $2. I did some research since then and found out that similar egg baskets are priced at $30 or more.

Now that spring has truly arrived, I am looking forward to spending more time exploring some of Toronto's lovely, artsy neighbourhoods.

Last weekend, we hung out with my husband's cousin in The Junction, an "up and coming" area of the city that sits near the junction of four railway lines. Regular readers will know that I was drawn to the area by a desire to go to Bunner's vegan and gluten-free bakeshop. My travels are often inspired by food in some way. If we are going on a trip, I will google vegetarian restaurants before I even look for flights or hotels. I'm greedy like that.

Happy Friday! I hope you are looking forward to a fun-filled weekend, light on laundry duties.

My husband is playing in a volleyball tournament tonight with other teachers, which means he will likely spend tomorrow complaining of sore muscles (and possibly bones). Once you reach a certain age, sports don't come easy. But hey, he's trying. My son has a soccer game tomorrow afternoon. At the age of 10, I'm sure he'll recover nicely. The most exercise I will get is cleaning a bathroom floor by hand or passing laundry from washer to dryer.

Nasoya sent me a couple of bottles of their vegan sandwich spreads recently. I tried the new NayoWhipped on my veggie burger and found it added a nice, tangy taste. Overall, though, we tend to use vegan mayonnaise more in the summer months, when I like to make potato salad for gatherings.

In the meantime, Nasoya pointed me to the recipes on their website for ideas as to how to use my new sandwich spreads. I am a big fan of muffins, so I was immediately drawn to the recipe for vegan banana muffins. I already have a favourite banana muffin recipe, but I thought perhaps I should be a bit adventurous and try another recipe.

As I mentioned in my first "Keeping it Green" post, the local Salvation Army Thrift Stores came up with an ingenious concept for this eco-friendly month. For two days, all green items of any kind were half price. Last week, I showed you the bigger pieces that I bought, mainly serving dishes.

This week, I am showing off the smaller gems that I added to my cart that day. Even a touch of green made it half price.

Isn't this a sweet little pitcher and saucer set, above? I have so many decorative items in my home that I no longer have shelves or tables to place them on. Or so I thought. Then I realized that the spare bedroom is hardly decorated. That's where this little duo ended up.