The husband and I were invited to a fundraiser at the Maine Military museum by an old friend who worked with him at the FAA.
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There were numerous items for sale, as well as a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and donation box.
There was also free food, beer and wine.
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You have to love a museum with a bar.
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The museum itself is small but jam packed with memorabilia, all acquired through donation. I’m amazed that we never knew it existed but seriously glad we do now.
We strolled around for an hour and could have spent all day. The collection of military history was impressive and the passion project of one single man. We tagged along on a portion of a tour with him and were blown away by the encyclopedic knowledge he had of every single piece in the building. As you can imagine, most of the stories were heartbreaking.
No, I didn’t buy myself a gift, but it seems someone did.
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It may be the most magical time of year, but it’s also the most popular time for criminals to hack your credit card.
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Thankfully my bank was right on top of it, cancelling the card and refunding the bogus charges. The amounts were low but that’s how they start, hoping you won’t notice. Ironically it was the fact they made multiple low purchases at the same place for the same amount that tripped an alarm. Weirder still? My last legitimate charge was $18.96.
Be careful out there. Being without my debit/Mastercard for a week until the new one arrives is a pain in the *ss this time of year.
I have a friend who does a different type of Christmas tree every year. Some years it’s weird and funky, some years it’s traditional. This year I made a suggestion I wish she would have followed…
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She was not amused, but damn. That’s epic.
Every couple of years the lazy Susan cabinet in our kitchen goes off track…. and every few years my husband asks why we need so many cans.
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Someday I’ll have an answer.
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I need this in my life.
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Who needs pie when you have martinis?
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Isn’t it sweet my cat loves rocks as much as his human mother?
And finally, a Christmas tree for Mark who has an affinity for awkward pink birds….
A recent antiquing day trip to search for a final alcoholic crate left me empty handed but did result in a few chuckles.
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Yum.
Not.
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I think I had one very similar to this when I was a kid.
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Bloomers.. complete with reinforced crotch. Who could ask for more?
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I’ve been looking for an old crank phone like this for the man cave. But this one didn’t crank and was missing parts … so for $350, I left it there.
And speaking of the man cave…
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I’ve started to migrate my vinyl out there, though there isn’t enough room in any one spot to line up the crates in a row.
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Guess they’ll have to be scattered here and there.
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And if you’re wondering what’s going on here, it’s the husband breaking his back trying to upend a vintage glass water bottle into the cooler. He’s collected the damn things for years and wants to replace all the plastic containers it came with.
Looking for a different topper for your Christmas tree this year?
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How about the Abominable ( but quite cute ) Snowman.
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Can’t say I’m crazy about letting him climb the tree at will….
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But he does make a great addition to that gift of champagne.
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How’s that for a shift in topic? (Spellcheck just changed ‘for’ to ‘fur’. I am not amused.)
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And I thought stupid ad campaigns couldn’t get any stranger.
In other news, we had lunch at a pub the other day called The Depot. It was loud, dark and though our meal was decent, I can’t say I’m in any hurry to go back.
For the first time in two years we’re venturing out of our Thanksgiving Covid bubble and spending the holiday with friends as was our tradition. It will be a small gathering with a large amount of love.
And food. As well as drink.
In that spirit… I went shopping yesterday for the ingredients to whip up my contributions to the feast. To say I had sticker shock is a gross understatement, and while I’ve been cringing at the checkout counter for a while now, this trip was solely to make three things which made the cost positively ridiculous.
Harvest sangria –
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And mind you, I already had the vodka.
Crabmeat toasties –
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Already had the mayo.
And a cappuccino mousse trifle.
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Already had the milk.
To assemble a drink, an appetizer and a dessert in 2022 without the items I already had at home?
$211.76.
Granted the fresh crabmeat is an indulgence at … are you ready? … $40 a pound. In Maine! Two pounds are pictured, which a few years ago cost me roughly half that. And sure, I could have brought cheese and crackers but everyone loves these and looks forward to them. Probably because they’re too cheap to ever make it themselves, but still.
On the flip side of my extravagance, I have a frugal girlfriend. Every year she challenges herself to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner for six people for under $30. She’s so proud of her ability to do this she lists her purchases on her Facebook page if anyone wants to follow her lead.
I thought this year, with its astronomically high food prices, she wouldn’t be able to do it.
I was wrong. And I’m including her post because she just impresses the Hell out of me.
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I’ve been asked by so many people if I was going to do a Thanksgiving on a shoestring post this year. Well, I did it. I’ll give a shopping list with prices, menu, and break down how I did it. Turkey $6.14 (.47 #) 13# bird 1 1/2 # sweet potato .56 2# sweet onions .87 Celery $1.50 1# carrots .50 2.5# potatoes $1.00 Squash $1.00 Turnip $1.00 Fresh herbs $1.99 Graham crackers $1.25 1 large banana .40 1# flour .75 2 cups sugar $1.00 Canned whipped cream $2.50 1qt. milk $2.19 Butter $3.99 Vanilla pudding $1.49 Cranberries $1.00 Stuffing $2.49 Grand total $31.62
Thanksgiving menu Roast turkey with stuffing Mashed potatoes Squash Roasted Root Vegetables Homemade cranberry sauce Homemade gravy Chai pie Banana cream pie Biscuits
This was probably the most challenging budget Thanksgiving Dinner. My goal was to keep it at or below $30.00. I could have done it if I went with with cheaper options, like margarine, instead of butter, but I refuse to skimp on quality. Another option was to get a loaf of bread for 1.29, at the off price bread store for stuffing, but $1.00 savings in the meal didn’t make sense when it cost more in gas to go get it. A lot of things, like potatoes, flour, and sugar I buy in bulk, but I used store prices for those items. By making things from scratch, like pie crust, biscuits, and cranberry sauce, you can save a lot of money. I got canned whipped cream, because whipping cream was sold out. The price is about the same. My menu is looking a little different this year as well. I talked to those who were coming for dinner, and we decided on two pies that we all liked. There’s no sense in baking a bunch of pies that aren’t going to be eaten. Six different side dishes aren’t necessary, so we decided what our favorites were. We grew our own Squash, turnip, and herbs, but I priced them for the dinner cost. This list can be tweaked to your personal liking. I didn’t include beverages, because we already have that stuff on hand. In the end, Thanksgiving dinner for 6 breaks down to $5.27 per person. That is, until I turn leftovers into more meals 😉………Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope this had helped 🙂
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Proof positive it is possible.
That’s also proof I’ll never do it myself, but hey… to each their own.
So however you celebrate Thanksgiving , or even if you don’t… I hope your day is filled with food, friends, family and fun.
River's world..... 