Follow up: Just say no

In follow up to my post, Just say no, here's a picture and a review:

My outdoor fall decorations:

See, I told you it was cute.

As far as the orchard salad, my husband and I both thought it was good and my guests wanted seconds so I think that's a pretty good endorsement. I added some Craisins and and used an extra sharp (as opposed to a sharp) white cheddar cheese from Trader Joe's, but I think goat cheese would also be delicious. Then again, I love goat cheese. My only complaint is that I thought there was too much dressing for the salad, but I suppose that could easily be rectified by adding more stuff or saving the dressing for later!

And as further proof that you should just say no to Trader Joe's: My guests loved the Trader Joe's apple cider. They live very close to a Trader Joe's and said many times that they were going to have to buy some when they got home. I told you Trader Joe's is dangerous. But of course, I'm going back tomorrow to get more cider.

Just say no

I've spent the last couple of days preparing for our guests, which basically involves a lot of cleaning. I believe I've made my feelings about this subject known - I hate cleaning. But I'll do it if it means I will have happy guests!

I've also done quite a bit of decorating in preparation for our guests. My living room is cute, but my porch is cuter! I took some pictures, but haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. When I do, you'll be impressed by my decor I promise.

But even more than cleaning and decorating, I've been shopping! My trip to Michaels did some damage, but my second and third (!) trips were worse. It wasn't all random fall decorations though. I bought two picture frames for photos I've been meaning to hang since we moved - the rest was random fall decorations. But aside from trips to Michaels, I've been doing lots of grocery shopping, including a trip to Trader Joe's.

I am not obsessed with Trader Joe's, unlike many of my friends. I used to drive by Trader Joe's every day on my way to and from school in Michigan, yet I only shopped there once. I live fairly close to a Trader Joe's in Charlotte, and yet I've only been there twice. It's just not a place I feel the need to visit very often because I can't find what I want, but I end up buying stuff I absolutely don't need. It's a sneaky place like that.

My first trip to Trader Joe's in Charlotte was more out of curiosity than anything. My sister told me about their pizza dough so I thought I would try it out, and I was curious about what other fun stuff they had. I did buy the pizza dough, but my favorite item was the apple cider - yum! My family has a tradition of drinking hot apple cider at Christmas, and this stuff rivaled the mulled cider my mom makes. I quickly realized that any apple cider I bought this season would have to come from Trader Joe's.

And the cider is what brought me back to my second trip today. I decided to make an orchard salad, and the dressing called for apple cider. I knew immediately that the Trader Joe's cider was the only appropriate cider. I also thought that I'd have a better chance of finding organic apples and pears at Trader Joe's than at the regular grocery store - mostly because I'd already looked and we had neither. So I made my special Trader Joe's trip today, and yet again found myself getting sucked in to the random stuff they had - Dark chocolate covered cranberries! Plantain chips! Pumpkin cream cheese spread! Spices for $1.99! Clearly I absolutely had to have all these wonderful items!

Except I didn't. Well, except for the $1.99 rosemary because I ran out and it cost $4.00 at the grocery store. But I didn't need or really want a single one of those other things. Chocolate covered cranberries? I'm sure they're delicious, but I'm not even a chocolate fan. But they just looked so good!

This is why I can't shop at Trader Joe's, or places like Williams-Sonoma or Crate and Barrel or even Michaels. I see things that are unique and interesting and somehow I think, "I must have this item!" even though I have no need for said item. I'm easily swayed and impulsive, which is an expensive combination in stores that offer unique products to bored housewives.

I think one of the hardest parts about being a housewife is looking for ways to fill my day that doesn't involve spending money. It's so easy to run to Target for a few "essentials" and end up dropping an extra hundred dollars on things I really don't need. In the same vein, I find myself becoming easily bored and seeing new and different products at a different grocery store is an easy way to break a cycle of boredom. However, I know I need to be careful and not let my impulsivity overtake my practicality just for the sake of doing something different. I'm sure the chocolate covered cranberries are delicious, but for the sake of my waistline and my wallet, I have to remind myself that it's okay to "just say no."

At least my living room is cute...

I have guests coming this weekend! I love visitors!

I resisted getting out my Fall decorations this year, partially because I knew they were in the back of the storage area and I wasn't in the mood to move a million boxes to get to the one, lonely, sad box of Fall decorations. However, I thought about having guests and wanting to make a good impression, and decided that decorating would make our place feel more welcoming. So I moved a million boxes, knocked my head on the door jam of the storage area, and injured my hip flexor, but I got out the box of pitiful Fall decorations.

And then I went to Michaels.

I used to visit Michaels regularly, but I stopped going in the last few years though I couldn't remember why. I love the crafts, the decorations, the picture frames, and the random candy at the front of the store. I love the weekly 40% off coupons Clearly, there must've been a good reason why I stopped going to Michaels.

Two hours and $100 later, I remember why I had to quit Michaels. But my living room looks cute.