Boy did my post on Thursday touch a nerve for a lot of us. With over 50 comments in just a few hours, it is clear that most of you love blogs still. Several commenters asked me not to stop blogging, and I want to assure you that I fully intend to keep blogging. I don’t like the Instagram thing, and was pretty much ranting about the demise of bloggers over the past couple of years. But have no fear, I will be continuing to write and post. I just want to find a way to easily read the blogs I still follow. I’m going to try Feedly to read blogs and give up on Bloglovin.
Earlier this week, I picked up an order at the grocery curbside late in the day, and took it home. When I got there, I realized it was too late in the day to defrost something from my impeccably organized freezer. The only meat I had not frozen was the ground chicken I had just come home with. I was really too tired to go through making the Japanese Style Chicken Meatballs from last week’s recipe review from Milk Street World in a Skillet book. But I had another idea. I’d been watching the new series Rat in the Kitchen (hilarious, BTW), and also another new cooking show called The Julia Child Challenge – where contestants watch Julia teach from one of her early French Chef shows, then they have to duplicate the recipe, with their own interpretations. Several dishes over the course of the few shows I watched had what they called ‘de-constructed’ presentations. So I thought, why not? I don’t have to go through all the motions of making meatballs. I’ll just throw it all in the skillet at once, let it cook, and serve it on rice like a stroganoff.
You know, that worked just fine and cut 15 minutes off the prep time. Same flavors, just not in meatballs. I added portobello mushrooms just to amp it up a bit. My Sweet Babboo ate it up. It was served with a fresh spinach salad on jasmine rice.
This past week brought an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. A little shopping with friends at a home sale where a fellow guild member is moving and wants her sewing and crafty things to go to others in the guild. Her prices were thrift store cheap. Can’t pass that up, so we went. I was delighted to score this unit, a set of plastic project cases in a plastic rack. Woohoo!!
She was a scrapbooker as well, and sold me these paper packs for 50 cents each. Oh my, hundreds of sheets of gorgeous papers! Could not pass that up. Good thing our Stashbuster challenge doesn’t count paper, LOL!!
Ah, but yes, there was fabric. Bins and bins of it, sorted by color and size.
After over a week of sales, this was what she had left on the shelves. Still, quite a bit. Yes, that little pile on the table on the right is mine. I’ll confess my transgressions on Friday when we do our next Stashbuster check in.
After shopping, we headed to Champa for sushi. Well, two of us had sushi, and one had tempura. Doesn’t this look divine? Well, some of you will think it does.
But this one might appeal to most. Unless you have a seafood allergy, this one is a great choice. The shrimp is tempura fried, rolled with rice and avocado, topped with crab (also cooked), some tempura bits and two sauces – a dark brown umami and a spicy mayonnaise. Yum!! Fresh and colorful, beautifully presented and delicious.
One more thing, I am still taking reservations for a Well Loved Quilt Repair class for sometime in August. Click on Well Loved Quilt Repair Wait List to get your name on the list. So far, it seems like Thursday is the most popular day, but I need at least 5 more students to hold the class.
I heard of a new thrift store nearby, so I might have to check that out. I’m getting a bit of an urge to scrounge around again, still a thrift store junkie. Who knows what might be waiting for me to find? Maybe something to perk up a table, or give me some inspiration for a new project. I picked up the Christmas issues of several quilting magazines off the freebie table at the guild meeting, but so far not inspired yet for a Christmas in July thing. Still, I am feeling a bit lighter with all the things I committed to organize, chair, or coordinate pretty much behind me. This week, I will be having some fun adventures, so stay tuned, and I’ll share that soon!
From My Carolina Home 
Of course you should continue blogging…….enjoy your posts with coffee nearly every morning!!
The sushi looks devine – as does the rack of storage boxes. I have similar boxes, but they’re stacked on top of each other & you know I always need what’s in the bottom box.
What fantastic finds! Hard to pass up storage and so much pretty paper. 😊 I really feel that the small pile of fabric you picked up pales in comparison to what was left behind. Congratulations on using your will power!
Thank you for continuing to blog – it’s obvious it’s appreciated! Hope you have a good week, and a little thrifting now and then satisfies our need/desire for novelty at a lower price while usually benefiting someone else and keeping things out of a landfill or incinerator, so not an awful thing.
Please continue your thoughtful/fun/ and neighborly blogs.. I enjoy every one I read and get ideas for quilting color combinations and love the mountain travel pictures. ( we lived Macon county a couple years ago) . Keep on keeping on .
That sushi/tempura looks terrific. Oh, one of my favorite things to enjoy! And what a wonderful sale from your quilting/scrapbooking friend! It’s wonderful when you find something like that and walk away with things you can use (that project rack is great) and like! Great idea with the chicken, too. Have a wonderful week!
Love that storage unit for those project boxes. I have several project boxes, stacked up on one of my cutting tables. Great sale. My blog today linked back to your discussion last week about blogging. Btw Your lunch looked delicious.
I will stay away from the sushi thank you. You made some great scores at your guild member’s sale. I look forward to reading more of your blogging.
You had a good shopping venture. The shelfing unit will be great for keeping things organized. I’m not much of shopper, don’t have the patience for it I think in order to get good deals.
I’m glad so many told you they still like blogging and still enjoy reading them! With feedly you can either read the blog on feedly or some you can only see the first paragraph but then you click on the blog and it takes you to the actual blog so you can read the whole post – but you know they have a new post because it shows up on the feedly reader.
I tend to agree with those who say that where they are from, sushi is called “bait”. But I do love your blogs – you are a very good writer. Love your purchases from your guild. If I put one more piece of fabric in my studio, the entire place will explode. And I still can’t sew because my hip is still inflamed. Bummer. So we just sit and look at each other. All day long. Have a great week and please keep on keeping on.
Mary Ed
Carole, I love your blog. I do Instagram but still prefer the blogging community. Have a wonderful Sunday!
Yours is my favorite blog…and I never miss reading a post although I seldom comment anymore….that’s not from lack of interest just quietness on my part. I did want to tell you I inadvertantly said, out loud this week, “Thank you Carole Carter!!!” Then I had to laugh—the words had come unbidden and instant. I’ve been sewing up a storm….dozens of table runners and finishing up bed-size quilt tops and ALL of my borders lay flat and perfectly square thanks to a post of yours a few years ago. I took all your suggestions and used them and have never had a ruffled border since. So, once again, THANK YOU, CAROLE CARTER!!! Blessings from WV and from one of your biggest fans! Your kindness to me with the lovely care package when I broke my leg in 2017 will never be forgotten.
I like that deconstructed meatball idea! Meatballs are a lot of work! Those drawers you found at the sale will be really useful, and I wouldn’t feel bad about bringing home a lot of fabric, either. I would think of that more as a “transfer” of stash than a brand new purchase, lol! Have a lovely Sunday, Carole!
When blogger started having issues last year and I wasn’t getting emails I added sites to Follow.it
You put in the blog address and it creates a feed to you to go thru and also sends an email. I find it a great way to follow blogs.
Any food that I don’t have to cook is delicious! Your choices look especially yummy with so many colors. (From my love of the kid’s food education system “Eat the Rainbow”)
Yes some of these bloggers are from “Down Under”, over the “Pond” and give us a slice of life – even your bears in the garden seem exotic to this city girl on a 25 x 100 foot lot! Love hearing about other hobbies, food, brings us closer in a personal way. Thanks for keeping this going.
You did well at your friends destashing extravaganza! I am so anxious to get into a store…I can’t tell you. Today it will be the pet store and a restaurant, something I haven’t done since the broken ankle – so exciting. Looking forward to seeing if you find anything great in your new thrift shop.
The sushi looks wonderful, as do your sale finds! A friend of mine and I spent yesterday thrift and estate sale shopping. I haven’t done a whole day of it in a long time – we found some fun things and had a ball. One estate sale had lots of sewing items, but since I bought almost 50 yards of fabric in April at our spring shop hop (I had to buy something from every shop I stopped in, right? 🙂 ), so I only bought some vintage cotton lace from the estate sale. I’m so glad you plan to keep blogging, I really do enjoy your posts!
I too get excited about thrift store/yard sale finds, but have been trying to organize and declutter the things that I’ll never use again (after many years as a Girl Scout leader) so I’ve resisted the temptation to even stop at them. But how could you resist a private invitation! Keep blogging! I read them and enjoy. My best friend lives in Asheville, so sometimes I’m familiar with things you post about.
wow – did you score on those paper packs and that sushi … be still my heart!
I use The Old Reader for all my blog reading. There’s a yearly fee, but it’s not much.
Put me onto the really enjoy blogs and don’t use Instagram lists. The last two years with Covid rampant (still is in the rural area where we live) and a very vulnerable family member I have come to really look forward to your blog 👍🏻😄 and a few other well chosen ones. Thank you so much for sharing. I’ll be watching to see if you enjoy Feedly. I, too, have all but given up on Bloglovin after using it for several years. Have a wonderful day and I look forward to your next chat as always❣️
I hope this isn’t a silly question, but is your class on zoom or online? Thank you. Hugs Sandi
The class is on Zoom.
Carole, how do we count supplies such as yarn, buttons, beads etc. when donating for individual fidget blankets? I found someone who is willing to take it off my hands and make the blankets for my veterans/family members with dementia.
I was late catching up on my blog reading this week, but I did read your latest post. I am not on IG, so blogging is it for me, and I also like the story behind a picture. A picture is worth a 1000 words….if the words are written! I don’t use the blogger reading list anymore, although I did start that. I just subscribe to my favorite bloggers, and get emails with new posts (confession – many I skip entirely, but it still gives me the opportunity to touch base if the topic looks inviting). You did well on your friend’s sale.The sushi looks good! Have a good new week, Carole.
Great score from your quilt pal, shame she is selling it all and quitting though.
She is just downsizing, not quitting altogether.
I really enjoy your Sunday chats Carole, as well as your other posts to, but these are just like having coffee with a friend!
I always look forward to your chats too. It’s sort of like having a pen pal. 🙂 I am getting together with two of my former co-workers today and we are going to be hitting several thrift shops around the area and new little boutiques that have popped up during Covid. Can’t wait to see what “treasures” we find. I think you really scored!!
Getting set up on Feedly is, of course, a bit of a challenge to get ALL the blogs you follow but it’ll be well worth it. Not once have I not been able to get on. Nice haul at the sale and great prices!
I don’t always get to read when posted but do go back and read. And yours is one i always try to stay up on. Being of PA Dutch heritage I may never have tried sushi ( Have always loved Chinese however). But after living 10 years in Taiwan and traveling a lot I really enjoy it. Living outside of Austin, TX now we have access to a lot of Asian restaurants. And several of our grocery stores make fresh sushi every day!