I went grocery shopping yesterday. They were having an issue with chicken nuggets again: almost the whole case was filled with one single brand of one single variety of chicken strips.
They had SOFTSOAP SOAP REFILLS. I have not seen those for nearly a year. They’ve had an Arm & Hammer brand refill that I’d never seen/noticed before the pandemic, but I tried it and didn’t like the scents at all (and they LINGERED ON THE SKIN), and I know that sounds a little picky, and if there’d been no other choice I would have used them and barely even complained at all, but I DID have other choices, and so I went with those instead, but they were more expensive than buying Softsoap refills, so anyway it was very happy to see them available again.
They had NAME-BRAND DISINFECTING WIPES. I have seen those only a few times in the last year. And I didn’t buy any: I have been scanning for them EVERY TIME, feeling anxious every time I didn’t find them—but when they had them, I thought, “Eh, we don’t need any.” Pandemic Mental Weirdness.
They had lots of paper towels, enough to have a bunch of packages sitting on the floor of the aisle. Plenty of toilet paper.
The canned fruit is still weird: shelf after shelf of cranberry sauce and pineapple, maybe a few cans each of some odd varieties like Triple Cherry Fruit Cocktail, but nothing else.
Still no Grape-Nuts, but I’d found them at Target right before I lost the ability to order from Target (STILL NOT RESTORED BTW, WHAT IS THE EVERLASTING HOLD-UP HERE), and fortunately had ordered several boxes so we were all set.
Everything else seemed pretty normal. Oh: they don’t seem to have cut daffodils this year, at least not yet. Other years, they sell little packs of a dozen stems with still-closed flowers for $1.79, which makes them an amazing cheap date: I’d buy one pack each time I went grocery shopping (which used to be twice a week), taking out wilted ones as they occurred, so I’d always have a nice full bouquet in various stages of bloom. Anyway, I haven’t seen them yet this year. They did have cut tulips, but those are $6 a bunch, and also the cats chew on the leaves.
I want to tell you what I did for Galentine’s Day gifties this year! I couldn’t tell you before, because some of my friends read this blog and I didn’t want to ruin the surprise! But they were so extremely fun to put together, and I was happy with how they turned out.
Normally I feel as if most of us already have PLENTY of mugs, in fact TOO MANY mugs, and so mugs are kind of an iffy gift idea. But when I saw these mugs, I changed my mind:
(image from Target.com)
I wanted one for myself, and I REALLY DO have too many mugs, and I am at the point where I need to GET RID OF a mug if I get a new mug, so anyway that is how much I loved these heart mugs.
I put four 2-packs in my cart: there are eight women in my wine-and-appetizers group, including me, so that works out perfectly. I felt like I was really overdoing it to order in mid-January, and maybe I’d have another idea I wanted to do instead, so I thought I’d just wait until the next time I was doing a Target Pick-Up and add them to that order—BUT THEN THEY SOLD OUT FOR PICK-UP AND SOLD OUT IN THE STORE. In MID-JANUARY! So then I ordered by mail, and thank goodness I did, because later that same day they were SOLD OUT FOR MAIL ORDER!!! In, I remind you, MID-JANUARY.
And then they arrived, and one mug was broken. It wasn’t a total disaster: I still had enough for all seven of the women in my group; I just wouldn’t have a mug for me. This was very sad, especially because I WANTED to have matching mugs with all of them. Thus began a Shopping Obsession that lasted a number of days: I would check Target’s site multiple times per day, hoping the mugs would come back into stock. One day they DID!!!—and by the time I’d gotten my cart up to the minimum $35 for shipping, THE MUGS WERE OUT OF STOCK AGAIN. That was a dark day.
From then on, I kept a cart POISED AND READY TO GO, so that if the mugs ever came back again I could order IMMEDIATELY. And that day DID COME, and I ordered IMMEDIATELY—and then worried: what if they both arrived broken?? I had ONE mug to spare, but not two! I should have ordered an extra set. I will do that now. I formed another order, feeling ridiculous—AND THE MUGS WERE SOLD OUT AGAIN, AND THEY NEVER CAME BACK INTO STOCK AGAIN AFTER THAT. Happily, the two mugs I’d ordered arrived unbroken, so I had one for each of the women in my group, one for me, AND an extra, which I sent to my sister-in-law and it did not break in the mail!
So that is the story of the mugs. In the meantime, I thought about what to put IN the mugs. I started by putting in one individually-wrapped teabag each from some of the many, many kinds of tea I’ve acquired. (If I hadn’t already had all those teas, I probably would have bought a few kinds and put in a couple bags of each; I probably would have gotten the fun/yum/interesting ones like glazed lemon loaf, vanilla bean macaron, and wild sweet orange.) Then I added one packet of Swiss Miss Lucky Charms hot chocolate, one packet of cinnamon hot chocolate, and one package each of Starbucks Via instant French Roast and Italian Roast. The coffees and the cinnamon cocoa are sold in 8-packs, which was so perfect; I highly recommend forming a friend group of eight, to take advantage of this for future Galentine’s Days. The Swiss Miss was in a 6-pack, so I bought two boxes, and then I had enough for my four favorite children as well. (Actually I sent one each to my niece and nephew, and put the spare packets in the cupboard to let nature take care of it.)
(I wish I’d put one pink and one red mug in front, so it was easier to see both kinds. BYGONES.)
I put all the little drinks packets into the mugs, then put the mugs into little Valentine’s Day gift bags I’d bought on clearance last year, with a sheet of Valentine’s Day tissue paper also bought on clearance last year. Then I tucked in individual packets of cookies: Pepperidge Farm Mint Milanos and Famous Amos. And then a few Dove chocolates, just to fill in the cracks.
I was going for sort of a “hot drink and little treats”/”tea party” concept, and I was happy with how it turned out, and my only regret was not ordering MORE MUGS and doing MORE OF THESE for MORE FRIENDS. I was thinking only of my wine-and-appetizers friend group because that’s the group that’s done Galentine’s Day parties in the past—but I also have OTHER friends, and it would have been fun to drop off little gift bags at their house, too! Especially in a pandemic! Well. There is no Happy Story of Happiness I cannot find an element of regret/sorrow in, apparently.
I am just kind of weepy here because of how lovely this is. I’m imagining how each of the recipients felt getting this little bag full of love and warmth. February is so dreary and bleak and you made it glow.
That was a lovely! idea. So fun and festive looking.
As one of the recipients, I can tell you we all loved them! Very thoughtful and much appreciated little pick me up. Still looking forward to trying the Cinnamon Cocoa because I keep forgetting to buy the whipped cream to top it with!
I absolutely love this. I have a mental block with care packages (thinking how will I ever make it to the post office????, when really it’s quite simple) but I’d like to give it a go on a teeny tiny scale, like sending something to my mom and sister.
“Porch presents” at my friend dubbed them, is my FAVORITE thing to come out of the 2020! And that includes take-out dining and curbside groceries, so the bar is not unreasonably low.
“THE MUGS WERE OUT OF STOCK AGAIN. That was a dark day.” The emotional rollercoaster of the saved cart is real.
Grape Nuts acknowledges the issue (at the top of their site!). Apparently we will see them on the shelves soon! I hope so, I sure do miss them.
https://www.grapenuts.com/
I don’t have an excess of mugs but there are two looking a bit like they’re going to crack. I can’t wait because if they do I can buy some new pretty ones! Most of ours are quite plain and I’d love to get some fun ones but haven’t been able to justify buying more :)
What a great gift! So pretty and so comforting and delicious!
Things seemed fairly stable at my grocery store this morning (except that there was no iceberg lettuce and containers of one-dozen large eggs, but I am hoping those things are just my timing; I will have to go back tomorrow). The only “staple” that was out of stock was frozen pancakes, but they are ALWAYS out of frozen pancakes, so I have no idea if it’s a pandemic thing or low pancake-prioritization by my grocery store. The shelf of cleansers was FULL — and I could see from a distance that my preferred brand of Lysol was abundant (before, I had seen two or three bottles at a time). And I DID NOT BUY ANY.
Favorite part, this whole thing: “I highly recommend forming a friend group of eight, to take advantage of this for future Galentine’s Days. The Swiss Miss was in a 6-pack, so I bought two boxes, and then I had enough for my four favorite children as well. (Actually I sent one each to my niece and nephew, and put the spare packets in the cupboard to let nature take care of it.)”
How lovely!! Regarding your target ordering issue – is your ability to order tied to your email address? How about setting up another email address, or using you husband’s email, and using a different credit card – I wonder if you could then order? It’s not a bad idea to have a backup email address anyway, in my opinion.
I bought a mug I loved a few years ago and crowed over it all the time. For at least a couple of years I would frequently remark on how perfect it was when I used it. Then my daughter broke the handle off. But it was still useable and most of the aspects I had praised like the shape and capacity were still there so I kept using it, but was no longer as delighted by it as I had been. And I also have too many mugs, so I didn’t feel I could just buy another one.
This past weekend my husband used it and dropped it and broke it properly and people in my household were all “Oh no! Your mug!” but I waved magnanimously and declared it no big deal, and secretly I thought to myself that this means there’s room for another mug in the cupboard now and this is the perfect opportunity to reignite my hunt for The Perfect Mug.
This was a wonderful story and I thank you for it.
No Regret! No Sorrow! Make a list of those Other Friends and then you can choose a few to surprise for St Patrick’s Day, and then a few others to surprise for Easter, or Arbor Day, or whatever fun occasion you happen to notice cute clearance treats for. No reason to have to hit the whole list at the same time, unless they are A Group (like the wine group- makes sense to do them for the same occasion). Then you get small gifting fun more often without it being a Big Ordeal!
Those heart mugs really are adorable.
We have been experiencing issues with hash browns. Other frozen potato products seem to be fine. But we have had several occasions where there were no hash browns of any ilk to be had at either of the big grocery chain store or the smaller chain store. We prefer the diced/cubed hash browns to the shredded version and the diced/cubed version seem especially difficult to find sometimes.
I’ve also haven’t been able to find the brand of butter we like for several weeks. I googled it recently and found their Facebook page with an acknowledgment last April that they have been having a difficult time keeping up with demand. And it looks like the shortage continues. I was worried that either my local groceries stopped carrying it or that it was discontinued.
Now I want a new mug…even though I don’t have the capacity for a new mug. Also, *rushes off to make a note* I need to remember to do something for a couple of my friends next year for Galentines.
Target’s website is making me crazy. I went to add the OxyClean Stain Remover Refill to my cart only to be told it isn’t available for shipping…BUT if I want another single use spray bottle, I could go to town in ordering. Melba Toast and Oolong Tea still unavailable everywhere. It’s wild. BUT, on my last Target order I was able to snag an actual can of Lysol – I know it’s been well over a year since I’ve noticed that being available.
As long as my favorite wine remains available, I’m okay…I think.
Your friends are so lucky to have a friend like you to love them. I know they know it, but if they read here I want them to remember to treasure you deeply because you are the kind of friend who is few and far between. The are so fortunate, and you are so delightful!
I love this! Well done!
We are down to an all-time low with mugs AND glasses these days! (Tonight the supper beverages were served in three plastic IKEA cups we use for the toddler, one regular mug, and one travel mug!) But reading this post (and comments) makes me *delight* in the fact that I indeed have the capacity for more mugs!! Let the hunt for whimsical and beautiful ones begin!
Those Galentine mugs are SUCH a fun idea that I might just steal the idea for next year. Tea party and treats, yes please.
So thoughtful! If I was the recipient of something like this I would be SO happy! It was my birthday last week and one of my friends from school (there are 10 of us so gifting tends to be very random and haphazard and semi-dependent on whether we’re seeing each other in person) sent me a cute mug and a bag of coffee ground in her home town and it was such a lovely gesture.
My Target seems to have a huge abundance of Clorox brand wipes in the 35 count and I have been adding one to every curbside order I make. This makes my orders … odd. Like when I bought things for my teens to do galentines and my cart had 5 different kinds of chocolates and other small gifty things AND a can of Clorox wipes. But it was quite the pleasant surprise to realize I had way too many and give THREE to my mother in law.
I am still unable to buy flavored Diet Coke and I really miss it.
A friend of mine included me this year in a Galentine’s Day exchange. We were all supposed to make something handcrafted (to include something baked, and with a price cap) and my friend matched us with a different recipient and giver. I knitted a blue and grey cowl and I got a big jar of homemade applesauce, a homemade candle, and a bag of ginger snaps! It brightened my whole weekend. :)
Those mugs are so cute, I would have been thrilled with that gift! I was inspired by you to do Galentines day with some of my friends, in the end only 4 others volunteered but we went skating outdoors together and exchanged gifts classroom style and I loved it so much. It was a first time for all of us so none of us really knew the scale or what to expect. My friends aced it! I gave everybody one of the many books I had bought and read in 2020, I had a lot of fun picking one I thought I each would like, with some homemade chocolate covered nibs. Others did baking, reusable paper towels, mugs, homemade sanitizer, pamper kits!
I apologize for posting this here, because I am sure you have a preferred way to contact you somewhere that is clearly posted and yet I am missing. Nevertheless:
I have a 14 year old niece who is currently hospitalized and moving to residential care for an eating disorder. I appreciated your posts on care packages for ideas! It was tricker than you would expect – no Easter candy, no mindless magazines due to the messages, etc. I even had to ditch a pack of dual tipped markers labeled “fat/thin” ends. I went with (and my 16 year old daughter approved):
Adult coloring book
Markers (still problematically labeled as wide/small)
Kinetic sand sloth from Five Below (now adding to all of our Easter baskets because, so fun)
Lip balms
A blank Moleskine notebook
Face mask
Fuzzy socks
Fun earrings from Etsy
Any ideas for future packages, either for my niece or my SIL (her mom)? I will be sending my SIL wine (checking postage requirements) and trashy reading material, as she stays many states away for the duration of my niece’s treatment. Also, a Target gift card for mindless retail therapy.
I love your shopping posts; I find them entertaining when I read them, and then find them useful in retrospect!
Butting in here. All the best for your niece. I love that you consulted your daughter, and these ideas all look great, and very thoughtful re the messaging.
My 16 y.o. daughter has mild autism, and also finds making stuff with her hands very soothing and engrossing. I wonder if your niece might be similar? She still quite likes making bracelets with loom bands even though she first got into that at age 9 or 10. There are lots of other little craft kits at our bigger stores here in Australia, and so I assume there’d be similar in the US, including online shopping? Things like making jewellery, sewing (or ‘sewing’) a soft toy or cushion, making jewellery boxes, and so forth.
PS – I understand there’d be concerns about no sharp implements (awful thought, gosh I feel for these poor kids going through things like this), but as you probably know, there are lots of these kits with nothing at all dangerous.
Does she likes puzzles? I was initially thinking Sudoku, but actual puzzles might be fun too if she has some place to do them. Maybe the kind of 3d puzzle where you end up with Big Ben or whatever?
Not sure what kind of residential facility it is, but the air is probably dry, so the lip balms are good, maybe also lotions. Is she allowed her own towels? That might be nice.
Is she allowed music? Maybe an itunes card? Not sure if she can use a phone but maybe an old school ipod or mp3 player would be ok. Some nice ear buds.
Audio books? Maybe for mom? Maybe an Audible or other subscription (I don’t know how these things work).
I feel for your family and think it’s wonderful you are being thoughtful and considerate here. Best wishes.
I loved the “four favourite children” comment :)
Someday I hope to be as organized and prepared to gift people as thoughtfully as Swistle!
Re hand soap – I like to pop into TJ Maxx or Ross type stores for soap. They usually have a good selection of soaps that smell good and the prices are close to what I’d pay for soap at the grocery store. Also the clearance/damaged aisle usually has some where the pump handle has broken or something that doesn’t affect the soap. Some of the hand soaps come in glass jars with pumps, and I can’t bear to throw those out, so a damaged jar is still perfectly usable!
I LOVE the mugs. And the Target story. And the fact that my book club has eight members and I CAN DO THIS. Except we don’t have Target. Sigh.
While I have fall/winter mugs (plaid) and Christmas mugs, it never occurred to me I needed a Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day mug until I saw your heart mug in a previous post. I tried googling it to no avail. Then I was on the Target website and I spotted it in the collection of “Valentine’s Day Gifts for Her”. I scrolled through every page of those gifts and it wasn’t listed. I did more googling. Eventually I concluded it must have sold out. The heart mug is a fantastic mug and I’m going to focus on being happy for you that you have one and not sad for me that I don’t.
I’m hoping that this year’s apparent early-sell-out success will encourage them to sell the same mug (or similarly great NEW heart mug) again next year!