Anticipation

Today is Costco day! I'm looking forward to discovering what did and didn't come in from my latest order. I'm still thrilled at the discovery that we have this option. Today's order includes the beginnings of my holiday baking supplies. Next week I need to make a phone call and see about availability (and corresponding order #s) for items I need or desire that are not included in the "catalog" we were provided with. Although we have found there are some items that really aren't that great of a deal, or that we can pretty much count on finding at the Grocery Outlet for less, there are a lot of great deals to be had, and I'm just loving having this additional $$ saving option available.

Of course, being Thursday, and the end of October festivities now over and done with, today is also our Library and shopping day. Due to last weeks fun, we didn't manage to do our regular amount of shopping, so I'm looking forward to that even more than usual this week. I do have to admit though, it was kinda fun "making do" with what we had on hand for the last week. I find the challenges of figuring out new ways to utilize our stores to be highly entertaining, and we usually discover at least one new favorite dish out of those weeks. Of course the big secret to that is stocking up on those items you know you'll use when they're on sale. I'm hoping to find a few more of those types of items today.

Another thing I'm hoping to find on the grocery store shelves today is some bread making supplies. I'm not one to settle for plain white when making my own bread. I prefer to get a bit more creative than that. Naturally, I have plenty of my own ideas ready to incorporate into my yeasty experiments, but I have also found a few recipes I'm really looking forward to trying. There's one in particular that was suggested by a dear friend that I'm anxious to try. This calls for some ingredients that I hadn't considered in the past, and they are all on my ever growing shopping list.

Speaking of bread making supplies, I was tickled to finally talk to the manager of the bakery at Albertson's last week. She sold me 10 bread bags for just under 10¢ a piece. While I can get them a bit cheaper on line, I would have to purchase such a large amount at a time that it would seem a bit silly. I'll continue my search for another source, but in the meantime, if necessary, it's good to know I have this option.

The young'uns have been becoming a bit antsy with all the rain we've had this last week. They were okay the first few days, but it's wearing thin. We're starting to get a bit more creative with busy work for them. I'm rather hoping my bread making endeavors will serve as a distraction for them as well. Naturally, there will be some "extra" dough for their personal creations, to be baked right along side the larger, more conventionally shaped loaves. Mmmm. I can hardly wait for that wonderful aroma to fill my house!