This Week in Thrifting

I don't think I've shared this here yet - I finished my thesis draft! Yes, last Wednesday evening!

I awoke Bruce to celebrate around 11pm - headed to Freddie's Flowers for ice cream and came home to enjoy a beer. Worst tummy ache ever (which I incidentally repeated this past Wednesday with wing night at Christie's followed by ice cream and 5 Minute Chocolate Cake - huh? not so smart us MA students?). We celebrated the next morning with a breakfast at The Shine. It was yummy (though not as good as usual, didn't there used to be fruit on the side? this makes a plate look SO much nicer!) and really being across the street, and in sight of our bedroom window, it was a perfect place for a celebratory breakfast.

I haven't been so ecstatic about this milestone since I know there is still lots of work to do - I have submitted my draft. My supervisor is reviewing it (every day longer he has it, I get more nervous and I wonder "Just how bad is it that he has needed a week and a half to read 180 pages?"). I'll do revisions on that draft and produce draft 2 and then once he approves the next draft it goes to my other committee member. Then once my committee member approves it I need to wait 20 business days to defend it. While I wait I prepare a 20 minute presentation and prepare to defend my work. Then after the approx. 2 hour defense is over I may still have to do several revisions and fill out reams of paper work and print several 1,000 pages (!?!) to submit the thesis and graduation papers. There is still much to be done so I haven't breathed my BIG sigh of relief yet. In any case, I am closer. I have something to work with - this is what everyone keeps telling me.

In the meantime I'm enjoying a bit more freedom in my daily routine and a little less guilt too.

And with that, I had a bit of unadulterated fun at the thrift shops this week - I didn't go too crazy, though I found a few fun things.

You can see all the details on Flickr of course. Some favourites include the items I picked up at yesterday's MS Garage Sale which our team, Daphne's Dashers, participated in.

* Joan Osborne, Righteous Love (she's performing at Vancouver Island Music Fest this summer!)
* Carol Shields - Stone Diaries (hands down one of my favourite books ever!)

The rest of the goodies were from Friday's quick trip to the Oak Bay United Church Thrift shop - fun indeed!

And these goodies were from earlier in the week - I went a bit crazy at WIN (clothing), St Aidan's (stuff) & Sally Ann (more stuff??).

In other fun stuff Bruce has not found his bike : ( however he has found one through a guy he is taking his Permaculture Design Course with a very happy new acquisition. Now I just need to get myself a nice road bike/commuter and we'll be bike set again!

I had fun at yesterday's MS Garage Sale - I had the most fun making & packaging the items for our bake sale.

Here are my favourites:

Homemade pizza (rebar focaccia bread recipe crust) for $1.50 each - they sold within an hour or so. Flavours included: sun dried tomato & mozzarella, blue cheese, pear & pecan and kale & olive.

Choco-coconut Nests - $0.25 each. Made with Martha Stewart's Coconut-Chocolate Patties pressed into mini-mini tart tins, placed in an egg carton and a lil' egg ; ).

Our team made twice as much as we did last year at the sale and raised $250 - I am very proud of us! Next year I think a giant bake sale table with pizza and samosas would be an awesome hit - the sugar gets to you after a few hours so something savory is so nice to enjoy - way better than hot dogs!

Well back to Sunday relaxing - enjoy yours!