Why my mom can't quit her job

You know there is such a thing as a treasure hunting gene, right? I inherited it from my mom. She and my aunt inherited it from my Nana. I have fond memories of us all going on yard sale treks together growing up. And my favorite Sunday afternoon tradition was going to the Douglas Flea Market with mom, visiting with Nana at her booth, and oogling over rows and rows of interesting old things.

Thanks to my mom, I often don't need to hunt for my treasure. It's a big perk to the whole family that she works at the local Salvation Army Thrift Store and I'll be so sad when she ever leaves to pursue her new career in medical coding (go mom, starting a career in her late 50s). She always finds the best stuff. The best is the way she completely fills our Christmas stockings with Sally's finds. Her stockings are always packed with awesome and unexpected things. I bet the total contents of my stocking are usually valued at hundreds of dollars, but she pays like $0.50 an item.

Anything I'm on the hunt for - I make sure I tell my mom and she just waits for someone to drop it off at Sally's. Then she snags it for me before it makes it out onto the sales floor. More often than not, good things come to those that wait - with her 1/2 off employee discount included. She's even got her peeps there on the lookout for my wish list. I love getting the call from mom at work, "Betty just found a _____ for you, are you still interested?" Um, YES!

I think it was at one of our family's weekly January or February birthday celebrations this year when we were all at my parents house. My mom put out cheese and crackers displayed in this super cool container. I told her how much I loved it and guessed where she got it. (My mom has almost an entire closet full of the most beautiful and interesting trays, platters, bowls, vases, baskets, etc to set up amazing food displays and centerpieces - all from Sally's of course.) So she confirmed she paid a couple bucks. "I see these come through every now and then. Want me to get one for you if I see one?" Um...YES!

So today I get that unexpected phone call from mom at work. As soon as she says, "I'm at work and I have something here that I thought you might like," I get all excited. What could it be? "Remember that cheese and cracker dish you said you liked at my house? Well one came it today. Want me to get it for you?  I could bring it by after work today." Um...YES!

May I once again make excuses for my lame camera's lack of flash control combined with my kitchen's flourescent lighting...

Gotta love the $2.99 price tag, which means my mom paid $1.49 and of course she wouldn't take a penny from me.

So it's a glass gallon jug with a cheese block in the middle.

If you bring your cheese and crackers to someone else's house, you transport them like this.

Then you take the cheese block off to access the crackers, and the dome comes off to access the cheese.   My favorite cheese, above, is Havarti with Dill. My favorite crackers, above, are Triscuits.

Is it just me or is that just fun and lovely? This almost makes up for the most awesome cheese block I used to have and since regret getting rid of during one of my cleanouts. It was shaped like a mini butcher's block - a cutting board block on four legs - and the cheese knife was a mini butcher's knife. Of course it came from a yard sale (still remember what house) and I probably sold it at one of mine. Why did I get rid of it? So I need an excuse to serve up cheese and crackers real soon. Gotta put this thing to use!