squash, vintage finds, october craves

It was a typical Sunday morning (which for me, doesn't exist until after 11), consisting of whole wheat waffles, cuddling with Little Jack, and a very anticipated trip to Ward's.

I'm not even exaggerating when I say this, but I get unbelievably happy when I go food shopping, especially at Wards. Pretty much to the point where you would think I'm too obsessed with food and possibly a bit crazy for feeling such giddiness. Although is there even such a thing as being too obsessed with food? Probably not. I mean, at least not in my mind. Sometimes I surprise myself at how long I'll actually stay in Ward's, which is why I now have to set rules for myself before I go there. (Go ahead and laugh, but I'm completely serious!) There's so many different kinds of fruits and vegetables. Mostly local, and mostly cheaper than other stores around. And the bulk aisle. Oh the lovely bulk aisle. It's where I spend most of my time. Pacing up and down, admiring all of the different items I can purchase in as little or as much as I'd like. It's any food lovers dream, really.

So there I am, driving and jamming to "It's a Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base, continuously thinking how all I'm going to do is quickly run into Ward's and grab two hefty butternut squash, a heaping bag of whole wheat pastry flour, and head straight home.

What happens before I even make it into the actual store? I see a small fig tree, by itself, in the corner, with two budding figs just waiting for someone to give it a home. I did not expect that in two and a half minutes that someone would be me.

I put the tree in my cart and walk into the store, still reciting "Focus, don't look at anything, and head straight for the squash! Follow your rules." Within seconds, I find myself stopping, yet again, because of what lies to my left.

I don't even know what to name that thing, but I felt compelled to take a photo of it. It looks like a pumpkin that had it's belt a few notches too tight that morning. At least technically I stuck to finding squash, even if it wasn't butternut. (By the way, eventually I purchased exactly what I came there for.)

I act like I wasn't planning on stopping at Cecile's on my way home, but honestly, who am I kidding? It's become part of a routine that I try not to admit to, but when there's a trip to Ward's, it always involves a stop at Cecile's. They're right next door to each other, clearly making it a dangerous zone for me.

For those of you have never been to Cecile's, it's a consignment shop with all kinds of vintage gems stacked inside. Sometimes it's a hit or miss for me, but Sunday it was spot on. If you follow me on twitter, then you would've seen a tweet similar to this:

"Went to the store for butternut squash, I come home with a fig tree,

vintage suitcase, 1920s mixer, a pretty tea cup saucer,

& a vintage ring. Yeah, I'm happy. (And broke.)"

Somehow, tart pans and a blue and white floral bowl with gold trim also made their way into my basket. And after reading this post on Etsy a few weeks ago, I really could not leave without buying that whisk/mixer/beater. It's no secret that I'm a lover of vintage items, especially awesome kitchen finds like that.

October is such a great month. It's the start of all things pumpkin, which I've already raved about here, (and which just now reminded me to share with you all that I finally tried a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks!!! So yummy & fall-ish, just as expected.)

I already have a couple of fall-inspired recipes lined up that I'll be posting soon, I can't wait! I'm sure you can guess what one of them is already just by reading this post, but if not then you'll find out very soon :)