Trouve and Urban Gourmet and Garden

What i blew my paycheck on this week

By Jessica Corey-Butler on May 10, 2007

Mommapalooza

Yeah.  Mother’s Day is imminent.  Embarrassingly, I must admit I have made no purchases for either of the mothers on my list — neither his, nor mine — and time is running out.  Enter the Francophile-ic lovey-ness of Trouve, which, yes, will be closing, but not until July.  A recent nip-in found me leaving with my bags full, but, regrettably, nothing for either mom.

That trip was all about me stocking up on Caldrea Lavender Pine all-purpose cleaner and Citrus Mint Ylang-Ylang dish soap liquid, and a groovy Blue Q “Miso Pretty!” shopping bag (check me when you see me at the Y or at the Farmers’ Markets!) as well as too many of these amazingly thick, opulently-colored, totally on-sale dish towels from Germany.

So here’s the thing.  I know I could find a slew of good stuff that the mother in-law will love, and put together a sweet little gift basket of goodies, but will it end up costing me twice as much by the time I leave the shop because I do my trademark, “one for her, two for me” trick?

Apparently, I’m not so good at shopping for others, though I rock at shopping for me.

And it’s a problem. Or is it?



[Trouve, 762 Broadway, 253.627.0657]

More mommapalooza

About those dish towels.  And sale prices.  And moms.

I receive the shopping itch at Urban Gourmet and Garden. They carry everything I need to make my life perfect.

Le Creuset.  Exotic food (on sale!), spices, and teas.  Cooking implements, such as the magnetic knife holder for the wall, apropos of that portion of my life when I am magnetizing everything for organizational purposes.  Dishes, stemware and serving pieces that hearken mom (and heart her) as much as I do.

Ooooh, and garden goodies, the sorts that floss decks, leave tootsies clean, protect hands, decorate gardens, and even plant them (hello, my name is Jessica, and if anyone wants to gift me the fabulously tin-packaged seed assortments such as the French Market Garden or the Culinary Herb Garden, I’m quite certain I’d smile sweetly and say, in a surprised voice, “Why thank you!”)

Again, greed — selfish, non-mom thinking, nasty, selfishness — had me walking out the door with a pack of four dish towels to add to my new collection, as well as chocolate truffle tea (really quite good, with milk!) along with a British tea strainer and a list a mile long of what I’d like for Mother’s Day.

Is this problematic?



[Urban Gourmet and Garden, 2602 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.3111]