Container Store

Does anyone live near a Container Store?  

We live approximately an hour from one, but it's still dangerous, especially since it's ultra-cool and not particularly cheap.  :)  

(... but you do save on shipping if you shop at the store, right?)

I had a "Facebook Friend" that lived nearby, was mutual friends with about 20 of my friends, enjoyed similar things as I... yet for two years, we never actually met!  That changed about four months ago when she came to a Thirty-One show I was doing.  Since then, we've discovered we have a LOT in common.  Our first get-together was the Maroon Five/Train concert... that show rocked!  But... I digress... LOL

Last week I went with her to the Container Store.  I had nothing to get, but enjoy looking around, so I joined her.  She had particular items in mind to buy... I was along for company.  So how is it that I spent over $100, and she didn't?  Ugh.

I tried to buy things I've seen nowhere else.  Well, I blew it on a few things, but at least everything was usable!

Aha!  My cookie sheet/muffin tin cupboard is now finally all upright and easy to maneuver.  I had bought one of those maple racks awhile ago, but the cupboard was too big.  I needed a second.  I finally screwed them into the bottom, and now it's all neat and not moving/sliding/falling-out.  Funny how a good flash-photo reveals all the dust I missed in that cupboard.  LOL  See that metal rack in the back (which would be tough to get out?).  Yeah... that's the rack for the microwave.  That thing terrifies me.  Too many rules and pages in the manual dedicated to a metal rack for me to worry about it.  Does anyone out there really use those?  Are microwave companies hoping people will fry their microwaves with them, and it'll not be covered so they'll have to buy a new one?

Ever see these?  Too cool!  It's a little glass beaker-looking-thing that you fill with olive oil.  The lid has an attached silicone brush, and the lid's silicone disc seals the container well.  So, now it's easy-peasy to brush oil on your food/pans/etc.  It just sits on your counter, looking cute.  :)  One word of caution... it's a pretty, delicate glass... not a thick super-sturdy one.  I'm keeping it way back on the counter to prevent any bumps (aka: smashes) by the kiddos.

We are blessed to have the coolest fridge on the market (no pun intended).  Our middle drawer is perfect for holding drinks at a temperature just a little below the normal fridge temps.  I found these little "Fridge Binz" that hold juice boxes perfectly.  Well, they did.  Notice the farthest one... two days ago, it was stuffed full of CapriSun.  And they're gone.  Doesn't take long in this household!

(Note:  the Sparkling Water is mine... so proud of that!  I gave up Diet Coke about 3 months ago, and haven't even had a sip since then!  The Coke is my older children's vice... one a day... you gotta pick your battles, I say.  I grew up guzzling the stuff, so I feel one a day is a nice happy medium.  Ask the kids... they think it's a rotten deal.  Go figure.)

These little doodads are the CS's "trap".  They sit on the little skinny twirly display things near the register.  Last minute "gotta haves".  One is a package of label-holders.  With as many labels as I make on a weekly basis, I figured I'd easily use these.  And the ones on the right have yet to prove to me that they work (haven't tried them yet).  They are a cling that is supposed to be good for stainless appliances... rather than magnets or tape.  We'll see!

I know there were a few other things:  mini shelf-racks for separating my dishes and pots, a butter-stick holder for those partially-used butter-sticks, and a few other things that I are already put away.  But, alas... it is way too easy to spend $101 at the Container Store

... with no list.  Next time, I research on the web first.  Ha!