The reason why Alex and I drove to Montreal on Wednesday was to look at some Akubra hats! Akubra is an Australian company that makes great outback-style hats and we recently have become very obsessed with them. We love the look and we have definitely become hat people!
These hats are worth hundreds of dollars, but we found a seller who had a few of them used for very little money and they were in amazing condition. I feel like I can't leave the house without a hat on anymore lol...
Okay, I couldn't resist lol...Jack in his ten-gallon hat! :)
From our house to Montreal is two hours each way so we decided to treat ourselves to dinner in town. We tried out a really neat diner called Jukebox Burgers. It's very 50's style and it was really fun, a bit pricey, but what the heck...you only live once!
I had the "Cheesy Dean" burger and Alex had the "Humphrey" burger. All the food is named after Hollywood stars of that era. Of course, we had side-poutines!! Martha, if you're ever in Dollard, it's worth a stop!
A little Camembert Update! It's been 2 days in the drying box and already my little Cams are forming bloomy white mold. I darkened the photos and put a little yellow in it so you can see the difference but it's all very white in reality. Soon that will cover the entire cheese and hopefully look like this in mid-November:
Sam if you're reading, a Camembert is a soft cheese from France that is very much like a Brie. Very creamy in the middle, sometimes mild, sometimes really stinky and strong! I think mine will turn out mild!
We made it to the bi-monthly thrift stores again yesterday and I got another haul of cookbooks for fifty cents each. I also found a quilt-making book! Honestly, it's a score to find English books here!
The most expensive purchase of the day was this beautiful glass cake stand at $10. Our last one had a big crack in it and no lid, Alex saw this one and snatched it up while some other lady was eyeing it lol...at least there was no big fight! ;) And I'll be putting these two Corningware dishes to good use tonight with baked spaghetti.
We also bought some clothes and blankets...which the cats decided to use for bedding this morning...back into the washing machine they go lol...good lesson -PUT YOUR CLOTHES AWAY right away out of the drier!!! :) A twenty dollar day also included a really nice chandelier that we packed away for when we buy our place. We try to be very frugal and our goal is to buy everything used if we can. Not only is it good for the budget, but I find that you get better quality items - even if they are used they are better quality than a lot of new items for sale. As we all know, the quality of merchandise has taken a nose-dive the last decade or so, and it keeps sinking. Sad but true.
We were so stoked with the Akubra hats we bought, in fact, I got one and Alex found three. One is too big for him, but he's been learning how to clean, re-shape, stiffen and mold the hats to his liking, it's a nice new hobby and maybe one day he'll make one of his own too. They're kind of like Stetson cowboy hats...so with that in mind, I made a "Cowboy Dinner" last night! Chicken Fricassee and Fart & Dart Beans.
Hmmm...all that was missing was the ringing of the big triangle dinner bell and a stiff shot of bourbon! :)
Today's mountain view walking the dogs. Life is pretty good isn't it? :)
Now that's a good score!!!! I can't wear hats much - I usually have my hair in a pony tail and hats don't fit well. I have one hat that I wear in the summer when its very hot out. I bought it for when we take cruises as it breathes nicely. I don't like my head being too hot! Those hats you guys got look so comfy!! I will research these hats as I have never heard of them!
ReplyDeleteThose burgers look delicious!
Love the look of the bloom on the baby Cam! Not long now! :)
Tomorrow my son and I are going thrifting - totally excited about this! Its supposed to rain and be windy but who cares - we are thrifting! :)
Happy Mabon!
Enjoyed seeing the pictures of you and Alex in your new hats . . . and then burst out laughing at the next one of Jack!
ReplyDeleteI love brie so may come steal some of that camembert you're creating.
Love the looks of that 50s diner. I think the 40s (post WWII) and 50s were a charmed time in many ways. Kind of an age of innocence we no longer have.
That cake keeper is, indeed, gorgeous. Bet it's heavy, too.
Those are great choices. I like how your hats have an embellishment around the hat parts. Your triangle bell is so cool. I was drooling! at your diner choices. That diner is really cute too. And the name of the Fart & Dart beans had me giggling.
ReplyDelete"Fart 'n Dart beans" -- such an evocative name, LOL! A few years ago I watched artisans steaming and blocking cowboy hats at the Calgary Stampede -- man, the rattiest, beat-up old things just came out looking brand new again!
ReplyDeleteNice buys you got out thrifting. We love visiting 50's diners. Most still serve good, homemade food choices too.
ReplyDeletegreat catching up with you today, fart and dart lolol. I love thrifting but these days am watching the clutter.
ReplyDeleteLove that, fart and dart beans, haha :D
ReplyDeleteWhat a great haul you had. It's worth going to town for that lot. I've made quite a few hats over the years, mostly witchy or pixie and I must say, it's very addictive.
Your cheese looks amazing and I'll be giving it all a go next year when we get our goats. We just can't get good strong cheese here unless we spend a fortune! I'll sell our goats cheese and use the money to import cheddar, haha :D
Take care, Rain, I hope to have proper internet soon (yeah, right!) x
Those hats! So cute. You both look great in them. And Jack, too. HAHAHA. Love that. The Jukebox Burgers restaurant looks really cool. I've never heard of it even though I've been in that area so many times. Next time I'll have to check it out even just for the ambience alone. I had a big laugh with the cats on the clothes. That is funny. Just like cats to do that. Looks like you really scored at the thrift shop. Aren't they fun to shop in? I take my time in hopes of running across something really interesting. My latest focus is on artwork since we have bare walls that need something fun. That mountain view is awesome! Life is very good indeed.
ReplyDeleteWhy is there three cats in the picture ??? I know I am out of the loop but ... did I really miss something that important ?
ReplyDeleteU guys look great in your hats :)
The diner was super cozy and your thrift store finds are great :) :)
You guys look great in your hats. Even Jacl was wuite fetching lol. I rrally need to try poutine sometime. I have found recipes for it and sounds easy enough to make. I am happy your cam is is blooming.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of furnishing your forever home with thrift finds. You're so right about todays quality of wares.
Have a great weekend love.
You all look great in your hats.
ReplyDeleteHi Dianna :)) It's the equivalent of saying a Stetson in Australia apparently. When you say Akubra, it means "hat"!! I really love mine. Alex already cleaned it and shaped it better for me, it fits really well and I can't take it off lol...we even wore them in bed watching tv shows last night lol...I'm VERY proud of the little Cams!!! I can't wait to see how they bloom, I'll take photos as they get more and more bloomy! Oh fun, I hope you have fun thrifting!!! Perfect weather for it (for you!)...I have perfect weather here that I know you won't like...high of 35!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you had a nice Mabon! :))
ReplyDeleteHi Mama Pea :)) I'm glad you liked Jack's photo, I just can't help it, he's such a little goofy guy, he lets me dress him up ha ha...we just love those hats and we keep looking for more used ones, the new ones are gorgeous but way out of our price range! The diner was a lot of fun, we don't really go out that often so it was a nice treat. The cake keeper is VERY heavy. I have butter fingers, so I hope it stays safe!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Stefanie :) I found the recipe for the Fart and Dart beans in 2013 when I was looking up authentic cowboy recipes, I laughed at it too! I altered it a little though, but it's really delicious! And thanks, the hats are really gorgeous! Each one has a different embellishment, mine are called Shark Teeth!
ReplyDeleteHi Debra :) You will fart and you should dart lol...thus the name!! ;) Yes...Alex learned how to properly steam the hats! We found an old hat one time and he steamed it and cleaned it, it looks like new and he shaped it just the way he liked. No need to buy new anymore! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kristina :) We are definitely diner people, fancy restaurants just seem like a bit of a waste of money, I guess since I cook at home, I can make the fancy stuff here, but without a deep frier, it's a treat for good greasy diner food!
ReplyDeleteHi Christine :) Oh gosh, the clutter...yeah, that's a bit of an issue with us too. We now only get stuff that we know we'll use because eventually we'll be moving and we don't want to haul too much along with us!
ReplyDeleteHi Yarrow :) I think that despite the fact that we both hate driving to Montreal, it was a good trip. And those thrift stores...worth the drive for sure! Oh how fun that you make your own hats! Do you have all the equipment? We looked into hat blocks for stretching the hats. It's a real art in itself! I think it's great that you plan to make cheese! I'm surprise that cheese is that expensive in France though. I mean, it's not cheap here but the good stuff is more expensive, and we eat so much of it. I hope you have proper internet soon but I'm sure you're enjoying the tech-free life too! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Martha :)) Everyone can look good in a hat! :) Jukebox is part of the Marché de l'Ouest on Salaberry near St-John's. From the outside we weren't sure because it's part of the strip mall, but it's really kind of neat on the inside. We went a bit earlier but as we left around 6:30pm it was packed on a Wednesday. Great food though! Isn't the cat photo so typical??? Anyone with a cat will agree lol...they're so hairy too ha ha. I LOVE thrift stores! We found a few gems that are open only twice a month, so we're trying to go at least once a month. I'm always looking for knitting supplies!
ReplyDeleteHi Nik :) You don't remember Oscar the cat (the orange one) that we got right after we got Charlie in 2015? That made 3 cats, we got him before Jack and Marlene too. The hats are great, we just love them
ReplyDeleteGeez brainfart. Of course I remember Oscar :) for some reason I was wondering when you got a black cat...lol never mind me ... just being confused...lol
DeleteHi Marsha :)) Poutine is wonderful...and wonderfully addictive lol...I'm even going to try to make the cheese for it AGAIN in the next week! And we need to perfect the gravy. We tried to ask for the recipe at the restaurant and they actually told us it was vegetarian, which was interesting. So the next gravy I'll try will be meat-free and we'll see if I can get it right! Oh I'm so excited about the Cam...I can't wait to try it. Those soft cheeses are my favourites. I eat a lot of Brie, so this should be great to try! The thrift stores are just great, and we're lucky we found some that are reasonably priced...there's one in the area that thinks it's an antique store lol...we stopped going there. Especially with 6 pets, getting new things doesn't seem to be worth it! :) Hope you have a nice weekend too!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Starting Over! :)
ReplyDeleteMy wife has an Akubra from when she visited Australia in the 1990's that I have appropriated. They are very fine hats.
ReplyDeleteAren't they really nice TB? Nice job appropriating! :)
ReplyDeleteLol...I figured Nik! Lots of pets to keep up with! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation of the cheese! You guys look great in those hats and you have a great thrift store! Look at all those marvelous items you got! I've been looking for a cake stand for along time but really? I don't even make cakes very much but yours is nice with the clear glass so it reminds you not to waste anything that's in there! LOL! Your books look great and the tapas and salad one especially. I buy almost all my clothes at the thrift and Goodwill. The last time I went I got 2 Lee Rider blouses for a couple dollars...I was thrilled! The food ALL looks yummy and I have got to make poutines...they look too good to pass up!
ReplyDeleteJack looks so cute in that hat and the cats are a hoot....all on the appliances....maybe they were trying to help you out with laundry? Enjoy your weekend and I hope it is nice and quiet for you! Hugs ~ Sam
Hey Rain, you look really pretty wearing the hat. Oh yeah, Alex looks good too lol. I wish we had diners in the UK. We just have 'greasy spoon cafes'. Our cats love to lie on anything we leave hanging around just like yours do by the looks of it.
ReplyDeleteLife is pretty good!
ReplyDeleteThe hats suit you both, very nice!
There should be more 50's style diners!
Great thrift store find, that cake plate must have been newly put out since I can't imagine that lasting too long on the shelf!
I like hats too but most of them are too large for me. Love that cake stand. I really like things on pedestals. Sounds like you had a great day! Nancy
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting me Rain, I do enjoy your comments :D
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling a lot happier but I've also been overdoing it a bit, so today I'm a bit achey!
Hope you're having a resful weekend.xxx
Hi Sam :)) The cake stand was a great buy...it weighs about 20 pounds it seems lol...we don't really eat a lot of cake either, but when we do, I like to keep it pet-hair free. I put pies and bread in there too! I love getting nice clothes at thrift stores...you have to look, but you always find something! Ha ha...I somehow think the cats were NOT trying to help me do the laundry, just add more work to my schedule lol! Hugs to you, I hope it cools down for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Terry, and I laughed at your afterthought ha ha :)...our cats are like hobos, they prefer to lie on newspaper and cardboard boxes!
ReplyDeleteHi Jenn :) The cake stand wasn't there the last time and there was a lady eyeing it, Alex said he made his move to take it and she didn't seem to care so he grabbed it up, but I agree, it would have been gone! The hats are amazing! The more we wear them, the better they fit too. What great finds!
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy :) We did have a nice day! Hats are usually too big for me too, but we found our right size and got lucky that we found them! We're on the hunt for more now! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Yarrow :) I think you'll be overdoing it for a while until you're settled!!! I'm glad you're doing better :) Restful is not what describes my weekend...I'll blog about that today! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the treasures you came home with Rain - and the hats are awesome. I too love hats and have 2 Australian ones from my visits there.
ReplyDeleteMary -
Thanks Mary! :) I LOVE these Australian hats! They really are comfy, I'm so glad we found them!
ReplyDelete