Brett and I took a vacation day yesterday. He had been in cold Minnesota all week. Of course, our weather here was not much better! We spent Friday at Grove City Prime Outlets. We did this trip last year on this weekend and got tremendous deals. So, we decided to repeat it again this year. The deals were just as good this year.

I had been saving my Christmas gift cash for this trip. If you know me, you know that I love a deal. I wanted to make this money stretch as far as I could. I did come home with the two items I really wanted. I bought my Cuisinart Mandoline slicer and a Rachael Ray 5.5 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven. I love the Le Creuset but was not interested in spending over $200 on a pot. Rachael’s appears to be the identical quality and look. I love both of my gifts. So, look for a recipe in the coming weeks on Bearly Edible where I get to use them in my kitchen.

Today we went to the Cleveland Home and Garden Show with our pals Mike, Greg, Vic and Jaime. It’s one of the largest home shows in the nation. It’s nice to get that taste of Spring; even if it’s just for a few hours. This year’s show had a couple of floating houses from a marina on Lake Erie. The other home was a vacation A-frame chalet. The gardens were nice but not spectacular this year.

Of course I love the vendors at these shows. There is something about those problem solver product demos that make me laugh. I got my ring cleaned free at one booth. We always buy salsa from one vendor. The discount book store is a must stop at for me. Mike and I both bought copies of The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I like the show’s recipes. It was bargain at $15 with over 1,200 recipes.

I was also very happy to purchase the holders that let you build a tower of flower pots. I had seen it at the Chicago Home and Garden Show Brett and I attended at our March visit last year to see Al and Keith. I regretted not buying them then and have looked for them in garden centers and other fairs and home shows. I look forward to putting them together on our front porch this coming summer.

Check the two photos I attached. I had to get a snapshot with the Holy Family at a monument company’s booth. The garden photo has Brett, Mike and Greg in the background. Sunday will definitely be our day to do nothing. We have several DVDs from Christmas that we need to start watching.