FRIDAY FIELD TRIP

It's time to take a little trip - A FRiDaY FieLD TRiP!

This week, Margaret and I went on our traditional trip to

It is at Tagawa Nursery for a few days.  It's a smaller version of their Fall Boutique.

But this post isn't about THAT part of the field trip.

THAT was the field trip until somewhere in aisle 3,

I freaked out.

"Margaret......"
"What?"

"I'm having a panic attack."
"About?"

"WHAT are we going to do about TEACHER GIFTS?"

When I say TEACHER GIFTS, I'm not talking about movie tickets for Miss Slugbottom or a perfumed candle for the gym teacher.

I'm talking wonderful, useful, creative, CHEAP gifts for 250!

Margaret and I are in charge of showing the high school staff love from the PTO (for about $2 a person.)

I let Margaret worry about this.

Margaret calmly replied, "Oh I already had a panic attack about that early this week."
"And????????"
"I don't know."

I spent the rest of the Grandmother's House Boutique looking at crystal earrings, dip mixes and feathered headbands wondering what I could buy 300 of for $1.

We left rather quickly.

We tossed around ideas.

I was hyperventilating: MUST   FIND   GIFT.

As we pulled back in the neighborhood,

we decide we needed to settle this right here and now.

It was an EMERGENCY!

In the past, the gifts have been purchased in July or October at the latest.

We've given..........remember.......we can only spend $2ish..........and it's to men and women.....and they are Christian, Jewish and Kwanzaanian, carnivores, vegetarians, diabetics etc.....

Each gift comes with a corny poem about how much we appreciate them written by moi in the 11th hour!

Anyway.....in the past, we have given -

Pasta, a pasta fork, a demi-loaf of french bread

A fleece scarf with hot chocolate

An enamel popcorn bowl, dvd, popcorn and 2 liter bottle of pop

A booklight and hmmm.....something else

Mugs with..........I don't remember

So Margaret whipped a U-turn and we went to Target for ideas, knowing that we wouldn't find anything but at least we could get ideas.

We walked in and chorus of angels sang,

a light shown down from heaven,

there in the bottom bin of the $1 aisle.....

Everyone uses/needs an ice scraper in their car. 
They are boyish and girlish.  They don't have any calories.  They won't offend vegetarians.  AND the ones there were all blue with a black scraper - SCHOOL COLORS!!!!  It was meant to be!

I was already writing the poem in my head.

So we loaded the cart with the 89 that were there and started walking around the store chanting, "What could go with an ice scraper?"  Anything under a buck was considered..........packs of gum?  Hello Kitty stickers?  Doggy Treats?
Seriously, what else goes with an ice scraper?

I heard the chorus of angels again-
those stretchy magic gloves on the end cap
YES! WOW! PERFECT!
Wait........................they are $1.50.
But wait again!  They are TWO PAIRS for $1.50

We bought 63 sets.
So we continued the field trip to two more Targets.
250 ice scrapers and 250 pairs of stretchy gloves later, I could breathe a sigh of relief.
This is one Field Trip you should be glad you weren't on!