I’ve talked about my obsession with Crate and Barrel in previous posts.   There happens to be one in Bellevue, which is very close to where we were staying for the Lyle Lovett concert.  Therefore, we went.  Or, rather, I went…the husband went to a nearby restaurant and had a little snack.  Which was great because it allowed me to take my time.

There was one little damper on this trip to C&B:  before I went into the store I had stopped by The Body Shop and spent too much one three containers of body butter (but it smells soooooo good!) and went into Teavana and purchased some Pineapple Kona Pop tea (that was my first time purchasing their tea.  It will likely be my last. Tasty, but even more ridiculously expensive than Whole Foods!)  Anyways, as a result, I felt like I needed to keep my spending in check at C&B (I’m a thrifty girl, what can I say?)

C&B always dazzles me.  I don’t even bother with the furniture/linen section.  It’s all about the kitchen wares.  There are a lot of things at C&B that mystify me:  a two piece brie baker, individual butter warmers, a ceramic pie bird, a snow cone maker, a burger press, a cocktail whisk, tiny olivewood “nibble bowls”.  There are other things that I find myself staring at with desire:  wine glasses (I already have too many), serving dishes, kitchen torches (eventually I’ll just buy one).  Small gadgets that do one thing that I would only use once a year.  If you are a lover of kitchen stuff you know what I mean.

What exactly does one do with a ceramic pie bird?

Anyways, I did find a tea infuser for the crazy-expensive tea I bought from Teavana. It’s shaped like a tea bag. Very cute.

And, I found these:

Miniature pie pans!  Two different kinds!

Okay, they might be in your list of “mystifying things,” but let me explain my reasoning:  their are two of us in our household. Which means that if I make a regular-sized dessert it lasts us for days. Which, on many levels, is not a bad thing.  But, it’s a bad thing for my ass.  For instance, a few weeks ago I bought raspberries (remember the jam and the pie?)  When I was preparing to make the pie I really wanted to just make a small one.  In fact, I looked in a couple of local stores for small pie pans, to no avail.  So, I made a big one and we ate raspberry pie four nights in a row.  I know, boo-hoo, but remember my ass.  Actually, it’s more my back fat because, thanks to family genes I don’t have an ass, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.  I know, I could have a shelf ass (my apologies if you are the bearer of a shelf ass…I don’t intend to offend).

Therefore, when I saw the miniature pie pans in C&B I knew they were going home with me.  But, initially I was only going to buy one style:  deep dish or regular.  I picked one up, I put it down.  I picked the other up, I put it down.  Pie pan angst.  I ended up buying both because they weren’t expensive and, for two people, they’re extraordinarily versatile.  I can make small pies or cobblers or savory items.  It’s a whole new world!

I made my purchases and headed off to meet up with the husband, a large smile on my face.  It’s the little things that make me happy:  a C&B bag containing miniature pie pans and a tea infuser.