Yehey!

My sister and I were in the family discussing her choice of sofa set for her future purchase. We also hope to buy some of her things for her new apartment from the thrift store, and all of a sudden I blurted out loud...

"What makes a person legitimately called a professional thrifter? Can I be considered one?"

My son-in-law, aka my SOIL, heard our conversation from the kitchen. 

"That's you, Mama. Definitely!" he said.

OMG! That never crossed my mind, and I have been doing what I've been doing for over 20 years. 

I will definitely add that description to my social media profile. 

I sold 3 vintage items today. My buena mano of 2026!

1970s Spencer Douglas red overlap wool-blend coat 
Made in USA

90s - 00s Specialty Projects Corp. sweater
Made in USA

90s - 00s Edward Harvey brown calfskin portfolio folder

YEHEY! Thank you, customers!

I'll ship them all off on Monday because I'm heading out of town tomorrow. 

Hi, 2026!

Happy New Year!

I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year. 

First Meal in Breda

November 3, Monday

Minutes before it turned 5pm, Jay and I were already hungry. Especially since we skipped eating our lunch, we were craving something heavy — anything with rice or noodles.

We walked around the town square and found a Japanese restaurant with about a 4.3 Google rating.

The restaurant was empty when we walked in. The female waitstaff greeted us and asked if we preferred …

"Dutch or English?"

Wow! I like it here. Communicating wouldn't be as hard as I imagined.

She seated us nearer the door, by the wall, and gave us a menu with an English translation under every dish.

Jay and I both got ramen—Miso Karaage Ramen for him and Miso Ebi Fry Ramen for me.

We inhaled every morsel and drop of our dinner. It was just so good. 

Bao Ramen Kitchen 

Grote Markt 21, Breda, the Netherlands