Rags 'n Reads Review

Local, small businesses usually all have one thing in common.  They have to charge higher prices than the big department stores or restaurants as they don't have the buying power or the traffic that the other big names do.  While I love supporting local businesses, I also love saving money and being thrifty. 

When I first heard of a new store opening in Adams, I thought it was another thrift store.  Don't get me wrong- I am not knocking thrift stores but honestly 9 times out of 10 I can find brand new clothing for the same price or cheaper than the thrift store is selling because I sale shop like crazy.  However, when I found out Rags 'n Reads was NOT a thrift store and instead would be selling name brand, brand new clothing at low prices, it caught my attention.

 

My co-worker told me that she saw on Facebook that the store was open for business as of today so as soon as I clocked out of work, I headed for the store to check it out.  Walking in my first impression was that it is very clean and organized.  They have made the most of the small space they occupy.  I was greeted by the people behind the counter but left to browse on my own (VERY much appreciated, can't stand being dogged by sales people).  I had no problem easily locating the gender and sizing of what kind of clothing I was interested in.  I thought the prices were great for brand new clothing and they had a nice variety of items to choose from.  Reminds me of a much smaller version of TJ Maxx. 

 

They have winter jackets readily available.  Most of the girls jackets I looked at were priced at $18.00, with a few at $ 8.00.  Men's Carhart jackets were only $ 25.00.  Excellent pricing on the winter jackets.  Bookbags for $ 8.00.  Nothing in the store is priced higher than $ 25.00.  I ended up with following items:

 

(1) Pair of Nike Women's socks $ 1.50 (similar pair found online for $14.00)

(1) Falls Creek Girls Winter Beret Hat $ 4.00 (tag read originally retailed for $ 12.99)

(1) Pair of Emergency Exit Girls Gloves (Nice heavy set with Sherpa lining) $ 3.50 (tag read originally retailed for $ 12.99)

(1) Pair of Girls Xersion sweats $ 4.00 (tag read originally retailed for $18.00)

(1) Pair of Girls Funkyberry leggings $ 3.00 (similar pair found online for $ 8.00)

(1) Women's Being Casual short sleeved babydoll top $ 6.00 (found similar one online for $10.00)

(1) Feather Hair Clip $ 2.50 (tag read originally $6.00)

(1) Children's Zoobles Stickerbook $ 3.50 (tag read originally $ 7.00)

 

Paying full retail for these 8 items would have been $ 88.98.  I paid $28.00!!!  That is a savings of over $ 60.00!  For all brand new, quality items! 

 

 

During checkout the owner, LuAnne, introduced herself and we chatted for a minute while her helper (I assume a relative) rang up my items.  She knows we live in the midst of economically depressed times and she is eager to help the community by keeping her prices low.  She isn't looking to get rich so there is not too much of a markup on her items, which is in stark contrast to most big name departments stores who are looking to get rich by marking up prices.  She sounds like her vision is very community oriented, including plans for story hours and a book signing with author Hope Marston.  She knew we didn't have any local bookstores so she offers children's books at 50% off the listed price.  Her husband is a long time employee of the local agricultural scene and they seem like a genuinely down to earth and friendly family. 

 

I highly recommend everyone stop in this Friday and Saturday to see what Rags 'n Reads has to offer.  They are giving away FREE children's books to every child up to age 14 and each adult can enter for a chance to win a $ 50.00 gift certificate to the store.  I look forward to being a frequent customer at Rags 'n Reads and hope to see this store become a lasting business in our community. 

 

Rags 'n Reads

2 Elmwood Ave

Adams, NY 13605

(315) 405-1338

Click here to follow on Facebook!

Hours: Tuesday- Friday 10 am - 5pm

Saturday 10am - 4pm

Say Cheese!

I have a confession to make.  Despite being a lifelong resident of Southern Jefferson County, I have never been to the Cheddar Cheese Festival, a local celebration of two major staples to this area- agriculture and cheese making.  It wasn't ever from lack of interest, but just as many families experience, the summer is a very busy season with lots of events and plans each weekend!  This year, we just so happened to have no prior engagements planned and were free to experience the Festival! 

WOW!  We had a blast!  The key to attracting large crowds to any event is to offer free activities for the kids.  Parents want their children to burn energy and have fun and the Festival is the spot to do this!  We parked close to the Six Town Meeting House where the Kids' Zone was located.  Closing down the street nearby was a brilliant move as we were free to roam across the streets checking out vendors without worry of avoiding traffic.  Upon approaching the Kids' Zone, we were greeted by Cheesie Louisie, the mascot Mouse of the event and her assistant who gave my daughter two tickets, one for a free book and one for a free ice cream cone.  Before we could enter the building to claim our freebies, we had to stop to pet the alpacas, goats and check out the Birds of Prey.  Then we got a free balloon courtesy of MacIlvennie and Brown Insurance and a free balloon animal.  Then the three large bounce houses and slides out back of the building caught her eye and we were off for her to get her bounce on.  The pony was on break after the bounce houses so we figured we would get the free pony ride on the way back to the car and so in the building we ventured to cash in the tickets for ice cream and literature. 

Superheros were handing out vanilla cones to the children, a nice refreshment on what turned out to be a warm summer day!  Then we went to get the book.  Now when I heard free book, I envisioned maybe like a free thin 8 page coloring book or something along those lines.  I was BLOWN away by the selection of books they had to pick from.  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, The Berenstain Bears, Little Critters books and so much more!  I didn't have a chance to browse the older childrens' selection because once my daughter selected her SpongeBob "I Can Read" book we were off to check out the Sci Tech Center's exhibit. 

On our way out we voted for the Cutest Pet photo (I'm rooting for Bear but my daughter voted for Max).  We decided to check out the good eats Gram's Diner was advertising, browsing the vendors that lined the streets that we walked up.  Gram's was busy, as usual, but we were able to sit right down at a booth near the back.  We were checking out all the updates the new owners have made to the restaurant (it looks amazing!) when our waitress stopped by and took our drinks order.  We didn't even need to look at the regular menu, we knew we all wanted to try something from the day's specials menu.  I went with the Bacon Cheeseburger Macaroni and Cheese, while my sister and brother in law chose the Cheddar Bacon Ale Burger on a Pretzel Roll with French Fries.  Even my daughter was in the mood for cheese as she selected Grilled Cheese from the kids' menu.  As always with Gram's the service was superb and the food was set in front of us in no time at all!  My daughter took one look at my plate and announced that she was going to share with me (I did make her eat at least half her grilled cheese but she did also manage to gobble down half of my meal as well!).  It was a heaping serving of their homemade mac n cheese with chunks of hamburger and hickory smoked bacon mixed in.  Um, yum!  I highly recommend you put that on the specials rotation!  My sister and brother in law took one look at their burgers and then back at each other and said, "How are we going to eat this?"  Indeed as the fresh pretzel roll was packed right full of burger, bacon and cheddar sauce.  They decided to cut it up in wedges and eat it like that.  As always, amazing service, food and atmosphere. 

We crossed the road after my daughter dunked a local TV personality Rob Krone in the dunking booth and there was music, wine, and vendors galore.  Dresses, repurposed wine bottles made into cheese platters, jewelry (3 for $5?!  Amazing!!), wooden signs and so, so, so much more.  We remarked a few times amazement over how many vendors come out for the event.  There was no way anyone could walk away hungry as there was food everywhere!  Cheesecake on a stick, Indian tacos, Deep Fried Cheese Curd, Smoothies, Fried Dough, Jams, etc.  We stopped at a maple specialty booth for maple flavored cotton candy and a local honey specialty booth for flavored honey sticks while a woman nearby painted a HUGE painting of a lion.  It is really neat to see so many products that are made locally and in surrounding areas.  Felt very homestead-ish to me, which is right up my alley! 

We headed back for the promised pony ride, which of course there was a line of eager children waiting.  I struck up a conversation with a woman standing behind me in line.  She was visiting from Illinois and there with her granddaughter.  She was so impressed with the event and said how wonderful it was.  They typically attended the French Festival but with so many activities for children, they couldn't say no (see, it's all about the kids!).  I couldn't help but agree with her.  Definitely worth the trip out!  So a few trips around on the pony and a glittery tattoo of a wolf (my daughter is obsessed with wolves) at the Face Painting booth and we were ready for home.

In retrospect, the only way I could even suggest improving this fabulous event was to perhaps somehow ban smoking in the Kids' Zone.  We stood in line waiting at the face painting booth while several people stood nearby smoking.  I think people have a right to smoke if they want to, but I think all children have a right to breathe air free from second hand smoke as well.  There is little more annoying as a non-smoker than having to smell/ breathe in the secondhand smoke from smokers.  So perhaps a smoking zone next year?  If it is pet free to protect the public, I think it should be smoke free as well to protect those who choose not to smoke from secondhand smoke.  Local businesses who didn't take advantage of the huge crowds that were drawn to the area should get involved next year and set up a booth to display their services/ products. 

The Adams Revitalization Committee has gone above and beyond to not only showcase this community in a great way, but bringing revenue to the area at the same time.  On the way home the one question my daughter had was how many more weeks til the festival happened again.  I told her it was once a year and we would go again next year.  Her response was, "That's it?  That was so much fun it should happen more than once a year!"  So from her little hands and from mine, we both give two thumbs up to the Cheddar Cheese Festival!

Summer Eating: Grilled Pepper Cheese Steaks & Onions

No perfect place exists in this world.  So even though I adore my little corner of this world, it must have it's cons.  For me, this would be the humidity in the summer months.  The heaviness in the air is suffocating at times and can make the sunniest of days unbearable to be outside in. 

Even worse, is cooking in the humidity.  Figuring out meals without use of the oven or stove can be tricky, especially when trying to avoid the monotony of the same meals week after week.  I thought I would share one of my recipes that seems to be a family hit, Grilled Pepper Cheese Steaks & Onions.

 

Ingredients (cooking for a family of 4):

• 4 Large Green Bell Peppers
• 1/2 lb of London Broil deli meat (can be found at Tops in Adams)
• 1/2 lb of Provolone cheese
• 4 Large Vidalia Onions
• Sliced fresh mushrooms
• Olive Oil
• BBQ sauce (if desired)
• Salt & Pepper (if desired)

Preparation & Directions for Cooking:





• Prepare grill and preheat.
• Wash peppers, slice in half and remove stem and seeds from pepper.
• Remove outer layer from onions, take a knife and make criss- cross cuts in onion without cutting through entire onion. 
• Drizzle onions with olive oil and then wrap with aluminum foil.
• Place a slice of London Broil deli meat and fresh mushrooms in each half of the pepper.  Also drizzle with olive oil and wrap peppers. 
• Place on grill.  Rotate every 5 minutes on grill.  Grill for about 20 minutes.
• Unwrap peppers and place a slice of provolone cheese on top.  You can place the pepper back on the grill til cheese is melted or wait for the cheese to melt from the heat of the pepper. 
• Drizzle BBQ sauce over peppers if you wish.  Add salt and pepper if desired. 

Onions criss - cross cut and drizzled in oil.

Peppers prepped before grilling.

Bon Appetit! 

 

Harvest Run 2014

 

 

I have done numerous 5k's and a 10k before.  I always do my best with running when I have a 5/10k to train for as I know that I am accountable and working towards a goal.  I have let running slide a little (okay a lot, like I can't remember the last time).  I went and bought myself a new pair of Saucony sneakers and a new outfit to start working out again.  I downloaded a Couch to 5k program on my cell phone.  No. More. Excuses.  Even better?  An upcoming 5k that will benefit the South Jefferson Rescue Squad.  Even if you are not a runner, come walk the course and cross completing a 5k off your bucket list!  I highly recommend registering early as once I pay for something, I am less likely to back on out it.  To register for this event click here.  

Welcome to Our Town!

Far too often we hear of the teenager who dreams of escaping the sleepy little town they are growing up in.  With stars in their eyes, the dream of bigger city and even bigger opportunities.  While I can appreciate the wanderlust of some, I never felt that way.  Home was always just that- home. 

I have always believed we either have roots or we have wings.  No living creature or plant on this earth has both roots and wings.  So either we dig our roots deep into the Earth, planting ourselves where we feel comfortable and then blossom or we soar into the unknown, into a limitless sky leaving behind the spot we once stood.  Roots or wings, you can not go wrong.  There are pros and cons with both.  For me, my roots have grown deep into the soil of a small town nestled not far from the shores of Lake Ontario in an area called Southern Jefferson County in upstate New York. 

South Jefferson County is made up of Six Townships: Adams, Ellisburg, Henderson, Lorraine, Rodman and Worth.  Surrounded by acres of rural area, you won't find much excitement around here.  What you do find is people jogging down the streets, mothers pushing their babies in their strollers or a group of young boys playing basketball in the middle of the street, pausing their game when the occasional car rolls by.  It is quaint, quiet.  We have a bakery, a few diners and restaurants.  Couple of gas stations, a few popular ice cream stands.  Many nights after baseball practice you will find entire teams waiting in line to order their cones while the parents chat with each other.  Big enough to attract a Subway, McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts but small enough to be charming.  Talk of the town can be heard as the soft hum of the clippers trim the locals' hair at the barber shop while the ladies have a couple of salons in the area.  It's never a quick trip to the grocery store or pharmacy because most times you will run into someone you know.   

The crime rate is relatively low, with just enough activity to keep the town's gossip fire burning.  Just like many other small towns, the school is prideful of their athletic teams and many cool fall Friday nights as you drive past the school you can't help but notice the field lights and scoreboard all lit up as the audience cheers on their home team from the crowded bleachers. 

I love when the leaves begin to change from the lush green to the ravishing reds, vibrant yellows and bright oranges.  The sound of crunching leaves under my feet as I stroll into the local post office.  A place safe enough to allow your kids trick or treating door to door.  And when the bitter cold of a Northern New York winter begins to set in, the huge pine tree is set aglow with the serene light of the holidays approaching.  The howl of a winter storm accompanied by the sound of a fire burning in the pellet stove is often the sounds that put me into a slumber during the winter months.  It takes several feet of snowfall to shut down these towns.  If there is one thing we know how to handle, it is snow and cold.  This past winter during a particularly heavy snowfall, many out of area residents found themselves stranded in our town.  Many residents opened their homes to stranded motorists and their families.  The fire hall opened their doors and set up a safe place to wait out the storm.  The local restaurants helped feed the people as they waited for Old Man Winter to finish his temper tantrum.  It was a winter that we were glad to see thaw out and spring brought back the lush greens.  An area heavy on agriculture, the farmers begin prepping their fields and getting crops ready.  Flowers bloom and the howl of the storm is replaced by the sound of rain on our tin roof.  Spring seems to be the shortest season of all in this area.  The temperature is quick to rise, as is the humidity.  We are so fortunate to have so many bodies of water nearby to cool off in.  Boaters, fishermen, kayakers all soon take to the local waters, experiencing the breathtaking scenery that the north country offers.  I recently paddled across a pond to a walkway that accessed a sandy beach.  As my daughter play in the sand, I stood looking down the beach.  Where the waves crashed upon the sandy shore, not far from a line of trees grew nearby, limbs heavy with thick green leaves.  And the background of it all was a brilliant blue sky.  It was almost surreal to feel like I was able to see water, Earth and air as they meshed into one another.  Mesmerizing really. 

Throughout the year, the area offers locals and visitors alike entertainment in the forms of festivals and events.  Arbor Day Festival.  The Strawberry Festival.  The Cheddar Cheese Festival.  Field Days.  The Rescue Squad hosts nights on the Firemen's Field where you bring a lawn chair, some blankets and pick a spot for outdoor family movie night on a big screen they set up.  They sell popcorn, sno-cones and candy but other than that it is free to the public. 

I love the fact that my children are attending school with the children of my former classmates.  I love knowing they walk the same halls, sit in the same classrooms and even have some of the same teachers I had growing up.  I like seeing the kids roaming the halls in their camo gear, work boots untied.  These are children who have been taught to hunt, to fish, to farm.  To respect guns and pay attention to safety.  We don't have gang colors or signs, we have Real Tree and Mossy Oak.  We have John Deere and we have hats with fishing hooks on the brims.  We might have red necks, but those necks are red from being in the outdoors under the sun. 

Most of all we have the sense of a close knit community.  We help out each other when in need.  To know there is good in the world, to see kindness in action you don't have to look much further than this area.  Southern Jefferson County is a great place to spend a day or a lifetime.