Tablecloth Factory and more...

My friends and I went to a tablecloth factory a while back. At the factory you can look at books of the fabrics, tell them what size you want, what border you want and they'll make you a tablecloth, table runner, napkins, whatever. They'll even do it while you wait. (We did not.) You can even get chair covers made.

We do frequent entertaining as part of the job, so getting nice looking tablecloths that wash well is a necessity. I now have some I am happy with.

It seems like shopping is a major part of life here for expats and diplomats. I guess part of the reason is that you can't just run to Target and pick up everything you need in one trip. Everything is at a different location. Each place is nowhere near the other and you can never be sure you'll find what you need because things come and go. I went to Ikea this week, looking for a wok. They did not have a big enough one so I passed. BUT, I did find something I've been in search of since we arrived 4 1/2 months ago... a full size kitchen trashcan. Everything is made in China but most of it is exported so some simple things are very hard to come by. I've been to Ikea before and they did not have full size trashcans. This little triumph is a big deal. Another big deal is that our local grocery store has started carrying Lunchables! For those of you without young children, Lunchables are premade lunches for kids. Jack loves them, so they'll make a good occassional treat for him in his lunch box. They are pricey here, $6. The grocery store has also started to carry Oscar Meyer lunch meats which will definitely help with school lunches. The school lunch menu leaves much to be desired for picky elementary aged children. I will try to post it.