Oatmeal, Schmoatmeal

Both times we were in Florida last month, we stayed at a fantastic hotel (Homewood Suites). It was just a hop and a skip from my in-laws' home (a turtle-paced hop-and-skip through wall-to-wall white-haired-Chrysler-Sebring-drivers up until 8pm!) and it was such a pleasant place to call home for those couple of weeks. They not only served a full breakfast, they also, on weeknights, served SUPPER.

Every morning, we'd toddle downstairs and help ourselves and plop down at a table (an outside table by the pool when it was crowded inside) and listen to the wonderful assortment of foreign languages spoken around us. Evidently, Europe considers southwest Florida a must-see tourist destination!

Mike and I mainly enjoyed the oatmeal. Every morning there was a big cauldron of hot oatmeal, and a row of additions to choose from: brown sugar, cran-raisins and granola. I enjoyed that combination so much that I promptly began looking for canisters to use at home, since Mike has oatmeal nearly every day, and I try to for my heart's sake (I do try, I really do, but, ugh, it's so boring to eat the same thing every day).

I made the mistake of looking in Pier1 first, and found some awesome canisters for... $19.99 each. And I needed four (Mike likes a sprinkle of white sugar on his sometimes). No way. Not even for my heart! I checked out Walmart, but...blah. Finally, I thought of Garden Ridge, et voilà!, at $3.99 each, just-the-right-size glass canisters with brushed metal lids. (They look a little smaller in the picture than they really are. They're perfect.)

And my heart thanks me very much. Eating oatmeal is just a little more fun.

(It'd be a lot more fun if I filled the canisters with mini M&M's, Lucky Charms, colored sprinkles and Junior Mints...now that'd be some oatmeal. I bet Buddy the Elf'd like that.