A Shot and a Sale at Target
Mar 13th, 2008 by Marilyn
Here is the specially designed little nook of the new old house we like to call “the bar.”
And that’s because it is a bar. Oh sure, we had Josie’s spelling bee brunch and put out kid-friendly orange juice and raspberry punch and plastic tumblers, but it’s clearly a show-me-the-way-to-go-home, ring-a-ding ice-bucket bar.
We’re not exactly a nonstop party over here, but it’s fun. Since we descend from the Jewish peoples – who, you should know, generally believe in a nice drop of sweet wine and little else – it is fun to have a bar.
My friend Shannon is a mom, a lawyer, and a triathlete. She’s also one of the only women I know who inherited a love of cigars from her dad – and once in a while, likes to have one with the boys.
“Oh cool…” she purred when she saw the bar, “…an adult room.”
And it is pretty cool. Sometimes there’s a nice little suburban 60′s vibe at the end of the working day, when Greg makes his five-second commute down the stairs and I hear a little glass clink, clink down the hall.
“Have a good day, Darrin? How’s Mr. Tate?”
Clearly, I’m no Samantha Stephens. She just wiggled her magic nose for the right amount of scotch – my Darrin should be so lucky. He has to get his own drink – not because it’s 2008, but because my expertise is behind the stove, not the tap.
I don’t know a finger from a jigger.
I am, however, a pretty fine bargain hunter. We wanted a bar-back mirror, but not one that had neon or Pabst or Paddy McCorkle’s or whatever – just a mirror. Preferably an old one, but it would take forever to find just the right one, and eBay was turning up nothing good.
We got the idea that we could antique some mirror ourselves – instant patina – but a quick googling revealed that the process usually involved varying levels of caustic chemicals and protective face masks. No antiquing.
Finally, a trip down Target’s super-duper Globar Bazaar aisle turned up this lovely red-tag mirror on sale.
Pre-aged with a faux patina I found oddly comforting, it was a great deal and currently stands guard behind the bar. Until we find an older one or learn to antique a mirror without the use of burn creams, it’s going to have to do. So many hidden treasures at Target – perhaps they can run us a tab?
