My needs are many

I don't know what it is about Target that I just can't stay away from.

It could be the Starbucks located inside the store, but I have actually resisted the urge on one or two occasions.

More likely, I think it is the fact that it is so anti Wal-Martesque.

I can actually feel my blood pressure rise when I walk through the door of a Wal-Mart. I haven't seen a clean or orderly Wal-Mart in years. And it just gives me the oogies.

Target on the other is so welcoming and just beckons me to come, browse, spend your money.

I stopped at Target yesterday to pick up some parchment paper. Being free of my usual shopping companions since they were at home driving daddy crazy, I took the opportunity to browse.

I spent at least 30 minutes staring in awe at the wall o' kitchen gadgets.

I love kitchen gadgets. And, since I had spent the morning cleaning out and reorganizing the gadget drawers, I knew I had a little room to cram some more stuff into.

Did I actually need anything? Well, other than parchment paper - no. But that is not the point.

Rubbermaid now makes a handy little butter dish. The only covered butter dish I have is Longaberger and a little on the expensive side. Especially with two little kitchen helpers who have inherited their mother's clumsiness. So, it is safely in the cabinet. And, I cannot stand to rewrap the unused butter in its paper and put it back in the refrigerator.

So, I did need that.

Then, I saw a set of small measuring cups. They were white with the measurements in big, bright letters. Well, now there is an idea! Much better than my dark green ones that have to be held up to the light just right to see the small, slightly raised lettering. Did I mention that two of the cups have somehow made their way to the sandbox? Did I mention that a bonus egg separated was included with the set of measuring cups?

So, I did need those.

Thanks to Alton Brown and his amazing show "Good Eats," I finally have perfected the art of "The Chewy" chocolate chip cookie according to husband - which is why I was out buying parchment paper in the first place.

During the quest for cookie perfection, husband was sure that the Air Bake cookie sheets were the answer. I hate those things, but have been fighting with them for a few years now, because husband was sure they were the answer.

Again, thank you Alton Brown. He said plain ole standard baking sheets, lined with parchment paper, were the way to go. And, Target just happened to have some on sale.

So, I did need those.

I then moved on to the home decor section. When to what did my wondering did appear? Not one. Not two or three. But several aisles with large, red clearance signs.

Of course I had to spend some time wandering those aisles.

I found the cutest cocktail stirrers topped with palm trees and pineapples. At 50% off, how could I pass those up?

Okay, so maybe those I didn't actually need. But, I do spend a lot of time mixing vodka and rum into various beverages and it is putting undo strain on my iced-tea spoons.

So, for the sake of my iced-tea spoons, I did need those.

And, then I found an adorable milk bottle. I had honestly thought, not two days before, that the arrangement of sunflowers on my mantle would look much cuter in an old milk bottle.

At 70% off, for $1.24, I did need that.

I think the girls and I will take a trip back to Target this afternoon to see what else we need.