I Feel Like a Dumpster Diver

So I'm activities director for our ward and there's a Valentine's dance coming down the pipeline all too quickly. It's going to be a WWII themed hangar dance and I need lots and lots of cardboard. They'll be transformed into awesome looking supplies crates. You know the old timey wooden ones with "DANGER" or "EXPLOSIVES" stenciled in red on the sides. Today I went around collecting cardboard from various furniture and appliance stores. So there I was in the loading dock of one of the stores struggling with boxes nearly my height. I had to fold them flat so they'd fit in the back on the Expo' and let me tell ya for temporary holding they sure glue those suckers up. There was a moment there that it dawned on me... I'm pretty much a dumpster diver picking up peoples' leftovers....greeeaat. I even had to take one box out of the recycle dumpster, literally a dumpster digger! Yikes were has all the little class I had acquired gone? On the bright side I got some super great boxes and a lot of them. These crates are going to be smashing!

A Stinkin' Good Deal

Ryan & I run over to Eugene every two weeks or so to do grocery shopping & just enjoy the day together. While we were over there on just such a trip I picked up this pan. It's white glazed stoneware, super deep & longer than average. I loved the lines & had to have it. I've used it twice in two weeks & found it is the perfect dish for lasagna, deep enough to not bubble over the sides. I thought at the time it was a good deal for only $14. Well, last night I was browsing the Food Network Site and saw this picture. And you'll never guess how much they are selling it for...$80 bones! And they are marketing it as a lasagna pan, "I'm a genius!" What in the world...I totally scored with that buy. I was so shocked I told Ryan. He didn't seem all that impressed. I'm sure he was just thinking, "Great that's $66 more I didn't have to spend on a dish she doesn't need anyway." What a great deal!

Weekend Project

So with graduation fading off into the distant, the holiday season behind us, and no jobs to be found in the whole of Florence I'm starting to realize I really don't have homework or term projects to work on or worry about. Wow, that was a great run-on sentence! Way to go UofO education. I've begun to get the itch...no not crabs, not hives, the creativity itch! I love the fact that I now have time (although not exactly as much mullah as I'd like, dang) to indulge my decorating passion. So with only five months to go in our house I thought it was a good time to finish up our bedroom. I had previously painted the upper and lower wall color. (The colors are more washed out in the picture than in reality.) We had the trim sitting in the garage for six months and drape material in the closet for even longer. Sheesh. So I thought it was time to dig it all out and wrap the project up. So this last weekend Ryan put up the chair rail for me and I sewed up the drapes & dug out some old curtain rods. The drapes are a green/blue dupioni, love that material! I just wish the true color would come through in the pic. All that is left is some furniture painting, bed linens, & wall art/pictures. For all intents and purposes (Ann that one's for you) I do know that the picture to the left of the drapes is not in the right spot. I hung it before I put up the drapes. It will shortly be removed. Just for anyone who cares to know.

I Did It...

Yes, I went out & ran today. Ok, for all intents & purposes I ran for only 5min. & power walked the rest, big deal. For those of you who don't know I hate exercising. I've heard many good stories about those people who get a runner's high & just can't get enough. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. (Ann & my sister's sister-in-law happen to be counted among the lucky few who love to sweat this way.) I feel every dang second I am running & the only high I get is certain undergarments creeping high up into places they shouldn't be. Or the opposite happens & I am constantly pulling up my pants that keep falling down.
So this marks the start one of my new year resolutions, start exercising...again. (It was either that or Ryan was going to drag me to the gym & he's an exercise Natzi. Yikes.) This time I have a little secret weapon on my side. Ryan bought me a Nano, an armband carrier, & this amazing little Nike exercise tracking devise to go with it all for Christmas. You wear it on your shoe & it syncs with the nano to keep track of your distance, pace, etc. & allows you too keep track of your progress by uploading your workout info to NIke+. You can even compete against other people on-line. I'm not going to go that far but isn't that amazing from such a little thing on your shoe! So this workout was a lot more enjoyable being able to listen to music & record my workout data. I think this is really going to help me stay the course after all I am a results kind of girl. And this thing is going to give me lots of tangible results, if not the shedding of pounds at least numbers on a screen. So here's hoping I get out & do it again...sometime during 2009.