avast ye matey! treasures!

I looove Bellevue Goodwill. It's like a garage sale in Beverly Hills or something. Its blows my mind sometimes what some people throw out....and there is complete crap also, ignore that stuff and skim the very best of the best ONLY. :)

I do this occasionally to kill an hour or two between clients when I am stuck near Microsoft (this Goodwill is right up the street from MS).

My favorite things to look for are dishes, (milk glass, original fiesta ware, stemware, glass or crystal that is clean cut and not floofy, cake and pie dishes that are photo worthy (think Martha...), wall art/photo frames, small furniture that can be HGTVized, and books. I LOVE to find great cheap books!

I found 3 fantastic books that I have been wanting to read:

1. The Glass Castle- Already started it, can barely put it down to make this post. recommended by Jen, I can see why you liked it, wild and quirky, disturbing but endearing.

2. The Memory Keepers Daughter- recommended by Pam, we'll compare notes....

3. The Lovely Bones- can't recall who recommended it but it was one of my friends, its about a 14 year old girl that dies and watches her life go on with out her in it, her family grieves and moves on etc, its her story. seems fascinating.

Also, I found a fabulous gold/silver framed mirror, not sure where I will put it yet but at $15 it was a treasure I had to drag home. :)

I also found a few other little bits and pieces, set of 4 adorable silver demitasse spoons for .20 cents each, etc.

Oh, they also have a designer labels section with Seven for All Mankind, Citizens, Coach etc. kind of fun, but it is hit and miss. So far I have been more miss than hit.....

Fat days.

Ok ladies, most of us have them....fat days. I have had a few too many lately and am ready to do something about it. Starting today I am following an eating plan that loosely resembles Weight Watchers. I did WW a few years ago and lost 37 lbs. Now that I have gained over half of it back I have decided to reign it in. My final goal weight is 145. If any of my friends want to join me I would be thrilled to have a partner or 3. We can share recipes, keep each other accountable, and go for walks/jogs together.

I am not obsessed with appearance, nor do I wish to look like Angelina Jolie (homewrecker), I just want to live life to its fullest without holding back. I don't want to be the one on the side when everyone else is diving in. I want to feel strong, healthy, confident and positive. We may not be able to control the economy, or dang Washington weather, but I can control this!

I have used a lot of excuses like I am so busy so its impossible to make good food choices.... and the economy stinks so I will save money by buying the cheaper fattier product...its cold and rainy so I am not going to exercise....well this plan obviously stinks and I am making no more excuses. I have decided that blogging it will keep me accountable.

Little Joybits:

We Cheer: One thing that I do that some of you know about (and giggle about) is Wii Cheer. Now it seems silly, I know, but it is a fun, great workout (if you do it right and not cheat like Jen). You will forget that you are exercising and if you are half as competitive as I am you will also become obsessed with beating all of the songs. I have beat all of them and now am working on beating them on difficult. Yay me! If you have Wii and you are even the slightest bit coordinated you have to have it.

Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges: 1 point, use like mayo and in place of both cheese and mayo on a sandwich. Also, try with pesto. YUM!

La Tortilla Factory Tortillas: 1 point, use in place of bread to make an awesome filling sandwich wrap, or as a traditional tortilla for fajitas and soft tacos. Very filling and tons o' fiber.

Blogging, it's the new black.

Ok all, I am giving it a go. Not sure who I think I am and why I think anyone will want to read this; but it will be fun and cathartic nonetheless. I have a bunch of random thoughts all the time that I feel like sharing and exploring and I think this will be a great medium to do it.

Expect to see posts on people-watching, random experiences, my crazy experiences as a working mom, wife, college student, consultant, and future teacher.

Also, my thoughts on art, socioeconomic inequality, politics, confusion, and ponderances about the world's ways. Also lighter posts relating to my hobbies, like photography, great design, great music, movies, the occasional amazing recipe and the oh so exciting rants about all the things that bug me.

Be sure to check out my friend Jen, plumber, landscaper, painter, floorer, extraordinaire and her amazing remodel blog. Watch out HGTV, here she comes! http://theyumaproject.blogspot.com/