Pittsburgh Half Marathon

I will be the first to admit it…  I’m only half of a runner.  Maybe that is what lead me to sign up for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon.  My husband makes fun of me because I prefer to run down the hills.. and then walk up them.  Luckily, the Half-marathon is a 13.1 mile run around downtown Pittsburgh (yeah, thats not the lucky part).. the lucky part is that Mount Washington has no involvement in the race (as far as I know) and downtown is relatively flat.  Lets hope that I can fit a little bit of marathon training into my hectic little schedule. 

This will be a good thing, right? Even if I do end up walking it..

http://free.timeanddate.com/countdown/i2f92nmg/n418/cf11/cm0/cu4/ct0/cs0/ca0/co1/cr0/ss0/cac000/cpc000/pct/tcfff/fs100/szw256/szh108/tatPittsburgh%20Marathon%20Countdown/tac000/tptI%20ran%20the%20Pittsburgh%20Marathon/tpc000/iso2011-05-15T06:00:00

Extreme Couponing

My friends feel that they may need to stage an intervention if my love for coupons hits this extreme

http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt_2_65.swf

I can only hope! justtt kidddding…..

Our work in progress

 

both bedrooms are complete! now it’s time to decorate!!

Replacements

 The littlest details like new door knobs, clean hinges, new doors, and a new fireplace face make the biggest difference

Sweet Creativity

A few of the sweet & creative treats that I have created

 

 

Our work in progress

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

new year, new furniture

We couldn’t resist checking out the “great deals” that the furniture stores had to offer over the holidays.  With our bedroom almost completed, our new furniture will be arriving soon.  We tentatively set up a delivery date in February for the living room and dining room furniture to arrive.. it looks like we have a deadline to meet! 

My huband is a stripper

“Good painters remove or cover door hardware before they paint.  the other kind of painter just slops it over any exposed metal and ruins the door’s appearance”.  the previous owners of our home were the later. we were just left with the mess.  fortunately, any knob, escutcheon plate, or hinge can be made to shine again. With paint stripper, a wire brush, a dremel, and a lot of patience my husband took on the challenge.

BEFORE 

AFTER

Broken dishwasher

 Just when we thought we didn’t have enough projects under our belt,  the dishwasher starting leaking. Oh, the joys of home ownership! 

the excitement of replacing our dishwasher was too much for Charley to handle

Our new Kitchen Aid dishwasher

Organic dinner for two

Sam and I have joked around with the idea of “going organic”.  ”Are these oreos organic..?” “I’m pretty sure this pizza is organic..” “We need to start eating organic”.  I decided to dip my toes into this idea and stop at the Whole Foods Market.  a big bill later, I took my groceries home to cook a quick, healthy, and delicious dinner for my man. 

Chicken breast stuffed with cashew stuffing  
(made fresh daily at the Whole Foods Deli: can you believe they were only $1.98 each?)

How to prepare Asparagus: 

Remove the band. Wash the asparagus under cool running water, a few spears at a time, to remove any soil or sand. 

Remove tough areas at the bottom of the spears. Use a paring knife to trim about an inch from the lower end of each stem or snap-off the lower ends. 

How to boil Asparagus: 

Lay trimmed asparagus spears in a large skillet with 1″ to 1-1/2″ of water.  

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook gently, uncovered, over low heat for about 5-7 minutes.  

Dinner for two!