Thrifty Finds!

This past weekend I hit the local Thrift Store and T.J. Maxx looking for cheap "treasures" to decorate my freshly painted guest room with. I love getting a bargain! I get such a thrill out of taking someone else's "junk" and making it beautiful. I've read many of your posts and know that I'm not alone in this.

The first picture shows the cheap finds from T.J. Maxx. The picture frame was on clearance for $3.50. Not bad. The square, white plate (which I think is adorable) was a $3.00 sale item. And for my finds of the weekend...drum roll, please...the two blue and white plates...$.70 a piece! That's right! $1.40 for the pair! Yay for me! They were the only two left or I would have bought another one. I think I'm going to use the three plates as decoration on a small wall in the guest room. I'm thinking...stacked on top of each other with the white one in the middle. I'm pretty sure you can use a square plate with a plate hangar. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Tell me what you think...Will my idea work and look good on a narrow wall?

The next picture is of the things I found in our little Thrift Store. Small, lead crystal vase, $1.00. Double candle holder in an antique white finish, $1.00. Pair of white birds, $1.00. International Pewter candelabra, $1.00. And finally the small, silver frame was $1.00 at Dollar General Market. I'm not sure where I'm going to put the white candle holder, yet. I was thinking of putting the pewter candelabra on a nightstand next to the bed with the birds, some books...I'm wondering, though. Could I put that on the same table that also holds a lamp? Would this be a big decorating faux pax?

So my total was $12.90 for all 10 items. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

I found today where my Picassa photo program added a feature where I can add pictures to a blog post straight from there. Yay! That means I'll be able to post pictures as I finish getting the details of the guest room put together.

More details to follow later.

Wii Are Getting Fit!

I love to get things in the mail...or by UPS. Doesn't matter. But I feel like a kid a Christmas when I see the big, brown, truck drive up and stop in front of my house...just like it did on Wednesday. My Wii Fit arrived! Yay!

At this point I feel I need to back track a hair. When we went home for Christmas this year my sister and her family had gotten a Wii for Christmas. That was my first encounter with this new phenomenon. It was really cool and we thought it would be a good thing for our family. So we saved and bought one a few weeks ago. It has really gotten quite a bit use already. We also have heard a lot about Wii Fit - great things, of course. So, we thought that would be great, too. When Mom and Sis came last weekend, Sis brought her Wii Fit so we could see how it works. And, no, I'm not trying to keep up with my sister. She just happened to beat me to the punch. What a trend setter she is. She is this very tall, very thin, blond. I am this short, fat, brunette. When you stand us side by side we look like spaghetti and meatballs! Sometimes I even wonder how we come from the same gene pool! If you haven't tried Wii Fit before, it's awesome! It checks your posture, weight, BMI...and keeps track of your progress. It also gives you tips and helpful info to assist you in getting even MORE fit. What a machine. It's kind of like having a personal trainer.

We have looked for them in the stores and they are really hard to get a hold of. Sister suggested we look online. Like, duh...WHO is the blond here? Anyway, last Sunday I ordered one from Best Buy online, standard shipping. We received it on Wednesday. WEDNESDAY! Wow, that was fast. I was very impressed with them.

I am actually having FUN with it. This is something that I will ACTUALLY use. It's cheaper than a year's membership to the gym. I don't have to leave my house when it's nasty out to do it. I can use it in my P.J.s if I want to. And I don't have to stare at a blank wall like when I'm on the treadmill. It sort of tricks me into not realizing that I'm actually getting E-X-E-R-C-I-S-E. VERY COOL.

So, I'm making it official. I'm putting it out there in Bloggy Land. I'm hoping to lose my newlywed weight. Or was it my baby fat? I think it's actually my 'I really like to eat too much and can't stay out of the Girl Scout Cookies. I can't believe I ate a whole box of Samoas by myself...in one day.' fat.

On an encouraging note - Wii Fit tracks every single ounce you lose. You don't have to wait for a whole pound to see motivation. I am happy to announce that just by playing on my new toy I lost 3.8 pounds this week. Of course that is after my 1.7 pound gain after the whole Samoa fiasco! But we'll keep that our little secret!

Wish me well.
Pam