Freezer stories & weekends

This weekend I have grand plans to rid our freezer of the massive amount of bananas taking over the small space. I'll most likely make a few loaves of banana bread, which will go right back to the freezer. I keep meaning to bring in loaves to work, but haven't had much time or energy in the evenings as of late to bake.I'd also like to hit up the farmer's market or local u-pick site for more berries. I've been on a sorbet/sherbet kick lately, making a new batch every few weeks for our freezer. I've made orange sherbet, chocolate/cinnamon hazelnut sorbet (I used 6oz of cinnamon chips and 6oz of chocolate chips, plus added chopped hazelnuts. If I make this in the future, I would definitely use less cinnamon chips.), and most recently strawberry lemon sorbet (where I mirrored the orange sorbet recipe, using lemon rind instead of orange).

With two quarts at a time, it's definitely cheaper to make from scratch. Plus, using local berries and knowing each ingredient is a big plus. Here's a pro tip: if you're blending hot liquids with solids, use a blender instead of a food processor, otherwise you'll end up with a mess like the one seen below.

Yes, this mess drizzled between the fridge and counter.

We completely slacked for 3 weeks and didn't complete any runs (although we did hike at least twice and walked quite a bit in Vegas; at least two miles in 95 degree heat on the first day). We're on W9D2 of C25k, and with our 5k quickly approaching, we're trying to (slowly) increase speed and keep muscle aches at bay with extra rest. I am quite happy to say that I can successfully run for 30 minutes! Last night I tracked only my running mileage and was able to bust out 2.4 miles. Woo! I definitely have a ways to go and need to keep reminding myself that I am new runner, each run can't always be as fast as the one before, and I am still exercising and improving my endurance. I was feeling aok during the first 10 minutes, but quickly felt my legs begin to ache and a blister introduce itself on my foot. Argh! Andy's been timing himself for the last two runs and is completing a 5k in about 36-37 33-34 minutes (he was calculating incorrectly). We'll be focusing on weight loss and strength training very shortly which will hopefully improve our runs and help us build better definition. Here's the pretty view from my run last night:

Looking east toward Silver Star Mountain.

Let's start with antiquing

Over the weekend Andy, my dad and I checked out the Palmer Whirfs Antique Show and the Portland Expo Center. The July show is always the largest as it extends out into the parking lot, plus covers the entirety of two large halls. My dad was bewildered that even the center's lot was full by 10:00am. The bright side was that we saved a few bucks on parking by using public transportation.

I'm sure with the popularity of shows such as Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, and Cash and Cari (one of my favorites), everyone is out looking for the next big treasure. Even after checking out an estate sale a few weeks back on the "preview Friday," there was a line on the property of at least 75 people! Yard/garage/estate sales have always been popular, but are the days of being in the "know" gone? Is this a fad that will lose its hype at some point? For as long as folks want to part with their belongings, there is always someone willing to give these items a new lease on life. Andy and I are still figuring out where to draw the line when it comes to collecting. Here are some photos of fun items I saw and few items we picked up.

So many lotions, potions and tonics; oh my!

I love the font on these signs.

A super spendy Fostoria punch bowl & glasses. My grandmother has a very large collection of Fostoria that will most likely be passed down to me.

Vacation fund anyone?

I recently discovered S&H green stamps when I picked up a few booklets at an estate sale. More information on Green Stamps.

Oh yeah!

I'm pretty sure somebody stole this sign and decided to sell it for $200.

Hula gal

Frito KID

A garden gnome for your yard.

So many pretty red, white and blue items!

Bow down.

Woof!

Yellow and green!

Who me?

Lovin' the orange!

Fenton Carnival Imperial Grape glass bowl in helios. So pretty!

Inside view. I picked up this gem for $20 after striking up a conversation with the seller about Carnival glass. It was originally priced at $30.

Andy's finds from the show: an official Mariner's belt buckle (only 10,000 were made in 1988), and a M's beer tap handle.

Summer is here!

The big 3-0 is right around the corner! It feels as if summer vacation is on its way and my to-do lists are ever growing. I have just the right amount of time to complete everything before we head out of town for vacation.

I had a genius idea around the 10th of June to compile a post per day, documenting every birthday thus far. Alas, I haven't kept the idea fresh in my mind when I'm around my mom's to poke around albums for birthday photos. I probably have a few on my flickr page and a few loose childhood photos floating around that I could scan.

We're still running into our 30s with Couch to 5k. W8D2 is next, although W8D1 was mighty difficult for both of us, mentally and physically. Here's the segment I'd like to call 

Awesome running tips!

1. Clip your toe nails and keep them short! Ugh. I found this out the hard way when my pinky toe dug into its neighbor, leaving an icky and painful mess. 
2. Don't consume juice or anything sugary prior to a run; stick with water!
3. Stretch. And when you haven't stretched enough, stretch a little more. 
4. Drink more water. Water, water, WATER.
5. If it's warmer outside than normal, run a little slower to ease into the hotness/humidity.  

I've been browsing 5k listing for late July/early August, hoping to peak Andy's interest (he finds them to be expensive). Yes, they can be with participation in frequent races, but think of the accomplishment you'd feel once complete! He won't read this so I might be preaching to the choir, but he's in veg mode at the moment and it's hard to retain his attention. Ugh, again. 

45 minutes later... We're registered for the Race for the Homeless, taking place on August 6, 2011! YAY! http://www.raceforthehomeless.org/ Matched donations will support Open House Ministries which helps homeless folks and families achieve self sufficiency.

Next agenda item... bed! I have more to share and will most likely have a few moments to write a post tomorrow.

Why not?

Win a trip to Paris!  http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris

Another lazy Sunday

Not much to report in regard to the weekend. I spent most of yesterday catching up on the last few episodes of Law and Order: SVU while Andy worked. Here are some other updates in bullet point formation:

• Our Las Vegas vacation begins in 38 days (as well as my 30th birthday)! We'll be staying at the Golden Nugget on historic Fremont Street, taking in dinner and a show, relaxing by the pool, drinking, perusing the multiple buffets, and potentially getting swayed into hopping on a few rides. I've been on the NYNY coaster and the Big Shot atop the Stratosphere, but the other two rides scare the bejeezus out of me!
  
  
  
• We celebrated Andy's 31st birthday last week with family at Gustav's.
  
  
  

  

  My nephew Tommy is a huge ham!

  

  Happy Birthday Andy!

  
  

  
  
• We hiked Dog Mountain on Thursday and it took us just over 5 hours round trip, but was well worth the multiple days of sore calves and core muscles. This is our second hike of the season; our first was the very easy Multnomah Falls. Not all of the flowers were in bloom on Dog Mountain, but the weather was perfect: 75 degrees, plenty of sun and minimal wind. No rattlesnakes were sighted, but we did encounter a bit of poison oak.



I wasn't too sure how I was going to make it up the side of the mountain.






The last .4 miles!






Us at Puppy Point






Andy, on top of the world.



Looking northwest toward Mt. St. Helens.






Looking southeast into the Columbia River Gorge.






Looking west.






The last pull to the summit!

• We're still in the midst of C25K and will be running W6D2 this evening. It's been nice to engage in other outdoor activities, and we've also had to kick our own behinds a few times to run in the rain (which is actually quite refreshing). I was very surprised that I could run for 20 minutes at a pretty decent pace, without stopping! We've been looking around for 5k races that are compatible with our schedule, but need to do a little more research before we commit.