January 31, 2010: More to Sell

One of the people I am helping owns a commercial building. One of the tenants who owned a jazz club left a TON (and I mean TON) of random things behind. Justin and I went over there today to find what we could sell. We took two truckloads home for eBay and Cragislist, but we didn't even make a dent in what was there. We now have things like a violin, clarinet, piano tuner, 500 CDs, furniture pieces, tons of office supplies, bags of clothes, material, dollhose, vases, china, and who knows what else. I think we need to have a huge garage sale at the property to get rid of the rest.....and we didn't even get to the upstairs. This picture is of just ONE area.

January 30, 2010:

Today Justin and I went to an estate sale as well as Value World (where Purple Heart donations are sold) and stocked up on items to re-sell on eBay. At the estate sale, we could fill a Wal-Mart bag with whatever we wanted for $10. We filled two bags with vintage Raggedy Ann/Andy, dollhouses, dollhouse furniture, R2D2 stuff, and Barbies from the 80s (plus a LOT more). Now our house is a wreck with all this stuff I have to sell (and nowhere to put it).

January 29, 2010: More Volunteering with Kids

Today I again volunteered for a local non-profit organization that provides low-cost art activities for children at a nearby community center. I love helping out, as the parents are so involved with their kids and the program director/owner and other volunteers are such nice, real people. I also like the lack of traditional art "instruction." No one tells the kids what, specifically, to do or what their product "should" look like. The kids are given the supplies and the them for the day and they go! Today's theme was "capes." Kids made paper capes and decorated them. Some even made hats and other accessories.

January 28, 2010: Cold

The snow doesn't bother me, but the wind on a 20-degree day does! Here's myself (no makeup)in the park, Lacy's dog-walk destination.

January 27, 2010: Snow

It's snowing again, but very lightly. I thought once I moved to Michigan I'd battle 2+ feet of snow daily for 6 months straight, but it's not like that at all. It's only reaaaaaally snowed once. I don't think Justin should have spent $800 on a snow blower!

Here's a pictures of today's snow.

January 26, 2010: Tessa and Her Pig Ear

I've resorted to taking pictures of my dogs for Project 365, as I seem to be doing the same things over and over each day--and I have already taken pictures of those activities! Tonight, though, I did go to Meijer (grocery store) for some much-needed Nyquil (to sleep) and I picked up two pig ears for Tessa and Lacy. Tessa knew right away what was in the bag! Here she is enjoying her treat (eeew).

I can't remember how old Tessa is--8 or 9 maybe? I am sad that she is greying around her face. I wish pets lived longer than people.

January 25, 2010: Lacy Girl

This is my Lacy Girl, a 13-15-year-old blue tick mix. I got her from the animal shelter 12+ years ago, where she was about to be put down. She weighed 12 pounds then as an adult dog and was terrified of people. She weighs 40 pounds now and loves people. She is the best-behaved, most loyal dog I've ever owned.

January 24, 2010: Book Sale

While leaving the dollar movie theater in the mall, Sarah and I passed a going out of business sale at Borders. What books they had left were 65-90% off, so we got books for anwhere from .20-.60 cents each! I think we left with about 50+ books that I will either re-sell on eBay or trade at Swaptree.com!

January 23, 2010: Art truck?

Today Justin and I drove around Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor going to estate sales and thrift stores. We bought a car-load of things for ourselves and for me to sell on eBay. While driving around, we passed a truck parked at a hotel. The truck owner stood next to his truck and then went inside. We first thought this truck was an "art truck," but when we got a bit closer we realized the guy was living in his hotel room and the room was just as cluttered with stuffed animals and junk as his car. We ultimately decided the guy is mentally ill.

January 22, 2010: Flowers

Justin brought home these "spring bulbs" for me the other day. Their scent is very pleasant and strong, so I put them in my office right behind my laptop, where I spend most of my time.

January 21, 2010: Curves

Every day except Sunday I work out at Curves. I LOVE CURVES because the program is a combination of strength training and aerobic activity. Plus, all the women work out in a circle and talk the whole time so it doesn't even seem like I am working out! Here I am on one of the machines that works both the quads and calfs simultaneously.

January 20, 2010: Organizing Job

Recently, I agreed to help a very nice gentleman in town with some personal, computer, and organization tasks, and I visit with him a couple of hours each day.

He allowed me to take pictures of his "stacks" of paper to be organized. Here are the before shots...of just a portion of what needs to be organized. :)

January 19, 2010: Squirrel Feeder Part II

The squirrels have discovered the squirrel feeders!

January 18, 2010: Fabulous Friends

I've had the honor to get to know two special people, Karen and Sarah. Karen is so much fun to be around, and she has taught me so much about links between vaccines and autism as well as how the foods we eat directly contribute to our health. Sarah loves volunteering and animals--especially hermit crabs and guinea pigs. I can't wait to spend more time with her designing and following through with fun adventures!

I helped Sarah create her very first blog tonight that has an animal theme. She'd LOVE you to take a peek and ask her questions about caring for animals, particularly HERMIT CRABS! You can visit her site at http://www.crabsandotheran.blogspot.com/. She's love to have a comment or question from you! (In fact, she specifically asked me to invite you.)

January 17, 2010: Nothing Really to Post Today

Today is one of those days where I just didn't do much of anything, and as for the small things I did do, I didn't bring my camera with me. So here's a picture of the street sign my our house. I like it because not only can you see the street names, but the lampost indicates some of the "charm" our neighborhood has. Also, you can see the snowy view of the golf course, which we see outside our front window. If our house was in Ann Arbor (just a street away) rather than Ypsilanti, we might seriously consider buying it. There's no way that we'll ever put our future children in the Ypsilanti schools though.

January 16, 2010: Art Center

Today I enjoyed volunteering for a local, non-profit art organization that provides free and low-cost art activities for children. During this session, kids made fabulous artwork with stamps, punches, paper, glue, stickers, everything! Parents even joined in, and the experience was both rewarding and soothing for all.

Over the summer I am organizing a community-wide children's art show where children present and sell their masterpieces to the community. Half of the proceeds will go to this art center, and the children will keep the rest.

January 15, 2010: Coffee

For a long time, I've loved drinking occasional caramel lattes at Starbucks or other coffee shops. These cost around $4 each and up. It's hard to fathom spending $4 for a cup of coffee, but the regular coffee I brew at home, even with flavored creamer, doesn't taste nearly as good. Period.

Recently, however, I've discovered that a local gas station chain, Speedway, has 16 oz. caramel lattes, as well as other flavored coffees, for 99 cents each. Plus, if you are a "Speedy Rewards" customer (like a Kroger card), you get every seventh cup free. These coffees come out of a machine, but they taste even BETTER than Starbucks!

January 14, 2010: Killer

I'd like to introduce Killer. Killer is a Yorkie who lives in the neighborhood. About three times per week, I have the opportunity to visit with Killer as his official pet sitter. Killer loves to bark, run in circles, and chase his bone.

January 13, 2010: Working on the Computer

Today I am sitting in front of my computer all day doing various work and personal-related tasks. This is my laptop Justin got me for my last birthday, which I LOVE.

January 12, 2010: Project Introduction & Squirrel Feeder

Today I begin my Project 365, a photo diary consisting of one photo per day for an entire year. Hopefully one day I will be able to look back on my life and remember the people and experiences that made me laugh and cry. Feel free to comment on my photos and/or thoughts. You might even want to begin your own Project 365!

Today's photo is of one of two squirrel feeders Justin and I have outside. So many squirrels live in our neighborhood, and the neighbors and I enjoy feeding them. I bought the squirrel feeders for $1.00 each at a garage sale, and Justin's father, Jim, gave us 277 ears of corn for the squirrels. Evidently, Jim likes to count! Thank you, Jim, for the corn! We are now waiting for the squirrels to discover their new treats.