Coach Owen would be so disappointed

I have given up on locating the Free Dining Room Table Store, so I decided to just buy a new set. I wanted a square table, but not counter-height. You wouldn't think that would be a hard thing to find, but it is. I was only able to locate one, at 4 Chairs Furniture in Lindon. But they charge - are you ready for this - $1170 for JUST THE TABLE!!! That didn't include any chairs, and that was just the raw table, too - not finished, not stained. I almost laughed right out loud at the poor sales girl, who unfortunately didn't know she was dealing with the Cheapest Person Alive. So I gave up on finding a square table, and decided to just find a regular set that I liked. I didn't want it to look anything like my set that I've had for 18 years. I didn't want it to have a glass top (who wants to look at their fat thighs while they eat? NOT ME!). I don't like upholstered chairs (I spill). So I found one I liked at RC Wiley. It was just sitting innocently in the showroom, looking all pretty and calling my name. I sat down on a chair to make sure I liked it, and noticed a seam going down the center of the table, but not the normal direction . . . the other direction. Could it be possible? I actually climbed under the table to inspect it further, and sure enough, it opened out the long way. I hunted down a salesperson (yes, I actually had to go find a salesperso at RCW - must have been a busy day!) and asked about the leaf, and he confirmed my dream-come-true: it opened to a square. It takes up more space than I am used to in my kitchen, but I really like the square shape so we're just gonna have to deal with it. Below shows the leaf removed, plus the accurate color of paint (it's green, I promise) on my walls (above has weird late-afternoon light) plus the new valances that I made:

So now Lari is a happy girl to have found the table I wanted, although not at the Free Dining Room Table Store, for which I will continue to search.

Stephanie asked me for my dinner roll recipe, so naturally I have lost it. I brought it down to my desk as a reminder to post it. But since I lack the gene that enables a person to keep a clean desk, I have lost said recipe. It is quite tragic, because it's my best one. I tried a different roll recipe on Conference Sunday that requires the dough to be refrigerated for an hour. I can't work with refrigerated dough because I have an allergic reaction to cold (seriously - I'm not making that up) and when my hands get all cold like that, they get red and swollen and itchy and no homemade roll is worth that. So I have to either find my roll recipe or find another one that will work.

My attempts at running are improving. Tomorrow I am hoping to finish up what has become a 4 week series of Week 3. With help from several people who have helped me identify the many things I was doing wrong, I am improving and may just be ready for Week 4. At least I'll give it a try. I did Week 4 once before, before I got sick for a week, so I'll try it again and hope for the best. You wouldn't think that running would be rocket science, but I have found it to be exactly that. It must come from a lifetime of avoiding all exercise. Apparenlty helping out at 1 track meet my sophomore year in high school in an attempt to curry favor with my French teacher (who was the track coach) wasn't adequate in gaining knowledge of running and all things run-related.

And the French hasn't really stuck with me either. Unless I want to say, "Speak slowly. I don't speak French well," or - and equally helpful -"Your duck is in the garbage can."