Ethan Johnson: “There’s your hip tip for the day: If you wonder if the exercising and healthy eating is paying off really, when you see the same old you in the mirror every day, find something that physically represents the weight you lost. Even a bottle of soda is roughly 16oz (1 lb). That’s one less pound you’re carrying. It all adds up, just not miraculously overnight, no matter what load of hooey is being sold on late-night TV these days.”

Vosges Haut-Chocolat: “Deep milk chocolate coats your mouth and leads to the crunch of smoked bacon pieces. Surprise your mouth with the smoked salt and sweet milk chocolate combination.”

We bought a [dining room table at an auction](http://www.tammykirks.com/archives/381) a few weeks ago and it’s high time we moved the old out of our living room. Here’s a picture:

It’s made of rubber tree wood (also called [parawood](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parawood)) and finished in a color similar to honey. It includes six chairs that are recovered in a pale green contemporary patterned fabric:

It came from JC Penny about 8 years ago and we’ve been really happy with it. It’s held up to a variety of uses with not much complaint. There’s one flaw:

That ring is about the size of the bottom of a wine bottle.

We’re selling the set for $450 plus actual shipping costs to your site. The table and chairs can be broken down for shipping or you can arrange for local pickup.