Shades of Light

I just found a great website... Shades of Light. My mom needs a new lamp in her adorable guest room and either one of these would be perfect!! Shades of Light has lots of great lamps and some neat looking mirrors!

Snuggie!!

$9.99 at Walgreens

Check out the verbage on the box... it was written as if the dog can read!! As if...

Giant Activity Tablecloth

What a great idea for Thanksgiving dinner... or for the time leading up to actually eating Thanksgiving dinner.

This is a $30 activity tablecloth from International Playthings (available at Amazon.com) that can be used, and reused. Use washable markers on the dozens of activities printed on the tablecloth... mazes, word-finds, coloring... and then pop the cloth in to the washing machine for the next event!

Click here for more information.

Happy Halloween

Expressionery.com

One of my favorite websites for purchasing gifts, Expressionery.com, is having a site-wide 40% off sale.

There are some exclusions (which I guess makes it a semi-site-wide sale) and offer expires in January 2010. Use discount code: Holiday.

Panasonic 360-degree Quick Iron

I hate ironing! Hate it! Thus, I rarely iron!

My husband, out of necessity, does 99% of the ironing.

In an effort to be a thoughtful gift giver, I'm thinking of giving him this new iron from Panasonic.

This innovative iron ($50) offers a clever solution to a common ironing problem... it lets you iron more quickly and accurately, thanks to the double-ended soleplate. Move it in any direction and you can get into the tight spots, such as collars and around buttons, easy peasy!

It doesn't solve my ironing problem... but...

Baby Blues

Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini

I just finished reading "Piggie Pie" by Margie Palatini to my young children! It was such a fun story and my children's reactions were hysterical.

The story is about Glitch the Witch who decides she is totally craving Piggie Pie. She has all the ingredients... including on eye of a fly, but is missing a key ingredient... 8 plump piggies!!

So, off to Old MacDonald's farm flies Glitch!

The story continues with Glitch asking all of the farm animals if they have seen the pigs. The 'farm animals' look an awful lot like some plump piggies...

The artwork is incredible and is such an integral part of the story. Look carefully at each page... the pictures add so much with subtle (and not so subtle) hints to the emotions of the characters!!

My 4-year old kept saying "I just don't like that witch!!!" and would shake his head in disgust!

Any story that engages my children will remain on my 'keep-this-book' list!!

Ice Cream Sandwich Molds

Cute ice cream sandwiches the kids can make themselves???

I love it!!

These molds are in pig, cow and chicken shapes... what adorable sandwiches.

$12 for the set at Amazon. Click here for more information.

Spoon Flower

If I was a quilter...

I would love this website!!!

www.spoonflower.com

At this site, you can turn your creative vision into a fabric reality. Upload a JPEG of your vision to the spoonflower website and your custom-printed cotton fabric will arrive in a couple of weeks!

I.am.not.kidding.

$18 per yard.

I'm going on-line, right now, to look for some quilting classes.

99 Days

... until Christmas!

Backseat Drawing

I found this game online the other day (click here) and am convinced that my kids will LOVE this!

One player instructs another player to draw something, using only basic clues. The cluegiver cannot reveal what is being drawn. Everyone has to guess what the object is before time runs out!

In the regular version... the cards with the items to be drawn are just listed. In the junior version, the cards have simple drawings of things that look pretty easy to explain!

Animoto.com

Check out this free video that I made at Animoto.com!! How fun!!!

Tree Houses

This is the Serendipitree. It is in Oregon and is one of many tree houses available for nightly rentals. The Out'n'About Treehouse Treesort is a bed and breakfast, where a yummy breakfast is provided each morning to all the guests! The tree houses sleep from 2 to 5 guests, so larger families (like mine) would have to rent two tree houses. Note: there is a tree house, called the Cavaltree, that sleeps up to 7! Nightly rates start at $120 for the smaller tree houses... which is very reasonable!!

The treesort offers craft classes, tree house construction classes, horseback riding, and zip lines!!

Click here for more information.

We Remember

Tyke Lights

I live with some little girls that would absolutely go nuts for these! These are heat-free lights are made of durable plastic and are perfect to light the way for little ones. My girls would love these for reading at night for a bit before they go to bed. There are three settings for the lights... high, low and a fifteen minute dimmer!!!

$13 each. Click here for more information!

Labor Day 2009

Nature Valley Nut Clusters

I received the best 'care package' ever a couple of weeks ago from MyBlogSpark... it contained the new product line from Nature Valley. Four packages of their new Nut Clusters... all four flavors.

Nature Valley Honey Roasted Peanut Nut
Cluster

Nature Valley Nut Lovers Nut Cluster

Nature Valley Roasted Almond Nut Cluster

Nature Valley Roasted Cashew Nut Cluster

My favorite flavor was... oh... I really loved the Honey Roasted Peanut, but wait... the Roasted Almond was AMAZING. I know... my favorite was the Nut Lovers because it had peanuts, cashews AND pecans!!!! My 16 year-old son 'lifted' my package of the Roasted Cashew... handed me the empty package at the end of the afternoon and said... "Great find Mom!! I love these!!" So, off to the store I went to find another package of Roasted Cashew Nut Clusters... Let me tell you this... my son was right on!! They were delicious! Seriously, it would be nearly impossible to pick a favorite - they were all very delicious!!

I love the sweet and salty... the texture, the generous amount of nuts in each cluster, the convenience of the resealable package and the price! I have found coupons on the Nature Valley website... and right now, if you sign up for the Nature Valley e-newsletter you will receive a free bag!! (Offer expires 10-15-2009 and supply is limited... so hurry if you are interested) Click here to go to the Nature Valley website.

Irony

When I was a teenager, I worked at a movie theater. (Loved that job, for the record!) It always amused me when people would order extra large popcorn with extra butter, a milk duds, red vines and a diet coke! Ok... seriously... just enjoy the real sugar in a real coke. But, I now know that people can just really prefer diet coke. But still... I appreciated the irony!


It is 25 years later and I still appreciate irony.

Take for example my experience at Sprouts today. (Sprouts is a grocery store with a heavy emphasis on organic, healthy foods... lots of fruits and vegetables, and a very large organic selection!)

I was standing in line to pay and overhead the following conversation...

Lady #1: ... today is the first day back to shopping... I've been recovering from surgery.

Lady #2: Oh man... is everything ok?

Lady #1: Well, I had to have my boob job fixed... one of the sacs was leaking. It was painful, but I'm doing a ton better.

Lady #2: Did you have the sac removed?

ME: THUNK!!!!! that is the sound of me hitting my head on the credit card machine. 'Cuz clearly NOTHING had been removed... if you know what I mean!

Lady #1: Oh no. He just fixed it. Left everything there!

Lady #2: Well... you look great! You are just beautiful!

Lady #1: Thanks! I also had my lips done this summer and LOVE them!

Note: I'm paraphrasing a bit.

It was a difficult conversation to listen to...

these ladies had JUST met... standing in line at the store!!!

Now... to the ironic part!! I bought some raw trail mix. No salt, no sugar, no preservatives. At check out, I asked the cashier if she had ever tried it. She said no. I indicated I was a little nervous because I usually buy salted... but wanted to try raw.

The lady behind me... Lady #1 said... "oh... you'll be so much happier with the organic stuff! When they start adding all the chemicals and crap it just ruins the natural product!!!

It took me several minutes to pull it together enough to trust myself to speak! I love irony!!!

True story!!! I promise!

Rubik's Cube 360

Welcome back Mr. Rubik!!! The idea with this new twist on the original cube is to get the colored balls from the inner sphere into the matching slots on the outer sphere by twisting and shaking them through holes. Available at Amazon.com for $15.

Spa Pampering: Head & Toes

Two favorite... at home spa pampering treatments...

Enjoy!

Head: Mix 1 teaspoon sea salt into an ounce of shampoo. Gently massage the mixture into your scalp for a few minutes, then rinse and condition as usual.

Toes: Fill a basin with warm water and add a squirt of body wash or a tablespoon of bath salts. Soak feet for 10 minutes, then gently pumice, pat dry with a soft towel, and rub in a rich lotion.

source: Good Housekeeping

Cool Cones by Jokari

The fun way to eat and store ice cream without making a mess!!

Use Cool Cones to scoop up ice cream and then push up on the handle to eat. Convenient attached lid can be used to store ice cream right in the Cool Cone.

Can be purchased at Organize.com for $6.99 for a set of four. I've read that they are also available at some grocery stores.

Support Our Troops

Sending a letter, or a care package, to a member of our troops that is serving overseas is a great way to help your family participate in supporting the troops and a great way to teach gratitude!

Click here for a list of letter and care-package programs for our military!

National Best Friends Day & National Relaxation Day

Today, August 15, is

National Best Friends Day

&

National Relaxation Day!!

Celebrate at the spa... with your best friend!

Free Lunchbox Notes

I love leaving notes for my kids in their lunchboxes!!

Even my teenagers will get a note every once in awhile.

Click here for some adorable lunchbox notes. You can download them and print them... for FREE! Thanks to AlphaMom.

More Horrible License Plates

My teenage son and I were driving home from a girls softball game last season, and he saw a car that impressed him. He wanted me drive closer so he could get a better look.

I noticed a HILARIOUS license plate.

So I drive VERY fast (not as fast as the corvette, because I was in a Honda...) but fast enough that when the corvette braked to make a right turn, I almost 'owned' a piece of that pretty cool car.

But, I got the picture.

And, it was posted on the Horrible License Plates blog this morning.

Photo credit was given to Katie O. Not sure who she is... but maybe it's an inside joke. Like maybe she's the sister-in-law of the HLP writer, who gets just a little too mean every four weeks or so! Wouldn't that be funny if it was the new mother-in-law of the writer???

If you don't check the HLP blog every day... you MUST. It is always good for a laugh!!

Wedding Entrance...

Funny wedding video... 15 million views on YouTube!! Click here!

It's worth the four minutes, or so, it takes to watch!

And... it made me laugh. I needed the laugh!

Miley & Max

Miley & Max, a new clothing line found at WalMart is simply too cute. The tank shown above is $6!!! The t-shirt is $8. Unbelievable. And both come in a selection of other colors!

My back-to-school shopping budget just got a nudge that it totally needed!!

Click here to see the complete line!

Zazzle - Mugs

At Zazzle you can 'create' all sorts of things! T-shirts, bags, mugs...

You can add text, pictures, graphics...

I like the idea of using the mugs as gift holders. They would be perfect to hold treats, flowers, gift certificates, etc. It's all about presentation.

Each personalized mug is $13.

Mr. Monk

The eighth, and FINAL SEASON, of Monk premieres Friday, August 7 on USA. It is worth a watch!! Netflix the earlier seasons too. Hilarious!!!

Pete Wiggins on Ellen!!!

You have to click here to see a dang funny segment from the Ellen DeGeneres show.

Hilarious!!!

Catalina Island

Today is my 21st wedding anniversary!

It seems appropriate to blog about Catalina Island! We spent a portion of our honeymoon on Catalina Island and fell in love with this fun, relaxing place. Actually, we had both been there before... separately... as teenagers. Going together was fun... and we've had the good fortune of going back a couple of times since our honeymoon!

We take the Catalina Flyer (a large passenger catamaran) from Newport Beach. The hotel that we stayed at 21 years ago has probably been demolished... it was old and blah. But since then we've stayed at the St. Lauren and loved it!

Interesting... I just went online to get the link to the St. Lauren. I FOUND the hotel from 21 years ago. It is called the Hotel Atwater... and it is still open! It was built in 1920 and looks like it has benefited from some updating. Wouldn't that be fun to go back with my husband and stay there??? I'm so sentimental that way!!

I highly recommend a weekend, or even a day, spent on Catalina Island. It is relaxing and offers unique shops and places to eat!

National Lasagna Day

Today is National Lasagna Day. Celebrate at The Old Spaghetti Factory... locations all over the place!!

They have pretty great lasagna!

The Getty Villa - Malibu

The Getty Villa - Malibu

I absolutely love museums! Love them!!!

One word about the Getty Villa - OUTRAGEOUSLYBREATHTAKING!!!!

Click here for more info.

Life is Good

I love "Life is Good" products! I love their shirts, their cups, their balls, their magnets, their decals... I love it all! Their motto is "Do what you like. Like what you do." I love that message!!

Click here for more information about LIG products. Read their story too... pretty amazing!!

I just bought a shirt for one of my daughters with this cute cupcake design on it! I love it!

Melissa and Doug Craft Kits

Melissa and Doug toys and puzzles have long been favorites of mine. I love their durability... and the quality of the materials that they use.

I've recently discovered their craft kits. What fun!!! You can find their products at their website, Melissa and Doug. They usually have a good selection of products on sale... or are offering a discount on qualifying orders.

I've also found, on occasion, their puzzles at T.J.Maxx.

Make your own Puzzle Kit - $7

Decorate your own Whiteboard Kit - $13

Real "Paper" Plates

I LOVE these plates! And if I had my dream "closet" (you know, the one that is the size of a single car garage stall) where I could put all my entertaining wants and needs, I would buy a set of these! And I would have a back-to-school party... for all my friends... a brunch, right after we dropped off the kids to their first day of school.

Click here for more information about these plates, cups, glasses, etc.

Pocket Posh Puzzle Books

I LOVE these little books! I want one for my purse... plus, I think they would be a perfect gift for the puzzle lovers that I know! Each book is just 4"x6" and only $8! How cute are those covers??? I love them!!

Click here for more information.

The Apple Pan, Los Angeles

10801 W Pico Blvd.

Open since 1947, the Apple Pan in Los Angeles is reported to be the best hamburger in all of California! It is on my to-do list for a future trip to LA. As a matter of fact... I have a California Girls' Weekend planned in just a couple of weeks... wonder if I can talk the girls into giving it a try???

Purex 3 in 1

I just discovered this new product!! I'll be honest... the reason I tried them was that I had a great coupon!! But I quite like them.

Now, I do way too much laundry to use these with every load, but I love them for travelling. They are perfect.

I tried them in a hot wash with bath towels, a cold wash with jeans and a warm wash with delicates. All three were great! Clean, no static! (I bought the "Pure" scent and was pleased with the lack of a perfume scent!)

Each sheet comes complete with a load's worth of detergent, fabric softener and anti-static.

A package includes 20 sheets, plus a handy dispenser for the sheets. Refill packages are also available with 24 sheets. Each package costs around $6.50.

Monkey Business Bungee Jumper

My kids would go nuts for this toy! It is a Monkey Business Bungee Jumper and is billed as a safer and lighter poto stick.

$13 at amazon.com.

Happy 4th of July

God Bless America

Harry Barker - Dog Toys

My favorite website for toys to spoil my puppy is Harry Barker. Get it??? Harry Barker? Because every dog is a hairy barker. Hee hee.

These two different rope toys are very reasonably priced. Starting at $3 each it's fun to pick out an assortment of new toys!

Click here for the interesting story of how Harry Barker got started.

Sparkling Fruity Punch

1 64 oz. bottle pomegranate-cherry juice or cranberry juice cocktail
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 pint EACH blueberries and raspberries
1 navel orange, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber
2 liters sparkling water
Ice cubes

In a large pitcher, combine juice with berries and orange slices. Chill for 1 hour.

To serve, peel cucumber and cut lengthwise in half. Remove seeds and cut into thin slices. Stir cucumber slices and sparkling water into juice mixture. Serve over ice.

Recipe from Woman's Day.

Nioxin Scalp Shield Sunblock

Sunscreen for the scalp... LOVE IT! I always get burned on the tippy top of my head! And I hate using traditional sunscreen on the head... think greasy, greasy, greasy.

Nioxon's Scalp Shield promises to be grease-free and to leave no sticky residue.

See Nioxon's website for more info.

5 Gum!

My new favorite gum... is Wrigley 5 - Flare! Love it!

And... check this out... according to research presented at the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine chewing gum helps relieve anxiety, improve alertness and reduce stress! And it can even make you a more efficient multitasker!

So, buying a pack of gum is like filling a prescription for anti-anxiety meds! Perfect!