E.gg Timer

Have you seen this site?

E.gg Timer is a crazy simple concept.

You go to the site, type in a specific amount of time, and a timer goes off alerting you that time is up. 

For me, it's great for things like baking while Finn is taking a nap {also when I do most of my blog reading}, I don't have to set the loud incessant oven timer.  Or if I have laundry, I can set the timer for when the dryer should go off and know it is time to switch a load. 

It's great for using your time wisely online too.  You want to spend 15 minutes catching up on blogs?  Set the timer.  You want to check your email and not get wrapped into sitting there for an hour?  Set the timer.  You're not watching the clock, you're getting done what you need to get done in the time that you pre-determine. 

It interrupts what you're doing by beeping twice and popping up the timer screen when time is up.

You can use it to monitor your kids' online time as well.  If you give them thirty minutes online, set the timer.

One of these days I’m going to know what I’m doing.

I read this fab post from Amy at Bitchin Wives Club and decided I had to try Live Writer.  So, I say to Dave, ummm can you help me with installing this thingy on the laptop.  After I properly named said “thingy” he informed me that not only did I already have it, but that he knew what it was and that they use it for their blogs at work.  Um. 

That Dave, he’s a freaking computer genius. 

Now if I could only get him to share that genius with me rather than not telling me about cool Microsoft shit that I should be using.

And this picture has absolutely nada to do with Live Writer or my complete and utter lack of computer intelligence.  It does illustrate beautifully though the fact that I make cute babies… oh and I can now add watermarks to my photos without it being a total pain in the ass.

Oh, and I can write my posts offline? Next, you’re going to be telling me that you’ll write the posts for me so I can drink wine and eat bonbons all day.  Um, do you have that feature yet?

Dude.  Amy and Microsoft People, you seriously rocked my socks off with this. 

Double Bonus

This morning.... you get a double bonus post because my mom sent me this & you need to enjoy it too.



Happy Wednesday!  O-H

99

The 99 cent store.

Awesome.  You can get crap for 99 cents.  Sometimes good crap.  Sometimes bad crap.  It's the gamble you take.

99 Luftballons.

Awesome.  The German version and the English version equally.

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.

Awesome.  And just try to get that sucker out of your head.  Great for driving bus drivers out of their effing minds.

1999 by Prince Symbol Prince.

Awesome until everyone and their mother played the hell out of it and ruined it in 1999, but then it's cool again because after 10 years peeps have recovered, so.... Awesome again.

'99.  The year that the Blair Witch Project scared the hell out of my sister Lyndsey and she threw up from the shakey camera work. 

Funny as hell, so that makes it awesome.

And this... this is the most awesome of awesomeness. 

Go there.  Go there NOW.  MomDot's Top 100 Mom Bloggers of 2009.    Trisha, you made my day.

{My} Favorite Blogs: aka Pure Fabulousness I Think You Should Know About

You know I am convinced that I have adult ADD and I really feel that my Google Reader illustrates that wonderfully.  It is chock full of everything from crafty women, to moms with whom I can commiserate, to party planners who are unbelievable, to personal finance bloggers, to home renovators, to humor blogs, to fashionistas, and EVERYTHING in between.  I tend to lean toward the bloggers who lift me up.  There are some I can't wait to read every morning and some that post infrequently, but that I still light up when they do.  Some might be new for you and some may be old, but all are fabulous.

Here are my faves:

Zakary aka ZDub at Raising Colorado is quite possibly the funniest blogger masquerading as a normal mom I have ever met.  Well... as normal a mom as you can be with a manly first name and having to raise your children in the wild.  Ok, she doesn't really live in the wild, but dude she has unidentifiable animals AND bears in her backyard.  I almost always feel compelled to click over and comment on her posts, they are that freaking hilarious.  You will fall in love with this woman. 

Joy at Big Time Fancy - Oh my, I don't even know where to begin.  She is hilarious, and raunchy, and used to sleep with half the world and never felt the need to apologize for it.  Now she is in love, and less raunchy, and deserves all of the happiness in the world.  I found BTF years ago and she was actually one of the few strangers who was invited to my blog when it was private.  I can not tell you how much she reminds me of myself 10 years ago.  Read her entire archives.  It will delight and amuse, I promise.


Rachel at One Pretty Thing finds the coolest stuff ever.  Seriously, I can't even imagine how much time and energy she devotes to finding the most interesting parties, before & afters, printables, crafty stuff, DIY projects and basically anything awesome on the web.  You will want to visit daily just to be inspired and delighted.  She posts daily and each roundup is better than the next.  The woman has an unyielding supply of awesomeness in her arsenal.  She's also incredibly friendly, approachable, and sweet to chat with via email even though she's like the popular girl in school, everyone wants to be her friend!  


Megan at Whatever - Meg rocks.  She is creative and fun and just when you want to hate her because of her amazing house {the kitchen Meg, the kitchen!} she turns around and posts something so sweet and nice that you have to love her.  She also very clearly has a laundry problem {we can't all be perfect}, and with all of those gorgeous kiddos, Waffle the wonder dog and all of that time spent being creative, I would too!


Courtney at Two Straight Lines - Courtney is the ultimate crafty Mama.  Everything about her blog is calm & creative & wonderfully imaginative.  She allowed her son Elliot to have a fantastic lemonade stand and her little Lucie is near Finn's age.  She also lives in an unbelievable house and makes time to do things like sew oh, 14 geese costumes for her son's class without a hitch.


Kim at Today's Creative Blog - yeah, ok everyone in the blog world knows Kim, because her blog is GENIUS.  I mean really really, I want to kick my own ass for not thinking of this.  She first finds and then blogs about the most creative women of the web.  I can not tell you how many people she has 'introduced' to me through TCB.


You will spend approximately 928940 hours perusing Brooklyn Limestone.  I have been reading since it used to be called Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone and now is A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress because their renovations are largely complete.  If you're not in the mood for home renovation photos that make you drool over your laptop, perhaps you'd like to check out all of the insane travel they get to do?  She also creates the best, most creative invitations I have ever seen.  If you have spent any time here, you know my love of stationery so yeah, this compliment is saying a lot.


Casey at Moosh in Indy is genuine.  She is amazingly talented and a little fucked up and a lot wonderful.  Some days, you will want to pat her on the back and cringe in the same post.  Some days you will just sit in awe of her mad photography skills.  She oozes strength as she very candidly shares her struggle with depression and infertility and the worst home buying experience I have ever heard of.  Oh, and this is not the blog of a whiner, she is raw, she is honest, and she overcomes.


And my Bloggy BFF Ashley over at Sugar Britches, of course.  She had me at hello.  Well not really hello, but she let me call her Ash and that's about the same as hello.  Right?

 

Well, there you have my very tippy top favorites and there are easily about 20 more I could add.  I would love to hear about YOUR favorites too. 

And if I haven't told you lately, thanks for reading!

Totally Interesting & Fun Stuff Elsewhere on the Web

How Norway Fought Staph Infections: This article is really interesting!

After trying parsnips and wondering where they had been my whole life, I'm making a pact to start adding other new items... after this article from the Kitchn, I'm going to have to add Turnips next!

I am a little afraid to show Dave this laser tripwire with Twitter freaking awesome intrusion system from Make... how cool is this??

If you have not met Sophie Blackall and her Missed Connections, allow me to introduce you.  She illustrates comments from the missed connections area of Craigslist.  You will spend hours here.  Thanks Joanna for bringing her to me.  Love.  Love.  Love.

A fab wrap up of the most anticipated movies of 2010 from Oh No They Didn't.

Moosh demonstrating how to paint with light.  So fun.

So Much Awesomeness I Don't Know WHAT To Do With Myself.

Can I just tell you all the fabulousness that is Miss Elizabeth?  If you're visiting {So Wonderful, So Marvelous} for the first time from her blog you already know how fab she is!  {Welcome!  Welcome!  Kick up your feet and take a look around my little corner of the 'net... there is more info about me right over there in the sidebar.} Oh yes, yes, it says she's an Evil Overlord, but she may want to look into re-branding her blog into Best Secret Santa Evah. I opened a box filled to the brim with all kinds of fun stuff. I especially loved all of the thoughtful little notes she included explaining why she chose to send that particular item to me. You can tell how much time and thought she really put into even wrapping each little thing! There were beautiful cards, yummy smelling goodies for me to use in the bath, a gently used {LOVE that you passed on a book to me... I always do this with my friends too!} book and a cute bookmark, ribbon candies {we totally tore into those IMMEDIATELY} from New England, a quirky {pure awesomeness!} Christmas cd that she made for me, and on and on it went. Those things weren't even the best part. The best part was all of the gift tags she made me from her last year's Christmas cards. Included with the cards was a story of how when she was little, her family used to do this yearly & what that meant to her and I am so touched that she shared that tradition with MY family.

So Elizabeth, I am happy to have 'met' you, you made the Secret Santa Soiree such a wonderful, positive experience for me.  I hope that though we may not run in the same blog circle we can make an effort to stay in touch.  I think that the best part of participating in the swap is being exposed to many many new, wonderful people that I wouldn't have otherwise found.  I would also like to thank Georgie & Amy for their mad organizational skillz.  You girls rock {especially you Miss Georgie & next year I want your name in the swap!} and I am so thrilled to have been a part of it this year.

For a peek at the gift I sent to Rona, peek here!

Please stay tuned this weekend for my new series on inexpensive, thoughtful, last minute gifts for everyone on your Christmas list!  They will be starting tomorrow and will last through Monday.

On Blogging.

Did you know that when your Google Reader hits 1,000 items, it no longer lists the actual number of items, it just gives you the shameful, glaring 1,000+ items until you once again hit 999 items? I don't even know how many I read, but I deleted 964 items because I just couldn't take it anymore. I figure if any of you had anything that earth shattering to say the last 5 or 6ish days that I was only sporadically checking Reader, it would just have been C&P'd and highlighted on a few of my other blog reads. It amazes me some days how viral social media can be. Oh sure, I have my favorites that I always {mostly} check, but for the rest of you, you're just not that important. I get it, I'm not that important to thousands of other bloggers either. I'm ok with that. You should be too.

A lot these days, I feel like people are forgetting what the deal is with their own blog. You see... I write mainly to preserve my sanity. For days that I feel like Wonder Woman and can conquer the world and for days that I feel like a jackass and for days that I feel like a shitty parent. All of them. I look to other women who stay home, who are able to balance a career and family, single girls who embody the person I was 10 years ago, people who create amazing things, who are more stylish, less bitchy, and on those days that I need it, who bring a voice of reality and a gut check into my living room. What are your reasons?

Maybe it's because I'm not looking at this blog as a business, and it really is ok with me if you do, but I'm becoming more and more annoyed with daily giveaways of products you probably wouldn't even buy, really shitty jokes that I don't think are funny, lying to readers about who you are as a person, misrepresenting how successful you are and feeling marketed to. Be honest with your intentions and I'm good with that. If I am going to the Google Blog, I am pretty sure they're going to talk about Google, that much I'm ok with. And it's not just the marketing thing, it's someone regarding me like a commodity rather than a person, being genuinely not happy down right bitchy towards someone else getting something they wanted, lying/embellishing and printing it as fact, and/or being a full on creep. {Please say it more like creeeheeep in a singsongy way in your head to really get the full effect.} There has to be a point that you just have to bloggy break up with peeps that are not doing it for you. Right?

So why is it so hard? There has only really been one person that I've bloggy broken up with before because she was an asshole in the way she spouted off things I don't believe in, right after she lamented on why her reader numbers were down and berated a commenter for posting their opinion that she openly solicited. Mostly she was rude & I didn't so much feel bad about that one. I do feel bad that otherwise fabulous writers are consistently not writing decent content because they're worrying about numbers or ratings or being successful. It's annoying. And for the sake of everything holy, be who you are because fake doesn't do it for me and truly, don't you watch enough movies to know that the fake ones always get exposed for who they are in some horribly obvious way?

Where was I? Oh yes, my rant, which I am now totally done with.

Just one more thing... I promise you that I'm going to attempt not to be douchey, I'm going to occasionally {that means a lot probably} swear because I do in real life and it's something I'd like to change, but at 33... I mean 27, probably won't. My genius posts, the ones I am really proud of, are sporadic at best.  I will likely make you ill talking about my amazing son because he is awesome, mostly not by anything Dave or I've done, but we like to take credit anyway. I might be funny, I might be sappy, and some days I will just post that I am alive. Because I'm a blogger, and that's how I roll. HA, see there?  I would totally NOT say that in real life.  Oh, and since we're being honest here, I totally got out of bed with my sleeping husband to write this in the middle of the night because it was bugging me to write a post in my head since I knew I would forget it, but by the magic of bloggerland it's POOF 8:00 am because I didn't want you to know I am one of those lunatic write in the middle of the night writers who ramble n' stuff. 

Happy Thursday.  Fill me in on the goings on with you since, uh, you sort of accidentally on purpose got deleted from my Reader.  Oh, and for crying out loud people who haven't said hi before, say hi so I can check out your blog too, don't you want to be on my future Reader-overload list?

As If My Brain Dump Weren't Proof Enough. Uhhhh ADD. Sucky Blogger Alert.

Yep peeps, I have nothing but sucksville for you this week.  The creativity has been captured and thrown out the window... perhaps THAT is the side effect of the H1N1 vaccine?  I personally want to blame it on my adult ADD {self-diagnosed and likely total bullshit excuse for my insane lack of focus on any kind of anything that might bore me and/or cleaning of any kind} or maybe it's just that I am going to visit my little sissy!  Or seeing Em's awesome new house and all I want to do is find great rooms to give her inspiration and I'm sad that I am missing Will's Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday bash because it is right up my party planning alley.  Or that I am watching Dave Matthews on Conan {repeat} and dear Lord in heaven I want to have his babies.  Dave's not Conan's.  Not my Dave, I already have one of those, but Mr Matthews', whew.  But because I am feeling guilty, missing you, don't want you to think I am knocked up, dead, and/or otherwise preoccupied, I give you more awesomeness than I can eeeek out this week from some of my faves.

I really have to have this book. {Design Mom}

Noelle, the most fab TS rep & friend in the world... don't hate me but, I have to try this!  {Short Stop}

She is a genius of epic proportions and I want one of these in the mail.  {Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone}

Ditto.  {The Cheap Chica's Guide to Style}

I'm going to attempt the fat girl version of this when we're in Cali because hello! how cute is this?!?! {Fashion Under $100}

Hope she doesn't care when I steal her house fabulousness because really, could these colors be more amazing together?  {Freckles Chick}

Yum.  {Good Things Catered.}

So there you have it.  Hope you enjoyed all of these posts as much as I did.  I'll be soaking up as much Kentucky Bluegrassyness and sister bonding time as I can this weekend.  Enjoy yours!

WFMW: Finally figuring out Google Reader!

I am resistant to change.  Once I'm through it, I embrace it like nobody's business, but it's hard to get me there.  Enter Google Reader.  So many peeps told me to try it.  *Cough*Jen Amy Britt Em Bunny *Cough*  Hello... I don't even Twitter!  It took me FOREVER to Facebook and then my blogging went by the wayside thanks to that little addiction addition to my online time.  {Love to Kimesha!}  So no thank you Google Reader! 

Anyway, I've always had most of my daily reads in my blogroll and didn't see the need for Reader, that is until I got my own fancy domain name and POOF for some reason my blogroll disappeared.  Wait for it... yes... DISAPPEARED!  I know that I'm a little dramatic, but once I stopped hyperventiling and freaking out Dave worked his magic mojo (not THAT magic mojo... get your mind out of the gutter) and POOF got me a screen shot of it so I could begin slowly re-adding.  Well, with that help came the lecture about why I didn't have a back up copy somewhere, alas I had to force myself to embrace the idea of Reader.  And as you will notice the short blog list over there in my sidebar, I've embraced it so much that the blogroll has been put on the backburner.

I would also like to take this short interlude to say I am an idiot for not embracing it sooner!  I LOVE Google Reader!  Like, love love, not just sort of love.

I really am not an expert, but here is a nudge from me to go explore a bit yourself.  I have added some great new blogs to my list of daily reads thanks to the SUGGESTIONS feature.  AWESOME if I do say so myself that it finds things you might like and it's not entirely random... they pick things I actually like!  I love that you can STAR A POST (for your own personal favorites), you can LIKE A POST (can be seen by others), and you can SHARE A POST (send it to your friends) if it is something you want to pass on.  I can even put a NOTE on it!  It tells me what I've read, what is ready to be read and I don't even have to think about it.  Swoon!

So, the only thing I'm not super thrilled-a-potumus with is the fact that I think it kind of strips the personality out of the blog a bit.  Sure pics come through, but I really love seeing headers and color and the personality of the blog I am reading, a simple click through (clicking on the blog name takes you directly to the blog) and that solves the issues of leaving comments also.

If you want to see the other loveliness that is Works for me Wednesday, head over to We Are THAT Family and check it out! 

And if you get your Reader figured out (or you are already a pro), you're more than welcome to add So Wonderful, So Marvelous to your list of reads with just a click of an RSS button over there on my sidebar.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Picky Palate LOVE

Perhaps I am the only idiot in the blogosphere who hasn't discovered the DELICIOUS resource that is Picky Palate?  For the love of all things food I will be visiting daily until the day I die.  This is when you wish the internet had taste-o-vision.  Too many words.... too too many words.... just feast with your eyes instead and then get over there and explore for yourself.

{Image & recipe link courtesy of picky-palate.com}

Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

{Image & recipe link courtesy of picky-palate.com}

Garlic Toasted Spaghetti Bruschetta

{Image & recipe link courtesy of picky-palate.com}

Smokin' Mozzerella Balls

{Image & recipe link courtesy of picky-palate.com}

Chicken Peanut Thai Noodles

Happy Friday! 6 Fun Blog Posts This Week

I have been discovering all kinds of fun new things this week.  I am constantly adding new things to my reader and meeting lots of really interesting fun new peeps.  Here are my highlights this week.  Some are old friends and some are new, but all are so wonderful, so marvelous.

1. This post over at 86'n It.  Inspiration.  Motivation.  And the cutest baby bump ever.  Bunny, you rock.  There are no words for your fabulousness. 
2. Speaking of babies, check out this unreal nursery over at Something Old, Something New.  I can't imagine how much her little boy is going to LOVE that space and all of the thoughtful handmade touches from his mama.
3. Brooklyn Limestone is one of my favorite reads.  She is so insanely creative and she posted this fun freebie for the cutest toe tag Halloween invites.  I feel a party coming on just so I can use them! 
4. Musings of a Housewife... I am uber jealous of this trip!  I mean, since we've been sweating our butts off to Jillian over at Shredding in September it would be great to meet her in person... or not.  You just KNOW she would yell at me for my wimpy push-ups.  Um.  Forget I mentioned anything. 
5. THIS over at One Pretty Thing, well because that's the DJS party featured & I've met lots of new readers this week thanks to Rachel and her fantastic blog!  Hiya!  Hope you stick around.
6. I laughed so incredibly hard at this post over at In the Trenches of Mommyhood.  Then I read it again and laughed some more.  Sarah, that is mortifying and hilarious all at once.   

Little BLUE Pills & My New Bloggy BFF

Owie. Owwwwness. Jillian is a beyotch. A pain inflicting Hurtie Mc Hurt-a-lot. Don't forget to head on over to The September Shred & read up on those skinny bitches girls and their 5 AM workouts! Sarah... REALLY??? And what the heck is up with you people who are all "I got done with the Shred and then banged out 932 miles on the treadmill?"  It is highly entertaining to hear how such a diverse group is fairing when up against Jillian. Oh, and so

you know.... the rest of us on Team Follow Anita If You Think You're Going to Die are over there as well. I would raise my fist in the air to that one, but uh... I can't really move right now.

My new bloggy BFF?  It's totally ASHLEYhttp://darlingcompanion.blogspot.com/!  Dude, I can even call her Ash because she said so!

So yeah, Ash and I are going to be bloggy BFFs 4-evah.  I can even forgive the fact that she's a skinny girl.  Psshaaaw your 165.  Why then, why is she so dang special that I want to make her my bloggy BFF?  I give you the top 8 reasons.  {The top 10 is SOOOO last year.}

1. She doesn't twitter!  I don't twitter!  And while she's a former twit(terer) and I am a twitter virgin because I just.  don't.  freaking.  get.  it. we can still totally be friends.
2. And OMG.  Read THIS.  Then read THIS.
3. She's doing the September Shred with me and not rubbing it in my face that she's way better at it.
4. Her husband has a thing for the HOT SECRETARY look!  When I shouted this out, Dave simply said, "well, that is just common awesomeness."
5. What is not common awesomeness?  Pooping.  In the tub.  Just ask Dave.
6. She makes up words.  AWESOME AGAIN.
7. She has the cutest dang daughter, Sugarbaby that I want to hook up with Finnegan in like 20 years or so!
8. She's from Arkansas and well, I TOTALLY would have been the one to give Bill {also from Arkansas!} a BJ in the oval office if I had the opportunity.  Um yeah.  The Secret Service has just tagged my blog.   

So there you have it.  I am spitting in my hand and offering it to Ash to shake.  GO!  Go now!  It's ok, I know you still love me.  You can cheat.  Hit up Sugar Britches and say hola to the bloggy BFF.

UPDATE:  As if you needed further proof... check out the comments.

Google, you crack my shit up.

Gmail is infinitely more interesting in the NINJA theme. If you were one of the lucky gmail users to get the new themes, get thee to settings and check them all out. Do it. Do it now. The "tree" setting actually matches your weather outside to your gmail inbox.

Please add a share (or FIVE) of the Goog to my Christmas Wish List.

My funny gift to you!

Laughing my ass over here... you need sound so turn it up!





Did you laugh?

House Party!

At the urging of my friend Noelle, I signed up at the House Party website. It is kind of a fun concept. They host a thousand parties on a single date to promote products sponsored by all kinds of companies. You fill out a survey to host whatever parties might interest you and your friends, then you are selected based upon your answers. The first party I signed up was the Arm & Hammer Go Green and I was selected to host! So today, a 22 pound box with all kinds of goodies arrived on my doorstep in preparation for the house party on November 1. I'm so excited about the products they sent that I would have told my friends about them anyway, but now they get to try them for themselves AND take home coupons and other freebies as well. The parties range from kid stuff, to a screening of Sex & the City on dvd, to Barilla pasta, to Xbox games. Go on over and check it out for yourself... and invite me to the party you get to host!

Challenge: 29 Gifts - Day 13 & 14

Yesterday, I gave my dad lots of compliments on Lyndsey's (millionth) 30th birthday dinner. We have a silly competition going on for everything we cook, so he may have been a little scared that I was actually complimenting him!







Today, I am giving a gift to you! Me?? You say. Yes you! Please go over to http://www.designforobama.org/ and check out loads of AWESOME posters supporting Obama.

Slacker Uprising.

This is the new film by Michael Moore. He is distributing it via web for FREE. You will be able to download the entire movie for free on September 23rd if you sign up. www.slackeruprising.com

Fun Halloween Tricks & Treats!!

As you can see ----> over there in my blogroll, I read the fabulous Linda over at Restyled Home daily. She is one of those endlessly fabulous creative women and she is having a contest in tandem with Matthew Meade! Even if there hadn't been a contest, I'd be encouraging you to check this out.

So head over to Matthew's Site to check out his new Halloween tricks & treats. And pick up his new Halloween magazine, on newsstands now! There are tons of new, fresh ideas that I will be trying out myself.

For you, my love.

{image courtesy of accordion guy via AT Unplugged}

And for the record, Accordion Guy seems to be one of your people, so you should check out his blog here.