Product Crush #2

I so want this umbrella from Old Navy. I wouldn't even lose it like I've lost every other umbrella I've ever owned.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a search engine site that lets you create an account with them. Every so often, as you search, they will give you Swagbucks, worth $1-5. Very rarely, you could win Mega Bucks, which could be up to $100. They have a bunch of gift cards and prizes that you can spend Swagbucks on. (Amazon, Target, BN, etc.) You don't have to input any credit card info, so don't worry that it's some sort of scam. You don't even have to put up your address, until you "buy" something with your swagbucks.

Sure, it's not going to get you a whole bunch of free stuff instantly. In fact, they've built in something that makes it so you don't get swagbucks just for sitting at your computer and searching for anything that comes to mind. But, if you're like me, you are already using Google all the time. (By the way, Swagbuck's search results are powered by Google and Ask.com.)

You get 3 free swagbucks for signing up, and you can get a $5 Starbucks card at 50 swagbucks. ($5 Amazon gift card at 45.) Get your family and friends to sign up, and you earn what they earn. (Full disclosure.) Obviously, you know a bunch of people who search online, so sign up, send them your referral link, and get started. It's not some sort of get rich quick scheme, but you could earn enough virtual money to get some gift cards now and then to just spend on fun things.

Product Crush

These shoes from Target. Cute and comfy.

Rejoining The Blog World

So, I've been gone since March. Sorry about that. Been a little busy with the getting married and being married part. Also, being a stepmom takes up a lot of time. I know, news flash.

Let's see, how can I condense the last six months? Wedding prep, wedding, honeymoon, home, new cat, 2 months as newlyweds by ourselves, boys come home, Kenn works from home, school, PTA.

I am enjoying doing the household shopping-groceries and the like- and today I finally used my slow cooker. I am making some sort of stew beef concoction. If it's good, I'll share the EASY recipe with you, but it's not for food snobs, I don't suppose. I have never really had to COOK for myself or anyone, so I'm learning first to be consistent. I rarely am excited about cooking dinner, and far too often I REALLY don't want to. It must be done, so I'm trying to amass a bunch of slow cooker recipes so dinner and the clean up will be less time intensive. If you know of any good, easy ones, hit up the comment box. You know you want to.

So far, my family likes it best when I cook teriyaki chicken, with chicken and dumplings coming in a close second. I'm not a huge beef eater, so I'm never sure what to do with it. I'm working on it, though.

Also, over on the right, there's a linked banner to Paper Back Swap. You should hit that up if you love reading but don't necessarily need to keep every book you've ever read or might read. I've recently converted to the keeping only the FEW books I really love and read over and over again. As a former English major, I feel some shame in admitting that. But, honestly, most of the books sat on my shelf after I read them, and some had been on my bookcase for YEARS without my having read them. This way I can read what I want for free (well, save the cost of shipping) and send it on to someone else. Check it out, or don't. (And yes, if you use those links, and sign up, I'll get a credit. Full disclosure here. Sorry if I've sold out.) I've gotten a couple of books already, so it is legit.

And now, I leave you with a funny story. My husband took our sons (I'm not going to be using stepsons--too difficult) to the Upper SC State Fair. They all rode one of those boats that holds a lot of people and goes up and around in a circle (descriptive skills--not so good). During the middle of the ride, Kenn asks Caleb, the youngest, how he liked the ride. His answer? "IT TICKLES MY PENIS!" Said so loudly that everyone on the ride and standing down below could hear. And laugh hysterically.

Recent Purchases

Up first are these lovely earrings on sale at Amazon. They are just long enough for me, and they are really, really lightweight. I have this weird fear that, as I get older and skin starts to sag, my holes will sag too, and I'll get those scary earring holes where it looks like the earring might fall through the bottom of the ear any moment. But these are lighter than some studs I've had, so I feel confident wearing them all the time.




I wish more and more people loved Joseph Arthur. Probably lots of you know one or two of his songs, like "Honey and the Moon" or "In The Sun." But, let me just tell you-- he is really good. Sometimes, guys with guitars who do a lot of mid to slow tempo music bore me, unless I'm resting in my room or something. Not Joseph Arthur. Heather, I feel confident in telling you that you're going to like him. I'll be sending you some stuff in the mail soon to soonish. Anyway, this album is called Come To Where I'm From, and I highly recommend it. Also, check out Arthur's website over there on the sidebar.




As you may or may not have seen on TV or in the mail that they send you, like LOOK AT US PLEASE, Pier 1 is having a large summer sale. A lot of the stuff I went for was gone when I got to the store near Haywood Mall, but I'm sure that there will be more items for sale when I go back. I picked up 3 of these votive holders, which were not on sale. That is okay, however, since their everyday price is $1. ONE dollar. You probably have a hundred and six or seven (what is the sales tax now?) pennies in your house somewhere. These are good quality candle holders too. Thick enough glass, and the votives I purchased from Pier 1 didn't stick to the sides after they were all used up. I let the wax harden back up, and it just kind of popped up from the holder. That probably has more to do with the actual candles, though.


So, that's what I'm loving. You? What products do we all need to know about?

Top 5 At the Moment

I has a flavor
Originally uploaded by the boy on the bike

1. Lolcats (cat macros) are hysterical. The photo to your right is an example of a lolcat. You see, one takes pictures of his/her cat and makes up very funny captions, using a distinct dialect native to cats. These are all over the place, and I have looked at pages of them and cried from laughing so hard. Facebook introduced an application to have random lolcats pics inserted into your profile; LJ has several communities. I wholeheartedly endorse this phenomenon.

2. This article from McSweeney's. Very funny.

3. Dresses. I have suddenly become this girl who loves to wear dresses or at least skirts. Don't ask-- I have no idea how it happened either.

4. West Elm. Pretty, pretty.

5. Overheard In The Office & Overheard At The Beach. The original link in this chain was Overheard In New York, which is still funny and updated quite frequently. They have also added Celebrity Wit and Overheard Everywhere. Recently, though, my favorites are the office and the beach. So, if you eavesdrop, submit some particularly funny/ridiculous conversations. I need more reading material!

Doing it like Heather

Here are the top 10 songs I'm currently digging (in no particular order).

1. "Make Your Own Kind of Music," Mama Cass

2. "New Shoes," Paolo Nutini

3. "Rollerskate Skinny," Old 97s

4. "Girlfriend," Avril Lavigne

5. "Fidelity," Regina Spektor

6. "In The Sun," Joseph Arthur

7. "Goodnight and Go," Imogen Heap

8. "Float On," Ben Lee (a cover of the Modest Mouse song)

9. "Every Little Thing (He Does Is Magic)," MYMP (yep, a cover of The Police song)

10. "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)." Ryan Adams

Off The Beaten Path

Kenn and I wanted to rent a movie yesterday, but, for some unknown reason, we bypassed the Blockbusters. We instead went to the nation's 3rd largest rental chain Family Video. They are the largest privately owned chain, and they are located in 14 states so far. So why the shameless plug? Well, I didn't get a job with them, but I am switching from Blockbuster forever. The location I went to had a better selection of titles. Kenn and I rented Jesus Camp, and Josh and Caleb both got to choose a DVD to rent for five days for FREE. Our total cost? $1.37.

Of course, for the first month, everything is 50% off. So, it would have been $2.74. For a new release and two kids' movies (five day rental for the kids and a two day rental for the new release). Older releases? Rent for five days for either $1 or 50 cents. They are open from 10 a.m. to midnight 365 days a year, like Blockbuster. Yeah, like Blockbuster, except better.