Love at first sniff - Giveaway

Time's Up! Congrats Anna L.

I really like the whole “ignorance is bliss” approach to life. I’ve also really come to realize that ignorance is typically cheaper and less stressful as well. I don’t profess to be the healthiest person, or most cautious consumer, but there are a few areas that are nonnegotiable in our house.

At some point last year, I became aware of the fact that there was no FDA regulation on cosmetics, which also included baby lotions and wash. Upon further inspection, I found that many of the “popular” brands that we were using were being linked to a variety of cancers and reproductive issues. I know some people take the whole “something is going to kill you” approach, but when it comes to a little one, it’s just not kosher with me.

You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run.

So, it was one of the first changes we made – looking for natural, safe baby wash and lotions. I’ve tried a handful, spent a fortune, and not liked any. Until … I found this product at Target. I love Method’s line anyway, but their new baby line is to die for. Semi-reasonably priced and smells so good I want to use it myself. The only downside? It doesn’t make a lot of bubbles, but we can live with that.



Even if you don’t “go natural” in this area, you won’t find scent this yummy. Because I love this so much and want to share the joy, I'm going to do my first ever giveaway. To enter, leave a comment and tell me what items you "go green" or "go organic" with. If your answer is nothing, that's okay too. I am an equal opportunity gifter. If you don't have a Google account and post under anonymous, make sure to leave your name in your comment!

If you are a fellow blogger and refer someone here who wins, I'll send you one too.

This post was not endorsed by Method. Method has no idea who I am. Check back tomorrow for our winner.

My Dear Country

First of all, I must profess my total and undying love for Norah Jones. Second, I could not pass up the opportunity to share this song.

Instructions:

Take a deep breath.
Clear you mind.
Turn up your speakers.
Listen.
Think.



Happy Halloween!

An Equal Opportunity Listener Here

I was recently accused of not liking any female artists and must protest the absurdity of that. I will admit that there are many more male artists than female in my musical collection. That is mostly due to the fact that there are more male artist options in the type of music I like. It’s not some conspiracy against all things female. I mean, really, where would that leave me?

This morning, I was driving to work and Beth Orton came on my ipod. I love, love, love Beth Orton. Her music brings back crazy memories of teenage angst and drama, despite which, I still can’t get enough of it. Her newest album is one of my favorite and I want to share a teeny tiny piece of it with you. I apologize for the lame video. She’s the type of person who plays at tiny obscure places, so it is difficult to find a good quality live recording. As an added bonus, it’ll hopefully make my friend Andi (Hi Andi!) happy.



My absolute favorite doesn't even have a video option, but to listen to it, go here and click play on the right. If people's musical tastes are some reflection of their character, I wonder what mine would mean.

I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend, and I’ll hopefully get some quality writing done for the good ole’ blob here. Any topics you can think of for me to ponder? I’m always looking for one more thing to keep me up at night.

I need your inspiration. Desperately.

Shaken not stirred

Last fall, Craig's brother and his wife came to visit us from Boise. We do not see them nearly often enough, so we always make the most of it when we do. After a few nights of keeping red wine distributors busy restocking shelves, we decided to mix it up and try something different. After perusing the internet, we found the perfect pomegranate martini. It was love at first sip. Tonight, this was my dessert.

In a shaker, combine: ice, a splash of Triple Sec, a generous amount of Absolut vodka, and some pomegranate juice. It isn’t an exact science, but I trust you are smart enough to figure it out. Shake vigorously, pour, drink, and repeat. Pomegranates have outrageous health benefits, so this could be classified in a food group somewhere.

To sum up our weekend prior to Martini Monday, I am so ready for work tomorrow. It was that joyous of a weekend. What was the best part? I’m having a hard time deciding: sick kid, the massive amount of snot I encountered, no sleep, not stepping into the sunshine for 36 hours, company, or company while having a sick kid. The most horrifying part is that I am certain they left convinced that our parenting skills were in dire need of some attention. When Kate is sick, logic, rules, and common sense go out the window. I think at one point I promised to build her a princess castle skyscraper in the back yard with my own bare hands if she stopped screaming. Craig easily fixed 15 different things for lunch in an attempt to get her to eat something. Then she ate a pudding pop. I am not kidding you. I think if they would have stayed one more day they would have had Super Nanny on speed dial.

Water for Elephants; In My Spare Time

I love to read. I have a problem with reading though, in the sence that once I start, I cannot stop. I read at lunch, read while I am cooking, read until 2:00 a.m., despite how tired I know I will be the next day. I would read at red lights if they were just a second longer. Needless to say, I don't have the luxury of getting lost in a book anymore, so I strategically plan my reading. The next step - schedule reading time in the Crackberry. As a result, I have become more discriminatory in my reading. No mindless crap. If I have time for one book, it's going to be good. My favorite books tend to be unique and I adore books where I learn something new. In essence, I think you can say that I read on a quest for more than just a decent story.

Life is about to get hectic. Ha. About to, that's funny! I am taking nine credit hours towards my Master's degree this fall. Who thought that was a good idea? If you find her, let me know. I'd love to buy her a drink and ask her what the hell she was thinking. One might think that alone is a challenge. Oh, I mean besides the full-time job, husband on permanent out-of-town work assignment, and Kate. If one thought that, then one would not know me very well. I also have a professional certification test that I will be taking in December. Of course I do. I paid my $345 to register, then got the handbook and study materials. This.crap.is.hard. Oh and the pass rate is 52%. Someone is going to be busy! I decided to celebrate the end to any dream of a free moment and picked up Water for Elephants. What an outstanding book; definitely worth the sacrifice of the only three free hours I will see again for at least five months.

On a different note, I want to mention Dispatch. Dispatch is an old band, but I love them. You know when you get in a funk and stuck on listening to one think over and over again. Yup, that's me and Dispatch right now. It's the best video quality I could find, but if you remotely like this, trust me, you will love them!




(If someone can tell me how to post the video and not just the link here, I'll even buy you a drink ...)

Robin, I owe you a drink!

Two of My Favorite Things

I admittedly spend too much time on the internet. However, there are many many incredible benefits from perusing the internet and I hope you appreciate the time I spent researching these things just to share with you. Shout out to you internet! Many of these incredibly cool things just make life a little more complete. Let me share two of my faves. First, let's talk about Pandora. If you have been deprived thus far of Pandora, you need to immediately click here. I am a music junkie, so this site is like Christmas every day to me. It's technically called the music genome project; it allows you to create your own radio stations that play songs that fit criteria you specify. Some choose to pick a genre, but I've been so impressed with stations modeled after an artist. Jack Johnson. Get Jack Johnson Pandora Radio. Right now. Yes, I know, Jack Johnson is uber-popular now, but he's still great and the new artists you'll be exposed to on Jack Johnson Pandora Radio are stellar. I promise. Do you hear me internet? Pandora plays in my office every.single.day.

Second, let's talk about Cake Wrecks. I found Cake Wrecks through Sasha's blog (Hi Sasha!). I'm not even sure why on earth I love it, I just think it is her humor. Sure, the pictures are funny, but her humor just kills me.