Maybe the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen?

Car accidents. The zamboni. Taylor Swift. All things that I stare at with very little thought for long periods of time.

Just look at this music video with Taylor Swift! She is so gorgeous that I keep playing it just staring at her, ogling the poor girl. I'm ashamed. Don't studies say that babies stare longer at photos of attractive people? I hope that's not indicative of my level of brain function. Of course, the guy they picked to be opposite her in the video ain't half bad, either. [*bites finger*]

Happy Festivus

My gift to all of you. <3

Made me laugh

Considering my current state of affairs, finding something that makes me laugh is nothing short of miraculous =). But I couldn't help giggling repeatedly over the commentary on this post from Cake Wrecks today:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2008/12/totally-cheating.html

Enjoy.

Doghouse Blues

I found this today and loved it. It's about 5 minutes long, but it's worth watching the whole thing.

A few more notes on the Christmas Wishlist

I have a few more notes on Christmas wishes, but I didn't want that post to be so very long, so I thought I'd put an update up today.

These are some items that didn't quite make the initial cut for me, but are worth mentioning:
1. Cute little salt boxes for your kitchen sink. An attractive way to keep a pinch of salt close at hand.
2. Nutritional pyramid lunchbox. It doesn't appear to be the most secure or functional thing, but the idea is inspiring and the design is chic.
3. Pip squeak chapeaus. I would need a little tyke of my own to put these on, but I can't resist how adorable they are.
4. Cutest onesies ever, but really more of a baby shower gift than a Christmas present.
5. 2009 calendar. Again, I just love the little birds.
6. You can find another great list of goodies on seriouslysoblessed this weekend.

Also - there is one cute idea that I'm holding back, simply because it's what I got for my family this year. But if you're curious and not related to me, send me an email and I'll fill you in.

Christmas Wishes

Earlier this season, I started noting things I saw online that I wanted for Christmas. I kept a really good list, but Michael surprised me by finishing all of my Christmas shopping before we even hit November! (Sadly, he finished before I had time to show him my list) But I thought I'd put up my list on my blog, in case any of you out there are trying to come up with ideas for your friends and family this holiday season.

	First up, this cute necklace with bird pendant. Cute little designs with birds on them sell like hotcakes, and you may have noticed that I always include a bird on each of my new blog designs. I can't get enough of little birds, and these won't be the last you see on my list. I spotted these little guys on this blog, and they're sold at this website.
	These are cute little charm necklaces that I saw on this blog one day. I think they're charming and fun. They even have sets of two for best friends or mother/daughter or sisters. If I get pregnant again I definitely want the cute little rabbit one to wear around like my little secret. Of course, it's hardly a secret when I go telling everyone what it means. These charmers can be ordered here.
	"The ideal product for those who like to whizzz around in the kitchen, who know that a table spoon of oil here and a bit of soy there is the standard procedure. One is constantly in need of some liquid and that means open bottle, close bottle, open bottle, close bottle." I love gift ideas that serve a purpose but still look snazzy. Quoted from this blog, and can be ordered from this page.
	For some reason lately, I have fallen in love with any form of the alphabet paired with representations of each letter. These little flashcards are so adorable, and you could use them to decorate in lots of cute ways.
	This is actually something I need, a rack for jewelry (my jewelry is just floating around my bathroom at the moment). I also like this product for the simple design and functionality. Discovered on this blog, and can be purchased here.
	I love cake but I'm not a huge fan of frosting. I love these cake stencils because you can use powdered sugar to make the designs. I see them being an especially fun gift for a niece of mine who loves to bake, but I've already finished my shopping. I think this specific set is sold out on Amazon.com, but they have lots of similar cake stencils in stock. Found on this blog.
	More cute little birds. Just can't get enough. Seen on this blog, and can be ordered from this site.
	More alphabets with cute animals. But the bonus is that this site also does the numbers 1-10, with animals making up each of the numbers in a pretty display around the center. Found on this blog, and sold here.
	And lastly, what better than the gift that helps us to prioritize? These are a thoughtful little gift, perfect as a small present. Seen on this blog, and are ordered from here.

A lot of these gift ideas come from the same fantastic blog that I follow. It's called Design Crush, where the blogger posts great product finds (and other goodies) that she's seen on the internet from time to time. For the holiday season, she's put together 17 lists of gift ideas organized into personality types! Absolutely brilliant. She hasn't posted all 17 yet, but take a look at what she's posted so far (links below), and I'll try to keep my blog updated with her newest lists.

Ideas for:
The foodie
The hipster
The office folk (love #1)
The animal lover
The little ones (love #9)
The music lover
The girly-girl
The minimalist
The cook
The paper lover
The manly man
The artiste
The homebody
The fashionista
The greenie

Customer Support

I've helped people like this over the phone so many times:



Back when I did tech support for 3 years, I had callers just like this. I remember trying to spell out .org and having people reply back, "Orgy? What?"

My brother recently said, "There's a circle of hell where you have to help your parents with their computer problems." I laughed for 3 minutes or so.

Amazing!

I decided that I wanted a Wii Fit (for my Wii... is that obvious?). But apparently everyone else had the same idea and none of the stores have one. So I saw this on the shelf at the store - My Fitness Coach - and got it, thinking it might be similar.

It is so awesome!
It's like an interactive workout video, that is totally catered to you specifically and goes at the right pace and works towards goals specifically based on your body type and personal goals.

I am really excited about it, and I hope I can explain why. The first thing you do is put in all sorts of embarrassing personal information. Weight, height, age, measurements (have that measuring tape handy), and how many push-ups, crunches, and squats you can do... etc. Then the "trainer"... Maya, gives you a goal that she thinks you should work towards (my suggested goal is weight-loss, right on). But you don't have to do what she says. But I totally will.

Anyway, then she recommends a workout schedule for you. She recommended 5 days of 15-minute workouts for me each week, but again, you can change your workout schedule to whatever you want. For my husband, she recommended two days of 45 minute workouts, and one 60 minute workout each week.

So then you start a workout. I got to pick from three beautiful workout environments (I chose a garden... ahhh, it's not even like exercise at all when you're in a garden, right?), but there are several more environments that you can "unlock" as you do more workouts. Total motivation. (really). Also, you can choose what workout music you want to listen to... I chose the 80's, and again there are more music selections that you can unlock as you go along.

Then she starts the workout by asking you how you're feeling. I chose, "You're lucky I'm here." Maya says, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but there's nothing like a workout to get you up and going for the day!" So true, Maya. You're also asked if you have certain workout equipment, like steps or hand weights or the stability ball, and they'll incorporate that into the workout for you (I have none, but that's no problem). Each workout is also tailored for your goals and body type.

The workout starts, shows you how much time you have left, how far along each particular exercise you are, and meanwhile Maya is giving great tips and encouragement... I love this thing!! The workouts also vary, too. You can do several kinds, cardio, upper-body strength, even yoga. When I ended the workout, Maya said, "Great, see you again on Friday!"... she even knows when I'm due back. Love the thoughtfulness.

Basically, I think this is a really cool product, and at about $30 it was a third of the cost of a Wii Fit (about $90, not including the multitude of accessories you can get). It also keeps track of your body stats and goals, though the Wii Fit may do a better job of that, with that board thing keeping track of you all the time. I'm sure the Wii Fit is a good product, too, but I'm pretty thrilled with this little find today. If I didn't have a Wii, I'd want to get one just for this cool, personalized workout.

I saw this by my house the other day

Amazing!! We were stopped at a stoplight when I took this picture. The people in the car next to me sure thought I was weird.

Anyway, celebrate with me!

Wishlist for patrons

I saw this article today called, "Top 20 things librarians in public libraries wish patrons knew or did"

I picked out seven of my favorite ones to re-post here, with a few comments from me.

19. Ask us for what you really want, Please be specific! If you (or your child) need materials on how American pioneers lived while on the Oregon Trail, don't ask where the "history section" is. Of course, a good librarian will ask you questions to narrow it down.

16. Come to our programs! They are free entertainment for the whole family, which is especially great during the current economic crisis. We work hard to plan lecture series, author visits, video game programs, movie nights, book clubs, and knitting circles. We'll continue to have cutting edge and entertaining programs as long as you keep coming. Besides, high attendance at programs makes the library look good (and while you are there, why not check out a book?). If a library draws huge program numbers it is likely to continue to receive funding from the town or city to continue doing them.

15. Please respect the desk barrier. Unless we invite you to walk around and look over our shoulder, we'd prefer it if you would give us a bit of space. Please wait for us to turn the computer screen around so that you can see what information we've found for you.

My personal note: please don’t sit on the desk, also. Please. If you’re trying to talk to me, it helps to not have to look at your posterior.

11. The library has almost as many DVD's as your local video store. The same goes for CD's and even video games. We try and buy as much of the current and popular items as possible (in addition to informational and educational items). Plus our items are free. Why subscribe to Netflix when you can rent from the library?

9. Practice good hygiene. We're not asking you to put on a full face of makeup or bathe yourself in cologne (in fact it's probably better if you don't do the latter). Winter is cold and flu season. If you are sick, please try to sneeze away from the computer or reference desk. And please wash your hands!

My personal note: I’d settle for everyone just bathing. At least once every few days.

3. Be respectful of other library patrons. This includes giving the person ahead of you at the reference desk enough space, not yelling at your kids across the room, talking on your cell phone at the computer, and swearing. The library doesn't have to be a quiet place, but it doesn't need to sound like Husky Stadium.

(Underlined sections are added by me.)

2. We support Intellectual Freedom. Librarians and circulation clerks are not the content police. We will not prevent a six year-old child from checking out Nightmare on Elm Street or The Book of Bunny Suicides. We believe that it is the parent's or guardian's responsibility to monitor what their children take out of the library. If you do feel an item is inappropriate or should be withdrawn from the collection, ask your librarian for the proper paperwork to fill out. We can't guarantee it will be removed, but it will be considered by a committee and often reshelved in a different section of the library.

Another note from me, if your librarian hasn't read the book in question:

If you're worried about content for your child, read it first. If you're worried about content for you, look up all the reviews you can on amazon.com or goodreads.com. Chances are that someone has commented on something they found offensive in the book.