I LOVED it!!!

I talked here before about how I was a bit nervous for Committed.
Well, I finished it a week or two ago and I have to say I love, love, loved it!
At the first of the book Elizabeth explains that she is writing to a certain number of women. She names them as her mom, her friends, her sister, etc. I honestly was sort of expecting her to name me as one of those women she was writing to. I sometimes forget that I we aren't friends....that she doesn't even know me!
She just writes so well and it's like she is talking to me, the reader.
Anyway, the book was excellent and was totally what I needed to read right now. I borrowed it from the library, but I will definitely be purchasing it for myself.

What a bitch.

I'm never home during the day, so I haven't watched The View in years. It's been so long that the last time I watched Star Jones and Meredith Vieira were still on.
Today I am home for just an hour between work and a doctor's appointment. I turned on the tv as background noise and decided to watch The View.
So my question of the day is: Why in the world is Elisabeth Hasselbeck still on that show? She is SUCH A BITCH!
I don't care what your politics or opinions are, if you are a host on a talk show at least be kind to the person on your show. Kathy Griffin was on today and she was a total whore to her. I would understand if Kathy Griffin was being a bitch, but she wasn't. Elisabeth just turned totally hostile because Kathy was joking around about Elisabeth's heros....Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. Kathy Griffin is a COMEDIAN! Let her tell a bloody joke!
A host is a host, whether it's on tv or in your home. Don't treat people like that when you are the host. Grow up Elisabeth. Barbara, you'd be a genius to can that beautiful girl's ass. I know I won't be watching The View again with her on it.

Way to go out with a bang Greys!

Okay, so I know I am a few days behind.
I just finished the season finale of Grey's Anatomy and HOLY CRAP! What an episode! I was DYING with the suspense!!!
If you haven't watched the episodes yet, STOP reading here as I am about to spoil it all....

• I'm sad Merideth had a miscarraige. I would love a McBaby!
• I am thrilled McDreamy is alive. I don't know what I'd do without his beauty on the show.
• I still want Lexie to be with McSteamy....so her professing her love for Alex was weird. I do like Alex though and I'm glad he's alive.
• Owen and Cristina? Hmmm, I don't know about that one.
• I was fine with Reed and Charles dying. Is that bad of me?
• Yay! Callie and Arizona are back together!!! I love them as a couple. :)
• Does this mean Jackson is here to stay (since he didn't die)? I hope so, he's fun to look at!
  
  

Okay, so what did you all think? Best episode ever? I think it's in the top 10 for sure!

Are these the 12 coolest bedroom designs?

While none of these bedrooms would be on my list of "Coolest Bedroom Designs", this article is a fun read nonetheless.
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What do you think?

It's the Wicked Witch!

I am loving this doorstop from Bibelot.
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Humorous sign

It's always interesting to me that some things need clarification.
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Pink Living Rooms

There is no way in holy hell my husband would let me decorate with pink in our living room. My office is pink, but he didn't get a say in my office. :)
I could totally do a pink living room though!
Check out these beautiful rooms....

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The photo below is from Better Homes and Gardens circa 1961. I would take this living room today! It looks great.
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Cougar Town

Is it just me, or does this show keep getting funnier and funnier?
I seriously love it more each week.

Andy: It's never that hard for me.
Jules: That's what he said

Italian Pasta Salad recipe

Last Sunday, for Mother's Day, we had lunch with my fam. I made an Italian Pasta Salad because I knew my mom loves that salad.
I don't think I'd ever made this particular kind of salad before, and when I was looking for recipes none of them were really doing it for me.
So I made up my own recipe and I have to say, it turned out pretty great.
I don't know the exact measurements of what I used, but I'll make a good guess.
This made a pretty big salad, it fed 20 ish people & there were leftovers.

• 2 boxes of Barilla Tri-Colored Rotini pasta. Cooked.
• Several carrots sliced pretty thin. I used baby carrots & I sliced them the round way.
• 1 jar Sundried Tomatoes in Olive Oil. I drained most of the olive oil first and used the sliced Tomatoes.
• 2 stalks of broccoli crowns, cut into small pieces.
• 1 bottle Italian Dressing. I bought Wishbone brand because it didn't have high fructose corn syrup (I was shocked other brands did, gross!). I actually bought 2 bottles and used about 1 1/4 bottles.
• 3 small cans of sliced olives
• Parmesan Cheese, grated. I used a small handful and then sprinkled some on top.

Cook pasta and then just mix all the ingredients together. It's best if it sits for at least a few hours before serving. I waited to add the Parmesan cheese until just before serving. The pasta soaks up the dressing, so that's why I ended up adding 1/4 of the second bottle just before serving.

This photo isn't my salad, it's from Crisco.

When I stand before God at the end of my life,

I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,

and could say,

"I used everything you gave me."

~Erma Bombeck

10 things I *love* today

1-Even though we had snow AGAIN this week....spring is FINALLY here!!!

2- The best tv show everrrr.
Photo from tv over mind.

3-Tazo Brambleberry Tea. It's the nectar of the gods. Seriously.

4-This girl.

5-New, exciting job opportunities! :)

6-I'm so close to buying my new Mac and I'm so excited!!! Sadly, my old one is dead as a doornail. :(

7-Any song by this talented and beautiful girl.

8- Frappy Hour!!!
Okay, it's really called Happy Hour. Starbucks promo right now is half priced frappuccinos from 3-5 pm every day until May 16th. My Starbucks calls it "Frappy Hour" though and I think that's a better name, it's more fun!
P.S. I recommend the Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino. It's delicious.

9- The Sharpie Pen. Mock me if you will, but it's freaking awesome and basically the only pen I'll use anymore.
Photo Credit.
10- The fact that today is Friday and I have a BEAUTIFUL weekend ahead of me!!!
Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend! :)

The largest living thing on earth

Okay, this is pretty random.
I came across a snippet about it in Salt Lake Magazine, and then I just had to look for more information online.
The largest living thing on earth is a fungus. It's in Oregon and covers 22,000 acres!!! It's estimated to be 2,400 years old!

Read a quick article about it here.
This blows my mind, but it's so cool!

hello one of my new favorite websites

Room Service.
I hope to visit your real life store soon!

That's what Ellen said

Last night I was reading the Katie Couric's interview with Ellen DeGeneres in Glamour.
I loved Ellen's answer to this question...

Katie Couric: Do you find it disconcerting that there seems to be so much vitriol in society today?
Ellen DeGeneres: I try not to take it in. Let's take an example: someone who's antigay, who despises who I am. If I hate that person, I'm the same as them. Some people are closed and angry. If I can help shift that by just being who I am, great-and if not, that's not my job.

I've recently had a couple of mild attacks against my politics and my religious views. Sometimes it hurts, but I need to remember not to hate, because I do NOT want to be the same as the person who hurt me.
Thanks for the reminder Ellen! :)

Damn economy

Like pretty much everyone else in this country (and beyond), my paycheck has suffered a pretty big hit from the crappy economy.
I'm not complaining....I do have a job (or two). I'm just wishing my paycheck was a little fatter so I could attend this.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all you Mother's, Grandmothers, and acting Mother's out there.
I hope you have a relaxing, wonderful day!

Photo by me, are you sick of tulip photos yet? I went to a Tulip Festival, so I've got a lot of tulip pictures around here. :)

The Better Marriage Blanket

I emailed my husband this link and said this is ALL I want for my birthday. My birthday isn't until September though and I don't know if I can wait that long.

P.S. In case it isn't clear, I'm not the one with the problem. :)

Mod Golden Retriever

I am sort of obsessed with my Golden Retriever. By sort of I mean totally.
I love her more than I love a lot of humans. I also happen to own the cutest Golden Retriever on the planet. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I did. :)
Here is a picture of my Golden and my Weimaraner. I decided to show a picture of both my dogs so that it looks like I don't favor my Golden, even though I TOTALLY do. She's literally an angel, how could I NOT favor an angel?

I don't like to have Golden Retriever paraphernalia. I think it's weird to have pictures of some stranger's dog. I don't know that dog. I only want a picture of my own dog. It's like having a picture of some stranger's baby in your house. You don't know that baby. That's weird right?
But this is different. I totally want this Mod Golden Retriever print from ModDog's etsy shop.

I know....I've been MIA

Sorry, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.
Two blogs and two real jobs.
I'm tired.
It will be better soon though. I'm just trying to figure it all out.
Thanks for being patient. :)

Photo by moi.

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant;

if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
~Anne Bradstreet

Photo by me.

Pureology

I started using Pureology shampoo & conditioner at the first of the year. After almost five months I can tell you I am in LOVE with this stuff! It is freaking amazing. I have had more compliments on my hair than ever! I think it has made my hair so much healthier.

Cleaning Supplies

I am very particular about my cleaning supplies.

I am weird about smells, so I need them to smell normal to me.

I also want them to work well (duh).

I prefer for them to be environmentally friendly.

I try not to be wasteful.

I don't want to spend a fortune.

I have tried a lot of different brands & types of cleaners and I finally feel like I have landed on my regulars. I've talked about cleaning supplies a little bit here and I've had several people email me asking me what I use, so I thought it would be easiest just to do a whole post about it. This could be boring if you don't geek out about stuff like this, I won't be offended if you stop reading now. :)
Moving on, here's my list...

I have both granite and limestone countertops in different areas of my house. For all my stone countertops I use Method-The Daily Granite cleaner. It smells amazing and works great. It makes my honed granite countertops in my kitchen a little smoother to the touch. I love that I can use it on both my granite and limestone. I also use it sometimes on the travertine on my floors and in my shower. Lowes sells it in larger bottles that you can use to refill the smaller spray bottles. I like that I can re-use my spray bottles, I feel a little less wasteful!

Basic H2 Cleaner from Shaklee will change your life.
Seriously.
I use it almost everywhere. I use it to clean all my glass, my showers, my bathrooms, my countertops, my bbq grill outside, basically everything. It's completely non-toxic, so when I'm using it and my dogs are being brats I just squirt them with it and know that it's fine. (We use the squirt bottle with water technique to discipline our dogs). So the best part about this stuff is that it comes SUPER concentrated. I only use 1/4 teaspoon per squirt bottle, which is 16 oz! I have had my bottle of concentrate for well over a year now and I use this stuff ALL THE TIME. I am a walking talking commercial for Shaklee! :) They should pay me! Just kidding. Seriously though, this stuff is amazing. If I could suggest one cleaning product to you it would be the Basic H2.


For my toilets I use Method Bowl Control. It smells pretty lovely and it's non-toxic. It works just like it's supposed to.


For dusting I use Method Wood Polish Spray. I LOVE how it smells! I also feel like it moisturizes the wood on some of my older pieces. I inherited my dining room table from my grandma. It's walnut and after I use the Method Wood Polish Spray it always looks so much better!


I'm not completely loyal to my dish detergent. I actually go back and forth between a few brands. I generally buy whatever green brand my grocery store has on sale that week. I do keep coming back to Seventh Generation though.


When washing dishes by hand I love Mrs Meyers Dish Soap in the Lemon Verbena scent. It smells amazing, produces a lot of suds, doesn't dry out my hands and is made from natural ingredients. Win, win, win, win!


Speaking of Mrs Meyers Lemon Verbena scent....I also use the dryer sheets and fabric softener and scrub. Love how they work and love how they make my clothes smell!




For laundry detergent I am totally sold on Shaklee Fresh Laundry Concentrate. I prefer powder detergents over liquid for some reason. This detergent seems expensive, but you use hardly anything so it lasts forever!


Last, I need to fess up to some things. I have some naughty cleaning habits too. Like I can NOT break my habit of using Clorox wipes. They are so wasteful, but they are so freaking handy! I also can't find an environmentally friendly stain remover that I love. I do use Oxy Clean as my pre-wash though. Oh and my big naughty thing? I still use a Swiffer Wet Jet. I know....holy wasteful!

Did I miss anything? I'd love to hear about what cleaning supplies you love! Also, feel free to comment or email me with any questions!

This is one of my favorites...

"Rather than love,
than money,
than fame,
give me truth."
-- Henry David Thoreau

Photo by me.

Here's a joke for you...

I read a joke similar to this one in Big Fish. Have you read that book by the way? I enjoyed it, it's a quick and fun read.
Anyway, I was trying to retell it the other day and felt like I messed it up. I am horrible at repeating jokes. Seriously. I rarely tell jokes because I suck so bad at telling them. My dad is a master joke teller.
I looked for the joke online and found this version that is pretty similar. I thought it was funny...

Jesus made his usual rounds in heaven when he noticed a wizened, white-haired old man sitting in a corner looking very disconsolate. The next week he was disturbed to come across him again, looking equally miserable, and a week later he stopped to talk to him.
"See here, old fellow," said Jesus kindly, "this is heaven. The sun is shining, you've got all you could want to eat, all the instruments you might want to play-- you're supposed to be blissfully happy! What's wrong?
"Well," said the old man, "you see, I was a carpenter on earth, and lost my only, dearly beloved son at an early age. And here in heaven I was hoping more than anything to find him."
"Tears sprang from Jesus' eyes. "FATHER!" he cried.
The old man jumped to his feet, bursting into tears, and sobbed, "PINOCCHIO!"

Mother's Day Gift Guide

I've been thinking and searching and thinking and searching for Mother's Day gifts for the two mothers in my life.
Instead of being selfish I thought I'd share my finds, ideas and suggestions with you. :)

Every mom loves pictures of their kids and grand kids. I adore the iPhoto books mainly because they are so stinking easy to make on a Mac. Starting at $9.99 from Apple.


This Birk Bark Flower Vase is cute, useful, thoughtful and inexpensive! $14.00 from NHWoodcreations etsy shop.


It's the time of year to spend all your free time out of doors. Help mom make her porch or patio a little prettier with a Paula Deen Outdoor Rug. Starting at $49.00 from Outdoor Rugs Only.


Honestly, I don't know if ANYTHING smells better than Jo Malone Orange Blossom Cologne. I DIE for this stuff! Starting at $55.00.


This Alexis Bittar Gunmetal Silver Dust Lucite Necklace is so beautiful! $175.00 from Sedoni Gallery.


Is your Mom getting into photography? The one lens I suggest to everyone I know is the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens. If you have a Nikon that is. :) Especially for the price, nothing beats it! $198.54 at Amazon.


I don't like to get "things". I like to receive "things to do". So I often give things to do as well. If you live in Utah, tickets to Seinfeld or The Lion King would be amazing, and who knows? Maybe she'd invite you to go with her! Find tickets here.

I'm sure I don't need to say it, but I will anyway. Material things are nice, but NOTHING beats a beautifully worded letter. Tell your mom how much you appreciate her and love her and that will be all she'd ever want.