My kind of landscaping.

I wish landscaping was really this easy.

What day is it, anyway? Part 2

2008 is almost here! Make sure you're prepared with your new super-cool, 3-D, make-it-yourself calendar!

Spell with flickr

Spell anything with flickr!

What day is it, anyway?

Turn your computer's wallpaper into a calendar. Not because you need to, but because you want to.

Do it here.

Blowing your nose fashionably

Do you know what I think every time I reach for a tissue?

I think, "Geez, I wish I could pull this thing from a more unique container."

My wish has been granted.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

You know? I've heard it said that coloring relieves stress.

Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about crayons here.

Merry Christmas!

If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping, you may think you're out of luck. But there still time to whip up these homemade gifts TODAY!

Bad hair day?

If you know me at all, you know that I'm the queen of bad haircuts. I have yet to find one style that really looks good on me. The absolute worst was the impulse cut that I got right before Jack was born . . . yikes! There's a reason that I didn't post pictures of Jack and I for the first couple of months . . . I was waiting for my hair to grow out (along with other reasons).

I found this site and this site that might help make things easier in the future. Maybe.

My bike.

If I had more money, this is the bike I would buy.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

This is definitely the way I would have sent holiday cards in the fourth grade.

I probably wouldn't have paid for them anyway.

Get your free hugs here!

Hmm . . . that's already been done once before.

Maybe the DVD library in this prison should have thrown out their copy of The Shawshank Redemption.

Chapped lips.

My lips are perpetually chapped! I am in constant need of chapstick, but I can never find it. I have so many pieces of clothing with random dark spots all over them because of the chapstick I leave in a pocket. It's scattered all over our house, but I can never find a tube when I need it. I can't even go to bed unless I have some on my nightstand in case of middle of the night cracked lips. I bought a bulk pack of 12 tubes of chapstick back in November and I can maybe find one or two of those today.

I'm not super picky about which balm I use on my lips. My friend Joy always talks about her favorite chapstick/lip gloss from Bath and Body Works and I've used it a couple of times. It's awesome, but it's $7.50 a tube! Yikes!

Enter Christmas sales. This particular lip balm was on sale for $3 a tube last week! Plus, I had several coupons for $10 of a $30 purchase! I ended up with 20 tubes of the stuff for only $2 a piece. The cashier even made a comment about how well I did on my purchase! These are FANTASTIC stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts! I think it's probably my best deal of the season.

So, if you're getting a present from me this year, it'll probably have one of these attached to it:

They're on sale this week for 2 for $10.

Genius

Is it bad that when I saw this, my head was immediately flooded with names of people I wanted to buy it for?

Brrrrrr . . .

You may have read on my blog about my office at camp. I've become an ambidextrous mouse user because I have to switch back and forth between keeping one hand on the mouse and sitting on the other to prevent frostbite.

I saw these gloves online last week. I think I need to invest in pair.

Beware.

You may have seen this picture on my picture a day blog. These seemingly unnecessary things are probably in place because of stupid lawsuits or complaints by people with absolutely no common sense.

If you find that kind of stuff amusing, you'll find this hilarious.

Thanks to my friend Maria for making me aware of it.

Eminence Organics

Kyle and I went to Traverse City a few years back and I treated myself to a facial at their spa. It was so expensive and SO worth it. They use a kind of product called Eminence Organics. I really love this stuff. Is it possible that using a skin care product can actually help your whole body relax?

I've tried a lot of their stuff (every purchase comes with samples of other products). Here are the things I like best:

Rosehip and Maize Exfoliating Masque
Herbal Eye Contour Cream
Rosehip Whip Moisturizer
My favorite is their Seven Herb Treatment.

You might be saying to yourself, "Sara! How can you afford this stuff?" The truth is, I can't. I ask for it for gifts and you can also find it on ebay from time to time. Yes, it's pricey. But if you're looking to splurge on yourself or unsure of what to ask for for Christmas, this stuff comes highly recommended.

A new twist on the mixed tape

This is what I wish I would have thought of to give to Kyle as an anniversary gift:

A mixed tape.

My new handbag.

I bought this handbag from a sister-in-law of a friend and I LOVE it. She even customized it to have more pockets where I needed them. It's made of brown corduroy and has a orangy lining. It's the PERFECT size.

My photos below aren't great, but you can see more in her etsy shop here.

This Christmas, you can get the words right!

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been singing Christmas songs to Jack at bedtime (instead of his usual lullaby . . . the theme song to Gilligan's Island). Until now, I didn't realize how many words to Christmas songs I don't know or just made up.

This site is a great resource for traditional carols (and the correct words.)

You'll find more Christmas songs & lyrics here.

A little bit funky . . .

I traded one of my Christmas card designs for some cards and tags from this store. I got them in the mail today and I L-O-V-E, LOVE them. They're so cute, so original and SO reasonably priced. You can't buy a plain old store bought card for her prices!

I really think her "button boquets" are the best thing in her shop and I'm definitely going to buy one someday.

A little Christmas Cheer

Most people have seen the Office Max "elf yourself" campaign. (Even if you have, click the link . . . it's really funny). But Office Max has several extraordinary ways to waste your precious time this Christmas. You can find them here.

But don't blame me if you don't get your Christmas presents wrapped.