Well, I think it's cool ...

Ideas for toddler bedrooms

2012-01-30T08:05:00.000-06:00

I got on a real kick lately with toddler bedroom idea lenses. (Also added a category for toddler bedroom ideas over on my blog.) It's interesting because that's definitely the age when they want things that are their favorite characters, so it's no surprise that a lot of the best selling toddler bedding is based on those characters.

I have a whole slate of them now, covering a wide range of characters and typically just put everything on one lens related to bedding and decor. The rare exception is something like Sesame Street, which has so much stuff between the main show and Elmo specifically, or Dora, who has just been around and a big hit forever.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission, probably enough to get a stick of gum. I generally only recommend products or services on this blog that I would use personally and believe you will find cool as well. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Getting a jump on Valentine's Day

2012-01-27T17:33:00.000-06:00

Well, OK, maybe not so much of a jump given that the holiday is going to be here soon. On the other hand, most of my Valentine's lenses were created quite some time ago.

Last year, I made my first try with a gift lens around Hershey's Kisses based on the collectibles from the Bradley Exchange. They have some really cool items and I found others like beanie babies and so forth. It did pretty well, so I thought I'd try a few other things this year. Got them going last November as I was poking around with Christmas updates and ran across some cool gift ideas.

So were born a lens with romantic pillowcase sets and romantic mg sets. Just found the coolest stuff over on some of my merchants that come personalized, perfect for a Valentine's gift. Added another lens this week (late, I know) with Valentine's Day doormats after those did pretty well at Halloween and Christmas.

Cheer for a cheerleader bedroom!

2012-01-25T08:02:00.000-06:00

Rah, Rah, Rah! Sis Boom Bah! (Wow, showing my age a bit there.)

But there's nothing aged about a cheerleader bedroom theme. And I put together a collection of cool things I found that are prefect for the cheerleader in your life. While I focused on things that work in a bedroom, a lot of the cheer decor items (like the personalized cheerleader wall peg rack in the picture) and even a few of the cheer bedding items (think pillowcases) would make great gift ideas. And definitely check out the cheerleader wall decals for other great personalized items.

Legos go Easter

2012-01-24T17:10:00.002-06:00

I can't decide if I think this Lego Easter Basket is adorable or ridiculous. Well, it's actually a little of both, I suppose.

It is quite cute given that it's Legos and what a neat idea to build a basket with them. The hinged pieces make for a neat handle and the eggs are pretty cute.

The ridiculous comes in that it's a pretty small piece to build; despite having 86 pieces it's just 3" tall and 3" wide. And … what the heck do you do with it once you've built it? It's not like you can use it as an actual Easter basket or anything. Sheesh.

(Can you tell what I'm working on right now? :-)

cycling

2012-01-24T14:39:00.002-06:00

Tons of Roxy bedding choices

2012-01-20T09:07:00.000-06:00

I just love the Roxy bedding designs. They're fun and not too childish, making them a great choice for a teen bedroom.

The designs are tough to find sometimes, especially older styles, but I keep looking and adding to my Roxy bedding lens.

Two of my favorites of the ones I have now are the Summer Stripe bed in a bag set pictured left and the Element Quilt pictured right.

Roxy designs come in comforters, duvets, quilts, pillows and sheet sets. They're frequently hard to find, but worth it because they can make a "neutral" backdrop to whatever decor your teen wants to place in her room.

Zombie cycling jerseys

2012-01-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

The zombies are coming, ya know. And you can get a head start as part of a zombie cycling team with these cool jerseys I found recently. A whole like of zombie cycling jerseys that will definitely turn heads. Just added them to my collection of novelty cycling jerseys as we get ready for spring (and bike season) to arrive.

Personalized Sesame Street shirts

2012-01-16T09:29:00.000-06:00

I've been adding some new styles to my Sesame Street shirts store, mostly personalized ones I've found. And wow, there are a lot of personalized options for you! Well, not for you if you're an adult, unfortunately. They're all for little kids. Sigh. I would love a "Susan *hearts* Grover" shirt!

Sesame Street Characters Alphabet T-Shirt or Elmo Initial Alphabet T-Shirt. Each are $14.99 at Identity Direct and you can personalize with your child's name - up to nine characters on the first and 11 on the Elmo.

Or you could consider the big face shirts that have been the rage lately. Walmart carries them for Elmo, Oscar, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster and Big Bird.

The other line I've found are the Elmo Loves ... and Abby Loves ... designs over at Personal Creations. You can get the design saying the character loves your child on t-shirts, rompers, even hoodies!

Butterfly lover gifts just in time for spring

2012-01-14T09:01:00.000-06:00

My mom loved butterflies and I made this series of lenses a few years ago in her honor. It's been added to and filled out over the years as I've found cool new stuff. Surprisingly to me, the car items are the most popular. Who knew? Anyway, great gifts to be found here if you know someone who likes butterflies, especially with Valentine's and Mother's Day on the way.

Hippo bedroom can be totally hip

2012-01-12T08:43:00.000-06:00

Hippos can get short shrift when people start thinking of bedroom themes. You might see them make a brief appearance as part of a safari or jungle theme, but rarely do you see them on their own.

Which is kind of sad since there are some really cool items for creating a hippo bedroom. One of my favorites is this Modern Hippo Wall Art from The Land of Nod.

What got me started thinking about hippos, though, was this gorgeous hippo rug at Dimples and Dandelions. I love all the bright colors and the patterns and the funky shaped hippos. Definitely falls in the unexpected category and would be a nice piece to design a room around.

(Almost) all about libertarianism

2012-01-08T11:42:00.000-06:00

I went in all kinds of circles about this particular set of lenses. The research didn't indicate much by way of traffic possibilities, and hey - it was right. But, I needed some more lenses to round out this account and it's an area with lots of good angles to create a full niche of lenses. Unfortunately, it is tanking badly. And it has some lenses I'm really proud of in terms of writing and creating. (This is why I tend to focus on product/sales lenses. Good informational lenses rarely do well enough to justify the time spent.)

I ended up with 16 lenses in the series, although I think I had 30 ideas to start. I have two in WIP that I never finished after I realized the first set weren't getting any traction. Most of these have fallen below the 400K mark, making them virtually invisible and thus making it more difficult to get them going. Sigh.

Libertarian bumper stickers
Libertarian publications
Best of Reason.tv (especially proud of this one)
All about Libertarians (lensography for the rest of the series)
Libertarian Fiction
Libertarian Blogs
Libertarian Books (of the non-fiction variety)
Free State Project
Jury Nullification
Libertopia
Libertarian Quotes
Libertarian shirts
Libertarian posters
Libertarian symbols

Best damn dog picture ever

2012-01-03T09:45:00.002-06:00

Found on the cover of this Dogs 2012 Wall Calendar over at Amazon. Awesome!!!

Sesame Street bedroom

2011-11-16T14:19:00.000-06:00

Come join me on Sesame Street for a minute! Well, in the Sesame Street bedroom specifically. After all, these are characters kids love and their parents remember fondly. So it's a great option for a bedroom theme.

Sesame Street bedding comes mostly in toddler sizes (like the cute set from Target pictured here), although there are a few crib bedding sets. And lots of blanket options that could be used on a larger bed in lieu of a bedspread. But you can just skip the bedding and get some cool Sesame Street decor to add around the room. Wall decals, rugs, artwork - tons of great choices here. And easily changed out if your child grows out of Sesame Street. (When does that happen anyway?)

If you're willing to make the investment, there are some great Sesame Street furniture choices as well. I absolutely adore the school bus desk. Way cool.

(For what it's worth, I think this is an area where an opportunity is being missed. How many adults do you know who would buy Sesame Street bedding? I can think of a ton of designs that would just jump off the shelves.)

Tinker Bell bedding just the start for a Tink bedroom

2011-11-11T18:58:00.001-06:00

You don't need fairy dust for a cute Tinker Bell bedroom. You don't even need magic. But you do need a little fairy.

And there are a lot of ways to get Tinker Bell for your bedroom. You can start with some Tinkerbell bedding featuring Tink and the rest of the Disney Fairies like the Tink sheet set pictured here.

Or bring in a little Disney Fairy magic with decor such as banks and artwork. Or maybe you need to bring in a Tinkerbell chair or bed. And don't forget the walls. I just finished adding a series of Tinker Bell wall decals around my niece's bed. (She's so excited about finally getting them up!) They're so easy to do and just a really nice touch.

College cycling jerseys abound

2011-11-04T13:06:00.001-05:00

I've had a lens featuring college cycling jerseys for quite a while now. But there are far more than just jerseys available for NCAA fans. Especially for a few colleges.

So I've been branching out a little bit here of late, adding lenses for Florida cycling gear, UCLA cycling gear, Texas cycling gear, Texas Tech Red Raiders cycling gear, Arizona Wildcats cycling gear and Iowa cycling gear. One of the cool things has been tracking down the cycling clubs for each of the schools, which tend to have their own gear, sometimes available for public purchase.

I'm working out just how many more I want to consider adding at the moment. Many of the searches that land on my main lens seem to be for schools that don't have a jersey at all. The random mix of "university" and "state" on the page seem to combine with whatever someone is searching for and they land on my page. Which does them (and me) no good. And doesn't give me much guidance for which ones would be good for splitting out onto their own lenses.

Upside of this type of lens is that it shouldn't require much maintenance, if any. Occasionally a new shirt style is released, but generally, this is a pretty static area.

Thinking about Thanksgiving

2011-11-02T14:39:00.002-05:00

Time for our next holiday! Oh, wait. Thanksgiving. I just can't seem to get too excited about this one. And I don't really understand why. My family gets together for Thanksgiving every year, then we all spend Christmas with our in-laws. Works nicely and the kids get presents twice!

But as a holiday, it just doesn't resonate with me that much. We need a few traditions that don't involve food or football and help us remember the whole point. And I'm not talking about the pilgrims. I'm talking the thanks part.

So the only Thanksgiving lens I've ever created - and likely ever will - has to do with Tie One On Day. It's an invented holiday from the apron lady, EllynAnne Geisel. But it's a worthy thing to consider doing. It's the day before Thanksgiving and just involves taking home-baked bread wrapped in an apron to a neighbor. I love the whole neighborhood thing. Anything that gets you out the front of your house and meeting the people near you is great in my book.

Going cute with Tweety bedding

2011-09-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

My sister was quite surprised when I told her Tweety was a boy. He has to be the first metrosexual ever given the fact that very few people realize that fact.

Still, he probably has more appeal for your girl than your boy as a bedroom theme. And you can get started with a few cute Tweety bedding options. Colors tend toward pinks and purples, making it easy to pair other options in solids and prints.

There aren't a ton of choices, but one of my favorites is the cute Tweety toddler bedding set pictured here and available at Walmart.

Toilet Tattoos for low commitment decorating

2011-09-06T07:30:00.000-05:00

One of the strangest decoration items I've ever run across has got to be toilet tattoos. Seriously. Vinyl clings for your toilet lid.

I just can't imagine using these myself, but ya know, if you like to decorate everywhere in your house, these really are a great idea. They're easy to use and clean and don't require a big commitment. You can just pull one off and put another on to suit your whims or ... drum roll ... decorate for the holidays.

There are a ton of ideas for holidays like the haunted house design here. The Christmas choices alone are insane!

Heart bedding for a timeless bedroom

2011-09-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you're trying to come up bedroom theme ideas that don't involve the flavor of the week, consider going with a heart theme. It's a classic concept that certainly doesn't preclude adding in other items for favorite characters.

Start with some cute heart bedding in subtle colors like this Circo Hearts bedding set from Target or some bright and happy options. There are quite a few choices for a heart theme.

Already thinking Halloween costumes and decorations

2011-09-04T10:13:00.000-05:00

I know! It just turned September so how could I be thinking about Halloween? Well, if you plan to do any decorating, throwing a Halloween party or making your own costume, you need to be planning ahead.

It never ceases to amaze me that costumes are popular year round. People have more costume parties than I thought! I have several collections of cool costumes, including ideas and directions for making your own. On some of them, that is.

Costumes

Wonder Woman costumes - buy a costume or check out the pieces I found to help you make one
Tinkerbell costumes - sizes for baby through adult and so many options to choose from
Sexy Tinkerbell costumes - definitely just for adults
Peter Pan costumes - the best accessory for a Tinker Bell
Tinkerbell shoes - just what kind of shoes does a fairy wear?
Sue Sylvester - the Glee villain has to be the easiest costume to put together. Tons of ideas to make it spectacular.

Once you have your costume in place, you can start thinking about that Halloween party. First step is appropriate invitations like the Fangtastic Halloween Invitations in the picture. (Way cool!) Beyond that, most people get the concept of Halloween decorations. So I've focused on two items you might have forgotten - doormats and wall decals.

Decorations and Party

Halloween wall decals - easy to put up and you can reuse them every year
Halloween doormats - I love the ones that make scary sounds
Halloween invites - choices from creepy to cute

Nursery canvas art options

2011-08-11T13:03:00.001-05:00

Remember Jack and Jill? How about Little Bo Peep? Ever heard of Polly?

Nursery rhymes are a great idea for use in a baby or toddler room and I love, love, love these classic nursery rhymes canvas reproductions from Oopsy Daisy. The designs they put out are just gorgeous and these are no exception.

These canvas reproductions are glass-free, so no glass will break in your child's bedroom or playroom, and are easy to clean with a damp cloth. In an effort to enrich every child's environment, a portion of the profits from the sale of these paintings are donated to children's charities. Cool!

Skateboard Bedding for a Grinding Great Bedroom

2011-08-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

I love how children's bedding comes in so many designs, almost always making it possible to find something that fits with your child's passions and interests.

Maybe I just don't know enough skaters, but I'm always surprised by the number of skateboard bedding choices there are. One of my favorites is the Skatelab Skate and Destroy comforter set pictured here because of the bright colors and asymmetrical and highly graphical design. A lot of other sets come in darker colors and some are a little cartoonish, all of which are fine if your child decides they want that. But this one is still my favorite. And totally cool.

Get hopping on a Rody Hopping Horse

2011-08-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

That kid looks like he's having the ride of his life, doesn't he? Or at least a really great time.

I'm not entirely sure just how I stumbled across the Rody Hopping Horse, but it's exactly the kind of toy I can see my youngest niece and nephew spending hours bouncing on from one end of the driveway to the other for an entire afternoon. He's cute, comes in a ton of colors and is incredibly sturdy. All of which makes it worth paying the bit extra for him that you will over other hopping toys.

When I started poking around at competitors for Rody, I found a ton of options for cute animal hopper balls. Most are just a regular hopper ball with a fabric cover on it, but cute anyway.

All aboard the Dinosaur Train!!

2011-08-05T08:34:00.018-05:00

If there's a toddler in your life, you've probably heard all about Dinosaur Train. It's a cute show on PBS that comes from the Jim Henson Workshop. (See - two reasons you already know it's good!) Not sure just whose genius was responsible for combining trains and dinosaurs, but given they are two favorite things of most little boys, I think they have a winner.

And darn it if the Dinosaur Train toys that go with the show aren't just the cutest things. There are trains starting with the Lights and Sounds Train pictured here, a tiny scale model of the Dinosaur Train from the show. You can add cars to this train - each comes with a dinosaur from the show - and check out the plush and interactive figures as well. Hmmm. I'm thinking these will be good for Christmas this year!

Back to school with student planners

2011-08-04T11:14:00.015-05:00

School is just around the corner. Aren't you so glad you aren't having to get ready? But, your kids do and one of the things that can add to their success is a student planner for the year. Not to mention make your life easier.

I tracked down my seven favorite ones, along with several others in each category that might work (since everyone's different). Did you know they make planners for elementary school? And while your child might not be writing in playdates, a planner can be a useful tool for you and the teacher to communicate with each other.

One of my favorites just on looks is the Letts of London one here, but there are tons of options to choose from based on looks, features, size and grade level. One thing to check off your back to school list!

Do you feel like a Super Zero?

2011-08-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

Everyone feels like a zero once in a while. OK, maybe almost everyone. (I think my husband is immune from this particular ailment.)

Which is why I love Ze Super Zeros. It's a line of plush stuffed animals in cute costumes who have to overcome a challenge with their "mini" super power. Zipo the Hippo here can swim really fast but doesn't like getting wet. (Get the idea? The plus and minus zero out.)

They were created to help start a conversation with your child about being different and how we all have good and bad things about ourselves, but they all add up to make us special. The Super Zeros come with removable capes and pouches to hold treasures.

Getting a Little Miss Matched deal

2011-08-01T08:33:00.000-05:00

Sweet! LittleMissMatch is running a couple of deals right now, so it's a great time to get a few new socks and other mismatched items to add to your wardrobe. They've come out with a ton of new designs recently, so check it out!

Get free shipping if you've never ordered from them before. And save $10 off an order of $50 or more with the code TENOFF50. Great time to get some fun items to pair with that school uniform!

Go under the sea for an ocean bedding

2011-07-24T12:53:00.000-05:00

What's blue and cool? Ocean bedding sets! From comforters that mimic the blue water to sheets covered in tropical fish, there are a lot of choices.

Now, all the sets I was able to find tend to be blue, but the blue ranges from royal to soft teals (OK, that's not really a blue, is it?). And the wide range of color in the fish and other sea creatures brings in some great choices for decorating. All of which makes these a good option for a room shared by a boy and a girl.

You could even go with ocean sheet sets like the Crayola one pictured here and pair it with solid or patterned orange or yellow comforters, then decorate the walls with more fish. Keeps the room from getting overwhelmed.

My virtual apron pattern collection

2011-07-18T08:28:00.000-05:00

I really got into aprons a couple of years ago. Part of that was that I got to know the agent for Ellynanne Geisel, the author of The Apron Book and we started talking about using Squidoo to promote books.

Nothing much came of that conversation other than all the lenses I made about Geisel and her book. Except that, I got fascinated by the wide variety of aprons out there. Not to mention (since I sew), all the apron patterns available for making really cute modern and retro style aprons. The options are really endless as I'm always finding new ones. One of my favorites is the designer pattern here from Lila Tueller. (It's called Funked Out, which probably explains why I like it so much. :-)

What you need for a monkey bedroom theme

2011-07-15T12:20:00.001-05:00

How many monkeys are jumping on your bed? You can have as many or as few as you like in a monkey bedroom theme.

Start with some monkey bedding. Tons of cute options with cartoony monkeys and even a few more jungle-y. Or maybe you need it for a nursery? Several options in monkey crib bedding available, including a ton just from Cocalo. (And don't forget a matching monkey crib mobile!)

When we start talking monkey decor items, wow. There are just so many possibilities! The number of clocks alone is overwhelming. I've found so many options, including special items for the wall like monkey growth charts, monkey wall decals and monkey wooden wall letters. (Who knew there could be so many choices in custom wall letters!)

Have fun monkeying around in the bedroom!

The coolest tree wall decals ever!

2011-07-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

I used to have a painting business and loved doing children's bedrooms. Lots of fun murals and one of the most popular options was to make the room look like you were outside. Which, of course, always involves a tree. Or two.

So it's no surprise to me that the most popular wall decals out there are of trees. What I do find surprising is how many of them aren't that tree-like. Which is totally cool. Unique tree wall decals like the damask pattern one in the picture show a sense of style as much as they are meant to evoke the outdoors. (Probably more so, actually.) And even better, a lot of these decals are customizable, so you can choose your color of trunk and leaves to match your decor.

I picked out my favorites from the hundreds and hundreds (literally!) of tree wall decals out there. They do tend toward the fun and funky - perfect for big and little kids alike.

Will Hugo Cabret be huge?

2011-07-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

One of the books that had long been on my list to read is The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It had just caused such a stir when it came out - more due to its novel presentation than the story itself.

Over half the book is pictures, illustrations by the author. Who is an illustrator. Normally when illustrators tackle a book on their own, it's a book for really young kids, which lets it still be mostly about the artwork. But this was a full-length book for older kids. With black and white illustrations that evoke the days of silent films. (Which none of these kids have ever seen. Irony.)

It's coming to the big screen this fall, titled simply Hugo Cabret and directed by Martin Scorsese. I'm excited to see it because it's starring Asa Butterfield, who was so compelling in The Boy In the Striped Pajamas, and Chloe Moretz, who kicked butt in Kick-Ass. Don't think she'll be pulling any of those kinds of stunts in this one, though.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission, probably enough to get a stick of gum. I generally only recommend products or services on this blog that I would use personally and believe you will find cool as well. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Catching Kermit fever

2011-06-21T11:11:00.000-05:00

When you think of iconic figures in entertainment, look no farther than the Muppets. Characters with humor and wit that appeal to all ages are few these days, so it's cool to find a few you can share with your kids.

I'm excited to see the new Muppet movie coming out at Thanksgiving. Well, that's almost as much because I love Amy Adams as I love the Muppets. Still, it's cool that Kermit and the rest of the gang are coming back to the screen.

Kermit's always been my favorite Muppet from way back before the Muppet Show even came to TV. I love his Sesame Street News segments where he interviews fairy tale characters. Just too funny! And of course, his iconic song - It's Not Easy Being Green - speaks to all of us who struggle to love ourselves as we are.

Get a jump on Green Lantern for the bedroom

2011-06-14T08:43:00.000-05:00

Green Lantern comes out this weekend. (Excited yet?) I know there's already been interest in getting stuff for the bedroom. There just one Green Lantern bedding set available (and that may be all we get) but there are tons of accessories to add to the mix from movie posters like the one shown here to calendars to bookends. Or even to just plain green bedding to create a Green Lantern bedroom.

This is just one of the many bedroom options in my super hero bedroom collection.

Jessie Steele aprons and more for the kitchen

2011-06-13T14:04:00.000-05:00

Cute aprons have been all the rage lately. And definitely ones that feature a retro feel to them.

No one flaunts that particular style better than Jessie Steele, for sure. Jessie Steele aprons combine cute with quality and practicality - the trifecta for the kitchen. Plus, the company is always coming out with new takes on their classic designs like the cherry cupcake apron pictured here.

But they don't stop with aprons. Over the years, they've added all kinds of kitchen accessories that coordinate with their aprons, including fashion rubber gloves, kitchen towels and pot and oven mitts. There are fewer fabric choices with these, but they all go with one of the aprons.

Not technically part of the kitchen, but cute none-the-less, are the Jessie Steele tote bags. Again, the fabric choices coordinate with an apron (like the cherry shown here), although no one will know that as you're being eco-friendly and stylish at the grocery. But I do love the bags for use in creating a gift basket of sorts with the entire coordinated line.

Nickelodeon brings out cool furniture lines

2011-06-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

I'm old enough to remember the first days of Nick. Way back when they still poured slime on people on the shows rather than just at awards events.

And they now celebrate that same slime with some really cool furniture. Well, and SpongeBob and Dora and Diego. They have a few different lines now, including the TweenNick collection that this loft bed is a part of. All the pieces, including this bed, come with interchangeable panels, so you can have a slime bed or a SpongeBob one. Your choice.

There's another line that includes Nickelodeon furniture more targeted to younger kids with activity tables and the like. Then a classic line with subtle Nickelodeon touches for the TeenNick set that includes daybeds and seating choices.

Add some iCarly to the birthday party

2011-06-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

Anyone can just buy some iCarly plates and say they're having an iCarly party. If you want to take it to the next level, you need to get into an iCarly mindset.

How about having George the Bra tell a story? Throw in some random dancing. Let the kids make their own penny tees.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's OK. Your iCarly fan will. Games and activities based on the show will be a big hit and give you an iCarly theme that goes way past the plates. More ideas over on this iCarly birthday party webpage.

(P.S. That's not to say you can't get the plates. :-)

The Fairly Oddparents in movie form

2011-06-09T08:26:00.000-05:00

Oooooo! They're making a live-action movie of The Fairly Oddparents! This should be fun.

Backyard entertaining options

2011-06-06T10:38:00.000-05:00

It's summertime and the living is fine. And you probably want to share it a bit with others, right?

Whether a barbecue, wienie roast or pool party, there are lots of good excuses for throwing a party in your backyard during the summer. And why go with styrofoam plates when there are so many other cool options for backyard entertaining? The patchwork tray from World Market pictured here is just one of the many choices I've rounded up for backyard entertaining, everything from plates to barbecue accessories to tables and chairs.

And don't forget to throw some light on the subject with patio party lighting like the square patchwork string lights pictured here (also from World Market and yes, they match the tray). There's a wide range of string lights to fit the mood of the party or look for candles and even tiki torches to round out the illumination.

Creating a pirate bedroom theme

2011-06-04T10:21:00.020-05:00

Arrgh! Walk the plank! Shiver me timbers! And all that rot.

No, it's not talk like a pirate day. But I'm in the mood for a pirate bedroom theme, complete with pirate bedding featuring our favorite bloodthirsty thieves. This is one theme with lots of choices, so you're sure to find one that makes your little pirate happy.

If you'd rather not invest in a bedding set, check out the options for pirate decor, including artwork and the cutest dresser knobs. (If you can call anything piratey cute). There are also tons of choices in pirate lights and lamps and even pirate rugs featuring ships and treasure maps.

A faster way to get to a pirate theme that also requires less long-term investment is pirate wall decals for kids, great styles from cartoony to tough including treasure maps, pirate ships, skull and crossbone flags and pirates galore.

But pirate furniture is my favorite with beds like ships perfect for older kids with this theme. Some of the themed furniture from companies like Guidecraft and Levels of Discovery are a little on the childish (and small) side for a 9, 10, 11 year old, but then there are awesome pieces like the pirate's cove dresser pictured here.

Famous faces on bedding sets?

2011-06-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

I know that stars have rabid fans. The kind who want everything they can get that has that person's face on it. So it's no surprise you can get a Justin Bieber comforter set. With his face on it.

But, I don't know. Yes on pillows, blankets, posters for sure - just about any other Justin Bieber bedding and bedroom decor. But I'm not sure about a comforter with a person's face on it.

It's interesting to see the different ways celebrity bedding gets treated. You see Hannah Montana bedding with her face splashed all over it, when they could have just styled them like some of the rugs available. The Jonas Brothers comforter has their faces on it as well. And I'm just not a fan of any of them, really. (The comforter designs, that is.)

I really prefer the way the Glee bedding was designed, with musical designs and character influences rather than plastering everyone's face on things. Or even the really cool Wizards of Waverly Place comforter available at Walmart with its colorful printed design. And Selena appropriately just on a pillowcase. And while versions from earlier movies had faces, the Disney High School Musical 3 comforter just goes with silhouettes that totally work for me.

What do you think? Am I off in preferring to not have a real face on my comforter? (No - cartoon ones don't bother me as much. Go figure.)

Gnome-tastic luck for sports teams

2011-06-02T10:39:00.008-05:00

It's NBA finals time and both teams are hoping they get lucky in the championship series. Did you know garden gnomes are supposed to bring good luck?

Which is why there are entire lines of garden gnomes in your favorite team's colors and logos, including the Dallas Mavericks (pictured here) and the Miami Heat. In fact, check out the entire collection of NBA gnomes.

Gnomes bring good luck throughout the year to lots of teams, though. Find your favorite team among the MLB gnomes, NHL gnomes, NCAA gnomes or NFL gnomes.

Disney Cars 2 bedding has arrived

2011-06-01T09:21:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for Cars 2? I'm excited to see them all back at the movies, for sure. Which means there will be a whole new line of toys and shirts and decor items coming.

The Disney Store has already added a few things, including new bedding designs. They're the World Grand Prix line with a comforter and the sheet set pictured here. I like these as they feature just about all the cars involved in this movie rather than just McQueen.

Of course, if you'd rather just have Lightning McQueen, there are lots of other Disney Cars bedding options to choose from. And I'm sure more Cars 2 choices on the way!

It's a Mickey Mouse bedroom theme

2011-05-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

It's everyone's favorite mouse ready to spread some Disney magic in the bedroom. Because Mickey's a lifetime favorite, you can get some really nice Mickey Mouse bedding that works for grown-ups as well as colorful sets for kids.

If you just want to add a little bit of Mickey to the room, check out options using Mickey Mouse wall decals for kids or even cool Mickey Mouse decor and furniture like clocks and figurines and even a sofa. My favorite is the chair shaped like Mickey's head!

(And, no, I didn't forget Minnie Mouse. There are a few options featuring just her, including a toddler bedding set that's just adorable.)

Thinking really, really, really big with toys

2011-05-30T22:44:00.000-05:00

Summer is just around the corner, which means lots of "go play outside!" in the coming months. Give them something really fun, really huge to do when they get out there with some cool jumbo toys for outside.

There are chess sets, bowling, soccer, even giant toys for playing in the pool. Even giant lawn sized versions of board games, like snakes and ladders and even the one pictured here. They call it "Get Knotted", which is another name for Twister, it seems. Enjoy!

And when they get tired of being outside, they can snuggle up with some more giant toys - really cool jumbo NFL plush toys. These guys are massive! (My dogs would love one, but I'm pretty sure my house would look like snow. Hopefully yours will fare better.)

Disney swimsuits going fast!

2011-05-27T09:39:00.000-05:00

Um, did I miss a memo? It's not summer yet, right? School is still going?

Which leaves me wondering what's up with Disney swimwear. I was going through my collections and it's amazing how much offered by The Disney Store is already sold out. Poof. Gone. Not available. Swimsuits, towels, sunglasses - there are a lot of their cool stuff you can't get anymore. And summer hasn't even gotten close.

Apparently, you need to act fast if you want to get in on it. Although, right now's a good time as they've marked just about everything else down in price. Except flip-flops. Yeah, I don't get it either.

Anyway, head over to check out girls Disney swimwear and boys Disney swimwear while you still have a shot at getting some!

Loudmouth designs make for a crazy Father's Day gift idea

2011-05-26T08:22:00.000-05:00

Forget that boring old tie. Heck, forget the cool golf club. What you need to consider getting dad for Father's Day this year is something truly and utterly unique. Loudmouth golf pants.

Like most Americans, the first time I ever heard of these was when the Norwegian curling team showed up at the Olympics sporting the red, white and blue argyle style. I happen to like loud prints, so they are definitely up my alley. I can't even choose a favorite design!

Loudmouth has branched out now beyond just the cool pants like the Shagadelic style pictured here. You can get the designs in sports coats and shorts as well as women's styles. And yes - two of the designs even come in ties if you want to get a little more traditional with your Father's Day gift.

Phineas and Ferb for the bedroom

2011-05-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

Phineas and Ferb Fleece Blanket

Phineas and Ferb is one of my new favorite shows to watch. (Hey, grown-ups can watch cartoons too, ya know!) My favorite part is that these are not kids who accept being couch potatoes as their only option for filling a summer vacation.

Celebrate that spirit of imagination with a Phineas and Ferb bedroom. There's a set of bedding out - similar style to the blanket pictured here, which is available at Walmart.com - and a few accessories. The quickest way to add a Phineas and Ferb touch would be with wall decals or maybe a Phineas and Ferb calendar.

Be sure to check out the cool Perry decor options as well. They've made him into a clock, a karaoke machine and a frame, among other things. Very cute!

Get a hit with a baseball bedroom theme

2011-05-22T08:36:00.006-05:00

It's baseball season! Hooray! We're actually going to a game this week and I'm stoked.

We had a bit of a baseball bedroom when I was a kid since my sister had posters of the different Braves players. Yes, girls with baseball posters. What?

You can go a bit farther, though, with some really cool baseball bedding as a starter. Or add some baseball flair to whatever bedroom theme (or non-theme) you have going now with baseball lights (isn't that baseball field pendant amazing?), baseball wall decals and baseball decor and furniture. There are some amazing choices to show how much you love the sport without having to do your room up in a specific team color scheme. (Although, that would be cool too.)

Kids Calendars for 2011 (and beyond)

2011-05-21T09:02:00.000-05:00

Kids need calendars too, right? But definitely not something with Thomas Kinkade art or castles in Scotland.

At the beginning of the year, I started a new niche area just to see what might happen, looking specifically at kids calendars. Wow. There are a lot of choices. And I only made it a little way in before it got too far into the year for calendars.

But it's time to get back into it. I've updated all my pages with the new 2012 calendars, which are available for pre-order now. Most will be released and shipped August 1, a few in the middle of July. Kids calendars at least. They tend to be 16-month calendars running from September of one to December of the next.

My favorites are definitely the Mickey Mouse calendars, probably because they're full of fun with out being too childish. And Disney definitely has the upper hand in the calendar market with Tinkerbell calendars, Disney Cars calendars, Disney Princess calendars, Winnie the Pooh calendars, Toy Story calendars and Disney Channel calendars. But there are also Hello Kitty calendars, SpongeBob calendars and a whole bevy of others I'm working on adding to the mix.

It's calendar time!

Go royal with a Disney Princess bedroom theme

2011-05-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

If it's pink and princess, my niece wants it. I suppose that's typical for most four-year-olds.

So of course, Disney Princess totally fits the bill for just about anything for her, including all the options for Disney Princess bedding to do a Disney Princess bedroom theme. A lot of it comes with Cinderella, Belle and Aurora on theme - the pink, blue and yellow combination - occasionally with Snow White or Ariel among them.

Or build the theme by adding Disney Princess decor, Disney Princess furniture, Disney Princess wall decals or Disney Princess lights and lamps to pink or yellow bedding options.

If you're looking for a specific princess, there are a lot of options with the two newest, with Princess Tiana bedding and options for a Tangled bedroom.

Roar with a dinosaur bedroom theme

2011-05-19T10:37:00.000-05:00

Dinosaurs are so popular with kids. My niece absolutely adored them, just found them completely fascinating. So, it makes sense that they'd want to have a dinosaur theme for their bedroom. You can start with dinosaur bedding options to serve as the core of the room.

Lots of people are looking for dinosaur sheets. My favorites are the ones pictured here from PoshTots. But they're a little pricy, so you might consider others I've found from Walmart and other stores.

One of the interesting things when you start looking at this theme is the shortage of dinosaur crib bedding. Which surprised me. There just aren't that many options really. But that's OK. You can go with any colored bedding for a dinosaur theme and then use dinosaur decor and dinosaur wall decals to make the room dinosaur. And, check out the tons of options available as well in dinosaur growth charts.

Ramping up for election party season

2011-05-18T18:57:00.000-05:00

Not sure that it ever ends these days, but I'm trying to get my election related items cleaned up and ready to go. I took a different twist with the election thing with the idea of throwing an election party. Seems a lot of people agreed with me in 2008 that it was a great idea.

But election related supplies are in short supply when there's no election in sight. I had added some general patriotic party items the last time for those who wanted to remain neutral at their parties. So updates in between elections are kind of tough, but I made a few to the election party page. Mostly patriotic items, which are in abundant supply right now, of course.

My favorite section of that page was the idea of election party games, like the Race For the White House pictured here. I had come up with some ideas for using games like Twister and others for political purposes, but there are a lot of options, so those got moved over on to their own page.

Building an airplane bedroom theme

2011-05-17T10:31:00.001-05:00

Yowsers. There is a lot to choose from with airplanes. I'm not entirely sure how I crammed it all into one lens to start with. Oh - I know. I just didn't cram it all in. A lot of cool items I would find (like the rug pictured here) wouldn't get added just to keep from overwhelming people. And myself.

But I have a complete niche now of items for an airplane bedroom theme. Wanna see? Of course, you do!

It all started with a lens on airplane bedding, of course. That's where I tend to start with everything. It's been a solid producer for me. Then I started breaking out other items and there are just so many with airplanes that it made sense to get really specific with lenses. If there were more than six or so items, it could become its own lens. We're still iffy on the success of that idea, though.

All of which led to lenses on airplane wall decals for kids, airplane rugs, airplane banks, airplane lights, airplane clocks, airplane crib bedding, airplane furniture and general airplane decor. I even had to breakout an entire lens on personalized airplane wall art because there were so many choices!

Welcome to Fancy Nancy and Maisy!

2011-05-16T08:03:00.000-05:00

On the plate for a while and finally gotten around to last night are two new lenses for bedroom ideas using favorite book characters. I still have a ways to go with these lenses, actually. I'd like to make the Fancy Nancy bedroom one a bit more like the Maisy bedroom one and vice versa. Which means more content, more copy, more ideas and not just a shop listing products. Which means more time, more effort, more work and I'm not quite sure the return is there on these. We'll see.

Splitting out all the Toy Story bedroom options

2011-05-16T05:36:00.002-05:00

I used to attempt to put everything for one bedroom theme into one lens. With some themes, it just started becoming impossible to keep up, not to mention overwhelming for a shopper. I've been slowly breaking them up into smaller niches and the one that started as Toy Story bedding is the latest.

The one with Toy Story wall decals for kids was already there as part of my wall decals extravaganza. There are some really amazing murals in that one that any kid would love. But now I've added Toy Story bedroom decor and Toy Story furniture to the mix. But I think that's as far as this series is going to break down. There are just a ton of cute options available though!

Series on creating a farm nursery or bedroom

2011-05-13T10:23:00.002-05:00

I'm finding it's much easier to ensure I do an entire series around one theme if I just do all the research at once, then plug away until the lenses are complete. I'm less likely to forget that I didn't do a wall decal lens or that I wanted to break out art into its own lens.

But it does require a heck of a lot of time to do all that research, and I'm sure I'm still missing great items to go with the theme. Just gives me means for updates, right?

This one started when farm crib bedding came up in a keyword search. And just crib bedding. Because they don't seem to make farm bedding for bigger kids. Odd. So of course, I had to do the entire series, with farm bedroom decor, farm wall decals for kids, farm themed furniture and farm-themed art.

This is such a danged big topic and theme because you can start getting into rabbit trails with individual farm animals as well. Except ... the keyword numbers just aren't there to justify even this much work, really. However, if I capture any of it and it's traffic looking to buy, it can be worth it.

Back to just Squidoo

2011-05-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

I'm back. Sort of. I'm going back to what this blog was originally supposed to be, a place to get backlinks for my various Squidoo pages. If for some reason you are still subscribed to this blog, know that this is what you're getting from this point on. (And either thank you very much for sticking with me or clean out your blog reader once in a while. I'm not entirely sure which is my reaction.)

That's it for this one. Much, much more to come. I have almost 700 lenses now. A lot to talk about. :-)

Seed paper makes for gifts that last past that first anniversary

2010-03-10T15:59:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of seed paper? It's paper that has plant seeds - usually wildflowers - impregnated into it when it's made. So you can take the paper after it's been used, and instead of recycling it the regular way, plant it and enjoy a second gift from it!

I love this idea for a first anniversary gift because it's so much more than just paper! They use it to make invitations and cards, which is nice except that the person you give those to doesn't get to enjoy the planting part. So my favorite item I've found made of plantable paper are these cool plantable wish cards from Uncommon Goods. The little cards are meant to write a wish for yourself or someone else on, then you plant, water and watch it grow. These guys are packed with annual and perennial wildflower seeds, and I just really like the whole wish thing for people celebrating that first anniversary. Gives them a cool way to celebrate a special day!

Take on a serious challenge with the 36 Cube

2010-02-04T19:20:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure I've ever tackled a tougher puzzle. My friends and I spent a week before one of us managed to crack the trick to solving the puzzle. Took me a little longer (I'm stubborn) but I finally did it.

Think Fun's 36 Cube is a tough nut. There are just two simple rules - the top must be level and no repeating a color in any row - but the solution isn't so simple.

If you, your family or anyone else you know likes brainteasing puzzles, this is a good one to keep around. Once you find the trick, it'll take maybe 30 minutes to get all the pieces in place.

Think Fun is pretty sneaky with the tricky solutions to its puzzles and the 36 Cube is no exception. The answer is never quite as straightforward as you think it is and they're very big on lateral thinking. Pat yourself on the back if you get this one!

Turn even a traffic jam into fun

2010-02-03T21:35:00.000-06:00

No one thinks traffic is any fun. No one.

But that was before Think Fun's Rush Hour hit the scene. It's a brainteaser puzzle you can play by yourself or work together with friends and family to solve.

Choose one of the 40 cards, set up the board as shown on the cards, then move the vehicles one space at a time until you free the red car from the traffic jam. See just how few moves you need to make it happen.

The original game comes with 40 cards and vehicles of all shapes and sizes. The puzzles are in four difficulty levels - intermediate, advanced, expert and grand master. You probably can beat the easier levels in 20 moves, but the grand master cards will take more like 50!

And when you solve those first 40 puzzles, there are add on packs with more cards (and new vehicles!) to challenge you even more.

Love my wine vacuum pump

2010-02-02T20:44:00.000-06:00

Do you have a Vacu Vin wine saver? Gotta tell ya', it's about the favorite tool in our kitchen. (Runs a close second to the garlic press!) With it, we never throw out wine again because it's gone vinegary. Paid for itself with in just a few uses let me tell you!

Now, I'm marking is as a modern gift for a fourth anniversary. (Cheating since it's not electric!) So why might you want to consider getting one as a wedding anniversary gift? Here's the skinny:

Low cost - The newer version - Concerto - will run you about $20 on Amazon (a 36% savings!). You'll want that one rather than the earlier one because it clicks to let you know to stop pumping. And even when you buy inexpensive wines like we do, it only takes tossing two or three bottles before you've saved that $20 back.

Easy use - Just stick the stopper in, set the pump down on top and start pumping. It'll get harder as the vacuum grows and the Concerto will click to let you know when it's done. Use your thumb to push the center tab of the stopper to the side to release the vacuum and enjoy your saved wine.

It works - Nothing's perfect, but we've had great success with keeping bottles of wine for more than a week. The pump sucks out the oxygen that kills the wine and keeps the seal really well. And in the end, that's really all you need to know, right?

If you're into wine on a daily basis but can't finish off a bottle in one go, this wine saver set is a great thing to add to your bar set. If you just like to enjoy wine a few times a week, it's a necessity!

And don't forget to get extra stoppers. We have about 10 and there are times they're all in use!

Wish me luck as I say goodbye

2010-01-30T18:28:00.000-06:00

To this blog, that is. This is the last post I'll be doing here.

Don't panic. I'm not completely going away. I'm just - well, I suppose it's kind of like getting a divorce. I started this blog just to build backlinks for my Squidoo lenses. Since then, I've expanded what I've written about and picked up a different kind of reader. And started to feel as though I couldn't write about one topic without infringing on the other. Irreconcilable differences.

It was also time for me to grow up as a blogger. Which meant using my hosting (I'm paying for it after all!) and setting up a WordPress blog on my own domain.

So here's the divorce - if you want to read Squidoo stuff, that's going over to my revived Squidtop blog and you can follow me there. If you're interested in my reading, philosophical meanderings and general life, head over to my new blog (which combines posts from this blog and two others right now). Yes, I'm starting over with a new RSS feed and everything, so you'll need to subscribe over there if you want to keep up.

Thanks for hanging with me for the last few years!!

Lewister Note: I'm an affiliate with a lot of places. Odds are any link on this blog that takes you somewhere to buy something, I'm going to get a small cut. To the tune of a pack of chewing gum most times. So just know, you're keeping me in gum, OK?

Quick thoughts after the GOP Texas gubernatorial debate

2010-01-15T09:04:00.005-06:00

Perry is a twit. But you knew that.

Hutchison is a politician. But you likely knew that too.

Medina is a surprise. And a sign with what's wrong with only including the leading candidates in debates.

While Perry and Hutchison spent most of their time attacking each other, Medina actually talked about what she stood for. She's the only one I could tell you the platform for. (I'd rather vote for a person than against the other guy. But politicians don't work that way.) Now granted, Medina doesn't really have a record for Perry or Hutchison to attack, and Perry made a few attempts to just ignore her, so attacking her wasn't a priority. Hutchison even used her question to Medina to goad Medina into attacking Perry for her. Sigh. Don't fall for that Medina! She should have asked Hutchison if she had a question for her rather than one about Perry.

Perry and Hutchison spent their time calling each other liars (standard response: am not!), leaving me highly confused and doubting both of them. A few of the questions really needed serious discussion rather than a one-minute political answer, so I felt Hutchison's pain as she danced around the abortion question. (Dang. Can that die as a political issue already? Can't - and shouldn't try to - legislate morality. We got bigger issues, people!) Basic take-away on these two is that politics as usual. Whee?

I knew nothing about Medina before watching, other than that she was running and a quick soundbite on immigration issues I caught on a radio story advancing the debate. But - oh my. I think I might have found someone who I won't completely agree with but I could actually support. Here's what I can remember she said she was for:

less government intrusion
strong personal property rights
legalizing drugs (because we're wasting resources spent fighting the drug "war")
no gun control
using National Guard along the border to control immigration
accountability, transparency, efficiency
life as a principle (whether end of life or abortion)
abolishing property taxes and lower business taxes (wants to raise funds via sales taxes)

Now - I don't agree with everything she said. But I liked her general belief that government has way overstepped its bounds, freedom leads to prosperity and we should actually follow the constitution.

That said, sadly, Medina doesn't stand a chance because most people don't understand why those things are so important. They'll freak about the drugs thing (I think she actually said "we need to move past the emotional reaction" on that one), and the life issue is a wash (on the surface) with the other guys.

More homework necessary here, of course. But for once, I left this feeling like I could vote for someone rather than holding my nose and choosing the lesser of two evils. I'm not a Republican (or Democrat) but might have to actually vote in the primary to support the principles I want to see in office. Will let you know.

Debate format - having the candidates ask each other questions sounds good in theory, makes it more of a conversation, right? But in practice, it just led to further attacking and not discussion. Boo. Wish I had a better idea for this. Is it possible - at all - to run for office on your platform rather than only pointing out why the other guy is bad?

Lewister Note: I'm an affiliate with a lot of places. Odds are any link on this blog that takes you somewhere to buy something, I'm going to get a small cut. To the tune of a pack of chewing gum most times. So just know, you're keeping me in gum, OK?

Is an audio book “reading”?

2010-01-08T15:17:00.006-06:00

Question raised by a professional contact who is trying to do nothing (except XBOX 360) that requires physical media. So no buying music CDs, no buying movie DVDs, no buying printed books.

Now, no comment from me on his quest. More power to him. But ... is it reading if you listen?

Hey - as long as you get the content and can discuss it afterward, it counts as reading to me. (Seriously, there are more important things to argue and get pedantic about. Like comma placement.) And why I like using audio books on long car trips, they'll never replace a physical book for me.

Listening is a background activity for me. So "reading" an audio book or something where I have to concentrate doesn’t always work for me. At least not when I really need the info. On the other hand, I can get so absorbed in a physical book that I won’t notice anything else going on.

Audio also has limited skimability. You can't jump around as you like, you can't skip easily to the sections that are most relevant to you, you can't move back to double-check that what you just read actually jives with what you read earlier.

Let's face it, it really comes down to the fact that I just don’t get as much pleasure out of eight hours of audio as I do out of eight hours of traditional reading. So good luck to my friend as he changes how he reads. I'll be kicking it old-school forever on this one. How about you?

Lewister Note: I'm an affiliate with a lot of places. Odds are any link on this blog that takes you somewhere to buy something, I'm going to get a small cut. To the tune of a pack of chewing gum most times. So just know, you're keeping me in gum, OK?

Bookpile: December 2009

2010-01-02T09:00:00.002-06:00

The Assassin's Touch - Yes, I should have been reading something set in ancient Rome since we were heading to Italy, but instead, I was back in 1695 Japan with Sano Ichiro. After the country almost came to civil war in the last book, Sano finds himself promoted to the number two position of chamberlain, theoretically only second in power to the shogun. Theoretically. He still walks a delicate political balance with his livelihood, life, family and honor always at risk. The murders this time involve a rumored practice of being able to kill with just a touch. No evidence, no leads and no hope - as usual - for Sano in solving this one. Great story as always, loved how Sano's wife Reiko is playing a more and more crucial role in solving the crimes.

Hunter's Run - Picked this up at the library just because it had George R.R. Martin's name on the cover. (Dang. That works. Boo.) Not sure I would classify this as entertaining science fiction, more the thought provoking kind. As in thoughts about what makes you you and the nature of humanity. Set on a "frontier" planet, the main character a prospector, wild West kind of mentality. He's on the run after committing a murder and discovers something bigger than precious metals out past the previously explored areas. And that's all I'm going to tell you. Worth a read.

The Jesus I Never Knew - Another from one of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey. And timely as we were working our way through gallery after gallery of Renaissance art in Italy and celebrating Christmas. Thought-provoking as always, Yancey takes a look at Jesus through the eyes of a journalist - walking us through the Gospels to see the real Jesus, not the serene blonde often depicted in artwork. He reminds us of Jesus' humanity, marvels at his restraint and points out the overlooked but obvious. The book walks you from start (the annunciation and birth) to the end (resurrection and early church) and provides much to think about. Much.

NOTE: the next three books were sent to me as a gift from a friend at Thomas Nelson. Just because she's my friend, markets Christian fiction and we got into a conversation about it. Since I do a review of everything I write, they're being reviewed. But they weren't sent with that as an expectation. Just to be clear. :-) Future months will include reviews of other books she sent.

Saving Cicadas - Sigh. Let me just say, this was a nicely written book. Loved the characters, interesting premise. But for some reason, fiction books that address abortion as a topic just turn me off. Pondering why that is. When I separate that out, it's really a great book, but the whole abortion thing makes me hesitate to recommend it to people I don't know. Why, when I'll recommend books about legalizing pot to anyone? Left me uncomfortable in more ways than one. Sigh.

Who Do I Talk To? - This book is the second in a series (House of Hope) that extends off the Yada Yada Prayer Group series by Neta Jackson. The House of Hope is a homeless women's shelter in Chicago where Gabrielle Fairbanks has suddenly found herself a resident. Oh, but she's also an employee of the shelter. Seems she came home one evening to find her stuff packed and on the doorstep and her husband absconded with their children. So she and her mother find themselves living at the shelter while Gabby tries to figure out what has happened to her life. The book wraps up with a semi-happy ending, although definitely not feeling like the story is complete in any way. I need to go back to read the first one and will be interested to read the next. All around good entertainment, particularly if you're a fan of chick-flick books. Raised some challenges for me about the easily forgotten needy in our country and am pondering what my role should be in helping.

Never Let You Go - First solo novel from Erin Healy and wow. We're mixing up the supernatural and real worlds and watching the battle between good and evil. Raises questions of free will, the role of evil in the world and just how involved God actually gets in what happens here on earth. Easy to dismiss if you don't believe in an active devil or the spiritual supernatural, although you could just approach it as fantasy and try to ignore that aspect. It's not overly religious in pushing the demon and angel thing. But definitely an example of how far Christian fiction has come in actually being excellent on the fiction front. (I remember the days when anything got published if you could stick Christian on it. Ugh.) Looking forward to reading more by Erin.

Lewister Note: I'm an affiliate with a lot of places. Odds are any link on this blog that takes you somewhere to buy something, I'm going to get a small cut. To the tune of a pack of chewing gum most times. So just know, you're keeping me in gum, OK?

So ... what did you do for Christmas?

2009-12-26T09:03:00.001-06:00

Me - Christmas day in Florence. Whee!

Jealous?

2009-12-26T04:28:00.000-06:00

Big box o' books that showed up on my doorstep just days before we left for Rome, courtesy of my friend Jen over at Thomas Nelson. Handy timing as I ended up bringing four of them with me (of the six total I'm lugging). Finished three so far, expect short reviews next month.

Rome: Hotel Paba Review

2009-12-25T14:04:00.000-06:00

There are only two bajillion options for places to stay in Rome. And that's before you start looking at apartments for rent. Our priorities are the same no matter where we go - king-size bed, breakfast (preferably full), internet access, location. Which made for a few tough choices as apparently no where in Italy do they eat things like omelets for breakfast, internet access is spotty and beds are small and cosy. Poo.

But we scored with Hotel Paba. Not entirely perfect, but nearly so. King-size bed, wi-fi (more on that), breakfast served in room and right near the Coliseum. And the lovely and helpful Alberta at the front desk!

The room - high ceiling, view out onto the street, tiny alcove with the table and chairs, generous closet, mini fridge (with mini room available), decently sized bathroom. If you've ever been on a cruise, it was about that feeling, only add maybe 20 percent in size. Plenty of room for us and flat surfaces for our 300 suitcases. Couldn't put them under the bed, though and no drawers for unpacking into except the tiny bedside drawers. Lamps on either side of the bed (for us readers) and you can control the overhead light from there as well. Heater (and AC I assume) up high on one wall and controlled via a remote. After the first couple of nights in which we couldn't get warm enough, I figured out that the remote was the thermostat and we kept it on the floor so it would make it warm enough. Yowsers. Tons of extra blankets available, but the satin cover on the bed made it almost impossible to keep them on the bed. So heat, good. Close both sets of curtains and the room was pitch dark, perfect for sleeping. For waking up, not so much. :-)

The bathroom had a shower stall (with constantly attacking curtain), with a nice high shelf for keeping the soap, etc. Plenty of hot water and good pressure. Speaking of the soap, one of my only real complaints was with the micro-sized bars. I understand for people staying just one night you don't want to waste soap, but for those staying a week - would have been nice to have soap rather than slivers. Towels were fine, but not replaced the entire time we were there. Weird. Hairdryer, lots of hooks, slippers and a stool.

Breakfast was brought into the room every morning when you called for it. We were constantly oversleeping, so would have breakfast at 10, 10:30, etc. Alberta would bring in the tray within a few minutes of us calling, probably the time it took to make Kevin's cappuchino. Tray had two of everything - croissants, rolls, coffee, yogurt, orange juice. Dish with jelly, cheese and butter to go on your roll. (We often bagged up the extra bread to carry with us to snack on later.) Very ample if you're good with carb-y breakfasts. And always wonderful to have in the room rather than having to get dressed and head out. (One of our favorite things about cruising!)

Hotel Paba is just a block and a half off of Via Fori Imperali, the main street for the Coliseum, forums and Capitoline Hill. There's a metro stop a couple of blocks up the street (Via Cavour) and tons of buses stop on Via Fori Imperali. In fact, two make rumored stops right outside the hotel. We never were able to catch them but there were signs, so I'm sure they do stop there. Generally, the location was fine, although outside of the ancient Rome sights, it was a bit of a hike to get anywhere else. We did take the metro a lot and the bus a few times to get around. Restaurants in the area were kind of OK or uber-touristy so we kept having to head out to get to the places we wanted to eat. I think staying closer to the Pantheon would have put up in a better eating spot. But Rome's not that difficult to walk. Unless you're wearing three-inch heels to get to dinner. That was a nightmare I'm trying to forget.

There was free wi-fi, which we took advantage of. But it was an odd set-up. You had to get time from Alberta that you would use within 24 hours. You had to give her your passport, then you were given a randomly coded username and password. Run out of time, go back and get more. Pass the 24 hour limit, go back for more. It was a strange system. But still, we were able to check email and keep up (a little) with the world.

Lewister Note: I'm an affiliate with a lot of places. Odds are any link on this blog that takes you somewhere to buy something, I'm going to get a small cut. To the tune of a pack of chewing gum most times. So just know, you're keeping me in gum, OK?

Rome: Review

2009-12-25T02:02:00.003-06:00

I liked Rome. Really. (But I like Florence better.) It's loud, crazy, chaotic, unnerving if you've never been to a big city. It kind of reminded me of our first trip to New York years ago when you don't know the city and everything works just a smidge differently than back home. Police sirens (sounding just like the movies) going on all the time, traffic just making up lanes (the white lines are just suggestions) and pushy people. Yowsers.

In general, it wasn't difficult to navigate - except that the streets change names every block and you're following the map and walking straight down a street and somehow end up at a 90-degree angle to where the map says you were. (Yes, even I, queen of navigation, managed to get turned around in Rome.) But we managed to randomly see a lot of Rome that way. :-)

Weather wise - Geez. Lots of cold, lots of rain. Actually, the rain was welcome because it was warmer those days. Except for the part where I forgot to pack our umbrellas. (They were on the list!!) We ended up buying cheap ones at a souvenir shop and are praying they'll last the trip since it's raining every day in Florence too. But overall, it hasn't been too bad. Pretty much like Dallas. I was just glad we decided against Milan and Venice this trip because there was snow up that way! But I was regretting not bringing my pretend-ugg boots almost from the first day. Warm toes are good. Strategy? Pick outside things for days with sun (but cold) and duck inside for things on rainy days. Worked just fine.

And for all you people telling me two days in Rome is enough, you obviously travel at a much more frenetic pace than we do. We were there for six days and I still didn't see everything. And frankly could have spent several hours more at what we did see if my poor under-exercised, desk-jockey body could have kept up. But good excuse to come back!

I'm doing separate posts on our hotel, the food and the sites we saw. Just because I don't like long posts. And yes, I'm sure I had more to say on this main post, but ... we're in Florence now and it's pushing Rome out of my head. (Did I mention I like Florence? :-)

Lewister Note: I'm an affiliate with a lot of places. Odds are any link on this blog that takes you somewhere to buy something, I'm going to get a small cut. To the tune of a pack of chewing gum most times. So just know, you're keeping me in gum, OK?

Quilt commission complete

2009-12-06T09:10:00.001-06:00

Apparently, part of why I couldn't get anything posted was my obsession with a commission I took on. A friend from the Chorus ran into me at the fabric store one day and thus discovered I quilted. Which led to my taking on a new t-shirt quilt project. That included all kinds of stuff besides t-shirts - there are boxer shorts, soccer shorts, baby clothes, time-out mat and a book bag as well!

I love these projects where there's not a pattern to follow. You just kind of make things up as you go along and puzzle out how to make it make sense. Lots of measuring, planning, figuring and futzing involved. And if that part isn't enough to make it not for the faint of heart, you have to cut up someone's precious memories. There is no going to buy more of a fabric if you mess up. (Only got freaked by that one time, fortunately.) I even did some hand embroidery on the front to do the "label"; remembering why I don't like hand work.

Backed this guy with minke, which is uber heavy and warm and soft. And got all kinds of crap in my machine. Had to take it apart to clean it twice during the tacking. The quilt was tacked using a fancy stitch on my machine and I did a self-binding with the minke. And it's long - Kevin's 6'1" and it's still dragging the floor with him holding it. :-)

Lewister Note: I'm an affiliate with a lot of places. Odds are any link on this blog that takes you somewhere to buy something, I'm going to get a small cut. To the tune of a pack of chewing gum most times. So just know, you're keeping me in gum, OK?

Can we drop the"if"?

2009-12-05T08:56:00.000-06:00

Sorry if I hurt you

Sorry if you didn't get the email

Sorry if it didn't arrive on time

If, if, if.

Usually, there's no "if" about this situation, so why does it get tossed in? Do we really suck that badly at apologizing? Or is it plain poor writing (if instead of that) to blame for the problem? Stop it with the ifs already. Suck it up, admit something went wrong and just apologize for it. Sheesh.

Bookpile: November 2009

2009-12-03T08:49:00.000-06:00

The Name of this Book is Secret - Big fat kids book that was fairly entertaining despite borrowing heavily from Lemony Snicket (with the whole, I shouldn't tell you this, stop reading because it's dangerous, tone to it right down to the fake author name. Sigh.) Kevin and I read this one out loud to each other, which meant it took forever to read, but enjoyed working our way through it. It took a while to get going at the beginning (a downside for slow readers), but picked up as we rolled along. Left the ending open for a sequel (and there is one), but I'm not rushing out to read it. Enjoyed the characters Bosch created - plucky kids with interesting quirks and some good over-the-top villains that were a bit creepy actually.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - No, I don't know why it was on my list. And really had no clue once I started reading. This is a book of philosophy, not a book about zen nor motorcycles. Which lead to a number of reason why I struggled with it and in the end didn't finish (although that's mostly to blame on having to return it to the library because I would have eventually made it through.) I thought I was getting a non-fiction book - part of my quest to read more of those - but it opens as a narrative of a motorcycle trip, interspersed among this guy's really deep thoughts while he's riding. It confused my brain. Because of the narrative parts, it wanted to whip through like I do with most fiction. But the deep thoughts - those were not exactly scannable. In fact, this was a book best taken at a slow and plodding pace with a lot of discussion to help process all the things he said. I have a good grasp of his argument about classic vs. romantic thinkers (kind of agree with him) and some of what he was trying to say about quality. But I couldn't read it steadily or quickly enough to maintain a grasp of the threads most of the time. Sigh. Adding back to the list as a "someday" book.

The Innovator's Dilemma - This is becoming a classic business book, at least with people running small tech companies like ours. It lays out the basic premise that by creating and improving current innovations, we can fall behind and become extinct. So the game-changing innovations (disruptive technologies) often come from the least expected places, not the market leaders, no matter how innovative they are. My boss suggested I pick up Christensen's book on disruptive education as well since that's the space we're in.

To Shield the Queen by Fiona Buckley - First in a series about Ursula Blanchard, who becomes one of Queen Elizabeth’s ladies at court after the death of her husband. She becomes involved in trying to keep Amy Dudley (wife of Elizabeth’s favorite Robin) alive, which opens the door to a larger plot to over throw the queen and bring a Catholic royal back to the throne. Now, there are several different mystery series featuring the Elizabethan court, including at least one where Elizabeth is the one playing sleuth. They’re all fine, but apparently not that memorable since I can’t remember who writes them. Boo. But they all make for fine entertainment, and I especially like Ursula in this one, so I’ll be pursuing more of this series. Ursula is strong, resolute, intelligent and courageous, something I’d like to see in more people. And the series works with the constraints of the time, not against them ways that are unbelieveable. (Hate that in historical fiction. Some of the past sucked. Get over it. Use it. Don’t re-write it to suit today. Boo.)

A ton of Italy guides - In preparation for our trip this month. (Yea!) I did the usual pull-everything-off-the-library-shelf to decide what might be worth buying and taking with us. Ended up just getting Rick Steves' Italy 2010 guide to be our one reference on the trip. Need to get back to these because an itinerary doesn't plan itself.

Not Quite Dead - I made it halfway through this guy before I just had to give up. I’m sure he was going to bring the two stories together. There had to be some kind of connection here between the Irish Brotherhood development and Edgar Allan Poe faking his own death. Surely it was going to happen. But I was so unengaged in either of the threads that I finally figured it wasn’t worth continuing. Either of them might have been of interest to me – the Irish challenges in America or the life of Poe – but together, just a confused mess that I couldn’t get excited about.

Compensation policy

2009-12-01T10:04:00.000-06:00

Oh - Now that it's December, I guess I'm supposed to say something about the fact that yes, I do make money when you buy things via this blog. And, well, that's all I'm going to say. I'll work up something fancier and more permanent later.

(What, no comments from Susan about the stupid nanny state we live in? And the stupid people who want to be treated like children rather than think for themselves that lead to crap like this FCC policy? No time to bother. You already knew that was what I was thinking anyway.)

Bookpile: October 2009

2009-11-01T13:49:00.004-06:00

How to Train Your Dragon and How to Be a Pirate - First two books about the heroic misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, a viking in training of the Hooligan tribe. Picked them up because there's an animated movie coming out next year and I wanted to catch the story. (And make a lens on it, yes.) Really enjoyed them. The art looks like something a kid (or me!) would draw and the stories are just plain fun. There's humor that might go over the head of a kid but gave me quite a few chuckles.

Change the Way You See Yourself - Partner to previous book on asset-based thinking. Basically just applied it to three more areas. Maybe when I conquer the other three, I'll come back to this one. :-)

The Alternative Hero by Tim Thornton - First novel from this guy and made me feel like I really missed a lot of music in the 80s-90s. Decent book, not raving about it. Fascinated by the trip back into a world before the internet and even wide distribution of PCs and printers. Hard to remember the days when you couldn't just ask all your Twitter friends for a recommendation.

The Draco Tavern - OK, I love short stories. I love Larry Niven. But this collection wasn't working for me. Not that I didn't love the stories, but ... . Collecting all the ones about the same place just left me wishing for a novel rather than vignettes. You get tired of reading the description of the specific alien types every single time and the tavern just seemed ripe for more depth. Great setting and some interesting things raised for discussion, but possibly shouldn't be taken in one sitting.

The Spiderwick Chronicles - We watched the movie recently and left it thinking that the book was likely better. And maybe if the book(s) were more than the movie, that would be the case. Finished the first book in an hour, got nothing more than was in the movie so am not proceeding to the rest of them. Maybe if I had read the books first, I would have been more impressed with them. (NOTE: this is one time when being an adult reviewing a kids book isn't a good thing. These would be fabulous for the right kid.)

Lateral Thinking - had to abandon this one. Just wasn't in the mood for what turned out to be a textbook. Could never focus enough to make it very far.

(All links above go to Amazon. Yes, I make money if you buy them, probably enough to stay in gum. The people annoyed by my gum popping do not thank you.)

No cheering for infidelity

2009-10-19T10:14:00.002-05:00

Not going to do it.

Don’t care how bad you make their situation. Don’t care about soulmates. Don’t care how much romantic music you swell up in the background.

I’m not cheering for infidelity.

It’s a common theme in movies and books. People trapped in a loveless/abusive/neglectful (pick one) marriage discover love with someone not their spouse. And now we’re supposed root for them to abandon their vows, seek happiness without regard for consequences and run off into the sunset with each other.

Get real.

There is nothing romantic about infidelity. And there is little permanent about selfish happiness.

So stop it already, OK? I hearby declare a moratorium in my household on movies that involve such plotlines. If you’ve never lived through the pain infidelity can cause a family, you might think I’m going a little off the deep end; you probably don’t feel quite so sensitively toward that subject. But any married person should be ticked at the casual way infidelity gets bandied about.

(Yes, I just watched a movie this weekend with such a story line. They didn’t end up together, but you were definitely supposed to root for them to do so. Am I the only person who just thinks this is wrong?)

Paisley's review of PlanetDog disc

2009-10-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

So, our friend Anthony over at k9cuisine sent Paisley a new frisbee* recently. Chasing frisbees is her main source of exercise since she hates walks (weird dog) and she had finally broken her last one. This is a blue and orange disc from PlanetDog with the orange part a hard plastic like a regular frisbee and the blue part a softer rubber-like material.

She loves it. She will choose it every time over the regular frisbee. (Although, if they're both out there, she'll try to pick them up together. Hilarity ensues. :-) The humans - we'd rather use the regular frisbee. Guess who wins?

The PlanetDog disc is much heavier than a standard frisbee, which takes a little getting used to. You have to really fling to get it to go the length of the yard. And I have yet to actually get Paisley to catch it, although Kevin reports that she's caught it for him. So I'm not sure if it's harder for her to catch because it's heavier or if she just likes chasing/attacking it on the ground. She does tend to pounce on it a lot once it dies.

So far, it's holding up really well. Paisley has little teeny teeth that don't exactly cause a lot of damage to anything and despite her fondness for chewing on the PlanetDog disc, you don't really tell that much. The tag on the disc promised a minty taste (I licked it and didn't taste anything), so maybe that explains her desire to chew it.

So this is the frisbee of choice here now as it's the one Paisley wants to play with. Sometimes without me. :-)

(*Note: the frisbee was a gift with no requirement for review. But Paisley insisted on sharing.)

Recapping TEDxSMU 2009

2009-10-14T08:00:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to tell you every little detail of the event. Although maybe I should. I was one of the few people I saw taking any kind of notes, much less copious ones.

All in all, TEDxSMU was a well-run event, very consistent in tone and style with the main event held in Long Beach and all the more impressive for having been pulled off so quickly. (Six months from idea to execution!) Well spent day, although I'm not entirely sure just how the people at the big deal manage to make it through four days of this!!

Here's my non-randomized experience with TEDxSMU:

Cool moments:

Podium JFK used when he did his man on the moon speech was there to illustrate the power of the individual to change things
Jill Soubule – singer with an incredibly wry sense of humor. (One selection? You Better Not Kill in Texas.)
Seeing what the new Wyly theater is going to be like (The group I sing with - The Women's Chorus of Dallas - is doing its spring concert there with Lesley Gore as our special guest.)
Rives visual poem – Trespassing in New York City
Great food options and snacks (Hansen and Blue Sky drinks! Not a Coke, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper in sight. Wow!)
Polyphonic Spree – awesome!

Semi-quotable moments

Some people were just full of it. Completely. Talking about stuff that they really had no expertise in or providing very anecdotal evidence and guilt piles. And saying things they obviously thought were profound. Some were.

Bobby Haas - The price you pay for your inheiritance is the responsibility that goes with it.
Joshua Prince-Ramus - Lost art of productively losing control
Amory Lovins - Carbon fiber for ultralighting cars
William Abraham - Make an illuminating mistake
Aaron Reedy - Teacher should be more than just a conduit of information, need to bring passion
William Kamkwamba - We don’t need to wait for the government to do it for us (standing O from people who probably support the public option for health care)
Tanya Pinto - You can make a small change, don’t be scared by the statistics.
Turk Pipkin - If you are looking for a big opportunity, look for a big problem

Bitches

The theme for the day should have been "all wet". There were a large percentage of presentations around water issues or that brought up water as a segment.
To that same thing, in general, the mix of presentations could have been a little better. We didn't see much from the soft sciences - marketing, psychology, sociology - and not really even biology. The event was organized by the engineering school at SMU and I wonder how much their interests slanted that. Arts were pretty much covered by performance, not by presentation. (OK - this is a real bitchy thing, I know. Having seen TED via satellite - so semi-live - you get a good sense of the way TED mixes things. I guess I would have liked more of that mix.)
Improv dance/music group. Let me just say it for everyone I talked to about it - huh? (Perfect opportunity for a short talk after to explain what was going on up there.)

Wrap-up

The theme for the day was "What Would Change Everything?" My answer is always "nothing". When we spend a lot of time looking for The Big Change, we miss all the small opportunities to make change along the way. Small change that adds up to THE REALLY BIG CHANGE. I wonder how many of the people at TEDxSMU will actually leave and change in any way based on what they heard.

We shall see.

Photo Gallery:

Question for the audience: How'd you get that scar? Come to the front, take the mike for a strict 30 seconds and tell us. Some good stories, some weirdness. Yes, bum us all out by telling us about your tumor.

Benefit of knowing the building. I found some peace on the couches at the bottom of the stairs. Headed there to eat my lunch (yes, being anti-social) and got to spend the time with speakers hanging out. David Gallo from Woodhole is quite the character.

I am the world's worst phone camera photographer. But this is the stage for TEDxSMU. Great set-up and lighting. It's tough to do much on the stage at Caruth because it's so shallow, so kudos!

There were around 500 people expected, although I did see some empty seats. Sorry I couldn't bring you to help fill them. (This is far over my normal limit of 8. :-)

My first shot. Just wanted something to show where I was. The amount of technology they had going was pretty impressive. Major kudos to Sharon Lyle for pulling this all together in great fashion!

New glasses have arrived

2009-10-07T06:04:00.001-05:00

Video post!! I really should do more of these. Showing off my new glasses from Zenni Optical, which arrived Monday. (That was one fast boat from China!) I got four pair, including a pair of sunglasses for the whopping price of $167 - about $50 less than what I paid for my last pair of glasses from the doctor.

I screwed up with one pair - ordered too narrow a frame, although I'm adapting - and the brilliant green pair that I've been talking about on Twitter turned out to not be quite so brilliant a green in person. Adore my sunglasses and my red every day pair are perfect.

This is at least the third time I've ordered from Zenni and my husband has gotten glasses from there as well, so if you're thinking about ordering glasses online, I can vouch for them. Great source for learning more about the different places you can get glasses online as well as information about ordering is GlassyEyes.

My extra tips on ordering:

Customer service isn't the same as regular stores. Some of the online optical stores only do customer service via email, so stop trying to call, already! Understand that this is one of the things you yield in order to get a great price.
Know what works for your face. That means style, color and size. You'll be using all that to make an educated guess when you order online. (Although, there are a couple of sellers that allow you to upload a picture in order to "try" on styles before you order.)

Happy to answer any questions I can if you're thinking about ordering your next pair of glasses online.

(See those boxes off to the right of the screen? Those are wheels. For a car. That I want out of my house. If you'd like some nice wheels, let me know and I'll send you details. I think they're the race wheels from hubby's M3, which we don't have anymore.)

Bookpile: September

2009-10-01T10:02:00.002-05:00

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Phillip Yancey - This one has been a long time in the finishing. yet another thought-provoking work from Yancey, whom I greatly appreciate because he comes from the same background as me (fundamentalist, reporter). I started reading it almost a year ago and it proved a great resource and comfort when my niece died back in January.

Empire Trilogy (Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire, Mistress of the Empire) by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts - By far my favorite fantasy series ever. Unearthed as I was unpacking our books and decided it was way due for a re-read. Still just truly adore these. Strong female character battling against incredible odds with nothing but her wits, character judgment and honor to sustain her. (OK, that sounded like a cheesy back-of-the-book blurb. Ha!) It's the action on the other side of the Riftwar and full of political machinations - my favorite kind of drama. (Technically still working on the last one, but don't tell.)

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures - I'm two years late on reading this and then I ended up just skimming it. Because it's a danged reference book. Which means I now have to buy it. But loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Started scribbling out something for work already that may or may not be right, but was fun.

And, because we can all be mature, right? Yes? OK.
Tickle His Pickle (Yeah, I know. Just try to be mature about a book with a title like that.) - exactly what you think it's about. Complete with pencil drawings.

She Comes First - And exactly what you think it's about. Guy spends a lot of time waxing philosophical about Aristotle's poetry and the like in trying to convince you that she should come first. Maybe skip ahead if you already believe that. I bought it for me to read (obviously misunderstanding), but it is totally for the guy in your life. (Or girl, I suppose.)

[Light month, although I have three other books that are almost finished.]

The good & bad new from M&Ms

2009-09-17T11:24:00.003-05:00

It's no state secret that I love chocolate and peanut butter together. There is no greater combination in the world than chocolate and peanut butter. Two great tastes that taste great together, right? (Danged advertising.)

And my usual favorite (when I am ignoring things like the fact that I shouldn't eat sugar) is the peanut butter M&Ms. (Please, everyone, eat them so they don't go away!! Public service to all, but especially me, OK?) Anywho, they're my poison of choice usually. But they're tinkering with them and I wanted to warn you.

There's a strawberry/peanut butter version lurking on your shelves. You can identify it by the strangely striped bag attempting to mimic the colors of peanut butter and strawberry jelly in a weirdly washed out way.

I tried them. They were strange. They faintly tasted of strawberries (without any evidence of anything that should taste like strawberry) and barely of peanut butter. They were not a success in my book. And I'd say the company was disavowing them as well since I couldn't find them listed on the website, but they haven't updated their news since May, so that's no indicator.

(Feeling good about saving you from that one. Send me the regular peanut butter ones as thanks, OK? :-)

That said, I did get an email from M&Ms highlighting some of their personalized offerings and ... I'm sorry ... but these are really cool. (Even if they only come in plain.) NFL M&Ms. Outside of having too many capital letters to type, I love these! The Steelers ones are the best, of course, but they all look pretty sharp. Some teams come with four colors/designs, others with three.

And 10% off now if you're feeling pretty good about your team's chances of making it to the Super Bowl and you're already party planning. (We'll see you there! Go, Steelers!!!)

Extreme chair addiction?

2009-09-02T17:14:00.002-05:00

There are a whole whopping two butts in our household. (Not counting the dog’s.) So you start to wonder when every time I turn around, I need to buy another chair for a room.

Just how many chairs can two people need?

We have eight dining chairs, 10 folding chairs, a camp chair, two office chairs and a vanity stool currently. On my shopping list are three occasional chairs for the family room, a chair for my sewing room, four barstools for the kitchen, two patio seats and a big cushy chair for my office. Not to mention the loveseat that’s been ordered and will arrive in the next few weeks.

That’s (eventually) 43 separate places to park a tush. Something is just a little wrong with this picture, I think.

Or else I need to throw a party?

Bookpile: August

2009-09-01T09:23:00.001-05:00

Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom, California Demon, Demons are Forever, DeJa Demon - Whipped through the four available books in the series and now waiting eagerly for the next one in the series to come out in October. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer all grown up and living in the suburbs. Plenty of humorous lines, personal drama and angst. Some of the plot lines are a little too obvious (I mean, there's setting something up for later and then there's shining a spotlight on it so it's uber obvious.) but all in all, fun reads if you're into beating up evil.

Mirror Mirror: A Novel - Part of Gregory Maquire's fairy tale books. Not nearly as perverse or graphic as Wicked, and not really as good either. The man can turn a phrase like nobody's business, but this story of Snow White just seemed a little contrived, like he was trying too hard to put in a true historical context with the Borgia and not developing a great story. I left Wicked ready to debate the nature of good and evil; left this one feeling he had left great philosophical subtexts behind.

Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market - Story of the underground economy in the U.S., specifically marijuana, migrant workers and porn. Basic point is about what happens because we keep these things as part of the underground economy - people serving life without parole for minor drug offenses, workers being taken advantage of, obscenity cases that waste government resources. Left me angry and frustrated. No one (other than Larry Flynt) wants to run for office on a platform of personal freedom that includes legalizing pot and letting me do what I want in my own home. Boo. Biggest complaint is that the book is a few years old and can already do with some serious updating of numbers and laws and stories.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules - Just wanted to check out this series so picked up book two. Novel in its format, but the story was just OK. Would steer a kid toward better things, but not necessarily discourage this one.

Change the Way You See Everything through Asset-Based Thinking - Ran across this one at the bookstore while I was looking for some GTD info. Fell in love with the cover and the layout (great example of how to do a beautiful e-book.) Full of stickies at the moment from my first read through. Had to buy my own copy so I could spend more time with it and truly absorb it. Full of exactly the kind of shift my thinking has been making over the past six months. (And that I'm eager to hold on to rather than shift back to old patterns.) Likely much more on this one at a later date.

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels - Recommended to me by Michael Bungay Stanier, a coach and trainer, as I was starting a new job. Pulled out more info than I had time to process before starting and I need to get on that info. Definitely worth a scan through if you're making a change to a new company or want to make the most of a promotion opportunity. Won't be precise to your situation so you need to be able to extrapolate for your needs. You can do it.

The Supernaturalist - "New" (to me) from Eoin Colfer, the Artemis Fowl dude. Enjoyed it, although wanted more about the world he created with the satellite city. (Forget the people! I wanted to hear about the sociology and technology. Sad.) Potential for scaring a sensitive child or giving others a new imaginary friend, but pretty cool overall for a pre-teen kid.

Who says I have to do that?

2009-08-06T21:10:00.004-05:00

Great. I'm this glorious can-do, get it done, make things happen superhero now. My own fault. (Seth's actually with complict cooperation from the rest of the SAMBA team.)

Truly, all kidding aside, it is my superpower. I do make things happen. No turn water to wine type make things happen or make cookies have no calories make things happen. But I can take things from A to B like no one's business.

Which is creating quite the dilemma for me of late. Because my to-do list is longer than a giraffe's tongue - filled with important but not urgent items with no particular deadlines in mind. And that leaves me with a "pffft" attitude about crossing them off.

It doesn't count as productive to just change the deadline dates on items so they don't look like they're overdue. Nor does it get things done to never put a deadline date on them at all. And it's a bad Susan who decides to just delete something rather than have to stare at it for days. Sigh.

Here's the crux of it. Two actually. (Is that cruxes or cruxi or cruxae?) When you're the boss of you, you have to be the boss of you. That means holding your own feet to the fire (or finding an accountability partner) to get things done in the time you've allotted yourself. The second is a need to develop reasonable expectations of yourself. I seem to think I not only can make things happen, but do them all in one afternoon. Silly Susan.

So I'm giving myself two distinct (but surprisingly not opposing) commands. Lighten up on the expectations, but get done what you say you're going to do. Got it?
________________

Side note: I just was looking at feeds and I have a couple hundred subscribers here now. Who the heck are you people? Why are you interested in my life? And why don't I ever hear from you in the comments?

Quilts in the "finally" category

2009-08-03T08:54:00.003-05:00

I'd love to use the excuse that my sewing machine was stuck in limbo land during the year of remodeling. And then I went off to NY for six months. But no. Sadly, I just took a danged long time to make these guys. The baby quilt (which is lovely but too narrow) was meant for a child who I think is now three. I wish I could remember where I got the block idea - I'm pretty sure I didn't make it up on my own. The centers are 16 squares, then there's two rectangles with triangles on each side to make the points. I used scraps and ran out of the right colors, so I couldn't make more than the six blocks. It just is missing a real center focus. Probably should have thought about it more before I actually put the blocks together. Sigh.

And the Tennessee quilt? When I started it, that was the only UT fabric you could get. And it's not cotton. And trying to match the orange proved almost impossible and I came to hate this thing before I finished it. Boo. Now there's a whole line of great UT licensed fabrics I can use. I want a do-over!

And I shall take it. Nothing that says my brother can't have two, right? I am proud of the back, though. That's made to look like the UT football field. Kind of. It was a heck of a job calculating how to do that, let me tell you. (Credit for the idea goes to my dad.) Would have been nice to be all fancy and create the white lines for the field, but that was more than I wanted to deal with. Total time for this guy was probably about five years. Maybe longer. Good thing he's not expecting it. :-)

Bookpile: July

2009-07-31T18:38:00.000-05:00

What I read (that I can remember):

Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?
(I know. I hadn't actually read everything Seth wrote.) One of Seth's least popular books and I can understand a little as this is a tough concept for most people to get. But it's a good book, definitely worth a look through. But also the most frustrating from a marketer's standpoint because it makes the case that marketers need to be involved from the start of business and product development. And that's a tough one to pull off at most companies.

Little Brother
Cory Doctorow's book has been topping all the charts as a great piece of libertarian fiction. And it is both great and libertarian. If you think you have nothing to worry about from the "war on terror", think again. And given recent news out of Florida with a representative saying our freedom isn't absolute, the fictional story in this book seems even more real and possible. It's listed as young adult fiction, but great for any age with a thinking brain. Loved!

Wit's End: A Novel by Karen Joy Fowler

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Dealing creatively with the lemons

2009-07-29T18:09:00.003-05:00

You know I'm all for doing something rather than sitting and whining. Nothing ever got better by griping about it.

One of my Squidoo mates is doing just that. Rough times on the retail front are making it tough to get her mortgage paid right now. They're working things out with the bank to renegotiate the mortgage, but that's in two months and they need to make the payment now.

So she decided to knit hats to raise the money. And hooray for the internet! Her first order came from another Squidoo pal in Australia, something that wouldn't have happened not that long ago.

She's well on her way to getting the mortgage paid. Help her out by picking up a few maybe as a Christmas present or donate them to the shelter. Thanks!

Work or do nothing

2009-07-20T14:26:00.001-05:00

Even us kick butt get things done types struggle with productivity. I’m easily distracted, sometimes by things that are fun, sometimes by things that are easy, sometimes by things that are tangible.

So I’ve been working to implement something Seth taught me – work or do nothing. During the time he has set aside for working, he has a short list of work tasks and he either does those or he does nothing. And doing nothing isn’t sustainable for him. Or me!

The challenge comes in tightly defining “work”. Reading email doesn’t count. Checking your feed reader doesn’t either. Or cleaning out your desk. (Or writing this blog post, in my case. I’m supposed to be constructing puzzles for Twitty Questions or drafting a project proposal. Boo.)

The idea is that it is so easy to get distracted by things that keep us busy, but don’t make us productive. So what are you busy with today? And is it what you should be doing?

Me either. Back to work.

Should I be more promiscuous?

2009-06-22T21:17:00.003-05:00

Online that is. :-)

My online worlds used to reside so neatly in their boxes. But with joining Seth's program and my public launching of my boss hiring project, suddenly things are spilling out all over.

The tight boundaries and rules I had about how I connected online now make me feel as though I'm being rigid, uptight, pedantic. And people don't like those kind of people. I'm working hard to not be that kind of person. But is mimicking the promiscuous connecting style of others the right way to conduct my connecting?

Now, my general rule of thumb has been that I had to actually know you in a professional capacity before connecting at LinkedIn. And I have to know you at least in the online sense before I'll accept a Facebook friend request. (Which is why there has to be a note!) And I'll talk to anyone on Twitter, but I only follow people (and companies) who are saying something I want to read. Which changes frequently depending on my mood.

So I'm left feeling horrible now because prefectly nice people whom I've never met are sending me LinkedIn requests. And I'm getting Facebook requests with notes from strangers. And I have no idea what to think about the more than 600 followers I have now on Twitter. (Who are all waiting to hear about ... what?)

Am I living in an antiquated world where I want to keep real life just a little separated from online life? Am I being highly rude by not being promiscuous?

Pondering this morning ...

2009-06-20T09:02:00.002-05:00

Defending vs. defensive
Why people keep pushing for federal involvement in things that should be state/local decisions - gay marriage, medical marijuana, etc.
How to make choices between widely varying options in my hire a boss search
Throttling Blogger for four straight days of a problem with custom domain publishing
Finally taking this blog to the big leagues with a custom domain, new template, self-hosting
Just how crazy I am because I want to do everything
Learning to play the ukelele
The need to develop a new/better/stronger password
What gets defined as news these days
How immensely blessed my life is and I should thank God more

Car camo

2009-06-14T09:54:00.003-05:00

Now that spring is here, my car is hard to see again. Not because it's under snow but because it blends with all the green around here. Ha! The greenery just feels different than it does in Texas - much more lush and vibrant. And far wider variety of plants since there isn't quite the same level of heat here trying to kill everything in sight.

The Susan who says "Pbbbt!"

2009-06-09T22:54:00.003-05:00

It's been a crazy few days. Seth blogged about the SAMBA program, talking about my team project and my job hunt site, Susan Hires A Boss. On top of that, I launched a new business serving up games played on Twitter.

And at every turn, there was someone I didn't know waiting to tell me I was doing it wrong - usually in the nice private forum of email. To which I am learning to say, "Pbbbt!"

It's been an effort to be bemused rather than upset by strangers feeling they have the right to tell me my business plan is all backwards, my attitude is pretentious or my tweets are boring. There is no relationship there, so what makes them feel they have the credibility to take up the topic with me?

I have had comments from others - people I know, whose opinions mean something to me. They may have said exactly the same thing but because there's a relationship there, a bond, a history - I take time to listen to them.

To the rest of you, I say "Pbbt". I've apparently started the move from good student to headstrong visionary. I'll let you know when I get to mature and can say something else.

"Pbbbt!"

I'm hiring a boss

2009-05-27T06:12:00.000-05:00

So my six months with Seth Godin is wrapping up soon. Which means I'm looking for my next adventure. And rather than taking the passive, lame-ass way of finding a job, I'm hiring a boss. Pass it on.

Little Miss Match store opens at Grand Central

2009-05-26T10:26:00.001-05:00

Going to be sad to not see this every week after I go home. It's just a happy place!! My favorite thing at the Little Miss Match store is the round that lets you select individual socks to create your own sets. Wish we could do that online too. (Hint, hint!!)

Can you see me on a motorcycle?

2009-05-24T09:59:00.000-05:00

Yikes. I'm willing to take risks, dream big, all that jazz. But when it comes to risks of my person, my body, I tend to get a little freaked out.

I'm afraid of heights (because they are really bad for your health). I hate roller coasters. I get car sick. I panic when I start to pick up speed on skis (maybe I should just snowshoe). Loss of control - not so much my friend.

So (just where am I going with this?), here's my great irony. I love to go fast - as long as I'm on the ground and semi-controlling things. I adore water slides. ATVs are a blast. I drive like a granny to save gas, but speed is good. (OK, I'm still a cautious driver, no matter what. Maybe not so ironic.)

A few months back, I started thinking motorcycles. We have an antique Norton that came to us in pieces (it belonged to hubby's grandfather) and it's being restored to probably better than original. Which led us to realize that we could actually ride it! Hooray!

Which has us making plans to take motorcycle lessons and shopping for helmets, motorcycle jackets and other gear. I'm excited about the class and desperately hoping I like actually driving a bike. Because then, I get to get my own!! Because it's the most important thing, of course, I've been trying to decide on a color. We have a yellow car, a green car and now a red motorcycle. So I'm thinking electric blue. Going to be a blast!!

Spring in NY

2009-05-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

Good things about spring in NY:

It's actually spring. We seem to skip that season in Dallas.
Tulips everywhere!! My favs.
You can open windows. Wow.
No more layers, layers, layers. Cuddle Duds are now packed away.
No humidity. Nice!!
No mosquitos! Nice!! (Was concerned because of the river so close.)
All of which adds up to the fact that I actually go outside. Amazing.

Bad things about spring in NY:

Too much fresh air - bad. Darned allergies. There's something up here that doesn't like me that we don't have back in Dallas.
Still have to have layers, layers. You never know what'll be like outside.
No bluebonnets. Missed them this year. Sigh.
Serious raining. I actually bought rain boots. (First time I've really experienced the "April showers" from the poem.)

Flight 93 memorial a travesty

2009-05-08T07:04:00.000-05:00

So, in an inevitable move, there are plans for a memorial at the site of the Flight 93 crash. And a rush to get it done before the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 plane crash.

Can anyone tell me how the memory of these people is served by taking the land from the owners to build the memorial? It's an irony that the people on Flight 93 died trying to protect others, but the land owners find themselves entirely without protection as the park service makes a land grab.

Would you want to remembered in a way that trampled the rights of others? If we see their struggle to get the plane back as a fight for freedom, how hypocritical is it to take land from people to honor them. And just to be clear, it's taking the land no matter what you pay for it if the owners are forced to sell it.

There's no greater public good served here by taking this land. No necessity met by a change of ownership.

If the people who owned the land wanted to build a memorial, if they approached and said they wanted to donate, even if they approached saying the wanted to sell it because it just didn't seem right to use the land for anything else, that's one thing. But to tell them they have to sell up, no choice about it, nope. Eminent domain run amuck.

At least it's not another case of a developer stealing land with the government's help for a strip mall. Gaaa.

Two tips for Ning

2009-05-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

Can I share a secret with you? Something I wish had known a few months ago?

There are a lot of Ning groups out there. I've landed in a few of them. And you can't log in under more than one email at a time. Ugh. So I'm in Triiibes under one, Sales Club under another and a SAMBA group under yet another. This is a nightmare from a logistical standpoint!! I can't easily switch from one group to another. Sigh. Live and learn, right?

Another tip related to Ning. If you ever start a group, do it with a throw-away email and user name. Because if you participate in the group under your admin address, you can never get rid of that group. If someone came along and offered you money to take over the group, the only way to give them control is to delete yourself from the group. So all the work you put into the group, all your participation would be gone. Poof. Unless you're OK with that, don't participate in your Ning group under the same account as the one you set it up under.

Children's bedding options for easy decor

2009-05-06T09:54:00.000-05:00

Back when I had my mural business, I loved doing children's bedrooms. Adults are much more willing to be bold and daring in a kid's room where they aren't in other rooms. I did rocket ships, a Winnie-the-Pooh tree, a farm - great stuff.

So of course, I loved putting together my latest line of shops, all around children's bedding. There is just so much cool stuff out there these days. When I was a kid, I remember Holly Hobby and Strawberry Shortcake and that was it.

So I have had a blast pulling together these guys with everything from frogs to ladybugs to Disney princesses to trains. I ended up with 25 of them by the time I got done. And there still plenty of room for more, amazingly enough.

Lenses created for SAMBA

2009-05-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

It stands to reason that Seth would have those of us in the SAMBA program busy over at Squidoo. (More pages means more traffic means more page views means more money for Squidoo means more money for charity.)

So we're supposed to be doing a lens a week. Let's just say I'm a bit behind. OK, a lot behind. But ahead of everyone else!! Which is what really matters, right? (Have got to get past the comparing thing.)

Lenses are supposed to cover a concept, book or case study - our choice. A book is the easiest for me, so I've tried hard to choose others, which is part of what's gotten me behind on the assignment. Poo. Not that I don't get concepts, but my standards for what should go into that kind of topic just means I need more than a week to get it done. (Excuses, excuses!!)

Here's what I've completed to date. Definitely different from my general choice of topics. Which is good for me, right? Gives me a more complete diet.

Books - The Red Rubber Ball at Work, Republic of Tea
Case Studies - Water is Basic, (eventually John Stossel)
Concepts - How to Promote Your Book Using Squidoo, Being On Purpose, Brand Position Story

Note the lousy lensranks? Gotta do something about those. Doesn't get me motivated to do more deep content lenses when they don't do well. (Yes, it's my fault. I've also fallen off the promotional train.)