FREE RICE

Imagine stretching your mind and donating rice to feed someone less fortunate. Check out FreeRice to test your understanding of the English language and give.

BEG BORROW AND STEAL

Amie has a great post over at The Din. She talks about the book called "Not Quite What I Was Planning". I like the idea of writing my life story in just six words.

Amie's six words: "wakeup in control, retire in vice"
My six words: "i should not have eaten that!"

YOU KNOW THAT GIRL?

The girl everyone likes? The one who has inside jokes with half the world? She's funny and witty and just the right combination of silly and soulful? You must know Cara Dee! Her comments on my blog make me giggle. Her posts make me giggle. The way she and her husband seem to goof off together and have fun like you do with your BFF from high school.
Cara Dee, I'm not sure I knew funny before I knew {virtually} you. Thanks for sharing your prank. It really makes our "let's fill Jaimi's office up with balloons while she's in Thailand" prank a little blahzay!

GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DAY

Tara was kind enough to award me with a "you make my day" award on her blog. Thank you for embracing my neurosis. In keeping with the making of days tradition, here are five blogs I enjoy.

1. In{side} the loop: Courtney from Houston has such great knack for design and fashion. Lots of eye candy to witness. She's also a great advocate for Houston and if I move there I'm making her be my best friend. She leaves great comments.

2. Ali Loves Curtis: I know, she wins all the awards. She's like the Amy Winehouse of blogs. But she's that way for a reason. Her blog is cross between a needle pointed dish towel from your grandma and a post modern house made of glass teetering on the edge of a lush green hillside.

3. Daisy Chain: Amber from Sonoma has both pretty house wares and fashion to browse whilst eating your lunch or lamenting your husband's travel schedule.

4. Hello My Name is Heather: Her fabric and designs are like walking into a colorful candy store with barrels heaped full of all the best stuff. Plus, if you ever thought sewing was old fashioned, she'll set you straight.

5. EmilyStyle: She tells you what she ate for Saturday breakfast and it sounds so good you wish you lived with her. Couple that with her adventures in tandem bike riding and archery and you'll go back for more. Even ukulele.

BON VOYAGE TO MARTA AND ALI!

Both Ali and Marta are about to embark on new journeys, live in different places, invent new lives. I'm excited for both of them! A few months ago when Nate and I thought we were moving to Houston I went through similar soul-searching moments. I was excited at the thought of something new and scared and reluctant to leave what I know and love. Through it all, the man of reason, Nate, reminded me that we would always have each other and any difficult or uncomfortable detail of a new life would contain the familiarities of holding his hand and figuring it out together.
Dear Ali and Marta, may you love DC and Idaho respectively and adapt quickly. May you find new friends, employment and a cozy place to call home. AND, may you also find your favorite cafe, bookstore, and place to go and think.


















Photo from Crosti's photostream on flickr.

LOVE STORIES FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

NPR had a story that piqued my interest a little. Here is the story that ran on All Things Considered this afternoon. The New York Times is now running online wedding announcements called "video vows" that you can watch until you are chock full of the mushy romance stuff.
Sarah and Kevin are my favorite!

GREAT BLOG: GREAT PHOTOS

Charlotte owns the blog Anknel and Burblets {her childhood fairy friends}. The photos she takes are beautiful. BEAUTIFUL! Charlotte, a web designer, photographer, writer and aromatherapist, just started Lovely NZ, "a magazine style series of directories bringing you stories and photos on the interesting and lovely in New Zealand."
I dare you to visit and not come out craving a New Zealand sausage or some good cheese. All these pretty photos are Charlottes. Enjoy!

CREATIVITY EVERYWHERE

I discovered two new blogs that I found inspiring and fun to read. Laura Gunn of Laura Gunn Studio is a painter/mother, and Heather Bailey of HELLOmynameisheather is a designer and mother. Both are very gifted artists. Sigh, I really wish I had more time to be creative. Have you ever thought that your actual real life is sucking the life out of you? I feel that way every morning when I'm faced with a new day at my 9-5.
















{Calla Lily painting by Laur Gunn}

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN A CORNER

Three cheers for this British couple who learned the entire Dirty Dancing final scene and reenacted it in the form of their first dance as man and wife. Watch this to the end; it is darling.

It's all up to you to take this idea and run with it Kym...since I often live vicariously through you anyway. Thanks to brilliant Chelsey for enlightening us with this little gem of a find.

TIM AND BRANDI GO PUBLIC!

If you know Tim and Brandi or want to know Tim and Brandi, you should visit their super funny blog which chronicles the life and times of what could be the most hectic year of anyone's life {marriage, moving, pregnancy, building a home} and all of this has just been accomplished since September! And all with good humor.
Over achievers? Yes! Super fun, music snobs? Yes! Really tall and pretty to look at? Yes! Good writers who dare to tell the truth? Absolutely!
Welcome to the blog world Tim and Brandi! And thanks for remembering me in the naming of your blog!

WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND?

Jordan posted this cute note via Found. What a great idea to aggregate all the random notes and jotted down thoughts that must go missing every single day. I'm determined to find something.

AMAZING PLANET EARTH

I first saw the trailer for Planet Earth {Discovery Channel} about a month ago and froze in my chair, unblinking. I was mezmerized. This 11 part series narrated by Sigourney Weaver will have you scurrying around the desert sand with a sidewinder one moment and walking the crest of a dune with the bactrian camel the next. Mixing drama from one animal preying off another with the absultely edifying education about our amazing planet and all the animals that walk the dirt, swim the waters and fly the air; I love this show. Every episode!
After reading Ali's post about the series and some of the comments left there, I really believe this is a series to bridge the gap between man and woman TV viewing habits. Nate and I have been TiVoing the series from the beginning and both agree that the Great White Shark Hunt might have been one of the most intense things we 've seen on film.


Do you remember watching the nature movies in elementary school? This is NOT your grandfather's animal planet. This is the real deal and it took photographers and scientists sometimes years to capture one moment. You'll feel lucky!
You can buy the entire series for $80 here.

SILHOUETTES MAKE A COMEBACK

I know I'm about a year late making this announcement, but you can't step into a boutique anywhere without seeing the silhouette of a young girl or boy on anything from paper to dishes. If you are ready to stick your toe in and see how it feels, take a trip to Petite Prints. Please don't buy the t-shirts, that's just tacky. Note cards and that adorable "note for our babysitter" pass without ridicule.

ROSANNA DISHES

If you are in the market for pretty dishes with fun patterns and shapes, stop looking. Rosanna Inc. has lovely dessert plates, cake plates, bowls, tea cups, etc. It's definitely eye candy for those of us who love to be visually entertained. I included just a sampling of the cuteness.










































































Now, before you become so enchanted, look at the pretty packaging you can expect your dishes to come in. These would definitely make a bride blush with excitement to open.

CHERRY BLOSSOM LIGHTS

I'd love to encorporate these into my dining room. They might look just right on the sideboard or in the corner. I think the pink ones would create just the right mood for a quiet dinner party or dinner just for the two of us. Thank you to Something Old, Something New for this find. Buy them at Graham and Greene here for only $26 each.

DARLYBIRD

Jordan's guest blogger Emily mentioned Darlybird, a cute online shop where you can find unique, handmade jewelry and fun gift ideas. I especially like these earrings. If only they were framed in gold. I really only like gold now. They can be yours for $16.

SALTWATER IN LONDON

If I lived in London I'd try to walk by this little shop every day. Saltwater has some beautiful pieces, none of which I can afford. But they do make me happy to have eyes.

VINTAGE TINS

Vintage tins can be used for a lot of different purposes. If you are like me, you carry medications, bobby pins, and breath mints in your hand bag to satisfy moments of dire need. A small unique tin for each item could be a fun way to keep your bag organized.

These tins could also come in handy to carry small pieces of jewelry when you're on the road. Whatever you are trying to organize, car, backpack, handbag, office drawer, utility drawer etc, these tins might be your stylish saving grace. You can't beat the price or vintage selection here.

























































If you are hoping to find something on a grander scale to keep your daughter's barbie clothes all in one place, your sewing accessories, painting supplies, favorite photos or love letters organized and at your fingertips, check out these small boxes. So darling; if you get one or several of these boxes, make sure you keep them on a shelf where everyone can admire them.

SEWING ACCESSORIES

If you are considering picking up your needle and thread and embrassing your inner seamstress, consider some of the following accessories to make your pasttime more enjoyable.
Check out Acme Notions here. This website has so many cute vintage items you'll want to buy them all.

Wooden Thimble









Good Needles {these will make or break your final product}



















Dress Form {I'd like to have a vintage dress form in my home}















Measuring Tape {best to get a 60"}

LOOK-A-LIKE

About a month ago, Kym introduced me to one of the most entertaining internet tools around. It's a little website called myheritage.com and it will bring you more delight then a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

After you've created an account (well worth the 2 minutes to set it up), you have the option to upload a photo of yourself and scan/compare it with thousands of celebrity photos...to find your look-a-likes. The first celebrity photo you see will be the one with the highest percentage of similarities. And then it will go down from there.

Try to choose a photo where you are looking straight into the camera, and if possible without a big smile. Best option would be a prison mug-shot if you can simulate. If you want to make it really fun, don't request that it only look for celebrities of your same gender.

My greatest look-a-like is an art-house actress from the 60s and 70s named Liv Ullmann. I've read a lot about her now and think she is quite charming and beautiful, just like I'll be when I'm 68. Also on my list were Helena Bonham-Carter, Joan Cusak, Wynona Ryder, and Viggo Mortensen. Yeah, that's right, I said Viggo and he's a man.

The only reason Kym and I think this program is slightly suspect is because it didn't ever, even once, recognize the undeniable resemblance between me and Sally Field. Smokey and the Bandit Sally, not Steele Magnolias Sally.

Smokey and the Bandit Sally:












Steele Magnolias Sally:














Here is my look-a-like. Hooray for Liv Ullmann. Fabulous at 68!