What'Z That?

I'm in love with my Zyliss shake 'n go shaker and wanted to share it with you. I always get comments when I bring it to friends' houses or work, asking "what's that?"

This to-go styled cup lives up to its name! Put in powdered drink mix, prep eggs or pour in salad dressing ingredients – shake and go!

This multi-tasking plastic shaker also serves as an ad hoc measuring tool with ounce and millimeter markings on the sides. The wide mouth mounted on the screw cap prevents spills and controls the pour.


5 - in -1 shaker

* Measure. Mix. Store. Serve. Drink.

* 16 oz capacity. Blends homemade salad dressings, drinks, marinades, shakes and
sauces

* Leakproof spout

Not to mention that it also doubles as a handy flask at tailgating parties!

Firefly Vodka

On our recent trip to Charleston, I discovered a local liquor that's made exclusively on Wadamalaw Island. It's sweet tea flavored vodka called Firefly. It's sweet enough to drink by itself with a splash of water or you can treat yourself to an adult Arnold Palmer by mixing it with lemonade. But, watch yourself. This tasty temptation creeps up on you. Drink enough of it and you'll start speaking with a Southern drawl.

Tastes Like Chicken?

Cross this one off my list of things to do/try before I die...alligator tail. Lee and I stopped into the Islamorada Fish Company a couple of weeks ago on our way home from the river, and much to our surprise, the appetizer menu included alligator. Yes, we were in California and not the South (or New Orleans).

Never in my right mind would I have ever picked this from the list, but decided I should give it a try and see if it really lived up to its reputation of tasting like chicken. Yeah, a rubbery chicken. "Try alligator before I die - CHECK!"

Wanna Get Away?

OK, so I know that's Southwest Airlines' slogan. But, I had to get your attention somehow.

Until May 4, Trip Advisor is holding a contest for one person to win 1 million airline miles anywhere Continental flies, plus $5,000 spending cash. We all need a little R&R, right? So why not enter for your chance to win? But, if you do, you have to take me on two trips (one to Fiji & one to Italy). Deal?

P.S. You can only enter once/week, so make sure you comply with the rules.

Earth Hour 2009

This Saturday, March 28th, is the first worldwide Earth Hour "election." At 8:30 p.m. local time, wherever you live on planet Earth, switch your lights off for one hour.

Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. The World Wildlife Foundation is urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach a target of 1 billion homes and businesses who switch off their lights for one hour. The data will be presented to world leaders at the 2009 Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

2,848 cities, towns, and municipalities in 84 countries have committed to participating in Earth Hour 2009. Please be one of the households to to Vote! Earth.

The Twisted Vine

As most of you know, I'm quite the wine enthusiast. Nowhere near the realm of expert. I simply enjoy trying new varietals, learning about this time-honored process, appreciating a bottle of wine I've held onto for so long, and meeting the energetic personalities that own and operate wineries.

I haven't yet made the "pilgrimage" to Napa, but am a frequent visitor to Paso Robles. Will definitely make it to Napa, Sonoma and Wilamette some day.

Because wine tasting trips can be rather expensive, I supplement my visits north with an occasional trip to a local wine bar.

One such wine bar is The Twisted Vine in Fullerton. Their selection is eclectic, the atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the "twisted bites" appetizers are delectable. Weekly wine flights are rather affordable, and feature three 3oz. pours of the owners' favorites.

So, if you're ever in the neighborhood of Downtown Fullerton (Commonwealth/Harbor), make sure you stop in and savor some of The Twisted Vine's finest wines.

A Gift To Ourselves

Last September, Lee's TV of 14-years kicked the dust. Until we could save up some money to purchase a new one, our wonderful neighbors let us borrow an extra TV they had. For Christmas, we received some gift cards toward the purchase of a new one, but not quite enough. So, after our tax return, we decided to treat ourselves and purchase a reasonably-priced new TV. After all, we're in a recession and don't need to be blowing a ton of money.

After many trips to Walmart, extensive online research (we learned that March is the best time of year to buy a new TV) and advice from friends & family, we decided on a 42" Vizio. I hope it lasts as long as Lee's TV did, but if it doesn't, it's nice to know that I have a 3-year warranty.

Now, I'm really excited for the start of Angels baseball season! Nothing like seeing my favorite players on a 42" screen in high-def. PLAY BALL!

River trip

Lee and I enjoyed a quick, but relaxing trip to the river this weekend with our friends , Dan and Tammy. Here's a few pics. Saturday was gorgeous. Sunday was nasty, so we didn't get out on the boat. But, it was still fun.

The Tonight Show - President Obama - Full Interview

I love seeing a personal/candid side to our leaders. This interview put a smile on my face.


The Tonight Show - President Obama - Full Interview

Text-iquette

These days, with texting and social networking becoming more popular for instant communication, I'm noticing that grammar and punctuation goes out the window. Most of the time, I'm sure it has to do with speed, but I still try to stick to the basics. Here's some things that make my skin crawl, so try to be on your best text-iquette when conversing with me:

"Your" vs. "You're"
"To" vs. "Too" vs. "Two"
"Their" vs. "They're" vs. "There"
"Accept" vs. "Except"
"Affect" vs. "Effect"
"Compliment" vs. "Complement"
"It's" vs. "Its"
"Bonifay's" vs. "Bonifays"

Seriously?

About the only organization I donate to outside of a grocery store is the Girl Scouts. On occasion (i.e. Christmas time when they sell mistletoe) are the Boy Scouts. Of course, Girl Scouts hold a special place in my heart, since I dedicated so many years of my life to this organization. '

So, here I am a week ago, just leaving Vons, when two little Brownies approach me to buy some cookies. Of course, I say...even though this is the last thing Lee and I need in our pantry.

Now, flash forward to today at 2:45. I'd just finished a late lunch and decided I wanted one of my favorite cookies - a Samoa. But wait! They aren't called Samoas anymore. WTF (sorry Uncle Jeff)? Once again, I'm shocked by how freakin' sensitive the world is today. People and organizations are so afraid of getting sued, that we can no longer call the delicious goodness of a Samoa, a Samoa, we now have to refer to it as a Caramel deLite. How about I write to the Girl Scouts and say how offended I am that they can't spell "DELIGHT" right?

SERIOUSLY?

Guilty Pleasures

While my husband sometimes equates my intelligence with the reality shows that I watch, I always remind him that just because I watch stupid, non-thought-provoking shows, it doesn't make me a brainless idiot. I just enjoy the chaos and stupidity of others, which is a fresh escape for my mind after a long day.

Sometimes, I don't want to think intelligently or have to contemplate the true meaning of a program. Sometimes, I just want to see a spoiled socialite discover how "hard" it is to do the laundry and cook for her family when her nanny/maid is on vacation or how bent she gets when she's introduced as LuAnn vs. Countess Delesepps (Real Housewives of NYC). Although it frustrates the crap out of me, I still enjoy a good laugh at their expense. Can you say, CLUELESS?

None of these shows will change the world, make you shed a tear (except when laughing your ass off) or inspire a greater good. They're simply designed as ratings getters fueled by entertaining drama. Here's some of my favorite guilty pleasures:

Real Housewives of OC
Real Housewives of NYC
Celebrity Apprentice
America's Next Top Model
Chelsea Lately
Nitro Circus
Extra

What's your guilty pleasure?

Luxe

I'm a mascara fiend constantly searching for a better product, and I think I've finally found my match. Cover Girl's Lash Blast is amazing. I used to use other brands' waterproof mascaras, but then had to switch to regular, due to broken and missing eyelashes. It wasn't pretty. Since I had to switch to regular, I never thought I'd be able to find a mascara that held like a waterproof, but didn't rip my eyelashes from my lids when removing. Little did I know that Lash Blast was calling my name from the Target shelves. I first started with the Orange Tube (regular Lash Blast), but when I went to pickup a refill tube last week, I encountered a Pink Tube (Last Blast Luxe). There are four shades of Luxe, each with subtle shimmers - Black Platinum, Black Cabernet, Black Royale and Black Emerald. I chose Black Platinum and love it! Thanks, Cover Girl, for helping me overcome my resistance to non-waterproof mascara!

Back to MAC

For all you MAC Cosmetics lovers, get rewarded for recycling! The Back 2 MAC program gives you one free lipstick, lip gloss or eye shadow for every six used MAC products you recycle. The bonus for me was the recent addition of a free lip gloss or eye shadow to the recycle program! It used to be that you could only exchange for a tube of lipstick. For years, I used to recycle my products and give the lipsticks to my Mom, because I wanted someone to take advantage of the free goods. But now, I can choose my favorite lip glosses and eye shadows, which I go through regularly.

Just make sure that the items you recycle are still in fairly good condition and are of primary plastic MAC packaging (i.e. lipstick/lip gloss tubes, foundation cases, eye shadow palettes, lotion bottles, etc.).

The only exception is that you can't redeem your recycled packaging for Viva Glam products, since 100% of the proceeds goes to charity.

Hey, if you're going to recycle, might as well get something out of it to glam you up!