Still Running…

I’m still running…for the thrill of finishing my first half marathon with my mom! It sure is easier now that the temperature has cooled a bit. I want to give everyone who beeps, waves and cheers me on a special thank you…sometimes I feel like I can’t take another step…and then you drive by and cheer me on – It definitely puts a little more zip in my step! I’m still trying out all kinds of new running things…yep, I’m all about shopping – even while running!

The talented ladies at SportsPottery sent me the cutest mug last week. They make these amazing personalized mugs , plates, frames, and christmas ornaments to celebrate your sports accomplishments. They made me a chocolate brown and blue mug (matches my dining room) with my name and half marathon girl Orlando 2008 on it. At the bottom of the mug they have the numbers 13.1. It is so awesome!! The great thing about the mug is that it is totally usable too – Microwave & dishwasher safe with no lead paint. The package arrived wrapped in lime green paper with a red grosgrain ribbon and a nice note – very classy packaging! This is the place to go for a gift that will totally floor the recipient…or get yourself a little memento of your accomplishment. They are not just for runners…pick your sport or accomplishment and celebrate it! They even asked me for my hair color…these are super personalized! The medal that you receive at the end of a race is nice…but can you use it everyday? I love their motto “You be a champ. We’ll make your trophy.”

I can’t wait to visit the ladies at SheRuns when I am at the Expo prior to the Disney race. They have all kinds of great running and workout clothes made especially for women. I really love their tees…they have the best sayings on them. They sent me one that says “Divas go the Distance 13.1″. I put it on last weekend and received comments everywhere I went! I think it is important to feel like a diva even when you might be sweaty and sore. Of course the SheRuns tee that they sent me says it all…SheRuns. Yes I do!

As I mentioned earlier the weather is getting cooler. What happens to runners when the weather gets cold ? Their noses run. I know its gross…but it happens. What to do? I have the nifty little Snot Spot – a washable, reusable fleece tissue that you wear over your hand or glove to catch those pesky drips. It is super soft so it won’t irritate your nose and it just gets thrown into the washing machine after your workout. You wouldn’t want to be washing your gloves or mittens after every run! Hey…snot happens…get a handle on it!

I’m on my way out the door right now for a long run (more product research)!

October 16, 2007. shopping. 1 comment.

Orange you glad it’s Friday?

I am still feeling the Halloween High after our little monster mash on KICKS yesterday. I love the eerie music that they played throughout my segment! I’m just going to roll with this great Halloween mood that I am in and celebrate everything orange.

• Chocolate Orange flavored Vodka. How great would this be for some spooky Halloween drinks?

• Have you ever used one of these nifty little orange peelers? I have one and love it!

• This is the coolest cutting board. They also have it in Watermelon and Kiwi.

• Whenever I watch The Rachael Ray show I get mesmerized by her awesome orange cookware. I think she is going to be responsible for single handily bringing orange back to kitchens everywhere! I wonder if our house in Chicago (and Ohio) still has orange linoleum in the kitchen?

• A beautiful little chocolate orange candle.

• Don’t forget to hit Starbuck’s this month for the Orange Mocha Frappuchino.

• These flip flops actually remind me of a pumpkin patch!

• Glass candy corns. These would be awesome in a candy bowl…just don’t eat them!

• Okay…I want this! Every Halloween I make a big batch of Chili or soup…I really want this.

I hope you find my post today apeeling.

October 12, 2007. shopping. 3 comments.

Radio Thursday…Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween…I love dressing up, decorating, and putting giving candy away! I have found some super cool Halloween stuff this year…

• Personal Creations – They have a GIANT assortment of personalized goodies for every occasion. I fell in love with the personalized treat bowl. The bowl is a huge ceramic vessel…it will hold all of your tricks and treats. Not only is your family’s name on it…you get to pick out which costume each of your family members is wearing on it! On mine Mike is the super hero (of course), I am a clown (how fitting), Madison is a little ballerina, Riley is a witch (its a good witch), and my dogs are little ghosts. I think this is a bargain at only $24.95!

• Chocosho - Do you like playing Jenga? Chocosho has a Halloween inspired bone stacking game that reminds me of Jenga. Each stacking piece is in the shape of a bone and a skull sits at the top. Take turns one by one removing bones without knocking the whole stack over. I think we will play this way past Halloween. I also think this would be great for a Halloween party game. What fun!

• Richland Gourmet Apples – Nothing says fall like apples…nothing says Halloween like chocolate covered apples! Richland Gourmet has the most amazing gourmet apples that I have seen. They use a giant Granny Smith and cover it in various toppings….chocolate, caramel, pecans, almonds…you name it! Now not only do they look amazing…they taste awesome. Sweet, tart, and salty at the same time…heaven! They are big enough to share (if you want to).

• 80′s Tees - They have an assortment of costume t-shirts. Just slip on the shirt and presto…you are ready to go trick-or-treating! These are just regular tees with the costume printed on them. Some of the characters you can choose from include The Incredible Hulk, Superman, Charlie Brown, R2-D2, Greatest American Hero…and lots more! What a cool way to join in the fun with no fuss. This definitely goes under the “why didn’t I think of that” category.

Funkins – I know you have seen these very realistic foam pumpkins around – they have them at Pottery Barn, Jo-Ann’s, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and many more retail outlets. What I never realized about funkins was the fact that you can carve them! Awesome…carve a pumpkin to use year after year. I made mine with a monogram (of course) and we will use it for a decoration for not only Halloween but for Thanksgiving too! They even have online patterns to use for carving your own Funkin. The possibilities are endless! I think these are great for people (like us) in warmer climates…they won’t rot.

• Pumpkin Masters – The best source for all of your carving needs! They have everything you need to have the best carved pumpkin on the block! My favorite is the Power Master Saw…a battery operated hand held saw for cutting through your pumpkin like butter. They also have amazing stencils and patterns, took kits for kids, lights, paints, scoops…just go look…they have it ALL!

• Pawshop – Winnie (my doxie) will be celebrating Halloween at a local retirement home visiting with her favorite ladies. You have to be really careful that dogs don’t get any human treats, especially during Halloween (chocolate can be fatal to dogs). To make sure that the dogs at Winnie’s party will still feel like they are celebrating we are making Double Carob Chip bone shaped muffins that are especially for dogs! The Pawshop has bone shaped muffin and cake pans and Brutie’s Barkery baking mixes. I also thought these would be fun to make for Humans too…some spooky bone shaped cupcakes for Halloween! I think Winnie will have to share her muffin tin with the rest of the family.

Have a great Halloween!

October 11, 2007. shopping. 1 comment.

What’s in your shower?

I was looking around my shower today and I was wondering what everyone had in their shower. Of course I have your basic shower with two shelves…no fancy shaving seats or anything. I do have a nice rain shower kinda thing that is supposed to make you feel like you are being rained on. A few years ago Mike got me a soap dispenser that fits on the wall. I love that thing! My girls have a shower radio that they BLAST everytime they get in the shower. It seems like “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie is always on when they shower. So I went out looking for some fun things for your shower today:

I love this pink bug looking radio for the shower! You can get one at Target Online (not in the store). These would make great Christmas gifts.

Ooooh, a romantic shower head!

You know you always have your best ideas while you are in the shower. I love this Erasable Shower Note Tablet. Genius!

With the horrible drought we are in right now I think we should all use a shower timer (especially you Mike…save some water for the fish!!) from Little Green House.

Tan while you shower. Or in my case…get more freckles as you shower.

I found these shower decals for your glass shower door, they have a faux brick pattern on them.

Cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize all at once with this Kai Body Buffer.

Know of any bachelors? Wouldn’t they love this soap dispenser.

The next time you get in your shower…look around…you may want to redecorate!

October 9, 2007. shopping. Leave a comment.

Sorry!

Saturday night was spent with my girlfriends having a Sorry smackdown. You remember playing Sorry don’t you? I love this game because both old and young can play together and nobody is at a disadvantage. The worst part of the game is when you have to Sorry someone and send them home. Some people enjoy this part…I always feel a little bad! The funniest things is that at Church the next morning the sermon was on forgiveness. You have to be able to forgive in order to enjoy the game!

I think these Love & Forgiveness cards are really great. You never know when you might need one.

Here is an I’m Sorry T-Shirt. It seems to cover it all (get it).

Forgiveness is a choice. Step-by-step instructions for forgiveness.

As much as I love playing Sorry…I have a few other favorites too.

October 8, 2007. shopping. 1 comment.

Radio Thursday…a few of my favorites

I always try to put my goodies in special categories for you…but these are some of my favorite things that I want to tell you about. So here it is…a wide range of awesomeness!

• Electra’s Monograms - Monogram stickers for everything!! You can put these on candles, your car, your mailbox, lampshades…you name it. I put one on my daughter’s headboard. Honestly, you need to go look at her site…you will be so inspired. They are so easy to peel and stick, you can monogram anything in minutes. This is truly one of my all time favorites!

• TSP spices – How many times a year do you use sage? Not very often. You know spices go bad after you open them. TSP to the rescue!! These are pre-measured packets of high quality organic spices. Just open the tin, pull out a packet…and use it! You still have 11 more packets to go. You can pick from 6 different spice collections that come with 12 each of 6 different spices. The sweet basics collection would be perfect for all of your holiday baking – anise, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. How perfect! They come in really cool looking metal tins that look great in your kitchen.

• Candle Belts – I love this idea! Add fun and fashion to your plain old candles. These are cute little ribbon “belts” for your candles. You can choose from preppy to whimsical…and everything in between. The chocolate brown and blue one in my dining room gets a ton of compliments. These make great hostess or teacher gifts.You can use them over and over again…just slip them on any candle. What a great way to update your decorating.

• Zakkerz-Don’t you just love when someone comes up with a solution to a problem that we all have? Zakkerz are one families solution to the problem of not being able to the same pair of pants with different height shoes. If a pair of pants fits perfectly with your awesome stiletto boots…the pant legs will drag when you try to wear the same pair of pants with your cute little ballet flats. Not anymore! Zakkerz are a temporary pant roll-up wrap that stays put with hidden magnets. Simply roll your pants up and put 2 Zakkerz on each leg. Problem solved. Genius. $24 for a set of four (enough for a pair of pants!).

• Strappy’s – Face it. Sometimes your bra strap shows. Strappy’s are interchangeable bra straps that are made to show! They come in many different styles from beads and rhinestones to shimmering jewels. Now you won’t be embarrassed when your bra strap shows…in fact, you will want it to show! When used with a removable strap bra they look stunning. Start thinking of your holiday dresses…get a Strappy to match.

• Bosom Button – Have you ever tried to pin your shirt at the top so that you don’t show everyone whats under your shirt? Trying to hide the safety pin is pretty much impossible. Busom Buttons are pretty pins that keep your shirt from flapping open. They are so easy to put on…you will throw all of your safety pins away. They start at $12 and come in a huge variety of colors.

• Clingy Thingy Labels – Convenient stick on drink identifiers! These are residue free adhesive stickers with a multitude of different little pictures on them. Simply have your guests pick an illustration and stick it to their glass. I have even used these when my girls have friends over – you can stick them to water bottles and soda cans too! Only $7.99 for 48 labels. You can even reuse each label. Don’t forget to stock up on these before all of your Fall & Holiday get togethers.

October 4, 2007. shopping. 2 comments.