Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas Ideas from Pinterest

I’m, uh, slightly obsessed with Pinterest (shocker, I know) and the brilliance to be found there is magnified at the holidays. Here are my top 10 favorite Christmas ideas that I’ve seen so far. (Another shocker, most of them involve food!)

(Click on the number to go to the original post to find details)

1.

Santa hat jello shots - brilliant.

2.

Peanut butter reindeer cookies - these would be fun with the kids!

3.

An alternative to my famous pumpkin roll, for people who hate pumpkin (aka Jenny)

4.

Peppermint Chex mix - yum.

5.

A lighted ribbon garland (and tons of other stuff)

6.

Handprint calendar - great present for the grandparents.

7.

I'm not a beer drinker, but this is so cute!

8.

I suppose there should be SOME kind of healthy food at Christmas...

9.

Store ornaments in egg cartons - brilliant!

10.

Chocolate & coconut, need I say more.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Movies I want to see

Last night, Jenny, my sister and I went to see “The Help.” It was a good movie and a nice night out, and it reminded me that I really like seeing movies in a theater. I had forgotten, since it happens approximately once a year. Then I saw a “fall movie preview” in my husband’s latest copy of Entertainment Weekly, and voila, I have a list of movies I want to see in the next decade sometime soon.

Here we go! (Pictures and captions from imdb.com)

1.

The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

2.

A comedic account of a 27-year-old guy's cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.

3.

A comedy centered on the life of Kate Reddy, a finance executive who is the breadwinner for her husband and two kids.

4.

A woman looks back at the past twenty men she's had relationships with in her life and wonders if one of them might be her one true love.

5.

An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Based on the play by Beau Willimon.

6.

Three avid bird watchers compete to spot the rarest birds in North America at a prestigious annual event.

7.*

After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter and Em are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day.

8.

A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.

9.

With the help of three fans, the Muppets must reunite in order to save their old studio from a greedy oil tycoon.

10.

A family man is forced to deal with his twin sister from the Bronx comes to Los Angeles for a visit -- then won't leave.

So, what am I missing? What movie are you dying to see or have you seen lately that you loved?

*To celebrate the August release of the new Anne Hathaway movie One Day, Kodak is hosting a contest on their Facebook page. Share the photo of your one perfect day for a chance to win a trip for two to Paris, France and great Kodak products. The contest ends Friday, August 26, so hurry!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Blogs to Check Out

I’m always adding new blogs to my Google Reader (you don’t have one? You need one, I promise) and I thought today I’d share some of the good ones I’ve come across lately. This is by no means an inclusive lists of my favorite blogs nor is it in any particular order. But they are awesome, and you should add them to your Google Reader (that you now have) too.

1. Organizing Your Way. Part of the “life…your way” series of blogs, I recently subscribed to the organizing section and while I must admit that most of what I read goes into the “awesome idea, I should do that sometime but not today” file in my brain, they have fantastic tips on organizing everything from papers to dinner. And while I was over there to grab their link, I subscribed to the full “Life Your Way” feed. Maybe you should, too.

2. NieNie Dialogues. Here’s how author Stephanie Nielson describes herself: “I am: Returning from a near-fatal airplane crash, burned 80% of my body, and will have surgeries for the rest of my life. Probably. But I am alive. I cherish Mr. Nielson, Claire, Jane, Oliver, and Nicholas.” As though her story wasn’t amazing enough, she has the neatest house. And she also throws great parties.

3. The Fence. I often feel the blogosphere is populated with mostly SAHMs (or WAHMs, or whatever acronym is fashionable at the moment and is meant to mean ‘moms who don’t spend their days at an office.’) and it’s always a pleasant surprise to find a blog written by someone who can relate to the difficulty I have getting out of the house in the morning. Kami Lewis Levin, author of The Fence, is one of the funniest people I’ve ever come across.

4. Baking Bites. You will gain 10 pounds by looking at the pictures, but it will be worth it.

5. Smitten Kitchen. See disclaimer on #4.

6. Gina’s Skinny Recipes. To undo some of the damage done by the last two blogs I listed, I highly recommend this one. It’s my go-to website for recipe ideas that are delicious, nutritious, and low in weight watchers points. Kate, my picky eater (no idea where she gets this. None.), loves Gina’s Crock Pot 3 Bean Turkey Chili, and claims it’s better than my chili, which is the one thing I’m confident about my ability to cook. Or at least I was, until Kate decided she liked this one with chickpeas and black beans better.

7. Bringing Home the Bacon. Holly Michael writes about life as a mom in the corporate world… while raising her three kids on a pig farm (which is just down the street from my house). She also doesn’t like kittens, which means she and I are kindred spirits.

8. Snips and Snails. I was introduced to this blog through Beth from I Should be Folding Laundry (another one to add to your reader!) shortly after the author’s 2.5 year old son was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor behind his eye. Julie’s posts about his struggle continuously amaze me with their openness and honesty. Also? When you see one picture of little Andrew, you will be hooked.

9. Curvy Girl Guide. This site just launched at the first of the year, I believe, and is written by bloggers super famous well-known in their own right. They talk about a little bit of everything, with the focus being on getting comfortable in your own skin.

10. Oh Amanda. How could I write a Top Ten Tuesday post about bloggers and not include Amanda, who created Top Ten Tuesdays herself? I love this girl. You should SEE the birthday parties she throws for her kids – amazing. She wrote a post today about her top ten tips for Blissdom, which are fantastic and real, just like her.

So, what’s in YOUR google reader?

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