Friday, January 29, 2010

Great Giveaway Website!

Can you tell yet that I love giveaways? Well, thanks to my friend Jen, I have been clued in to an awesome site that has giveaways almost daily! Dandy Giveaway has me hooked, and they have already started "Fantastically Fabulous February", which means lots of freebies to enter for. These are so simple... just follow the instructions at the end of each post for your entry. It usually entails entering your name into the comment section, following Dandy on Twitter, naming your favorite item at the featured shop, or some similar action.

Giveaways are going on now for The Painted Daisy, Sophie's Chic Boutique, Frog Legs and Ponytails, Gigi's Apparel, Jenny Present Custom Jewelry, Eden's Bouquet, and Sew Cute By Me Designs! Good stuff, right? Dandy also has special discount coupons for featured stores. You'll find yourself checking back in every day to see what great new contest is going on. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Gadgets `n Gizmos for Guys

Christmas shopping is upon us and chances are you know a boy - or a guy who acts like a boy - who is nearly impossible to buy for. I have a bunch of `em in my family, so I now consider myself something of a pro in this area. I've put together a fun list of Quick Picks that will hopefully make your holiday shopping a little easier!!

Cleanliness is next to torture
It's always a battle to get my kids to wash up. One day I grumbled, "Why can't you just wash your hands without having to be told every time?!" to which my sons replied, "Because we don't WANT to smell nice and girly!" Ah, revelation... and the answer: Bacon Soap. While you're at it, ladies, how about some Sawdust Cologne Spray to get your man's attention? What else rules in a boy's world? All things gross and gooey, of course - so these Scabs Bandages should be a big hit.

Ninjas, Spies, MacGyver, and other boy heroes
Way back in my day, we lived it up with board games. Surely one could entice a boy away from his Xbox, Playstation, or Wii with something like Intrigue or Ninja Versus Ninja? How about an "educational" slant - like the Book of Totally Irresponsible Science or perhaps Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home But Probably Shouldn't, and you can't go wrong with Backyard Ballistics either.

Cool toys for all boys
One of my favorite sites for quirky toys is ThinkGeek.com. They've got everything from a Darth Vader desk clock to kits for testing your blood type to these Hollow Spy Coins for the Double-O-Seven Dudes in your life. Other cool possibilities for the slightly older crowd include rockin' guitar-shaped key covers or sporty Uniform Grill Covers. The whole family will like this Ice Cream Maker Ball... because even in December, who doesn't love ice cream? Sheer genius.

For some really unique gift ideas with a personal touch, check out these "10 Unique Gifts You Can Make With Help From The Web"

Happy Holidays!!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Nifty New Food Storage Tool

This month, Emergency Essentials is offering a free $10 gift card to anyone who tries out their new Food Storage Analyzer program and posts a review. That was enough motivation for me to give it a look, thinking, "They didn't say it had to be a positive review, right?" But I can't help myself - I genuinely like this gizmo! This is not just a calculator that tells you how many calories or pounds you need per day of storage... this analyzer goes much further and lets you see exactly where you are in terms of your food storage.

You input the number of family members, ages, and gender. The analyzer pulls up a list of foods with brief comments about their nutritional content (ie - "high in fiber" or "good source of iron"). You can enter in the amounts that you currently have in storage and the program will break it down by calories, nutritional content, and how many days that will last your family. Some items are linked to recipes. (What to do with that wheat? How about Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes, Bread Crust Zucchini Quiche, even Chocolate Cake with Raspberries!) There's also a printer-friendly view with inventory to tuck in your purse when you head to the grocery store.

The Analyzer calculates all types of food storage: dehydrated, wet-pack, MREs, etc, and... it's totally free to use! Create a user account and you can also save your data. I admit it - I'm impressed. I'm also relieved that I never again have to rely on my Excel spreadsheets for this information!
Gift Card Giveaway

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A Beautiful Voice

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE music and listen to almost anything (except rap or mariachi). I especially enjoy being surprised by an unexpected blend of music (ie - cellos with an electric guitar) or being bowled over by a really great voice... which happened today!

A friend of mine from high school married a singer and did a little plug for her music. I'm always afraid of situations like that because I can't help but think, "What if I don't like it and feel like I have to pretend that I do?" But when I heard Lori Cunningham's music, I was blown away! She has a gorgeous voice, satiny smooth and dreamlike. It's somewhat reminiscent of Evanescence, with modern electronic rhythms and piano wrapped with ethereal yet strong vocals.



Did I mention that there is a great sale on her CD right now only at her website? Yeah, and she writes and composes music and is beautiful too. Makes you almost want to hate her, doesn't it? So what I really want to know is: Robert, how did you get a girl like that?! ;o)

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Chapter 8 in new Lyme book written by yours truly!

Forgive me, but I have to share a little bit of excitement with my friends:   I have been very excited to see a new Lyme disease book hit the shelves this year... because I wrote one of the chapters!  

And no, you don't have to run out and buy this, because I don't get any royalties from it anyway.   It's just very rewarding to be able to contribute to a project like this... and I admit that it's a lot of fun to see one's name in print.

For anyone who is really bored, you can see it here or view the Table of Contents here. 

Monday, August 25, 2008

Monday, July 21, 2008

New Lyme documentary showing this Saturday!

A special screening of the new documentary "Under Our Skin: The Untold Story Of Lyme Disease" will show Saturday, July 26th at the Alamo Drafthouse downtown. The CDC reports approximately 20,000 new cases of Lyme disease a year. Factoring in underreported cases, the CDC says the actual number could be 3 - 10 times higher. You can purchase tickets online. For those not in central Texas, here is a link to other cities where the movie is being shown. A blurb about the film:

" Bigger than AIDS, West Nile Virus and Avian Flu combined, yet most physicians don't recognize it or are afraid to report it. Insurance companies pay experts to say it's all in your head. And the mainstream medical establishment won't want you to see this film.

One of the most misunderstood and controversial illnesses in the history of medicine, Lyme disease is among the fastest growing infectious diseases in the United States. Yet each year tens of thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with such conditions as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and even autism, MS and Alzheimer's. This groundbreaking documentary investigates the human, medical and political dimensions of Lyme disease, an emerging epidemic destroying countless numbers of lives. Following the stories of patients and physicians as they battle for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture and its inability to cope with a growing terror under our skin."

Ffeatured on CNN and Good Morning America!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Space Stuff for July (Geek Alert!)

Some interesting astronomy events happening this month... and that's astronomy, NOT astrology, for all you crystal ball folks...

Tomorrow, July 9th, Jupiter will be at its closest to Earth for 2008, which means it's at its biggest and brightest. Just look southeast after sunset and you can't miss it. (Well, I know some who can, but... they aren't reading this anyway.) For those with telescopes, you may be able to see some of Jupiter's moons and the Great Red Spot.

Which brings me to the next interesting event: About one week ago, the Great Red Spot collided with the Little Red Spot (LRS). Most astronomers thought the LRS was destroyed (great photos here). However, scientists now think the LRS may have survived the collision and is re-forming. Considering that the "Little" Red Spot is actually about the size of Mars, it figures that it would be a tough contender.

Also, a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole in the sun should reach Earth around July 13th. Solar wind streams tend to trigger geomagnetic storms, which means an increased chance of amazing Aurora displays even in more southern regions of the U.S.A. Or, for those who are "EMF sensitive", it means a flare of weird symptoms!!