Yesterday we went to Bed Bath and Beyond for a heated mattress pad. I couldn’t stand crawling into bed and letting my toes lose feeling any more

So we went there and I found an endcap that said any size, $59.99 while supplies last. Easy enough right? I dig through and find a queen tucked away on the bottom and the back of the rack, but there it was.

While strolling to the front of the store, I find a k-cup wall of goodness, all sorts of flavors and drinks I’d never be able to find at Target and was in heaven, of course.

Heading to the checkout line – the cashier noticed that my mattress pad UPC was scratched out, it was registered as clearance I guess, and I got it for under $30!!! Wahoo.

So I got 3 boxes of new kcup flavors, AND my mattress pad for all under the cost of the advertised mattress pad!

a buying binge at bed bath and beyond:

i bought a bed spread colored cobalt blue,
and a brushed steel bar bent like a bow
so my bathtub can make believe it’s bourgeoisie
like the bathtubs at budget inn.

i’m embarrassed i bought banalities from the “beyond” section too:
a double boiler, banana stand, and
some batteries for a portable blender
like the magic bullet, only better.

my big brother says i’m barely a boy at all anymore -
more like a boy beneath another, bigger boy.

but i’m beginning to befriend my new
bed embellishments,
the backyard barbecue cookbook
i keep above the breakfast nook,
and the obligatory reversible bamboo cutting board
i bought to be a better blue state abider.

i guess it’s true i’m barely a boy at all anymore,
no,
i’m a bachelor at bed bath and beyond.

I know, that’s a lousy attitude to have this close to Christmas, but it is how I felt this weekend while shopping with my parents. We went over to Coral Ridge Mall after the Iowa men’s basketball game Saturday night, which finished up around 7:30 and the mall was of course open late.

After dinner in the food court, we went over to Younkers and ended up spending most of our time there. We finally left before 10, then I had to go over to Target so I could buy packs of Orbit bubble gum for myself (and my mother, since she likes to take pieces of them).

I was also looking at other stuff, but my folks were waiting in the car, wanting to get back to Cedar Rapids. Frustrated at that point, I gave up, got the bubble gum and hopped in the car.

Dad and I plan to go back out yesterday, when Mom calls from work and says she can come along too if we want her to. So we wait for her, watching the Iowa women’s basketball game in the process. She comes home at 4, but decides she needs to eat. Then the phone rings. We finally left for Lindale Mall after 5 p.m.

Dad has to go get himself something at Bed Bath and Beyond, but Mom wants to stop by Sears first. Bed Bath and Beyond and Sears are not in the same complex, so Dad drops us off at Sears, where I show Mom the car scraper and snow brush I want. She sends me off to the TV section to keep tabs on the NFL games in progress, and buys the brush.

When that’s done, Mom looks around in Sears some more, now I decide it’s time to have dinner, so I go to the food court, buy myself a Maid-Rite, and watch the end of the Green Bay Packers-Pittsburgh Steelers football game. Mom finds me and says she’s going to Younkers, then Dad later comes by and we sit there and watch the game.

After Ben Roethlisberger once again drives his team down the field for the game-winning score, Dad and I make our way to Younkers to catch up with Mom. We can’t find her. Next logical step is to call her, right? She doesn’t answer the phone. I’m freaking out. At one point, these two women are watching me get upset with my iPhone loading information slowly, and I’m pretty sure they thought I was nuts.

So I keep trying to call Mom, but to no avail. Finally, she calls me back and finds me. Turns out the ringer on her phone was on silent, and that’s why she couldn’t hear it ring on any of the five attempts I made to reach her.

It’s been over two hours since we set out at this point, and we need to buy cereal and I have to take care of something again at Target. We go to the one closest to the mall, even though Dad isn’t keen on that because he’s doesn’t like traffic on Blairs Ferry Road. He waits in the car, while Mom and I go in. We accomplish what we needed to, and we headed home.

Now I have presents bought for everyone in my immediate family, and I did a better job at keeping what I got them discreet than they did, since I know two of my presents are an Iowa Orange Bowl T-shirt and a car scraper/snow sweeper. They may still surprise me on Christmas morning, I don’t know. And my brother will just get me whatever. He likes to be spontaneous in that regard.

But I’m glad to have that whole ordeal over with. They say it’s the thought that counts, which is good, considering I about lost my mind over the weekend. Maybe next year, I’ll just start giving gift cards.

Vintage Chinese dipping bowls

Posted by: A.Marie

Wishing there were more seconds in a minute, more minutes in an hour and more hours in a day….Can’t seem to fit all my duties, tasks, responsibilities, wants and aspirations to fit into my free time called the WEEKEND.

With my current career, one would think I have mastered the art of prioritization – yes, I have it down to a T when I’m on my grind, but somehow it escapes me when I am faced with my free time.

Do you recall the movie Old School (one of the greatest movies of all time!)? The scene when Will Ferrel states that he has

“Go to Bed, Bath and Beyond, maybe Home Depot, I don’t know, I don’t know if I have enough time?”

This is the epitome of my life since I’ve been married. I’m loving every minute….

However, my | GOALS | for the new year | 2010 | include:

1. Mastering the art of time management

What are your resolutions for the new year?

Ah… Christmas time…. a time for holiday decorations, venti eggnog lattes at Starbucks (for just under 600 calories!), parties and of course the gifts. (Hint for Dan: gift cards, Banana Republic sweater, cookbooks, comfy socks, any and all types of chocolate….) But, it’s also the season for the relative who drinks a little too much wine at dinner, the 10 pounds of weight gain that you don’t lose all year, the disappointment and of course, the long and grumpy lines at the airport… !

It the best time of year as far as I’m concerned, buuuuut, let’s be honest, shall we? The stress can get a little out of hand.

This year I have already stressed about not getting the decorations up on time, not getting holiday cards out fast enough, buying the wrong gifts, whether my son will pull down the (yet to be bought) Christmas tree, how much weight I’m going to gain, and on and on.. I know, relax already, right?

Deep breath.

So, how do I plan to cope you may ask?

Simple.

A round of these please...

Denial and procrastination. And if that doesn’t help, just panic.

So, a lot has been done already (and here begins the denial phase.) Hang lights. Done. (Ok, Dan actually did this one, but I helped by pointing out where I wanted them and commenting about how uneven they look around the front door.) Decorate home. Done. Make iPod play list of holiday music. Done. Take photo on beach with Santa hats for holiday card. Done. Buy gifts. Done-ish. Bake batch of cookies. Done. Eat batch of cookies. And done! Go to store and buy more for myself than for others. Done! I mean, who can go to Bed, Bath and Beyond without buying at least two Yankee candles and a table runner? Gotta use those 20% off coupons, right?

Ok, 15 days to go until the big day. I really don’t have that much left to do (denial!!!). My husband will help (deny, deny, deny!!). This is all going to be just fine… let’s just run down the very brief list:

Get the darn tree, decorate it and pick up a few more Christmas gifts. Included in this task also are : untangle the Christmas lights, cut hand on broken ornament and find melted candy in bottom of box labeled “tree” (!!) I did also run out of stamps the other day so am only 25% of the way through my holiday cards. Sorry folks. Wrap gifts that have been piling up in the guest room. Stop to wonder if husband has peeked. Watch at least three cheesy Lifetime-ish holiday movies. (I’m really looking forward to this one.)

Wait! There’s more….

Create holiday calendars for Mom, Dad and the in-laws on Shutterfly by the end of the week. I’m positive their holiday would not be complete without a photo calendar of their grandson… and with free shipping! Finalize menu for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Fight with husband about said menus. Shop for food on menu, plus a ton of other snacks that will contribute to my widening waistline over the next two weeks. Wrap up all client work and clean office by the 22nd. This includes filing AND (gasp) cleaning out my Outlook in box. Currently there are 10,308 emails to delete oops, I mean archive. Purchase cute winter outfit for son for his trip to see grandparents.  Ignore 7 other sweaters in closet that he’ll never wear. Clean house. Oh. and get to the gym 12 times between now and the big day.

And I’m off to the nearest bar… Here’s the procrastination part.

Fa la la la la la la la la!

flurries outside my window yesterday, and found some snow dusted leaves that would look good on any dead tree right now

well i headed down to my two heavens yesterday afternoon . . .

well can’t rotate it but target was filled with ahmazing goodies and new moon chocolates that amazed me! hehe well tons of x’mas presents bought there . . . you’d be lucky to get one!

my other heaven

teehee . . . bought tons of stuff here as well! loving my new soft towel from bed bath and beyond!

tons of fun while not riding any discosticks! off to visit an old friend from evanston now!

+M @ chicago

Kemi:  Hey, Anthony, let’s go into Bed, Bath and Beyond to pick up a gift for the dogs.

Anthony:  Okay.  What are you going to get?

Kemi:  It’s this thing called Pedi Paws.  It’s a cool thing that I think they’re going to love.

     [Okay, that I'M going to love.]

Anthony:  …

Kemi:  Really.  Let’s look.

Anthony:  …

Kemi:  It has to be around here somewhere.  This is all the “as seen on T.V.” stuff.

Anthony:  (growing excited)  I know THIS!  I’ve seen this!  And this, and this and this!  Can we get them?

Kemi:  Let’s just stick to the Pedi Paws for today, okay?

Anthony:  (squealing)  Look!  Snuggies!

Kemi:  Look, see the dog Snuggies?  How funny are they?

Anthony:  (giggling)  Those ARE silly.

Kemi:  Okay, here we go.  I found what I was looking for.

Anthony:  What is it?

Kemi:  It’s this cool thing that cuts the dogs’ toenails, and it doesn’t hurt them.

Anthony: You’re getting them THAT?

Kemi:  Yes.  For Christmas. 

Anthony:  They don’t want THAT.   THAT  is not a good gift.

Kemi:  I think it’s a good gift.

Anthony:  It is NOT a good gift.  A good gift would be a Snuggie.  For dogs.  THAT is the perfect gift.

Get itchy just thinking about it.

It is Black Friday and I know there are many shopping their hearts out to get the latest steals and to finish their Christmas shopping. As for me, I am watching from the sidelines. Not only to save money but also because there isn’t anything I want that’s going on sale.

Since I’m home this Thanksgiving weekend to visit my family, I was reminded about the small comforts of home. It’s the intangible pleasures of life that really brighten up my day. Just seeing all my younger cousins getting older and soon heading off to college is another reminder that time does not stand still and will continue to push us forward.

But if I were to indulge in some retail therapy, it’d be in search of the perfect bath towel. I don’t know why, but a great bath towel uplifts my spirits and makes the rest of the day seem better. So far, the best I’ve come across are the Turkish Bath Linens from Restoration Hardware. It’s about $28 for a bath towel, but it’s so worth the money. The towels are the only reason I go to that store.

Another great find is the Royal Velvet Bath Linen Collection at Bed Bath and Beyond. For about $15, you can get an awesome bath towel made from Turkish cotton. Plus if you use the 20% off coupon, it’s even cheaper! Usually I wait for the sales and coupons so I can get these towels for cheap. Since I’m not picky about the colors, I mix and match as long as I don’t pay the retail price.

When people think of expensive, high quality cotton, they usually think of Egyptian cotton. For the most part, that is correct. However, Turkish cotton is just as great and it has a bit of a sheen. It’s all a matter of preference, but for me, Egyptian cotton has nothing on Turkish cotton!

Happy Holiday Shopping!

With the increasing number of deaths each year at the various Black Friday sales it makes one wonder why anyone of sound mind would go.  Sure there is denial – those things don’t happen here just in high crime areas.  Well, that is not at all true.  Recently a Walmart employee was trampled to death in tranquil Valley Stream, N.Y.  A customer at the same Walmart, Jessica Keyes, miscarried purportedly after being knocked down in another Black Friday melee.

Another rationalization stems from pomposity.  I don’t shop at Walmart, that’s for trailer trash.  Well, your hubris won’t save you either.  In another episode two men died at a Toys “R” Us in chic Palm Desert, California after an argument led to an exchange of gunfire.

I know what you are thinking now, California?  New York?  All those people are crazy.  In Lee’s Summit, Missouri two people were mowed down in a shopping center parking lot.  Need more?  In Roanoke, Virginia a man is caught on video striking another shopper five times at a Best Buy.  Fashion Place Mall In Murray, Utah had to close not long after opening because police had to break up nine different fights.  At the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrece, California and elderly lady and nine others were injured when the mall dropped free gift certificates from the ceiling.

These are not events from several shopping days.  These all occured on Black Friday 2008.  Virtually every store in every town has some issue every year.  Conclusion?  No sane person goes to Black Friday sales.

So don’t go.  Seriously, I know that this is the worst economy since the 1930’s, the last Great Depression but there are other ways to give a gift of the heart without spending lots of money and risking your life.  Salsas.

That’s what I am giving this year.  Fresh, homemade salsas.  Talk about cheap, too, much more budget friendly than Rock Band and a lot less annoying than Zhu Zhu Pets.  Produce and a dozen or so 16 ounce Mason jars.  Fresh salsas are better than any thing you can buy at the market.  All you need is a food processor or blender.  Heck a good knife will work.  A good fresh salsa is like a bowl of summer sunshine but it goes better with tortilla chips.

Canned tomatoes are preferrable to fresh because they are picked at the peek of ripeness and the skin is removed.  Frozen pineapple and mangos can be used instead of canned or fresh but thaw and drain them first.  All other produce is fresh and, if possible, organic.  You can easily control the heat, too.  For mild remove all seeds and membranes from chilies.  For medium remove half of the seeds and membranes.  Don’t remove any for a good hot salsa.  For sissies omit the chilies altogether.

Since these salsas contain no preservatives they need to be eaten within two weeks of making which means they are perfect for you last minute Santas.  Each recipe yields roughly two 16 ounce jars of salsa and here are those simple recipes:

Salsa Rojo (aditional red salsa)

• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 onion, quartered
• 2-3 jalapeños or Serranos, sans stems
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic
• sea salt

Place onions into a blender or food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and blend another 30 seconds. Add garlic and peppers and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste and cilantro and blend until well mixed. Chill one hour before jaring.

Salsa Verde (green salsa)

• 6-9 tomatillos, halved or 1 28 ounce can tomatillos, drained
• 1/2 onion, quartered
• 2-3 jalapeños or Serranos, sans stems
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• sea salt

Place onions into a blender or food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Add tomatillos and blend another 30 seconds. Add garlic and peppers and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste and cilantro and blend until well mixed. Chill one hour before jaring.

Mango Salsa

• 2 fresh mangos, diced or 20 ounce jar, drained
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 Serrano chilies, diced
• 1 banana, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Jamacian jerk seasoning (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl.  Place 2/3 of the salsa into a blender or food processor and pulse five or six times then fold back into the salsa.  Refrigerate at least one hour before jaring.

Pineapple Salsa

• 1 28 ounce can diced pineapple, drained
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 jalapeños chilies, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl.  Place 2/3 of the salsa into a blender or food processor and pulse five or six times then fold back into the salsa.  Refrigerate at least one hour before jaring.

Now if you just can’t bring yourself to actually make your gifts but want to avoid the Black Friday free-for-all, buy a copy of Amigeauxs – Mexican/Creole Fusion Cuisine by moi.  They’re only $10!  What?  Friends and family not into cooking?  No problem!  How about a copy of the exciting political thriller A More Perfect Union also by me.  Come on, buy one so my loved ones will get something better than a jar of salsa for Christmas.

Every year it’s the same. Grandma pulls the stuffing cage out of the turkey’s butt and the feast begins! But don’t try it on anything less than 14 lbs., please. (From a Bed Bath & Beyond flier–now we know what they mean by Beyond.)
Scissored and submitted by Nancy Beskin, Friend of RWS. Thanks Nancy!

Lots of changes and transitions have been present in my life over the past few months. One of which had been completely re-arranging, purchasing new furniture and re-decorating my room! I had this past weekend off and was finally able to pull everything together.

My entire Saturday morning was spent waiting for the last piece of my furniture to be delivered. When I woke up I noshed on a vanilla Oikos mixed with some fabulous fruit & nut granola from Bear Naked.

I know a good bloggie friend of mine enjoys this granola as well. When I first read the ingredients  I noticed coconut– not being a huge coconut fan I wasn’t sure how I would acutally like this granola… yet it did NOT disappoint in the least! The granola was crunchy, chewy and sweet all at the same time.

I thought frozen grapes would be make the perfect companion with my yogurt and granola mix.

The remainder of my Saturday involved LOTS of shopping with my mum. We went to Bed Bath & Beyond as well as the Container Store to get a few more things that I needed for my room. I am definitely one of those people who LOVES organization type stores– kind of ironic actually considering I’m NOT organized in the least.

Other eats of the day included (but were DEFINITELY not limited to)

A cinnamon raisin Ezekiel english muffin topped with Fage, cinnamon & Truvia.

And my all time favorite Clif bar!

I absolutely LOVE Saturday nights, and let me tell you why…for several years now, my family and I have been going to the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons here in Boston! We eat here about two/three times per week (in fact we have a permanent reservation here every Saturday!)…but I ESPECIALLY LOVE going here on a Friday or Saturday night because they do a HUGE Viennese style dessert buffet! The buffet consists of MANY treats..cupcakes, pies, cheesecakes, crepes, candies, tarts, chocolate mousse, bread pudding and thats not even the beginning!!

Before I get to the dessert buffet– lets get to some of my dinner eats. Within 5 minutes of sitting down, we were instantly surprised with a HUGE raw seafood platter– compliments of the chef! Seriously this was TOO nice!!!!!

Lobster claws, crab legs, jumbo shrimp and grilled marinated scallops! This was PURE heaven!!!! I LOVE shrimp and lobster!!!!!!

I completely forgot to snap a photo of my entree but I had a simple scallop dish with asparagus and munched off of my mum’s GINORMOUS portion of french fries that came with her meal.

After we finished our entrees it was DESSERT TIME!!!! Here’s my platter:

Starting from the top and going clockwise; Carrot cake, chocolate chip cookie, cupcake, german chocolate cake, cranberry pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. I would be lying if I said this was all I ate My parents and I have some of the worlds BIGGEST sweet tooths– my mum can definitely put DOUBLE this much away when she’s on a sweet tooth kick!

Check out the festive cupcake:

Even though all of these treats are bite-sized…I DEFINITELY have my fair share every time I have the dessert buffet… but I truly ENJOY it! Whenever I leave I’m definitely stuffed— but to me it’s worth it! I LOVE sweet things and I look forward to spending this time with my family. I NEVER feel guilty about having this many sweets because I know my body and I know that splurging once a week or so will not affect things in the long run.

How do YOU REALLY indulge?!?!

Have a lovely night everyone!!!!

Is it just me or has the “Beyond” part of Bed Bath & Beyond taken over the store? I think the store’s name should be changed to Beyond Bed & Bath.

There are two places that I always plan to rush into to get one thing….and come out with many random items.

1. Target: I love that place. It is almost impossible to not come out with more than what you had in mind.
2. Bed, Bath, And Beyond: Having Bed Bath and Beyond as one of my favorite places to go into makes me feel like a grown up. I loooove looking at all the kitchen things, the candles, and then all the random crap you can buy.

Case in point. Went to Target the other day, and came out with a random 1 dollar christmas plate. Gets you in the mood though right? Went into Bed, Bath, And Beyond and came out with a WonderHanger (Yes, Seen on TV product…I’ll review it later once I put it to good use).

Random Goods

After coming home with a wonder hanger, it was time to get in the shower. I hadn’t shaved in  awhile (Seans been gone, whats the point)…so I got nice and smooth, put some smelly good lotion on, and then tried on about 3 outfits to wear to pick up Sean at the airport. I chose this…sorry for the pic, you cant tell what Im wearing at all, but its ok! I had on a YEllow victoria secret top, with a green andcreme scarf that I got in Lawrence, skinny Express Jeans, and some suede brown boots!

Seeing Sean at the airport was great…and he appreciated the fact that I got dressed up (for me at least) and actually said he felt proud to have such a good lookin woman . We came home, ate some taco soup that his mom had made, watched some tv, then hit his room for kissin time and sleep. Its good to have him back. I woke up to him cuddling me which was a nice feeling. But, then, I sniffed and realized that one of us must have let one go in the middle of the night, bc it smelled horrible in there.

This morning I was in the mood for a quick and easy smoothie.

Hit The Spot

It contained:

Almond Breeze unsweetened
BSN Lean Desert Banana Creme Pudding Protein Powder
Blueberries, strawberries, mangos, and spinach!

One last thing…..Do you see these protein pancakes?

Usually I cook a batch of these for Sean and he reheats them and eats them throughout the week, so I decided I’d make some for his return back home. Well, I made a batch, left the room…and they were gone. DARN EDDIE! After all those wonderful things I said about him yesterday, he goes and does this. Oh well. There will be more pancakes.

I spend a lot of time in several different cities within Orange County, mainly showing homes or handling my listings.  I particularly spend a considerable amount of time in both Irvine and Tustin, given that I live on the border of these two cities.

Many people like Irvine/Tustin (the newer part) because everything is so nicely planned and laid out in the area.  For some, it’s too much of a “cookie cutter” type of town…almost like in that movie “Pleasantville”.  But here are 10 things I like about Irvine/Tustin that can make living here more enjoyable:

1)  The Watermelon Smoothie at The Guppy House.  I discovered this refreshing beverage at The Guppy House in Cerritos a few weeks ago, but they have the same drink here in Irvine.  The Guppy House is located in the Diamond Jamboree Plaza on the corner of Alton and Jamboree.  It’s not a big establishment, but this beverage is big on taste and flavor.  They use real, fresh watermelon crushed into the smoothie.  I usually add boba to it as well.  Even on a cold day, it still hits the spot!

2)  The Bike Trails. There are plenty of trails around Irvine and Tustin, but the one that I particularly enjoy is the one that takes you all the way to Back Bay in Newport Beach.  It’s the perfect path to take for avid runners (though beware of the large slopes as you run under the streets and 405 freeway), and the same can be said for those either cruising around on their bikes or the hard-core cyclists.

3)  The Marketplace across from UCI. Wow, if you want to check out some cool and unique eateries, this is the place to go!  There’s a good mix of franchises and mom-and-pop shops that serve great food and beverages.  Beyond eateries, you can shop at Trader Joe’s, work out at the 24-Hour Fitness gym, handle all your postal needs at the US Post Office, shop for unique clothes, and so much more.  I’m actually planning to check out the yoga studio there this upcoming weekend (a prenatal class for me right now).

4)  The Lake. Within the Woodbridge community is a gorgeous lake that you can stroll around all day long.  It’s completely peaceful and a great place to walk your dog, ride your bike, or simply relax.  This way you don’t have to drive very far to the beach and battle for parking to enjoy a nice water-side afternoon.  There are restaurants nearby, including “Waters”, as well as a new Korean BBQ restaurant right next door to Waters that I heard is pretty darn good.

5)  The Park. Irvine and Tustin have parks galore!  And not just the rinky-dink parks with a couple of swing sets and patches of grass.  I’m talking about beautiful parks with lush green landscaping, picnic areas, mini-waterfalls, baseball fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, state-of-the-art playgrounds, and plenty of space.  Not only is it a great place to bring your kids, but it’s a wonderful retreat for parents who want to enjoy a more peaceful setting.

6)  Irvine Spectrum. When I first went to the Spectrum about 13 years ago, there wasn’t much there — just the movie theater, a few shops, a few restaurants, and it was all located in one relatively short row.  Now there are department stores, a HUGE ferris wheel, high-end clothing stores, nice restaurants, valet parking everywhere, a parking structure, a little train that drives families around the area, and so much more hustle and bustle!  It’s a great place to simply hang out on a lazy weekend, or you can get your shopping on at the Target store there.  The Edwards Cinemas (Regal Cinemas) theater there has 21 screens and an IMAX theater that makes it THE movie theater to go to for opening weekends.

7)  Costco Gas Station. How exciting it was when they opened the Costco Gas Station at the District just a couple of years ago!  Now we are able to get gas at much cheaper prices than the nearby Shell, Chevron, or even Arco stations.  Yes, the lines can be long, and it gets particularly frustrating when some motorists can’t figure out how to use their Costco Membership Cards and credit cards to start pumping gas, but being in Irvine/Tustin where the gas is always more expensive than places like Garden Grove or Cypress, this makes it more bearable to live and stay within the Irvine and Tustin city limits.

8)  Bed Bath and Beyond. Okay, you’re probably wondering why Bed Bath and Beyond would even be on this list.  Well, the store in Irvine at the Tustin/Irvine Marketplace off the 5 freeway and Jamboree is different.  Not only does it have a nicely organized “Wedding Registry” section (where you can return items received off your registry for CASH instead of store credit), but it has a fantastic health and beauty section with all the toiletries, hair products, lotions, make-up, perfumes, first-aid, medicine, etc. that you need…and with your Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupons, you can save A LOT of money for buying your incidental items here.  Not all Bed Bath and Beyond stores have this type of section; I feel fortunate that it’s almost right here in my backyard.

9)  The California Fish Grill. While they have a few of these restaurants in different areas of Southern California, there’s one right down the street at Barranca and Culver.  It is here where you can get deliciously moist, fresh fish and seafood made-to-order on the grill in a fast food fashion for less than $10 a plate.  The portions are quite large, too!  My favorite is the white roughy with the lemon butter sauce, rice pilaf, french fries, cole slaw, and a side of grilled zucchini.  It’s the perfect meal for a Friday night when you just want to eat something light after a long work week and before you live it up on the weekend!

10)  Higher Speed Limits.  I mentioned this in an earlier blog post, but it’s important enough to me to say again.  It’s amazing how much easier life can be by being able to legally drive 50 miles per hour on major streets around much of Irvine and parts of Tustin.  The streets are wider here, and there are generally at least 2 or more lanes to use.  While there are buses that travel around the area, for some reason I don’t encounter them too much to slow me down.  Although I do have an issue with traffic signals turning red for long periods of time even though NO cars are going in that direction (lack of effective sensors, I presume), I’d rather have that happening than to be confined to driving 35 miles per hour on a major street, especially with Irvine and Tustin covering such a large area!

Being from the Los Angeles area, I never saw myself ending up in a Pleasantville-like environment.  I rebelled against it at first, claiming that I wanted more diversity and “flavor” in the upbringing of my future children.  But as I’ve gotten older and wiser, living in Irvine/Tustin can be very fun and relaxing for you and the entire family (if you have one), which at the end of the day is good for your soul.

I scoured the world of FACEBOOK (aka the planet’s alternate reality) and found the BEST Facebook Status Updates of the week (Oct 17-Oct 23, 2009) . Check it out below…is one of these statuses yours???

1. (Name) lost custody of my kids today On a positive note, I am free this weekend. Who wants to go clubbing?? Holler at your girl!

2. (Name) thought it was swine flu, but it turned out to be just gas.

3. (Name) just bought a house!!!! For my dog. Suckas!

4. (Name) was just involved in a drive-by! Damn Rose at the front desk had Taco Bell for lunch and then dropped a moving bomb while walking past my cube.

5. (Name) is getting married today…to my second cousin…don’t judge me. PS. We are registered at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

6. (Name) curled my hair, applied my lip gloss, put on a low-cut top, straddled my couch, grabbed my cordless telephone and called Live Links tonight. Can you believe all the guys on there are unemployed perverts with hairy palms. How will I ever find love?!?

7. (Name) is leaving for Alaska in two weeks! I’m so excited! I’ve never been out of the country before.

8. (Name) got cut off and kicked out of the bar last night. It was sooooooooo stupid. Just a big misunderstanding. I didn’t see the other women in the stall of the ladies restroom when I sat down and peed on her. People get mad so easily these days!! And I ONLY puked a little on the dance floor cuz all I ate yesterday was tootsie pops and dill pickle chips.

9. (Name) just bought my Halloween costume and it’s so HAWT! I’m going to be a sexy marine biologist. 

So there you have it. This week’s best FACEBOOK status updates…according to me. If you don’t agree. Leave me a comment and send me yours.

PALE GURL OUT!

This is my dog. We are refinancing our house to make his house better than yours.

PREFACE: I mentioned back in Random Factoid #42 that I had gone through a stint of reviewing movies when I was 13. After rummaging through my old home computer, I managed to find some of these reviews. In a special five day mini-series, I will reveal these reviews in their unadulterated form. I leave it up to you to comment, see how my style has changed (or maybe hasn’t). The third part in the series concerns Adam Sandler’s “Click.”

All great comedians have a style of humor.  Adam Sandler’s involves having every character curse at one time or another (kids included), overly long gags, and half-hearted attempts at having a heart.  Although Click still fits the Adam Sandler stereotype, you walk out of the theater feeling something…a first for the marvelous comedian.  Sandler plays architect Michael Newman who is torn between being with his family and working hard to give his family everything. Kate Beckinsale plays his wife, who looks gorgeous but does not show enough emotion to be convincing.  One day, he is fed up with his frustrating and seemingly mediocre life.  To make matters worse, he can’t find the remote for the TV.  He goes to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to look for a universal remote, where Morty (hint: there’s something in the name) gives him the top of the line.  Soon, Michael figures out how to control his universe using the remote.  He can turn down the volume on his dog, mute his sister-in-law, and do picture in picture.  Life is all good for Michael.  He can finally give his scumbucket boss (marvelously played by David Hasselhoff) a piece of his fist.  However, the remote has a mind of its own.  It begins to program itself by things that Michael has been doing a lot.  While he fast-forwards, Michael is on auto-pilot where he is there but doesn’t talk.  As he fast-forwards to his next promotion, he discovers a year has passed by and that his marriage is on the rocks.  The remote fast-forwards ten years to which he is CEO of the company.  His wife ran off with the swimming instructor who sports a Speedo at all times, he is incredibly obese from bad eating habits, and things are out of control.  Click is hysterical, but isn’t afraid to be melancholy to get across the message.  This is the best Adam Sandler movie yet, and without a doubt the only one with a relevant theme.  There is incredibly mindless humor at times, but it made the audience think…something new for this genre.  

This week’s Swatchbook is a combination news piece. If you haven’t yet, check out THE coolest new tool on the web (ok, I’m officially showing my nerd badge), CSS Color Palettes Generator Drive. I, of course (nerd badge), have been playing around with it for days, so I thought what better way to generate my Swatchbook of the Week? Simply upload a photo into the system and it automatically generates a color palette based on that photo. I know–AMAZING. The below photo was my last official shot of summer, taken on the last day of my vacation in Seattle. So in honor of the end of the season I generated that lovely shot into a color palette (SO COOL). The best part? Even a picture of summer can translate into a beautifully rich palette for fall and winter.(-Allie)

Celeste Sofa, $2,396 at Jayson Home & Garden. Harmony Mellow Mauve Rug, 8×10, $299 at Rugs USA. Natura Nutmeg Crewel Embroidery Pillow, 20×20, $108 from Pillowsandthrows.com. Colonial Coffee Table, $1,295 at Jayson Home & Garden. Black Attila Gnome Side Table, $374 at Hive Modern. Murray Feiss Blue Agave Table Lamp, $299 (on sale) at Macys. Polarvide Throw, $3.49 from Ikea. Uttermost Blue Wall Mirror, $219.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond.

A modification of this Pillsbury recipe on Flickr helped create this very legitimate Chicago Deep Dish style pizza. We will most definitely be returning to this recipe as I opted to exclude the jalapenos this time. Also, I think I might invest in one of these nifty deep dish pizza pans made by Pizzeria Uno and sold at Bed Bath & Beyond. I also want to note that we used Sargento mozzarella cheese and it was actually less expensive than the store brand!