Blog Heaven

A blog post about a blog: a pretty boring concept, I suppose. I can't help myself, though. I'm in blog heaven.

I recently found out about the website NoMoreRack.com. The concept is similar to other 'one deal a day' websites that sell products at super low prices until they sell out. The result is your online shopping addiction making its way to whole new level of "OH NO I JUST CLICKED. I JUST BOUGHT THAT! CRAP. IT'S OK IT WAS ONLY $30." I spent some time yesterday afternoon researching the site which eventually lead me to find out about Hooked on Bargains. I was able to score two boxes of Yogi Tea for my honey and I, samples of Teasta, Excedrin and a free subscription to Martha Stewart's Whole Living. Of course there is a difference between wanting and needing these kinds of goodies, but for free- who cares! (Although there was much restraint practiced when it came to the Yogi Tea- I love that stuff!!) Even better, after my business was finished on Hooked on Bargains I thought, "I wonder what other kind of time and money saving sites there are?" A few clicks later I landed at OrganicDeals.com.

"SACRE BLEU!"

The blog features all sorts of discounts and money saving ongoings for lovers of holistic living. It's a dream come true for gals who likes to stretch a buck and live a healthy lifestyle. Swing over to the site if you have time and you might as well send someone you love a Yogi Well Wish while you're at it HERE!

So, So, Yummy!

Websites mentioned in this post- for those of you who dislike hyperlinks :)

• hookedonbargains.com
• organicdeals.com
• whiskeymilitia.com, steepandcheap.com, tramdock.com, etc.
• yogiproducts.com
• nomorerack.com

Turkey Bells

Thanksgiving is in one week. Black Friday is in 8 days. Christmas is in 35 days.



It is not just me that panics over these statements. I know that others are panicing because I work in retail. How many years has it been since you have asked or witnessed someone else ask for a unwarrented discount on the items they are purchasing just to save a little money? (All those also related to my mother need not reply to that question- we already know the answer. Thank you, Mommy, for your influence. Few others know the true satisfaction of a $1 sweater you purchased from a secret discount store two towns over.) If you have spent very much time in a mall you may have noticed that until recently the answer to that question would have probably been: never or not for a long, long time. But, times are tough. Our wallets are strapped- whether you are old, young, big or small. Days feel longer than ever: we are all working harder for less and lucky to be working at all.



Take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. You are far from alone in feeling financial despair and a lack of play time, friends. With the holidays right around the corner not only are we all under the gun to get work completed but we have obligations tied to family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, churches, work extracurriculars, reading clubs, gym pals, running buddies... Ok, I'm stressed out just thinking about it.



There is only one way to deal:

Last Year's Resolution: No more jello shots, ever.

Drink. Drink until you can't stand.

Just kidding. (kind of)*

In honesty, one of the best and only ways to deal with end of the year and holiday stress is to remember what it's all about. Christmas and Thanksgiving (the holidays I celebrate) are two holidays that are rooted in an appreciation for what we have been given- faith, love, family. Not the things you need to live, but the things you live for. I find that if you maintain your focus on what you need to collect in order to celebrate this cause, the process is less painful. Think: you are making macaroni and cheese for your family because you know it makes them feel warm, full and comforted. That is an opportunity so many do not have.

Let the person freaking out behind you in line go ahead- take the extra five minutes to remind yourself how lucky you are to have someone to cook for, clean up after, and love you back.

If that's not enough, go home and make one of these:

Autumn Delight

2 oz. whiskey

6 oz. apple cider

fresh cinnamon

Top ingredients over ice in cocktail shaker, shake, strain, serve in an old-fashioned glass. (If you are making this for your warn out girlfriend add a couple slices of apple and a cinnamon stick as garnish- girls love stuff that look pretty, too.) Source

*We does not recommend drinking to excess. If you're going to do it make sure you have a loving roommate there to quickly pick your a$$ up and feed you yummy food the next day.

Music and Booze for the Swell Season

All summer I found myself bopping along the streets of Philadelphia to warm weather tunes: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Gorillaz, Local Natives and Free Energy. It was a Summer worthy of remembrance. There were plenty of breaks, deep tans, great times with very good people , and parties, oh, the parties. I didn't want to let this Summer go. I think at one point I even flipped Fall off. "This is bologna!" I said to the first change of weather. (And then I said, "No, I'm Bologna. Wait, no, you are what you eat. I don't even like bologna. Who am I? Wait, what?!")

Good People

Somewhere in the midst of the ongoing self conflict, my heels-once firmly dug into the dry ground-lifted and began to carry me along the turned leaves scattered along the sidewalks of suburban Maryland. And now, I am so happy Fall is here.

Source

I am ready to trade my brown leather sandals for my brown leather boots. I am ready to turn in my sundresses for sweaters. I am ready for hearty, heavy, rib-sticking meals!

So, play this one more time:

The Swell Season covers Neutral Milk Hotel

And for goodness sake! Pour me another one of these:

Krupnik Polski

1-1/2 cup honey

2/3 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

8 sticks cinnamon

2 whole cloves

3 strips lemon peel

1 bottle of vodka

Combine honey with the water, vanilla, spices and the lemon peel in a large saucepan. Bring this to a boil cover, and simmer for about 5 min. Add vodka, remove from the heat serve hot or cold.

Today's Thirsty Thursday beverage of choice comes from Ms. Lea Burns' blog A Pot in Time. Follow her most recent adventures, hints and suggestions while she lives the green life here: La Vita Verde