Best of Twenty-ten

Don't you just love reading end of the year top ten lists?  Best movies, books, songs, news stories, inventions. Always makes me feel like I'm watching history unfold.  My own personal list isn't full of anything new or shocking, but these are ten discoveries that have made my year a little happier...

01.  audiobooks

I don't know how I'd ever work out, fold laundry, or get through all my other zillions of mind-numbing momtasks without audible entertainment.  And let's face it, once the twins started all-day school, the house was just WAY too quiet.  My listening library is a life saver.

02.  cerave skin care

Sara Vee?  Saravay?  Karavie?   I'm not sure how to say it, but I love this stuff.  It's cheap.  It's gentle.  It's recommended by my dermatologist.  Hey, I'm 40 now.  My skin needs all the help it can get.

03.  crossword love

Call me nerd if you must, but crosswords are my new favorite brain workout.  USA Today puzzles are the best, in my opinion.  And, if your husband travels a lot, he can bring them to you from hotel rooms around the country.  Sweet.

04.  my iphone

Yeah.  The whole smartphone revolution...I get it now.  

05.  friday night lights

Brad and I are addicted.  It's enough "All My Children" for me and plenty of "Sports Center" for him.  He doesn't seem to mind that I have a teeny crush on Coach Taylor.  Maybe because he thinks Tami is pretty cute.  Thank you, Netflix.

06.  charming charlie

I didn't know such a store existed til we moved West.  Can you say "candy store for grown women"!?  Cheap and non-fattening.  Also known to cure PMS.

07.  honey + licorice

These got me through my last East Coast winter.  (And it was a doozy...)  Sadly, I have not been able to find them anywhere since we moved.  I will keep scouring drugstore shelves, though, because my pocketbook is lonesome for their crinkly-wrapped goodness.

08.  shower power

Tilex Fresh Shower.  You know the kind you spray and leave?  And your brand-new, beautifully tiled shower stays streak- and mildew-free?  I love housekeeping when it's this simple.

09.  digital trainer

I've been using  MapMyRun  to help me stay motivated this month.  Technology is just so great.  With the help of #1 and #4, this little app is digitally kicking my trash.

10.  babysitters in da howse

The single greatest discovery of 2010 is the fact that my kids can take care of themselves for a few hours while Brad and I catch a movie or grab a bite.  In other words, I am saving so much money, I can head to Charming Charlie on a regular basis.  And I can go child-free!  Happy New Year to me.

What's on your Top Ten?

April Distractions

Last night, I came up with the perfect post along with alliterative title. I loved it and it was going to be so great. Then, as I started to type, I got that deja-vu-all-over-again kind of feeling and realized, after clicking around a bit, that I had used the EXACT title and written practically the EXACT same post almost EXACTLY 365 days ago.

So, I guess, the bottom line is this....I cannot focus on blogging (or making dinner or doing laundry or planning a lesson or shopping on a budget or anything requiring thought, patience or restraint) in April. It's not just this year, it's an annual occurence.

Aside from a life-changing cross-country move, children who are growing up faster than my azalea bushes and a calendar packed to the brim with springtime activities, here are a few of my favorite distractions:

Em and I have been reading this together at night. (Jake also usually shows up and lays on the floor "not listening." He's too cool for chick lit.) It is the original Mean Girls story and Emily is at the perfect age to read and discuss. I highly recommend for anyone with daughters (or cool older brothers).

Posession. Loved the book, love the movie. While Brad's been away this week, I have been watching it in 45 minute segments at night, in bed, on my laptop before being swallowed up in exhaustion. Sweet dreams.



And...if you happen to stay up too late reading to your kids or watching movies on your laptop, you will definitely want to get some of this stuff. Bobbi Brown concealer is the BEST for covering undereye circles and other unsightly facial flaws. My mom and sisters told me about it in Vegas and I am hooked. Serious spackle for the face. Thank you, Bobbi. You know how to treat a girl right.

What's distracting you this April?

Caramel Cake & Conversation

I love bookclub. A whole buncha girlfriends sitting around chatting. Not about husbands or kids or church or basketball picture day. Just plot, characters, setting (and, maybe, hair!) for an entire evening. I feel like a grown up at bookclub.

Last night was my turn to host. We read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. If you haven't read it yet, find a copy. Now. I'm not kidding. You won't get anything done for a couple of days, but there's always Pizza Hut and letting kids play "fish for an outfit" in the dirty clothes hamper, right?

The book is about black maids and their white employers in 1960's Missippi. A few desserts played an important role in the story.

I took a picture, because I will probably never make this again. You really DO need a maid to clean up the kitchen when you're done...

One of these is Minny's Caramel Cake. I have never had caramel cake, but apparently it's a Southern tradition. This was the recipe I used. Time-consuming, but enjoyable.

Chocolate pie is important to the plot also, so I brought out this old favorite from Mom's cookbook. (Warning: There are uncooked eggs in this recipe. But, having ingested large quantities of raw cookie dough on a pretty much daily basis, I can assure you that salmonella is highly unlikely.)

Swiss Chocolate Pie

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar, divided

6 oz. chocolate chips, melted and cooled

2 eggs, separated

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash salt

Whip cream until fluffy. Set aside. Whip egg whites with salt until fluffy. Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Set aside. Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, egg yolks and cooled chocolate. Gently fold in whipped cream, then egg whites. Turn into chocolate cookie crust. Chill five hours or overnight. Slice and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

The Hard-Knock Life

There's been a lot of talk about the Great Depression lately. Lots of predictions. Lots of blame. Lots of doom and gloom.

And, frankly, I find it Greatly Depressing.

C'mon, folks! The Depression wasn't all that bad. Haven't you seen It's a Wonderful Life? Places in the Heart? O, Brother Where Art Thou?

Everything I've learned about the Great Depression, I've learned from the movies. The moral of the story is that times may be bad. But with hard work, a guardian angel and/or a kind blind man played by John Malkovich, good people will triumph over hardship. (Especially good-looking good people.)

This is my all-time FAVORITE Great Depression musical.

We can learn some important lessons here:

1. Friends can help you through dark times.
2. Caring for a stray dog is the right thing to do.
3. Singing and dancing makes hard work more bearable.

And, if all else fails, find a rich tycoon to take you in, fly in a helicopter to the White House and sing in three-part harmony with the President of the United States.

And, then, of course...

The sun'll come out tomorrow!

Check here for listings of other great Great Depression movies. Might as well enjoy it, right?

Foyled Again

I should know by now that my mom is ALWAYS right! When she (and my sister, Amy) told me all about the British Foyle's War series, it took me awhile to get into it. But now I am completely hooked. Every day I check my mailbox hoping for the flash of a red Netflix envelope bringing me my nightly fix.

Christopher Foyle & associates are great company if you have a big basket of laundry to fold. And getting lost in the WWII English countryside can help you feel less of a homebody while your husband's out of town on business. (Though if mine is around, he really enjoys watching too...mystery + history make this show a great his and hers combo!)

I may be the last person on earth to discover this little BBC gem (Why do all things British seem somehow just a bit more highly evolved?...). If you happened to miss it yourself, go find episode one and I guarantee, you'll be Foyled too! It's seriously better than anything on live tv.

Thanks, Mom!