The Gifts of the City.

“It couldn't have happened anywhere but in little old New York.”

--O. Henry

Okay, we’re back. Or, well, actually, we’ve been back. Since Sunday. But since then, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in sports figures. With great figures. Or whatever it is you say about guys. Athletic sports guys. You know the type. And I won’t obnoxiously and overtly name names, but let’s just say, generally speaking, they’re easy on the eyes.

However, before I talk about this week, I have a few more things to tell you about last weekend. In New York.

So answer me this question: Why is New York so freaking magical? Subquestion: How can 321 square miles be filled with so many enchanting connections?

Because it does seem that magical things happen there. In big, small, tall, tiny, random, unexpected, undeniable ways. It may have something to do with all the souls running around and into each other there. But it’s something. Something almost palpable.

Plus, it seems that things just click together in New York.

I’ll give you a little snapshot of where I'm going with this.

So I’m wandering around, when it starts to rain, and I look up to see I’m right next to the Angelika, and the amazing movie I want to see starts in five minutes. Coincidence? Maybe.

A few hours later, we walk into our hotel to find that Will Smith is filming a movie right outside (so obviously, the next logical step is to go to the hotel bar, grab a glass of wine or four, and watch 87 takes of the same car chase scene. Because we're from out of town and all.)

Then. We’re walking down the street in West Village and I run into a friend I was just thinking about the day before (a friend who doesn’t live in NYC), and low and behold there she is. On Christopher Street.

And later. We’re sitting in John’s Pizza when the HcQ gets a text from one of his friends (who doesn’t know we’re in NYC) that his brother's Atlanta-based band, Spectralux is playing in the East Village that night. Only blocks away from where we’re cramming our faces with pizza. So, of course we head over there, saunter in and shock the hell out of him. (And watch from the front row as they rock the crap out of the place.)

Me and Jonathan, the absolute rock star.

See, all of these things happened. In very short timeframe. Because New York is magic.

And then the most magical story of all from this trip happened the next day. But right now I'm too tired to tell it. Plus I still tear up every time I do. And really, it should be its own post. So it will be. I'll get to it next week, probably.

But more importantly, and back to the current, do you find en why cee to be as freaking electric as I do? Or not? And if not, where are you when the magic happens?

*The above great photo was taken from here.

-----

Added later: Obviously magical things happen in Los Angeles as well...as evidenced by this amazing video featured on Cool Stuff con Queso.

New York Viewpoints.

At the MOMA.

At the Park.


In the Apple Store.

In Magnolia.


In the East Village.

In the West Village.

And back at the hotel.

Why I Love Blogging. (AKA: the one where you realize that A.) you should be blogging too and/or B.) you should go to Blogher in July)

Blogging is completely nerdy cool. I've been saying this for months now. The nerdy part mostly stemming from the name, or the word, "blog".

We really need to take another look at this, people. Yes, I realize I'm late to the party. And I recognize that people much much smarter than me named this bad boy long ago. But...Blog?

Really?

Is that the best we could come up with? A word that mixes Blah and Og. Neither sounds great, and neither accurately reflects this medium. Blah, is of course, blah. And Og, um, just sounds blechy bloggy. Like Frog. Or Smog. Or Zog.

Seriously, I think someone somewhere should hire someone else to come up with a better name...heck, hire the people who coined the name "Spinning" for an evil exercise class that wants to kill you. (It sounds all twirly whirly, but really, it's the angel of death. ) Yes, we should get the spin doctors of Spinning to craft a better name for this wonderful, maleable, connecting, dynamic medium. Blogging.

That would help.

And then tell more people about the great blogs you find. They are out there in full force representing this great thing that happens to have the most blah crap name in all the land. Plus, if it's good for Norah Ephron and Zach Braff, it's good for me.

So there's that.

And now to Blogher. Besides, of course, Jenny and Ken and Laurie and Bones, I'd never met a real life blogger before this last week. And again, I can tell you with full conviction, that I haven't been around so many smart, with it, achieving, creative, hilarious, geniune, thinking people in a long time. And even though I've never been to a Blogher anything before this week, I must say, I was a bit aprehensive about attending the big shebang in July. (Liz and Mir each present some of my exact thoughts really well here and here.) But I can tell you, if it is one tenth as informational and thought provoking as Blogher Business, I'm in. And I'm staying at the W with Jenny. And we're totally throwing a party. You should come.

To sum up, Gabrielle and I went to dinner with Lisa Stone, one of the founders of Blogher; Maria Niles, and incredible writer; and the artist currently known as Jen Lemen, on Wednesday night, and I left that dinner absolutely engaged and fully charged. Because as Gabby said..."I sure do love talking with smart women."

So seriously. Start thinking about Chicago in July.

---------------

Also, I'm currently exhausted. But tomorrow I'll start posting about the post-conference part of the trip. Some wacky fun stuff, people. Plus photos. Stay tuned.

---------------

And here's yet another reason to love the blogging. Murray's Cheese Shop has this thing called a cheese blog. I'm in heaven. And we're giving away a copy of the official Murray's Cheese Handbook over at Cool Stuff con Queso. Behold the power.

I'm Just Hoping 337 Words+12 Links is Worth Some Pictures.

A promise is a promise. And I promised New York photos. But sadly, I’ve been so busy running around meeting people, learning things, etc., that, well, I haven’t taken any. Except for this one.This is my view from my hotel room. I know. You’re so excited.

But close your eyes and picture a lot of extremely cool, smart, fun people in a room. Now picture me there with them. Got it? Well there’s your picture.

Need some more inspiration. Here are a few people I was extremely happy to spend some time with today.

Christine from Notes from the Trenches
Karen from Chookooloonks
Jen from Jen Lemen
Liz from Mom101
Stephanie from Cool People I Know
Mir from Woulda Shoulda Coulda
Barb from Engadget
Isabel from Alpha Mom

And more.

Frankly, I met a whole lot of smart people today and found a ton of finds. Check out a few featured at this week’s Friday Finds @ Cool Stuff con Queso.

Oh yeah, have I mentioned what I’m doing?I’m at Blogher Business for my day job. And so far, it’s been a really interesting gathering of the minds. And tomorrow is going to be even better. You can read more about it here.

Plus, last night Gabrielle, the Design Mom, came out and we went to dinner with three Blogher founders. An excellent evening. And by the way, Gabrielle is somehow even more dazzling in person that she is on Design Mom. And that’s extremely dazzling. In a good way.

In fact, I haven’t met this many outstanding people in a long time.

Tomorrow I promise I will take some pictures of them.

Plus, the HcQ is flying in tomorrow afternoon! Whooohoo! And we’ll be hitting the town tomorrow night through Sunday. So, definitely many photos to come. I just pray they’re as great as Mark’s.

Oh, and I should probably go ahead and warn you before you hear it from someone else. I got my hair cut on Tuesday. And I swear, the dude gave me a Rachel. I know. You’re thinking, no way, say it ain't so GcQ, that’s so 1998! Well, yes. But apparently, I’m bringing Rachel back. Yeah.

Change of Plans.

So I’m on a plane. On my way to my favorite city on the planet. And there are these beautiful women sitting across the aisle three rows back and wearing these one-piece, shining-white munk robes. They’re kind-of freaking me out. Shaved heads, hoods, and floor-length robes. A cross between old world and science fiction. And I think I’m way too Westernly pragmatic to really get whatever Easternly futuristic thing they’ve got going on. No, probably it’s religious, or cultural. And now I feel guilty that they are freaking me out.

I’m flying Jet Blue. My first time flying Jet Blue. I anticipated waiting in the airport for approximately 27 hours while flight after flight got canceled, with kids screaming, no air conditioning, tons of paperwork, and lots of clowns. Because these are the things that make me crazy. But actually, it has been a fantastic flying experience. No line at the counter, easy check in, leg room, personalized TVs (which I just watched two solid hours of "The Hills" on, oh by the way), and nice hot tea served with just the right amount of milk. All of it. And now we’re going to land 30 minutes early. Jet Blue rocks. And overall, it’s been the perfect trip.

Except for one unexpected change in plans.

I’m going by myself.

Only a few hours ago, heck even on the way to the airport, the HcQ was going with me to New York for a few days. I’m going for work, he was taking a few days away from work and tagging along for the fun of it.

Perfect.

We love this city. It’s where we fell in love, where we got engaged, all of it. And we were really looking forward to the break. But alas, life stepped in.

Very early this morning, we drove a few miles up the road to meet my parents to drop off the Hurricane for a little grandparent, grandhurricane bonding time. My parents are the loveliest grandparents, and the Hurricane is one lucky dude this week. They are going to spoil him rottener, and he’s going to have the time of his life.

However, I still cried when he drove away with them.

But the HcQ and I persevered, tears and all, and headed to the airport. And then the freaking buttcrackberry started a buzzing. His. A client emergency of sorts.

So no NYC for the HcQ. No HcQ for the GcQ.

Bummer.

He dropped me off at the airport, and he's now hoping to join me on Friday. And I’m really really crossing my fingers that the love of my life finishes putting out his fire and makes it up here for the weekend.

Either way, I’ll keep you posted with photos.

Real Moms Sleep with Two Men

The other day, Amy Jo of Cheese Party fame tagged me for this great tag game that's sweeping the nation. Kristen started it. (BTW, Kristen, I think you should turn this into a book. And when you do, go ahead and feel free to send me a signed copy. Mmkay? Thanks.) And it goes a little something like this...

Real Moms Sometimes Sleep with Two Men.
And the real moms love this sleeping.
They so love the naps.
No matter where they are taken.

Or how they are taken.Real moms love the sleeping.

And yes. These photos were taken long long ago.
Because currently...
There is no sleeping.


On another note...
Real Mom's Also Put Eyeliner on Their Five Week Olds.But that's another entry entirely.

Switching gears a bit, I was initially going to write about this facet of motherhood, but then it was covered in such a lovely way by Crib Chronicles. I think her version is completely beautiful and sums it up well.

Check out some of the other real life mom truths.

Oh, yeah, and I'm supposed to tag...so Jenny, Kim, Laurie, Gabrielle, Compulsive Writer, Bek, Robyn, and anyone else who wants to play. Go. You're it. Get real.

Looking for Product?

This lovely photo and many others like it can be found at this wonderful gallery.

I know that over the last month or so, you've been able to count on the Queso for lots of product. Silly amounts of product.

I realize this. And I realize, as this is a blog, it's supposed to represent where my head is. And so it seems my head is currently doused in product.

Believe me, it's not entirely bad.

After all, I've started writing for the ultra-fantastic, extremely bodacious Cool Mom Picks. So I'm over there sometimes. (And I'm telling you, those cool moms know how to pick them. Frankly, I just do whatever they tell me to do, keep my mouth shut, and hope to God they don't ask me to do math problems.)

It's a smart site. You should definitely add it to your daily list.Also, as you know, I'm also writing for the Parent Blogging Network, so sometimes they send me stuff to review. And I do. And then I give it away to you people. So really, you're the winners there.

And, then finally, I've been cooking up a little something with three other gals...one from NYC, one from Charlotte, and one from San Fran. And it's EXTREMELY fun and exciting. They're very mean* and won't let me shout it from the hills yet; but when I can, you'll be the first to know. (I'm really ready to stop skirting the issue, because it's consuming my pea-sized brain.)

*I'm lying, they're completely not mean.

But bottom line is, I started the Queso to have a little space of my own. And, frankly, it's getting too crowded in here with all the stuff.

Plus, I miss blogging.

And I'm a bit of a minimalist at heart. So I'm moving all the product to another room.

Introducing Blog con Queso's sister (with a better wardrobe) site, Cool Stuff con Queso. A spot that will soon be exploding with fruit flavors of Friday Finds, products, reviews, giveaways, and more giveaways.

In fact, we're starting today with a generous giveaway from Darlybird. That's right. They're giving us the greatest bag ever...a bag that doesn't cost $1800...no, it's completely free to a lucky winner.

The LUCY bag

Don't you just LOVE Lucy? You know you do. So go to Cool Stuff con Queso, leave a comment, and you're registered to win it. Comments will be open until Tuesday night at midnight. And as always, the Hurricane will draw the winner. Because, really, what else does he have planned on Wednesday?

So there you go. And then there were two.

I'm just happy to have my space back. And I'm also looking forward to seeing what our hermana pequeña has to say. I really hope you enjoyed the final leg of productpalooza at the Queso. It's been funish. But now, back to the cheese...

Friday Finds: For the Blues

A few weeks ago, I said I'd do Friday Finds for the single gal and then for guys. (Specifically guys that fish) (For you, Bones). Check out this week's shout out to the blues at Cool Stuff con Queso. It's done just as the blues like it...with shiny photos and links. But no words. Only grunts.

An Assortment of Fruit Flavors.

This fun photo was taken from this fun gallery.

I’m moving in 17 different directions around here, and it seems like new paths keep forging. Which I love. Because I like the potential for new adventure. But to tell the truth, there are so many roads diverging right now that even I’m getting a little bit frazzled. I know this to be the case when I start making lists.

1. I received a long email from a friend last night. I absolutely love long emails, because they’re really letters. Lovely letters. And I adore that. Why don’t we write letters anymore? Or long emails. We really should. I think I’ll start.

2. Okay, here’s a random one. I set up a coworker, the coworker with the 2K purse, with a former dating partner/boyfriend. Which is pretty weird in itself. But then, to make things even more bizarre, he later said he wasn’t really that interested because he likes girls who are “model thin” (oh, and she’s darling, btw, maybe a size six, gasp!). Which begs several questions…one, why the heck did I ever go on a date with someone who would ever think and/or say something so gross...two, why the heck did he want to go out with me because I’ve had hips since I was in first grade…three, what can we do as a collective group to body-slam people like this? That kind of moronic thinking really should be bitch-slapped. I’ll start: If the Hurricane ever says anything like that, I’m karate chopping him into next week.

3. I love Jello.

4. I’ve come up with a solution to my product dilemma. Because I’m sick of how this place is getting so producty. Gag. But no more! The solution is right around the corner. And I’m so freaking excited about it, I can’t wait to share it. But because of technical issues, it’s going to have to be announced on Monday. And it will be announced with an exceptional Darlybird giveaway. It’s going to be a good one.

5. And speaking of giveaways. The Hurricane wore his Super Zoe given Peace, Love and Cookies shirt to draw this morning.

But then he got mad because I wouldn't give him the camera.
And it looked a little like this.

But then we regrouped. And he drew. And Citymama1, you totally won.
Email me and four boxes of Girl Scouts are coming your way.
And by that, I mean cookies.

Peace and love to all from the Quesos.

Perfect.

It's raining outside tonight. And we're snuggled in tight. And I can't stop listening to this. It's perfect.

Thin Mints, Fat Tips, and 101 Cookbooks

So I discovered a few things this weekend.

1. Thin Mints aren’t thin at all. They’re phat and fat.

And I’m suddenly like the people who spent millions on the studies that found buttery movie popcorn and Mexican food is, gasp, fattening.

Shocking. I know.

But what I didn’t know, or I didn’t realize, is just how bad /evil that these minty minis actually are. For instance, 1 thin mint cookie equals 1 Weight Watchers point. And since you only get like 20 points a day, and since I’ve consumed about 114 cookies; well, I’m not saying that I'm great at math, but by my calculations, I’m screwed.

2. Heidi Swanson figured this out long ago.

3. Smart, cool Rebecca from The New Awesome introduced me to 101 Cookbooks and the brilliance of Heidi Swanson. More specifically, she introduced me to Heidi’s homemade and all-natural Thin Mint recipe. (The above photo is from there too.)

"No shortening, no trans-fats from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, no weird, processed cake mix cookies - just good old-fashioned butter, cocoa, vanilla, sugar, chocolate, whole grain flour! and peppermint turned into delicious, thin minty goodness."

And, I know. This is salad month, and this little ditty is so much more in line with last month’s designation, but I’m going to share it anyway. Because I need all the all-natural good Karma I can get to work off those additional 94 points. Plus, Peppermint Tea: Fun Monday #8 and all. No worries, we’ll be back to salads shortly.

Thin Mint Recipe
homemade and all-natural

Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces organic butter, room temperature
1 cup organic powdered sugar, (I use Wholesome Sweeteners brand)
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder (I use Dagoba's cacao powder)
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 teaspoon plus a couple drops of natural peppermint extract (I use Flavorganics brand, avail. at Whole Foods)

Preheat your oven to 350. Racks in the middle zone.

Make the cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, sort of like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking, it might still be a bit crumbly, and that's o.k. You don't want to over mix and end up with tough cookies.

Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and kneed it just once or twice to bring it together into once nice, smooth mass. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

Rollout and bake: Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin, remember how thin Thin Mints are? That's how thin you need your dough, about 1/8-inch. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter (this time I used one with a fluted edge, I've done hearts and other shapes in the past). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a baking rack if you've got one.

Make the peppermint coating:
While the cookies are in the oven you can get the coating ready. I use a makeshift double boiler to melt chocolate (a metal pan over a saucepan of gently simmering water), but I know many people who swear by melting chocolate in the microwave. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. If you think the chocolate needs a bit more peppermint kick, add more extract a drop or two at a time - but don't go overboard.

Finishing the cookies: You are going to coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Drop one cookie into the chocolate and (using a fork) carefully make sure it gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on the aforementioned prepared baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. They will set at room temperature, it just takes much longer, and I prefer them straight out of the freezer anyways ;)

Make 3 or 4 dozen cookies.

Of course, I have no idea how many WW points each of these babies might or might not contain, so you’re on your own there.

--------------------

And, if you would rather not count any points at all, and again give Weight Watchers the chocolate bird, then leave a comment.

That’s right, we’re having another QUESO GIVEAWAY. Hooray.

Comments will be open until midnight CST on Tuesday. And the Hurricane-chosen winner will receive four, brand-new, assorted boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Two of these boxes just so happen to be Thin Mints. And as always, you can keep them or pass them on to a friend. (They might just be the fruitcake of the two thousands.)

God I hope you win.

Friday Finds: A Toast to the Single Girl

A Woman Needs a Man Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle. --Irina Dunn

Last week, I promised Super Zoe that this week’s finds would be a shout out to the single gal.

Hollah!

So visit Cool Stuff con Queso to get the single scoop.

Always Double the Vanilla.

My grandmother once told me that one of her foremost ambitions was to create a lot of good memories. And, as far as I’m concerned, she succeeded.

That said, a good majority of my memories with her are set in her perfect kitchen. And, it should also be noted, mainly because I’m a moron, that only one piece of her extensive culinary advice stands out to me now. And here it is.

She frequently said to me, "Whatever you do, always double the vanilla."

My grandmother was brilliant. And she’s completely right. I’ve never found one recipe on the planet that hasn’t been bettered with a double dose of the extract. This goes for cookies, cakes, pies, whatever. It also goes for salads.

Behold, the power of vanilla. And salads. With vanilla.

Mixed Salad with Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette and Toasted Walnuts
From Cooking Light

1 cup vertically sliced red onion
2 (10-ounce) packages Mediterranean-style salad
2/3 cup Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

To prepare salad, combine onion and lettuce mix in a large bowl. Add Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette, and toss well. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette
1 (15-ounce) can pear halves in juice, undrained
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
(which really means 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract...remember the rule!)
Dash of ground red pepper

To prepare dressing, drain pears, reserving 1/3 cup pear juice. Combine pears, juice, vinegar, and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 cups)
Note: Nutritional analysis includes Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette.
NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 55(38% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.5g,poly 1.5g); PROTEIN 1.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 20mg; SODIUM 73mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.1g

I have made this salad a lot. A lot. From a random Tuesday to the annual Viking Feast. It's super easy and so so yum. Enjoy! And don't forget the rules. Vanilla is your friend.

These Are Days.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
--Annie Dillard

Right about a month ago, my sister started a blog. She wanted to create a 111-words-or-less daily snapshot, so she could look back in a month and see how she is spending her days slash life.

It just so happens I was thinking about this concept today, as I sat in an internal meeting, behind my desk, in my office, while six people were buzzing buzzing buzzing about the placement, design, and descriptions of things. Such frenzy. Such dilemmas. Such drama. And I’m thinking, wow, is this how I want to live my life? With the crazy and the buzzing. Working.

The current answer: Yes.

When I was younger, I had different answers for almost all things. I was quite positive I’d NEVER with a capitol NEVER work after I had children, if I had children. But then, low and behold, I did have a child. And, lucky for me, I had a choice. And I chose to try working for a few weeks. Mainly, just to get out of my pajamas.

Truth be told, it wasn’t quite that simple. Going back to work after I met the Hurricane was a fairly difficult decision and one I continue to make everyday. And as I review the dailies, I’m learning that as long as it works for us, it works for us. And right now, working more than works for me. At least it did today, drama meeting and all.

On this topic, and over all, here’s what I’ve come to dig--the fantastic freedom of making a choice everyday. Besides being completely great and refreshingly empowering, I’ve discovered it’s how I want to spend my life. Consciously making decisions. Consciously evaluating my options. And consciously doing it a day at a time. And only a day at a time.

This is kind-of hard.

And it’s a pretty big deal for me, because planning had become one of my hobbies. It’s how my brain works. It’s how I roll. I already know where we’re going on our next four vacations. I’ve already decided what I’m going to do for the Hurricane’s next birthday, next year. Hell, I already have names picked out for any additional pretend children that may potentially one day sometime maybe become real children in our house. Oh and I’ve thought ahead about what their Christmas stockings should be, should they become real children and actually need to have them.

It’s how I think, people, and I do it without thinking.

So now as I’ve started to get in the habit of thinking about living in this day, and this day only, I've found that it’s hard. But it’s pretty fun. And all of a sudden, I have more space.

I like that.

So, if we’re thinking in daily doses, and we’re thinking about life, how are you spending it? Kim recently asked a related question…if you could be spending it differently, would you? After all, we each only get an average of 27,000 days, give or take.

27,000 days.

Not that many, really. If you only had $27,000 to spend for the rest of your life, wouldn't you spend it wisely? Maybe. I'd still buy chocolate though. Because I want to spend my life with a little chocolate.


The lovely photo above was borrowed from this gallery.

Friday Finds: The Terminally Cool Parent Edition

There’s been some talk on the street that “hip” or “cool” parents (you know, parents who feed their kids that darn-blasted trendy hummus or dress their little punks in something other than pastel ducky and bunny wear) deserve about 72 eye rolls and a good lashing. Maybe. But around here, we prefer spring rolls to eye rolls. So, I say if parents want their kids to wear smocked duckies and listen to classical music, fine. No problem. To each his own. But for me and my house, we wear the Roses.

Go to Cool Stuff con Queso to check out this Friday Find tribute to those kids, parents, aunts, uncles and punks who are alergic to pastels. And bunnies.

-----------------

On a related note, I'm realizing it's starting to look like a mall around here. And for that, I apologize. Between the Friday Finds and the different reviews I've been asked to do, well, that's a lot of product.

And we all know what happens when you wear too much product.

So, I'll come up with a solution. I'm just not sure what it is yet. I could ditch the Friday Finds, but I have heard from a lot of you that you dig them.

Hm. We'll see.

Still working on the Queso ingredients. Getting closer.

-----------------

On another related note, my little bio blurb thing is up at The Parenting Network. This is a group that has asked me (and about 187 others) to review things every once in a while. They send me free stuff too, and I usually give it away here. So that means, they give you free stuff. So you should totally let them sit at your lunch table and share your algebra homework with them. I'm just saying.

Happy Weekend, people.