Attn Chocoholics

A few weeks ago, I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes for a celebration at work, modifying a recipe I saw at the blog Kevin and Amanda. They were beyond fabulous and I was instantly famous at work with everyone stopping by my office to ask about them. I loudly professed my love for Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream frosting. I immediately created a blog post for them to spread the word. I was going to be The Blogger Who Made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes Easily (a la Becky Brandon).

Not long after that, Amanda posted about making Brownie Batter Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes, so I knew I had to give them a whirl. That I wouldn't be able to sleep until I did. But I also knew that I'd be buying Betty Crocker Whipped frosting rather than tackle Amanda's complicated frosting recipe, which looked like it might be my nemesis.

The fact that it has been a week and a half since I made these and I am just now getting around to posting about them is telling.

They were good, just not as good.

The Cookie Dough cupcakes are so good, I'm afraid I'll be measuring all dessert hence forward against them. And that's really not fair to the rest of the desserts in the world.....

But anyway, if you happen to be a chocoholic, you will love these- they *are* mighty tasty.

To make the brownie batter:

1/4 cup Parkay, melted
1/3 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup milk (left out of the picture! I used skim)
1 (18.25 oz) box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil’s Food cake mix

Combine all in a bowl and mix.


I used my Pampered Chef scoop and made balls of dough that I froze overnight on parchment paper.



The next day I made my cupcake batter.

1 (18.25 oz) box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil’s Food cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) pkg Jello instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil (how much do you love the new Crisco container? No mess!)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips into a large bowl and mix. Stir in chocolate chips.

I again used my Pampered Chef scoop to drop batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3rds full.

Next, take frozen brownie batter balls and press into the cupcake batter. Bake for about 25 minutes.



Once cooled, I used this Betty Crocker Whipped Chocolate Frosting to frost the cupcakes, and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips. This whipped frosting is genius- so creamy and good!

Here what they looked like frosted.

And here's what they looked like right before I polished off my first one. The brownie batter does not sink to the bottom like in the cookie dough cupcakes, but stays at the top.

They were delightful- and very very chocolate-y!

An informal poll at my office resulted as such: These were good, but I have a better chance of winning the Thanksgiving Dessert Contest with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes....

GDA: Womens New Balance Running Shoes $26.99, free shipping

Joe's New Balance Outlet (love them, have used them for years) has these women's running shoes for $26.99 with free shipping.

Edited to add: Looks like this shoe sold out!

And don't forget to go thru ebates for 4% back!

Febreze Set and Refresh- My New Love!

I have often professed my love for Febreze products, especially the candles, and I swear to you this is a totally un-biased rave because Febreze doesn't know me and I purchased these products with my own hard-earned cash.

Last week I purchased one of their newest products, Set & Refresh, in the Apple Spice & Delight fragrance and it's devine! Described as "The warm scent of fresh baked Red Delicious apples with fragrant notes of cinnamon and sugar", it's perfect for the upcoming holiday season.

The 2 pack I purchased at Walmart was $4.99, and I had a coupon for $1 off from the P&G coupon insert from the Sunday paper.

You insert a little plastic packet of fragrance oil into the container and pull up on the base unit to snap it into place. Absolutely no mess!

And it's pretty cute too!

Hopefully they will come out with more fragrance options for the Set & Refresh. I'd love to get Cinnamon Sugar & Home, Winds & Springtime, Pumpkin Harvest & Fall, and my newest find, Sweet Citrus & Zest.

She's Crafty

On Friday, P and Mr. Sasha were at a birthday party, so I decide that WC and I would venture out to the mall and see if we could find some cool-weather clothes, since it's FINALLY getting cooler here.

As I was getting her in her carseat, she said, "I want to get a face mask. You know, the kind you wear when you sleep."

I thought that was a strange thing to be shopping for, but we've been reading a lot of Fancy Nancy: Ooh La La! It's Beauty Day so I assume that's where the request came from.

We go to the mall, went in thru Dillard's, worked our way around to Gymboree, GAP, and finally Old Navy. I had some GAP Card reward certificates to use, so I picked out some Hello Kitty tshirts for her (they are darling!) and we made our way to the checkout.

Lo and behold, look what we found by the register.

Yup, a sleeping mask. I swear, she has ESP.

And the next day, she traced the mask on paper and made her own version, although she wanted eye holes in this one! Too funny!

Stila Friday Happy Hour

Stila is offering FREE SHIPPING- no minimum- this weekend.

Use code CHRCV3PFFH and don't forget to go thru ebates for 6% back.

Fabulous Build a Bear Groupon!

This Groupon is good at any location- it's $10 for a $20 coupon to Build-A-Bear.

If you've never done Groupon before, sign up and refer your friends using your unique referral code to get $10 per referral. I've purchased quite a few Groupons and it's been a great experience.

1. Click here to sign up

2. Then click here to get the Build-A-Bear deal.

Artwork by P: Quite Telling

A few weeks ago at play therapy, our therapist had P and WC do some artwork, and she said to me under her breath, "You can get a lot of info out of what they draw."

So I sat back and chatted with her about various discipline methods while they worked on their pictures.

Once they were done and handed them to the therapist, she looked at me and said, "See?"

P had drawn our family WITHOUT NOSES.

Remember his over-sensitivity to smells? And how he used to throw up when he smelled fruit like apples, oranges and bananas?????????????????????????? Although listening therapy helped tremendously, he simply prefers not to smell things like that- so no noses. Isn't that interesting?

By the way, the grey hair on drawings of Mr. Sasha never gets old.

It's a Halloween Miracle

Both kids, in costumes (sans mask for P, but oh well), looking pleasantly at the camera!

One pic and we're done.

October in Review

Can you believe it's November 1st? I cannot!

My beautiful in-real-life friend Megan at Sorta Crunchy sometimes does a month in review post and I'd thought I'd join in.

On My Nightstand: my crochet hook- I've taken back up this wonderful hobby and am finding it a wonderful way to unwind before sleep

Want To Read: the subscription to US Magazine I just ordered from DiscountMags.com - 3 years for $60- almost makes my celeb gossip habit seem not-so-bad (I think that deal is dead BTW)

TV Show Worth Watching: We are so happy that DirecTV is showing the new season of Friday Night Lights early again- this is the last season and we will be sorry to see them go- such a great show!

Movie I've Seen (in or out of the theater): Sadly, none! How to Train Your Dragon has been on repeat so I guess I'll have to count that one.

In My Kitchen: The first step (frozen balls of brownie dough) for the Brownie Batter Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes I will be making tonight.

In My Ears: I'm almost done with Mini Shopaholic Audiobook and it totally got me through that 9 mile run on Saturday. Audiobooks are the only way to go for long runs if you ask me.

Three Newest Blog Reads:

• Felt So Cute- A life of crafting, decorating, party planning and some cute little girlies!
• I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar- My name is Cheri and I am a mother of two boys. When I am not wiping butts and noses I love to take pictures, sew and refashion, write music, decorate, craft, paint, and eat.
• Nicole Marie Portraits- photographer specializing in natural light portraits

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: Still cooler weather! I am so ready for fall, and it's finally here!

I love what Megan says at the end of her posts like that, and I'll ditto it: NOW then. Your turn! What are YOU into this month? Fill up the comment space or borrow this for inspiration on your own blog.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

Couch to 5K

I got a great email from a Sasha Says reader the other day:

Hi Sasha-

You clued me in to Couch to 5k a few years ago and even were kind enough to send me your spreadsheet. I stopped and started a few times but finally followed through. I ran my first 5k today and owe it in large part to you.

Thanks!
Ellen

That little spreadsheet has been emailed around hundreds of times and I love love love hearing about other moms who have followed the plan (taken from http://www.coolrunning.com/) and ran a 5K.

When I started the plan on my treadmill about 7 years ago, I had a rough time keeping track of when I was supposed to run and when I was supposed to take a walk break. So the accountant in me created a spreadsheet to help me keep track.

This week I uploaded the spreadsheet, which shows the 9 week plan detailed with stop/start times for running versus walking, to a google doc to make it easier to access.

Couch to 5K Spreadsheet

If you've used the Couch to 5K plan, I'd love to hear your story! I am planning on running my first half marathon in December with Beth from C. Beth Blog, and I am so excited to have come so far on my running journey. If you've got some motivation for me, leave it in the comments.

Join Amazon Mom to get Prime Shipping

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If you are going to take advantage of some of the fabulous Amazon Christmas shopping deals I'll be sharing (and trust me, they will be FANTASTIC!)- you're going to need Prime so you can jump on small deals and have them shipped instantly, without having to worry about getting to $25 for free shipping.

Clicking the link above will get you a membership in Amazon Mom, which gives you 3 free months of Amazon prime, just in time for Christmas!

Happy Shopping!

Real Simple Says..... One Easy Shortcut

photo and text from Real Simple (September 2010), page 62

The Fastest Way to Frost a Cupcake

Try this sweet, no-icing-necessary method. When your cupcakes have about three minutes left to bake, pull out the tin and place one marshmallow on top of each cupcake. Return the tin to the oven for the remaining time (or until the marshmallows are slightly melted but still fluffy).

Sasha Says...

Genius

Look who finally lost a tooth!

We were beginning to think the Sasha family brushed teeth way too well.

At 7 years and 2 months old, P was feeling quite left out since he had not yet lost a tooth.

That was remedied last night when he lost not one, but two!

We heard the going rate was a $1 per tooth (is this right?) so that's what the tooth fairy left him and he was excited and dashed into the bathroom this am while I was drying my hair to show me.

Another milestone...... he's growing up way too fast for my tastes, though.

SPD: 30 Stories in 30 Days

Through blogging, I "met" the most wonderful mom and blogger named Hartley, who is the author of This is Gabriel Making Sense of School: A Book About Sensory Processing Disorder.

Hartley had a wonderful idea for a fundraiser: she asked SPD moms like me to share their story on her blog to raise awareness about SPD, and she's doing a fundraising project for SPD Foundation’s 30th Anniversary at the same time.

How can you help?

First, head on over to read our family's story at Hartley's Life With Three Boys, which is the featured story today. I'll be reading the comments there throughout the day and would love to recognize some names! Should you feel led to make a donation to the SPD Foundation, just put my name in the comments section of the PayPal form to let Hartley know you are a friend of the Sashas.

Next, will you spread the word about our story on your facebook and twitter accounts? Simple links to my post at Hartley's blog would be wonderful!

Thanks for following our SPD story! I appreciate it more than you know!

Having fun with the camera

I know this breaks the photography rules since the space to the left doesn't matter and should have been framed with her on the left edge, but I love the look in her eyes. And she wasn't even posing, just a shot I caught. (Oh, but that poor underbite.... starting to get my pocketbook ready.)

*This* cheesy little smile is what she does when she poses.... I had a great time playing with the settings on my camera, trying different things to figure out what worked. These two ornery little girls almost lost us moms in the corn maze.... we had to run to find them!

Would you vote for The Wild Child?

I just entered this photo of Reese (The Wild Child) in the Fancy Nancy Fantastic Fan Photo Contest.

Could you take a second to vote for her? I absolutely love that she dressed herself for the pool, and also love that she wore a football jersey to school the next day- she's a bit prissy, a bit of a tomboy, and I love her just the way she is!

Pumpkin Patch

We stopped by our church's pumpkin patch the other night and the kids had a great time pulling the wagon around picking out their pumpkins.

I am SO ready for fall! The mornings have been nice and cool, but it's still warming up to the mid-70s by afternoon. Come on October, bring us your weather!

Mystery Solved re: Fancy Nancy

Last night the I was reading the newest Fancy Nancy book (Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique) to the kids and we were delighted to find out the answer to a question that has been haunting us for ever... her sister's name!

One the last page of the book, it is revealed to be...

JoJo!

Phew! I can finally sleep at night! :-)

With this recipe, I will rule the world

Last week I saw a fabulous recipe for Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes on Kevin and Amanda's blog and knew the perfect occasion to make it: a birthday celebrate at work.

And I've got to tell you- they are amazing! I am eating one as we speak.

Here's what the finished product looks like:


I do have to disclose that I am all about the semi-homemade, so I used a tub of premade Pillsbury cookie dough, a boxed cake mix, and canned frosting. Nothing to be ashamed of!

1. I took a vanilla cake mix and mixed it as directed. I filled my muffin tins about 2/3 full, as Amanda suggested.

2. Next, I plopped a frozen ball of cookie dough in the middle of each cup. (Earlier that morning, I had used a Pampered Chef scoop and made some cookie dough balls, which I placed in the freezer for about 10 hours.)

This is what it looked like before I put them in the oven. The cookie dough sinks to the bottom as the cake bakes.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 16-18 minutes.

4. Once they were cooled, I frosted with Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream frosting (amazing BTW!) and sprinkled mini chocolate chips on top.

I am ever-so-grateful to Amanda for sharing this fabulous recipe idea with her readers. This is definitely going to be a signature dessert and my next dessert contest entry.

The One Where I Embarrass My Husband

Images from NICOclub

Recently our family was down visiting my parents, who live in the town where I met my husband during college. He played football there and during his playing career the team won the National Championship- it was so exciting!

It was Sunday afternoon and we were about to get on the road to head home, but first he wanted to take The Politician down on field and show him where he played. As we walked out on the field, I glanced up in the visitor stands and saw a beautiful sight- tons of discarded bottles of Coke!

See, I'm a tad bit crazy with my couponing and point-earning and Coke caps are some of my favorites! I've already cashed in Coke reward points for DVDs for the kids, and recently got myself Season 4 of How I Met Your Mother. So when I saw all those bottles, I knew what I had to do...... I just couldn't resist!

My kids love a project and they were excited to help me gather up the bottles and carry them to the trash, first taking off the caps to keep. I thought my husband was going to kill me though! There's a track around the field that is often used by local residents for exercise, and the thought of someone seeing us gather up the caps was totally embarrassing my husband! It's so funny that I get embarrassed so easily normally, but I'm shameless about couponing and point programs!

So consider this the post where I ask you to send me your Coke codes if you aren't using them!

Holy Cuteness!

photo from Baby Meshach's etsy shop

A darling IRL friend of mine, Michelle, has just opened up an etsy shop for her precious handmade items.

Michelle recently did two custom orders for me for baby shower gifts and I couldn't have been more pleased! I have already heard from both moms-to-be that they loved their items! (One even said they may be too cute to use!)

Each gorgeous item (including clothes!) is adorned with beautiful bibles verses. You simply must visit her shop, which she describes as follows:

welcome to the baby meshach shop! i enjoy designing and creating baby blankets, bibs, burp cloths, and funky unique Christian clothing!

Happy Shopping!

Newest Foundation Find

Too Faced Amazing Face SPF Foundation Powder ($32 at Sephora)

For the past week or so, I've been trying out Too Faced's new powder foundation, which I purchased from Sephora, and I LOVE it!

Description from Sephora.com:

Go from sheer and natural to full and flawless with this flexible-coverage foundation. The weightless pigments float over imperfections to minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines, while instantly improving tone and texture. The formula contains the innovative Regu-Seb, which helps to control and reduce oil production and leaves skin looking fresh. It also features Bamboo Silk, a nutrient-rich ingredient that revives and renews the skintone to promote a balanced texture and impart a comfortable-feeling finish.

Rather than use the sponge it came with for application, I've been using a flat top brush and love the coverage it gives me- heavy enough to even out my skintone, but still light enough to look natural.

What foundation are you loving right now?

By the way, if you ever do order from Sephora, don't forget to go thru ebates for 4% back. And if you are new to ebates and register using my link, we each get $5 cash.

Photography Class

one of P's teammates at their soccer game last Saturday, photo by me!

I am loving my photography class! So nice to do something fun, for "me". Mr. Sasha encouraged me to sign up for the next class so I'll be doing another month.

We are headed south for the big game. Do you have big weekend plans? Hope you have a good one!

Dear Mike's Hard Lemonade,

Today I ran after a beer distributor guy at Target and asked him a very important question:

Where the hell are the Mike's Light Hard Cranberry Lemonade? The ones that only have 98 calories??? All I see on the Target shelves these days are the 220-250 calorie offenders.... and you and I both know we've already talked about those.

Mr. Beer Distributor Guy looked at me sadly and said,

"They've been discontinued."

I feel melancholy and infinite sadness.

Hard Core WW-ing It

I am hard core WW-ing it this week. If you are counting those pesky points too, you need to run to the store and pick up a few of the new Extra Dessert Delights flavors.

Yesterday I tried Mint Chocolate Chip and Key Lime Pie, and I swear it's just like you are nomming on a dessert right then and there. Bob and Jillian are always suggesting I pop a piece of gum when I have a sweet craving, but until now I wasn't sure that would work for me. After trying these, I think it just might!

C. Beth Crochet!

My friend Beth has gone all pro-fessional and opened herself up an Etsy shop called C. Beth Crochet for her adorable handmade hats. She recently made the hat pictured above for WC and we love it.

Give her a visit- her things are just gorgeous!

Weekend Update

The Politician played some soccer,

The Wild Child got her face painted at a Fall Festival,

and I did something quite a bit out of my comfort zone: led our Sunday school class.

We are currently using Michelle Nichol's book Sink or Walk on Water and it has been speaking to me, quite deeply.

If you've been a Sasha Says reader for any length of time, you have most likely read about my anxiety (it's a reoccurring theme around here). I've been struggling a bit more than usual lately, feeling guilty about my worrying and my internal struggles, which has done nothing but add another layer of anxiety to my load. I want to be different, I truly do, but I can't seem to find that switch, the one I can flip to shift the direction of thoughts in my brain.

But oh, Michelle spoke to me yesterday when I was leading from Day 1 of Week 4. On page 77, Michelle wrote,

"I do not know about you, but I've seldom been cheerful or glad during my trials. These verses do not tell us to be cheerful about our trials; they say be cheerful during our trials."

I realized yesterday that I need to separate out the feelings: I am allowed to spend some time thinking about the things that cause me anxiety, but I need to spend more time being grateful and having a heart that rejoices.

My verse for the week: 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

Pre-Dinner Snack: Done!

The Wild Child and I just had a nice little pre-dinner snack at Sam's Club... complete with apple cider, pizza, string cheese, and a brownie. I love going there after I pick her up on Fridays because they start serving the goodies at 5.

You know you've done it too! (Surely I'm not the only one!) I spent $113 so it's totally OK to indulge, right?

Avon's Breast Cancer Awareness Tote

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Avon is offering this adorable tote for only $5. You can see above how small it folds up- I'm purchasing one to keep in my purse since I'm always forgetting my reusable shopping bags when I am just picking up a few items.

The best part- 100% of the net profits ($3.74) will be donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.

I order Avon from my friend Valeri (email her at bucfanri {at} gmail {dot} com and she may have a free shipping code for you!)

And don't forget to go through Ebates for a percentage back- plus, if you have never used ebates before, you get $5, and I get $5.

Sickie

I felt my ears itching yesterday, way down deep, which is a sure sign that a cold is coming on. Sure enough, I felt crappy last night, complete with stopped up nose, coughing, and that yucky feeling in my chest. Have you seen that Curious George episode called "The Inside Story"? Well, Toots the jazz-singing germ is inside me today. So I took a sickie and stayed in bed.

The upside is I am completely caught up on Glee (finally!), Project Runway, and Quintuplet Surprise. Also, the blanket I have been crocheting for WC for absolutely forever is almost done and I am working on the edging today and actually hope to finish.

Oh, you didn't know I knew how to crochet? You and Mr. Sasha!

My grandmother taught me to crochet at a very young age, and through the years I've picked it up from time to time, but evidently Mr. Sasha had no clue about that. One night, after we'd been married about 3 years (together for probably 1o), he came home from work and found me working on a rather large blanket. He looked at me like he had no idea who I was!

"Did you do that today? As in, just learn how and do all that?"

Nope, I said. Been working on it for years, but I guess not in front of you!

Too funny! (I don't know how to read a pattern, BTW, just kind of do whatever looks good to me....)

If you are a fan of late 60s rock like me

then you'll love Matt Costa's new song Witchcraft off his newest CD, released just today.

Amazing!

Notes From School- It's Back!

It's been too long since I've had those great, hilarious Notes From School that P used to get in Pre-K. But now WC is in Pre-K with those same fabulous teachers, and we're getting some great notes!

WC got buried (not completely) in Mt. Woodchip. She had to make a complete change of clothes including undies and socks.

What's Your Super Power?

I read the other day that everyone has a superpower. We're all superheros!

I am Spreadsheet Woman. I lurve spreadsheets and create them for anything and everything. I learned on Lotus oh-so-many years ago, and still write all my formulas in the Lotus @ form. I get super-excited when there's an opportunity to create nested @if functions. It's a big high for me.

So that's my super power- I am able to create spreadsheets for anything you need in a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet.

What about you?

As the World Turns Finale

I just set my tivo to record the last few episodes of As the World Turns. Before I had kids, (boy- that's getting to be the theme around here!) I never missed an episode. When I bought my first home in 1997, it took a while to get cable run to my house, and I made my dad drive up and hook up electric rabbit ears so I could get crystal clear reception of CBS and had my VCR programmed to record it every day so I could watch it in the evening.

I am a big Liz Hubbard fan and was part of an online fan club that sent her flowers in the late 90s when she returned to the show- how dorky is that? My subscription to CBS Soaps in Depth was my most prized possession, and it was one of the things that my mom and I had in common and could discuss at length over the phone.

I was a CarJacker (of course!) and was so happy to see that they'll be tying the knot before the show ends on the 17th. I hate to see the show end, but TV is ever-changing and Snookie and The Situation apparently are more interesting to today's generation.

So here's to a fabulous run and thanks for the many years of entertainment, ATWT!

My Favorite Book

Oh, how I love to read! I used to stay up late, devouring books until I couldn't keep my eyes open. During my years of insomnia, there were always several books on my nightstand waiting to be picked up at 3 am, and my trips to the bookstore couldn't even keep up the pace.

Then I had kids.

Alas, in 2003 my free time allocated for pleasure reading disappeared. If I did find time to read, it's usually a parenting topic.....

But if I am answering trivia questions about myself, I list Sophie Kinsella as my favorite author. Most people know her for the Shopaholic series, which is fabulous and I love dearly, although please know the movie was not at all representative of the book. (I am so excited that Mini Shopaholic is coming out on the 21st BTW.)

But the best Kinsella books are actually the non-Becky ones... Yes, Becky can be a tad self-absorbed and unaware, but Kinsella's other heroines are real life, this-could-really-happen gals. My two favorites are Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess. If you haven't read them, you simply must.

If you are local and wish to borrow, just let me know! I'd also love to know what your favorite books are- comment below please.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

Photography class

I enrolled in a local photography class and am having so much fun learning how to really use my camera. These were some of the first photos I shot in manual, and I am so excited to learn more! I know I have a long way to go, and that these aren't good at all, but it was fun to try. Feeling official is always my goal.

Do you have any online sites to recommend for me to pick up more info?

Missouri

I just posted on facebook that my hair looks better in Missouri than where I live. Strange.

As of tomorrow, I'll have been here for a week, although there was a mid-week stop back at home, just to hop on a flight to come back to Missouri for a biz trip.

I am ready to be home and do some tailgating this weekend!

Forty Before Forty

Ack! I'm turning 37 in December, and I have so many things in life I'd like to do. So, with the help of some online friends, I've created a list of 40 Things To Do Before I Turn 40. I'll be updating this list periodically, hopefully crossing things off one by one. Care to join in? Feel free to snag the button above.

1. Have a picnic at the lake with the husband & kids.
2. Take a road trip with no specific plans (heads Carolina, tails California etc).
3. Read a book, just for pleasure (no parenting topics allowed!).
4. Go to the zoo.
5. Get a massage.
6. Have girl’s night.
7. Have a TV series marathon weekend.
8. Make brunch for friends.
9. Invest in a vacation home.
10. Have date night with the husband.
11. Have board game night.
12. Get together with local bloggers.
13. Get a mani/pedi with a girlfriend.
14. Lose 25 pounds.
15. Go to the State Fair.
16. Host a dinner party for friends, no kids allowed.
17. Redecorate.
18. Sleep in.
19. Play rock band.
20. Get a makeover.
21. Frame photos for around the house.
22. Have a family portrait taken.
23. Cook the husband a delicious dinner.
24. Go to the movies- and see a new release.
25. Donate my time to a good cause.
26. Go see live local music.
27. Go for a stroll with my family.
28. Have a glass of wine on the patio.
29. Go out to eat and only have dessert.
30. Buy produce at the farmers market.
31. Go out and get my hands dirty and plant something.
32. Take a class of some kind.
33. Travel to a different country.
34. Run a half marathon.
35. Go through all of my clothes and get rid of any I haven't worn in the last year or two.
36. Try a new food.
37. Get a pet.
38. Go to a drive-in movie theater.
39. Learn a new craft.
40. Have boudoir pictures made.

My favorite TV show

Don't suppose you can guess what my favorite TV show is, can you?

Why, of course, it's Friends! Friends began airing in the Fall of 1994 while I was in college. I have the fondest memories of gathering around the TV with my sorority sisters and watching the newest epi before getting ready to go out on Thursday night. It's also one show that the husband and I agree is absolutely perfect comedy- for a few years right after we got married, reruns were airing at 10 pm weeknights, so we always watched Friends right before we went to sleep.

I have to admit to you that I'm a little bit Monica. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm totally Monica. Totally. I even have a phone pen.

As you can see above, I have all 10 seasons on DVD (randomly, Season 4 does not have a 4 on the spine). Note that Season 1 is not in the pic, because it's in our bedroom since I was watching it while running on the 'mill recently. I watched the entire series, in order, several times while doing the Couch to 5K plan. It was such a fabulous distraction and really kept me going on the exercise plan.

Here's a partial list of some of my favorite epis:

• Holiday Armadillo
• "It Tastes Like Feet!" English Trifle/Shepherd's Pie
• Vegas
• Ross's Teeth
• Ross Got High
• Leather Pants
• Monica and Ross's Dance Routine
• Pivot
• Jellyfish
• Switching Apartments/Chanandler Bong
• All the flashback epis/Fat Monica

I could go on and on.... What's your favorite episode? Any I missed?

For Your Little Owl

This Pottery Barn Kids owl costume is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Too bad WC wants to be a (male) superhero for Halloween......

I Am Ready For Fall!

We had some beautiful weather this weekend- nice, crisp, mornings..... although it did warm up quite a bit in the afternoons. But those mornings have me ready for fall!

I've put up my Febreze Winds & Springtime candles, and lit the new Cinnamon Sugar & Home candles. I found them at Wal-mart on Saturday morning and had them burning all weekend- they are divine!

There was a $2 coupon for them in the P&G insert yesterday, so I've got quiet a few cut out for my next WM trip, because they are well worth the purchase at a net price of about $3-4.

Disclosure: I have absolutely nothing to disclose- Febreze doesn't know me from Adam. I just love their candles.

What Am I Into This Month - August 2010

My beautiful in-real-life friend Megan at Sorta Crunchy has a fabulous post today and I feel compelled to join in.

On My Nightstand: the newest Sephora catalog (so much purple this fall- LOVE!), coupon inserts to sort through, and Beth Moore's Praying God's Word Day by Day

Want To Read: Beth Moore's Looking Up When Life is Looking Down- should be here any day, and I am hoping it will be a shovel to dig me out of this deep deep hole of anxiety I've been experiencing

T.V. Show Worth Watching: Big Brother, obv. My office pool pick, Ragan, is still alive! And there is much excitement at the Sasha's about the premier of Camp Rock 2 next week. (I'll admit I am sharing in P's excitement.....)

Movie I've Seen (in our out of the theater): Recently? Marmaduke at the dollar movie with the kids. Not bad for a buck. I'm hoping to take them to see Beezus and Ramona soon. Also, my coworker just told me my newest assignment is to see The Other Guys. (We do this a lot- assign each other entertainment tasks.)

In My Kitchen: A big ole messy mess. Too many dishes in the sink. A dusty copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking that I simply must get back into.

In My Ears: My local library system doesn't have Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic, No 1)on CD, so I broke down and purchased it and am loving listening to it while I run. It was my first adventure into British chick lit and I list it as my favorite book to this day. (BTW, the movie is NOTHING like the book- don't judge it by that.)

Three Newest Blog Reads:

• lollipop26- British and darling, love to watch her makeup videos
• mckmamawithoutpity- oh Lord- check the right sidebar for "Links You Might Want to Read"
• Reality Steve- I will not hide in shame, I will just go ahead and admit that I am watching The Bachelor Pad and am always a fan of the spoiler
  

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: Cooler weather! I am ready for fall, which I will tell you today is my favorite season, but fully admit that if you ask me in December, I'll tell you it's spring......

I love what Megan said at the end of her post, and I'll ditto it: NOW then. Your turn! What are YOU into this month? Fill up the comment space or borrow this for inspiration on your own blog.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

My Favorite Movie

Almost Famous

My love of classic rock led me to become obsessed with rock biographies while in high school. I devoured Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga and I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela Des Barres and imagined myself living the tales. Although shy and ever-conscious of authority, I longed to be a bit more daring and have that exciting life that revolved around rock and roll.

So when the movie Almost Famous starring Kate Hudson came out 2001, I was so excited! Another chance to have a glimpse of that life that sounded so very intoxicating and thrilling to me. I wasn't disappointed at all- I found it to be enthralling and I couldn't take my eyes away. Genius, pure genius.

I'd love to hear in the comments- what's your favorite movie?

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon referral links.

My Favorite Song

"Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home with parents who LOVED music and exposed me to so much classic rock. My mom and I would go to the store on days when a new *tape* would come out (Doobie Brothers anyone? remember this was the mid-to-late 70s) and I always loved singing along in the car.

Some of my faves are Cream, Led Zeppelin (duh!), The Eagles, Jimi Hendrix, Bad Company, Janis Joplin, KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Velvet Underground, and of course Eric Clapton. (and this list could go on and on....)

When the hubby and I decided to get married, I knew that I wanted "Wonderful Tonight" to be the song we danced to. There's just something I have always loved about that song and now it holds an even sweeter memory for me.

Plus "Beth" by KISS wouldn't have fit the situation very well....

I'd love to hear what your favorite song is and what memory is attached- just leave a comment to join in.

Getting To Know Your Bloggy Friends

Let's get to know each other better! Here is my plan for posting for the next 30 days (stolen from the blogosphere and Sasha-ified). I'd love to have you leave your answers to the questions in the comments each day.

Check back later today for Post 1! I just know you are dying to know my favorite song! *sarcasm*

Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - your favorite food
Day 7 - your favorite beauty item
Day 8 -a photo that makes you happy
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - your favorite fiction book
Day 14 - your favorite non-fiction book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc) you love
Day 18 - your wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe you love
Day 22 - a website you love
Day 23 - a youtube video you love
Day 24 - when/why you started blogging
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - your worst habit
Day 28 - contents of your handbag/purse
Day 29 - your hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future