Mariannes Motifs

One of Those Days

Today was just one of those days.  I am home now, however, and enjoying listening to the boys jump around and have fun.  We are reading Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot and the Stupid Stinkbug from Saturn.  Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.  Classic literature at its best from the author of Captain Underpants.

PSA: Consider online backup.  Please don't complain when your computer (invariably) has problems and you forgot to back up your stuff.

I am quite glad to say goodbye to this Tuesday which was more like a Monday in spirit and execution.  Blech.

 

Romance 101: How to Use Feminine Words That Sell | Copyblogger

Romance 101: How to Use Feminine
Words That Sell

via www.copyblogger.com

I wanted to hate this post, but instead I LOVE it. It's time we all embrace our inner feminine (our outer feminine as the case may be) and just go for it.

Today is a Day for Cleaning

I wasn't feeling well on Friday or Saturday, and I am waking up from my ouchie sickie fog today.  So today is a day for cleaning.  Hubster is doing the dishes and already took out the trash.  The small critters are in charge of cleaning their own rooms up.  I am still working on taking a shower!  LOL.  Then I will do laundry, make lunch and straighten up.

It's football playoffs today so hubster will be busy watching his games.  This gives me time to play with the kids and mellow out.  I love that we all have the day off tomorrow as well.  Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr.

Random piece of advice - don't buy a Ferrari if you can't afford the Ferrari parts.  Not to mention the tires and the insurance payments. 

(Art for a Dollar)

 Critically acclaimed tattoo artist, Scott Campbell,  showed his work at the O.H.W.O.W. gallery in Miami, FL. The highlight of the evening was a series of laser-cut etchings, each on a stack of $1 bills. The collection is entitled “Make It Rain” and shows a sampling of the artist’s dark and beautiful undertones.  

via sites.google.com

Neat art for you to enjoy.

Homemade Bouillon Recipe

This is a thank-you note to Pam Corbin. Pam wrote the lovely River Cottage Preserves Handbook. And in the very back of this exquisite little book, long past the rhubarb relish, and well beyond the piccalilli and winter fruit compote, she proposes a simple idea: make your own bouillon blend.

via www.101cookbooks.com

This is an interesting idea, especially if you had a lot of veggies ready to be used up. The original recipe calls for preserving in sterilized jars, but the author of this article has the bright idea of storing the bouillon in the freezer.

I know you can also cook up stock, reduce it by boiling, and then freeze it in ice cube trays to make freezer stock to use at any time.

Of course for those of us on the lazy side there is always Knorr Bouillon cubes!

Haiti Pictures: Earthquake Damage As Seen From Space

The photos (see slideshow below) detail the catastrophic damage suffered by homes, buildings, and Haiti's Presidential palace; people attempting to set up temporary shelter in a soccer stadium away from structures that potentially collapse; and survivors streaming through the streets of Port-au-Prince. Certain images also capture smoke from fires burning in the capital.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Wow. Just wow. These satellite images show the damage suffered to buildings in Haiti during the earthquake.

The situation in Haiti after the earthquake yesterday sounds absolutely terrible. I just texted Haiti to 90999 which allows you to donate $10 to Red Cross. It will go on your cell phone bill. 100% goes to @RedCross for Haiti relief.

They do send you a reply that you have to confirm by replying YES.

A Nation of Hunkered-Down Homebodies

The nation’s mobility rate fell last year to its lowest level since World War II, according to the latest census data. Growth is slowing in Sun Belt states and Northeastern states are holding on to more people. The current recession and lack of jobs are big factors, but the trend has been gaining force since the 1950s, when nearly one-fifth of all Americans moved every year.

via roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com

Here's an extremely stupid article. Guess what - people move for better jobs and right now there aren't any jobs anywhere. So no reason to relocate. Duh.

Books You Can Live Without - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

a book can be long, or it can be boring, but it shouldn’t be both. Marquez’s “A Hundred Years of Solitude” makes the scrap heap, because it would take precisely that combination of circumstances before I could be bothered to finish it.

via roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com

A rather wonderful quote from David Matthews (the author not the smug pop star) in this NY Times article about culling your library shelves.

Bare Minerals Get Started Kit Video Review

Remember when I did a video review of Bare Minerals makeup?  Well, I won a contest with that video and the prize was to get a free sample to do another review for.  The free sample I got was in fact the full size Bare Minerals Get Started kit, yay! 

So, in the interests of full disclosure, I got the goodies for free.  TVTopTen is a pretty cool website where they post real user reviews of as seen on TV products.  I think it's a great idea to check out real user reviews before you buy something. In the case of this review, you can see what comes in the box, that they are full size items, etc.  Even though TVTopTen sent me the makeup they didn't influence my review in any way - they just post the reviews.  I think their business model is probably affiliate sales.  I make affiliate sales money myself so I don't begrudge anyone doing the same. 

I use Bare Minerals every day so it wasn't hard for me to promote their products!

Free Sample Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets

I think these things are such a cool idea - laundry soap and fabric softener all together in one small sheet.  Back in apartment dwelling days and dorm living days this would have been quite nice.  I always hated lugging heavy laundry and then a big bottle of soap and a box of dryer sheets all to the laundry room or laundromat.

Anyway - get a free sample here: Free Sample Purex 3 in 1 Laundry Sheets