Today's Obsessions

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• 10 Items to Brighten Up Your Kitchen …
• 7 Great Off Brand Makeup Items …
• 9 Best Cartoon Villains …
• 7 Great Books for Writers …
• 8 Reasons why Holidays are a Waste of Time …
• 7 Pets I Love but Couldn’t Own …
• 7 Things to Do with Your Eyebrows …
• 8 Ways to Cheer Up Your Kids …
• 7 Tips on Caring for Pigs …
• 8 Reasons to get Out of the House …
• 8 Ways to Save Money on your Electricity Bill …
• 7 Fun Holiday Games …
• 10 Magical Things We Should Have in the Muggle World …
• 7 Great Pieces of Snowman Decor …

10 Items to Brighten Up Your Kitchen … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 10:56 AM PST For me, kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the house. It's usually connected with the dining room, all those wonderful family meals are produced in it and don't even get me started about those wonderful childhood memories… You know, the feeling of waking up on a Sunday morning, letting your nose lead the way into the kitchen and realizing your dear nose was right after all – mom is really making your favorite pancakes or pie for breakfast! Well, since kitchen is such an important part of our lives, I honestly think it deserves being decorated. I, therefore, give you this list of 10 decorative and useful items I’d completely love to have in my kitchen: 1. Flowers in a pot-measuring spoons Price: $24.99 at modcloth.com I'm putting this one first because it is by far the best combination of art and usefulness I've ever seen. It enables us to measure the ingredients precisely and make wonderful, great-tasting things and it turns into a sweet, original decoration when we have no time for cooking and baking. 2. Squirrel in a whisk Price: $9.99 at modcloth.com Prefect addition to your set of kitchen utensils! These don't only get the job done, they also look great and decorate the kitchen when hanged above the kitchen counter. 3. Colorful spice rack Price: $26.99 at modcloth.com Color-coordinate your spices and easily spot the one you need through the transparent heart shaped window. This little thingy is useful, decorative and fits any kitchen style or color.

7 Great Off Brand Makeup Items … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 08:42 AM PST Do you ever think that make-up prices are simply ridiculous these days? Why can’t a gal find a decent mascara for less than $30? Well, here are 7 make-up items that I have tried that are good brands, but they are not pricey and they do the same job that a fancier brand does! Here are 7 great off brand makeup items… 1. Neutrogena Moistureshine Lip Soother Price: $6.25 at amazon.com Compares to Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Gloss. Neutrogena glosses actually seem to be less sticky and have more color selections than the VS brand. You can save up to $3 by going with the Neutrogena brand! 2. NYX 3 Color Eyeshadow Price: $5.99 at drugstore.com NYX eyeshadows have excellent pigmentation and the triplets or trios that I have tried remained crease free for up to four hours! I was pleased with the results and I'm sure you will be too. You can save anywhere between $5 and $10 by going with this brand! 3. Wet n’ Wild MegaLiner Liquid Eyeliner Price: $2.99 at drugstore.com For fun, colored liners, try using Wet n’ Wild! I have several of these and they are excellent to play around with, and they have great staying power. You may want to invest in a good sharpener and sharpen your pencils often to keep the tip fresh if you go with the kohl rather than liquid liners, but going with this brand is a huge save!

9 Best Cartoon Villains … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 08:40 AM PST The villains in animated shows and movies run the gamut, from sublime to ridiculous, laughable to evil, scary to funny to creepy, and everything in between. But we love them all! We love to laugh at Plankton from "SpongeBob," and shudder at the Baby from "Toy Story 3." Well, I love them anyway. Here are my picks for the 9 best (or worst, I suppose) cartoon villains. 1. Heinz Doofenshmirtz from "Phineas & Ferb" He may be the brother of the mayor of Danville, and he may have been raised by ocelots, but Heinz Doofenshmirtz is pure evil. Well, he tries to be anyway, but somehow, by the end of each episode, his semi-evil plot's been foiled by Perry the Platypus. He's hilarious, snarky, and, sadly, just not evil. 2. Cruella DeVille from "101 Dalmatians" She's mean, scary-looking, and has a penchant for puppies. Well, their spotted fur, anyway — she wants to turn an entire litter of puppies into a fur coat, and even way back when this cartoon was first released, that was considered cruel. 3. Plankton from "SpongeBob Squarepants" This teensy villain wants one thing in life — to steal the Krabby Patty formula and ruin his nemesis, Mr. Krabs (who happens to be SpongeBob's boss). He can't. No matter which evil plan he tries, he simply can't get the formula. Even when he hires an assassin, played by Alec Baldwin. But he IS cute. And tiny.

7 Great Books for Writers … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 08:34 AM PST I've been a professional Starving Writer for nearly 20 years, and while I'm proud of my craft, I know I'm a long way from being perfect. When I first started out as a writer, I read everything about writing I could get my hands on, hoping to learn some secret formula to being a best-selling author. It doesn't work that way. I've learned a lot, and continue to learn, from only a handful of books, and if you're interested in writing, even if it's just the occasional English paper, you ought to read them, too. Here are 7 great books for writers. 1. "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk and E.B. White Price: $12.41 at amazon.com When this book was released in 1958, it was an instant classic, a primer for anyone who wanted to write well. It simplifies the rules of grammar and makes an extraordinarily handy reference tool. Any writer worth his salt, regardless of what type of writing he does, has read, and loves, this book. 2. "On Writing" by Stephen King Price: $8.06 at amazon.com I was thrilled when this book came out because, like so many of Stephen King's fans, I always wanted to know his back-story, what inspires him, and how on earth he comes up with his story ideas. I wasn't disappointed, and in fact, I'm even more delighted with this book than I thought I would be. It's part history, but mostly helpful writing tips and right-on handy advice. If you're an aspiring reader, this is a must-have. 3. "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" by Lynne Truss Price: $13.52 at amazon.com Have you ever noticed how only tiny punctuation mark can change the meaning of an entire sentence? Take the title for example. Is she talking about a panda, or a hit man? This book delivers exactly what it promises, a tutorial on punctuation do's and don'ts.

8 Reasons why Holidays are a Waste of Time … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 05:48 AM PST Nowadays, we take it for granted that we should go on holiday once, if not twice a year. It's our right, we need a break, we need to get away … However, while there are a lot of places I'd like to visit, sometimes I think that holidays are a waste of precious time and money! Here's why … 1. Short-Lived Photo Credit: Shermeee The moment that you get back, it's like you've never been away. As soon as you arrive at the airport for the return journey – maybe even sooner – the benefits of the time away seem to just evaporate, and you end up in a gloom that you have to return to the daily grind … 2. Cost Photo Credit: IronRodArt – Royce Bair Holidays are definitely expensive. Hundreds of dollars, if not thousands, and it's all gone in a week (two if you're lucky). What's more, if for whatever reason you don't have a good time, then all that money has been spent with no benefit whatsoever! 3. Stress Photo Credit: colorblindPICASO With delays, security etc, travelling can leave you exhausted and stressed. And then you've got to do the whole thing again to get home. At which point you barely have time to breathe before you're back at work again. As they say – you need a holiday to get over your holiday!

7 Pets I Love but Couldn’t Own … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 04:10 AM PST I love animals. I mean, I have two dogs, two cats (I swear they’re the Better Half’s, though, I don’t really claim those two; they are evil), and a rabbit. I would love to own a menagerie, but my apartment simply won’t allow it. Plus, there are just some pets I could not own, even though I would love to have them. Here are my top seven! 1. Chameleon Photo Credit: guenterleitenbauer I always wanted a chameleon when I was a kid, and I would still love to have one. However, I don’t think I could take proper care of it. I don’t know anything at all about lizards. Yeah, I could learn – after all, I studied for weeks before committing to a rabbit … but the rabbit gives me kisses and things, and I think I’d freak if a chameleon tried to kiss me. 2. Parrot Photo Credit: bleuet / Anne-Marie I like birds. I think they’re sweet. Of course, my best friend in high school had a cockatiel that used to spit at me, which traumatized me a little, but still. What gets me about parrots is that they live so long – and they are so cantankerous! My mother-in-law to-be has one that the Better Half and I may possibly inherent, and the thing is almost bigger than me. He also tries to bite me if I get within two feet of him. So I don’t think so. 3. Snake Photo Credit: 1blessedmom Photography (On Again :) In theory, I think snakes are awesome. In practice, I think I would traumatize a snake if I had one. By screaming and squealing and jumping around every time I had to do anything for it. Snakes, brrr!

7 Things to Do with Your Eyebrows … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 03:54 AM PST I am obsessed with my eyebrows. I have been since the first time I got them waxed, back when I was sixteen. I went a little crazy with it there for a while and almost lost them. I’ve pierced them, disfigured them, and neglected them, yet they’re still doing pretty well for me now. Of course, they have their days, and these are some of the things about doing to them when they’re really giving me the dickens. 1. Pluck Them Photo Credit: mivox This hurts so bad but it’s the best thing to do in a pinch and between waxes. I hate it though. Lots of times I have to do it hardcore because I just don’t feel like getting my eyebrows waxed. I’d take that kind of pain all day over this tedious, painstaking choice. 2. Wax Them Photo Credit: fishgirl7 My removal method of choice, but not too often. I’m not going to go crazy over the whole thing and end up with no eyebrows. My wax girl gave me a tip: exfoliate your eyebrows a few days before you get them waxed. That can also make stray hairs easier and more painless to pluck. 3. Thread Them Photo Credit: Gerry Visco I’ve never tried this myself, so experiences are welcome! Amusingly enough, one of the girls who waxed me recommended this method instead, and steered me toward a threading place in the mall. I didn’t go though. This technique seems like it would be so painful.

8 Ways to Cheer Up Your Kids … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 02:50 AM PST Children love to play and be in the center of other people's attention but there are times when they get depressed and start to cry or just stay in a corner without talking to anyone. These are times when we need to cheer up our kids a little, there are some useful ways to do this… 8. Play a computer game Photo Credit: Tojosan They like to play multiplayer fun games a lot, if you invite them to a match one on one there is big chance to regain a good mood for your child, it is hard for them to refuse such a challenge. Same thing works for video games of any kind. 7. Play a board or a card game Photo Credit: [¯Ô¯] Andy C Old games that we played in our childhood can work for a our little ones too, so find a board game in the old closet and you will gain their respect, these games are a great source of fun even for adults, so what do you think about non-adults? 6. Bring them a cute animal Photo Credit: UnforeseeableNature Usually a little rabbit or a puppy should do the trick, they are the funniest of all because they resemble very much to cartoon characters. Having an animal is also beneficial for the kid's spirit and mood.

7 Tips on Caring for Pigs … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 01:09 AM PST Pigs are entertaining animals. I've had regular meat pigs and pot bellied pigs in the past and both are fun to raise. I'll have to admit, the pot bellied pigs were a lot easier to raise, since they didn't have to be kept in a pen. The larger pigs were all sows that each gave birth to 10 to 13 babies. Whether you are looking to raise pigs as a food source or for pets, here are 7 tips on caring for pigs. 7. Give them attention Photo Credit: Photo Houston Even pigs being raised for food have feelings. They enjoy being scratched behind the ears and petted. It does make butchering time a bit harder though. My family raised three little pigs for meat one year. Mom named them all (big mistake) and would spend a lot of time with them. She took them the kitchen scraps, made them warm oatmeal on cold winter mornings, and basically spoiled those things rotten. The meat was tenderer than any of the other pigs we raised. None of the latter batches of pigs got the physical attention that these little guys did, so I'm convinced that had something to do with it. 6. Be sure to reinforce the pen area Photo Credit: Kiwi NZ Pigs are all for rooting around to see what they can find. They can easily root up the ground and loosen fence posts, causing the fence to fall down. We lived in an area with rocky soil, so the pigs could only root down so far before they'd come to a slab of rock. If you live in an area where the soil is free of rocks, then you might want to consider reinforcing the pen with cinder blocks or railroad ties along the outside of the fence. Both of these items are heavy enough that you should be able to keep your pigs from escaping. It's still good to keep an eye on them and check the perimeter of the pen from time to time.

8 Reasons to get Out of the House … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 01:06 AM PST Getting out of the house can make you feel better, escape anxiety, claustrophobia and activates the happiness hormones. People should get out every day to avoid boring moments and other things that are not really good for our brain. Let's see 8 reasons to do that… 8. Get a Walk in the Park Photo Credit: judyboy The doctor says that we should make at least 30 minutes of movement per day and the best sport that we can ever do is walking because it trains all the muscles at one, it's better than jogging and fitness. So why don't we allow each day this blessing if we live close to a park. Walking through town is not quite healthy because of the pollution, so use the parks. 7. Going to the Mall Photo Credit: Chris Junker If you have a mall in town it's a great time to spend there, even if you don't shop, you can go to a movie at the cinema alone or with a friend, the experience is unique. This involves walking too which gives benefits to our body. 6. Take A Pet For A Walk Photo Credit: CarbonNYC Take your pet on a walk! It's easy to do and very productive. You might find it benefits you and the pet you're walking. There are many friendly safe dog parks around the world that you can walk your pet.

8 Ways to Save Money on your Electricity Bill … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 12:40 AM PST As every month goes by you probably see that you are spending an excessive amount on electricity. Here are 8 ways to save money on your electricity bill. 8. Invest in energy-efficient products Photo Credit: Melodysparks(Chris) – Sparky – MissMarbles ETC…. There are a wide range of energy efficient appliances on the market, often you will find that the initial payment can be quite expensive but the amount of money that you save in the long run is worth it. Some examples of products available are ovens, washing machines and refrigerators. 7. Make sure that your heating system has a programmable thermostat Photo Credit: BamaWester Another great way to save energy and money is to ensure that your heating system has a programmable thermostat installed. This will make sure that the heating is not on and being wasted when no one is at home, you can programme it to come on and turn off at suitable times. 6. Try using energy efficient light bulbs Photo Credit: Harraz Now these light bulbs can take a lot of getting used to and they are usually more expensive than normal light bulbs but in my opinion they are worth it in the long run. They save energy and this is something that you will notice when you receive your electric bill. Be patient when you turn on light that use these light bulbs because they do take slightly longer to light up and sometimes you think that the bulb has blown.

7 Fun Holiday Games … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 12:36 AM PST Laughter makes the heart sing, and the holiday season is the best time to sing with family and friends gathered together spending time with each other. I love getting some friends and family together and playing games, bring joy and laughter to us all! Here are a few games I think are so great for a group of family to play! 1. Charades Photo Credit: drurydrama (Len Radin) No talking!!! Can you get across what you’re trying to say by body language and movement alone? Try it with the family! There is sure to be lots of laughter with this game! 2. Meet Your Match Photo Credit: Ressica Jachel Meet Your Match is a good warm-up, mingle game. prep: You’ll need pictures of things that belong in pairs, one picture for each family member. Think: peanut butter and jelly, bird and birdhouse, cake and candles… etc… setup: In a room away from most of the guests, lay the pictures out and stick a piece of tape at the top of each. (Packing tape works best.) Invite the kids to take one picture at a time and stick it on someone’s back, then take turns taping them on each other’s. (They have to be sneaky — not so sneaky that they startle Grandpa, but sneaky enough so he doesn’t see which picture is on his back.) Warn everyone (not just the kids) not to talk about other people’s pictures. Play: Everyone asks each other questions to figure out what’s on their own back. (Examples: Is it something you can eat? Is it an animal, vegetable, or mineral? Is it bigger than a toaster?) Make sure the youngest kids understand that they’re not supposed to tell people what picture is on their back until that person figures it out for them selves. Once you discover what you are, you have to find your match: If you’re a basketball, look for a net; if you’re a mouse, look for cheese, and so on. Results have been that both adults and kids love this game! A real winner for the entire family!

10 Magical Things We Should Have in the Muggle World … Posted: 11 Dec 2010 12:14 AM PST J.K. Rowling didn't know what she was starting when she wrote the Harry Potter books. Millions of people, young and old and from all walks of life, have followed Harry from the day he was left on the Dursley's doorstep to the day he married Ginny Weasley. It's been a long and crazy journey for Harry Potter and honestly, it leaves the fans wanting more. There are many things in the Wizarding world that have fascinated the readers. For a fan like me, there are some things from Harry Potter's world that I wouldn't mind having in real life. 1. Moving Photographs Photo Credit: Mindtrain I am well aware that we have videos and moving gif images. However, there is nothing quite like holding an actual photograph in your hands. Moving photographs from the magical world is something that I'm sure a lot people enjoy. 2. Moving and Talking Portraits Photo Credit: Locusts and Wild Honey Blog Much like the moving photos, moving and talking portraits would certainly make great memorabilia and home décor. It is so interesting to see painted figures go to sleep, talk to you, and visit and deliver messages to other portraits. 3. Invisibility Cloak Photo Credit: statelyenglishmanor Harry Potter and his friends had so much fun and excitement sneaking around the castle halls and grounds. They didn't get caught because they had the invisibility cloak. However, if the invisibility cloak were real, then it should be in the hands of responsible individuals.

7 Great Pieces of Snowman Decor … Posted: 10 Dec 2010 11:18 PM PST There aren't many things I like about winter, but I absolutely adore snowmen, especially around the holidays! I love them embroidered into scarves and mittens, on my wrapping paper, emblazoned on my holiday cards, and even scattered around my house. I've been searching my favorite shops the past couple of weeks, looking for new snowmen to add to my holiday décor, and I've found so many cute ones! Here are 7 great pieces of snowman décor… 1. Crate & Barrel Snowman Plate Price: $4.95 at crateandbarrel.com Why not leave Santa's cookies on this pretty plate, and perhaps a mug of cocoa in the matching mug? The plate is clear glass and features a trio of festive snowmen, all bundled up in red and white striped scarves. 2. Skating Snowmen Set Price: $24.95 at coldwatercreek.com These four adorable roly-poly snowmen appear to have about as much ice-skating ability as I do (which is to say, none at all). They're certainly having a lot of fun, though, as you can tell by their bright smiles. These would look so cute scattered across a bookcase or along a mantel, standing guard over the stockings. 3. Poop Happens Candy Dispenser Price: $ at urbanoutfitters.com I've withstood the pressure of my silly, potty-humor kids and boyfriend to buy one of these jelly-bean dispensers, but perhaps this year I'll give in. The snowman looks delightfully traditional from the front, but to get the jelly beans, you have to turn him around and press a lever, so he can "dispense" them. So classy, I know!

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