Things I wish had been brought to my attention YESTERDAY

So I happened to catch some of Nightline tonight. I have not watched it in forever, and was surprised it was even still on the air. I thought the last time Nightline was relevant was when Reagan was in office. But their story on an up and coming website got my attention. Some Google veterans have a new site called Howcast. Sort of like a Wikipedia of how to do anything, in video form. Anyone can upload a video they have created, for consideration, to become part of the site. And there is EVERYTHING you can imagine on it. Much to my chagrin, 3 weeks after painstakingly creating a diaper cake from trial and error, lo and behold there is a video on the front page on diaper cakes. How to handle it if your parents buy you dorky clothes. How to pick out jewelry for a woman. How to make a citizen's arrest. How to turn your backyard into a beer garden. Of course, there are many practical and useful tutorials on this website. But why watch those when you can watch How to build a Starship Enterprise out of a floppy disk.

What the heck is an Etsy?

I realize there are still those out there who have know idea what Etsy is or how to say it. Etsy (rhymes with Betsy) is like an Ebay for handmade items. It is a marketplace for artisans to directly sell their creations to the public for a fraction of the cost of an Ebay auction. And if you are looking for anything unusual and cool, you are sure to find something. Here are just a few of the cool listings that I happen to love.

I have an Allistair's Attic bed and selection of cat toys, and they are all beautifully made and in the coolest fabrics you will ever see.
And Jack loves to lay on the pillow too - not just for pets! Mr. Bitty likes to share.







This dress is so gorgeous and simple. I shall be sending this link to Santa.










The little throw pillows on this site are so sweet. I love the colors and simple graphics.







My plan is to collect one of these to match every possible wardrobe combination. The perfect solution to a bad hair day.






I never thought self fulfilling prophecy would be such a strong selling tool. And apparently I have a thing for cute little birdies.
I need this on my wall very soon.









Now I DO have this hanging on my wall currently. And I absolutely love it











These are an absolute must for anyone with iphones or a severe texting habit. I'm not naming names, I'm just sayin.







Jack absolutely has to have this.











Labradorite is my current favorite of the moment. I love the gray/blue color of the stone. And this little ring has such a great vintage yet modern feel to it. (and from the time I found it till this was posted, it sold :(( sigh)




I could seriously do this all day. You could get lost on this site for hours. Have fun and happy Shopping!

I admit it. This changed my life.

If you ask any woman what are the 2 most painful shopping experiences, they will say 1) swimsuit shopping (shudder) and 2) jeans shopping. I went a few weeks ago for some new jeans with my mom, and I must have tried on a dozen pairs. Nothing makes you feel more like a sausage in casing then trying to squeeze your big booty into some jeans that ain't gonna happen. I'd really love to blame it on the 10 lb 11 oz bundle of gorgeousness that I carried until his due date. But let's get real. The sitting on the couch eating ice cream while watching Food Network has contributed it's fair share. And just watching Food Network alone will make you raid your fridge till you are licking out the remnants of some honey mustard.

Anyhoo, I was LITERALLY on my last trip to the dressing room, for a last ditch effort to find something that was less than hideous. And on my last sweep of Kohl's, I found these Lee jeans with something called a Comfort Waistband. (I just looked inside the waistband and that is exactly how it is written every 6 inches. In italics) If we were being brutally honest, Comfort Waistband is s nice way of saying elastic. Bordering on "mom jeans". (shudders) But I gave them a go. The fact that it is 3:30 in the afternoon and I am wearing them instead of my old navy pajamas pants is a testament to the wonder of these jeans. I mean seriously. I will NEVER go back to anything else. They stretch. They make me look almost skinny. They cuddle my booty instead of looking like I just pooped my pants. (yeah I'm talking to YOU Old Navy Jeans) Which probably means I need to go stock up on about 20 pairs because as soon as I fall in love with something, it get's discontinued. If every woman in America tried on these jeans, they would become believers. And they were even the right length! At 5'5", finding jeans that are not dragging 6" behind me on the floor all while encompassing my lady lumps is pretty much impossible. Did I mention they are under 30 bucks? I should be getting paid for such an endorsement. But I'll settle for more jeans.

Just now realizing the irony of the book title...

The terrible two's have officially arrived. I actually thought they were here a few months ago, and looking back I LAUGH at how ignorant I was. How can I possibly battle this hard with such a tiny person? Every meal is an ordeal. Foods he used to love? Now he acts like I'm poisoning him. Naps? I'm torturing him. And don't even get me started on computers/cell phones/remotes. They are ALL for his person convenience and entertainment. Remind me to tell the story about him ripping a dozen keys off of my keyboard. Plus side - I now have the marketable skill of reassembling a Sony Vaio laptop key hinge, which is nothing to sneeze at I might add. But I digress. As I watch him grow and develop into this little person with such a strong sense of will, I have a hard time recognizing him. Where did that quiet, laid back little boy go? Well, he is still quiet except for the screaming. I guess the one plus to all of this is that he is not talking yet.

I do find it so charming and sweet that the one thing, besides his blanket, that gives him comfort and transfixes him for hours is a book called This Is The House That Jack Built by Simms Taback. Apparently the story has been around for hundreds of years in various forms. He loves that every page has his name on it. That boy LOVES his name. Thank God I didn't name him something weird like Maurice or Ferb, because as far as I know there are no This Is The House That Ferb and Maurice Built books. He sleeps with this book - that is how seriously he loves it. Stuffed animals he can take or leave. But he cuddles with a book. I told Michael the other day, "you do realize he is smarter than both of us, and we are in big trouble?" Oh yes, yes we are. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Motivation required

Obviously I need some kind of motivation to post a blog regularly. So I've decided to give it a makeover and a purpose. My blog will now be a home for Dagny's Box, my jewelry company, and will not only feature my designs but my favorites of all sorts of stuff. Favorite jewelry, favorite toys, favorite books, favorite music...you get the idea. And I will TRY to post something every single day.

Today's post will feature my personal favorite (or should that be favourite) of all the preschool shows. Charlie & Lola makes me wish I was British so terribly much. If you have never seen it, please oh please watch the following video. So much cuteness your head will explode. And the illustrations are fantastic - makes me wish I had majored in Graphic Design.