Harbingers of my favorite time of year

I was at Michael’s this week looking for the finishing touches for Poppy’s Halloween costume, and do you know what I saw there? Christmas stuff. And lots of it. Which made me think that even though we aren’t quite to Halloween yet, it might be time to start thinking about Christmas cards.

In years past, I admit that I’ve resorted to the extremely discounted card bin at Big Lots for my Christmas greetings. That’s due to a combination of (a) cheapness, (b) laziness and (c) procrastination. This year, though, I’m going to order some holiday cards from Shutterfly. And not just because — disclaimer! — they’re giving me 50 free cards for writing this post. I’ve used them for postcards and prints in the past, and they make a very nice product. A very nice photo-based product, which is why I need to start planning and taking pictures of my squirrelly little family now, so maybe I’ll have a good one of all of us by Thanksgiving.

Anyway, I really like a lot of Shutterfly’s designs for 2010. I’m tending toward minimalistic and vintage looks these days, and they have a good selection in those categories. Here are a few designs I’m considering for the ButterscotchSundae Holiday Card:
Little Red Tree

Sweet & Retro

With Glee

Cute, aren’t they? And if Christmas isn’t your thing: They have Thanksgiving cards and New Years cards, too.

Disclaimer: Shutterfly is giving me 50 free photo cards. And guess what? If you have a blog, you can get 50 free cards, too. Click here for more information.

Perry Mason and the case of the get-fit infomercial

So my brother? For whom I made a kickin’ infographic? He’s bailing on his cheeseburger reviews. But he’ll probably still be writing here. Read on to learn why. -N

Houston, we have a problem.

After just one (awesome) Cheeseburger de Jure post, the widely loved single-post series must be shut down. Why? Because I’ve made a purchase from an infomercial.

A few months ago, some friends of mine were in town. They were looking particularly slender. And they were all abuzz about P90X, which they had been doing for 30 of the 90-day routine. I talked with one of them a few P90X vs. cheeseburgersdays ago to find out whether he finished it up. He had not, but was trying to make himself start again. Apparently, he thought what he really needed was a partner with whom to do the program. He thought that I should buy the program and do it with him — long-distance style. I promptly responded with a girlish giggle brought on by the idea of me watching Tony Horton tell me to do somethinganomics while I sat on my couch eating a cheeseburger. “No,” I told my friend. “That just won’t do.”

But then, divinity struck. I was out of town on business and couldn’t sleep. I turned on the hotel television, and I’ll let you guess what was on. Yep -– Ol’ Tony. He had all kinds of before and after pictures and videos. They once were chubby, and now they are not kind of stuff. I giggled again. But I like cheeseburgers, so I needed independent verification. I turned to the Amazon Ratings. I was shocked to find that nearly 70 percent were giving P90X a five-star rating. What about the utubes? Filled with home “before and after” success stories. So I went to the ebays -– where I bought the program for $70, new in box.

So what does this mean for you, Cheeseburger de Jure readers? Well, it means that I hope you are more excited about my lack of progress on P90X than my burger exploits, because that’s what I’m going to be talking about on a weekly basis. And it also means that you have officially become my support team. I’d love for you to yell at me when I tell you I’ve left the path of the diet or missed workouts. I can assure you, I do not have the self control to finish this thing on my own. Plus, there is something in it for you. Admit it: You’ve watched the informercial at least once. You’ve wondered if it works. Well, I’ll be your guinea pig (emphasis on “pig”). If it works for me, you’ll know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it will work for you. If it doesn’t work for me and you still want to try it, I’ll sell you my system for the low-low price of $70.

Because I’m chubby, I’m not posting before pictures unless and until I’m done with the system and I’ve lost a metric ton, at which point I’ll also post during and after pictures. [Note: He isn’t that chubby, and I totally posted a before picture for him. -N] But I will post my stats — weight, measurements and body fat percentage — on a weekly basis so that you have something to look forward to. (If this is really what you end up looking forward to, you really need to find a hobby.) Look for my “Pre-P90X Post” next Thursday.

Chubby? No. About to get leveled by a nephew? Absolutely.
Chubby? No. About to get leveled by a nephew? Absolutely.

As they say in the BudLight commercials, here we go.

Baby steps to home organization

Works-for-Me WednesdayA quick tour of my house confirms that I am what one might call Challenged in the Organizational Arts. Much as I’d like to have Molly wave her magic wand and tidy things up, I know that isn’t going to happen. What needs to happen is this: I need to start Throwing Stuff Away. I have a hard time letting go of books, and I share my home with a dedicated pack rat with a strong sentimental streak. This has made it somewhat difficult to pare down the clutter.

And so, I am taking baby steps toward an organized home. Rockford has a bowl in the living room for his wallet and pocket things. I have a tray on the kitchen counter that’s designated the Stuff Catcher. It’s small, and when it’s full it’s meant to be cleared of Stuff. Said Stuff is supposed to then be put away. (I say “supposed to” because that doesn’t always happen as planned.) I try to keep the library books in the Library Bag, and the art supplies are all confined to one space. (A very disorganized space, but at least they’re together.)

But my most favorite and definitely most successful organizational effort?

Battery organizer

It’s a battery organizer.

I bought it a few years ago using a gift card Rockford’s uncle gave me for my birthday. Making it both exciting and luxurious. Sarcasm aside, I really do love the battery organizer. It’s one of my favorite purchases ever, and it soothes my soul every time I open the doors to the laundry and see it hanging there, all organized and lovely. It makes me believe that maybe there will come a day when my house won’t be quite so cluttered. It’s also so very helpful when the kids need batteries for one of their 10,000 battery-operated gizmos.

I know there are people out there who live in clutter-free homes. My dad is one of them. Are you? What’s your best tip or product suggestion for living an organized life?