They come and go....they come and go-oh-oh-oh

A shameless plug:

My (not so little anymore) brother wrote a children's book!!  If you have time, please click the link to check it out.  You can preview the entire book online.     He is an amazing photographer and the pictures are just stunning.  I just ordered little O his very own copy.  Super proud big sis, here. 
 

P.S., I am also the one who suggested the name for his chameleon.  . Boy George 4EVR!!

I AM bringing sexy back.

Time for some pimpin', my friends. We all know I love lists and I figure its time for another My Favorite Things. I go through phases, like I'm sure most of us do...(except for my husband who has such fierce brand loyalty that it borders on some form of OCD) but right now, these are the things that are rocking my world, putting a bounce in my step (and hair) and keeping me slightly saner. Enjoy!**

1. Lush Ultimate Shine Solid Shampoo. I was dubious, at first, at the idea of a solid shampoo. I was addicted to my little coconut scented puddle of goop. But. I bit the bullet, found some of this stuff on Ebay (discounted, but new of course) and I don't think I'll ever look back. This shit IS the shit. Easy, lasts forever, no wasteful packaging, smells nice and my hair seems to lurve it big time. Win. Next, I think I want to try their solid Jungle Conditioner. I know! I'm so adventurous.

2. Puffs Plus Lotion with Vicks. OMFG, y'all. How can one of my favorite things be freaking tissues you ask? Because I've had a seriously heinous cold followed by hay fever these past weeks and THESE THINGS HAVE SAVED MY LIFE. They are so soft and something about the mentholish scent is so comforting...ahhhhh.

3. Tenacious D. Because of the awesomeness.

4. My Ipod Shuffle. Don't get me wrong. I love my Zune (I have an older version of the 120): its great for audio books, long car rides and was my VERY BEST FRIEND when I was pumping milk twice a day, but for running, and just throw-in-the-purse-ability, the shuffle is rockin' my world right now. In addition to the copious amounts of D (see #3), I'm also rockin' to: the new Green Day, the Hives, Screeching Weasel, and strangely enough, JT's Sexyback. SHUT UP! I JUST LIKE THAT SONG OKAY? ITS FUN TO RUN TO! I DON'T HAVE TO DEFEND MYSELF TO YOU! *blushes and clears throat.*

I'm looking for more high tempo, motivating guilty pleasure music to add, so if you have suggestions...I don't care how dorky it is, if its fun and good to work out to at 5:15 in the am.

5. The MayaWrap Sling We had kind of taken a break from babywearing much there for a while...the little dude is SO independent- he had been wanting to walk rather than be worn or carried, so I had gradually phased out even packing the sling on most short trips. We never seemed to use it. Recently, however, the good ol' sling has had a bit of a renaissance and we're both back into it for short trips to the store, walks to the park, etc. He doesn't stay in it the whole time, but asks for it often enough that its worked its way back into the mix. This is good as we are going to fly to TX in a week and it will be nice to wear him at the airport. Its so handy to just throw him in it and go, as opposed to having a bulky, unwieldy stroller with buckles etc. Viva la babysling!!

6. Warm weather and charcoal grilling. The in-laws gifted us with a new charcoal grill as an early anniversary present and when it hasn't been raining (and even when it has) we've been having a blast cooking good food and spending time out of doors. Yay summer. Finally.

How 'bout you? Any "stuff" rockin' it for you right now??

**I don't get paid for pimping any of this stuff. God, I'm a sucker.

Fartsy

I aspire to have style. I really do. The problem is just that I wasn't born with any sort of stylish/artsy gene. Aside from a very brief "dresses-only" phase as a youngster, I am strictly a jeans, t-shirt, and chucks kind of girl. Unless I'm at work and then I add a necklace, a cardigan and maybe clogs instead of the chucks. Yeah. My hair is usually down or at its most exotic, in a ponytail.

I do, however, have a deep hunger for style, and what I like to think of as at least an appreciation for aesthetics. I am also completely jealous and in awe of those I consider to have an eye for the artsy. Because of this, there are several online places I check obsessively to feed my style addiction. And I'm always looking for more.

Some of my current artsy-style-crushes:

First up, Super Kawaii Mama-This girl has it. Style, poise, and great advice for the clueless. Her hair tutorials are really fun to watch- if only for her neat Australian accent since my hair is so different from hers, I could never pull off the styles she does. And her daily outfit updates are just so. darn. cute.

Next, there's Summer at Design is Mine-her daily design finds are always worth looking at and every time I go there, I find myself daydreaming about decorating my house in fresh, monochromatic simplicity as opposed to the hodge-podge thrift-market chic that we're rocking right now.

I just recently started checking A Beautiful Mess but I love it! The stuff here has a feminine, rock n' roll sensibility that I love. Heart.

As far as shopping goes, Rare Bird Finds totally rules. They find the cutest, weirdest, stylin'-est things out there.

And, of course, there's my Etsy addiction. Its a real problem.


So what about you? Where do you go for style on the web?