WFMW - Evaluating

At the end of every year, most people take stock -- of their lives, their families and themselves. Have you done that with your blog?


This year, there is a new tool to help you take stock of your blog, assess your best posts of 2009, and meet new bloggers. The Golden Haiku is hosted by Mel of Stirrup Queens. Every blogger from every corner of the blogosphere can join and should!


As Mel writes, "we all have a best post tucked into our archives. We all have words that have moved another person or have ideas that have kicked off a series of musings. Bloggers are writers and all of us deserve to be celebrated."


For more information and to sign up, please visit Mel's introductory post here.

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For those whose blogs deal specifically with adoption, infant loss and/or infertility, you can also sign up for the Creme de la Creme, a similar blog carnival just for the ALI community.

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This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival every Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

WFMW: Fertility Help

I have always been a tea drinker, but never got into herbal teas until we started struggling with infertility. Now, I try to incorporate various blends to help with my overall health and fertility. I use ARTeas (assisted reproductive technology teas) from my integrative care center and I believe you can buy them on their website.

During my current two week wait, I'll be drinking an Implantation blend. Here's what's in it:

Lemon Citrus - for flavor
Wild Yam Root - Supports liver and balances hormones
Skullcap - Supports heart and essence; calms the mind
Chamomile - Calms nervousness; good digestive aid; anti-inflammatory
Red Raspberries - Good uterine tonic
Black Haw - Uterine tonic; may help in preventing miscarriage
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Need ovulation predictor kits or pregnancy tests? You can get 10 for FREE from this website! (Hat tip to Hillary from Making Me Mom for passing on this offer.)

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Want to see more helpful hints and tips? Check out the What Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival this week and every week at We Are THAT Family.

WFMW - Scrolling Blogroll Boxes

I've had my scrolling blogroll boxes on my right sidebar for a while now, and I just love 'em! Wanna make some for your very own?

In Blogger, add an HTML gadget to your sidebar and add the following:

< style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: 5px; OVERFLOW-Y: scroll; WIDTH: 175px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; OVERFLOW: auto; BORDER-TOP: 5px; BORDER-RIGHT: 5px">


< href="http://sellcrazysomeplaceelse.blogspot.com/">Sell Crazy Someplace Else < /a >
< /div >



Take out the spaces in between the greater than and less than signs. (I just had to do that to get the code to show up on my screen).

Feel free to work around with the different measurements and alignments to find something that works for you!

This post is for the Works for Me Wednesdays blog carnival at We Are THAT Family.

ICLW - Day 5

For an intro to my blog, click here.

While I was up in Bahstahn (gotta say it like a native), John Dear had dinner with his parents. I think this did a lot of good as they were able to discuss specifics without me there and talk about JD's concerns. His parents told him that all they wanted was for JD to be happy and that in whatever manner our children came into our family, they were our children and our family. JD told me that he now understands that what would make him happy is having a child, not a genetic link to a child. So, JD is on board with using donor sperm.

Now, we just have to decide if we're both in this marriage. We're not going to try and have a baby while we're unsure about US.

I've been talking this through with some close friends, BFF, my Fairy G-dmother and my mother. Right now, I'm working through the angle of whether or not JD would be a good parent to our child. I think he would be good at the fun stuff, but he can also be scary with his moods. Plus, his lack of logical thinking and reason/reasonableness isn't a good trait to have when being a parent.

I don't know how this will turn out.
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Comments Left At:
1. Ima on (and off) the Bima
2. Barren Is the New Black
3. This Side of Eternity
4. Happy to Be at Home
5. Mulberry Spot

Comment Returned To:
1. Baby Making Journey
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Looking for tips and hints on decorating, kids, cooking and more? Just looking for interesting blog posts? Stop by the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival hosted every Wednesday by We Are That Family.

WFMW: What Doesn't Work for Me

This week is a special edition of Shannon's carnival, Works-for-Me-Wednesday. Instead of posting what works for you, you are supposed to post something that does NOT work for you.


It is really hard for me to remember to comment on people's blogs, both on those I read and those who have been gracious enough to comment on mine. So that's what doesn't work for me.


In order to turn that around, a bloggy friend of mine, Mel, has decided to start NaComLeavMo (National Comment-Leaving Month) where participants pledge to leave five different comments on blogs that they read and pledge to return at least one comment a day to someone who has commented on their own blog. For more information, just click the button on my sidebar or visit here. Though this idea started in the IF (infertility) community, we would like to have blogs and readers of all shapes, sizes and persuasions join us. Come on blogosphere, let's go comment crazy!!

WFMW - Favorite Online Stores

Welcome to Works-for-Me Wednesday, everyone! Today, Shannon has asked us to list our favorite online stores.

Gifts
Uncommon Goods - a wonderful, quirky store that has lots of different kinds of gifts. I've been buying from them for several years (after hearing about them in Lucky Magazine). Never had a problem and you get to donate part of the purchase price to a choice of charities.

Red Envelope - the gift store that has something for everyone. Red Envelope can be on the expensive side, but I've found that if you need a gift fast, they are really great about rushing shipment.

Makeup
Sephora - my first, my last, my everything. Three free samples with every purchase. 'Nuff said.

Shoes
Aerosoles - I have a very wide foot, so this is usually my first place when looking for shoes. It seems like they have a new special every other day. Very quick shipment and easy to return.

Nine West - Beautiful shoes and great search parameters. Sometimes on the expensive side, so I use this site more as a "look book" to see what's in fashion this season.

Plus-Size Clothes
Lane Bryant - my go-to store. I'm in love with their suits. Good deals on underthings too. Recently, they've been pumping up their selection with more exercise clothes, sweats and maternity clothes.

Nordstrom - an unusual choice, as most of their plus-size clothing was horrible in the past. I believe they have new buyers now, so the cool factor of their clothes has been improving. I've been getting some wonderful cocktail dresses and summer dresses here. Plus, a great selection of shoes.

Jessica London - found this site while surfing Amazon a couple years ago. Generally not my style, but every so often you hit a gold mine of what you are looking for.

Old Navy - great casual clothes, usually pretty cheap.

Land's End - my destination for winter coats and bathing suits.

WFMW: Spelling

Spelling

1. an arrangement of letters that form a word or part of a word.

2. the process of forming words by putting letters together.

3. the violation of which drives Jendeis crazy!

One of my greatest pet peeves is the increasing inability of our population to spell words correctly. Not only are misspellings rampant among the blogosphere, but homonyms run wild!

Now, I'm not speaking of an errant typo or two. I'm talking about chronic, careless misspellings. Readers do judge you and make assumptions about economic class, education and general attention to detail all based on poor spelling.

Below is an easy-reference list for misspellings frequently found on the Internet:


Altar = where one gets married; Alter = change


Calendar = a date book


Definite, as in "I'm definite about spelling."


Definitely, as in "Judge Wapner is definitely on today. Definitely!"


Lose = to not win; Loose = not tight


Separate = divided

It only takes a few moments to hit the spell check and proofread your work before posting. Please do so! Learning how to spell has worked for me; for more tips, see Shannon's blog every Wednesday.

TiVo Help Needed

To all those who have TiVo, I need some technical support.

I have digital cable through a box. Channels 1-100 are basic, and 100-up are special basic and premium. We get basic, special basic and HBO.

When I hooked up my TiVo, all the channels changed. NBC (channel 4 here) was now at 34; Fox (on 5) was at 35. Basically, NBC, Fox, CBS and ABC switched their places with home shopping channels. Everything else stayed the same.

EXCEPT...

I can't get TiVo to go to any channel higher than 100. I miss my HBO, I miss my movie channels, I miss my Discovery Home channel! Waa!

When I turn TiVo off and switch tuners, the cable box allows me to access all these channels at their (previously) regular numbers. Any ideas?
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This was a post for the Backwards Edition of Works for Me Wednesday. For more Works For Me Wednesday, see Rocks in my Dryer every Wednesday!

The Last to Know

Have you ever wanted to know what exactly is that green drink that they call Superfood? (Dmarie has been making it herself this past month). Just me who wants to know? Well, I'm telling anyways, because I just found out on a blog that I was reading for What Works for Me Wednesday (which you should really check out if you haven't yet).

Smooth and sweet, this gushing garden gulp is a blend of sweet apple juice and luscious purees of peach, mango, strawberry and banana, expertly blended with green foods including wheat grass, barley grass and wheat sprouts, plus other great stuff.

You know, that actually doesn't sound horrible. It might even sound, gulp, good. So, here's to Superfood (aka Green Crap)! You learn something new every day!

WFMW - Comfort Food

In our melting pot of a country, everyone has a different definition of comfort food. For some, it's macaroni and cheese; for others, it's Popeye's Fried Chicken biscuits. (Oh, is that only me? Moving on...)

Tonight marks the start of the Jewish New Year. Every family has different traditions for a holiday meal, and the items on the menu may change from time to time, but here are the must-haves of my family's Rosh Hashanah.

• Apple slices dipped in honey to symbolize the sweetness of the coming new year
• Chicken soup with matzah balls, a traditional Jewish course
• Deviled eggs, no symbolism here, my family just really likes deviled eggs (although eggs in Judaism and many other religions symbolize the life cycle and so would symbolize the wholeness of the year starting anew)
• Potato Kugel (that is, potato pudding)

For all holidays, my job is to make the potato kugel. What follows is my recipe adapted from my mother's cookbook for Jewish Holidays. I can't remember who wrote the cookbook, but will update the post after the holiday.

Potato Kugel
side dish, meat or pareve, serves as many as you wish
10-12 Yukon Gold potatoes

1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
1 egg
1/2 cup matzah meal (you could also use breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup chicken fat or margarine, melted + some more (not melted) for greasing pan
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Lemon juice as needed

Peel and grate the potatoes. In order to prevent the potatoes from turning brown or black, place peeled potatoes in a pot of water with a couple drops of lemon juice and keep them there until they are grated.

You can use a food processor, but I think this turns out better when you grate by hand. Once grated, add a little more lemon juice (a little dab'll do ya) and mix. Add finely chopped or grated onion, egg, matzah meal, chicken fat, salt and pepper. Mix together until blended.

Scoop mixture into a greased pan and cook at 400 degrees for at least 1 hour. Top will look toasty and golden brown. When a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, you're done! Serve hot. The dish will keep in the fridge for a good couple of days so don't worry if you have leftovers.

L'shanah Tova to everyone! May you have a sweet new year with family and friends!

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See more hints and tips every Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW - "Brand Loyal" Edition

I am a marketer's nightmare (or dream, depending on how you look at it) since I am inclined to remain brand-loyal on a host of different products. John Dear, in his one, thin strand of practicality is much more likely than I to shop all different brands for the best price.

Of all the products in the supermarket, the one I never, ever waver from is Open Pit Barbecue Sauce (also available here). Open Pit is awesome, Open Pit is great, I will use Open Pit till I am Two Hundred Eight (thank you, Dr. Seuss). Even with a recipe change in the 90s and my husband sticking his tongue out in disgust, I remain as loyal as ever. I live in fear of the day that Kraft Foods ends this brand -- the day that I will have to run to every warehouse store in America and stock up on my beloved sauce. Forever shall my fridge carry two barbecue sauces, Open Pit for me and another for the barbarians.

For more ideas, tales and themed posts every Wednesday, check out Shannon's blog, Rocks in My Dryer.

Works for Me Wednesday - 5-Minute Makeup

On most days in the summer, the last thing that I want to do is shellack myself with a lot of makeup. In fact, I'd prefer to go around bare-faced. Me without makeup, however, is not appropriate for the workplace (unless I get a gig as a Death-warmed-over zombie).

So, necessity being the mother of invention, I've started a great 5-minute-or-less makeup routine that is good for work, but I usually wind up doing this every day during the summer. The best thing about this routine is that this look is appropriate for the summer, but also works year-round.

5-Minute Makeup Routine

1. Wash face with tepid water and mild cleanser. (I like this type - which doesn't require water; and this type.)


2. Apply a combination sunscreen/moisturizer. (I'm in love with this. As a multiple skin-cancer survivor, I cannot stress enough the importance of making sunscreen a part of your morning routine.)
   
3. Using an eyeliner brush, line your upper lids with black, brown or navy shadow. (If you're feeling daring, you can experiment with different and brighter colors. I've used a bright turquoise and a dark green).
   
4. Curl your lashes. (It takes two seconds and is so worth it! All the magazines I read recommend the Shu Uemeura brand of eyelash curler, which I got here.)
   
5. Apply 1-2 coats of brown or black mascara.

That's it, and it Works for Me!! See more hints, tips and hacks every Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer.