Monday Mentions 3

Welcome to this week's Monday Mentions: Quasi-Diet Edition.

• I just NOW (as in right before I started this post) discovered this site. The pictures are GORGEOUS and make me drool. One day, my home will be beautiful like these pictures.
• In keeping with my weight loss theme of late, this is a podcast series I discovered this summer. I (ahem) am a "little" behind in my listening, but I've really loved what I have heard so far. It's a very peaceful, relaxing podcast to enjoy and I suggest you keep a journal with you while you listen.
• I also stumbled upon this site (thanks to the Over the Top Meme...link, to link, to another link, and LOVED these pictures). For those of you crafty ladies out there (I'm crafty in my mind...), you will love some of these projects. And, it appears for those of us NONcrafty folks, we can purchase some special items here, too.
• Also inspired by my current diet, I'm eating a lot of cottage cheese. Mmmmm...yummy. While, this week, I'm not enjoying this particular variety, one of my favorite cottage cheese products is Rachel's Cucumber Dill Cottage Cheese. It also comes in other flavors and, apparently, she makes yogurt, too. Try them!
• This morning, I really enjoyed this post by WeaselMomma. It's a little sad, a lot sweet, and is hanging out in my heart with me today.
• I cannot wait to make this recipe this week! And, I am still so proud of the great price I got on wild caught Alaskan salmon fillets this weekend at SuperTarget! Sometimes, it pays to shop around.
• Some of my readers have wondered where I find my photos to illustrate my posts. A while back, Melanie tweeted this site out. It is easily the easiest way to search for Creative Commons photos. I LOVE it and use it all the time now.

Psst! Remember - for more mentionable links, head over to the Daily Mish Mash for the motherload of links. :)

Monday Mentions 2

Whew! Back in the saddle again? It's amazing how quickly time flies when you're NOT in the middle of NaBloPoMo. No offense, but it has been a nice break.

Now, for a few

• This weekend, as I graded from atop my bed, I had the opportunity to watch two fantastic movies that I STILL had not seen. If you, too, have not yet watched these movies - YOU MUST! Nights in Rodanthe with Diane Lane and Richard Gere (two actors I really like) and 17 Again with Matthew Perry and Zac Efron (one actor and one hottie I really like). I laughed and I cried. They are both worth seeing or seeing again.
• A few weeks ago a parent at school and I were talking about a book she was studying in a book group. She loaned it to me last week and I dove in this weekend. It's called Have A New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman. So far it is a super quick read (plus, it really isn't as long as it seems since much of the book is a reference section to use as needed) and I'm LOVING his attitude and balanced approach to parenting. If you are a parent (or a teacher) you must check it out.
• Have you checked out Remindeo yet? If you, like me, are a bit absent-minded at times, and need someone breathing down your neck saying, "Stop everything and do this NOW," you need this! Set up a free account, plug in your reminders, and decide if you'd like text messages or emails or both! Love it!
• Products I'm falling in love with...Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day. These Earth Friendly and Cruelty Free products come in a variety of scents (only a few available at Target, though). What I love, too, is that you can actually layer the scents in your home the way you would on your body! Clean your floors, dishes, countertops, and even your toilets all with Lemon Verbena, Basil, Lavender and more. (Yes, this, too, is a sickness of mine. My first job was at Bath & Body Works where I was trained to layer scents. This illness spread throughout my life. What can I say?)
• I couldn't resist purchasing one of these recently. I love this blog and when I saw this t-shirt, it spoke to me. Especially since my mother-in-law is currently fighting lung cancer, I couldn't resist. My only regret is that I cannot wear it to school...I don't think.

If you'd like to check out more Monday Mentions, be sure to stop by Jen's place (Daily Mish Mash) for more links!

THIS JUST IN!!! I just found out that Dr. Kevin Leman has a second book - it's called Have a New Husband by Friday! And, no, I'M NOT KIDDING! (Guess what just found it's way to my Amazon cart?)

Monday Mentions

The author of one of the blogs that I consider a guilty pleasure (especially on Fridays) has started a new blog feature. I thought it was a great way to share new finds, discoveries, and favorites in a concise way, so, I'm jumping on the bandwagon. (To be clear, it was open invitation. I'm not jumping in uninvited...this time.)

So, without further ado...

• If you've been keeping up with me lately, you already know a little about the book I'm currently reading. But, another great book I read recently (recently is a relative term...especially given the fact that we're on the tail end of the back-to-school season) is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book, I believe, fell into my life when it did for a reason. I found peace and guidance in reading about Gilbert's own quest for pleasure and balance in life. This book was a thought-provoking read. Her story was easy for me to relate to and comfortable to read. If you haven't yet read it, be sure to give it a try.
• This weekend I finally watched Blades of Glory. The day it arrived from Netflix, I smiled a giddy little girl smile to FireDaddy and waited for him to laugh in anticipation. Unfortunately, he did not. His reply? "Oh...yeah." Because of that reaction, I did not have high hopes for the movie. However, I love Will Ferrell and gave it a shot. While I would not say it was my FAVORITE of his movies, it was fun to watch and made me laugh. That's about all I was looking for, so sounds like a win for me! If you are into immature humor, like I am, be sure to toss it into your Netflix queue next time.
• Colbie Caillat's new album has been a fun new addition to my Zune recently. You can check out the video to her single, "Fallin' For You", here.
• If you're on twitter and haven't already checked him out, consider following @rainnwilson. (Yes, it's the actor who plays Dwight on The Office.) As mentioned above, I have an exaggerated appreciation for immature humor, and he's sure to dish it up on a daily basis. I've even been known to "retweet" his tweets via text messaging to FireDaddy (since FD isn't on twitter).
• I recently bit the bullet and bought Super Straight Relaxing Serum by Pureology as my stylist had been encouraging me to buy for months. And I'm SO glad I did! My hair is soft, straight, and dries in half the time! I cannot say enough about how much I'm loving this new to me product. (And I don't know if I'm happy or disgusted that I just found it available on Amazon.)
• This weekend, I did a little blog reading. (Emphasis on "a little".) One post I did get a chance to read was this one. Audrey talks about Facebook from a parent's perspective in a way that got my ball rolling a bit, too. Check it out.
• Another post I enjoyed reading and thinking about was by my good bloggy buddy, Cheryl. Right now, she is my writing hero. She's inspiring me to slowly get off my bootie and write - for real.

That about sums it up for this week's Monday Mentions. If you're interested in reading other folks' mentionables, check in at the Daily Mish Mash for some links.

Happy reading!