Nothing like a little retail therapy to cure the winter blues!

I'm obsessed with lamp lighting and, by extension, lamp shades. This one is sweet and springy. www.anthropologie.com

My mom spotted this dress and I think it's adorable, too. www.bcbg.com

Even if you can't wind a film, this photo album is lots of fun. www.barnesandnoble.com 

Posted on 2. February 2012 22:06 by Jordan Christy |

You know my obsession with Korres products...well, you're gonna hear about it again. I've been using their Quercetin & Oak line and looooove it. And this is kind of a funny thing to rave about, but it actually smells good. Why is that funny, you ask? Because the hubs is typically repulsed by any and every kind of facial cream I've ever tried. I've gotten "Yeek..." and "What's that smell!" and "Is the toilet backed up again?" but never "Mmm, you smell like butter." Now, I never fancied butter to be a particularly attractive scent, but apparently it is (it has to, at the very least, beat out the sewer one). So it wins with The Drew - score one, Korres. 

The next best part is that it doesn't burn. Ladies, you all know what I'm talking about. You know that hot, tingly, acidic feeling that your flesh is melting away from your face. I used to think "Oh, that just means it's working." But after having children and experiencing them accidentally slathering on your "ultra-moisturizing" lotion then screaming in agony because their skin is on fire, I began to realize that flesh-melting sensation is probably a negative. Hence why I love Korres. Nothing stings! Nothing burns! Nothing melts! It's just happy, yummy goodness that the babies could probably gobble up and still be fine. Just kidding. I really don't let my children alone with harmful cosmetics as much as you're imagining. Regardless, it wins with The Kids - score two, Korres.

The hippie, vegan, natural-loving side of me is particularly gratified by my third favorite aspect - they leave out bad stuff (probably a large contributing factor to the non-burning aspect mentioned above). Everything about the company is very homeopathic, local, and organic. They honestly and clearly spell out every ingredient on the label. They have researchers studying plants and herbs and flowers with which to make their stuff for Pete's sake! Wins with Nature - score three, Korres. 

At this point, you probably think I'm a part-time sales consultant or something for Korres, but I can assure you, I'm not. I simply think they're awesome and feel like I should pass on the love. So tell your boy or your babies or your Barista that you want a Korres starter pack for V-Day. Or, aw heck, just go buy it yourself. 

Posted on 18. January 2012 15:06 by Jordan Christy |

The other day, I was casually telling a friend that I feel like I'm running a zoo. She laughed and said, "Oh, did you see the movie?" Clueless about any/all current entertainment selections, I said, "No? What movie?" Well, apparently there's a movie out about buying a zoo, or moving into a zoo, or running a zoo, or some derivative thereof. But I'm here to tell you this is no movie my friends, this is my life. 

My daughter loves animals and has been asking for a dog and a cat for the past year. More specifically, a brown dog and a grey cat. Well, we managed to scrounge up a chocolate lab for her birthday and Santa saw fit to deliver a nice, albeit somewhat mangey, grey cat for Christmas. 

The funny thing about buying pets for kids is that, for some reason, you end up doing all the work. So while the dog and cat are technically our daughter's, my husband and I have found ourselves up at all hours of the night cleaning up poo, litter, shredded bits of clothing, ruined toys, etc. We are up at the crack of dawn, turning the herd lose to defecate all over our yard, and returning home early from important events to make sure they repeat the process  yet again. My clothes are ruined, our garage is a disaster, and I have more claw marks on my arms than I can count. The dog alone drug up several unsavory items last week including a frog, a high heel shoe, and the remains of a dead deer carcass. The cat has taken up residence in our DVD cabinet and likes to pounce out with all claws bared when someone opens the door. Meanwhile, our children laugh and smile and snuggle with said animals and look confused when I holler things like, "He is the worst dog ever!" or "I want to kill that cat!"

No matter - for better or for worse, the pets are here to stay. So, welcome to the family, Moose and Bob Dylan.

Posted on 13. January 2012 20:00 by Jordan Christy |

Wishing you a happy, healthy 2012. Four days late. Sorry. My New Year's resolution is to be on time this year. Starting now. 

Posted on 4. January 2012 19:40 by Jordan Christy |

We recently returned from a two-week vacation and, in that time, it appears as though the Animal Kingdom got together and discussed our absence. Apparently it looked as though we were never coming back so they came to the conclusion to simply move in.

Well, we did come back. And not two days after we returned, I saw him. The creepiest, slimiest, last possible thing you want to see in your house. A lizard. I was walking through the kitchen, en route to unpack some more things, when I suddenly saw a streak of scaly hunter green dart past my foot. Of course it gave me the heebity-jeebities and I jumped up on the nearest kitchen chair, just in time to see the ugly thing dart under our dishwasher. Ugh! Of all places! The one appliance I couldn't maneuver out myself. Why couldn't he have scurried up behind the microwave? Or better yet, the coffee maker? Then I could have tossed him right out along with the grounds. But, no, he chose the dishwasher.

Knowing that my husband was not going to be home for another 4 hours or so, I did the only thing I could think to do. I barricaded him in. Grabbing random boxes, cookbooks, newspapers, and magazines, I proceeded to build a wall of sorts around the dishwasher. Of course I took care to stuff paper towels in any remaining holes, and by the end of it, I thought I had a pretty fine fortress assembled. There was no way he could slither past that construction. Feeling confident in my work, I went back to unpacking and waited for Drew to get home.

Later on, the minute Drew walked in the door, I grabbed his hand and shoved him towards the dishwasher. I proudly showed off my impromptu structure and informed him that he simply needed to pull out the dishwasher and retrieve the waiting salamander. He seemed skeptical of my work and even felt the need to point out several spots I'd failed to cover. No matter, I knew that even if the repulsive reptile made it past the stack of Kleenex boxes, he surely wouldn't have been able to scale the Blue Ribbon cookbook collection.

I was wrong.

Drew pulled out the dishwasher and loudly announced that the space under the counter was officially empty. After shining a flashlight under all the cracks and crevices, he informed me that my plan had failed and there was, in fact, a lizard now running loose in our house.

I became crazed. Insane. Constantly shining a flashlight around before we entered a room, lifting up blankets to reveal possible hiding spots, requiring every family member to tiptoe around and wear thick-soled boots. I even prayed: "God, please help me find this lizard. And let me find him in such a way that I don't have to actually touch him when I throw him out."

Well 3 days went by and i was beginning to lose hope. Was he hiding in a cupboard? Our DVD cabinet? The shower? Our bed??? Where was the lizard?!? Just when I was about to give up, I laid down for a nap with my kids one day after lunch and in the peaceful quiet of the afternoon, I heard it. A slinky, slithery, rustling noise. My mind immediately sprang into lizard-defense mode and I scrambled out of bed to search out the noisy culprit.

i finally determined his location: Drew's still-unpacked duffle bag. i couldn't see the dirty chameleon but I could hear what I knew was lizard feet scratching all over the traditional duffle nylon. He was scurrying around in there, no doubt sliming up every last pair of socks and underwear Drew had left in the bag. Unsure of how to go about the tricky maneuver, I eventually decided on the bag's handles as my getaway vehicle. Tiptoeing up to the bag, I gingerly reached over and plucked the handles up and away from the bag. At the same time, I positioned myself to be able to make a quick break for it, out the door. On a silent count of three, I lifted the bag up lickety split and made a manical dash for the door. I was running break-neck speed by the time I hit the front door and swiftly unlatched the door and continued the crazed eviction. With one large heave-ho, I flung the bag out the door and into the yard, hoping that he was still indeed in the bag and not straggling behind me in the house somewhere.

Fearful that he might not like his former outdoor home, i quickly slammed the door behind me - locking it too, just in case he was a dexterous lizard who knew how to pick locks. I kept an eye on the bag from behind our kitchen curtains, just to see if he'd show himself. He didn't. But I knew he was there.

Drew returned home later, slightly confused at the placement of his duffle bag in the back yard, but knowing my ways, correctly guessed the development that had taken place and simply motioned to the door and said, "Looks like you must have found the lizard."

Yes! i did find the lizard! Oh, happy day! That blue-tailed skink won't be bothering my family again, as long as I have something to say about it. And i told the scaly creature to go tell his friends and cousins that anybody else who tries to move in will eventually find themselves sailing through the air in a backpack as well, headed right back for the great outdoors. Where they belong.

Posted on 11. November 2011 02:59 by Jordan Christy |

People are always asking me if I'm going to write a how-to-be-classy book for guys. The answer is probably not. Mostly because I'm not a guy. I'm constantly asking my husband, "why do guys do that?" or "what does it mean when boys say this?" or "how do you manage to make such a big mess in such a small amount of time?" Boys are still somewhat of a mystery to me, and therefore, I don't really feel qualified to preach to them about behaving well. That being said, I am all for anybody who does!

Well, Drew recently found a blog that he loves called The Art of Manliness, and I have to say, I think it's great. It's smart, fun, practical, and offers timeless wisdom and advice on, well, the art of manliness. They even have books and stuff available, so you might find a good Christmas gift or two for the men in your life. Check it out, or better yet, tell your boy about it.

So, in honor of Movember, this one goes out to all the guys. Keep it classy!

Posted on 5. November 2011 21:35 by Jordan Christy |