Suze Orman: 2009 Action Plan

My least favorite word right now? Economy! oof!

But let's face it we need to take a long hard look at ourselves (our bank accounts) in the mirror. We can't dance around the topic anymore can we?

I know I can't. But I didn't know where to start.

That's where Suze steps in:

As you may remember I am huge fan of Suze Orman. She is honest, tough, but always fair. Suze saw that we all needed some guidance when it came to our current economic situation so she quickly put together "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan".

I sped through this book so quickly it's not even funny. There were many times when I wanted to turn away, shut the book and go on living blissfully unaware. But I knew I had to forage ahead, this was important. I learned many helpful tips from Suze (once again) and it was especially helpful because she had our current situation in mind.

And like last time Suze offered this book free on the Internet for a few days. While it isn't available now I still have a copy saved on my desk top and I am willing to share. So e-mail me if you would like me to e-mail you a copy!

Anything Ken Can Do, Barbie Can Do Better!

Growing up I had a plethora of Barbies, I went to the Barbie Museum in California, and had drove around the neighborhood in my Power Wheels Barbie Corvette (Oh how I wish I could still fit in it). I loved Barbie and I had many reasons for doing so. My main reason for being a Barbie girl was the hope she instilled in my young mind, with Barbie as a role model I could be anything. I would walk down the Barbie isle in amazement as she would don a space suit, a veterinarian's lab coat or look stunning in floor length ball gown. Barbie was an example to me and other girls, that you could be feminine and smart and pursue your dreams, whatever they may be. And while Ken was a part of the picture, he wasn't the entire picture. The emphasis wasn't on him, it was on Barbie and her dreams. That's such a wonderful message for 11.5 inches of doll dontcha think?

Even though my Barbie days are far behind me, she is still inspiring young girls. In fact, this year is Barbie's 50th Anniversary of inspiring fun and dreams. There are numerous celebrations taking place to honor this blonde icon; Stila is getting All Doll'd up with their new line of "Barbie loves Stila" cosmetic collection, Mercedes Benz is sponsoring a Barbie fashion show at New York's fashion week and, get this, a REAL Barbie Dream House is being built in Malibu and Barbie's birthday party will be held there (the little girl in me is squealing with delight!). To get in on the Barbie fun check out Blogher for more special offers!

For more info on Barbie's 50th Anniversary Celebration you can visit Barbie's All Doll'd Up blog (http://www.barbie.com/alldolldup), it's the place to celebrate fifty years of fun, fashion and friends. Read about everything from the most talked about runway moments, hottest parties, chicest trends and more. Check out exclusive video content, photo galleries and all the latest must-have goodies! Become a Barbie fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barbie) for even more of the hottest buzz surrounding Barbie's 50th - and follow Barbie's tweets at (http://twitter.com/barbiestyle.)

What is your favorite Barbie memory?

Heart Shaped Measuring Cups

Ever since I melted my old measuring cups in the dishwasher I was in search of some new ones with a little more pizazz. I originally wanted these measuring cups made out of bone china. But then I said, who am I kidding? I am clumsy, those darling geese would not last more than a week in my kitchen. So I kept looking from some adorable plastic ones and behold I found these:

They are adorable and make me smile whenever I use them. Who knew a measuring cup could do that? Oh and yes, most importantly they work well.

So there you have it, adorable measuring cups that I love and recommend a million times over.

I purchased mine at Target for $2.50 (they were in the dollar spot area). If you don't have a Target nearby (gasp!), you can find them here for waaay more money, but I would probably still buy them for $14.

The Glimmer Palace

I received this book from Blogher as one of the many free give aways. I love give aways, especially when books are involved.

I started this book without having any idea what it was about which is a rare occurrence for me.

The book follows the life of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite from her time as German orphan, maid, wife, show girl in early 20th century Berlin. The book does a wonderful job at chronicling the friends, lovers, and opportunities that wove themselves in and out of Lilly's life.

The Glimmer Palace has a total of 400 pages and I usually avoid books this long because I tend to lose interest after page 300. However, I was interested in The Glimmer Palace all the way to end mainly because the author did a great job at chronicling Lilly's life so that the reader felt involved in the story but a the same time able to step back as an observer of a pretty fascinating life.

The main thing I enjoyed about his book is how it reminded me that humans are incredibly resilient and that each one of us lives a multitude of different lives in one lifetime.

Totally recommend this book even if you don't get it free like I did.

Rating:Watermelon!

Seeing Me Naked By Liza Palmer

When I am up to my ears in text books it is so important that I make time for really fun books too. Well my dear friend Carrie bought me the book, "Seeing Me Naked", for Christmas. Carrie had been raving about this book so I was so glad that I had the chance to read it.

"Seeing Me Naked" is about a twenty something woman, Elizabeth Page. Elizabeth is doing her best to make a name for herself as a chef, however it proves difficult when she has to come out of her father's shadow. There is so more to this story, family relationships, finding your own voice, and making the choice that feels right-regardless of the odds against you. There is truly something that many women could relate to, I know I did. I loved the character of Elizabeth so much that I wish that her character would have her own series of books!

I totally recommend this book. I finished this book in two days, and if that's not an endorsement I don't know what is!

Dare I say it...I rate this book watermelon!

Cold-Eeze

This may be the time of year for holiday cheer but it also happens to be a time for nasty colds. There have been about three times this season where I felt a cold creeping up on me, the aches, the stuffy nose, the sinus headaches-you get the idea. But thankfully I was introduced to Cold-Eeze this year!

Cold-Eeze shortens the length of the common cold and reduces the severity of symptoms. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? Well I have used it three times this year when I felt a cold creeping up and it stopped the cold dead in it's tracks each time.

Cold-Eeze is all natural and uses zinc as it's main ingredient in fighting colds. (Be warned, the zinc can make your tongue feel a little numb for about ten minutes after you suck on the lozenge) Some people say that it may be the placebo affect in action and I say if it is then I don't care. But I honestly believe that cold-eeze works and I invite you to try it the next time you are feeling the symptoms of cold coming on.

(You can download coupons, get more information, and find out where you can buy cold-eeze at their website here.)

Britney Spears: Circus

She's baaaack.
Ladies and gentlemen, Britney Spears is back!
Today Britney releases her sixth studio album. This album, Circus is different than the rest because it is her official "Comeback album". Last year she did release "Blackout", a surprisingly good attempt at jump starting her career again, but due to personal issues, it never really got the attention it deserved.

Circus, appropriately named after the type of year she has had, does not disappoint. While Blackout was a manic (and incredibly sexual) attempt at a comeback, Circus sounds as though each track was carefully selected.

My Fave Songs on Circus:
-Circus: Really catchy chorus and makes me want to shake my bootay.
-Kill The Lights: Fun, sounds similar to Pussy Cat Dolls.
-If U Seek Amy: I am not sure what this song is about, but it is so dang infectious. Oh wait I get it "IF U SEEK AMY"...say it slow, clever Britney, very clever.
-Unusual You: Not quite a ballad, not a fast beat-but somehow it works. Very mellow, sounds very different from the rest of the album.
-Blur: With lyrics like, "Can't remember what I did last night, everything is still a blur", I have to guess this is about that time in Britney's life that we all wish we could forget. Again, this one is mellow, very mid-nineties Madonna sounding.
-Lace and Leather: This is a funky song, funky in the good way-like funkay.

Songs I Could Have Done Without:
-Out From Under: This ballad kinda killed the momentum of the album.
-Shattered Glass: It's just okay, and the chorus will stick in your head in an annoying way. Trust me. Like shattered glaaayyaasss, glaaayaaass
-Mmm Papi: This song is just bizarre and her voice sounds really forced and annoying.
-Mannequin: It's just okay, not great, not bad.
-Baby: Not.another.ballad

Overall not bad at all. I could have done without any of the ballads. I probably don't need to say this but ballads are not Brit Brit's strong suit.

If you have long been a fan of Britney, you will be pleased by her newest cd. If you have never been a fan, you could probably find a few songs that will compliment your work out play list perfectly. And if you haven't picked it up already I suggest picking up Blackout to compliment the comeback effort.
Images courtesy of Google Images.