NOVICA

I sometimes enter some giveaways around the web. I haven't won yet, but I will one day! Anyway, Leslie Love Veggies does awesome giveaways and the one I entered tonight is great. It is a $75 gift certificate for NOVICA --- You can enter the giveaway HERE.

Side note: A couple years ago just a month or so before I read EAT PRAY LOVE, I stumbled upon NOVICA. And really loved so many things there from the home goods to the jewelry - everything is just so pretty and unique. I then read EAT PRAY LOVE and if you have read it you will know it is mentioned in the 3rd section of the book on her Indonesia trip. I was reading the book in bed and squealed because I recognized it.

Coldplay

I love Coldplay. I would say they are in my top 5 music picks. Anyway they are offering free music to their fans.

http://www.coldplay.com/

I support gay marriage

I just ordered a free sticker to support gay marriage here is the letter that they sent out to share for others to order the sticker also...

Dear friend,

After a lot of years of devastating setbacks in the fight for marriage equality, it seems like we're finally moving in the right direction. With marriage legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine, and the fights going strong in New Hampshire, New York and California, this movement is gaining more momentum every day, and I'm excited to be a part of it.

To that end, I wanted to let you know that CREDO Action is giving away some awesome stickers about supporting gay marriage - I think you'd really like them. I just got mine - if you have a minute, click this link to check out the stickers and get one of your own (for free!).

https://act.credoaction.com/stickers/?r_by=-305079-qIAw7ix&rc=fb.connect&sp=i_love_love

Thanks!

This and That Catch Up

So I haven't been blogging, emailing or just being online much because I think I am ready for spring. The winter seasonal thing has been getting to me. I don't like spring allergies but I am looking forward to sunshine. I need it. I can tell it is the lack of sunshine that is affecting me because just the few days we have had (in between the rain and snow) makes me feel better. I also have had a wicked migraine cycle that I am ready to go away anytime. I am on day 5 of it.

I started going through some boxes in my studio closet this past week. Photos, cards/letters from high school and I also dug out my high school year books. I have been reading all the messages people wrote me in them. They are umm well amusing. One friend from high school wrote in every card/letter "don't flirt with the boys so much" - truthfully I don't remember flirting that much. I remember being terribly shy and awkward but I am friends with her on facebook and she insists I was a flirt.

I found a photo of the prom I went to my junior year with a senior boy. And horribly I couldn't remember two of the people in the photo. I know if I post it to Facebook I will get an answer quickly on who the couple is and then I will go "oh yeah." I think the boy went to our church. But the forgetfulness I have is not just ending there because there are quite a few messages in my yearbook that are about parties or events that I feel I should remember but I don't and also there are cards/letters from people that I don't remember at all. But reading them it is obvious we were pretty close. I had quite a few letters from a girl I worked at Brooks Fashions with but I can't picture her at all. She sent them to me my freshman year in college.

Anyway overall going through all the photos, cards/letters and is very amusing. You know the big drama that is high school.


Okay I admit it - I have a guilty pleasure right now - Twilight. I know many can't understand the draw to it. I think my thing for vampires just makes me like it. I have watched it about a million times. Michael thinks he might have to do an intervention.


BettyCrocker.com is now starting a club called The Mixer. It is going to have webcast classes, tips and techniques and ask an expert. And best yet it is FREE! Friends always ask me how I learned to cook. Although my Mom is a GREAT cook and I know I got things from her but I also learned from my Betty Crocker cookbook. It was easy to understand, gave glossary of terms so I could understand things in the recipe I might not have before and just has classic recipes that are great to start with when learning to cook. So I am anxious to see what they will do with The Mixer.

I would love to replace all our water bottles with these or these because I know they are BPA free. I love the colors of the Klean Kanteen.


I have been obsessed with MarthaStewart.com lately. Crafts, recipes, organizational tips, cleaning tips and so on. Anyway one thing I found was link to a sister site: Whole Living and it has great recipes and tips too. But thought I would at least share this link to some tips to do one thing each day to make it Earth Day everyday and help save the planet.

Blog Action Day: Poverty - Part 2

Just sharing some good links in surfing through the Blog Action Day posts from other participants.

Blickchick: SharedBliss: Poverty of Body, Mind, & Spirit - Really good entry and especially like the quote from Ghandi again..."Poverty is the worst form of violence."

Thoughts from a Sometimes Desperate Housewife: Help Me Donate to Heifer International for Blog Action Day!

Change.org - learn about causes, connect to good people and non-profits, take action

GoodSearch - Is like Ripple that I wrote about in my last entry but this search you get to chose the charity. And I don't think you do that on ripple. I think ripple is powered by google and goodsearch is powered by yahoo.

Digital Photography School has images of poverty on their blog today for blog action day.

I might share some more links later.

October 15th Blog Action Day

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

The Story of Stuff

A twenty minute video that was very interesting about what consumerism is doing to us and our planet.

Click on the image below to get to the video....

Obama Artwork

I have been getting lots of hits for Obama Button Artwork here on this blog and my art blog. They all end up on the moveon.org free Obama buttons post but I just wanted to point out cafepress.com has some great Obama buttons and t-shirts.














Links to products for images...
Faith Hope Obama - Andy Warhol type Obama/Biden - peace hand sign - Obama Biden 2008

Error in Recipe

I posted a recipe the other day that had an error in it. The Chicken Nacho Casserole...the chicken is suppose to be raw. I had it as cooked. I am sure it would work as cooked but might over cook the chicken that way since the rice has to cook all the way through so it needs an hour for it. I went to make it tonight and decided I should follow the recipe to make sure I got it all right since I do so many things from memory or just adding without measuring. So saw the error right away. ugghh! So sorry!

Charity and Blizzards

100% profits of Blizzards at DQ going to Children's Miracle Network on Thursday August 7th.

http://www.miracletreatday.com/index.cfm

Free Vote for Obama Button

Want a free vote for Obama button? MoveOn's giving them away totally free—no strings attached. I just got mine, and wanted to share the opportunity with you.

Click this link to get a free Obama button:

http://pol.moveon.org/obamabuttons/?id=13339-9609874-GYcWoVx&t=4

No More Papyrus Please!

I just read one of those lists -- 25 Reasons you might be a graphic/web designer. And all to many of them I could relate too but one of them has been a personal crusade of mine for a long time. It is to not use the font Papyrus. For the last several years -- to urge people not to use it. I said it once in a workshop I was teaching and they just looked at me like I had slapped them in the face. But I guess they just don't see how OVER used it is. To me it feels clunky with most designs. Nothing seems to mesh with it very well. So my suggestion is to not use papyrus for anything you do (I was going to add except for personal correspondence but really it even bothers me seeing it there.) Please just step away from the papyrus font! Pretty Please!

Combining Blogs?

I am thinking of moving the cooking blog over to here -- just combining them. It doesn't seem like I get to post either place enough these days so at least there would be a few more posts.

darbyart.com

My website - darbyart.com will be going down in the next week/week and half (Feb 11-16). Not changing hosts as I love them but I am basically combining things it so it will mean the site has to be taken down and reuploaded. It might take me a few days to a week to get everything back to normal. And also some photos and links on my art blog as well as here won't work. Yes, I see some fun filled days of coding coming my way! (That was said with much sarcasm).

Saying Thanks...

Xeorx is sponsoring a program that sends postcards to troops overseas....and all you have to do is 3 easy steps to send a FREE postcard to military personal overseas.

Here is the link....Let's Say Thanks

Email Scams....

Most of us have seen the infamous subject line in our email: "URGENT - Update your PayPal Account." Well, as it turns out - the hyperlink can take you to a seemingly innocuous, legitimate website. Except it doesn't. Instead - it takes you to a phony website spoofed to look like PayPal's login screen. It looks like paypal - all the logos and their info on it. But if you look at the url it doesn't say paypal.com. And by putting in your username/password information - some thief can take your information and let the endless spending games begin.

The latest trick is to spoof Amazon.com.

So...
-Never click on the hyperlink in the email..
-ALWAYS type out the correct URL for PayPal and Amazon to sign into your account..
-Report the erroneous email to PayPal and Amazon's security departments..

At best, they will contact the host company for the erroneous website and hopefully shut it down.

Be careful out there!