Hello, friends. You might have noticed I haven’t been posting as frequently lately. I blame Modern Warfare 2 (LOL). Yes, I started playing MW2 online via the PlayStation network, and it is very fun, and very time-consuming. It appeals to my obsessive-compulsive personality, and I’m like Pavlov’s dog when I hear the electric guitar riff during gameplay, because I get so excited to see what new reward I’ve unlocked! I mean, without the panting and salivating…

Ooooh, a new attachment for my M16A4?! What is it? Under-mounted grenade launcher? Holographic sight? Can I have it now? Please please please?

So I’ve made it through all 70 levels of the online game once so far. And even though I enjoyed having the AK47 and all of its attachments at my disposal, I decided to enter Prestige mode and start over again. Not because I’m awesome. Definitely not. Because I need more practice, and because I missed the frequent unlocks and rewards that come at lower levels!

I don’t mind going against the boys in Team Deathmatch alone, but I thought it would be fun to put together a group of girls who play together from time to time. We’re all busy and have real life work and responsibilities, so this isn’t anything formal or demanding. But if you’re a girl who plays MW2 on the PS3 network, change your clan tag to [GRRL] and leave your online ID in the comments below. I’m projectalice00. I’ll add you as a friend and maybe we’ll find a few other gals who want to pwn boys together.

P.S.: Boys, we still love you. But this clan is just for us. See you at the Deathmatch. *kiss kiss*

Hello, dear friends! I’m so excited about the upcoming Vancouver Olympic Winter Games! I love snow, I love Vancouver (Hubby and I honeymooned there!), and my kids are becoming huge fans of snowboarder Shaun White. My boys, ages 10 (almost 11) and 8, think Shaun is awesome, love watching him in the halfpipe, and even want to wear t-shirts from his clothing line!

Win a shirt with this IFST logo on one side and the Coca-Cola logo on the other side!

The site highlights the fun, fictional “International Federation of Snowball Throwing,” (IFST) and includes videos with information and training tips for aspiring Olympic Snowballers. In the spirit of Olympic fun, Coca-Cola is offering a few lucky readers the chance to take home an “official” IFST t-shirt or a set of 8 commemorative Beijing Olympics Coke bottles!

Win a set of 8 beautiful Olympic Coke bottles

All you have to do to enter is visit the IFST blog at snowballthrowing.com, and then come back to this post and leave me a comment about your favorite snowy-day activity!

Click for free iTunes Holiday Sampler album

Happy Holidays to you from me! I wanted to pass along a little gem of a freebie today, because it’s really a super deal! I discovered this when I checked out the iTunes music store this morning. Free music!

iTunes has been giving away a free single per week for quite a while, usually of a new artist (someone you’ve probably never heard of). But this Holiday Sampler album is full of songs you actually want to listen to, sung by artists whose names you recognize!

From Christmas classics (Amy Grant’s “O Come All Ye Faithful” and David Archuleta’s “The First Noel”) to holiday pop (“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by Weezer?!) and even some humor (“Another Christmas Song” by Stephen Colbert), this is a perfect addition to your holiday library. And it’s free!

Thanks, iTunes. What a sweet Christmas surprise.

Get the album here: iTunes FREE Holiday Album

Here’s the full song list:

1. O Come All Ye Faithful (Amy Grant)
2. The First Noel (David Archuleta)
3. Silent Night (Sarah McLachlan)
4. Carol of the Bells / Jingle Bells (Barry Manilow )
5. It Snowed (Meaghan Smith)
6. Above the Northern Lights (Mannheim Steamroller)
7. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Lady Antebellum)
8. We Three Kings (Toby Keith)
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Rascal Flatts)
10. Silent Night (Wynonna)
11. Twelve Days of Christmas (Mexicani Marimba Band)
12. We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Weezer)
13. A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss) (Glasvegas)
14. Another Christmas Song (Stephen Colbert)
15. Greensleeves (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
16. Dream a Dream (Charlotte Church)
17. The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act 2: Character Dances (Divertissement) – Dance of the Reed Pipes (Kirov Orchestra & Valery Gergiev)
18. Angels We Have Heard On High (Aretha Franklin)
19. O Holy Night (Musiq Soulchild)
20. Auld Lange Syne (The Lonesome Travelers)

Oh, and once you download the album, you’ll also have access to some iTunes LP features, including song lyrics, artist information and photos, as well as a pretty falling-snow background while you listen to the music. Sweet as sugarplums!

This is one of the amazing offerings by LEGO Jedi Master Nathan Sawaya: a life-size three-dimensional portrait, done entirely in LEGO bricks! Sawaya actually offered custom LEGO People through last year’s Neiman Marcus holiday catalog, for $60,000 each. But if you missed out on that great deal, you will just have to do it yourself, I guess.

Life Sized LEGO People

As a mother who has stepped on her share of sharp, pointy LEGO pieces left on the floor by her children, I can’t help but wonder where Nathan Sawaya keeps his bricks. I hope he remembers to clean them up when he’s done!

To see more of Sawaya’s superb LEGO creations, visit his site here.

This is what I saw when I checked my CNN headlines widget a few minutes ago:

Jessica Simpson's Bosom is the Top Story?

Did you see the headline for the Top Story? “Jessica Simpson finds a bosom buddy…”

Oh. My. Goodness. I don’t know whether to be amused and relieved that there’s nothing more important than Jessica’s bosom in the news at the moment, or annoyed at CNN for leading with such a ridiculous headline. A bit of both, I guess.

And since you’re probably dying to know what the story is about, here’s the blurb:

Jessica Simpson and Dolly Parton have found more to bond over than their blonde locks and country crooning. The famously busty pair found common ground this week over the difficulties of having an ample bosom.

So there you have it. Now you know. You’re welcome.

Facebook Halloween Costumes

If you’re familiar with Facebook (and the amount of time it can suck from your life) you might enjoy this costume idea!

I resisted joining Facebook for a while, mostly because I figured it was probably like MySpace, which wasn’t that impressive to me. But once I opened my FB account, I was amazed by the number of old friends I found there. It’s like a mega-reunion of everybody I’ve ever known, from kindergarten classmates to sorority sisters to distant relatives you never see in person. It’s fun!

Facebook Poke Costumes

If you’re a FB addict (if I can admit it, that means I don’t really have a problem, right?), what better way to show off your attachment than by dressing up as your profile page? Or you could dress up as someone else’s profile page, if you wanted to get crazy.

Another Facebook Costume

These photos are examples from reface.me. I like the interactive costumes the best. Use a dry erase board for your Wall, and carry some markers, so people can write messages on it. Post your Status at the top, and cut out a place for your profile photo. Stick your head through there, and maybe leave room for your real-life friends to pose with you.

Don’t forget to put some sidebar boxes next to your Wall, so people can draw in Gifts and stuff. Happy Halloween!

via Mashable

Netflix and PlayStation 3

Netflix and PlayStation are teaming up to allow Netflix subscribers to play streaming video on the game system! I’m so happy!

I made a recent post on my love of Netflix, and how I enjoy watching the instant movies on my laptop. Now, we’ll be able to watch instant movies on our big screen television, through our PlayStation 3 console!

Here is an excerpt of the announcement posted on the PlayStation blog today:

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced that they are joining forces to make thousands of movies and TV episodes from Netflix available to be streamed instantly to TVs via the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Netflix expects to begin streaming via the PS3 system next month at no additional cost to Netflix members in the United States who have a PS3 system.

That means our PS3 will be even more fun and functional, as a gaming console, a Blu-ray movie player, Internet browser, and now a Netflix movie player! If you’re considering a new game system, take a look at the PlayStation 3. I was skeptical when Hubby brought ours home, but its high-definition video quality and variety of functions have won me over!

New Moon Soundtrack USB Drive

Here’s a short intro for a new product coming out any day now! I will be carrying these in my Twilight shop, and I’m pretty excited!

This is an officially licensed Twilight product, and it is a sweet combination of style and function. It’s a 2GB USB flash drive, with the Cullen family crest on the outside, and the New Moon movie soundtrack pre-loaded on the inside.

You can read the details and pre-order the New Moon USB drive now. I expect to have them ready to ship in late October 2009. Cheers!

If you know me, I rarely include ads in my posts. In the sidebar, yes, but rarely in my posts. I have to really, sincerely like something before I’ll put an ad for it here.

I’ll just say it now: I like love Netflix!

I was skeptical at first. I didn’t sign up right away. In fact, this is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I initially joined Netflix mostly to get “points” for some Facebook game. Probably Mafia Wars or something like that.

I had intended to use the service during the free trial period, and then cancel it. But that was several months ago, and the free trial has long since elapsed, and I’m still using Netflix. My hubby and I share the movie queue, and I usually try to alternate action flicks with romantic comedies, but he gets into the account and adds thrillers and stuff. We rarely get out to the movies, and it’s really handy to add new releases to our queue and watch them at home whenever we want to.

Plus, a night at the movies runs us $20 for the tix, probably another $20 for snacks and drinks, and $40 for babysitting. And that’s if we don’t go out for dinner, too. It’s crazy!

I enjoy the on-demand viewing, too. It’s fun to play an old favorite movie (I recently watched Say Anything, one of the best movies from the 80s!) while I’m working around the house. I even used it a couple of times to help potty train my daughter, who was always too busy to take time to sit on the toilet. I put my laptop on the bathroom counter and fired up an episode of one of her favorite cartoons, and she’d stay there long enough to take care of business. Hey, don’t judge me. Potty training desperation can lead to all kinds of parental ploys. Some of you know what I mean!

So I’m giving Netflix my recommendation. If you haven’t tried it, click on that ad and sign up. I get credit if you do, and I’ll use it to keep my own subscription going. Cheers!

Well, our whole family has been pretty much quarantined in our home for the better part of a week, with suspected H1N1 “swine flu.” We’re okay, so don’t panic. It’s not fun, but it’s manageable. It comes with a fever, so nobody can go to school or work, which means even my hubby has been stuck in the house.

Today, it finally got to him. After trying to sit on the couch and rest, puttering around the house a bit, doing some computer work from home, and despite his aches and cough, he couldn’t take any more family togetherness.

“Honey, I’m going to Ace [our local hardware store]. I’m going crazy with cabin fever.”

I wonder what he’ll come home with. He didn’t really need anything from the hardware store, but that’s where he wanted to go. I suggested he look for an outdoor black light to illuminate the fluorescent spider webs he has draped across the front of our house.

Who knows what he’ll find? It’s kind of like a candy store for a guy who hasn’t been out of the house in days, smothered by wifely TLC and home-from-school kids who are completely bored. Or like a doughnut shop. If I could run away to escape cabin fever, maybe I’d go to Krispy Kreme!

I know he appreciates what I do at home while he’s at his nice downtown office with grown-ups who blow their own noses and such. But maybe our week with the flu will remind him how lucky he is when he gets to leave the house to go to work. AND that he has a wife who stays home to take care of the kids and all their goop.

I love you, Sparky!

P.S. Avoid influenza! Wash your hands! Just a little Public Service announcement.