$5 Albums

Amazon.com is selling the top 50 albums of 2008 in MP3 format for $5 here. I already own the ones I would get, but I'm going to take a closer look at a few that look good.

Hmmm...I think I'm going to get Twitter for stuff like this.

Tegan's First Christmas

Christmas was nice. Celebrated with the families and even went to the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The star of the weekend was this little cutie, now 3 months old and so much fun.

O Christmas 2008

The tree has been trimmed, cards have been mailed, gifts purchased and wrapped, and cookies made. Now we are off to celebrate Christmas with our families. Happy Holidays to all!

Land of 10,000 Lakes

Ben and I went to South Saint Paul, Minnesota this last weekend to visit his relatives. It had been awhile since we were out there, so it was fun to catch up with everyone. We did get the storm that was going through the northern US. The temperature was freezing and it snowed, but I really enjoy winter weather during the holidays. Everything seems more festive with fresh snow all around! Plus, it is so nice to sit inside with a fire watching the snow fall.


Picture via Flickr

I Heart Jon Stewart*

I am über busy this week, but this was worth a quick blogging.

Last nights show with Gov. Mike Huckabee was awesome! If you haven't heard, it was a good discussion about same-sex marriage. See the full episode here.

*Don't worry, Ben understands the love.

Good-Bye Gift

Some good friends are leaving at the end of the month and I want to find them the perfect little gift to always remember their time in California.

Potential ideas but not THE gift, so I'm still searching (and quickly running out of time!). Any ideas?

California Bird
San Francisco Tote
via {frolic}

Beef, Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

To have more time in the evenings to do important things (such as going to the gym), Ben and I are attempting to make more crock pot meals and casseroles. Here is a great new meal he found in a recipe forum that we tried this weekend.

1 lb. Ground Sirloin
16 oz. Tomato Sauce
1 pkg. Onion Soup Mix
6-8 oz. Pasta of Choice (twist trio)
2 cups Shredded Cheddar

While cooking pasta, brown ground beef in a large sauce pan. Add tomato sauce and onion soup mix to browned beef and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Combine meat mixture with pasta and mix gently in casserole dish. Top w/second cup of cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes (half covered, half uncovered). Makes 6 generous servings.

Rewarded!

With Ben's heavy encouragement, I decided to become a shuffle owner! A little research and I learned that Apple has a great refurbished section of their store. So I picked up a PURPLE 1GB shuffle for only $40, a 20% savings and the best color!

Reward After 16 Years

It has been a crazy week at work, and next week looks like more of the same. Lots of research to do, reports to write, and proposal deadlines to make! So that basically means less time for blogging.

I did cash in my "5th Grade Top Student" savings bond yesterday, so I have $60 burning a hole in my pocket! I have been wanting one of these for awhile to use while I work in the yard or around the lab. I do feel guilty since I already have an iPod, but the lightweight, clip-on feature looks much more convenient for everyday use.

If I do decide to get it, I still have to decide on the storage size (thinking 1GB) and color (kinda thinking red...)!

Brand Inspektor (no relation to Pilot)

Somehow we talked about livestock theft on the drive up for Thanksgiving (random, I know). I mentioned how there are brand inspectors and everyone thought I was crazy. Photographic proof by Ben that I am not crazy (at least on this particular topic)!

Thinking Towards 2009

I signed up for the Mibo mailing list (UK designer) and received by email a free PDF of this adorable 2009 calendar. My plan is to print it in high quality on good paper, buy a simple framing mat, and use my nice wood calendar holder to make a perfect display!

via With This Nest

Flash Back to 2003

Today I filled up the gas tank for $1.89/gallon. That means my fill up was under $20.

I have one word for this. It begins with "R" and ends with "ecession".