Etsy.com

Here's a fun website you might not have heard about! My friend Christy recommended it, it's called Etsy.com, and it's a marketplace for hand made goodies of all kinds. I've been looking for a little credit card case forever, and I was irritated to find the perfect one at the mall -- a Burberry case for $200. I checked Etsy.com, and voila!! I found a little case I love, and a matching key fob for less than 20 bucks, including shipping. This designer is especially cute to me, and is based in my bro's hometown of Kansas City.

Meet Leslie!

This is our new nanny Leslie! She is mom # 2 for Logan and Ada, and is earning the title quick. She has about ten million bottle feedings under her belt, and still has time for little ladybug and bumblebee photo shoots. Here they are in their Halloween outfits. It's such a relief to me that while I have to be away at work, Logan and Ada are getting a proper exposure to cultural references like Mark Darcy and Edward Cullen. I think Leslie and I might be related.

Green Helpful Hints

There are a lot of things that I hate to throw away. I hate waste, it makes me crazy. But the one thing that bugs me most is batteries. There's something kind of sickening to me about putting those chemicals in the ground, so I can use my remote for a few months. Or so someone can play with a remote control car.

The last straw was when we decided we wanted a baby swing. It turns out that both Logan and Ada are very soothed by the swing, Logan would sleep in that thing until he's ready for high school. But it really sucks batteries. Four D batteries at a time! The minute I found this out, I ordered up some rechargeable batteries and a nice charger that works with other sizes too. In the last three months we've probably charged those batteries ten times, so I'm sure we've broken even, kept 40 more batteries out of the ground, and saved a few midnight trips to the store.

All this is to say -- give some thought to rechargeable batteries, especially if you have gizmos like a baby swing in your future. Here's the charger I bought, and here's the website where I found a good deal on the D size battery. If you're a Costco fan, I noticed a coupon for a set of batteries and a charger in their latest flier, it's worth a look.

My Favorite Quote

It’s not our differences that divide us; it’s our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences.


Reflecting on this week’s election, my favorite quote quote came to mind. Everyone seems so opinionated about politics, and I guess I’m no different. But it seems too easy to lose sight of this most important thought – isn’t it wonderful that we can disagree? Isn’t it wonderful that we can argue our opinions, and choose who to put into office? Many of the people I know were underwhelmed by President Bush, but don’t forget that our fellow Americans voted him into office. That means that a big part of this country thought that he would be the best possible president to represent us. Whether your candidate lost in the previous elections or in this one, let’s not forget that we are all in this together. Let’s have a humble moment to remember that the rest of the country is entitled to their opinions too, and instead of belittling them, celebrate that we can disagree and still respect each other.