Undomestic Diva

*Fixed* MY BLOG HAS MOVED ---->

Fixed the link for the feed! Sorry about that. See below!

If you're seeing THIS then please update your reader/bookmark/feed to:

http://undomesticdiva.com/feed

the new, direct link to my blog now on WordPress!

~Megan

Marching for Maddie - Photos

Couldn't be prouder to be a part of this amazing group of people who showed up early on a Saturday morning to march for Maddie and for babies like her in the Los Angeles March of Dimes Walk.

No one complained about what time it was. Or about how warm it was. Or how far it was. Everyone was spirited and grateful and humble.

Even Annie was in the marching mood, ready to take on the pavement.

And I'm super proud of this dude - my oldest - who is a March of Dimes baby himself; who asked me if he could come along and walk the three miles with me.

---

You can see all the March for Maddie photos here.

Prints for sale

I've been asked if I ever sell my non-portraity, non-weddingish photographs a number of times and I keep thinking "I ought to" but then again, there's a lot of things I "ought" to do like scrub that crockpot that's been, um, soaking for a couple of days now.

But! Years later, I have finally put up a link to where you can buy a variety of my photographs in varying sizes and even on gifts like mugs or mousepads (do people still use those?) so there's hope for the crockpot yet.

You can buy prints here, however there is a new link sitting pretty (ugly) at the top of this blog where you can always access these photographs and of course others as I add them.

A few samples from the website (my lovely signature not included in the price of purchase, sorry) that you can buy:

Yes, there are other, non-flowery photographs up on the site like Times Square in NYC and a pier at a local beach I have hanging in my own hallway. I will also be adding more photos in the days to come and as I take them.

Aaaand the shameless self-promotion ends here. For now.

Eight

I specifically remember the day we had this discussion - the one where you and I discussed staying 7 years old and not turning eight (or nine or ten or...) - in great detail. I suggested taping a brick to your head the way my grandpa used to promise to do to me and you just rolled your big brown eyes, crossed your arms and said defiantly "Mom, I'm turning eight whether you like it or not."

And today you are. Whether I like it or not.

You've never been one to listen; a quality that has been both a challenge and a secret admiration of mine. Your stubborness makes for some difficult headbutting but also makes me intensely proud of you as you are never a follower, never one to do what's easiest and you are always adamant about doing things your way, even if it means doing it by yourself. You have courage and bravery within you that you're not even aware of and I wish that at your age I could have been half as strong-willed and independent as you are now.

You are a young man (sigh) in an old man's body with the soul of someone who has been here many times before; wise beyond not just your years, but mine too. Your brain is constantly on; the gears consistently turning and you're humorously wise about holding back just how much you know until the right moment. 

You hide from the camera and warn me "this is not for Facebook" when I am lucky enough to capture you in a snapshot. Yet your sense of humor is profoundly funny when you turn it on -  usually when you're getting in trouble. "Oh c'mon Mom! You know you're laughing on the inside!" I almost always am.

The world around you as you know it is changing and while I attempt to only expose you to the very minimum, you know better. You haven't simply adjusted - you have stepped up and become the biggest help. At eight years old. I don't know how you know so much at such a young age but what I do know is I couldn't be prouder of you.

E, you are awesome, talented, intelligent and the coolest eight year old I know. Right now, coming from your mom, that probably doesn't mean a whole lot. But hopefully someday it will. 

I love you, dude.

Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mom

Winner of the Tassimo T20. Welcome to your new life.

I have used my Tassimo T20 so much I've already had to buy T Disc refills for it. No joke. And I was happy to see that my Target sells them - right there in the coffee aisle - and they happened to be on sale so DOUBLE WIN!

Anyway, you don't give a damn about me or my refills, you just want to know if you one the Tassimo T20 so let me get straight to it.

Although I would just like to say if I had Oprah's money, I'd buy ALL of you one. (AND YOU! AND YOU! AND YOU!) But I don't so that was just cruel to put that out that there.

Again, I digress.

I used Random.org to find a winner...

and comment #45 happens to be...

So congrats to Carmen and WELCOME TO YOUR NEW LIFE! Email me at undomesticdiva(at)gmail(dot)com so I can get all your pertinent information so Tassimo can mail your Tassimo T20 directly to you!

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Also? Oprah, please send me money because I feel bad for the others who didn't win. Kthx.

Updated with video clip: Watch me make an ass of myself. Maybe.

To see the clip on today's Rachael Ray, click HERE.

::

Tune in Monday (Dec 27) to the Rachael Ray Show [check here for your local times/listings] to see me make an ass of myself... if they didn't cut me from the segment entirely. Which, you know, they just might have.

Rachael Ray you ask? That's what I said to the producer who called and asked me to tape while I was at BlogHer in NYC this past August. I think I responded with something like, "Um, have you read up on me? Seen my blog? I can't cook..." Then the very peppy producer was like "YES! That's what we love about you!" when really, I think she was hoping I'd burn down the Hilton and grab them some extra publicity because you know what they say - there's no such thing as bad publicity...?

I don't know.

Anyway... Let me know if I make it on there and if you manage to find a clip of it if I do, send me a link because chances are a) I'll forget to watch and b) I still don't know how to work that fancy DVR machine and c) then I can analyze over-and-over again just how awful I look on camera 'cause you know THAT'S ALWAYS FUN.

::

Come back here later today when I announce the winner of the super awesome Tassimo T20.

The one-button, no bra required Tassimo T20 - It can be yours

If you could have a cappuccino (or coffee or latte, WHATEVER) within one minute from start to finish without ever leaving your house, putting on a bra, pants or shoes, finding car keys, standing in line or doling out $2.65 plus would you complain?

OK, you probably would, but not about that, right? Because oh my god I fear for the rest of ya'll because I now have access to round-the-clock cappuccinos (coughCAFFEINEcough) thanks to this sleek, handsome, I may just be a little too into it, Tassimo T20 humdinger of a machine. I don't even want to call it a coffee maker because it out does your normal every day messy filters-and-grounds routines on so many levels, trumping the average coffee maker with its one-button operation and no mess T Discs and that leave you with nothing to clean up. Tassimo is so speaking my language with this bad boy.

On top of all the features the Tassimo T20 claims on its box, it proudly wears the Starbucks symbol which had me tearing open the box quicker than a kid demolishing a present on Christmas morning. BUT, I knew better than to just trust the Starbucks symbol - I mean, c'mon, we've all witnessed Starbucks at Target and know full-well that it is not the same thing as a real, certified Starbucks store. So, I had to give it a try for myself.

Trying the Tassimo T20 was the ultimate test. It doesn't matter how great the coffee is - if I can't work the machine then forget it, the thing is useless. And with an attention span the size of an ant, Tassimo (Bosch) was really working against all odds. I photographed each step so a) you could see for yourself what the T20 is like and b) just in case I managed to cause a small kitchen fire like I've been known to do in the past.

Here's what Tassimo sent me in the mail (for free, I might add!) to try out...

Um, Hello Starbucks Cappuccino T Discs...

Isn't she pretty?

I followed the 5 very simple instructions to get her going. I even re-read the instructions a few times because it seemed a little too... easy?

Pure. Excitement. when this bad boy came to life. (Note: No caffeine had been consumed. Yet.)

I picked one of my favorite mugs from the RV/Meg Exclusive Mug Collection (TM) and might have squee'd a little in excitment.

Like I was going to go for anything other than the cappuccino. C'mon now.

So how on earth do you make a cappuccino in a disc-oriented coffee machine you ask? Well, let me tell you. See these T Discs? The one on the right is milk creamer and the one on the left is espresso. Guess what? You use one after the other AND THAT'S AS DIFFICULT AS IT GETS.

First, the milk creamer T Disc. Maybe 30 seconds to steam? Then... foam!

I own a full-blown fancy schmancy espresso machine and I have to say, this is waaaay easier than steaming milk to create cappuccino-worthy foam on that thing.

Then? Just change the T Disc to the espresso one...

NO, THERE WAS NO FIRE. Just steam. Lovely, hot steam. And espresso. In under 30 seconds. It's like a love story for the coffee addicts across the world.

And this, my friends, is the extent of the mess. No more spilling coffee grinds all over the counter or outside of the filter or having them end up in your actual coffee. Just an empty container to toss in the trash. I am so on board with the no mess thing.

And luckily, this story has a happy ending... It's true. It was delightful. It tasted awesome (and you know I'm hella picky about my cappuccinos), it was easy to operate (and you know I require easy) and there was no mess to deal with (and you know I am all about keeping it clean) (well).

But the best part is? Well, besides the fact that I can now be highly caffeinated at all times of the day without having to put a bra on? It's that I get to give away one of these fancy change-your-life Tassimo T20's to YOU.

How to enter:

To enter to win, leave a comment on this post telling me why coffee is your best friend (and be creative! Not because it's required but because it's boring to read "because it tastes good.") Each comment = one entry. You may enter as many times as you want beginning now through Sunday, December 26, 2010 at 8:00 PM Pacific Time. Winner will be chosen at random. Sorry, this item can only be shipped to U.S. residents at this time.

*Tassimo/Bosch sent me the brewer and coffee products at no cost for review and all opinions are mine and do not reflect that of the company's. 

Spooning

Let me ask you one little question: If you could do something to make a person feel better - a person you could otherwise not help in her situation of unfortunate circumstance beyond her or your control - would you?

Think about it. We've all been there. We've all had someone in our life - whether a close family member or friend or perhaps it's just someone we know through the blogosphere or Twitter world or maybe even it's someone whose story we heard from someone who heard it from someone else... but somehow, it touched us, it haunted us, it made us feel helpless and it kept us scratching our heads and wondering What can I do? leaving us helpless because sometimes, in this life, we don't always have the chance to fix things for others. No matter how badly we want to.

So again, If you could do something to make a person feel better - a person you could otherwise not help in her situation of unfortunate circumstance beyond her or your control - would you?

:::

I have a friend (and chances are, she's your friend too - or at least acquaintance) who could use a little cheer. She's had multiple surgeries recently (she lost 13 inches of her colon, her gall bladder, her uterus, her ovaries and cervix) and finally after several emergency hospitals stays was diagnosed with Lupus.

I can't fix her. I would LOVE to be able to fix her. The next best option is to try and bring her happiness in any way I can. And I'm not talking in the form of money or food or CLICK MY PAYPAL BUTTON RIGHT HERE sort of way. This idea, my friends, is far more creative and unique and I hope you'll help me help her make this happen.

In an effort to keep this as low-key and not-so-obvious to my friend I'm not naming or linking you to her blog but instead I'm sending you HERE to read the back story, to help this friend of ours, through the giving of spoons.

Yes, spoons. (The full story is here - a bit lengthy but worth the read.) A spoon from your kitchen drawer, a spoon from a gift shop, a spoon from anywhere, it doesn't matter. That's all. It's rather simple, really.

I'm asking you to:

- Send a spoon (address information here)

- Pass along this information on your blog (you can copy/paste this if you would like)

- Tweet/RT this post to pass along the message

And you will have spread the cheer I was talking about. We can't cure diseases. Sometimes, it's hard (at least for me) to even convey the right sentiments in a tweet or email to the ones we're thinking good healing thoughts for. But this? This is a start.

xoxo

(And if you have questions about who we're helping, feel free to email me or leave a comment and I would be happy to reply back.)

We (Wii) Party. And so can you.

Talk about perfect timing, the most amazing (and fun!) package arrived via FedEx today and it could not have come at a better moment for the boys and I.

Now I'm not one of those bloggers who gets invited to every (any) Big Name Brand Event or is on every (any) Cool Pitch List, that's for certain. But for whatever reason, a couple of weeks ago Nintendo sent me an email telling me (not asking me, not pitching to me, not requesting anything from me) that they were sending me a Wii Party Party Package in the mail so that my family and I could have a Wii Party Party Night. They didn't ask me to blog about it or review it or to do anything in return; all they wanted was my address and to know if we had enough Wii-motes.

Then today, in a cake-sized box wrapped in a bright pink bow came the Wii Party game, the Mii faces on sticks for the kids, an extra Wii-mote with the new motion sense technology, a $25 gift certificate to Domino's pizza and ten $5 off coupons for the Wii Party game on Amazon.com to pass along to my friends. (Hey, that's you.) (More details on that at the end of this post.)

The boys were ECSTATIC.

"Why'd they send us this, Mom?"

"Did they know we were bein' good?"

"You mean, the people who make the Wii sent it? How did they do that??"

And that was before they even played. There are so many games on the Wii Party game that the boys haven't even had a chance to check them all out but an instant favorite was Board Game Island. The mini games were a big hit with them also. (I can see this being a fun game to break out with a group of adults as well.) And you know something is a homerun when it's bedtime and you warn misbehaving kids to "go to bed or there won't be any Wii Party tomorrow" and they listen. THEY LISTEN.

But, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I'm giving away the ten $5 off coupons for Wii Party on Amazon.com. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Wii game. Each comment = one entry. Enter as many times as you would like. Enter through Sunday, December 12, 2010 until 8:00 PM Pacific Time for a chance to win.

And many thanks to Nintendo!

Uncommon gift guide

If your friends and family are anything like mine - or if you're anything like me (which, I'm sorry) - than you could use a few unique gift ideas for the holidays. You've done the popcorn-in-a-tin for a neighbor, you realize people LOVE gift cards but you'd really like to give them something and you wouldn't mind getting a reaction when they open your gift because, well, it's so goddamn cool they won't even have to fake the "OH I LOOOOOVE IT!" obligatory reply.

So where do you find said gifts? Answer: My favorite online retailer (they also have a catalog) Uncommon Goods. They have gifts in every price range, for everybody and also have a huge selection of eco-friendly, organic and homemade lines.

And no, they have not asked or paid my to write this. Although they totally should. In fact, as far as I know, they're completely unaware that I'm doing this. So suck it, FCC.

Here are just a few of recommendations for my Uncommon Gift Guide for 2010:

For HER

1. Chalkboard Vase $40

2. Face iPad Case $36

3. Nestling Bird Necklace $70 - $79

4. Memory Quilt Kit $68

5. Sushi Slippers $32

For HIM

1. Spitball Dart Pad $9.95

2. Golfer's BBQ Set $25

3. Freudian Slippers $24

4. Nerd Flashcards $14 - $20

For THE ENTERTAINER/HOSTESS

1. Cowgirl Kitchen Towels $36

2. Iroha Sake Set $40

3. Edamame Growing Kit $15

4. Veggie & Herb Chopper $32

5. Gourmet Sugar, Set of 3 $25

FOR ANYONE

1. Ticket Stub Diary $10

2. Home Plate Doormat $19

3. Message or Boat In A Bottle Set $12 - $13

4. Bacon Flavored Envelopes, Set of 25 $7

For KIDS

1. Mr. Food Face Plate $12

2. "The Carly" Mother/Daughter Aprons $32 - $39

3. Yellow Pages Booster Seat $19.75

4. Temporary Hand Tattoo Sets $12

5. Original Colorforms Set $30

For BABY

1. Nursery Rhyme Blocks $38

2. Locavore Babysuits $25

3. Dino Hat & Mittens $20 - $28

4. 12 Wishes For Baby $28

Happy Shopping!