Mike has a propensity for crazy t-shirts. Especially when we go on vacation. For a soft spoken guy, I think he likes the attention of his t-shirts being a bit smart mouthed.

Two years ago when we eloped in Vegas it was “Game Over” with a bride and a groom, which I wasn’t exactly thrilled with. At our wedding party it was a fake tuxedo, which got lots of laughs. Last year it was “I <3 my weiner” with a sketch of a dachshund, which may not have been Disney appropriate, but he wore it anyway, This year it was “Dachshunds for Obama”, which was met with mixed emotions.

Next year, who knows what he’ll be wearing, but he’ll have a hard time choosing his favorite from Crazy Dog t-shirts. They have so many funny t-shirts, that you can’t just order one, and with their $4 shipping sale, now is the time to stock up!

Those are just a few of my favorites (though I think Stay Golden just may be my most favorite) and I have a few picked out for Mike as Valentine’s presents, but I can’t show you those. If you know Mike and I and our sense of humor, I’m sure you can pick them out when you visit Crazy Dog t-shirts.

Slowly but surely, we’re finishing our bedroom set from IKEA.

Yesterday, we picked up the MALM 4-drawer chest and the MALM 6-drawer chest to match our MALM night stands. We also bought a FADO table lamp that our dog thinks is a ball and won’t quit barking at, curtains for the front bedroom window, and placemats to use as table toppers.

All we need now is the MALM bed frame and slats, but we’re either going to have to borrow a truck or pay for delivery to get those home.

After looking at all the furniture yesterday, I’m pining for the MALM dressing table, which has felt trays for jewelry, even though we have nowhere to put it. Maybe someone could buy it for me and save it until we have a house with plenty of room.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve turned into total IKEA junkies and are really happy with the quality of the pieces we’ve purchased.

It’s Christmas day. Are you still short a Christmas gift? Perhaps one for an expectant couple or a daughter, sister or neice? The gift of life through a stem cell collection kit from C’Elle could be the most important gift you ever give!

I know a stem cell debate probably isn’t on your Christmas list, but just consider how valuable stem cells, collected from menstrual blood, can be to a women, couple, family, and baby. The female body produces thousands of self-renewing stem cells every month during menstruation, and C’Elle’s patented technology allows those stem cells to be collected with an easy-to-use kit and cryo-preserved for potential cellular therapies.

The harvesting of the stem cells is affordable, painless and non-invasive, and because the stem cells in menstrual blood mimic both adult and embryonic stem cells, they can quickly multiple and have the potential to differentiate into heart, nerve, bone, cartilage, fat, and other cells. The cells may not be used this year, or even ten years from now, but as medical research continues to discover how stem cells can be used, the cells become more and more valuable as a treatment option.

The gift of C’Elle is a highly personal one, and one that may bring many years of happiness to your family!

If we aren’t Twitter friends, we better act fast, because I’m ordering my Twitter mug this week and need as many smiling faces as possible!

I’m @CorrinRenee, so follow me or leave comment with your Twitter name and I’ll track you down.

Thanks to Owen for making me completely obsessed with getting a Twitter mug of my own.

This post is sponsored by IZEA on behalf of the gift card division of Sears.

We canceled Christmas this year. The gift giving part of it, at least. The kids still get presents, but the adults are out of luck. We don’t need anything and we don’t want anything, and Christmas really should be about the kids. Thank baby Jesus.

I only have one kid left to shop for, and that’s Mike’s 4 year-old nephew, Sam. Lucky for me (and Sam) I was given a $100 Sears gift card to spend any old way I want, so Mike and I rushed out this weekend to spend, spend, spend. Since I’m not crazy enough to spend $100 on a 4 year old, there was $99 left to consider. Just kidding…there was $40 left!

After it was decided that Sam probably wouldn’t enjoy styling Barbie’s hair, we picked him out some great Scooby Doo DVDs to go along with his Scooby Doo puzzle, Matchbox cars, and bop bag.

Since this Christmas isn’t about us, and we had plenty of money left over thanks to Sear’s door buster bargains, we donated the extra money to a family through the Don’t Just Give a Gift, Grant a Wish program. In-store or online, you can donate money or buy items for a deserving family from their wish list. Some families are single parents, others are separated because of military obligations, and others have just had a rough year, but this Christmas, Sam will love his Scooby Doo themed gifts and a family will have new winter coats, a TV for the family room, or new sheets for their bed thanks to all of our donations.

I got distracted by the colorful new washers and dryers, but for as much fun as we had running around Sears looking at toys and doing a good dead, here’s the most exciting part…you can enter to win a $100 gift card to Sears to spend however you like! Finish your Christmas shopping. Spend it all on socks. Donate it. It’s yours for the taking. Let your conscience be your guide.

Here’s how to enter:

• Comment - Leave a comment on this post after visiting the Sears website and leave the item numbers of what you would buy with your $100 gift card.
• Tweet - Retweet the following message then leave a comment with a link to your Tweet:

RT @CorrinRenee please grant my wish to win a $100 #Sears gift card - tweet to make your own wish http://urlbrief.com/8454ff

• Blog - Take to your blog and write a post about this contest and the Don’t Just Give a Gift, Grant a Wish promotion.

EDIT: PLEASE COMMENT/BLOG/TWEET PER THE DIRECTIONS OR YOUR ENTRY WILL NOT COUNT! “PICK ME/WOULD LOVE TO WIN/ME WANTY” ARE NOT VALID CONTEST ENTRIES! IF YOU’RE PICKED I WANT YOU TO GET YOUR GIFT CARD, SO PLEASE ENTER PER THE DIRECTIONS!!

Each comment, Tweet, and blog post is good for one entry and please leave each entry in a separate comment! Contest ends December 23rd at midnight EST and the winner will be chosen at random by Izea. That means you can enter to win up to three times! If you want to get all technical, you can read the official rules and regulations to make sure you’re eligible.

For more chances to win Sears gift cards, make sure to visit all these fabulous bloggers…

$500 Gift Cards!

• TED
• Liz Strauss
• Joseph Jaffe
• Chris Pirillo
• Jim Kukral
• Steve Spalding
• Tamar Weinberg
• Aaron Brazell

$100 Gift Cards from Izea Insiders!

• Ben
• Lisa
• Elizabeth
• Steven
• Julie
• Laurie
• Kat
• Brett
• Heather

I love Cate Blanchett. I love her movies. Notes on a Scandal, Elizabeth, Little Fish. I love her clothes. I even love this dress…if she hadn’t worn full-body Spanx with it.

I stick to a strict skin care routine of warm water and Noxema. It’s worked since high school and I’ve never seen any reason to change…until the cold Chicago winter (my first one since 1998) turned dry and windy and the skin around my nose started to flake and burn.

I was leary about using a skin cream because I thought it would clog my pours and cause me to break out, but when I received a sample of Dermalastyl, I decided to give it a try for several reasons.

1. Dermalastyl is colorless, which means no unnecessary dyes.
2. Dermalastyl is nearly odorless, which means no frilly perfumes. It has just a hint of a fresh scent.
3. Dermalastyl is creamy but not greasy.
4. A little Dermalastyl goes a long way.

Dermalastyl contains collagen and amino acids, that aren’t in any other skin care products on the market today. This combination of ingredients works as an anti-aging agent to tighten skin and reverse wrinkles helps stimulate collagen production!

Dermalastyl claims that you’ll see results that are Better than Botox(R) within 30 days, but after only one week of using Dermalastyl, I noticed a huge difference. My skin was hydrated, smooth, and free from any of the breakouts that I dreaded.

I can’t recommend Dermalastyl enough. It’s definitely replaced the harsh Noxema I used to use!

I was driving home from work on Friday and from a mile away I could see at least a dozen squad cars at the intersection just past our driveway. Some were blocking the road, others were up on the sidewalk, and there were police officers milling around, directing traffic, and investigating something.

I never did figure out what was going on. I didn’t see an accident, there was no flooding from a broken water main, and the stoplights were working just fine. But I did notice that all the officers wore the same 5.11 tactical pants, which they probably ordered from LA Police Gear, because they are the top choice of federal, state, and local law enforcement for over 20 years!

I know I had some harsh words for Britney and her single Womanizer when it first came out, but damn if that song hasn’t grown on me and I’m dying to get my hands on a copy of Circus.

I think she’s finally making her big comeback and I’ve been begging Mike all day to buy tickets to her April show in Chicago, but he thinks she’s going to crash and burn and cancel all her shows, so he refuses.

Looks like I’ll just have to settle for the new video for Circus and grab the CD when I’m out tomorrow!

Thanks to all the snow and ice last weekend, our trip to IKEA was postponed, but we finally made it to IKEA today, and walked out with the opposite of what we went in to buy.

We went in wanting small, colorful beside lamps, and came out with large TEXTUR lamps with a linen finish.

We wanted plain, white beside tables and came home with two black-brown, two drawer MALM chests. The matching low profile bed frame and three drawer and six drawer chests are next on our list to complete our bedroom set.

We ditched the laptop desk that was on our list and decided that we didn’t like any of the wall decals, but we did pick up some kitchen utensils and reusable bags.

The best part was that there was no traffic and the store was nearly empty as we browsed! Not a bad day at IKEA for $200!