Guest Post Alert!

My blog pal Morgan of La Chapstick Fanatique asked me to do a lil' guest post.  So I did one on rubber stamping/heat embossing!  Do, please, check it out!

The Sunday Blahs

Does anyone else just get completely side-swiped by Sundays?  I mean, it's like Friday nights and Saturday mornings are glorious.  But the whole time there's this little gnat in my ear.  And its name is Sunday night.

It's saying, "Enjoy it while it lasts, sucker.  I'm coming for ya."  And tonight, I said two things.  The first was: I'm off tomorrow, so take that.  2. I'm gonna light some damn candles.

This was not, like, a seance for weekends past or anything.  It was just something cozy to do.  I put them on top of my fridge.  Just 'cause. 

I remember getting the Sunday blahs way back in grade school.  I'd try to stay up as late as possible on Sunday night, just to hold on to the weekend.  Then I'd be a little bespectacled zombie clear through to Tuesday or so.  (Shhhh.  Sometimes I still do that.)

But I try to remember that I am fortunate enough to have a job to go to on Mondays.  And if I stayed at home all the time, it wouldn't be nearly as special.  I hope you have a great week!

My Favorite Price

That would be free.  And here are my latest freebies that the WWW has to offer.

My new blog pal Erin of Better Than Bland turned me on to Picnik.  It's my favorite of the bunch, and here's why.  It's like a free (!) online (!!) Photoshop (!!!).  You don't even have to sign up, and you can upload and edit pictures.  If you do sign up, the site keeps track of your five most recent pics. 

My favorite edit button is "Auto-fix" because it magically corrects all evils with said photos.  (You know how oft I lament my dire apartment lighting situation.)  I was considering the purchase of a new camera or Photoshop/lessons to operate Photoshop.  But no longer. 

Actually, I've gone back to some of my homemade pictures on older blog posts and corrected them with Picnik.  Tah.  Der.

I stumbled upon The League of Moveable Type when searching for cool fonts.  This is a great place for them.  Gratis!

Evernote is a site I found through Real Simple.  Go figure.  It's a one-stop destination for corralling virtually anything, from shopping lists to pictures to websites.  And it links up and syncs up across all of your devices.  Home PC.  Space phones.  iPad/Pod.  Laptop.  Dental fillings.  JK.  Not too shabby.

Limited Time Offer: Suze's Gift to Us

You all know by now that I heart Suze Orman.  Yes, she's crazy.  And she's loud.  And sometimes she gets so excited that she fumbles her words.  But she is smart.  And honest.  I also love that Kristen Wiig impersonates her rather accurately.

But the point of this post is to share with you a gift from Suze, which she provided on the latest episode of her show.  If you go to this link, click on the Gift Code button, and enter 'CNBC', you will get a free will and trust kit.

When I tried, I got a screen stating that the server has been overwhelmed with requests but that they are extending the offer for a week (previously it was set to expire at midnight Pacific Time on 9/13/11).   If you have not yet completed the advance directive form, please follow the preceding link to my blog post.  However, that form is included in this free kit as well. 

If September 11th of 2001 taught us anything, it's that we should not take tomorrow for granted.  I hope that this post finds you in good health and good spirits.  Thank you, again, for taking the time to visit Specs Appeal.

A Little More Peace of Mind

That wakeup call a few weeks ago is still front and center in my mind.  I've continued to read and research, and today I found a really useful site called Caring Connections. 

On this site, you can download (for free) the state-specific advance directive form that applies for you.  This is basically a document that you sign (and typically have witnessed and/or notarized, depending on the state) that tells your wishes.  Do you want to be kept alive on machines if, God forbid, something terrible happens in your young life?  What if you develop a serious condition when you're older? 

The fact is that no one can predict what will happen, and when you need to make use of an advance directive, it will already be too late.  This site makes it very easy to download, print, and proceed with completing your advance directive.  It is a document that every legal adult should have.  And it's free.

I try not to be too preachy with my blog, but when I come across information that I feel is vital to be shared, then I am going to share it.  It's because I care about each of you whom I know personally, and I also want other readers to be in the know.

Note: This is by no means a substitute for legal or medical advice.  I feel compelled to add that little jewel.

Laboring Over a Hot Stove

It was a delightfully restful Labor Day for moi.  I made these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies (recipe by Martha), and I have to say that they rank among the best ever.  (Shhh...they're even better than these.)  From her cookbook, I found a variation on the recipe linked above.  Substitute half of one of the sticks of butter with a 1/2 cup of peanut butter.  It's the best combination of flavors.

Nums.  Of course the irony on this holiday is that they were really easy to make and even easier to enjoy.  Now, the ease of burning them off?  A different story. 

Care for a Danish*?

I just love this--from the cool Scandinavian lines of the table to the stripes on the rug.  I'd probably do something different for chairs, but these do the trick fairly well.

At a cool G, the Oslo table would be a bit of an investment for me, but it should last a really long time.  Plus it seats, like, 30 with the extension.  :)

Thanks, Crate.  Thanks, Barrel.  I heart yaz both.

*(I realize that Oslo is in Norway, and my title refers to Denmark, but it was cheeky. And I was feeling it.)