Celebrating Progress!

Just would like you to note in a major step towards getting my act in gear... I changed up the St. Patrick's Day motif that stayed on this blog from March to August.   Phew!  Maybe that's enough work for one day.... baby steps :)  xo, Brie

Five Things I'm Loving Friday

Here are my latest faves - get ready for random and get ready for fabulous.... in no particular order

1.  Tory Burch

I've been loving her for a good long while but I am ESPECIALLY loving my 2 fabulous additions (both bday gifts for the big 4-0)  Check em out, I feel like a movie star ;)

2.  Queen Helene Mint Julep products

I can never find these in the store but thought to look them up when I was perusing drugstore.com for some things.  The scrub is so great - very "scrubby" which is hard to come by.  Many  promise the scrub but do not deliver.  Queen Helene delivers the goods.  Follow your scrub with the mask - try to avoid mirrors while you wait b/c you'll scare the dickens out of yourself if you catch a glimpse.  I may or may not be speaking from experience.

3.  Dexter

Sister Caitlin kept saying how good this show was but I hadn't looked into it.  Season 1 and 2 is on Netflix on Demand which our Tivo picks up so I can watch it right on the TV.  Warning... the premise is BEYOND bizarre and I completely hated the first 2 episodes.  I was about to throw in the towel but put the 3rd one on and slowly got sucked in.  I am almost done season 1 and I'm completely hooked.  Considering getting Showtime hooked (but I won't b/c surely I have the will power to wait for season 6 on dvd)  Michael C Hall is so great on the show which wasn't a huge surprise because I loved Six Feet Under on HBO. 

4.  Apples and Twinkies Blog (title is linked)

One of my new favorite blogs!  This hard working lady has some wonderful recipes up her sleeve and is very generous sharing her tips and tricks with pics!  She is also hosting a fun giveaway for a Baked Cookbook.  Stop by and say hi, you'll be very glad you did!   Special thanks to my friend Patti for telling me about this great blog :)

5. Jojo Loves You (also linked)

This is my new one stop shop for fun costume sparkly jewelry. I am LOVING the bling earrings - gave lots and lots out for Christmas gifts. Hardest part is choosing colors. Great products and customer service! Up above you'll see 2 pairs that I own. I wear the both all the time and I think the cameos are so cool - and also on sale!

In closing, and in the words of the great Vicky Gunvalson WOOO HOOO -  Hope you have a great weekend!!!  We're making pizza tomorrow with homemade dough (had to make a few switcharoos to menu this week) and I hope to get it up on the blog this weekend so get ready :)   xo, Brie

Sending you on a Blog Field Trip

A friend of mine posted a link to this great blog on facebook today.  In the wake of these bullying/suicide cases that are all over the news and most recently right in our neighborhood at Rutger's University, I can't help but be troubled.  I feel like the pressures on our kids are so much more than the pressures I certainly felt growing up.  I feel like it's bigger than me and often overly complicated.  

As troubled as I am by any kind of bullying in general and all the mean girl crap- I've sounded off about it before and I'm sure I'll do it again.... I've got zero tolerance for it.  I am equally, if not more troubled that so many teens are turning to suicide as their way out/answer to their problems.  The real problem lies there, we need to assist our kids with coping skills and seeking out support.... I love what Vicky Bell so simply and so beautifully. xo, Brie

Blog Makeover

Spent a nice chunk of today trying to figure out how to make a custom template for my blog. I have some great templates that I designed for our newsletters but I can't seem to get it to translate to blogger. I don't have photo shop which seems to be a substantial road block. My efforts have been futile, but I'm no quitter! I've only wasted 3 hours on this and I'm just getting started :)


check out these adorable dancing palm trees! They could fun, right? I'll keep at it but in the meantime hot bliggity blog to the rescue with some giant flowers for me! Hope you are enjoying a more productive Memorial Day weekend than I! xo, Brie

A cautious reopening

Is the coast clear? I think so... let the lack of blogging commence! xo, Brie

Pioneer Woman - The Movie

So have you heard the big news that a movie is in the works about the love story of none other than the The Pioneer Woman!

You have got to hand it to her - she's got one great blog about wrangling, photographing, cooking, child rearing, home schooling fun on the ranch! And did I mention, she's funny? She is! I am very proud of her and I find her to be such an inspiration.

Which leads me to my latest project.... I am fixing to pick up the pace on this exciting life/blog I've got here b/c in the rare event Columbia pictures decides to make a movie about ME - I would prefer it not be of me sitting in a chair watching a live bird cam all day :) Wish me luck!


xo, Brie

Currently Reading

I've decided to read this book next... Still Alice by Lisa Genova about a woman in her 50's who is recently diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's. My mother saw this author speak at the Cape this past summer and as I add books into my Shelfari account, this book is continually suggested. I have it in hand and hope to start sometime today! I only have it on loan from the library for 2 weeks so need to get crackin. The subject matter truly terrifies me as Alzheimer's is a very nondiscriminating disease that can strike anyone, anytime.

A few blogger friends and I are considering starting up an online book club! Still trying to figure out the logistics and operations of how exactly this can work - if you have any suggestions or would like to be a part of it, I'm all ears :) xo, Brie

Follow Me!

I much prefer the follow setting in blogger to my old bloglines.... it is so much more time efficient for me!! Don't laugh, I am very pressed lately with all this facebooking/twittering/real housewives of New Jerseying :) Only problem was I didn't know how to "follow" someone unless they had a big FOLLOW ME on their side bar that was neon and also blinking.

I just figured out yesterday that the option is right in front of my face on the top left of everyone's blog that uses blogger! Just call me Captain Observant! xo, Brie

Lemi Shine!!

Found out about this product through my new fave pioneer woman. We must have hard water here in NJ because all my glasses have this faint gross "frost" on them when I take them out of the dishwasher even when I am fully loaded with Jet Dry. Even the dishwasher itself has this chalky coating to the inside.

Thanks to Lemishine everything is crystal clear and even the dishwasher looks brand new!!! I am totally not kidding.... available at Walmart and Target! xo, Brie

Who Says Twitter is Mindless?

I learned something fabulous this past weekend. THROUGH Twitter, I learned of a fabulous entertaining blog/website of a fabulous, entertaining do it all lady called The Pioneer Woman! She cooks, she photographs, she has four kids, she's funny, and she home schools. She's my hero! Based on the loads of comments she gets, she's not new at this, but on the off chance you were in the dark, under a rock, trapped beneath a large piece of furniture like me - go there straight away! It's good stuff! Thanks to twitter friend Sew Gracious for pointing me over there! xo, Brie

Bad Blogger

I've been a rut lately with the blogging!! I'm sorry and am going to make an effort to get this ball rolling again. Sooooo much going on with my struggle to come up with new ideas for Keeks and Brie, kids school work definitely bumping up, my menu planning (which is going great by the way), my new workout schedule (also going not so bad), keeping up with this house, and my complete and utterly ridiculous addiction to facebook. Not only have I not been blogging regularly, I haven't been reading regularly either and solemnly swear to get back to it pronto! Enough excuses already, putting on my thinking cap now :) xo, Brie

guilty puppy pic from lightanddark.typepad I googled "bad blogger image" and here he is.... just how I'm feeling about it :)

NoTORIously forgetful.....

Time to up the Ginkgo Biloba :) I forgot about 2 things with regards to my giveaway of STORI Telling by Tori Spelling!

1. I forgot that I promised Keeks she could read it when I was done and she was none too pleased to see I was raffling it away and not making good on my promise. She has it in her possession now BUT the good news is she is a speed reader and will be done b/f the weekend.

2. I also forgot to pull a winner... let's do it right now - LIVE- off I go to the random number generator. I am entering numbers 1-9 and let's see....

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:7
Timestamp: 2009-01-15 15:10:38 UTC

7, 7, who is 7? Backtracking now to original post.... and the winner is....

PREPPY LIZARD - hooray and congrats!

Send over your address to me at bridget at keeksandbrie dot com and Keely will mail you the book as soon as she is done! Happy Reading!!! xo, Brie

I heart Cake Wrecks

Thank you to my friend Becca who sent this blog over to me! Such a funny blog about professional cakes gone bad and the writer is hilarious. She needs no publicity - this blog gets major hits but in the event you were missing it like me..... go check it now, it's good stuff Cake Wrecks!

PS Can someone tell Mr. KB this dashing young man in the speedo on the bear skin/stay puff marshmellow man frosting rug HAS to be my 40th bday cake!!!! xo, Brie

Stori Telling.... a giveaway

A few months ago One Fabulous Mom had a giveaway for the book Stori Telling by Tori Spelling and then Life on the Other Coast chipped in another copy on the offering block. Lucky me won!! I am only slightly embarrassed to tell you that I while I had the book in my possession for 3+ months I never had an opportunity to sit down and read it.

I am pleased to report that I finally finished the book!! It is a quick, easy, light read and I actually enjoyed it very much. I think it's the "inquiring mind" in me :)
In the spirit of paying it forward, I am happy to ship this to you if you would like to read it. Maybe you can give it away to another lucky reader on your blog when you are done. Leave me a comment if you are interested and I will randomly select someone next week. I am hitting the Twilight series next - another 2009 resolution involves more reading!! xo, Brie

The winner is...............

Forgot to do the drawing last night.... I'm getting forgetful in my older age, just kidding - I've always been forgetful ;) Congrats to lucky number 7


Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:7
Timestamp: 2008-12-16 14:24:33 UTC


That's Kathie at My Preppy Purse! Congrats and send me an email with your address to bridget at keeksandbrie dot com!

Here's how I'm spending my bday presently... cleaning my house and listening to Fall Out Boy at high volume! Who's jealous? ;) xo, Brie

Blogversay, Contest, and a PSA

First off - It's my one year blog anniversary. I can't believe it's been a year... I've had a lot of fun doing this and of course meeting lots of creative, sweet, and funny people through this so I have really been enjoying myself!

Next up, the ornament contest. I am pulling the winner tonight before bed and will announce in the am. If you haven't entered and you like them, please do! Your odds of winning are quite excellent ;)

Lastly, will you just look at this? I got talked into buying this 30 dollar wreath from the boy scouts at church. We have a new storm glass door over our real front door which apparently doubles as a wreath oven. Learn from my mistake and hang the wreath IN FRONT of the glass, not behind it or you'll end up with this toasted delight. The only upside was Christmasy pine smell all through the house that day as it roasted and I had no idea where it was coming from! That was 30 dollars well spent ;) xo, Brie

Going Green

with the blog background for the holidays :) you like? This is as exciting of a change as you'll see b/c I stink at this stuff ;) xo, Brie

Today Keeps Getting Better and Better

Christy from The Write Gal just wrote to inform that I won a lovely little prize of a Starbucks Gift Card! I'm super psyched b/c there is always room for more caffeine in my life - always! Thank you Christy, you made my day :) Yahoo, hurray, and congrats to you - our new new class president!!!!! xo, Brie

Dear Blogger

Can you stop telling me I have comments when in fact I have none. You keep getting me kind of excited b/c I'm a loser like that! K? Thanks! Have a great w/e :) xo, Brie

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmm, I guess that's me- not quite, but if they say so! I'll take this over Hasellhoff anyday! Thanks for the fun game One Fabulous Mom! xo, Brie

You Are Marcia Brady

Confident yet kind. Popular yet down to earth. You're a total dream girl. You've got the total package - no wonder everyone's a little jealous of you.

What Brady Are You?