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Autism Tees

I love a good snarky or funny tee shirt and love looking at all the selections online. They are much better than any selection you can get around here. Plus, I found out that at Zazzle and Cafe Press, you can design your own products...tees, tote bags, coffee mugs, etc.

Zazzle

Cafe Press

Cafe Press

Cafe Press

Cafe Press

Cafe Press

Cafe Press

Cafe Press

Cafe Press

Zazzle is offering a free shipping on orders over $50. Enter FREESHIPFORU at checkout. This offer is good until 3/31.

You can also shop or create whatever you want at CafePress.
And if you do create your own, I would love to see it!!

*This post may contain affiliate links.

Photo-A-Day Recap

Something new...a little fuzzy chick for our sensory bin

time

my favorite drink

the most hated time of the day in our house...homework time

Jonah wanted to write his name under mine...great handwriting, right

inside the bathroom cabinet...your typical tp and cleaning products

something green...my cool green elephant bank

what I'm listening to..."Marry Me" by Train

iStockPhoto

To celebrate Leap Year, iStockPhoto is offering 20% off with coupon code: LEAP20. This coupon code will be valid for 2/29/12 only. Or, to make it easier you can click here: Celebrate the leap year with 20% off at iStock! Take 20% off any credit pack with promo code LEAP20. Offer valid on 2.29.12 only!

If you have never used iStockPhoto before, it is the original source for royalty-free stock images. Why is this, you ask? Because these pictures/images are sold here, with iStock credits or a subscription plan. You can use these pictures and images places like advertising, blogs, web sites, presentations, videos, podcasts, and more. Their library has over 10 million choices, so it is definitely worth the money. And you only have to pay once for the picture file..then you can use it as much as you want.

To thank you for all the order, here is iStockPhoto's picture of the week:



*This is a sponsored post and all opinions stated are my own. 

Designed by Pinterest

I have a sunporch on the back of my house. We never really use it, except to put trash until taking it outside. What I want more than anything is a place to leave coats and shoes, plus bookbags and lunchboxes. All of that usually ends up on the floor, right as the kids walk in. So there are several ideas that I found at Houzz that I love and wanted to share.

hall design by birmingham media and blogs Two Ellie

hall design by detroit interior designer Green Apple Design

traditional hall design

traditional entry design by minneapolis kitchen and bath Rik Lalim

contemporary entry design by new york general contractor Michael Robert Construction

traditional entry design by minneapolis general contractor John Kraemer & Sons

This list could go on and on, there are so many great ideas! I really like Houzz for ideas. They have tons of pictures and can even tell you where to buy some of the products you see in the pictures. For more pictures of an entry hall, sunporch, or anything else for your home, I have some great pictures pinned on my Pinterest House Board...and if you haven't signed up for Pinterest yet, let me know and I'll be glad to send you an invite.

Now, I'm going to include a link-up, but I haven't had much luck getting people to link-up! So, PLEASE, link-up and post on your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, StumbleUpon, etc.

Oscar Style Wrap Up

Yesterday, I posted about how exciting the fashions are of the Oscar Red Carpet. I also went out on a limb and played pretend stylist to the stars. After seeing the bland dresses last night, I knew I had to follow-up.

Jessica Chastain was not even on  my radar, but I really did like her dress. Did you know the gold on it was actual gold? This Alexander McQueen was really stunning.

Penelope Cruz had a dark smoky gray blue dress on. I was not quite sure about it at first, but the more I saw it, the more I saw it showcased her elegance. Her dress was Giorgio Armani organza gown. 

Michelle Williams wore a coral straplesss gown by Louis Vitton. I didn't really like the little ruffle below her waist, not did I like the broach. I think I chose the prettier dress, but that is why I am not paid the big bucks! She did look really happy, though.

Viola Davis wore a green Vera Wang dress which was rich in color...could be an extreme fashion disaster if she raised her arm! The bust line didn't look big enough for her bust and the cutout in the middle was a little weird looking. The hair threw me...I did not know that she wore wigs all the time. But it is admirable that she decided to be true to herself and show what she really looks like. That is quite a risk, but she pulled it off. 

I really did not like Jennifer Lopez's dress. Well, I liked the dress on her, just not for the Oscars! It was Zuhair Murad and apparently was slightly see through and so tight on her breasts that they say she had a wardrobe malfunction. I did not see it, but I guess it is possible. I wish she would have done something different with her hair, though. It is always the same for these award shows.

Octavia Spencer wore this Tadashi Shoji beaded gown. She stuck with this particular designer because she said he was the only one that would dress her before her big movie. This dress was flattering, but maybe if it was a color it would have looked better.

Angelina Jolie wore this black Atelier Versace which had a slit higher than you can imagine. The slit did not bother me, but the way she posed...with her leg out. I have never seen her try so hard to be sexy. It just doesn't seem like her. But her hair was a little lighter, or just had some great highlights and I liked it down.

Emma Stone wore a dress with a high neck with a big bow. Questionable, because Nicole Kidman wore a very similar dress to the 2007 Oscars. Emma's dress was Giambattista Valli, while Nicole's was Balenciaga. Jennifer Lopez also wore a similar dress by Gucci to the 2011 Met Gala.

Gwyneth Patrow had one of the bet dresses. I especially like the fact that she was able to pull of wearing a cape successfully on the red carpet. This dress was from Tom Ford 2012 Collection.

Sandra Bullock's dress was ok. It was Marchesa but it had a weird slouchy thing going on, which is not very flattering to her body. I would have preferred a more fitted dress for her to show off her body.

Cameron Diaz wore a strapless Gucci gown. It was really pale, but with her short haircut it looked good.

I thought that many of the dresses the stars wore to the after parties were better than the dresses they wore on the red carpet.

Let me know what dresses you liked and what you hated!

Menu Plan

I usually don't do Menu Plans when my husband is out of town. Normally, he has cooked so much over the weekend, that we have leftovers and once that is gone, it is open season! But this week, I have lots of things in the refridgerator and freezer that I can use, so I decided to make a Menu Plan, and hopefully stick to it!

• Monday: Breaded chicken, steamed potatoes, broccoli. I bought this great kit from Kraft, where it has all the breading and you just dip the chicken in it and bake. I'll take pictures and post later.
• Tuesday: Chinese...this is for mainly for my daughter, as she loves Chinese. It is actually one of those frozen meals, so we will see how that turns out. It is great when she wants to make dinner, though...even if it is a frozen meal!
• Wednesday: Potato soup? I have several potatoes that need to be eaten and it is raining today, so I am thinking about soup. I will throw some rolls in, too...my boys love rolls!
• Thursday: Grilled ham and cheese and hopefully my daughter will make this one too!
• Friday: Chicken Alfredo...we bought a new Alfredo sauce that I want to try.
• Saturday: Homemade pizza, made by my husband. He makes the best pizza and I will definitely post a picture!
• Sunday: Homemade hamburger helper which is, again, my husband's creation. We cannot eat boxed meals because of all the different food allergies, so my husband took what the kids loved and recreated it, allergy safe. Plus, it makes a lot and that will leave me some left overs for the next week.

What is on your menu plan? Link it up.

If I Was a Stylist

Tonight is the Academy Awards. I never care quite as much about the actual awards as I do all the beautiful dresses the actresses wear. For men, it's throw on a tux, maybe change the tie color, maybe pinstripes instead of solid, or a decision between socks or no socks. But for the women, it's weeks of working with a stylist, juice fasting to fit in a dress, and the possibility of borrowing some beautiful jewels to wear. Why do I like this? Well, just like every other woman...it's fun to see everything we could never afford! Plus, the snarkiness of some of the "fashion police" is also fun!

Personally, I'm tired of the boring black. It's Spring! I'm in Spring mode so I want to see some color. I want pastels, ruffles, lace and some sexy shoes! I don't want anything Hollywood overdone...you know, with the crazy hair, the gaudy jewelry, and the tacky makeup. So, this is what I have for you...I'm going to give you the Category, the winner that I want, and what they should wear (if I was the stylist!) I just don't have room to do everyone or add in shoes and jewelry...maybe another post.

BEST PICTURE:  I think that The Artist will win, even though I have never seen it! The actress in this is Berenice Bejo. I was not familiar with her, so I included a picture.

source

And the outfit I chose for her is a vintage couture dress by Sonia Rykiel. This French designer unveiled her couture collection in 1962 at the Louvre in Paris.


ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
I am torn on this one...I think it will either be Viola Davis, The Help, or Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn.

I think this color would look great on Viola Davis. Plus, she has the body to pull it off! She is so tall and statuesque, this dress would hang beautifully on her and I just can't get over how refreshing the color is! This is dress is from Ellie Saab's Couture Spring 2012 Collection that was shown in Paris.

The dress to the right is a Christian Dior Haute Couture Gown from a runway show in Paris. I think the last award ceremony, Michelle went with red, which was a little harsh for her fair feature, in my opinion. This melon pink gives a pop of color without being too harsh. And with the neckline of this dress, she could wear some beautiful jewelry. I also love the way that the front hem of the dress is raised just enough that a pair of killer heels would absolutely work!

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: I think this award will definitely go to Octavia Spencer for The Help.  I like this vintage dress that was once featured in Vogue. It is a grecian style dress, that would be complimentary to Octavia Spencer and the beautiful color would look so good on her!

Now for presenters:
Angelina Jolie:

source

Cameron Diaz: I know she doesn't get this dressed up usually, but I think this Marchesa gown is just to die for!

Emma Stone: Another beautiful Ellie Saab gown. Now I know a lot of people wouldn't put a a star in this pastel of a pink, but with the right hair style and jewelry, this could work!


Gwyneth Paltrow:

Marchesa

Marchesa

Jennifer Lopez:   Now that she's single, she can show a little bit more of her personality.  I know it's slightly see-through, but it's not like she hasn't done THAT before!

Sandra Bullock:  This is a Zuhair Murad. It has already made an appearance on Dexter but I still think the shape of this dress would make Sandra look so sexy. I am not entirely sure of the big flower, but maybe with her hair up, the flower would look better.

Penelope Cruz:  She is about the only one I can think of that could pull this off. This is one of my favorite dresses I found from the Spring 2012 Giambattista Valli Collection.

I probably could go on and on..I love looking at this stuff! But the last one I am going to post is for my favorite red carpet girl...

Giuliana Rancic:  She is already on the red carpet, and she looks beautiful. This is what I would choose for her...
This is another Zuhair Murad.

So far tonight, there is a lot of Ellie Saab and despite the fact that I wanted color, there is still a lot of black! Tomorrow, I will post my favorite dresses and I might even post what I thought the worst was! Stay tuned!!