LambAround

LINK UP! Blog Hop with LambAround

2012-05-26T07:01:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is having a fun holiday weekend! It's the perfect excuse to pig out on ice cream sundaes and chili dogs guilt free.

Link up your favorite blog posts, then visit some amazing blogs you never knew were out there. Sharing here is a great way to get onto the LambAround Pinterest Board!

The Overachiever

2012-05-22T06:31:00.000-06:00

Sexy Nerd has enrolled in a second Master's degree program. All I have is my measly Bachelors. This isn't the overachiever part though.

He's going to get a jump start on his new degree by taking classes this summer instead of waiting for the fall semester.

Nope. That's not all.

His first class is online. Sexy Nerd got a hold of his syllabus a week before class began.

He completed and submitted his first assignment, which was a long essay.

Class hasn't even started and he has already turned in his first homework assignment!

It was fun for him.

I love you, Sexy Nerd, but classmates like you used to really annoy me!

It's a good thing his class is online. Sexy Nerd is totally that guy who raises his hand with a question right after the teacher says they're going to let everyone out early.

BLOG HOP! Link Up Your Posts

2012-05-20T11:43:00.000-06:00

Finally, right?

I'd love to say that this delayed blog hop posting is due to a case of The Weekend Lazies, but I've actually been quite busy (you know, according to my typical weekend standards).

Still planning that Arizona road trip. Not sure when we're going.

Also planning a much longer (though not nearly long enough) trip to visit my family in Australia! My cheapness is making these travel plans really, really hard.

Now, we're off to see The Lorax in 3D, while it's still playing at the $1 movie theater. Deep down, Sexy Nerd and I are just big kids.

Kids with old, responsible souls.

Not "Baaad" Sundays Blog Hop

2012-05-19T10:54:00.002-06:00

Good morning, bloggy friends! We should be blog hopping within just a couple of hours. In the meantime, Sexy Nerd and I are enjoying our day with chili dogs and chocolate Oreo ice cream, which we just picked up on our morning bike ride. It's a super weekend!

We're in the midst of planning a road trip from Albuquerque to the Grand Canyon, then down through Phoenix and Tucson before looping back up home. If anyone knows of any great places to stop along our route, please share!

Biker Superstar, Take Two

2012-05-14T06:02:00.000-06:00

Since writing my last bike post, in which attempting to ride just about killed me, I have become a bike riding pro. Okay, maybe not a pro in the eyes of actual bike riders, but I did recently pass an obese rider who looked impressed.

Sexy Nerd and I took our bikes out this morning and are so fitness minded that we even passed up the opportunity to buy ice cream when we stopped at the grocery store. Even though it would have fit nicely in my super-stylish basket:

The Kent La Jolla Women's Cruiser Bike
Ain't She a Beaut', Clark?

Yeah, that's a big lie. The entire reason for stopping was to buy ice cream. I just cheaped out. Did you know that Dryer's has replaced their tiny ice cream cartons (which I'm pretty sure they slyly downsized to get more money for less product not too long ago) with new, 1/2 gallon cartons? They want $7.99 for them! WTF?! Dryer's has clearly gone bat crap crazy, along with anyone who would fork over that wacky amount.

It also helped that we had ice cream waiting for us at home. It still counts as exercise right, even if you pig out on chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, straight from the carton, immediately following your bike excursion? We...ummm...may also have stopped at McDonalds for breakfast during our ride.

I just love those sweet Cinnamelts.

Cake VS Ice Cream - The Ultimate Smackdown!

2012-05-11T06:02:00.000-06:00

Q. Would you rather have all the ice cream you want for the rest of your life, in all sorts of yummy flavors and with exotic toppings and mix-ins but you could NEVER have any kind of cake again, ever...

...or vice versa?

Stumped? Be glad I didn't propose a choice between cake, ice cream, and cookies!

Giveaway! Easy Canvas Prints 8x10

2012-05-08T09:05:00.000-06:00

**UPDATE**
This giveaway has ended and the winner has been emailed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter!

Just in time for Mother's Day, Easy Canvas Prints and LambAround have teamed up to give one lucky reader a free 8x10" canvas print. And, yes, shipping is included and the print can be your very own design. It even comes framed!

I just tested out the software for myself. In less than 5 minutes, I was able to turn this photo from our San Francisco vacation into a work of art:

Taken outside the Exploratorium, where I often visited as a child and was so happy to return to last fall, this time with my very own science nerd to explain all the craziness!

Want to win your very own Easy Canvas Print? Or, you know, your very own Easy Canvas Print to give to your mom?

(Sorry, mom, but I fully intend to keep mine. You can see it when you visit.)

(Geez, that sounded more cold-hearted than I'd intended!)

How to Enter (Mandatory) (So Easy!)

'Like' Easy Canvas Prints on Facebook by clicking here and leave a comment below saying you have done so.

5 Extra Entries (Optional - do as many or as few as you'd like!)

1. Friend LambAround on Facebook

2. Follow @LambAround on Twitter

3. Share this post on Pinterest

4. Share your favorite LambAround post on StumbleUpon (can do this for up to 3 additional entries)

5. Share my Not "Baaad" Sundays button on your website

Good luck, everyone!

The Fine Print

U.S. only, excluding Hawaii and Alaska (sorry, but you people are expensive to ship to!)

The winner will be selected using Random.org and will be notified via email.

The giveaway ends Friday, May 11th at midnight, mountain time.

Linky Party! Blog Hop with LambAround

2012-05-05T08:05:00.000-06:00

Good morning, my bloggy friends! My Shabby Apple giveaway is continuing through this weekend. You can gain extra entries by doing simple-as-pie things like sharing LambAround posts on Pinterest, linking up below, and by visiting the snazzy posts of your fellow bloggers.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bike to crash.

(Again.)

(Ugh.)

Have a happy weekend, everyone!

Athlete Smathlete

2012-05-01T19:51:00.001-06:00

On Friday, I purchased the 2nd bike I've ever owned in my life. Well, I guess the 3rd if you count the pink and purple plastic one I had when I was four.

It was stolen from our yard and I've been grouchy about it ever since, BTW.

Saturday, Sexy Nerd and I went for a bike ride.

Holy freaking heck. I suck at bike riding. It kicked my ass. That's the only time I've ever written that word on my blog, out of 600 or so posts. I'm writing this shortly after returning home from said ride and my mind is in a swearing kinda mode.

Okay. To be fair, I just searched my site and the word 'ass' has actually appeared a handful of times. It's a small handful though. I'm a lady.

Coasting downhill is great! I could just sit there on my pretty new bike and coast forever. Well, except that the seat is a bit firm. And my thumb keeps accidentally dinging the little bike bell. And the wind hurts my ears.

Which reminds me of my pre-ride preparations. I packed water, a sweater, gloves, and sunglasses in my new bike's basket (you see what I meant about being a pretty bike?) and I specifically asked Sexy Nerd to lend me his earmuffs (you know, of Pica and Biscuit face smushing fame). He denied my request. Denied it! "Your ears will be fine, you big baby" were his specific words. Bah!

Wheeeeeww. I am wiped out. I knew I was maybe ever so slightly out of shape, but for a while on the bike, I think my lungs tried to climb out and run away.

While riding, I kept thinking how surprising it was that this was so difficult. When we went to San Francisco last year, Sexy Nerd and I rented bikes using our Go Card and I actually rode all the way across the Golden Gate Bridge and down to Sausalito. And I survived! I was a hardcore, super-biker!

Then I came back home and pulled up my photos from the trip:

Literally keeled over from too much exercise.

Sexy Nerd is sitting beside me as I type this, browsing on his laptop for an electric bike converter kit. I love him.

Shabby Apple GIVEAWAY (and Blog Hop!)

2012-04-27T20:46:00.001-06:00

*UPDATE*
This giveaway has ended and the winner has been contacted directly by Shabby Apple. Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to enter!

It's time for another Not "Baaad" Sundays blog hop. But wait - there's more!

This week, I'm teaming up with Shabby Apple, which you may recognize from big-flipping-deal magazines like Oprah, Teen Vogue, and Self, to give one lucky reader a $50 Shabby Apple gift card!

Yeah, it's pretty awesome. Remember my beloved Shabby Apple Baja dress that I wore in the snow (like a GENIUS) last July? It's on sale now and your $50 gift card would cover it completely!

Or perhaps you're in need of a new swimsuit for this summer?

Of course, the Shabby Apple Bon Voyage dress could be nice too.

There are also children's clothes to choose from, along with maternity dresses, aprons, and jewelry.

Wowza!

Mandatory Entry

Entering is super-easy. Just like Shabby Apple on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me that you have completed this step.

Optional Extra Entries

Want a second entry? A third?? Easy peasy! Choose 1 or more of the options below and leave a comment for each:

1. Friend LambAround on Facebook

2. Follow @LambAround on Twitter

3. Share this post on Pinterest

4. Share your favorite LambAround post on StumbleUpon (can do this for up to 3 additional entries)

5. Link up 1 or more of your own blog posts below
6. Tell me what your favorite Shabby Apple item is
7. Share my Not "Baaad" Sundays button (below) on your website
8. Visit and comment on at least 2 linked posts below, letting them know you're visiting from LambAround

The lucky winner will be selected randomly via Random.org and notified via email. The giveaway will end Monday, 5/14/12. U.S. entrants only (sorry!)

And now, let's link up!

You Can Eat Rubber, Right?

2012-04-24T06:01:00.000-06:00

Braces suck. Have I mentioned that before? The other day, I placed two new rubber bands from canine to canine, then proceeded with my day. For lunch, I heated up some leftover ground lamb and made a burrito. Two bites in, I realized something.

I had eaten a rubber band.

According to Dr. Google, eating one orthodontic rubber band isn't any cause for alarm. I was cautioned, however, that a person should not polish off an entire bag of rubber bands. Umm, why would they feel the need to need to warn against this, right?

Fast forward to the evening. I toasted up a plate of 3 Minute Toaster Oven Smores for me and Sexy Nerd to enjoy while chatting about our day. Despite my orthodontist's request that I wear my rubber bands 24/7, I placed my rubber bands on the edge of the plate. It was nice to relax with Sexy Nerd, just eating smore after smore (sprinkled with Trader Joe's Pink Himalayan Sea Salt - good stuff!). The week had been so hectic and we really hadn't spent much time together.

No rubber bands = easier to shovel yummy smores into my mouth.

When we were chatted out and all our smores were finished, I went to put my rubber bands back in.

Uhh...do you see any rubber bands here?

Sexy Nerd's response? "You really don't chew your food at all, do you?"

Ugh.

Hop To It! Link Up with LambAround

2012-04-22T10:12:00.002-06:00

Happy Sunday, everyone! Sexy Nerd and I just returned from a walk with perfect weather. It's going to be a great day.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to this week and to pinning a bunch of nifty blog posts!

Living Room Photos/Dream Home Ideas

2012-04-19T07:38:00.004-06:00

It's lucky that we still have a few years before starting construction on our dream home. Okay, so this is "lucky" in the sense that, in the meantime, we are stuck listening to our trashy neighbors blast their car stereos so loudly that our walls shake. I hope their overstressed cars explode with them inside.

Whoops! That got a bit off topic, didn't it?

Anyhoo, I mean we are lucky because we have time to plan exactly what kind of house we want to build. I've been saving photos for years! Below are some of my favorite living rooms that I've come across. If anyone knows the site the photos originate from, please let me know so I can add a link.

Just a few more years of dreaming. *Sigh*

Parents are Weird

2012-04-17T06:02:00.000-06:00

Remember my Kids are Weird post from last week? It really always boils down to the parents, doesn't it?

I got into an argument with a mom at work today. She was insisting that I schedule her daughter at 4pm and I was insisting that we save the after-school appointments for school-age children. It's hard for high schoolers to miss school for a dental check-up.

The upset mother: Are you saying that my child's education isn't as important as a high schooler??

I would never say that. Oh, except for the fact that the patient who would be missing school is 18 MONTHS OLD!

Yes, lady, your daughter missing school is not as important as a high school student missing school. That is exactly what I am saying.

How to Clear Clutter (and BLOG HOP!)

2012-04-14T10:25:00.005-06:00

I'm participating in BlogHer's Life Well Lived campaign and have been asked How do you organize paperwork both online and off?

Hmmm...

Online, I think Pinterest is a handy new way to keep track of things. Before this site came along, I relied heavily on bookmarks. The problem? Soooo many bookmarks! It's much easier to find the recipe I'm looking for or the website I'd seen earlier when there is a photo accompanying it.

As for offline, I'm afraid you may be better off skipping my advice! This morning, I went to grab my Free Lunch at Tucano's birthday coupon. But, of course, it wasn't inside my restaurant coupons envelope. It wasn't inside my coupon tin at all. It wasn't even in my office. So much for that organization strategy!

There are more Life Well Lived tips here and you can even enter the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes. And then you will surely learn how to organize your coupons in a way that lets you actually find the crazy things in the future. Woo hoo!

Now, let's link up :)

Kids are Weird

2012-04-11T06:01:00.000-06:00

Today, I am 28. I feel so old! Where have my 20s gone? And where is my chocolate birthday cake?!

I may be turning into a geezer, but I'm still not ready for any kiddos though.

At work (pediatric dental office) the other day, a mother with 2 children came in. The older boy was 7 and the younger boy was almost 2. The brave big brother went back on his own to have his teeth cleaned, leaving mom and the toddler in our waiting room. Mom was fine. Big brother was fine. The little brother, however, was NOT okay with being left behind. He kept pressing his face against the glass door, looking for his brother, and he constantly called his brother's name. When his brother came back up front, the little boy went running to give him a big hug.

"Awwww," said his mom and all of our staff. It seemed like such a sweet moment, until an instant later when the 7 year old exclaimed "OUCH!" and shoved his baby brother away.

That adorable hug that we had all been admiring? It wasn't a hug at all. The little boy had very enthusiastically bitten his big brother on the stomach!

Yeah, Pica and Biscuit are seeming pretty awesome. They bite each other all the time, but you see it coming.

Sisterly love, Pica-style

Easter is Over

2012-04-09T06:01:00.001-06:00

I'm in for some weird looks with this post.

As you know, I've had trouble sleeping my entire life. People often ask how I can get through the day, let alone work full time, after several nights of little or no sleep. I think it's because I'll usually sleep well (at least, my idea of "well", which can be 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep) every couple of sleepless nights.

Over the past two weeks, I have not been able to recharge with one of these nights of good sleep. I've been trying to go to bed at a set time, avoid caffeine, not watch TV or blog in bed, (etc, etc!) but nothing ever helps. Sleeping pills often leave me lying in bed feeling somewhat dazed, as if my mind is frozen like a computer screen, but not asleep. After so many nights of uninterrupted sleep deprivation, I've been feeling lethargic, complete with a nonstop, pounding headache. I'm just not myself.

I stumbled downstairs the other morning, groggy and grouchy, and got out a pair of scissors to open a bag of cereal. Then, I saw them on the kitchen counter. Peeps. There were a few new boxes that I'd picked up for 75% off after Easter, as well as a few dry, remaining Peeps from the bird's nest cookies I'd made. I stared at them, half asleep. Scissors in hand, I approached the unsuspecting Peeps.

Note the tear under his little Peeps eye.

Something about this cracked me up! Just thinking back to it now brings a smile to my face (though, to be fair, I'm still unbelievably exhausted.) The more little Peeps heads I ended up with, the harder I was laughing, like a CRAZY person. Soon, I was so hysterical that I actually had tears in my eyes. Through giggles, I set up my unfortunate headless Peeps and called for Sexy Nerd to come to the kitchen.

He didn't get it.

Are the boxed Peeps cheering this on, Colosseum-style? They were next.

Sorry, Peeps. I just really, really need to get some sleep!

*Update* I have now Googled "peeps jousting". My entire Peeps stash for this year has already been beheaded, but expect some Peeps duels the day after Easter, 2013. Yellow Peeps, you're going down!

Peeps Cuteness

2012-04-07T11:29:00.001-06:00

Technically a re-post. It'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy and Eastery though!

Did SNL ever make an Easter version of that Christmas song? You know, like "I don't care what your mama says, Easter is full of chee-er". Or something like that.

I'm rambling because it snowed last night and is still snowing this morning. Even though it's my day off. Apparently, the weather doesn't care that I purchased the Bossypants audio book and have been planning for 2 weeks to listen to it while walking today.

I suppose technically there's no reason to cancel my walk and stay in my pajamas all day just because of a little snow...

It's probably icy though. Better not chance it.

On to the Easter goodness!

"Peep! Peep!"

What You'll Need
(makes 10 super-cute Peeps nests)

7oz melted chocolate chips (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
5oz Fiber One bran cereal (or similar)(Chinese Noodles should work just fine as well)
10 Peeps chicks
20-30 Jelly Beans

Not a photo of worms in a bowl, I promise!

Combine the melted chocolate chips and the cereal. To melt the chocolate, I've found that microwaving it in a glass bowl on half power works well, stirring every 45 seconds. The 7oz were fully melted after about 3 minutes.

Such a healthy cereal, such an unhealthy use.

Then again, I might be looking at this all wrong. With all these nifty vitamins and minerals, surely these Peeps nests are good for me, right? No more multivitamins for this gal.

Behold, a healthy mound of chocolaty goodness.

An ice cream scoop makes these nests the perfect size, with very little mess, especially when dropped onto a silicone baking mat.

Next, add a Peep. Kinda press him down into the nest, but there's no need to go overboard. I was skeptical that my Peeps would stay in their nests. They did. The same goes for the jelly beans.

Are these the green eggs Dr. Seuss was talking about?

Be careful positioning your Peeps and jellybeans. Once you get melted chocolate on a Peep, there's no getting it off!

Let your chicks chill out for a few hours.

And, yes, my fridge is just as bad as my pantry. Two loaves of bread, three containers of butter, and so, soo much nacho cheese.

Ta da! Peeps picnic.

Surely, I didn't go so far as to stick one of these nests in our cherry tree.

No wonder none of my neighbors talk to me.

Fuzzy Math at Albertsons

2012-04-06T06:10:00.000-06:00

Remember my post from last year where my local Albertson's smashed my leg (on my birthday, to top things off)?

Given their top-notch customer service, they were bound to be blogged again.

On sale this week, 3 for $12:

Checking out, my 3 for $12 flowers rang up at $5. Why, you ask? Here is what the Albertson's cashier explained:

"The first 2 bouquets are $5 each, and the third bouquet is $2."

I am now enjoying my lovely assortment of flowers from Trader Joe's.

March for Maddie 2012

2012-04-05T08:35:00.003-06:00

Visit The Spohrs are Multiplying to learn how you can help support The March of Dimes, Friends of Maddie, and the Spohr family.

Easter Bunny Donuts (& Blog Hop)

2012-04-01T10:09:00.008-06:00

Yesterday, I was finally able to use the Easter shapes pan that I found post-holiday at Target last year. It imprints your baked treats with shapes, like the Easter Bunny, and Easter basket, and a decorated Easter egg.

At least, it is supposed to.

As you may have seen on the LambAround Pinterest boards yesterday, I baked up a batch of Strawberry-Buttermilk Baked Doughnuts, which were featured in last month's Oprah magazine. Tasty stuff! I substituted a mixture of soy/almond milk for the buttermilk (all out) and used lemon instead of strawberry. Half my batter went into my Easter pan and the other half was allotted to my mini doughnut pan.

(Sexy Nerd, BTW, thinks it's ridiculous that we own such a thing. This is from the fellow with a lathe in our garage, which he purchased for making models of nuclear bombs. Yeah.)

Can you see the Easter Bunny?

It's a cute idea, but I'm unimpressed. Has anyone else had success with these fancy specialty imprinting pans? Am I doing it wrong??

And now, of course, let's link up!

The Cactus Incident

2012-03-27T06:06:00.000-06:00

Did everyone have a pleasant weekend? Here in New Mexico, the weather was so perfect that we decided to pack a picnic lunch, ditch Albuquerque, and hike the property that we purchased a few months ago.

Our "picnic" consisted of cans of Coke (his) and Diet Coke (mine) and a shared Subway sandwich. We sat on a rock with an old beach towel on top of it.

That counts, right? Don't tell those hard core, wine-glasses and silverware toting picnickers about us.

Anyway...

We wandered our 13 acres for almost 4 hours while Sexy Nerd fiddled with his GPS, trying to mark the exact property boundaries. The perfect weather turned out to be insanely hot, which was okay because I had ignored Sexy Nerd's advice about wearing long pants and thick shoes. Shorts and sandals were working out great! You can get by just fine when you have your husband to pull branches out of your way, even if his chivalry does include a lecture on proper hiking attire.

Personally, I had thought when leaving our house that Sexy Nerd was over prepared. Was the Camelbak (aka, the dorkiest backpack in the world) really necessary?

Not that I didn't enjoy all that cold water he was toting around. I hadn't expected our picnic to last 4 hours!

With my sandwich long gone and nothing but the peace and quiet of Mother Nature, I quickly became bored. This resulted in many shadow photos and self portraits.

Shadow Photo!

Self Portrait!

Sexy Nerd refused to be captured with me and my fugly brace face.

(Just 2+ more years of braces, BTW!)

Have you figured out where all this silliness and summer clothing is leading? I'll give you a hint. The title of this post is a big clue.

Sexy Nerd had been searching for an elusive boundary marker. When he finally spotted a stick he thought might be it (but, of course, wasn't), he dashed off, leaving me scrambling to keep up with him.

And quickly stumbling with both feet into The Cactus From Hell.

Ow. Ow. Ow.

OW! OW! OW!

Sexy Nerd is my hero. He came right back and pulled all those sharp cactus needles out of my feet. He ignored my cringing and whining and was even able to get the teeny tiny, almost invisible (but still razor sharp) needles out.

My super-sore (and FILTHY) feet.

Oh, the lecture that followed though!

Blog Hop! Link Up and Pin Up

2012-03-24T20:03:00.000-06:00

What's the #1 fastest and easiest way to have your blog post featured on the LambAround Pinterest board? Sharing your work here, of course!

Ooh, and don't forget to enter my $25 SneakPeeq giveaway, if you haven't already. Sure, that's a shameless plug, but it's okay when it's a shameless plug that includes $10 off your first order! They have cocoa nibs right now that are almost free after the discount. And toffee! And lots of other non-food awesomeness too, of course, but really, I mostly love them for their cheap sweets.

Have a spiffy weekend, everyone!

Why I Loves Me Some Sexy Nerd

2012-03-22T06:02:00.001-06:00

Email waiting for me this snowy morning:

Drive safe…there are a ton of crazies out there! As usual, if you can get out of the neighborhood, the roads are just fine.

Thank you for the cookie :) Aren’t you a sweetie? I guess I can forgive you for your superior vocabularity! Yes, I made that up though how cool would it be if that were a word?

I love you!

Hmmm...after reading that out of context, I suppose I had better point out that the "cookie" Sexy Nerd was referring to was indeed a real cookie, which I snuck onto the driver's seat of his truck as a suprise.

Oh, and I have totally destroyed him in all 8 of our games of Words with Friends. Muah ha ha!

Sadly for Sexy Nerd, I wasn't quite as sweet with my reply:

Aww! You write the cutest, spur-of-the-moment emails. It kinda almost makes me feel bad for planning to make that delicious eggplant pasta for our dinner tonight.

Almost.

(You would hate for the eggplant to go bad, right? It cost me a whole dollar! A WHOLE DOLLAR!)

Mwahs! I love you too :)

The eggplant pasta (a la the lovely Giada De Laurentis) is scrumptious, but *someone* would rather have a frozen pizza. Bah!

Spring Cleaning - My Most Favorite Thing in the World (NOT!)

2012-03-19T19:48:00.000-06:00

This is the built-in bookcase in our dining room. It's really not that bad, right?

Right??

If Pica wanders in much further, we may never see her again!

The bookcase that my Sexy Nerd worked so hard on (before pics here) had become an easy place for us to stash homeless objects. It started innocently enough - a basket, a candle or two - but we were soon overwhelmed with junk.

Step one of cleaning a bookcase is sorting through the junk, which always takes forever! Mostly because of things like this:

Ummm, is there a reason we're keeping this little pot of dirt inside a glass? And what do these screws belong to? We do have a garage...kind of a better place for screws. And Biscuit ate the little plastic pieces out of the timer the last time it was plugged into the wall (seriously!) so there's no sense in keeping it.

Sand from my trip to the Seychelles. Pretty, but it doesn't belong on the dining room bookcase.

This picture is actually hanging on our kitchen wall, not on the bookcase, but I took a photo of it anyway. When the task at hand it cleaning, (boo!) distractions come easily.

A mix tape! Remember these? With that sliver of Scotch tape holding the top closed, I was ready to be thoroughly distracted from cleaning. After all, you can't just find a mix tape and move on. You have to find out what's on it! You have to dance!

You have to rummage through the guest bedroom to find the broken boombox (do people still use the term 'boombox'?) that you've held onto just for the cassette player, which still works. Barely.

After a little LL Cool J, SWV, Master P, and Jay Z (really, truly all in a row on the tape. Rappers adore initials!) it was time to focus.

I've been looking for this!

Sorting through old magazines, I came across another major distraction. They don't even make Domino magazine anymore! I know that you would have taken a break from cleaning to read it too. Admit it.

These 3 cloches were a steal at $10 for the set. As much as I love them, I don't actually have a place in my home that would benefit from their display. For now, they've been relocated to a cabinet in the kitchen. Every time I clean, it seems like the area I'm focusing on improves, while the rest of the house gets messier.

An empty instant coffee canister and a piggy bank with a wart on its cheek. Why was I keeping these?

A souvenir from our second cruise. It just isn't as much fun without a drink inside.

It's funny to look back at things I loved when we first bought our house. How has my style changed so drastically in just 3 years?

Oops! Let this be a lesson to keep your books organized.

When all the junk was finally sorted through, it was time for phase two of my bookcase project. These are just $1 frames around pages torn out of a $1 calendar.

Much better!

But something was still missing.

Ta da!

Next up on the Spring Cleaning agenda...

(if you're squeamish, you may want to skip this photo)

(and perhaps the photo beneath it)

Cleaning the floor!

*Disclaimer*

Although it may appear otherwise in the 2 photos above, I assure you that I was not cleaning the bookcase naked. Really, who would do a thing like that? It's cold in my house!

I'm sharing this post as part of the Life Well Lived campaign on BlogHer. I suppose the spring cleaning tip you can take away from this is to not clean like me. Ignore all distractions!

For more tips, from people who can actually get a bookcase cleaned within less than a day, visit Spring Cleaning in 10 Minutes a Day. I first wrote that link as "in less than 10", but realized that was just my own lazy, wishful thinking.

And after that, be sure to enter the Sweepstakes. BlogHer and Olay are giving away a Kindle Fire!