People just don’t camp like they used to.  Today, the few people I know who do camp do it with an SUV full of overpriced accessories from REI and Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is hardly roughing it.  When I was little, I can recall camping with nothing but a tent, some battered old pans, and some sleeping bags.  Although I’m not sure I’d like to repeat that any time…ever…I still appreciate the fact that I did it a few times.

That’s why I couldn’t help but smile when I saw this “Camping Is In Tents T-Shirt”.  It immediately brought up memories of camping trips as a kid, and I’m sure a lot of other people have the same reaction.  In fact, it makes me think the shirt could be a great conversation starter - everyone you run into will want to tell you all about their camping experiences, which could be a great way to pick someone up.

Just don’t act like the “Camping is In Tents” guy below, or you’ll ruin the effect.  Does he, or does he not look like he’s doing the Carlton dance?

Get your own Camping is In Tents T-Shirt.

I’ll be honest - come August, it’s not at all unusual to find me hanging out near all the back to school sales, despite the fact that I haven’t gone “back to school” for a few years now.  What can I say, I love a bargain.   Most recently, I managed to find this classic Mickey Fleece, which is nearly identical to one my parents got me about 20 years ago on a trip to Disney World.  I can’t wait for the weather to cool off a bit so I can wear it.

Now I just need to raid their photo albums to find an old photo of me in the shirt, then recreate the scene with the modern me.  How fun would that be?

Mickey Fleece
Price: $44.5

I don’t usually get excited about soap, but this morning I came across these and they just seemed awesome.  Instead of coming in the notoriously slippery bar form, they’re packaged like Push Pops (remember those!) that you can just toss in a gym bag.

The soaps come in Lemon Shea, Clean Cotton, and Strawberry Melon fragrances, but I only have eyes for the Lemon Shea.  Whether it’s an early morning shower or post-workout scrubdown, I can always use the pick-up that lemon fragrances seem to offer.  I think I may have found a stocking stuffer for the holidays…

If you’re dying to get some of your own, check out LoveLeeSoap’s Etsy shop or click here for the Lemon Shea listing.

In case you didn’t know it, I’m a huge sucker for anything with pictures of birds, trees, or fish. Seriously, it’s almost dangerous. When I head into a cute card shop, I always bring a friend who cuts me off if I get too crazy. On the Internet, I have no such monitor. Here on the information superhighway, it’s just me and my credit card.

This morning I happened upon the website for Pinecone + Chickadee, and sure enough, they have bird notebooks. This time, instead of irrationally buying, I’m going to try something new. I’m going to put up a picture of this adorable notebook and let it taunt all of you instead. That way, I get to “ooh” and “ahh” about how cute it is without actually having to buy it. Of course, if everyone writes back and agrees with me about how cute it is, we could have trouble.

Anyway, what do you think? Just click the picture if you want to check it out on the retailer’s site.

Despite the fact that I don’t make it out of town nearly as much as I’d like to, I still have three sets of brightly colored luggage.  So far, I’ve acquired a hot pink Diane von Furstenberg luggage set, a generic lime green luggage set (that was too cute and too cheap to pass up), and a colorful striped luggage set I picked up at Target some time ago.

Even still, I find myself drawn to this bright purple luggage set from Leisure Woodbridge.  Given the sub-$100 price tag, I’m actually surprised that it’s an entire 5-piece set.  Quite  a bargain - which isn’t helping with my willpower.  If you’re as crazy as I am, click on through and get yourself this Purple Leisure Woodbridge Luggage Set.  When you’re done, come back here and tell me about it so I can live vicariously through your purchases!

Leisure Woodbridge 5-Piece Set

I’m an obscene fan of Moleskine notebooks, so I’m a little surprised that I hadn’t seen this one previously.  This ruled reporter notebook is perfect for taking casual notes (or any notes if you’re a lefty).  In addition to the Franklin Covey link below, you can also buy it at Amazon.

Moleskine Ruled Reporter Notebook
Price: $11.95
BE PREPARED FOR LIFE’S ADVENTURES With a design inspired by the journalistic tradition of the small, ruled notebook, the Moleskine Reporter provides you with room for the intriguing interviews and stories of your life. 192 lined pages; last 24 sheets are detachable Acid-free paper with rounded corners sewn into a top-bound hard cover Expandable inner pocket Elastic closure 3.5″ W x 5.5″ H

I love ice cream.  Actually, love is a huge understatement, but I really can’t think of a better word.  If ice cream were a man, we’d be happily married and living in a subdivision somewhere by now.

I love making homemade ice cream, too, but it’s always a pain to deal with.  I have a dedicated ice cream maker, but it’s a lot more cleanup than I care for, plus I hate having an extra appliance around.  When I saw this KitchenAid Ice Cream Culinary Kit, I knew it was meant to be.  I just need to buy one of these bad boys and some delicious fresh ingredients and my own private stand mixer-fueled ice cream factory will be back in business.

KitchenAid Ice Cream Culinary Kit
You scream, I scream…who’s up for ice cream? The KitchenAid ice cream culinary kit provides the same results as doing it the old fashioned way, without all the work: now you simply have to make your own. Just mix up the fresh ingredients and use the freeze bowl and attachments, for use with most KitchenAid stand mixers. Kit includes a freeze bowl, KitchenAid ice cream scoop, gourmet ice cream mix, and Hershey’s ice cream toppings.

There’s no point in looking fantastic if the whole effect is shot to hell when you open your mouth. I love looking good and having nice things as much as the next girl, but I also make a point of reading at least 2-3 books each week. Although I know not everyone has that kind of time, I can’t be alone in my desire to improve my mind.

For that reason, I’m going to start sharing the highlights of my reading list in hopes that someone else can enjoy the books as much as I did. First up - one of my all-time favorites, Frank Herbert’s Dune.

I’ll warn you right now that Dune is a sci-fi classic. That said, you’d be making a terrible mistake to avoid it for that reason. If you’re not accustomed to reading sci-fi or fantasy novels, you’ll probably find the first 20-30 pages to be a little rough. Once you get a feel for the world Herbert’s created, though, you’ll be right at home.

I first read Dune when I was about 11, and I didn’t really understand a lot of what I read. It was a great story, but when I re-read it recently, I was blown away all over again. If you enjoy stories of power struggles with a lot of underlying psychology and spirituality, you’ll love Dune.

Girl tip for reading sci-fi: Picture the lead male (and the lead is nearly always a male) as the hottest man imaginable - your imaginary fantasy man or future husband. Sci-fi heroes tend to be incredibly brainy, dashing, amazing men, so getting a good mental picture going from the start is a sure-fi way to add another element of awesomeness to the reading experience.

Back when I was a kid in the 80s, I used to LOVE those socks with the little pom poms on the back.  Now in my 20s, I was even more excited to see that Juicy Couture has come out with their own line of colorful logo tennis socks with pom poms on the back.

For $15,  you can get 1 pair of Juicy Couture Logo Tennis Socks…but why stop at just one?  They have several colors (though green is definitely my favorite).

Juicy Couture Logo Tennis Sock
Price: $15.0
We like to wear a little something Juicy every day. Tennis socks with pom-pom at ankle and metallic logo lettering at ankle and sole. 75% cotton/22% nylon/3% spandex. Wash warm. Imported. - Mint Tea

I absolutely love the OMGWTFBBQ barbeque apron, as it pretty much sums up what I think when I see my significant other and his friends grilling out. There’s usually a lot of alcohol and quite a few WTF moments. This would be the perfect “just because” gift for any slightly geeky dude. Of course, at my age, you’d have to be a geek to use those abbreviations. If you’re a college kid now, you probably grew up with them and would find that any guy under 23-24 would be perfectly happy with it.

Want it? It’s available at: