What a time we had at BlogWorld!  We won't bore you with all of the blow-by-blow details, but we'd be crummy selfish friends if we didn't share the highlights of the conference with you!  You can go to our flickr photostream to see more photos.

• It was incredible to be involved with the new Guinness World Record for the most social mentions in 24 hours.  The goal was to raise money for cancer.  For every tweet, facebook update or blog post mentioning #beatcancer, 1¢ was donated by ebay/paypal and Miller/Coors.  Over $70,000 was raised.  That's over 7 million mentions in just 1 day!

Jermaine Dupri at BlogWorld

• The keynote panel on “New Celebrity” was moderated by Brian Solis and featured Robin from the Pussycat Dolls (?), producer and Grammy winner Jermaine Dupri, singer Matt Goss, Don Lemon from CNN and Anthony Edwards.  Quite a diverse group, wouldn't you say?  That diversity ended up with a bunch of sparks flying around that we could have done without.  On the positive side though, Anthony was totally likable, and spoke sincerely and passionately about his cause Shoe4Africa.  Very smart of him to make friends with a bunch of big-mouths like us bloggers!

Anthony Edwards at BlogWorld

• We were really impressed with what Chris Brogan had to say.  Just wisdom from this expert; no BS!  We need to read his New York Times Bestseller “Trust Agents“.

• The final keynote session was moderated by Guy Kawasaki with Jenny the Bloggess, Kevin Pollack, and Chad Vader.  It was pretty funny, although I'd say a few too many f-bombs for my taste.  But Jenny was hilarious and totally held her own as the only woman on the panel!  Check out her stories on the alien apocalypse and William Shatner.  Go Jenny!

• We had a chance to chat with Lou Mongello from wdwradio, and got some great input on wherever the heck it is that BigSisLilSis are going.  Thanks for your thoughts, Lou!  All the best to you with wdwradio.com.

• And lastly, we had the awesome opportunity to meet Darren Rowse.  Yes, THE ProBlogger!  In person.  😀   Woo hoo!  Seriously, we didn't want to leave BlogWorld without meeting Darren because of the enormous respect we have for him, his expertise, and the way he conducts his business…with total integrity.  So we send a HUGE thank you to Darren for kindly tolerating our gushing, and giving us some extremely valuable input that we're going to be acting on asap!  THANK YOU!

Oh, and the big surprise that we mentioned yesterday?  It's a direct result of the ideas and encouragement from Lou and Darren.  Whatever could it be?  😀

~BigSis

Posted under Travel

If you're like me and just realized that we have only 3 weeks from Thursday until Christmas is here, you're probably freaking out a little.  Or a lot!  You're probably also wishing for a way to get yourself organized so that you won't forget anything, AND your stress level will be under control a little bit more.  I found a few things that might help.

• Real Simple has a 26 day Holiday Blogathon going on right now.  What?  They didn't invite BigSisLilSis to participate?  Even though we're crushed, I do have to say there are some great tips there from some great blogs on all kinds of Christmas topics.
• i-village has a Christmas Planner broken down into the 1st week of December, the 2nd week, the 3rd week, Christmas week, Christmas morning and after Christmas.
• FamilyFun.com shows us how to transform a 3-ring binder into Ann's Amazing Holiday Planner.
• If you have a little time on your hands and are super-duper crafty and stampy, check out this tutorial for a beautiful Christmas Planner from Christine Rowland, a Stampin Up Demonstrator.
• How about a video for those of us who need a visual?  I have a jillion things to do but I sat here and watched this whole 7 minute video on making a cute Christmas Planner.  I couldn't stop watching it! Plus I really enjoyed the music from Josh Groban.
• TwoPeasInABucket's member gallery has this Christmas Planner that is absolutely gorgeous.  There aren't any instructions, but it's certainly inspiring to look at.  I'm pretty OCD and overly-perfectionistic, but this project is beyond me for December 2nd.  Maybe if it was July 2nd I would attempt this jewel.
• OrganizedHome has some Christmas Planner notebook ideas that are pretty practical.
• And last but not least, the FlyLady offers a Holiday Cooking and Decorating Schedule.

We'll send more tips and tools your way as we find them.  Meanwhile, take a deep breath, make a list or two, and enjoy this blessed season!

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays

Posted under

There are only a few weeks of Summer left, so I find myself daydreaming about a nice trip to Paradise before it's time to get ready for back-to-school.  If someone were to ask me to describe my idea of Paradise, I'd probably say something like this:

“I'm on an island far, far away where the sand is so soft and so white that it reminds me of powdered sugar, and the beach is surrounded by the most gorgeous, clear turquoise blue water that you've ever seen. There is not a cloud in the sky and the sun's rays feel perfect on my skin that is slathered in my favorite Hawaiian Tropic. There are no cell phones, computers or televisions on the island and I am able to leisurely read a book while laying on the beach, totally uninterrupted, except for the occasional delivery of food and cold beverages”.

Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely that I'll be experiencing anything like that any time in the near future so I'll have to compromise.

(Yes, this sign really is in my backyard; but, no, it's not always Happy Hour.) 🙂

Since it's Friday and the guys are golfing today, I thought I might be able to experience a little Paradise right here in my own backyard. I'm going to try and take a couple hours off this afternoon to read by the pool while I have the house to myself. I may have a couple of friends stop by later so I wanted to make some sort of refreshing, tropical dessert.

While browsing the Internet looking for some ideas for a freezer pie, I stumbled upon this recipe for Paradise Pie on texascooking.com. I knew right away that I wanted to make this pie and I was thrilled that it was so fast and easy to put together!

The combination of the pineapple, coconut, and pecans was so tropical that I almost felt like I if I closed my eyes, I could pretend that I was in Paradise!

Paradise Pie poolside, anyone?

Paradise Pie

• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed (use 4 oz.)
• 1 9-inch graham cracker crust

Combine the milk and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir well. Add the drained pineapple, coconut and pecans, mixing well. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Pour into the crust. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Cover any leftover pie loosely with foil or place inside a large freezer storage bag and return to the freezer.

I'm submitting this recipe to this month's You want pies with that event. Be sure to check the site on August 8th for the full roundup!

~LilSis

Posted under Food

A few years ago, I still had 3 cats instead of my current 2, and I really was getting tired of the daily litter box scooping routine:

• Find a plastic bag without holes

• Scoop into the bag and tie it up

• Take the filled bag to the dumpster – rain or shine, light or dark, Africa hot or Antarctica cold

If I was too lazy to make the trip to the trash, I'd occasionally leave the little bag of presents sitting on the front or back porch for later, and that's just gross.  There had to be an easier way to handle this chore, which had to be done every day with 3 cats.  I started thinking and wishing that someone made a contraption like the Diaper Genie, but for used cat litter instead of disposable baby diapers.  I went online, and voila!  Someone does make that contraption.  It's called the Petmate Litter Locker ($21.87 at Amazon).

Litter Locker

This little jewel does everything I want it to do.  I don't have to dig around for a plastic bag and I don't have to schlep the filled bag to the dumpster every day.  You just scoop the used litter into the Litter Locker with the provided scooper, and then turn the handle.  There is a long plastic bag in the Litter Locker, and when you turn the handle, you're essentially coiling the bag and it's contents around itself.  When the Locker gets full, you just empty the coil into the trash.

There is no odor, and you never have to touch anything yukky.  If you have several cats and like a really clean litter box, or your cats demand a really clean box, you can scoop several times a day if you want to.  It's super easy!  And anything that makes my life easier is a winner in my book!  I've been using the Litter Locker for around 3 years now, and am on my second one.  After a while, I think the plastic does absorb a bit of odor from storing all that poo, so I replaced mine when I moved a year ago.

You can buy the Litter Locker and refills at Amazon.com, PetSMart, WalMart, Petco and several online pet supply companies.  I highly recommend it!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

With all of this eating, we don't really need a dessert but we wanted one to finish out the meal, so it needed to be light and easy.  How about Mexican Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats!  To call these Mexican Chocolate is a BIT of a stretch, but it comes from the addition of cinnamon to the chocolate treats.  Whatever you call them, they're muy bueno!  I'm not usually a huge fan of Rice Krispie Treats, but I have to say the chocolate/cinnamon/vanilla aroma from these enticed me and I tried one.  They were so darn good!  Make these!

This is all you need! Oops, I forgot to show the chocolate chips!

Mexican Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
(adapted from Cooks.com)

1/4 cup butter
Dash of salt
1 10-oz pkg regular marshmallows
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Mexican vanilla
5 1/2 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Butter a 9 x 13 pan, or line with non-stick foil.

Melt butter in a large pan over low heat.  Add marshmallows, and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in a dash of salt, the cinnamon and vanilla.  Add cereal and pecans.  Stir well and quickly.

Firmly press mixture into prepared pan.  Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the surface.  Cool and cut into squares.

Delicioso!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Anyone addicted to Facebook? Have trouble focusing at work because you're tempted to look at your Reader ten times a day? Or maybe a particular website you can't stay away from?

Now, be honest!

I'll go first.

I did recently sign up on Facebook after much persuasion from relatives, but I purposely do not look at it every day nor spend much time on it at all. I can see how it could be addicting and time consuming if you let it.

I haven't joined the Twitter craze and probably won't any time soon. Since we are in the cell phone business, I really have no desire to be on my cell phone twittering when I'm away from the office. (Oh, but I guess congrats are in order to Ashton Kutcher for being the first to have a million followers.)

I do, however, have one little confession. I'm a tad bit obsessed with my Google Reader.  I check it every morning in anticipation of finding great new posts from my favorite sites!  Also, during the day, after I complete a task or a big project, I'll give myself a little treat and allow myself to look at my Reader again to see if there is anything new that came in since the morning. And maybe during lunch, after work, before bed and in the middle of the night (just kidding).

If you think you might need a little help disciplining yourself, then check this out. I recently discovered this little tool on this Daily Blog Tips post.

It's really a pretty good idea. Go to keepmeout.com and enter the url of any website that you visit too often.  If you try to access the site more than once within a specific time interval,  the service will block you and remind that you should wait some time before you can go there again.

You know what they say…the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. So here goes.

My name is LilSis and I am an addict. I'm addicted to my Google Reader.

~LilSis

Posted under This & That

When I was in Californie last week, LilSis and I were wandering around SuperTarget in search of the Garnier Nutrioniste Anti-Puff Eye Roller.  We found that, plus this other intriguing product that neither of us had heard of.  It's made by University Medical and is called Face Lift WrinkleFree Eyes.  The package screams that it's a “20 Minute Botox” treatment!  Of course, we bought into the marketing strategy…hook, line and wrinkle.  Yep, we forked over our $30 and bought it.

Adios to Wrinkles??

Here's what you get in the 2-week starter kit, according to the manufacturer's web site:

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

We hope you've all had a chance to check out the Potato Ho Down by now!  If not, wander over to dlynz.com to see all of the great spud dishes.  We had a ton of fun putting together our Pink Potatotini!

While BigSis and LilSis have been in the same town and same house this week, we've had a chance to work on our blog a little bit, and are working on some enhancements.  Nothing too fancy, since neither of us are techies, just a little tweak here and there.

• You'll notice that you can now subscribe to the comments on a particular post, which is something we really like being able to do.

• We've also changed how we show our book list.  Instead of a list of our favorites, we'll be posting a link to the book we're currently reading (or cooking or baking from) in our left sidebar.  That featured book will change from time to time.

• All of our recipes will soon be on a separate page that you can access from the top Navigation Bar.

We have some other things in the works, so keep your eyeballs peeled for those, and let us know if you like the changes (or not!).

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

Did we have spring break when we were kids? Waaayyy back when we were kids? I don't remember ever having a spring break; only 2 weeks at Christmas and a full 3 months of summer. Maybe we did have spring break, and I just forgot. Perhaps my memory lapse has something to do with all those brain cells I murdered unceremoniously in the 80s. Surely not.

At any rate, it seems like spring break season is in full swing in school districts around the country, and spring makes me think of summer which makes me think of vacation. I've heard on the news for a while that more people are doing the “staycation” thing, where they stay close to home and enjoy local attractions to save money in this treacherous economy. The same can't be said for expectant moms who are heading to Babymoon Destinations for one last adult only holiday.

But if you're going to take a real vacation, let me share this cool site I just heard about from my friend SA. It's vrbo.com, which stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner. Instead of paying exhorbitant hotel rates, this site allows you to search all over the world for condos, homes, apartments, villas, etc., that are offered for rent by the owners. I'm not planning a vacation, but I had a ton of fun browsing all of the homes available for rent. It was amazing to see how many there were, but it was even more fun to see all of the gorgeous homes for sale in the Caribbean. I couldn't stop myself from imagining being in a beautiful house in Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica, just enjoying myself, but that's just a dream for now. However, it doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to a little traveling. Someday (soon!) LilSis and I will take our dream trip to Greece and Italy, and this will be a great resource! Here are a few of the homes I found for rent:

• A luxury vacation log home in Wasilla, Alaska. Yep, the same Wasilla where Sarah Palin served as Mayor before she went on to become the Governor of the state. For $1300-$1800 per week, you get 3 bedrooms, 3-1/2 baths, a cook's kitchen, wi-fi and cable in a woodsy setting.
• A condo on a private island on Lake Travis in the Hill Country of Texas. $109-$159 per night gets you 1 bedroom, 1 bath, a 42″ flat screen TV, views of the lake and marina, and access to tennis courts, fitness facilities, and hot tubs.
• A chalet on the peak of Mt. Kanimbla in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. Talk about an escape! For $365 Australian dollars per night (about $234 US), you get a one bath studio with a private hot tub, fireplace, and a kitchen stocked with food staples! And you're surrounded by the native wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies and eagles. Trust us, it is the most breath-taking scenery, sounds, smells. You won't regret it. Australia is a perfect place for road trips too, so if you're feeling adventurous, you could look up hiring a van to drive around in. Maybe you could go up to Brisbane. There are some great van rentals there too. Click here for more information.
  

  Australia Chalet

• A villa in the village of Kefalas on the Greek island of Crete. Check out the 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, private pool and equipped kitchen, all for 60 to 200 Euros per night (about $76 to $253 US).
• A penthouse apartment with a view of the Coliseum in Rome, Italy. This penthouse has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths on 2 levels, with a year-round terrace on the upper level. It'll run you 180 Euros per night ($228 US).
  

  View from Rome Penthouse

• A villa in Tramonte in the Lucca area of Tuscany, Italy. How about a 1600s antique villa with 4 floors, 5 bedrooms, 6 baths, a private pool, and an onsite caretaker? The property features an antique olive oil mill, fruit trees, olives, vines, forests, and horses. The rates start at 2380 Euros per week and go to 4760 Euros per week, depending on the season (about $3013 US to $6025 US per week).
  

  Tuscan Villa

  I'm ready to pack a suitcase, how about you? Once you get your rental reservations made, don't forget to check out the airfare deals available now! You can even use this private jet charter cost estimator if you want a bit of luxury!

~BigSis

Posted under Travel