Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

  ***UPDATE: Amerisleep has started a new referral program. If you order your mattress through this link , you'll save an additional $50 on top of other discounts and specials !!!*** You drink plenty of fluids, always wash your hands, and have already received your annual flu shot. Other than that, there's not much you can do to avoid getting sick this winter, right? It turns out one of your best germ defense might be literally right under your nose, in the form of your mattress and comfy pillow. In a recent study from Carnegie Mellon ­University, people who slept an average of only 7 hours or fewer per night were almost 3 times (!!!) more likely to develop a cold than their peers clocking the recommended 8. When bogged down with sinus pressure, aches, and worse, you're bound to lose more than an hour per day in productivity - the perfect excuse to sleep in a little later tomorrow. My boss will totally understand. Okay, maybe it's the perfect excuse...

This is a repost because I'm crazy busy getting our new house set up to host Thanksgiving for a million people. We're so busy, we even have 2 brand-new Amerisleep mattresses sitting in their boxes while we sleep on the floor! We don't have anywhere to sit, even for only the 2 of us, and that's apparently not going to change anytime soon, as SN insists he's going to build all of the furniture himself, sofas and all. Yes, he is insane. There is a checklist of "must do" items before everyone comes over next week and I'm told none of them are going to happen. A place to sit? There's simply no time for that. Setting up a big sink and a pegboard wall in the garage? Top priority...though admittedly one that does not affect our soon-to-arrive guests in any way. Gee, the ramblings above could have become their very own blog post. ***** We've all had harmless fun teasing the ridiculous things Sexy Nerd says on this blog. (Extra emphasis on harmle...

I am a thrifty person. Not cheap , just thrifty. Okay, maybe it would be accurate to say that I'm up along the very border of cheap. Only my toes are over the line. Today I would like to share a story from my college years, when I was working as a Pizza Hut manager, about one of the many times trying to save a few dollars has put me in a stupid situation. I had a coupon for a free car wash. The regular price was $4.99, so without the coupon there was no way I would ever be getting my car cleaned. My car wasn’t dirty enough to justify using the coupon, so I continued to put off using it until the day before it expired. Although it was the middle of January, I took my Alero through the automatic car wash after leaving work, shortly before midnight. It was the last day before the specials changed at the grocery store, so after the thorough washing, I decided to drive next door to do a little grocery shopping before going home. I zipped inside right before the store closed and came...

I was recently able to get away on a short vacation, which was perfect, but getting there was a comedy of errors. It all started the night before my flight, when I was going to finish up a few last-minute errands, then get to bed nice and early. My mom had even agreed to spend the night at my house, ensuring she wouldn't be late to take me to the airport. I had all my ducks in a row. Errand #1: Order the Shabby Apple Alana dress I'd been eyeing. By ordering it before my trip, I could take advantage of a MyPoints promotion for free United Airlines miles. I'd been thinking about which dress to buy all week, and was finally certain of my decision. My mom was sitting next to me and she glanced over at my computer as I was on the final checkout screen. It's super-cute and flattering, right? "That's the dress you're buying?" my mom asked, making a face. "Ugh!" I'd thought the dress was very me. I envisioned myself wearing it everywhe...

Sexy Nerd and I have been together for more than 11 years. Keep this in mind while reading the following conversation we had yesterday: Sexy Nerd: Hey! You know what I noticed the other night? You have sleep apnea. Me: Wha?! Sexy Nerd: You just stopped breathing the other night. You weren't breathing for, like, a minute. Then, you were gasping for breath. Then, you woke up. That must have been the cause of your insomnia problem all along. Sleep apnea! Me: So, you think I've always stopped breathing for dangerous amounts of time, every night that you've known me? Sexy Nerd: Yeah! Me: And...you never noticed...in more than eleven years? Sexy Nerd: ... Me: And how long were you going to wait to see if I started breathing again? A minute seems like kind of a long time, don't you think? Sexy Nerd: ...I...didn't want to risk waking you ...because I love you... So, apparently this is what my (most likely shortened) future holds: CPAP machine - no ...

Oh no, Ocho! One of your legs wasn't quite level, so Sexy Nerd "fixed" it. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be married to an engineer , this about sums it up. Sure, they can build you cool things, but life isn't all pocket protectors and sexy glasses. In his defense, he had no reason to suspect your leg would snap off entirely. I mean, yeah I told him exactly that would happen if he messed with it and to just leave it alone, but other than that, how was he to know? $200 Octopus Pedestal Stand from Z Gallerie (Well, not $200 anymore, obviously) Your leg! Your beautiful leg!

Sexy Nerd has a new phone that takes excellent photos, so we've been using it exclusively instead of lugging a camera around. We have photos from the Colorado Springs Parade of Homes, our recent trip to Hawaii, and many other blog-worthy events. In fact, we attended the opening weekend of the home parade, making it essential to post on my blog ASAP so it could serve as a resource for people thinking of going. Sexy Nerd agreed. And yet... Sexy Nerd said he would send me the photos more than a month ago. The Colorado Springs Parade of Homes is long over. Sexy Nerd is still saying he's going to send me the photos. ..... Where are the photos, Sexy Nerd?!? An old photo (obviously) of Sexy Nerd. Spend less time giving pep talks to half-dead trees and more time sending me photos!

Shortage, smortage. Sexy Nerd and I will be eating well during the looming eggpocalypse, thanks to our local Sprouts and their overzealous clearance stockers. I spotted these from across the store, knocked everyone out of my way, and, of course, celebrated with a victorious happy dance. Eggland's Best? These are higher quality eggs than I was buying before the egg shortage! And the sell-by date isn't even for another week. Can you believe it?

Staycations just aren't cutting it right now and I'm itchin' to get away to some far-off, tropical island. Our back patio, complete with artificial rain courtesy of Sexy Nerd's ingenuity. Also, could the builder have placed our neighbor's windows any more obnoxiously close? If you would like to have your writing featured on my blog, including a link to your site, please send me an email . It can be a new post or old, whatever makes you happy, as long as it fits in with my site. Recipes, funny stories, decorating advice, and beauty tips are all great options. And, here's the best part: Be sure to include an AdSense code linked to your account in the guest post. That's right. You'll be earning affiliate income from my website. Can you believe it? Ahh, that relaxing vacation feels closer than ever now.

Let's be honest. The best blog posts are the ones that border on TMI, wouldn't you agree? If you know me in real life, (I'm looking at you, family members) please discontinue reading this immediately. (Seriously. If you have or have ever had the same last name as me, now is the time to scram!) Today started out well. I woke up a little before my alarm went off and got an early start on my morning. I ate a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit. I found just the right outfit to wear to work. I even had time to do some online (window) shopping before leaving the house. It was going to be a great day! Everything at my office seemed fine. I clocked in and started reviewing insurance claims. It didn't take long, however, to realize that something was not quite right. There was a funky smell. And, yes, it was coming from me! I'd had all that extra time before leaving the house. I had showered, washed my hair, brushed my teeth, done my make-up, and al...

After waiting 3 months from our latest floor plan change, we finally received our quote from the builder today. I asked if it was at least in the ballpark of our budget and he said "sort of". Oh, it's just ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS OVER BUDGET. Sexy Nerd is diligently reworking our design to lower the cost. Many drastic changes and many hours later, he has saved an entire $9,035. While he scrimps and saves, I'm browsing real estate listings. My search hasn't been very reassuring, to say the least: This is the most terrifying cozy mountain lodge I've ever seen. What did they spill on this carpet?? It's so hard to choose the perfect flooring. Let's just get them all! Apparently, this broken TV (computer monitor?) comes with the house. Flamingos and tropical fish in the middle of the desert? Sure. I don't know if it quite fits the 1.3 million dollar asking price though. This is on every listing ...

While designing our custom mountain home, our biggest fear has been that we might build something boring. I mean, we don't want to end up with a crazy, zero resale value house, but what's the point of going through the hair-graying experience of building if we're just going to end up with something everyone else has already done? The design process has taken a looooong time for this house! There are 3 bedrooms and each is connected to its own bathroom. We still have a few tweaks to make before finally breaking ground, but here are our bathroom floor plans so far: Guest Bathroom/Mudroom Bathroom   I'd like to have a stunning mural behind the shower, framed with real curtains. The floor to ceiling window is going to be stained glass, which will reflect in the mirror across from it. Guest Bathroom/Hallway Bathroom Whether you have the door open or closed, it's impossible to see the toilet from outside the bathroom. There is going to be a river rock s...

Open shelves and glass cabinet doors are popular right now, but the stress of keeping them tidy can be a deal breaker. A great solution is to create a display that won't change often. Think fine china instead of everyday dinnerware. Cookbooks instead of your go-to coffee mugs. My favorite idea ever? A delicious wall of candy and sprinkles! We're going with an all-white kitchen in our new home and a colorful display like this will be perfect ...as long as I put everything out of reach. I had to take a break from posting this to go grab a cookie! Feeling sentimental? How about a wall of sand, each jar a reminder of a fun vacation. As soon as we're done building our mountain dream home, I'll be dreaming of a beach house. (Who am I kidding. I'm dreaming of it now!) These neat photos, along with scrumptious desserts, are from bakerella.com .

Hmmm...do I dare risk the job I love to poke fun at my boss? Yes. It's just that funny. Here she is throwing my painstakingly organized charts to the ground, while grinning like a Cheshire cat. I put them away shortly after taking this photo. She has since pulled them all out again, several times. Anyhoo... My boss was trying to tell us about a movie sequel that is coming out, but couldn't remember the name of the movie. She said "They made the 1st one a few years ago. 4 or 5 years, I think it was. It's based on a book." Knowing her, my first guess was correct. Waiting to Exhale. The only thing I remember about this movie was that I snuck out of bed to secretly watch it after my parents rented it. 5 years. 15. Whatever. My boss continued. "It was written by a black author. Oh, what is her name? I saw her on Oprah. Uhh... Toni Braxton ! That's who wrote Waiting to Exhale. And now Toni Braxton is working on a sequel." I laughed so ...

A while back, Sexy Nerd and I had the opportunity to purchase a unique house in our dream neighborhood, Glenwood Hills. It had a charming bridge to the double front doors, incredible views of Albuquerque, and an interior practically glowing in natural light, but also a few flaws. The cosmetic fixes, such as a new kitchen, new bathrooms, new walls, new everything, we could tackle, but there were also severe structural issues. After much debate (and finding the skeleton of a bat inside the house), we decided it wasn't a good fit for us. Still, I wonder if we made the right choice. We drive by it sometimes and see that the new owners are slowly destroying it, little by little. They cleared every living thing from the yard, leaving just a wasteland of hot dirt, and replaced the garage doors with ones that are super-boring. The house is crying out for a modern, contemporary face lift - boring garage doors are all wrong! We should have just purchased it. I mean, where else are you go...