As a chronic insomniac, I've tried just about everything to improve my sleep. You know those weird acupressure pillows that promise to help you catch more Z's in a relaxing, zen manner...by stabbing you in the head and neck with sharp plastic? Yeah, I have one of those. When you suffer from idiopathic insomnia, you're willing to give anything a chance.



When I heard that feng shui has been recommended as an insomnia treatment, I'll admit I was skeptical. In fact, my first thought was of a quote from The Simpsons.


I should totally add this to my Simpsons Quiz, by the way.
The technical definition of feng shui is:
 "A system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi), with favorable or unfavorable effects taken into account when siting buildings."
Reading that is already putting me to sleep. It sounds kinda boring, right? That's what I used to think.

The more I researched it, the more I realized feng shu…

Yesterday, SN and I had the pleasure of attending the annual Corrales Wine Loop event, which pairs 9* local wines with 9 cheese tastings. If you're near Albuquerque or Santa Fe, this event starts at noon today and is worth the drive to Corrales. The three participating wineries are Acequia, Corrales, and Pasando Tiempo. It's only $25 per person. You can also attend the Corrales Bike and Wine Tour next month, which features the same wines paired with strenuous exercise instead of cheese. (Ha, ha.)

*Make that 10 local wines - Acequia winery was extra generous!

*Also, if you're reading this and are from one of the wineries, last year's event had wines paired with desserts. You replaced chocolate with cheese?! This sweet-toothed gal requests a combination of cheese pairings and sugary treats for Corrales Wine Loop, 2020. Pretty please?


Our first stop was the Corrales Winery, which features a lovely patio overlooking a lush, green field. Soaking up the New Mexico sunshine,…

Photos From Our Costa Atlantica Cruise - The Good
(What little there was before Costa tried to kill us.)

Below is a post I started in 2011 and only just now realized I never posted, 8 years later. Crazy!
Also crazy? Look how young we were! Who allowed these children unescorted on a cruise?
Remember my post 'No Cruising Since October? That Won't Do!'? Last year, Sexy Nerd and I embarked on an almost 2 week cruise from Quebec to NYC. Yes, last year. I really am behind on my blogging. That, and this was such a bad cruise. A truly, disgustingly bad cruise, and we will never recommend Costa to anyone as long as we live. I've read that Costa has not done well in North America and it doesn't surprise me one bit.

For this post, however, let's focus on the good.

The Itinerary
We loved this itinerary, even in the Spring when it was a bit chilly. Canada is our favorite cruise destination. We'd love to go in the Fall when the leaves are changing.
QuebecSaguenay Charlotteto…

I work in a pediatric dental office. The other day, I was scheduling a patient for their 6-month checkup and the day I'd randomly selected happened to be their birthday. 
"Whoops! It seems like I always choose someone's birthday," I laughed. The patient smiled. The patient's mom? 
With a scowl, she asked, "Is that because you have bad karma?"
It's a weird thing to say, right? I've known this woman for years. I thought we were on good terms. Fast forward to today and it seems she may have been onto something. 
This morning, I ate a mini Twix at work. (Yes, in the morning. Yes, inside a dental office. Hi, my name is Kitty Deschanel and I'm a sugar-holic.) It was especially chocolatey on the bottom, which at first I just thought of as yay, lucky me. Do you see the problem here? I've devoured (and greedily hoarded/stupidly destroyed) a million of these things and none magically contain extra-chocolate.
It turns out it wasn't chocolate a…

Best Amerisleep AS3 Promo Code as of : Save $250 (Any Size)


My husband and I purchased an Amerisleep AS3 in January, 2012. Our lives have changed so much since then.
We've traveled the world and have slept on every kind of bed - but the AS3 is still our favorite mattress.
We've built our dream home and have ordered 3 additional Amerisleep beds - but the AS3 is still our favorite mattress.
Here's why. Why Choose Amerisleep?When we placed our order in early 2012, the Bed in a Box market didn't exist yet. In fact, when we told people we had purchased a mail order mattress, they thought we were nuts!
The success and popularity of Amerisleep paved the way for the explosion of online bed companies you see today. For this blog post, I started a list of all the different competitors...and gave up after reaching the 100th brand. It's a little ridiculous. 
With so many options to choose from now, why do we still recommend Amerisleep? Their mattress engineering can't be beat! He…

SN and I recently had the pleasure of attending the ARTsmart Art of Home tour in Santa Fe. Sponsored by Keller Williams Realty, it's an annual, free event that combines art from local galleries with luxury homes for sale. This year, the event fell on the same weekend as Santa Fe Restaurant Week, pairing two of my greatest loves, houses and food. How could we possibly resist?

If you're considering visiting New Mexico, be sure to add the ARTsmart Art of Home tour and Santa Fe Restaurant Week to your travel itinerary, if at all possible. We always drive up from Albuquerque for the Santa Fe Parade of Homes every summer, even though we think it's overpriced...but maybe not anymore because this was so much better.

At one of the homes, we were thanked because attending this event supports local school children...but probably only if you buy some artwork, right? And...we didn't. You know what will help set things right though? An awesome blog post to spread the word for ARTsmart…