Some Swell Stuff

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Sometimes I stumble across things that are so fabulous that I wonder how I ever lived without them.  Have I been living under a rock and am the last person to discover such wonderfulness, or are there others out there who are also unaware?  I can't be the only one in the dark.  Many of my friends have little munchkins so the days of leisurely strolling the aisles of Home Depot looking at new and pretty things are done - now it's in and out as fast as humanly possible and hopefully without a meltdown.

So with that said, here are a few of my recent favorites - I hope they can be of some use.

1. 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips

I was well aware of Command hooks, but these are so much better. You use two velcro strips - one part sticks to the back of your picture and the other part to the wall. All you have to do is stick the strips together and your picture is hung. No nail required! They are great because you can re-position your picture as much as you need to in order to get it straight (which in our house is a lot because it's usually too much work to get the level out). Then when you have changed your mind and want to move the picture (like I often do - much to Justin's chagrin) you just pull the tab and it comes off the wall without wrecking the paint.

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In our basement we have metal studs that we don't feel too confident in so these have been a life saver.  We hung these pictures last week with only one strip each.  They are still hanging!

On a side note - that lovely ceiling is one of our next projects. About a bizzillion ceiling tiles are sitting in our entryway right now just waiting for us. How fun....

Since my initial discovery I have seen the picture hanging strips in Home Depot, Zellers, Rona and Staples.

2. Nutella

Yes, yes, I know you have heard of Nutella.  And no, I don't have some brand new fancy type of Nutella to share with you. Just gold ol' classic Nutella, but I've included it here becuase it's been a recent re-discovery for me. We didn't have Nutella in my house growing up, which I actually think is a good thing becuase it feels like such a special treat for me now.  I am loving Nutella on apples and bananas these days.  If I get to dip my fruit in chocolate it makes me feel like I am at some fancy restaurant with a chocolate fountain, and not actually just sitting on my couch in PJs watching HGTV surrounded by baby toys.  

But here's my beef with Nutella (and I know I am not alone!!!)....why is it so much more accessible in Europe than it is here in North America?

They have Nutella Stores:

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and small little Nutella packages that you can take with you.

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and we don't get any of the love. I have yet to find tiny little Nutella packs anywhere in Canada. If you know where I can find them please let me know (seriously, please, please, please).

3. Google Reader

So, we've already established that I have a complete obsession with blogs.  Google Reader is to blogs like Nutella is to apples - just makes everything better! In Google Reader you can subscribe to blog feeds and when new posts are published they automatically appear in your reader. No saving a million links in your favorites, no clogging up your inbox, just new content waiting there for you whenever you are ready.  It even tracks what you have read and haven't read, which is great for a spaz like me. You can check it out here.  And once you are there you can add this little blog (yup, it's a totally shameless plug....just asking ya to help a girl out).

Leave me a note if you have tried any of these and are as equally in love, or if you have any other swell things that I should know of.  I love an excuse to go get something new!

Kelly