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For the Lazy Dog Owner

Need a place for your dog to relieve himself while you are at work? Hate walking your dog in the rain?

Behold The Potty Patch!

As described on their website:

The Potty Patch is a 3 tiered doggie restroom perfect for patios and indoor use. The top is made of a soft artificial grass specifically designed to let liquid flow through. A grate keeps the grass dry and above any liquid. The collection tray holds up to a gallon of liquid allowing multiple uses. Whether you live in a high rise apartment, deal with cold weather or just can't get home during the day, Potty Patch is the perfect solution. Potty Patch comes in two different sizes, regular (17" x 27"), and large (27" x 34").

I think this would probably work best for small breeds...not so much for let's say... a Great Dane? Also, what if you have a male dog? Male dogs usually lift their legs when they pee...what are the odds that they are going to aim directly for this patch of fake grass? I guess for $39.99 it may be worth a try if you are at your wits end with cleaning your kitchen floor every night (me), but something tells me that this will probably end up in my garage with all the other useless dog stuff I've bought over the years.

FYI: if you act now, they'll upgrade you to a super plush anti-microbial grass with double the blades! If that doesn't seal the deal for you, I don't know what will. :)

Pancake Lovers Rejoice!

Now you can flip your pancakes without worrying about ruining their delicate shape! Introducing Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Turning Tools from William-Sonoma. This just goes to show that there really is a tool for everything.

I Need a Big Hat

My cousin Jen is in need of a sun hat for her trip to Aruba. Her only requirements were that it be "big" and that she be able to get it from a store (no time to wait for shipping). Since it's kind of late in the season, the choices are slim but hopefully one of these will be good.

Gap:
















Nordstrom:
















J. Crew
















Bloomingdales:

A Few Words About Coach

I recently visited the Coach website and I just don't understand where Coach is going anymore. It used to be that you could get a decent bag for under $300...so everyone shopped there. And Coach didn't like the fact that their bags were becoming, what's the word? Generic? So they embarked on a mission to become the next Gucci, only with lots of C's instead of G's...and in that effort they decided to raise their prices to astronomical levels to give themselves status.

Take a look at a couple of gems from their more expensive collections:

PARKER PERFORATED OP ART SATCHEL
$598.00















SPECTATOR LEATHER LARGE JULIANNE
$1,000.00














Here's my favorite! LOL!
CANVAS GARDEN TOTE
$6,000.00














Who do they think is really going to buy this? The gardening tools are probably like $20 tops (and I'm sure you can get them at Target). The bag is canvas! Granted, it's got alligator trim but seriously? $6,000!

I guess this whole "raising our prices to make us look cooler" thing didn't really work too well because now Coach is launching a brand new line called Poppy. This is supposedly their budget line. Except it's really not that nice. I think the best word to describe it is um...loud.

Take a look:
New Pop C Spotlight
$268














New Rhinestone XL Spotlight
$548
















OK, some of the bags are not as hideous as these two, but budget-conscious they are not...the prices still range from $200-600. Shop wisely my friends!

Faking it vs Baking it

I don't know about you, but when I expose myself to the hot sun I usually end up looking like a tomato by the end of the day. Usually after a couple of days the redness fades and I have somewhat of a decent tan. But since I spend most of my days sitting in an office, I don't really have the luxury of laying out. I also happen to have a wedding next week in which I am a bridesmaid wearing a champagne-colored dress. And champagne don't look too good on someone whose legs are the same color as uncooked chicken skin.

Enter the Jergens Natural Glow Express Moisturizer. The label said I would have naturally-looking color in as little as three days. So I tried it out. And I have to say for $10 it works pretty well. I started noticing the color after the second day, however I did notice a couple of darker spots in certain areas so you really need to apply it evenly.

Alphabet Puzzle Mat

I ordered an Alphabet Puzzle Mat for my son to put in his play area (under his Lil' Playzone). My husband and I put it together last night and it's great. Very bright and quite cushy. I had bought an Alphabet Puzzle Mat from Buy Buy Baby awhile back, but then I returned it after I read the description on the package that said it was only good for children 3 years and up because the small pieces can be a choking hazard. This puzzle mat from One Step Ahead is actually the only one that I could find that is designed for babies (no small pieces).