Moleskine weekly planner

When I was in high school and college I used those spiral bound weekly planners for both my assignments and occasional notes. Somewhere along the way I decided to separate the schoolwork from everything else. And now years later I'm much more interested in the everything else than whether today is the 14th anniversary of a chemistry test I took.

I've lamented that I always wish that I blogged more but it can be hard to record each day without it all being mundane. Thus returns our friend the weekly planner, and to really do it up nice I've upgraded to the Moleskine version. I actually found and purchased this version way back in August at Book People in Austin. I hadn't seen one before in stores and couldn't bear to put it down. I had just recovered my college renditions of these while packing and so many memories came with them.

I bought the full size version since it will most likely live on my nightstand, but they come in pocket, large and extra large sizes as well as soft and hard cover. All the possibilities are at your fingertips in their online catalog. I would ask Barnes & Noble if they can order the one you want if they don't have it in stock.

It doesn't take much. Just a few lines to remind you if that was the day you stubbed your toe, bought a dog, cried all day, went on a trip, had a massive headache. I can't wait for 2009 to get back into the swing of it!

MAC cremewash

I started using MAC cremewash to clean my face about 18 months ago and have had only about three zits since then. My skin is "combination" in that my cheeks are dry but my chin is oily and it tackles all that like a champ. It's not the cheapest in the world ($19 at Macy's last time I bought it) but a 100mL tube can last me almost 6 months.

I keep the nearly empty tubes around for travel but I should find something small to transfer it into for plane trips without grief from the TSA.

MAC also gets bonus points for not making it smell all flowery or strange. Don't get me started on how Aussie changed all their hair products to make them stink like coconut so I don't use them anymore.

Nature's Miracle litter treatment

This stuff is really the best invention since kitties themselves.

Rich and I both have sensitive noses and with three indoor kitties now, the litter boxes are working overtime. Nothing kills the horrible ammonia smell like a few shakes of the Nature's Miracle litter treatment powder. It's like someone has flipped off the "stinky" switch in your nose. Unlike other baking soda "snake oils" (snake powders?), this stuff actually magically makes the smell go away versus just covering it up.

I just changed out the litter boxes yesterday and had to make a special trip to get more because the paint in the laundry room would peel off the walls without it.