I had the best of intentions with my sweet potato oven chips. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out the way we plan.

Oh how magical new relationships can be… even just quietly watching TV is exciting and new. After a few years, the routine sets in and it’s important to keep things interesting. I know I’m guilty of sitting four feet away from my loved one on the couch, both of our faces buried in laptops or paperwork. This Valentine’s day, try something outside the box. Here’s a few suggestions-

1. Visit a U-Pick Farm
If you are lucky enough to live in a Citrus state (California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, etc) consider visiting a U-Pick farm. They’re generally inexpensive- Local Arizona grower Agritopia Farms charges a mere $6 to fill a 15lb bag with delicious oranges, lemons and grapefruits. That’s a small price to pay for a day outside, doing something unique together.  Afterwards, lunch together finished by one of the sweet fruits of your harvest is the perfect touch. In other states, this makes a fantastic spring, summer or fall outing.

2. Geocaching
Never heard of it? It’s basically a big, real world treasure hunt using handheld GPS systems or smartphones. You seek out treasures that others have left behind, and you can leave as well. What an exciting way to bring two people closer, or for new couples to learn to work together. There’s guides on getting started available (here’s a good one), and it’s easy enough for anyone to try.

3. Cheap Motel retreat
Who wouldn’ t love to stay at a fancy five star resort for a weekend… but the reality is we can’t all afford it! Getting away from the places that become routine can be extremely refreshing. Cheap hotels can still be clean and comfortable, and often offer a lower rate for locals. Pack an overnight bag, some movies, drinks and order pizza in! Shut off your phone and enjoy the company of your partner without distractions.

4.  Artistic Expression
Pick up a few canvases at the craft store and a variety of paints. Share a bottle of  wine and get artistic. This can become a great tradition, and a personal way to decorate your home.

5. Explore your state
Sometimes the locals are the last ones to check out the tourist attractions. Take a road trip to a nearby town and see the sights and remind yourself why you live where you do. I know I’ve personally lived in Arizona for almost five years and have never seen the Grand Canyon!

6.  Scavenger Hunt
Challenge each other to spend the day taking photos (in order!) of things beginning with all the letters of the alphabet. Meet for dinner at your favorite place and compare your slideshow. This could also be a lot of fun to do together, as opposed to separately!

Have any other awesome date ideas? Please share!

To me, the idea of a mixtape conjures up memories of high school, handwritten notes and bad cafeteria food. While mixtapes kind of lost their swagger when iPods became the norm, it’s no less meaningful to hand-craft a playlist full of songs that remind you of the recipient. It’s a thoughtful and personal gift, and is great for those who have procrastinated to the very last minute (you know who you are).

If you want to really add to the nostalgia, opt for something like this rather than a CD or USB drive. While a little on the spendy side for a 1 gig thumb drive, the presentation is really worth the extra dollars.

I whipped up a batch of cake batter cookies and experimented with Red Velvet cake mix and white chocolate chips. Let me just say… SHUT UP. These were so good, I’m fighting all urges to eat the entire pan of them. Plus, they’re crazy easy. Consider these if you need a hostess gift at any holiday parties, or be the star of the cookie exchange… these are a show stopper.

I just wanted to share my self-done mani for the Godaddy.com Holiday Party tomorrow (savings: $20!)

I used China Glaze Haunting and accented one nail with OPI Rainbow Connection. I topped it all with a layer of Seche Vite top coat, which dries SOLID in two minutes. It makes manicures a whole lot less time consuming!

I always hated running growing up. Maybe it was because we were forced to in gym class, or that I was never the fastest. A few years ago I discovered running outdoors, and it really changed my perspective on it. Having beautiful scenery, your favorite playlist on your ipod and fresh air in your lungs makes running so much more enjoyable!

I recently signed up to run my first 5k. I’m by no means a pro, but I thought I’d share some of the helpful tips and tools that took me from a complete non-runner to someone who voluntarily signed up to run 3.1 miles.

1. Couch 2 5k- this program, which has been done many different ways- on paper, MP3s, and most recently an iphone app is what really got me started. It claims to be able to take anyone from sedentary to running 3.1 miles straight in 9 weeks. I’ve had great success with this program, although I’m still a bit away from running the full 3.1 miles. It’s really motivating to be able to complete the first workout and think “hey, maybe I really can do this!”This is my favorite C25k app to use (click on the icon to see more info): 
2. An MP3 player and some upbeat tunes- It’s amazing how a good song can make that last stretch do-able. My favorite way of getting music suggestions it to ask on my facebook and twitter! Just about everyone has favorite songs to work out to, and you’re sure to get a lot of replies.
3. Sunblock- if you’re running outside, don’t forget to put on a healthy coat of SPF 30 or higher, as recommended by the American Cancer Society! If you’re going to be outside longer than two hours, re-apply!
4. Just sign up! I waffled for weeks and thought I needed to wait until I was ready before I signed up. I decided to just do it, and I’m glad I did. Even though I probably wont be able to run the entire stretch, I’m glad I’ll have a baseline time to measure my improvement by.
   Check out sites like Active.com, RunnersWorld.com, RunningintheUSA.com to find local races.

I’d love to hear any other tips from some veteran race runners to help me out for my first one next week! Share them in the comments

Wow.

BlogHer was just… wow. I guess never having gone before, I really didn’t have much by way of preconceived notions of what to expect. There was everything one might expect- just MORE of it. More women bloggers, more vendors in the expo hall, more swag, more drink tickets… it was like everything that my brain could concoct times 10.

As I mentioned, I didn’t get a lot of pre-planning in before arriving, and I’m actually glad that’s how it went. Jenny and I did our best to be as laid back as possible and just go with the flow. To me, it was just as much a fun girl’s weekend catching up with one of my BFF’s as it was anything else so nothing really could go wrong from not having a set agenda. My only improvement on that aspect would have been having gotten the inside track to more parties. Those were really where we had some of the best times.

So what was good? People were kind, equally as enthusiastic, and excited to network. The sessions were helpful, the keynote speaker was inspirational and the food was good. Oh, and there was a crapload of free stuff and if we’re being honest that’s pretty rad.

What was not so good? Part of me left a little disenchanted. I suppose it wasn’t anyone’s fault, but there were more than one occasion where I looked around at the crowded rooms and hallways and realized that ALL of these women are bloggers. ALL OF THEM. Having been writing in an online journal in one respect or another since 1997, I felt little bit like an extremely tiny speck in an infinitely expansive universe. Part of me used to feel unique for blogging- when I told people they were intrigued, and it was a great conversation starter. Now, having a visual representation of how many of us there are out there, it’s changed my perception somewhat.

Also, the topic of monetization stirred some emotions I didn’t expect. Part of what I love and appreciate about the way the internet as evolved over the last decade is it’s honesty. I am personally completely ADDICTED to reviews- I barely buy a tube of mascara without checking makeupalley.com. I spent the better part of a year reading every consumer report and rating before buying a car. I depend on blog subscriptions to learn what the next great launches are in the beauty world. What was surprising was how absolutely guarded so many bloggers were with what they would say in the interest of maintaining good brand relationships. What was said in so many words was “What is more important to you- getting future paid assignments or saying something negative?” It made me wonder if because so many brands have become aware of the marketing power of the almighty blogger, is the platform now losing that same power that was once seeded in authenticity? Is blogging as a profession defeating what it was all really about in the first place? I guess this is coming from someone who DOESN’T make a living off reviews, giveaways or sponsored posts.

That being said, this is really all just me thinking out loud (figuratively) and I’m glad I’m in a position to review products I like and genuinely want to share. Being a polite and professional person by nature, I could probably count on one hand the number of times if said anything negative on the internet about a company or product- and that’s a pretty good track record for upwards of 15 years of blogging.

Overall, BlogHer was a great experience and I now see how people said that you get out of it what you put in. Next year my goals will be:

* to make more connections with women PRIOR to the conference as well as during
* get into more awesome parties (although Instead SoftCup and iFabbo really set the bar high!)
* don’t skip lunch because I filled up on expo hall samples
* make awesome MoreThanHeels shirts!

Did YOU go to BlogHer ’11? What did you think?

I’m knee deep in planning the Dude’s first birthday. I’ve decided to closely mirror the theme of his birthday to our nursery theme; Rocket ships and Robots. I think it’s going to be out of this world!

I’m sure you may have some parties you’re planning now that Fall is just around the corner (I swear it is, my knee high boots told me it was). Its with that in mind that More Than Heels would like to host a GIVE AWAY!

We will give away 5 vouchers from Moolala’s daily deal today for CAKE SUGAR DESIGNS. You only have to do a few simple things for an entry.

1. If you sign up for Moolala using our referral code, you’ll get 5 entries. Here’s our referral URL code http://molly.moolala.com. Your info will automatically show in our account.
2. Twitter’s with a link back to this blog post, 3 entries.
3. Facebook updates with a link back to this blog post, 2 entries.
4. Comment on this blog with your info, 1 entry

Terms:

• Contest ends when the deal ends on the website. That is TBD, so get yours in quick.
• Winners will be announced 2 days after the contest ends.
• We’re hosting this give away out of our own pockets. Be cool.

So it’s here already! I leave first thing in the morning for San Diego to meet up with Super Wife Jenny for a fabulous girls weekend and our first BlogHer adventure. Unfortunately, with as crazy as life has been- me with a new job and Jenny with a new baby AND a freshly broken leg, our pre-planning has sort of taken the back seat. So, our plan is to arrive and sort of wing it. We have RSVP’ed to the Instead Softcup party (anyone else joining us??), so at least there’s that! We’re hoping to catch the expo hall and People’s Party tomorrow and then just figure it out from there. Next year, we’ll be sure to dedicate a lot more time to laying out our schedule and getting in on good parties

I’d love love love to connect with any readers! Please comment here or twitter me @MoreThanHeels. Keep an eye out for pictures and tales of our adventures at our very first BlogHer!

Maybe it’s because as a little girl I was convinced that the big, glistening crystal chandelier over my grandmother’s dining room table was made of diamonds. Maybe it’s because I live in Arizona and we all have to have ceiling fans. Whatever the reason, I’ve become obsessed with gorgeous, ornate hanging light fixtures. I’ve especially been fixated on the idea of a hanging chandelier as bedside lighting (swoon!)… but here is a roundup of some of my favorite chandeliers.

bedside chandelier

Shabby Chic Chandelier / Upcycled From Brass by AntiqueFarmHouse

Tranquility II - by sheriscrystals

Too Hot For Words Pink and Black 3-Bulb Lighting Chandelier by ShabulousCreations

Claire de Lune Chandelier BIG by accentcph

White French Crystal Chandelier with Pink / Rosalin Distressed by TheShabbyBoutique

Scarlet Red Chandelier Night Light by ShabulousCreations

Seaside Collection Shabby Sea Blue Scroll Candle Chandelier by ShabulousCreations

Romantic Cottage Crystal Chandelier by sheriscrystals