Miss DeMeanor, I presume...

Many clients I meet are honorary cops -- and they don't even know it. That is, they put their furniture "under arrest". Everybody up against the wall! In most cases it creates an uninviting feel and actually makes the room feel smaller.

I wasn't going to frisk you, but if you insist...

Do yourself a favor and scooch the furniture in from the walls -- even if it's just a few inches. You probably won't miss the lost space and I promise the room will be more social, pulled together and cohesive.

So how do you plead: guilty or not innocent?

I Was a Doubtin' Abbey

I'm not usually so late to the party when it comes to pop culture: I was a founding member of "Lost" and the Red Room of Pain was a dusty memory by the time most of America heard about the Fifty Shades trilogy. But here I sit, head hung, taking the first step to admitting I have a problem: My name is Ellen and I am a bandwagonner.

After all the hype, I broke down and started watching Downton Abbey. I fully admit I only gave it a shot after being sick of the looks, tsk tsks and the "how are YOU not watching this?" I caved to the same peer pressure I usually reserve for those who don't watch "Homeland" or read Wally Lamb.

Plus, the whole idea of getting into something British, Masterpiece Theater no less, seemed incredibly unappealing. After all, I think Mr. Bean is a dope, never cared much for Sporty, Baby, Scary, Posh or Ginger. My usual viewing habits have more to do with zombies and espionage than corsets and chambermaids.

But then I fell under the spell. This damn thing is bloody brilliant. And just as addicting as Walter White cooking meth for all of New Mexico (if you're not watching Breaking Bad, stop reading right now and get yourself on Netflix).

I snuck in moments before school busses arrived, skipped the gym and let the laundry pile waist-high. My kids ate Poptarts for dinner and Poptart crusts for breakfast. I somehow managed to watch all three seasons in 10 days. Pathetic or impressive? Probably both.


Things I've Gleaned from Grantham clan:

• I should be pronouncing the "t" in valet and this is not a person who parks your car. 
• Rich people can eat huge meals and never get fat despite the fact that no one seems to burn a calorie
• Footmen exist outside of Cinderella
• The male servants hit the motherlode when it comes to fashion. They look like they are off to the Oscars while the female servants look, well, like servants I guess.
• No one ever pees. 

I was so overjoyed to be a visitor at Downton, but truthfully, I don't think I'd last a minute without my Keurig or flat iron. Long live the olden days by way of modern technology!

All this cramming has left me with a gap in my viewing schedule (season 4 returns January 5).  So...what's next? I'm thinking Scandal or Game of Thrones. Or something else? What do you recommend?

5 Things I'm Loving Today

1. Coffee-mate Sugar-Free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. Running out really reminded me how the day can go completely sideways by 6:35am.
2. Cutie pie Nick Markakis. Go Os!
3. Depositing a check with the Bank of America iphone app. Just photograph both sides and presto -- the money is deposited. How can this actually work??
4. HauteLook.com. Acquired two years ago by Nordstrom, it features excellent designer specials for women, men, kids and home.
5. Theresa Caputo. Apparently the dead are not put off by the nails and hair. And neither am I!


What are you loving today?

Mytensils can beat up utensils

Picture this: It's Friday night and you're enjoying a coldie on the deck, grilling some steaks. A few minutes in and it's time to flip those suckers. You go inside to grab the tongs and when you pull the drawer, it's stuck. The freaking turkey baster has wedged itself in good. You finally jam a pair of scissors in there and wrestle it open. Oh crap -- the steaks are now charred little hockey pucks.

Do yourself a favor and take two minutes to turn the utensils so the handles face the back of the drawer this problem will be a distant memory! Plus, you have the value-added benefit of never again grabbing a serving spoon when you wanted the slotted.

You can thank for me later. Now go eat out and try to forget about the ruined Delmonicos.

What's the Deal-io?

As much as I like making things look pretty, I really (really!) like a deal. But I don’t like to compromise on quality or brand names. Way back in 2007, when we early adopters were getting our first iphones and Jordan Sparks won American Idol (huh?!) I joined a website called www.ebates.com.

And what a little gem ebates has turned out to be. They actually pay me to do the shopping I’d be doing any way. All I do is stop at their website first and go from there. They link me directly to the site I want to buy from and I purchase as usual. Ebates offers you a percentage back – ranging from 1% to 25% of your purchase price depending on the store. And get this – a check arrives in your mailbox up to 4 times a year – just for buying what you’d buy anyway!

​ You’ve got to check out their partnerships: Amazon, Old Navy, Nordstrom, Lowes, Home Depot, Target , Hotwire, Kohls, JCrew, Sephora, Verizon and hundreds of other stores.
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Bonus: they also show you all the current online deals offered at each site so you can enter the coupon code to save even more AND THEN you still get the offered percentage back.
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Just this spring I purchased an outdoor rug from Lowes through ebates. Hell yes, I could’ve gone to the store and bought it there, but why would I? They offered free shipping and are paying me 3% of the purchase price to buy online. Plus, if I don’t like it I can return it to the store. 
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I even bought my domain name and the hosting of this website through ebates! GoDaddy.com offers a whopping 15% back on purchases. 
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If you are an online shopper, and frankly, who isn't these days – this is a no brainer. 

What are your favorite sites for online deals? Click this link to connect to my Blogger page and leave a comment. 

The Launch Party

I guess all blogs start somewhere and mine starts here. Go me! I like the idea of putting ideas to screen (that just sounds wrong) and having a place to share stuff. I have no clue where this will take me, but hopefully we'll both enjoy it and maybe even learn a thing or two.​​