Decor Innovation: Review!

I recently put up some blackout curtains from an online company called Decor Innovation.

If you don't know what blackout curtains are- they block out 99% of the light from outside. They keep the heat in when it's cold outside, and they keep the heat out on those hot, summer days. They save you money - period. Who can argue with that? And moms- blackout curtains can also make a baby's room dark during naptime. I think every mother should have a set of these in their kid's room!

I liked Decor Innovation's product because they're affordable and there are so many colors to choose from. While you're there, check out their other goodies like pillows, throws, home accents, and even organic baby items- hello crunchy moms!
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I chose the basic blackouts in burgundy. Aren't they pretty? The color was exactly like it looked online, too. They were really easy to put up, and the curtains are high quality- I can tell they're going to hold up for a long time.

The material is sleek and gives the color some added brilliance. They're thick, but also lightweight.

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And BOY, do they block out the sun! These babies are going to be so awesome in the Las Vegas summer when the sun starts to come scorching through our living room windows. My husband will love being able to make the room dark for his TV time, since the window glare always makes the TV picture harder to see.

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Not anymore!

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Ha. Take that, sun!

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The color looks really nice- it makes my windows pop. And our rug matches perfectly. What do you think? Don't you love the toys scattered throughout the room? It's a nice added touch, don't you think?

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So, as a happy customer, I'm recommending the blackout curtains from Decor Innovation. I already have a few more things on my list from their site next time I get the urge to shop online. Do you have the urge? Go check them out! Tell them The Housewife Diaries sent you.

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Thanks Decor Innovation for saving my living room!

I'd like to thank the academy....

Wow, me? I'm honored to say that a fellow blogger gave me an award today. Someone pop the champagne! The overworked, underpaid mom over at Because I Said So passed me this one....isn't it great? It's her birthday, by the way, so stop by and give her a good slap on the ass! And tell her The Housewife sent ya!

I'm too old to party hardy

I am still in pain from the shoes I wore at the flapper bachelorette party.


What the hell?


Who knew that toenails could hurt.


Mine do. I swear they might fall off. So this is what happens when you get old?

Your toenails start to hurt?

Shit!

I can see it now...."sorry kids, mom can't take you to the park this week because her toenails fell off."

I haven't caught up on my sleep, either, so I've been a walking zombie for the last 3 days. I've been trying to work hard and moderate those message boards, and I'm reading, but my mind is saying words...words...more words....words...words.....shit! Now I have to start over! I hate that.


I have lots of bloggy things coming up! You're going to love it.


Flapper party details and pictures. And I told my bitches that, if they posed for my camera, that it might end up on my blog. (evil laugh)


A new contest! The prize is courtesy of Desiree at Uppercase Living.


Speaking of prizes, my editors at Living-Las-Vegas.com also just gave me some goodies to give away in another contest. Woot! Thank you Mark and Megan! So The Housewife Diaries is currently overflowing with contest prizes. Now I just need to find a good way to give them all away!


I recently got some new black-out curtains from a website called Décor Innovation for my living room, and they are so fabulous that I am going to do a full review on them with pictures included. So look for that, and if you need curtains, go check them out- they're a great product and they look amazing. They come highly recommended by The Housewife.


I've made a friend that is an insider at CityCenter. I'm not going to say who it is... but they promised to give me lots of cool updates on the place. *wink wink* So hopefully I'll be able to let you in on some of it. I heard today that a few of CityCenter's hotels are already taking reservations! So check it out if you're interested!


I have a couple new date-night projects that I'm working on. I made a fantastic contact with a Hard Rock person, and she has graciously invited me to attend the VIP party for the grand opening of their newest Hard Rock Cafe that will sit across from CityCenter (did ya know they were planning another one?). I'm really excited- and I've received permission share all the news and pictures with you! I think I may even write an article about the party.


The best news of the week? The date has been set for the 2009 Epicurean Affair!!!! SQUEEEEAL! The 2008 Epicurean was one of the BEST parties I have ever attended. Want to read about it? Go HERE to see the preview....(warning- hot man muscles coming!), and go HERE to see the big blog about last year's Epicurean Affair. This blog has some great pictures and lots of my babbling...you'll love it. Want to come to come to this year's? Buy your tickets now- you can sleep at my place! This year I promise to stay sober, give a better description, and take even better pictures. Stay tuned.

My week in photos

Since I've been so busy this week, I'm taking the next few days off to relax and catch up. So instead of writing, I thought I'd share some of the pictures on what I've been up to. Stay tuned for more on each of these pictures, as well as another contest! This prize is courtesy of Desiree at Uppercase Living!

Yes, I let my 5 year old go to kindergarten with blue hair. I don't care what the other parents thought. Jack liked it, and that's all that mattered.

We made strawberry cupcakes for Valentine's day!



I'm already starting to plan my annual St. Patty's Day party. This year's party will be bigger and better than last year's. My sisters-in-law will be in town for this one, too! Woot!

Here's Desiree putting up a gorgeous Uppercase Living piece in Ava's room. Stay tuned this week for more on this- and my newest contest.

The Sysco food show! This was lots of fun. More pictures coming from this.

And of course...last, but certainly not least, the flapper party went off as planned and we had a blast. We didn't get back to our room until- get this - 4am. Ugh! Makes my head hurt just thinking about it! LOTS more on this coming soon!

New Living-Las-Vegas article is up!

This one's a little out of the box. It's about home birth in Las Vegas. Click the link below to check it out-

The Stork Makes House Calls

I even put some pictures in it from my personal, family albums.

Any comments are appreciated!

On a positive note...

Since I do a really good job at complaining about what it's like to turn 30 (and then some), I started to think about all the good things there are about being in my 30s. And truthfully, my 30s kick my 20's ass, and I'm only 2 years into them.


So lets' review those totally excellent things about being a 30-something, shall we? You 20-something readers....take notes, because it only gets better.


I've stopped caring so much about what people think of me. Remember when you were a teenager and everything was totally, gag-me-with-a-spoon mortifying? Yea, my mom never lets me forget that.

And then you hit your 20s, and it felt a pretty good to let loose and get a little crazy (but you still felt like a hottie, even though you ended the night puking in the toilet at 3am). And now....that 20-something hotness that once was is pretty much down the toilet .... no pun intended yuk yuk yuk. But that feels okay? Yea. I love that. I don't need to feel hot, and then puke in a toilet 4 hours later. I'll take my orange-star, blue fuzzy PJs and a 9am bedtime over that anytime.


Another part of not caring what people think is being able to relax, and not try to be someone I'm not.

For instance...

In my 20s, when I met my husbands female (meow!) coworkers, I would try my hardest to be polite and elegant, not talk to much, and definitely not swear.


It would go something like this in my head...


(in my 20s) "Oh god, I better suck my stomach in. I cant look fat. I have to be careful not to say shit because I might look trashy. And I shouldn't tell anyone I'm a bartender, because that's not a real job." (ha- if I only knew how cool that really was...)


And now, in my 30s, it goes more like this...


"Oh god, I'm so bloated I feel like I'm going to tip over. This girdle is killing me. I hope I don't have to stand too long in these heels. I guess I shouldn't swear, because the president's wife might not like it..... Awww, fuck it."


I'm confident in my own skin, and it feels good. I'm not so worried about being hot, or charming, or sober. I just let myself be me, and I dont let it get me down when I'm not perfect.


Because I was never perfect to being with.

At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Where was I today?

Last night at the Foundation Room was fun. I had a yummy salad with blue cheese and vinaigrette, and then scallops for dinner. We had a bottle of expensive Merlot and creme brulee for dessert!

Today, I worked, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the Sysco Food show. Sysco brings vendors, restaurant owners, and chefs from all over Las Vegas together to sample (pig out) on every type of food Sysco distributes.

So basically you get to walk around, shake a lot of hands, and eat.

And eat.

And eat some more.

Mmmmmmm.

I took lots of pictures so stay tuned for those.

But I'm tired today. And it's only Wednesday!

Shecky's ticket winners - Round 2!

Since both my winners in round 1 opted for jewelry, I still have these tickets to give away.

After 2 more random selections, Tina Medina is the first prize winner of 3 Shecky's goodie bag tickets!

Congrats, Tina! Email me to claim the tickets!

Second prize goes to Holly at I Like It Frantic. She and I have a long history of disagreeing, but have recently made amends....and I'm so glad she won. Congrats, Holly! You just scored yourself 2 tickets! Email me at Tasha@thehousewifediaries.com to receive your goodies!

Busy week ahead for The Housewife!

OMG, you guys. The amazing, flapper-themed bachelorette party that I've been talking about?

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It's this weekend!

And no, Liam, we wont be offering Pay Per View during the party...but that comment sure was funny! I'll have to remember that idea for future night's out with my girls. Maybe we can pay for our hotel room that way.

For the party planning, I'm in charge of the room, the music and the booz. Sounds like 3 jobs that suit me, eh? I cant divulge too much more than that at this point because the bride-to-be reads my blog. I don't want to give everything away before the party! So, like the bride, you'll just have to wait to hear what we have in store. (Giggle)

I just created the music play list last night and it took me 4 hours! Phew. I'm pretty proud of my list. It has lots of raunchy chick music on it. Here's a song preview that's fairly clean...

Take It Off by The Donnas

Ready To Go by Repulica

SexyBack by Justin Timberlake

Boogie Shoes by KC and the Sunshine Band

I also found the cutest feather headband that will go perfectly with my flapper get-up:

Other things I have going on this week-

Date night at The Foundation Room tonight! Click here to read about my last trip up there. The hubs has a bunch of business people in town this week, and part of his job is to schmooze them. So we get to take a few people to a very nice dinner, and expense the bill! Score! Since we're schmoozing, though, I have to be polite and friendly, and remember not to swear too much. I've been told I'm a pretty good schmoozer when I want to be.

I have my monthly Las Vegas Writer's Group meeting to attend. This is the coolest thing- writers from all over the city get together (including most of my fellow scribes from Living-Las-Vegas.com) for beer and lots of note taking. We have a guest speaker every month, and this month's speaker is Sarah Lee Marks, who writes as Lander Marks. Should be fun!

And, my newest (and most difficult to write) article gets published this Friday. The topic? Home Birth! I'll post a direct link once it's up! I hope you'll check it out- even if you don't agree!

So, as I said, this is going to be a busy week. Stay tuned for all the juice on the bacelorette party, and a blog about the other activites I have going on- but you'll just have to wait and see what they are! I'll give you a small hint - there's food involved.

Didn't win the Shecky's contest? Dont give up yet!

Both my winners have chosen to receive a piece of jewelry from the Las Vegas Shecky's show.

Which means, I still have five Girl's Night Out tickets to give away.....

Which means I'll be choosing TWO more winners tomorrow.....

Which means if you didn't win the first round, or the second round, you have a good chance of winning the third or the fourth.

I'm not giving away anymore jewelry, but you will win the famous goodie bag tickets if you're picked.

Stay tuned for more winners!

First Place - Shecky's tickets!

Congratulations to Monica at Moon Over Maize!

Monica, you've just won yourself 3 tickets to the next Shecky's "Girl's Night Out" near you!

Send me am email at tasha@thehousewifediaries.com to claim your prize.

Second Place - Shecky's tickets!

The Mom Jen from Cheaper Than Therapy! Congratulations, Jen! I know you'll have fun with these tickets! Email me to receive your prize.

Congratulations!

Thanks again to everyone who entered. It means a lot!

I'm slow, I know

The winners have been chosen. Woot!

Right now, I'm working on the fun way I'm going to announce it.

Patience, my darlings. I'll have it up in just a bit. Thanks to everyone for entering! Hopefully I'll be able to have many more contests in the future!

I'm picking a winner!

I'm picking a winner today for my Shecky's contest. Not only 1 winner, but two winners. I've decided, since I have so many tickets to give away, I'm going to pick a first and a second place winner.

First place will get 3 tickets, second place will get the remaining 2. So you now have more of a chance of winning! If you're chosen as the first OR second place winner, and there isn't a Girl's Night Out event near you, you'll get a piece of jewelry from the Las Vegas GNO happening this June.

Are you feeling lucky?

Stay tuned.

This is what happens when...

Imagine this:

The husband is out of town. You've had a really long day but, you've put the kids to bed (phew!) and you go to open a cheap bottle of wine to ease the stress away.....

....and then, to your horror, the stupid bottle opener breaks off in the cork.

Damn!

I tried to Macgyver the dang cork outta there anyway. I mean come on, how smart can a cork actually be? I can totally do this....

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Pretty smart, evidently. I didn't get any wine that night.

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Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations

Being a foodie, I am a lover of the show No Reservations. Have you seen it? Anthony Bourdain the chef travels all around the world, drinking lots of alcohol and sampling the best food each country has to offer. I love him because he drinks, he swears, and he loves to EAT.

Be still my beating heart.

The Travel Channel has asked The Housewife to help get the word out about the show. I've been begging my contacts to bring Tony to Las Vegas....so I can pick his brain, and his stomach. And maybe say shit with him with a few times....

Here's info on this week's show. Enjoy, foodies!

In the next episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, we get to see a sensitive side of Tony. He recognizes his large Filipino audience and that the Philippines is a country and food culture that he really wants 'to do right by.'

You may recognize one of his hosts while there, Augusto, a runner up from the Fan-atic special, which aired last season. Although Augusto wasn't picked, he made an impression on Tony, and in turn, he is treated to a reunion with his family and 'the best pig…ever' at a spectacularly large cookout. (aww, how sweet!)

He also delves deep into what exactly it means to be Filipino by exploring their history and the many prominent cultures of the islands. He travels to Manila, Pampanga, and Cebu, visiting a dampa and dining on adobo shrimp, sisig, crab (keep a look out for the stuffed crab – I almost booked a ticket immediately!), goat heads soup, ox tail and of course, lechon.

Don't watch hungry!

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Philippines airs on Monday, February 16 at 10pm EST on the Travel Channel.

Here is a preview:

http://www.viddler.com/explore/TravelChannel/videos/87/

Tony will write about the episode on his blog: http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/

A Valentine's Day confession

I confess...

I opened (and ate half of) the box of Valentine's chocolates I bought for my son's kindergarten teacher.

*Sigh*

Well! The box was just sitting on my counter....staring at me.

I bought her the cheap box, too, so the the chocolate pieces weren't even that good. Kind of a waste of 500 calories if you ask me. But I ate them anyway.

That should teach me not to buy other people the cheap chocolate. Karma's a bitch.

Now I have to go out and buy a new box, so my son has something to give his teacher today at the class party.

But no one needs to know about that first box....

Nice mom I am. I cant even keep a box of chocolates in my house without totally stealing it for myself.

Happy Valentine's Day. Here's your cheap chocolate.

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Have you entered my contest yet? It ends on Sunday so hurry up!

March of Dimes - New Bloggie Project

Remember my new BFF, Gary Fox at March of Dimes? To read all about why I made him my new BFF, CLICK HERE and then come back.


BTW, he's really funny. But you'd never know it by just meeting him. Get him to send you an email, and then the jokes come rolling out.

Anyway, he's going to create his own blog soon...with a little help from me (evil laugh), and once he gets it up and running you should definitely check it out. It's not every day that you get to read about a head honcho at March of Dimes, ya know? I'm also peer pressuring him to get a Twitter account, because I'm cool like that.

Did you know that I have a Twitter account myself now? My Twitter name is VegasHousewife....pretty self explanatory, right?


My newest bloggie project is that Gary has graciously offered me the chance to attend, and blog about, the Las Vegas March for Babies in April! The money raised helps supports programs in the Las Vegas community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the serious problems that threaten our babies. March of Dimes has been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $1.8 billion.


If you live in Las Vegas, and are interested in signing up to march, CLICK HERE.


If you dont live in Las Vegas, but want to find a march in your area, CLICK HERE.


The Las Vegas March is on April 25th, so there's still plenty of time to sign up! Stay tuned for more info, and a big ole blog from me about the March for Babies!

One more thing...

P.S. I just want to make it clear- this contest is open to ANYONE and everyone.

You don't have to be a regular reader, or even a blogger.

You can leave a comment under the contest thread as 'anonymous' - just let me know how to get in touch with you (because you might win!).

Clear as mud? (that's my sentence of the day)

NEW contest! Shecky's tickets!

Now that I've got ya warmed up, let's have another contest, shall we?

It'll last for this entire week. I'll pick the winner on Sunday, February 15th.

What's the prize?

The winner will receive not 1... not 2... but 5 free goodie bag tickets to the Shecky's Girl's Night Out near them. Click here to see if there's an event near you. If you're the winner, and there isn't a GNO near you, I will personally send you a beautiful piece of jewelry from one of the designers at the Las Vegas Girls Night Out this spring.

You'll just have to trust me to pick it out! (giggle) I promise I'll pick it out before I start drinking...

What do you need to do to enter the contest?

Under my comments section, answer this question. It doesn't have to be a serious answer, either. Be a smart ass for all I care! I dare ya. Just answer this:

Who would you take with you if you won the tickets?

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A winner will be randomly selected on February 15th. Share this bloggie contest with your girlfriends- get them to enter, too. Because if they win, maybe they'll take YOU.

Men, I also encourage you to enter. You can give the tickets to your wife. You'll rack up some major brownie points- courtesy of The Housewife. You can thank me later! *wink wink*

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Wanna see how much fun I've had on past Shecky's events here in Las Vegas? Click the "Shecky's" label on my left sidebar under More of the Same...

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Good luck, everyone!

The Animal Odd Couple

This is for all of the animal lovers out there.

Watch it all the way to the end- that's the best part!

Sometimes I wonder how I became me.

Have you ever wondered how the hell you got to where you are?

Some of the things are obvious.

I worked hard at my jobs.

I didn't marry my first long-term (asshole) boyfriend. Instead, I left him and pursued the only man that I had true 'love at first site' for. Luckily, he came around and noticed me....and married me! Score!

I stayed poor and had bad credit for most of my 20s, which made me work harder and appreciate the meaning of the dollar. And my credit score is 775 these days....

But....

There are some things that I cant help but wonder....

WHAT the hell happened?

First off is the 30 pounds that I gained when I went from age 29 to 30. Seriously, that bullshit about your metabolism changing at 30 is crap... right? Um, no. It's real. You bitches still in your 20s- you better plan a diet strategy NOW, because your 30s are going to rock your fucking world.

And not only your world, but your ass, too.

I bust my butt at the gym, I've cut out pop (aka soda), beer (dear god!), and heavy sweets (meaning NO Coldstone). And still.....nothing. Not a single pound lost. What the hell, body? I eat fat-free Jello for dessert, for christ sake.

This is what my world has come to? Jello?

Here's another thing I've evidently lost: my personal dignity.

I work from home. I work a lot. I love it but, I have to start my day on the computer at 5:45am. EEK! When I was bartending, at 5:45am I had JUST gone to bed! So these days I work almost full time hours, and I get up really early. Since I get up at 5:30am, I wake up and throw on whatever is convenient (laying on the floor)...which means I wear a very eclectic ensemble while sitting at the comp.

But ya know...I don't care.

And then I think, holy crap! I don't care? I'm sitting here working, in my purple tank top, no bra, my breakfast spilled on my boob (because I spill everything I eat on myself), and fuzzy blue (with orange stars) PJ pants.

So hot.

Most days, I take a shower at night before bed, and don't even bother to dry my hair before I go to sleep. Which leaves me waking up with really funky hair. My 20-something self would have been horrified at the going to bed with wet hair thing.

Sweet.

I hope no one comes to my door right now.

Anyway.

This is me. How the hell did I let myself get this way? I'm that nerdy, fat-ass, 30-something mom who thinks she's still cool?

I need to get over that.

Texas Ladies - Holla!

I know I have a few Texas vixens who read my blog....well listen up.
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I'm giving you the heads up on the next Shecky's Girl's Night Out near YOU! Trust me, these are a ton of fun- the goodie bags are worth the ticket price alone. And don't forget that you'll get to taste some of the newest and best foo-foo drinks out there. Yum!

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There are TWO locations in Texas, so everyone can get in on the fun. And for all you men out there- this would be an EXCELLENT Valentine's gift for your lady. They'll love you for it, and you might even get lucky when they get home!

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WHAT: Shecky's Girls Night Out offers women everywhere a place to escape from modern day stressors (ahem, economic crisis!) and relax with their BFFs. Each night of the event features everything a fashionista and her entourage could want: delicious cocktails, tons of emerging designer fashions at amazing prices, fabulous beauty services and – the icing on the cake – Shecky's Famous Goodie Bags (because everyone loves some swag).

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With the amount of expendable income dwindling for women across America, Shecky's Girls Night Out offers women the opportunity to get together and bond while partaking in some guiltless shopping. Additionally, ladies at the event can expect to sample and score fabulous beauty products, along with complimentary manicures, hand massages, blow-outs and mini makeovers. New additions to this year's event include a resident designer showcase among others.

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WHEN: February 25th - 26th

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WHERE: Fashion Industry Gallery, Dallas

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WHAT TIME: 5pm - 10pm

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CLICK HERE to get your tickets to the Dallas Girl's Night Out!

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WHEN: March 4th - 5th

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WHERE: The Crystal Ballroom at the Rice, Houston

909 Texas Ave. (Between Travis & Main Sts.)

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WHAT TIME: 5pm - 10pm

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CLICK HERE to get your tickets to the Houston Girl's Night Out!

A guy walks into a bar...

As a former bartender, bar jokes are a guilty pleasure of mine. Here are a few of my favorites.

*An amnesiac comes into a bar. He asks, "Do I come here often?"

*A default Sans Serif font walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve your type here!"

*A giraffe walks into a bar. "High balls are on me!"

*A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says, "A beer please, and one for the road."

*A dyslexic guy walks into a bra.

And my most favorite of all is....

*A man walks into a bar and says, "Give me a beer before problems start!" Again, the man orders a beer again saying, "Give me a beer before problems start!" The bartender looks confused. This goes on for a while, and after the fifth beer the bartender is totally confused and asks the man, "When are you going to pay for these beers?" The man answers, "Ah, now the problems start!"

And the winner is...

Jamerican Spice!

Congratulations!

She has a beautiful picture on her header- go check her out and wish her a big congrats. She's not a regular reader of mine, but she's a self-proclaimed bookworm, which automatically makes her a friend. I heart fellow bookworms!

JamericanSpice, email me your shipping address at Tasha@thehousewifediaries to receive my most favorite book of all time: Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer.

Again, congrats!

Thanks to everyone who entered! The support is much appreciated. Stay tuned for upcoming Housewife Diaries bloggie contests, with prizes from Uppercase Living and Shecky's!

I'm picking a winner for my contest today!

I will randomly pick a winner for my first contest today!

Are you feeling lucky?

If you didn't get a chance to enter, well too bad, because you're too late now. But fear not- there are more contests to come with bigger prizes. You'll still get your chance!

Stay tuned for the winner!!