What’s Making Me Happy: Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Singing “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” [Video]

I am a big fan of Zooey Deschanel. She is so cute and quirky it is almost unbearable, and I have enjoyed the oddball characters she has played in both television and movies. It is because of her that I sat through the miserable disappointment that was The Happening and was also the reason why I was even remotely interested in seeing Our Idiot Brother, which was mildly amusing. I’m sure I would have enjoyed that particular movie a lot less if I didn’t go see it two days after Hurricane Irene hit Northeastern Pennsylvania (among many other areas). Our power was still out and I couldn’t stand to sit and stare at the wall for even another minute.

And then there was (500) Days of Summer in 2009 which also starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt; …

Top 10 Debit and Credit Card Stories of 2011

This past year was a very eventful one in the debit and credit card industry. Here is a review of the top ten stories of 2011:

Debit Card Interchange Fee

The government regulation of the debit card interchange fee was the most controversial issue of the year. The Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul bill went into effect on October 1. Before the legislation, the interchange fee averaged 44 cents per transaction. Now, the reduced fee is 21 cents plus an additional amount to cover losses from fraud. This cost the banks billions of dollars in lost revenue. The interchange fee was intended to resolve a bitter issue for merchants but it also ignited unintended consequences for consumers, such as banks dropping rewards for debit card purchases in the spring and proposing to add fees …

Picasso Hair Feathers Review and Giveaway [Closed]

Hair feathers are a new fashion trend that have burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere. Early last month I saw a commercial advertising them, a few weeks later I stumbled upon a website selling them, after that I started seeing blog posts pop up talking about them, and just recently, I received an email from Picasso Hair Feathers asking if I would be interested in trying them out. Of course, I was pretty intrigued by what hair feathers are all about and what has made this trend catch on so suddenly and spread to so many different age groups.

I recently spent an afternoon with my 6-year-old stepdaughter, Rylie, just the two of us. She is very girly, loves all things pink and purple, and the funkier the item, the better. As …

Become a Fan of Gift Card Weekend on Facebook and You Could Win a $20 Sephora Gift Card

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gift Card Weekend. All opinions are 100% mine.

Gift cards have long been the most popular holiday gift, and they are sure to rank number one yet again this year. It’s really no wonder why; gift cards take the hassle out of holiday shopping. No longer do you have to recruit a family member or friend of the person you’re shopping for to play junior detective to try to figure out what is on someone’s holiday wish list or spend hours wandering around store after store in search of a gift that will be enjoyed instead of returned for something else. Gift cards allow the recipient to choose their own perfect gift and every time they use it, they’ll think of the person who gave them the gift …

Chicken Fajita Grilled Pizzas [Ragu Recipe]

During the Ragu Brand Immersion Weekend in New York City back in September, I and the other Ragu Mom’s the Word on Dinner ambassadors were treated to a delicious lunch prepared by the Unilever chefs. We were able to try a variety of dishes, each one created specifically for Ragu using their line of sauces, all of which you can find on the Ragu website. Accompanying each dish was a recipe card; I brought home several, along with a whole lot of motivation to prepare them myself at home.

The first dish I made was Chicken Fajita Grilled Pizzas.

Tuesday Giveaway Linkup: December 20th – December 27th

It’s that time of the week again; blog link-up time with Woman Tribune! Use this space to help spread the word about the giveaways going on at your blog using the linky below, and while you’re here, don’t forget to visit the many other giveaways going on around the blogosphere. Who knows, maybe you’ll win some really cool stuff!

Here’s the deal: Use the linky below to link up your giveaways, and only actual giveaways. This means no linking using affiliate links, Twitter profiles, Facebook profiles, or to main blog pages. Lastly, if you’re a giveaway linky-hopper you know this already, but as a refresher, here’s how to submit your link below:

Blog Name – Giveaway Prize – End Date

Now link away!