How To End Christmas Gift Drama Before It Starts.

Hey guys, I am very excited. I interviewed one of my favorite people (my brother in law, Dave), about one of my favorite holiday products. Which happens to be free.

This might just change your life.
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Hey Dave, sorry this took so long to set up. Also, sorry my questions are so boring. Feel free to spice them up if you want!

Hmmm... spice them up. Should I sprinkle in suggestive pictures of myself after each question?

YES. Wait, no. My inlaws might read this.  

What is the Wishlist Factory?

WishlistFactory is a free website that lets you share wishlists with groups of people, such as your family, your in-laws, close friends, etc. It's great for any holiday or celebration and it makes keeping track of what gifts everyone wants easy. This can be especially helpful during Christmas, when it's hard to keep track of who wants what, and who has already bought a certain gift for someone so you don't end up buying the same thing (duplicate gifts are usually a bad thing, unless it's money). WishlistFactory keeps track of all that stuff for you.  

Why did you create it?

I originally made the website for my wife, who is very very into Christmas. You could even say it's an obsession, but you didn't hear it from me. She loved buying gifts for everyone, but this usually involved calling everyone to find out what they wanted, which resulted in answers like "Uhh... I don't know... a snuggie?". Even worse, she'd find out later that someone else already bought that person a snuggie! This made my wife unhappy, and when my wife is unhappy, guess who has to be unhappy? Me. Really I made the website for myself, but that sounds selfish, so the official answer is "to make the holidays a little easier on my wife".  

What are your favorite features?

There's a lot of features that make sharing gifts with others easier, but I particularly like being able to claim gifts, so other people know to think twice about putting their grubby mitts on a gift I'm giving someone. You can also print out shopping lists for people, so you can remember what someone wants when you go to the store. I also like being able to sort gifts by price when I'm feeling cheap. That's nice too.

Of course WishlistFactory has all those other necessary features, such as uploading pictures of gifts from your computer or the web. You can also include a link with a gift so you people know exactly where to buy it online. But these features really aren't worth mentioning.  

What is Surprise Protection?

Let's say you want someone to get some lingerie for your grandma, a spunky gal. You can add the lingerie to her wishlist and she won't be able to see that you added it. Your Grandpa checks her wishlist and excitedly buys the slinky surprise and marks it as Purchased on her wishlist. Now everyone know what she's getting, and your grandma's none the wiser. That's surprise protection.  

How about the Desire Meter?

The Desire Meter is a fun little slider bar that lets you tell everyone in your groups how badly you want a certain gift. For instance, my 16-year-old brother-in-law has 60 gifts on his wishlist. Normally, I wouldn't know what to get him, but luckily he set the desire meter to 10 out of 10 on some gifts, so I know which gifts will be a hit. Now if I can only think of a way to come up with three hundred bucks for a leather trenchcoat...

Adding a Gift

What if I find something not on Kurt's list? How do I make sure no one else buys the same thing?

You can add gifts to other people's wishlists, and they'll never be able to see the gift, even though they can add gifts to their own wishlists. Then, you can set the gift's status at any time. You have several choices from Purchased(I bought the gift), Claimed(I'm going to get the gift, don't even think about it!), Too Expensive(I'm a cheapskate), and much more. Other group members can see these statuses so they know what's up.

Some gifts, of course, shouldn't be shared, Helena. For instance, that prescription strength deodorant you were planning on getting Kurt would fall under this category. I wouldn't worry about anyone else getting that for him, except for those who hang out with you, naturally.  

What if I have multiple groups using it- my family, and Kurt's family? How does that work?

You can belong to multiple groups, so you can have one for your family, and one for your in-laws. Anyone in a group you belong to is allowed to look at your wishlists. I'm thinking about adding more options, such as Secret Wishlists that only people of your choosing can access, but I haven't implemented that yet. Once I do, I think people will feel a little more comfortable showing off gifts that they might not want their in-laws to see. You know what I'm talking about.

Yeah. I think we all do.

Thanks Dave, for sharing your masterpiece! Which you can all check out at wishlistfactory.com.

Happy Thanksgiving you guys! I hope this makes your holidays a little bit easier.






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Awkward? Oh no, we are WAY past awkward.

I wanted to go to a sex shop.

(For my international readers, a sex shop is a place where you buy lingerie/adult novelty items, not a place where you buy sex. Just thought I should clarify.)

I guess I come across as pretty unfazeable in real life. When someone opens a white elephant gift and finds sparkling cider, condoms, handcuffs, and a pregnancy test, I always get blamed.

(Ok, fine. It was me.)

But when it comes to the adult novelty items in the back of the store, I get all flustered and awkward. I can't stop blushing, and eye contact is out of the question.

Still, I was curious.

I told Kurt that I wanted to go to an adult store a while ago, and he was game. But every time we tried, I'd chicken out last minute. They all looked too sleazy and dirty.

...And most of the ones in Pennsylvania weren't really sex stores- they were adult book and movie stores, with creepy old men as their main clientele.

No thank you.

I decided to try the Blue Boutique.

The Blue Boutique is a shop in Salt Lake City. It's a well lit, classier option. I get their emails, and even though I've never been there, I knew it would be a better choice.

We planned it out, and picked the day. My Dad was taking us all to The Roof for dinner on Monday, which is right in the center of Salt Lake. Perfect.

We would drive separately, and make The Stop on our way home.

What could possibly go wrong?

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The day wasn't going as smoothly as my dad had hoped. My little brother hadn't gotten the message, and was still sleeping ten minutes before we were supposed to leave. My dad was really frustrated, and stormed around the house.

He just wanted it to be special.

After some pretty stressful minutes, they all piled into the car and left. But then a few seconds later they peeled back into the driveway.

"Helena! Why aren't you guys driving with us??"

I looked up from my makeup in surprise.

"Well, we aren't ready yet. We will just follow you guys in a few minutes."

"No, just come with us now. I want this to be special."

I could tell he was really frustrated.

I thought fast. "We have a few stops to make. It's ok, dad, don't worry."

He was getting more and more agitated.

"Are you mad at me? What's going on?"

"No, we just want to drive by ourselves."

He paced into the other room, muttering to himself. Then he turned to Kurt and said, "You guys are going over to Amber and Dave's house afterward to play games. It doesn't make sense. You should just drive with us."

He marched back over and demanded "You guys need to just get in the car."

I was flustered. "Dad! We have errands to run!"

He was nearing the end of his rope. "Helena, I want this to be nice, and you're just making it harder than it has to be! I don't understand, just get in the car and we will drive together-"

"Dad! We are going to a sex shop! And I don't want you to come with us!"

The words just hung there, begging me to snatch them back.

We stared at each other, horrified. The silence grew more and more awkward, and finally he turned and walked out the door.

Mortified, I turned to Kurt, who was just standing there in shock. "I didn't know what to do!" I pleaded. "He wouldn't take no for an answer!"

Romy, the cleaning lady, was dying of laughter in the background.

She finally gasped out a full sentence. "I can't-gasp-believe-gasp-you said that to your father!"

She was doubled over with laughter.

Kurt started chuckling too.

"It just came out you guys!"

They were laughing too hard to respond.

...My poor Dad. He just can't seem to catch a break.


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When we went over to Amber's house later that night, I shared that story with my sisters.

They were more horrified than amused, and Chantel piped up with a story of her own.

"For our one year anniversary, Michael and I decided to check out a sex store. We were in Saint George, and we looked in the phone book. There were a few phone numbers, but no addresses."

"Did you call?" we asked curiously.

"Yeah. The number belonged to a lady who sells sex toys out of the back of her car."

"WHAT??"

"We met her in a parking lot."

"...you're kidding."

"No, she was really nice."

I just...I didn't know what to say to that.

So there you go. If you're in Salt Lake, check out the Blue Boutique. And if you're in Saint George, check out the shady people who sell sex toys out of the back of their cars.

********

Kurt's response when I told him this story: "And that, my friends, is how you catch Chlamydia."


********

Note from Chantel:

"It was a lady who does sex toy parties! Like Tupperware parties! It wasn't weird!"

Sure, Chantel. Sure.

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It's like an English fox hunt. Only, with children.

Christmas trees are pretty important to my family. I remember going to the Christmas Tree farm year after year, all bundled up in our snow gear. We would spend hours looking for that perfect tree.

Well, my Mom would spend hours looking, while the rest of us ran around playing our traditional game of "Hunt Chantel Down And Push Her In The Snow."

It was similar to an English fox hunt, only it ended with Chantel in tears, and the rest of us in time-out for a week.

(I asked Chantel if she had anything to add to this memory, but all she did was glare and turn off her webcam.)

If we ever came across a particularly amazing tree, we would run up and suggest it to my mom. But she never chose any of the ones we found.

(They always look smaller before you bring them home)

Once my Mom decided, all bets were off. She had the final say.

But we didn't mind. That wasn't really why we came to the farm. Now, where did Chantel go...?

One year, we were chasing Chantel through the Christmas tree field, and suddenly she disappeared. What the heck...?

We stopped, and looked around in confusion. We had been right behind her. Where did she go??

After a few seconds, we heard a little voice call "Hey guys? I'm in the hole."

She had fallen into this giant pit, camouflaged by all the snow.

We were laughing so hard, we could barely pull her out. It was the funniest thing that had ever happened- at least, the funniest thing at the Christmas tree farm!

Even now, We still laugh about that one.

I've tried to get Chantel to recreate it, but she refuses to go with me to a Christmas tree farm. Or even a snowy field.

Weird, huh?

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I'm linking this to Chantel's carnival, Small Treasures Tuesday (which is open all week long). Because memories like these are a treasure.


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My very first (very rambly) Vlog.

I....Vlogged. Last night. For the first time.

It's kind of awful.

And I sound like a 12 year old.

AND I couldn't edit it, due to some incredibly unfortunate internet connection issues.

But I'm uploading it anyway. Because maybe you guys are curious about what my face looks like in action. Or maybe you feel like watching a crazy-rambly video today.

I wouldn't want to keep you from your dream.



What do you think?

Aside from it being kind of pointless. Is this something you want to me to do more often (or ever)? Or are you cringing, and wishing you could erase that image from your minds?

I'm desperately awaiting your comments.

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I hear it's freezing half way through. Lame. The vaguely funny parts are all in the second half. If you are just dying to see the rest of it, here is the youtube link.

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Also, did you see the quiz on my sidebar? -------->
You know you want to answer it.

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And finally, I'm linking this to my sister's Blog Carnival, Small Treasures Tuesday (which is open all week). Because Vlogging Awkwardly is a Treasure


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How To Figure Out Your Bra Size: A Useful Guide From A Qualified Expert

I worked for Victoria's Secret the summer after my Freshman year of college. People at church were shocked.

"A Kaiser Girl is working at Victoria's Secret??"

(I don't get it. You guys know me- of course I would work at Victoria's Secret.)

It was like they expected me to immediately start humping random strangers in the dressing rooms.

(Not that there's anything wrong with doing that.)

(Kidding, obviously. That would be immoral. At least exchange names first.)

I learned a lot of important things that summer:

1. How to stop a shoplifter in his tracks:

"Excuse me! Sorry, but that thong is falling out of your pocket. Would you like me to put it back for you?"

2. How to diagnose the problem in a bra:

"See how your boob is overflowing? That means the bra cup is too small. Nice tattoo, by the way."

3. How to make enemies of the other sales girls:

"Oh hey, it's time for my break! Have fun getting that guy out of her dressing room. She's moaning so loud, it's frightening the other customers."

4. How to reassure a cross-dresser with a perfectly straight face:

"You and your wife want matching lingerie? No problem. Do you two prefer lace, or leather?"

But my most useful life skill?

5. How to measure your chest, and determine your bra size.

And now I'm going to share that wisdom with you.

Before we begin

Take a tape measure. Or a piece of string and a ruler.

Put a bra on. One with little or no padding works best. This makes it MUCH easier to find the fullest point of your chest, which we will need for step 2.

Step 1. Determining Your Band Size

Tightly measure your ribs, right under your boobs. Your arms should be down. If this measurement is an odd number, round up to the nearest even number. Make a note of the inches. For me, it's 31", so I round up to 32.

That's your band size. I wear a 32 (but a 34 fits on the tightest notch).

A note about notches: The problem with starting on the tightest notch is that as you wear it, the material will stretch. If you're starting on the loosest notch, you can gradually tighten it.

If your band size is an even number, you may want to go up 2 inches. If I was a 34, a 36 might fit better. It depends on the stretch of the material.

Do not add 5 inches! That is an outdated method, which dates back to 1930. Back then bra design was new, and that system does not work with the stretchier materials used today.

Step 2. Determining Your Cup Size

Measure around the fullest part of your chest. Do this loosely. You should be able to fit 2-3 fingers between your chest and the tape measure/string. Make a note of those inches. For me, it's 38".

Now, what's the difference between the cup size measurement and the band size measurement?

Here is the equation, with my numbers: 38-31 = 7.

For each inch of difference, you have a letter.

1 inch = A

2 inches = B

3 inches = C

4 inches = D

5 inches = DD

6 inches = E

7 inches = F

And so on.

So yes, I am a 32 F. Try finding that size in a store.

Which brings me to my next point. What if you are in a store, and you fall in love with a bra, but they don't have it in your size?

If you are normally a 34C, you can try a on 36B. The cups will fit, because the cups on a 34C and a 36B are the same size. The band will be a little loose, but you can try it on it's tightest notch, or work some safety-pin magic (ghetto, but semi-effective).

Where most women go wrong.

Because the cup size is directly related to the band size, if you are fairly slim, you may need a large cup size even though your boobs don't look any bigger than average.

The pros of wearing the correct size:

Your boobs will get better support. Which means they will sag less.


(this is incredibly useful. I learned things, and I'm an expert.)

You're Welcome.

Disclaimer: Using this method will tell you what size to try on first. Bra size can be effected by distribution of body fat, back proportions, or a difference in the manufacturers sizing, among other things. There are many factors that interact with your bra size, and I can't predict them all.

 (all uncredited images used in this post have been purchased)


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My Awesome Brother In Law (this might change your life)

Hey guys, Have you checked out my Sponsors? They are all there for a reason. BECAUSE THEY ARE AWESOME.

Do you see the one in the middle of the top row? Here, it looks like this:




That button leads to an awesome website, designed and run by my brother in law, Dave Hulihan (Amber's Husband).

I love it. It's called the Wishilist Factory, and it has made our birthdays and holidays SO much easier.

Here, I'll let him tell you all about it (and I'll even add more pictures, just for you guys).

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Hi, my name’s Dave, and I’m the owner and developer of WishlistFactory.com, a private wishlist website for friends and families. This website lets you create wishlists(for any event or person) that you can then share with a group of people.

A little background

I have a big family, and my wife’s family is also pretty big. As you can imagine, keeping track of what one individual person wants for their birthday or for Christmas can be a nightmare...

Growing up, I often received bizarre gifts like Volcano Documentaries, Oven Mitts, Socks, Thermometers, etc. Not bad gifts, but not always appropriate for a teenage boy. I think these were the result of people not actually knowing what I had on my wishlist.

Originally, I made this website for my wife, who loves Christmas and buys a ton of gifts for everyone. During the holiday season it can be tough to stay sane while keeping track of what people want and who has already bought a gift on someone’s wishlist. This website helps out with that.

WishlistFactory lets you create a wishlist for yourself or anyone else in your family, and you can create groups(like one for your family and one for your in-laws) of people that can then see that wishlist.

Surprise Protection is very important, the person who the wishlist is for must never know what other people are getting them!

Other people in the group can add gifts to anyone’s wishlist and change the status of the gift(if you bought the gift, you would mark the gift as Purchased and so on) so no one ever buys the same gift as someone else(which prevents awkward moments).

There’s a lot of other cool features on the website, so stop by and check them out. This is a free service, so create an account and try it out. Hopefully it will help with keeping your sanity when it comes to gift-giving.

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So here's the thing- this website has made holidays and birthdays so much easier. Especially since I moved across the country.

No more calling people over and over to say "Do you have any idea what to get this person?"

So go check it out. It's awesome.

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Giveaway With My Sister! (closed) (I'm still mad at her)

You guys met Chantel this weekend when she guest posted about her foot phobia which I didn't cause. And then you got to meet her again yesterday, when she snuck back in my blog and posted all those awful pictures.

(I'm going to add a bunch of pictures to this post, to illustrate our relationship)

She is a terrible person.

And she is lucky it was her birthday.

Don't worry guys, I'm planning my revenge. But I'm going to be really, really nice to her until then. It will be creepier that way.

Let me tell you a few things about Chantel.

We don't actually call her Chantel very often. It's always Tel, or Tellie, or Tubby or Tubs. 

She is 22, and she looks like she is 14. Mostly because she is only 4'11" tall.

Chantel loves the arts. Acting, dancing, painting, writing. She loves doing it, and she loves when other people do it.

She has a new passion for blogging. And jewelry making.

We are so good at gang signs. My favorite is Annies.

And she loves her family. Especially me. Oh yeah, and her husband. And maybe our sister Amber.

She likes animals and small children. No, not to eat. (although she does look creepy that picture...)

She also loves Bath and Body Works. She has an extensive body splash collection, and more soap than she knows what to do with.

Today she is giving away this set of Bath and Body Works hand soaps. The scents are Tangerine Burst, Crisp Cucumber, and White Citrus. Beautiful.

You may be wondering why I agreed to host this giveaway. It's Stage 1 in Operation Be Incredibly Nice To My Future Victim.

This Giveaway is great if:

A. you like pretty smelling things, and

B. you wash your hands after using the bathroom.

I imagine that's most of you...

There are a few ways to enter. You can choose any, or all of them. The more times you enter, the better your odds of winning!

(be sure to leave a comment for each entry. That way we won't miss any)

Optional Entries:

1 Entry: Do you have any funny stories about your sisters? Or maybe you've heard funny stories from friends. Tell us about it in a comment!

1 Entry: Follow My Thoughts And Treasures (Chantel's blog)

1 Entry: Follow Life in the Pitts

1 Entry: "Like" the Life in the Pitts Facebook Page.

Up to 3 Entries: Promote this Giveaway. Tweet, blog, make it your facebook status, etc.

The winner will be contact through email. Or twitter, or their blog, or maybe smoke signal if email isn't provided. 

This Giveaway will close on Sunday the 4th, at Midnight, so be sure to enter before then!
 

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I hate my sister. There, I said it.

CHANTEL. I am so mad at you.

These are the kinds of photos that I untag in facebook. FOR A REASON.

You're lucky today's your birthday.  That is the only thing keeping my feet from your face.



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Pictures of Helena

When Helena went on her "Weekend Getaway" she gave me her log in information for her blog... 

Well I figured I would take this opportunity, before she changes her password, to inform you all about some of the reasons why my sister is awesome: 

She makes out with pillows

a lot...

 after this I left to give them privacy

 She plays with knives

 she steals candy canes

She reaches for the stars while hanging out upside-down

she's clueless all the time sometimes

sometimes she's annoyed

she is a creepy stalker

she loves food

and eating

a lot

she sucks her thumb

she pretends to sleep

she reads a lot

she loves hotel safes

but hates sporks

she tries to eat me

again

and again

If she tried, she would win America's Next Top Model

She could coach people in "mattress aerobics" 

and she's a good friend.

Did I mention she likes to eat?

(Helena would want me to post these... I'm sure...)

~Chantel

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