I wrote about something called Pottery Barn Catalog Syndrome on Vitamin G a while back. Here's how I described it (quoting myself, which seems really quite weird): "When I'm flipping through these catalogs--looking at all the gorgeous and perfectly clean and tidy spaces--I start to feel bad about my own house. First it's the little things like "man, I can't believe how awful my coffee table looks." Then I start thinking about how bad my living room rug looks and before long I'm thinking: "NEW HOUSE! Definitely need a new house." Anyway, I'm having Crate and Barrel Catalog Syndrome these days--especially after seeing an ad for their summer sale, where a certain chair caught my eye. But here's the deal: I can't tell if this Jardin Chair is cute or horrible. On one hand, I can see it in my office or in the corner of my bedroom looking kind of fabulous. But wait, is it way too loud? Bold? Take-me-away-to-the-Caribbean? Sometimes I worry that I don't have decor-dar (you know, decor radar). I need a interior designer BFF and fast. What do you think of the chair? P.S. I hate cribs. We had to buy crib #3 (today) in less than three years due to a second major crib recall. Do you know how obnoxiously time consuming it is to install a crib?

Ever since I saw a post on this genius pie, which also happens to be a cookie and a cake (I know!), over at the gorgeous blog CakeSpy--they call it "the triple threat"--I have wanted some, even if it's just a teensy bite. Because, who are we kidding, a slice of this thing would induce a heart attack. But because it's Friday and because it looks like absolute fun, I'm sharing it with you today. Jessie at CakeSpy says, "Separately, each is wonderful in its own way. Cookies and milk after school. Birthday cake. Pie at Thanksgiving. But what if--just what if--all of this awesome could be combined into one singular sensation?" Enjoy! [Photo: CakeSpy]

Truth be told, I'm a cookbook junkie. Speaking of, I'm writing about Kate Gosselin's new cookbook tomorrow on Glamour.com--specifically, just how sad it is that something like this is in the works. Nope, I won't be buying it. Hey, I'm all for cookbooks, but not this one. Read more about my feelings on the matter, and why I've officially broken up with Jon and Kate here. And, tell me, would you buy a cookbook from someone who some say can't even cook and whose kids sometimes call her the babysitters' names? Just asking

[caption id="attachment_39" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="I wish I could go back in time and eat these--right now."][/caption] Hi everyone! With this post, I'm kicking off my newly designed Web site--which is really just my old site with my personal blog built in. Kind of cool, huh? I have my good friend Wendi Parriera to thank for giving me the head start I needed with Web design help in the past and now Jennae Petersen for assisting me with this new upgrade. (P.S. Hire them both--they're fab.) I blog daily over at Vitamin G, on Glamour.com, as many of you know, so the posts I do here are going to be less about health and fitness (though you'll see some of that too--what can I say, I can't help myself), and more about personal life stuff, motherhood, magazine and book writing, and the occasional randomness. Stay tuned! Doesn't that photo just make your mouth water? Sigh. I made those rustic fruit tarts over a year ago for a story I did for Hallmark magazine that, sadly, was at the printer just as the magazine folded. Bad luck, but at least I have the photo to stare at and drool over now and then. P.S. I have no idea how to manage the tech end of this site. Figuring it out as I go