Won't You Be My Neighbor?

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?...

Home Fries has just discovered Ork Posters---a company that makes nifty city neighborhood maps like this one of Chicago. While they haven't yet mapped out all the hamlets in my Hoosier 'hood, I'm considering buying on anyway....of a city I don't live in, but love, Washington DC.

I just love the graphic design on these. I've always been a sucker for clean, "wordy" design, so these are right up my alley.

And? They are oh-so-green-and-trendy, printing with soy-based inks and 100% recycled paper.

Go get one today---hot off the presses.

-(STOP)- the Presses

Need to send a memorable note or card? -(STOP)- Check out the Telegram Stop to send an old school message to friends or family commemorating birthdays, holidays or any other reason you've got to say hi. -(STOP)- Unless you were born during McKinley's presidency, odds are you haven't sent or received a telegram--a travesty that must be corrected. -(STOP)-

Best of all? -(STOP)- You can send one of these nifty little suckers for less than $5. -(STOP)- Now that's something to write home about. -(STOP)-

Going to the Dogs

As many of you may know, Home Fries is a bone fide Dog Lover. My little guy, Max, has taken up a major spot in my heart (not to mention my home--who knew dogs needed so much stuff?).

This Sunday, we walked with thousands of Max's favorite doggie friends at Mutt Strut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to benefit the Indianapolis Humane Society.

All these dogs and their owners made their way around the 2 1/2 mile oval, from the yard of bricks, through turns 1-4 and by the famous pagoda. It's a sight to be seen.

It's not too late to donate! Visit the IHS website for information on doing good for the animals.

Finding Your Inner Modern Artist

Sometimes, you just need a break.

Enter jacksonpollock.org, a delightfully simple and creative outlet for your gray matter. Click, drag your mouse and Poof! you've got a picture that any modern artist can be proud of. Whether you need a 15 second breather to recover from that moron on the conference call or a twenty-minute moment of zen, you are sure to perk up after creating your masterpiece.

If you need some inspiration, check out Pollock's work (the real stuff) at MoMA.

We Now Interupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

...to talk about breasts. Breast cancer, to be more specific.

This Saturday, Indianapolis will be host to the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Thousands of moms, dads, sisters, brothers, grandkids, and babies will walk, run and stroll towards finding a cure for breast cancer.

Whether you're a Hoosier or from parts not Midwestern, check out Race for the Cure in your area and get going. You can either walk, donate or simply support a runner/walker. Together, we can make a huge difference for thousands of families.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Indianapolis
Saturday, April 18th

^{Register Online Now!}

Music to My Ears

You must have been living under a rock not to hear about the Internet radio sensation Pandora.

For those uninformed, it is the result of the Music Genome project that catalogs music. All kinds of music. Good music. Bad music. Twangy music. Rock music. Pandora takes said catalog and can create, with your input, your perfect radio station. Addicted to Abba? There's a station that will have you saying Mama Mia! Hungry for country? Get your fix on some Pasty Cline, Johny Cash or even Taylor Swift (gasp).

I'm pretty sure that Pandora has saved the sanity of many a worker trapped in a cubicle or at a desk for hours upon hours every day. Personally, when I hear Time After Time come up, I do an internal happy dance that is bound to take the workday blues away.

But for those of us without iPhones, Pandora has remained elusive for listening on the go. Our long national nightmare is over! Pandora is finally ready for Blackberry. After giving it a try for the last week, I must say, it's even better than I thought it would be. No streaming issues and is perfect for walks with Max the dog or traveling.

Strap on your spiky heels and get your groove on!

INSERT YOUR NAME, Come on Doooowwwwnnnn!

Well, going to the grocery store isn't quite as exciting as winning the Showcase Showdown on Price is Right.

But, it can be made slightly less painful (or even kinda fun), thanks to the shopping gurus over at The Grocery Game. For a few bucks a month, they take all of the work out of coupon shopping. With their List, they'll show you what to stock up on now, and what to wait on. They monitor retail trends and even let you know which newspaper to buy for certain deals.

All in all, it can save you some major cash at the grocery. If you choose to shop while wearing a bright yellow price tag name tag, far be it for me to judge. Come on down!

Color Me Happy

Blanket? Check.
Sandwiches? Check.
Amazingly easy photo editing software to make you seem like the best photographer in the world? Check.

Move over Annie Leibovitz. Amateur photogs everywhere can elevate their works of art to new heights using the online program, Picnik. You can take an ordinary picture like this:


And turn it into something Warhol-y like this:



or something space agey like this:


Or something sweet like this:



The possibilities are endless. And, Picnik can link to Facebook, Flickr and more to upload and save pictures for easy access.

Best thing? No ants to get into your picnic basket.

Spring Chickies

Home Fries will be the first admit, I'm not the tidiest baker. So I do really well on things that don't require precision or loads of patience. But, Bakerella won me over with these cute little spring chicken cake pops. What's a cake pop, you ask? It's a cake that's been baked, cooled, rolled up into a little ball with icing and then covered up with candy melts.

So last night, there I was making little chickies until about 10 p.m. I have to say, mine don't look nearly as neat and tidy as Bakerella's, but they do, in fact, resemble chickens. (well, mostly--there is one that looks like a blob. I prefer to think he is simply big boned.).

I'm hosting an Easter egg decorating party tonight (photos to come), so these chickies will make the perfect little favor for guests to take home....or eat right then.

Be sure to check out the Bakerella archives; she's got all sorts of good ideas, no matter the season.