F Martha, Here's Bunny's Favorite Things!

Hi! My name is Nikki, but please call me Bunny. I have a house renovation blog called 86'n It, currently live in Asheville, NC with a cat named Tuna and am pretty sure I have my husband convinced to name our first child (due in 3 months) Kitty. Then, we will get a fish and name it Baby and the circle will be complete!

I am proud to say that I no longer feel the need to call Michelle "My internet Friend". We e-meet online 4 years ago while planning our Ohio weddings and e-hit it off! She has been a daily positive presence in my life thru message board postings, emails, and snail mail cards. We even met in real life once! I think all the "internet friends" were REALLY surprised to finally find out that I was not a bald, creepy 60 year old man. :)

Anybunny, on to the post! I know that everyone else has done lists, but dang it, that is what I wanted to do too! I have a collection of random items that I love that I have been dying to share with other people, so here goes:

Bunny's Favorite Things:

ZuZu Mascara

Usually, I'm not very observant. I'll wear a shirt with toothpaste on it not only all day, but then again another day. I will walk around with a stone in my shoe. Whatever is one of my favorite words. For some reason about a year ago, my eyes got really sensitive. I only wear mascara about 3 times a month, but every time I did, my eyes would burn and itch and just about drive me nuts. I lived with this for about 6 months until I decided I need to get some better, sensitive mascara.

I ventured over to one of the many, many natural stores in Asheville (where the hippies run shoeless and the patchouli wafts freely thru the air) and plunked down $15 for a tube of ZuZu Mascara. This stuff ROCKS. It stays on, lengthens and defines the lashes, and is so good to my eyes that I wear it for days at a time (ok, I'm sure that is not recommended, I'm just too lazy to wash my face.) But seriously. It is great.

Flash Dancing Your Tshirts

This one I just discovered. I would venture to bet that you have a drawer full of free t-shirts that you got at that BBQ Fest, AIDS walk, or radio station give away. If you are like me, you can't stand those big, bulky t-shirts, but can't bear to throw them away (I need to watch MORE Clean Sweep). And honestly, how many painting shirts can you have?

Here is the solution: cut the neck off flash dance style. So easy. Now that Team Building Exercise '99 shirt looks just plain sexy skimming that left shoulder! If you are especially feeling it, you can rock some leggings and truely channel Sarah Jessica Parker in Girls Just Wanna Have fun.

Citrus Magic
My husband has eczema and other petroleum allergy issues, so we can't have too many fake-y chemical smells in our house. Problem is, our house was built in 1922 with no bathroom exhaust fans and we currently only have one bathroom. Citrus Magic to the rescue!

This stuff is made with real orange extract and smells amazing! Granted, I love oranges. (As a kid, I would eat up to 6 oranges a day and got acid burns on my mouth!)

RetailMeNot.com

I am a huge cheapskate. My mother raised me to not only appreciate a good bargain, but to expend massive amounts of energy to get them. Once, my husband got a terrific deal on a Calvin Klein sport jacket. He was so excited he exclaimed: "I want to call and tell your mom!"

I don't remember who told me about Retailmenot.com, but it is my go-to website before I buy anything online. Using "promo codes" and coupons online can be frustrating, but I've found that this site's codes actually work. Try it because nothing feels better than saving an extra 10% just by hitting one copy & paste!

Letting Shit Go

Here is where I prove that Asheville is making me a hippie. One of my most favorite non-thing things lately is learning to let shit go.

It might be that I'm getting old, but it also might be the mountain vibe around here. We moved here from NYC, which I loved, but honestly, was bad for my "Zen". Sure, it is funny when the characters on Seinfeld get all worked up about every little thing, but living your life that way is truly exhausting.

Not that I'm advocating apathy, but do I really need to honk if the light is green for more than 2 secs? Does it really matter to me if that lady bumped my shopping cart? Or if your coworker wants to homeschool? If your wife always forgets to hang up her towel? :)

I've been really surprised at the freedom I feel by not letting stuff weigh me down.

That being said, I'm gonna end this post now because I need to write my husband an email letting him know that I am sorry; he can put the Christmas tree where ever he would like.