I decided to move to another platform so that I can add more features to the blog!

I’ll keep this site up so that you can view all the old content but check out the new website at: http://randomthoughtsandthrills.blogspot.com.

On the 7th day of September, the fashion gods said, “Let there be Zara online shopping.” Now when you go to Zara.com, you can order clothes online. Little fashionistas have been waiting for this moment for years. I quickly browsed the website to see what their fall collection consists of and, as you would expect; it is nothing short of fabulous. 

Could be cute with tights and boots in the fall. 

I. love. this. jacket.

I’d love to have this sweater for lounging around the house in the winter.

I think this cut will be really popular this fall/winter plus I love the texture of this dress.

Pair this with a black skirt or some dark-wash skinny jeans.

[Editor’s Note: If you haven’t watched the finale, look out below. This post contains spoilers for the September 11 episode of HBO’s “True Blood.”]

Confession: Because last night’s finale was infinitely better than last season’s disappointing end, half my notes were written in all caps and peppered with four letter words. Help yourself to some of Maxine’s pork rind casserole, ‘cause we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.

We joined Jesus and Lafayette (and Marnie, sort of) at a scene familiar to pretty much every couple at one point or another: The Awkward Brunch where stony silence with a side of home fries is the only item on the menu.

Jesus apologized to Lafayette for everything that had transpired during their time with the coven. “LaMarnie” took this as an opportunity to voice her displeasure at Jesus’ forcibly casting Antonia out and she stabbed him in the hand with a fork and took him prisoner.

 She told Jesus that she coveted something he had been trying to suppress his entire life – the powerful magic within him – and she threatened to kill Lafayette if he didn’t hand over the goods. So he did and she killed him. Sad trombone.

In Stackhouse news, Sookie and Tara convened for their annual Season Finale Coffee Klatsch where they rehashed how crazy their lives had been as of late and oh, by the way, it totally feels like Gran’s around.

Jason, meanwhile, told Hoyt about his dalliance with Jessica. Hoyt was predictably pissed and gave Jason a right proper ass kicking. (Truth be told, Jason deserved a beating for that mustache alone.)

At Merlotte’s, the bar was a hive of activity with lots of little tidbits teasing season 5’s storylines.

Sergeant Patrick Devins, a fellow Marine from Terry’s past, showed up looking to reconnect. Arlene was left feeling puzzled because Terry had never mentioned Sgt. Devins. When you allegedly save a man’s life (twice!) wouldn’t you tell your wife?

Sookie celebrated being rehired by tending to Alcide’s broken heart. He told her all about his breakup with Debbie and tried to convince her that they belonged together. He was serving up a fierce case of puppy dog eyes when he was interrupted by an urgent phone call. More on that in a minute.

Later, Tara showed up and told Sookie and Holly what had happened to Jesus. They took off in search of Lafayette and left me to wonder yet again whether Sookie has ever actually worked a full shift at Merlotte’s.

The girls found LaMarnie, along with Bill and Eric, on the front lawn of Chez Compton. The boys were silvered to a stake and began to burn as LaMarnie, clad in a caftan from the Mrs. Roper Resort Collection, cast a spell.

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I’ve been in a big Radiohead mood lately. Here is one of my favorite songs by them - “High and Dry” from early on in their career.

Backpack Folders

Tabs on the tops (rather than the sides) of these file folders make it easy to spot the right homework in a cluttered bag without dumping everything out. A-plus!

To buy: $2 for three, staples.com for stores.

Duo Fur Remover

This dual pet hair and lint remover makes it easy to rid clothing and furniture of unsightly messes. The rubber brush can even be used to brush Fido’s hair to minimize shedding.

To buy: $7, storables.com.

Warp-N-Mat Reusable Sandwich Wrap

Lunch just got a little greener. This reusable wrapper not only keeps sandwiches fresh and protected, but it also doubles as a placemat once it’s unwrapped.

To buy: $9, onestepahead.com.

Paper Shower

No time to shower after your workout? That’s not a good enough reason to skip the gym. Pack these wet and dry towelletes in your gym bag to provide temporary relief.

To buy: $7.50, papershower.com.

Laundry Basket With Folding Legs

Laundry duty has never been easier. This elevated laundry basket eliminates the need to crouch down to load and unload laundry, but still folds down for easy storage.

To buy: $25, containerstore.com.

Park’n Find

Lost in a sea of cars at the supermarket parking lot? This handy app takes the frustration out of finding your car by guiding you back to your space.

To buy: $1, itunes.com.

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Freida Pinto, in a similar style as Emma, looking absolutely adorable. 

In case you’re someone that skims past your LivingSocial emails…today’s deal is pretty awesome. Spend $10 to get $20 worth of groceries at any Whole Foods. Get the deal here and use it within the next 90 days!

This is actually extremely helpful. If only grammar teachers could be this entertaining…

My Russian best friend Nataliya always gets the best electronic music from Moscow before it hits big in the U.S. Here is a song I’ve been listening to on repeat - “Mr Saxobeat” by Alexandra Stan

We thought it would never happen. When we reported that comedian Ana Gasteyer had spilled the beans on a new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor based on a Saturday Night Live skit that pokes fun at NPR, we thought it would never happen.

But we were wrong. Ben & Jerry’s announced today that “Schweddy Balls” ice cream is on its way to store shelves across the country.

As we explained in June, “in case you don’t get the reference, the skit is a hilarious commentary on NPR’s, um, uniquely soothing sound. [Alec] Baldwin plays Pete Schweddy, a guest on a fake NPR show called Delicious Dish. Pete makes holiday treats like cheese balls, popcorn balls, rum balls and his famous Schweddy balls. The skit is an exercise in double entendres.”

We talked to Ben & Jerry’s spokesman Sean Greenwood and asked him, “What are you guys thinking?” We were imagining someone who’s never seen the skit walking the grocery aisles and stumbling on the flavor.

Greenwood laughed.

“We’ve always been a company that has had a sense of humor,” he said. Sometimes, he said, they spend time discussing serious business and other times “we just do fun.”

“This is just plain silly,” he said. And it tastes pretty good, he promised.

The flavor is made up of “vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum and is loaded with fudge covered rum balls and milk chocolate malt balls.”

It’ll be available for a limited time in about 30 percent of stores that carry Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

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My best friend Katie showed me this recipe and it looks absolutely delicious. Hey, summer’s over now so you can splurge on this recipe because you have half a year before you’ll be in a swimsuit again. Also, it’s a great twist to a traditional pasta dish. 

Recipe:

1 pound whole wheat pasta (noodles such as penne work best)

1 cup of your favorite pasta/tomato sauce

1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes

1 pint of grape tomatoes (I cut some in half and left some whole)

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream and grated parmesan. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and dump into the sauce, mixing to coat and turning off heat. Fold in mozzarella cubes and tomatoes, then chop 3-4 fresh basil leaves and add them in too. Once combined, spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire pasta mixture into the dish. Top with fresh mozzarella rounds. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Top with additional fresh basil and grated cheese. Serve with garlic bread. You can also add in chicken, steak or seafood for some protein.

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While beer and wine seldom lasts long in my household, from time to time there is the odd can or bottle left over after a party. When this rare event occurs, the leftovers can be put to use in a huge variety of ways – many of which most people would never think of. This list should help you use up your leftover beer. If you have any other tips for leftover beer, be sure to tell us in the comments.

10. Soak In It

Beer is an excellent skin conditioner. Next time you want to have a long soak in the bath, tip in a good can of dark beer before you hop in and just soak in it! This is a nice alternative to adding salt crystals (which soften water), but I see no reason that you couldn’t combine both for a super luxurious bath. Just don’t be tempted to drink the bathwater! Oh – and be careful if you go outside afterwards on a hot day (see item 4).

9. Soothe an Upset Tummy

This is my favorite item on the list. If you have a stomach upset, slowly sipping a can of beer can help to settle it down – and the alcohol has an anesthetic effect which helps to alleviate the pain. As most of us will know, this is also a very effective hangover cure! Just be sure not to use this trick if you have an ulcer or gastritis.

8. Polish Your Furniture Beer

is a surprisingly good wood furniture polish. Let a can of beer go completely stale and flat and pour a little onto a polishing cloth. Buff your timber furniture and follow up with a final dry buff. You will be amazed at how brilliant and shiny your furniture will end up looking.

7. Marinate Meat

Beer makes an excellent marinade. It really doesn’t matter what meat you are preparing – it will benefit almost all types from a few hours (the longer the better) in a marinade of beer. You can get really adventurous too – add any flavors you like to the beer – even things like marmalade or jam. A more common addition would be soy sauce or other Asian sauces. If you are marinating pork, you might want to add some chunks of pineapple and pineapple juice with some ginger for a sweet and sour result.

6. Naturally Remove Slugs

Slugs are a terrible pest in a garden – particularly if you are growing for eating. Instead of using chemicals like DDT on your veges, bury a small saucer up to its lip in the garden and put fresh beer in it each day. The slugs will be attracted to the smell, get drunk and drown. Be sure to refresh the beer daily. With a little luck you should have a saucer full of slugs and healthy looking cabbages!

5. Fertilize Your Garden

The yeast and other extracts in a can of beer are very good for plants. If you end up with a pile of left-over half-drunk cans or bottles of beer, tip them out onto the garden. Just watch out for cigarette butts if your guests use them for ashtrays – while some plants do like nicotine extract, not all do and you could kill your prize plants.

4. Deter Bees

Bees and wasps are attracted to beer – so instead of spending a fortune on citronella oils or candles, try putting a few open beer cans around the yard at your next BBQ. Obviously you should put the cans away from where people will be sitting or standing. Oh – and make sure no one decides to have a swig from one of the cans when they are drunk – it will result in a very unpleasant (and potentially lethal) situation!

3. Wash Your Hair

Beer “shampoo” can add luster and body to dull limp hair. It is also a much more natural alternative to store-bought shampoos which contain a lot of chemicals. Just mix one can of beer with a raw egg and use it as you would use a normal shampoo. It was quite common in days gone by to use raw eggs for shampoo – it even lathers up like the chemical stuff. Try it – I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. Just keep in mind that the shampoo will go off if you don’t use it within a couple of days. This is probably best as a once-a-month special treatment. You can also use beer on its own as a conditioner – rinse your hair with it, let it dry off, then rinse it off.

2. Make a Batter

When making a batter, you often add a little raising agent – usually baking powder. In this recipe, you use beer – the bubbles in the drink and the yeast provide the raising. So, here is the recipe: put 1.5 cups of flour and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt in to a bowl. Pour in 1 12oz can of beer while mixing. That is it! If the batter is too thick, add more beer. If it is too thin, add a little more flour. If you are planning to use this batter with fish, dredge the fish in flour first – remembering to shake off the excess. This is a great tasting batter that I use all the time.

1. BBQ a Chicken

This has to be one of the easiest recipes around. You simply take a full opened can of beer, stand a chicken on it, and throw it on the barbeque (well – don’t literally throw it – that could be very messy!) The beer can is inserted in the neck area (where you would normally stuff the chicken) and stood upright. While the chicken cooks, the beer heats up and subtly flavors the meat. You end up with a tasty and surprisingly moist chicken. You should also rub a little olive oil over the chicken and salt and pepper it before starting. If you have a favorite “rub” you can add that too. Oh – make sure you drink half of the can first – it should be half full when starting out. I am sure you will have no trouble finding someone to help you with that part of the recipe. Cook the chicken with the BBQ lid on for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh (or the juices run clear if you pierce it with a knife).

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The website www.childsown.com lets parents turn their children’s drawings into real dolls. The results are both adorable and amazing.