My Favorite Websites . . . right now

If you know me, you know I don't live long without technology. Even camping I take my cell phone and make sure we can use Google Earth on it or some sort of GPS to make sure we can find the tent again. I do a lot of my shopping online (no crowds), nearly all of my banking (again, did I mention no crowds) and even track how far I've walked with my Nike+ shoes (to get AWAY from the crowds).

So it would seem I have a teeny tiny expertise in the area of rampant internet consumerism, and for one lucky post, all my knowledge can be yours. Shall we begin?

MY TOP ELEVEN FAVORITE WEB SITES (in no particular order)--That's right, eleven, deal with it!!!

1. The Shabby Shoppe digital scrapbook store: http://www.theshabbyshoppe.com/
   I just like this lady's digital scrapbook kits and designs. Plus, I use them for a lot more than scrapbooking . . . the spring kit will figure prominently in baby shower decorations in the next few weeks!
2. Pioneer Woman Photography: http://thepioneerwoman.com/
   Has awesome Photoshop actions, Photoshop tutorials, Photography hints, and even other website sections related to cooking and home schooling. The recipes look great and her pictures of them look even better. She can keep the home schooling, though!
3. Oh My Crafts: http://www.ohmycrafts.com/
   Everything scrapbooking, and it's cheaper than at the stores. Plus, sometimes they offer free shipping, or a discount on your total order, which makes all your craft items an even better buy!
4. Nelle and Lizzy: http://www.nelleandlizzy.com/
   Personalized silver rings and necklaces, and in a style you can't really find anywhere else. You can have your baby or sweetie's name in silver on your finger or around your neck, just in time for Mother's Day! These pieces are the bomb!
5. Columbia's Kitchen (formerly Super Suppers): http://www.columbiaskitchen.com/
   It's like having mom cook for you, then freeze the dish! Delicious, better than supermarket frozen food, and cheaper than eating out. I highly recommend the Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf and the Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas.
6. Ancestry.com: http://www.ancestry.com/
   Let's face it. If you're doing family history research, you're eventually going to have to get on this site. I know, I know, rootsweb and genweb are free, and this involves a membership, but still, you can get more info, in less time, with easier search tools and better hints from the mama of them all. Ancestry still rules the genealogy game.
7. Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/
   I have a thing for the past, especially old time radio and TV broadcasts (for my purposes, old time radio and TV involves anything originally broadcast in the 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s--in some cases I'll include 70s and 80s if I'm being nostalgic for my own old time lifespan.) Hulu has great TV shows you can watch on your computer for free, if you don't mind a few commercials. They have some of the old 60s Dragnet TV show, and of course, some newer stuff, depending on your taste.
8. Netflix: http://www.netflix.com/
   And, if you don't mind a few bucks a month and sitting at your computer monitor instead of your television (or at your TV if you have Tivo hooked up to Netflix, but I digress), you can watch even more old TV with no commercials. Plus some movies. I love this service--it's really worth the $14 a month to get the Rockford Files any time I want me a little James Garner in 70s polyester plaid.
9. iTunes: http://www.itunes.com/
   I love downloading old time radio and listening to it while doing the stuff I don't want to do, like laundry and such. It makes the separation of whites and darks so much more interesting, if Boston Blackie or The Shadow or Perry Mason are solving crime in my head! Plus most of the OTR podcasts on iTunes are free. Can't beat it, unless you don't have an iPod or other MP3 player. But seriously, that's like not owning a microwave anymore, right?
10. Pro Bar meal replacement bars: http://theprobar.com/
    I love the Cran Lemon Twister, and the Cherry Pretzel ones the best! If you're out or busy or need a little snack, these babies can either be a pick me up or a whole meal, depending on how much of them you eat (350 calories per bar). They really fill you up if you're hungry and lunch is still a long way off--and you can slip them in a diaper bag or purse or car glove box or hide them under your bed or in your underwear drawer! Think of the options! Plus, after you find out how good they are for you, you can buy them here (or at Clover's, but since this is all about the web, we'll gloss over that.)
11. One True Media: http://www.onetruemedia.com/
    Get all that footage out of your camera and into everyone's e-mail inbox! You upload your clips to OTM, add in some (for the most part) free styles, effects, transitions, music, whatever, and then you can share it by e-mail, to another person's Tivo, buy a DVD of it, any number of options. You don't have to invest in footage editing software or burn your own DVDs or try and get Grandma to understand how to open the MPEG file you sent. I use this site a lot!

Ta-da! Oh, and of course, blogger.com, but then again, you guys knew that!

PS: Other sites I love, but that didn't make the list because it was getting too long: http://www.bellasnaps.com/scripts/default.asp; http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=18797&cmd=tc; http://www.heavenlystitchesembroidery.com/ (yes, that's Hayden, it's Kristin Lasiter's site);
http://www.otr.net/; http://www.papertreyink.com/; https://lty.s.upromise.com/secure/cookiedHomePage.do and http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/shop/