Technogel Pillow Of Deliciousness - and a giveaway!

This year at BlogHer, I happened to stop by the Technogel booth (what can I say? I was lured by the giant bed! A girl's gotta rest her feet!), where I was able to try out the oh-so-comfortable Technogel mattress and pillows.

And oh man. If you've tried memory-foam-type pillows, you know the feeling - except that Technogel products contain gel instead of foam. More on that later.

I am a picky sleeper. I have a very particular method of stacking pillows (one slimmer Target brand "firm" pillow on top of another, fatter, IKEA brand "firm" pillow), where the top pillow has to be stacked at just the right angle atop the bottom pillow, and I often have to readjust several times before getting it right each night. I need just the right amount of firmness, at just the right angle, and recently I noticed that my once-firm Target-brand pillow was starting to lose steam. Oh, first world problems, I know thee well. But when the kind folks at Technogel offered me the chance to try one of their luscious pillows, I knew I couldn't pass it up.

Oh hello, there.
Nice curves.

I chose the "Anatomic" pillow (pictured above), and have been sleeping on it for the last two weeks. And I don't think I can ever go back, guys. I don't know that it gives me "a fresh feeling around [my] face and neck" (one of the advertising claims), but it definitely stays cool throughout the night. As for the other claims? The 3-D Deformation does support my head and neck (and the Anatomic shape means that it works whether I'm on my side or my back, which is good news for me, since I tend to roll around a lot. It's even comfortable when I'm on my stomach, even though it's not marketed as the one for stomach-sleepers). And it is definitely odorless and hypoallergenic -- I'm prone to allergies and somewhat sensitive to smells, so this is something I care about. And it's not really relevant, but it's a heavy pillow. And I kind of like that. Not sure why, but I do.

If you're interested in more information, Technogel made this 10-minute video. I'll be honest, I didn't make it through the whole thing, so, uh, no pressure or anything. They do have a lot of great information on their website though, so you should definitely check that out. The only downside I can see is the price (I think it retails for around $150), but considering the quality and that it should last for years, it's worth it, yo.

But, oh, what's that? Something about a giveaway? YOU LUCKY PEOPLE, YOU! Technogel is letting me give away one pillow (winner's choice!) to one lucky winner (super lucky!). That's right - one of you lucky readers is going to get one of these magical pillows of wonder. Something tells me my husband might be entering this giveaway...

As far as the giveaway itself goes, I'm using Rafflecopter for the first time, and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, so forgive me if it's awkward or something - just let me know if it is and I'll figure it out. The contest is open until Sunday at midnight, and all you have to do to enter is do one (or all!) of the things listed in the Rafflecopter widget thing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In the interest of full disclosure, Technogel provided me with a complimentary pillow to review, but I received no other compensation for this post. Technogel did not require a positive review, nor did they influence my review in any way. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Shelf It (don't Shelve It)

In the spirit of getting things done (I finally baked with pumpkin!), and actually starting to settle into our house (where we've lived for a year), and with just a little stroke of inspiration, I finally figured out what to do with the awkward space above the TV. I just couldn't see hanging one big picture, or several small ones...it just didn't look right. But then I remembered the photo ledge - a narrow shelf on which we could lean several pieces of art, photos, and such - which creates some visual interest through the varying depths of the shelf and objects placed on it.

It involved a bit of effort, what with the drilling and the anchors and the drill bit being just a tad too small and one of the screws getting stripped and well, you know. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. But it's up, and it's looking good so far!

Some choice photos from the process:

Post-it notes as drill-shaving-catchers!
Inspiration from Young House Love
(I do think the tape would be good for
stickiness, but I definitely needed the larger
platform of the post-it note). 

Three pilot holes drilled, post-it shavings
caught neatly. Ok, I did end up spilling a
bit, but imagine how much messier it would
have been without them! (hint: MUCH) 

TA DA!
Note: the TV is actually a bit crooked on its stand...the shelf
is perfectly straight (thanks, laser level!) - guess I'm going to
have to figure out how to tighten/straighten the tv now.

peek-a-boo screw that didn't go all the way in

So...not 100% perfect, but it looks good to me! Now we just have to figure out exactly which art to display where...

Questions? Comments? Have you knocked any tasks off your list this weekend so far?

Quickie Crafting

I have this cute little set of picture frame bookends. I've had them for years. And for years, the picture frame area has held this stunning little drawing of Edgar Allan Poe. And tiny text that says "your 3.5"x5" photo here". Oops. 

When I organized my cookbooks over Labor day, I stuck one half of the bookend set up on the shelf to hold up our collection, and Poe peered down at me, and everything was fine and dandy.

However. I recently I saw this super cute print on Pinterest, and hunted down the downloadable version  through a series of clicks (love ya, internet). I think it's a good message for the kitchen...things don't always go right while you're in the kitchen, and sometimes you just have to go with the flow. You know? You know.

Anyway, I decided to print it out on photo paper and stick it in the frame. The ratios weren't quite right, so it's not perfectly centered in the frame, but I made it work well enough (it's not quite as crooked in real life as it is in the photo). And it's a nice reminder to stay flexible in the kitchen.

Before:

After:

Cute, no? 

Weekend Warrior: TCB

This was a weekend full of productivity. I don't have pictures of each completed item because some of them didn't warrant pictures I am a bad blogger I kept forgetting to take them. And now it's nighttime, and the lighting isn't good enough for good pictures, so you'll have to settle for photos of my to-do list.

Circa Saturday morning.
Looks like a lot, but I was feeling confident! 

Circa Saturday afternoon, before I left the
house to cross off "library", "bookstore" and
"massage".
Not bad for one day, eh? 

Circa Sunday night.
Only 5 things not done. Plus, I added one
(get rings polished). Plus, we took out the
garbage. And I tended to the garden. And I
organized the abyss that is our dining room
closet. Hell yeah.

The things I didn't get to: clean/organize the pantry (though I did take some "before" pictures), bake something with pumpkin, buy groceries take disposable cameras from our wedding to Walgreens, and blog. Ok, I'm blogging now. But I have about eleventy billion posts in various forms of draft, and they need to get written.

Considering the length of the list vs. the length of the weekend, I'm very pleased with the progress. Sure, there are always more dishes and there is always more laundry, but that's par for the course. Sure, there are a couple of new piles in the living room, but they're nowhere near as disorganized as they were before, and they are in a very "ready to get taken care of" position. We finally have some things hung up on our walls, and the family room is starting to come together nicely (photos at some point when I have better light). The dining room corners, formerly holding large piles of "stuff to be dealt with later" are empty. Giveaway items are sorted and ready for Goodwill (PS, want a TiVo or an XBox?), and the 2,000 piece puzzle we started in July is almost finished! Bonus: we got nearly 10 hours of sleep a night. Both nights.

We also attended this event, where we ended up not just eating delicious food inspired by the beautiful cookbook and meeting the author/photographer, but making new friends as well. If you've found my blog, hi there, Laura and JD! :) We ended up sharing a bottle of wine and getting to know each other, reveling in the awesome that is the bay area and kindred spirits. I love our neighborhood.

My family is coming into town next weekend, and the house is almost to a place where I feel proud and ready to show it off. We've only lived here for a year, so it's about time, right? 

Did you accomplish any big tasks this weekend? Any little tasks? Did you just get a bunch of sleep? Let me know in the comments, and link to your blog post if you wrote about it! I'd love to read about what you've been up to!

Laborious

This Labor Day Weekend I...

• Baked a crazy delicious cake (mine wasn't quite as pretty, but it was damn good)
• Had a slumber party with my oldest girlfriend
• Attended a disappointing football game in a beautifully renovated stadium
• Made the best breakfast sandwiches ever
• Played with a ton of children
• Had a ladies' night (complete with the requisite nail polish, chick flicks, and abundant food)
• Ate an entire box of mac and cheese while watching TLC (ladies' night #2)
• Exploded a dishwasher hose (more on that later)
• Organized the cookbooks (more impressive than it sounds)
• Did several loads of laundry and dishes (whoa baby)
• Was told multiple times that "there's no rush, of course, you just got married, but you don't want to wait too long to start having babies, you know, there are health risks, and well, you have time, but still"
• Began a bit of the "clear the living room" organization project (more on that later)
• Stared into the abyss that is our huge living room closet. It needs so much work. 

What did you do on this holiday weekend?  

(or non-holiday weekend, if you had to work or aren't in the US)


Ed Note: I forgot to mention that at aforementioned slumber party, I (we) also made homemade French Onion Soup. From scratch. With broth that I had frozen in March after making Corned Beef and Cabbage. From scratch. And we created exactly three portions (me, friend, husband). Not to toot my own horn (toot toot), but I think we might be magical. From scratch.