I thought it might be nice for me to share some of my favorite plugins and why I like them so much. So, here is the first post in my Plugin Review series!

Do you even get tired of having to search for things in your admin area? I have found a GREAT solution – dropdown menus for the WordPress admin panels!

Vital Stats:

Plugin: Admin Drop Down Menus
Author: Andy Staines
WordPress Version: 2.2 (though verified as compatible with version 2.3)

When you hover over one of the panel titles (Dashboard, Write, Manage, etc.), all of the sub panels appear as clickable dropdown options. One click and you are at the page that you need to be at! This is especially helpful if you have lots of plugins installed and can’t find the plugin options to change your settings because you can’t remember which panel it was filed in! Here’s a screenshot from the plugin’s webpage:

I have used this on my personal blog with WordPress 2.3 since the version was released and have had no problems. This plugin saves me so much time and frustration! Do you know of any great plugins for modifying the admin panel? Share them in the comments!

I have ALWAYS been obsessed with the Nutcracker. When I was younger, I danced in the Nutcracker every year with my dance studio. When I learned to dance on pointe, my first performance in toe shoes was as an angel in the Nutcracker.

When we moved to Florida, my new studio didn’t put on a production of the Nutcracker, and this devastated me as I had fallen hopelessly in love at this point. I had to stay involved somehow, so I started a collection. Today my nutcracker collection is quite extensive, and I am so thrilled that I have my Christmas decorations in North Carolina now because I will be able to put some of them up in my apartment! No worries, I’ll post pictures when that happens

I was thrilled when my senior year in high school, the women’s chorus that I was the president of at my school was offered the opportunity to sing the vocals at the end of the first act. I was thrilled to be involved again with my favorite ballet and a now required part of my Christmas. It was fantastic to be able to participate in this show in a new way, and I still sing along when I hear the soundtrack!

And now, it’s all coming full circle. Today, here in graduate school, I am in my box office rotation. And every five minutes or so the phone rings and I sell a few Nutcracker tickets to children and their grandparents . . . does it sound cheesy for me to say this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy?

I love the Nutcracker . . .

Wow, it really has been a while since I did a WFMW! I thought I’d jump back in with this week’s theme - the “Brand Loyal Edition.” We’re supposed to post about what brands/products we can’t live without. So, here are a few of my favorites!

Starbucks - there’s a reason I love my job. Not only do they make quality products, but they are becoming more socially responsible and they are an AWESOME company to work for (that is not marketing hype - all the rumors you hear about them being a great employer are true).

E. Webscapes - there’s a reason I love my other job too, LOL! I was a very loyal customer for E. Webscapes before I joined them this past spring, and now that I get to work for them every day I see just how much hard work and personal care goes into each design project. Most definitely worth the money!!!

WordPress - it is so freakin’ versatile! If you haven’t experimented with WordPress as a blogging platform (or just a site management too) I SERIOUSLY recommend that you do so. I’ve tried many different platforms, and WP by far outshines them all. You can do so many things with it, and it is super crazy user-friendly. I have 2 blogs run on it, plus I’ve set up blogs for 4 or 5 friends on WP as well. And they are people who don’t know HTML from PHP from voodoo . . . and they love using WP.

Bookcrossing - this site has revolutionized the way that I think about books. I was always taught to hold on to your books since they are such a precious item. I still have great respect from books, and if a book holds special meaning for me or if I REALLY enjoyed it, I will still hold onto it. However, I’ve also learned the joy of sharing books. It’s so awesome to read journal entries as your books travel around and are enjoyed by countless others. And, if that’s not enough incentive, think about how many trees you could save by not printing new books!

Amazon.com - speaking of books, LOL! Amazon is almost ALWAYS my first stop when I’m buying something new. The prices are almost always the cheapest (plus, within 30 days if the price changes you can get back the money you would have saved by using Price Protectr), the reviews are EXTREMELY helpful, and if you join Amazon Prime you get EVERYTHING with free 2 day shipping (yes, there is an upfront fee, but I’ve found that I save way more than that by not paying for shipping or having to bump my order up to $25 for free shipping, and there is the benefit of not waiting a week). I even applied for the Amazon.com credit card, and I use that as my primary card. I get 1 point for every dollar I spend, and once I get to 2,500 points, I get a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com! Since I keep track of my spending like a debit card, it’s not rare for me to see one of these almost every month. AWESOME. Books? Check! DVDs? Check! Canvas grocery bags? Check! New external hard drive? Check! All things I’ve bought (for less) on Amazon.com!

Finding awesome brands that I trust and have proven themselves to me time and again? Works for me!

While I was perusing the blogosphere, I saw a link at Petroville for a site I’ve never heard of - Baking and Books.

Now, if you know me, you know that baking and books are two of my all time favorite things - I LOVE them both! So to combine the two in a blog just makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. This site is FULL of recipes that look absolutely amazing (as in, I think I’m gonna need to go grocery shopping for ingredients tomorrow). And right now Ari has a really neat fundraiser going on. If you buy a raffle ticket for $5 you will be entered into a drawing for some awesome cookbooks. Four first place winners get FOUR cookbooks each, and SIXTY others will each get one cookbook. I mean, your odds are pretty darn good here!!! Go check it out!

Baking and Books » Foodies Unite! A Baking and Books Fundraiser