We’ve been looking at custom address plaques to replace the one we have currently, which is pretty basic and boring. There are loads of options out there to suit all tastes, from bronze address plaques, specialty, personalized address plaques, and much more.

Our plaque right now is just too small (the Chinese food delivery guy can never find us!) so we want something bigger and bolder. We’re partial to black and silver inside our home, so we’ll probably carry that theme to the outside too. Our house number is a single digit, so we can definitely go big, silver and bold so people know where we are, while expressing our personality at the same time. We also like the name of our street, so we may include that below in a smaller font (it’s short, so readability won’t be an issue). This is the first thing people see when they find our house, so it’s important to get it right and make sure it expresses our unique, personal taste.

I was so thrilled to get a job offer on LinkedIn this week… only to find out that the job is in Stockton on Tees. Really? I’m in North Tyneside! I know England isn’t a huge country, but this is a perfect example of where local recruitment boards are far better than national job sites. And, as I’m sure any job-searching readers in York can attest, it’s hard to find local jobs. Most job sites are dominated by London or Southeast recruitment, with one or two postings for a career that’s vaguely North or might just be Scottish. So having a job board on ActivYork is awesome, because it takes being local to understand what local people want.

Proxy Pro 7 is a piece of software that gives remote access to other computers. Everything is done through the Internet over 256-bit encryption — the highest in its class — so sensitive data is secure. Troubleshooters can access other systems at any time to collaborate, troubleshoot or move files. I mentioned our locations earlier because this is so key — we have an eight-hour time difference between some of our employees, so the ability to log on and grab an important file while someone is offline is a big deal. This saves days of back-and-forth emailing and waiting, which is typical of businesses that use telecommuters.

The software also works with all the major operating systems: Windows, Mac and Linux, so our Mac-minded main office can still get remote access to our PC-based workers. I’m talking about using it for a company of 20 people, but can you imagine how great this flexibility would be in a school, government or MNC environment? The opportunities are endless.

When you exercise, oxygen is carried to your muscles via the bloodstream. This is why you breathe heavily; more activity from the muscles means more oxygen is required to keep your body moving. This is an essential performance issue, so you can see why a pulse oximeter is a helpful device. Athletes can monitor their blood-oxygen levels in real-time as they train simply by clipping the small device onto their finger. It also shows the heartrate, which is another essential training statistic.

Now that these devices have moved out of the ER and into small, cell-phone-sized devices that cost less than $100, there’s no excuse for athletes not to own one and take care of their bodies as they train.

They live in a smallish house, so I’m thinking about getting some type of childrens storage for their bedroom. Right now, their toys are just EVERYWHERE, and now that there are twice as many, it’s getting a tad out of hand. Ideally I want something neutral that the niece and nephew can share (because sharing is good ) and also portable, in case it ends up downstairs or goes on holiday with them. There are really cute baskets and cases at the link above; it’s just a matter of picking which one. They also have a really neutral storage chest that I’d love to get, maybe for one of their birthdays this summer (since it’s a bigger gift). And of course I’ll fill it with a toy or two, because mums love storage and kids love toys.

Here are a few of my recent faves:

Volvo Xc60 AWD – I <3 AWD cars, and Volvo is cool again thanks to Edward Cullen. The XC60 is my favorite kind of car — a crossover that looks great on-road but can drive off the beaten path too. It’s also sporty, with plenty of room in the trunk for sports equipment or gear for a doggy day out. It has a 3.0L engine, so it’ll give you plenty of punch too.

Honda Accord Ex-L – Honda Accords used to live firmly in the “dependable” category, but these days you get a lot more options. For example, Honda used to make a V6 Hybrid, which appeals to both my sporty side and my green inclinations. They stopped production on these a few years ago, but you can still find them on pre-owned car lots and they’re well worth checking out. The cool version out now is the Crosstour, which has a V6, decent MPG (16/28) and a streamlined, hatchback look. It comes in red too, so I’m sold.

Mazda Mx-5 – Admittedly, the Miata used to be one of my least favorite cars, but a lot has changed in the last decade. The new Miatas are much more modern-looking. The specs are still unspectacular, until you remember that these things are also small and light. Even with a four-cylinder engine and ~170hp, Miatas can still move.

Aston Martin – The model doesn’t matter; it’s an Aston Martin! Nothing says performance like Britain’s finest sports cars. My personal favorite has always been the DB9, not surprisingly because it appears frequently in video games. It may be out of my price range for now, but it can’t hurt to dream for the future!

A few things on my 2011 Wish List:

Sunglasses – I hope to have these by the time the crazy-bright UK sun comes out around June. Now that we have a nice big garden to tend and play in, I’ll be spending a lot more time outside and my eyes will need to be protected. For me, the style is more important than the brand, so I use ShopWiki to narrow my search down (to sporty style, in case Santa is reading this).

Woman’s Watch – I’m kind of a sucker for watches anyway, but I’ve been looking for something a little more rugged than the watch I currently have. ShopWiki can narrow down my search right away so I don’t end up looking at products that don’t apply to me.

ShopWiki also has fabulous shopping guides written by real humans (!) on a variety of topics, so if you know your crazy Aunt Mildred loves her fashion accessories but you don’t quite know where to go from there, the guide gives you tons of ideas and links to cool products. And I can’t stress enough that, even though ShopWiki is a shopping search engine, they’ve spent a significant amount of time putting these guides together and making them relevant for consumers. I wish I could write for them (hire me, please!).

My latest brainstorm is adding window boxes to the outside. This was also something I’d considered in our old apartment, but because we were only renting it was never a priority. Now, though, we’re looking into it and I’m so surprised by all the options out there. Window flower boxes come in all shapes, sizes and materials, so we can do up our house however we want and keep it under budget.

Our house is pretty neutral so I think we’ll end up with white garden window boxes, so it goes with the rest of the external decor. We’re saving up now for our big spring spruce up, and I’ll post pictures as soon as we start working on it!

A commercial planter comes in many forms, from individual office potted plants to outdoor commercial planters. This means that you can find the right solution no matter what sort of office environment you have. And, as I mentioned, taking care of a plant is something everyone in the office can do, or you can bring in a professional company to care for your plants (this is a better solution if you have large commercial planters that require more extensive care). Pick a design and plant style that suits your company style, from vibrant, bright flowers or sturdy trees and bushes. With some well-placed plants, you immediately transform Cubicle City into a unique, lively space.

Shops specialize in all kinds of scrubs, from designer, traditional and everything in between (for both genders, natch… and kids wear too). Look at BlueSkyScrubs.com — the selection is incredible. Looking for discount scrubs? They’ve got ‘em. Hats, jackets and accessories? It’s all there. The products are handmade — showing that there’s quite a demand for quality, long-lasting clothing in the medical industry — and come in all shapes and sizes. They even have medical coats and scrub sets.

But my favorite part of the site was the accessories. When it comes to letting your personality shine through your uniform, the lanyards and jewelry can really make it happen.