Little things mean a lot. Seriously.

The last 24 hours have been AMAZING around here, with a steady stream of UPS and FedEx deliveries after my late-night online shopping spree a few days ago. The best stuff so far: my new kitchen trash can from Wal-Mart and the custom 44¢ postage stamps I ordered from Zazzle.com.

The best trash can EVER. It’s made by Hefty, has a cool push-button pop-up lid and uses standard 13-gallon kitchen bags ... and it’s also the biggest kitchen can I’ve ever seen. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. (The can I had before was a silly stainless steel thing from Bed, Bath and Beyond with a useless shape that didn’t hold very much.) You can order this Hefty kitchen can in tan, white or black (mine is tan), and I paid $13 with FREE SHIPPING. However, the white and black ones cost 50¢ more. I can’t explain why.

Custom 44¢ postage stamps. Even more thrilling than my new kitchen trash can are the custom stamps that came today from Zazzle.com. Are these adorable, or what? I got so excited that I stuffed and stamped our Christmas and Hanukkah cards six months early. (I had them printed a few months ago. I’ve always been an over-achiever.)

This was actually a comforting and useful activity on the hottest day of the year. It was 101° today; the humidity was 60% and made it feel more like 110°. NO WAY AM I GOING ANYWHERE IN THIS KIND OF HEAT. You can’t park the car outside, because when you get back in you could wind up with third-degree burns from the seat belt and steering wheel.

Incidentally, let me know if y’all ever want custom postage stamps for a special event ... such as wedding invitations, an anniversary or birthday party, baby announcements or just something with your logo on it. I can design them for you and order them. Postage comes in three sizes and a lot of different denominations. Just send me an email for details, and thank for you reading this. Try to keep cool. Consider watermelon.