High on Escada

I'm in love. With my perfume.

I've been searching for that perfect scent. The one that I don't get tired of. The one that doesn't give me a headache. The one that's the perfect combination of fruity and floral and HEAVEN.

Well, I've found it. And I think I'm addicted. I love it so much that I periodically smell my wrist or my shirt throughout the day. By "periodically", I mean every 15 minutes. I walk into a room and think, "What smells good?" Then I have to stop and think, "Oh yeah, that's me!"

Kevin just shakes his head and laughs at me. What he doesn't know is that I'm now searching for a male equivalent of this heavenly scent.

Holiday Folklore

Kyle and I sat munching on our first candy canes of the season. Suddenly, he turned to me and said:

"Mom, you see these red stripes? They have vitamins in them. But those white part? It doesn't."

I don't know where he got it. Even I, the Candy Queen, wouldn't attempt to pass candy off as healthy.

Desert Miracle

Those military folk sure know how to bring Christmas to the desert! We went to the annual Christmas tree lighting the other night and were in for a treat. Not only did they serve cookies and hot chocolate...

...but we got to see REAL reindeer, too! This fellow and his buddy brought
Santa & Mrs. Claus in on their sleigh. Pretty groovy.

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, we saw the SNOW!
They'd brought in a snow machine so all of these desert kids could experience the white stuff.

There was an inflatable snowman that took the brunt of the kids' excitement.
Poor Frosty didn't stay up for long...

We almost didn't go, but I'm sure glad we did. This will definitely be a Turner family tradition.

White Trash

My husband's great reluctance to actually pay money for a lawnmower has left us with this:

He's collected these little jewels from curbs and dumpsters. Now, do any of them work?

Number 1: Nope. No way. No how.
Number 2: The verdict's still out. He hasn't put gas in it yet.
Number 3: The outlook isn't good. It could happen, but it would take a lot of work.

Here's hoping for health and vitality for Number 2!
Trust me, those weeds in our backyard could use a good mowing...

Soarin' High

The wind blows here all the time, so I'm not sure why we don't do more of this:

Rest in Peace

It's a sad, sad day in the life of Ruth. For you see, my flat iron broke. It's been sick for awhile now, but after a nasty fall to the floor today...Well, it gave up the ghost.

But the truly sad part is having to cough up the money for a replacement. These miracle-workers don't come cheap. I suppose I could settle for a cheaper version, but once you've had a CHI, there's no going back.

Here's hoping some Christmas money comes my way. Until then, it may be a merry, "frizzy" Christmas.

Calendar, revisited

Today was Day 3 in the countdown 'till Christmas. In case you didn't notice before, the way this calendar works is that you pick a present from "Santa's workshop" and there's a surprise gift on the other side. You then place the gift on the calendar.

Well, today's gift was a tricycle. And apparently Kyle wasn't excited about it, because this is what came out of his mouth:

"A tricycle? I don't like any of these! Not a block, or rollerskates, or a tricycle!"

Then, peeking on the back of all the remaining presents, he said:

"Isn't there a Leapster on here somewhere???"

I guess we know what he wants for Christmas.

Countdown 'till Christmas

I'd like to tell you a little story:

Once upon a time, in the mid-80's or so, there was a woman who took a painting class. One of the projects in this particular class was a Christmas advent calendar. Now, this woman was quite talented and the 3/4 of it that she finished was absolutely darling. However, this woman also had three or four kids who kept her on her toes, so she somehow never got around to finishing that advent calendar.

Now, this woman's oldest daughter (who shall remain nameless, but let me assure you, she was quite the gal) had seen the half-finished advent calendar and was dying for her mom to finish it. And although this woman had good intentions, she still had those four little buggers keeping her busy and she never quite got around to it.

And so the poor advent calendar sat, in the corner of the garage, year after year. It made moves across the country, but was still unable to find it's proper place, inside the home. And every so often, that oldest daughter would notice it and ask, yet again, "Are you ever going to finish that?"

Until last year.

This oldest daughter now had a child of her own, and the woman wondered if her daughter wouldn't like to finish the calendar and keep it for her own. So together, the woman and her daughter finished the calendar. And now it's ready to make its debut:

It was 20 years in the making, but I think it was worth the wait. Don't you? Can't wait for the Christmas countdown this year!

Peanut Butter Playdough

What in the world could be better than being able to play with your food with your hands?

Peanut Butter Playdough

1 c. peanut butter
6 T. honey
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1-1 1/2 c. powdered milk

Mix everything together and get ready to play!

But don't forget to eat it when you're finished.

Yum...