It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Did you know there are 56 days until Christmas? Scary huh? My husband, whom I adore, will begin taking down the Halloween decorations and lights tomorrow, and by next weekend, he will have gotten all of the Christmas decorations down from the attic. He will begin stringing lights on the house and in the yard. He will map out where the Santa and reindeer and sleigh will sit. He will place snowman and geese and the Christmas Moose in their places. He will strategically place the artificial christmas trees magically transforming our desert landscape into a winter wonderland. On Thanksgiving night, he will flip a switch, the music will play and the lights will dance in tune. The trees will sparkle and the geese will look like they are floating on ice.

I cannot wait!!

Car Accessories. It's almost christmas!

My husband is an automobile junkie. He is addicted to new cars and trucks. In his mind, he should have a new truck at least every two years. I do not share his auto buying enthusiasm. In fact, buying cars and trucks makes me a little sick to my stomach. The thought of spending all that money makes me gag. Needless to say, along with his love of all things auto, he also loves buying the neat auto accessories that spice up his vehicles. Granted, I have asked for a new set of floor mats and this year I am asking for a cargo liner to protect my carpet, but other than those two things, oh, and a wireless hands free bluetooth thing that stays in my car, I don't need any other automobile accessories. But maybe that new stereo with the GPS navigation. Santa could totally bring me that!

I want an outdoor fire pit

Remember the joy of camping and spending time outdoors with family and friends? Gathering around campfires in the mountains or at the lake and telling stores? Bring those memories home with a new outdoor fire pit. Savor the evening by the pool with the warm flicker of your own fire while you enjoy good friends and good conversation. Relax without leaving your back yard. Here in Arizona, outdoor fire pits are everywhere. All of my neighbors have one and my family is considering one too. For me, being able to sit in my backyard, listening to the sound of a bubbling brook waterfall and smelling the sandalwood burning is equivalent to my own personal oasis in the desert.

I had never considered an outdoor fire pit until this year. We have lived in Arizona five years and now that fall has finally arrived, the yards are filling up with laughter and conversation. The night sky is calling and in the distance, the coyotes are howling. We are watching movies on the patio and enjoying being outside for the first time since May. This is the time of year we all stop cursing the scorching desert and embrace what she offers, beautiful night skies, flowers and cacti in bloom and breathing in the fresh air. The only thing missing is the ability to sit in front of my own backyard fireplace with the ones I love. This is especially appealing to our family as we don’t always have time to go camping or to the lake. We are busy with work and after school activities. Also, in this economy, we are cutting back on trips and vacations also. Having the ability to sit in our own backyard and enjoy the feel of a campfire, makes owning an outdoor fire pit even more justifiable for our family. The way I figure it, my fire pit will pay for itself the first time we opt out of paying for a camp spot and packing groceries and filling up the truck with gas and driving three hours away. And we get to sleep in the comfort of our own beds. That beats a blow up mattress and sleeping bags any day!

Blech

I guess I cannot put it off forever. I am going to go write a couple pages of my paper.

Send good thoughts. Thanks.

American ED - billiant!

I took my kids to see the new wild things movie this past weekend. During the previews and commercials that go on for thirty minutes prior to the movie, during that time that you eat half of your popcorn and drink all your drink, insuring both running out of popcorn AND a trip to the ladies room mid-movie, I saw a commercial for an Automated External Defibrillator, or AED as they are referred to. It was a brilliant idea actually. Placed in public areas, the AED is for both public and professional use and can save the life of someone who is having a heart attack. I don’t know why it never occurred to me that this was a handy tool to have hanging on your wall, right next to the fire extinguisher. I am glad to see someone is thinking of this stuff. Because really, the faster we can perform certain tasks such as CPR and defibrillation, perhaps the fewer lives we will lose.

What I'm doing

I am supposed to be writing a paper on research methodology right now. Really, it was due about an hour ago. I cannot seem to get my head in the right place for a scholastic paper right now. I would rather be on twitter or facebook or trying new products and writing about them. Heck, I would rather be doing my dishes right now. Anything but homework!

Wrinkles are not just in time you know...

I never thought I was going to be one of those women who even thought about wrinkle treatment, let alone actually looked into treatments and prices. Yet, here I am, just turned 41, noticing small wrinkles around my eyes. My friends call them laugh lines. I call them ugly. Had someone said to me when I was in my 20s that this would be my fate, I would have laughed out loud. Not me I would have cried! I use moisturizer and take care of my skin. I don’t go out in the sun or pull my skin down. I won’t have wrinkles until I am well into my 70s. Ha. Double HA HA. Mother Nature had other plans for me. Plans I was not consulted on and plans that I am not happy with. Luckily for me, there are internet search engines and I know how to use them!

Cyber Monday - it's closer than you think

Depending on how you calculate it, there are 84 days or 7,257,600 seconds or 120,960 minutes or 2016 hours or 12 weeks until Christmas.

I’m not ready. I have bought a grand total of three gifts. (rolls eyes)

I have however, decided that I will NOT be doing the get up at the crack of dawn, standing in line with a bunch of cranky, cold, less than pleasant people to wait in line to save thirteen cents off my new digital camera. It is just not worth it. I did in one year. ONE year. It was horrible. The pushing, the shoving, the cranky people and lack of product which resulted in my getting up at four a.m. just to receive a rain check from a less than pleasant clerk. No thanks. Not worth it. Not to me at least.

Instead, this year, I will be participating in Cyber Monday which is the most clever, wonderful idea I have ever encountered. Instead of getting up, getting dressed, freezing to death and waiting in a line for the doors to open while the people chant OPEN OPEN OPEN!, I will be sitting in my pajamas, sipping hot coffee with my feet up on a chair and shopping from the comfort of my kitchen table.

Unlocked Cell Phones!

I have had a cell phone since 1997. From the time I was pregnant with my first child and Utah was revamping its entire freeway system. I was afraid I would go into labor and not be able to get in touch with my husband and/or medical care if necessary. My husband bought a phone and brought it home for me. Since that time, I have used four different carriers. The main complaint I had was that when I switched between carriers, my phone did not always switch with me. I don’t really understand the ins and outs of cell phones. That is my husband’s domain. Just give me a phone with a calendar, telephone book and service and I’m good to go. Back in the late 1990s, I did not realize there was a way to get an unlocked phone that could be used with other services. Apparently, now that we are into the 2009s, it is a fairly common practice and you can buy new or used unlocked phones. I think technology is moving faster than I can keep up!

Laugh Lines are no laughing matter

When I was a younger woman, I was not at all worried about taking care of my skin. It was not something my mother did so it was not something she passed down to me or my sisters. Now, as I have entered into my 40s and have started taking better care of myself, I noticed some small lines beginning to form around my eyes. I started using a facial moisturizer a couple years ago, but, I think I might need a specific eye wrinkle cream for that area around my eye. What I did not realize until I started reading about it is that sometimes, simple facial moisturizers are not strong enough for the eye area.