The Hottest Toy This Christmas? I Has It.

A Zhu Zhu hamster!  The yellow one named Pipsqueak but I renamed him 'Nana Puddin'. One of the moms came to the office and brought Lisa and me some that she miraculously found at Wal-Mart this morning. These things are impossible to find!  Or so I've heard.  I didn't even know what they were until two days ago.  Lisa's grandkids call her "Nana" so 'Nana Puddin' it was.

These little guys are so realistic, it's like having a real hamster without the mess.  I think that was the whole idea!  They chatter and scatter and scoot all over the place.  They have a little sensor on their nose, a bump guard, and when they bump into stuff, they make the funniest noises and whirl around and change directions. They are absolutely hilarious to watch!!

Me and Puddin' played a little bit today in the kitchen. 

This is him saying, "'S'up, y'all?"

This is him going behind my refrigerator.

And this is him getting stuck coming out!  

See ya!

Ooooo, Ooooo, I Want These!!

Edible peppermint shot glasses!! I hope I'm not the last person on earth to have heard of these. Can you just imagine drinking some yummy eggnog from those?? They are SO cool!!!!

My Advent Calendar

I'm just gonna go ahead on and tell you.  I have the sweetest husband there ever was.  He made me this Advent calendar to help me count down the days to Christmas.  There are 25 little doors and behind the doors, there are 25 sweet little love notes.  I think I'll keep those to myself but I wanted to show off the calendar!  I love it and I can't wait to wake up and open up one of those little doors every morning!!

Last Minute Green Gift Ideas

I tried to get my family what they wanted this year but I threw in something green and homemade, too, for each of them.  And no, y'all, it's not soap I made!

Here are some ideas for last minute presents that are also gentle on the earth.

* A live plant or gift certificate to a garden center.  Go "naked" on the wrapping and tuck the certificate into a pair of gardening gloves.  Cute!

* Give the gift of food!  Cookies, brownies, breads, muffins and candy are always welcome. 'Specially at my house!

* Family Movie Night!  How about a Blockbuster gift card tucked into a basket with some microwave popcorn and a big box of Milk Duds?  Or what about gift cards to your local theater?  Those would also be very welcome at my house!  

* LED nightlights!  I LOVE mine.  They are cool to the touch and only use about 25 cents a year in electricity. You can find them anywhere, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, even the grocery store.  I got mine at IKEA. 

* Wind-up radios and flashlights!  Larry got me a wind-up radio a few years ago and it is great for emergencies.  I used it during some bad weather once when my electricity went out.  Things weren't so scary with it closeby.

* Soy candles!  My favorite brand is Old Virginia, sold at Cracker Barrel.  Soy candles burn cleaner, they produce a lot less soot and are eco-friendly because they don't contain petroleum. And they smell better, too!

* Or how about just your time?  Just spending some time with the ones you love.  Chances are that gift that you spent so much time planning and searching for and then buying will be at the back of their closet by the end of January and thus, beginning its eventual trek to a landfill.  The time you spend with someone will stay with them forever.

Happy Birthday, Randy!

Randy Owen is 60 today.  How in the world can that even be possible???

Having A Blast!

A Holiday Mint Blast from Sonic, that is!  They are sooooo yummy. Peppermint ice cream with little bits of Andes peppermint crunch and a ton of whipped topping. Really Christmasy!!

I stopped by Sonic tonight and got one after I'd seen Disney's A Christmas Carol.  I was more than a little skeptical about the movie because it's just been done to death but as usual, Disney did not disappoint.  The animation is unbelievable!  Old Ebenezer looks JUST LIKE Jim Carrey. I watched the 1938 version last night because I wanted to compare the two.  I'd never seen the original. The 2009 version stays pretty true to the classic and once you put on those 3D glasses (that, by the way, have come a lonnnnnnng way since Jaws was in 3D!), you are literally right there, a bystander on the street. Overall, I thought the movie was pretty good.  The story is still great and Jim Carrey was awesome as Scrooge. 

Only 15 Shopping Days Left!

I am completely, 100% finished with my Christmas shopping.  I am done, done, done and everything is wrapped and under the tree.  

I hate shopping this time of year.  I don't even like buying groceries in December.  It is just too crazy.  Traffic is a nightmare and the stores are so packed with people. They get on my nerves so bad walking soooooo slowly and then just stopping right in front of me.  I just wanna crash into them with my buggy!  Now how's that for Christmas spirit??  I know when I need to stay home. Ha! I start my shopping sometime around September and I'm usually done by Thanksgiving, except for little things here and there.

I like to spend my Decembers quiet and peaceful and still.  That's what I'm going to do the next two weeks. Drink egg nog and watch Christmas movies, ride around and look at Christmas lights in my pajamas and just be thankful for the gift of a sweet little baby boy born in a stable one night.