Gathering on the bed usually leads to rough-housing

It must be a Dad's job.


Of course, Tyson wouldn't smile for the pictures, but I promise he was loving it.

Magazine anyone?

I have a free subscription of Parents magazine available if anyone is interested. I suppose the first person who comments, and says they want it, gets it.

Haven't laughed so hard in a good year or so

Thanks to Cathy Z., and all her hilariousness, I stumbled upon this. If you took your picture with our computer, then you are lucky enough to be in this post. Here are a few of my favorites. P.S. Please don't hate me family.

Dusty, you're lookin' swell buddy






Some stylin' ones of Sara Jane,






Kiki, lookin' amazing no matter what the year







Cubby, lets just say you need to make an appointment with a hairdresser






To be fair, here are a few of myself.





Is it just me, or do I look a lot like the girl from Full House in that last one?

Wanna try it yourself? Go here.

Last Night's Surprise

My sisters threw me a little birthday dinner last night, complete with my favorite dish and lots of giggles. But look at the place setting that was awaiting me there!




I'm sure I looked rather shell shocked. Isn't it absolutely fabulous? I thought so too. They even had a matching broom for me. So thanks Sara, Megan, and Lauren. I told Dusty that this could open up a whole new arena of kitchen-ware for me. I might be "caught" into buying something now because it matched the dinnerware in my cupboard. Watch out world.

It has also inspired me to get moving on painting my kitchen. I am thinking a vibrant red color. If any of you aren't doing anything on Saturday, maybe you can come help me. hee hee :)

On another note, I hit the jackpot yesterday at the Cedar Music Store. They already had their Christmas music out, but I think it was just barely shelved because it wasn't labeled or sorted yet. In case you think I am insane, I know how fast this stuff flies, so I snatched up what I found quickly. When I got home and started sight-reading through it, I realized that I had stumbled upon some entrancing arrangements. Oh my heck. I might have to break my promise to Dusty and start playing Christmas music before November this year.........

While we are at it, here is my little list of stuff on the docket for the fall:

*paint my kitchen (as previously mentioned)
*sand and paint our childs' picnic table
*sand and paint our fence around the garden
*paint my stairwell and finish the picture frame arrangement
*plant more daffodil bulbs
*polish up some piano solos
*make a few mini-albums of summer moments

Also, Cubby, Kiki, Willy, I love the new sweater. I'm wearing it today, and already have gotten quite a few compliments. Good choosing!

Perfumista

Although I will never come close to an alleged "Perfumista", lately, due to my obsessive personality, some of my internet time has been spent perusing fragrance sites. Why you ask? I have decided to find my "signature scent", if you will. I have always liked yummy smells, but I have never really delved into the world of scents. Turns out I have lots to learn. It's kind of fun to read about the way something smells, with high notes and dry downs and such. While I have no idea what pimento berries, broom flowers, or bois de mel smell like individually, I can usually make a pretty good guess if I will like the overall smell.

I realize that you could never pick the scent "online" per-say, but I figure if I read enough smeller reviews I'll have a pretty good idea of where to start. My access to samples is rather dismal so I had better toss out a few first. I want to end it by finding a smell that is so great that I'll be wearing it for years to come. Not because it's popular, or in a pretty bottle, but because smelling it makes me feel happy day in a day out. I'll be honest. I got the idea after reading Winter Solstice and imagining Lucy inhaling Carrie's perfume every time she hugged her, noting that it was "Carrie's special scent"; she'd worn it for years. It creates a lovely picture.

So now I throw it out to you. Do you have a perfume that you just love? Or have more experience in the perfume world than me? Any pointers? I realize that everyone smells different with fragrance, but I remember how wonderful some of you smell......and thought you might like to share.