Some Christmas gifts

I wanted to wait until I had batteries and could take pictures to post, but for now I'll just talk about my gifts or get some photos off the internet.

Jen gave me a cute Hello Kitty clock (argh, no camera!!) for my desk, along with a cute cat/mouse container that I'm going to use for storing coins on my desk. She also gave me a cute Christmas purse and an Asian influenced coin purse. Oh, and a container that has a really pretty picture of an old painting on it. It's one of those Renoir or similarly aged type paintings. I love it! I'm thinking of using it in the bathroom for my jewelry but after an incident this weekend where I somehow managed to break a bottle of red fingernail polish, splattering it all over everything, including the mirrors, walls, floor, counter, sink. The disaster was made worse when I tried to gently wipe the polish off the walls, thereby smearing it even further. So, I'm unsure if I can trust myself to have anything nice in the bathroom now. *sigh*

Mom gave me a painting. But not just any painting. On the way to Florence on highway 126 is this old house that sits across the Siuslaw river. As little kids, we always looked for it when we were traveling to Grandma's, our home, the store, etc. You know how it was when you were a kid, certain little things gave you pleasure. But the thing about this house is it had a special magical quality. You see, we always saw birds flying around it. Great bunches of sparrows or swallows. They would fly in and out the abandoned house where they had made their nests. Since then, tree's have grown up around the house and appear to be providing it with support in its old age. It's really sad too because I know someday soon that house is going to fall down and then a piece of my childhood will forever disappear.

(That's the thing about aging. It's so in your face!)

Anyway, Mom asked someone to paint The House of Birds. Except, the artist didn't paint the birds and she painted it as she remembered it as a child. Mom was pretty disappointed with that. However, it's still really cool. It took a little while for it to grow on me, but I really do like this painting. When I look at it, it brings back distant memories of The House of Birds and a bit of childhood innocence. *sigh* Where has all the time gone?

Mom also gave me a few other items such as a calendar, a nearly completed quarter collection, some earrings and ....well, maybe something else. I can't remember right now. :) The painting is what sticks out most in my mind. What a unique gift! Thanks Mom! I love it!

Aimee got me some perfume I had been obsessing over. The day before Mom got here we went to Robinsons May and narrowed our choices down to two perfumes each; one for each arm. Even though it was very commercial and had a celebrity name on it, I decided I liked JLo's Live.


Aimee liked DKNY's Delicious which has a light scent. To be honest, I don't remember exactly what it smelled like. I just know she likes light, grassy type scents.

Aimee is getting pretty sneaky. We went to the mall and while I was in one store, she ran down to a different store and bought Live for me. So, I got a really nice bottle of perfume that I love! I don't have to fake it, I really do like it!

Speaking of perfume, Tee also got me a perfume set! The funny thing is, it's also a celebrity perfume! You won't believe it...he got me Britney Spears Curious! LOL Me! Britney Spears!!

I admit, at first I was a little...well, suspicious. But really, it's not that bad! I'm not sure if I would have bought it, but I've been wearing it for a couple days and I think I'm starting to like it. :) Oh, and the pink lipgloss that comes with it is really nice too. It smells good.

And last on my celebrity list of gifts, Tee's girlfriend Jackie got me some Jessica Simpson Dessert! HAHAHA! I just think that's SO funny! This has definitely been the Christmas of celebrity gifts! The bottle on the left is bath bubbles called deliciously kissable bath bubbles - creamy and other is lotion, labeled as deliciously kissable body shake - creamy. And the scent? "A fresh-baked vanilla and caramel indulgence." I'd have to agree, this is some nice smelling stuff. Usually vanilla scented lotions, etc, tend to have a heavy smell but this...I dig this.

Faythe got me some tea (surprisingly tea in TEA BAGS) and (I saved the best for last) a crocheted by Faythe shawl! It's really pretty and has an antique feel and look about it. It's a mix of gold and cream yarn that has a nice sort of sponginess to it. That's the only way I can describe it. How about...squishy? It's really nice though, I've been sporting it around the house with totally inappropriate clothing. I mean, it really doesn't go with my San Diego Zoo t-shirt, but I don't care. I like it! Faythe was worried that it isn't blocked but does it need to be blocked? It looks great as-is! Thank you Faythe, I love it!

We started a tradition a few years ago where we make each other gifts each year. Unfortunately, I've been really bad at following through on my end. This is what happens when you move away!! I'll hopefully be sending her gifts to her shortly. Sorry about the delay!

The Rat and Jojo gave Simba and Zoe mice. I'm sure they'll write about it on their blog soon. They've been pretty irritated with my lack of interest in updating their blog. There have been some accusations...something like how I'm lazy or I don't care, blah blah blah. Of course, the accusations are quickly buried in the litterbox when I bring out a can of cat food.

Thank you everyone for your gifts! They are appreciated and will definitely be enjoyed!

Apollo and I will be exchanging gifts in January, since we've been delayed by the purchase of The Car.

And lastly, a special message from The Scrotal Safety Commission for people obsessed with balls. Merry Christmas!