Merry Christmas from All of Us...

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from Mr R, our little Rs, and Me.

please excuse my knee and toes.

have you ever tried to get 3 pissed off dogs to hold still for a picture while they are dressed in Christmas costumes?!

New Scarf Anyone?

I haven't posted in a while, but I thought this was too funny not to pass along.

This could be on your Christmas list. Its not too late!

I am feeling a little touchy, feel-y today so when I saw this article it went right along with that, and it also happens to be a great suggestion for the weekend! So here you are- a few facts about kissing!

1. Two out of every three couples turn their heads to the right when they kiss.

2. A simple peck uses two muscles; a passionate kiss, on the other hand, uses all 34 muscles in your face. Now that’s a rigorous workout!

3. Like fingerprints or snowflakes, no two lip impressions are alike.

4. Kissing is good for what ails you. Research shows that the act of smooching improves our skin, helps circulation, prevents tooth decay, and can even relieve headaches.

5. The average person spends 336 hours of his or her life kissing.

6. Ever wonder how an “X” came to represent a kiss? Starting in the Middle Ages, people who could not read used an X as a signature. They would kiss this mark as a sign of sincerity. Eventually, the X came to represent the kiss itself.

7. Talk about a rush! Kissing releases the same neurotransmitters in our brains as parachuting, bungee jumping, and running.

8. The average woman kisses 29 men before she gets married.

9. Men who kiss their partners before leaving for work average higher incomes than those who don’t.

10. The longest kiss in movie history was between Jane Wyman and Regis Tommey in the 1941 film, You’re in the Army Now. It lasted 3 minutes and 5 seconds. So if you’ve beaten that record, it’s time to celebrate!

(Laura Schaefer (not me) is the author of Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor: The Best and Worst Personal Ads of All Time. Article courtesy of Happen magazine, www.happenmag.com and yahoo.)

Now thats a record I wouldn't mind chasing!


When's the last time you really just made out with your significant other? Go for it! Get out there and get smoochin' this weekend!


Lots of love to you,

Friends

You may never know how, when, why or in what form they may come, but aren't friends great?!

Zoo buddies: baby monkey named Miwa

Zoo buddies : A baby monkey named Miwa rides a young boar named Uribo in the Fukuchiyama City Zoo, Kyoto Prefecture. Both have been sheltered by the zoo since June after losing their mothers.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Photo-Highlight/ss/441
(AFP/Kazuhiro Nogi)

Giveaway

I know how much all of my bloggie buddies love giveaways so I want to let you know about a fabulous one going on right now through Oct 29th!

Adina Reyter (the co. I work for) and LODIS (the co.  LITC works for)

have partnered for this incredible giveaway!

You should "like" them both on Facebook and then comment on their pages saying which  Adina Reyter necklace you would pair with the Perri Tote in Aubergine from LODIS.

Which is your favorite?

1.

2.

3.

Each company is choosing a winner at random so there are 2 chances to win!

(I do want to be clear that this is not my giveaway, nor  is it a solicitation from either company, and stating your preference on this site does not enter you to win. I just think its a really cool opportunity to pass along. Shoot! I wish I could win!)

Procrastination...Temptation Tuesday

This weekend Mr R, my Mother In Law, and I went to Vegas for the Previous Mrs. R's 70th Birthday! So in honor of our trip, here are a few hotel/casino temptations from Vegas Baby!

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!

The beautiful Bellagio.

 The exotic Luxor.

 The stately Ceasar's Palace.

 The ever rockin' Hard Rock.

 The Oh! So Chic! Paris.

 New York, New York never sleeps.

 This is where we stayed. The elegant Aria.

 Fireworks from atop the Aria in The City Complex.

 The Vegas Stip. Alway hip. Always happenin'!

(all photos via)

It was such a great trip and a fantastic birthday weekend! More about our trip and what we did to come...

Joke for the Day

Just a little joke to ease you into the weekend:

A psychiatrist was conducting a group therapy session with four young mothers and their small children. 
  "You all have obsessions," he observed. 
  To the first mother, Mary, he said, "You are obsessed with eating. You've even named your daughter Candy." 
  He turned to the second Mom, Ann: "Your obsession is with money. Again, it manifests itself in your child's name, Penny." 
  He turned to the third Mom, Joyce: "Your obsession is alcohol. This too shows itself in your child's name, Brandy." 
  At this point, the fourth mother, Kathy, quietly got up, took her little boy by the hand, and whispered, "Come on, Dick, this guy has no idea what he's talking about. Let's pick up Peter and Willy from school and go get dinner."  

Baby Gifts

A friend is having a baby and she has so many adorable things on her baby registry! Take a look at this one from Babies "R" Us!

I think nightlights are really sweet and I especially love when they project something cool- like stars- around the room. I have seen variations of this before but I have never seen a constelation nightlight incorporated into a plush toy. To those of you who are already Moms this might be old hat, but I think it is just Darling!

Maybe one day in the not too distant future there will be little human babies in the works for Mr. R and me.

Better go get to workin' on that!

Cloud B Twilight Turtle Constellation Nightlight - Cloud B - Babies "R" Us

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Doctors and scientists are making great strides in the fight against breast cancer, but that doesn't mean we can become less vigilant!

The Breat Cancer Site is a great place for facts, health info, and it also helps fund free mamograms for low income women. Help support them by going to their site and clicking. It's free, only takes a minute of your time, and could save a life!

You can also sign up for daily email reminders to click! And, there are a few other great charities that you can help support while you're there by checking out the tabs across the top of their page. So go ahead and click!

Thought for the Day

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

- Mark Twain

Temptation Tuesday

While doing research for a project I came across this beautiful jewelry line. I thought it would be perfect for Temptation Tuesday. Here are just a few sneak peeks. You really should check out their website. I especially love their earrings!

(all images via)

Happy Tuesday!

Shareen Vintage

I just read some exciting news about a wonderful woman that I have known for quite some time- Shareen Mitchell. Shareen is the force behind the popular Shareen Vintage stores that are in Los Angeles and New York. If you aren't familiar with her you really should check out her website. She has an amazing eye for vintage clothing that she makes look new, fresh, and up-to-date, and she also creates her own pieces as well. Now she is getting her very own reality series on Discovery's Planet Green channel which will show how she puts everything together!

My Mom, Sisters and I have been shopping with her for years- starting when she just had a booth at Melrose Trading Post. In fact, one of my sisters did some modeling for her and can be seen on her website.

It isn't that we are close friends, we haven't ever been out to lunch, and don't socialize, but once she did an incredible thing for me that had nothing to do with shopping or clothes. Mom and LAG took me to her store for my Birthday and as she was helping me try on a piece, Shareen noticed that I wasn't feeling well. We started talking about how I had been having a health problem for a while, that no doctors had been able to help me, and that I couldn't work because of it. She told me about a woman she used to see and recommended that I contact her.

Like I said, I had been out of work and was thinking that there was no way that I could afford to go to this woman, and as if she was reading my mind, Shareen insisted that she would pay for my initial work up and visit! I couldn't believe it! I really needed something and here she was offering her help, and asking only that I get better.

She really is such a fantastic and generous spirit, and I am so happy things are going well for her. Best wishes to Shareen! I will be watching and supporting, and I hope that some of you will too!

(photo courtesy of The New York Times- Gordon M. Grant)

Love Story

Below is a video that I found from a friend's blog. I couldn't help but be moved and I HAD to re-post. It's a beautiful story. I hope you enjoy it. (If it doesn't automatically have a play button for you click on the "Danny & Annie" portion of the icon.)

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Get My Head Out of My Ass and Blog

The above is what I was very recently ordered so here is my thought for tonight...

"Never take life seriously. No one gets out alive anyway."

Summary of Life

Summary of Life

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..

2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.

3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.

4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.

5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..

6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..

7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.

8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.

2) Wrinkles don't hurt.

3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts

4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground...

5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.

6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy..

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional...

2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.

4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.

5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions...

6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician

7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

Teal Toes

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

I heard about Lisa From Bumpkin on a Swing's story from many of my blogger friends. I was not fortunate enough to get to know her before she quickly succumbed to this deadly foe. (You can read some of her story here.) From what I can tell, she was an amazing woman who was taken from the world and her loved ones much too soon!

Ovarian cancer is a silent, stealthy killer about which we should all become more aware. Check out the organization "Teal Toes" for more information. Here is an excerpt from their site about the symptoms:

"Historically ovarian cancer was called the “silent killer” because symptoms were not thought to develop until the chance of cure was poor. However, recent studies have shown this term is untrue and that the following symptoms are much more likely to occur in women with ovarian cancer than women in the general population. These symptoms include:
*Bloating
*Pelvic or abdominal pain
*Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
*Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Women with ovarian cancer report that symptoms are persistent and represent a change from normal for their bodies. The frequency and/or number of such symptoms are key factors in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Several studies show that even early stage ovarian cancer can produce these symptoms.
Women who have these symptoms almost daily for more than a few weeks should see their doctor, preferably a gynecologist. Prompt medical evaluation may lead to detection at the earliest possible stage of the disease."

For Lisa, and all of the other women and families out there who have lost loved ones, but also so we can help spread the word and educate women about the symptoms, I got in on the action. Even my Wonderful Husband let me give him ONE Teal Toe! Something so simple could save lives.

Ladies, all too often we ignore ourselves and "power through" even when we aren't feeling well. Pay attention to your own health! The best and only way to take care of your family is by taking care of yourself!!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my Precious Girl Darla's 6th Birthday! Mr. R, my Darling husband, thinks I am completely crazy for making even a mention of this. Why? Well, if you have looked at the photos of our children you will find that My Precious Girl is actually a dog. (DO NOT tell her that!)

I never really understood before her how completely attached you can become to your "pet". I kind of thought that people who treated animals like they were children were more than a little crazy. But, now I am in love! Sometimes I wonder if I will love and fuss over my human children this much. (Probably.)

Anyway, take a look at this face and tell me what's not to love...

(poor thing was still drugged from having teeth removed)

(this is her serious shot)

(she's a sleeper -just like her Mom- and loves to nest in any clothes she can find)

(snuggling with her best stuffed friend Elephante)

(she loves to travel)

(this is her scruffy puppy "I didn't do it " face )

So, with a face like that and inspite of my husband's laughing at me, I want to wish my little angel a very Happy Birthday!!!