Bella cracks me up. It isn’t like she’s not playful or anything but Bella has been extremely playful this morning. I was sitting here searching for gifts online when I see her bounce into the dinning room out of the corner of my left eye. This is what I caught, and notice she “catches” me in the end. Haha!

And even now, about an hour later, she’s still playing with that thing!

PS; Don’t forget about my contest.

I did a little Christmas shopping on eBay last night. For the most part I have everything for Colleen (sister in law) but I decided to get her a couple more things. I still haven’t gotten all of her stocking stuffer gifts but I did snag up an adorable Aeropostale handbag. It’s reversible - brown corduroy on one side and brown corduroy with polka dots on the other side. She loves pink and brown and especially loves polka dots. I hope this is one of those “you can’t lose” type of gifts.

I also decided to get a handbag for my mother in law. She also likes brown and nearly every handbag I’ve seen her use has been some shade of brown, so I searched for a corduroy handbag in chocolate brown. I found another Aeropostale bag that I honestly think she’s going to love! Well, Colleen says she will so that’s what I’m hoping for.

I’m going to look for a few more things on eBay tonight, for Jo, JD (Colleen’s boyfriend) and my father in law Terry. Notice they’re all men. I find that shopping for gifts for men is the hardest thing to shop for. I don’t want to be the person giving them a shirt they won’t like or tools they don’t need. I usually have to flat out ask “What do you want?” because I don’t want to give them a gift they’ll likely return (well, that’s the same for anyone). The only thing besides Jo’s phone that I know I’m getting him is a fleece blanket. I’m sure I can find that on eBay!

As much as I love buying big gifts for my loved ones, I actually enjoy buying stocking stuffers way more. I think it’s because I’m able to buy a lot of smaller gifts, so it feels like I’m giving them more - which I guess is the case. I’ve already bought a few stocking stuffers for a certain someone who’s sitting behind me, so I can’t really go into detail about them right now (haha). One thing she does need, that I don’t care if she sees is an ipod battery.

I need to come up with some ideas for stocking stuffers for Jo and his mom too though. I’ve been trying to figure out what I can get other than bath and body type stuff. The only thing I can think of for Jo is socks and I have no idea what kind of stuffers I should get for his mom (other than her beloved candies!).

What do you put into stockings for your loved ones? Besides the usual candies and personal items?

I have released a modified version of the Alternate0 theme called Paisley, which was originally created by Theron Parlin of E5media.com and Thoughtmechanics.com. Every time I’ve modified this theme for my personal use, many people email me and ask if they can use the modifications. I contacted Theron and asked for permission to release those modified versions for other people to download (all credits remain). He gave me the OK. The original theme is one of my favorites and is the theme I’m using for the current design on Scribblescratch.com.

If you’d like to download the theme, which is captured in the screencap below, you can do so by visiting the themes page or by clicking here to download it directly. Once you’ve downloaded and unzipped the theme, you will notice there are 2 header images. One already has text on it while the other does not. Feel free to add your own personal touches to either of those.

PS; I’m running a contest!

This contest is very simple.

The requirements are as follows;

Create a blog entry about one of your favorite bloggers (in other words, recommend a good read) and provide a link to their blog. Also include a link to my blog, Scribblescratch.com or this blog entry - your choice. You can talk about the things you enjoy about the blogger or why you’ve chosen them. After you’ve created your post, be sure you leave a comment in this entry linking to your post.

The contest will run until next Wednesday, December 5th. I will then jot down each submission on a slip of paper and then draw one name, the winner, from a box. The drawing will be recorded and posted here in a follow-up entry, which will include a link to your (participant’s) blog, along with a link to the blogger you’ve chosen. Tis the season of giving, no? How about a little linky love? I love gaining new readers but even more so, I love finding new blogs to read.

The winner will receive $25 via PayPal (if this isn’t an option for you, please contact me before submitting so we can work something out).

You have one week to submit. When we reach the deadline, comments will be closed. Good luck!

Speaking of oldies.

It’s movie night (yeah, at 11pm) and I’m in the mood to watch some older movies. I was originally going to watch The Goonies (love it) or The Wizard of Oz (love it too) but I think I want to watch an older comedy. I think I’ll see if Jo’s mom has The Nutty Professor (the one with Eddie Murphy starring in it). That’s a movie that never gets old for me. The funny scenes crack me up just as much the last time as it did the first time. I think the funniest part is when they’re sitting around the table and someone brings up having their colon cleansed. Oh come on, you know you laughed at that part too. But seriously, I love it when the mom (which is also played by Eddie Murphy) starts clapping and saying “Hercules, Hercules”. My sister Nikki picks on me because I can do this scene so well (including the voice haha).

Yeah, I’m tired of action movies. I’m going to put in a request for a comedy tonight.

I’ve been listening to some early 90’s rock, pop and rap today. Somehow I feel like I feel be embarrassed about admitting that but you know what? I don’t. It’s bringing me back to being a teenager. Are you curious about the songs? Yeah, I thought so. I’ve been flipping between “Tootsie roll”, “I’m too sexy” and “Little things”. I’ve even managed to squeeze in a little “U can’t touch this” and “Linger”.

It just seems so strange to me, how a song can instantly take you back to a certain time in your life. I don’t mean just in general but like an exact moment. When I hear “Tootsie roll”, I suddenly picture myself driving up and down “The strip” (main drag in my hometown) with my sister Nikki and my friends Melissa and Jess, blasting it so loud that my ears hurt.

The same thing happens when I hear “Adore” by Smashing Pumpkins. I can remember the exact moment when I heard this song for the first time, which was in Calgary, Alberta when I met Jo (my husband) for the first time. It’s one of those songs that I instantly loved (and still love to this day). We’d just moved into a new house in the Country Hills area and after an exhausting day of loading, moving, unloading and unpacking.. we decided to listen to the radio (the cable wasn’t hooked up yet). Adore was the first song we heard that day.

Does this happen to you too? Surely I’m not the only one it happens to!

Are you looking for a new product review blog to read? I have just found out about ShoppingAddicted.com, which is a fairly new blog that provides reviews on all kinds of shopping websites, products and their features and of course the price. Some of the products you can read about include; the Apple iPod touch (I love the commercial for this one) and the Olympus FE-300 digital camera, which features 12 mega pixels and a delicious looking price tag (this would make a perfect gift for Jo / my husband). You can also find reviews on other non-electronic / tech items like fragrances and where you can buy them.

You can consider ShoppingAddicted.com your personal shopping guide! Like I said, it is a new blog but even so, there are already some nice articles for you to read. You will have to bookmark it and be sure you keep checking back for future product and shop reviews!

Is it just me or are some of the images on this theme not showing up right now? I logged into my photobucket account, where I have them uploaded and they’re all there. I can see them perfectly but for some reason they’re not showing up for me. The images in the sidebar work fine but the header and background images are not displaying. I don’t know why they would show up in my photobucket gallery but not show up on my website. They were working fine earlier today. Can you see them, or is this problem just a “me” problem?

Actually, now that I’m trying to browse other websites, the internet in general is being a pest (aka, lagging and running a bit on the sluggish side).

I’m a firm believer in thinking that women can never have enough handbags. I think this is due to my own personal obsession in them and love for them. I only wish I could find the ones I love for more affordable prices. My husband has recently made me vow that I will only buy handbags that are on sale, or if I have a coupons. I once thought “Ok, so what’s a girl to do” because I have such bad luck in finding great deals on the things I love and want. That was before I knew about stylenotes.com. Stylenotes.com is always updating their wonderful selections of handbags, footwear, designer apparel and so much more. Did you catch the handbags? Yeah, that’s the part that pulled at my heart strings. Seriously though, you can find great sales, coupons and other special offers over at Stylenotes.com. For example; check out some of the deals they have on gorgeous and stylish handbags. I’d love to get my hands on that Croc-Embossed tote from Coldwater Creek for $10. Now that’s the kind of handbags my husband loves.. affordable! You’ll also find great deals on other things like jewelry, shoes, coats and intimates. The staff at Stylenotes.com provides us consumers with information on shipping costs, whether or not there’s limited availability of any sizes and they even offer great tips on coordinating items.

To learn more, visit them at Stylenotes.com.