The Rules for Santapaw’s Merely Gift Exchange

1. The deadline to sign up is November 24, 2009. I will be sending out your "Chosen One" on November 25, 2009.

2. Your present can be ANYTHING, as long as it’s home/handmade.

3. The budget for the gifts will be between $1 and $1 trillion. Or if feel that the person you got deserves more, I encourage you to do so. It is a time for giving!

4. Place your Secret Santa present in a magic box and ship it. Remember to send out your gift BEFORE the New Year so that your Secret Santa will at least have something to open during the Christmas month. If it’s going to be late please, please, please, please let them know so that they’re not up and crying about not receiving a gift.

5. When you do receive your gift, it’d be terrifically awesome if you could take a quick picture of yourself with it, in it, on it, etc. so that we could see all the fantastic presents that were passed around!

6. Last and most importantly: Be creative! This is a time for sharing joy and sharing smiles wherever you are. Have fun!

Your Friday Smile!

A woman visited a plastic surgeon who told her about a new procedure called 'The Knob,' where a small knob is placed at the top of the woman's head and could be turned to tighten up her skin and produce the effect of a brand new face-lift. Of course, the woman wanted 'The Knob.'

Over the course of the years, the woman tightened the knob, and the effects were wonderful, the woman remained young looking and vibrant.

After fifteen years, the woman returned to the surgeon with two problems.

'All these years, everything has been working just fine. I've had to turn the knob many times and I've always loved the results. But now I've developed two annoying problems: First, I have these terrible bags under my eyes and the knob won't get rid of them..'

The doctor looked at her closely and said, 'Those aren't bags, those are your breasts.'

She said, 'Well, I guess there's no point in asking about the goatee.'

Have a good one!
Oh! Today is Princess Slea's Birthday!
All the best m'dear!

Is it cheating if it's in our head?

Dreaming of a man, other than one’s husband, is that cheating? Every time he smiles at us we have little butterflies in our stomach, or we anticipate the next time we’ll see him, or we wonder how it would be if he kissed us… We’re not doing anything wrong, right?

To bring this topic up during a dinner with friends is sure to raise some reactions if not confrontations. The points of views are really split on this one: for some it’s when we actually do something and for others, it’s from the moment someone else enters your thoughts. Who’s right? Not an easy question to answer.

I think it is absolutely normal to be attracted to other people other than our partner. It doesn’t mean our couple is going sour, just that we’re alive. For some, the idea of thinking about someone else will create a doubt: am I a cheat or what? Is the intention where cheating resides? Or how we manage said intention? I do think if we feed our attraction by creating occasions to meet this other person, then yes we are heading for cheatville.

I also see a difference between having a dream (or more) about one guy that you don’t really see in your daily life (like an artist) or a co-worker, but in both case one knows (or at least should!) that this is going on in our head, it’s not real.

I had a dream recently and I must say that I was disturbed by it for a few days, not because I had it, but by its intensity and also who it was about. I couldn’t help but wonder: “what was I thinking of when I went to bed?”. Is the fact that I dreamt of another guy threatening my marriage? I don’t really think so, because no matter what, the life I have in my brain is way busier and naughtier than the one I live daily. I also know my intentions are good, so please don’t let me be misunderstood…

It’s up to each person to see how clean his or her conscience is, isn’t it?

Stinky Santa

I thought of using this guy...

but instead went with this...

Much better, no?

It's getting closer... it's coming fast!

You do realise that in less than two months Christmas will have come and be done with? I just can’t believe we’re already getting to that time of year, my favourite time of year that is. I’m with you on the “it’s too early”, or for my American friends “Let’s do Thanksgiving first”, I hear all of you, but come on, it will be Christmas in less than 53 days.

For me Christmas has always been about giving. I don’t do it because I have to, but because I want to. I also do it on birthdays, and on regular days, just because. I will admit to a hidden agenda, I assume it completely; I give because it makes me feel good. There I said it, it’s all about me!

I hate Christmas shopping. Actually to be more precise, what I really hate is people shopping during the Holidays. You know the type who turns into “Goggles Paisano” in the parking lot of the malls? Or the ones who are ready to tackle you to get to an item or a cash register before you? Those people I have no patience for.

In order for me to remain calm but mostly to avoid malls that time of year, I’ve been doing my shopping whenever throughout the year. I run an errand at the bookstore and see this cute little key ring that I think Whatshername would enjoy, I get it for her. I have a big box dedicated to accumulate all my gift-purchases. As of today, I can say I only have one or two items to get still. Then I’ll be ready to ship some stuff overseas, if I want them to get there for Christmas and not by Easter, because the “cheaper” way to ship goods (which is far from being cheap, if you ask me!) is by boat and that takes months!

Two weeks ago I asked you if you’d be interested in doing a gift exchange and some of you were. Following the comments received, I thought why not give our little shinding a theme; which will be something “homemade” or “handmade”.

So without further ado I present you “Stinky Santa”, ain’t he cute? (Not everybody in the Stinky house enjoys Christmas as much as I do, as you can see, but both of them (Hubby and Tobi) let me have my way with them since it’s once a year.)


Merely enter your email address in the comments, and I will email you (by Nov. 25th the latest) the name of a fellow blogger randomly chosen for the gift exchange! (You can enter your email like this: name ( at ) domain ( dot ) com if you are worried about spammers.)

The spending limit will be between $1 and $1 trillion. All you’ll have to do will be to send a gift that you’ve made (preferably!) or that’s handmade that you feel is appropriate for the blogger that has been randomly chosen for you. Is that simple enough?