To help heal the wounds of one lousy-ass week month, I've been doing the Bad Thing:
Online shopping.
Oh, but it's so much fun! And it's so.... rewarding! And it really does perk me up! And it's not like I'm ordering myself a laptop computer or a Maserati or anything. This is stuff I covet need! Honest. AND, I've also been doing some birthday shopping for my niece who will be 5 in February. I swear it's just as fun to buy for her as it is for myself. Plus I can do it totally guilt-free. Heh heh.
OK. For me, besides ordering a few items of clothing to clog up my limited-spaced closet even further, I had fun at Garden Botanika. I achingly miss their brick & mortar stores, which used to be abundant all around the Pacific Northwest malls (not sure about elsewhere), but they were hurt from the competition of Bath and Body Works and so they closed up all their mall shops. But they kept an online store, which I have to say is somewhat disappointing. They discontinued or strictly limited many of their lines, introduced new lines that are unfamiliar (plus you can't "smell" them over the computer), and changed all their packaging (which is also unfamiliar). But I discovered that my very favorite products, previously called "Spa", are now called "Immerse" and it's the same fragrance and at least some of the same stuff I love, including their body wash. So I bought some. (This ain't your Costco Kirkland brand price-wise, however. Ugh!) Oh, but the fragrance is wonderful. I'd missed it terribly and I'm so excited to have some more (it arrived today!). JDub likes this fragrance because I wore it when we met. That was when this fragrance was also available as a cologne instead of just body wash or lotion. But at least I can smell really really good while I'm taking my shower.
So I bought my niece some books. I'm definitely the "book aunt". Not sure if she's jazzed about that or not, but I'm a strong believer in books, and books she will get -- throughout her life! Reading has always been such a joy for me, and a great escape, and it's a pleasure I hope to bestow upon her.
A couple-three years ago, I gave her an adorable jacket and matching purse made out of fleece (I believe it was fleece -- very furry) in the design of a lady bug. She loved it, and I'm pretty sure she's outgrown it by now, but I still hear 
how much she loved her ladybug coat. (Later I found a matching pillow and she still enjoys that). So when I was perusing items to get for her, I ran across this and figured it was a must-have. It's a lady-bug farm! I remember having an ant farm when I was little, and it fascinated the hell out of me. Apparently you get the larvae and watch them evolve into ladybugs, and you nurture them in this little habitat for a while and then you can set them free in your yard. From the reviews I read on Amazon, they stick around and since they tend to be a slightly different color than the ones you normally see (around here), you can keep track of the ones you nurtured. Get those science juices flowing early so Harvard can eat crow.
I also bought myself some cosmetics and underwear -- things that you probably don't want to see a picture of! I had fun! I haven't had fun in a long time, so I deserved it! :o)
