How do you feel about moving to New Mexico? I hear it’s quite nice, particularly if you win this year’s HGTV Dream Home! Yep, it’s that time again - HGTV’s huge annual Dream Home sweepstakes. This year’s winner gets a brand spankin’ new home outside Santa Fe, $500,000 in cash and a new GMC Terrain SUV!

Check this out - it’s gorgeous (especially the bathroom OMG). Woo! Entering daily!

So. I’m not known for my outstanding cooking skills - I feel the need to admit this off the bat here. However, for some reason around the holidays I begin to believe I can actually pull a few recipes off. Sometimes this works - most of the time, it doesn’t. I blame Rice Krispies. Years ago, I began making Rice Krispies Treats with my mom - just like millions of other little kids. And now? I still make them, especially during the holidays. I decided to write about how to make rice krispie treats. Me? The non-cooker? Yes. Once I started really researching a little I found out about a LOT of really cool ideas for decorating the treats, which taste great but (IMO) aren’t exactly the prettiest things in the world. See if you agree with some of the “variations” I found - if you have any others, please let me know. I’m having a BLAST with these now. Made a batch yesterday and turned them into little holiday packages, complete with Twizzlers bows!

Happy Holidays ya’ll.

Shoe freaks, listen up because this really is a sweet deal: Oprah Winfrey’s offering a printable Payless ShoeSource coupon on her website NOW. The coupon, which can be downloaded and printed from O’s official website, entitles the holder to a 50% discount on purchases at Payless made through close of business on October 30, 2009. I suggest you get cracking on printing the coupon…remember Oprah’s free KFC? Yeah I thought you did. Move shoe people, MOVE!

As most of you have probably heard by now, Garth Brooks has come out of retirement - officially. Not for like one show, either. A bunch. A wholllllllle bunch of shows at the Wynn in Las Vegas, in fact. A standing engagement, open-ended. The shows begin on December 11, 2009, and will be weekends-only. Acoustic. Should be fantastic and this is a HUGE deal for Garth fans. Tickets to Brooks’ first five weeks of Wynn Las Vegas shows go on sale tomorrow. 8 a.m., PST. If you’re thinking about going you really need to get a game plan going tonight. The Wynn only holds 1500. Even with multiple shows, I’m predicting a MAJOR demand. If you don’t score in this round, no worries - more shows will be added with more onsale dates. Good luck!

Okay I’ll confess I heart a damn fine scandal, and Stephanie Birkitt’s smack in the middle of a real doozy. Short version: Birkitt was Letterman’s intern, they supposedly played footsie for a while, she took up with the guy that’s now accused of blackmailing Letterman for $2 million. Supposedly (again w/the supposedly) Birkitt kept a diary and correspondence that might have tipped off blackmailer guy (a.k.a. Robert Halderman, CBS producer) to her clandestine hookup with Letterman. Which I still don’t get. Anyway, that’s who she is, in case you were wondering. Weekly smarmfest, over.

Poor Philippines just can’t catch a break: Super Typhoon Parma is heading their way. Forecasters aren’t positive of the precise track, but they warn the already flood-ravaged Philippines may be in store for even more flooding because of this storm.

Do you know Ann Minch? If not, you might want to learn a bit more about her. She’s one of those spearheading a new so-called “Debtor’s Revolt” by those who have had enough with credit card company antics (if you don’t know what I mean by this, count your blessings - twice!). This story does seem to have real legs…can only hope that the CC companies sit up and take notice: apparently everyone’s FED UP, including yours truly. Rant over. For now.