The Friday Forum - April 22 - Happy Earth Day!

I love dogwoods! This one is a volunteer in my garden. It placed itself perfectly at the front corner of my house, after I had lost a limber pine to an ice storm. It was a welcome guest who made this a home. I have several flowering trees in my garden that were probably brought to me by birds (another great reason to encourage birds by feeding them!). This is one of the best. It came at a time when many of our dogwoods were dying from blight, one of those sad twists of nature that can take our precious trees away - for good.

Every day should be Earth Day. That's why I'm an AVEENO Ambassador, a partnership with Recyclebank. In celebration of Earth Month, AVEENO has kicked off an interactive incentive program with Recyclebank on the AVEENO Facebook page to encourage consumers to take small steps towards beautiful change. Small changes can add up to a big impact, and each of us has the power to transform the health and beauty of the communities in which we live. The AVEENO BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL program lets us all join together and take these small steps toward a more beautiful Earth. AVEENO has invited everyone to join all of us on a journey to take a million steps to transform our own health, our spirit, and our communities. Check out the AVEENO Facebook page to see how you can participate.

I'm enjoying a vacation day off from work. I have many errands to run, so it won't be restful, but I hope to feel accomplished when the sun sets. I'd love to shop, and I know I will pop over to Nordstrom briefly. I'm also looking forward to the arrival of a shipment at Neiman Marcus. I'm hoping some of the "overdue" items on my lust list arrive. I also need to clean clutter.

Are you planning to watch the royal wedding next Friday? Unfortunately, I will be working, and I can't imagine taking a vacation day to watch the whole event. I suspect there will be news clips galore - if not reruns - so I'm sure I'll get to see the pageantry. Kate Middleton is a gorgeous young woman, so she is bound to be beautiful. It will be fun to see her dress, hair, and makeup. Will there ever be "another Diana"?

It's time for The Friday Forum. We use the forum to share information and chat. Did you find any deals you couldn't resist this week? Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Do you have a question others might be able to answer? Want to talk about skin care? What's new in your life? Just use the comments. Don't be shy. Just make sure to ask any question you might have over the weekend. By Monday, most readers have moved on.

Don't forget to enter this week's STAGES of BEAUTY giveaway contest! I'm always surprised by the response to skin care giveaways. We get half the entries we get with makeup. Why is that? The winner of this contest will receive three fabulous products tailored to her age group - all effective and luxurious. The value of the prize is so much higher than the value of, say, a single lip gloss. You smart gals enter in droves for makeup. What's the deal?

Photo by BTiB