Just as Chief Elf and Mrs. Clause were talking about, I’ve discovered the Mega Brands website and it is coming to my rescue because it carries some of the most awesome selection of toys for young children! They carry all the great toys on my granddaughter’s holiday wish list like the Lil Wagon filled with Mega blocks, and so much more. There are awesome toys for older children too. I remember when my nephew was little, he love the Marvel magic like the Spider Man Techbot, it’s so awesome! MegaBrands.com really does have an incredible selection of toys and it’s so much easier than going out and fighting the crowds at the stores! If you have toys on your holiday wish lists, be sure to check out Mega Brands.
WOW! I actually missed the last couple of weeks and almost forgot to do this today. Friday sort of snuck up on me and here it is, all ready! This week has absolutely flown by but I am going to post my favorite meme Four Foods on Friday , before I head out to do a little holiday shopping.
This weeks questions and my answers:
#1. Does your family usually eat meals in the kitchen or somewhere else? We usually do eat dinner at the kitchen table. It really gives us a chance to unwind and talk about the day without the interference of the television or anything else. It’s the one chance to really focus on each other.
#2. Who usually does the dishes in your house? Me, me and me.
#3. What’s your favorite small appliance or tool in the kitchen? I don’t really have a favorite. I have to have a coffee maker and I currently despise the one we have. I probably couldn’t go without my electric mixer either, it’s a must for making mashed potatoes which is a staple in this house!
#4. This one’s for my son. Share a recipe for chili. Let’s see. I just made this one on Monday, let’s see if I can remember it.
Brown hamburger and put in crockpot. Add 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 T chili powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 chopped onion, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin. Heat on low in crockpot for 6-8 hours.
Add 1 can kidney beans 20 minutes before serving and continue to heat. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.
It’s hard to believe right now that there is anything out there that might still be worth investing money in, but I’ve just read a letter from Jim Jameson, CEO of Rebuilding of America and he has some interesting ideas that he has put into play, utilizing the his own experience as well as that of his son.
The main idea of Rebuilding of America is to allow people to make an extremely affordable investment, a minimum of $20 plus a $5 processing fee, which Rebuilding of America will then combine with other investor’s monies and place into FDIC insured Certificates of Deposits. They will then leverage those CD’s into bank loans that will be used to purchase, rehabilitate, modernize or finish foreclosed income producing properties all throughout the USA. These properties vary, but include senior citizen housing that was never completed due to the original construction company going bankrupt. Another example would be a low-income housing project that was under construction when Hurricane Katrina hit and it was then never completed. All projects considered by Rebuilding of America are worthwhile projects that are needed in the communities in which they’re located.
This is certainly a very unique investment opportunity, there is nothing else like it. Investments are placed into secure Certificate’s of Deposit, never at risk, and insured by the FDIC. This sounds to me like a great way to “bail out” many of these projects that are in need of financing in order to be completed without having to look to the federal government for tax payer money. We have the ability to make change on our own and isn’t that what this country is all about?
I created this fabric purse from a beautiful blue and brown 100% cotton Moda fabric. It has a metal tube inserted in the rim of the bag which allows it to snap closed for security and pulls apart for easy access. The bag is fully lined and has two interior pockets. The bag measures approximately 12″w x 10″ h and is extra roomy inside. The handles are reinforced and have a heavy padding for extra comfort when being carried.This bag is priced at $40 plus shipping.If interested, please leave a comment and I will email you further information.
I was in such a funk before Thanksgiving, I didn’t want to sew or do anything else. I felt like I had to be dragged to the airport to go on our holiday to California, but you know what? I feel really rejuvinated after that trip and I’m thinking that maybe we need to take another holiday vacation!
When you really start thinking about places to go, there are endless possibilities. Since we just returned from California, I was sort of thinking it might be fun to go the other direction, maybe a Jersey Shore beach Vacation . Now, I know what you’re thinking, beaches in New Jersey? Why not? After all, Morey’s Piers, is currently offering its annual holiday sale that runs through January 9, 2009, and it is top New Jersey attractions, so why not the New Jersey shore? It’s very easy to visit the website of Morey’s Piers to find accommodations too. Besides great accommodations, there is the Wildwood Amusement Park as well as shops and attractions on the boardwalk, the largest boardwalk in America by the way! It’s a great family area, plenty to do like bike rentals and shows. Once we’ve worked up an appetite, we can visit any of a number of restaurants.
The Morey’s Piers website also has a convenient trip planner to help plan a vacation so I think I’ll use that to put it all together. What are you doing for the upcoming holidays?
Oh my gosh! Why can’t I just hire someone to come in and do my holiday decorating for me. Oh, that’s right, I didn’t win the lottery so don’t have all kinds of extra money!
I’m just tired of seeing the bins sitting out. It’s almost done, I just have to finish hanging bulbs on the tree and put it all away. Oh, then I need to set up and decorate our 2nd tree! Yikes! Why did I ever decide to do a 2nd tree?!
Well, once it’s all done, I can sit down and do my holiday cards. I haven’t received any in the mail yet, so I’m not feeling too pressured or too far behind on that task.
As many of you all ready know, I am a friend of several people who have had to battle breast cancer and, therefore, I’m also a supporter of breast cancer research. There are of course, many ways to support breast cancer research and I have chosen to make monetary donations to a few select organizations and support individuals who do things like 3-day walks.
Cryo-Cell has recently partnered with the National Institutes of Health to perform research the potential treatment of breast cancer using stem cells collected from menstrual blood. This is exploratory research to determine if stem cells collected from menstrual blood can be used in the potential treatment of breast cancer. The research will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track stem cells. The ability to use MRI to monitor the journey of menstrual blood stem cells in the body holds great promise in the utilization of menstrual stem cells in the future of treating diseases.
Cryo-Cell, America’s most established cord blood bank, is committed to excellent customer service with highly trained customer service consultants available 24/7. There are certainly many reasons to consider storing cord blood, and now, with Cyro-Cell’s partnership with the NIH, their research using stem cells easily collected during the menstrual cycle, could be a huge step forward for breast cancer research.
I don’t normally do this, but I felt overwhelmed by the number of people who consistently drop their EntreCard here. I was away for almost a week and yet, I have many droppers who dropped anyway, even though they knew that chances were good, that I couldn’t reciprocate. For that very reason, I want to say Thank You to all of my droppers and give extra thanks and a shout out to those who dropped without missing a single day last month. These have been updated to link directly to their blog.
Unfortunately, EC Statistics only displays the top 10. I have a feeling there are many more that should be on this list (one of the reasons I don’t normally do this sort of post). Again, I thank all of you who continue to stop by, drop your card and leave comments. You’re the best!
I created this Advent Calendar wall hanging using pre-printed cotton fabric. The finished size is approx. 28″ long x 21″ wide. Each of the 24 pockets is trimmed in metallic gold thread and are ready for small surprises to be stashed inside. The entire calendar is machine quilted with a polyester batting in between the fabric layers.
This Advent Calendar is for sale for $20 plus shipping. If you are interested in the hanging rod, it is priced at $18.
If interested, please leave a comment and we will go from there.
My husband finally managed to get himself to the eye doctor just before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to sit down and pick out his new eyeglasses. The optometrist did give him his prescriptions though, so now he can really go anywhere to get his new eyeglasses and he does have a style in mind.
He prefers the half rim style where the lenses isn’t fully encased. He also needs bifocals, so his lenses have to be able to accommodate that requirement. Since it is Cyber Tuesday, I’ve been doing some online shopping and I think I have found something that even my conservative husband would like.
I found these stainless steel half-rim frames at Zenni Optical. They have hundreds of Holiday frames to choose from and prices are extremely reasonable. They also offer regular bifocals or progressive lenses, anti-scratch coating and UV protection on the lenses. Since my husband does have his lens prescription we just have to do some simple facial measurements and then we can order online direct from Zenni. There’s no middle man and so it can save us a ton of cash, very important this time of year. The glasses come with a hard carrying case and a micro-fiber lens cleaning cloth which we use both all the time and can never have enough of.
I think I’ll be measuring my husband’s face when he gets home!
I found these stainless steel half-rim frames at Zenni Optical. They have hundreds of 
