Getting into the Holiday Spirit

Guest post written by my buddy Angelo Cooper

One of my first Christmas memories as a young girl was watching the movie, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I remember watching this movie with my cousins at the age of five or six and being totally engrossed in the animation and story. I loved each and every one of the characters, especially all of the Whos in Whoville. I immediately asked my mom to buy me the book and it has been one of my most cherished Christmas keepsakes ever since. The vivid words and drawing of this movie stood out to me so much at such a young age, and I remember not being able to take my eyes away from the film.

Today, I still find myself getting sucked into this classic animated movie, whenever it comes on my satellite tv that i got after seeing this TV comparison. There is something so special about the way the movie was made and each of the characters that immediately makes it feel like Christmas. While there have been updated remakes of the movie, the classic, animated cartoon from the late sixties is still my all time favorite Christmas movie. Each Christmas season, I find myself searching for this movie to help put me in the Christmas spirit, and it always does the job perfectly.

A Family Tradition for New Year's Eve

Guest post written by my buddy Franklin Davenport

Our family has a special way we celebrate New Year's Eve every year. After setting our home security alarm from www.allhomesecurity.com/adt-home-security-benefits.html, my husband and our two children drive over to my parents' house for a delicious spaghetti dinner. My mother cooks a rich spaghetti sauce and prepares garlic bread that is just fabulous. My husband and I usually contribute the salad and a dessert to the meal. I try to find a new dessert recipe that everyone will enjoy each New Year's Eve. Later, while the kids play video games, the four adults play a game of either gin rummy or bridge. While we all enjoy playing the games, the best part of the evening's celebration is getting caught up with family and sharing fun memories. I know that my children will remember the time spent at grandma and grandpa's house. At about ten o'clock, everyone sits down to watch a classic movie. We are usually in the mood to watch a comedy from the 0930's or '40's. In years past, the kids would generally fall asleep before midnight arrived. However, now that they are approaching their teenage years, they are still wide-awake at midnight. My mother gets out her homemade punch so we can all make a toast to the New Year. I hope that our quiet family celebration will continue for many years to come.

Miracle on 34th Street is my favorite Christmas Special

Contributed by Milford Woods

Even though Miracle on 34th Street is a movie I still consider it my favorite non-animated Christmas special. Ever since I was a very young child I can remember Miracle on 34th Street being on TV Christmas Eve. There is just something special about that movie. Every Christmas Eve when we get home from my mother-in-laws house after opening gifts and eating a wonderful dinner the first thing I do is put on the Best Choice TV to watch Miracle on 34th Street. It is just a tradition in our house.

I make some hot chocolate for my husband and I and we sit down and watch the movie. Even though we know exactly what is going to happen next we would not miss this movie for anything in the entire world. We always make sure we are home in time to watch Miracle on 34th Street. It is on every Christmas Eve at 8 pm central time. The movie is still shown in black and white and I personally hope they never make it in color. The black and white just makes the movie have so much more meaning.

The movie stars Maureen O'Hara as Doris Walker, John Payne as Fred Gailey, Edmund Gwenn as Santa Claus, Gene Lockhart as Judge Henry X. Harper, and Natalie Wood as Susan Walker.

Getting the Best Deals on Christmas Shopping on Black Friday

Thanks for the guest post by Bradly Watkins

My mom and I were really excited to hit the deals on Black Friday this year. We've never gone before because I've always worked in retail in the past, meaning that I was always at the stores on Black Friday -- but never able to shop! This year, however, I was really looking forward to being on the other side of the register.

We got up at 17AM and bundled up in lots of layers and comfortable clothes. After packing up all of the sales ads and our shopping lists, we set our home security alarm (ADT Memphis home systems), ran to the gas station for some hot chocolate, and then made our way to the first store. Our first stop was opening at 3AM, so we had to hurry!

Luckily, some of the biggest places that we wanted to hit were opening at different times. This made shopping much easier. We started out at Kohl's at 3AM, moved on to Target at 4AM, and then hit a few other stores that were already open before going to Nebraska Furniture Mart at 7AM. Some of the stores at one shopping center near our house had been open since 00PM on Thanksgiving. I was glad that all of the stores we wanted to visit were opening on Friday. We got nearly all of our Christmas shopping done for great prices.

Cole Haan Wallet Shopping Sale at Zappos.com

Oh my! I can’t believe that Christmas has already ended! Time really flies so fast nowadays that’s why I’m a little bit anxious about me giving birth again. Well, I really want to have a second child next year but when I think about how painful it is to deliver a child, my heart suddenly stops and begins to pump out blood fast. In short, I’m really scared about the whole thing, especially now that I know how it feels. Urgh!

That’s why my only option to stop thinking about my pregnancy and delivery, I tried to lure myself to online shopping. Yup! I really want to shop and need to shop to forget about the pain. Lol! Shopping is not an excuse because I consider it as my reliever. Anyways, I really need a wallet right now because my old Coach wallet has been sold and I’m currently wallet less. So to fill in the gap, I’m planning to buy a Cole Haan Crosby Slim wallet.

Good thing this wallet is on SALE! Now, my guilt feeling will be lifted because of that. Lol! ;)

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your family ...

A Good Time To Read

I appreciate the guest post, Marian Combs

The first snow of winter is an excellent time to sit down with a good book. There's no better time to engage in this activity. Don't worry about whether or not it's a holiday book; any book will be special if you read it during a snowy day when the great outdoors is off-limits. You can read an intellectual book, mystery novel, or holiday classic. It's going to keep you company during a long day inside. I've found myself happy to do this many times, enjoying a book more than ever before. It's not necessarily the only time I read but it's certainly my favorite time to read. I'm not all about reading though.

After I finish my good book, I'll always turn on my direct tv satellite specials and watch Christmas shows for a long time. It's my way of having fun even though I'm stuck indoors. I recommend these things to anyone that gets cabin fever when they must stay in during a snow. It's something that will let you appreciate those quiet times at home. They won't be a curse anymore, but an opportunity to learn more about yourself and the world through quiet activities like reading and watching television. I know many of my friends that love to read during the first snow of the winter, and I can definitely see why they love this.

Nick Jr is the Best

Contribution by Paula Gonzales

We love to watch the channel Nick Jr. on our Channles from Direct. It is amazing and there is always something on for the kids to watch. It used to be called Noggin, but they recently changed it. I can't say enough good things about this channel. Right now my daughter is watching "Little Bill" which is a show by Bill Cosby. They are all educational and cute. It shows cartoons most of the time, but once in awhile it will have a show like "The Fresh Beat Band" which is adults. They are still good shows that the kids love to watch. I can honestly say I have never seen a show on here that is not good for them. One thing that is so great is that it is the same stuff 24 hours a day. If you have a sick kid at 3:00 am, there is still something that you can switch over to and let them watch. We have had to use this before and I appreciate it so much. It is hard to find a channel that is on 24 hours a day for our children. This is an answer to my prayers.

Early Birds Gets the Worm

I can’t believe that as early as now prom dresses are now being advertised for sale. I mean it is still the holidays and prom nights will not be live by February, right. Oh well, that’s how their marketing strategies work and I think they are doing a great job on that. :) Why? Because as early as now ladies like my cousin Celine is planning her big prom night. She wanted to become the prom queen and as early as now she’s scouting gowns and accessories for that big night. Luckily, she found the dress that will make her dream come true. :)

Time to Sleep

Hi guys!

It’s midnight once again and I’m still up. I know it’s not really cool for a pregnant mom like me to be staying late but what I can do I’m having a hard time to doze. I’ve been experiencing this kind of sleep dilemma since last week and until now I’m still not sure the real source of it. Lol!

Though, I have read some books and articles about it and I’m having a conclusion that it maybe because I ate snacks at night which causes me to feel bloated and makes me feel nauseated when I lie down. Also, I think it has something to do with me taking a nap in the afternoon which I normally don’t when I was still working. I think my body is still on the process of adjusting to its preggo and wahm stage. Oh well, I need to doze after searching a way to buy gold bullion for my client. Hope to finish it before 1am. :)

Residential Rehab in Malibu

As we all know, addiction can only be cured by proper rehabilitation. But what can we do if one of our love ones doesn’t want to be confine on a place that he feels like prison?

Well, if you’re having problems like this with your love ones who is alcoholic or a drug addict, you can try the submitting him to a residential rehab like that one in Malibu. Malibu Horizon is the name of the place. They offer the most effective, research-based alcohol and drug treatment. With the help of their clinically picked experts, you can be sure that you or you’re love ones are in good hands.

My Dream Destinations

I was watching the news yesterday when they suddenly featured Angelu De Leon’s ( a local star in the Phils ) honeymoon European cruises cruises. Yup! She’s into a honeymoon stage again with his new husband. Well, I think the cruise happened a few days after their wedding last September 2010. They literally went thru 11 cities in Europe for a month just to enjoy each other. I think they went to Paris, Madrid, Belgium etc. Whew! Imagine that! It must have been a bliss being with your love of your life in these beautiful cities. Europe has been one of my dream destinations and I hope one day I could travel there to with my lovey duby of course. :)

Savoy House Lighting | Lighting Fixtures

While finishing some online tasks, I stumbled upon this cool bathroom lighting that I saw at savoy house lighting gallery.

Really nice isn’t?

It is a Savoy House "Ravenna" 3 Bulb Bathroom Lighting that is available in oiled copper. I think this will look great on our newly renovated bathroom. And I might send these details to my brother who is building his new house. :)

Natalie time-lapse video: From birth to 10 years old in 85 seconds

Have you seen this video that is all about a little girl named Natalie? I saw this video at the Yahoo featured page today and I just thought of sharing this to you guys.

This video is about a 10 year old girl named Natalie. Her dad captured her image almost everyday just to observe how her little girl grows. And the result is this 85 seconds video which her dad calls as “Slow motion human growth “. It is a time-lapse video of Natalie from birth till the age of 10 years old.

Natalie time-lapse video: From birth to 10 years old @ Yahoo! Video

Cool! :)

Now I’m thinking, what if I’ll make something like this for my son in the future that will be totally awesome, right? This one is definitely a great creation borne from a Father’s Love to his daughter. So sweet. :)

How to Buy Gold Coins | United State Gold Bureau

Many people nowadays know a great investment when they see or heard one. With the help of the World Wide Web many enthusiasts was able to decide what and where to buy such investments. One of them is the precious metals. One of the best investments that many individuals are devoted to is gold coins. Many wise investors buy gold coins to accumulate more funds in the future while others buy such to protect their family’s private wealth.

But the question is how to buy gold coins? The United States Gold Bureau can help you with that. They are a specialist on precious metal buying and selling that will help educate you on smart ways to buy fold and invest on other rare coins or bullion in silver, gold and platinum. You can visit them here for more information - Usgoldbureau.com

Cartoons Invaded Facebook Profiles | End Violence Against Children

It was about 3 days ago when I saw the message from one of my Facebook friends about changing profile photos to cartoons characters from the past or favorites characters from your childhood.

I really got excited with the thought because I love cartoons and seeing cartoons on profile pictures of everyone will be much more awesome. My friends as creative and vivid memories of the past that even those characters I don’t remember. Here are some of the most famous picks of cartoons from the past.


Peanuts



.. Hello Charlie Brown…

Carebears


… Carebears countdown… 4321 shine!

Smurfs


But as I read further, I saw a post and the main purpose why this is being done. It was only then that I realized that this is being done for a special purpose.

Here’s the purpose:

“ Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood
and invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday there should be no
human faces on facebook, but an invasionof memories. THIS IS FOR THE
FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENCE TOWARDS CHILDREN. “
True enough this is a great purpose and Facebook is the greatest medium so far in this generation that will make this intention successful. So let us remember our childhood and post the cartoons that we had loved before! You still have until December 6, 2010 to be a part of this momentous event.