Tuesday's Tips part 4

It's hard to believe that Christmas is just two sleeps away. I've got almost all my shopping done, yea! I'll be picking up a couple of extra things tonight before dinner with some friends, yea! I have the last of the pictures I need that need to be picked up at Costco and then I think I have it all together.

Today's tips are the last ones for this Christmas season. Thanks for reading along! It's been fun and challenging for me.

Looking to start a new Christmas family tradition? How about a Christmas movie viewing night. Aunt C and Lisa like to watch White Christmas together. Yo Momma and I (and Lil Bro when he was around) make time to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol. There's plenty of movies that can be viewed by the whole family. What's a Christmas without A Charlie Brown Christmas?

Have one person that you're struggling to buy a present for? Personalize a calendar. K takes pictures of Train Guy and Adventure Boy, cuts them out and puts them "into" the pictures on a pre-printed calendar. It's fun to turn the page each month to see where the boys will be. Or write notes on specific dates on the calendar, birthdays, quotes, special holidays, lunch dates, etc.

If a calendar doesn't work for you, how about an ornament? These are some of my favorite ornaments to give because they come in a nice box.

Looking for a gag gift? Singing animals are always a hit. People either love them or hate them and that's the whole point. I am on the loving them side and have several. I also found that there are some fun animals out there that don't sing but do other things that make me laugh, laugh, laugh. A couple of lucky people will be the recipients of these gifts this year.

My final tip this Christmas season can't be found on the Internet. I found it last night at R.A.W. in the quiet with the rain pouring down on the roof and candles lighting up the room. It was the reminder to stop and breathe. There is much that I will miss in the next few days as I rush not only to get things done for Christmas but for the Mississippi trip, but last night for an hour I was able to just breathe and enjoy the moment.

In the hustle of friends and family the next few days, my prayer for you is that you have the opportunity to breathe and enjoy the moment.

Tuesday Tips Week 2

This week has been jammed packed with all kinds of things happening. Mostly good, some frustrating and a few unexpected twists but overall good. Though the fact that the guy at the local Taqueria knows that I don't like salsa on my items probably isn't good nor the fact that upon walking into Starbuck$ on Sunday morning both people behind the counter knew exactly what I order. I am there too much!


I am a creature of habit, which is why doing these Tuesday Tip things are so fun. It's my chance to explore new things and pass those tidbits along to you, my internet friends! Are you ready?


Looking for music? I love Christmas Music. A lot. It's hard to just listen to Christmas Music for a month, I want to listen all year long. Loading my I-pod with Christmas music is on my list of things to do this week. In the meantime several people mentioned http://www.pandora.com/ this week. It's a free music site that is just too hard to explain but is pretty cool. Check it out for yourself. Oh, and it's got a lot more than Christmas music on there.


Time for a Christmas Tree? Yo Momma and I went Christmas Tree hunting with Train Guy and Adventure Boy on Friday. Last year we got a tree that we thought was the perfect height, until we cut it down...it was way too short. This year Yo Momma had the fabulous idea to bring a tape measure. It was great. We measured our tree before cutting it and wound up with a tree that is just about the right height. So, if you are going out to cut your own tree, bring a tape measure and figure about a foot and a half difference in the height...if you cut like we do!
Got pictures? I am horrible at printing out pictures. I have billions of pictures from all the adventures of the youth group, not to mention my own life. I've got a program that helps me fix pictures but my printer isn't the best and it tends to jam a lot, so I don't print out the pictures that often. But the other week I got a coupon for free photos from Costco. I uploaded my pictures to Costco.com, chose the size and number of photos and chose to pick them up at my local Costco, which I did the next day. It was so easy and the pictures looked good too. There will be several family members getting pictures for Christmas!

Planning on going on vacation and don't want to stay in a hotel? Try Vacation Rentals By Owner. People with Vacation properties in the US can list their homes on there with pretty reasonable prices...especially if you are going with a big group of people. I found a house in Mississippi for our March trip and have rented it again for the trip this December...as well as another one just down the street. I am scouring that site for a rental house in Tahoe for the High School Snow Trip. There are several great possibilities.

Enough said! Have a great day!

Tuesday's Tips

So, this being the Christmas season and it seems fitting to share my most recent fun finds with y'all every Tuesday from now until Christmas. Hope you enjoy!

Looking for silly gifts? Fredflare.com is the place for you. There aren't words to explain, just look for yourself. I've found a gift for Cousin T (and if any of you family members are tempted to buy something for her from this site, please check with me first!), the perfect gift for Opinionated Friend and just all kinds of fun items.

Like coffee? Like chocolate? Like Yo Momma's Chocolate Torte Cake? Why not try it in beverage form? Starbuck$ new Espresso Truffle tastes just like that cake!

For the last few years I've enjoyed an online Advent Calendar at Banjobunny.com. There's a new door to open everyday with something fun on the other side. If you have sound on your computer turn it up!

And the final Tuesday Tip is this...if you are tired of getting Christmas presents that you don't use, that aren't practical to your life or that you just wind up returning, why not make a wish list! I've got two so far online so friends and family can find them and get me things off that list. The best part is it really works! So go to your favorite store online and start wishing! Oh, but it only works if you tell the rest of us where to find your list!