Spooot

coming up this weekend!!! Whoo-hooo Anything under $2,500.00 is eligible for the tax exemption, for purchases in excess of $2,500, the exemption will be applied to the first $2,500.. Now if there was someplace to shop closer than 30 miles away. Wal-Mart ain't gonna cut it here, we are a small town of 11,000 and our Wal-Mart is trying to accomodate shopping for at least 6 other parishes (counties) that lost everything. Slim pickins' here.

The Garth Brooks commercial for this year was funny...playing with all the toys and Santa walks in and gives him the you've been a bad boy look...Garth looks up with that little boy look and says "Nice hat" and they trade hats. The girls come running in, he is down on his knees with arms wide open and they run right past him to the presents. But I also miss the classic ones, Coke, Norelco and Folgers.

It's not just Wal-Mart doing this. Let's see, last week for instance HP and Intel let it be known they were doing away with retirement benefits. Delphi, Intel and Microsoft are opening call & production centers in India. Car manufacturers are moving overseas, case in point GM closing US plants just to turn around and open them back up overseas. Delphi has said if the unions doesn't accept the $12.00 an hour pay plus benefits they are shutting plants down here. Why you ask? It's simple economics. The unions have been strong arming these companies for years and the companies are starting to fight back. The unions don't understand why Wal-Mart employees continue to vote down joining the union, well if you want to lose your job due to Wal-Mart closing the doors then go ahead. Wal-Mart was built on the premise of the lowest price, with unionization that would not be true any longer, Wal-Mart would have to raise thier prices, Sam Walton would turn over in his grave. I will say that when the unions were formed they were for the benefit of the little guy, that isn't true any longer. The fat cats that sit around in an office negotiating; call for a strike and continue to recieve thier big fat salary, while the little guy out there walking a picket line is barely getting enough cash to feed his family. All for the greater good? I think not unless you are a fat cat union guy. Now I might change my mind if the union fat cats took a pay cut while the strike was going on...NAH, that ain't gonna happen. I will continue to shop at Wal-Mart or anyplace else I choose too, that's what is so wonderful about our country we have the right to makechoices. :rwb:

Oh goodness they all do it, my DD is 33, now with 3 of her own and she cut her hair, and each one of hers except the 10 month old has cut thiers. Definately take the picture, capture the moment, youw ill wish you had when she grows up!!!

You're welcome as for the sweetie part, ask anyone I'm really not that sweet!!! *LOL*

I'm not exactly sure when the sales are but if I'm not mistaken they do it once or twice a year...they set bins up by size in the front of the store and you choose from those. They usually have just about all the various brands except the newest ones out. I can't remember now but it seems like all of them in the bins were $9.99. They will start heavily advertising on TV and interent when they are going to have it.

Usually $9.99, I stock up time they have one of those sales!!!

WOW!!! That's a good price, thanks, my daughter has been looking for new stockings for her family of 5 and that is a GREAT price!!

WOW!! Why would anyone throw something away that did not belong to them? With my ornament collection there would be hell to pay, aunt or not. *LOL* I am sorry this happened, I can't even imagine how you must feel!!

My daughter lives in Oklahoma, that's how I found out about it. But I know a few years ago while living in East Texas we had the same problem and always around the holidays, of course. I live in a small town in Louisiana, so far *knock on wood* I've been lucky. During the hurricanes down here I had people donating stuff to the evacuees and at some points I was recieving up to 12 boxes a day. They were (all the delivery companies) leaving them sitting on our courtyard for the world to see. But as far as I know nothing was stolen.

There is a criminal element around that has way too much time on thier hands or not, I suppose it depends on if one is a criminal or not. So do you have items arriving via UPS or any other delivery service that leaves packages on the doorstep if you aren't home? Well there are folks out there now spending thier days following mostly UPS trucks around, if they leave a package at a door and no one comes out right away to pick it up these thieves are helping themselves. They have been so brazen they are even taking the time to open the boxes to see what is in them and leaving the opened box behind less the item inside of course. This is happening in Oklahoma so if it is happening there it is happening other places too. So if you have items coming check your tracking numbers and know when to expect your packages so someone can be home to accept them.

Plan on staying home same as every year, I prefer to not be out with the drinkers since we don't drink. Did enough of that in my younger days. Stay in, watch tv and hope we can stay awake long enough to watch the ball drop. *LOL*

It's great you got your plasma...however and this is no slam on plasma's or your decision to purchase one by any stretch especially for casual viewing. We bought a 55" Phillips wide screen High def about 2 years ago, it was my Christmas present (and yes we paid dearly for it, but it is sooo worth it, IMO). I love NASCAR and there is nothing better than watching those cars go round and round in circles on this thing!!! Not to mention the sound is awesome. Anyway onto my point. I myself would not buy a plasma just because of the burnout issue, I've known too many that have done so and later regretted purchasing a plasma (again however if it's for casual viewing no big deal). But I'm now in the market for a couple of Wide Screen LCD's one for the den (at least a 32") and one for our bedroom (at least 26"). The issue here is what is best for you. I have a 100 year old house with a lot of sq footage but small rooms so anything off of the floor is a good thing, plus I can hang a picture over it to hide it when it isn't in use. The interesting thing about LCD's is that there are only 5 manufacturers in the world that manufacture LCD's so to get hung up on a name brand is probably a little silly? There may be a few upgraded tweaks here and there depending on branding, but I figure do your research and get the best at the most affordable price. Same is true with any TV, whether is is EDTV, LCD, or DLP. DLP is still a little pricey for my taste so I'll stick with the LCD's for a while.

The dressing is prepared and ready for the oven, giblet gravy is done, apple crisp is done and the pumpkin pie is done. The turkey will go in about 6 AM, hopefully, if I get myself to bed early enough.

Most of it I do, I took him with me yesterday and thought I was going to have to hurt him before we got out of the store. All I wanted was for him to pick out a wagon for our 2 1/2 yr old grand daughter, it turned inot a big production. So I brought him home, he isn't allowed to go with me ever again to Christmas Shop for the grandbabies. He can shop for his two boys and of course Moi but the rest I will do.

I haven't bought anything on e-bay in years, but when I did, yep I sniped, I didn't know at the time that's what it was called though. I am amazed that people will start a bidding war on an item early in a 5,7 or 10 day auction. I haven't decided if it is inexperienced e-bayers or the seller or family member of the item pushing the price up. My daughter was recently trying to purchase a Pottery Barn Duvet cover, those things were selling for twice the price in the store, it took her a month to finally win one that was reasonably priced.

Nope, to avoid the light issue I have bought pre-lit trees, in the past hubby would get my trees in the house, get them set up and then disappear for a few days cause I was manic about the lights, if I sqinted and saw a hole in the lights it would drive me nuts. Now I jsut add a couple of strings of large steady burning bright lights and it's good enough. The smaller trees I jsut add the net lights to it and it makes me happy.

I've not seen the movie but the book was great, it is based on the book "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham..if you haven't read it then consider it, I laughed all the way through it. I was so glad to see Tim Allen in it as Luther, he was my first pick for the roll of Luther from the moment I started reading the book.

MY DH is the same way, he never asks for anything, so I have to watch him like a hawk throughout the year. If we go shopping and he shows an interest in something, I watch for the pick up and look it over syndrome. If he picks it up and spends much time looking at something then I know he is interested. One year it was Ostrich boots, one year it was a wood planer, one year it was a metal detector. This year however he finally did ask me for one particular item, we have a 100+ year old house with a huge front porch, he has asked for a nice wooden rocking chair, so when he isn't working on the house he can sit on the porch and rock. Also he doesn't go often but he does like to go golf ocassionally so I think I will purchase a gift certificate for a few rounds of golf as a stocking stuffer. Also another thing that is always a big hit with men, is antique money, one year I purchased several coins from a coin dealer, but do some research on the internet before you go so tha tyou can dicker with them on price. Hope this helps, good luck!!!

You will need 1 string of 100 lights per foot of tree, i.e.: a 6' tree needs 6 strings of 100 lights-600 lights all together! This is the standard rule of thumb.

I have both on my tree...the tree is pre-lit and then I add some big steady burbing lights for affect.

DH is the most difficult, the easiest is the 10 month old grandson.

Thank goodness I don't have any little ones at home anymore...hehehe, but I do have 4 grandchildren.. the 11 year old boy wants X-box 360 (I ain't buying) computer desk (I am buying) some kind of model engine that really works clothes 7 year old grand daughter Anything to do with fishing (easy) 10 months old grandson (he would be happy with a cardboard box) 2 1/2 yr old grand daughter Everything she sees I'm buying her a wagon.

I measured from the floor to the window sill and that's the height I made the box. Now there is full view of the tree in the window..if I'd not used the box then there would have been this dwarf tree sitting in this huge window, it looked funny to me.

Yes that was the one thing I neglected to mention was the room underneath..can get lots o presents under there now.