hopeky94

LOVE the bedding and the pan sets that will be DB's... but I'm pretty sure they don't sell anything online, and I am NOT gonna fight the traffic from the mega-mall that's right beside our Gordman's! Maybe they'll have some left and at a good price and I can get over there the next week... Thanks for posting this though, Brad!! :)

Woohoo- happy to have another ad, even if it's only a partial! :) Does anyone know if Sears normally has the same stuff on sale online for BF?

I was in Wal-Mart last night (after-Halloween clearance shopping, of course- LOL), and could NOT believe-- they've started playing Christmas music throughout the store already!! But I have to admit, I'm not too unhappy about that... since I have been known to break into a chorus of Jingle Bells in the middle of July! I wonder how many people I irritated by singing along with nearly every song while waiting in the insanely long checkout line?!

I LOVE Walgreens on BF! Thanks for the awesome preview list, sweetdiggity!! :)

From my experience, any of the items that are in the ad that each store usually carries will be their BF deals. For example, the stores that normally carry only tools and appliances will have the BF deals on those, but they won't have the toys, clothes, or home goods for their BF sale. So basically, if there's something you're wanting but aren't sure your store will have it, check to see if they normally carry it (or similar items)... if not, it's doubtful they'd have it on BF, either. HTH! :)

The only tip I can think of at the moment is to vary how far into the tree you place your ornaments. Don't put them all at the very ends of the branches, but don't put them all way back into the tree either. After placing most of your ornaments, stand back several feet and look at it as if you're seeing it for the first time. If there are some areas that look cluttered but others that look bare, rearrange the limbs, garland, ornaments, etc. a little at a time, until it looks more even. Hope that helps! :)

My mom has a small (tabletop-size) white tree, and she decorates it in royal blue and white: some are ball ornaments, but she's slowly accumulating the REAL ornaments she wanted-- University of Kentucky items! Kentucky basketball is a big thing in our family, LOL... And although I was skeptical about a white tree, I must admit that the blue does show up MUCH better on that tree than on a green one! I have a feeling she'll soon be wanting to change over to a white tree for her small John Deere themed one, too! So, if you have a sports team or brand-named item(s) that have a bright color scheme to them, try using those colors-- and you may already have small items around the house that you can use as "ornaments" instead of (or in addition to) colored balls!

Don't forget-- It's A Wonderful Movie blog posts the ABC Family holiday movies, PLUS ones from several other networks too (like Hallmark, AMC, NBC/CBS/ABC, etc)! :)

This is basically what my family does for breakfast too, except: eggs are scrambled only... sausage gravy AND red-eyed (aka country ham) gravy... biscuits are now from frozen (less mess and rise perfectly every time!)... no pancakes... and my annual contribution: hashbrown casserole! Being the only single "child," I traditionally spend the night at my parents and stay up late getting the table set, pans and serving dishes out, etc... and I put everything together for my casserole and stash it uncooked in the fridge. Then, while Mom and Dad argue and crowd each other while cooking everything else the next morning, I stay quitely out of the way until about an hour before everyone arrives, when I stick the casserole in the oven! :)

My sister used to do the Ritz crackers with peanut butter in between then dipped in chocolate coating (either white or regular)-- they're yummy! But the easiest way she found to make them was get the Ritz Bits that are already premade into little peanut butter sandwiches: less work/mess, and seem to go further since people tend to pick up fewer at a time! Something I made last year that was super-easy and everyone loved: Peppermint Bark! I can't remember the exact measurements (I'm sure you can find them if you google it), but you melt white almond bark, mix in crushed peppermint candy (can use the disks or candy canes), then spread it out fairly thin on waxed paper. Once it's hardened, break it into whatever size of pieces you want/need, and it's all done! :) Here are a couple other ideas, using some of the ingredients you have (but may need a few other ingredients): Nutter Butter Santas 2 packages white baking chocolate, chopped 1 package Nutter Butter sandwich cookies (32 cookies) Red colored sugar 32 white chocolate chips 64 miniature chocolate chips 32 Red Hot candies 1. In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt white chocolate, stirring occasionally. 2. Dip one end of each cookie into melted chocolate. Place on wire racks. For Santa's hat, sprinkle red sugar on top part of chocolate. Place one white chocolate chip off-center on hat for pom-pom; let stand until set. 3. Dip other end of each cookie into melted chocolate for beard, leaving center of cookie uncovered. Place on wire racks. 4. With a dab of melted chocolate, attach semisweet chips for eyes and a red hot for nose. 5. Place on waxed paper until chocolate sets. ------------------------------- Chocolate-Peppermint Cheeseball 1 pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup peppermint candies (approx. 36 candies) 2 cups pecans 8 ounces cream cheese, softened Process chocolate chips, peppermint candies, and pecans in a blender or food processor until finely ground. Place mixture in an airtight plastic bag or container until ready to use. There will be enough mixture to make several cheese balls. When ready to make a cheese ball, place cream cheese in a bowl. Remove 1/2 cup of ground candy/nut mixture from its bag and mix into cream cheese. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 or 3 hours or until firm. Serve with chocolate flavored vanilla wafers, chocolate graham crackers, etc.

Woohoo-- thanks so much, OP!! I just ordered a beautiful, long down-filled coat for $39.48 shipped! :) Oh, and FYI-- I noticed before I put in the 50% off code that my shipping was $10.99; but after I put in the code, it went down to $6.99, plus it said the code automatically upgraded the shipping-- and with the weather we've been having already, that's almost as good of perk as the 50% off (okay, I did say almost!)....

I'm just looking for something very basic for my parents-- my dad's hearing is getting worse, so I'm thinking putting a couple of speakers by his chair, one for the rest of the family room, and one close to the kitchen could be a much better solution than everyone having to yell over the TV noise! LOL They already have a DVD player (that they rarely use- TV mainly stays on Encore Western channel on Dish Network!), so really just looking for a decent, easy-to-operate speaker system. To buy it by myself, really need to stay around $50 or less; if I can convince my brother and sister to help, I could probably go up to around $125. Any suggestions?? I won't be near a BB or other large electronics store on BF, but could go to BB next week/weekend, if needed. Also open to ordering online-- as long as I know it's a decent system, reputable seller, and can get it here in time for Christmas! :)

Believe it or not, TS is always the first stop for me and my mom... after I get all the doorbusters I want at WM (and possibly stop at RiteAid, now that there's one close by)! LOL It's usually a short breather for me and a good warm-up for her, before heading to the next town over where Kmart, Kohls, Sears, etc are! :) Thanks for the ad, Brad!!

There are a LOT of good ideas here for the mom of this family! Kinda reminds me of what I've done for bridal and baby showers before, so this might be an idea to kind of incorporate a bunch of it: (This would work for most all "themes" - or even "a little of everything" mixture - but the first example that came to my mind was kitchen/bath cleaning stuff.) Get a neutral-colored laundry basket (or a hamper?)- put all bulky and/or non-flexible items in first (i.e. paper towels, TP, anything in boxes), then add in smaller items in the empty spaces left (like dish soap, sponges, pot holders, etc). Then use either towels or a blanket to "wrap" it up, by spreading over the top and tucking tightly around the edges (or if the blanket is large enough, unfold it to line the basket before adding everything else, then after adding all other items gather it at the top of basket with a rubber band and a ribbon or bow, like a store-bought gift basket with a blanket instead of cellophane!)...

3 ideas I thought of: 1) Accessories for the larger items that they already have or will be getting (?)-- like helmets, knee & elbow pads for a scooter or bike; or some decor (or school supplies) in the same theme as some of the big items they've mentioned before (removable wall stickers, notebooks, folders, a desk lamp, etc) 2) Gift cards to somewhere that the girls would enjoy but wouldn't be of benefit to the parents-- a children's clothing store; Toys R Us; one of those pizza & game room places, etc-- but put the gift card inside of a small wrapped gift set or gift basket (maybe candy, lotions, or gloves/scarf), so the parents don't immediately see it like they would in a card 3) A "DIY photo session" package: get each girl a fairly nice photo album. If you're not sure if they have a digital camera, get each a disposable camera (if they do have digital cameras, see if Snapfish or a similar site has a way to give someone credits for free prints, and print out a reciept & directions to use those). Add in a bunch of those stickers made to go on photos, that have silly or cute sayings on them. Then find some cute/silly dress-up things that you think would match their personalities. Put everything in either a regular cardboard box or a little "trunk" of some sort, with a computer-made "certificate" for each of them (maybe inserted on the 1st page of the album?), something like "This certificate entitles _________ (receiver's name in big letters) to a FREE photo session, courtesy of _________'s (sister's name) Photography"

Thanks, stacyk9, for posting that link-- that's the site I used last year and am already using again this year... If it wasn't for that site, I would have missed the Charlie Brown Halloween special-- how terrible that would have been!! lol As for some movies being on only at odd times: in years past, I've found that some movies are shown more often than what the networks originally tell everyone they will be. Of course, there's no way of knowing for sure which ones will be shown more than listed (if any of them)... so probably your safest bet to get to see your movie if it's showing at times you won't be able to watch it-- use a DVR or VCR to record and watch it later. In fact, so many people are tossing their old (but still working) VCRs nowadays that you could probably find someone willing to give you one for free! Ask around to family and friends, or post a "want" ad on your local Freecycle group... You may also be able to find favorite Christmas movies for sale on Amazon, Ebay, or directly from ABC Family or Hallmark... HTH!! :)

Actually Amber, I think the same company DOES own Peebles! Crazy, huh?! I wonder if the deal is that this one big company buys out smaller regional stores (including rights to their names), then reopens them with their own products? If so, I think that's a pretty smart business move! :)

I wish I could remember more of them, but I know my uncle and his MIL used to exchange gag gifts every year... The only one I can really remember though, is the "14-karat gold chain" that she told him to get her one year: he bought a heavy chain like you'd use on a farm or for snow tires... painted it (and something to use as a "clasp") with a thick coat of gold spray paint... then using their tops to tie them on, he attach 14 carrots to the chain!!! Look around at Spencer's, Hallmark stores, and any little country festivals that feature handmade crafts for sale... I've see lots of "over the hill" and "hillbilly" gifts at those places over the years and remember thinking, "I bet that wouldn't be hard to make at home!" (Unfortunately, I can never seem to remember them once I get home- LOL!) I'll keep trying to remember and add them to this thread when/if I do think of more!

If they don't already have them, get each a phone hard case (or skin) and/or a cute carrying case (like the ones you can clip to a belt) that's the right size for each phone, and stick the gift card in the case and wrap the whole thing! :)

The Bon-Ton name is regional, but the store is more widespread... Around here (central KY), it's known as Elder Beerman, and I think it has another name somewhere else in the country (can't remember for sure). So if you've ever seen an Elder Beerman ad leaked, then you've seen Bon-Ton's ad! :) HTH!!

Oh boy, oh boy-- PLEASE share, rgg414!!!!

Still no news on a full ad for the F&F sale?? I found this info on another board last week, but it's still pretty vague i think...

Thanks for the FYI... Does he have the Friends & Family ad yet? I'll be travelling on F&F day this year and need to figure out if it's worth trying to get online for, as I usually never miss it!

If you hang out with him or look around the house and find out that something he's wanting and hasn't gotten for himself is because he can't find it in stores-- get creative! There are catalogs and places online that sell reproductions of stuff from decades gone by (Old Vermont Country Store is one I get a catalog from). Or if it's something that you think could be reproduced, look for someone local who might be able to make one... or try your hand at DIY! :) My example: my dad has trouble with buttons, so when we ran across some flannel shirts with Velcro closures (and buttons on the outside to look like the button-up style), we bought a couple... never imagining we wouldn't be able to find them again! When those 2 shirts started to wear out, I searched everywhere for more, then finally decided to make one myself! I bought a regular flannel shirt, removed all the buttons and sewed them to the outside (covering the button holes), then sewed Velcro pieces where each button had been. In hindsight, I made a few beginner's mistakes (like getting Velcro with the sticky glue side- VERY hard to sew thru- bruised my fingertips, LOL), but he was much happier with that and all the work I put into it than he would have been with a giftcard or another polo shirt! Another idea (from something I got for my dad's birthday): something custom-made by a local person/business. A local man here makes custom cut-metal pieces (like signs, wall hangings, even furniture), so I had a metal yard sign made with a fish at the top and his last name at the bottom (all laser-cut with lots of neat details), attached to long metal stakes so he can put it in the ground outside his camper when he goes fishing for 3 months this winter. A coworker of mine is having a local leather shop make a new wallet for her daughter, designed just like hers that her daughter admires but isn't available at stores around here. Hope this helps-- good luck! :)

We don't make this as much anymore, with how expensive even generic Velveeta is nowadays, but this one is a favorite for snacking during afternoon gatherings, while sipping on hot chocolate (or hot flavored tea)... :) Cheesy Sausage Dip 1 large box Velveeta (generic works fine) 1 can tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel) 1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup 1-2 lbs bulk sausage, cooked and crumbled Put all ingredients in crockpot on High, stirring occasionally, until melted. Turn down to Low and let cook for 1-2 hours (or more), to let flavors blend. Turn to lowest setting and serve directly from crockpot. Refrigerate any leftovers; reheats best in individual servings in the microwave.