hopeky94

Sounds like a sensible idea to me!

samisma-- what is/are bialli's? Yes, I believe scrapple is a regional thing, although I think it covers a fairly large region (unlike goetta, which is somewhat similar, but only found in the Cincy area). I've found goetta recipes online, so you may be able to find recipes for scrapple (and/or bialli's) there, too! :) Meanwhile, there are some interesting southwest regional foods you may want to consider-- have you ever tried chorizo (sp?) or Indian tacos? Chorizo is a spicy sausage (a favorite of my ex in-laws in Mesa), and Indian tacos are sort of like gorditos: Indian fry bread with refried beans and other taco toppings (I had one at an international fair in Oklahoma about 10 yrs ago). Oh, and a REAL sopapilla (sp?)-- thick fry bread with plenty of air bubbles, then cinnamon sugar and honey drizzled over the top-- yummy!! For samisma and anyone else considering trying new regional dishes: try out local restaurants known to serve good regional fare. They may not want to share their exact recipes with you, but I've found most "hometown" restaurants don't have a problem with sharing general info about their dishes... at least enough to know if the recipes you find are anything similar! LOL Sorry if I've gotten OT-- just wanted to share some suggestions! :)

How about a hashbrown casserole? I don't have a recipe in front of me, but a search on any of the recipe sites should bring up several of them. Basically, it's frozen hashbrowns, cream of (whatever) soup, shredded cheese, and a cracker crumb (or cornflake) topping. I put it all together the night before, stick it in the fridge, then put it in the oven Christmas morning one hour before we're ready to eat. Tastes just like the one at Cracker Barrel!!

What a cute site, Kandy- thanks! But unfortunately, it's a little late to get one this year (they're leaving for Florida on the 27th):

I get my mom at least one cloth calendar every year, to hang on the side of her pantry (she doesn't want nails in the wood, so she likes these and hangs them with strong tape). I haven't had a chance to look for these this year, and it seems every year I find them somewhere different. The first one I ever got her was actually a nice kitchen towel (from Kmart, part of the Martha Stewart stuff I think), and last I checked, she still uses that one as a towel! :) All the others have been the thin cheapies, and she's okay with those, but I'd love to find another one like that first one, as she loves gifts that can serve a 2nd purpose that way... I remember finding the cheapies at Family Dollar one year, but can't remember where else I've found them. Time is getting short, and I'm going to start panicing soon! She needs one for her pantry plus one for the camper where she and dad live January thru March. Has anyone seen towel-like cloth calendars for a decent price, or the thin, generic kind for cheap?? TIA!!!!

I can understand OP's issues too.... My family drew names for the first time this year. Even though they're not technically family, my niece's boyfriend and a close guy friend of mine are always included as if they're family, too. Well, my friend has some physical challenges and is in a wheelchair, but he also just got his purple belt (one level below brown belt) in kenpo karate. Yet after 7 years, nobody ever seems to know what to get him... My SIL called while I'm at my parents' house, asking my mom for ideas on the names drawn by members of their family... Mom asked me for ideas for my friend (adult nephew drew his name), so I started listing just general ideas, like anything from National Wildlife Federation or anything to do with wolves. Somehow SIL thinks I mean National Geographic and poo-poos that idea, saying she wanted to get him something from the mall, where does he like to shop there? (Actually, he rarely goes to the mall or does much shopping of his own, besides online!!) So I tell her any of the main stores would be fine.. then I remembered he really likes Dick's Sporting Goods, cuz he can get practice gear and stuff there. I don't think she liked that either and said she'll probably just get him a gift card to a restaurant or to Walmart.... WHAT?!?! So why in the world did she ask in the first place?!?!?!?!?! Errrrrr...... And the ironic part about it all? I drew my SIL's name!!! From listening to Mom's side of the conversation, sounds like she's getting my sister a generic GC, too (nephew's wife drew her name). I'm not fond of gift cards in most cases (unless for a specific purpose, like gc to a musical instrument store for a teen wanting a guitar, or if it's for someone I know nothing about)... And with drawing names, there are far less people for each person to buy for, so why can't folks at least TRY to be more original?? (I'm not even gonna start on why SIL is buying gifts to be from adult nephew and his wife!) Sorry about the soapbox spill.... just wanted to let OP know I feel her pain and sypathize!! Maybe it is a minor issue-- by itself. But sometimes it's the little things that build up over time that can cause the most strife in a family or any other group situation. But just seeing this thread and knowing that others also struggle with these same issues helps me out a lot, so maybe it can do the same thing for others! :) JMHO....

So there's a Dora castle at Walmart? Do you think it would be something a 7 yr old would like? Or is there something else with features similar to the dollhouse that you think might be a better fit? Thank you to all PP's-- unfortunately, the closest TRU is about 30 miles away and in a VERY busy shopping area, so I really doubt I'll be able to go there. And there's not really enough time to have anything shipped from Amazon. But I appreciate you all putting on your thinking caps for me and offering suggestions!! If anyone thinks of other places or things to look at, please post those too! :)

If you have one of these stores around-- I've found good prices on women's perfumes at Gordman's, so I would think they'd have men's cologne too! :)

My office is buying for several kids for Christmas this year, and since the names came from my church, I'm coordinating it. I found out today, due to a coworker's own financial problems, I've got one more of the children to buy for personally-- and I have to have all of the gifts for these kids bought and to the church by this coming Sunday!! The problem is: this is a 7 yr old girl, and the ONLY thing listed on her wish list is a "Dora dollhouse." The only one I can find online is the Dora Talking Dollhouse, and I can't afford to spend that much for one gift, since I'm planning to buy clothes for her, too! So here's my questions: - Is there another Dora dollhouse that she could have been referring to that might be less expensive? - IMO, it seems unusual for a 7 yr old to ask for this, since my 3 yr old great-niece is into Dora but her 6 yr old sister is into High School Musical, Hannah Montana, and Princess stuff... So I'm thinking there must be something in particular that she likes about this dollhouse, as opposed to any generic dollhouse. Any ideas of what it could be-- and what I could get instead that might have that same appeal to it?? TIA for any and all help!!!!

If you did this and got some really nice stuff (like some $20 GC's or a package of gourmet coffee or some other nice gift items) but not enough to give to everyone, you could have everyone at the party put their name in a hat and draw out winners for the "special" prizes! :) Oh, just thought of somewhere to check for freebies: local insurance agencies and similar offices! I was a customer service rep for a Farm Bureau office in my state, and we always had lots of little freebies to give away, like pens, mirrors, rulers, ice scrapers, sports team schedules and/or posters, etc. And this time of the year, we also had wall calendars... I even read in my hometown newspaper that one of the funeral homes is giving away 2008 almanacs this year! At FB, if someone came in asking for a large # of the freebies, we had them explain what they wanted and why to one of the agents. And as long as it wasn't going to make us run short on the items for giving to our customers, we nearly always gave something! But you need to ask asap, because they may need time to round up the number of items you need (i.e. may need to find more in office or may need to order more from supplier). HTH!!!

Along the lines of flashlights and ice scrapers-- any little car care type stuff would be good. You can get tire gauges (to check air pressure in tires) for a dollar or two at Walmart. There are all kinds of ice scrapers out there! Then there are the little trash bags made especially for keeping in the car, along with cleaning wipes for windows and/or interiors. And don't forget about Armor-All, for those who like to make their dashboards and other leather or vinyl areas all shiny and smooth! And if all else fails-- car air fresheners! Hmmm... I may have to rethink my gifts for my coworkers now and pick up a few of these things! LOL

How about a really nice holiday outfit? Your mom sounds a lot like mine (got her a GC for a massage one year-- she never used it!), and last year I found a very nice shirt-jacket and skirt set, one I knew she'd like but would never buy for herself. I gave it to her and told her it was for her to wear on New Year's, even though I knew she'd only be at my uncle's house that night and wouldn't even be staying up late. :) She really loved it! I think the original price was around $90 but I paid between $40 and $50 on clearance at one of the bigger department stores (Sears or JCPenneys, I think). And I have to agree with the idea of a scrapbook or something similar. Does she have some favorite old pictures that are getting in rough shape or that she'd enjoy having enlarged and framed? My mom has a large black and white picture of her family taken when she was a teenager, and one of these days I plan to take it to a professional and have pale colors added to it (like the pictures of the little kids dressed in old grown-up clothes on the front of some greeting cards). I even managed to get her to tell me once what colors each of them were wearing that day and have it written down to use... HTH!! :)

If you can't find a food option that you like, how about trying to find something for him that was a favorite of his as a child or teen? You can find a lot of stuff like that on ebay or amazon, but my personal favorite for nostalgia is Vermont Country Store

The Vermont Country Store has something we gave as a gag gift to my uncle once, let's see if I can find it............ Okay, looks like they've expanded this "line"-- we bought the soak, but now they have a cream and a splash too!! LOL Tired Old A$$ Cream (link at bottom to Soak and Splash)

I have one "cat" stocking, and any toys or treats for any of my girls all go in there. I usually split a bag of treats for my 2 outdoor kitties Sunshine and Red (well, plus one that "visits" 2-3 times a week, Blackie Girl- LOL). My indoor kitty Annie usually gets a new vibrating toy, since either she or I have managed to break her old one by then. And the kitty I co-parent at my friend's house, Stella (she's my avatar), will get some sort of new toy... although she's a plastic-bag-aholic too (or any paper or plastic that makes noise), so she'll have more fun with the bag and/or wrapping around it than with the toy itself! LOL

A tip for the sausage and cheese dip: try adding 1 can of cream of (whatever) soup to this. It makes it creamier, plus it goes a little further! But I'd never thought of the breakfast burritos idea... maybe you could make the dip on Christmas Eve then the breakfast burritos on Christmas morning for a quick and different breakfast! I made the 7 layer dip for a big gathering earlier in the year and made a few minor changes: mixed the taco seasoning into the refried beans instead of the sour cream, made my own pico de gallo to sprinkle on top (just guessed at amounts, using tomato, onion, jalepeno, and cilantro), and chopped 1/2 bell pepper to prinkle on top. The other 1/2 of the bell pepper I used as a bowl to set in the middle of the dip plate, with salsa in it. :) A suggestion as an alternative to "shrimp with sauce": thaw a bag of salad shrimp (or larger shrimp and cut them up) and mix them into 2 softened blocks of cream cheese. Form into a "ball" (basically, a rounded mound in the middle of a larger bowl), and pour some Heinz cocktail sauce over it to coat. Serve it with crackers, and leave the cocktail sauce out to add more on top as the cheeseball gets eaten. A coworker brought this for a snack day years ago and we were skeptical, with just those 3 ingredients. But it's delicious and has become a favorite both in my office and with my family!! And finally, thank you OP, to both your husband AND to you! Our troops play an important role, for sure, but as a former soldier and former wife of a soldier, I know that the love and support of families and friends is vital... they're the whole reason we go in the first place!! So soak in and enjoy every moment of this Christmas season... and don't worry-- I have a feeling this will be a special Christmas for all of you, that you will cherish forever...

For a not-very-crafty and minimal-sewing person like me-- is there something I could make or do with the .99/yd flannel?? It seems like such a good price, and I love the feel of flannel shirts, sheets, etc... I might be able to do something that requires a simple straight-line stitch with this fabric, if I get a plaid or striped print! LOL TIA!!

I used to live in Lawton (well, Elgin actually, but was in Lawton daily for work @ Ft. Sill in mid-to-late 90's)!! LOL But back on topic-- thanks Andyann! Hopefully all WM's will be doing this, so we won't have to do as much searching if there are any of those items we want! :)

Are you mailing the card or hand-delivering it? If hand-delivering, will there be other people around at that time that you'll also be giving cards to? If you normally write the name of the person who's getting the card somewhere inside the card, I think they'd appreciate and enjoy the card just as much if you wrote a short note at the bottom instead, a thank you or something else that lets them know you thought of them personally when preparing the card (example: "Your love and support mean so much-- thank you for being wonderful parents and parents-in-law! Merry Christmas! Love, Jack & Jill"). If mailing, you'll be using their names on the outside of the envelope, so no "mom and dad" needed there. If delivering in person, you wouldn't even have to write anything on the outside of the envelope. Just hand it directly to one of them with a warm smile and a "Merry Christmas!" If there will be others around and other cards being exchanged, just give it to them earlier... or "forget" to bring it with the other cards and promise to go get it as soon as possible. I've been in this situation before, with parents of a long-term boyfriend several yrs ago and was fortunate enough to be able to hand it to them when no other cards were being exchanged. But really, I think you should consider talking to one or both of them first, explaining your awkwardness with the whole name vs. mom and dad thing, and see what they'd prefer. They may have no idea you stuggle with this and may be fine with whatever you do or don't write! :)

Meijer's BF ad states specifically that they are NOT price-matching on BF this year. If you're sure you'll be rebuying the games on BF, my advice is to return the other 2 now. Most WM's will be SOO hectic from BF thru New Year's. Plus, if you misplace the receipt to these 2, you'll probably get the BF price for the returns, as most years they've left all the little stuff at BF prices for days! HTH!! :)

Maybe there's another pair of 1/5 ct tw that they don't have on display right now...

FYI-- Bon Ton is apparently the same store as Elder Beerman, depending on what area you're in from what I can gather. So if anyone sees an ad for either store, it should apply to both, as far as I know... HTH! :)

Thanks Brad!! I tried to find an answer to this on their website but couldn't-- does Bass Pro do any online special sales during or around BF?? There's no way I can make it to the B&M store on BF, but my dad loves their stuff.... TIA!!

Slightly OT, but-- how much fleece do you normally use to make one blanket (like a throw size blanket to cover up with while watching TV or put the kids on for a nap)? Just wondering how much it would cost me to make 3 or 4 of these, for my mom and nieces... TIA! :)

I'd like to know this too! Anyone know the answer to this??