There has been an email going around that seems to add a lot of misinformation about business chains that are either closing or cutting back. They are telling you that "if you have any "gift cards" from these
stores, make sure you use them, or you will lose them!" Snopes.com (a site where you can get the real scoop) has put out the following corrections to that email:

According to Snopes.com and what they could determine according to various news accounts published in 08, the chains named below are planning or have made the following cutbacks:

Ann Taylor and Loft, closing 117 stores of 966 during restructuring
Bombay Co, filed Chap 11 all 384 stores closing
Cache chain closed 14 under performing outlets but still opening new locations.
Charming Shoppes chain has closed 150 of 2,360 outlets
Circuit City chain filed Chap 11 closing 155 stores
CompUSA chain restructuring, most 103 stores closed
Dillards chain to close 21 and perhaps more in 09.
Disney chain 98 of 335 closed
Eddie Bauer chain closed 29 of 376 and opened 20 new
Ethan Allen chain closed 12 design centers and 2 svs centers
Foot Locker chain closed 274 outlets out of 3,700 in 07 and 60 more in 08 w/more closures likely
Whitehall Jewelers who acquired Friedman's and Crescent filed Chap 11 and began closing 373 stores
Gap chain closed 17 while opening 37 ending with 3,190 outlets. Co expects to close 115 and opening 100 during 08 fiscal yr.
Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video filed Chap 11 in 07, in 08 closed 400 and will shut down another 160.
Home Depot chain will close 15 under performing outlets
Kirklands chain expecting to close 130 of 335 outlets.
Levitz Furniture chain filed Chap 11 and closing stores.
Macy's chain closed 11 of 850 in 08.
Pep Boys chain closed 31 of 600 that were under performing.
Sharper image chain filed Chap 11 will close 184 outlets
Sprint will close 125 of 1,400 outlets.
Talbots Inc closed some and still has 283 operating
Wickes Furniture began liquidating as part of bankruptcy.
Wilsons Leather still operates 119 locations
Zales closed 105 of 2,130 in 08, half kiosks and half stores. Has opened 100 new outlets in 08.

This list was updated by Snopes 24 Nov 08

I recently read a blog post from a friend about aprons. I can just see my grandmother wearing her apron everyday when she was at home. If she went anywhere she would put on her hat and carried her gloves (no apron) but always a dress. My grandmother never owned slacks or shorts. She walked to the grocery store and to church. She was the sweetest lady. I can still hear her calling me. She went through all the names of her grandchildren before she got to mine and I find myself doing the same thing with my grandkids. She swore she had never had a headache in her life. Can you imagine that? She had come to Oklahoma with her family from Illinois, as a girl, soon after "the land run". They lived in the country and she went to a small school house which at that time was on the edge of town. She even rode a horse to school. She had to quit about the 5th grade because her mom died and she had to take care of two brothers and her dad. She studied at home and was a very smart lady. Her husband, my grandfather, died when I was a baby and I never knew him. He rode the caboose on the Frisco railroad and retired with them. My grandmother died at 94 and had lived through the land run and seeing a man walk on the moon. She played conasta for years and never missed the Kentucky Derby on tv. What a neat lady, my grandmother. I think of her almost every day. Be sure and tell your children and grandchildren about grandparents if they have passed on. If you haven't done so, be sure and do a family tree. That is such a great gift to your children!

Have salaries gotten out of hand? I don't think that making a lot of money is bad, it is the salaries that some companies give their ceo's or sports teams give their players, that I feel has gotten way out of hand. This past week we watched as three ceo's of major car companies were grilled by Washington when they came to ask for money to help their companies out of debt. What everyone got upset about was the fact that they each came in their company's private jet. What they forgot to tell us was how much each man's salary is. Check this out: Richard Wagoner Jr, CEO, GM, 8.5 mil., Robert Nardelli, Chrysler, 6.5 mil. and Alan Mulally, Ford, 19.6 mil. They sit there and talk about how thousands will lose their jobs and how many peoples lives are affected by their company if it goes under. How can anyone talk about that when they are making that kind of money themselves? How can a board authorize that kind of money for one man? Is there anyone who can honestly say that they do 19 million dollars worth of work a year? I think it is really sad. Why couldn't a CEO make perhaps 100,000 more than the highest paid employee of the company and be able to live on that amount? Look at what the biggest paychecks were in 2005:

-Richard D Fairbank has been CEO of Capital One Financial (COF) for 12 years.
$249.42 mil (#1)
-Terry S Semel has been CEO of Yahoo (YHOO) for 5 years.
$230.555 mil (#2)
-Henry R Silverman has been CEO of Cendant (CD) for 16 years.
$139.96 mil (#3)
-Bruce Karatz has been CEO of KB Home (KBH) for 20 years.
$135.53 mil (#4)
-Richard S Fuld Jr has been CEO of Lehman Bros Holdings (LEH) for 13 years.
$122.67 mil (#5)
-Ray R Irani has been CEO of Occidental Petroleum (OXY) for 15 years
$80.73 mil (#6)
-Lawrence J Ellison has been CEO of Oracle (ORCL) for 29 years.
$75.33 mil (#7)
-John W Thompson has been CEO of Symantec (SYMC) for 7 years
$71.84 mil (#8)
-Edwin M Crawford has been CEO of Caremark Rx (CMX) for 8 years.
$69.66 mil (#9)
-Angelo R Mozilo has been CEO of Countrywide Financial (CFC) for 8 years
$68.955 mil (#10)

Now take a look at what NorthSider's Blog by: NorthSider on Fox sports says are the
Top 10 most-overpaid athletes:

#1. Peyton Manning - Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts ($14.17 million/year)
#2. Michael Schumacher - Professional Formula One Driver ($80 million/year)
#3. Alex Rodriguez - Third Base, New York Yankees ($25.7 million/year)
#4. Barry Bonds - Outfield, San Francisco Giants ($22 million/year)
#5. Derek Jeter - Shortstop, New York Yankees ($19.6 million/year)
#6. Terrell Owens - Wide Receiver - Dallas Cowboys ($8.3 million/year)
#7. Tiger Woods - PGA Tour Professional ($80.3 million/year)
#8. Shaquille O'Neal - Center, Miami Heat ($20 million/year)
#9. Stephon Marbury - Point Guard, New York Knicks ($14.625 million/year)
#10. Andre Agassi - Tennis Professional ($28.2 million/year)

The US has children who go to school without a breakfast, people who have no home due to natural disasters or loss of a job, families who don't have enough money to pay for health insurance, and parents who have to have two and three jobs just to pay for their kids college. Maybe we need to say some of these salaries have just gone a bit too far. What do you think?

In case you didn't see this in the paper or on the internet and you love Dr. Pepper:

Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality. The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

I saw somewhere that people were looking for a list of the best movies to have for family viewing on Thanksgiving Day. I went on a search and here is what I came up with, so choose a few and head to the movie rental store.

Turkey Day family movies:

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (DVD) (1973)- TV
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Alvin's Thanksgiving Celebration
Winnie the Pooh - Seasons of Giving (DVD) (1999)
Mouse on the Mayflower (VHS)
Garfield: Holiday Celebrations (DVD) (2004)
Miracle on 34th Street
Hannah and Her Sisters
Home For The Holidays
The House of Yes
Planes, Trains, Automobiles
Pieces of April
The Ice Storm (1997)
The Daytrippers (1996)
Dutch (1991)
Rugrats Thanksgiving
What's Cooking?
The Son-In-Law
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
“Giant” (1956)
“Alice’s Restaurant” (1969)
Squanto: A Warrior's Tale
The Mayflower Pilgrims
The Haunted Mansion
Flubber
101 Dalmatians
Thanksgiving Family Reunion (2003) (TV)
The Royal Tenenbaums
Cheaper by the Dozen

A friend sent this to me and I thought it was an excellent idea. If you do, please pass it on to all your friends.

I know a lot of my friends don't "do" Christmas cards but if you don't, maybe you can make just one little exception.... I think this is a wonderful idea! You get these freebie Christmas cards all the time so it's just a 42cent stamp and maybe 3 minutes of your time........M.

When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to one of these addresses. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get.

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

or

A Recovering American Airman
US Air Force Hospital Wilford
2200 Bergquist Dr #1
Lackland AFB, TX 78236


If you approve, please pass it on.

This is a sort of followup on my last blog on the tv add. I can't believe it but a day after I posted that blog I got a Carol Wright Gifts catalog in the mail and found that almost all those items that are in ads on tv are in her catalog. She is a legitimate company and has all kinds of odd items for sale. The statement on tv that "you can only get these items on tv" is a lie. I also saw a whole bunch of those same tv items at Walgreens yesterday! Plus the cost of the same items in the catalog from Carol Wright are about half the price. You can get your Carol Wright catalog by going to http://www.carolwrightgifts.com or write to Carol Wright Gifts, 100 Nixon Lane, P O Box 7823, Edison, NJ 08818-7823. Plus Carol states FREE shipping on any order from the catalog!!! Please alert your friends about those misleading tv ads so others won't be taken in!

P.S. I could have gotten those glasses from Carols catalog for 9.99!

Well I guess everyone is entitled to be stupid once in awhile.

I saw the ad on tv about the wrap around colored glasses and thought that would be a good thing to have since they fit over your regular glasses. This was just what I need since I wear glasses all the time. I ordered two pair (on their website on the internet), one for me and one for my daughter. They came and the glasses were pretty good although they slip a little over your glasses. Then I saw the invoice!! They had said I ordered three pair when I thought I was buying 2 pair, with the night vision pair (free), each of the colored glasses for 19.99 plus 5.98 shipping (they are really charging you 12.98 (s/h) for each pair, with the night vision, they are very light weight, and here is how they charged me:


sub total: 59.97
S/H 38.94
Sales tax 0
total 98.91

I almost dropped over! I called their customer service and told them I wanted to return both glasses because I felt I had been ripped off. I had to talk to two people. The first argued that I had probably mistakenly ordered 3 pair and even tho I didn't get it they didn't get it back either. The second person finally gave me credit for the third pair (supposedly) and will give me credit for the 2 when I return them. It still cost me the original 38.94 for the shipping plus shipping to send them back. I DO NOT recommend ordering any item from this company. All products have their own website but if you order, the invoice will list idea village as the place to call for customer service. Beware of being over charged on shipping and handling charges and check invoice for added items you didn't order. Thats the way they make extra money - on shipping and handling charges and by adding items you did not order. (after this happened I looked on the internet for complaints on this company - I should have done it before. There was complaints that these companies on tv who send extras and claim you ordered more than you did.) Also be sure if you want to return something you will only have 30 days from the date you ordered the item. Beware and only order things from legitimate, well known companies like QVC, Amazon or others.

P.S. Here is information from a site called Rip-Off Report: Idea Village Clever-Claps order for one item was placed over phone. Was asked if I was interested in becoming a member and I declined. Four items were sent in separate packages, therefore shipping charges were outrageous and over priced! Also charged for membership that was refused! Ripoff Pacioma California

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better, even though I have it!!
Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye-- they need water. I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter, the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it,
but first I'll check my e-mail....

Do me a favor. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who I've sent it to. Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

clipart is copyrighted.

I found this neat article on the History of Veterans Day on military.com and wanted to share it with you.

Did you know that most Americans confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day? Both holidays celebrate our veterans' service, but with one significant difference. Learn the history of Veterans Day.

What Do You Know About Veterans Day?

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. However, most Americans confuse this holiday with Memorial Day, reports the Department of Veterans Affairs. What's more, some Americans don't know why we commemorate our Veterans on Nov.11. It's imperative that all Americans know the history of Veterans Day so that we can honor our former servicemembers properly.

A Brief History of Veterans Day

Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans. In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971. Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11.

Celebrating the Veterans Day Holiday

If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday is observed by the federal government on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management — a complete schedule can be found here. State and local government closings are determined locally, and non- government businesses can close or remain open as they see fit, regardless of federal, state or local government operation determinations.
United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on Aug. 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov.11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as "National Veterans Awareness Week." The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.

The difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors servicemembers who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime.

Wow, times have sure changed from when my kids were little, and how things are now for my little grandkids. When my kids were young they kind of ran all over the neighborhood and I didn't worry about them. They did do a few things that had I known, I probably would have grounded them till adulthood, but lucky for them I am just now finding out. Now I sit outside and watch my grandson ride his bike to the corner, never letting him go out alone for fear someone will grab him. Yesterday he disappeared into a neighbors backyard to jump on a trampoline and I went into a spasm, not knowing where he went. I have a bad back and can't walk far so here I am yelling his name and of course he can't hear me. Finally a neighbor told him his granny was calling. I feel really bad that I have to track him every minute, and I know he doesn't understand why. As the grandkids were growing I had to learn to live with all those car seats (taking physics to figure them out), fancy strollers, that had to be lugged into and out of the car, and before that there were the carriers that weighed more than the baby. Gads when my kids were little, a seat with a couple of hooks hung over the front seat and when out of the car, a strong hip and arm was all I needed. That's probably why I sometimes feel like I walk lopsided. There sure seemed less to worry about when my kids were little. No helmets, no seat belts, no toys that came in 5000 pieces. Today, all the little kids have electronic games, and of course know more about them than I will ever know. I had to get my teen granddaughter to explain how some of my cell phone options work. I don't remember my mom going through similar frustrations with my brother and I. One of the greatest inventions that has come out of having grandkids today is wet wipes. I have wet wipes everywhere, in the car, the bathroom, the living room, the front porch and purse. They not only clean up everything, get rid of hand germs after shopping but they take off stains if you wipe it right away. Plus there are no parts or things that hook on a wet wipe.

Believe me it's Fall. I almost drowned in leaves this morning. I noticed my neighbor raked all his leaves into a hill. Now what is he going to do? Wait for them to blow over into my yard I guess. I love this time of year and the trees are so pretty in all the fall colors. Fall of course means Thanksgiving is not far away. (Although you wonder, when you see all the Christmas decorations in the stores, if they skipped Thanksgiving). What do you really know about Thanksgiving? Here is a quiz you might try.


1. What year did the Pilgrims have their first Thanksgiving Feast?
A. 1620
B. 1621
C. 1623
D. 1777
E. 1804

2. What type of meat was probably NOT on the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving menu?
A. beef
B. fish
C. lobster
D. chicken
E. venison

3. The Horn of Plenty, which symbolizes abundance, is also called what?
A. Shell plate
B. Harvest Basket
C. Fruit basket
D. Cornucopia
E. Bushel basket

4. In 1676, a day of thanksgiving was proclaimed to take place during what month?
A. April
B. June
C. October
D. November
E. December

5. What president didn't like the idea of having a national Thanksgiving Day?
A. Lincoln
B. Adams
C. Jefferson
D. Roosevelt
E. Taylor

6. Who is credited with leading the crusade to establish Thanksgiving Day?
A. Ann Lincoln
B. Sarah Josepha Hale
C. Sarah Lee
D. Sarah Todd
E. Sarah Marshall

7. Which vegetable or fruit was NOT on the menu at the first thanksgiving feast in 1621?
A. beans
B. berries
C. pumpkin
D. corn
E. potatoes

8. Which president moved the date of Thanksgiving twice?
A. F. D. Roosevelt
B. Adams
C. Teddy Roosevelt
D. Lincoln
E. Jefferson

9. The reason Thanksgiving was moved up a week was...
A. because the Plymouth people wanted it moved
B. to lengthen the Christmas shopping season
C. waiting for Fall vegetables
D. to put it in line with the original Thanksgiving ceremony
E. so it would be during warmer weather

10. When Congress made Thanksgiving an official holiday, they set the date as...
A. the third Thursday in November
B. the fourth Thursday in November
C. the last Thursday in November
D. November 24
E. the second Monday in October

answers (1.B, 2.A, 3.D, 4.B, 5.C. 6.B, 7.E, 8.A, 9.B, 10.B)

You know we can put a man on the moon, but we can't seem to solve our voting problems. We have people committing voter fraud and organizations like ACORN should not be allowed to function in the voting process. We can't manage to send out and receive our military absentee ballots on time, we can't manage to get voting machines that work all the time. We need a way to verify those who are voting to make sure they are only voting once. We need to provide enough time for everyone to vote without allowing early voting. Why can't we have more fair and balanced reporting during the campaign. There needs to be some way to limit each candidate to the same amount of campaign money. People running for President and Vice President, should have a background check and must be able to pass the same as someone wanting to work for the FBI or other government position. If they fail to pass the criteria, they shouldn't be allowed to run. Maybe they should restrict the campaign process to a limited time period, not 2 years before the election. Each candidate should provide thorough information on their qualifications for the office. There should not be voter intimidation allowed at polling places. If you feel our voting system needs some fixing, let your representative know how you feel.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I'd like to pass on one of the best Thanksgiving recipe sites on line, Zoinkies.com. There are places to find Turkey Leftover Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Cookie Recipes, Kids Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes, Christmas Recipes, Mexican Food Recipes, Diet Recipes. On these recipe sites you can find a little Asian food recipes, Kitchen Myths, Encyclopedia of Spices, Food Timelines, Country recipes, and probably whatever you can think of. On the Thanksgiving page you can find one of the most searched for items during the holiday season, lots of Recipes for cooking Thanksgiving vegetables.

When you have leftover Turkey, I'd like to tempt you with Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger. A lot of people have said that this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach, is the best they ever had. The Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger will be permanently available at the Trump Bar and Grille in Trump Tower in New York City, open to the public for lunch and dinner. It will also be served during lunch in Chicago at Sixteen, the Trump International Hotel restaurant.

Ingredients:
Serves 6

* 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
* 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
* 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
* 1/8 cup canola oil
* 4 pounds ground turkey breast
* 2 Tbsp. salt
* 2 Tbsp. black pepper
* 2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
* 1 lemon, juiced and grated zest
* 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
* 1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.

This is my grandson on Halloween. There is a family resemblance. You know I had candy and turned the outside light on and had all of three kids, one was my grandson, one the kid across the street and one little girl who gave me a sack of candy rather than take candy. She was from a local Baptist church that was handing out sacks of candy and invitations to their church. I heard that one of the wealthier sections of town had so many kids that a lot of people ran out of candy. That is really sad that parents thought only the richer people were giving out safe candy or the only other safe place was to the mall. There was a Scare on the Square downtown that gave out some candy and had some other Halloween things. There are no longer kids going from house to house in their own neighborhoods anymore. It is awful that people who gave out candy with needles in it or other bad things, have made people afraid to let their kids Trick or Treat. When I was a kid we ran all around our neighborhood and other places to get candy with never a fear of getting something dangerous. We did a few ornery things like moving something around in someones yard or moving it down the street but we never did anything that hurt anyone and we never got any bad candy. We did have an old man in his long johns yell at us that "I see you whereever you are", and we knew if he could have found us he would have chased us down the street. (We moved an old statue from his yard to the bushes.) Back then we didn't even have to have our parents go along with us. I really feel sorry for my grandkids who will never know a Halloween like I had as a kid.