LET'S GO SHOPPING

Although I am trying to be good and curb the holiday overload I sometimes tend to get involved in, I want to talk about some great gift giving ideas. I am the absolute Ruler of Christmas at my house and when I get into a store and see Christmas stuff my poor husband just follows me around and takes it all in stride. He is a good natured man and I am very blessed and very grateful that he is in my life. The older I get the more Christmas I want in my life.

For instance, I have $125 in Princess House gift certificates that I am planning to use to buy some new holiday dinnerware. The company carries a beautiful Pavillion pattern dinner plate in a very pretty shade of burgundy. The dessert plates are green with a smattering of holiday on the center. I just need something to complete our dinner table this year that is new and joyful. We bought the cutest oblong dark cherry table for the kitchen this summer and I think the dinnerware will add some sparkle.

Princess House has a great Go Red line of items that you can purchase for yourself or for gift giving and for each item you buy the company will donate one dollar to the American Heart Association Go Red For Women Campaign to raise awareness and fight heart disease and stroke in women. Heart disease is still the number one killer of women in America. If you place a PH order and round up the total to the next dollar that entire amount goes to this campaign. It is a great organization and a wonderful way to promote awareness. Let me know if I can help you with anything. I am never pushy and certainly never rude. But if I can help you in anyway I am glad to do it. I also will allow everyone to purchase all the customer specials you want with or without a regular price purchase. Somehow these little gestures help folks especially during this rugged economy.

Now if you like jams and jellies and dip helpers my friend Alyn, a 6th generation Golden, Colorado resident has been involved in a family business for many years.She plans to retire her portion of the business after the New Year. But these wonderful Made in Colorado products are great gift giving ideas and you may contact her directly. Her phone # is listed on the website Serado Valley or you may contact her via e mail at grammyalyn@yahoo.com. My favorite is the Blueberry Cinnamon and the Cactus jelly.  Five years ago my children lost a very dear friend. Yesenia was 2 weeks shy of her 18th birthday when she passed away from a rare brain cancer. During the final months of her life she never lost her sparkling personality and her beautiful smile will always be forever stamped in my memory. Three months before her untimely death all the kids has a massive sleepover, which my husband and I got use to through their younger years. We were making breakfast for the gang and Yesenia was standing in my dining room buttering toast and adding the cactus jelly to most of the toast pieces. I will never forget her terrific smile and her kindness to my girls whenever they had a difficulty in their young teen lives. When I pull that cactus jelly out of the fridge I smile, remembering how she always told me it was her absolute favorite jelly and I think of this unique young woman taken much too soon. Then I smile knowing the Good Lord had a bigger plan for her in His Heavenly  Home. I know she is safe in her Creator's arms today and for eternity.

My friend Barb is going to help me jazz up this blog and I am hoping many of you will take me up on my giveaway offer and join my blog. I am having the best time going to all your blogs and learning new things and making new friends everyday. Thanks to all of you for all your kindnesses.

Finally anyone who needs any BeautiControl products you are welcome to call me (3039209282) or e mail me at phamilybusiness1@aim.com. I enjoy many of their beautiful products and anyone who is in need of a quick gift or a special item for yourself remember I am here. I learned this unique business tip from my dear friend the late Jacki Chick. That computer nerd could help me with any of my computer problems having been raised in a family of computer nerds. At one time she was the Longaberger Basket lady, the Party Lite person, the Pampered Chef queen and the MaryKay godess. She always had a terrific smile and told everyone, particularly during a busy holiday (i.e. Mother's Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day) "Jacki's House of Layaway is always open to help you with your gift giving needs." I loved that girl like my own sisters and I was truly devastated when she died unexpectedly in Mexico 2 years ago. She had asthma and had gone to Mexico to help a good friend Humberto, who himself was dying from Stage IV Mouth Cancer. She had a severe Asthma attack and unfortunately where they were, the small clinic was unable to save her life. She taught me how to make labels on my old clunky computer that took at least one week and three days to load under the great old dial up days! Remember those days? Jacki was a bright shining star and I miss her dearly. I wish the Good Lord could give me a reason why these wonderful people are taken from us too soon. But I know He has His reasons and I need to continue to follow Him in Faith , Hope that one day I will see Him in Heaven and continue to love Him through my fellow man.

Thanks for sharing your time with me tonight. I hope your holidays are bright and you receive many blessings.