Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I have been remembering just how much I loved this holiday as a child. We always had a party at school and everyone would make their own Valentine box for classmates to put cards in. I always took special care to make mine as pretty as possible, using construction paper and those white lace paper doilies. How romantic! The more red hearts on the box the better. I remember some of the boys would not sign their cards because they were too embarrassed. Their mother's must have insisted that they give a card to each girl in the class. In the 1950's the Valentine cards were very different than the cards my granddaughters give today. They were bigger and had such cute messages on them. I have some of my mother's cards from the 1930's and 40's and they were very romantic and almost Victorian. I suppose cards like that would not be cost effective today.

When I was a teenager, my boyfriend would always give me a big box of candy and some kind of stuffed animal. One year he gave me a huge yellow and orange camel that I named Clyde (after a song that was popular at the time). I'm guessing that a box of candy would rank in the Top Valentine's Gifts for 2010 but I doubt that a large stuffed camel named Clyde would!

Winter Pastime

I have been doing a lot of reading this winter. With all the snow and bitterly cold temps we have had there is not much else for an old person to do! I have read all of Harlan Coben's mysteries (some for the second time). He is a great mystery writer...always keeps me guessing. He puts a lot of humor in his writing and I enjoy his varied characters. I was sad to finish his last book and wondering what I would read next when I found a book in my bookcase that I hadn't read, yet. "The Divide" by Nicholas Evans was just sitting there waiting for me. My cousin gives me books and I buy anything that looks interesting at garage sales. I find it much harder to find a good book now than I did when I was young. Either my tastes have changed or I'm not willing to waste my time on something that I don't really enjoy.

Promotional Gifts

We have staff meetings every month at the office I work in. Even though it is a small office, it is always good to have all the departments get together once in a while to get everyone's input and see how each department is doing. We are always looking for ways to improve productivity and maximize our potential. One of the things we discuss quite often are promotional gifts for our clients. This is a great way to please a client and get the word out there about our business. It is an inexpensive way to advertise and a benefit to all. We have done several good promotions in the past and everyone seemed to like the gifts. One year we gave our clients water bottles with our logo and info on the side of the bottle. These went over very well and clients are still asking when we might do that again. Another year we gave each client a refrigerator magnet. These, also, seemed to be appreciated, but, of course, were not seen by the general public as much as the water bottles. Last summer we decided to try personalized pens for our next promotion and that has been the best idea, so far. Everyone needs an extra pen, now and then, and when you hand a client a new pen they seem very appreciative, and some will ask if they may have another to give to a spouse or friend. Of course we say yes, by all means, have another, because this means more advertising for our business. Last summer the purple pens we handed out went over so well that we decided to have red and green pens for Christmas this year. It's funny how such a simple thing as a pen can bring a smile to a client's face and because of the logo and address on it's side bring more clients to our door.

MP3 Player

My son gave me an MP3 player for Christmas and I have been compiling my list of songs to download onto it. He is going to teach me how to do this as I am still a novice at much of our modern technology. The info that came with the player says it will hold 900 songs! It's such a little thing and it's hard for me to grasp the idea that all those songs will fit on there. I wish there was some way that I could just plug myself in and download a lot of technical information into my brain and then remember all of it! :) :)

Adults Only All Inclusive Vacation

Now is the time of year when many people are looking forward to a great island get-a-way for some much needed rest and relaxation. Whether it be to escape the daily grind or just get some relief from the blustery winter weather, Karisma Hotels offers vacation packages to suit every person's desires. Their hotels are a collection of beautiful properties located on the pristine white-sand beaches of the Mexican Riviera Maya. Karisma has five signature resorts and each one has a unique concept designed to pamper and focus on individual experiences for the affluent.

If you are looking for an Adults Only All Inclusive Vacation you would definitely want to take a look at El Dorado Royale Resort. This is Karisma's signature property and features five-star dining in seven restaurants. This is the ultimate gourmet's dream. But, they are not just about eating...think of romance, hot tubs and hammocks, white gauze curtains floating over four poster beds, and your own Beach Butler serving you margaritas at sunset on a private beach designed for intimacy. Makes you want to pack your bags immediately, doesn't it?

El Dorado Seaside Suites is another resort for adults only with a more casual and relaxed atmosphere but still offers the rich details and pampering that you will come to expect from Karisma.

Azul Beach and Azul Blue are both family-friendly resorts and Hidden Beach Resort caters to their au natural guests by providing secluded, adults-only beaches with 42 suites right along the ocean and discos and nightly entertainment.

If you desire pampering and luxury beyond your wildest dreams, gourmet food, and white sandy beaches with a hint of an ocean breeze please check out Karisma Hotels.



I have been paid for this post. The opinions are my own and have not been swayed in any way.

1st Birthday

Sunday will be my youngest granddaughter's 1st birthday and I won't be there to celebrate with her.
This is the 1st birthday of a grandchild that I will miss and I'm feeling a little sad.
I know there are many grandparents whose children live a lot farther away than mine do but it doesn't help. My two older granddaughters live close so I see them often but my daughter's family lives 3 hours away, and in the winter that's far enough that you just can't pick up and go for the day. My son's family and I will be making the trip towards the end of January, if the weather allows, and that will have to do, I guess.

Julie & Julia

Last weekend I watched the movie, "Julie & Julia". I have to say that I had no expectations, whatsoever, when I started the movie. I just wanted some meaningless entertainment for a few hours. I was very pleasantly surprised! I enjoyed every minute of this movie and wanted it to delve into the character's lives even further. I knew, going in, that it was about Julia Child, and that she had a cooking show on TV years ago. That was the extent of my knowledge on the subject. The title characters were played by Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, respectively. I couldn't imagine Meryl Streep as Julia, but what a wonderful performance! She had the look and the voice down perfectly.
I learned that Julia Child was not just a great cook but a wonderfully funny and vulnerable human being, and what a great love affair that existed between her and her husband.
I would highly recommend this movie to my friends.

You can buy this DVD at Barnes & Noble
Image credit: Barnes & Noble

Medical Supplies

As we all know, the cost of healthcare has skyrocketed in the last decade. This increase has also affected the cost of medical supplies and equipment. Now you can shop online at JazzMedical and get the lowest prices available on the healthcare products that you need. They are one of the largest online retailers of medical supplies in the United States. JazzMedical supplies hospitals and nursing homes with their healthcare products and this allows them to offer the lowest prices directly to their online consumers. Their website is user-friendly allowing you to shop by brand name, ailment, or even body part. All of their products are shipped UPS within 24 hours of your order, and they guarantee privacy on all of your information. Isn't it comforting to know that you can shop online from the privacy of your own home and get incredibly low prices for the medical supplies that you need? Visit JazzMedical.com and see all the great lifestyle products they have to offer.


I have been paid for this post. The opinions are my own and have not been swayed in any way.

Six More Inches!!

Snowflakes falling to the ground,
Falling gently all around.

Beautiful, yes, but not very impressive when we have over a foot of snow on the ground already. The weatherman says we could get up to six more inches throughout the night and worst of all, the winds are supposed to pick up and that means very hazardous road conditions. It is January in the midwest and we expect the cold and the snow but we have had more than our share of both this winter. Spring....are you out there? Anywhere?

My Cousin The Biker

I was visiting with my cousin's wife (who was my best friend even before she married my cousin)and as usual our talk turned to our children and what they are doing with their lives. Her son has always been a motorcycle enthusiast and she told me that he is considering building another bike from the ground up. He has done this once before and it took a lot of time and man hours to accomplish but I saw the results and it was a beautiful bike. I know nothing about motorcycles, but she told me he is talking about using Kewl Metal chrome risers to move the handle bars back and somehow lay them down so you give the front end a different look and it makes the rider more comfortable. I will be very interested to see this finished product. Maybe he will give me a ride and I can fantasize about being a "grandma biker babe".

New Year Resolution

We're already several days into the new year 2010 and I haven't given very much thought to what my resolutions will be. I always find it hard to make that commitment to a resolution, I don't take them lightly, and I hate to disappoinment myself if I don't follow through. Good intentions are not enough, you must go the distance and make your efforts count. With that said, I guess my first resolution will be to get back to blogging. I have kind of slipped, as of late, and, as with most things it seems hard to get back into it once you're out of the habit. I find blogging to be a good outlet and whether anyone reads my scribblings or not it is a fun pasttime.