Gramma Ray's Blog

I think I may have owned the most expensive Hershey's Kiss today. Yes, you read that right...one little Hershey's Kiss will cost me over $100.

I dont know the exact cost yet, because I am too angry to go back upstairs...too nervous to see just how bad the damage is.

How exactly does one get an expensive kiss like this...well, to tell the story, I have to go back a few days.

I bought a bag for 'Christmas candy'. Something nice and sweet to have in the house for the holidays.

DD3 and I decided to have a girls night the other night and we went up to my room to watch 'The Devil Wears Prada' in the big comfy bed...and we snacked on a few kisses.

The next day, I found an empty Hershey's kiss bag downstairs...obviously Grace and her blasted keen sense of smell, sniffed them out and had a chocolate party for one.

But later, when I made my bed, I found one lone little kiss...it must have fallen out of the bag when Grace toted it off.

So....I picked up the kiss and set it in my top dresser drawer meaning to retrieve it when I finished cleaning the room.

But I forgot that stupid piece of candy.

So, tonight was our family get together at DD2's house (wonderful time by the way).

and when i got home...Grace had obviously sniffed out that last Kiss...as she has literally pulled over and toppled my dresser to get to it. What was on top of that dresser???

Oh, just a TV, dvd player, Direct TV box, my jewelry box, a few Christmas gifts...

AAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over one BLASTED PIECE OF CANDY!

I am sure the TV is broken---but it is heavy and I will wait for DH to get home to verify...everything else is under the dresser...so I dont know the fate of the rest...

And if you're at all worried about Grace and the chocolate hurting her...well, it doesnt...she has been a chocoholic for a long time and this wasnt her first rodeo.

Do you think an old, blind, chocolate eating, nearly senile dog would be welcome at a doggy military school???
Doggy Boot Camp. I wonder if there is such a thing for naughty dogs...sheesh

GS (2 1/2) is spending the day with us. Of course, that means homemade waffles for breakfast!

He asks for them every time he comes over..and he's now old enough to pour (albiet a little messy) the ingredients into the mixing bowl..He even turned down a trip out to feed the dogs with DH to stay in and make waffles with gramma.

We added the 'secret ingredients' which are madagascar vanilla and cinnamon. I added the cinnamon at the very end so he could see the batter change color...with the desired effect from GS..."wow Gramma"

Now he and DH are out working in the woodyard...GS FAVORITE place to be. He has his own toy chainsaw...but to him, its just as real as DHs.

Im doing my parents laundry today and then looking forward to a full family get-together tonight with all the kids. (My ex-husbands brother is in town...one of those situations where you ditch the husband, but keep the brother-in-law as family---we all love him to death!!Actually he and the ex dont speak))

Stores??? Uh, a BIG NO to that...although my mom tried to get me to go this morning...NOPE. Those stores are full of people that are on a mission this weekend and I dont want to be any part of it!!!

So a great (cold) day here...and hopefully a no-spender to boot!

This is our news here. As of March, all 15 of our county libraries will close their doors until some other form of financing is found.

How very troubling that such a wonderful service may go the way of the dinosaur.

The head of our library system has decided to retire Jan 1,saying it has nothing to do with this recent turn of events... but has offered to help stay on part-time to help with the closing of all the branches.

and we pay taxes why?...I shudder to think of some of the things tax dollars are spent on instead of our public services.

Stay tuned.

Oh boy.

I finally had time today to call Circuit City. The '72 hour promise to get back to me period' had expired with no response...so I called.

1st person I spoke with...again, barely there English speaking...told me I needed to wait 3-4 more days and my money should be back in my account.

Not good enough...let me talk to your supervisor...

after an additional 8 minutes on hold listening to the perky voice telling me how easy everything is with Circuit City..

Supervisor came on, wow, rougher English than either of the others I had spoken to...I wrongly assumed the language barrier would improve with the higher ranks...but not so.

She asked my IM# and put me back on hold for another 3-4 minutes while she pulled up my transaction.

More perky bs...

Her: "Well, I see here you were issued a refund on November 12"....pause.

Me: Um, no, I didnt even place the order until November 24. So that is not possible...

Her: Yes, it says we issued a refund on 11-12.

(I swear, Im not making this up)

Me: DO you mean December 12?

Her: 11/12...no wait 12....11...umm...December, yes, December...I read that wrong. December 12.

Me: and when should I have my money?

Her: It takes 3-4 working days.

Me; So my money will be in my account on Monday?

Her: No...Tuesday at the soonest.

back and forth on the 3-4 day timeline until she finally said "Well, if you put it that way it is 5-7 days not 3-4"...

AAAHHHHHHHHHH!

WHEN WILL MY MONEY BE IN MY ACCOUNT..ITS BEEN THREE WEEKS...

"um, Im soury ma'am..bu' we hab meeny of refund from Noveeember tweenty fort and...."

Me: and you didnt employ enough people to handle these transactions before now and mine is 'suppposedly coming' because I keep calling?

pause...

discouraged "Yes, thats right ma'am"

So...I got the presidents name and address and the letter is written, stamped and will be on its way to his desk tomorrow.

I signed the letter "A disgruntled FORMER customer who will remember this transaction when future shopping needs arise".

Sorry to rant...but I am soooo peeved!

Boo-hiss on them...ARGH

I am babysitting my grandaughter (15mo)tonight...it is our first 'slumber party' together.

We had a great time and played until she was worn out. We laid down on the floor with a blankie and pillow...and Gracie decided to join us. Inspite of her blindness, she knows GD very well...and had to lay next to her. Gracies paw in on top of one little hand...and GDs leg is over Gracies tail...and they are both sound asleep.

Had olive garden leftovers for dinner.(and they were just as good tonight as last night)..so my total expense for the day was $12...for the ugliest shoes I hope to ever own. Um...I seem to recall a picture from Contrary1 planting something in an old pair of boots...perhaps these shoes could become a new addition to the flower bed this spring...hmmm

Back to Gracie...she is healing from the dog attack...one of the wounds is pretty nasty so I am cleaning it and watching it. She is coughing alot more lately...and i noticed another tumor on her tummy (she has cancer)...These days with the babies are precious...I fear they will only remember her from the photos we take...so Im taking lots!
Dogs truly are all about unconditional love...and Grace has been one of a kind.

Not for sissies or people who arent a little insane to begin with.

Lunch...at the country club, at 11:45 today with my ex-CEO. No problem.

Get up, hit this site like ALWAYS do...and finally hop in the shower. Start to get dressed and realize I cant find my one pair of dessier than jeans black pants....look, look, look...and finally find them hanging under my not so dressy black pants...whew...

Get dressed, hair and makeup...and go to find my shoes..1 shoe...wheres the other??? Umm...its getting time to leave and I have 1 black shoe...1 pair of ratty tennis shoes and a pair of lime green water clogs to my name.

So, I give up...toss on the tennis shoes and head to Walmart. Im a girl on a mission...with not alot of time...for some reason, people are moving out of my way for once...(must have been the look of desperation)...I found a pair of shoes that would work...$12...ugly, but black. Tuck and run to the counter to check out..

Start to pay and realize I dont have my cell phone. I obviously must have left it in the car...get to the car, put the new ugly black shoes on and...no cellphone.

Ok, Im borderline late now...so I run back into Walmart and notice that these black shoes have a really ugly bluish tint to them in the sunlight...cant worry about that now...

Head for the shoe department and no cell phone....head back up to customer (sortof) service and cut in front of the 8 people waiting to be helped and sure enough, cell phone has been turned in (thank you honest, helpful person who did this)

RUN TO CAR...

get to country club (a little sweaty and stressed) but on time inspite of the mornings events... and meet my 'date' who has brought me the most beautiful bouquet of roses and flowers...

Have a wonderful lunch.

.... and head home with my flowers and my new pair of really ugly shoes...$12 poorer, thanks to my procrastination.

and how has your day been?

The final countdown begins!

Are you done? Have all those gifts wrapped and under the tree already?

Or are you holding out for those few trinkets that will top off the holiday before putting the final checklist on shopping?

Or...are you still in search of something special for Aunt Martha or the picky sister in law...

or...are you just now getting started?

I dont know about all of your areas...but here it's getting a bit hairy out there in Consumerland.

Long lines, picked over merchandise, tired weary (ie cranky) shoppers...and then there's all this rain. Not a good combination for a pleasant shopping experience.

Wherever you are in the pre-Christmas countdown, I wish you JOY for the season.
Remember to take time to for YOU and that time with your family is the most precious gift of all.

Happy Holidays!

Top on my mind tonight is that Circuit City has still not gotten back to me about my $398. I will be calling them tomorrow and becoming a squeeky wheel...Im done. Nice has left the building...now they get cranky.

Went to dinner with friends tonight---had a nice evening. I splurged on a bottle of wine for us...and we visited for 3 hours. Olive Garden sells a nice Rosato Blush wine and eveyone enjoyed it!One of the friends is married to the Redneck birthday boy (next weekend is the party) so I had fun updating her on all the props and decorations.

I learned a lesson today about trying to whittle candle wax out of a glass container...eventually the glass container loses...hense all the nics on my hands...(that poor container exploded!) ummm, can you say Duh? Well, it was definately my duh moment of the day! Good thing I had a plan B for my craft project!

This is a busy week for meals out.

Tonight I am meeting my two friends who I dine with monthly---we are going to Olive Garden. (I love Olive Garden). I am trying to make them gifts today---my first attempts at fresh wreaths...Im finding that it is easier said than done!

Tomorrow, I am having lunch with the CEO where I used to work. (He's taking me to the Country Club). Ooh-la-la!
I missed his retirement party because of my fall and subsequent injured tailbone...so this is a make-up get together that I am looking forward to. He is like a big brother to me.

Sunday night DHs work is having their Christmas dinner at a nice little restaurant...so free to us!

So, a week of good friends, food and fun!

Cheap Holiday Ideas

I thought Id list some of my frugal decoration/wrapping ideas:

Do you have access to free walnuts (or any nuts really)that are still in the shell?...they can be used to fill a glass container and hold plastic or silk flower stems in place. (like poinsettas) Just tape the stems together, center in your jar and fill around them with your nuts.

If the container is not clear and you need filler for flowers, those little mailing 'peanuts' work great!

Walnuts/nuts can also be hot glued to any floral arrangement to add a country or rustic look.

Pinecones- I have access to these for free in my neighborhood. They also sell them at the dollar store. Again, hot gluing them to decorations adds the seasonal touch! Same with acorns...I have over 40 black oak trees, so free acorns are plentiful here...I have also used these to fill in around candles or flowers in the base.

Wire coat hangers can be used to make a floral hanger for wreaths.

Leftover ribbon can be used to make napkin holders...again, glue a small ornament or acrorn to the ribbon to add a seasonal touch. Even white paper napkins look festive with the help of a festive napkin ring~!

I dont buy bows. I find buying a bag of those plastic apples from the dollar store...or those little cherry balls can add a nice whimsical touch to any gift wrap...I will also glue leftover silk/plastic leaves and flowers..cinnamon sticks, raffia...

Using the above allows you to also get away with white or brown paper lunch bags for gift wrap for smaller gifts!

I reuse our store bought gift bags over and over again.

Last year, I made decorations using bark off some of our wood-yard trees...The bark was rounded, and I would use about a half round as a base and fill with pinecones, acorns, ribbon and some dollar store ornaments...I actually sold these at a craft fair for $15 and they cost me about $2-3 each!

Key, is keeping an open mind and looking for new uses for things that are holiday colored. This time of year, my mind looks for reds, golds, greens wood tones and clear glass containers...pretty much anything with a holiday color is considered!

I decided to make my friends a fresh wreath out of some of the trimmings from our tree cutting this weekend...You know, the leftovers from the tree I DONT HAVE! lol

So...I stopped by Michaels and took advantage of their 50% off sales and got most of the supplies I needed...but I also needed a pair of shears to cut the tree trimmings and I figured Walmart would be the cheapest place to get them.

So, I stopped in at Walmart (whoa, where did all those people come from? Isnt this a workday??) and headed back to the gardening area...only to discover that Gardening has been completely replaced by Christmas...so I asked one of the workers who said...sorry, but EVERY single gardenting/patio item has been sent to the warehouse until January..

Um, what? But what if I want shears to make fresh wreaths? Isnt that a Christmas thing?

His reply: "Well, yes....and some people like to buy bbq's to bbq Christmas dinner...but they wont get em here. The 'higher ups' thought they needed to send 100% of those things out of the store...."

So, I am glad I wasnt hoping to buy anyone any gardening supplies or a bbq for Christmas from Walmart...and I guess I'll have to try somewhere else for the shears.

I am a mere 17 points away from my next payout on My Points. Of course, this is for a $10 gift card...if I want more, it would be a couple months before my next level.

If you are new here and don't know what 'My Points" is all about, well... it is a great place to sign up and earn points for:

reading merchant emails
signing up for offers.
buying things on line

The points can be redeemed for gift cards at many places.

Mostly, I have been a member who just accumulates 5 points for reading each email. Although, I have taken advantage of a few trial offers...which give points and gift cards for trying a service for 1 month (usually for a $1 fee).

Several months ago, there were some fantastic blogs all about My Points and other offers.

I think the best advice I received were:

1. Create a new, separate email address to use when you sign up for My Points, because you'll receive alot of emails!

2. Track any trial offers that you sign up for and be sure to cancel within the 1 month period- otherwise you will be charged a monthly fee. (Discipline!)

3. Read all offers that you sign up for carefully and make sure you understand what you're getting into!

I have accumualted 1400 points in the past few months and will be able to get a $10 gift card with those points...just for reading (well, clicking on actually) emails! (Since March, Ive accumulated over 5000 points and received several gift cards!)

Fun, easy way to earn a little reward!!

In case you want to check it out:

I had to call an fill a prescription this afternoon and the pharmacist informed me that they now offer a generic for my meds...which is an instant savings of $15 per month!!! a quick calculation comes to $180 per year!

Yess!!!!

I know that sometimes, generics work differently than non-generic and so I will keep an eye on how things are going with the new pills.

Im glad they let me know, I wouldnt have thought to ask! Ca-ching!

I am sitting on hold with that electronics retailer (who has the initials 'CC') that has never returned my almost $400 for an order that was placed and cancelled on 11-24-06.

I am speaking to someone who speaks rough english at best. Very hard to understand...not to mention that his sentences barely make sense. Argh.

Since I have been on the line for over 20 minutes (most of it on hold as his computer has froze up a few times now).

He just came back on and said "No, you were never issued a refund on this order...so i am sending a report to our 'Senior Team"...ok...can i have a phone number to follow up with them....um, No maam...but I can give you an IM number. (whatever that is)...but this will take several minutes as I have to print the whole report...

25 minutes now....and still holding.
While I am waiting, I am wondering why the guy who responded to my email last week...didnt notice the small fact of the refund never being made...and why he told me to 'be patient, it will be processed in the near future'...yeah, right.

I made the mistake of using my checking account debit card for this transaction and am trying to budget around a missing $400...luckily, we are not paycheck to paycheck...(I feel sorry for anyone who is dealing with this that is)...but it is a MAJOR inconvenience...

27 minutes..
of course, all the while...there is this damn perky little voice that keeps coming on about how "snappy" online purchases are...how 'friendly' their service is...and how wonderful thier advantage protection plan is...blah, blah, flippin blah...

30...
32...

and he came back on to tell me his name "joey' cant give any other information...except the IM # which he gave me 3 times...because the first two times were differnt numbers...and I repeated the number back 2 more times...sheesh.

oh...and i need to give this 72 hours before I hear from the 'Senior Team'.

argh!

Ok...planned the day...got up to the snow...hiked all over..found the 'perfect trees'...got soaked, built a nice toasty fire...had hot cocoa and snacks...visited, enjoyed the kids until dark...and headed home...

exactly one tree short.

Well, it was DD2's tree that blew off SILs truck somewhere between here and there....but I couldnt tell DD2 that. So I just told her that 'her' tree is beautiful, very tall and full...lots of branches...and DH is dropping (what was my tree) off to DD2 as I type.

Sigh...Ive had lots of tree catastophies over the years...but never ended up with NO TREE at all!

Oh well, there's always next weekend. Right?

All in all a fabulous day of family and fun. I loved every minute of it!

I have been working on a list of 12 new habits that I want to acquire this next year. (1 each month)

Things that I want to start/improve are:
de-cluttering
saving
weight
gardening
organization
reading
new skill (something Ive never tried before)

It is so cliche' to start a weight program in January, but I have a doctors appointment in April...and i would LOVE to come off of the blood pressure meds. So My January challenge will be to (borrowing from Retire@50 here)...walk 45 minutes 5 x per week.

February will need to be GARDENING as I want to be ready for this years season. (I sure hope this is timely...I guess I should commence with Contrary1's sister site on frugal gardening!!)

March is a great month to focus on de-cluttering...because in...

April, with spring cleaning...I want to focus on organizing my newly decluttered home (hows that for optimism!!)

June should be a good month to start a reading goal. Not quite sure what this will entail...except I KNOW it wont be to keep up with Retire@50!! lol

July...um...clearly, I cant wait until July for my savings habits to change...so I may incorporate two goals/habits into January. Hmm. In which case, July will be to learn something new...and perhaps it will be canning or preserving those gardened veggies? Im not sure...but July will be my learn something new month.

August, September, October, November and December....well, I will be thinking of things that I want to incorporate into my routine...and will update this list once I think of things to add.

The start of the new year is always so refreshing...and Im looking forward to starting this one with a plan.

Any ideas?

Ok...those neighbor dogs did it again! They sat outside my home and waited until my poor Gracie (who is old and blind) went out to potty and they attacked her!!!!! I was splitting wood and didnt know DD3 had even let Grace out...but luckily my mom saw it and got my attention...by the time I got to her they had bit her several times...poor thing. The neighbor (owner of the dogs) will be home tomorrow..and this time, if there are any vet bills, SHE is paying them! She has these dogs on an 'electric fence'...but I guess the batteries are dead because the dogs were sure not in her yard.

Grr...poor Grace is limping pretty badly. SOOOOOO frustrating!

We have been trying to process 2 cords of wood today for delivery tomorrow morning. One of the cords will be out of 'green, unseasoned' wood...which is fine with the buyer...only problem is that the green wood is much heavier and these were big logs to start with...so I worked for about 4 hours and finally had to call it quits for the day. DH is out there trying to finish up tonight.

Needless to say...no tree today. I hope we are able to get it tomorrow!!

For many years, I recall living in California and paying between $50-75 for a Christmas tree each year.

Now, living in Oregon, we pay a permit fee of $5 and have pretty much any tree in the forest to choose from.

I have to say...$5 trees are entertaining to say the least. One year, the tree was so tall that the top 3 feet laid on my ceiling when we stood it up...and I have an 18 foot ceiling! No problem, to my horror... DH just brought his chain saw into the house and whacked the top of the tree off! (Egads)Picture a tree that looks like it just goes into the ceiling because the top is missing. And 18 feet....when DH tried to help me hang the top ornaments, he just pulled the branches down, hooked the ornaments and let go....my poor ornaments were literally 'launched' into space!!!

Then there was the year we found the perfect tree...DH cut it down and when it fell, every branch broke on the side that hit the snow...

Or the first year that DH put the tree on the top of the car backwards...and by the time we got home most of the pine needles had been blown and beaten off...

But NOTHING beats my good friend Debby's tree last year.

They went to the snow and played all day and found a wonderful tree...then, tied it on top of the rig and headed home. It got dark and Debby heard a swoosh sound...so they pulled over....Yep, the tree had blown off their rig and was back down the Hwy...so her DH started jogging back to get it, when all of a sudden it got ran over by a big-rig! It was drug a few feet and then rolled to the side of the road.

Because it was dark, they couldnt really see the damage...but Deb said they could see branches that had fallen off their tree from the truck all the way back to the turnoff.

When they finally got the tree in the house, the poor thing looked worse than Charlie Browns christmas tree!! It had major holes and missing branches...but they put it up anyway.

It was sure a conversation starter for their visitors!!

I have so many humorous stories about our trees, I could write a book.

Tomorrow, we go get our tree...I wonder what this year will bring. * she says bravely with a certain dread in her voice*

to be continued....

I was looking at my credit card statement and noticed an entry that included "Class Action Lawsuit Payout"...

O-boy.....so I quickly ran my eyes over to the amount and i am now........


$1.31 less in debt than I was yesterday thanks to an angry customer, a few attorneys, and a cc company that had to post all those transactions...

I bet before all the attorney fees were deducted it would have been at least *cough* $4...but oh well, since I didnt even know about it, I'll just be happy with what I got.

We are trying to plan a family vacation and had thought we would go in March around spring break time.

If we go to Mount Rushmore (which we've never seen) we will have to go through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and finally South Dakota.

Ive never been to any of these states...so I was looking online last night and am now thinking that this whole trip would be pretty icy still for that time of the year???

But Im not sure. Is there anyone who lives or been this route in March who can shed some light???

Ideas on where to look online?

Thanks.

My DIL asked me to stop by the bank where she works and open a savings account so that she could be entered into a drawing for an extra day off + $250. So, I did!

For opening a $100 savings. I was given a $10 bonus, a free loaf of banana bread and a cute little piggy keychain!! (Plus DIL is now entered into the drawing.)

I am going to put the $10 bonus into my 2007 challenge account...bringing my new total to $27! I hadnt planned on jump starting this until the first of the year...but since I have an opportunity..Im taking it!

DD3 and I stopped by Walmart after I picked her up from school tonight. They are going on a field trip tomorrow for a parade that the band is in and she wanted to take some snacks to share with her friends. The trip is over an icy pass...so needless to say, I will be a nervous wreck until they are home safe tomorrow night.

While at Walmart, I picked up a few items for this Redneck/Over the Hill party that I am working on for my friends DH who is turning 40 on the 23rd.

I got some black spray paint so that I could create some over the hill decorations...I will try to post pictures of some of my finished products as they come to life...

I also made the arrangements for the kids' gift cards that we are giving them for Christmas. Most of the accessories for the arrangements came from the dollar store...but they really turned out cute. It is amazing what you can do with dollar store finds and a hot glue gun!!! And an arrangement takes some of the boring, blahness out of giving a gift card (or 2).

My parents actually got out and went to a movie today!!! A wonderful sign that they are both feeling better! (thank goodness!)

and aside from the usual routine, that about sums up the day!

Still no refund from CC...I WANT MY MONEY BACK dangit!

Grrr.

I went online on Black Friday and made a purchase from a large electronics store with the initials CC and was so excited to walk in and pick my order up.

But because an error message came back that my order hadnt gone through, I re-entered the order and my account was charged twice for almost $400. (And this came out of my checking account!!!!)

I emailed CC a few days ago and inquired about the return of my money...and received an email back this morning saying that "I understand your concern, please allow a few more days for the money to be returned to your account".

Ok- my take on that response is that they didnt even look at my transaction!!And...a few more days? The order was only online for about 4 hours...and it has now been 13 days and still nothing!!

$400 is alot of money to work around in a budget.

Grrr...I have to return something today to the actual store...I wonder if they can speed this up for me...not likely. Perhaps I will also make a call and talk to a manager today. Suddenly my easy black Friday purchase is turning into a nightmare.

DH wanted to stop by a sreen print shop to see about getting t-shirts made for his business.

As he was placing the order, I started browsing through a sale rack and ended up getting 3 nice golf shirts that will make a nice gift for DS and a supersoft sweatshirt for around-the-house and pj wear. All 4 were $10 or $2.50 each!!!

Why so cheap? Well, they were shirts that had been embroidered or screen-printed and then not picked up for whatever reason.

The golf shirts had a nice embroidered glof ball company name on them (perfect) and my new sweatshirt has "softball mom" on it. Heck, for home wear and pjs...I dont really care what it says---especially for $2.50!!!

What a deal...I will try to remember to stop by this store occasionally to see what other great deals they have.

I had an opportunity to complete an online survey this morning and received 100 points for it ( $10.00) !!! Usually, the points for a survery are $2-$4, so this was a nice surprise!

I already had $7 in that survey account, so I went ahead and cashed out for the $17.

I will use this money to start my 2007 challenge fund.

Woo-hoo!

My last little girl went to her new home tonight. It is always sad when the last one goes...But it was pretty neat that she waited for this particular family as their son shares her birthday (or vis- versa)

I've decided to hang my breeding hat up and earn extra money a different way. I love the puppies but Ive been doing this a long time and I am ready for no more puppies...particularly no more puppy poopy. Ive had way more on my plate lately to want to continue with this hobby.

So...I'll replace the beeding hat with a thinking cap and come up with another way to raise money for vacations and extras.

Now I'll need to decide which of my breeding labs will be going to vet...

What does "pages viewed' mean in the stats section of our blogs controls?

Because of some of the threads and blogs here...I have been contemplating my 2007 financial goals.

I can put a check mark next to one of my to-do's on the goal list...which was to up my additional principal payment on my home by $25..meaning that we are now paying an additional $175 per month on our mortgage.

I will plan to increase that another $25 in April after I go back to full pay from the business and have $200 a month going to principal.

Other goals to follow. Just wanted to note this one so I dont forget.

We had our first annual ornament exchange yesterday. DD1 had it at her house and there were 10 of us.

So much fun. Everyone took a number and then took turns either picking a wrapped ornament or stealing someones opened ornament. I brought home a cut 'disco ball' type ornament that will really illuminate the tree's lights.

We had some fun dips, cookies and drinks (hot cocoa, coffee or pink champagne).

DD1s MIL offered to host next years exchange...and she and I are on a mission to come up with the cutest ornament next year...I love a good competition...about as much as I love whimsy and fun...she has met her match...'cause I play to win!

All kidding aside, I am looking forward to making this an annual event...especially with all my grown kids just starting on thier ornament collections!

And the event was fairly frugal. The cost of the ornament...which is usually under $5...and everyone brings an easy snack or drink. Too fun.

My good friends DH is turning 40 on December 23 and she wanted to throw somesort of surprise party for him...so I suggested and "Over the Hill Redneck Party"

Of course, I take great pleasure in any dig I can do...as he has given me a hard time from day one...and its now my turn to pay him back.

The seat that our toilet came with is really cheaply made and I am buying a better one....so I will use the new cheap seat (never used of course) to make a birthday/holiday wreath. Ive already made some garland out of wire and beer can tabs.

I am going to decorate a tree with beer cans, empty pork and bean cans and old red socks...

I will also make center pieces out of beer bottles and some cheap plastic flowers.

Anyone else have any ideas??

Cheap= great
tacky= Fantastic

All ideas welcome~