I am pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping. And, for the first time, I never even left home. I started Thursday, and have only put in about four hours combing the sales, coupons, free shipping deals, etc.!

What did I find? FANTASTIC DEALS! No hassle. Three gifts have already arrived! Even better, I found the best, unique gifts for everyone in my family.  

Check this out, people started lining up at Best Buy near us on Tuesday night! Can you believe that?! Better yet, I got the SAME door buster savings THEY did, online in my pajamas! WOO-HOO!

This year, we are tightening the budget, but here are some of the deals I found:

Margarita Machine, Reg. $149.99 for $39.99! at J.C.Penney
A total surprise for hubby, we love to entertain our friends, this’ll be fun!

Hubby’s favorite after shave that NEVER goes on sale in the stores, reg. $50 for $39 on Amazon.

Computerized Microscope Set Reg. $119.00 for $39.00 at
J.C. Penney. My son really wants this. Can’t wait to see the look on his face!

#@##
He did it again!

Ok, in his behalf, I have to say that he always has a lot on his mind… He seems to handle a million plates professionally. But, when it comes to the home front stuff, he totally spaces out!

Tonight, he offered to bring home a pizza. YAY! I don’t have to cook! He asked what kind we wanted. My son picked up the phone at the same time I did, so we both answered “the chicken with artichokes and bacon, with alfredo sauce!”

Well, he just came home, with a “large” (really medium), THIN crust pizza that MIGHT feed 3 of us! We have TWO HUNGRY TEENAGE sons!

I LOVE candles. I Love the scent and atmosphere they create. I recently realized how much heat they were emitting, as I was already overheated while cooking in the kitchen, or were those hot flashes?? Lol! Anyhow, I came up with this idea:  

I am trying to see how long we can go without turning on the heater. We have lots of candles burning in the morning and night in the rooms we‘re in. It’s been fun, and added to a nice atmosphere, and heats up the room!

Granted, we do live in California, but, it has been a bit cold lately.

Tell us if you take up the dare, and how it’s going. :)

As Seen on the Today Show Today.

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Ok, I’ve officially HAD it! UP TO HERE!

I have spent the last week  studying this bailout nonsense! I have been emailing and calling Senators, Representatives, and the President.

This thing is ridiculous! Apparently, Henry Paulson has known this mess was going to blow up for at least a year. He waited to inform the President until it was necessary to push a bill through immediately?!!!

WHOA!!! No time to research, talk with scores of economists, who urged that this bailout WOULD NOT WORK! Although most think SOMETHING must be done, this bailout was widely viewed as a mistake.

Why throw good money after bad??? $700,000,000,000 of OUR MONEY! WHERE WILL IT END?? The auto industry, credit card industry and many others are waiting in line. While We, the Citizens await our fate.

The Senators who wrote the bill were given a list of industry terms. How’s THAT for education on possibly the most important bill/issue of our lifetimes?!
More over, these Senators, many of whom fought oversight of Fannie and Freddie leading to this disaster, ARE IN CHARGE OF WRITING THE BILL, VOTING ON IT, AND OVERSEEING IT!!!
How on earth is all this possible?

If all that were not enough, URGH!, these YOKELS writing this bill ADDED PORK! They added a clause that 20% of any money received back (which should go to retiring the debt), would go to community organizations, such as Acorn.

Ladies,

It is imperative that you voice your opinion on this Bank Bailout. This is YOUR money. Tax revenue. But, simply put, it will add $700,000,000, yes BILLION, to our national debt.  

Moreover, there is ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE IT WILL WORK, that more $$$$ won’t be “necessary“. And, more frightening, many other industries are carefully watching this bailout, ready to line up for their handouts. The auto industry is first in line. Where will it end?  

Many top economic experts are strongly against this bailout.

The reason for the crisis is the “bad paper” from the “sub-prime” loans, KNOWINGLY given to people who could NOT AFFORD TO PAY THEM BACK. Why reward these companies by buying this bad paper to help them out? What have they learned? What’s to say that they won’t try other schemes to increase revenue, with the idea that they’ll be bailed out again?

Now, it has snowballed throughout the country. Many people are upside down in their mortgages. They cannot refinance the ARMs that are now hundreds, if not a thousand or more than the original monthly payment. This is causing the foreclosures. The foreclosures are causing everyone’s homes to be devalued.

The loans that are close to, or in foreclosure ARE the problem. Why not simply help these homeowners that are able to pay refinance their loans? (The mortgage companies ARE NOT working with clients to do this. They are waiting for a bailout). Anyhow, that would clean up the books, and stabilize the home market. Home prices will go up, or at least, stop going down. I’ve heard the $$ it would cost to do this (and forgot the exact number), but I believe it was in the 1–10’s of billions, NOT $700 BILLION!

These are my thoughts, I don’t wish to tell anyone WHAT to think on this issue, only to think about it and make your feelings heard.  

Here is the link to “Roll Call“, Congress.org http://www.congress.org/
You can find your Representative by zipcode, or name.
Let ‘em know what you feel. This is the time in our history that we MUST stand up for our rights as citizens and the country!