In my family we celebrate Christmas. Its not so much for religious purposes as our family tradition. We do a lot of things every year to carry on the traditions, like gathering together at someone’s home for dinner on Christmas afternoon and then at the other family homes Christmas Night.
I hope you have a very nice Christmas Day and Night with the people who you care about and who care for you.
Since I don’t watch much TV or cable, the only exposure I have to commercials is what I hear on the radio as I’m in the car either commuting or running errands. I listen with half an ear, as I am usually thinking about other things, like dodging the idiots in red cars who seem determined to hit me.
Have you ever noticed that most of the people who are in wrecks, pulled over by cops for speeding, and the ones who cut you off or run red lights – are almost always driving a red car? If the driver of a red car is a blond woman talking on her cell phone, I call that the “triple threat” and steer clear of that one.
So I have heard some new and interesting radio commercials this week. Everyone is pitching something about their services or products and trying to relate them to Christmas gifting. I haven’t finished up my shopping yet, so I’m paying a little more attention to the commercials this weekend and trying to get some fresh ideas for the ones who are so difficult to shop for.
My sister needs to build her skills and I’ve been talking to her about registering with a beauty school to take courses in massage therapy. There have been a lot of new spas and massage studios opening all over the country and they all need good massage therapists to work with their clients. There is also an increasing demand for Estheticians, who can work at the new medispas and help clients with skin care, such as laser therapy, microdermabrasion and Botox injections.
We both searched the internet in search of cosmetology schools that would be convenient to her home in Virginia. She cannot just pick up and move away to attend a traditional college and live on campus. She has two daughters and a lovely home that she has to maintain while she takes classes.
The Spa Beauty Ed web site has a list of cosmetology schools sorted by state, with links to the individual schools. In Virginia there is the Miller-Motte Technical School in Lynchburg, which would be a good choice for her. The Spa Beauty Ed site has a contact form she can fill out to get all the information she needs on tuition costs, financial aid that is available and when classes start.
Had to wear boots today. We have had so much rain that the yard is nothing but a mud pit. Just getting the trash cans from the side of the house to the curb for pickup was an adventure in mud bogging. The one trash can is full of stuff that has been hanging around the garage for too long and I finally had to toss it out. But it was pretty heavy and the little black wheels on the trash can supplied by the waste removal company could not get that can to the curb through the mud. It sank into ruts in the side yard and I had to drag it like a mule pulling a covered wagon. If any of my neighbors were watching from behind their window curtains, I’m sure they were laughing their butts off at the sight.
So I wore my boots all day while running all my errands and at the end of the day I can’t believe how badly my legs and feet are aching.
The public library is just a few miles from my house but I haven’t stopped in for several months and decided to go this morning. My sister is having a hard time dealing with the recent passing of her husband and I am feeling totally inadequate in meeting her need for support as she goes through this difficult time.
I thought about going to the bookstore and buying a couple of books on grief and loss, but then it occurred to me that it would better to go to the public library first and see if they have anything on the subject. This is probably not the kind of book that I would read a second or third time, and it doesn’t make sense to buy a book that you’ll only read once and then never look at again.
Next year will be upon us in less than two weeks and I’m already making resolutions to have a great year.It’s not so much that I want to stop bad habits or change anything in my lifestyle. Rather, I intend to do some positive and rewarding things, like meet new people and travel to new places within the U. S.
I want to take a couple of courses next year and learn some new skills. Something I’ve been seriously considering is personal training certification. With the economy so crazy, no one can afford to be too complacent in their current jobs, so I am planning to diversify what I can do. All things point to this being a rough year for real estate, so if I need to take a part time job I want to be ready to do something both emotionally satisfying and financially rewarding.
There will always be a need for good people who have earned their personal training certification. I found a lot of good information on the Natural Healers web site about careers in the natural healing arts. Personal trainers work at private health clubs and rehabilitation clinics, and my interest is in getting work with a professional sports team.
Everything I need to know about what schools are best, where to go for training on the different specialties and even online courses available for the natural healing arts and personal trainer courses was available at the click of a button at the Natural Healers site.
When I checked out the Nikon web site they have a special site for Ashton Kutcher and the Coolpix camera that you see in the commercials on TV. The web site is interactive and they have a fun feature called “messing with Ashton.” They want you to take up to three pictures and upload them on the web site, and then send them to friends and family. It’s really funny. I’m thinking about doing that if I have some spare time this weekend.
Here we go down the final stretch. We have just two weekends left before Christmas day. For a lot of people that translates into two weekend left to shop before Christmas. I know the malls will be crowded tomorrow and Sunday. Personally, I would rather do my shopping from the computer, in the comfort of my own home. I have found some great deals on the web, plus I know of a great web site called Office Deals.info that provides all kinds of coupons and discount codes to save money on your purchases.
If you are looking for discount business gifts to finish up your shopping, take a look at the discount codes before shopping at the store of your choice.
For example, I want to get a couple of electronics items, so I’ll be looking for stores that have the best deals on an iPod and a new digital camera. I have my eye on the new Nikon coolpix camera that I’ve seen in the commercials with Ashton Kutcher.
My niece wants a new iPod and I know my sister is getting that gift for her, so I’ll buy the earpods and a docking station for her to go along with it. I just have to make sure that she opens my gift AFTER she opens the one from her mom!
Today I found an article on the San Jose Mercury News web site that gives tips for preparing a guest room. I thought the article was timely, as we are in the process of converting our former bedroom into a guest room.
Also, I heard this afternoon from my sister that her oldest son is coming for a visit in January. So now I need to get busy and finish up that guest room.
Some of the tips included pile up lots of pillows on the bed and put extra blankets in the closet. Speaking of the closet, make sure that you won’t need any of the articles that are in that closet and if possible empty the closet so your guest has someplace to put their clothes.
Although I had trouble falling asleep last night I usually sleep really well now that we moved into the other bedroom and have the new bed properly made. Our old room is being renovated to turn it into a guest room.
We had a terrible time finding the right mattress for our platform bed. It needed to be a non standard size and here in the Bible Belt no one is very adventurous about beds and bedding. But in my mind, the bed is an important part of your night’s sleep and I want a nice looking bed, with color coordinated bedding. I want to open the door to my bedroom and see a beautiful, peaceful sanctuary. A place to reward me for my day’s work and efforts.
That’s why I turn to the internet when I need something unique or hard to find. It is getting harder and harder to go into a traditional “bricks and mortar” store and find what I’m looking for in the right size, the right color, or the right price and then the item is often out of stock or defective.
This morning I happened across a website called Time 4 Sleep.co.uk and was really impressed with the huge selection of beds and mattresses that they offer in the U.K. Plus they offer free shipping for beds priced at 499 pounds sterling and above.
This site offers bed in both U.K. sizes and European sizes. To be honest, I had no idea there was a difference until I went to their web site and starting reading up on beds. They even have a selection of items available for next day delivery. Have unexpected houseguests coming to visit over the Christmas holidays? You can order a next day bed from Time 4 Sleep and be ready to provide the ultimate in hospitality.