Digital frames

Digital frames are a great way to display digital photos as a slideshow anywhere you have room for a photo frame. The only problem I see with them is that they use batteries, so if they are constantly running, they would go through batteries pretty quick.

For a child, a digital frame would be instant gratification so they could just take out the memory stick from their camera and plug it straight into the frame to view all their pictures.

Future of keeping warm

I was thinking about buying an electric blanket to warm up the bed on really cold nights, and upon searching the internet, I came across a new technology that I simply must share. They are little rubbery discs, the size of a Frisbee made by Snuggle Safe. You heat them up in the microwave for 5 minutes, and they hold 100 degree heat for 12 hours! After that, they slowly cool down to room temperature. They are currently made for pet beds, but I am very excited about this. I am sure they will develop the technology more to be used in a larger scale in the future. I have heard of several people using them in their chicken coops to keep the hens warm, and with other outdoor livestock. It can even be used in the car.

There are no cords, so the uses are limitless.

End-of-year deals

Many stores are clearing out electronics to make room for the next year's models. I've seen discount tables at several stores, and the online stores have many items on clearance too. I've seen Canon, Samsung, Pentax, and Panasonic digital cameras, laptop and desktop computers, printers, and televisions, among more.

So if you got any gift cards for Christmas, check out these deals to get the most bang for your gift buck. Hope everyone had happy holidays! We spent most of this week outdoors since it was so warm - 68 degrees today!

Manly gift idea

I just thought of a great Father's Day gift for any man who doesn't like to wear jewelry, but needs to keep a schedule. A pocket watch! I didn't realize that they still made these, but new pocket watches come in many different styles to suit virtually any man.

There are the classic styles, in either gold or silver, suitable for any history buff. There are some very modern styles, for Mr. GQ on Wall Street. And then there are the very simple ones for the "no frills" type of guy. The prices vary widely, starting around $60 and ranging all the way up to $400. With great sales going on, and free shipping on many items, now is the time to get Father's Day shopping done.

Drink and be merry

I find it gets harder each year to come up with unique gift ideas for friends and family. In fact, a large part of my holiday stress comes from the thought of buying gifts and I usually procrastinate until the last minute and then scramble to come up with something.

I found a website today that sends wine gifts to recipients. You sign up on their website for one of the wine clubs, and choose from the four different levels based on price. Then your lucky recipient receives bottles of wine each month from award-winning family owned wineries.

This is one of those gifts that keeps on giving and will remind the recipient of you all year long!

Gifts by gender

Why is it always more difficult buying gifts for boys? I'm not talking about little kids, but by the time they are twelve or so, boys just seem so difficult to shop for. My son is only three years old, so he is happy with just about anything. But we have some young male relatives that make things tricky in the gift buying department.

Usually we just end up giving gift certificates or spending money, that way everyone is happy and they can just buy what they want for themselves. You can purchase gift cards for almost any business these days, even movie theatres and coffee shops. Perhaps even video arcades offer gift certificates? That would definitely be appreciated by a boy of almost any age.

Keep memories alive

We're big on memorabilia in our family. We have a "memory box" in which we save things like the first note my husband wrote to me when we first met in college, or the first movie my daughter saw in a theatre when she was six months old. Actually, the "box" has overflowed into two small shoe-boxes for my husband and I, and the children each have their own box from when they were infants and we saved all the cards they received, some photos, and other fun stuff they will enjoy looking at when they are older.

To continue with our tradition, we make DVD slideshows each Christmas for our extended family members, as well as a copy for ourselves to keep in our box. This way, even though we live far apart, they can see what we've been up to all year and how the kids have grown.

For those of you who are into celebrity and sports memorabilia, I recommend an online store called Millionaire Memorabilia. They specialize in authentic collectibles in all genres and are worth a look if you are searching for something specific. The search function is very helpful and user-friendly and the site is easy to navigate. Their prices are very competitive and they even have sales periodically.

Make it count

We have always preferred educational toys made of sturdy materials like wood and metal to the modern "plastic crap" that is in abundance these days. I am so sick of kid's toys that break easily or can't stand up to normal wear and tear that exists in children's lives. Things like blocks, tinker toys, wagons, puzzles, marbles, Lincoln logs, and Legos allow children to have fun, learn, and use their imagination at the same time.

These are also the types of toys that last forever, so you can pass them down to younger children and they will still be in great shape with many more years of play left in them. Leave a lasting impression and give classic toys that will be enjoyed by kids of all ages.

If we bought each other gifts...

My husband and I stopped exchanging gifts for Christmas and birthdays a long time ago. We are of the belief that if we are in need of something during the year, we just buy it then, rather than ask for it for Christmas. But sometimes, I hear my husband say things that he would like, but doesn't feel justified spending the money on it.

For instance, I know he would like an air hammer, and I noticed an online store that carries Ingersoll Rand air tools, including air hammers, drills, screwdrivers, and other useful tools. Maybe before he starts his next home improvement project, we'll visit the website and see if there is anything we need at that time.

Christmas crescendo

Crescendo (kre-shen-doh): a gradual, steady increase in loudness or force.

I think this word perfectly describes the week before Christmas, especially if you and your spouse are both notorious procrastinators. Hey, nothing would get done if it weren't for the last minute, right? So we started our shopping last Friday, and amazingly enough, got nearly everything we wanted. My husband has to go back and buy a bicycle for our daughter in a couple of days, only because we couldn't figure out where to hide it in our house. We thought maybe we could just get one in the box and we would assemble it on Christmas eve, but they assemble all of them at the store right when they get them.

Waiting until the last minute is tough when you have packages to mail out in time to arrive before Christmas. We decided to make DVD slideshows for the relatives with most of our pictures from this year. This makes for a nice gift, but is stressful since it involves relying on the computer to get the job done. And as we all know, computers can hardly be relied upon for anything. So a few computer crashes and DVDs-turned-coasters later, we got all 9 DVDs completed and packaged last night around midnight. Since I had to work at the school the next day, I wanted to get to bed early. No such luck. Then my husband got the wonderful job of going to the post office in the morning to mail all the packages, which we thought would be dreadful (as most post offices are the week before Christmas). But this is yet another advantage to living in a small town - he only had one person in front of him and got done very quickly.

The overall tone at the elementary school today was total chaos. The kids are all worked up and excited for Christmas break. I can't imagine what it will be like by Friday. Hopefully no one will get sick and I won't have to substitute any more this week. Then maybe I can get more of the gifts wrapped so we won't have to do everything on Christmas Eve.

Simple pleasures

Now that my youngest child is three years old, I have started wearing jewelry again. That's one thing no one tells you - when you have babies, you can't wear jewelry for a couple of years. If you do, it will either get yanked off or broken, or both.

I'm glad because I have some beautiful bracelets, necklaces, and diamond pendants from my husband and other family members. Since I haven't worn them in so long, they are new to me and it's nice to unearth them again.

Holiday shopping tips

Most people have a few family members who are difficult to shop for at holidays. Either they already have everything, or you just can't think of anything they would like. There are about four people in our extended family whom we always have a hard time shopping for and usually end up giving them restaurant or movie gift cards.

I was thinking the other day about things people have around their house that they don't mind having more than one of. Things like flashlights make good gifts because usually people could use another one in their home, and it's the type of thing that gets misplaced often, so it's good to have many around the house for safety reasons. Flashlights can also be given to both men and women of all ages, so they are a good nondescript gift to fit multiple people on your hard-to-shop-for list.

For the ladies

OK girls, I've got a Christmas tip for you. One way to save money and benefit yourself as well as your partner is to buy some fine lingerie for yourself. Your man will definitely accept this as "his" Christmas gift, and you get something nice for you, too. And since you get to pick it out, you can make sure it fits and complements your body so you can feel confident wearing it.

Let's face it, if he tries to buy lingerie for you and it doesn't fit or you don't like it, would you really try to return it? I don't think so.

Holidays are on the way

Well, it's that time of year again. Halloween is approaching and before long, relatives will start asking for Christmas gift ideas for the kids. They are both pretty well set on clothes this year, thanks to hand-me-downs and gifts from birthdays that were slightly too big, but will fit this winter.

My best advice for friends and family is that you can't go wrong with educational toys and quality books. Things like puzzles, art supplies, classic games, blocks, and the like are timeless gifts and children can't really have too many in my opinion.

Eleven years already??

My wedding anniversary is this weekend. I can't believe it's been eleven years already. I'm happy to report, we are still madly in love and the future looks bright. When my coworkers found out about it, they asked what I'm getting him as a gift. I realized it's been probably eight years since we gave each other store-bought gifts.

I used to get the typical gifts of flowers, jewelry, and chocolates. That's all fine and dandy, but when you get into the accounting and realize how much these things add up, it just doesn't seem worth it. The fun part is the surprise aspect. So now we try to dazzle each other with poems we write, a piece of artwork, a fancy dinner at home, and other things that are thoughtful without spending a fortune.

Shop where you want

When I first heard about Mint credit cards, I thought, "Oh my gosh, they are making them flavored now??" Then I found out that it is actually a company in the UK where you can apply for a low rate apr credit card, a loan, or even insurance.

They also offer gift cards that can be used anywhere credit cards are accepted. This is better than a specific gift card because the recipient can use it in any store or restaurant or even to buy gasoline if that is what they need the money for. We've all been in the situation where we received a gift card for a store that we don't normally shop in, then we walk around aimlessly trying to find something, anything, to spend the money on. We end up with things we don't really need and an unsatisfying shopping experience. I would much rather receive a card I could use anywhere, and I would guess most people feel this way.

Another gift idea Mom will love

I guarantee that if you ask any woman you know if she would like a day of pampering at a spa (at no cost to her) she would jump at the chance. Day spas are very popular and can be found in any major city, and most of the smaller cities as well. The services offered at day spas and the fees charged varies, so shop around to make sure you get the treatments you want at reasonable prices.

All spas have basic services like massage and nail care, but more advanced spas also offer Botox, laser hair removal, non-surgical facelifts, microdermabrasion, skin peels, and more. If your mom lives in California, Ontario, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Indiana, or Missouri, Pure Med Spa is the leading day spa in these states and offers all of the advanced cosmetic techniques I mentioned.

Call a spa and make her a surprise "day at the spa" appointment for Mother's Day. It will be a gift she never forgets!

Here's to Mom!

Upon doing some online shopping for Mother's Day, I went to my favorite online coupon codes site, Coupon Chief. They have added some new deals just in time for Mother's Day. For example, Lerner is offering a 40% off one item special. I don't have too much money to spend this year, since we are still establishing our online home businesses. So finding a good deal on quality items is important to me.

Of course, I can dream can't I? Let's see... if I could give my mom anything and money was not an issue, I would send her on a Caribbean vacation. Coupon chief even has a Travelocity coupon with $75 off Caribbean packages. My mom could really use a relaxing getaway in the tropics, and she deserves it for all the hard work she's done throughout the years.

Deliver something different

Did you know research shows that 83% of people like to receive flowers unexpectedly? I suspect the remaining 17% are probably people that just don't like surprises in general because I would think everyone would like to receive flowers or gifts delivered. If you've already sent Mothers Day flowers, why not try something different this year?

Check this out: you could deliver Mom a "Home Spa Package" which includes a comfy chenille robe, an aromatherapy backwrap, chocolate covered berries, and a lasting orchid potted plant. If orders are placed by noon in the recipient's time zone, same day delivery is generally available in the US and Canada. This is possible because Flowershop.com is affiliated with local florists and they have almost 35 years experience in the flower industry.

Their website has many different gift options available for any occasion. You can shop by occasion or by flower type, and then by price. Flowershop.com offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so why not give them a try this Mother's Day?

Great Mother's Day gift ideas

Instead of sending a traditional flower bouquet to your Mother, why not surprise her with something different that she can really use? Gift baskets have come a long way, and you can send a wide variety of different baskets with many useful items inside. Fruit Gift Baskets are a traditional favorite, and are usually the most friendly on the wallet. For something more extravagant, why not pick an Italian Gift Basket, a Chocolate Basket, or Wine Basket?

Gourmet Gift Baskets is a family run and operated business that has been delivering specialty baskets since 1940. There are never any surprises, as they list exactly what will be in any basket you choose. Their website has pictures of the items assembled in the complete basket, and if you look at the detail page, you are supposed to be able to roll your mouse over the item to see what it looks like unwrapped. This sounds like a great feature, but I couldn't get it to work on my current browser.

You can shop on their secure site by category or view all available baskets by price. They offer some very unique categories, such as: new baby, anniversary, pets, housewarming, sushi trays, Texas baskets, Kosher, and many many more. You could send a basket for any occasion, really. A gift basket is always appreciated, and the recipient will know you took that extra step to create something truly unique that reflects the occasion or their particular interests if you order a basket from Gourmet Gift Baskets.