With the nice spring weather my mind has turned to vacation planning. There are two events that we want to attend this year. One is Labor Day weekend while the other is in late November. They are both a few months away, so there is plenty of time to plan.

We will need a lot before going on vacation like some Briggs and Riley luggage and some new clothes. We need to start saving money that we will need for food, hotel stay, and gas. Of course, we will want to buy souvenirs, too.

While those events might be months away, it is nice to go ahead and make a plan to save money so we can attend. Too bad they aren’t happening within a few months because it would be great to get away for a few days soon. This spring weather beckons to us to go somewhere. Anywhere.

I had wanted a digital picture frame for Christmas. So, my husband spent most of his budget for me on getting me a really nice one. After reading all of what it can do, it will probably turn into more than a way to display pictures.

The digital picture frame will play videos, so I’m thinking this might be a way to keep the little one entertained especially at bed time. We might be in the market for a tv mount since the picture frame does have a mount to hang it on the wall, but I would feel better with something more sturdy.

I can’t wait to really delve into what all it can do. It’s a Kodak digital picture frame. It’s not the version that has built-in WIFI but is still a very neat digital picture frame.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

Today is our Christmas at my parents’ house. Last night I did find the missing presents right after I had bought replacements. Good thing I still needed to buy a few more items for our Christmas with my husband’s family.

I have so much wrapping to do. I also want to bake a cake, so it will be a busy day here. It doesn’t matter how early I begin to prepare for Christmas. I still have so much to do at the last minute!

I’ve been so good this year to buy presents early. Looks like I’m learning the hard way why I don’t do this. I’ve misplaced about three or four, possibly more, Christmas gifts.

Tomorrow I will try to remember just exactly what I did that day with my presents. I’ve been stashing them all in the same place but with shuffling items around it is possible they were moved somewhere else. It’s incredibly frustrating since I really need them this weekend.

Usually when I can’t find something, I say a little prayer to Saint Anthony. It seems to help sometimes. At least it calms me down when I become really frustrated with searching for something.

Hopefully tomorrow will be the day that I remember just exactly where I put the lost Christmas presents. That or maybe I can wrap the ‘IOUs’ really nice.

Apparently it was predicted that today would be an extremely busy day for the post office. Some deadlines have already passed to get those holiday packages in the mail to secure that they will get there on time. Here is a list of the post office deadlines:

Dec. 4 Military mail destined for Iraq or Afghanistan

Dec. 11 Military mail to other international destinations

Dec. 15 Parcel Post, the most economical service

Dec. 20 First-Class Mail

Dec. 20 Priority Mail

Dec. 22 Express Mail

So, it’s not too late but it soon will be.

With Christmas fast approaching, so are the cutoff dates for ordering products to have them delivered by December 24th. Whether it’s fleece jackets, wrist watches, or something else, Amazon has a wide selection of gifts to choose from. I’ve done more online shopping this year than ever before. Amazon has been a great resource to find gifts. The cutoff dates to order gifts is fast approaching. Here is a rundown of the dates:

Monday, December 17th – Free Super Saver Shipping (on qualified orders over $25)
Tuesday, December 18th – Standard Shipping
Wednesday, December 19th – Two-Day Shipping (Free with Amazon Prime, Last full day to order)
Thursday, December 20th – Two-Day Shipping (Free with Amazon Prime, Order as late as 3pm PT, but varies by item)
Friday, December 21st – One-Day Shipping ($3.99 per item with Amazon Prime, Last full day to order)
Saturday, December 22nd – Two-Day Shipping ($3.99 per item with Amazon Prime; Order as late as 3pm PT, but varies by item)

When all else fails, an Amazon gift card can be given and immediately sent by email to the recipient.

Christmas shopping is a necessary evil in December. It seems no matter how much I try to prepare beforehand I still have to do some shopping in December. I would much rather travel around town getting life insurance quotes than fighting the crowd at the stores.

I’m almost done with my Christmas shopping but still have a few things to pick up. The crowd just seems to get worse each day that brings us closer to Christmas. I guess people become more panic stricken knowing that time is running out to find those gifts.

My husband once told me early in our marriage that a watch was a terrible gift to give someone. He went on to explain that it was a way for them watch the minutes, days slip past them or something like that. Basically that they will contemplate on the time that is passing and long to be somewhere else. I know, I thought it was odd, too.

After being late for a work a couple of times has changed his mind about the whole giving a watch as a gift. A watch can be very useful and thoughtful gift. My favorite watch is Swatch. Some nicer watches like a Timex or Hublot watch would also make a great gift.

So, a watch can be a nice gift even if my husband disagrees. A watch is functional and fashionable and not necessarily a bad gift.

Bah Humbug! Now you can go Scrooge yourself thanks to the Scrooge Yourself website. Simply upload a photo of your or someone else’s face and then be amazed (maybe too strong of a word) at the transformation.

Your uploaded face will appear on Scrooge. Then be entertained as Scrooge dances around the computer screen. Good for at least one laugh.