Home And Family

The holidays are just around the corner and many people plan to spend time with family, away from home. When we leave our home for the holidays, many of us think about the movie “Home Alone”. The movie showed how empty houses are more prone to be robbed while people take off on vacation. We also know that a totally dark house is a sure sign for burglars to know that no one is home. When leaving for just a few hours in the evening, most of us will leave a couple of lights or the TV on, just to make it seem like someone is home. This is fine when it is only for a couple of hours, but when you are away for a few days, you don’t want your TV or lights constantly on, even during the daytime. This is not economically sound and it’s also a green light to let burglars or intruders know that you are not around. Having the lights constantly on is just as inviting to burglars, as having the lights constantly off!

There is a solution to this dilemma. It is the Digital Timer. What is a Digital Timer? This is a handy little item that you can connect to a wall outlet and have a lamp or other appliance connected to it. You then program it to have a lamp turn on around 6 PM and turn off by 11 PM. If you have a Digital Timer with Random Feature, it can turn the lamp on and off throughout several hours of the evening. The times will be different for each day of the week therefore lights will not have a predictable pattern of turning on and off. There are Digital Timers that can handle up to 15 amps, for heavy duty appliances or for more than one lamp at a time. You can purchase Digital Timers that easily record up to 20 on/off programs over 7 and 8 day groupings and have a pre-installed battery backup. Some Digital Timers have 3 wire grounded plugs and even an LCD that shows the time and day.

Digital Timers are not only for security against burglars or intruders, but for other applications as well. I personally used one for my aquarium. I timed it so that the light in the aquarium would turn on in the early evening and turn off late at night so that my fish could sleep! Some people use them for their Christmas trees or holiday decoration lights. Many people put their backyard lights on Digital Timers. There really are no limits to what you can use Digital Timers for. If it uses electricity, you can have it on a timer!

So, remember to prepare your home with not just decorations for the holidays, but also with Digital Timers. These security items not only prevent your home from being robbed, but are convenient and reasonably priced. Some people are happy with just purchasing one for the bedroom and one for the living room. Others get creative and use them for various tasks.

The White House Easter Egg Roll is one of the oldest and most unusual traditions in presidential history. It has gone through many transformations over the years, with new surprises with each presidential administration coming into office.

Many Washington families, including those of the President, enjoyed rolling eggs on Easter Monday. At this point, it was still an informal, unofficial activity. Historians have a split opinion on who was the first to suggest a public egg roll. Some believe it was Dolly Madison, while others think informal egg-rolling festivities at the White House only go back to President Abraham Lincoln抯 administration.

Nevertheless, at first, the public egg rolls were not held at the White House but at the Capitol. Press releases told of Washington children of all ages coming to roll eggs at the Capitol, as early as 1872.

The children of Washington were not quite as angelic as their parents would have preferred. These children caused such a ruckus, and caused such considerable damage to the Capitol grounds, that in 1876, Congress passed the Turf Protection Law to ban Washington children from using these grounds for a playground in subsequent years. Mother Nature rained out the event in 1877; in 1878, a small announcement in the local newspaper informed the community that the egg rollers were not to use the Capitol grounds that year.

A small controversy ensued. Depending upon who was relating the story, one version said angry egg rollers stormed the gates of the White House, demanding they be given admittance to the President抯 lawn so that they might roll their eggs. The other side of the story credits President Rutherford B. Hayes, having heard about the children抯 plight, opening the gates to the South Lawn. No matter who to believe – the first White House Egg Roll occurred in 1878.

And so, in 1878, President Hayes and his wife, Lucy, officially opened the South Lawn for egg rolling. This Easter tradition has been observed ever since; the only cancellations were due to inclement weather and during World War I and World War II. During wartime, instead of using the White House grounds, egg rollers were seen around town, on the grounds of the Washington Monument and the National Zoo. Some even had the audacity to return to the Capitol grounds.

In the course of time, the Egg Rolls have gradually changed, bringing in additional games and entertainment. The new games became part of the festivities by the late 1800s: 揈gg Picking,?揈gg Ball,?揟oss and Catch,?and 揈gg Croquet?became favorites.

1899 brought John Philip Sousa and 揟he President抯 Own?Marine Band to the party, while vendors sold all kinds of goods to the attendees. Forty years later, President Herbert Hoover抯 wife, Lou Hoover, introduced folk and maypole dances but they proved not to be practical when combined with hard-boiled eggs.

1974 was a hallmark year for the egg-rolling portion of the festivities. For the first time, spoons borrowed from the White House kitchen made their entrance. In 1977, new amusements included a circus and a petting zoo. 1981 brought Broadway shows and giant balloons. 1981 also brought egg hunt pits where children could search for autographed wooden eggs hidden in the straw pits.

From the very beginning of the public egg rolls, it has been customary for the Presidents, First Ladies, their children, grandchildren and family pets to attend the party. And what would Easter be without the Easter Bunny? This lovable critter was the brainchild of Pat Nixon, President Richard Nixon抯 wife, in 1969. The Bunny is usually played by a White House staffer wearing the official White House rabbit suit.

When the young guests prepare to say good-bye, they each receive a special presidential wooden egg, signed by the President and the First Lady.

Tickets to the Easter Egg Roll are free but still rather difficult to obtain, being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting 2 days before the actual Egg Roll. Only 5 tickets per person are issued; although children of all ages may attend, at least one child 7 years old or younger must be with the group. Once the gates open at 8 a.m. Easter Monday, groups of roughly 300 ticket holders are admitted at 15-minute intervals.

Egg salad, anyone?

Holiday parties are wonderful but the vast array of rich and tempting foods can become a bit overwhelming. I have some recipes for this time of year that, while delicious, are not quite as rich as the standard fare. When asked to contribute a dish, I usually make one of these recipes. This way, I know there will be an alternative if I start to indulge too heartily in richer selections. Here are five alternatives.

Shrimp Loaf. Place eight ounces of low fat cream cheese on a bed of chopped iceburg lettuce. Mix together – ?cup of ketchup,1 tablespoon of horseradish and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Pour over the top of the cream cheese. Then, drain one small can of shrimp, in a colander. Squeeze the rest of the juice, of one lemon, over the shrimp and toss. Place on top of the ketchup mixture. Serve with triscuits or wheat crackers.

Salsa Loaf. A variation of the shrimp loaf, this is a snap. Place eight ounces of nonfat cream cheese on a plate. Pour ?cup of hot salsa over cream cheese brick. Serve with baked tortilla chips or whole wheat crackers. This can be adapted to your taste. Use low fat cream cheese and mild salsa, if you are not a fan of hot and spicy foods.

Deviled Eggs. Hard boil one dozen eggs. Slice lengthwise. Remove the yolks and to them, add 2 tablespoons of low fat mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard and 1 teaspoon of dill pickle relish. If more liquid is needed, add some pickle relish juice to the mixture. Pipe or spoon into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika. I have been making these for years and they are always the first appetizer to disappear.

Wrapped Melon. Buy precut cantaloupe and honeydew melon chunks, at the grocery store. Wrap with small slices of Italian ham, such as capicola or prosciutto. Attach the ham to the melon with toothpicks. This is super easy and delicious. The salty ham and sweet melon are great compliments to each other.

Marinated Mushrooms. Wash 2 pounds of mushrooms with a wet paper towel and remove the stems. In a large frying pan, with a lid, steam the mushrooms in your favorite lite Italian salad dressing. If you desire, you can add a little white wine or sherry to the mixture about halfway through cooking time. Turn up the heat for a few minutes if adding wine to burn off the alcohol. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least four hours. These can be made up to two days in advance.

Even though these recipes are lower in fat than the standard versions, if you need to watch your salt intake, use common sense. Lite versions of salad dressing can be very high in sodium. Read your labels. Italian ham is very salty. Some versions of salsa can be higher in sodium than others. With a little variation, everyone can sample these recipes. Pick one, this holiday season, and enjoy!

Most cards sent during the holidays are traditional folded greeting cards or flat photo cards. Are you looking for something a little different? Something that won’t get lost in the sea of other cards? Maybe something you can personalize? Then here’s a list of unusual Christmas cards that might be just what you’re looking for.

1. Round Christmas Cards
There’s no better way to break out of the common Christmas card mold than by choosing an unusual shape. How about a circle? Yes, a circle. Some card shops now sell clever round cards that provide a place for a photo and your personal message. There’s also a grommet in the top of these circular cards, so your card recipients will be able to hang your masterpiece on their tree. Some even come with punch-out pieces that can be used as tree ornaments.

2. Pop-Up Christmas Cards
If you thought pop-up images were only for children’s picture books, think again. You can now buy Christmas cards with clever, whimsical pop-ups inside. Imagine your card recipient’s face when Santa pops up from the card!

3. All-in-One Christmas Card/Letter
If you write an annual Christmas letter, you might enjoy some of these new unusual Christmas cards that let you incorporate your letter right into the card. No more stuffing a separate piece of paper in the card! You can find several designs online, including tri-fold cards with room for a short letter on one panel and photos on the other panels, or flat cards with a photo on one side and your letter on the back. Which one works best for you will depend on how long your Christmas letters usually are.

4. Tri-Fold Christmas Photo Cards
When it comes to photo cards, more is often better, which may be why tri-fold cards are becoming more popular. These unusual Christmas cards give you more space to share your holiday message or images. Some offer lots of places for little photos, while others allow you to upload a photo that spreads across two of the panels. Still others include a place for you to write a Christmas letter or message.

5. Musical Christmas Cards
Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Musical greeting cards are still not the norm, but they are becoming more common, and you can often find them in local stores. If you’re shopping online, check the mega-retailers like Amazon and eBay.

6. Gatefold Christmas Cards
Like tri-fold cards, gatefold cards have three panels when you open them, but rather than folding in an accordion fashion as tri-folds do, these unusual Christmas cards have two outer panels that close like doors over the front of the card. When you open the doors, the card folds out into three sections. You can find these kind of cards in several designs, usually with a place for a photo in the middle section and text on either side.

7. Personalized Digital Christmas Cards
If you really want an unusual Christmas card, go all-digital and create an online photo card personalized with your own images and text. Online services such as Smilebox now make it easy to create great-looking cards that are much more personal than the standard animated e-cards that only allow room for you to add a short message at the end.

Are you planning a party for this holiday season? Would you like some original ideas that will help you have the party people will still be talking about way into the New Year? Then you must read on because below are 10 cheap holiday party themes for families.

Christmas Tree Decorating – The theme of your holiday party can be Christmas tree decorating. You can invite your family over to pitch in so they can add their own personal touch to the tree. It is an excellent way to keep your guests happy and entertained plus it allows them all a chance to participate in the festivities.

Sing-A-Longs – Having a sing-a-long is a great party theme that allows everyone to gather together and sing holiday songs. You entire guest list will be filled with the Christmas spirit before going home.

Party Games – What’s a party without games? You can have a variety of games that are appropriate for each age group. The guests that do not want to actually play the games will have a great time cheering everyone else on.

Outdoor Games – If you live in areas where you can gather together outdoors for fun activities this makes a great holiday theme. If you live in the colder climates you can take part in an ice skating tournament or sledding. If you live in the warmer climates you can have a softball game or badminton tournament.

Decorating Party – This theme allows families to gather together and decorate your home for the holidays. It is a creative way for your family to spend time together and have fun getting into the holiday spirit, which is why it is one of the top 10 cheap holiday party themes for families.

Baking Party – A baking party can be a lot of fun, just make sure that everyone you invite loves to cook or loves to eat. You can bake Ginger bread cookies, cakes, pies or any other item you enjoy. The reward for all your hard work is being able to eat the baked goods after everything is done.

Gift Exchange – Your holiday party can be Christmas themed and you can have the whole family get together and exchange Christmas gifts. If you have a large family then drawing names in advance is suggested to eliminate the problem of having to buy multiply gifts that could get very expensive.

Costume Party – Who said costume parties are only for Halloween? There are many great costumes that are available that would be perfect for this holiday season, which puts costume parties among the top 10 cheap holiday party themes for families.

Girls Only Party – Sometimes the women of the family just need to get together without the men and this is the prefect way. It gives all the women in the family from the grandmother to the youngest child an opportunity to gather together and enjoy spending a wonderful day together.

Caroling – Having a caroling party is a great idea. The whole family can get together and go door to door signing holiday songs. It’s fun and entertaining and after the singing you can all gather around the fireplace and sip specialty coffees, cider or hot chocolate together.

Holiday and parties just go together and having a theme for your party will help everything run much smoother. By choosing one of the 10 cheap holiday party themes for families listed above, you will be able to have the party of the year without spending a lot of money.

Only the bravest men and women would dare to forget Valentine’s day! It is the one day in the year which specifically dedicated to lovers old and young. As this year Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday there will be no time to rush and grab a bunch of flowers from the local petrol station on your way home from work!

Make this years Valentine’s Day really special and give the love in your life a pleasant surprise by having a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to their door.

For those consider Valentine’s Day just another hyped up excuse for retailers and florist to make a profit may be surprised to know that each year millions of flowers are brought, predominately by men, as a token of love in the UK alone.

The sceptical may also be interested to know that Valentine’s Day is not a new craze or Victorian idealistic notion! The history of Valentine’s Day date back to many hundreds of years. Although there are differing versions of how it actually all began. It is believed to have started in 496 AD when Pope Gelasius dedicated February 14 to honour Saint Valentine.

Saint Valentine is thought to have become the Patron Saint of lovers after leaving a message to his jailer’s daughter signed ‘from your Valentine’ before he was executed in on February 14 296 AD for refusing to relinquish his faith in Christianity.

Valentine’s Day is recorded to have been acknowledged and celebrated in the Middle Ages; young men and women placed their names into a bowl and randomly drew one out; they would then pin the name of their Valentine onto their sleeve for a week-hence the expression ‘wearing your heart on your sleeve’ to show how you are feeling.

The Persian custom of the ‘language of flowers’ to convey messages without speech is believed to have been introduced into Europe by Charles II. The red rose is the flower which traditionally symbolises love and passion; which is believed to be the reason this particular flower is associated with Valentines. The Victorians continued to use flowers to send hidden messages to their lovers.

Whatever the reasons, customs and beliefs associated with Valentine’s Day, February 14th has, over many hundreds of years become the day to send messages and gifts of flowers to someone as a token of your love and affection for them.

A dozen ruby red roses with their thorns removed-to prevent injury to your lover! is considered to be the quintessential Valentine gift. For those who wish to really push the boat out enormous bunches of fifty red roses will offer a flamboyant romantic gesture of love!

A single red rose stripped of its thorns and tied with a delightful red ribbon presented in a bud vase provides the message of love in a more sedate manner.

Whether you believe in traditions and customs or are just a true romantic at heart sending Valentine’s Day Flowers as a token of your love will undoubtedly be appreciated by the recipient.

The first birthday is in a lot of ways the most difficult milestone birthday to shop for in regards to a gift. The recipient can’t tell us what they want. The parents shrug and if they say anything at all it will be “oh, just clothes will be fine”. True, clothes would be appropriate and acceptable, but if that would be the gift you wanted to give you would have no need to read this article.

However, if you like going for something with a little style; if you like the look everyone gives when you hit a homerun in gift giving. This may be
may be one that gets some oohs and aahs for you.

If you have ever been involved in making a time capsule, the concept of this
gift will not be new to you. First thing you will need is a gift basket of sorts. This can be a plastic or rubber storage tub with a cover or a real gift basket. You will need some type of clear sealable bags. You can also just use a gift bag if you want and the parents can figure out how to best store the items but if you want it to last till the child is an adult you may want to figure out some type of storage system in advance.

The first item you will probably want to put in there is a newspaper from the day they were born. This should not be too difficult if you go to your local newspaper office. If you have thought far enough ahead and you want to you can start a year ahead of time, on the day of birth.

You could record the local news, weather and sports on the day of birth and
burn it to a DVD or just a VHS tape. Of course the problem here is longevity, because you want the media to last the child into adulthood.

A magazine or two along the lines of Time or Newsweek is a great addition. You may like to throw in some of the pop culture magazines as well. TV Guide, Rolling Stone, People and US are great choices. Sports Illustrated and Women抯 World are good ideas too.

You can record one network抯 primetime lineup on the day of birth, so that when the child gets older they can see what was popular they were born.

The digital revolution has given us another way to give something from day of the child抯 birth. Walmart and several other websites offer downloads of individual songs. You can make a custom CD of the top 5 or 10 songs that week.

The best thing about this gift is that you can spend as much or as little as you want and it can be extremely fun to put together. Pictures of everything the child may wonder about from the day are inexpensive additions.

There are dozens more items you can come up with for this special day. The main thing is to build a time capsule of memories and have fun.

Halloween is the holiday to be scary. It is the time to visit a haunted house or create your own. Some of the scariest Halloween decorations are the life sized statues of various werewolves, vampires and famous horror movie stars. Halloween is also the perfect time to enjoy candy, scary movies, eerie stories and spooky music. Plastic wax lips and shrieking candy bowls are in!
Halloween also brings out wonderful creativity in some people.

I am impressed by the array of Halloween yard decorations that I have seen displayed this year.
There are pumpkin lights strung up, pumpkins in the yard and sparkling pumpkin displays.
The graveyard scenes that I have seen are very scary. Some tombstones glow in the dark, for an eerie effect.

Some graveyard scenes have a family of skeletons scattered about. Some have floating ghosts stretched out or hung above the glowing tombstones. I came across a spider theme decorated house.

The large black spiders hanging everywhere on ghostly looking webs were frightening.
Some of these spiders move, scream, screech, glow and will scare the devil out of you.
Speaking of that, I also saw a ghoul scene decoration set up on the roof of a house that was terrifying. The ghoul had to be seven feet tall. The look on it’s face was very evil. I know that decoration took a lot of work to put up. The effect was worth it. I was thrilled and delighted by it.
If the ghoul gives a sound, I am sure trick or treaters will be running everywhere on Halloween night!

Tricks and treats are a main part of Halloween.

I have seen some scary Halloween candy this year. There are glow in the dark candy bars and candy wrapped in finger and eyeball wrappers. The jellied candy snakes, worms, ants and various critters are cool and shocking.

When set up on a table decorated with plastic or rubber hands, feet, toes, eyeballs and spiders placed around, the candy can be a great Halloween display. You can serve up a trick of fright or surprise with your treats.

Orange and Black are the main Halloween colors. They look good together and compliment each other. They are the perfect color combo for standing out and getting attention. On streamers, lights or candy, these colors cannot be beat. Speaking of orange, I have seen some Halloween shirts being worn, in that color, that were very scary and shocking. Getting attention and causing a fright is the reason for the season.

So, take notice of the wonderful and exciting Halloween displays around you. It is the season for a delightfully good time.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner and people are in a big rush to get hold of the coolest costumes. One of the most popular costumes and is almost selling out on stores is the sexy witch Halloween costume, this has to be the most amazing costume to be wearing this coming Halloween. One aspect that makes the sexy witch Halloween costume amazing other than being a major turn on is that it also can give people a hint of what you really are deep inside when give the chance, we all know you can cast that spell to make yourself become irresistible.

I have done my home work to know that most stores that sell costumes have run out of cool and amazing costumes and there is no reason as to why you should waste your fuel searching of a costume thats just a click of a mouse away, yes. Doing your halloween shopping online can save you lots of money and time, plus you can also get good prices for the costumes,

Since most cool costumes have sold out, some people have resulted into making the costumes all by themselves, although its a neat idea, think about it Halloween is just days from now, will you be able to gather all the raw materials needed to make a sexy witch Halloween costume in time for Halloween?

All in all nothing beats a delivery package right at your door step inside is a full sexy witch Halloween costume.

Halloween is a time for all to enjoy regardless of your age color nationality and size, make the most out of it.

What exactly is Halloween? For many, it is merely a reason to dress up and be someone else for a night. For kids, it’s a chance to collect loads of free candies and chocolates. For business people, it’s an annual money-making machine. In truth, Halloween is basically a holiday so mixed up with historical facts that people perceive it as a night when you wear a costume and be whoever you want to be. This is rather fitting, considering that historically, this holiday has had a similar identity crisis. Below are four important things you most likely didn’t know about Halloween.

Halloween was New Year’s Eve for the ancient Celtics

Instead of January 1, the New Year began on November 1 for the Celts. For them, it began at the end of summer harvest and the onset of winter. The Celts believed that the eve of November 1 was the time dead and evil spirits roamed the earth to cause enormous problems including destroying crops and taking out lives. The presence of these spirits enabled the Celtic priests to make predictions about the coming winter months and the future of the tribe’s people. This resulted to people wearing costumes in an effort to hide their true selves from the evil spirits.

The practice of trick-or-treating originated from poor people begging

Begging is a lowly thing to do, while trick-or-treating is fun and kids love doing it. While both are essentially the same, the only real difference between them is the latter is sanctioned, hence the nationwide popularity of this practice. However in some US states, Halloween is called the “Beggars’ Night”. In fact, some groups have campaigned against trick-or-treating, labeling it as extortion and a senseless tradition. Historically, trick-or-treating really is a form of extortion. The practice originated from a practice once performed by the extremely poor people in the British Isles around November 1. Often called “souling”, these people would go door to door begging for food and clothing, and they would offer to pray for the souls of the dead in exchange.

The light in a jack-o’-lantern is provided by Satan

According to legend, a man named Stingy Jack played tricks with the devil and cut deals with him. The last of these deals was that Satan would not take Jack’s soul when he died. Upon his death, Jack was unaccepted in Heaven because of his evil ways when he was still a mortal. He then decided to stay in hell but Satan kept his end of their deal and denied him entrance. Instead, Jack was forced to wander endlessly in the darkness between heaven and hell, using a lantern he made from turnip which was lit up with the fires of hell provided by the devil himself, Satan.

In America, Halloween is the second-largest commercial holiday

Second to Christmas, an estimated $7 billion is spent annually on decorations, candy, costumes, and more, in preparation for one night of Halloween madness. However, this holiday had more modest beginnings. Decades before, the holiday was celebrated by only a few communities and states with fortune-telling and games played in the streets. It was only during the 19th century when immigrants started wearing costumes and the concept of trick-or-treating was invented. It soon gained popularity across America and by the 20th century, the holiday had lost many of its religious themes and began to take shape as a commercial holiday that we all know today. GP