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The U.S. Marines and their infamous Toys for Tots programs is a mainstay of our holiday season. This year the organization had a bit of a difficult go at meeting their goals. The solution, they say, is cash contributions. Well, it turns out you can donate cash without actually spending any cash of your own. You just need to take some of your time to send free e-cards on Month2Month.com. The website will make a cash contribution to Toys for Tots.

Here's where to get the month2month free eCards. And, here is the press release. Better late than never, and I’m usually late.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Bill Grein
Marine Toys for Tots
V: 703-640-9433
F: 703-640-0917
wjgrein@toysfortots.org
http://www.toysfortots.org

Steven Marcus
Month2Month.com
V: 914-933-2638
F: 501-325-9147
smarcus@month2month.com
http://www.month2month.com

Marines Toys for Tots Needs Last Minute Help
Quantico, VA. December 21, 2007 / PR Newswire – The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is making a nationwide last minute appeal for more toys. Since time is critical as they go into their toy distribution phase this weekend the Foundation is encouraging people to make cash contributions because it allows them to purchase the toys they need to fill in gaps and match the remaining needs.

One novel way to get cash immediately into the hands of the Marines is to send lots of holiday eCards to everyone you know. Month2Month.com, a free eCard website has agreed to contribute up to $50,000 when their cards are sent and received.
Bill Grein, Vice President for Marines Toys for Tots, said: “Cash contributions are critical for us at this time because we can purchase the toys we need and can place them where they are needed most at the last minute. It will help us close a gap in many areas where the economy, toy recalls and even bad weather have caused us to come short of our goals so far. We urge everyone to take advantage of this wonderful offer from Month2Month.”

John Aslanian, CEO of Month2Month.com said: “We are expecting to have 1 million cards sent in the next few days that could result in a contribution of up to $50,000. We know that for some the economy might be putting a crimp in their generosity. But what this can do is to save them the cost of buying cards and the postage. We are asking everyone to send these cards, even if they already sent other cards, to help make this a merry Christmas and happy holiday for many more needy children.”

Month2Month.com cards are all produced by top-notch artists working in a loft studio just outside of New York City. The cards show great care in design and detail and often take weeks or months to complete. They are all professionally animated often requiring hundreds of frames to get the motion to look smooth and flowing. Month2Month.com is a privately held online greeting company founded in 2005. The site offers free high quality online greeting cards and can be found at http://www.month2month.com.
This year marks the 60th anniversary for the Toys for Tots tradition of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. In 2006, Toys for Tots delivered more than 19.2 million toys to over 7.6 million children.

Yes, whale watching.

Northern Right Whale Spotted in Florida

The Northern Right Whales were named as such, because fishermen are said to have commented they were the “right” whale to hunt – since they were so slow, swim close to shore, and float once they are killed. Because they were indeed always so easy to hunt, they have become a rarity in the animal kingdom. There are thought to be only about 400 of this endangered species alive today.

Nonetheless, one was spotted today off Melbourne Beach’s coast. That’s on the Atlantic side of the state, for those of you not familiar with Florida.

Apparently, the whale is swimming south with the dolphins. The North Atlantic Right Whale spends summer, spring and autumn north of here, but heads to the waters around Florida in the winter to give birth.

Last week, two Northern Right Whales were spotted off a Volusia County beach.

For those of you who think living in Florida means warm, sunny days all the year long, think again. We do actually get winter down here. It does not last as long as it will up north, but we have our share of the chills down this way as well. There are absolutely days and nights I put on two pairs of socks and a sweater, and bundle up under a blanket with the heat on in the house.

In the Tampa area, we get the occasional frost warning and there are weeks in January when we will put on our sweaters and fire up room heaters. There is not usually cause to heat the entire house. When in lived up in Gainesville, though, it cold and stayed cold for a good long time. The most economical way to heat the house was to put the furnace on low and use room heaters just in the rooms where you were sleeping or watching TV. When I was pregnant, I hunkered down in bed with a space heater close by for days on end. North Florida can get cold!

Friends of ours had a gas “fireplace” they liked to use for the cold days. It looked nice and really warmed up the room. They had gas infrared heaters in other rooms, which I found fascinating, because before then I thought all stand-alone heaters were electric only. They used their ceiling fans to circulate the heat out to the other rooms. It kept things cozy.

I just got back from seeing The Water Horse. I did not get to go to this movie with my daughter, because her dad took her yesterday, but I did see it with my 6-year-old nephew.

I’ll start off my addressing whether or not I think this movie is appropriate for children. All of the actual content of the film is absolutely appropriate for a child of almost any age. There is no objectionable language (except for the use of the word “bloody” once or twice) and the only time we see drinking is when older men have a drink in a pub or while fishing, and when the housekeeper is kicking back with a drink and the radio during a thunderstorm. There is smoking depicted, but this is Scotland in 1942. Smoking was prevalent.

There are some scenes where a dog chases the Water Horse, who I will call Caruso from here on out. The action may be too intense for small children. I imagine my daughter would have been a little frightened. There is a scene where we see an elk that has been shot by a hunter. It is not gory, but a child is shown acting upset over the sight. We also see gunfire, as the military shoots at Caruso. That could upset small children.

The death of a parent is alluded to and although the references are subtle, most children will probably pick up on the theme. The subject is dealt with tastefully and you see a lot of growth in the characters through their reaction to the matter.

The story of the relationship between Caruso and the boy, Angus, is lovely. It is going to be easy for most any child to relate to the love and affection between these two. Caruso is given very human facial expressions and reactions, so he is a character you do indeed find yourself feeling drawn to and wanting to cheer for during the movie. This is one cute “monster”! The graphics are stunningly realistic and charming, all at the same time. That alone is worth the price of a ticket.

I would say that children ages six and over will come away breathless and starry-eyed.; Younger children may have some scenes they find frightening, but the images and the action are really not harrowing or negative.

As an adult, I loved it for its realistic portrayal of life during WWII and skillful cinematography.

It’s no secret that the general housing market is tanking all over the place. It is especially bad here in the Tampa Bay area. In fact, the sales of new and previously owned home in this particular region have been harder hit than in most other areas. It’s a bad time to have a house on the market and I can say that from experience – unfortunately.

Just because the residential market is so difficult right now does not mean that real estate as an investment is no longer a viable option. You just have to look around for other ways to invest. Going in and buying a slew on pre-construction condos and hoping to flip them is no longer the way to make a quick buck.

TIC, or Tenant In Common, transactions, are where a developers purchase an institutional-grade asset and then offers investors a percentage interest in the property – or, fractional interest. I know this is an over-simplified explanation of the process, but my goal here is not to fully educate you on the ins and outs of a TIC as much as it is to point out that real estate as an investment is still alive and kicking. Unlike flipping a house, partnering in a TIC Investment is a long-term commitment and there are usually income guidelines. Nonetheless, if properly executed, they can provide a positive monthly cash flow.

How many times do you hear about a car accident where a driver was drunk, running a red light, speeding, drag racing, or otherwise driving like a complete idiot and then hit another car? How often do we hear that the scumbag driver either walks away without injury or is treated and released while the innocent people in the other car lose their lives?

On Christmas day, David A. Belniak of Spring Hill, FL ran a red light on U.S. 19 in Hudson and hit a truck carrying four people. Two of the four people who were in that truck have died.

Belniak, on the other hand, was treated and released from Bayfront hospital in St. Petersburg. He’s just fine. He is also a murderer.

But, guess what? It’s not the first time this man has killed someone while he had been behind the wheel of a car. In 1994, he hit a pedestrian on U.S. 19. The woman died, but Belniak was not charged.

If you think that is his only other violation behind the wheel, then get ready to be shocked. He has a long list of horrific offences. In fact, I will just make a list, because if I gave each a paragraph, we would be here all night.

Last month Belniak just completed probation after being in jail for 17-month prison for a drug conviction. In 2003, he was pulled on suspicion of drunken driving, and police found a gallon of GHB (the “date rape” drug) in his car. He pleaded no contest to trafficking and was sentenced to two years in prison. His driver’s license was also suspended for two years.

In 2002, he was arrested for DUI. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and paid a fine.

He has several speeding tickets on his record, with one as recently as September. In most cases he was cited for driving about twice the speed limit.

If that’s not bad enough, every single person involved EXCPET Belniak was wearing a seatbelt. And yet, he is the one who has his life and his health.

Is this a man who sounds like he should be allowed to drive? Ever? If our current laws cannot keep people like Belniak off the roads, then the laws are useless. Driving is a privilege, and yet this man has killed three people in his short 34 years on this earth, all while behind the wheel.

NOTE: I need to look into the details, but it appears three were actually killed in the accident.

Last February, my sister and I took my daughter and my nephew to Disney for the Princesses and Pirates Party to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. It was amazing. Party events at Disney parks are open only to those who have purchased event tickets. So, everyone that was in the park during the day is shooed out and the party is from 7 pm to midnight. You are actually allowed in the gates at 4 pm with your event ticket, so for about half the price of a regular day pass, you can play in the park for 8 hours. It’s a huge bargain.

The entire event is centered on princesses and pirates, hence the name. We had a blast at all of the meet and greets and watching everyone running around dressed in their costumes. My sister and I did not wear costumes, but Gigi went as Sleeping Beauty and my nephew dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. As with most party events, there were pretty much NO lines for all of the rides, though the meet and greets were a little time-consuming. If you hate huge crowds, a party event is the way to go.

I am doing it again this year, but this time we are going with one of my best friends and her daughter. It turns out my nephew only wants to go if he can skip the princess stuff and that just won’t fly with my daughter, since it is in essence her birthday party. So, we are just going to do this with two little princesses.

Gigi will get to wear a button announcing it is her birthday and every worker at the park makes a huge deal of saying “Happy Birthday, Princess”. The extra attention is a one of the draws for Gigi. She loves to be in the spotlight.

With Cinderella and Prince Charming last year

The coolest part is that my friend’s cousin works for Disney and is getting us a 50% discount at any hotel we want (in the Disney line) and then into any park the following day for free. So, I will buy all of our party tickets and my friend will be calling in favors to get us discounted hotel and a free park. I’m looking online now to figure out where we should stay. One of the value hotels is probably the wisest choice, but I think the Animal Kingdom Lodge would be a blast. I have heard you can often see animals outside your window. I’ve always wanted to stay at the Contemporary Resort as well. I love the modern furniture and the European flavor. When it comes down to it, I imagine we will agree to just book a room at Pop Century, though.

I want to hear from any of my readers who have organized a yard sale. 

I am considering having one, and it is not something I have ever attempted before. The idea came last night when I told my daughter she needed to get rid of some of her old toys to make room for all of the things she received this Christmas. I suggested throwing things away or giving them to Hospice. She said she wants to have a yard sale.

So, I went out into the garage and looked around. Right at first glace I saw extra luggage sets, old paint, baby clothes, baby toys, boxes of books and my collection of bake ware that needs thinned. This is just the garage and I have not even thought about all of the stuff in my storage unit.

I’m just cynical that having a yard sale is worth my time organizing and pricing things. Will I make enough money to justify spending a day standing in the yard with all of my junk, as opposed to just calling one of the charitable organizations in the area and having them haul it all off?

I’d love some input.

We actually had our entire Christmas celebration Sunday. I do not have my daughter with me for the entire week, so we had to gather family and do things early. We made a traditional ham dinner, complete with yummy candies yams and fresh bread, among other things. We also had pumpkin pie and an amazing praline Bundt cake. I will have to post the recipe for the praline cake, because it turned out SO good.

Lots of gifts were exchanged, but I wanted to give my opinion of just a couple of the gifts my daughter got this year.

Baby Alive
My daughter got everything she asked for, including the Baby Alive she has been patiently waiting to receive for over a year. It was on her Christmas list for last year, but at the last minute she changed her mind and asked for Disney fairies. Those fairies have gone largely untouched this past year. We live, we learn. Anyway, the Baby Alive I got her was the bonus pack available through Toys R US this year. Each of the major retailers seemed to have an exclusive Baby Alive bonus pack for Christmas, but the one at Toys R Us had more bang for your buck, with an extra outfit, a sippy cup, more diapers, food, etc.

The doll was the hit of the evening. Even my almost-16-yearold niece and my kindergarten nephew were begging for time with Baby Alive. I’m pleased with the doll and her functions, aside from a couple of things. Her lip color wore off in the center of her bottom lip within hours and I read online that most dolls lose all of their lip color typically within a week or so. Also, the skin-like soft vinyl the doll’s face is covered with attracts hair and dust. You have to wipe it off with a wet cloth and I find the phenomenon mildly icky. And, the doll “woke up” in the middle of the night last night and asked for a drink. Then she proceeded to sing and ask to play and I finally had to turn the doll off completely for my daughter. Creepy.

Disney Princess Dolls
Gigi also got Pocahontas, Mulan, and Jasmine Disney dolls. That rounds out her princess doll collection. She had been very upset that she did not have any of the “brown” dolls and I was surprised at how few stores, aside from the actual Disney retail stores, carry those characters. I kept waiting for Target to stock them, because I like the price of the princess dolls there, but no dice. They only seem to sell the Anglo dolls. Gigi did inform me that although she considers her collection complete, she really wants new Belle and Cinderella dolls, because she marked them up with pens a couple of years ago. I will replace those dolls, but only once she proves she takes better care of the new ones.

We got these last three dolls at the Disney Store and I am anxious to see how they hold up, because the particular dolls sold there tend to have very poor quality synthetic hair that tangles and knarls quickly. We will have to wait and see.

Wow. The freaks are certainly coming out in Polk County, Florida – Bartow in particular. I just wrote about Isaac Nathan Tillis, the Bartow High School math teacher who was just arrested this week for trying to trade grades for oral sex with a 16-year-old girl.

Now, the headlines are shouting about John Stelmack. He is the principal of the Scott Lake Elementary School in Polk County, Florida. Fancy that.

The 60-year-old Stelmack was suspended with pay from the school district after the local police opened an investigation into his involvement in child pornography and his conduct around the students at his school. He was arrested today after deputies found pictures of a naked woman with the head of a 10-year-old female student from his school superimposed into the photo. The student no longer attends Scott Lake Elementary and is now a student at a local middle school.

The sheriff’s office became involved after school district official searched Stelmack’s office and found a briefcase with photos of naked women made to look like children.

He has been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, and bail will be set at $100,000. Detectives are serving a search warrant at his home, and further charges could be filed if anything is found.

All of this makes me even more determined to make a difference when I begin teaching, I am proud to have earned my certification and can only hope that by determining to protect my own students earnestly, I can head off at least one horrific situation like the ones we have seen in Polk County this week.

Have you seen any of the Donkey Ollie animated episodes? You can see some of them online at the Car Angels website. My daughter and I love The Adventures of Donkey Ollie. Gigi especially loves the songs. I love the unabashed Christian messages. The best thing about these inspirational cartoons is that they are provided absolutely free of charge to churches, schools, and other youth organizations like day cares and preschools. They don’t even have to pay shipping.

Why are they free? Donkey Ollie is just one of the charitable projects that are fully funded by the Car Angel and Boat Angel. I’m sure you have heard of these organizations. I often hear radio commercials where someone is asking, “where can I donate my boat or car?” Funded by donations of boats, cars, RVs, campers and other vehicles, Car Angel produces Children’s Animation DVDs and an anti-drug documentary starring a score of skateboarding greats. They also place literature in prisons and fun other projects.

Check out Donkey Ollie. I imbedded a clip below this post. You can see more on the organization’s website. And, remember to tell anyone who has an old vehicle they want to get rid of or wants to donate boats or other maybe an RV or plane, that Car Angel will come anywhere in the US and tow it away for you, as well as providing you with the necessary paperwork to take a tax deduction.

If you ask me, Isaac Nathan Tillis thought he was living life in a porn movie. I mean, what logical person really thinks they can be a schoolteacher and try to trade grades for sexual favors? No, really – does anyone with two feet planted firmly on the ground actually believe that anymore?

The Bartow High School math teacher was arrested on solicitation of sex charges this week for trying to trade a blow job for a better grade. And, it turns out that in years past he has been accused of inappropriate behavior with students before in Polk County, Florida.

In fact, Tillis was actually suspended with pay from Bartow High in November 2004 after two female students accused him of misconduct. One girl said Tillis tried to kiss her and passed her a suggestive note. The other girl said Tillis kissed her on the cheek when he was tutoring her.

Creepy.

In the end, those charges were ruled unfounded and Tillis was allowed to teach in Polk County again. Keep in mind, he had only been teaching there since 2003, so after a mere year he felt confident enough to allegedly accost students.

Even after being caught with his pants down by police, he has been suspended with pay until Polk County school district can conduct an investigation after the winter break. One can only hope that when this guy finally sees the inside of a jail cell for the long term, he will be on the other end of the situation when his new cell mate (and by default, his new boyfriend) informs him he can earn extra protection in exchange for oral sex.

I just talked to my former boss. He calls sometimes to pass along a bit of freelance design work for different projects. I love working for the guy, because after so many years designing things for him, I can almost read his mind when it comes to what he wants a graphic to look like in its finished state.

This call was a little different. He wants me to be a part of a team that will develop a computer network across three locations for a new company he is forming with a friend. I suppose this is because when I worked for his former company, we had so many problems with the issue of multiple locations and a single network. The network seemed to be down more often that is was actually in a productive state.

I’m doing some homework on the issue now and have been reading through the specs for the Uplogix Envoy Management Station, which enables web-based control of your entire network and all of its devices. That’s the direction I am going to pitch. Reports can be automatically sent via e-mail, access is secure, log management is automated, permissions are easy to manage, and it sends alarms on individual appliances. It actually does a lot more, but these are the features that struck me as applicable to the needs of the business based on my past experience.

The crux of issue is that if there is a problem in any location, it can be detected quickly and repaired from one central location. There is no need to send someone out to do fixes or have an expert on hand at each office.

I’m surprised sometimes how much I stay involved in business decisions even though I am technically taking this year to be home with my daughter.

I do not usually forward e-mails or post previously published stories in my blog, but this week my father forwarded me an e-mail that made me push back my computer chair, lean back, and have a long chuckle. So, without further fanfare, I give you The Dolls.

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. “When we were to be married,” she said, ” my grandmother told me, the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

“Honey,” he said, “that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”

“Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”

A Prayer…….
Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him;
And Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength,
I’ll beat him to death,
Because I don’t know how to crochet.

I am still in my 30’s, but believe it or not I have been using anti-aging skincare products since I was about 29.

My grandmother, who passed away this past September, took me aside when I was about 11 and showed me how to apply moisturizer on my face and neck. She explained to me that it was important to begin taking care of skin while I was still young and to carefully monitor changes in my skin’s appearance as I grew older. I have been diligent about my skin ever since.

My grandmother lay in her casket looking amazingly young, even though she was 82. That woman had the skin of an angel and I am sure that in Heaven she looks even better – what with all that great lighting.

I look in the mirror and although I can see a difference in how I looked in my teens and early 20’s, I think all of the attention I gave my skin has paid off. I certainly look much younger than I actually am. My own daughter is four and she loves to watch me put on my makeup and complete my daily skincare regimen. I have a very light moistening that I allow her to use as she stands beside me. Sometimes she even likes to put on my moisturizing for me. We share some great quality times together and at the same time I am teaching her how to take care of her own beauty.

So, while it sometimes seems odd to me that I am using anti-aging products like MD Formulations and skinceuticals, the results are worth the effort and I know I will have a great pearl of wisdom to give my daughter.