Dear eBay, WTH is this?

Dear eBay?? WHAT do you think you're doing??  I paid for that listing... I didn't agree to share the page with 10 other people (nor did you offer to charge me just 1/10th of the listing cost if I shared the page..)  GET THOSE OTHER PEOPLE OFF MY PAGE!

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Increase Your Work Place Well Being

Boy that was a good tip from Danni in the last post (what you didn't read it?? well go ahead, I'll wait right here...) tapppppppping foot...


Now, we all have stress, we all have aggravation (I mean we SELL online..where we can't see or touch or talk to our customers, many of whom don't bother to read what we write about our products...the thought alone raises my bp).  Then there's family, friends, frenemies and outright hostile people we encounter.  Our pets, our cars, our computer...all conspiring to "get us".

So I read this tip and I think I'll try this with just a small fish bowl...up high were the VPs won't see it..

The tip I read is "adopt the principles of Feng Shui. Add an aquarium to the east or north corner of your office. Guppies are considered an auspicious fish choice.  (and they aren't that hard to take care of either.)

I'll let you know  in a few months how that works out for me.

Top Secret Tip of the Day

ok shhhhhh..... don't tell anybody about this top secret tip I'm going to share with you. It's just between you and me ok?

As you know eBay is just amazing how you can see the same item or brand selling for .99 to $999 - sometimes the same exact item right? Well many eBay sellers are shopping right on eBay for their inventory to resell and so can you.

Here's how I do it. When I am out and about in the retail stores...gasp I know crazy right? If I find a brand I really like I will come home and research and often times find I have pretty good taste, meaning they sell pretty high on the eBay market. So I what I do is set up a saved search with newly listed items being the main order... and I watch for these items to be listed at those very low starting prices... often I can nab them and either have them for my own (yes I do this more than I should) but also for resale... usually at a fixed price with best offer.

Now another little tip - these sellers who list things like this list lots of stuff lower than they should, so I tend to keep watching these sellers, often making multiple purchases and saving on shipping as well!

ok you didn't hear it from me... just our little secret! Have fun!

Preparing for Superbowl XLV

Ok I will admit that I don`t watch every Regular Season Football Game BUT I do watch EVERY Superbowl even if my Beloved NY Giants don`t make it in .

And this year was no different. Hubby and I were settled in for the night and ready to watch the Game.

So to get ready for the Game I decided I was just going to have a bits and pieces dinner and not have to keep getting up to check on things in the kitchen.

Earlier this afternoon I had put together some Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Pinwheels made using Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.. Very Easy recipe

Stayed in Fridge until dinner time

INGREDIENTS

1

can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

2

tablespoons ranch dressing

1/4

cup cooked real bacon pieces or 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled

1/2

cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)

1/4

cup chopped green onions (4 medium)

DIRECTIONS

• 1Heat oven to 350°F.
• 2If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate into 2 long rectangles. Press each into 12x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut lengthwise into 2 long rectangles. Press each into 12x4-inch rectangle.
• 3Spread dressing over each rectangle to edges. Sprinkle each with bacon, Cheddar cheese and onions.
• 4Starting with one short side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 slices; place cut side down on ungreased cookie sheet.
• 5Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft)

High Altitude Directions

Nutritional Information

1 Serving (1 Appetizer)

I started things off by slicing up a Cheddar Cheese Log rolled in Walnuts and put out some Pepperoni slices and Ritz Crackers on a plate..

While we were munching on this course, I had some Crab Meat chunks warming up in melted butter on Low heat in the Oven.

When the Crab meat was ready and we were enjoying that, I popped the Tray with the Pin Wheels in the oven.

Oh did this smell good baking BTW.

Once they were baked and cool enough to eat it was time for Kick Off..

One last thing to do and that was Dessert..

Tonight was a Treat with Pillsbury Grands Cinnabon Rolls.

So I laid the Rolls out on the Cookie sheet and set them aside to wait for the beginning of the 2nd quarter when I would pop them in the oven to enjoy during 1/2 time

Hubby and I sat down to enjoy the Pinwheels and some Football .

First 1/2 of the Game wasn`t what we expected BUT the Dessert was everything we knew it would be..

Mmmm Good !

Now our Dinner is completed and so is the Game !

Congrats to Green Bay Packers 2011 Superbowl XLV Champions

Snow and Ice Will It Ever Go Away?

This winter has been a rough winter for many all across the country. Here is PA we have had snow on the ground for months it seems in fact I can't really remember seeing the grass for a long time. I have always loved the seasons and yes even the snow which many do not. I loved the snow as a kid and what kid doesn't and as I got older I spent years riding snowmobiles. We had many years of fun with those snowmobiles and loved winters when snow stayed on the ground all winter.

Then around here it seemed like we got spoiled and we had a bunch of winters with very little snow and even ones you could consider mild for this area. In fact we had such little snow we had to trailer the snowmobiles upstate to find enough snow to ride.

Well so far this winter brought back those snows of years ago and caught many by surprise. We have had snow on the ground since December, cold temps, wind and plenty of snowstorms. We had about 18 in of snow out of one storm and other smaller ones. The worst days were when we had freezing rain and everything was completely covered in ice. We had a few of those days and even though I love the snow I could happily do without the ice.

I think the weather is on every one's mind this winter with all the snow and it looks like we have more snow heading our way in a few days. I know many people will appreciate spring when it finally gets here.

So if you would like to see some of my pictures of our winter wonderland here in pa you can check out my blog Book Corner Cafe. I know there are many who are looking forward to spring and are done with snow but there is something very special about getting up and seeing your world covered in new fallen snow don't you agree?

Where Were You 25 Years Ago? The Challenger Disaster

I wasn't really keeping up with the shuttle launch that fateful day twenty-fives years ago. I was aware that it was scheduled to fly and a teacher was going to be onboard, but shuttle flights were common by that point and I had other things on my mind, such as my dead-end job and "why wouldn't my boyfriend pop the question and marry me?"

I was actually at work (as a cashier!) when someone came in and said the shuttle had exploded. At the time, everyone there had reasonable expectations that the astronauts had survived. We were talking about NASA, afterall. They would probably be out with lifeboats rescuing them from the water, since they had all most-likely ejected from the shuttle. There really wasn't a feeling that something catastrophic had occurred. Not at that point anyway.

By the time I got off work and got in the car to go home, the feeling had changed. The radio station had stopped playing music and the deejays were allowing callers to phone in. I was still living at home and I don't believe my mother had even heard about it (my father would still have been at work). I put the television on and stayed glued to the tv for the rest of the evening. Watching those final 73 seconds over and over again.

It didn't seem like one of those pivotal "forever" moments back then. I had no idea that 25 years later I would remember where I was when I heard the news, or that I would even remember the events from that day that followed. A few years later I would meet astronaut Ronald E McNair's father. He wore a button (pinback) with his son's picture on his shirt. I remember him as a somewhat frail man, beat down by grief and still in pain, but proud of his son and that he gave his life doing something that he loved.

It's amazing that 25 years later, that day is still crystal clear in my mind. Other events have happened; the death of JFK Jr and 9-11, but I was just hitting adulthood back then and this one stands out. A passing of time, a mark etched forever on a calendar. In the end it's called life and these are part of the memories we take from it.

Cabin Fever Sale

OBS Members have the winter blues and think a sale would be the perfect solution while stuck inside.
The sale starts now and runs to the end of the month. By then we should be able to get out of our cabins!

Shop with our trusted friends with an array of items. We sell books, sewing patterns, clothes, glassware, dishes, antiques, magazines, souvenirs, toys, sheet music, Valentines, postcards, home accessories, movies almost anything you can think of.

Here is a list of participating stores and their discounts -

My Moms Books 15% off store wide

Cozy Home Collectibles 15% off store wide

Birdhouse Books 10% - 20% off through January 31

Vintage children's books, collectible cookbooks, and ephemera (vintage Valentines, Christmas cards, dog cards, and more)

A Moment to Think...

I am so sad today as the news covers the tragedy which occurred last Saturday morning in Tucson, AZ. In case you haven't heard, a gunman opened fire on a crowd that was gathered to hear Representative Gabriel Giffords speak. 6 people were killed, including a 9 year old little girl.

Is this what politics has come to? Can the hatred be so strong? So senseless, and the irony is that Giffords, a Democrat, was the target yet a Republican woman and a little girl who probably didn't even know the difference between the parties, were both victims.

Giffords, although shot in the head, miraculously is going to survive the attack, she is stable yet critical as of this morning's press report... I wish I could say the same for politics. And I write this completely bi-partisan, I don't care who you support, or what you stand behind.. we all as a nation should find common ground agreeing that this is not the way to handle dissatisfaction with the government.

I just wanted to write this blog post as a tribute to those who died, especially a little girl named Christina Green, a little girl who had her whole life ahead of her. I'm having a hard time writing this as tears fill my eyes. You see I lived in Tucson, AZ until this past year, and only a few miles from the place where this occurred. My mother, brother and friends are still there, some close enough they heard the sirens on Saturday morning and experienced the chaos. This is too close to home, too close not to recognize how short life can be.

Hug your children, your grandchildren and your other family members. Make every day count. Make every moment count. For those that pray, I hope you will keep all the victims and their families in your prayers, as hard as this is hitting me I can only imagine the grief and distress those involved are feeling. For those that don't, please consider a moment of silence and sending of good thoughts.

THE WIZARD OF OZ AND OTHER BOOKS

THE WIZARD OF OZ

L. Frank Baum wanted to write modern fairy tales that didn’t frighten children. His fairy tales, he said, wouldn’t upset them like the Brothers Grimm did. Baum’s first book, “Mother Goose in Prose” was published in 1897. It was based on stories he made up and told his own sons. In the last chapter of his first book a farm-girl named Dorothy makes her entrance. Three years later the timeless tale, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” appeared. Over the next 19 years Baum wrote 62 books. Most of those books were children’s books.
After ‘Mother Goose in Prose” Baum teamed with friend and poster designer W.W. Denslow. Together the men published “Father Goose, His Book” in 1899. It was the best-selling children's book of 1899, selling an estimated 175,000 copies. Baum went on to produce five more books in 1900. The whimsical tale “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was one of those five. Denslow also illustrated it. The book turned Baum into a celebrity. The 1939 film version of the book titled “The Wizard of Oz” evolved into a pop-culture phenomenon, indelibly stamped into the consciousness of a generation of grown-up children and their children.
“The Guinness Book of World Records” calls the “The Wizard of Oz” the most viewed movie of all time, with an audience over one billion people. To say the book and film struck a chord is an understatement.
“The Wizard of Oz” was made into a musical in 1902 and toured the United States for years. None of the other Oz books were as popular as the first. Early on Baum became interested in film. In 1909 he started a company that made hand-colored slides of his Oz characters. He showed the slides as he read the book and the orchestra played background music. Interesting but not a money-maker, Baum declared bankruptcy in 1911. Then Baum went into the film business in 1914 with The Oz Film Company. They produced six movies before they also went out of business. Distribution was the downfall. Baum wrote a total of 14 Oz books. The books ended up being so popular that after his death in 1919 the publishers continued the series with other writers. Forty more Oz books were created. Ultimately what immortalized “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was the first silent screen version in 1925 and then the 1939 MGM classic, starring Judy Garland.
“The Wizard of Oz Waddle Book” (1934) with its six pop-out characters from the story and a yellow brick road ramp for them to walk down is one of the most desirable Oz items. The six die-cut, cardboard characters Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and the Wizard can be detached and assembled into three dimensional dolls. They were designed to walk, or waddle, down a slanted surface--the Yellow Brick Road. On Aug 5, PBA Galleries, San Francisco, featured a copy of the 211 page “The Wizard of Oz Waddle Book” in its Fine Literature Illustrated & Children’s Books auction. Published by Blue Ribbon Books the first edition, first state copy sold for $8,400.

Here are current values for other classics sold in the sale:

“The Catcher in the Rye,” J.D. Salinger; first edition, first issue jacket; pictorial jacket; Boston, 1951; $2,700.

“Where the Wild Things Are,” Maurice Sendak; rare first edition; in the jacket; New York; 1963; $6,600.

“The Wind in the Willows,” Kenneth Grahame; first Shepard edition; signed by author and illustrator; dust jacket; London; 1931; $8,400.

“When We Were Very Young;” A. A. Milne; first edition; rare limited edition, 86 of 100 copies; signed by author and illustrator; dust jacket; London; 1924; $12,000.

from Live Auction Talk 1/9/11

Another Birthday for Donald

Today is my Husband Donald`s Birthday.
And for Both of us it`s a Very Special Birthday for several reasons.

You see, not only is it his 65h Birthday, which officially marks retirement age, ( which he has NO intentions of doing yet he says ) it is a Birthday we weren`t sure if he`d Celebrate for several reasons.

You see I have teased my Husband and called him a Cat with 9 lives a few times.

About 5 years ago he woke up one morning with chest crushing pain. He went in to see his Regular Dr. who ran a EKG on him and then proceeded to Call 911 because of the very disturbing test results that showed he was having a Heart Attack.

So the ambulance shows up at the Drs. office and by this time he is in terrible pain and the EKG machine is going bonkers..
In the Emergency room they administered Nitro Glycerin to him several times with NO effect on him ???

Hmmmm , now what ?

They have him hooked up to several machines now and whisk him up to ICU and Cardio lab for more tests.

Well fast forward here 3 days now and one of the Nuclear Stress Tests they do on him shows he has Periocarditis. The swelling and inflamation of the Sac that surrounds the Heart

Not life threatening , but extremely painful and mimics a Heart Attack. Antibiotics and bed rest will take care of it.
OK so they send him home 4 days later and we are good right ??

WRONG..

Approximately 1 year later in April we were involved in a Very Bad Car accident out in Detroit MI which put him in the Hospital out there for 3 days because he hit the steering wheel with his chest so hard that it broke several Blood Vessels that were leaking Blood behind his sternum and could have serious complications if not monitored.

We came back home and 2 days later he has trouble breathing and X-rays show Double Pneumonia.

Back in the hospital on Oxygen and bed rest for 3 days again.. Everything good now ?

Not for long..

April each year is the time for his yearly check up and Colonoscopy which he had done just before we left on Mini Vacation which included Reno NV for my Bowling Tournament and then 3 days of FUN in VEGAS ( which we had never seen before )

Last day of Vacation we get a call from the Dr, telling us he wants to see him the next day as soon as we get back to CT.

Dr. tells us he has Colon Cancer !

Less than 2 weeks later he is having surgery to remove a large mass in his Colon which they assumed was the Tumor..

3 days later the Biopsy comes back to show THIS mass is NOT the tumor but a abcessed cyst of some sort.
So they need to go back in and Get the tumor before it spreads anymore.

5 weeks later, barely healed from the first surgery, he`s being operated on again to remove another section of the Colon where the Cancerous Tumor is.

GONE DONE OUT OF THERE !

He was quite lucky in the respect that the type of Cancer it was and how low in the Colon it was, that he did not require having Chemo or Radiation.
The surgery got it all out and it had NOT spread.. WHEW !

And so far 1 year later, his check up is clear and clean the Cancer has not come back.

So, as I said at the Beginning of this LONG (sorry alot has happened to him ) posting, WE have several reasons to Celebrate this Milestone Birthday for him !

Happy 65th Birthday My Love !