Merry Christmas

Two simple words, which truly mean:

May everyone, everywhere, feel the love and peace for all mankind

that resides at the heart of this holiday.

(hats off to the anonymous artist… could not find a credit)

Grab Bag Sales-2-U:

The beauty of computers is they will do anything for you, as long as you know how to ask. If you’re clever, you can write a program to make your computer go out and find, say, all the Algebra textbooks that just went on sale.

But that wouldn’t be very popular now, would it?

But what if you were able to ask your computer to go out and find just the kinds of clothes, shoes, handbags, exercise gear, even men’s and kid’s clothes that YOU like, from the designers and labels YOU like, and ALL are on sale? Now that, well, THAT would be popular.

And so it is at ShopItToMe.com. Reader and kindred spirit Debra B. passed this site on to me, and I think it’s worth sharing with you.

Sign up, make your preference choices on their form (you can change those any time in your account settings) and tell them how often you want to be informed of new sale goodies. New emails come to your mailbox, filled with just the kinds of things YOU like!

I’m sure yours will be filled with loads of Algebra textbooks, won’t it?

Grab Bag Health Stocking Stuffers:

A few small things that bring smiles…. and are useful… just like the goodies found in the stockings of good boys and girls on Christmas morning 🙂

From a recent Dr. Oz show:

1. Line your salad spinner with a small cloth or paper towels to get lettuce instantly dry.

2. To check for cavities, hold ice water in your mouth – if it hurts, call your dentist.

3. Instant dry skin saver: Jojoba oil (this works!! I mix it with my lotion after every bath/ shower). Buy it at any health food store.

Grab Bag Winter Warming Warning:

It’s been happening for years. There is a raging debate going on in my household. My husband is longing for an electric blanket. I don’t want one anywhere near me. He wants to feel toasty warm at the touch of a button, while I want to avoid being bathed in Electro Magnetic Fields all night long. My own mother thinks I’m a bit over the top on this one. Who’s right (would I be writing this if I didn’t think I was)??

Until we can point a knowledgeable and certain finger at every cancer, every system failure, every cause of every neurological dysfunction, I’m playing the cautious card. Quite honestly, I’m sure I get more than my fair share of EMF’s from more useful sources, like computers and cell phones.

So, wherever else I can, I reduce my exposure. Lying under an electric blanket for EIGHT HOURS just doesn’t seem worth a potential risk. If it were more important, maybe I’d think again. But I can throw another (traditional) blanket on when it’s cold, so ….

and here’s my mantra…

WHY RISK IT? Same for chemicals in cosmetics, pesticides in food… the list goes on. If you have a choice, PICK THE MORE NATURAL ONE.

Here is what Harvard-trained M.D., Dr. Andrew Weil,  just posted on his website this month in response to a query about electric heating pads:

…. Electric heating pads, along with other household appliances such as electric blankets and mattress covers, hair dryers, computers and coffeemakers, all generate electromagnetic fields (EMFs). These invisible lines of force surround electrical equipment, power cords and power lines, and their potential effects have been controversial – some claim such fields can raise cancer risks.

Research has not concluded whether EMFs disrupt the cellular systems that control the normal growth and development of tissues. Interfering with these processes might increase the risk of cancer, and the possibility of an EMF/cancer connection hasn’t been definitively ruled out. Because we can’t say for sure that EMFs are harmless, I recommend using a non-electric heating pad.

Grab Bag Gift Card Tip:

Looking for gift cards for the last empty spots on your list? Or, perhaps you’re about to receive cards to places you’ll never use. OR, you just want to shop for discounted credit to places you frequent. Well, plastic gift card/discount lovers, check this out:

GiftCardRescue.com is a place where you can:

1) Sell your unwanted gift cards… it’s easy:

2) And/Or…buy gift cards at discounts, from 4% to 30%, in loads of various categories, like these in the Home category:

It’s that simple. Now gift cards are like cute little pound puppies, waiting for just the right home.