Holiday Overload

     Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with family and/or friends! If your family is like mine, there's an overload of yummy food and leftovers for several days.

     And the shopping overload begins today. Personally, I stay away from the malls until after January 1st! But I LOVE to shop at my local independent stores.To me, that feels like a way to help our economy.

        I was thrilled to see television advertising Small Business Saturday. Tomorrow, if you plan to do any shopping, please go to a small business and help them out. It could be in your neighborhood, it could be a shop you've seen and always wanted to check out. You can even make a purchase via the Internet because small businesses have web sites too, you know!


      So, while you're feeling thankful for all the joy and bounty in your life, bring some of that joy to others and "shop small" tomorrow! 

And enjoy yourself some football while you're at it.... Go Blue! [University of Michigan Wolverines]

               Veteran's Day

      This coming weekend is Veteran's Day weekend. With the United States' presence in Iraq and Afganistan, soldiers and veterans are frequently in the news and should be in our thoughts and prayers.


Parade Magazine last Sunday had a wonderful article sharing ways anyone can help a veteran; things you can do all year long. I will list a few of them, but I'd encourage you to follow the link and read the article yourself.

1.  Volunteer transportation to medical appointments.
 Disabled American Veterans (DAV) needs volunteers to drive a van of vets to VA medical facilities. Want more info? Go to www.dav.org/volunteers

2. Offer foster care for a pet.
Why not offer to take in a cat or dog for a deployed soldier or wounded one still on duty who's receiving medical treatment. Contact  www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.com  for more info.

3. Old cell phone, good use.
Instead of tossing an old cell phone, why not give it to Cell Phones For Soldiers. For each donated phone, the organization will pay for an hour of talk time for troops overseas. Contact:  www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com


The next one is my favorite!

4. Cut coupons.
Did you know that military families are allowed to use coupons for 6 months past the expiration date? Neither did I! That's fantastic and such an easy way to help out. From now on, all my expired coupons AND the ones in the paper I don't use are going to this site: www.coupsfortroops.com

       In addition to these ways to help out veterans (and our deployed troops) please forward the following web site to any veteran you know. The restaurants and companies listed  provide a free  or discounted meal on a specific day during this Veteran's weekend. Check them carefully and you might get free food all weekend long!

http://themilitarywallet.com/veterans-day-free-meals-and-discounts

      So to our troops and veterans: Thank you for your service, your bravery, your courage, and your dedication to the security of our country and others. While we salute you this coming weekend, you deserve our praise and respect all year long.