It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas....think fire safety

Chill out with these fire safety tips

I found this great article at Vocalpoint.com.

Let's do all we can so that everyone is safe during the holidays.

Twinkling lights, roaring fireplaces and scented candles are part of the joy of the holidays. But firefighting officials recognize that the holidays are a time of increased fire eruptions nationwide. There's no need to stop partaking in these festive traditions, but remember these tips to protect your family and home from holiday fires.

String-light safety. Inspect your lights before you deck your halls. Make sure cords and plugs have no frayed wires, and do not overload plugs with too many extension cords. Make sure to turn off the strands of light right before bed—even the outdoor ones. It helps to do it along with another activity, like brushing your teeth, so you don't forget. Plus, shutting those lights off at night is not only safer, but it will help reduce already-high holiday energy costs.

Candle safety. Candle-burning becomes a more popular practice during the holidays, so the first thing you can do for safety is to make sure that candles are supported by stable holders or sconces. If they aren’t, don’t light the candles! And it may seem obvious, but be sure to never leave your home with any candles burning anywhere in the house. To avoid that, keep candles where you can see them at all times. If you light a candle in the bathroom for guests, make sure you blow it out after everyone goes to bed—and that it, too, is on a steady surface. Finally, keep candles out of reach of small children, pets, and wayward elbows to prevent them from getting knocked over.

Fireplace safety. You can hang your stockings by the chimney with care—but only if the fire isn't blazing! Keep stockings, garland, and other combustible Christmas decorations (like the tree, for instance) away from this area of your home. If you have young children or pets, then spark arrestors or spark guards (fireplace screens with very tightly-woven mesh to prevent any fireplace debris from escaping) for your fireplace are a must, and you can find them at any home improvement store. They are much more effective than normal fireplace screens.

Have fire extinguishers! Finally, keep a few fire extinguishers in the house. In the kitchen, the hall closet, the basement—wherever you can. But just as important as having them around is knowing exactly how to use them. Make sure that each family member knows where the fire extinguishers are and how to operate them. Aren’t sure how? Read the label on your extinguisher or click here for tips on how to use it effectively.

Knowing you've done everything you can to prevent holiday fires will make celebrating that much more enjoyable. Relax and enjoy the lights!

 Thanks, Vocalpoint for this great article


Nina's Mama's chicken and Dumplings
This is a time saver and oh....so good!

Ingredients

• 1  (32-oz.) container low-sodium chicken broth
• 3  cups  shredded cooked chicken (about 1 1/2 lb.store bought Rotisserie Chicken)
• 1  (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
• 1/4  teaspoon  poultry seasoning
• 1/2 box Lasanga Noodles broken in large pieces(more if you like)
• 2  carrots, diced
• 3  celery ribs, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; return to a low boil.

2. Add carrots and celery. Cover, cook for 10 minutes.  Increase to boil, add noodles and cook till tender. Stir occasionally to prevent noodles from sticking.

Storing Leftover Gift Wrap

While wrapping up the gift wrap, I discovered that the empty tube from one roll made an excellent container for the half used rolls. I sliced it open, up the long edge (like a hot dog bun), opened it up and slid the other roll in the tube. Why didn't I think of this years ago?
Thanks, Linda H @ Dollarstretchers


Martha Stewart's Tip of The Day

Keep the old cardboard tubes that gift-wrap comes wound around to store large, loose sheets of paper; use a rubber band to keep the paper from unwinding from the roll. You can also store papers inside wide, cardboard mailing tubes or poster tubes, which will prevent edges and corners from getting frayed, but it's hard to see what's inside, so don't forget to label.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Storing Wrapping Paper - Martha Stewart Home and Garden

Free Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio Sample *Starts at 9am CT, First 20,000*

Visit Aveda on Facebook starting at 9:00 am CT on Tuesday to ask for a free sample of Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio (to the first 20,000) under the “Free Sample” tab (this tab will not appear until 9:00 am CT).
Thanks goes to MoJo Savings for emailing  this new sample offer!

Chili’s Kids Eat Free on Monday

Print your coupon so your kids 12 & younger can eat free at Chili’s on Monday (December 20) at participating Chili’s restaurants with the purchase of one adult entree (two children can eat free with the purchase of just one adult entree). It’s valid for dining in only. Please call your Chili’s to confirm they are participating in this promotion, because not all Chili’s locations will participate and others may have different requirements.

 Thanks, Heather @ Freebies 4 Mom

Enthusiasm is half of the journey to success, and

all of the journey to joy.

If you're going to do something, do it with gusto. Don't

do anything half-heartedly. That dishonors the doing

and the doer. So go for it. Hold nothing back. In life.

Or love. Or anything at all. N.Walsh

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else—and at low prices, guaranteed.* It’s like your secret stash for
all things clean.
Sign up and receive up to $46 in savings so you can really clean up in
the Lowe’s aisle.

Because of various state laws and such, this offer is only available in select areas.
*Lowe’s guarantees everyday competitive prices. If you find a lower price on an identical item at a local retail competitor, just bring us the competitor’s current ad and Lowe’s will beat their price by 10%. If a local competitor is offering a percent off discount, Lowe’s will reduce our current price by the same percentage discount that the competitor is offering. Lowe’s price guarantee does not apply to installation labor, to the competitor’s closeout, special order, discontinued, clearance, liquidation, or damaged items. Limited to reasonable quantities.

 Thanks,Vocalpoint is brought to you by Tremor, a division of

 I found this great article at Vocalpoint.com.

Let's do all we can so that everyone is safe during the holidays.

Fireplace Cleaning

Any cheap oven cleaner spray will work not only on the brass, but also on the glass doors and any other surface affected by the soot and other residual from your fireplace. Simply spray on, let stand for a minute, and wipe the whole thing down.
Thanks,Arlen@ Dollar Srtetchers

 

Have a blessed Day
"Let's Save Some Money"
Jean