Author Archives: Chandler

Deck the Halls with Boughs of WHAATT??

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Okay, Christmas decorating is getting a little crazy: stairwells ringed with expensive garlands; bejeweled Santas lighting the mantle … I just don’t know if I agree with going this overboard. Back in the day, a bough of mistletoe would simply do. The folklore behind kissing under the mistletoe is quite interesting. Down through the centuries, Germans, Celts, and Greeks have venerated this plant. According to this article, “it was considered to bestow life and fertility; a protection against poison; and an aphrodisiac.” You can find mistletoe in nature and bring it indoors; then kiss your husband underneath it! Tickle your honey with laughter during this festive holiday season by sending a funny Christmas ecard.

Another simple way to decorate your house for Christmas, is to do like the song says: “Deck the halls with boughs of holly.” Cut bushy twigs from the holly bushes in your backyard and strategically place them around your house. The bright glossy green and red colors will be intoxicating. If it’s the festive smell you’re after go straight for REAL PINE.

– The Douglas fir has the most fragrance.

– The Red fir has spaced-out branches for hanging ornaments.

– The Noble fir that doesn’t easily drop needles.

 

 

This year, our Christmas ecards have beautiful animations illustrating the many colorful traditions of Christmas. In the e-cards in her collection, the fabulous Ms. Dionne Warwick dresses in plush fabrics and knee high boots to trim her outdoor garden in her lovely “Dionne Warwick’s Christmas e card“. Shimmery tinsel garlands, shiny bulb ornaments, and tasty peppermint canes are the way to go!

I love the Seasonal Christmas department at Sears for buying cute, affordable decorations:

          

An Old Timey Thanksgiving

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This year I’m thinking of doing Thanksgiving dinner the local, seasonal way. Trying to simplify these days…. So I started searching for the best farmers’ markets and local tucked-away co-ops and gardens using Local Harvest, and I found all of these really interesting food items located at markets across the country.

If you live near Buckeystown, Maryland, you should enjoy Nick’s Organic Farm that raises cattle and poultry and harvests vegetables such as white sweet corn, English peas, Acorn squash, white potatoes, basil, and tomatoes. Yummy! Can you imagine turning the clocks back to the Pilgrim days and trying to eat a little more like they did?

If you live in St. Louis, Missouri, there’s a “city farm,” the Villarreal Family Farm, located in a backyard that has grown into a booming business. From heirloom tomatoes to fresh eggs, this farm adheres to the “true growing seasons” and to “simple, traditional farming techniques.” Buying from this farm could resemble a little how the pilgrims did it in 1620. (By the way, the Villarreal family is trying to expand their little backyard farm – check out the article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.)

Unless of course you just can’t shy away from the other beloved American past-time. Stuffing yourself silly with turkey and pie (and, no, the Tryptophan in turkey is not the only sleep-inducer: that’s a myth!), then lying down on the couch for some football, has equal merit in my mind. This Thanksgiving, November 24, you can catch the following NFL football games on the tube:

  • Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
  • Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys
  • San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens
While on the couch, exercise your thumbs by emailing Thanksgiving ecards to far away loved ones. We love thise-card about Thanksgiving Golden Retrievers playing in the autumn leaves and pumpkin patch of an adorable farm with replete with cutesy red barn. I’d love to take a stroll on a breezy autumn day with these pups and eat a pumpkin pie afterwards.

No matter where you live or what you eat, we here at DoozyCards wish you a warm, loving, and happy Thanksgiving!

Important instructions! Daylight Savings Day

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This Sunday (November 6) is Daylight Savings day. That means at 2:00 a.m. on November 6 we all turn your clocks BACK one hour. Do you know the old saying “Spring Forward/ Fall Back”? Well, that’s how we remember to turn your clocks BACK one hour this Sunday. This is especially important if you attend a religious service regularly on Sunday mornings. One time I missed a church service completely because I was late one hour due to failure to turn back my clock.

Here’s a Daylight Savings ecard about the tricky relationship we have with our alarm clocks:

Our Daylight Savings ecards are hilarious and will help you send your loved ones a reminder!

Are you aware of what Circadian Rhythm is? It’s the 24-hour cycle of our body. According to this site at 2:00 a.m. is our deepest sleep; 10:00 a.m. high alertness; 6:30 p.m. highest blood pressure; and 9:00 p.m. melatonin secretion starts. Our body makes melatonin and that controls our sleep and wake cycles. How interesting! So I plan on reorganizing my bedtime to maximize my Circadian Rhythm (now say that five times fast!)

 

Halloween 2011

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Halloween will be here in 4 days. I know getting my kids ready for their costumes can be overwhelming. My littlest is being a half dracula/half mummy, and my second oldest son is transforming into Iron Man for Halloween. There’s some great costume stores in our city, but I also like doing a little homegrown costume creating of my own.

Click on this link to see one of my favorite Halloween costume crafting tutorials. From Kermit the Frog to Winnie the Pooh, this crafting mom blogger, “BigDandMe” is such a creative mom. She gives some great tips on how to use ping pong balls for Kermit’s eyes, colorful felt feathers for a parrot costume, glued-on turquoise beads for a baby girl Sacagawea get-up; this mommy has got great tips!

How do you like to decorate your house for Halloween? I think it’s fun to turn my house into a full-blown spooky haunted house.

Fake cobwebs outdoors, sheets hung from the ceiling to look like ghosts, and spooky music playing in our study. When the neighborhood kids come trick or treating, I love to dress like a witch. This ecard basically breaks it down, how I like to do things at my Haunted Home on Halloween.

Mother-in-Law Day 2011

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This Sunday, October 23, is Mother-in-Law Day. That means it’s the special day to celebrate your spouse’s mom. These women often get a bad rap. It’s a common theme to not enjoy time with the in-Laws, but I would say deep down most of us actually really love our Mom-in-Law. She’s that lovable woman who is a great cook. She is a good wife and mom. She loves your kids. You go to her home and talk about furniture or crafts. Whatever you enjoy doing with her, this is her day to send her a card to let her know how you feel.

There are many different types of Mothers-in-Law:

  1. The ones that think they still change their son’s diapers.
  2. The wealthy and aloof woman who is never to be seen but always sends postcards and exotic gifts from Kathmandu and Paris.
  3. The warm and friendly Mother-in-Law who is right there to help around the house and with the kids and brings over a casserole once a week.
  4. The lady who insists “I’ll run your house for you.”
  5. The real battle-axe.
  6. Your best friend with whom you get along swell!
  7. The Mom who has some kind of a bizarre relationship with her son where he washes her underwear for her. (We’re afraid to ask much more about this one.)
  8. There’s the Gorgon, aka the Dragon Lady, whom we hate to mention and who has given this holiday a bad name.
  9. And lastly, there’s the type of Mother-in-Law who is a moral compass and a pillar of strength. Think Barbara Bush crossed with Mary Tyler Moore and a splash of Hazel.

Doozy has a category of cards dedicated to this holiday – a day which was commemorated only nine years ago in 2002. Here is a beautifully animated card for your Mother-in-Law featuring white doves and red roses:

Click on this link to be directed to another card, this one humorous, for your spouse’s Mom whom I’m sure deserves some laughter. Though we can’t all afford the full spa treatment – cucumbers on the eyes, steam from the sauna, mud wraps – we can still send her an e-card with a pamper-yourself sentiment.