OLA Team Blog: 11/11/11

Friday, November 11, 2011

Something to think about..

This was forwarded to me in an email, and I thought it was pretty good:

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

  As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high
  gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods
  -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor.
  This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of
  genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that,
  at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American
  hands. Yes there is!

  It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit
  in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
  Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates
  from your local American hair salon or barber?

  Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some
  health improvement.

  Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned
  detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or
  a book of gift certificates.

  Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking
  down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful
  gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the
  summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

  There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift
  certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what
  about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember,
  folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting
  your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep
  their doors open.

  How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or
  motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

  Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a
  local cleaning lady for a day.

  My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who
  is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

  OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people
  spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and
  pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

  Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave
  your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet
  at your hometown theatre? Musicians need love too, so find a venue
  showcasing local bands.

  Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese
  lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about
  fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to
  burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

  You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that
  China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring
  about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to
  follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care
  about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we
  couldn't imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

We can start right here and buy from our friends at OLA! Tonight during the Fantastic Friday Sale I bought this yummy looking carrot cake mix from cvmso021

And last week I got some handcrafted fragrance tarts from metzymom

And, oh looky...here's something from Crittercache what kid WOULDN'T want a horse for Christmas?? Guaranteed Made in the USA!

So SHOP LOCALLY and support your friends and family!! Anybody you know sell Avon?? Buy from them.. Amway? Buy from them. Pampered Chef? Tupperware? Party Lite? Buy from them! It'll make their DAY to get a call saying you'd like to book a party or look at a catalog. Happy Shopping!!!!

This is a book I picked up today for Jen aka DT. I saw it, looked at a few pages and thought to myself this sounds like her sense of humor. I will list just a few of the items in it.

1) Multiplication Puzzle
     Pick a number
     Multiply by three
     Now add five
     Take away the number you first thought of
     Now add seven
     Subtract four
     Add back the number you first thought of
     Now, close your eyes
     Dark, isn't it

2) Two Blondes
     Two blondes were locked out of their car and were being observed in
      the parking lot with a coat hanger and a locked mercedes. Soon the first
     one told the second one to hurry up, it's starting to rain and the top is down.

3) Worth The Price
     He...I got this new hearing aid today
     She...Are you wearing it now?
     He...Yes. Cost me four thousand dollars, but it's top of the line.
     She...What kind is it?
     He...Twelve Thirty.

That is just a few from one page I opened to and there are 178 pages.
Sure hope she gets a chuckle out of them, some cracked me up when I fliped
through the book.

This book cannot be found in my OLA house but if you want to see what is in there click below

http://ola.com/store/chateycathey

LIFE IS SHORT...LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST AND HAVE FUN AT IT.

From Yesterday to Today

It is amazing how far we have come the past 40 years. We have gone from driving around looking for a phone booth to using our cell phones to view movies, check our emails or check our calendars!

This is one of the last remaining working telephone booths in Iowa. It is located in Kelley, Iowa. Want to give it a call? Just dial 515-769-2481. There probably won't be anyone to answer it as Kelley is a very small town, but at least you can tell people you actually called a phone booth!! There are probably less than 10 of these left in service so this is an icon!!

The phone booth was Superman's dressing room!! It was the small, tall, enclosed space where one could make a phone call, after putting in the right amount of coins, in relative privacy and out of the reach of the wind and rain. Telephone booths were supposed to have a directory in them but they always seemed to be gone or torn up.

During the '70's, pay telephones were no longer put in booths but were non-enclosed, handicapped accessible, pay phones. And after the cell phone emerged, pay phones were beginning to disappear altogether. Drive down the street and see if you can find a pay phone anymore!

Pay phones were the instruments of many a joyful call, emergency call, or a call of distress. I can remember when I was 18, going to the phone booth on the corner of 6th and Central, outside a motel, to call my parents to tell them I had wrecked their vehicle!! The motel is gone, the phone booth is gone but my memories remain! In fact, I just drove past there today, which is why I am being so nostalgic!!

I can remember calling my parents 1000 miles from home, putting coins in to pay for the call, to give them news of how I was doing in Iowa . . . . not very often, because phone calls cost a lot back then. If I got to call once a month, I was lucky!

Today, our primary instrument is a cell phone . . . . that magical little box that will carry our voice miles away, and with the right plan, doesn't cost an arm, leg, and a month's salary besides! Now that magical little box can send messages via text, play music, take pictures, show movies and so much more! We have come a long way, baby!!

This old phone booth is wonderful! It brings back a lot of memories. We don't have any of these for sale (at least, right now!) on OLA.com, but we have some nice little cell phones available!! So as we remember the ways of the past, remember that when you are shopping for the present, start with OLA.com!! We have great sellers, friendly people, and great prices!!

Christmas Hint #11 -- Package Tie-Ons

Do you knit, crochet, or craft? Tie-ons are quick, easy and fun to make using almost any craft technique. This is a great way to use up old Christmas decorations and cards, scraps of yarn or fabric, odds-and-ends of scrapbooking supplies, or just about anything else.

One year when I had to mail gifts to my parents, I found some whimsical items to use in wrapping. For my mother’s gift, I found a little bendable Christmas elf. I put him on the top of the package, with the ribbon in his hands, so it looked like he hadn’t finished wrapping the gift yet.

For my father’s gift, I used a child’s toy worm that had been wrapped around a stick. I put the worm on the ribbon, facing away from the “bow”. I tweaked the ends of the ribbon to look as if the worm had chewed the bow off and was making his getaway. I knew my folks would get a kick out of these ideas, especially since the gifts would be under the tree for at least a week before opening.

Your local dollar store is a great place to get ideas for unique tie-ons.

I make rosebuds and tassels as tie-ons. After Christmas, they become bookmarks. I'd love to hear from the rest of you with your tie-on ideas.

The Story of Maxine

Oh, Maxine is a piece of work isn't she? She has a unique take on just about everything. It was John Wagner that brought life to Maxine in 1986. Seems like she's been around a lot longer. John says he based Maxine on life with his mother, grandmother and aunts! Must have been an interesting existence.....John with all those women.

Anyway, when Hallmark started the Shoebox Greetings he started seeing the world in the Shoebox way unleashed his talents and he created Maxine. 'Cartoonists are sensitive to the insanities of the world; we just try to humanize them,' John says. 'If Maxine can get a laugh out of someone who feels lonely or someone who is getting older and hates the thought of another birthday, or if she can make someone chuckle about stressful interpersonal relationships, then I'm happy. Putting a smile on someone's face is what it's all about.'

Why am I telling you about Maxine? I don't know.....

These new napkins are offered by Supergrannys Treasures at a bargain price.