My kids didn’t get this game for Christmas (we have the original version), but after playing Harry Potter Scene It with them last night, I can appreciate a game that gives everyone a fair chance to win! If I had to hear “no fair” one more time…I was going to scream!

Old Navy has been good to me this week!

Monday night I stopped by the store with my 8 year old son in tow. He had torn up the knees in his last two pairs of school pants, and with the temps dropping into the 30’s this week, he definitely needed long pants. He’s terribly hard to fit, being that he’s tall and skinny (hmm, wonder where he gets that from?) and the pants that are long enough for him are always too big in the waist.

To my surprise, we found that a 7 slim in the Old Navy boys khaki fit him, and even better, they were on sale for $10 each! Better than that, they had three 7 slims left in the color we needed - score!

Last night I went back and found a fleece for my 10 year old daughter. The price tag said $12.50, which is a great price, but it rang up for $7 since they were on sale. Another score!

I also snagged flip flops on their website at a clearance price of $.99 each - perfect for stocking stuffers for all of my kids!

I use the Kodak Gallery to upload and print my digital camera pictures. Last year, I also used the site to create personalized photo calendars for my mother and my mother in law. I created new versions of the calendars for this Christmas, and then couldn’t find a decent coupon! I saved the calendar projects, and decided to wait a few days to see what popped up. This morning I was rewarded with a coupon for 20% off cards, photo books, and calendars. Just use code “JOLLYGIFTS” in your Kodak Gallery cart. I saved $8 off my calendar order.

What grandmother can resist a calendar filled with pictures of the cutest grandchildren around?

I’m not that tall (5 foot 8 inches) but I do have long legs, and that makes it hard to find pants. Manufacturers and designers tend to think that only people over a size 6 can be tall, and it’s very difficult to find pants in a size 1 or 2 that have a long enough leg for me. I’ve been able to find pants in my size, in a longer length, at Old Navy and Gap, but they usually need to be special ordered. They don’t tend to stay on the racks long.

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I tried on a pair of pants at Express, from the Editor line, and they FIT! Not only did they fit perfectly in the waist, hips, and butt without being too loose or too tight, but they were plenty long enough. The regular size 2 has a nice long leg, which is great, since they don’t offer a long length option. I snagged a pair off the clearance rack for $40, which is a steal considering the regular price is closer to $80. Trust me though, these pants are worth it! I get irritated when I try pants on and they fit well in the butt, but leave a big back above my butt…I could fit another person in there! Not so with the Editor pants from Express, and I’m hoping Santa brings me another pair. They’re a classic tailored look with a not too wild flare leg that’s perfect for work.

Thank you Express, for realizing that skinny girls can be long legged!

When I saw my sister over Thanksgiving, she was telling me about her brand new clock. Well, not completely new, but new to her! And we don’t normally get excited over clocks, but this clock is a special cuckoo clock that belonged to her grandmother once upon a time. Shortly before Grandma died, she gave the clock to her daughter and son in law, and now they’ve given the clock to my sister. She had it fixed, polished up, and hung it on the wall in her living room. The clock was a gift to Grandma when she retired from her job in New Jersey, and it was so nice, the clock shop where my sister had it repaired offered to buy it!

Myself, personally, I’ve always been partial to grandfather clocks. I think the constant cuckoo sound of a cuckoo clock would eventually drive me…well, cuckoo. I’ve got nothing against the deep chimes of a grandfather clock though! My mother has always wanted a grandfather clock, and she was (I think) a teeny bit jealous when Jim and I received one from his grandmother. I’d love to get her a grandfather clock of her own for Christmas one year, like these Howard Miller grandfather clocks, but I’ll definitely need to convince the siblings to chip in on that gift with me. Knowing my mother, she’d love the Howard Miller Majestic Grandfather Clock I’ve shown here. It’s got additional shelves inside where collectibles can be displayed, making it a clock and a curio cabinet of sorts. And did you know that Howard Miller clocks are made in the USA?

I’ve done quite a bit of Christmas shopping online this year (thank you, Old Navy!) and packages are arriving on my doorstep daily. That means I’ve got a lot of gift wrapping area of me! One of the things that I miss when I order online is being able to grab gift boxes to put clothing in. Around this time of year, most stores have stacks and stacks of gift boxes available for customers to grab. I snagged a few from Beall’s, and a few more from Kohl’s, completely free of course.

Imagine my shock when I was recently inside Old Navy and they told me they CHARGE for their gift boxes! What? I just spent $100 in the store, and you want me to pay $2.50 for a cardboard box that says Old Navy on it? I’m sure such a box costs all of a few pennies. If Old Navy wants to “regulate” who gets a gift box, by all means - do so! Hand them out to customers who purchase from your store, and don’t let people snag a stack of ten. But don’t charge us for them!

Overstock.com is running a huge Christmas promotion, and they’re giving away huge prizes! You can win a prize a day, up to $1000 value, and YOU get to pick the prize! I just picked out diamond studs for myself, but you may find a new laptop or a plasma TV or some furniture…the sky is the limit. Well, actually, $1000 is the limit, but that’s a nice budget to work with!