Sh! Pamela has not quite figured out that the Year of the Rat really begins on February 7. To her, it started last night! This year is a banner year for her because 2008 is a leap year, and Pamela LOVES leap year and plans to include Baby Alive, the fifth member of our family, to join in on the festivities. Between now and February 29, I am going to have to figure out a special way to ring in the leap day.
We found out that Pamela's great, great grandmother in England was born on February 29. Shock registered on her face immediately and she said, "You're kidding me!"
In preparation for the big day (the changing of a new year), Pamela has been making calendars for the past two weeks. Saturday a week ago, we spent a total 2.5 hours in the car for a trip to the health food store. Pamela spent the entire time organizing a calendar to reflect triple interests: years, geography, and the Chinese zodiac. Each page focused on one sign of the zodiac, and, starting in 1963, she included all of the places I have lived! Steve's geographical heritage does not capture interest for he was born and raised in El Salvador.
Pamela and I made GF/CF Gingerbread Cookies before Christmas, but she was still getting over a cold and was not really "up" for the activity. We ended up refrigerating the leftover dough and made another batch of cookies tody. We still have plenty of dough left for another batch, which I froze. My very first tip for this recipe is to cut it in half because I did not have any bowls large enough to handle the dough!
We made only one major tweak to the recipe because I could not find any amaranth flour at the health food store. We ended up replacing it with sorghum flour. The hint in the recipe about making your own insulated pans worked well and added opportunities for Pamela to reference to resolve uncertainty. She had never used a full-blown rolling pin nor cookie cutters, so baking these cookies was a great opportunity to learn new skills. My big tip for this recipe is to avoid over-baking because the recipe produces a very stiff dough.
You could say that Pamela went cookie cutter crazy. First, she tried out three-sizes of gingerbread men. Then, she tested out two kinds of stars, apples, and shamrocks. She enjoyed trying different kinds of shapes.
One mother recently asked me to recommend recipes with less than five or less ingredients to do some beginner's baking. That is hard to do when baking GF/CF food because, to get the right consistency, you must blend different kinds of flour. I think you could scaffold this by putting together all the dry ingredients in advance and then start the child off by focusing on the liquids individually and mixing them with the dry ingredients when ready. With beginners, you can scaffold by having all the utensils and ingredients out, oiling pans and preheating in advance, etc.
To work on referencing skills, you can leave the recipe out of the child's sight. This means the child will have to pay attention to you to figure out how to put the ingredients together.
Tell me truthfully -- how many New Year's Resolutions did you keep from last year? According to a survey taken by Franklin Covey, the top three resolutions were to (1) Get out of debt or save money; (2) Lose weight; (3) Develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating. When you think about New Year's Resolutions what would it take to make them more than good intentions? Fact is, most resolutions wind up as just good intentions, but you can change that!
Unless you and I target a daily or weekly plan and actually put feet to our resolutions, we can miss goals we truly want to achieve. So what could make the difference for a bigger bank account, a more svelte body and great physical and mental conditioning? Here're some helps to make 2008 New Year's resolutions become reality...
List your resolutions Jotting things down helps you figure out what you really want to do with your time, according to Kathleen McGowan, so that you get a handle on whether your goals are realistic.
And, here's a great strategy... Once you've displayed resolutions on the refrigerator door, there's no avoiding them. When they're staring at you every morning on the bathroom mirror, it's harder to forget that you made those promises to yourself.
Reprogram your brain... Every day that you begin to cut back on spending, for instance, you reprogram your brain for a new routine. Old patterns are stored in the basal ganglia of your brain and they don't change overnight. Your brain has great plasticity so that it can change. For example, the more you begin to be more frugal, the more your brain will help you develop a mindset for a more frugal lifestyle.
Go easy on yourself if you slip up once in awhile and start the next day with new resolve by discovering yet another way to save.
Make a game out of your resolution. Games are fun. Nobody likes doing something because they have to do it. So reward yourself now and then along the way. This will bring you more Serotonin, a brain hormone that brings well-being.
And, here's another strategy to bring more Serotonin...
Stay positive! When you think of possibilities you'll be challenged to see if you can make them a reality. Keeping a positive mindset actually helps make your resolve to save more money a reality.
Ready to give resolutions another try in 2008? I don't know about you, but I slipped when too much good food was served at Christmas so I've got some work to do as I launch the New Year! And I want to make svelte body a reality, not just a good intention!
I wanted to share some insight about how far Pamela has come in her ability to enjoy a full-blown large-family Christmas celebration without going into meltdown. Much of the credit goes to the Glasers and the Kings, who are the most supportive group of people anyone could desire.
First, you will notice as you watch and hear the clips that Pamela is surrounded by noise: seventeen people sometimes all talking at once in three languages (English, German, and Spanish), several speaking to Pamela at one time, plus the music in the background.
Second, you need to know that Pamela stayed through the entire celebration from beginning to end: she sat through the Christmas readings, listened to the Christmas carols (she was too hoarse to sing), and even contributed by signing "Silent Night" for everyone--can you say tissue moment? Then, she had no problems waiting patiently as each one of us opened presents, one by one, individually to allow us all to share in one another's joy.
Finally, you must know that Pamela could not have managed this with so much ease and enjoyment in her early childhood. From 1991 through 1994, Pamela coped with very large family gatherings by spending time in her escape hatch. At Great-Grandma's house, she played with the dolls under the bed in the guest room. At Tia Janet's, she studied the videos stored in Alyson's room. At Grandma's house, she sat on the bed in the master bedroom and watched television. She spent most of the time flitting around the room with her ears plugged and bolting to her escape hatch for peace and quiet. She had the occasional meltdown when we were too much for her. That last large family Christmas gathering was 1999 and she still needed lots of downtime.
Second of Twelve Gifts: Happy, But Not Joy In this clip, Pamela received a Sweet Slumbers Bedtime Set. She is happy but does not rock in joy as you will see in later clips. Pamela briefly shows the gift to her grandmother on the left.
Eleventh of Twelve Gifts: Obviously Joyful Pamela had asked for some kind of Moon Sand kit and was very delighted with the Moon Sand Pet Shop kit, selected due to her love of all things animals. Pamela smiles brightly and responds very nicely to a request to see her present. Then, she rocks to express her joy more completely.
First of Twelve Gifts: Surprised and Joyful Pamela references beautifully in this gift from her Oma and Opa. The stuffed animal is contained in a plastic bag, and Pamela is unsure of how to open it. She thinks she can rip into the bag, but she turns to me and her Oma for reassurance. Once she realizes it is a huge Winnie-the-Pooh, she turns back to us again to share her joy with us, hugs her bear, and rocks in excitement.
Last of Twelve Gifts: Extreme Joy Pamela waited patiently all night for Baby Alive, which we saved until the end. Pamela tells us that she plans to watch PBS Kids (which she does every weekday at noon) with her new baby. She was so excited that she carefully stood up and had to release her joy in a "victory lap." Many people with autism find ways to express joy physically like a football player does an end zone dance.
As promised, Pamela sits down every weekday at noon with her baby to watch PBS Kids for an hour. She has informed me that we now have FIVE members of our family, where there were previously four. She plans to celebrate New Year's Eve and Leap Day with her baby. When pressed for a name, she says, "No name" or "Baby Alive!"
Tomorrow, I plan to cover what tips have helped Pamela learn to enjoy herself, even in large gatherings. I will close with the gift that gave ME great joy: Jane Austen the Illustrated Library. This nine-pound book contains all six books with sketches and color plates and large enough print for Steve to read.
I have company visiting and little time to blog. Last Saturday night, I was frantic! All month long I had been practicing Bethlehem Morning, which I was supposed to sing at church last Sunday. Well, apparently, I had rehearsed this piece one too many times because the tape broke the night before I was supposed to sing! ACK!!!!!!!
Fortunately, I looked online and found the song was not only available at CBD Books, but that I could download the vocal track for ONLY 99 cents and burn a CD from the download!
YIPPEE!!!!
The double miracle in this is that Pamela started getting a cold on December 15 and I thought I would catch her cold, just in time for my solo. Again, fortunately--or was that God's perfect timing--my sore throat started on Christmas Eve after all of my singing obligations were finished!
I found an article on Dr. Talley who helped me find my voice. What they do not mention his great ragtime versions of the Navy Hymn and the Doxology. I had never soloed, much less sung much, until Dr. Talley accepted me into the choir and glee club. He even selected me to do the alto solo from the Easter Messiah and hired Jeanne Kelly to be the voice teacher for all of the soloists. She was fantastic, and I still remember many tips and tricks she taught me about singing.
I was not surprised that no clips of Christmas in Washington exist on You-Tube from the two years I was on the show. So, I googled it. I was flabbergasted to find a DVD of the 1983 show hosted by Andy Williams up for sale on eBay! Even more so, I WON THE BID. So, now Steve and the kids have seen a very young and thin version of me singing for President Reagan on national television.
I also found some pictures at the Osmond family website from the 1984 show, which I will be happy to share here. You can see larger shots by clicking each image.
I have a copy of this same program displayed at the Osmond website in my memorabilia from my days at the boat school. Again, you can see larger shots by clicking each image. And, that is enough sea stories for one evening . . . (Jamberry, don't you love it?)
I opened a 14-ounce can of coconut milk and skimmed off two ounces of the cream. I replaced the evaporated milk with the remaining twelve ounces of coconut milk.
I did not have the buttery sticks that might have worked, and the nearest decent health food store is 75 miles away. Instead of 3/4 cup of butter, I tried the remaining two ounces of coconut cream and four ounces of vegetable shortening.
I found the recipe too sweet the first time I made it, so I cut back the sugar to 3/4 cup.
I did not have any yellow cake mix handy, so I substituted it with muffin mix.
My sister Pam has cut milk from her diet, and she tried the pecan praline dessert and raved at the taste. My daughter Pamela loved it, too. I found it equal in taste to the original, but the GF/CF version does not brown as nicely. Unfortunately, I took no pictures . . . maybe next time! By the way, everyone loved the gluten and casein packed version, too, and the only modification I made to that was lowering the sugar to 3/4 cups.
I am not exaggerating when I tell you I am not a great cook. I am a terrible cook as Pamela has attested. EVERYONE loved the Cranberry Conserve, which is GF/CF without any modifications! I did make the following changes:
I was feeding a huge crowd of seventeen (that is huge for me). I tripled the recipe.
Instead of using 4.5 cups of sugar (3 times 1.5 cups), I cut it back to 3 cups (which would be 1 cup per batch).
Pamela used up all of my lemon juice, so I used 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar instead of 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
This conserve tastes wonderful on turkey as well as pork chops.
Most of my family (my parents and five of seven siblings and family ) celebrated a German Christmas together for the first time in twenty-three years. Steve's parents and a nephew also joined us for the festivities. First, we lit a white candle to honor loved ones who have died and spent one minute in silence, followed by lighting a red candle to remember those serving in our military. Then, we took turns picking Christmas carols from the very same song sheets we used as children--well, copies of them. We alternated songs with Gospel readings from the Time-Life Book of Christmas published and purchased the year I was born. Finally, each child stood next to the Christmas tree with a gift for the Christ child. Pamela signed Silent Night while I sang it, and David read A Nativity by Rudyard Kipling.
When it comes to Christmas, the Germans are smart. We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve so that children and adults could get a good night's sleep. Because we had some pretty lean years, someone played Santa by passing out presents, one by one, allowing time for all to see. We did not think it necessary for each adult to buy the other adult a Christmas present, so we held a white elephant gift exchange, minus the white elephants. I was sneaky enough to slip in gag gifts with mine: (1) I re-gifted a can of creamed possum with a nice gift card plus and pretty Amazing Grace go-cup and (2) I hid the movie Amazing Grace in a box of microwave popcorn. The gift exchange generated many laughs, especially the You Might Be a Redneck If game.
The first thing Pamela did this morning was pull her baby out of the box. She gave her some juice and changed her diaper. I would have filmed her but was busy chopping up pecans for my cranberry conserve for Christmas dinner. I did snap these photos of her putting on her baby's slippers. At noon, Pamela dashed across the street with her baby to watch television at my parents' house.
I am too tired to edit much video and will post clips tomorrow!
Pamela did not always remember events by date. Prior to 2004 when she started a journal that she kept for about two years, she remembered events by location. Like me (a navy brat), we moved often enough for this system to be helpful as you can see in these pictures. The animals represent the Chinese zodiac.
Her memory of events and dates emerged in the Spring of 2004. The first dated entry in her autobiography, which she wrote without consulting her journal, is from March of that year. It ties into her intense fascination with broken things, too:
I didn't go to mass at March 28,2004. David broke a tape. David listen on another tape. Tammy, David, and I go to a library. We didn't have co-op at 3/30/04. We have haircut in a mall. David visited Merlin. They dropped off Merlin. David broke an arm. David went to the doctor.
I decided to go on a fact-finding mission to see how accurate her memory is. While I knew David broke his arm in 2004, I could only narrow it down to a season: either spring or fall because David missed out on some of the YMCA program which takes a break in the summer and people do not roller-blade during a Minnesota winter. I went to David's journal and confirmed three things Pamela covered. First, we did go to the library on March 29. Second, David did invite his friend Merlin over for a sleepover on April 2. Third, he did break his arm on April 3. (Why do emergency room visits always happen on a Saturday?)
This feat may not be all that amazing. After all, Pamela kept a journal during this time period and one of her favorite activities is to relive the past by pouring through pictures, home videos, homeschooling paperwork, and journals. She stopped keeping a formal journal when we moved to Carolina, which would be July 2005 (my memory system is based on the house in which we lived).
What impresses me is that she must keep a journal in her head. I went back through her autobiography and journal-in-a-box and made some astounding discoveries. I am at a disadvantage because my memories of events are not connected to dates, but I have a little helper . . . the Internet! She remembers these post-journal dates in her head, while I have to look them up online.
Perfect Recall * October 2005 - Saw The Hobbit in Charleston, SC
* April 16, 2006 - Spent Easter with the Grandparents in Asheville, NC
* Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - Stayed with Oma and Opa while I went to the Charlotte Mason Conference in Boiling Springs, NC
* June 11, 2006 - Performed Celebrate Life performance (confirmed by the handout)
Pamela's journal-in-a-box is complete through the end of June 2007. I have searched high and low for any errors, and I found only one! She wrote that David went to a concert on September 22, 2006, but the Casting Crowns concert he attended was really on November 10, 2006. Wow! Only ONE mistake! If I did not have this blog, I would be lucky to get the year right!
Are many of your happiest memories connected to Christmas or the special holiday you celebrate this season? I know mine are and the most memorable connect to precious family and friends.
When an event replays in your mind, no doubt you see the people who made that memory what it is. What would that event be if different people were there? Maybe you begin to see the powerful relationship between our interactions with people and memory as you reflect on it.
To be prosperous at work is to be strongly connected in our personal relationships. What happens in your home deeply impacts the contributions you bring to your work.
With this in mind, I'm planning to make this year's festivities light-hearted, yet memorable for all the people I cherish. See what you think of these strategies...
Look for magic...
Notice unexpected melodies and express pleasure to others as they occur
Recapture memories together
Keep gifts light and unexpected... give on a day when nobody expects it
Laugh at yourself - often and hard
Play a game that a child chooses for the two of you
Take a food or small gift to a neighbor
Remember the best things in life are free
In thinking about number three, I remember my daughter impersonating me with just a tinge of exaggeration and I never laughed so hard in my life. I often replay the laughs when my twenty something daughter gave her older brother "The Book of Farts" [a children's story book] as a gift. When he read it for us the tears streamed down our cheeks. Do you have memories like that?
And as I consider the more sacred, I'll never forget our first Christmas with our adopted grandson. He was a very long awaited and unexpected treasure from the hand of God.
I'm hoping to create the kind of celebration that all enjoy during our gathering. I'll review these several times so they don't slip out of my working memory before the event takes place! In fact, maybe by practicing these right away, I'll lock them into my brain's basal ganglia! What do you think?
"Come on have some fun, the holidays are a time to let go..." Ever hear those enticing words at your office? Between company and friends' parties, plus holiday family meals, we can easily veer off track and eat too many fattening foods. At least I know I can! You?
Hot Cocoa - sharpens the mind and gives a short-term boost to sharpen cognitive skills. Cocoa flavanols found in dark chocolate could be useful in enhancing brain function for people fighting fatigue, sleep deprivation, and even the effects of aging. And cocoa contains more antioxidants per cup than red wine or tea.
Coffee may provide potential benefits, including benefiting memory for older women. It contains higher amounts of soluble dietary fiber than other commonly consumed beverages; lowers risks for Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. Coffee's high in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. I never would have guessed!
Walnuts - improve cognition... may help maintain brain function. Ongoing research suggests that walnuts involve more than the mere "quenching" of free radicals and may in fact involve direct effects on blocking the deleterious "stress signals" generated by the oxidative stressors. "The beneficial effects of walnuts also may be the direct result of enhancements of signals which mediate such important functions as neuronal communication and the growth of new neurons," says Joseph.
Macadamia Nuts and Almondshelps reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared with the standard American diet.
Cranberries, Cranberry Juice, Cranberry Sauce - in its pure form — contained the highest quantity of disease-fighting phenols, a type of antioxidant that is thought to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as, stroke and heart disease. These bright red berries are truly neuroprotective, good at protecting against chronic age-related afflictions like loss of coordination and memory. Exposure to a concentration of cranberry extract equivalent to about half a cup of whole cranberries resulted in a 50% reduction in brain cell death.
Red Grapes - much heralded antioxidant... spikes plasma AOC, helps ward off harmful free radicals that pummel our bodies every day.
How does building on your gifts and talents make a difference? For starters, I'm energized and more creative when I take on challenges. True for you, too? Energy and creativity bring more flow as we work and can lead to distinguishing results. Here's how fellow bloggers' multiple gifts shine through their recent posts...
Interpersonal Gavin Heaton's a very special chap in my mind. Not only was he one of my first commenters and such an encourager that I grew in confidence to stick with it. Today I noted that Gavin gave tips to Nat, a new blogger in a thoughtful and encouraging way. He asks visitors to check out her "Viral Piece" because "it is much better than mine." In my mind, Gavin, this is SOCIAL CURRENCY at it's best and I think it's brilliant since you lift up the talents of another! Note Gavin's tactics!
I am linking to Nat who brought it to my attention. This means that I hope that she checks her Technorati profile and sees that I am linking to her. Then she can respond and engage in conversation (hi Nat!)
I am hoping that you good folks are going to click through to check Nat's story because it is much better than mine
I am also using Nat's cute pic which has a nice call to action ... reminding you, dear reader, to help promote Greenpeace's efforts to save the whales (and if you "right mouse click" on the picture, you can save it and republish it on your blog -- nice one, thanks!).
Hopefully you love the silliness of the name of the whale and want to promote this to the world in an effort to fight the barbarity of whale slaughter with the power of cuteness while adding to your karma credits (remember, when you write this on your blog you will also receive additional karma credit transfers from others to you -- after all, you are encouraging the good in all of us)
As this effort accelerates, your sense of belonging improves, and provides you with a story to tell others (I was there, talking about Mr Splashy Pants, when he was only a baby beluga).
And, it's fun to note how another blogger perceives you. Gavin featured my blog in It's All in the Mind. I'm including grassfordinner's image found on Flickr because it's fun! I love Gavin's tongue in cheek approach to life since he often takes me off guard. Gavin, I just want to celebrate the way you advance SOCIAL CURRENCY! Thanks for your inspirations and encouragement.
Intrapersonal Timothy Johnson asks a great question, in DUH-cisions, "What is the best strategy to use when somebody makes a comment we don't like or appreciate? Count to ten? Deep breaths? Mentally write their obituary?" As you answer you prepare yourself inside for well-being or for stress. He uses a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that we need to keep in mind, "Nobody can make me feel inferior without my consent."
At times we all get a jolt from someone with an opposing view. I'm learning more about respecting others who differ... you?
Musical Why not try some holiday jazz? J.B. notes that PBS offers great jazz including the Red Hot Holiday Stomp at Lincoln Center. Check out some holiday jazz on your iPod and see how it brings flow in the midst of the busy season!
We went out in the freezing cold last night and got our Christmas tree. It's a fat, little Frazier Fir. And now it's sitting in my living room, plainly waiting for me to put on the lights and decorations and make it beautiful.
It takes a staff of 1,800 a full month to light and decorate over 100 Christmas trees, hang 9,000 feet of fresh garland and hang thousands of ornaments for the more than 300,000 visitors that visit during the holiday season. And you thought decorating your house was a challenge!
Verbal-linguistic Quotes can help us remember concepts, especially when they're catchy. Michelle Malay Carter captured the essence of Timothy Ferris's Fast Company interview with"snappy, boring quotes" that stick in your mind. For instance, "Be the chess player instead of the chess piece." You might enjoy Ferriss's new book, The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. Michele, you've certainly piqued my interest!
Logical-Mathematical Chris Houchens of Shotgun Marketing tells how Mr. Splashy Pants soared out front in a Greenpeace poll to name whales that are traveling in the Pacific. Bloggers caused Mr. Splashy Pants to go viral on the net so the name's leading "hands' down." Chris thinks the "best way to get attention is to stand out from the crowd."
Bodily-kinesthetic Trevor Gay at Simplicity claims to shop online, people "avoid wandering aimlessly and robotically around shops selecting presents. Or folks barge and bustle to beat other folks out for best merchandise offered during early morning hours." He sees people cold and wet in the rain as they get in and out of their cars. Hmmm... Not a pretty picture, Trevor, and you make a great case to shop online.
On the other side of this picture, when you shop in stores you get to feel material to determine quality or even hold a garment near you so you can picture the size.
Do you love that pitstop at Starbucks, as I do, to chat and compare bargains with friends? Shopping can be hairy, but it can also be fun in a way online can't beat. So I opt for both methods! You?
Spatial Trendy design and style created buzz for Pinkberry Chairs, according to Douglas at Service Untitled. People go to Pinkberry's for the experience and not just the frozen dessert.
Hmmm.... Shows style and design count... in addition to the $500.00 cost of each chair.
Why not challenge yourself to try approaching your topic through an intelligence you've not previously considered? I find it fun and rewarding as you can see...
I know I shouldn't complain about this because I have it made. Some parents deal with children who perseverate over potty humor or impress people with burping the ABCs. Others leave visitors with a lasting impression of themselves clothed in socks--only socks! Pamela's headache-inducing interest revolves around broken video tapes.
It all started on that unknown, but fateful day, back in 1996 in which Pamela broke The Honey Tree as recorded in her auto-biography. Later that year, the beloved MGVT 1 and 2 broke, a tragedy in the annals of Glaser history. A quibbler might note that The Honey Tree was released in VHS form on October 1, 1997. I might point out that some people have too much time on their hands and I believe her dating system at that time was based upon where we lived, meaning anything that happened in Pennsylvania occurred anywhere from the summer of 1996 to the Spring of 2000. Her calendar skills kicked in anywhere from the summer of 2001 to the summer of 2003 because we lived in Alaska.
Pamela wove into her auto-biography entries about every video tape or VCR she broke. For example, in September of 2002, she recalled, "A video cleaner is stucked in a VCR. Its acting up. I cut a VCR. The VCR broke." She even set aside a special page for tracking important video events: picking her favorite videos, breaking them, or buying them on eBay. Her biggest eBay haul was eighteen videos in one auction as a present for Christmas 2003, while her most important one was winning a new copy of the coveted MGVT 1 and 2 in February 2004.
But, I digress. Pamela discovered You-Tube this year. She started researching broken video tapes to which I refuse to provide links for obvious reasons. She found a couple of annoying ones in which mindless teens break video tapes over their head and some even chew the tape. Echolalia from these video clips can appear at anytime as you can see in this clip!
Fortunately, Pamela is too smart to try this at home. Unfortunately, she found a safe way to imitate this silliness that is non-toxic and non-scarring. I know I should be thankful for this! She makes paper videos and presses hard with a pen to semi-perforate them to make them easier to rip. To the right are sample paper videos. Here is an example of Pamela in all her glory.
You might smile and say "Awwww . . . how cute!" Check out pictures of my desk drawers which I clean out daily. These pesky paper videos multiply like tribbles. They must go through some weird life cycle change because sometimes they appear as tiny wads of paper. Occasionally, I even come across them soaking wet, probably from a very recent metamorphic transformation. I refuse to hear any of your speculation about alternatives because life cycle changes sound more hygenic!
I really should not complain. After all, this broken videotape craze has replaced the Hooper-Bloob Highway monologues. Occasionally, broken videotapes slip into conversations quite appropriately, and I go with it!
The holidays are a time we give to others. So it's a joy to send link love to outstanding blogger friends and contacts! Thanks, C. B. Whittemore of Flooring the Consumer for naming Brain Based Biz to Troy Worman's O!Blog Outstanding Blog Meme.
Here's the list of outstanding bloggers representing outstanding resources... My additions appear at the end.
