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ABED'S UNCONTROLLABLE CHRISTMAS

IN THIS SPECIAL STOP MOTION ANIMATION EPISODE, THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS IS LOST AND ABED’S INTENSE FIXATION ON CHRISTMAS CONCERNS THE GROUP.

When Abed (Danny Pudi) wakes up in stop-motion animation, he takes it as a sign that he and the group must re-discover the meaning of Christmas. Meanwhile, Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) become growingly concerned about Abed's mental health and enlist the help of Professor Duncan (John Oliver). The group undergoes hypnosis to explore Abed's winter wonderland and soon unravel the truth behind Abed’s madness. Chevy Chase, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover, and Ken Jeong also star.

Community's Christmas show is in the style of the old 1960s and 1970s claymation with each toy character a good representation of the real characters. Abed is searching for the meaning of Christmas because even though he's a muslim he loves Christmas time. The whole gang follows Abed's on a Christmas adventure. I think they should have been a little faster to get to the wonderland planet but other than that it has the same quirky style that you're used to. Christmas classic? Not sure but it's classic Community!

Be sure to watch the whole episode Thursday, December 9th for yourself on NBC. Check your local listing for time (8 pm EST/7 pm CST) and channel. Thank you to One2OneNetwork and NBC for the opportunity to preview this show before the actual airing. Make sure you set your DVR for tomorrow night!

Norah Jones - "...Featuring" - Available Now

Norah Jones - "...Featuring" - Available Now

KT Tunstall: Tiger Suit

KT Tunstall is a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum, Scottish-born singer-songwriter. Tiger Suit, her third studio album, was released October 5th and her rollicking first single "Fade Like A Shadow" is already a Top 20 hit at radio. You can check out a preview of the album that is a Top 100 Album on Amazon. The album has some really good songs including Uummannaq Song, (Still A) Weirdo, and Difficulty. The songs are very enchanting and each tells it's own unique story. I recommend this album to anyone that has listened to KT's music. This latest album will not disappoint.

KT will be on tour this Fall (10/31-12/1). She will be at The Vogue in Indianapolis, IN on November 19th and the Vic Theatre in Chicago, IL on November 21st. Check out her full listing to find a location near you.

KT's previous hit songs include - the Grammy-nominated "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," "Suddenly I See," Other Side of the World" or "Hold On". For more info on KT's new album, check out the One2One newsletter.

This review is my personal opinion of Tiger Suit. The album was sent to me for my review by One2One Network and I am entered to win a gift card through by participating. Please check out this album.......you won't regret it!

Share Your Milano Moment

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in honor of all of those who've been touched by the disease, Pepperidge Farm is turning their Milano packaging pink - inspiration for the cure! To support this cause, Pepperidge Farm has launched a Facebook Campaign to encourage consumers to share a "Milano Moment" when they realized life is sweet.

From now through October 31st, Pepperidge Farm is donating $.50 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for every Milano moment shared on the Milano Facebook Page (up to $50,000).

By supporting each other and sharing our strength, we can work together to find the cure. You can help right now by sharing your Milano Moment. Go to Facebook and share a Milano Moment to help the fight against breast cancer.

Who Let the Pups Out?

Brittany had a party with her friends testing out the hot new toys. They had a great time mixing and matching all the different pups and having their very own fashion show. It kept them busy for hours trying out new combinations and picking out which ones were the best. At the end of the party, the parents created their own creations and the girls voted for the best in show!

You can customize your Mix Pups by mixing and matching their detachable front and back legs, designer hair style pieces and clothing. To add to the fun and unique creation, dress up the designer pups with fashionable accessories for a perfect finishing touch. Multiple points of articulation enable girls to pose their pups in twenty different mix ‘n’ match combinations. And to extend the pup-play experience, girls can go online to the Mix Pups website — http://www.mymixpups.com/ — for interactive fun and games and opportunities to share fun videos of their own “Best of Show” puppies.

The new Mix Pups collection features sixteen individual collector puppies, including Roxy the Chihuahua, Annie the Bulldog, Lucy the Dalmatian, Chloe the White Poodle, Sophie the Silver Yorkie, Maddie the Dachshund, Sandy the Retriever, Amy the Boston Terrier, Molly the Cavalier, Daisy the White Terrier, CoCo the Chocolate Labrador, Shelby the Husky, Bailey the Beagle, Zoey the Pink Poodle, Sallie the Pink Pooch, and Susie the Gold Yorkie.

Each Mix Pup is numbered and comes with a personalized dog bed featuring the puppy's name on it and all include lots of accessories for designing fun. The Mix Pups collection from Jazwares also features plush puppies as well as a variety of engaging accessories and play sets to let girls pamper and play in a whole new way. The more Mix Pups girls collect, the more they can create!

Mix Pups are sold in Toys R Us. You can purchase Mix Pups in single packs ($5.99), Double Packs ($9.99), and Accessory Packs ($4.99). There are also two playsets available: the Mix Pups Fancy Paws day Spa ($24.99) and the Mix Pups Pawty Van ($19.99). They also have plush animals that are available for $7.99. These will make great Christmas Stocking Stuffers! Thank you MomSelect for giving our family the opportunity to share Mix Pups with our friends and family! Check back soon for pictures of the big party and a chance to win a Mix Pup!

Nature Valley National Parks Project

If you´ve ever taken a trip to a national park, you know that they are more than places of beauty - they are places that inspire us.

Since the dedication of Yellowstone as the world´s first national park in 1872, America´s parks have been visited by hundreds of millions of people who marveled at their beauty, found peace in their wildness and shared their experience with others.

However, these national treasures need care and support to help them flourish. Years of underfunding and environmental problems such as pollution and climate change are threatening our National Park system. To help preserve our national parks and ensure their existence for generations to come, join Nature Valley® and Patricia Shultz, internationally best-selling author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and travel industry leader, to help support the National Parks Project. This year, the National Parks Project will focus on restorative work at Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Biscayne National Parks.

To get involved, simply purchase a box of specially marked Nature Valley
Bars and mail in your wrappers to the address below:

National Parks Project
PO Box 450328
El Paso, TX 88545-0328

Nature Valley will not only recycle the wrappers, but will also contribute $0.10 to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) for every wrapper received (up to $600,000 in total). To learn more about the National Parks Project and how you can make a difference, check out PreservetheParks.com today. And don´t forget to visit Nature Valley on Facebook or Nature Valley on Twitter to "Like" or "Follow" the brand. Facebook fans can enter to win a trip, as well as share photos and videos of their summer vacations. All of these sites will also feature updates on the restoration projects, as well as videos and pictures from "National Parks Project" volunteers.

There are many other ways you can enjoy the natural beauty and diverse wildlife of our national parks this summer while supporting the cause. The easiest thing you can do to support the national parks is to experience them for yourself and share them with your family - remembering as always to "take only pictures and leave your footprints." So grab your backpack, your boots and some granola bars and go soak in the scenery.

To help get you started, Nature Valley has provided me, through MyBlogSpark, a great Nature Valley prize pack with items that can be used in the great outdoors this summer to give away to one of my readers. Along with a box of great tasting Nature Valley granola bars, the prize pack will include a mini backpack; a military grade compass; a solar-powered, key chain flash light; a reusable water bottle and a copy of Patricia Shultz´s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler´s Life List.

In order to be entered, send me an email with what your favorite National Park is and why. I will randomly pick a winner from all entries on Sunday, September 19th. Good luck and enjoy the last weeks of summer!

If you're always on the go with a drink in your hand, you have to check out the new RaceTrac Freefill Cup. Available for only $6.99 at your local RaceTrac location, this cool cup entitles you to FREE refills from their impressive fountain for the entire summer. From now until August 1st, you and your family can be sipping all of the refreshing drinks you love, without any additional charges! From soft drinks to lemonade and iced tea, there is no shortage of options for mixing up your favorite beverage. If you're in the mood to play fountain drink bartender, make sure you check out the "Kamikaze Missions" promotion on Facebook. And don't forget to "like" RaceTrac on Facebook to get updates on future deals and promotions.

This is a great deal to take advantage of all summer. To find your local RaceTrac go to http://www.racetrac.com/ or the RaceTrac Facebook page. RaceTrac has locations in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Motor Oil Matters!!!

April was both National Car Care and National Informed Women Month and a perfect opportunity to get empowered to care for your car! With the informative Web site http://www.motoroilmatters.org/ (created by the maker of industry-leading brands Pennzoil and Quaker State) you can easily locate key information about how quality motor oils can help prolong your engine´s life and improve overall efficiency, as well as help answer other questions you may have about motor oil. In addition, the site offers a fun, educational game for you to play called “M.O.M. Knows Best” where you can put your motor mind to the test with an interactive quiz. Check out the site and test your knowledge.

• Did you know that the "W" in the motor oil name stands for winter, not weight as many people believe?
• According to a recent survey from the Automotive Service Association, more than 54 percent of customers who take their vehicles for service and repair are women
• Did you know that in the United States the average age of cars and light trucks on the roads today has reached a record high of 9.4 years? This is a good reason to look to a high-quality motor oil – like Pennzoil and Quaker State – that is designed to meet the demands of today´s engines.

It is a really great site that is full of great information.

Win It!
Shell Lubricants provided me with a $35 Jiffy Lube Gift Card through a campaign with MyBlogSpark. I went and got my oil change and they were very fast and professional. Shell Lubricants and motoroilmatters.org through MyBlogSpark are also providing one reader a $35 Jiffy Lube Gift Card of their very own. The gift card should just about cover a standard oil change at Jiffy Lube (especially if you use a coupon which you can find on the Jiffy Lube website)!

How?
Easy! What did you found most interesting on the Motor Oil Matters site or what did you score on the M.O.M. Knows Best Quiz? Tell me in an email and I will select one winner from all the entries I get. Check out the website and learn more about why motor oil matters!

Kroger Box Tops for Education

Did you realize that clipping Box Tops coupons has raised over $300 million for our kids´ schools! Now through March 18th, the Kroger Family of Stores is giving you the chance to get even more Bonus Box Tops.

All you have to do is register at http://www.rewardyourschool.com/ and select the personalized offers that you would like to receive. Once you register, you will automatically receive 5 Bonus Box Tops just for signing up! You will also receive custom offers for bonus box tops for purchasing participating General Mills products. The offers you select will then load onto your Kroger Shopper Card to be redeemed once you purchase the items. The great part is there is no clipping! The Bonus Box Tops will automatically go straight to your chosen school. Just remember to scan your card when purchasing the participating items.

I really like this program in that you are not clipping the box tops and just using your shopper card. Thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills, I am able to offer a $25 Kroger Gift Card to one of my readers! If you would like to have the oppertunity to win the gift card, send me a note with your address information and tell me what you think of Kroger and the General Mills Box Tops Program by Sunday, March 14th. I know many of you already clip lots of Box Tops for our children's schools and are interested in this additional way to help our schools. This is a great simple opportunity for us to help our schools a little more.

Five for Fighting - Slice

I received the latest album, Slice, from Five for Fighting. I remembered Five for Fighting back in 2001 with the popular song, Superman. It was a very popular song after 9/11 so I was interested in hearing what their new album sounded like. I was very pleased with the mix of songs that this new album brings. The big songs on it are the title song, Slice, Story of Your Life, and Chances, but I liked the entire album. After listening to this album, I went back to listen to "100 Years" off of their previous album, The Battle for Everything. Five for Fighting is a great group and my favorite band named after a hockey penalty. I would recommend this album to anyone. Thanks to One2One Network for giving me this opportunity to review this great album.

Brandi Carlile - Give Up The Ghost

I had the opportunity to review the new album by Brandi Carlile, Give Up The Ghost. Give Up The Ghost is an excellent album filled with folk-country-pop tinged songs. I was not familiar with this artist before I listened to this album. This album is very unique and unlike anything else I have heard recently. It has a universal appeal that could be classified in either a country-rock or pop genre. Brandi has a beautiful voice and her lyrics are very personal and touching. She has a variety of upbeat songs and some beautiful ballads. I would recommend this album to anyone that enjoys music. Thanks to One2One Network for the opportunity to review this impressive album.

Michael Buble - Crazy Love

I received the album, Crazy Love, by Michael Buble. I wasn't familiar with this artist before I received the album. When I looked at the playlist, there were a lot of songs that I had heard before (All of Me, Georgia On My Mind, Heartache Tonight, You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You). His renditions were a different spin on the classics. It's a solid, nice-to-listen-to album. He sticks to the character of the original songs, recognizing the quality therein. But he also adds a bit of modernization through some creative updates in orchestration. Although this isn't really my style of music, I let my Mother-in-Law listen to it and she really enjoyed it. If you are a fan of Michael Buble, you will like this album. Thank you to One2One Network for the opportunity to review this impressive album.

Harry Connick, Jr. - Your Songs

I was given the opportunity to review Harry Connick Jr's latest album, Your Songs. This album really showcases his fantastic voice. This is not the classic Harry Connick Jr. album, but it is still enjoyable. My favorite songs off the album are "Some Enchanted Evening", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Smile" and "Your Song". Since a lot of these are older songs, it is easy to listen to and appreciate the style that he brings to these songs. It took a little time, but this album has really grown on me. Thank you to One2One Network for the opportunity to review this impressive album.

We Made It!!!

The kids in a classic hostage pose (holding today's newspaper).

Another scrapbooking weekend in the books (for Angie, not me)! The kids survived another one alone with Dad. I got a few "when is Mom coming back", but other than that, things went pretty well. In a few hours, she will be back and things will be back to normal.

Yoplait Whips

I was given the opportunity to try the new Yoplait Whips. As most of you know, myself and healthy foods are not a natural match. I have never been a big fan of yogurt, but I got some free coupons so I decided to give it a try. I put them in the freezer as they suggested for a frozen treat. After letting them thaw for 5-10 minutes, it was a really refreshing treat. I tried the chocolate mousse, however they have a lot of flavors. Here's the best part: You can try them too! There is a downloadable coupon for Yoplait Whips! - where you can save $0.60 when you purchase three cups of any Yoplait Whips! Flavor: Click here to download.

Additionally, right now, new members who sign-up to become subscribers of Betty Crocker's newsletter, will receive a free coupon for Yoplait Whips! **Click here to join.**

This free coupon is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.

BUT HERE IS THE BEST PART....................................

MyBlogSpark has allowed me to give one lucky reader a Summer Cool Down Yoplait Prize pack that includes: 1 insulated tote, 1 set of 3 popsicle molds, 12 color changing spoons and 2 free coupons for Yoplait Whips.

This is a great prize pack and a way to keep summer going. To enter, either comment on this post (or email me) with your favorite summer treat (Yoplait?), what you did this summer, or your favorite summer memory from the past. I am going to select one person at random to receive this prize package. I'm sure Yoplait Whips will become a part of your summer (and all other seasons) after you try it!

A Little Disappointed, But.....

I'm a little disappointed that the Illini laid an egg against Purdue today, but how can I complain about this year's season? The Illini have had a great season and will find themselves in the NCAA tournament tomorrow. The future is looking good too. The clip above is of Brandon Paul (2009 Illini Recruit) hitting 3 free throws to put his team up by one with 4 seconds to go. Then Jereme Richmond (2010 Illini Recruit) calmly nails a shot from half court to win the game at the buzzer. Paul finished with 27 points and Richmond had 31 in the Class 4A Sectional title game. Here's another view from behind the basket. It's not as good of a video, but the audio of the crowd is pretty wild.

Thanksgiving Feast

Peoria Wildlife Park

We went to the Peoria Wildlife Park on the last weekend before they closed since we had free tickets that were expiring. As you can tell, it was very cold. It was really nice, but it will be better to visit when the weather is better. We talked with one of the rangers there that was working in the visitor's center. He was telling us about his least favorite animal in the park. It was the large bear they had. He showed the kids his missing leg because the bear attacked him several years ago. It made a big impression on the kids!

Grogan Groupies

Last fall Brandon and I were both reading books by John Grogan. We had a contest to see who could finish it first and I won! I did cheat by hiding his book from him. He is definately a better reader than I am!