Order a Singing Valentine for your Sweetheart!

 What a fabulous idea….

Let’s all support the Sound of New England Chorus this Valentine’s Day!

Let a quartet from the Sound of New England Chorus show someone special that you’re thinking of them on Valentine’s Day. Quartets travel to offices, homes, schools, restaurants and hospitals to deliver your message in 4-part female a cappella harmony.

Call to schedule your singing telegram to be delivered live and in person throughout Connecticut and western Massachusetts or we’ll call your sweetie over the phone for a phone telegram!

Monday, February 14th, 9:00am – 9:00pm

$35 for two songs, a personalized card, and an adorable teddy bear. Or, send one song by phone anywhere in the U.S. for $20.

Baby New Year

I cannot deny my love for anything chubby and cute.  I’ve always loved Baby New Year but recently realized that I don’t know anything about the little cherub’s history; enjoy!

 

 

“The tradition of a “Baby New Year” is said to have started in Greece around 600 BC. In celebration of Dionysus, god of wine, a baby in a basket represented the annual rebirth of the god as the spirit of fertility. An obvious correlation, today Baby New Year symbolizes the young year, and old Father Time reminds us how the year has aged. However, it was the 14th century Germans who are credited with having a New Year’s banner with the image of a baby as a symbol of the New Year (Thanks Jeanne Benedict for the info!).”

 

Here’s to a productive 2011 to you and yours. 

 

I hope you bring in the New Year with a celebration, just as this Baby New Year would.

Happy Feet & Happy Holidays

This is one of my favorite clips from Happy Feet…perfect for hip-hop and animal lovers alike. Enjoy

 

Crayons for Cancer

This weekend I had the opportunity to meet Emily, the little hero who started Crayons for Cancer at six years old!

Help spread the word about this wonderful organization!

Who they support:

Crayons for Cancer is a charity that raises money to help ease the financial burdens of families whose children are currently suffering from the devastating effects of cancer.Crayons for Cancer helps

How they do it:

Crayons for Cancer collects old, broken crayons from families, classrooms, and restaurants.  The crayons are then peeled (at Crayon Peeling Parties), placed into molds, and melted down into fun shapes.

What’s the end result?   BIG, colorful crayons shaped as animals, flowers, legos, hearts, stars, insects, and etc.  The Crayons are sold for $1.00 at different locations all over the state.

How you can help:

• Donate your old crayons!  I will come pick up your broken old Crayolas for Crayons for Cancer!  Feel free to email me at jfwirtz@ft.newyorklife.com for more information.
• Look into hosting a Crayon Peeling Party in your community today…a great idea for Community Service!
• Help their cause today!

Give a Gift that Gives Back

If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping (or started it like me) you’ve got to check this out!

The CT Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association is selling Pandora/Troll beads to support their cause!

Alzheimer’s is the 7th leading cause of death; let’s all put a stop to this devastating disease.  Our family has been greatly affected by Alzheimer’s, and its victims are shockingly young.  “In the United States, 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and a new individual is diagnosed with the disease every 70 seconds.”

To order your bead, call the Connecticut Alz. Chapter at 860-828-2828 and ask for Patty. For more information on the fundraiser, you can check out their website here.  Follow them on Twitter @AlzCT

Turducken

Straight from Sugaryum.com:

Turducken (n.)- A deboned turkey that’s stuffed with a deboned duck that’s stuffed with a deboned chicken. The cavity of the chicken is usually filled with sausage, breadcrumbs, or stuffing. Born in the South in the 1980s, it can be braised, roasted, grilled, or barbecued.

Of course, everyone loves to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipe, but I had to share this interesting hybrid-bird-creature that spiced up our Thanksgiving!  Naturally, I thought the whole thing was a joke when I heard that a turducken would be the highlight of our holiday meal.

Above is a photo of the bird(s) once it (they) had been cut in half.  The half turducken fed nine adults!  You can see the different layers, complete with a spinach and cornbread stuffing.  Sugaryum.com, I don’t love the word “cavity” in the definition of anything that I’m eating…but the spinach stuffing was incredible.

I must say, it was delicious…but definitely an interesting addition to the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday!