Great Gifts for guys

I could get down with some of these gifts. What the heck every guy loves a good knife!

***SEVEN LAST-MINUTE GIFTS HE'LL LOVE ***

Guys are notorious for waiting until the week before Christmas to buy gifts. But let's be honest . . . women do it too. If you're still looking for something for the man in YOUR life, here are seven last-minute gifts that he'll love . . .

#1.) A POKER SET. Even if he's not a big card player, every guy should have one. You can get a set for under $20, but if you splurge on one with a classy case and properly weighted chips, you'll get to watch him smile even wider.

#2.) A STUB HUB GIFT CERTIFICATE. StubHub.com's a great website that offers discounted tickets to sporting events and concerts all over the country. It's hard to predict WHEN he'll be able to go, but a gift certificate lets him choose what he sees and when. You can get a gift certificate at StubHub.com for anywhere between $25 and $500.

#3.) A SWISS ARMY KNIFE. He probably has an old one sitting in the back of his sock drawer . . . but rest assured . . . it's NOTHING like this. For $80, you can buy him the new "Swiss Flash".

#4.) A HOT-SAUCE-OF-THE-MONTH MEMBERSHIP. For whatever reason, guys LOVE hot sauce. So, if you want to get him something he'll enjoy every day . . . or if you just want to torture him for the next six months . . . SweatNSpice.com can do it for $140.

#5.) A BATH ROBE. It'll keep him warm every time he takes a shower in the morning, but he'd probably never think to buy one for himself. To spice things up, wear it when you give it to him . . . and don't wear anything else underneath.

#6.) ESPN'S "ULTIMATE REMOTE". It's not cheap, but it's also not a normal remote control. For $300, it controls all of his electronics . . . gives him access to updated stats and scores . . . and even lets him browse the Internet.



#7.) THE GODFATHER TRILOGY. It's always a popular gift this time of year . . . and that's because 99% of men LOVE IT. A new version with more perks just came out, and you can buy it basically anywhere.

(Cosmopolitan.com)

My top 12 All-Time Christmas Songs

John Kraft and I talked about our all time favorite Top 12 Christmas songs of all time. Here is my list, a little new and a little old.

12) One Night a Year Barbara Mandrell
11) Deck the Halls Shedaisy
10) Santa Baby Madonna
9) One Bright Start Nicollete Larson
8) Christmas Canon Trans-Siberia Orchestra
7) Hark the Herald Angles Sing Amy Grant
6) The Christmas Song Nat King Cole
5) The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Andy Williams
4) When a Child is Born Kenny Rogers
3) O Holy Night Martina McBride
2) The Magic of Christmas Celine Dion
1) O Holy Night Josh Groban (I still get a lump in my throat when I hear this!)


Merry Christmas Everyone!

Excuses to get out of school

I thought you might enjoy some excuses that parents have submitted for why there children missed school.

Rick

Rinkworks.com offers these school excuse notes parents have written for their kids:
"My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him."
"Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick, and I had her shot."
"Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating."
"Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33."
"Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip."
"John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face."
"Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part."
"Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins."
"Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side."
"Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels."
"Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak."
"Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust."
"Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault."
"Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday."
"Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral."
"My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines."
"Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well."
"Please excuse Mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps."
"Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover."
"Please excuse Burma, she has been sick and under the doctor."

Pretzel Dip Recipe

I talked about a recipe that we love at our house. Here it is.

Ruby Red Pretzel Dip
1 can (16 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tbls all purpose flour
1 tbls cold water
In a saucepan combine the first seven ingredients, and wisk over medium heat until smooth. Combine flour and water and mix until smooth. Add flour mixture to crandberry mixture and wisk well. Bring to boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Serve with your favorite pretzels.

This is a great dip that is not sour cream based and is perfect for the holidays!!! Enjoy!

Holiday Mail for Heroes

The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have teamed up to send holiday cards to members of the Armed Services in the United States and across the world. From now until December 12th you can send a holiday card with a message of thanks to service people. Last year over 600,000 cards were delivered to military bases and hospitals. What a great thing to do for the people responsible for protecting our freedom! Here is the address for you to send you cards and best wishes.

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Top Ten Things Overheard at the White House

I was reading through my show prep last night when I came across this that was written by one of the very talented people at the service. I laughed so hard I almost wet myself. Here is the list of the top ten things heard at the White House when the President Elect met the current President.....Enjoy!

***TOP THINGS OVERHEARD AT PRESIDENT BUSH'S MEETING WITH BARACK OBAMA***



--Here, just take my wallet, but please don't hurt my family.

--But seriously, brother. Where's Osama?

--So, like how far can those ears actually hear?

--What do you mean I have to move?

--Obama, that's Irish, right? Like "O'Reilly" and "O'Hara", right?

--Hire that Colin Powell guy. You can get him to go along with ANYTHING.

--Hey, wanna see a hilarious video of Saddam being hung?

--Nice to meet you. My wife and I love your music.

--Look at us. Two guys . . . standing here . . . both of us hoping to achieve something as president.

--Obama? They told me I was hosting a president named "Elect".

Weekend without smoke

This past weekend my wife, daughter and I went to our old home in Marshfield for some visiting and R & R. We had a great time hanging with friends and going out for dinner and drinks. Except there was something missing. At first I couldn't put my finger on it but after two nights out at diners and bars I realized what it was.....NO SMOKE! The city of Marshfield like Madison and several other cities around the state have banned public smoking. Now, while I feel a little pity towards the smokers, I myself LOVE IT! For years we stopped going out because we always hated that coming home and having to shower before we went to bed just to avoid the dreaded smoky pillow syndrome. I respect a person's right to smoke as much as they want in private. However in public is a completely different animal. Smoking unlike drinking, eating, or other activities that are held in public effect everyone within the smell of your Camel. People suffer from asthma, allergies and other ailments that are often triggered by cigarette smoke. So what do you think? Should smokers be allowed to smoke wherever they want? Or so you think a public smoking ban is good for everyone. I'm sure of one think, it was the most enjoyable time I have had in a bar in a long time.