AMBER ALERT - Jessica Ridgeway

The following Amber Alert has issued out of Westminster, Colorado:

Missing from: Westminster, Colo.
Missing Date: Oct. 5, 2012, 12 a.m. MST
Issued for: Colorado Statewide
Contact: Westminister Police Department – Telephone 303-658-4360
Last seen: Mother saw child leaving for school walking to friend’s home. Jessica never arrived at her friends home or at the school.
Missing Child: Jessica Ridgeway
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Skin Color: White
Age: 10 years old
Height: 4 feet 10 inches
Weight: 80 pounds
Gender: Female
Description: The child was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black puffy jacket with pink lining, purple eyeglasses, and black boots with pom-poms. The child has shoulder length hair.

Jessica was last seen walking to school at 8:30 a.m. Friday. 
     
Police say 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway normally meets a friend at a park before heading to school. But she never made it to that park or to Witt Elementary after she left her home, near 107th Avenue and Moore Street.

Jessica's mother didn't immediately realize she was missing. The mother works the night shift and slept through calls from school officials to tell her Jessica hadn't arrived.

I hope and pray that she is found soon and that she is alright. 

Obama Fails To Bring His A Game To The Debate

 

 



There's always the morning after and it isn't always pretty.  Perhaps you don't remember what happened the night before or maybe you wish you couldn't remember.  I wonder which side of the bed President Obama is waking up on this morning.  After Obama's performance last night I'm guessing he wishes for a mulligan.

In the debate last night Romney appeared confident and displayed strong body language. He made good eye contact with Obama and rarely looked down.

Obama's performance on the other hand was lackluster and rambling. He looked disinterested and bored. Obama rarely looked at Romney, instead he often looked down at his podium and would nod in agreement with Mitt Romney's points.

Today the media is forced to take a good look at the Manchurian candidate and ask themselves what went wrong.  How was it that the smartest man ever to be President of the United States appear to be hesitant and inarticulate?  Obviously this does not fit the Obama narrative of his superior oratory skills.

The press have many different answers as to the cause of this calamity.  Perhaps Obama should have spent less time having a pizza party with his Las Vegas campaign staff, shooting hoops with his friends and taking a trip to Hoover Dam and more time practicing for the debate.

While talking with "Current TV", Gore explained, "Obama arrived in Denver at 2 p.m. today - just a few hours before the debate started. Romney did his debate prep in Denver. When you go to 5,000 feet, and you only have a few hours to adjust - I don't know."

If you ask Michael Eric Dyson you may learn that it was the fear of being seen as an “angry black man” held Obama back from forcefully debating and possibly winning last night’s contest.
One last question, Chris Matthews, do you still get a tingle up your leg when you hear Obama speak?

Romney you have two more debates.  Keep coming to them like you did last night and Obama can retire to his new Hawaiian retreat with his lovely family.  Remember to vote November 6th. 

Rachel Ray Nutrish Naturally Delish – Product Review

Like so many other people, our dog Atlas is not just a pet, he is a part of our family. That’s one of the reasons we care about what we feed him.

Recently the people at Rachel Ray sent me some samples of their Nutrish Naturally Delish wet food for our prima donna to try. When I learned that these delicious stews re made with simple,

wholesome ingredients like tender meats and veggies plus essential vitamins and minerals I felt it was worthy of our little boy.

When I read the label for the Naturally Delish Chicken Muttballs with Pasta I learned that Naturally Delish Wet Dogfood:

* Contains Real meat cuts
* Has No artificial flavors
* Contains No artificial colors
* Has No preservatives
* Uses No meat fillers or by-products, corn or wheat.

Rachel Ray Nutrish Naturally Delish comes in four hearty and healthy flavors:
* Nutrish Naturally Delish Chicken Paw Pie
* Nutrish Naturally Delish Hearty Beef Stew
* Nutrish Naturally Delish Savory Lamb Stew
* Nutrish Naturally Delish Chicken Muttballs with Pasta

If I wasn’t sold on Naturally Delish before I was then but the real test is Atlas. Will he like Naturally Delish? He definitely did and he could blame him? After conferring with the master of the house, I mean Atlas, we give Rachel Ray Naturally Delish four paws up and a happy tail wag. Atlas gives following his paw of approval and thinks your dog will like them too.

Nutrish is available in most grocery stores and Walmart, at an average retail price of $1.89 – $2.09. Complete listings can be found by visiting www.NutrishForPets.com

In keeping with the FTC rules I would like to inform you that I received no financial compensation for this post. The people at Rachel Ray provided me with the product described above for review. Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. When in doubt consult a veterinarian for help. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Double Checking - A Heart Like His

 

Once again, David inquired of the LORD, and the LORDDD answered him (1Samuel 23:4)

What do you do when you’re uncertain about a situation?  What’s your typical decision-making strategy?

In the past I will admit that when I was in an uncertain situation I polled friends and family as to the course I should take.   I often worry and spend an inordinate amount of time thinking through worst case scenarios.

Now when I find myself in a situation where I feel overwhelmed and don’t know what course to take I try seeking guidance from GOD.  Trust me this paradigm shift has not been an easy one but I feel I’m getting stronger every day. 

Are you comfortable enough in GOD’s grace to ask Him honest questions without fear of offending Him?  If not what do you think makes us afraid to?

For believers, we are not offending God by asking legitimate questions about the Christian faith. Asking questions is not the same as unbelief. Asking honest questions will get us honest answers

Some wrongly assume that asking questions shows signs of weakness.  The truth is that human understanding is not the same as GOD understands.  GOD understands this so he understands that we sometimes need an interpretation of his will. 

Bored No More! Quiz Book – American Girl Book Review

It’s the phrase that makes a parent cringe. “Mom, I’m bored.”  Say good-bye to a wasted day and hello to something entertaining with the book, Bored No More! Quiz Book from American Girl. 

Girls will love this super-fun book filled with quizzes to blast away the bores and snores.  Through their answers to the quiz questions, girls will discover a game, activity, or craft that’s perfect for them.  Your child can try the activities on her own or with a friend, for indoors or outdoors, related to school or just for fun, or to do with the family.

There are 19 different activities.  I love the conversation starters that are at the end of each chapter as well story starters.  Because this book allows your child to explore her creative style I give this book a perfect four stars. 
 

American Girl books are available wherever books are sold, as well as through American Girl's consumer catalogue, at americangirl.com, and at American Girl retail stores.  To place an order or request a free American Girl catalogue; call 1-800-845-0005.

In keeping with the FTC rules I would like to inform you that I received no financial compensation for this post. The people at American Girl provided me a copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Picture Yourself Here – American Girl Book Review

 

I just received the Picture Yourself Here from the people at American Girl.  In the book Picture Yourself Here girls can explore wacky ways to have fun, snap photos of the fun and then turn the pictures into silly scenes.  Punch-out illustrations and captions will help girls get started on their art pages.  The book includes dozens of activities in a variety of themes—from food and fashion to seasons and sports.  When the readers have finished, their books will be one-of-a-kind works of art. 

If you have a young girl that enjoys taking photographs, this book can provide a way to display her photography.  The book also introduces the hobby of scrapbooking to your child. 

As usual the thing I love most about American Girl Books is that it gives your child a chance to explore her creative side.  For this reason, the Thrifty Maven it’s no wonder that I give Picture Yourself Here four photogenic flash bulbs, I mean stars. 

American Girl books are available wherever books are sold, as well as through American Girl's consumer catalogue, at americangirl.com, and at American Girl retail stores. To place an order or request a free American Girl catalogue; call 1-800-845-0005.

In keeping with the FTC rules I would like to inform you that I received no financial compensation for this post. The people at American Girl provided me a copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Once, Twice, Three Times To Disney

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.  (Hey that would make great lyrics for a song wouldn’t it?) 

I think people who sweep tend to be dreamers.  We dream of winning cruises, cash, computers, and so much more.  In my previous posts I told you how I was able to win not one but two happily ever after trips to the magic kingdom.  Never could I have imagined that I could win another trip to Disney but I did.

When I learn about a contest or sweepstakes one thing I love to do is to read the prizes offered.  Sometimes the prizes are trips to faraway places or maybe a band new car.  I honestly can’t help but imagine myself winning even though I realize that the odds are certainly not in my favor.

I’ll be honest; the first thing I noticed about the ESPN Guys Guys Weekend Sweepstakes was that all the major prizes gave you flowers from 1-800-Flowers.com.  I simply love flowers and the possibility of winning the grand prize and receiving flowers every month for a year was so exciting. 

The fact that the grand prize also consisted of a trip to Disney World seemed too good to be true.  I’d already won two trips to Disney how could I possibly win another trip?  It was all too mind-boggling. 

To enter you had to vote each day on the Wow Moment of the Day in Sports poll question by agreeing with one of the moments or submitting your own.  I entered faithfully every day and dreamed of winning flowers.  When the sweepstakes was over I pushed my dream aside as one that was nice to imagine but it was finally time to wake up and smell the flowers because I didn’t even win the 1-800-Flowers.com Arrangement of the Month 3 Month Bouquet Club. 

It turns out I spoke too soon.  When I had won my second trip to Disney the judging agency had tried to reach me by phone, email, and finally by Fed-Ex before they finally let me know I had won.  In this particular case, the sponsor had messaged me through Facebook several times and then as a last ditch effort wrote me an email through my Thrifty Maven blog.

When I contacted them I learned I had WON the Grand Prize.  I was so excited about the flowers I almost forgot all the other great things included in the prize.  So let me share with you what I won.

Grand Prize: A Guy's Guy Weekend including a trip for two to meet ESPN Radio personalities at ESPN Audio's Guy's Guys Weekend at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL from March 1 - 4, 2012. The trip includes airfare, 4 days at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, a Welcome Reception including dinner, drinks, and fireworks, a "Drive Time" night NASCAR racing experience at Richard Petty Racing, optional 18-holes of Golf at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course, a Saturday afternoon Atlanta Braves baseball game at the Champion Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and !iViva Los Guys! "Casino" Night. The winner will also receive a 1-800-Flowers Arrangement of the Month 12 Month Bouquet Club, Stock Yards The Twelve-Month Club, and a Sony PS3 Sports Champions Move HW Bundle. (ARV: $10,498.71)

I was in thrilled and shocked all at the same time.  I was hoping that my husband would be just as excited about the prize and he was, about parts of it at least.  You see my husband is not a Disney Dad.  I will not repeat the things he says about Disney in mixed company but suffice it to say that he would be happy to never visit Disney again as long as he lives.  I guess you could say we’re a mixed marriage.

People often ask me what was my favorite win and that can be a difficult question to answer.  I really loved when I won Redskin football tickets from a local radio station when my son was about 13 years old.  The tickets alone were a godsend considering at the time we were really struggling with me going to school and working two jobs.  The prize was even better than that because it included a limo ride to the game and we actually got to sit on the field on the press bench.  How amazing is that?