Happy December 23 Festivus Day I thought all along that I was standing alone at this holiday cross roads but you all have with great humor and hysterical examples really helped to take the edge off holiday decorating for meÂthanks. Well as always truth is much stranger than fiction, I canÂt believe I spent time fretting over the issue of having to un decorate our tree. How could it not have dawned on me when I was hanging little Lady Apples on the tree that Basil our 100 lb lab with a big appetite and the uncanny ability to spring jump 6-7 feet high from a standing position would be more than happy to undecorated for us. The funny thing was we found all of the ornament hooks that I had used to hang the apples lined up all in a row on his bed in the same fashion a party guest would line up appetizer tooth picks on their plate. The tree is now looking dry, sparse, and tired I have replaced the apples with millet and as long as the dog doesnÂt develop a taste for bird food we might have something to gather around on Christmas morning. My sister the tropical lurker came across this link and wanted me to share it with you all. Now a Festivus Pole/ De Lighter marketed together could make for one great holiday combo package. Here is a link that might be useful: 'Seinfeld' Spurs Festivus Pole Sales

You could also try using furniture sliders, similar to the attached link. I used a set of large ones yesterday actually to move one of my ETs. If you don't have those, you could try using old cardboard, but it has to have the 'smooth' surface on it (glossy kind of). Not just 'cardboard'. Not sure if that makes sense. I use them all the time, for moving big bookshelves and bookcases - just make sure the 'smooth' side is down. And definitely, because of weight of them, try and get help to do it. Good luck! :) Here is a link that might be useful: Example of furniture sliders

You need to determine if your wood floors are wood and you need to clean the wood, or if they are polyurethane coated and you just need to clean the poly coating. My Martha Stewart Homekeeping handbook says: Poly coated flooring: Dry sweep for daily maintenance. When needed, use mild cleaning agent mixed per manufacturers instructions. She says vinegar mix is 1/4 cup white vinegar to 1 quart water. For waxed wood floors, Martha's book says (paraphrased): Apply paste wax with 0000 steel wool or cotton cloth. Smooth a thin coating on...or apply liquid wax using wax applicator (lambswool head). When wax starts to dry/harden, buff with rotary buffer to a shine. Buff monthly to revive shine. When buffing fails, re-wax where needed. There's a lot more info on waxed wood, but that was the basic info based on your Q. ************************** I've only had personal experience with poly-coated wood floors, and I agree with previous poster & Martha on that. I always took about 1 quart water with about 1/2 teaspoon dish soap. Wring out your damp cloth VERY well. Don't let water bead up. Spot clean tougher areas on hands & knees. Never had waxed wood. Just relaying that info because I just happened to have the Martha book in reaching distance & looked it up. Gayle

Renee, you are right. I love buying things... household things that is (I couldn't care less about things like clothes or jewelry). I try to be practical about spending though... my car is 11 years old (and I will always pay cash for any future cars), my apartment is very simple and small (which doesn't help since I like to buy things and collect vacuums), and I don't even have cable (I get by with Netflix and Youtube... Youtube has Maude and and Mamma's Family, who could ask for more LOL). When I want something, I really debate whether or not it will improve my life and if I will use it enough to justify the cost. I try to read reviews, and write them if I buy the item. I actually enjoy watching infomercials! I love seeing the products demonstrated and hearing all the fabulous promises they make... then testing the item to see if it lives up to any of the hype and letting people know either way. I should get a job with consumer reports! I try not to be cheap, but I still want fun stuff. I never use my mandoline or pressure cooker, but I'm glad to have them in case I do want to. My family was cheap, and I try be as unlike them as possible. I had an ex that was cheap... he didn't even have measuring cups, mixing bowls, or a cutting board. He cut everything on plates (with super cheap serrated knives... the shiny ones that are on black plastic handles with no full tang). I did convince him to buy mixing bowls after I tried to make him a cheesecake for his birthday once. He had me mix the silly thing in his stock pot. I tried to avoid the sides with his 12 dollar Walgreens mixer (yuck... he texted me about a year after I deleted him from my life to ask which Kitchen Aid to buy, I told him he had the wrong number and that my name was Michelle, not Bobby, I'd just gotten this "new" number)... anyway, there were black specks in the cheesecake and I knew I didn't put pepper in it. The beaters hit the sides of the pan in spite of my careful efforts and knocked the teflon coating off. We went to Target and bought a full set of plastic and metal mixing bowls that day... and from then on I cooked anything I made for him in my own kitchen and just brought it over if I thought it would survive the two hour drive to his house... but I digress... I DID buy one last night. I didn't mean to, it just happened (kind of like when my BF "accidentally" finished my ice cream and didn't tell me about it, said it "just happened", how do you accidentally finish half a gallon of ice cream? I went to get some after and hard day of work and found that mother hubbard's cupboard was bare, I was so mad!) :o) I went to Wal-mart to get a new clothes hamper (the wires came out of mine after 5 years of over stuffing it) and when I saw the Yoshi blades for 20 dollars, I couldn't resist. I didn't have to pay shipping, and it would be easy to return if I hated it since Wal-mart is right across the street (if it wasn't I wouldn't shop there, but it's just too convenient). I haven't tried it yet, but I took it out and felt it and read the book. There are some things I don't like about it... it's not dishwasher safe (but I don't put any knives in the dishwasher anyway, except serrated steak and butter knives), you can only slice and not chop with it, you can't cut bones or hard cheese with it... I think those are all things that have to do with it being a ceramic knife, I know they are brittle and can chip easily. It looks really cool with the white blade and is super light weight. After I have spent some time getting acquainted with it and putting through its paces, I will report back on what I think of it. It is so new, it's hard to find reviews online right now. The few I've seen have been positive. It's weird because they say not to chop with it, but it's shaped like a santoku knife which is designed for chopping. They show chopping celery on the commercial, so maybe if I'm not to vigorous I can still chop some things, but I will always be scared of breaking the blade. I didn't expect it to stay sharp forever, but if it holds and edge longer than a metal knife I'll be happy. It won't replace my metal knives, but it may be a good supplement. They say if it gets dull they will send a new one, but I don't expect the company to be around in 5 years... most infomercial products/companies go away after a while (and then are reincarnated with a different name several years later). If I like it though, maybe this will be a good introductory ceramic knife and I can upgrade to a Kyocera when it wears or breaks. That's interesting about lettuce. Are you staying that those plastic lettuce knives are just a gimmick? Who knew? :O)