Thanksgiving is a great holiday for family and friends to get together. Some favorite Thanksgiving Day activities include watching the parade, watching football, playing football, and of course eating. I want to make sure that the person (or people) working to prepare the delicious Thanksgiving Day turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pie can relax and enjoy the day as well without spending the whole day in the kitchen.

Of course planning out the meal and coming up with a schedule of when to cook and bake is important. My mom used to believe that she needed to make everything fresh that day; until one day she finally realized “I can bake the desserts a day or two early!”. Also take inventory of the refrigerator and pantry. Throw away bad food, and make room for what will need to go in (during preparation and for the yummy leftovers). Make a list of everything to cook and the ingredients, and then go to the store. My mom and I found it helpful to set the table early - 2 days in advance or the night before. Also take out the serving dishes and utensils; decide which dish will go into each bowl and platter before cooking.

The turkey (and for some, the stuffing) is the main focus of Thanksgiving, so let’s use the right tools to cook the perfect meal. Take time to marinate the turkey. Try a Marinating Tray as opposed to letting the turkey marinate simply on a plate. The marinating tray tenderizes the meat and fills the turkey with the full flavor it deserves. For a second, let’s talk about stuffing (my brother could have a full Thanksgiving stuffing dinner without the turkey). The best way to make stuffing, whether from scratch or from a box, is to cook it inside the turkey. But to actually stuff the turkey is time consuming, and even messy. A Turkey Stuffing Cage can alleviate the turkey stuffing frustration. Just put the stuffing into the turkey stuffing cage, fit the cage in the turkey, cook and remove. The turkey stuffing cage makes the stuffing side of turkey easy. Once the turkey is ready to cook, think ahead, “How am I going to get this turkey out of the pan and onto the serving plate?” I have a solution - the Turkey Silicone Sling. Place the turkey silicone sling under the turkey and into the oven. It is heat resistant and durable, and can transfer the turkey from the roasting pan to the platter or cutting board without any worry or mess. Last but not least, let’s not forget that a turkey can take hours to cook, so why not cut that time in half with the Half Time Turkey Cooker? The half time turkey cooker metal rods cook the turkey in about half the amount of time without the turkey drying out or losing flavor.

Good luck with the Thanksgiving Day cooking!

A few posts ago, I showed you Barack Obama’s appearance on Saturday Night Live which was quite entertaining. Today, I would like to show you Sarah Palin’s skit on Saturday Night Live. While Sarah Palin is actually part of the joke, she is able to participate in the humor along with Tina Fey. Check out the Sarah Palin Saturday Night Live video clip below:

The latest innovation in make-up is here. For the women (and men) who are always buying the newest items, for those who long for longer lashes in a flash, Lancôme has come out with the mascara that is all the buzz…literally! Lancôme now has a vibrating mascara called Ôscillation.

Lancôme calls the new vibrating mascara “Powermascara”. Why is that? Well, Lancôme Ôscillation Mascara vibrates 7000 oscillations per minute, and claims to give 360-degree coverage around each lash. The vibrations of the Ôscillation mascara are said to separate lashes, make them look as if they have multiplied, and look even longer. So Lancôme says with just one push of a button, its brand new Lancôme Ôscillation Mascara will do everything we want our mascara to do, including vibrate.

What is the catch? Well, you will certainly need to try the Lancôme Ôscillation Mascara to see if it is worth $34 per tube (and you need batteries). So now, we have the option of purchasing the Lancôme Ôscillation Mascara for $34, or for less than half the price (including batteries), you can try the Spin Lash. The Spin Lash spins in both directions to separate, coat, and lengthen each lash like Lancôme Ôscillation Vibrating Mascara.

We are nearing the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with only 9 days left. There is still plenty we can do in these 9 days to fight against breast cancer.

Taylor Gifts is still doing what we can. Our promotion to donate a percentage of sales is still going on, and will continue through the end of October. By clicking on this link, Taylor Gifts Breast Cancer Awareness, and making any purchase we will send a percentage of that sale to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

This weekend I am participating in Strike For the Cure (thank goodness bowling skill is not essential to raise money for this event). I will be bowling with friends as our way to help support the fight against breast cancer.

See what you can do by going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and/or going to Taylor Gifts Breast Cancer Awareness to help support breast cancer awareness.

With the help of my Taylor Gifts co-workers and fellow blogger, at fuzzypinkslippers.com, I was able to come up with the Taylor Gifts Top 10 Scary Movie list. It started out with a list of about 30 amazing scary movies, and we narrowed it down to 10. Here is what we picked; let me know what you think:
1. The Exorcist (1973)
2. Psycho (1960)
3. The Shining (1980)
4. The Omen (1976)
5. Halloween (1978)
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
7. Friday the 13th (1980)
8. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
9. Scream (1996)
10. Candyman (1992)
So now, go ahead, pop some popcorn, grab a seat on the couch, and see how many of these scary movies you can watch.

Winter is coming soon and the temperatures are beginning to drop. Stay warm with our favorite cozy items!

1. Snuggie Fleece - This fleece blanket has sleeves so you can snuggle up, still use your arms, and not be cold.
2. Heated Vest - The battery-powered heated vest keeps you warm outside without being restricted or weighed down by many layers.
3. Pajama Warmer - Just 15 minutes in this warming pouch and your pajamas (socks, towels, gloves) are toasty warm to go to bed.
4. Electric Fireplace Insert - Keep the room warm and enjoy a nice “fire” without the wood, ash, or real flames.
5. Heated Car Seat Cushion - Get in your car and warm up fast without turning your car on to wait for the heat.

Many pet owners don’t realize the importance of regular nail trimming to their pet’s health. If you’ve been shaking your head over the television ads for the latest pet-care craze, the Pedi Paws, you might be surprised to learn just how important it is to keep your dog, cat or other pet’s nails carefully trimmed.

Why your dog needs regular nail trims
That clicking you hear when your pup walks across the tile or wood floor could be doing far more damage than you think, and not only to your gorgeous floors. The dog injuries that result from untrimmed nails range from torn nails to arthritis.

A dog’s nails curve as they grow out. If they’re not trimmed, they’ll eventually curl under the foot where they can dig into sensitive paw pads and cause pain. If you’ve ever had an ingrown toenail, you can imagine how painful that is for your poor pup.

Even worse, dogs actually walk on their toes. When their nails dig painfully into their paw pads, they tend to compensate for the difficulty walking by resting their weight further back on the paw. Just as wearing the wrong shoes can result in backaches and sore knees in humans, trying to walk with uncomfortably long nails can cause joint pain and discomfort for your dog. In the worst case scenario, it can contribute to the development of arthritis and other joint problems.

In addition, long nails are more likely to be torn or injured by impact or by catching in carpets, sweaters or upholstery. When that happens, the outer enamel of the nail can tear away and expose the inner tissue, called the quick. When the quick is deprived of its protective keratin, it’s prone to infection that can travel into the dog’s foot and blood.

Your cat needs regular nail trimming, too
Like dogs, cats have claws that grow in a curve and can curl under their paw pads if they’re left untrimmed. Trimming a cat’s claws offers extra benefits, though. Cats are notorious for destroying furniture by using the upholstery as a scratching post. Scratching is an instinctive behavior, and while most people think the intent is to sharpen the claws, it’s because they have scent pads in their feet, and scratching is a way to mark their territory.

Because the scratching is so destructive, many owners of indoor cats used to choose to de-claw their kittens. However, this leaves the cat defenseless if it happens to get outside. It’s illegal in many European countries, and there is a push to make it illegal in the United States.

When you keep your cat’s claws trimmed short, it actually reduces the urge for them to claw furniture. Removing the sharp point also allows the cat to “scratch” without destroying furniture and upholstery. In addition, keeping the claws trimmed reduces the chance that your cat will catch a claw in the screen or upholstery and injure itself trying to get away.

Rabbits, birds and small animals also need nail trimming
Birds use their claws for perching. When the nails grow long and gnarled, it interferes with their ability to perch safely. In addition, long nails can easily catch in carpeting and clothing, with the risk of injuring the nail or the toe when trying to pull away.

Rabbits, guinea pigs and other exotic small pets also need regular nail trimming to prevent injuries both to themselves and their owners.

No matter what kind of pets you own, you have two choices when it comes to trimming their nails. The first is to have it done professionally by your veterinarian or pet groomer. Your other choice is to trim your pet’s nails at home. There are a number of tools on the market that can help you trim your pet’s nails easily at home. The newest pet grooming tool on the market is the Pedi Paws pet nail trimmer, which makes trimming pets’ nails easy and painless for both pet and owner.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we see pink everywhere. Everywhere we turn there is a simple way to help support the fight against breast cancer. Whether we go into a store and make a pink purchase, make a donation, join a walk, or purchase an item from somewhere where a percentage of proceeds goes towards breast cancer awareness, we cannot deny that it is easy to help find a cure.

I felt that we, at Taylor Gifts, needed to join the fight against breast cancer, as I and many others know someone who has once been diagnosed with breast cancer. While we do sell a Pink Ribbon Ornament, we decided to do more. By clicking on this link Taylor Gifts Breast Cancer Awareness, and making a purchase, we will donate a percentage of the sale to Susan G. Komen for the Cure throughout the month of October. Please help us fight for the breast cancer cure.

If you are interested in learning more about Breast Cancer Awareness, and also what you can do to participate in breast cancer awareness I provided a few links below.

Here you can find Breast Cancer Statistics: www.networkofstrength.org

Here you can find info about Susan G. Komen for the Cure: www.komen.org

No matter what we do to help, it is important we do what we can. Making just one purchase at Taylor Gifts will help in finding a cure for breast cancer. Get involved, get your friends and family involved, and do what you can this pink October to support breast cancer awareness all month long.

It is fall now, and people not only decorate for Halloween once October rolls around, but they are decorating for fall. I have seen pumpkins, scarecrows, mums, gourds, cornstalks, and so much more! The problem, however, is that once these delicious decorations are placed squirrels want to feast on the food left outside. So how can we save our fall decorations without harming the squirrels?

On my ride into work this morning the DJ on the radio had the squirrel eating her pumpkins issue, and passed along some valuable information that she received last year. She suggested putting tabasco sauce on the pumpkins to keep the squirrels from eating them. She said it works well. So naturally, when I got to my computer this morning I immediately began to research how to keep squirrels away from pumpkins. On almost every site I went to the tabasco sauce trick was mentioned.

Aside from the Cordless Outdoor Repeller found at Taylor Gifts, I found these 2 sites that give interesting information on tips to protecting your plants from squirrels:
Ezinearticles.com
Ghorganics.com

If you love pumpkins, and like to hear about different things to do with pumpkins you should visit Denise’s Blog, as she has decided to blog about pumpkins throughout the month of October.

I think we can win the Pumpkin vs. Squirrel battle with these few tips. So keep on decorating for fall!

It’s the beginning of October, and before you know it kids will need their Halloween costumes for school and trick-or-treating, and adults will be looking for the perfect costume for the 2008 Halloween Party. So instead of putting it off until the day before you need the costume and making the ghost costume out of a sheet (like you may have done the year before), start thinking about it now and get the perfect costume for Halloween this year.

There are so many different ideas out there, almost any costume is possible to make (and probably available). If you’re creative, I am sure you have already been thinking about how to make your awesome Halloween costume. For those less creative, the internet is a great tool. You can go to websites like Costume Idea Zone to help you come up with an idea for a Halloween costume, and also tips on how you can make it yourself.

Halloween is a fun day for everyone, so have fun with it. Start thinking about yours, or someone else’s costume now so you don’t have to rush later. And if you’re more into buying your costume more than you are making it, Taylor Gifts has some fun Halloween costumes you can buy like the whoopie cushion, a banana, and more!