Turkey Day is coming! It’s amazing but my salivary glands start grinning when I even think about Turkey Day. It’s not just the Turkey either. It’s the whole shebang; turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas and mushrooms, fresh dinner rolls and real butter!

Yeah, I hear a few of you out there saying, “What about cranberries?” I save my sweet tooth for the Pumpkin Pie and Mincemeat pie with real whipped cream on top too!
Oh, again with the mumbling? “Mincemeat pie, who eats mincemeat pie? What is mince meat pie, anyway?”

Wiki says, The name ‘mincemeat’ comes from the original recipe. Up to the Victorian era the mince(meat) pie would actually have been a spiced meat pie with some dried fruit. Today the only remnant of the original meat is the inclusion of suet (dried beef or mutton fat).

Typically fillings today consist entirely of fruit-based mincemeat containing dried fruit such as raisins, currants, glace cherries, apricot, candied peel; spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg; nuts such as walnuts or chopped almonds; suet; and some kind of alcohol, usually either brandy or rum. Mince pies are suitable for vegetarians only if the suet is replaced by vegetable fat.

See, raisins, currants, glace cherries, apricot, candied peel; spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg; nuts such as walnuts or chopped almonds and suet, Mincemeat pie is not that bad. Well, I don’t know about suet but I like the rum or brandy idea!

There are a lot of other pies you can substitute and you can leave out the mushrooms and just have peas. Actually I know that there are a huge number of other “traditional” Thanksgiving Dinners with all sorts of substitutions flying this way and that. It’s not really the menu, it’s the celebration that’s important! Anything that brings families and friends together, to eat, drink and be merry is a real winner no matter what you eat.

It’s not that easy for everyone to get together these days. Life kind of has a way of separating families and friends. Jobs, school, we all have different paths that we follow. Some are luckier then others when the changes involve just a short distance. Others are separated by many miles and some even by oceans.

The economy being what it is today, makes it even harder for us to get together to celebrate. Although we seem to be blessed this year by unusually low gas prices (go figure, huh?) everything else is reaching for the sky.

We’ll make do. We always do. We’ll get in touch by phone or computer and wish each other well and we will be together in spirit if not in the flesh. Love always has a way to cross the boundaries that separate us. That’s the thing about families and friends. No matter where they are, they’re always there.

So Happy Thanksgiving! Wherever you are. Whoever you may be. As you set your tables this year. Be thankful for whatever is on it. Be thankful for life and loved ones. Think thoughts of peace and prosperity. Life may have it’s challenges, that’s what makes it interesting. We just have to be thankful for our ability to rise up to meet them. When you raise you glasses on Thanksgiving Day, give a toast to life and then eat a bunch of turkey for me!

By David Spangenburg

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Previously in Dog Treats Part 1.…

I heard a soft yip, it could’ve been a yap but it was so quiet I really couldn’t tell. She almost fell off of my chair as she did the wiener dance of victory. She had definitely found what she was looking for…….

Dog Treats Part 2

She left clicked the mouse once and then again. A pop page appeared and she leaned closer to the screen. So close, her nose fogged the glass and her mustache and beard were silhouetted against the bright display. She licked her lips like she does just before she bites me. She made a sound, a nasally sinister, expulsion of breath sort of like… “..eeh…eeh…eeh.” It’s kind of like the sound John McCain makes when he laughs. You know, like Burgess Meredith sounded when he laughed as the Joker on the original Batman TV series, “…eeh…eeh…eeh.”

It’s a really creepy sound and it was my cue to back out into the hall. I was a little shaky, not sure if I was dreaming this or not. Through it all I became aware of the reason I got out of bed in the first place. I continued on to the bathroom to complete my original mission.

On my way back I glanced nervously into the office but Scout was not there. Hunter was dark and my chair was back against the desk. When I got back to the bedroom, little Scout was lying in her bed as still as the night. Shaking my head I crawled back into bed right next to Kate, who mumbled in her sleep.

As I lay there I began to think that what I thought I’d seen was really just a dream. A by product of my nocturnal call of nature. After all Scout is smart but she really couldn’t manipulate my computer, could she? I know she can be a…devious little devil… but…she has…no opposable…thumbs….and it…seems…unlikely…………

As my last thoughts turned to sleep, I thought I heard a quiet little yip.  It could’ve been a yap. I wasn’t sure at all as I strained to remember the next morning while I was having my coffee. I didn’t say anything to Kate. I knew she would have told me I was crazy. Dogs…computers…sleep walking, that’s what it was.

After she left for work, I fed the dogs and watched a little news. I knew I was procrastinating about heading for the office. Scout appeared to be her normal morning self, playing with Merle’n and Mystic and annoying Papa Dog. I shook off my weird feelings and headed for the office.

So I sit down at Hunter and give his mouse a wiggle or two to wake him up. As the screen came to life, the first thing I saw was a popup page. It was from Gifts by Sasha and showed A Pink Plush Pet Carrier picture and the text, What pretty pet wouldn’t want to come along for the ride if they could travel in stylish comfort like this? I was, needless to say, speechless. My eyes read further, 19″ x 6 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ high.

My brain was trying to calculate when my ears heard a soft but ominous, “…eeh…eeh…eeh.” behind me. I slowly spun in my chair to find Scout standing in the door way. She had that strange smile on her little wiener lips As I looked closer I noticed she had my handy, 4-in-1 Tape Measure (with built in calculator and notepad, Item: 39675) lying at her feet. As I rose to begin measuring I heard a soft yip, it could’ve been a yap but it was so quiet I really couldn’t tell….
By David Spangenburg

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It was a bright and beautiful day, the air was kissed by fall.
Sunlight shone in such a happy way, I heard the Holidaze call.
‘Tis the season for hearth and home, to shine with festive living.
A time to decorate and to feast, a time of gifts and giving.

But alas I am not rich, my fortune is the poorest.
I can not Shoppe at the local fair, so I’ll travel the Ethernet forest
Beyond the Bog of Ill Repute, past the Castle where high prices thunder
Lay a magical Shoppe beyond compare, a place of awe and wonder!

So off I went my spirits high, though my pockets were low of cash…ah…
…to a place with treasures large and small, simply called Gifts By Sasha!
An enchanted spot amongst the commonplace, a jewel of a jewel of a store.
A collection of Gifts rare and wonderful, a compendium of fine Home Décor!

There were gifts of every kind, for everyone‘s surprises.
Also Holiday and Home Décor, at near wholesale prices!
Such a wondrous place it was, a place of happy shopping.
I found everything I needed to find, and I let my mouse do the walking.

So if your feeling the Holidaze spirits, rustling deep inside.
Remember that there is a place, that you can shop with pride
A magical Shoppe with everything, for anything or reason.,
Visit Gifts by Sasha and do it soon, for you know it ‘tis the season!

By David Spangenburg

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Gifts By Sasha is an online gift store that has many magical qualities where one can find excellent gifts and exquisite Home Décor at very affordable prices.

Hi, I’m Michael Goldman and as one of the happy family members at Gifts by Sasha,
I am proud to tell you about the many quality products available in our collections and the thoughtful customer service we take great pride in offering each and every visitor to our online Store!

In keeping with our ongoing efforts to provide the most complete customer service possible I will be providing more in-depth information on the various categories of our products.

We know that you all have been enjoying the humorous postings of David Spangenburg’s Blog. David has been taking us all on some amusing journeys and letting us see things from his sometimes twisted, always funny point of view! He will continue to be our tour guide into his unique world!

These additional posts will allow me to give a you a better idea of what is available in our collections and will hopefully convince you that you can trust us to help you with all your gift giving and Home Décor needs! They will also give me the opportunity to invite you all, personally,  to pay us a visit really soon to take advantage of the excellent buys we have to offer!

What better way to start then to speak about gifts for the holiday season. One can find very festive gifts for Halloween, Hanukkah and Christmas.

The items for Hanukkah range from serving items and placements, a Dreidel and more. I remember, very fondly, playing with dreidels in my youth and also cherish the memories of the fun times my children had playing with them.

For Christmas, you will find a wide range of gifts including a vast assortment of ornaments, figurines, dolls, stockings, bears, snow globes and much, much more.

To help in these tough economic times, we are offering a 10% off coupon to the first 50 people who register. This is in addition to our current wholesales pricing.

We hope that you will come visit us soon and become a part of the Gifts by Sasha family!

By: Michael Goldman

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I’ve been sitting here, with my trusty laptop Hunter, wondering “What the hell’s going on?” I’m, normally, a very optimistic person. I try to see the world in a half full kind of way. I figure that there is enough negativity on the planet so I try hard to keep it positive!
However, when you live in a world where a gallon of milk cost more then a gallon of GAS! You know that something’s, just not right! I can see oil shortages but cow shortages? There’s too much BS in this world, there can’t be cow shortages!

I’m a very frugal person (Kate calls me a tightwad). I love to save money and I do everything right to be able to. I use coupons, two for oners, 10 for $10 and all of the other money saving tricks that have been available but it just doesn’t seem to be enough anymore. No matter what we try, it seems like we’re just staying afloat. We used to be able to make ends meet and still have  little mad money left over but now…I don’t know about you but my wallet’s thinner than exclamation mark! As for savings…it’s pennies on the dollars!

Who would’ve thunk-it that in 2008 the middleclass, (the worker bee’s, whose taxes fuel our country’s engines) would be forced to pay more taxes to BAILOUT some of the richest IDIOTS in the world! It’s almost beyond comprehension! And, when you consider the fact that the reason the fat cats screwed up soo baad was all because of GREED! It makes you want to…well, lets just say that it makes you start thinking in a revolutionary kind of way! Even though, I don’t think that Americans really have the stomach for revolution. If the stomachs get empty enough, who knows where that will lead?

Speaking of stomachs. Grocery shopping use to be fun, a regular family event! Cruising the aisles, everyone looking for their favorites. Now, you spend more time with your calculator then you do looking for goodies. It’s almost…un-American. And, if it isn’t enough that things are too expensive, you are wondering all the while what items maybe tainted or tampered or just downright dangerous for your health!

Our tummies keep getting bigger as our bank accounts get smaller. Have you noticed that the least expensive food items are also the least nutritional? The frozen, prepared, full of Fat, full of Carbs and full of additives food-stuffs are the ones that we can afford. The frozen food aisle is packed with families and they ain’t looking for frozen veggies! Pizza’s, TV dinners, corndogs, egg rolls, frozen waffles,  all of them quick, easy and full of  the things that make you grow up BIG and strong(?)! According to ABOUT.COM, …almost two-thirds (about 66%) of U.S. adults age 20 or older are overweight — about 62% of women and around 71% of men. Nearly one-third (about 31%) of American adults are so overweight that they are considered obese, meaning they have a BMI greater than 30; that breaks down to about 33% of women and 30% of men. It’s almost like someone is trying to fatten up the masses. Hmmm…I wonder what for?

Another thing that bugs me is who figures out the prices they charge. Proportionally, they appear quite bizarre. Cereals, kids favorite start off the day item, are (pound for pound) more expensive than steaks! Vegetables keep getting more and more expensive even though the government is more than happy to keep paying farmers not to grow those very same vegetables but I guess we all know the principles of supply and demand.

Even though the US dollar is at its all time low, the optimist in me has to say that we’ll get by. We, worker bees, always do. We always figure out some way to make it work. Just you watch and see!
Even though times are tight we’ll still find a way to make the upcoming Holidaze bright! We’ll turn down our heaters a taste and drive our cars a little less and scrape together all that we can to make our families and friends thankful on Thanksgiving, jolly on Christmas and hopeful on New Years Day. We’ll do it because we are Middle Class Americans and if we can keep the country going we can sure as hell not let this crazy economy get us down!

We here at Gifts by Sasha are doing our part! We are keeping our prices close to wholesale even though our costs (like yours) keep rising. All the while still offering quality Gifts for all occasions, distinctive but affordable Holiday and Home Décor and thoughtful and caring service. With your continued support we will do our best to make sure that you are, getting your money’s worth! We promise to help you stretch your shrinking budget and make your Holidaze thankful, jolly and hopeful for the future!

Gifts For all Occasions

by David Spangenburg

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The full moon loomed, suspended in the sky like a swollen pupil less eyeball. It’s pale light dripping, spreading like a killing frost on the innocent neighborhood below.  A few of the houses were dark and silent, sitting like rotten teeth in the gapping mouth that was Bleaker Circle. Where they were feeding!

Muffled shrieks and howls were swallowed as the thick frigid night absorbed every sound like vacuum. Dark shadows creeping house to house leaving gasping and breathless victims in their wake. As their numbers grew, the pack began chanting a low ominous dirge…

“Trick or Treat, smell my feet! Gimme something good to eat!”

Scare ya? I hope so, ‘cause it’s almost that time of year! Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeen!

Like our other Guilty Pleasures, people just love creepy things! We love to get scared and to frighten others! It takes our minds off of the real-ly scary things in our world today. We go to great lengths to transform our beautiful homes into Houses of Horror and throw out all the stops turning our children and ourselves into ghouls, vampires, zombies and ghosts. Saying all the while, “It’s for the Kids!”

Kate and I are good examples. We raised 7 kids together and looked forward to Halloween every year, starting at Labor Day. Now we’re by ourselves, thousands of miles from our kids and grandkids. Why bother to go to the trouble? Hell, we love it! We start decorating October 1st, so we have a whole month of Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeen!

We’re not the only ones! In 2007, Americans spent over 5 Billion dollars on all things Halloweeny! It’s a proven fact that Halloween home decorations out rival even Christmas décor and that Halloween is the only holiday that prompts a wide spread donning of unique and highly conspicuous apparel. Even our pets get into the act. 1 in 10 households dressed their pets in costume last year. Devils and pumpkins were the top favorite pet costumes, with witches, princesses and angels rounding out the top five.

As far as Holiday Home Décor goes, Halloween brings out our best. Scarecrows, ghosts, cobwebs, there is no limit! Manicured lawns turn into spooky graveyards. Beautiful homes and organized garages transform into haunted houses! We just love our Halloween and spare no expense when it comes to frights! Some of us like it real scary and others prefer more playful haunts.

Here at Gifts by Sasha, we have playfully scary Halloween Décor, including Halloween Garden Stake Sets, Skull Candleholders and Frosted Halloween Ghost Lights. We even have Halloween Activity Book Sets to amuse your kids (big and small) before and after their candy feed!

C’mon, get into the spirit of things! It only happens once a year so start early and make a month of it! While you’re here, checkout our Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Home Décor! The Holidaze are here and like all good scouts, we need to be prepared!

By David Spangenburg

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The Holidaze, are coming! Yes, I do know that holidays happen all year long and yes, I do use Spell-check. However, I’m not talking about just any holiday. I’m talking about The Holidaze!! They’re back to back and they’re the Big Ones(!) Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. It’s the time of year for celebration, celebration, celebration! It is also the time for decorating and gift giving!

Every year during this season we try to outdo our efforts from last year. So everyone is trying to get a head start. We’re all hoping to find new and exciting items to grace our homes and to gift our loved ones. Some people will be dashing from mall to mall, store to store. Others, like ourselves, will be shopping in the comfort of our homes, lounging at our keyboards.

The internet has become the #1 shopping place, at least among all of us in the know. Where else can you find anything and everything, that you could possibly imagine?

Nowhere else!

The Net has developed a Global Marketplace, offering everything under the sun (and the moon) and it’s right at your fingertips! The only thing that may limit you, is your budget. You can access shops, stores and bazaars from all over the world and not have to apply for a passport or endure airport security. About the only danger you might possibly face is, typers cramp or (if you have an extended family) carpal tunnel disorder.

I know that it is hard to imagine but some people are still frightened to buy online. They worry about IDENTITY THEFT and unscrupulous web businesses taking advantage of their credit cards. They just don’t seem to realize that those fears from the past are, for the most part, urban myths today. Almost all of the business sites on the internet have safe and secure ordering and billing processes. You do have to use care but paying online does not pose anymore threats then sliding your credit card across the counter does.

I have to go now, the shuffleboard courts await. I’ll be covering each of the Holidaze as they draw near. Just remember, you have a world of gift and décor possibilities right at your fingertips and the best place to start is where you are right now, Gifts by Sasha!

So, as the Holidaze approach, I have only one thing to say to you.

On your mark…get set…shop!!!!

By David Spangenburg

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