Black Friday and Beyond

A Little Less 'Crazy' in My Friday This Year

Yes, I have been one of the crazy shoppers who stand in line at 4 a.m. to pick up a big ticket item at one of the sales the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday. I shopped online last year, got done in two hours and after two years ago, finding out that almost every single item I had purchased, I could have gotten without getting out into the cold morning and hanging out with the other crazy shoppers, I have a few hours for enjoying my garden or decorating my house for the holidays. Or just relaxing with my family. I will kind of miss the laughter and the camaraderie of most shoppers out there first thing in the a.m. but I will enjoy lingering around in bed until at least 8 a.m. and not going out until the sun warms things up a bit. (Click on the paragraph to be directly connected to the deals)

Here are just a few of the deals that can be had online between now and Black Friday and some even longer.

Woman Within – I shop here and am really happy with this online store. I think this store is either the old Lane Bryant brand or they are affiliated with Lane Bryant AND these deals are good through December 6. Free Shipping on Orders of $50 or More, plus 40% off your highest priced item with promo code WWGIFTS

The Scholastic Store Online is advertising their Black Friday / Cyber Monday Super Deals for the upcoming weekend! They promise tons of special discounts all through their site - all weekend long. AND you can take an extra 20% off plus free shipping on orders over $25 with code SSBF20 - This promo code can be applied to already discounted merchandise for huge savings of up to 75% off retail price.

For those snow sports lovers on your list, check out THE HOUSE – In business since 1982, long before most ski areas had opened the slopes to boarding. They are stocked with thousands of boards, boots, bindings and accessories. We guarantee safe delivery of your products with the absolute best guaranteed backup service you'll find anywhere in the industry.

Columbia Sportswear Company is making shopping for your loved ones super easy with their holiday gift guides, so stay warm during any adventure this winter by shopping at Columbia for the best outdoor gear to keep the fun going – For your free shipping (no minimum) here is your promo code: HOLIDAY2010!

Or for those of you looking to enter the go green movement, Clean Edison is offering 15% off your entire order for classes and materials. CE hase educated hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals in green building practices both through customized training and the largest open enrollment green training program in the nation. CleanEdison has courses in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BPI (Building Performance Institute) Certification, Energy Auditing, Solar, Wind and Renewable Energy. CleanEdison has also developed numerous customized training programs specific to a business or organization's needs. Use the coupon code: FallDiscount2010

Don't really know what you are looking for? Check out all of our local and national business, please visit uscity.net, click on any state and start searching. Happy Shopping!

Gospel Musician Breakthrough

Learn how to play gospel (or any other genre) music in weeks ... not years or even months! I just got word about the most anticipated event of 2010 for gospel musicians... and after visiting the page, I'm pretty excited about what I've seen so far. HearAndPlay is the number one

It's called Musician Breakthrough and my friends over at HearAndPlay are the ones behind it. To my knowledge, it's the first of its kind for the gospel musician community.

They are featuring 7 world-class, professional "West Coast" musicians in a pretty unique format.

Each musician is covering what they call the "5 Dimensions of the Church Service."

-Praise
-Worship
-Shouting
-Transitional
-Traditional

If you do the math, that's 35 segments... and I'm told over 16 hours in total.

If you rush over to the page, you'll find video clips of each musician playing one of these styles. There are examples from all 5 categories. If nothing else, watch them and be prepared to be blown away.

Also, by voting and commenting on their page, you can win an Apple iPad and other cool stuff worth hundreds of dollars.

Head over to the page by clicking anywhere on this post. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky prize winners!

I hope that everyone reading this will take a few moments to reflect, remembering those who served our country well.

President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said:

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

Congress amended this act on June 1, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with Veterans, and it has been known as Veterans Day since.

There aren't enough words to express our gratitude to all who have served, are serving or will serve this great country. Because of you, we are free. Because of you, we can enjoy our way of life. Because of you, we do not live in daily fear for our lives. We keep you all in our prayers and we also honor the families left behind that have to play dual roles of mother/fathers, sometimes forever. It is not an easy life the military and their families live and we appreciate you all. God bless our military AND their families.

May we never forget what our country has asked of them and what they have given in return. I hope that everyone will care enough to give them the respect and honor they are due. And that everyone on earth will strengthen their resolve to build a world where there will be no veterans because there are no wars.