The Daily Mel

Lean Cuisine Recall

Melissa — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:15:05 +0000

Here’s the quick & easy version. Certain production runs of the following items are being recalled:

9.5-ounce packages of Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta
10.5-ounce packages of Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean
12.5-ounce packages of Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan

For the full details regarding which production numbers, go to the USDA website.

Sea to Shining Sea

Melissa — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:30:38 +0000

I had a great time stitching on Friday night for the Let’s Stitch blog’s weekly stitch-a-thon (SAT). My piece of choice this week was the new Sea to Shining Sea silk thread pack series from Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks.

I actually started this piece earlier in the week on Tuesday after getting home from the polls. I volunteered as a poll worker at my local voting precinct that day and felt like working on something a bit patriotic to unwind when I got home that night. Since this series is called Sea to Shining Sea, it seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Here are my before & after pics for the SAT:

For some reason, must be the difference between taking the photos in daylight vs. night time, the fabric looks different in each picture. It’s 32-count Natural Raw linen as called for in the chart. The fibers are Belle Soie silks from Crescent Colors which are included in the thread packs.

Yesterday I went an all-day stitch tomorrow at my LNS. As usual, we had a great time and lots of good food. We always have a potluck and it seemed like this month everyone went for either hors d’oeuvres or desserts. There’s wasn’t too much in the way of “real” food, but we all enjoyed it none the less. I stitched a bit more on Sea to Shining Sea and also stitched on an ornament. I won’t be posting a picture of it though since it’s for an exchange coming up in a couple of weeks.

I know I’ve been remiss the past few weeks since vacation of getting my weekly walking schedule posted. I’ll try and get that posted tomorrow to help hold myself accountable. I really need to focus on it all the more now because not only is it training for my half marathon in June, but it will help me earn Activity Points for Weight Watchers. I realized this weekend that I really need the accountability of the meetings, so I went back on Saturday morning and rejoined. Even if it was cheaper, trying to lose weight on my own just wasn’t working. I’ll just have to find some other places to cut back a bit to help offset the cost of the $40 monthly pass to WW.

I do have a couple of areas in mind already on how to cut back a bit on my expenses. I’m planning to help accomplish that goal is starting to take my lunch again which will save me not only money, but calories as well since I’ll have more control over what I’m eating. The other plan is to start making my own iced coffee at home rather than stopping at Starbucks or McDonalds. That should actually save me quite a bit as well since I would normally stop a couple of times per week for coffee.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

9-0, baby!!!

Melissa — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:20:30 +0000

You can take the girl out of Tennessee, but you’ll never take Tennessee out of the girl.

Shop to Stop MS

Melissa — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:08:14 +0000

As most of you who regularly read my blog know, my sister has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. There is currently no cure for MS.

Since the holidays are quickly approaching, I’m sure many of you, like me, will be doing some online shopping looking for that perfect gift for all of the people in your life. If you are going to be shopping online anyway, why not check to see if any of your favorite online stores are participating in Shop to Stop MS.

Shop to Stop MS turns your shopping into fundraising dollars for the National MS Society by bringing together a variety of online retailers and the MS Society to help raise money to fight this disease. The participating merchants are offering up to 20% cash-back to the MS Society on every purchase. Just to give you an idea of the variety of merchants, here are just a few examples:

Liz Claiborne
Macy’s
Omaha Steaks
Overstock.com
Crocs
Disney
Toys ‘R Us
and many more!

All you have to do is shop from the links at the Shop to Stop MS website — and it’s completely free to you!! So, you get the items you were going to purchase anyway and get to help a great cause at the same time, and isn’t the spirit of giving what the holidays are all about anyway?

If you aren’t looking for something specific, many of the sites even offer gift card options. If you decide to get a gift card, please be sure to look around at the various vendors because many offer much higher percentages back to the Society than do others.

Thanks, and happy holiday shopping!

I’m a Winner!!

Melissa — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:05:39 +0000

I can’t believe it! I rarely win anything, but I made out like a bandit last week! I actually won TWO things.

The first item I won came through purchasing a fundraiser raffle ticket from Soup of Success. I ended up winning a Vera Bradley Linsday purse in the soon to be retired Pink Elephant print! I just received it today and I’m already loving it! The inner compartment is large enough to hold all my necessities, including my Kindle. There are also 2 nicely sized pockets on the front (under the flap) that are large enough to hold both my personal iPhone and work BlackBerry. I just want to give a big “THANKS” to West View Florist of Elkhart, IN for generously donating this wonderful bag to the fundraiser, especially since I won it. The ironic part is that I actually looked at some Vera Bradley bags a few days ago, but decided to hold off until my wallet recovers a bit from my vacation last week.

Here are some pics:

In addition to the VB bag, I also won a free chart in a trivia contest on the Little House & County Cottage Stitchers Yahoo group. Diane graciously offered up a list of her designs from which to choose. I opted to go with one of her latest designs and selected Holly & Berries. Here’s a photo of the design from her website:

Speaking of Little House Needleworks, I also received my kit for From Sea to Shining Sea from Drema at Needlecraft Corner. After volunteering at the election polls today, I was feeling particularly patriotic and decided to start it tonight while I have been unwinding before heading off to bed. Here’s a pic of the fabric and fibers right before I started:

Also, for those out there who, like me, are LHN fans, Diane has a new release coming out later this month that I’m very much looking forward to getting. It’s called “Something Old, Something New” and is a collection of eight previously released complimentary designs as well as two new designs. Here’s a computer generated image of the designs included in this release:

Well, that’s it from me for now. In closing though, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to President Elect Obama. I know this had to be a very bittersweet day for him after losing his grandmother yesterday. I also want to commend Senator McCain for his very gracious concession speech.

This election has been a very long battle. I’m sure everyone, myself included, is glad that it’s finally over so we don’t have to see any more political ads, hear any more debates, get any more robocalls, etc. Well, at least, not for two more years until they start all this madness again. There really does need to be a limit set on how long these campaigns can run!

Election Results

Melissa — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:12:41 +0000

Election Night Results Widgets:

These widgets will update throughout the night as results come in from each state as the polls close. There are still many states with voting polls still open. PLEASE do not let any results seen here keep you from voting if you have not already done so. EVERY vote is important regardless of any speculation on the results by media outlets. Until the actual votes are counted, any predictions made by media outlets are just that … speculation.

National Results:

California Results:

Voter Freebies

Melissa — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:38:46 +0000

It seems lots of businesses are getting in on the action of offering freebies to people who vote tomorrow. Hopefully it won’t take the lure of freebies to get people out to vote, but if it helps, then so be it.

Below is a list of the freebies available in the southern California area. Please note that many of these offers are from national chains and also available nationwide. Many of these offers require showing an “I Voted” sticker, so be sure you pick one up and wear it if you live in states other than California. It actually is illegal in the state of California for companies to offer an incentive solely to voters as a way to entice people to vote. So, in California, these freebies are available to everyone whether you actually vote or not.

Starbucks
One free tall (12 oz.) brewed coffee per customer

Anaheim White House
Diners ages 21 and up, who voted, will receive one complimentary bottle of champagne. The restaurant will also offer a 4-course meal for just $44.

Krispy Kreme
Free star-shaped doughnuts with patriotic spinkles to voters.

Pizza Hut
20% discount on ALL online orders scheduled for delivery or pick-up. Only valid for NEW online customers.

Ben & Jerry’s
One free scoop of ice cream between the hours of 5p.m.-8p.m. for everyone.

Pat & Oscar’s
Voters dining-in will get 20 % off.

Zov’s Bistro
Finish off your meal with a free slice of Apple pie with purchase. Happy hour is also expanded to include other menu items.

Daily Grill
From 4p.m.-11p.m., voter’s will get one free appetizer.

Salt Creek Grill (Dana Point)
Some free give-aways including, a $200 restaurant gift card! The restaurant is also offering $3 beers and an “All American” Prime Rib 3-course meal for $27.95.

Scott’s Seafood (South Coast Plaza)
$10 off your lunch or dinner check with proof of voting.

Morton’s The Steakhouse
Presidential martinis for $11!

I know that regular readers of my blog know that my support is going to Senator Barack Obama. Regardless of how anyone chooses to vote tomorrow, just be sure to get out and vote. Be a part of the process. Let your voice be heard through your vote. We are so fortunate to live in a country where we do have a voice, so please don’t take it for granted or give away that right. Vote!

Rest in Peace, Madelyn Dunham

Melissa — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:25:48 +0000

I’m so sad to hear the news that Senator Obama’s grandmother passed away this morning on the eve of the election. Rest in peace, Mrs. Dunham. My thoughts are with Senator Obama and the rest of his family.

New Toy & Stitching Update

Melissa — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:43:31 +0000

I got a new toy last week and realized today that I’ve not posted about it here on my blog yet. I got an Amazon Kindle. I.LOVE.IT!!! It’s so awesome to have so many books just a click away in something that weighs just over 10 ounces (.28 kg). Here’s a pic of my new baby:

On a lighter note, I’m sure by now many of you have heard the Oprah declared the Kindle her “favorite new gadget“. As a result of her announcement, Kindles are currently on backorder through Amazon (at least, they are according to the Amazon rep with whom I spoke today). I actually received mine two days prior to her big announcement, so I actually had something BEFORE Oprah declared it to be the latest thing. I guess that makes me one of the cool kids.

In stitching news, I’ve mostly been working on Hannah Beeby and Where There is Life lately. They are the two projects that I took with me to Hawai’i on vacation. Here are my latest progress photos:

Where There is Life (Little House Needleworks):

Hannah Beeby 1816 (Gitta’s Timeless Designs):

The little pin cushion in the Hannah Beeby photo is one that I picked up in a local Hawaiian quilt shop in Honolulu. They had some GORGEOUS quilts in there and it was really tempting to bring one home with me, but I managed to settle for just getting the pin cushion instead. :-)

We did manage to make our way to a local stitching shop while in Honolulu. It was called Fiddlesticks and they were so nice to us during our visit! I did pick up a couple of charts while there. I was mostly wanting to get some sort of Hawaiian-inspired design to stitch as a keepsake, but a couple of other charts somehow found their way into my stack, too.

Well, I guess that’s enough for now. I’ll post again later this weekend. I saw on the Fair & Square blog that my partner received her Autumn exchange that I sent, so I’ll post some pics of it then.

Ooooh, spooky …

Melissa — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:05:12 +0000

Happy Halloween!!!