Family Thanksgiving Traditions…

Traditions are a big part of the Thanksgiving holiday, and every American family has their own way of celebrating. From stuffing the turkey to taking in a football game, here are the five most popular.

• Turkey and Trimmings - From the first Thanksgiving to today's turkey burgers, turkeys are an American tradition dating back centuries. According to the National Turkey Federation, 95 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. Regional twists offer variations on the traditional roasted bird, including coffee rubbed turkey from Hawaii, salt encrusted turkey from New England, and deep fried turkey from the South.
• Time Out for the Pigskin - Throughout the United States, football on Thanksgiving Day is as big a part of the celebration as turkey and pumpkin pie. Dating back to the first intercollegiate football championship held on Thanksgiving Day in 1876, traditional holiday football rivalries have become so popular that a reporter once called Thanksgiving "a holiday granted by the State and the Nation to see a game of football."
• Parading Around - The first American Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1920, organized by Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, not Macy's as most people believe. The NYC Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade tradition actually began in 1924, and has grown into an annual event of balloons, bands, and floats, enjoyed by more than 46 million people each year in person and on TV.
• Making a Wish - Does your family fight over the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey? Known as a "lucky break" the tradition of tugging on either end of a fowl's bone to win the larger piece and its accompanying "wish" dates back to the Etruscans of 322 B.C. The Romans brought the tradition with them when they conquered England and the English colonists carried the tradition on to America.
• Giving Thanks - Last, but certainly not least, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the people and blessings of the past year. From pre-meal prayers to providing holiday meals to the homeless, the holiday is truly a celebration of praise and thanksgiving. (Adopted from www.about.com)

Be Grateful For, Always and Always

Gratitude is absolutely one of the essential keys when working with the law of attraction, so use this list on a daily basis & add to it your own list.

• Be grateful when the sun rises in the morning & shines through your window into your eyes. It's a sign that your alive for yet another wonderful, & magnificent day.
• Be grateful for the broken down car you have that barely runs. It reminds you that there are things to dream about having.
• Be grateful for the mistakes you make today. These mistakes will shape you into a stronger person tomorrow & allow you to gain knowledge & wisdom you didn't have before you made that mistake.
• Be grateful for the love you have in your life. Even if you have absolutely no one in your life right now, be grateful for the friendship you are willing to offer to others.
• Be grateful for the flaws you have as a person and an individual. This reminds you that there is always room to grow and develop and advance as a person. Life would be boring and uneventful for those who are perfect.
• Be grateful for the cold wintery morning as you leave your house. The cold bites at us and reminds us that we are alive, and it gives us a chance to enjoy the site of our breathe which also reminds us that we are alive and breathing.
• Be grateful for the person who stabs you in the back. It reminds you of the people who are always there for you no matter how bad it gets or what goes wrong.
• Be grateful for the music that gets on your nerves. It reminds you that you still have ears to hear with and a mind to decide what you like and don't like.
• Be grateful for the problems you have because it reminds you that you have the ability to solve problems and improve your life in every area of your life. (Adopted-EzineArticles.com)

It's Time To Get Your Home Ready For Winter…

We have all, just recently, set our clocks back, but have you taken the time to do the little things around the house to make sure it is ready for the long winter ahead?

This is a good time to replace the batteries in your wall clocks, bedroom alarm clocks that have a battery back-up feature, programmable thermostate and other electronics that require batteries. It is also a good time to change the batteries in the keypad for your garage door opener and the remote opener in your car.

In addition to changing batteries in your electronic appliances and devices, you should always change the batteries in your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors whenever we have a time change. While you are at it make sure your fire extinguishers are ready for use by checking that the gauge is in the "green" zone, which means it has the proper amount of pressure. You should also check to make sure the pin is intact and the nozzle isn't obstructed.

It is also a good time to test and change the light bulbs around the exterior of the house to make sure you are ready for the extra use your lights get during the dark winter months.

Consider changing the bulbs that get the most use to light-emitting diode bulbs, which are much brighter than incandescent bulbs and can last tens of thousands of hours longer.

Also, remember to swap out those yellow "bug" lights you used during the summer on the porch or deck. No one likes to see yellow snow!

Change your furnace filter and clean or change the drum, pad or sponge in your humidifier, and turn the water valve to your humidifier on. Then switch the metal arm on your duct work near the furnace to "W" (winter) from "S" (summer). This enables the warm air from the furnace to flow through the humidifier during the winter.

While you are in the furnace room, clean out the tank of your water heater to keep it working efficiently.

You can clean the sediment that builds up by using 2 gallons of canning-strength vinegar (5 percent) per 30-gallon water heater. Turn off the burner, drain the tank and pour in the vinegar through the anode rod hole, usually found on top of the tank. As with any home project, check your owner's manual if there is any question. Let the vinegar soak in the water heater for two hours. Rinse out the tank, then refill it with water and turn on the burners.

Obviously, when we switch to standard time, it means the winter weather isn't far behind. So the sooner you get these little projects behind you, the sooner you can start shopping for those tickets to Florida! (Adopted for http://detnews.com)

Black Friday Myths Busted!

Black Friday has the best prices of the year? Nope. Not true. At Dealnews, their job is to help you get the best possible price for what you want to buy and to keep you from getting hoodwinked while you're shopping. It's with that in mind that we go into the holiday shopping season with some trepidation, because along with great Black Friday deals come a lot of hype and misinformation.

We can't tell you how to score a better parking space at your local mall, but we might just be able to brighten your day by dispelling these common Black Friday shopping myths:

• Myth: Black Friday sales begin on, well, Black Friday. Actually, most major retail chains will start debuting Black Friday sales online on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.
• Myth: Doorbusters are free. Whaaa? Believe it or not, many people believe that Black Friday is the day to score freebies. If you find a free HDTV on Black Friday, please send us a photo of it alongside your pet unicorn.
• Myth: Black Friday deals are so good, they're worth sleeping overnight on a curb for. These days, more and more Black Friday deals are available online as well as in-store. In fact, last year, Target offered several of their door-busters online.
• Myth: Nobody will beat Black Friday prices. Major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot and Meijer offered various policies regarding price matching last year, and in some cases, they not only matched, but offered a better price.
• Myth: Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Saturday before Dec. 25 is actually the busiest shopping day of the year.
• Myth: If you have buyer's remorse, you can always just return your purchases. Not so fast! Stores tighten their return policies considerably during the holidays, making it harder to return items. Some retailers will only give you store credit even if you have a receipt Bah humbug!
• Myth: All of the good deals are printed in Black Friday ads. On Thanksgiving Day, retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy have historically advertised additional Black Friday deals that weren't in their circulars. These "secret" deals are only found online, so the trick is to uncover them on the Web on Thursday.
• Myth: Leaked Black Friday ads are accurate. In fact, they are often inaccurate or misleading. Last year, we jeered several retailers for advertising discounts that we just couldn't find.
• Myth: You have to go to an Apple Store in person for its Black Friday sale. In reality, all of Apple's Black Friday sale prices will be available online with free shipping sitewide. However, in our Black Friday predictions piece, we actually advised against shopping the Apple sale, as most resellers -- like Amazon, MacConnection, and MacMail -- will offer discounts that will be twice as good. Plus, in some cases, they may also offer a sales tax advantage.
• Myth: Black Friday is the best day to buy a new TV. Yes and no. While we'll see the lowest prices of the year for several HDTV sizes, they will largely attached to off-brand models. (Adopted from MSN Money partner)

Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms Are Not Fun…

When smokers try to cut back or quit, the lack of nicotine leads to withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is both physical and mental. Physically, the body reacts to the absence of nicotine. Mentally, the smoker is faced with giving up a habit, which calls for a major change in behavior. Both the physical and mental factors must be addressed for the quitting process to work.

Those who have smoked regularly for a few weeks or longer, and suddenly stop using tobacco or greatly reduce the amount smoked, will have withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of the last cigarette and peak about 2 to 3 days later when most of the nicotine and its by-products are out of the body. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to up to several weeks. They will get better every day that you stay smoke-free.

Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following:

• Dizziness (which may only last 1 to 2 days after quitting)
• Depression
• Feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares
• Trouble concentrating
• Restlessness or boredom
• Headaches & Tiredness
• Increased appetite
• Weight gain
• Constipation and gas
• Cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip
• Chest tightness
• Slower heart rate

These symptoms can lead the smoker to start smoking cigarettes again to boost blood levels of nicotine back to a level where there are no symptoms.

Smoking also makes your body get rid of some drugs faster than usual. When you quit smoking, it may change the levels of these drugs, which can cause problems. Ask your doctor if any medicines you take need to be checked or changed after you quit.

But, no matter the difficulties that you have to go through to quit smoking, it will be worth it for you and the people that love you! (adopted from http://www.cancer.org)