As the holiday season nears, my mood has turned artistic.  I had a great idea for a family project.  I decided that it would be a nice idea to tap into our imaginative side by making a Thanksgiving door wreath.  So last night at dinner, I pitched the idea.  And to my dismay, I only got one taker… my daughter.  Apparently, my fourteen year old soon is “too cool” to make a wreath with his mother.  And the DH claims that his creative juices are tapped so as much as he’d love to help out (his feeble attempt to soften to rejection)… he is passing on this one…

I think they were really trying to say that wreath making is a little to frilly for the guys… but it is ok.  My feelings are not hurt.  I won’t push the issue.  I’ll let them be free to more manly things like scratch, belch and watch the Hornets vs. the Rockets… while I collaborate with a six year old to make the best door wreath on this side of town.

So this morning my daughter and I sat down to make our wreath.  But we hit a little stumbling block… I know nothing about making a wreath and the closest she’s come to making one was a paper cut out in school.

Needless to say, we’ve got a bit of a learning curve to overcome.  And we need to overcome it really fast.  Thanksgiving is only two weeks away and we have a lot to do. One - we need to get a quick lesson in wreath making 101. Two - we have to plan a design for our wreath. Three - we have to get the materials. Four - we have to put it all together.

Though we have a lot to do… I do not feel pressured.  We move fast. A quick 4 minute tutorial on wreath making… Goal one accomplished!  Thanks to Better Homes and Gardens, we’ve got our design idea… Goal two accomplished!

Now on to goal three… gathering the supplies.  Rated by Vickie as one of the best arts and crafts stores around, A.C. Moore is a wreath maker’s dream.  I also like A. C. Moore.  I happened upon one a few years ago when I was on vacation in Florida.  The store is huge and has everything I need to complete my artsy projects.  But… there are none in my area.  However, I can order all of my supplies from A.C. Moore online.  And right now… they have some great deals:

- Free shipping on orders $35 or more, now through December 30^th

- Sign up for A.C. Moore emails and be entered into a weekly drawing for  one of four $250 gift cards, sweepstakes expires on December 15^th

- Be the first to find out about A.C. Moore specials on this forum

- Look here to find weekly coupons and specials at your local A.C. Moore location

- Sign up for the A.C. Moore rewards card and earn points that can be redeemed for gift certificates

- Click here for printable A.C. Moore coupons

- Enter the Naturally Baby contest to win a $300 A.C. Moore gift certificate, contest ends December 1^st

- Sign your kids up for the Birthday Club and they will get a $5 gift certificate on their birthday

The 2008 Monopoly game is back at McDonalds!  The game began in stores on October 7^th.  To win, all you have to do is collect game stamps.  The stamps will reveal that you have either won an instant prize (like a small fry or Big Mac) or the name of a location on the Monopoly game board (like St. James Place or the Reading Railroad). There are also guaranteed bonus stamps which offer discounts or mini shopping sprees at Foot Locker.  But… if you collect the right combination of stamps (Boardwalk and Park Place), you will win the grand Kahuna of the prizes… ONE MILLION DOLLARS!

Winning a large sum of money (such as a million dollars in a Monopoly game) is a one in a million chance.  (One in a million… get it?  Sometimes I just crack my self up. ~~ Alright maybe I am no comedian, but I thought it was funny.) Anyway on occasion, it has been known to happen.  Someone’s got to win the grand prize, right?

Sigh!  This is me exhaling as I fantasize about all the things I could do with a million dollars.  I have always wanted to vacation in Morocco and take cooking lessons in France.  A million dollars would sure help me live out those dreams.  If only I were so lucky as to been given a million dollars.

But the weird thing about winning it big… apparently it is not all that its cracked up to be.  I’ve heard stories about folks who won grandiose gifts, but are now destitute.  But how could that be?

Well it is simple.  We all know what money is… but we all don’t know what to do with it.  Take this analogy for example…  I know what an airplane looks like and what it is used for.  I have even been a passenger in one a time or two.  But just because I’ve flown in a plane… does not mean I know how to fly a plane.

Same principle applies with money.  We all know how to spend it.  But there is a lot more to money than spending it.  Winning a truckload of money can be useless, even harmful… unless you know what to do with it.

So what would I do if I won a million dollars?  Well fat chance that’ll ever happen because I am not the gambling type and I rarely play these sweeps-type games.  But just in case… if by some miracle a million dollars showed up at my front door… I figure I ought to have a plan.   I don’t have all the details hatched out just yet. But I sure know two things that I would not do.

1 - I would not quit my day job.

Although rolling off my tongue, a million sounds like a lot… in actuality, it is not much at all.  And plus, once Uncle Sam gets his take, I’d be fortunate to be left with $400,000.  But don’t get me wring, I am not complaining.  I’d still be very grateful… it is $400,000 more than I had yesterday.

2 - I would not tell my family or friends.

Bad as it may sound… sorry, nope, ain’t doing it.  I think discussing your personal financial situation with others leads to problems.  It can lead to envy and jealousy.  And it can lead to abuse… not physical abuse, but more psychological and financial abuse.  Every Tom, Dick and Harry will likely come with their sob story and ask for a hand out.  Now granted, you hadn’t seen Tom, Dick or Harry since kindergarten, but now they are the now your best friends.  When you have money, it is hard to know who to trust.

I am not saying that you should not be charitable, but do keep in mind that you are not a charity.  And you can’t save the world.  If you bailed everybody out of their financial woes, you yourself will soon be in financial woe of your own.