A couple of wise-ass Oxford students thought it would be funny to mock one of the famed Queen’s Guardsman in London and learned their lesson. It gave me a good laugh, especially since I’ve seen how stoic the guards are, and gave the student a good scare.

It’s only a shove, but who can blame the guard! Especially since everyone knows that the Guardsman are only supposed to acknowledge the presence of others when there’s a threat to the royal family.

So, if you ever visit a royal castle, no marching along with the guards!

I had enough paid time off to take 13 days off work this holiday season. Despite all the rest and relaxation, I’m already thinking about how I’m going to use next year’s vacation time. Planning is especially difficult because of my busy work schedule and my husband’s unpredictable work schedule.

Vacations To Go has plenty of ideas for for last minute cruise vacations, all up to 75% off! That’s perfect for us, because even though we’re watching our budget, we still require vacations for our sanity!

Planning a cruise through Vacations To Go is a steal with these two little buttons:

Gives a complete listing of cruises 90 days out or less. Most cruises set sail within a week and the deals go quick, so keep your eye on the ticker!

Lets you book your cruise further in advance, but gives you the same great opportunity to take advantage discounted rates though great early bird promotions and specials.

We’re a two vacations a year couple, and booking through Vacations To Go will let us take advantage of all of our vacation days and book two fantastic getaways that give us the most for our money. My vote is for the Greek Isles, while Mike wants to go to Alaska, but both are no problem when cruises are up to 75% off!

It’s Christmas day. Are you still short a Christmas gift? Perhaps one for an expectant couple or a daughter, sister or neice? The gift of life through a stem cell collection kit from C’Elle could be the most important gift you ever give!

I know a stem cell debate probably isn’t on your Christmas list, but just consider how valuable stem cells, collected from menstrual blood, can be to a women, couple, family, and baby. The female body produces thousands of self-renewing stem cells every month during menstruation, and C’Elle’s patented technology allows those stem cells to be collected with an easy-to-use kit and cryo-preserved for potential cellular therapies.

The harvesting of the stem cells is affordable, painless and non-invasive, and because the stem cells in menstrual blood mimic both adult and embryonic stem cells, they can quickly multiple and have the potential to differentiate into heart, nerve, bone, cartilage, fat, and other cells. The cells may not be used this year, or even ten years from now, but as medical research continues to discover how stem cells can be used, the cells become more and more valuable as a treatment option.

The gift of C’Elle is a highly personal one, and one that may bring many years of happiness to your family!

I was so swamped at work today that I didn’t even realize it was Friday! After the 5 o’clock bell rang, it was great to realize that I had Four Foods on Friday and two days off to look forward to.

This week is all about parties, because it’s Val’s son’s 9th birthday! I’m not known for my hosting skills (we’re still the youngest married couple in our families, so we still get invited to other people’s house and aren’t expected to host…yet), but I have coordinated quite a few work-related shin-digs, so I might have some party merit.

1. Cake. Buttercream, whipped cream or ice cream?

Buttercream. Cold buttercream. I don’t like whipped cream and I don’t like warm cakes.

2. When entertaining do you use real, paper, plastic or styrofoam dishes?

Usually the heavy duty plastic so we don’t have to worry about anything getting broken, and sometimes we even wash it and reuse it!

3. When hosting a party do you cook, have it catered or go to a restaurant?

A party is any gathering with more than two people in our house, and it usually caps out at four when my parents visit, so there isn’t much need for catering.

4. Share a recipe that you frequently serve when having a party.

Uncork cheap champagne, pour in glass, drink from noon until the guests leave.

I couldn’t help but laugh and sneak a picture of the couple driving infront of me on my way home last night.

They were an older hippie couple, kissing all over eachother while they drove, with smoke coming out of the back of their El Camino which had a bumper sticker that read “Gas, Grass or Ass – No One Rides For Free”. The single break light was the icing on the cake, though.

I ended up passing them because they were just puttering along, and when I did, I noticed that the guy driving was super into his music, and feathered hair, and was drumming on the steering wheel and dancing. Don’t we all have the same reaction to Free Bird?