Reeves International Inc. has recalled 36,000 ornaments due to excessive amounts of lead in the surface paint, amounts that exceed the federal lead paint standards. These ornaments were manufactured in China and have been sold at retailers across the country, including the JC Penney catalog and Web site, from July 2006 through October 2007 for between $15 and $18. Below is a description of the ornaments:

• 2006 Snow Princess Stirrup Ornament is a stirrup-shaped ornament with a white prancing horse and blue ribbons. “2006” is stamped on the rim of the ornament.
• The 2007 Wintersong Stirrup Ornament is a stirrup-shaped ornament with a grey horse with saddle bags with a horn and a violin. “2007” is stamped on the rim of the ornament.
• The 2007 Photo Frame Horse Shoe Ornament is a horse shoe shaped ornament with a brown horse with rider jumping over a gate. “Happy Holiday 2007” is printed on the back of the ornament.

If you have purchased one of these ornaments, just return it to the store where purchased for a full refund, or you can contact Reeves International Inc. at (800) 444-4775 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit their Web site at www.breyerhorses.com to receive instructions for returning the ornaments.

I am especially concerned with lead amounts in paints now that we have a new grandbaby who will soon be putting everything in his mouth, and I’m so glad that people are being made aware of products that don’t meet safety standards.

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There are several Christmas songs that have “joy” in their lyrics such as the well known song, Joy to the World. So what does this mean to me in my life? It means that I have a joy that doesn’t come from this world, a joy that can’t be taken away from me. It doesn’t come from things I own, how many clothes I have hanging in my closet,or what kind of car I drive. It comes from knowing that Christ came to this world and took my place on the cross. He was an innocent little baby when he was born in the stable and slept in the manger, and He was just as innocent when he died on the cross for my sins. I’ve been given the most awesome gift there could ever be, and that fills me with joy.

This is so different from the usual stuffing recipe that I thought I would share it with you. One neat thing about this recipe is that you can do all the prep work, combine everything in the dish, keep it in the frig, and then bake it a couple of days later when you need it:

• 16 oz cornbread stuffing mix
• 2 cups crushed Fritos (9 oz bag)
• 2 cups chopped onion
  
• 5 ribs chopped celery with some leaves
• 2 tsp sage
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 cans chicken broth (2 cans for mixture & 1 can to use as needed on top)
  
• olive oil

Saute the onions and celery in olive oil. Crush Fritos in large bag with rolling pin. Mix 2 cans of chicken broth (save 3rd can for later) with all of the other ingredients. Be sure to mix well. Put mixture in a lightly greased 3 quart dish.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Add a little more broth evenly on top right before baking. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

A play yard is great to put around your raised Christmas tree to keep little hands from taking off the ornaments or unwrapping the presents, or to keep little people from knocking over the tree, or maybe even keep them from climbing it. When our son was a toddler, our play yard was a perfect solution to keep him from playing with all the ornaments on the tree and the gifts under the tree. It’s been so long that I don’t remember him trying to climb the tree, but he was a climber and given the opportunity, he probably would have tried to climb the Christmas tree. We did have to put the tree up a little higher to get the tree completely out of his reach, though, so we put an end table inside the play yard and then put the Christmas tree up on top of the end table. Hard as he might try, he just couldn’t reach the tree!

The Gallery Collection, established in 1929, is the leading mail order publisher of premium quality greeting cards. They have an extensive assortment of beautiful cards to meet every business need. Their personalized business holiday cards are truly beautiful, designed by their artisans for a quality of greeting card that is unmatched. There seems to be an absence of that type of card today. This Corporate Christmas Cards Company provides the finest quality greeting cards available.
Not only does Gallery Collection make beautiful cards, but they have done a public service by providing holiday greeting cards for Soldier’s Angels which provides comfort to our military men and women and their families. Gallery Collection has donated a card for each soldier wishing them Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and “Thanks.” Our military has done so much for our country and it’s wonderful for them to receive a card showing our appreciation. Thank you, Gallery Collection!

Here are some great ideas about house cleaning during the holidays:

• Don’t stress about it! Put on some of your favorite music. Music speeds up cleaning and makes it more fun.
• Don’t let clutter get out of control! Spend 10 minutes a day putting things back where they go.
  
• Prioritize your rooms! Clean the room that is most used by guests first. (probably the living room) Then move on from there.
• Handle mail one time! As you look through your daily mail, either recycle it, put bills in their place, or put it in a basket for things that need your attention. Don’t waste time going through your mail two or three times.
  
• Kill germs! The last thing you want is to catch a cold or get sick during the holidays. Sanitize telephones, doorknobs, remote controls, light switches, water faucets, refrigerator and microwave door handles, flush handles on toilets, anything that more than one person touches.
  

Personalized Gifts for Children make wonderful gifts for Christmas, birthdays, and anytime during the year. A personalized gift is something extra-special, something unique, and something that will be kept and treasured for many years. Identity Direct has a huge selection of gift items with over 500 personalized gifts. Their most popular gift is “My Special Christmas Adventure,” a personalized storybook where the child named goes on a magical journey with Santa Claus. They also have Disney, Winnie the Pooh, and Sesame Street selections as well.

If you’re looking to make a charitable donation, Foster’s Home received “Best in America,” certified by Independent Charities of America. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States, fewer than 2,000 have received this award. It shows that the charity meets the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. You can check out Foster’s Home for Children and see what I’m talking about.

Foster’s Home for Children is a wonderful place for troubled children to go for healing, nurturing, and learning appropriate skills for interactive living. The home was started over forty-one years ago and has helped countless children and their families. We have given to this home through the years, and it’s a wonderful place if you’re looking to make a charitable donation. They are in the process of expanding, and what a wonderful place to put your donation where it will aid troubled children.