Liven up your holiday décor with lights, a bit of glitz and some colorful blossoms this season.

Start by gathering greenery from your landscape. Use needled evergreens like pines and firs, broadleaf evergreens like boxwood, holly and evergreen magnolia as well as junipers and arborvitaes to create wreaths, swags, centerpieces and garland. And donâ€t forget to include cones, holly berries, crabapples and the bluish-colored fruit of junipers.

Be selective as you prune your trees and shrubs when collecting these materials. Use sharp bypass pruners that have two sharp blades and will make a clean cut that closes more quickly.  Make your cuts above a healthy bud, where the branches join another branch, or back to the main trunk. Take only a few branches from each tree or shrub to maintain the plants†beauty.

Place freshly cut greens in a cool location away from heaters, fireplaces and open flames. Set them on colorful fabric or paper to catch the sap and avoid damaging your woodwork and furnishings.

Check your greenery for freshness every few days. The needles, leaves and stems should bend, but not break. Replace dried greens with fresh materials.

Then brighten up the display with some cool burning LED lights. Create a mantle display or centerpiece with the help of LED pillar lights. Or add a string of LEDs to your garland. Look for something unusual like pinecone string lights (gardeners.com) to add sparkle and charm to your display.

If you have artificial greens that could use a facelift, add fresh berries, cones and seedpods for a more natural look. Increase the glitz with the help of silver and gold metallic paint or glitter.  Paint milkweed, lotus and other pods and then tuck them into the greens. Painting allium seedheads white will add the appearance of flowery snowflakes in your indoor arrangements and outdoor container gardens.

And donâ€t forget the fresh flowers and flowering plants. Poinsettias are a long-time favorite, but you may want to change things up with Amaryllis, spring flowering bulbs and lily of the valley.  Look for unusual varieties or combinations to increase your enjoyment. Combine large flowered amaryllis with small flowering bulbs like star of Bethlehem. Or go for a unique size shape or flower color like that of the Honeybee Amaryllis with its beautiful yellow flowers that are sure to brighten your days.

Add a few flowers to your greenery and houseplants for some instant color.  Stick your greenery and flowers in dampened floral foam to create a long-lasting holiday centerpiece. Or place cut flowers in floral picks and set them in dish gardens and houseplants to brighten things up. Then swap out the flowers as they fade.

And consider making a few extra planters or centerpieces to give as holiday and hostess gifts this year.

Now is the time to put on your gardening shoes, grab the pruners and get started decorating for the holiday season ahead.

Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has a masterâ€s degree in horticulture and has written over 20 gardening books, including Canâ€t Miss Small Space Gardening and the Midwest Gardenerâ€s Handbook. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melindaâ€s Garden Momentsegments. Myers is also a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site, www.melindamyers.com, offers gardening videos, podcasts and monthly tips.

The post Add Some Sparkle to Your Holiday Décor first appeared on River View Observer.

Financial Help from ABC MoneyWatch.com Robert Pagliarini

I wrote a post recently titled, “Are the Unemployed Lazy?” and received a heartfelt comment from @AlekKirstein. He shares his situation and his fears. Heâ€s living on the edge, and feels like he is about to fall off at any moment.

Unfortunately, @AlekKirstein is not alone. There are literally millions of hardworking people have become victims of this economic crisis. If you were living on the edge and then, because of a layoff or other event, find yourself pushed over the edge, you must take immediate action. I shared these tips and a few others with @AlekKirstein and I want to share them with you to:   Cliff image by ino paap, CC 2.0)

EMAIL THIS

Hope for Homeownerâ€s. Contact your lender to see if they are participating in government-sponsored Hope for Homeownerâ€s program (www.hud.gov/hopeforhomeowners).
HOPE NOW. HOPE NOW is an alliance between HUD approved counseling agents, mortgage companies, investors and other mortgage market participants that provides free foreclosure prevention assistance (www.hopenow.com).
MakingHomeAffordable.gov. Easy to use website to determine if you are eligible for loan modification or refinancing (www.makinghomeaffordable.gov).
Bankruptcy. Obviously, this is not a first choice, but sometimes itâ€s the only choice. Donâ€t expect to get a fair opinion from a bankruptcy attorney or similar service since they have a vested interest in you filing for bankruptcy. If you can scrape together $75 or $100, spend an hour with a fee-only financial advisor who can run some figures and let you know if it makes sense or not. You can find an hourly financial advisor through the Garrett Planning Network at www.garrettplanning.com.

Free/Reduced Cost Health Insurance. Did you know that each state has a program that offers free or reduced cost health insurance? If you or your family is uninsured, you are exposing yourself to serious risk. Go to www.insurekidsnow.gov or call 877-KIDS-NOW right now.

Free ebook. I wrote an ebook a couple of months ago called Plan Z: How to Survive the 2009 Financial Crisis (and even live a little better). Itâ€s a no-nonsense approach to surviving the next 12 months. Download Plan Z ebook now for free.

The post Out of Money, Out of Options, Out of Hope first appeared on River View Observer.

Consumers Can Now Upload Digital Coupons to Their Store Loyalty Cards to Save on Leading Brands

“We are a company with a history of providing customers with exciting new offerings that make their lives easier and their shopping more affordable,” said Jennifer MacLeod, senior vice president, marketing & communications, A&P. “Now, more than ever, we are working to help our customers through these challenging economic times. Digital coupons will allow our customers to not only save money, but also time. Now saving more is effortless.”
“A&P’s adoption of digital coupons will allow customers to put down the scissors and stop the cumbersome process of clipping, filing and remembering paper coupons,” said Thad Langford, president and CEO of Zavers. “Instead, it will be much easier for consumers to save money on the products they want by simply saving their preferred coupons online and swiping their loyalty card at the register.”
BONUS FOR SHOPPERS – Save Money and Trees!
For a limited time, beginning Friday, September 11, Red Tag Online Savings will offer FREE reusable Elizabeth Haub Foundation shopping bags to shoppers who register for the Red Tag Online Savings program. All shoppers have to do is register their club card on their preferred grocery store’s Web site, click on the FREE Reusable Bag coupon, and save it to their club card. Consumers can register at www.apfreshonline.com.
A&P is encouraging the use of the 100% recyclable bags for a great cause. Every time shoppers redeem this offer with their club card, a donation will be made to the Elizabeth Haub Foundation, a group dedicated to protecting the environment. It’s never been easier to save money and trees – all at the same time!

About A&P
Founded in 1859, A&P is one of the nation’s first supermarket chains. The Company operates 435 stores in 8 states and the District of Columbia under the following trade names: A&P, Waldbaum’s, Pathmark, Best Cellars, The Food Emporium, Super Foodmart, SuperFresh and Food Basics.
About Zavers
Zavers offers paperless coupons on the Internet and on mobile phones so consumers can save on the products they want at their favorite stores. Zavers’ easy-to-use platform allows consumers to save time, save money, and help protect the environment. For more information on the Company, please visit www.zavers.com.

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The post STOP CLIPPING AND START CLICKING! A&P ANNOUNCES FIRST ONLINE COUPON PROGRAM IN HUDSON COUNTY first appeared on River View Observer.