Easy As Pie

You might have baked cookies, cakes, and even made some special Christmas candy. However, this year, you might have decided to take on the challenge of making a scrumptious pie (or several) for the holidays.

Well, if you need a little help making that endeavor, call the Crisco Pie Hotline at (877) 367-7438. Much like the Butterball hotline for Turkeys (1-800-BUTTERBALL, ) experts are standing by from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until Dec. 31 to answer your questions and offer sage advice.

If you can't reach them during those times, you can listen to pre-recorded pie messages.

MMMM...I smell a masterpiece in your future :)

CH

Super Pizza

The other night, my wife asked if we could get some Papa Johns. She was craving it. So, we ordered and I got to looking at all the coupons after picking it up. They were advertising for the new Superman Returns DVD--which hit the shelves today.

Well, if you like the combo of Superman Returns and Papa Johns, you are in luck! Because it pays to be Superman's best "friend," or at least to live on a street named after her.

Papa John's pizza is now offering a free pie to anyone living on a Lois Lane (anywhere in the nation.) Actually, there are supposedly about 1600 households that are on Lois Lanes n some 400 cities.

The free pizza promotion runs through December 12th.

CH

My True Love Gave To Me

The cost of The Twelve Days of Christmas is on the rise — again.

Buying each item in the song just once — from a partridge in a pear tree to a dozen drummers drumming — will cost you $18,920, or 3% more than last year.

The total cost of items gifted by a True Love who repeats all of the song's verses costs more than ever before — $75,122!!!!

While prices for the partridge, two turtle doves, three French hens, six geese and seven swans remained the same as last year, higher wages made the lords a-leaping, ladies dancing and pipers piping costlier.

For the price of buying all 364 items, you could get a brand new, fully-loaded special edition Hummer 2, a cruise around the world, a 5-carat diamond ring or top-of-the-line watch.

Trying to find cheaper deals online won't help, either. The 364 items online would cost $125,767, including shipping costs!

Yeah, I guess just stick with the iPod ;)
CH

Getting a bit (of) Chili!

Last night, I was travelling back from Nashville (GO TITANS!) with some friends when we stopped into a Steak-N-Shake. If you've never experienced one, you should. They are basically, a quick steakburger diner with milkshakes that always hit the spot.

Well, we all get our orders, and are having a good time just chatting. The server returns to ask about everything, and my friend asks, "We like to get some cans of chili to take with us. Not the microwavable ones. Some regular cans. Do you have any of those?" The server looked a bit confused, but smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I don't know, but you can check when you go to the counter."

Apparently, this is the only chili that our friends will eat. So, once a year, or whenever near a Steak-N-Shake, they stock up. Low and behold, they weren't kidding! They really did stock up! They bought a case...24 cans, I'm guessing....to take with them. LOL! Actaully, they kind of laughed at themselves as they left saying that everyone probably thought they were crazy trying to buy all this chili...well..uh...(cough, cough) no comment...just kidding!

Actually, it makes a lot of sense if you've ever wandered into a restaurant, really enjoyed what you had or always get this certain dish--and when leaving you always wish you could take a whole bunch with you...I guess I'll take a tip from my frinends, the next time that happens...all they can do is say "No."

CH

Cooll (uh...Hot) Christmas Present

I've always heard that when you don't have much to talk about, always use the weather. Well, now the weather can be made a very neat topic of conversation...or rather how you got the forecast...

There's a new coffee maker hitting stores for the holidays that can display real-time weather data!!! It uses a "smart objects" (aka SPOT) technology that Microsoft has been touting for years.

The Melitta Smart Mill & Brew takes advantage of a wireless-data system built by Microsoft to automatically display current weather conditions and forecasts.

This will set you back about $200, but what a neat idea!

I wonder if Dave Dierks (WCYB-TV) already has one of these in his kitchen?

CH

Turkey Day in a Bottle

Yum, Yum!

After introducing the world to new soft-drink flavours like fish taco and salmon, Seattle specialty beverage maker Jones Soda Co. is offering a new flavour: Green pea.

Green pea, along with other unusual sodas such as turkey and gravy, dinner roll, sweet potato and antacid flavour, will be part of the company's $10 to $15 "holiday pack" of bottled drinks available nation-wide.

Past flavours included broccoli casserole, corn on the cob and Brussel sprout.

When asked if there were any flavours that were off limits, the company's president said he put his foot down when it came to curried chicken flavour.

CH

(Source: Yahoo.com and Jonessoda.com)

What to do?

Last night, my wife, Meredith, called and asked if we wanted to nab something to eat after the Magical Night of Giving. I obliged, thinking it was a good idea. Eating is nice.

Just to make sure that a place would still be open until 11, I called. Good news for us, they were.

So, there we are...sitting in our booth about 10:20...ordered our food...had good conversation...sipped some water...and then, minutes later, we had our food.

This is where our dilemma begins. See, Meredith, ordered something that she really, really wanted. It came...it looked fantastic...mine looked great as well...mine tasted really good...Meredith's didn't.

They had added a whole bunch of salt to her dish. The dish was salty to begin with, but this was overboard. So much so, it was hard to eat much of it. Well, after a minute or two of talking about it. I asked if I should say something to the server about getting it replaced because of the insane salt value.

After a few more back and forths, we decided that we would not send it back. The reason being that it was getting close to closing time, our server was cleaning the restaurant, and the kitchen was probably not expecting any more orders at this point. So, it seemed it was going to be too much trouble to ask for a replacement in an order like ours. Meredith said that she would try and dust some of the salt off and make it work. She ate a bit more, got a box, and now, it's in the fridge. Still salty.

Should we have sent it back or not? There are reasons to use either option...

CH

Friday!

Today is a busy day in the life of 88.3and said DJ, Chalmer (I just referred to myself in the 3rd person...hmm...not good for the mental health...anyway, I hope you have a chance to be a part of this fun day!

This afternoon, the Spirit of Giving Sounder will play, and you have the chance to win a $1000 Gift Card to the Ft. Henry Mall in Kingsport!! When you hear it, be caller number 8 and you'll be instantly qualified! I'm sure, it would be nice to know that Christmas is taken care of.

Also, I'll be at the Subway on Lee Highway (Exit 19 off Interstate 81) in Abingdon from 3-6 collecting your shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We thank you for your fantastic response in making Christmas for a little boy or a little girl somewhere around the world. These little boxes get shipped to over 95 countries. In my book, that's cool!

And finally, the Christmas season will begin in Abingdon tonight as I will be in the annual Christmas parade!!! I love driving down Main Street in Abingdon! Being in this parade is one of my favorite things about the Holiday season. So, look for the WCQR van! I can't wait to see your family there! (Just need to figure out someway that I can get a Thermos before I go...Looks like it's going to be chilly again this year!)

Hope you have a fantastic weekend, and I hope to see you tonight!
CH

I enjoy the Star Wars saga. I have the DVD set, the VHS tapes, have some old Empire Strikes Back sheets, and I pretty much look like a wookie. However, in my opinion, this might be taking the movies a wee bit too seriously...I read this today.
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Two self-acclaimed Jedi Knights want their faith to be formally recognised. John Wilkinson and Charlotte Law, want the UN to acknowledge Jedi is worthy of being called a religion.

It comes after 400,000 people recorded it as their faith in the 2001 Census.

"Wilkinson and Law even made a stament today,"Like the UN, the Jedi Knights are peacekeepers and we feel we have the basic right to express our religion through wearing our robes, and to be recognised by the national and international community."
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As a fan of the movies, I know that George Lucas used several different religious beliefs in creating "The Force." However, I wanted to dig a bit and found this interesting article from 2002 by Terry Mattingly--Milligan College.

http://www.leaderu.com/humanities/mattingly.html

CH

Oversized Gift Certificates

Well, now that the elections are over...it's time to clean up those campaign signs! Sure, I guess you could use 'em for a few things...a yard sale sign, a for sale by owner sign, or nostalgic reasons...However, I have found the best use for them, yet! You can turn those campaign signs into some free food!!

Yup, the restaurant chain Sticky Fingers is offering a free appetizer to anyone who cleans up the campaign clutter and brings in a sign.

Just think of those leftover campaign signs as roadside gift cards! :)

Sticky Fingers is a ribs restaurant, and will be offering coupons for a free appetizer through next Wednesday. Unfortunately, the closest ones are in Chattanooga and Greeneville, SC...a good 2.5 to 3 hours drive one way.

But I was thinking...maybe we should do a bit of campaigning of our own and ask our favorite restaurant chain owners about doing the same thing in the Tri-Cities.

Because if Olive Garden, Logan's, Cheddar's, Johnny Carino's, Johnny Brusco's, or ANY of the local restaurants were to offer a free appetizer for a campaign sign...I'd be happy to bring them a sign. :)

CH

Family

November is National Adoption Awareness month!

As an adopted child, having family members who are adopted children, and seeing how adoption has blessed so many in my life...I truly believe in the efforts families put forth to take in a child or children. So, "naturally," ; ) I found this article very interesting.

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In light of recent high profile international child adoptions by celebrities like Madonna, The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville asked Steven Curtis Chapman about his thoughts on the sometimes controversial situations.

Here's what he had to say...

“The bottom line is, there 145 million estimated orphans in the world (and) anytime a celebrity turns their focus to that, I think good comes from it,” he said. “It opens up more people to consider the fact that, ‘Wow, there are a lot of children in the world who don’t have families’ . . . If celebrities are going to use their celebrity for that, I’m going to cheer on the good and raise the flag if there are questionable issues.”

You can read The Tennessean’s complete story here, and learn more about Steven’s current adoption efforts here.

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Have a great day!

CH

(Source: CMSpin.com)

God Listens

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8: 26-28 (NIV)

300 letters sent to a minister - ended up dumped in the ocean, most of them unopened.

The minister passed away two years ago and it's still a mystery how the letters, some dating to 1973, wound up bobbing in the surf.

An insurance adjuster was fishing with his son when he spotted a flowered plastic shopping bag and waded out to retrieve it.

The letters were wrapped in several smaller brown paper bags inside the larger plastic bag, and about half were too badly damaged to be legible.

The guy who found them said he is sad that most of the writers never had their letters read. But he hopes to change that as he is putting the collection up for sale on eBay.

Sure, that's is one way to have them read...but if you are a praying person, you know that those prayers, whether written or unwriten have been heard and did not go unanswered.