I can't believe it's Labor Day weekend already. The kids are back in school and we're quickly settling into our fall routine as if summer had never happened. I'm sure the kids feel that way. With back-to-school come thoughts of the upcoming holidays, starting with Halloween. It's a favorite holiday around our house, but I don't think I'm ready to start planning yet. First, I have to celebrate one of my favorite holidays: National Coffee Day.

It's true that I'm not much good in the morning until I'm "fully caffeinated." But it's not just the caffeine that most coffee drinkers love. For true coffee aficionados, the ritual is as important as the first cup. Selecting a flavor, grinding the beans, filtering cold water, enjoying the aroma as the coffee brews...all of these things are just as important as that first sip in the morning.

On September 29 when coffee drinkers everywhere celebrate the ancient aromatic brew, many coffee shops give away free samples and even free cups of coffee! There's only one thing I can think of that beats a cup of coffee and that's a free cup of coffee! No wonder this is one of my favorite holidays! Now, if I could just figure out how to make my coffee break last all day long...

Your "Caffeinated" Gift Guru,

Linda

If you've been following sillier side of the news, you might have heard that, along with roads and indoor plumbing, new archaeological evidence seems to suggest that the Romans also gave us socks. Okay, not so surprising, right? But as evidence stacked up against the Romans, the fashion horror began to slowly reveal itself: they wore socks with sandals! Worse, as pointed out by Now Public's Jordan Yerman, "the sock was found in North Yorkshire, England ...which means the Romans wore them while abroad." Wow. Tourists in socks and sandals is a fashion crime that dates back 2,000 years.

Does this mean we have to rethink global fashion? Well, roads are good, right? Indoor plumbing, too? Can socks with sandals actually be the fashion equivalent of running water? Have we been wrong all these years? If so, what other crimes of fashion might we have to rethink? Will jean capris (japris) for men and sock boots for women soon be the very height of fashion? You're not alone if the thought makes you shudder.

Let's just hope archeologists don't uncover evidence of Roman children wearing their shorts so baggy that their fellow citizens could see their underwear. After school clothes shopping with the kids this year, I believe that's a fashion statement that has had more than its say.

Your "Fashionista" Gift Guru,

Linda

Who would have thought that a show about something as old-fashioned as a glee club would end up with 19 Emmy nominations? Or that the Glee album would take the #1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 chart? Or that the show would become a national sensation with both kids and adults. That's right. I admit it: I'm a "Gleek."

"Gleeks" like me visit the web site regularly to watch "glee-winds" of old episodes, participate in Community Glee discussions and play Glee games. You can even watch your favorite rounds of "Sue vs. Schue." Everyone can relate their own high school experiences to one or more of the characters and Gleeks regularly discuss some of the show's tougher topics like pregnancy myths, bullying and teacher ethics. I've never been one to join online discussions with strangers, but Community Glee is very engaging--maybe even addictive!

With music, humor, great characters and superb acting, Glee has a lot going for it. But I think one reason for the show's enormous popularity is its underlying underdog theme. We love to root for one who struggles against all odds--and wins. The new season starts September 21st, so there's plenty of time to get caught up on all things Glee before the bell rings.

Your "Gleeful" Gift Guru,

Linda

National Grandparents Day was the brainchild of Marian McQuade. A mother of 15, she and husband Joe have 40 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. But she didn't do it so she and Joe could collect on 48 cards and gifts. She started the campaign for a National Grandparent's Day to ease the lonliness of elderly people confined to nursing homes. She also wanted to expose children to the "wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide."

Grandparent's Day is a big to-do around our house. Not only do the kids get to spend the entire day with their grandparents, but we usually have a big "surprise" party. We send the kids and our parents off to do something for the day and then we decorate the house, put out a few gifts, make a huge meal and when they get back, we all yell "Surprise!" We know no one is surprised, but it's still fun.

Mrs. McQuade achieved at least one of her goals: the children love to listen to their grandparents talk about the days before video games, MP3 players, the Internet and all the other wonders that are a routine part of their modern lives. They listen and ask, "What did you do for fun?" and "What's a record player?" and "How did you look things up without the Internet?" Smiling, their grandparents answer with humor and patience. Watching them together fills my heart and makes me forever grateful to Mrs. McQuade. If not for her efforts, all of us might have missed out on a truly enriching family holiday.

Your "Wisdom of the Ages" Gift Guru,

Linda

No matter where you live in the Northern Hemisphere, chances are you're watching high temperature records being shattered almost every day. Weather Underground's Dr. Jeff Masters reports that heat records have been broken from Moscow to Sudan to Washington, D.C. Even chilly Finland recorded it's hottest temperature ever: 99 degrees farenheit!

We're used to heat in Florida. We even like it. Most of us moved here for the mild winters, but we're also used to long, hot, humid summer days where the evening temps barely dip below 80 degrees. When people complain about the heat here, they say "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." But when I was out in New Mexico, it was as dry as dust and 112 degrees. Let me tell you, it was the heat! Wet or dry, hot is hot!

Like you would in any inclement weather situation, it's important to plan before you leave the house. If your car breaks down or you get stuck in a traffic jam, the heat can take it's toll--fast! My hot weather kit consists of cool drinks, a large umbrella, a hat and a personal battery operated fan. I like to freeze reusable bottles of both plain and fruit-infused water and keep them in a thermal bag where they thaw without making a mess. You can save space with a hat that has its own solar powered fan built into the bill or pack a big floppy beach hat and a fan that you can hang around your neck. And always keep a big umbrella in the car, not just for freak thunderstorms, but for a portable source of shade in case you get stuck on the side of the road in the full sun.

So while we're waiting for winter to blow in, stay cool and stay safe. When the cold weather finally arrives, we'll talk about all the items you'll need to stay safe in the ice and snow. Ahhhh. Snow. Doesn't that sound nice right about now?

Your "Keeping It Cool" Gift Guru,

Linda

A few weeks ago I wrote about the US Postal Service's "Stamps To The Rescue" campaign to raise awareness and promote the adoption of millions of homeless animals housed in shelters. Maybe it's really working. A handful of my friends have recently adopted animals from shelters. And my yoga instructor, who already has six dogs, just saved another one. With sixteen acres to roam, the lucky seven will be in heaven.

Bringing home a new pet can be fun and stressful. You have to pet-proof the house and shop for all the things the little furballs will need. And it's inevitable: you always forget something. Before I brought my doggie home from the shelter, I bought food, bedding, several toys, a cuddly blanket and, because accidents do happen, a bottle of odor eliminator. But I forgot to buy bowls! Silly, I know, but it's hard to think of everything when you're trying to think of everything!

Because shelter life is so stressful for the animals, most people don't like to leave their new arrivals home alone in the first few days. I didn't. I called a friend and asked her to pick up some dog bowls for me. She did and presented them with a "bouquet" of bully sticks. She now enjoys Most Favored Guest status with my dog. So if you know someone who rescued a dog or cat from a shelter, maybe you could give them a call and see what they forgot. You know, it's never too early to win over the new family member!

Your "Perks for Pets" Gift Guru,

Linda

I love baseball. And with the close-to-home Tampa Bay Rays making a strong run in the “Hunt For October,” home and office talk revolves around the diamond these days. I’ve even had the opportunity to attend a couple of Rays games this year. We lost both times, but that didn’t really matter to me. Well, maybe a little…

There’s nothing like a long, lazy day in the baseball park. Sitting in the stands munching on food that you know isn’t good for you (but this is one day you don’t have to care) doing the wave, cheering on the home team and spitting raspberries at the visiting team—to me that’s the very definition of summer, American-style!

Of course, winning is great, too. We’d sure love to see the Rays make the playoffs and maybe even bring home the World Series. But even if they don’t, we’ll still "root, root, root for the home team" because win, lose or draw once we’re at the ball game, well, we don’t care if we ever come back!

Your “Grand Slam” Gift Guru,
Linda

My grandmother and I used to collect salt and pepper shakers together. When she passed, I inherited her entire collection. As you might imagine, I have a lot of salt and pepper shakers. I have ceramic shakers, stainless steel shakers, glass, wood, plastic and even PVC shakers. Still, I never miss a chance to add one more set to my collection. So when I’m out there looking for memorable gifts, I always keep an eye out for salt and pepper shakers.

My grandmother, who had a rather ribald sense of humor, would have loved some of the shakers I’ve added to our collection lately. She liked to collect shakers they called “naughty” back then. Even by today’s standards, some shakers in her old collection are a little too bawdy for prominent display. With the kids and their friends hanging around all the time, I don’t want to find myself explaining what the shakers are “doing” to the kids. And I really don’t want to explain my grandmother’s sense of humor to their parents!

But every time I find a new set of shakers that I know she would love and would have had to own, I get them and place them in the cabinet where I keep the most prized (and the most risqué) pieces of her collection. It’s a funny thing I suppose, but every time I add silly or irreverent shakers to her collection, I feel like she’s right there with me, blushing at her own naughty sense of humor and giggling with her hand over her mouth.

Your “Shake It Up” Gift Guru,
Linda

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things. ~ Bruce Barton

People are waking up to a greener lifestyle these days. We’re consuming less and recycling more. It might seem a daunting task to turn Earth’s ecology around. Experts say it could take hundreds of years to undo some environmental damage. The effects of our efforts today probably won’t be seen for generations. So does one plastic water bottle really matter in the giant scheme of things? I believe it does.

It’s the little things we do every day that will ultimately determine what kind of world we leave for our children and their children. Choosing reusable bags, cups and bottles can reduce the volume of garbage dumped into landfills. Combining three car trips into one or carpooling to work even once a week can reduce air pollution. Adjusting our heat or air conditioning by just two degrees can reduce consumption of fossil fuels. When millions and millions of us are in it together, these seemingly little things really add up.

Together, with each of us doing the smallest little things, we can change the future. I believe that.

Your “Little By Little” Gift Guru,
Linda

Remember a time before digital cameras? When you had to take actual film in for developing? And you came home with an envelope full of prints? And you never knew until you held them in your hand whether your photos had come out the way you pictured through the view finder? Now we view the images on the camera’s screen. We delete them if we don’t like them. We plug our cameras into our computers, transfer the photos and most likely forget about them. Or maybe we upload them to a digital picture frame. But how many of us actually make prints of our precious photos?

I was doing some very tardy Spring cleaning last weekend when I came across a box of old photos that I had forgotten about. I had always meant to frame them and display them—I even had the frames—but I guess I never got around to it. I found my parents’ wedding photo, tons of pictures of the kids and lots of silly pictures of all of us. I decided they had been hidden away for too long. With a handful of frames and some picture hangers, I went to work. I framed and hung pictures down either side of my hallway. Then I went to my computer and organized the photos there, printing, framing and hanging pictures that might have been lost in a digital desert forever if that old box of photos hadn’t jogged my memory.

It took all day and most of the night and I didn’t even care that I didn’t get anything else done. Because when I was finished, I had created a family gallery that stretched from a worn and torn photo of my mother on my grandmother’s lap to a picture of my own family on vacation. Looking at them as I pass through the hallway brings back fond memories every day. Besides, there’s always next Spring for cleaning, right?

Your “Framed ” Gift Guru,
Linda