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Friday, January 29, 2016
Diver Cesar Espino is one heroic human. Just ask the 45-foot Bryde whale whose life he saved off the Canary Islands in Spain. Well, you can't really ask the whale, but you can watch the video:


The whale had become so badly entangled in fishing line that it couldn't free itself. Trapped by the heavy lines for what appeared to be many days, the whale had become emaciated and was clearly distressed. That's when Mr. Espino stepped (swam) in, spending over an hour cutting the ropes from the whales mouth and fin. He stopped only to breathe.

Free at last, the whale began to swim away, as Cesar followed to make sure the enormous creature would be okay.  Cesar's friend posted the video of the whale's ordeal and his friends heroics. Since then, it's been viewed over a million times. Our hats are off to Mr. Espino and our hearts go out to the Bryde whale, hoping it won't need a similar rescue any time soon!

Your "Whale of a Fish Story" Gift Guru,
Linda

Posted by: Linda | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, January 22, 2016
Can you believe Valentine's Day is right around the corner? It snuck up on me and I admit: I'm at a bit of a loss this year. Or at least I was. Then I decided to do something different this year. Something a little bit sassy.

Back in my younger days, I used to get -- and give -- some pretty naughty gifts. Since I'm not quite too old yet, I thought I'd get up to some of my old tricks this year and find some eye-popping, jaw-dropping gifts for my dear husband.

Yes, Valentine's Day is a day for candlelight, romance and luscious chocolates. But there's no law that says you can't mix a little sassy with the sweet.

Your "Sweet Sass" Gift Guru,
Linda

Posted by: Linda | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, January 15, 2016
Social media helped reunite a little girl and her stuffed bunny, Jellycat earlier this month. A worker at the Adare Manor Hotel posted a picture of the toy, saying: “I lost my owner at breakfast” on the hotel's Facebook page. Isn't that sweet? But wait, it gets a lot sweeter.

While they waited to find Jellycat's owner, they gave the stuffed toy the full VIP treatment. The hotel posted pictures of the lost bunny as he enjoyed a spa treatment on the patio, a snack of tea and cakes and, finally lounging in bed with the television remote and a nice chocolate.

The hotel in Adare Village, Ireland found Jellycat's owner the next day. After Kate Hogan and Jellycat were reunited, the little girl sent a note to the hotel: “Thank you for taking such good care of my special Jellycat. I was so lonely going to sleep last night, but I now know he had the best time.”

Maybe the story didn't "break the internet". But it sure broke the "Awwwww..." meter!

Your "Share A Sweet Story" Gift Guru,
Linda

PS: You can see Jellycat's entire adventure at Adare Manor on their Facebook page.

Posted by: Linda | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, January 8, 2016
Nothing like starting off the new year with a good old-fashioned feel-good story. Especially a feel good all-over tale with a happy ending.

Shelter volunteer and dog rescuer Rebecca Burley was taking Roxanne, her rescued Lab/Hound mix, for a walk in their neighborhood in Suffolk, Virginia when they ran into a search party. Police were looking for an elderly woman who had wandered off into the cold wearing nothing but her nightgown. Ms. Burley promised to keep a lookout and she and Roxanne continued on their walk.

Just a few minutes later, Roxanne started to pull hard on her leash, leading her owner right to the ditch where the missing woman lay, shivering in her nightgown. Roxanne's human alerted authorities and before long, EMTs arrived to rescue the woman from the ditch.

Rebecca says Roxanne the Rescuer  is "a natural". Roxanne? Well she was just happy to gobble up some extra special treats that day.

Your "Rescue Happy" Gift Guru,
Linda


Posted by: Linda | 8:00 AM | permalink
Friday, January 1, 2016
It's a brand new year! A fresh start. A year full of possibilities. And a perfect time for celebration, reflection and tradition. To start you off on the right foot in 2016, I thought I'd share a few little-known fun facts about New Year's celebrations.

Did you know...
  • We didn’t always make “resolutions" and we didn’t always celebrate the new year on January 1st? Starting around 2,000 B.C., the Mesopotamians celebrated the new year on the vernal equinox (around mid-March). Theirs are the earliest New Year's celebrations on record.
  • The first major city to ring in the new year is Gisborne, New Zealand? It lies about 300 miles west of the International Dateline.
  • Dubai's is one of the most expensive New Year’s Eve displays on earth? They launch a dazzling firework display from the Burj Khalifa, which is now the world’s tallest building.
  • New Year’s Eve is really a family holiday in Russia? Families gather to listen to the president’s speech before the Kremlin clock rings out midnight.
  • A million people will be at Times Square when the ball drops? Close to a billion more will watch on TV.
I hope you had a great New Year's Eve celebration. And I hope you got your new calendars already, but just in case, I picked a few of my favorites for you:

From all of us to all of you: Happy 2016!

Your "Welcome 2016" Gift Guru,
Linda

Posted by: Linda | 8:00 AM | permalink
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