Community Blog

Reliant Energy presents for your enjoyment ‘Til Midnight at the Nasher Movies Music & Moonlight, Friday, September 17.

Save the date! The Nasher Sculpture Center is doing something new! Every 3rd Friday night you’re invited to ‘Til Midnight at the Nasher, held in coordination with the Dallas Museum of Art’s Late Nights and the Crow Collection of Asian Arts’ Crow Collection After Dark.

It’s an affordable and cultural night out!

Admission: Adults $10. Seniors $7. Students $5.
Children 12 under and Members are always FREE.

Every third Friday, take in a concert and movie in the Garden.

6 pm Nasher Cafe by Wolfgang Puck
6 – 11 pm Members-Only Cooling Tent
6:30 pm Guided Tour
7 pm Live Concert with Havana NRG
8 pm Guided Tour
9 pm Movie West Side Story
11 pm Countdown ‘til Midnight Viewing James Turrell’s Tending, (Blue)

Consignment shopping is an excellent way to GO GREEN and enjoy all the name brands at bargain prices!

With several great consignment clothing stores in the area, there’s no reason to pay full price again! And because consignment shops only accept gently worn clothing that’s in good condition, you won’t find yourself searching through unwearable items to find a rare gem.

At Plato’s Closet on N. MacArthur Road, you’ll find name brands like Neiman Marcus, GAP, Express and more at a fraction of the cost of buying new. Clothing Circuit on Sherry Lane at Preston has the top names at 60% less than you’d pay off the rack. You’ll find hand bags, scarves, belts, hats, office attire and casual.

RE-USE is an awesome and powerful way to make a positive impact on the environment. By using what’s already here, we cut back on emissions from the transport of goods and reduce unnecessary waste. When it comes to consignment clothing, you come out on top with great looking clothes at the lowest prices.

Go Consignment shopping and GO GREEN!

Bartering is back, entering what many have called its FOURTH phase in U.S. history.

In the 17th and 18th centuries THE way to do business was to trade or barter. Among the items most often traded was corn, tobacco and deer skins. Have you ever wondered why we call a dollar a ‘buck’? It goes back to the trading of deer skins or … the skins of a ‘buck’.

When things take a downward plunge economically, the practice of bartering and trading increases. It just makes good money sense when cash is hard to come by. Now that we have the internet to work with, it’s even easier to share goods and services with others in exchange for the goods or service we need.

Online bartering and trading resources aren’t hard to find. Swap.com is a terrific resource that specializes in books, CD’s, DVD’s and video games. Many swear by Barterquest.com .

If you’re new to the concept, check out this Readers Digest article titled, 4 Tricks of Swapping and Bartering to help you get started on your way to saving a buck!

How about you? What kinds of goods or services would you like to trade or barter?

Tax Free weekend has arrived! Unleash the shoppers!

If you’ve been waiting for this weekend to get your school supplies, it’s time to hit the shopping trail for those beautiful Tax Free items all students need. Maybe you’re like me and this little money break caught you by surprise? SURPRISE!!! You woke up just in time to take advantage.

Through the weekend, almost any clothing and footwear you buy that’s priced at under $100 is tax-free. This includes baby clothes and diapers, swimsuits, undies, pants, skirts, sneakers, sandals and socks. Some Backpacks are tax-free – the ones that qualify are priced at under $100 designed for elementary and secondary students. Most all school supplies are Tax Free including pencils, rulers, calculators, crayons and all that jazz. An exhaustive list can be found HERE.

There are a few exemptions. The stuff you won’t get a break on are items considered unneeded extras like jewelry, purses, hair accessories, fishing boots, ballet slippers … that sort of thing. Although, I’d like to point out: ballet slippers ARE a necessity if you make a living as a dancer in the Ballet. But I didn’t make the rules. I just want the credit for thinking of that.

Lay-Away holiday gifts during this weekend and save. You’ll be glad you did in just a few short months.  It’s also a great time to take advantage of the summer sales for next year! Snag some cool summer stuff on the cheap this weekend and gift them to yourself next spring. It’s an inexpensive way to give yourself a hug!

Miss McCheapskate here is always looking for the CHEAP way to accomplish everything. If I can squeeze good ole Abe out of the Lincoln Memorial, I’ll do it – shamelessly. Penny pinching is my game.

My latest money saving venture has been to explore the amazing world of homemade beauty products. I was inspired the morning I woke up with Mr. Nesbitt, my cat of 12 years, lying across my face, licking my ear lobe and purring his sweet nothings. Inspired indeed! I had more fur on my face than a circus bearded lady. I headed straight to the bathroom sink for a good scrubbing with soap and water.

Although my first lather-rinse-repeat maneuver removed the initial layer of fur, I was still plagued by the residual effects of the encounter. I’ll admit that any fur-residue I was feeling was most likely in my mind at that point – as opposed to on my face – and YET, I still felt the desperate need for a deep-cleansing facial. The dilemma? I had no fancy-schmancy name brand fur removing product on hand at the time. I know what you’re thinking: OATMEAL.

While it’s true that oatmeal is known for making a nifty face-paste, I didn’t have any oatmeal in my pathetic excuse for a well-stocked pantry. Living single in an apartment can do that to a pantry. I did however, have one extremely ripe banana.

Now I know that it’s probably not your very first thought to smear a ripe banana on your face. Not mine either. But desperate times call for desperate measures and besides, I didn’t want to run to the store and shell out my hard earned cash for what might actually BE mashed bananas in a jar … so I asked myself, What’s the worst that can happen?

Of course, the only REAL answer is to contact Martha Stewart … or … Google it. Martha didn’t answer despite my repeated phone calls but I did make some headway with a Google search. As it turns out, bananas aren’t the only edibles from your kitchen that make a wonderful facial cleanser! Papaya, grapes, avocado, kiwi and even plain yogurt can do wonders for the skin! Who would have thought? How utterly convenient to be able to smear your breakfast all over your face and by the time you’re done eating, have supple and clean skin!

If the idea of using ripe bananas as a facial cleanser doesn’t excite you, there are oodles of other awesome homemade beauty product recipes to try! Give one a shot and let me know how it worked for you!

In the meantime, I’ll be busy giving Mr. Nesbitt a nice clean shave.

How can dining out at a fine restaurant make a difference in Dallas? You’re just one great culinary experience away from finding out!

During Restaurant Week, 7 dollars of every of 35 dollars worth of gourmet meals sold at participating venues will go to benefit the North Texas Food Bank and the Lena Pope Home. With your help, they could bust last years giving record of $430,000 wide open!

Making a difference in the Dallas area never tasted so good … and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse is joining in the fight against hunger by participating with a great MENU specifically for this event! Philanthropy is EASY during Restaurant Week! Don’t go hungry and help fight hunger all over Dallas by dining out during Restaurant week!

Visit Pappas Bros. or one of the other participating restaurants during the 2010 annual Restaurant Week. You’re just a quick drive to their location at 10477 Lombardy Ln.

Enjoy some friendly Powder-Puff Football competition FOR A GOOD CAUSE!

It’s the 3rd annual Blondes VS Brunettes DALLAS, a powder-puff football game to help fight Alzheimer’s through the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  YOU can HELP fight this disease just by having fun at this event! Your $25 donation gets you into the game and the after party AND helps raise money for the fight.

To date, BvB Dallas has raised over $210,000 in only 2 years and YOU can make a difference this year. Make your plans to root for THE BLONDES or THE BRUNETTES … as they join you in fighting Alzheimer’s.

You’re less than a half an hours drive to a GREAT FUN FOR A GREAT CAUSE!  Directions

Are you interested in going wine tasting?

Wine tasting really isn’t that hard. What’ so hard about tasting different types of wine? If you want to learn how to taste wine like a pro, Cork Wine Bar is holding a special event for people like you. On August 19^th at 7pm you will be able to experience Wine 101 at its best. Wine tasting pros will be discussing ways to beat the heat with crisp refreshing wine.

Five different wines will be served with accompanying cheeses. This event is limited to 20 people only. Make your reservations today!

Location - 3636 McKinney Ave NE edge of West Village Dallas, TX 75204

Need More Information – Call them at (214)780- 0373

Image via Wikipedia

Fall in love with your new best friend this weekend! On Friday, Aug 6 from 1pm to 5pm you get a chance to take a new 4 legged friend back to Lincoln Lakeside with you. Meet your perfect match at the Rockwall PETCO at Find-a-Friend Fridays.

Adopt your own shelter pet today!

Look for the Rockwall Animal Services feather flag outside.

This event repeats weekly until December 17, 2010.

Address - 689 Market Center Drive Rockwall, TX 75032 (Get Directions To The Store).

Did you smile at someone today? Or did you smile at all today?

Well, I hope you did. Don’t let your stressful day take away your smile and joy. I love smiling and laughing. There’s something about busting out laughing that just eases away all my pain and worries. I actually put a lot of care into my teeth, just because I know I like to smile so much. Just smile once in a while. Even if you are by yourself and even if there isn’t anything funny going on. You will notice how light you feel after you do so. It’s kind of like when you smile you are dropping the loads of burdens from your back and worries from your mind.

Just smile already! I’m sure you have heard that it takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown. People who smile more are surrounded by better energy than those who choose to frown all day.

Why it’s good to smile.

Photo From Flickr.com

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