The 12 Raves Of Christmas

Here they are! And just in the jolly, good, ol' nick of time too, my Tudy-precious holiday givers and keepers!

1. The Complete Harry Potter Box Set
Why?
All 7 books come in a decorative trunk-like box - an irresistible, piece de resistance of pure, Rowling magic!
2. Ugg Boots and Slippers
Why?
Admit it, you'll wear them all year if you could.
3. Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake Mix from Williams-SonomaWhy?
It's red! It's delicious! And heaven help me, it's a cupcake!
4. The RipStik ( in pink or green please!)
Why?
No learning curves here. You'll be snowboarding and surfing in no time.
5. Cork, wedged shoesWhy?
It's a shoe-in! Height without the pain!!!
6. Pullip dollsWhy?
Could there be a cuter, 3-dimensional doll?
7. Cooking Mama: Cook Off: Nintendo Wii
Why?
All the cooking without the mess! Hello?
8. The 'Ology Collection: Pirateology, Wizardology, Dragonology, and Egyptology
Why?
Forget your gaming systems. Page after page after page, these books literally come alive on their own!
9. Harajuku Lovers WatchesWhy?
There's a paper doll in the watch. What's not to love?
10. Drawn to Life (Nintendo DS)Why?
Because you're the painter, artist and animator! Let's draw...
11. Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles
Why?
Creamy, smooth, and just a melt-in-your-heart treat for the holidays!
12. Disney's In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hallow
Why?
Told you fairies were real!

Give 'em, keep 'em.
Either way, they're all Tudy-precious!!!

A Tale of Four Sisters

Take a break from the holiday rush and enjoy Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks. This National Book Award Winner is a tale of four sisters (!), a lovely estate, and a boy in need of friends. It's a story, in the words of Jane, the second to the youngest of the sisters, "of heart and truth and adventure." And Hound and those 2 rabbits are just adorable!

Do you have sisters? What are they like?

Me? I just love my sisters!

Sugar and Spice...

And everything - CHOCOLATE! With 57% of the vote, chocolates won as your Fave Treat. Candies did sweetly with 34%, cakes and cupcakes got third tier with 30%, and cookies crumbled with 27%. Thanks for voting on my Fave Treat Poll! Sweet!

Take A Bow Wow

Man's best friend chewed up 73% of the votes on my Fave Pet Poll. Our finicky, persnickety, feline friends pounced in second with 35% of the votes. Fish swam in third with 10% and birds flew south with 9%.

Thanks for voting in! Always a treat getting to know you...

Here's what Woofy and Meowry have to say about your votes:

And Kawaii? Sigh... Kawaii's flying south for the winter.

"I Scream for Ice Cream!"

Chocolate got 46% of the vote as Fave Ice Cream Flavor! Followed closely by cookie dough with 33% and vanilla with 30%. Bubble gum with 22% and strawberry with 20% closed the vote. Thanks for taking part in my Fave Ice Cream Flavor Poll. It was Tudylicious!

Buttons and BOO!

I never thought black buttons could be so scary! Read Neil Gaiman's Coraline on a dark and sp00ky night and you'll understand what I mean! There's a door that leads to another room, ghastly things, and a horrid hand, but there's also a wonderful cat, faithful friends and a brave, brave girl! Just a B00tiful read for halloween!

I am not a Plastic Doll! :-)

Today is Blog Action Day for the Environment and if you still don't have a shopping bag made of cloth now's the time to get or make one! It doesn't have to be the oh-so-fashionable "I am not a Plastic Bag" one. Any good-sized cloth tote will do! Roll it up and scrunch it into your bag so whenever you go shopping you can just unfurl it when you need it. Lets reduce the number of plastic bags that we use and stick to cloth ones instead. Just a little Tudy Tip for Mother Earth!

It's a Treat!

For a hauntingly fun time, serve up this magical brew on your next spOOktacular Tudy party. Need help? Ask the Mummy...

The Witch's Twitch

Fill an 8 ounce glass with ice cubes. Squeeze the juice of one fresh orange. Add 4 ounces of cranapple juice. Top the potion with citrus-flavored Diet Fresca or Sprite Zero. Watch the fizzzz! Garnish with a fresh lime and a berry-flavored gummy worm.

Enjoy the magic... it's Tudylicious!

Can you Track my TudyPets?

Check out TudyDoll.com and track my TudyPets! Meet Woofy, Meowry and Kawaii, try out their different colors and, best of all, print them and take them home with you!

Art Stole the Scene!

Art won as your fave subject with a masterful 71% of the vote. Math equalled second with 33%. Reading and writing inked in at third with 29%. And science experimented at fourth with 24%. Thanks for taking my Fave Subject Poll!

Check out the Tudy Tips and Tudy Gifts links under my Memo Board for more fave polls and fave poll results!

The Room With A View

It's your school library of course! It's the one room you should get to know ASAP! Make a visit to your school library an essential part of your week. You'll get access to every literacy skill imaginable!

And make the connection: Borrow Newberry Award winner Jerry Spinelli's The Library Card. There are four stories in this book and the only thing that keeps the stories together is the reappearing, blue library card. It'll lend credence to the power of books, literature and your local school librarian. You'll never look at a library card the same way again...

Fairy Gifts

And speaking of fairy gifts, can you believe the gift given by the fairy Lucinda to Ella? Just imagining what would happen next kept me reading Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted in one sitting! And those ogres! Yikes! I guess I'll just stick to wishing for my favorite gifts instead - books and dark chocolates and paper dolls and stationeries and trips to new places and stuffed toys (still!) - and leave the fairy gifts to fiction where they belong!

So check out Tudy Gifts on my Memo Board for the results of my Fave Gift Poll and for more fun (and safe!) gift ideas!