Putting Together the Pieces of the Puzzle

Tuesday January 29th is National Puzzle Day!

Puzzles are one of the most educational toys around. Puzzles come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and cover all kinds of themes. Ages 1 to 100 can truly enjoy the benefits of puzzles.

Jigsaw puzzles provide a unique learning tool for children by providing them with manipulation and coordination skills. They are educational, fun, and instill a sense of accomplishment in children. Additionally, they help children develop reasoning skills and use deductive thinking while being challenged to complete the puzzle. 

Depending on the size of the pieces both small and large motor skills can be used when assembling a puzzle. The gratification of complete a puzzle allows for confidence building skills.

Puzzles are a perfect gift and make a great after school event that helps continue the learning process after the school day ends. Puzzles can be enjoyed by one person or they can be a family event as well.
Many families have larger ongoing puzzles set on tables in their house for all to enjoy. Completed puzzles can be broken apart for future use or sometimes even framed for some " I did it myself!" wall art.


Puzzles teach problem solving skills that last a lifetime and can be used for all ages.

Whether you choose to use puzzles for educational purpose or purely for entertainment you can't go wrong when you choose to put together a puzzle.
On Tuesday , January 29th all puzzles in stock at the store will be 30% off.
Think ahead for the upcoming holidays. Valentines Day and Easter are both great times to give puzzles.

Check out the Facebook Page for more info. Facebook Page

There are only 10 of these in the store!

Greetings! With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Team Fudge wants to thank you!  Your support over the last 6 years has been so appreciated. Everyone can use a little help at the holidays so the elves are hard at work making sure we can assist along the way as much as we can. Be sure to check out the Holiday Survival Guide Ideas on the Team Fudge Pintrest BoardPintrest Tip # 1 - Be sure to plan ahead, take a few minutes and make a list of everything. What you need to do, to buy, to accomplish and them put it on a calendar and get it done! Shop Online to make things super easy! www.JuliesCornerStore.com   If you have any input, we want to know. Please feel free to drop us a line.  Email us at info@juliescornerstore.cominfo@juliescornerstore.com See you at the corner, Julie and Team Fudge Shop Online !  You asked and we listened. You can now shop online at JuliesCornerStore.com For the past few years, you've asked can we shop online. Fudge has always been available online but now you can shop the store online. Yes you can still earn VIP points with your online purchases. The new Fudge of the Month Club will make that perfect gift for that hard to buy person on your gift giving list. Everyday, more items from the store are being added to the online store.  JuliesCornerStore.com  One of the most visited pages is the Events Page. Have you checked it out yet?         Save the Dates November 2nd - First Friday Wine Down November 3rd - Jim Shore 10th Anniversary                            There are only 10 of these anniversary statues in the store. They will be available for purchase on Saturday November 3rd.

My house is NOT a Norman Rockwell Painting

Every year at this time I promise myself to be more organized for the upcoming holidays.
Every year a week before Christmas I ALWAYS find myself saying why do I wait so long to take of things that have to be done. So this year I am once again vowing it to be different.
So here is my step by step plan that I will share with you. It will be so incredibly
 nice to enjoy the season instead of feeling like a chicken running around with my head cut off ( that is not a pretty picture!)

1. Everything does NOT have to be perfect, my house does not and will not ever look like a Norman Rockwell painting, That is okay. I want to enjoy my family and not stress if the amaryllis will be blooming AND standing straight up. I will be happy if just one string of lights is still working on Christmas Morning.

2. I will make a budget  and a list (  I may not follow it to the letter...but at least I will have a plan!) I am thinking that some kind of plan will certainly be better than none at all.
At least that way, when it comes time to wrap gifts and send them I don't end up with a bunch of stuff for my sons and nothing for daughter. When that has happened in the past, my husband always ends up with a few odd gifts as I try to even things out.

3. I will shop early and that means soon...like maybe even tomorrow! I will try to use my dollars wisely and shop local whenever it's possible.( As an owner of a local business-It does matter!)
It will be fun to find a sale or two to take advantage of.

4. I will take time to smell the roses or in this case, the evergreens. Planning the holiday meal will be breeze if I get my menu together early and start stocking up on those things that I can stock up on.

5. In January I want to be able to say " Wow, that was so much fun!" instead of saying  " I am so glad that is over!"

What do you think??? Together we might have a chance of making this holiday season one of the best holiday seasons ever. Okay, are you with me? Happy Holidays to you( a little bit  early)
Sorry, I guess  I am an elf at heart.

When the alarm goes off?

So, typically my day starts around  5 AM.  That doesn't mean the alarm is set that early but our golden retriever Mandy usually starts to stir about that time. For the most part, I don't mind the early mornings or the late nights because I happen to love, yes LOVE what I do. Every single day is different from the day before. I don't spend a lot of time at home in the morning, I just kinda take a shower and get ready to work. So this morning , I had to find a jacket to wear and during my 12 minute commute to work, it was decided that the wine chiller machine needed to be put away for the season. I mean who really wants a frozen wine drink when they have to wear a jacket.

So after I took the machine apart, I was kind of sad but it will be back in the Spring. On the brighter side, our  wine order that we placed yesterday was getting unloaded from the truck. I had totally forgotten that it included some spiced wine for the Fall. One of my personal favorites is Hollowine from Illinois River Winery.

It's  so yummy and its best when its heated, so basically its the opposite of the chillers and I thought to myself that was perfect timing. Having wine at the store has been so much fun for Team Fudge.

For those who are unfamiliar with the wine tasting at the store, here's a little lesson on what you do.
Basically its easy, you drink wine!  You get to try 7 different wines for 4.00 any time the store is open. There are also special events that you can attend. There is a series we call First Friday and at 7 pm on those nights , you can experience a food pairing /wine event. The cost is 15. per person and you will need to call the store at 309246-2262 to reserve your spot.  The next First Friday is October 5th.

So I started my day with a sip of Wine Chiller and am now ending it with a little Hollowine.

Someone has to be in charge of quality control right?

Witches, Turkeys and Elfs?

Okay, so it is that time of year when you get a whole bunch of holidays thrown at you all at once!
It happens about mid August and gets into full swing right after Labor Day. Team Fudge has been putting up Christmas trees with amazing new ornaments and we follow it up with trying out the new Halloween Jewelry that just came in. Yesterday, Bob ( the super nice driver from UPS) brought us a whole bunch of boxes to unpack. It's kind of fun to see the stuff that comes into the store after ordering it so long ago. Actually the stuff that came in was ordered in January when Jill, Patty and I went to market in Chicago. When the boxes get opened it fun to see what we were so excited about many months back.

 This gal came to work with us thru Halloween, unless she gets a new home before then. Bring the kids to see the witch now on display at the store. She is a little scary so be forewarned!

Here's a sample of just some of what has come in!

It's that time of year again!

Scarecrow Fest is underway!

Bring in your homemade scarecrow and have it displayed outside the store !

Everyone who brings in a scarecrow gets a 1/2 LB fudge of your choice and a chance to win prizes.

The Event calendar is getting full , so be sure to check it out often so you don't miss out!

Events Calendar

So with all this going on, things can get a little harried and stressful for everyone. 

Here's few ways that you can De-Stress

1. Go For A Quick Walk
   Even if you can only spare five minutes, go for a walk (it might just be to the water cooler and back). The aim here is to get yourself away from the immediate source of stress and to calm down. A few minutes to gather your thoughts is all you need to get some perspective.


2. Read Some Fiction
   If I’m seriously worked up, upset or stressed, one of the best things I can do is to grab a book. Fiction is ideal (especially anything funny or uplifting). Reading fiction takes you out of the here-and-now and into a different world. You can forget everything that’s troubling you, for just ten minutes, as you concentrate on the story.


3. Meditate or Pray
   Often, the best thing we can do to instantly de-stress is to simply stop. Many life coaches and stress advisors recommend meditation: there’s no mystery to it, just sit and try to clear your mind of thoughts (perhaps concentrating on a calming image or a word or phrase, if that helps you). I also like to pray – if this suits your religious/spiritual persuasions, it can be a very powerful way to get outside of your own head and call on a higher power for some much-needed help!


4. Watch A Funny Video
   I don’t know about you, but I just can’t stay stressed out when I’m laughing. (It’s like trying to pat my head and rub my tummy at the same time...) If you have a favorite YouTube clip, or if LolCats make you giggle, then give yourself five minutes to indulge. You’ll find that you return to your work – or whatever the source of the stress is – feeling much better equipped to handle it.


5. Make A Herbal Tea
   If you’re feeling uber-stressed, caffeine isn’t going to help. A warm, soothing mug of herbal tea might, though. The act of making yourself a drink can be calming: it gets you away from your desk, and it gives you a chance to concentrate on something physical. You’ll probably also feel a psychological boost from doing something positive and nurturing for yourself.


6. Punch A Pillow
   Depending on where you are when you’re feeling stressed, and on your personality, throwing a few punches at a pillow might help. Think of the stress leaving you through your fist with every punch. (If you’re in the office, please don’t be tempted to use a co-worker as a substitute pillow ... even if said co-worker has caused your stress.)


7. Take Slow, Deep Breaths
   When we get stressed, we tend to breath more quickly, taking shallow breaths. Concentrate on your breathing (you might want to do this in conjunction with meditation or prayer). Imagine breathing from your stomach, not your chest. Take slow, deep, fulfilling breaths. Calming your body down physically in this way is likely to have a knock-on effect on your frazzled mental state. Tips were shared by  http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/05/seven-ways-to-de-stress-instantly.html

Are you walking with us tonight?

I am kinda excited about the Walk with Team Fudge Event tonight. It will be a great night for a little leisure stroll. Be at the store at 6:30 PM if you want to join us. This is a family friendly event that will include a fun scavenger hunt with prizes. There will be a 5.00 Gift certificate for each family just for coming out and having some fun. The walk will last about 45 minutes or so. It starts and ends at the store. If you see a group of people walking past your house come on out and give us a wave... you may even want to join. I have been asked " Why " many times and the answer is just because!
We just thought it would be a fun idea to get some area people out and about for a bit and perhaps it may lead to more family walks for you and your family. It's a great way to stay fit and connected.

Consider this your invitation to join us !
See you tonight!
Julie

Cake Decorating with a hand drill...really?

So yet once again another Old Settlers Fest has gone by. What a great time! The volunteers who put this together did and amazing job! The store got a 2nd place ribbon for its window ( which technically is 3rd but we are not complaining) We have always struggled in the float catgelory but we still have so much fun putting it together. The cake decorating contest was a complete blast and being able to fool the audience along with my husband was so much fun. Basically it was planned that he show up late and since he was supposed to bring the supplies I was all by myself on stage with no helper or supplies. The audience just jumped right in and started bringing me things they had on hand. A small child handed me their bag of animal crackers to decorate my cake, when Mike did show up he had a random bag of tools.... hammer , flashlight, drill basically nothing to actually decorate a cake. It was funny and he did such a fine job! My girls came to the rescue by giving me lottery tickets that they all had stashed in their purses and that is what ended up on top of the cake.
So many people asked me afterward if we planned it that way. We must have dome a good job if that many thought is was real... but neither Mike or I will be quitting our day jobs anytime soon.

The highlight of the weekend was running the 5K with my sister and my husband, serionsly who would have thought that was even possible! Living in the Illinois River Valley has changed me into someone I didn't know existed. Everyday offers new challenges that I never thought possible.
I can honestly say each day, I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings......