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Originally submitted at Cost Plus World Market

Create your own customized arrangement with components from the Chase collection. Media stand comes in two sizes. Solid wood frames and MDF with veneer with distressed espresso finish. Made in Malaysia. �tag�re, 20''Wx20''Dx60''H. Small media stand, 42''Wx20&…

Chase Media Stand or Etagere

Beautiful & Functional

By World Market Fan from New Orleans, LA on 1/4/2009

 

5out of 5

Pros: Good Color Scheme, Solid Construction

Best Uses: Formal, Informal

Describe Yourself: Midrange Shopper

Primary use: Personal

The Chase Media Center is absolutely gorgeous. I love the style with the clean lines. My husband loved the ease of assembly and that the center comes in 3 pieces, which makes it easy to route the wiring for the 50″ flat screen and its peripherals. It really adds such style to our living room. I love that it is made of wood while comparably priced media centers were made of particle board and laminate.

Chase Media Center at home in New Orleans

(legalese)

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Pencil Dreidel - 12-7-08

Hannukah Activity: Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
Make a dreidel and play the game. If you are working with a class, divide the students into groups for best group management. A dreidel is a toy and a game that is played during Hanukkah.It is played by children and adults and can have two to many players.The dreidel is a spinning top and can be made of many different types of material including wood, clay, plastic and paper. The top is decorated with symbols. Each player spins and tries to win the objects in the pot. The letters on the dreidel, Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin, stand for “Nes Gadol Haya Sham,” which means “A Great Miracle Happened There.”

Each player must start off with an equal amount of goodies (pennies, hard candy, beans, pasta, toothpicks, use your imagination). Each player puts an object in the pot (the middle) at the beginning of each round. Player 1 spins the dreidel. Every time the pot is empty or has only one game piece left, every player should put one object into the pot. When the dreidel stops, the symbol it lands on lets you know what to do next. Whoever ends up with all of the goodies at end of the game is the winner.

Gimel – player takes all of the pot
Nun – player gets nothing
Hey – player takes half of the po
Shin – player puts one object into the pot

Materials:
Pencil
3″ paper square

Directions:
Fold the square in half, diagonally, pressing on the crease. Unfold it and do the same with the other side. Inside each corner, draw each one of the dreidel symbols. Here is a link to the dreidel symbols Dreidel symbols Cut a small slit in the middle and slide a pencil through the paper. The symbols should be facing up and the point of the pencil should be facing down. A piece of tape may be needed to secure the paper to the pencil. The pencil is then spun on its point. The symbol facing the player is the one used for that player

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Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Goodbye Soleil 9-6-08

Friends:

Today we left Diamondhead, Mississippi. Antonio and Eliana brought Soleil back to Baton Rouge. I headed back home. Here is my van stuffed to the gills.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Van Stuffed 9-6-08

Welcome to Louisiana! Going home!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Bienvenue en Louisiana 9-6-08

I decided to stop and visit my friend, children’s musician and children’s book author, Johnette Downing. Johnette lives in New Orleans and because of our touring schedules, we don’t see each other very much. On my way to Johnette’s house, I drove through the Garden District on St. Charles Avenue.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - St. Charles Avenue 9-6-08

I decided to join Johnette in running her errands. Along the way, we saw some tree debris from Gustav.

This is a Chevron gas station with some awning damage.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Damage to Chevron 9-6-08

This sign was torn apart.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Damage to Sign 9-6-08

Johnette and I went to the mall. Can you believe it was open? We were actually in Jefferson Parish on the East Bank. They have power and sewerage 100% fully restored. After the mall, we ate at Zea’s Rotisserie Grill. I had so much fun visiting Johnette. I had to make sure I left before the curfew went into effect at 10:00 p.m. On my way home, Antonio called me to tell me that our power was out again. I was so upset. It turned out that the power was off for a short while. Whew!

Here are my suitcases, unloaded into my office.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuaton - Unloading Suitcases 9-6-08

My husband, Antonio, decided it would be better to empty our our refrigerators tonight. Tomorrow, I will have to give them a full cleaning. Then we have to restock.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Cleaning Out the Fridge 9-6-08

We had some good news. FEMA informed us that we were eligible for evacuation assistance. Our insurance gave us some good news too – they would help with housing (during the time of the mandatory evacuation).

Eliana went to work right away, putting her room back in order. She took the things off the top bunk and put them away. I am going to wait to unpack, to see what Hurricane Ike decides to do…

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Eliana Cleaning Her Room 9-6-08

I am glad to be back home. It will be great when sewerage services are fully restored. Then we can do laundry, wash dishes, and take showers. Tomorrow, I will document the damage. Tonight, I will enjoy being back in my home sweet home!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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Hurricane Gustav Evacuation Traffic 3am

Friends:

It’s 1:30am on September 1, 2008 as I write this. I have not been to sleep in over 2 days! My body is bone-weary but my mind won’t allow me to sleep… so I write.

Antonio (my husband, Eliana (my 8 year old daughter), and I headed to my mom’s house. We evacuated with my mom (Josie Chretien), my stepdad (Clay Chretien), and my brother’s (Gary James’) four children (Jourdan – 10, Camrynn – 9, Ashlynn – 7, and Jasmynn – 6). My brother is a single parent and a police officer for the Louisiana Medical Center of New Orleans Emergency Response Team (ERT) so we have charge of his children during this evacuation.

Police Officer Gary A. James - September 1, 2008

We caravanned in four vehicles: Antonio, Camrynn and Eliana in one car; Clay and Jourdan in one car; my mom, Ashlynn, and Jasmynn in one car, and me by myself in my van because my AC had just gone out and we didn’t want any of the children to ride in the heat (Boy, did it get hot!!).

We decided to leave at night or rather, early AM so that it would be cooler and so that the children would sleep (less stopping when they are sleeping). After helping my parents pack their vehicles, we headed out around 2:00 am on Saturday, August 30, 2008. Our destination: Birmingham, Alabama.

We chose Birmingham because of its proximity inland and the fact that our oldest daugher, Soleil (18), could fly there from Houston. She was in Houston visiting her boyfriend. Her Southwest flight back to New Orleans was canceled. She attends Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and we were concerned about getting her back to class after the storm, once classes resumed. We had her re-routed to Birmingham, Alabama, where we could pick her up and keep her out of harm’s way. At the time of our decision, Houston, Texas was within the cone of uncertainty as well.

It was pretty smooth sailing, leaving the West Bank (Jefferson Parish) and driving through the Crescent City Connection, which had suspended tolls, until we hit I-10 East toward Slidell, Louisiana. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper as you can see from the photo above.

Contraflow, when traffic is re-routed as all outgoing from the city, was supposed to begin at 3:00am. There was trouble. First, Alabama State Police would not allow evacuees into the state on I-10 East due to heavy congestion. That traffic was re-routed to Mississippi. Then Mississippi began having a problem and the Mississippi State Police shut down entrance into I-10 East into their state due to the same congestion problems. Both Mississippi and Alabama had their own contraflow instituted, evacuating their Gulf Coast residents. This caused an extreme bottleneck and back-up in Louisiana. Louisiana State Police had to redirect all traffic north on I-59. By daybreak, around 6:00am. we were still inching along, just leaving New Orleans East and entering Slidell.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Traffic at Daybreak in Slidell

There were no available restrooms, gas or food along the route as this point. We had to stop in Slidell, after having been on the road for just over 4 hours and not even making it out of Louisiana! We stopped at a RaceTrac gas station but it was closed and out of gas (of course).

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - No Gas in Slidell, Louisiana

Once we entered contraflow just past Slidell (we were like Brits, driving on the “wrong” side of the road), it seemed as though momentum had picked up. Wrong. Even with contraflow, traffic continued to back up for hundreds of miles because of the massive Gulf Coast Evacuations.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Contraflow Bumper-to-Bumper Traffic

We crawled along in stop and go traffic until we reached Mississippi. Seeing no relief in the foreseeable future, we decided to try an alternate route. We stopped in McNeill, Mississippi and took Highway 11 North. Along the way, we found our first convenience store with a clean, working restroom! After that quick stop and stretch, we continued north on Highway 11. We drove through cute little Poplarville (I have fond memories of the Poplarville Blueberry Storytelling Festival) with no problems. All was fine until we reached Hattiesburg, Mississippi. There, Highway 11 ended and we were detoured back to I-59. By now, it was 11:56 am and we had been on the road for 10 hours. We fueled with 5 hour energy drinks, No Doze, and Diet Coke. I know that’s not healthy but we had to get to Birmingham, Alabama at a certain time to pick up Soleil from the airport by 5:45pm.

We kept in touch via 2-way radios, which were a Godsend. We were able to communicate when cell signals were unavailable and able to make on-the-spot routing decisions. We were able to stay together when traffic separated us at times and stop together when someone needed a break.

I-59 seemed to flow okay then Antonio heard news that there was a major delay in Meridien, Mississippi. We made a quick decision to head east on Hwy 84. It turned out to be a great decision. Highway 84 East had no traffic whatsoever. At the intersection of Highway 84 and Highway 69, we stopped in Coffeeville, Alabama at a country buffet restaurant. At this point, the adults had gone without food and the children had only PB&J sandwiches and light snacks. We needed a substantial meal. It was about 2:00pm and we had spent 12 hours on the road with short stops for gas, stretches, and refreshments and no naps. Here is a picture of the children under the four stags the restaurant owner hunted.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Country Buffet in Coffeeville, Alabama

At this point, I knew we wouldn’t make it to Birmingham in time to pick up Soleil from the airport. I texted her and asked her to wait until we arrived. I knew she’d be okay at the airport for 1-2 hours.

We followed Highway 84 East to Highway 43 North. From 43, we took Highway 5 North to Birmingham. We stopped in Woodstock for a quick break. Highway 5 is a hurricane evacuation route, with signs posted along the way. Several times, we saw caravans of National Guardsmen heading in the opposite direction, probably to assist in Hurricane protection and relief efforts. I said a prayer for them and thanked God for their presence. Both my father and step-father served in the military. I was a military “brat” and I have a tremendous amount of respect and awe for our service men and women.

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - National Guard Caravan

From Highway 5, we intersected with I-20 East. We followed I-20 East to I-65 North. After 16 and a half excruciating hours on the road, we finally made it to Fultondale, Alabama, just outside of Birmingham. Here is a picture of our “Home Suite Home.” When Antonio made reservations, there was only one room available. If we had to, we would all squeeze into one room. Angels must have been smiling upon us (thank you for your prayers) because when we checked in around 6:15pm, there was a cancellation and we were able to secure another room (the last one in the hotel). The best part is that our rooms are just across the hall from each other!

Hurricane Gustav Evacuation - Home Suite Home

Antonio left to pick up Soleil from the airport (he got her around 7pm) and the whole family was together. Well, almost. My mother-in-law stayed with Antonio’s sister, Pam, in Baton Rouge. We are keeping in touch with them and praying that the storm has mercy on Baton Rouge. My mother-in-law, because of health issues, can no longer endure long hours in the car.

While traveling, I “Twittered” my updates, which were live on my website (Thank you, thank you, Heidi Hafner, my AWESOME web designer). I also checked my emails (though I was unable to respond) and was astounded at the volume of people around the world who took the time to send well-wishes and prayers for me and my family. I am so blessed to belong to such a beautiful community of people who always have their hearts open. Thank you everyone for your kindness and generosity.

We were offered homes across the country. I will be watching Hurricane Gustav as he makes landfall. At his current projected path, Jefferson Parish may flood like it has never flooded before. We pray, pray, pray for mercy…

To all of my friends in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama whose homes and lives are in hurricane danger zone, I pray for you as well. You are all in my thoughts. We’ll weather this storm together.

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

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Hurricane Gustav - God Bless This Home on Neighbor's Boarded-Up House

Friends:

My family and I are heading to Birmingham, Alabama. Although it is a 6 hour drive normally, we anticipate we will hit massive evacuation traffic as all of the Gulf Coast residents flee the fury of Gustav, the monster hurricane.

This is my last post from my laptop for a while. All other posts will be made from my phone, if possible. I will also be micro-blogging via Twitter, which can be found on the front page of my website.

Thank you to everyone who has been sending well-wishes and prayers our way. Please pray for everyone whose homes and lives are in the path of this storm. Godspeed and Safe Travels to all hurricane evacuees…

Warmly, Dianne

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Friends:

I am so excited because I can blog again! My blog had been down since April and it took some major tearing apart and a little bit of genius (Thanks, Heidi!) to get it back up and running again.

So much has happened in the past few months. I will post a few pictures of my summer travels, summarizing my travels in a couple of “catch-up” posts.

Warmly, Dianne

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Friends:

Today was a fabulous day of R&R at the beach. My client, Tina, her sister, and children picked me up from the hotel and took me to Ritidian beach. The sky was heavy with dark ominous clouds and we wondered about our planned picnic… When we arrived, Evelyn, her husband, Will, Tina’s brother, and Evelyn’s children were already there. They set up a tent with tables and chairs in a beautiful wooded area just yards from the water. Meat roasted on the barbecue.  The table was set with lots of delicious food including red rice (a native specialty), Chamorro spicy sausage, and a chocolate cake topped with strawberries. Later, Cyndy Pruski and her family joined us. It was a beach blast!  Here is a picture of some of the gang in our picnic pavillion.

Our wooded alcove was the home to hundreds of beautiful butterflies. They clustered on the local trees, like bunches of jeweled grapes. This picture actually shows some of the iridescent blue on their wings.

Indeed, it did rain but on and off, and not for very long. The water at the beach was, at first, rough and choppy, but it calmed down when the sun emerged. The water is so clear and gorgeous. The sand is made of tiny bits of shell and coral – it’s not hot at all. Here is a picture of me playing with the children in the paradise waters. We splashed in lots of “swell swells!”

It was a a ton of fun! The beach is located on a nature preserve. Twice, we saw monitor lizards cross our path! They are huge! They are attracted to meat and we had barbecued steak and sausages. I guess the aroma enticed them. My friends told me not to get too close. They said, “These lizards like meat and you are meat.”  It was said it half in jest and half seriously. I took their warning seriously. Yeah, I definitely don’t want to become some lizard’s lunch! LOL

After our splendid day at Ritidian beach, we headed back to my hotel. Tina and I had plans to go see a Polynesian revue. I used the few hours I had to swim some more in Tumon Bay, the beach right in front of my hotel, pack all my bags to prepare for my Philippines trip, and do a bit of work. This is the stunning  sunset I captured from my balcony.

Tina picked me up at 8:30 pm and we headed to Jimmy Dee’s, a casual beach bar. There was a reggae band playing when we arrived and everyone was dressed in shorts and flip flops. Tina and I were dressed up. It wasn’t what we expected. I wanted a full, formal Polynesian dinner and show. My hotel had one but Jimmy Dee’s was recommended us to by a friend so we headed there instead. Jimmy Dee’s didn’t serve food so we decided to grab a bite. Tina took me to Sam Choy’s, featuring a fusion of Hawaiian, Chamorro, Asian, American foods. It was delicious. I had a Kobe beef burger – so tender. Tina had the Chamorro puu puu (appetizer) platter with fish kelaguen, dried pork and dried beef, titiyas (Chamorro tortillas), and a special spicy finedeni sauce made with coconut milk  instead of soy sauce.

It was a fabulous day although I am nursing a sunburn on my shoulders and back (yes, I put SPF 45!!!  and still burned!). Guam has been a delight. I can’t wait to return.  I leave for the Philippines tonight (Monday, March 10, 2008) at 7pm. The flight to the Philippines is only about an hour and forty minutes.

Thank you, Tina, Evelyn, Cyndy (and your families), the IRA Guam Council, teachers, students, and people of Guam. I love you! I felt so special because I was treated better than a guest – I was welcomed like family. Guam is a truly special place – please visit! I promise you – you will love every minute of it. Just eat like the locals, soak in the sunshine, and bask in the splendor of Guam’s beauty (both its land and its people).

Farewell, Guam. I will miss you and can’t wait to return!!

Warmly, Dianne

P.S.  Eliana and Soleil — love from Mom in Guam! XOXOXO

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