in a winter terrorland

Merry (early) Christmas everyone. Today is Christmas Eve. And worst case scenario I'm stuck in a ditch on the side of I-39.

That's right, on this All Merry's Eve we are headed to the Land of the North, the Land of my Forefathers, the Land of the Frozen Tundra... Okay, okay, you get the idea. We're going to Wisconsin-- Green Bay to be exact-- to spend the holidays with my father's side of the family.

My father is the designated holiday driver. The man has no fear... He sees the ice, the snowy rain, the slick roads as a challenge to GO FASTER. So therein lies the very real possibility of us being stuck in a ditch. No worries though-- Webmaster Dan has already promised he'd steal his father's truck (it has a plow on the front) and come dig us out.

In preparation for the harrowing ride and eventual snow-in, I planned ahead.

I got several of these:
And a couple of these to start the dig out process while we wait for Webmaster Dan.

I already had a couple of these:
And several gallons of this stuff:
You know how this winter weather goes... I'd recommend stocking up now.

Not everyone is lucky enough to be gallivanting all over frozen Wisconsin with a madman at the wheel (just kidding!), but everyone can be safe on their travels and in their homes this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Not that anyone needs a reason to drink...

Especially with the holidays upon us... But here is one more big one:
How genius is this!?!? This thing has an internal database of 33 different types of wine. All you do is select the wine type and it will warm or cool the wine to the optimum serving temperature based on the type of the wine.

This chiller or warmer fits one or two bottles of wine at a time. There is a LCD backlit screen and CPU control for constant temperature.

Countdown...

We're almost there!

Is all your shopping done?!?!?!?! Mine is! (cue the evil laugh) Mwauhahahahahaha!

Stay calm... You have plenty of time... We're open til 5pm on the 24th.

You can find something for anyone, I promise:

Who wants to cuddle?

The wearable blanket craze is sweeping the nation, filling a void in our lives that I didn't even know existed! I'm behind the times a lot like that. As always, UFS is here to fill life's little voids in a cost friendly and fun way. "Cost friendly" being the $6.99 price tag and the "fun" being me modeling the Cuddle Up in our main store's center aisle. People were pointing... and laughing. And by "people" I mean Webmaster Dan.

Hands off me booty, me hearties!

Webmaster Dan and I were walking through the store when suddenly he stops dead in his tracks and gasps... I'm like, "What's going on there, crazy?" (I'm very sensitive and supportive like that).

He thought the above said "Booty Tray" not Boot Tray, which, obviously would be concerning on all levels. #1 Why would you need a tray for your booty? unless we're talking about a pirate's booty-- then really you'd want a caste or a sturdy trunk of some kind to store your booty. #2 Why would my father or uncle purchase a bunch of booty trays for the store? Do they know something I don't? Like there is a big market out there for a booty holder other than pants?

Don't worry... I made fun of Webmaster Dan something fierce for his confusion. And then I let him take this picture of me so that he could return the favor and mock me in kind.

cheaper than valium...

For some reason everybody thinks I'm... highstrung, for lack of a better word... When I was in pre-school I expressed myself with great passion, enthusiasm, and emotion. So much so that my mother took me off all sugar. At snack time in school all the other kids got cookies and koolaid. I had to bring my own sugar free apple juice and crackers. Awesome, right?

Well I'm back on the sugar but I'm not up on the caffeine a lot or anything. I'm just... EXCITABLE!

Anyways, the other day my smarty-pants mother brought me this:


Me: "What is this for?"
My Mother: "For you."
Me: "Why?"
My Mother: "It's cheaper than Valium."

Hot Puppies

I feel like this item sells itself:But let me just say... this puppy (get it? puppy? it's a hot DOG maker!) steams hot dogs to perfection. I googled it and they are asking 29.99 on the internet... Of course at UFS it's 9.99. I'm thinking of getting my man friend one... He loves his (unhealthy) ballpark food... Alas, his high blood pressure does NOT.

And in answer to your question... I have no idea why there is corn and eggs in the above picture. :)

ALERT!

We are almost out of our Holiday curios! When they're gone at these prices, they're gone. Don't say I didn't warn you. We do have a few of the very classy, very awesome race car curios left.

frankly, fantastic...

1 Sofa
1 Loveseat
1 Recliner
1 Drop Down Table
1 Lifetime Warranty
five people being able to put their feet up at once......
$999.00

Well, my mother, the furniture goddess, and super-hott Franklin rep have done it again... We have a Franklin sofa, loveseat and recliner in a lovely chenille cover for $999.

We only have a few of these sets left!

Black Friday post morteum

Well, Black Friday came and went. We opened at 6!!! And had (what seemed to be) thousands of customers all day long. And heck, who wouldn't want to come down when (a) store wide everything was 20 percent off and (b) we had our 19th Annual Liquor and Wine Tasting show.
People were stocking up for their holidays. I think a lot of people think like me...

Holidays=Family=A Need for Cocktails

I tried to see if I could go home with the owner of this cart:
Good news though... We still do have some booze left in stock! Don't take my word for it... Come down and see for yourself. ;)

grandmaman's tv room

When I was little we spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house... I mean, A LOT. She only lived about six blocks away so that was probably a contributing factor.

In her family room she had, possibly, the UGLIEST sofa I have ever seen... Of course I didn't know it at the time. As a child it was just a regular sofa--one you sat on to watch cartoons or old musicals (we were the only elementary school age children who knew the entire score to "High Society").

As an adult, one who is understandably very passionate about furniture, I now know her sofa was hideous. There was one pretty awesome piece she had in that room, the TV room. That was her tea cart. You know, we never had tea on it... She kept a lamp on it and I think a potted plant, but it was pretty cool.

While this isn't quite like my grandmother's it's still pretty awesome, and on sale!

WOWSA

Happy Thanksgiving

From my family to yours-- Happy Thanksgiving!

my favorite things...

Anyone who knows me -- AT ALL -- will tell you, this is exactly my style:I. cant. help. myself.

UFS- It's more than a store, it's a place to explore.

Black Friday's hottest party in town...

... and you are invited.

Stop by and see us!

cleaning it up

Life is messy and holidays can get pretty dirty.

You're going to need some of this:
And possibly some of these to go with that detergent:

wrap it up baby

So I have been pretty good about getting a jump start on my Christmas shopping... My shopping acumen goes in fits and stages-- Last year I was super behind, doing things at the last minute. The year before, Christmas 2007 I was SO on my game-- I think I started shopping in September.

So I'm hoping 2009 will look a lil' more like 2007 than 2008.

But it's not going to if I don't get on it and start wrapping up the presents I have. Luckily we have a very comprehensive gift wrap aisle, complete with the secret delight of lazy people such as myself-- GIFT BAGS! Toss the present in there with some tissue paper... No tape or scissors required!

giving thanks...

As Thanksgiving approaches, I start to think about the things I am thankful for... good health, De Loach wine, Most Wanted vodka, an understanding boyfriend, comfortable recliners, and this man, who I've mentioned before:Sales Rep Extraordinaire-- Franklin's own, John Beard! Now, before I go any further, let me say the female sales associates, customer service ladies and myself got together and voted-- He was a mite more attractive before he cut his hair... He promised to grow it out for us if we bought these recliners:
You want to know a secret? we would have bought the recliners anyway... Because they are AWESOME! They come in three, beautiful holiday chenilles and in one arm is a cup holder, storage (for your remote, tv guide, etc.) and buttons to activate heat and massage in the seat and in the back. In the other arm is a lil' frosty fridge cooler!.
Did I mention it's only $399? And that Franklin has a lifetime warranty? I think I might have... ;)

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

...particularly on the shelves of our main building!

Everywhere I turn there are Christmas trees, Santas, snowmen, and other various holiday sundries. My big brother promptly bought one of these Holiday Penguin Family (he is a big softie for penguins).

the UFS gallery

We put the loveliest slat wall up in our main store to display some terrific shipments of art. Webmaster Dan got me the above picture, which does NOT do it justice. Come see for yourself and get it for less at UFS!

drinking for a cause

UFS is partnering with Feed the Children and the Peoria Dream Center to fight child hunger in the Peoria area.
Every bottle of De Loach wine goes to pay for three, count'em! THREE meals for local children. And while that is probably the best part-- the next best part is that it is DELICIOUS! You have your choice of Merlot, Cabernet, chardonnay, or zinfandel.
If you are buying a bottle, it is $7.99 a pop. I vote for mixing and matching your favorites in a case for only $6.99 a bottle. I sampled one of each, not for myself but for YOU, my loyal blog followers and it is delicious!

Wine Tasting

As a prelude to our world famous (oh it is! I have friends in Canada who always come down for it...) Days after Thanksgiving wine tasting, we are having a fall wine tasting two weeks before the chaos commences.

The $5 per person entrance fee goes to Neighborhood House.

Put it on your calendar! And if you are feeling adventurous, come down on the 27th and the 28th for the FUN!

I have a confession...

I have a bit of a girl crush on Julia Child: Let's face it... Who wouldnt? The woman was a master of French cooking, 6'2"(!), and plucky as all get out!

Alas, Julia Child-- I am not. However, I do enjoy cooking and like to attempt new recipes whenever I can. Luckily we have a very extensive housewares department that includes bakeware and cookware. In additional to our big appliances, we also have some smaller kitchen appliances that help feed my "I wanna be like Julia" habit.

This is what I'm currently lusting after:

introductions

I think it's time to introduce y'all to Mike.

Or as we like to call him-- Millennium Mike. True, he isn't the dream boat that our Franklin Furniture Sales Rep is, but he is one of our other favorite furniture reps. He sells us Ashley's Millennium line that includes some very beautiful, higher end furniture.

While he doesn't bring us chocolate (which is clearly the way to my mother and my hearts) he visits regularly and cares a lot about our customers.

Best of all, St. David likes him. So we know he's okay. ;)

on the first day of christmas...

So Christmas is coming up (according to the Official Santa Clock it's 64 sleeps, 12 hours, 43 minutes and 28 seconds, now 27, 26, 25, 24...) and if you are in no way prepared (like me) you are probably getting a little nervous. What to get for my weird Cousin Mary? or my boyfriend's mother?

I was walking the aisles the other day and I came upon the perfect thing!
This lil' picnic basket has plates, flatware, glasses, lil' napkins and the bag itself is an insulated cooler! It is super cute and at $8.99 it would make a wonderful gift for that special, slightly random person in your life!

trips and savings

Well, this past weekend I got out of town and went to Washington D.C. to visit a bunch of my college friends who live there.

I had a blast, of course! We saw a couple of movies and went to a concert of my most favorite performer. I also took the opportunity of being back in our nation's capital to gorge myself on ethnic food-- sushi, thai, and Gordon Biersch (which of these three does not belong?).

On Saturday my buddy, Kyle, and I went to the Newseum, a new museum in D.C. that focuses on- you guessed it- news!
I cannot recommend it more highly. SO interesting.

Somehow, some way, the store went on without me! ;) We actually had a very special event for some of our friends and family this weekend. To ensure you get on our mailing list for these special savings events, go to our website and sign up for our deal club!

my heritage...

According to wikipedia, which, as you may know, anyone can edit thus is always accurate (cue eye roll) heritage is "something which is inherited from one's ancestors."

As my parents are all too ready to remind me of, I inherited football from my ancestors. More specifically-- I inherited the Green Bay Packers.

How does one inherit football? you might be asking... Well first, my mother is from Milwaukee and my father is from Green Bay. And secondly, it's not the football itself... It is more a maniacal obsession that manifests itself starting in the fall of the year and continues until January.

Honestly... I think I was adopted.

The sight of green and gold does nothing to me other than perhaps cause slight terror and fear. Terror because, gosh, I can think of countless other ways I'd rather be spending my Sunday afternoons or evenings other than glued to a tv set or (even worse-- when the game isn't being shown in Central IL) listening to a scratchy A.M. radio station broadcast the game. Fear because one of these day's my father is going to get so worked up during the game my mother is going to have to use that travel defibrillator she rents during football season.

Anyways, that was kind of a fun rant about my lost childhood, but I have to bring this back around to some merchandise!

Gorgeous! Warm! Stylish jackets emblazoned with the emblem and colors of the mighty Green Bay Packers! Can be yours today for $69.99. Really.

And just in case you thought I had completely turned my back against my "heritage"-- I'm the one on the left:
And the magnificent vista behind my big brother, Gerard, my sister, Claire, and me? Lambeau Field, BABY! and if my mother asks, the beer was keeping us warm!

Smoooooooooooth

My brother complains that I put too many "girly" things on the blog-- candles, pretty sofas, etc. I say FALSE.

But we do have a couple of traditionally "manly" things in this week's ad. We have a bunch of palm sanders, jig saws, hole saws, and orbital sanders for $9.99.

Actually, a girl friend of mine is remodeling her kitchen. So she is going to grab a couple of these babies to make refinishing her cabinets go a little smoother. Get it!?!? Smoother! It's a sander... Oh, never mind.