My sister and I were discussing our favorite childhood gifts recently and one that immediately came to my mind was PJ Sparkles. This doll had the tagline “Hug me and I light up with love” because its accessories would turn on when squeezed. 

1988 was the debut. By the time the cartoon based on the character was developed in 1992, I was “too cool” to watch it, but wow, did I like that doll when I was a little lady. 

My sister, who is 4 years younger than me, didn’t remember PJ Sparkles, but she was reminiscing over Teddy Ruxpin, which was a stuffed bear that played audio cassettes (Yes, this was before CDs were popular). 

Teddy Ruxpin is still in production while PJ Sparkles has yet to be revived. Call me old fashioned, but I’d love to see the toys of my youth made popular again today. 

Ghost of the Doll is a great resource from the UK, dedicated to cataloging tons of toys from the 80’s and 90’s. They naturally have a page dedicated to PJ Sparkles which offers more info than anyone could ever want to know. 🙂

So, my question is: Who else remembers PJ Sparkles? Surely, it’s not just me! 

Buying stationary online can be confusing. Every company claims to offer the biggest and best selection. Unfortunately, most fall short. For me, the most important factor is choice. I want tons of designs, tons of colors, tons of fonts, and a variety of paper. What I want is a high-quality, customized product from a reputable company that won’t make me wait for months. That’s why I love PurpleTrail. 

Planning for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is extremely important (only a wedding could be bigger). My nephew is turning 13 in 2019, so we’re deep into the process. He tends to be very picky. Luckily, the assortment of Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah invitations from PurpleTrail is truly enormous! From modern and simplistic, to colorful and fun, they have the perfect design to represent even the most unique personality.

One of the biggest trends I’m seeing right now are photo cards. It seems like every member of the “Selfie Generation” prefers to have an image, front and center. Other cool options are sports, flowers, watercolor swirls, confetti, and hearts. Those who prefer something classic will love the Star of David or Tree of Life design.

Names can be written in English or Hebrew (or both). There is a Hebrew keyboard available or you can search for Hebrew letters in the Artwork library. 

Premium real foil stamp designs give your card an extra shine. Choose between gold, rose gold, and silver foils to coordinate with the main color choice. Girls, of course, will love the purple and pink, while Boys have nice green and blue options. 

For those hosting a Bar/Bat Mitzvah weekend, consider a trifold card or booklet. It allows for extra room to include additional information on the ceremony/reception, Shabbat service, and extra meals.

Many designs are a part of a matching suite, so you can easily customize matching response cards, thank you cards, and a guest book. PurpleTrail really has got you covered when it comes to Bar/Bat Mitzvah planning. 

Sample kits are available and you can use code MERRY18 at checkout to receive 15% off an order. 

This post was sponsored by PurpleTrail. All opinions are my own.

Having unlimited internet access is something I take for granted. It works 99% of the time, however, it’s that tiny failure rate that’s a nightmare.

On Tuesday, it stopped working, which began an endless struggle to get help from Comcast—hold times of 45 minutes or more, 3 no-show appointments, multiple email tickets, and it still wasn’t resolved! Once, on Thursday, it worked for 20 minutes and mysteriously quit again, just as I was in the middle of a post. Very frustrating. 

Long story short, the Comcast tech didn’t appear in person until Friday afternoon and the culprit was a bad router. So now I have a new router and a tremendous dislike for Comcast who told me from the beginning the router had been tested and was fine. (Yeah, right.)

There are other providers in my area and I will definitely be looking to switch. I have truly never dealt with a less friendly, less responsive company. Comcast has no respect for customers.

Luckily, as this went on and on and on, we did have DVDs and art projects to keep everyone busy, but there was no substitute for online work. I did attempt to do some blogging at Panera—too much activity and noise for me. I need a quiet room to focus.

So, the internet is working now and hopefully will remain up so yours truly can get some blogging done. As they say, it’s always an adventure 🙂

If you know of a good internet company, please share. Comcast is the worst!

Some emails are so hilariously odd that they need to be shared. Would you believe that yours truly was invited to swim with wild pigs? No, that’s not a euphemism, it was an actual offer. 

To be fair, it was addressed to “Dear Blogger,” rather than to me personally, so I’m assuming it was part of a cold email list. Even so, it’s pretty funny for a Jewish lady.

Evidently, swimming with wild pigs is an actual tourist attraction in the Bahamas. Who knew? Certainly not me, and I’ve been to the Bahamas on vacation multiple times! 

The idea of swimming with farm animals, let alone pigs, just grosses me out. Swimming with sea creatures like fish and dolphins is cool, but not land animals.

Maybe it’s just me? If you would do it, let me know. I find it so creepy!