Webkinz On Sale!

All Webkinz, Lil Kinz, Webkinz Jr and Webkinz Signature are now on sale 20% off until September 19! A nice little treat for back to school. We have a large selection in stock now, with some new ones about to hit the floor this week. Iguana, Kangaroo, Guinea Pig (so cute, my favorite!), Racoon, Fox, Iguana, Black Friesin, Turtle, Porcupine, Walrus, Calico Cat, Silversoft Cat, Zebra, Cherry Blossom Bird, Fox, Jack Russell, Springer Spaniel, Lion Fish, Mocha Puppy and More!

Many of these are re-releases for a limited time only and NONE of these are reordered for September--when they are gone, they are gone.

Get some now and stash away for Christmas.

Also--coming soon--Bats and Lava Dragons for Halloween! Limited Quantities!


Update: The bats and dragons are in!

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Double Click to Enlarge. Don't forget that each day we also have a Soup of the Day--yum! Also, as the Garden Centre is winding down, occasionally Sweetpea's will not be open. But do not dismay! You can still take advantage of our $1 a scoop Ice Cream Sale at Gingersnaps (and then take your cones outside to relax by the fountains if you like. Or stay inside in air-conditioned comfort.) Ahhh....

And now a word from Mark Cullen

Mark Cullen says late August and early September are the perfect time of year to start a new lawn or thicken an old one. For a full rundown of details, visit his 101 Lawn Care Tutorial blog entry.

An excerpt from Mark's Gardening with Mark newsletter (which you can sign up for on his website, www.markcullen.com) follows below--note that Mark suggests taking advantage of the plant sales on now, and there are still great perennials to be had in the garden centre!

Plant: September and October are the best months of the year for planting permanent plants in your garden. Quote me any time. Of the 4 or 5 gardens that we have ‘installed’ around our homes over the years, almost all of them have been planted in the autumn. Here is why: Trees, shrubs, evergreens and even perennials will put down roots in the fall before the hard frost of October/November. These roots provide added ‘boost’ to the growth that occurs in the spring. Furthermore, your newly planted winter hardy plants are now predisposed to the ups and downs of temperatures come spring – the result? Hardier plants. Generally autumn provides reliable and well timed rain fall: perfect for all newly planted plants. Virtually all hardy plants purchased at retailers this time of year are growing in containers. Their roots are perfectly at home there and are ready to put down new roots after planting. (Tip: if the roots are tightly wound in the shape of the pot, be sure to pull the roots apart in order to get them to grow ‘out’ rather than continuing to grow in the shape of the pot). There are some great deals out there! Retailers put many of the plants on sale this time of year in order to move them out before winter. Look for bargains, but look carefully. Buying quality plants always makes sense, whether they are on sale or not.

Gardening Tip of the Week

If the walls could talk...

Wall talk is adhesive vinyl quotes, sayings and designs that you apply to your walls to make them "talk!" Available in a variety of colors, sizes and styles, wall talk is a beautiful accent to a nursery, living room, bathroom, bedroom or kitchen. Add some personality to your space! To see the full selection, visit the walltalk website.

Home Hardware is proud to offer an extensive selection of wall talk in our paint department. In fact, we sell more wall talk than anyone in Canada! Applying is easy--follow these steps:

	1. You can see the lettering through the transfer paper. Peel off the backing paper and position the word or quote on the wall. Note...For longer quotes, apply a strip of tape along the top edges to act as a "hinge" to flip up the lettering.
	2. Using a credit card or your fingers, press over each letter moving from the center and working outwards.
	3. Carefully peel back the top transfer paper to reveal the letters. BEAUTIFUL and SO EASY!

Be Cool for Back to School

Don't be late for class (or to pick up your dear children) with these stylish bangle watches. No straps, no latches, they just slide on like a bracelet. And at this price ($12.97 and under) you can afford to have a few to go with your new back-to-school duds.

And, if you are no longer in school, and miss that annual trip to the stationary store to pick out new binders and, if you're lucky, fresh pencil crayons for the new year, you can still express yourself with these little puppies. Available in all the colors of the rainbow.

Be Cool for Back to School

New insulated Elle lunchbags are now in stock! In addition to some simple, basic, black-and-brown styles, we also have some fashion-forward designs this fall (love the red and black). Save some money and pack your own lunch, but go in style and keep your food cool (or hot)!

Also new this fall are larger, multipurpose totes that you can use as a purse and a lunchbag in one.

Some features of the bags include:

1. Wide opening with zipper or drawstring closure
2. Insulated interior keeps food and drinks cold or hot
3. Easy to wipe lining
4. Collapsible for easy storage
5. Insulated interior keeps food and drinks cold or hot

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Fruits and Passions

After some confusion and disappointment this spring, we are pleased to announce that we will indeed be carrying Fruits and Passions in Lloydminster exclusively!

Watch for our new F&P mini-boutique opening up beside Gingersnaps later this month!

Catch the wave... the canning wave!

Canadian canning sales have increased by over 88% and why not? With more people growing their own food, it seems logical. But even if you don't grow your own, you can still can with items from the local farmer's markets or even the grocery store! I wouldn't call it a trend, but a resurgence of appreciation for delicious, homemade goodness.

An excerpt from the above article:

"It's not just a grandma thing anymore," says home economist Jennifer MacKenzie, the Toronto-based author of The Complete Book of Pickling.

"People are much more conscientious now about what they're eating: Where it came from, what the ingredients are, and what it's doing for their body."

According to Michael Levenston of City Farmer, which styles itself as Canada's "office of urban agriculture," the canning comeback is tied to a do-it-yourself food movement that has seen vegetable gardens sprout up everywhere from "the White House to Buckingham Palace to the [Vancouver] mayor's front lawn."

Among those growing their own greens is Robert Lanham, the bestselling author of three books on popular culture.

"The ritual itself seems cleansing and somehow more honest than obsessing over the latest foodie trends in Bon Appetit or Gourmet," says Lanham.

If you've never canned before (like me) you can get the basics at this website (click here). My sister, who has also never canned, is inspired. Our grandmothers used to can but sadly we no longer have them around to teach us. If you want to see Sarah canning, send a comment and encourage her! We will post pictures (and maybe video) if we can get her going.

Heather, though, is an avid canner. She even has her homemade salsa recipe available for you near our canning supplies at the store.

Today I was inspired to pick up the Lloydminster Malanka Dancers Ukrainian Cookbook at Sobey's (it had some neat Ukrainian recipes that I don't have copies of) and it included a recipe for soup. A great way to use your homegrown tomatoes, and also a canning recipe! If you have any recipes you want to share, post them in our comments section! Send us some pictures, too, and we will post them as part of our canning series.

I have never tried this soup but it sounds delicious. Enjoy!

Spiced Tomato Soup

16 cups tomatoes, peeled and cored
3 1/2 cups onions
2 1/2 cups celery
2 cups red pepper
1 cup carrots
7 bay leaves
1 TB cloves
1 clove garlic
1 cup packed brown sugar
Salt and Pepper

Chop up veggies and put in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft. Discard bay leaves. Puree soup in small batches and return to saucepan. Add sugar, salt and pepper, to taste. Heat soup to a boil and place into 500 ml jars. Boil for 25 minutes in canner.

In the news...

Did you see our "Thank You" in the local papers? Below is an excerpt. See who else is helping out the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation by clicking here.

Home Hardware Supports Local Mammography Unit! Our local Home Hardware Building Centre recently made a very generous contribution to the brand new Mammography Unit at Lloydminster Hospital. Funds were raised through their annual Christmas Gift Wrap program, as well as a special Mother’s Day Gift Card promotion hosted in the store. Pictured is Sarah Rurka, left, manager at Home Hardware, with Kristine Alexander, Marketing and Development Coordinator with Lloydminster Region Health Foundation. Thank you Home Hardware for donating close to home!

Gift Show, Days 2 & 3

We've been having a great time shopping the Alberta show, and I found some beautiful
fountains from Haney Pottery that I think will make lovely Christmas gifts. Yes, its
true, we've been planning our Christmas since last January when we picked colors and
product for this holiday season. I know I should be thinking Christmas but I'm thinking
next summer already... Aren't these pots beautiful?

Sarah

Hello Dear Readers, I'm blogging live from the Alberta gift show!

What is this photo of, you ask? Well I'm about to tell you.

Our lovely Gourmet Shop Manager, Heather, decided it was finally time to sell
loose leaf tea. We've always wanted a little tea shop and now is the time.

You're staring into the bottom of my (piping hot) cup of Dragon Pearls Tea.
It tastes (and smells) fantastic! By September you'll be able to taste (and smell)
it too.

We'll have 20 varieties of the finest loose-leaf tea in black, red, herbal,
green, and white varietals.

We'll have to have a tea party when the tea arrives!

P.S. Interesting 'fun fact' (as Jeff would say) - Albertans like their red tea!
Our tea vendor sells more red tea to Alberta than to any other region in Canada.

Sarah

Cool!

Have you been to our website lately? Check out this cool shot Shawn J and David have up there! I think it is so neat. Click on the photo to see it large and in charge on the website.

Also new is our Mommy-to-be, Baby and New Mom wish list on the website. You can see at a glance some of our core products and must-haves for Mom and Baby. (Our merchandise is always changing, so some items aren't currently represented on the list. Stop by the store to check them out!)

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Also....

How sweet is this?

Scroll to the bottom paragraph

PS

Did I mention that everywhere we went yesterday we were accompanied by whispers of "that's Sarah Rurka, you know, from the national Home Hardware commercials" and "see that girl? She's on TV!" and "Don't you recognize her? Oh, I know her quite well. She's famous! She's on TV you know."

Gift Show, Day One

Oooh do we have some exciting stuff coming for you. Not gonna spill the beans exactly but perhaps just a small preview of what to look forward to for Fall, Winter & Christmas:

Purses, purses and more purses. Gorgeous new fall colors in handbags. Cute clutches. Snazzy evening bags for all of your holiday parties. Yes, I said snazzy (Mom's favorite word). Some of the colors and styles were so perfect we kept having to up our quantities (in anticipation of some of our loyal purse purchasers--we know you'll want them!)

Unique and Fun new jewelry, perfect for you, perfect for gifts. Most pieces are coming in 1's, meaning if you want it, you will be the only one to have it! Don't wait!

Some fun new clothing and toys for babies and toddlers.

New wraps, booties, slippers, mitts and stuffed toys from Warm Buddy.

New photo jewelry--bracelets, necklaces, keychains and Christmas ornaments you can customize with photos. So so cool.

Hats. Oh. My. Goodness. Sarah couldn't control herself. But honestly, some of them are so perfect (a little back notch for your low ponytail? Thank you!)

Anyway, there is a little sampling... something to look forward to!

Scratch & Save Today and Tomorrow!

Scratch & Save
10-50% OFF
Your Entire Purchase*
Today & Tomorrow
August 14 & 15

Join us for our Stoplight Sale, in celebration of our new traffic lights!
Red-tagged merchandise is available throughout the store and garden centre. Check out our clearance tables in the center aisles of the store.

Your Scratch and Save discount is on top of already discounted prices!

Don't Miss our Best Sale of the Season!
See you there!


*Excludes Lumber & Building Materials, Special Orders and Items on Hold

Weekly Garden Tip

New Yoga Shipment

A new yoga shipment has arrived, included NEW hot yoga mats. Also available is a variety of yoga music, DVDs, essential oils and other things to help you mellow out and relax. We curently have 2 DVDs from Padma, who also has a new series airing on the ONE network.

I find ONE to air the largest variety of yoga series, and aside from Padma I like the Breathing Space Yoga series. It is filmed outdoors and features people with a variety of levels of experience (including a pregnant woman).

A Natural Choice

About the Natursutten Pacifier:

All Natursutten pacifiers are made from pure natural rubber from the tree Hevea brasiliensi.

The protein that on rare occasions can provoke a latex allergy is eliminated during production. This means, that there is no risk of latex allergy when using them.

All Natursutten pacifiers are CE certified which means, that they conform to the European Union (EU) directive in this product area concerned with safety, health and environment. (Pacifier Safety requirements by European
standard EN 1400).

If you buy a Natursutten pacifier, you and your baby will avoid:
· Allergy causing substances
· Artificial color
· Cancer causing substances
· Hormone disturbing substances
· Chemical softeners
· Parabens, PVC and phthalates

The Natursutten pacifiers have passed tests with their best result "Sehr Gut" (Very Good) in the well acknowledged German magazine Ökotest (Organic Test).

The soft material of the Natursutten pacifier has several advantages:
· Follows baby's natural mouth movements
· Does not leave marks on baby's face
· Have shown incredible strength in the "Stretch-test"
· 100% natural
· Environment friendly and biodegradable

The Natursutten pacifiers are softer than silicone, and they are extremely hygienic because they are molded in one piece. This means, that there is no joints or cracks where dirt and bacteria can accumulate.

Give your baby the best! Available in our baby department.

August Tea of the Month

Mountain High Chai

Organic black tea with special Indian spices.

Chai is the Hindi word for tea. "Chai" is the name that we in the West have given the Spiced tea which is a daily beverage throughout India.Today, Chai is typically made with black tea and a variety of sweet flavors such as cinnamon and orange peel. two leaves and a bud offers a traditional chai that starts with true Assam tea (not cheap "blending tea") and adds only the true ingredients of chai: Cinnamon, Clove, and Cardamom. Fabulous with milk and honey!

Gingersnaps Weekly Menu

Candle of the Month

The Candle of the Month for August is Sandcastle:

Smooth coconut sprinkled with peach blossoms, travel through the heart of citrus bursts and soy blossoms.

Mmmmm, isn't that a nice way to wrap up the summer? Save 25% on the Candle of the Month!

Stop Light Sale!

After many years of wishing and hoping, and two years of waiting, we finally, finally have traffic lights on our corner! WOO HOO!

In celebration of this monumental event, we are having a Scratch and Save Stoplight Sale! Normally this weekend would be the Big Day Out, but as we indicated earlier, the BDO has MOVED to September.

Scratch and Save Stop Light Sale
Save 10-50% Off*
August 14 & 15 (Fri and Sat)

*Excludes Lumber & Building Materials, Special Orders and Items on Hold.

BPA Free not so free after all...

In this article from Saturday's Edmonton Journal, it was announced that many so-called "BPA Free" baby bottles were found to leak BPA. Brands included Dr.Brown, Gerber, Medela, Nuby and others.

The good news in the Health Canada testing is that Green To Grow bottles were found to have no detectable levels of BPA (as were the Born Free and Thinkbaby brands).

Green to Grow is available at Home Hardware, and currently we are offering a promotion on the Green to Grow Nipples--buy one, get one free.

For more information on BPA, check out our post on the Three Nasties.