How can you resist this precious guy?  Give Ernie his forever home today!

Just look at this great little guy!  Ernie is a two year old purebred Pekingese.  He’s VERY affectionate, playful and is LOTS of fun!  Ernie really deserves a second chance with a family who will promise to love and care for him forever.  Can your family be his new forever people?

Listen to Ernie’s story: 4.28.10.4.Wet Nose Wednesday Ernie

For more information about how to make Ernie the newest member of your family, call 352-373-5855.

I think she’s too young, but she says her friends have them….

Dear Storm & Chris,

My 9 year old daughter wants me to let her get purple highlights in her hair, which I think is ridiculous! She says other girls in her grade (4th) are allowed to put colored streaks in their hair and that she really wants them. I think she’s too young. What do other parents listening have to say about this? Am I being too strict?

Amanda’s Mom

Listen to the calls:

8.31.10.3.9 Year Old Wants Purple Highlights

8.31.10.4.Purple Highlights Calls

 8.31.10.5.More Purple Highlights Calls

Tell us!  Would you let your daughter get colroed highlights in her hair?

Wendy writes:

Mom, stick to your guns. It is ridiculous for a 9-year-old to be dying her hair any color, let alone purple. What’s next–body piercing and tatoos? Why are parents so afraid to tell a child “no” these days?

A 9-year-old with purple hair is going to be picked on. Why allow her to do something that will more than likely draw the wrong type of attention?

I would NEVER allow a child of mine to dye her hair at any age.

Wendy

Shelly says:

I agree with the mom, These kids now days are growing up way to fast, Be a kid and enjoy it, Once she’s 15 or 16 then maybe she can high light and color her hair.

We’re also talking about it on facebook!

The Key to Effective Budgeting – Master The Yes/No Factor

Since money is a limited resource (in the sense that a dollar can only be used once before you must earn another one), each dollar represents the number of yeses we have available to use.  A man who makes $3,500 can say yes to 3,500 things that cost $1.  Beyond that number, he must say no.

The problem with North American culture is that credit cards and loans have made people believe that they have an unlimited number of yeses.  If they run out of money, they just go borrow more.

Read it all at Frugal Dad.

Farmers’ Almanac: Kinder, gentler winter on tap

LEWISTON, Maine – Good news, winter haters: After record snowfall in the mid-Atlantic and unusually cold weather down South, the Farmers’ Almanac is predicting a “kinder and gentler” winter.

After eyeing the skies, tidal action and sunspots, the folks at the 194-year-old publication say in their 2011 edition going on sale Monday that it’ll be cold but nothing like last winter, when 49 states saw snow and it got so cold in Florida that iguanas fell out of trees.

Read more here.

Thank you and goodbye: Most of us ‘would rather say cheers, ta or even just give a wave or smile’

If you do someone a good turn today, don’t expect a thank you.

‘Cheers’, ‘ta’ or even ‘wicked’ is the more likely response, if a survey is to be believed.

Research among computer users suggests that the traditional expression of gratitude has fallen by the wayside.

Read more here.

Flint couple reports stolen dog, find it with neighbor who refuses to return it without payment

FLINT, Michigan — A Flint couple called police after their tan Pomeranian “Cookie” went missing last week, according to police.

A male said he has been looking for Cookie since 2 p.m. Saturday when the dog went missing from their home on Greenlawn Drive, near Clio Road.

Read it all here.

Red carpet at the Emmys: Who wore it best?

Check out the pictures here.

Emmy Awards 2010: Complete List of Winners

NEW YORK (CBS) Here is the complete list of winners from Sunday’s 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:

Read it all here.

Do One Thing, Save 10 Gallons of Water a Day

Update this folk wisdom for water conservation.

The old folk wisdom that says place a brick in your toilet’s water tank is partially correct: It’s an effortless way to save water, but a brick isn’t the best choice of object. Use a plastic bottle filled with water instead.

Read it all here.

Coming At You: Toshiba Will Offer Glasses-Free 3D TV

Couch potatoes unite. Toshiba (TOSBF) wants to rock your world.

Toshiba is reportedly developing three 3D TV models it hopes to launch by the end of the year, according to a report in Japan’s Daily Yomuri. The goal is to sell the TVs for several hundred thousand yen. (100,000 yen is roughly $1190, at current exchange rates.) If successful, Toshiba will become the first electronics maker in the world to offer 3D TVs without glasses.

Read about it here.