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Just a few of Cheryl's Favorite Things
It's that time of year again - time for my list of favorite things. Now I really believe
that you can't give anything more valuable than yourself, but it's always nice to pick
up something for someone to let them know you're thinking about them. So, here
are some values for your money. You can go online and purchase these items or tune in to
KKDA-AM on Sunday morning at 8:00 and you could be one of the lucky recipients.
www.coolitsystems.com
Sometimes I am at my
computer for hours and
the CoolIT Beverage
Chiller is a nice accessory
to keep close by.
If you're like me, you
usually have some type of
drink on hand. CoolIT
can keep your drink cool,
keeping you from running
back and forth to the
refrigerator. Just make
sure you place the chiller
on a flat surface before
inserting the USB plug
into the computer port.
Then place your nice cold
glass of lemonade, coca
cola or water-- whatever
you desire and CoolIT
will keep your beverage at
a cool drinking temperature because it chills to 45
degrees Fahrenheit.
And guess what? You
can also get the coffee
warmer!
^ back to top
MOTIONS at HOME
SALON CARE
www.motionshair.com
Motions Hair Care is
the bomb. With all the
hair in my household, we
have to keep a supply of
hair care products. For
decades Pro-Line Products have been at the
top of our list. Now we
use the same products, but
if you will recall Pro-line
owner Comer Cottrell
sold the company to
Alberto Culver.
Officially called
Motions at Home Salon
Care, it features every-
thing from conditioning
shampoo and detangling
conditioner, to spritz,
molding creme and the
latest - Deep Penetrating
Treatment.
Motions is not greasy,
nor does it weigh your
hair down. Motions is
good for the natural look
that more and more
women are opting for and
it also works well with
chemicals.
Also, equally impressive is how well Motions
also works on natural hair
that you might decide to
straighten by using a hot
comb or flat iron. Some
might not think about
buying hair care products
for a gift, but someone
somewhere is going to
appreciate this one.
^ back to top
SUBWAY Stores
3125 South Grand or
2207 East Ledbetter
Healthy eating has to be
a priority and thanks to
SUBWAY¨, which is
conveniently located in
our communities, I can get
a healthy meal at an economical price. Now,
while I may not take off as
many pounds as Jared,
who lost over 100 pounds,
I am able to watch my
calories and still enjoy a
good meal at a reasonable
cost.
I also feel better eating
at Subway stores owned
by Natalie and Travis
Brown because they
believe in keeping their
establishment clean and
their employees courteous
and attentive. Earlier this
year, the Browns were
recognized by the City of
Dallas for those very
reasons.
I think Subway Gift
Cards are a great gift,
especially for college
students or frequent
travelers. Get it in any
amount between $5 and
$100 at participating
SUBWAY¨ restaurant
locations-- but I want you
to go to the one at 3125
South Grand or 2207 East
Ledbetter! SUBWAY Cards are reusable and
reloadable so money can
be added to SUBWAY
Cards at any time, making
them a convenient way to
pay for SUBWAY
restaurant menu items. To
top everything off,
Subway stores are located
EVERYWHERE.
^ back to top
Emma Rodgers and Ashira Toishwe
For nearly 30 years
Black Images Book
Bazaarwas the place to
go in Dallas for books by
Black authors. There was
something special about
Black Images. Emma
Rodgers and Ashira
Toishwe were the owners
of the store that closed
down almost a year ago. I
remember the closing as if
it were yesterday. I went to
the store and sat around
reading books and talking
to patrons as we recalled
years of wonderful
memories. Emma and
Ashira are two dynamic
sisters who made
everyone who walked
through the doors of the
bookstore feel special.
While we have Jokae's
African American Books
and Pan African
Connection and
Resource Center, in
memory of their many
years of service, support
and love; a beautiful
basket filled with books
from authors-- from Mrs.
Rosa Parks to Victor
McGlothin and Maya
Angelou to Zane, will go
to a lucky person.
^ back to top
THE WHISPERS
Growing up on the East
Coast, everyone loved the
Whispers. To think
decades later, I would live
just down the freeway
from the stomping
grounds of the Scott
brothers, Walter and
Wallace, well let me tell
you...I just love those
Whispers. Every year I
manage to see their performance somewhere.
Talk about style, class and
wonderful voices; the
Whispers just get better
with time. One day I am
going to hear two of my
favorite songs-- "Chocolate Girl" and
"You are Number One."
And there are numerous
others, like "Olivia,"
"Love is Where You Find
it," "Make it With You,"
"And the Beat Goes On,"
and "A Song For Donny."
I'm getting excited just
thinking about their next
visit to town someone will
join me, Stephanie Mills
and After 7 on January 20
at the Nokia Theatre in
Grand Prairie.
^ back to top 
CROONERS
Some other men who
could sing-- Luther
Vandross and Lou Rawls
and some men who are
still singing-- Teddy
Pendergrass and Miles
Jaye; all have new
releases and there are
hours of pleasurable
listening.
Oh, if only there was
Marvin Gaye to add to the
bunch. Now Mr.
Pendergrass is not
expected to be in the
Metroplex
anytime
soon, but
Miles Jaye
will be
performing at the
Founders Day Gala for the
Dallas Alumnae Chapter
of Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. on Saturday,
January 26 at the Black
Academy of Arts and
Letters and someone will
be able to join me as Miles
pulls out his red violin and
lays it all out on the line
for the ladies!
In the meantime,
someone will enjoy the
sounds of
Luther
Vandross
(4 CD set
of Mr.
VanDross's
works),
Teddy
Pendergrass (career
spanning collection), Lou
Rawls (some of his
biggest hits) and Miles
Jaye (featuring some
pleasant surprises).
^ back to top
SKIRTITUDE
www.SKIRTITUDE.com
Talk about a new
attitude! When I got
home from KwanzaaFest
and tried on my new
Skirtitude, you could see
the immediate transformation. I was "every
woman!"
The Skirtitude should be
in every woman's closet
and the Skirtitude Spa Set
should be in every
woman's bathroom.
Skirtitude is a free
flowing skirt that can be
worn in four skirt and six
dress styles. This unique
design ties on to fit a size
2 - 18 (depending on body
style). The choice in fabric
makes skirtitude a
garment that can be worn
in the work place and out
on the town! Sharon
Briggs is the designer and
owner. The sister has
designed an item that will
make every woman's life
simpler, while still providing elegance and
professionalism because
of the various types of
materials she uses. So
throw away that played-
out black dress and those
old "housecoats" or robes
that you put on when you
get out of the shower. Put
on this new attitute that
comes with Skirtitude. I
just love my Skirtitude and
so will you.
^ back to top 
Our Own Image
www.ourownimage.com
When I first purchased
Our Own Image items I
was ecstatic because I just
love being able to display
items with beautiful Black
folks on them around my
house. The vision of a
mother and daughter team,
Our Own Image has so
many items that are
wonderful gifts. While I
went to a party at Rena
Thomas's house, you can
order on line at . Need an
umbrella, notecards,
ornaments? Check out the
many products. Our Own
Image produces every
unique product to exacting
standards because "our
community deserves
quality items that can be
enjoyed and passed on as
heirlooms to the next generation," says the representatives. Whether you
want to redecorate your
kitchen, accent your
bathroom, or add ethnic
flair to your living spaces,
Our Own Image has the
product for you! I am
especially fond of the
Girlfriends Collection, and
every time anyone sits
down at my table, they get
to enjoy the scripture
placemats.
^ back to top
CABOT Snowy Weekend Gift BASKET
www.cabotcheese.com
I tried it with my award-winning macaroni and
cheese dish, so let me tell
you I SEE WHY Cabot
has been voted "the
World's Best Cheddar."
Snowy Weekend Gift
Basket.
This authentic wooden
cheese box holds a 3-lb
wheel of Sharp, Cabot's
most award-winning
cheddar. Combined with
16 ounces of pure
Vermont maple syrup, 1.5 lb blueberry pancake mix
and delicious raspberry
peach jam, it is a
handsome, memorable
gift and a memorable way
to start the weekend. It can
also be purchased online at
where there are lots of
great gift packages
available (even a
Christmas stocking full of
cheddar - a great alternative to giving kids a
stocking full of candy).
ThereÕs also a catalog to
choose from the various
Cabot products. Get the
recipe book and get busy.
It's important to note that
aged cheeses, such as
CabotÕs naturally aged
cheddar contain 0 grams
of lactose. I'll have to
share that bit of information with my friend,
Ramona.
^ back to top
TYLER PERRY, MADEA, THE BROWNS
Let's talk about hours of
laughter, tears, fun and
games; along with insight-
ful messages. Find it all
with Tyler Perry's "The
Plays." I'm talking about
seven plays on DVD:
Madea's Family Reunion,
Madea Goes to Jail, I Can
Do Bad All By Myself,
Why Did I Get Married?,
Meet The Browns, Diary
of a Mad Black Woman
and Madea's Class
Reunion. And to top it off,
the first season of House
of Payne, all for your
viewing pleasure. The
dynamic Mr. Perry has
also written a book and
continues to build a brand
that is worthy of your
support. During an
interview with Mr. Perry
last year, I found him to be
candid, committed and
conscientious. He has also
shown time and time
again, through his benevolence, that he is not just
about making money. He
takes an interest in what's
going on in the world (he
was also in
Jena,
Louisiana
protesting
the injustices that
were taking
place). He
also is not going to
sacrifice his principles
when it comes to his work.
Mr. Perry is the ROOTS
of this Century-- putting
Black actors to work!!!
^ back to top
ROOTS
www.Tvoneonline.com
Speaking of ROOTS, I
just love TV ONE! Thirty
years ago I watched and
learned about Kunta Kinte
and Alex Haley's other
ancestors. Recently,
thanks to TV ONE, I have
been able to watch the
entire series, including
ROOTS, THE GIFT. This
historic mini-series, was
adapted from Alex Haley's
best-selling book of the
same name and tells the
story of Kinte (LeVar
Burton), a young West-
African man who is
captured by slave traders
in 1750 and sold into
slavery. The story
continues through the
emancipation of Kunta
KinteÕs grandson, Chicken
George (Ben Vereen). The
all-star cast of "Roots,"
also included Maya
Angelou, Cicely Tyson,
John Amos, Richard
Roundtree, Louis Gossett
Jr., Ed Asner, Lloyd
Bridges and Todd Bridges.
In 1977, 85 percent of
homes in the United States
tuned in to watch all or
part of "Roots."
Cathy Hughes is
building TV-ONE into a
serious network providing
well-rounded family
entertainment and
news programming.
I am sure
we can
expect
more from TV ONE in the
future. So far the station
has reintroduced genera-
tions to the likes of Moms
Mabley, Tony King and
countless others.
^ back to top
 EVERYONE HATES CHRIS
In its third season, the
CW television hit,
Everybody Hates Chris,
family values are not cast
by the wayside. Award
winning actress Tichina
Arnold (Martin, Law and
Order and Big Momma's
House) will join me on the
show on Sunday as we
talk about this family
program. Inspired by his
childhood experiences,
comedian Chris Rock
narrates the hilarious,
touching story of a
teenager growing up as the
eldest of three children in
Brooklyn,
New York,
during the
early
1980s.
Uprooted
to a new
neighborhood and bused into predominantly white middle
school two-hours away by
his strict, hard-working
parents, Chris struggles to
find his place while
keeping his siblings in line
at home and surmounting
the challenges of junior
high. The series won the
NAACP Image Award for
Best Comedy and was
nominated for a Golden
Globe Award and PeopleÕs
Choice Award in its first
season. ItÕs so refreshing
to watch children, acting
like children; instead of
undisciplined, disrespect-
ful brats!
^ back to top
ME685 Electric Guitar
http://www.firstact.com
Now I'm no Jimi Hendrix but I know good
music like the sound you
will get from the metal
inspired ME685 Electric
Guitar. Who knows?
This year's recipient
could be the next Hendrix.
First Act is rapidly and
aggressively adding to
their impressive artist
roster with one-of-a kind
custom guitars. Artists
such as Adam Levine of
Maroon 5, Dave Hidalgo
of Los Lobos, and Brent
Hinds of Mastadon are
recent recipients.
First Act's guitars have
been featured everywhere
from Franz Ferdinand's
Nick McCarthy playing
his custom axe at the
Grammys to the infamous
VW campaign featuring
Slash playing through a
stack of Jettas. First Act
Inc., based in Boston, is a
musical instrument manufacturer, with a vast
product line available in
retail stores nationwide.
First Act offers instruments for all levels of
players, including guitars,
amps, accessories, band
instruments, drums, percussion products, and
instruments sized for
children. Custom, one-of-
a-kind guitars are also
available through the First
Act Studio for Artists.
Give your children this
gift and enjoy the sound.
^ back to top
 PURSEHANGERS
www.anotherwomanstreasure.net
Earlier this year I wrote
a column urging ladies to
not put their purses on the
ground. Some readers
wondered what should
they do. Should they hold
their purses in their laps or
put them on the table?
Well, Terri Andrewshad
just the solution.
She said, "It's always a
problem...Where to put
your purse when you're
eating out at a restaurant.
Hang your purse on the
back of your chair (easy
for someone to slip off).
On the floor - under
your feet (not very conve-
nient or sanitary). In your
lap, or on your knee? That
would get old quick. The
most convenient way?
Simply hang your Purse
Hanger on the edge of the
table and hang your purse
on the hook (also frees up
table space). Conveniently
holds your purse within
"YOUR" easy reach, not
the person sitting at the
table behind you!" What a
jewel. These pursehang-
ers are so functional and
pretty also.
Terri has all kinds of
shapes and colors and she
even has some for sorority
members! I am so pleased
to have pursehangers as
one of my favorite things
because we can call
attention to problems all
day long. I like solutions
and that is just what purse hangers are.
Happy Shopping!
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