ScoopNYC ™  is probably more familiar to New Yorkers as a trendy, hot fashion closet with all the latest celeb looks under one roof.  Now you will find stores in major metro cities like Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, Dallas and here’s the real scoop:  soon they will be online!

Specializing in-person customer service/shopper, they now have developed their own trademark fragance named what else? Scoop NYC.  A subtle musk with tones of pear blossom, tangerine zest, white peony, jasmine and pink freesia. 

For Free Sample Click Here→

Get The Latest Scoop in Fashion!

One of MarkDownMom’s favorite movie series is Indiana Jones.  Can you believe it has nearly been 19 years since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (LC) was featured in the movie theaters?  Now, almost on the same date as the LC, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will hit nation wide on May 22, 2008. 

If you can’t stand the wait, click here► to watch the newest teaser trailer of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. 

Before the fourth movie hits, you might want to revisit Indiana Jones previous movies, which come in a available at Wal*mart®,  box set reg.$59.99, sale $33.96

Don’t you just love those ads featuring William Shatner as a World of Warcraft (WoW) shaman?  Somehow ads always speed up during the last few seconds and you miss crucial information, like a website featuring a free trial.  A free 10 day trial can be found on the World of Warcraft site and you can chose the original game or The Burning Crusade.  WoW is a massive multiplayer online role playing game so be prepared to interact with other people.  You choose a character avatar and throughout the game may view the landscape, fight monsters, preform quests, interact with other avatars, and build skills.  If you like the game, you may purchase a subscription to it for $29.99.

 Do you have a preteen, teenager, college student, or music afficionado on your Christmas List?  One of the best gifts that  Markdown Mom has come up with is a gift that there is still time to get– an iTunes Gift Card! 

This solves a lot of problems in our family–one being we are not finding unexpected charges to our account for tunes from artists like Interpol,  Finger Eleven, Colby Caillat, Timbaland, and others. 

Have a budding film maker or just someone who loves the movies?  Like who doesn’t?  Well, instead of searching for dinero for the movies, you can get a gift card from your local movie theater.   It doesn’t mean that they won’t hit you up for popcorn and soda money, but there will be less trips to the ATM machine. 

For Movie Gift Cards check at your local movie theater or go online to Fandango , Regal Entertainment Group, and others.

The great thing about gift cards is that you can give what you can afford, and in this case, a gift that will give everyone a break from their busy schedules or just the winter blahs. 

 *some photos courtesy of Wikipedia®

Gamers have a lot to wish for this holiday with games like Halo 2, Silent Hill Origins, and The Simpson’s Game.  However, gift givers may have a difficult time finding these in the stores, not to mention finding the correct format (PSP, PS2, XBOX360).  Gift givers may want to ask themselves "what happens when the gamer has completed all levels?", the answer usually is collecting dust or propping up windows.  The simple solution that pleases both buyer and gamer is a gift certificate to GameFly.  GameFly essentially works like Netflix.  The gamer selects videogames that he/she would like to play and will receive them within 1-2 days.  You can keep the videogames for as long as you want without incurring a late fee.  When you’re done ship it back in the envelope it was sent in.  It’s as easy as defeating the zombies in Doom!  Gift certificates can be purchased for 1-12 months (1 month is $22.95, 2 games out at a time).  You may have the gift certificate sent to the recipient via e-mail or print it out and hand deliver.

It is reported that to some degree, United States citizens, can trace their lineage to a royal person–if you search long and hard.   Along this journey, one may find some savory skeletons in the ancestry closet that can even prove more fun than our proper ancestors and could explain why your favorite aunt has that wonderful wild side.  Maybe it is because as citizens of a rather young nation, finding our past not only is worthwhile, but intriguing as well. How come your sister looks so different than you, or why do you have a bump on your nose and no one in your immediate family does?  Not all questions have to be monumental in nature, but every little piece of the puzzle gives us a better understanding of ourselves and those around us.

Genealogy is not only an enlightening avocation, but has given rise to the recent craft phenomena, scrapbooking.  Now you can add volumes of information to your family tree, by researching online through such sites as Ancestor Hunt©  perhaps the largest, free database with additional aids sponsored by the Church of Latter Day Saints and free marriage records at GeneaLinks© , and through Google Search of U.S. government public records,at usgov.google.com© , plus others. 

New on the scene is   Ancestry.com©, that is a monthly subscription site currently being marketed  by the major home shopping network  QVC ®for $33.26, one month subscription plus a 12" x 12" family  scrapbook kit is included in this price.  Or, you can try this new site by taking advantage of a free two-week trial offer with an initial membership for a month of $19.95, which can be canceled at any time.  This site offers both U.S. and Worldwide searches. 

History tells us that in order to understand the present or the future, first look to the past.  Here is a family history preservation and pastime that can be enjoyed by all for free or for a minimal investment, depending upon your time allocation.

*tintype courtesy of base10, flickr™

Looking for some hot, inexpensive bling? Try back at the checkout where you will find some real markdowns.  MDM found $14.50 necklaces for 27¢, and a leather belt for 47¢ at Old Navy!  Makes one scratch their head on how they arrived at these markdown prices.  Many summer togs that you can wear into Fall are at 50% off and there is a special selection of apparel at 75% off.  Great look coming this Fall is the long tunic/dress w/ long sleeves and turtleneck, worn alone or with tights or leggings.  Online savings as well– It’s worth shopping for some back to school bargains here.

This year color Fall at MOA with black, berry, teal, grey, plus the ever popular animal prints. The trapeze dress is still popular and the hot word going into Fall is "layering, layering, layering!"  Also, the preppy look, the military look, and supersized handbags are getting a lot of play. 

►Click Here for MDM’s MOA Latest Window Fashions Slideshow

MDM was real excited about the jewelry store For Love 21 where you can find hot and trendy inexpensive accessories including trendy jewelry and handbags.  Clearance items are located on back wall next to checkout, but you’ll probably get excited about the regular inventory since these prices are extremely low for the look. 

Nordstrom’s Rack is looking a little thin on markdowns, but they are taking inventory this week and plan on having a Plenty Under Twenty Sale starting August 30th.

MDM stopped by the Twin City Grill for a late supper on Saturday night.  The service was quite good, but unless you have reservations, expect a 15 minutes wait–which wasn’t bad considering it was a Saturday evening.  Known for it steaks, MDM ordered their French Dip which comes with vinegar and salt french fries.  The food was tasty, however, MDM would like to make a recommendation that would improve this dish and that is to serve it on artisan bread with a hard crust–it would hold up better with the au jus.  For an added sparkle to seating arrangements, select the booths with the mirrored backing and rich wood tones for a vintage Hollywood feeling.
 

*Editorial:  MOA has made some progress on accessibility by installing automatic door openers.  However, the only problem is that the size of the door that now opens with an automatic button is regular size and requires some maneuvering for passage through by a wheelchair. 

Site #2 On MDM’s Twin Cities Tour is the Baja del Sol District of St. Paul, Minnesota.

A smiling Sun on the street overpass greets the visitor to this district and the El Amanecer Restaurant is the perfect place to enjoy authentic Mexican food.  Located at 194 Cesar Chavez Street in St. Paul, Minnesota  55107(#651-291-0758).

Most dishes are under $10 and noontime specials are certainly worthy of a leisurely lunch–you won’t want to rush through the savory delectible offerings of this restaurant!  For dinner MDM had Fajitas de Camaron/shrimp fajitas and thoroughly enjoyed the jumbo seasoned grilled shrimp in its’ bed of green peppers, onions, tomatoes served with guacamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo & tortillas. 

Although the margaritas by the glass are quite large, you can order the drink by the pitcher–make sure you bring along someone to drive! 

On weekends there is live music.  With smiling and pleasant servers, this is a wonderful dining experience at reasonable price in the large urban area of the Twin Cities!

Can’t wait for the final episode of the Shrek triology?  Go to the Shrek movie homepage and enjoy playing fun filled Shrek Games, such as the Shrek Memory Game and Sudoku…at least until the movie comes out.  Shrek the Third opens May 18th!

Artists have joined the kitchen fray with making everyday kitchenware into objets d’art.  Are these collectibles the antiques of the future?  Possibly.  There’s no denying that they meld art and function into one, and this is especially true at follow function.  Both around $25.00 are a little pricey for a salt & pepper shakers, or a cruet set, but not  for an artistic conversation piece. 

They also carry unique toys, lighting, and hot modern furniture like the Tiki stools (had the best price on these at $44.10/reg.$49, and had the color "green" in stock, plus minimal shipping charge).  If you are looking for something unique and fun, check out this site where form follows function.

 You have 1000 excuses for forgetting Valentine’s Day:

Excuse #1  The weather was bad and the flowers would have frozen.

Excuse#2  The dog ate your Valentine’s Card.

Excuse #3  A Rabid Chocaholic snatched that heart-shaped box and tore into it for his/her fix.

Yeah Right!  Well, all is not lost. For $4.95 from Instasong® you can personalize a song and have it sent to their email and they can listen to their song for 45 days.    Instasong, a part of Giftsongs.com®, uses Macromedia Flash Player to deliver the song and you can download it from them in a matter of minutes. How wonderful is that!

Long after the chocolates have been eaten and the flowers withered, there will be your special song! 

Make A Memory Your Loved One Will Always Recall

Vote for This Article at:  Judy’s Book

‘Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines’ would love this event.  Sponsored by the energy drink, Red Bull, Red Bull Flugtag USA is a game of flying handmade machines into water.

Teams are judged on distance, creativity, and showmanship.  The record for distance is 195 ft. while the USA record stands at only 78 ft.

  The next event you can participate in either as a contestant or an observer is set for Nashville on Saturday, June 23rd.  MDM doesn’t know if this is an extraordinary flying event as it boasts, but it sure does look like a lot of fun!  Click-on site for more information.   Plus you can play the online version of the  Flugtag Game without getting wet.

BodyBuilding.com has exclusive offers for the fitness fanatic in your home.  We have the complete list of coupons you can use to make purchases to build muscle, lose fat, or increase your health at bodybuilding.com

Not a BodyBuilder? That’s okay. While the site offers many tools for bodybuilders, they have recently offered countless products for the athelete or individual interested in overall health.

MarkDownMom recommends ordering supplements online because they are generally cheaper than retail outlets. With children in sports, you can get the protein powder and smoothie ingredients to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition while they train.

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Now you can fight Aids and do your Holiday Shopping.  At Red™ get answers to how you can bring about the cure.  One way is shopping and purchasing products at this site.  Like this Inspi(red) tee from the GAP.  50% of the profit goes to the Global Fund to fight Aids in Africa. 

You thought that you would get some work done at home, but you can’t find the files.  You trash your purse, your briefcase, and even check to see if you hung it around your neck!  Nope, where did that USB Drive go to? 

Until they invent a built-in pager on this drive, Uxcel has the next best answer.  Get its’ 1GB Flash Memory Drive in a USB flat wristband. 

Looking like one of the trendy bands, in cool colors of blue, yellow, purple,  for $26.99 and white ($16.99), you literally have the files and information on hand, or, at least, on wrist.  With the holidays coming up this is a great gift or stocking stuffer especially for any "Forgetful Jones" in your family.