This is going to be one of the best Thanksgivings we have ever celebrated here. With Celeste and Little Joe now new members of our family, we have a great deal to be thankful for. They have brought so much joy into our lives the we are truly blessed.
Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. I find a new blessing every single day and more than one in most. We have a full house but we also adopt a few local families for Thanksgiving Dinner too. We’re having turkey of course, deer roast, and all the extras that everyone has. Desert is of course pumpkin pie, coconut cake, carrot cake, and banana pudding.
I hope and pray that each of you has a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving too.
I know I posted about wedding favors already but I wanted to keep going and share a little bit more about them. You really can offer your guests unique wedding favors. Surprise your guests with something they have never seen before. Maybe give them something that will bring a laugh or smile to their face.
Unique wedding favors tell the guests something about the couple. Give your friends and family a personalized calculator and they might think you are trying to help them balance a budget. If you give them a bag of Jordan almonds they will know that you wanted to offer them a tasty treat. Even further, share with your guests a scented and monogrammed candle and your guests can relax in the luxury of their home to the lovely aroma your flavor provides.
Your wedding favors can even enhance your wedding theme. For example, say you have a destination wedding, maybe you could pack little acrylic suitcases with a tasty treat. If you have an outdoor wedding, think about providing your guests with a small picnic basket to remember the occasion. A cute idea for a Las Vegas wedding could be to pick up some toy coin machines that you personalize. There truly is a unique wedding favor for every taste and style.
Since Celeste is 17 years old, she does not have to return to her parents as long as someone, me in other words, is appointed her legal guardian until she turned 18. Well I gladly accepted that responsibility. Since I have taken a restraining order out against her father, he can no longer come within 50 feet of my home and establishment. Celeste also took one out and now he can’t come within 50 feet of her anywhere she goes.
It’s a shame that such a beautiful and bright young woman should have to make such hard decisions about her own father but Celeste knows that she in turn must protect herself and her son. The law is on her side in all of this mess. Her hopes and dreams to be her own person, go to college and support herself and her son are what keep her going.
Life is hard at times and tough decisions are all a part of growing up. A 17 year old shouldn’t have to make such hard decisions but she has and has done it without malice or hatred in her heart. She will go far in life with her gentle and loving heart. I only can hope and pray she doesn’t develop a hard heart because of all of this. I honestly don’t think she will because we will surround her with love and respect here. I am so very proud of her.
Late Friday night, there was a knock on my door. When I opened the door, there stood a young woman with a little boy. She said her name was Celeste and her little boys name was Joe. She didn’t have anywhere to go because her family had thrown her out that evening and she wondered if maybe I had a job she could do to pay for a room tonight and some food for her and Joe.
This is a 17 year old young woman with a 15 month old beautiful little boy. I invited her in and got her and Joe something to eat. I sat with her and talked to see what I was dealing with here. I sure didn’t need a teenager that was on drugs here but I didn’t see any signs of anything like that. All I saw that she had a bruise across her cheek that she had tried to hide with makeup but didn’t do a very good job of it.
She said her father was bad to get drunk and take everything out on her and her mother and she just couldn’t take it anymore. He had gotten angry about nothing and threw her out. She said she was still in high school and had someone that kept Joe for her to be able to go to school. She really wanted to stay around here so she could finish school and then hopefully go to college so she could take care of Joe and herself.
My heart almost broke as I listened to this beautiful young woman talk. I made a deal with her. I told her that she could clean the rooms and help with the other chores around there and she would have a place to live as long as she stayed in school and took care of her son herself. No male visitors to her room and no drugs or drinking. When I saw the tears swelling up in her eyes, I knew this was not a bad kid. Just a kid that had made a few mistakes and was trying to do right by them. I guess I now have somewhat of a daughter and grandson if all works out like I think it will. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
warranty (free clip art)Sometimes when I talk to my friends and family about things they are buying online, I get the impression that they don’t even take the time to view fine print about warranties and whether or not they can purchase a maintenance agreement. Such was the case when Marcel was telling me that he was thinking about buying a dbx ZonePRO 640 Speaker Processor from an Internet retailer. I asked him if he had checked out how long the warranty was on the product, and he told me he had not. What is wrong with people nowadays? You should always find out that information!
We bought some frozen lasagna the other day and I had forgotten how bad those things taste. To make it up to my family this week I am going to make homemade lasagna. That way we can get the horrible taste out of our mouths and get to enjoy some good tasting food. I think who ever invented frozen lasagna is nuts to say the least, it does not taste good and it is not that cheap, the good stuff does not cost much more and it is so much better. I have to make it up to my family for my mistake last week.
What would you do if today was your last day to live on the earth? Would you spend all of your money on frivolous things? Would you eat high calorie food and have have seconds and thirds and not care? Would you want to be all alone to meditate in your last moments alive? Who wold you want to spend your last moments of your life with? What would your last words be and who would you say them to?
If today is your last day how are you spending it? I’m spending today with my family. We’re having a family game night and movie night. We’re making homemade pizza and everyone is decorating their own pizzas and then we’re going to play a few board games. Finally we’ll finish up the night with a movie and some popcorn followed by nice warm mugs of hot cocoa.
I love spending time with my family, and if today really is my last day I’ll be happy to be spending it with those I love and hold most dear. What are your plans for the day today? Who are you spending it with?
Once you determine what wedding favors you are going to give your family and friends, your next task will be to determine how to present them. A great option is to use wedding favor bags. Wedding favor bags solve many problems. Maybe your favors are small, don’t come in packaging of their own, or don’t match your decor.
With the use of wedding favor bags your problems are solved. You prevent your guest from loosing their tiny trinkets, everyone has something to carry their favor in, and now you can add personal touches so that the favors blend in with your decor seamlessly.
Organza wedding favor bags are an elegant choice. They add a little flair and color but they still let your favor shine through because they are sheer. They are easy to enhance and embellish as well. Try adding ribbon in the colors of your bridal party or maybe a charm to the bags. Your guests will love the fine details. They are especially great to use for favors that you may have made yourself.
Wedding favor bags look great at every place setting at the reception. Choose favor bags that make a statement and impress all of your guests.
Wine wedding favors are an excellent addition to any wedding reception because they are so flexible they can fit in anywhere. They can even fill the shoes of the last minute wedding favor because they can accommodate any theme.
Wine wedding favors include all aspects of favors that relate to wine products. These encompass wine stoppers, personalized wine bottles, wine glasses, coasters and more. Wine stoppers are one of my favorite wine wedding favors, well because I love to drink wine and I don’t want to drink a whole bottle by myself. To easily incorporate a wine stopper into your theme simply select a style or design that compliments it. For example, for a Valentine’s Day wedding maybe a stopper in the shape of hearts would be nice. For a garden wedding maybe you could offer a flower or leaf shaped stopper. The possibilities are endless.
If glasses are more your style, try commemorating the occasion with monogrammed or personalized wine glasses or champagne flutes. Every time your guests drink from the lovely glasses they will be reminded of you.
Coasters are a nice practical wine wedding favor to give to your friends and family. These can be used by people of all ages and by those that choose to drink alcohol or not. You could have your favorite quote printed or engraved on them and everyone will love them.
Make wine wedding favors a part of your special day and your guests will thank you.
Every New Year many across the world set new goals to achieve or habits to form over the next year to come. This year is no different, except for the fact that we’ve decided to work really hard to hold each other accountable for what we’ve decided to do.
My husband has decided that this year he wants to commit to exercising at least 3 times a week. He usually says he wants to get in better shape. This year he changed it up a tiny bit and is going to set up a routine. He told me that he wants to work out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning before work. He doesn’t think he would be very successful adding a day to the weekend because the weekends we are on a different schedule and he wants consistency.
For myself, I spoke to my husband and I think it would be really great for us to work out together. So, like my husband, I too and going to commit to exercising 3 days a week. I know that having an exercise buddy will help keep us on track and motivated. I can’t wait to see how we feel once we’ve been exercising on a regular basis. I’m excited to feel a difference.
My children have determined that they are going to work hard at listening to what my husband and I say and do what is asked of them without complaining. I’m skeptical about this one. I don’t know where this came from. I love my kids but this doesn’t sound normal. I guess I shouldn’t complain.
I’m excited to see what the new year will bring for all of us. What are your New Year’s resolutions?
