tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58147548736772705172023-11-15T23:59:45.261-08:00Baby clothing shop - Shop for babyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-33134202110137591582014-07-04T12:52:00.001-07:002014-07-04T12:52:24.951-07:00Priceless Gifts.....Would You Do This?<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Priceless Gifts.....Would You Do This?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The approach of the holidays usually brings out the angst in all of us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There's the "shopping list" of things to buy......the decision of who, </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2vLsxWyoToLUEjPFBigchbb_RLX4IEaPJEJGa6E0f02oVaZCDKXR9tTntZQ39K9XN93UkoRk4AmSiSstB3GaIZ-kvop6PkKqf4lPk00aJ-JfYhOZTUwQTRJ6RMs9q2fW8DhYm99sJWE/s1600/thansgivingtable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2vLsxWyoToLUEjPFBigchbb_RLX4IEaPJEJGa6E0f02oVaZCDKXR9tTntZQ39K9XN93UkoRk4AmSiSstB3GaIZ-kvop6PkKqf4lPk00aJ-JfYhOZTUwQTRJ6RMs9q2fW8DhYm99sJWE/s320/thansgivingtable.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
what, and where will the celebration be with (or in some cases, without). The budget......that can be a mountain sometimes that we dread to climb. However, there are some gifts, that can be considered priceless, and yet cost us personally, very little monetarily.......other than the giving of our time.<br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There are so many people hurting in the world. I read about so many tragedies and wonder, what's happening to</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIzP59im7c4ONrNyIvk3YzWF5nsYUjx1tj5Vq4hLd5Y-KjCaOESR4J2zrvT3kCo1fYHaOFUbmBRPyjqsvTuYsvqL7tU6TFWpV2k2gWO-TAehp853Qy5qs3cimsgR06TrP17XdnPwapJQ/s1600/Sad+Honduran+girl_0.preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIIzP59im7c4ONrNyIvk3YzWF5nsYUjx1tj5Vq4hLd5Y-KjCaOESR4J2zrvT3kCo1fYHaOFUbmBRPyjqsvTuYsvqL7tU6TFWpV2k2gWO-TAehp853Qy5qs3cimsgR06TrP17XdnPwapJQ/s200/Sad+Honduran+girl_0.preview.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
people......why are we seemingly so cruel and unfeeling. And, of course, the bigger the disaster, the more "news worthy" it seems to become. But, if you look around your own area, you'll find people hurting, and sad, and worried, and they're not on the news, or being written about....they just exist in their own world without others really noticing.<br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's true.....you can't stop the madness in the world, but you can make a difference in the world. It's one small gesture of kindness, a word of </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ukeBzLvqiPcMCb7n-L7N7iyxlXbr1qeKr9431mCFXVbWc98ZpN3Zk2LHVLdoJ4D0M9fQJQTNjKD1BBqH797EYnGe7lT9zw6YM3cgxriBlD4VD-M7riBujpeBmxfXzm7VcQCDgXVkXts/s1600/a_life_of_tragedy_by_myawho-d530uf0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ukeBzLvqiPcMCb7n-L7N7iyxlXbr1qeKr9431mCFXVbWc98ZpN3Zk2LHVLdoJ4D0M9fQJQTNjKD1BBqH797EYnGe7lT9zw6YM3cgxriBlD4VD-M7riBujpeBmxfXzm7VcQCDgXVkXts/s320/a_life_of_tragedy_by_myawho-d530uf0.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
encouragement, an unexpected offering that can sometimes make your part of the world just a little brighter......a little happier. It doesn't always take money....just a little of our time and thought to do this. And, what we put into the world generally is what comes back to us. More importantly, doing something kind for someone else helps us each to realize how blessed we are and that is priceless.<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I was thinking about this, and what would be ways any of us could make the world a little happier......these are some of my ideas, and I hope you'll choose at least one during the holidays:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIWPd54QK-jNeQKoJVqy8Mvzjff_auf4_i2m-mqf6STcmdJofDog9mDHx7KGpQRrnfhr4sgI5ylMoZi8Gxxe19Vt0UatB1byagrcwa0DKc11kyEEkNfcyif6WejC9YT13EOjcW1BLo4s/s1600/kidsandelderly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIWPd54QK-jNeQKoJVqy8Mvzjff_auf4_i2m-mqf6STcmdJofDog9mDHx7KGpQRrnfhr4sgI5ylMoZi8Gxxe19Vt0UatB1byagrcwa0DKc11kyEEkNfcyif6WejC9YT13EOjcW1BLo4s/s200/kidsandelderly.jpg" height="116" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">1. Visit someone in a nursing home.</span></b> The elderly in nursing homes are generally the forgotten ones. You'd be shocked to find how many of them have no family, or have family that doesn't take the time to visit with them. They sit, or lie, in these places day after day, just waiting......and, the touch and kindness of anyone means everything to them. Find a nursing home in your area, and call to see if you can visit people there. Better yet, get your children involved......when kids visit the elderly, you'll see </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfWdxJzo5YiwUPKm_uUJIWAFcTYzhDmb8xQJwwQnvz8xf2GNHRSzMRN7pNjgvF0_GnAsx5X3ZRFEfRlt9RLoqaFHrNkvbGgxR9UNvDNmntgaMHxpUr1pAwwL5tM2XuYB6ecGimVOSLqE/s1600/old-ladies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfWdxJzo5YiwUPKm_uUJIWAFcTYzhDmb8xQJwwQnvz8xf2GNHRSzMRN7pNjgvF0_GnAsx5X3ZRFEfRlt9RLoqaFHrNkvbGgxR9UNvDNmntgaMHxpUr1pAwwL5tM2XuYB6ecGimVOSLqE/s200/old-ladies.jpg" height="200" width="173" /></a></div>
their faces light up at the mere presence of your child. This is also a fabulous way to teach your children to "see" beyond their own world, develop compassion and understanding, and that to give a tiny little bit of their time to someone who has so little is truly priceless.<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">2. Meals On Wheels. </span></b> One year I volunteered my daughters and I to be Meals On Wheels substitute deliverers on Thanksgiving Day, so the regular drivers could have a day off with their families. This was one heck of an adventure let</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeEAfzw4KkXE5AE2kTcnxCzz956GSwlN_plkKu4ZGi-YpWqaVlBcOUmPWKGnh0BgB0K2QYf50DTWgzT5AAMkeO07rSQObVY0hXFiPVhXXw_EJZCbNQ9qWzqhr9g6xKYoeT1QT_x_wOP4/s1600/meals-on-wheels-logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeEAfzw4KkXE5AE2kTcnxCzz956GSwlN_plkKu4ZGi-YpWqaVlBcOUmPWKGnh0BgB0K2QYf50DTWgzT5AAMkeO07rSQObVY0hXFiPVhXXw_EJZCbNQ9qWzqhr9g6xKYoeT1QT_x_wOP4/s200/meals-on-wheels-logo.gif" height="115" width="200" /></a></div>
me tell you! We were given I think 8 deliveries to make, with addresses and names (and no map and no GPS!). We took off with the food, and ended up spending a better part of half the day trying to find the people who were waiting for this food. Talk about an eye opener! We drove to places I had no idea existed.......saw elderly people living in conditions we couldn't even imagine.......but at the end of our deliveries, knew that we had done something we'd never forget. During that day too, I think my relationship with my daughters became a closer bond with each other too.<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>3. Angel Trees.</b></span> Many businesses and virtually all churches have an Angel Tree that they sponsor each year. You'll find paper ornaments on them with the first </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFxX30wmlJT9XgcRBPaZ7Pjuf1RMJL9vSDDXcJKYJj-yqe60dntInZbb9cq6n_YJfqIq_BrIE6_Hssiw2bRmcxVUHGAsjFIOS14XblFZK2H32wPwtNCK-nGuvWs_bohsZDsVyykxeznk/s1600/angel-tree-205432540a1268f3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFxX30wmlJT9XgcRBPaZ7Pjuf1RMJL9vSDDXcJKYJj-yqe60dntInZbb9cq6n_YJfqIq_BrIE6_Hssiw2bRmcxVUHGAsjFIOS14XblFZK2H32wPwtNCK-nGuvWs_bohsZDsVyykxeznk/s200/angel-tree-205432540a1268f3.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
name and age of a child that will have no present under their tree without the goodness of others helping. This is another awesome learning lesson to involve your children in. If they're old enough, let them choose the child, and then let them choose the gift, and make sure they're the ones who help you take it back to the location. It gives your child a sense of empowerment that they've done something good for someone they'll never meet, and it opens a world of discussions about how blessed they are, rather than focusing on what latest gadget they don't have is. Most importantly.....somewhere on Christmas morning, a child will open that present and you'll have made their day. That's worth a million bucks alone!<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>4. People In Your Neighborhood.</b></span> If you look around </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the area you live, I'll bet you'll find at least one house that has an occupant no one ever visits. Of course common sense rules here, but if it's someone who</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQnLFPTf4o98iuvVyaHwb_I-E5AxxYXR9tLYgycFwg9gQNrfmFI7_kTBRRvzSdJIXtfM13NBSP2dkaxrUbp5OPm1IMirXsOOBPqOgk3LEVLc7TOX9yA2UMdEyxcvy8yB2PB_9clgWs3M/s1600/cookies-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQnLFPTf4o98iuvVyaHwb_I-E5AxxYXR9tLYgycFwg9gQNrfmFI7_kTBRRvzSdJIXtfM13NBSP2dkaxrUbp5OPm1IMirXsOOBPqOgk3LEVLc7TOX9yA2UMdEyxcvy8yB2PB_9clgWs3M/s320/cookies-7.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
maybe has no family, or is incapacitated and can't get out, they would be the ideal candidate for a gift from you. If you have kids, why not bake some cookies, or muffins, package them in a holiday tin, and go knock on the door. Your surprise visit would probably mean the world to this person. Just the fact that someone like you would have given them a few minutes of your time can be a priceless gift.<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49NHGFQ3ObdSqwkLr9R6oAaJ8e8pkI96KOLgM1uNF4xrTixtKhEGP0fBXL79T5S5ZtYge8PLY2qaLDxkL7nngDx-2zDOmahH_k3iGqtSHxcLPzmMwfSJApmIklirqIEtFdqc4F-yxvHc/s1600/soup-kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49NHGFQ3ObdSqwkLr9R6oAaJ8e8pkI96KOLgM1uNF4xrTixtKhEGP0fBXL79T5S5ZtYge8PLY2qaLDxkL7nngDx-2zDOmahH_k3iGqtSHxcLPzmMwfSJApmIklirqIEtFdqc4F-yxvHc/s200/soup-kitchen.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><b>5. Feeding the Homeless.</b></span> I think just about any town has a homeless shelter these days. These are wonderful places the whole family can get involved with. They need volunteers to help with all sorts of things. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The point is.........if you're reading this, even it's not your own computer......you are blessed. You have something to give to others who are less fortunate than you. We tend too often to get focused on what we</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-vcWZJT9aXujvuoyPkwqWMxFaFtjeprZdvJy23XAryTzg0DQIDnoa60eD2NEKCzMTkgUjv6hTwGpI89FtLHveEg_F5NMbs70LBdlmpBknrFX9Q-sf64CLBgRaP9UjOkYCpSc56XUH1c/s1600/Candle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-vcWZJT9aXujvuoyPkwqWMxFaFtjeprZdvJy23XAryTzg0DQIDnoa60eD2NEKCzMTkgUjv6hTwGpI89FtLHveEg_F5NMbs70LBdlmpBknrFX9Q-sf64CLBgRaP9UjOkYCpSc56XUH1c/s200/Candle.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></a></div>
don't have, rather than what we do.........we tend to want more and more, rather than being content with what we do have........so this holiday season how about focusing on others.......be that candle in the dark.......be that "spirit of giving" that is missing in so many parts of the world. In doing so, your life becomes a priceless gift TO the world, and your family has just made a priceless memory that will last forever.<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-13324274747994488152014-07-04T12:49:00.000-07:002014-07-04T12:49:55.564-07:00Nobody Likes Me. Everybody Hates Me......I guess I'll go eat worms. <div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD4In-OcakUXny5Yu4k5vv_TZLdIRvP11WKQd_aPEkMq_8zoW1eXkS8Bt2j9BpPrD2IH8MMraHtXFmeUXechpPryH_AizFzl4JqlYUNxnTzTvDuLGV5IeirJJO248rfTgSSRCfTwhVvQ/s1600/winterholiday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD4In-OcakUXny5Yu4k5vv_TZLdIRvP11WKQd_aPEkMq_8zoW1eXkS8Bt2j9BpPrD2IH8MMraHtXFmeUXechpPryH_AizFzl4JqlYUNxnTzTvDuLGV5IeirJJO248rfTgSSRCfTwhVvQ/s320/winterholiday.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I think just about everyone loves the ideas of the Winter holidays.........at least from a distance. We typically associate Thanksgiving with the family around the table, eating food we don't normally get to eat.......and of course Christmas, with the giving of presents we normally wouldn't buy for ourselves. That's all </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">well and fine if you live a fairy tale life, but the reality is, many many families start out with the best intentions, and then find themselves fractured and broken, just trying to put on that "happy face" for the rest of the world, when we really feel like we're going to whither away in a corner somewhere.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Families find themselves coping with death, divorce, fractured relationships, loss of income, illness, broken dreams and promises........it runs the gamut of emotions, and I dare to say, no one is immune. So, as the holidays creep closer </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxR97TQbGAOuxJSvRLkMdUuzISaJpaM2YqkWBym0gmiklrfh3CeLkoFWk-aXhbXn-r1SdweAa-xEba42sTQjK4KMP5Zmib_JkkvyoAz1n_7IriVMaQzhy1RIlB797owjag-GWAynXXoc/s1600/SadPerson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxR97TQbGAOuxJSvRLkMdUuzISaJpaM2YqkWBym0gmiklrfh3CeLkoFWk-aXhbXn-r1SdweAa-xEba42sTQjK4KMP5Zmib_JkkvyoAz1n_7IriVMaQzhy1RIlB797owjag-GWAynXXoc/s200/SadPerson.jpg" height="187" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">and closer, many people tend to feel the pressure to "fix" what's broken or not there, or find themselves sinking deeper into the sadness they long to avoid. No doubt we've all had the friend that tried to mask the sadness by inviting unhealthy relationships into their lives, or using "retail therapy" to take away the pain, if for only but a moment. What typically happens is the unhealthy relationship just becomes another "rock on the pile of hurt", and the momentary gratification of buying things, only adds to the realization of sadness when you get it home.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ2N5c4De7zsakRPLmNEeyCEH8RcA3-2KjUKiUIgu0mvxeSoPLnAiSZM940wX3gQ1Eh6XdupmGfxvj5CmBjn40ciDQdeS_glCH7ohGWouvO5z6bTPHIbUfMBxZIShdJVsS1XUleIy38o/s1600/Emotion-Masks-760100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ2N5c4De7zsakRPLmNEeyCEH8RcA3-2KjUKiUIgu0mvxeSoPLnAiSZM940wX3gQ1Eh6XdupmGfxvj5CmBjn40ciDQdeS_glCH7ohGWouvO5z6bTPHIbUfMBxZIShdJVsS1XUleIy38o/s200/Emotion-Masks-760100.jpg" height="157" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rather than trying to mask those feelings, or cope on your own, find ways to deal with them in a healthy manner. There are support groups to be found everywhere, as well as mental health counselors. That being said, not every support group or counselor will prove to be the right fit for everyone, so it's a kind of trial and error thing until you find the right one. If that doesn't suit your life, then it's a matter of focusing on what you DO HAVE, versus what you DO NOT HAVE!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Easier said than done.......that I know all too well! It's human nature for the most part to only see the proverbial mountain before us, rather than the step we need to take to get over it. This dawned on me </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2KVX5LHHTvOBhoEvVjmxQ6EV1WSvcrQsElCosf04o7Rep2647u1z-wjQlD24kHZyde1G59K1K0wBabW5My-gtghv5_weQ0wfxwHBk6WZLeuOE-LRliqsVQ0e3ZlJEI6ldiZwoAxY32s/s1600/climbingmountain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2KVX5LHHTvOBhoEvVjmxQ6EV1WSvcrQsElCosf04o7Rep2647u1z-wjQlD24kHZyde1G59K1K0wBabW5My-gtghv5_weQ0wfxwHBk6WZLeuOE-LRliqsVQ0e3ZlJEI6ldiZwoAxY32s/s200/climbingmountain.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">many years ago when I was going through a divorce and had no idea how I was going to raise my two daughters as a single parent. Everything looked too big to handle.......everything was terrifying......my world was literally blown apart. Then one day it dawned on me that I was only one person, who could only do so much in any one given day, and beyond that, if it wasn't critical, it would have to wait. The amazing thing is that once I adopted that attitude, I wasn't focused on how much I could accomplish, and it freed me to relax--finding I typically accomplished more than I planned on for that day.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrS-XgCuh78w3u85EYBBnp-7Kyc-ttSpQEhzU7zHeQ24X92NATIHErjR7fKu3vDA3W3acAjABPsZ6hyHLecsucD6582yJXtMle3h76lLCQ9ik7YrZQdaevHocmJmUlQdV6WtA4q2a8jU/s1600/ozzie-and-harriet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrS-XgCuh78w3u85EYBBnp-7Kyc-ttSpQEhzU7zHeQ24X92NATIHErjR7fKu3vDA3W3acAjABPsZ6hyHLecsucD6582yJXtMle3h76lLCQ9ik7YrZQdaevHocmJmUlQdV6WtA4q2a8jU/s1600/ozzie-and-harriet.jpeg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The holidays are still difficult. I grew up in the "Leave It To Beaver" days of Harriet and Ozzie, and that perfect family. Ever time they faced a crisis, it always had a happy ending......I grew up thinking that's how life was, and that that's what my adult life would be like--it's been anything but that! When I start to feel the regrets or sadness of what's not there creeping in, I've </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">learned to look around and </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">be thankful for what is........to be thankful for two beautiful amazing daughters........to be thankful for three incredible grandchildren.......to be thankful for the negative experiences that have taught me so much. And, no, it's not easy to do....you just get better at it the more you try! There is no magic formula......it's an act of your will.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82YlEnHrMNOqGeESzz8yRn3FSiGpm4Na40CT2XS81DeNJbMffz9ep5fdV-DJJKwcFNVHKLWzEYuH9mRe-VIgpyHo7IVGnkO3XlXc_UYaE_OupZvWxUpUCnv37fDNT6fGbS1ITjfhG3nk/s1600/stormcloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82YlEnHrMNOqGeESzz8yRn3FSiGpm4Na40CT2XS81DeNJbMffz9ep5fdV-DJJKwcFNVHKLWzEYuH9mRe-VIgpyHo7IVGnkO3XlXc_UYaE_OupZvWxUpUCnv37fDNT6fGbS1ITjfhG3nk/s320/stormcloud.jpg" height="127" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Although when you're in the midst of a crisis, people always want to tell you it's really a "blessing in disguise" (let's be honest here....at that point I think we all want to backhand those people!), you really just have to get through it. Remember--things will calm down.........things will take on a new normal.......and then it's up to you whether you let it become the looming mountain of negativity, or a lesson that taught you just how strong and resilient you can be.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So for the upcoming holidays.......if you're one of those that dreads this time of year, try some new things and see just how amazingly strong and blessed you are! Ideas......</span></span></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Don't allow yourself to relive the negatives that have happened in your life.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Forgive yourself--you are allowed to be happy no matter what has happened.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Visit the elderly in a nursing home.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Volunteer at your church, or any non-profit group helping those less fortunate.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Take an account of what is good in your life each day (that can literally be anything!).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Give an anonymous gift to someone who would never expect it from you.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Call a friend you haven't talked to in forever. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Invite someone over for a movie and pizza--be the one to take the initiative even when you don't feel like it! You never know what others are going through at the same time!</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And remember that by living in the present, and enjoying the positives now, you are not just pretending your pain, anger and fear don't exist.....you are just making room for some positive experiences to be in your life too, and allowing the healing to begin and blossom.</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BRzhflMkGLg" width="480"></iframe></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-34575150777993890062014-06-22T00:55:00.000-07:002014-06-22T00:55:33.405-07:00U.S. History 101 -- Thanksgiving & Traditions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC38FGa2fEdVB9uibvHXjLB6XxMzkX7KZGu2orNdJJ-cYdk3BnigrDEadfpakM48HNP_sRN0jYep2rPiHQavJjRsgBWxDgpiWXcDpEP0e0OHeIwYY5Kj9NYjQy-aqvLqoxm6q2GLFSOVI/s1600/turkeya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC38FGa2fEdVB9uibvHXjLB6XxMzkX7KZGu2orNdJJ-cYdk3BnigrDEadfpakM48HNP_sRN0jYep2rPiHQavJjRsgBWxDgpiWXcDpEP0e0OHeIwYY5Kj9NYjQy-aqvLqoxm6q2GLFSOVI/s1600/turkeya.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thanksgiving & Traditions U.S's History </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29">Thanksgiving</a>.<span style="color: #783f04;">.....have you ever wondered how this came to be, and who made it official? I'm always amazed when I stop to think about the inventiveness of people, and quite honestly am amazed that they create the things that they do. That being said, that's what makes the human race so incredible......their inventiveness. History tends to get lost sometimes, and I thought, so it is with Thanksgiving. We think we know the truth.....but do we really? So where did Thanksgiving come from.......</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIOVsJ8aZLQqzr3mRGA7M4A2qzJNK7KwLKlyM214O-G3SBdjlV37yTqq9JKXfNUCkz4i1Ly9H3bsapvewRp00uLvTOaci3fubqUFwXln1GcCgUsJPXM8I7U6zaerlfzj4lUJkuRpAAAI/s1600/MayflowerHarbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIOVsJ8aZLQqzr3mRGA7M4A2qzJNK7KwLKlyM214O-G3SBdjlV37yTqq9JKXfNUCkz4i1Ly9H3bsapvewRp00uLvTOaci3fubqUFwXln1GcCgUsJPXM8I7U6zaerlfzj4lUJkuRpAAAI/s1600/MayflowerHarbor.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> In 1620, a small ship called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower">Mayflower,</a> landed near the tip of Cape Cod after a 66-day journey from England. During the first year after landing the 102 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrims_%28Plymouth_Colony%29">Pilgrims</a> mainly lived on the tiny ship, and during that year, more than half of them died from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. <b><span style="color: #274e13;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Side note</span></b>......the women on that ship must have been "women of steel".....I think if I'd been a </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1bMS4QIOmS313BnqQ2RPQx_km1EyWIXQuNJ08wTPvbGZciyugGV53RTxsp2-vk6CEV616EQus6Zc8zV8-mGPx-0rgzIiHjZM0f-_svvp3x8jSiq3N5Sq1OSOGJrVytxGSLTKiBU2m7Q/s1600/mfdiagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1bMS4QIOmS313BnqQ2RPQx_km1EyWIXQuNJ08wTPvbGZciyugGV53RTxsp2-vk6CEV616EQus6Zc8zV8-mGPx-0rgzIiHjZM0f-_svvp3x8jSiq3N5Sq1OSOGJrVytxGSLTKiBU2m7Q/s320/mfdiagram.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">woman on that ship, </span>I'd either have gone stark raving mad, or moved off-shore to live in the woods.....I mean, I need my own space,and living on some itty bitty ship with 100 other people just wouldn't work for me! These ships weren't like the Carnival Cruise Lines or Royal Caribbean.......no portholes.....no luxuries.....seriously cramped in every way imaginable! Oh, and by the way....#1 here is the "Poop Deck"....I looked it up (my curiosity was why did they call it this!), and it didn't get it's name the way you think it might have....located at the stern (or the rear of <span class="reference-text"><span class="citation web">the ship), this deck takes its name from the Latin word puppis - which means after deck or rear. See, you can learn something new every day! </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8ua9XcIrGrzUj5e4nmNU8SIoxhumFfqPcv8cvnbqLtiajtzKvSato5bCRTs_Mar5X23M7cRZnFCbQzzvEpS2ljIEbsZY4soHM_HqS5NK21mq2386rNXaqsKfXS5TOgW8Vv4lOocwRb0/s1600/pilgrim_wampanoag.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd8ua9XcIrGrzUj5e4nmNU8SIoxhumFfqPcv8cvnbqLtiajtzKvSato5bCRTs_Mar5X23M7cRZnFCbQzzvEpS2ljIEbsZY4soHM_HqS5NK21mq2386rNXaqsKfXS5TOgW8Vv4lOocwRb0/s200/pilgrim_wampanoag.gif" height="141" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">In March 1621, their first Spring in the New World, they finally moved to shore. Weakened by life on the ship, they were fortunate enough to be met by an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abenaki_people">Abenaki </a>Indian who greeted them speaking in the English language. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto">Squanto</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">(also known as Tisquantum), a member of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patuxet_tribe">Pawtuxet</a> tribe. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto">Squanto</a> taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the <a href="http://wampanoag/">Wampanoag</a>, a local tribe.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Squanto Side Note:</span></b> Why this man ever wanted to help these people is just nothing short of a miracle. Around 1605 he was taken prisoner </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">by </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiudHOnlt2sFaQLDxgfzKwjUdygnCYlkRwPrfQtbMMQz0RNLA3hh6vmnQoWnlv6IuaEF0RLTQOPTTRH7MvHBLGpa-jsO2OWCgeFkPBmgPNCnEMmG_6IAF8matjZXF1HYb6UEQ0Su6fCJo/s1600/Squantoteaching.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiudHOnlt2sFaQLDxgfzKwjUdygnCYlkRwPrfQtbMMQz0RNLA3hh6vmnQoWnlv6IuaEF0RLTQOPTTRH7MvHBLGpa-jsO2OWCgeFkPBmgPNCnEMmG_6IAF8matjZXF1HYb6UEQ0Su6fCJo/s200/Squantoteaching.png" height="171" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Captain <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Weymouth" title="George Weymouth">George Weymouth</a> who was exploring the New England coastline for Sir <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinando_Gorges" title="Ferdinando Gorges">Ferdinando Gorges</a>, owner of the Plymouth Company. Captain Weymouth took Squanto(Tisquantum) to England, and taught him English, then trained him to be a guide and interpreter. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bio_1-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto#cite_note-bio-1"></a></sup></span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Finally, Squanto returned to New England in 1614 with an expedition led by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Smith_%28explorer%29" title="John Smith (explorer)">Captain John Smith</a>. Once again Squanto was abducted by an Englishman, Thomas Hunt, one of Smith's lieutenants on his way back to Patuxet. Hunt was planning to sell fish, corn, and captured natives in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1laga" title="Málaga">Málaga</a>, Spain. There, Hunt attempted to sell Squanto and a number of other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States" title="Native Americans in the United States">Native Americans</a> into slavery in Spain for £20 apiece. (The relatives of our forefathers were a bit mercenary don't you think?)</span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Back to our story....... </span></span></b><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto#cite_note-2"></a></sup><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, and then <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_%28Plymouth_Colony_governor%29">Governor </a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_%28Plymouth_Colony_governor%29">William Bradford</a> organized a</span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> feast to celebrate their harvest by inviting a group</span></span> of the colony’s Native American allies, including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wampanoag_people#Massasoit">Wampanoag chief Massasoit</a>. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—the festival lasted for three days (who did all those dishes? And where did they store the leftovers....were there leftovers?). </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_%28Plymouth_Colony_governor%29" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_utRLOdzHLpTt7nyCSs2VbpFwFRiZGx3TbRNIgwhoY73qJDOME_u1h9zoRg3L7txGRuUWAoHJeQ5dE5dNTpmfCOd_S7wqU1PaRBc6suAcl9_wpjNgyXY0uubxRwt5WmNXVCAVGykwcz4/s320/thanksgiving.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">There is no official record of the banquet’s exact menu, however the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winslow">Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow</a> wrote in his journal that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_%28Plymouth_governor%29">Governor Bradford</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null"> </a>sent four men on a “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fowling">fowling</a>” mission to secure meat for the event, and when they returned they brought lobster, seal and swan. When, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wampanoag_people">Wampanoag</a> guests arrived, the came with five deer. It has been suggested by historians, that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods (camp fire ladies....be glad for that double oven in your kitchen!). Because the Pilgrims had no oven and their sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations. </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">(Can you imagine a Thanksgiving dinner without PIESSSSS!)</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">1623</span></b> - They celebrated a "thanksgiving" again, to celebrate </span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a switch from</span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> communal farming to privatized farming, and a 14-day rain that culminated in a larger harvest. As various colonies formed, they each celebrated a "thanksgiving" as was their custom in England, but there was no uniform day of celebration at this point. </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That is until.......</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the Revolutionary War and George Washington.......</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">duh duh duh, duhhhhhhhhhh.....</span></span></div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaCijWAQapfC-2kxFezIBLC6YtOziNmWKgfS-xclhxRAdrvBd4fEjlrVpUwBDi_xY5b6y2vmlku701eM7nBLVUzLfmgUbXslj-Ywx3ibaMnbdmCt9njWU0a2ojM2Gw6y0Oaq8NZeiOZ8/s1600/Surrender_of_General_Burgoyne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaCijWAQapfC-2kxFezIBLC6YtOziNmWKgfS-xclhxRAdrvBd4fEjlrVpUwBDi_xY5b6y2vmlku701eM7nBLVUzLfmgUbXslj-Ywx3ibaMnbdmCt9njWU0a2ojM2Gw6y0Oaq8NZeiOZ8/s200/Surrender_of_General_Burgoyne.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>1777 -</b></span> A</span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">s a victory celebration a</span></span>fter defeating the British at </span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga" title="Battles of Saratoga">Saratoga</a></span></span>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington" title="George Washington">George Washington</a>, the leader of the revolutionary forces in the American Revolutionary War, proclaimed a "Thanksgiving" in December 1777.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IMdD8qOBIAKpxKZ5PzXWbvYzwuFM-afIeQkmTY-W5b9NzITs-VM7yULR7ruMroJsNq0OyAhxyNNzSGw6BWcQ19yHONxSYkvpIgGu7Raz_ePTdbVHClM4hueHi7-6xmcSDlxyecW8x3E/s1600/John_Hanson_Portrait_1770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IMdD8qOBIAKpxKZ5PzXWbvYzwuFM-afIeQkmTY-W5b9NzITs-VM7yULR7ruMroJsNq0OyAhxyNNzSGw6BWcQ19yHONxSYkvpIgGu7Raz_ePTdbVHClM4hueHi7-6xmcSDlxyecW8x3E/s200/John_Hanson_Portrait_1770.jpg" height="200" width="174" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">1782 (October 11)</span></b> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hanson" title="John Hanson">John Hanson</a>, <span style="color: #783f04;">declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">(November 1781, Hanson was elected <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_Continental_Congress" title="President of the Continental Congress">President of the Continental Congress</a>, and became the first president to serve a one-year term under the provisions of the Articles of Confederation.)<--This bit of news would be another blog....you know...who was really our first president.....</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">1789</span></b> - Finally on October 3rd of this year President George Washington, made the proclamation that created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America. This was the FIRST, of what we now know as "federal" holidays!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR95EA8MIhQZ12laQ6u1EXP1g7Rl-_gJo9viCSctvl9rHZfGY2TETOaUhLYViHGbgW_4zXI3-I_cUlbaQ6iqLAnbl1jICxy0dMLn1Y8A-l8jr2I1UXLVra5OWx8hZauST93z7TiCbfAwI/s1600/Abraham-Lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR95EA8MIhQZ12laQ6u1EXP1g7Rl-_gJo9viCSctvl9rHZfGY2TETOaUhLYViHGbgW_4zXI3-I_cUlbaQ6iqLAnbl1jICxy0dMLn1Y8A-l8jr2I1UXLVra5OWx8hZauST93z7TiCbfAwI/s200/Abraham-Lincoln.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #783f04;">In the beginning of America's history, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states </span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">as a tradition of celebrating the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest" title="Harvest">harvest</a> of the year of various victories. In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln">President Abraham Lincoln</a> proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November, in a proclamation </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">entreating all Americans to ask God </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpumvo3mfDKHHZc8hwphv14-0bAx9oEfCss3qEOILQxRk2vMZwHlr_1IuWbcnHz9Rx4z24HV473E3J81GRVzGwUmZhQT92goTPPda3AQyzuaorB50jsusvglaWewmDwJWwxSahHgK-0k/s1600/Sarah_Hale_portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpumvo3mfDKHHZc8hwphv14-0bAx9oEfCss3qEOILQxRk2vMZwHlr_1IuWbcnHz9Rx4z24HV473E3J81GRVzGwUmZhQT92goTPPda3AQyzuaorB50jsusvglaWewmDwJWwxSahHgK-0k/s200/Sarah_Hale_portrait.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <span style="color: #783f04;">to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or</span> <span style="color: #783f04;">sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” This is all thanks to the efforts of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Josepha_Hale">Sarah Josepha Hale</a>, who was a magazine writer and editor, and who had campaigned many politicians to declare a national day of "Thanksgiving". </span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since then, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDQXI1Y9WuytYmh0LVnNfFBT6IM4b8E28oW4h8rEWV0XfKvnjFPPa8eO7TdvfMV-cYIf8P8hy7qgkBfN7AdTbhulcsd4NmrJJ_d5Zw_2tlRQl4PFsHhMse73dg8axIzbr43AVMeFideA/s1600/fdr-signing-declaration.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDQXI1Y9WuytYmh0LVnNfFBT6IM4b8E28oW4h8rEWV0XfKvnjFPPa8eO7TdvfMV-cYIf8P8hy7qgkBfN7AdTbhulcsd4NmrJJ_d5Zw_2tlRQl4PFsHhMse73dg8axIzbr43AVMeFideA/s200/fdr-signing-declaration.gif" height="200" width="159" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Initially celebrated on the the last Thursday of November, <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/franklin-d-roosevelt">Franklin D. </a><a href="http://www.history.com/topics/franklin-d-roosevelt">Roosevelt</a> moved the holiday up a week, in1939, in an attempt to spur retail sales (and thus the precursor to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%28shopping%29">"Black Friday"</a>) during the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression">Great Depression</a>. Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franksgiving">Franksgiving</a>, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. Politicians being who they are, argued vehemently over the particular day, until Roosevelt signed a decree making it the 4th Thursday of November.</span> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidT0dyIQH8d7g0iaruXF2yzzOwzVcNYYdd15t0L137OWC7Cm55Gjg_7zJIYjCjJHkG2vd8-7HLeJ4iAfc_MkmiYVQon-pJLLqAsLXxUjLveebTSoX2HxLouY35Shay985nL3cYejmxFc/s1600/macys-parade-santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidT0dyIQH8d7g0iaruXF2yzzOwzVcNYYdd15t0L137OWC7Cm55Gjg_7zJIYjCjJHkG2vd8-7HLeJ4iAfc_MkmiYVQon-pJLLqAsLXxUjLveebTSoX2HxLouY35Shay985nL3cYejmxFc/s200/macys-parade-santa.jpg" height="135" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Over the years, Thanksgiving has evolved into a day of eating, parades, and football games (these began in Massachusetts during the 19th century), and most recently shopping. Perhaps the most well-known parade is the 2.5-mile Macy's/New York City's Thanksgiving Day parade, which started in 1924, and culminates with the introduction of Santa Claus on the last float. It's guesstimated that actual spectators are generally between 2-3 million people along the parade route, and then there's the world-wide television audience. </span> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2FY4kxi9eksWqIkzi_kcz5de75tit40Wglkf8S9xIyOZiNJJh0BkdAUW-zoxgL-Q-My5UgWgHCTkFQWsINo13zqbPmsNjGL10tiMUq-mMNjuqAuQ5XaR2ExlmN2X286HWPpnjBRsuLs/s1600/Truman2_thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2FY4kxi9eksWqIkzi_kcz5de75tit40Wglkf8S9xIyOZiNJJh0BkdAUW-zoxgL-Q-My5UgWgHCTkFQWsINo13zqbPmsNjGL10tiMUq-mMNjuqAuQ5XaR2ExlmN2X286HWPpnjBRsuLs/s200/Truman2_thanksgiving.jpg" height="155" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just prior to Thanksgiving Day, the President of the United States, as well as numerous state governors, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Thanksgiving_Turkey_Presentation">pardon one turkey</a> from being "the" dinner. Although there is some dispute as to when this actually started, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman">Harry S. Truman</a> claims credit as being the first to grant mercy to one noble foul on November 16, 1949. These turkeys are sent to a farm, or petting zoo, and officially declared retired </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GlybE4qmy1atVr2gfvKSJAj68o140b94zfcGVyKk8QAynZx4mm9K9wrrpskdJKsYx-IDo9nJZdSkJNQdubLK80mXWMtWdUBzKb3RqqqU-dq1pOKZl0325cHJyCOBJQsAW9hI9pOFSl0/s1600/ghwbush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GlybE4qmy1atVr2gfvKSJAj68o140b94zfcGVyKk8QAynZx4mm9K9wrrpskdJKsYx-IDo9nJZdSkJNQdubLK80mXWMtWdUBzKb3RqqqU-dq1pOKZl0325cHJyCOBJQsAW9hI9pOFSl0/s200/ghwbush.jpg" height="200" width="158" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and off-limits for consumption. In 1989, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush">President George W.H. Bush</a>, </span></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">made the "turkey pardon" a permanent annual tradition upon assuming the presidency in 1989, and it has been carried on by every president each year since.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So.....now that you know more than you probably ever wanted to know about the history of Thanksgiving, here's a short video of the story behind Thanksgiving - get the kids and let them watch and listen!</span></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wFDSobNnfQs" width="459"></iframe></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-7638858717226574852014-06-22T00:54:00.001-07:002014-06-22T00:54:32.450-07:00We Gotta Get Out of This Place........or be a Super Hero!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We Gotta Get Out of This Place........or be a Super Hero! </span></span></h2>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have children, you've probably taken at least one trip on an airplane, to somewhere with them, that was either a "piece of cake" because everyone behaved.......or, what </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCo9X6ChsJIxowoRKRYgQ-XSugz5BMBuKIJIWxJdYgwocYvky4jlpcwu2t51oVXET98ltZBtAVLCUhyFGs0boANeFxF_5C6ZLTEFLS8b1AzHo6ohoe-P54E4w6tL3PmyWV4AOqlsnVgsQ/s1600/stressed_mom_cartoon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCo9X6ChsJIxowoRKRYgQ-XSugz5BMBuKIJIWxJdYgwocYvky4jlpcwu2t51oVXET98ltZBtAVLCUhyFGs0boANeFxF_5C6ZLTEFLS8b1AzHo6ohoe-P54E4w6tL3PmyWV4AOqlsnVgsQ/s200/stressed_mom_cartoon.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">most of us experience.......was exhausting, embarrassing, maddening, frustrating.........you name the "ing" word and as a parent you know what I mean! Kids, like adults, love the idea of going somewhere special, whether it be to see grandparents, or Disneyworld........but getting to and from there generally turns out to be one of those experiences we hope we never have to live through again.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Kids have little patience for waiting in lines.......they have no interest in standing still..........a long line of chairs in an airport just</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih455oQjgbEFPiPdte0foqRY7gxy4MtbBl8zibXHKh378rSJtCtZ7TGEAMwbXhQw-n-m8ITpB93szMx_Hxzu7MgPEyH6_NO9exYoFeDvD0Md2o429rvEGxVDo8iPm3NpKe9wFnpefWhAg/s1600/childonchair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih455oQjgbEFPiPdte0foqRY7gxy4MtbBl8zibXHKh378rSJtCtZ7TGEAMwbXhQw-n-m8ITpB93szMx_Hxzu7MgPEyH6_NO9exYoFeDvD0Md2o429rvEGxVDo8iPm3NpKe9wFnpefWhAg/s200/childonchair.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">screams "roll under me" or "jump from one of us to the next one"........you know the scene. And of course a nice long concourse just mandates that your toddler take off in the run of their lifetime. Then there's the meltdown while standing in the security line, and little boo-boo needs a new diaper, pacifier, bottle, snack........anything that's going to require you to inconvenience yourself and the others around you.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So what do you do? For one, forget the day-to-day rules of snacks and food......I say give them whatever makes them happy, and when you get home, </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnusyqWW62ApSllua8aKWSwZr_doNG34JvnK8tcnAvh6Y9hzfPStAarsu0P_GTlB6XTwkkC0H5xEqIdTx6EYhWKRGv3HVej-Ibzed1_hzjdFH9asRANQlIYsvGIy-meunZbfZze0etFTc/s1600/magnets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnusyqWW62ApSllua8aKWSwZr_doNG34JvnK8tcnAvh6Y9hzfPStAarsu0P_GTlB6XTwkkC0H5xEqIdTx6EYhWKRGv3HVej-Ibzed1_hzjdFH9asRANQlIYsvGIy-meunZbfZze0etFTc/s200/magnets.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">get back to your happy "normal". Take little things for them to play with (beware of things that roll! Magnets are your friends)......things they haven't seen before is the key (unless they have their fav, "I'll die if I don't have it blankie or toy"), but new things always fascinate kids. Take a variety of types of little toys, crayons, and if you're lucky enough to have an I-Pad or Kindle........load it up with games and their favorite movies. The secret to traveling happy.......give them what they want just to keep them occupied (especially with babies and toddlers!) and when you get home, then go back to rules and regulations. I realize that sounds like caving in, but in today's world of conflicts, you have to pick your battles......trying to prove your authority in a crowded terminal is really like losing the war. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPIrGOcNSoE6iGW5TzjtCXL5hLtuotm3LbXCPZbXr_UHVlCuFjXVxlCdJivHAaNLr5YX3B3P-R2R9gyJYm6-amNo2kotmLoMMc51EIp-l2M031H9tI-kNh8gvew-mcI9nJF-9UToxJag/s1600/gty_screaming_kids_airplanes_dr_110418_wg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPIrGOcNSoE6iGW5TzjtCXL5hLtuotm3LbXCPZbXr_UHVlCuFjXVxlCdJivHAaNLr5YX3B3P-R2R9gyJYm6-amNo2kotmLoMMc51EIp-l2M031H9tI-kNh8gvew-mcI9nJF-9UToxJag/s320/gty_screaming_kids_airplanes_dr_110418_wg.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you're the lucky traveler with no kids, you generally seem to find the mode of transportation that has the most kids on it, and they usually want to sit next to, in front of, or behind you. Ever been on a plane where the little kid behind you is kicking your seat without stop, or sat next the window only to have a young couple with a crying baby sitting in the middle and on the aisle next to you--you CAN'T escape! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So this is how I see it...... </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuupjukqfmHNNBnCrYsrsy7OrW-MMjAB7qMrmeE4tqXmB2i9Mo2ypHb5ltC_wR1yO4tRIjOa0jZUTFs2a1cv_t-cN7qCalgLQW3rLSwEmfpmj2R8z869b65k85cuWXHKc30q_xdQFoJgQ/s1600/screaming-child-airplane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuupjukqfmHNNBnCrYsrsy7OrW-MMjAB7qMrmeE4tqXmB2i9Mo2ypHb5ltC_wR1yO4tRIjOa0jZUTFs2a1cv_t-cN7qCalgLQW3rLSwEmfpmj2R8z869b65k85cuWXHKc30q_xdQFoJgQ/s320/screaming-child-airplane.jpg" height="184" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You can pretend you don't notice (while you're about to</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> explode inside); </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">you can glare angrily at the parents and kids (that always makes a kid straighten up....not); </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">you can try to engage the child--with the parent's permission of course! </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I can guarantee you no one is more miserable than the parent with the crying child! I've been one of them, and I would have done anything to make my child not cry.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NIio9B-f4N5VREVN4jQWcJMEITmWwzwE6wOlIScgWQHZH1HmT6uqq1vNzw-4OLlHBXB2opXqlkAtZ1WrZ8xDSAQAC9D9lBiRU04TmpHix25dfy74AbO5ARP5zA5XRkOhyHA0BAgctM0/s1600/maximus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NIio9B-f4N5VREVN4jQWcJMEITmWwzwE6wOlIScgWQHZH1HmT6uqq1vNzw-4OLlHBXB2opXqlkAtZ1WrZ8xDSAQAC9D9lBiRU04TmpHix25dfy74AbO5ARP5zA5XRkOhyHA0BAgctM0/s320/maximus.jpg" height="255" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">No, it's not your responsibility to help out, but in the scheme of things, if you're not incapacitated yourself, doesn't it make more sense to try and find a way to help calm that screaming child down? Everyone benefits, and the best part is, your trip will go a lot faster, and you'll feel good about helping. Those parents who were sweating buckets of sweat....they will get off that plane with a smile on their face instead. Not to mention, all the other curmudgeons who will forever be in your debt for averting a trip of screaming and crying.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Challenge.......</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Be someone's hero/heroine during </span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the holidays if you're traveling!</span></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoka6eszMW_2qk08uxIlxGInCbHhpAXYFVr_uZWKuD4PXHJWiWvTnMae_tlS5outhR3HOn0KpMA9uLFpnRex9TCdoQ3BPVVmZW7rGqqYY5oD5VhGeez2_aVt1WOLhW89Q4-jkKgIyrp8/s1600/superhero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoka6eszMW_2qk08uxIlxGInCbHhpAXYFVr_uZWKuD4PXHJWiWvTnMae_tlS5outhR3HOn0KpMA9uLFpnRex9TCdoQ3BPVVmZW7rGqqYY5oD5VhGeez2_aVt1WOLhW89Q4-jkKgIyrp8/s1600/superhero.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jxNEiZhpinY" width="459"></iframe></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-35365838213386627252014-05-01T03:58:00.001-07:002014-05-01T03:58:25.617-07:00Dressing Children Beautifully......Does It Have To Be a Designer Label?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadc5YzsJcaBmJy9y5qrWoOvwE99pX-X0jR90EFA9EbBtfM8zB49v5HYS4dYiZeJAPy59LQTnnOauktjoD88J7oZ1XwOF49ryamIesevxkREcJ8NOg9at5qh12CwFl5wXqkyedPPClYtQ/s1600/samantha-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadc5YzsJcaBmJy9y5qrWoOvwE99pX-X0jR90EFA9EbBtfM8zB49v5HYS4dYiZeJAPy59LQTnnOauktjoD88J7oZ1XwOF49ryamIesevxkREcJ8NOg9at5qh12CwFl5wXqkyedPPClYtQ/s200/samantha-14.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The rise of designer clothing for children has been unprecedented in the past </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">10-years. Designers around the world are cashing in on developing children's clothing lines that command unbelievable prices.......and, are fast becoming the newest status symbol for some parents. </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm not saying this is a bad </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">thing.......if you have the income to support it--</span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> but let's face it, most of us are concerned about paying the bills, and saving something for the future, rather than what designer label we put on our children. Given the fact that the average child will outgrow any given size in a few months, it makes it even more of a factor when surviving day to day life is considered.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98sZDOxYg0dcWE1GHZV-myiDTlivKljcwicpTv4YwYt9mvwWw0QrY4zvSKXQNWcUan9tvTaPywbz6KLfdPsMLlFhNidWjkXlMO3SdHOsdLVFjTUfLQRVwckQllktqrnHSoyS8hIsAaD4/s1600/RL+Fall+2012+kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98sZDOxYg0dcWE1GHZV-myiDTlivKljcwicpTv4YwYt9mvwWw0QrY4zvSKXQNWcUan9tvTaPywbz6KLfdPsMLlFhNidWjkXlMO3SdHOsdLVFjTUfLQRVwckQllktqrnHSoyS8hIsAaD4/s200/RL+Fall+2012+kids.jpg" height="125" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At Adorable Baby Clothing, we're consumers just like you. Value and quality is the first thing considered when we purchase anything. Just like you, we like to know that what we're purchasing is going to look good, perform well, and give the aesthetic appeal we want to </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">achieve. As</span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> much fun as it is to put on a designer label...there are just times when it's not practical, or in the cards. That being said, looking good doesn't always equate with price or the name on the label, and there are plenty of miniature versions of the adult looks that raise eyebrows because of their eye-catching prices and sophisticated styles.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bpGtudektPwm-_RQ0mbzGMi0492vBSjEHTmgn8nGvxAU4iqFUmkkyzRnogz4sIwse70kiupka5-8jUT6dFRgCHaOCwIcvoSvzs1Gs22nriRTO77ggm_OrxnzPb3wI-f1W20s2XuR7xk/s1600/3710BLK_147x340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bpGtudektPwm-_RQ0mbzGMi0492vBSjEHTmgn8nGvxAU4iqFUmkkyzRnogz4sIwse70kiupka5-8jUT6dFRgCHaOCwIcvoSvzs1Gs22nriRTO77ggm_OrxnzPb3wI-f1W20s2XuR7xk/s200/3710BLK_147x340.jpg" height="200" width="86" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A shining example of what you'll find at Adorable Baby Clothing, are the boy's suits. You won't find any better quality anywhere at any price. We're confident in making that statement because, Lito, the manufacturer who produces our suits, have been doing it for nearly 40-years. They know what fabrics move with the little guys......little boys don't normally sit still, or stand straight for very long. Lito knows what kind of construction is necessary to make these suits wear well.........and they know what finishing details are necessary to give a sophisticated handsome look. They've figured out how to combine all these qualities at an affordable price, and so we can sell them with complete confidence that every one of our customers will be thrilled with their purchase. We like to say, these suits are made to wear, but made with style!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The girl's dresses are another excellent example </span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWscvT6hcHtqASt9h2hzIA9rONAyWziR8Pmo_lV23_KZOVYXA0SyJYh2_M1ldj3e3V4W1eDUVy2DUdDV10Jk1Rc7RoWg08H0rSx7UufDFG4s_71p16Cn0vpz8Itie5dOiza03vkR2aS-g/s1600/BL220I-T+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWscvT6hcHtqASt9h2hzIA9rONAyWziR8Pmo_lV23_KZOVYXA0SyJYh2_M1ldj3e3V4W1eDUVy2DUdDV10Jk1Rc7RoWg08H0rSx7UufDFG4s_71p16Cn0vpz8Itie5dOiza03vkR2aS-g/s1600/BL220I-T+(2).jpg" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of classic style, and beautiful fabrics combined with details you just don't see in every department store. The fabrics are luscious, and generous. The details will most likely amaze even the pickiest.......and we're pretty sure your little girl is going to feel like the belle of the ball when she wears the dress you've ordered. Most of the dresses are tea-length which means they should normally fall to mid-calf or below (which is great because if they grow taller, they'll still be able to wear them for awhile), and you'll find a crinoline slip sewn into the skirts so the fabrics don't fall flat while being worn. Many of them even offer you the ability to color coordinate the sash and flower with the event you'll be attending, at no additional cost to you.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6x5m-ep-_Ba1K4gjeFhMMEnjVknsNICdrYJoRyqLzBj7nXCHBKQzSRrB9YJCHQXdbl6G0QVWR9oFCD9sVwHVDMzB5pupeB51pyBwNFKv1M_OZDrAg2VPASU2kKfQEuiyB1WyEARbS1Qk/s1600/ltdaisy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6x5m-ep-_Ba1K4gjeFhMMEnjVknsNICdrYJoRyqLzBj7nXCHBKQzSRrB9YJCHQXdbl6G0QVWR9oFCD9sVwHVDMzB5pupeB51pyBwNFKv1M_OZDrAg2VPASU2kKfQEuiyB1WyEARbS1Qk/s200/ltdaisy.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh36uaZrcyXgjyIkitKWIkRHltALIhqIYsRsyVRHSmKaUfklMEMxrokDgZzAJXmvKALLb1wQvMQouYwpN0IQsny4ivdknu1GLAsxES-OV3s8cc1h1mIYaS1clhL4XfkM6kC1tIOQJIxJU/s1600/ltconner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh36uaZrcyXgjyIkitKWIkRHltALIhqIYsRsyVRHSmKaUfklMEMxrokDgZzAJXmvKALLb1wQvMQouYwpN0IQsny4ivdknu1GLAsxES-OV3s8cc1h1mIYaS1clhL4XfkM6kC1tIOQJIxJU/s200/ltconner.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Christening line is exquisite. Whether you're looking for the perfect outfit for your little guy or girl, we're confident you can find it at Adorable Baby Clothing. Many of the dresses have little details that just don't show up in the picture, and the little guys suits are beautifully made. Again, the choice of fabric is always one of the first considerations, and then the construction, and then the amazing details. Price wise, you could pay a lot more.....or perhaps a little less........somewhere else, but short of having it custom made, you won't find a better value, and what makes it even more special it is destined to become the family keepsake.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As always, if your purchase is a minimum of $50.00, we'll include FREE Priority Mail shipping. We'd like to invite you to take a look at the beautiful clothing we have. Our Featured Category page makes it easy to find what you're looking for quickly......but, if you have questions, don't hesitate to email us at customercare@adorablebabyclothing.com, or call us at 407-252-8749 between 10AM & 4PM EST. We are confident we can help you dress your little ones "picture perfect"!</span></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-19703216046288370752013-12-27T18:25:00.000-08:002013-12-27T18:25:13.015-08:00Capturing Childhood Memories....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrhpa-cBHaBajR_pux_uWMD01Fw8qJb-Mppuex6fdXgQ4U4t1juzvKtzYpJUirQ3_BVsoh5Kec1Tk5jtAWENc8Xl_6-UaS034FYVPtdXzEwIE1XD2l9dxLW2lujT-ccyxSXqm6Re1Rls/s1600/6-20-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrhpa-cBHaBajR_pux_uWMD01Fw8qJb-Mppuex6fdXgQ4U4t1juzvKtzYpJUirQ3_BVsoh5Kec1Tk5jtAWENc8Xl_6-UaS034FYVPtdXzEwIE1XD2l9dxLW2lujT-ccyxSXqm6Re1Rls/s200/6-20-13.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1AoWFQYjb30Q3_9Tqcr4oyj6r2CcHBNAX27uA3uAgQj7QYRl7AyjzszCDKj5TjsiHIH2Yx58FwqKwGx5Uo_cv_xn9O5dtsKqRPnAjcnym1SN3R_Y6KnLheyotZ7CXD2mJLrWvKyYd7o/s1600/8813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1AoWFQYjb30Q3_9Tqcr4oyj6r2CcHBNAX27uA3uAgQj7QYRl7AyjzszCDKj5TjsiHIH2Yx58FwqKwGx5Uo_cv_xn9O5dtsKqRPnAjcnym1SN3R_Y6KnLheyotZ7CXD2mJLrWvKyYd7o/s200/8813.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have to confess, that as a grandmother, I've become a little obsessed with </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the things my grandchildren do whenever they're around. </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I started creating picture books of gazillions of the pictures that have been taken, and now I'm including funny stories of things they said and did. In my</span></span></span> <span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">mind I'm creating</span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> a "<a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/gifts.html">gift</a>" for the future for them. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A few years ago I created a pictorial book for my daughters, of the many pictures I had taken of them. The pictures started out in albums, but between wear and tear, and maybe a little neglect, I found that they were falling apart. Not wanting to lose them all as time marched on, it seemed the best way to preserve them was to utilize a service that would help me not only organize them, but display them creatively and for many years to come they would each have a keepsake of their lives. So began my quest to create for them, a permanent record of their moments in life......and when my grandchildren came along, I began anew, creating little glimpses of their lives, that someday I hope they will treasure. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxS5xEmVZdZijy7NF2AMffa946wbjrnr7VPiq50ntwwF4B61pVGp0GyOOL_bSoRGrHFiATnvhlwMlJOwF_piruvSt8MKLfuUx7JXso5v1buMFKRYZRd0aRYVUshHdx0rIEd5Ua3sLnzE/s1600/shutterfly.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxS5xEmVZdZijy7NF2AMffa946wbjrnr7VPiq50ntwwF4B61pVGp0GyOOL_bSoRGrHFiATnvhlwMlJOwF_piruvSt8MKLfuUx7JXso5v1buMFKRYZRd0aRYVUshHdx0rIEd5Ua3sLnzE/s1600/shutterfly.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Companies like <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/?cid=SEGOO.BRAND&kw=shutterfly+sign+in_exact&gclid=CK2s3LaS97oCFSdp7AodXRcAaw&mpch=ads">Shutterfly</a> have me as one of their biggest fans, because I can create books with the pictures I've </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">accumulated, and I know they won't fade over time. An added bonus is, that once you've uploaded your pictures to their server, you don't have to worry about losing them on your own computer or phone....they are preserved as long as Shutterfly exists, and I have no doubt they'll be around for a long time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My latest venture into book making has been including short excerpts of my grandchildren's adventures. It dawned on me that there were so many </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">precious moments in my daughter's lives that I've no doubt forgotten. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of my fondest memories is the day I was took my youngest daughter to kindergarten. Jessica had a favorite little stuffed leopard called "Boo Boo Kitty" in the car with her. When we got to the school she had it </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">tucked </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">under her arm, and I told her to leave </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">it so it wouldn't get lost. </span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28vwTHgJhnE7g48pUbk3Xr1_DVe5IZ5jB-Ftl-k_p07JCyIFQsqhHZTNydBUhl6mrupF8DWvIz0eTh9yUEOiGNWFPh1WrLd16d2Rp3EiTvBpQYqBJFEoP5daxxvvzIlbAnQlZOZxVT9I/s1600/6-3-84b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28vwTHgJhnE7g48pUbk3Xr1_DVe5IZ5jB-Ftl-k_p07JCyIFQsqhHZTNydBUhl6mrupF8DWvIz0eTh9yUEOiGNWFPh1WrLd16d2Rp3EiTvBpQYqBJFEoP5daxxvvzIlbAnQlZOZxVT9I/s320/6-3-84b.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> She was adamant that "BooBoo Kitty" should go to school with her......I wasn't in the mood to argue, so I let her go with it.......fully expecting her not to come out with it that afternoon. Well....you know those times you thought you knew the outcome and the universe had to prove you wrong? This was that day for me. That afternoon as I sat in the carpool lane waiting for Jessica to come out, I saw her little face smiling as she marched, rather triumphantly towards the car. Much to my surprise little "BooBoo Kitty" was still tucked under her arm. As she got in the car, she announced quiet proudly that everyone was so excited to see "BooBoo Kitty", that they picked her up on their shoulders and marched her around the school. It was one of those moments when you wanted to burst out laughing....but I could see how determined she was to prove her point.....and, there was no reason in trying to point out this might have been a slight exaggeration. She was just proud that she didn't lose her pride and joy, and wanted to emphasize that to me with her slightly over-embellished story.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VzCi6NGgRFo_lt5CnqTwuDFjqC3Wq5dF_OgxLylxGyNRTL9G_ONwJiBpKYcgPKPeqe4QiUg8JnwJfmLulOtQZIHle6kWQOIlA1XpMx6LOlPGWy6TZ0lCMhrkzo9bxJAGDsIpldyT-qc/s1600/2-83a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VzCi6NGgRFo_lt5CnqTwuDFjqC3Wq5dF_OgxLylxGyNRTL9G_ONwJiBpKYcgPKPeqe4QiUg8JnwJfmLulOtQZIHle6kWQOIlA1XpMx6LOlPGWy6TZ0lCMhrkzo9bxJAGDsIpldyT-qc/s320/2-83a.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You'd have to know Jessica to fully appreciate this story.......Jessica has and </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">continues to be the child with the vivid </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">imagination, and quick thinking </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">that just defies logic. She </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">has had</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">us all laughing till we </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">were in tears.....</span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and for that I am blessed. My grandchildren seem to have that same "genetic gift", so I've decided to record as many of them as I can for them to appreciate their own creativity when they get older and life might be heading in directions they weren't so happy with. Lilly is the story teller, Leila is the singer & "in charge" kid, and Calvin....he's wickedly smart and figures things out way before he should. I want them to be able to look back, and realize how loved they were........how we all appreciated their unique talents and gifts.....and that they created some of the most amazing moments in my life.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfTausXxOHQbjZrRq2o1VOg5eRN2YB6JRJXkvY7g6c_Olsvmb8cXyU-fI3oaT0e9MpzcA4kfcih_ZoebQuDuNqohszRwSjkMvs3R95YQqU6rNRP70IK1kca3DSkpj7eqmpT7HfkUbRqo/s1600/sonycamera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5cjjPaIHHAOND4FJIbb6HWMYZf2decMj6BuYil2_waqJc61g87vfbxh8tIedJIfpL2ooio1ry_P6zBXk_Bum0FMESwn173qi1_SQWUBvWLp-yMVeqzSrP4gcayJ_4hkqyD6Bg7aAhgc/s1600/sonycamera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5cjjPaIHHAOND4FJIbb6HWMYZf2decMj6BuYil2_waqJc61g87vfbxh8tIedJIfpL2ooio1ry_P6zBXk_Bum0FMESwn173qi1_SQWUBvWLp-yMVeqzSrP4gcayJ_4hkqyD6Bg7aAhgc/s1600/sonycamera.jpg" /></a> <span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My advice is, don't let life get in the way of remembering those precious moments that will fly by. If you don't have a video camera.....GET ONE! You won't remember their sweet little voices when they're 16 and have turned into snarky teens! If you haven't started writing down the silly sweet innocent things they say and do.......START NOW! You won't remember many of them when they're standing in front of you demanding the keys to the car so they can go "out"......besides, cameras come in a huge variety of sizes and prices, making them affordable for virtually everyone.....don't wait.....the holidays are coming and you'll never regret it!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As a </span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">mother, and now a grandmother, I have this enormous desire to soak in all those memories......to remember the things they said and did that made me laugh--that make my heart feel as it will explode with love. Don't miss out......start today, and create a legacy of memories for your little ones.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xeqfGWEETqjM0WBxSUiQUJn-gVsNIYVu2pGhGPAL5x4y9SRZj7fq3SXq3YdBQYoXd0imo6ANH-VjPZorneYzfQ1mHZVMdw9gWq_WEPnq-d-U1w7IpBvOc3WiFMq6OvRSWUwDY7Jg58A/s1600/Mimi+2+92708A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xeqfGWEETqjM0WBxSUiQUJn-gVsNIYVu2pGhGPAL5x4y9SRZj7fq3SXq3YdBQYoXd0imo6ANH-VjPZorneYzfQ1mHZVMdw9gWq_WEPnq-d-U1w7IpBvOc3WiFMq6OvRSWUwDY7Jg58A/s200/Mimi+2+92708A.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> They went </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">from </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfqjJC9rDNQkSBkAM5QI8oxv6q7cGGPFDUQ0BBpYKdrQ2bfVF9qHiHL1GTGqgYUCfqf-iG-d-zy6YkmVd3dTdZ8ErZhsltMCQEBsqGAa2quKbGYcnYiMTdKq-wO2Rsv0gs3MgJumWNu0/s1600/mimiandtwins12-15-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfqjJC9rDNQkSBkAM5QI8oxv6q7cGGPFDUQ0BBpYKdrQ2bfVF9qHiHL1GTGqgYUCfqf-iG-d-zy6YkmVd3dTdZ8ErZhsltMCQEBsqGAa2quKbGYcnYiMTdKq-wO2Rsv0gs3MgJumWNu0/s200/mimiandtwins12-15-11.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">this</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><</span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">---</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> to this </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">----></span></span></b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">in the</span></span> <span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">blink of an eye! </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dedicated to my little pookie......Jessica x0x0</span> </span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-60704091806802056282013-12-27T18:24:00.001-08:002013-12-27T18:24:55.131-08:00Change this world--What if you could do something about it?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcacju666RgJamDUYiNmoQ6RiEc6YJ_OJ4Cxhj9JKPo4jCqOTO2EmUSSFCLFyTNK1G4b6vGwb0RX2wMG8pe8JGi2ubtE5YEdiqvrdg8lLYFUabtJ_OI3qWr5aZeo6M9hPGiwt7iiW42Q/s1600/changethisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcacju666RgJamDUYiNmoQ6RiEc6YJ_OJ4Cxhj9JKPo4jCqOTO2EmUSSFCLFyTNK1G4b6vGwb0RX2wMG8pe8JGi2ubtE5YEdiqvrdg8lLYFUabtJ_OI3qWr5aZeo6M9hPGiwt7iiW42Q/s200/changethisa.jpg" width="173" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d;">In today's world it seems every time we turn on a television or radio, we're hearing about a new disaster. People everywhere find themselves impacted by monster storms, ethnic and military wars, or earthquakes, famines.....you know them all by now. There are times when we can help.....and there are many we hear and see that we have no idea how to help. This is not about politics or governments, or who's right or wrong.....it's about the people who need your help, and an organization that's doing just that.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;">There is a group called <a href="http://www.changethisworld.com/">Change This World</a>. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;">Their <a href="http://www.changethisworld.com/about/our-mission/">mission</a><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Change This World enables volunteers to package</span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">healthy meals to send to children and families around </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">the world. Each meal delivers the ingredients needed </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">to sustain life, and by partnering with strategic </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">organizations the food also opens doors for </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">education, practical training, the ability to </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">plan for the future, and the strength to see it realized. </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">These meals equal hope for communities around </span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">the corner and around the world." </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3Y_lNShGba3Sst6wgADFH0yYKQe3pX_Esg9azb8qqD4lZ6kDf8g1tL9VSqh6vIfuumzrve3cybeJ_GvhV7fUkseCc7np643nygzr8yaMtP8hLHSbUxbbbaSQ7A5Xv-ZcM0kvXExUGWo/s1600/changethisj.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3Y_lNShGba3Sst6wgADFH0yYKQe3pX_Esg9azb8qqD4lZ6kDf8g1tL9VSqh6vIfuumzrve3cybeJ_GvhV7fUkseCc7np643nygzr8yaMtP8hLHSbUxbbbaSQ7A5Xv-ZcM0kvXExUGWo/s1600/changethisj.png" /></a></i></b></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></i></b>Did you know:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">1 in 6 people on the planet are malnourished today? </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality, present in 50% of all cases.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Estimates by relief organizations have shown that between 21-25,000 children die <b><u>every day</u></b> because of starvation or malnutrition.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;"> Poor nutrition plays a role in at least half of the 10.9 million child deaths each year--five million deaths.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">The world produces enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day -- and yet there are people starving to death every day.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">No matter the disaster, food and water are two absolutes that are needed to sustain life. <a href="http://www.changethisworld.com/">Change This World,</a> has developed a system that feeds a life-sustaining meal for as little as $.025/a meal......packed full of protein, vegetables, and vitamins, these meals not only provide life, they give hope. When the disaster victims have been given the ability to go on with these nourishing meals, they've been given back hope, determination, and the strength to rebuild their homes and lives.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_R5VPvTDPILlJhgaXJapAIxlpDCYF8qKJNy8yxGgYNhVvkw2vgcMXQLAHdOhUVsJ1aWzxiXbR54DCJ0VN702Jh2Ov7rnOipJlsuXtGAhYbhfzuuMXf4i3hcThMmTeUMYsV_s_h80UH4/s1600/changethisf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_R5VPvTDPILlJhgaXJapAIxlpDCYF8qKJNy8yxGgYNhVvkw2vgcMXQLAHdOhUVsJ1aWzxiXbR54DCJ0VN702Jh2Ov7rnOipJlsuXtGAhYbhfzuuMXf4i3hcThMmTeUMYsV_s_h80UH4/s1600/changethisf.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"> <b>HIGH QUALITY WHITE,</b><b> LONG GRAINED RICE</b><br />Widely recognized as a food staple in most countries. Rice fills the stomach and has a long shelf life!</span><br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vxtKhu2rUStau2_4cPs92Qb0R4VC_Mq0J6v_zb-paxECoha0EUyV2xPgxqMWVeeJg-LQXuOjcG4NreqLtbq9rV-1s1gmJzs2lyyiYwzhLIfZmo8OPsTOcZ0xfsRkO7uHqypigEKWeBI/s1600/changethisg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vxtKhu2rUStau2_4cPs92Qb0R4VC_Mq0J6v_zb-paxECoha0EUyV2xPgxqMWVeeJg-LQXuOjcG4NreqLtbq9rV-1s1gmJzs2lyyiYwzhLIfZmo8OPsTOcZ0xfsRkO7uHqypigEKWeBI/s1600/changethisg.jpg" /></a><b> </b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>VITAMIN FORTIFIED,</b><b> CRUSHED SOY</b><br />Soy is very high in protein content (52%). 1lb of soy is </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">the equivalent of 3 lbs. of red meat. Its fortification provides</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">9 additional, essential vitamins.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhSTfE8ES9HWFP29B8gZeGtRRVYGirBAIotUTgT7G7Fbm-L70S0MnhSqQYRFsqMqKk1wK7-2TiobTPjFj7oe851eIHgkQ11p5ZJfuBzOMq1xTUVXr6kMOOxaB9WwAWkI-uR48GIohb_Y/s1600/changethish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhSTfE8ES9HWFP29B8gZeGtRRVYGirBAIotUTgT7G7Fbm-L70S0MnhSqQYRFsqMqKk1wK7-2TiobTPjFj7oe851eIHgkQ11p5ZJfuBzOMq1xTUVXr6kMOOxaB9WwAWkI-uR48GIohb_Y/s1600/changethish.jpg" /></a><br />
<b> <span style="color: #38761d;">CHICKEN FLAVORED,</span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>VEGETARIAN VITAMIN & MINERAL POWDER</b><br />Includes 21 essential vitamins and minerals. Adds flavoring and increases health.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkAvUEf-r6uw8NTvoZwsG9_AAJc28gxCg8kxJdtxORUHjNc-almlh0e5hEocRkVvwn_Rf_W-jyREvNaXenxlhl8TyFdrztv3nn9cAw45UZvYL5lwcmbbf6pn3dE0kMu7vrUHCi7ekhKs/s1600/changethisi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkAvUEf-r6uw8NTvoZwsG9_AAJc28gxCg8kxJdtxORUHjNc-almlh0e5hEocRkVvwn_Rf_W-jyREvNaXenxlhl8TyFdrztv3nn9cAw45UZvYL5lwcmbbf6pn3dE0kMu7vrUHCi7ekhKs/s1600/changethisi.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>DEHYDRATED BLEND,</b><b>OF SIX VEGETABLES</b><br />Comprised of six essential vegetables, this blend offers nutritional</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">value, an appetizing flavor and color.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwgknAILxxiXlCrRUybJ78vZffyP1r9ylTx_zdktzmTjjwbM3VHLPh4l1TIuStTO2QxAGgxSlWkVfBx7sMJ0RLblbTMA5t8z9pLbPNFJ6Jsr7JeysapqwDVdJfBxzohzpfkM7w4U1g3k/s1600/ChangeThis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwgknAILxxiXlCrRUybJ78vZffyP1r9ylTx_zdktzmTjjwbM3VHLPh4l1TIuStTO2QxAGgxSlWkVfBx7sMJ0RLblbTMA5t8z9pLbPNFJ6Jsr7JeysapqwDVdJfBxzohzpfkM7w4U1g3k/s1600/ChangeThis.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> So.....you want to change this world.......be the change. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Please visit the website of C<a href="http://www.changethisworld.com/">hange This World</a>, and be the person who makes a difference. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It doesn't take a lot.....</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">it just takes you choosing to help in any way you can. </span></span><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">WE BELIEVE IN A WORLD WITHOUT HUNGER.</span></span></span></span></h3>
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We know that together we can make a difference. You can make a difference.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> <i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><a href="http://www.changethisworld.com/donate/">Donate Now!</a></b></span></i></span></h4>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="http://www.changethisworld.com/about/contact-us/">Contact Them!</a></i></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-3771709662233062212013-12-27T18:24:00.000-08:002013-12-27T18:24:34.249-08:00sponsored post: happy thanksgiving from crayola!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bwmrT7uPC14" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />
I have been looking forward to this week all month. Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays since in my book not much can top taking a time-out from our busy schedule to spend a whole weekend with family. Oh, and let's not forget the<i> food. </i><br />
<br />
It is also fun to do some holiday projects with the girls. So far this year we have kept our Thanksgiving crafting pretty simple. I set out a roll of paper with some markers and crayons on the coffee table and the girls have been drawing pictures of things they are thankful for... our family, home, rainbows, flowers, warm beds, trees, kites, crayons, scribbles... :) It has been a good way for us to keep an open discussion with them of all the blessings we enjoy, both big and small, and help us all fill our hearts with gratitude this season.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTwczJFUB22otM8RJvygU5jjWy43CkyYdj-QqLTmt0hAR60MOw4cCcK5cKNGNlQaSVI1RtZKxjS-T-MZjIt8el1jsl_v4ItYDIdIyEeYjnY8U5tLZql4v5E0PG9PlIYDmAN9iEDh9ml8i/s1600/scribbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTwczJFUB22otM8RJvygU5jjWy43CkyYdj-QqLTmt0hAR60MOw4cCcK5cKNGNlQaSVI1RtZKxjS-T-MZjIt8el1jsl_v4ItYDIdIyEeYjnY8U5tLZql4v5E0PG9PlIYDmAN9iEDh9ml8i/s1600/scribbles.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe24UQFDjxE0oaK6fCev0A0Pp3DOKYQos5Wj3LLufAQYfurkk0_xNj-2CVK9S10fNvNLBzAT6URc6o6MFoC-05Q6VVZlY0QlqlJD_221-nwzY2fiNcQZ8Vh6pGGcJCDLAP5bmykc_DxZGD/s1600/thankful_drawings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe24UQFDjxE0oaK6fCev0A0Pp3DOKYQos5Wj3LLufAQYfurkk0_xNj-2CVK9S10fNvNLBzAT6URc6o6MFoC-05Q6VVZlY0QlqlJD_221-nwzY2fiNcQZ8Vh6pGGcJCDLAP5bmykc_DxZGD/s1600/thankful_drawings.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcCJzVR2nbGIyceEIG42fkXMwGo97pglijstilpfteY8SShYfWKqZJg188qwCv_bVd7U0UHRmfNQg_6QpVseypbgrUuXQMhMFRWKRCDfdP4t1osVmplDP9jtJpVt9GFBVYyOSg54QlOx1/s1600/thankful_family+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcCJzVR2nbGIyceEIG42fkXMwGo97pglijstilpfteY8SShYfWKqZJg188qwCv_bVd7U0UHRmfNQg_6QpVseypbgrUuXQMhMFRWKRCDfdP4t1osVmplDP9jtJpVt9GFBVYyOSg54QlOx1/s1600/thankful_family+040.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcfO_1_OSJmU5OzJUkN6nVfXaIeS0OazLAdOIrczhPEtkLSdHh5JZgcCZjti6h00gHWfCunxQltQtgv7ugUYuIsyL5jtVNl5c07rSqBETU1prA0wj1rEAuSVjUHR5sodJeHEb_m9RmqoW/s1600/thankful_treeskite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcfO_1_OSJmU5OzJUkN6nVfXaIeS0OazLAdOIrczhPEtkLSdHh5JZgcCZjti6h00gHWfCunxQltQtgv7ugUYuIsyL5jtVNl5c07rSqBETU1prA0wj1rEAuSVjUHR5sodJeHEb_m9RmqoW/s1600/thankful_treeskite.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLDrIlkl8qXmMKuYRuWUKeko7EbFRB7rodAwDF91_LfVmySjXGk-PYrd9p6Tt_KfQCS_mrwI2YMCDaRwSxT5GhEf4x1C-MYjv5QAD9DQjv1ci7pIr22F7JjOZ8VDIRB-ZLjbXOc0HzngQ/s1600/thanksgivingdrawings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLDrIlkl8qXmMKuYRuWUKeko7EbFRB7rodAwDF91_LfVmySjXGk-PYrd9p6Tt_KfQCS_mrwI2YMCDaRwSxT5GhEf4x1C-MYjv5QAD9DQjv1ci7pIr22F7JjOZ8VDIRB-ZLjbXOc0HzngQ/s1600/thanksgivingdrawings.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
As a kid I remember being given the job to make place holders and paper turkeys for table decor. It made me feel important like I was contributing to the meal too, and looking back I am sure it was my mother's way of keeping me entertained and out of the kitchen! I am sure my girls will need some entertainment while we are busy prepping food, so I have been taking mental notes of easy Thanksgiving projects they can do mostly unsupervised. <a href="http://po.st/ZCFnic">Crayola</a> has put together a short Thanksgiving craft inspiration video for those of you looking for some fun ideas too. You can watch it below.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nHxP2gZBJko" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br />
This post is sponsored by <a href="http://po.st/ZCFnic">Crayola</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-7760387123596946822013-12-04T10:38:00.002-08:002013-12-04T10:38:26.840-08:00How to choosing right size for baby clothes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
How To Specify Baby Clothes Size and Age Chart</h3>
Buying baby clothes is a lot like playing the lottery; you hedge your bets on a number, and hope it's the right one.<br />
But it doesn't have to be that way. While it's true that babies grow really fast, it is possible to buy clothes for them that will fit - at least for now. Use our size and age chart to help determine what size you should buy.<br />
<br />
Remember: when in doubt, make your purchase based on weight and height rather than age! It's always safe to go one size bigger, except in the case of baby sleepwear.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>US Size and Age Chart</b></h4>
<div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: white; border-spacing: 0px; clear: both; color: #333333; empty-cells: show; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; width: 425px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;"><b>Age/Size</b></td><td style="vertical-align: top;"><b>Weight</b></td><td style="vertical-align: top;"><b>Length</b></td><td style="vertical-align: top;"><b>Bootie/Shoe Size</b></td><td style="vertical-align: top;"><b>Sock Size</b></td></tr>
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;">Newborn</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">Up to 7 lbs</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">Up to 17"</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">N/A</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">N/A</td></tr>
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;">Up to 3 Months</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">7-12 lbs</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">17-23"</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">3</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">Up to 6 Months</td></tr>
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;">3-6 Months</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">12-17 lbs</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">23-27"</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">4</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">Up to 6 Months</td></tr>
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;">6-12 Months</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">17-22 lbs</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">27-29"</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">5</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">6-12 Months</td></tr>
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;">12-18 Months</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">22-27 lbs</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">29-31"</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">6</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">12-24 Months</td></tr>
<tr><td style="vertical-align: top;">18-24 Months</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">27-30 lbs</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">31-33"</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">7</td><td style="vertical-align: top;">12-24 Months</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Baby Clothes – What Clothes Does Your Baby Need?</h4>
<div>
You would think buying clothing for a baby would be quite simple – with so many cute and gorgeous outfits available these days, how can one go wrong?! But with a myriad of clothing designs and styles that are either practical time-savers or frustrating time-fizzers for parents, BellyBelly mum, Janelle (nellbe) set out to compile this very informative article, designed to help you with the task of clothing your newborn baby.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Baby Clothes – Size Guide</h4>
When putting this information together, I gathered information straight from the experts – from mums and dads with new babies. As well as being based on my own experiences as a parent, I thought of what would have been useful to know, prior to buying clothes for my baby.<br />
<br />
An approximate size guide is as follows:<br />
<br />
0000 – Newborns under 4kg – birth to 3 months<br />
000 – Babies under 6 kg – 3 months to 6 months<br />
00 – Babies between 6 and 8 kgs – 6 months to 9 months<br />
0 – Babies above 8 kgs – 9 months to 12 months<br />
1 – Babies above 10kgs – 12 months<br />
<br />
Bear in mind that the sizes above are a guide only. Some babies when born will fit straight into 000’s, some will need 0000’s. Something else to remember is that all the clothing sizes differ based on manufacturer. For example, Bonds sizes tend to be on the smaller side, so you may find that you are buying Bonds clothing one size up compared to what you would buy in other brands.<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
What Size Baby Clothes Should I Start With?</h3>
You’ll probably be asked to take several baby outfits with you into hospital if that is where you’ll be birthing your baby. It’s a good idea to have a mixture of both 000’s and 0000’s to start with. How long they spend in each size really depends on how quickly your baby grows (and oh boy do they grow quickly!) but unless you have a premature or very small baby, getting more 000’s than 0000’s is a good idea.<br />
<br />
<b>Janelle’s Top Tips For Baby Clothes</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Many mums will swear by Bonds Wondersuits or similar in the early months. They are a great idea, but don’t go out and buy a whole pile – my son was a long and soon enough couldn’t wear the bodysuits with feet enclosed as his feet were too big for them! So I ended up putting him into pants and tops sets from the moment he was born.</li>
<li>The Bonds ‘Stretchies’ range is quite good as they have lyrca in them. Makes it easier to dress them.</li>
<li>Singlets for babies are well used but often they’ll ride up their backs and if they are wearing a top and pants it can leave their backs cold. Going for the singlet suits is an option, they do up at the crotch so you don’t have that problem. Also by buying their singlets a few sizes larger may help.</li>
<li>Babies don’t often like having things over their head. To minimise this, you can purchase the do up the front bodysuits and you can get them in short sleeves and long sleeves.</li>
<li>Bonds socks are excellent for keeping on the babies feet, I am sure I have tried every brand but Bonds are the only ones that stayed on.</li>
<li>Consider buying a sleeping bag for baby to sleep in and buy zip up ones, not button ones as their feet may get caught if they kick around a lot, like my son does!</li>
</ol>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
List of ‘Must Have’ Baby Clothes</h4>
Here is a suggested list of clothing and number of items that you may need from birth. Ideally organise a mixture of 0000 and 000 as you can’t be sure how big baby will be at birth!<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>10 singlets or singlet suits</li>
<li>Approx 4 each of long sleeve and short sleeve bodysuits</li>
<li>4 pairs of pants</li>
<li>4 long sleeved tops/jumpers</li>
<li>2 nice, matching outfits for going out</li>
<li>2 jackets</li>
<li>4 other all in one outfits (cotton ones not terry towelling or flanellette)</li>
<li>2 cotton hats</li>
<li>1-2 pair mittens (if you think you’ll use them)</li>
<li>Lots of socks – they always get lost!</li>
<li>2-3 sleeping outfits – you can just use all in ones / wondersuits for sleeping or sleeping bags.</li>
<li>Further Baby Clothing Tips from BellyBelly Forum Mums</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Lucy recommends:</h4>
Don’t be tempted to buy too much, especially with a 1st baby. People give you so much clothing and babies grow so fast, you literally cannot use it all!<br />
Accept hand-me downs – often they are the most practical and useful!<br />
For tiny babies, I found the plain, unfrilly Bonds growsuits to be unbeatable. Plain is good!<br />
Avoid anything with big collars, bows, buckles, anything that fastens up the back is a pain.<br />
Think about the climate your baby will be born into – what season? It may be that you really don’t need any singlets at all – or it may be that you really do need socks!<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Shannon recommends:</h4>
With the seasons, remember that if you are in a cold climate, most of the time they’ll have a bunny rug wrapped around them, especially when newborn, so you don’t need to worry about too many ‘fancy’ outfits.<br />
As they get a little older and are crawling and walking, snap crotch pants are actually more of a hassle than pulling them down to change a nappy. The snaps pull open all the time and your baby will spend most of the time with a butt hanging out (well a nappy at least), or you’ll spend forever popping them closed. Especially true for overalls and jeans. I spent hours sewing up the snap crotches on the girls clothes from about 8 months old.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Fi recommends:</h4>
All-in-ones with the crotch fastening at the back are a nightmare. When they fasten at the front you can sort of pull the back down and through the legs – so much easier to fasten!! I have to say the pumpkin patch jumpsuits are really terrible for doing up easily – specially since my ones all fasten up at the back. However I LOOOOOVE the Pumpkin Patch all in one singlet suits. Their newborn size ones are a fantastic fit, even with a cloth nappy, and sit nice and high on the chest. I find the bonds ones slip down a little, and are a bit stretchy.<br />
Most of the old fashioned woolly cardies are really annoying and hard to get on. I bought a few and haven’t even used them.<br />
Don’t buy dark colours – they show spew so much more!!!<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
‘Morv’ recommends:</h4>
I love the all in one jumpsuits at the moment, they are warm, comfortable and easy to put on.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
‘MiMo’ recommends:</h4>
<br />
I try not to buy the jumpsuits with feet on them – I found Hannah is growing so fast and the feet would be too small while the rest of the suit was huge.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Chloe recommends:</h4>
<br />
Don’t buy clothes to far in advance because you can’t predict that they will fit in a specific season. When I was pregnant I bought a lovely winter onesie in size 0 that was on special. Now I think that it will fit Yasin perfectly in the middle of summer.<br />
<h4>
Sarah recommends:</h4>
<br />
Lots and lots of bibs – if bub has reflux, you will really need heaps even when they are little.<br />
Try to get all in ones for when they are newborn so the elastic waists don’t irritate their cord stump.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Kerrie recommends:</h4>
<br />
It’s worth having one or two really nice outfits to take the baby out in to ‘show them off’, but more than that is a bit of a waste – they grow out of clothes before they wear out of them, so don’t go overboard spending money on designer clothes that will only fit for a couple of months.<br />
Trying to keep socks on a baby is an exercise in futility, better to go with slippers that do up firmly around the baby’s ankles. Most babies will try to kick off foot coverings and slip their feet out of socks, so anything that is loose-fitting is a goner!<br />
A couple of cozy, soft hats are a must for newborns – try to make sure that there are no irritating seams or rough fabric inside the lining. There are some beautiful bright felt beanies around these days that are soft and warm, or if you are lucky and your Mum knits, soft babywool is a winner.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Catherine recommends:</h4>
<br />
Keep the tags on all clothing (whether bought or not) until you work out whether or not they’re going to wear them in the right season. Don’t be afraid of taking things back for refunds (especially if they were gifts) because after all, money is money and you need every cent you can get with a newborn!<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Dee recommends:</h4>
<br />
What I have found to be an absolute godsend are the baby nighties I put Matthew into them each night, it saves me having to fiddle around with the studs on the all in ones so makes my life so much easier and quicker at night.<br />
I love all my woolly cardigans I have for Matthew but the booties are a bit of a problem, most are too small, he has extra large feet and a lot of them keep falling off.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Kellee recommends:</h4>
<br />
Zip up fleecy vests are great alternatives to jumpers on moderate winter days. I have two and they are perfect for the autumn mornings – and they look so cute!<br />
Long or short sleeved jumpsuits with no legs are really good to go under long pants – this way you’re not worrying that bub’s belly will get cold if a shirt becomes untucked.<br />
Don’t buy anything new! In all honesty, I have only bought ONE new outfit for Charlie in his whole life (and he’s 9 months old!). Investigate good op shops (especially BEFORE you have bub) and go nuts. If you go once a week or fortnight on the same day you’ll get to know the staff and vice versa, and they may be able to look out for things for you. You’ll save so much money it’s not funny and you will also not feel so bad if something you bought in advance doesn’t fit in the right season (it’s better to “waste” $1 on a growsuit than $10!). Obviously, this can sometimes take a little more effort – you have to be prepared to spend a few minutes going through lots of items to find some good quality items – but it is well worth the time. I love op-shopping too, because it gives me something to do when I’m sick of being at home – I just plonk Charlie in front of the toy section while I’m browsing nearby and he loves it.<br />
Buy hats/beanies with some kind of fastening device (obviously you have to be safety concious when you’re looking for them). Charlie doesn’t keep any of his hats on, so I invest in those with chin straps.<br />
Get bub used to wearing hats and sunglasses early – not only is it a good habit to get into, it will make it easier later and save more struggles.<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Michelle recommends:</h4>
I love sleeping bags – my bubs is always out of the blankets and cold so by using sleeping bags she stays warm and sleeps longer.<br />
I don’t really put shoes on my children before they are one year old, they just pull them off and it is better for them to walk without them.<br />
You definitely need 2 or 3 nice outfits for going out and remember that you also need to take changes of clothes when you go out, just in case of leaks or spills.<br />
Bibs with elastic are better than tie-ups.<br />
Wool cardigans look gorgeous with little dresses.<br />
Definitely accept all offers of clothes, and return or throw out/donate to op shop what you really don’t want.<br />
Ebay is a great source of clothes at bargain prices especially brand names.<br />
Sometimes really cheap clothes go out of shape after one wash, so take care in choosing material which feels like it is good quality. I have noticed some Kmart, Best & Less and Big W clothing that does this.</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-26921847177034565642013-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:002013-12-04T15:50:11.697-08:00Winter Weddings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukEyfWs_Jkw2R6wUg-Y75zVqzeOUAa2o5QrhUo9-PtpGQEHEclmoRHS2klx1GGXeYRCI60wlonLUtnBsXRHJvVIVsvxokmM-Fpq8OVcD7046z2ZYHgLQEg82PHhEsXRwk5VbxfGEojMo/s1600/wedsleigh2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukEyfWs_Jkw2R6wUg-Y75zVqzeOUAa2o5QrhUo9-PtpGQEHEclmoRHS2klx1GGXeYRCI60wlonLUtnBsXRHJvVIVsvxokmM-Fpq8OVcD7046z2ZYHgLQEg82PHhEsXRwk5VbxfGEojMo/s200/wedsleigh2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> If you're planning a winter wedding, what a wonderful time of the year to have such a fabulous event. Whether it's going to be the "event" of the year, or a casual setting, the choices you have are unlimited. Let your mind drift to all the wonderful memories from your childhood, and the things that </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> made it so </span></span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">exciting.....snowflakes......</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> nutcrackers...........roaring fires in the fireplace........smores........sleigh rides. The things we dreamed of, or lived, are what made our lives rich with the possibility of what could be.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZu-kZ3_pAcN-DaubDoNpH88iy3JS6j9bMu74ymo0XS-A6C7ciyKr1pC4hY1w_GfTo-gyx9Qy2Wlu4zRNPN-DUeok3UdlbuT7E4DWOIh7cFYFYWPAn2hrs83G-KVydNqsrUd5_7UXTBA/s1600/wedshoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZu-kZ3_pAcN-DaubDoNpH88iy3JS6j9bMu74ymo0XS-A6C7ciyKr1pC4hY1w_GfTo-gyx9Qy2Wlu4zRNPN-DUeok3UdlbuT7E4DWOIh7cFYFYWPAn2hrs83G-KVydNqsrUd5_7UXTBA/s200/wedshoe.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When it comes to the <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/">attire</a>, again, there are so many possibilities. Depending on the climate of the area where you'll have the wedding, you can again bring the winter theme into not only what you'll be wearing, but if you're having a bridal party that incorporates little ones, there are choices for them too that will be the "</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">pièce de résistance". At <span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/">Adorable Baby Clothing</a>, we carry <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/Flower-Girl-Dresses.html">flower girl dresses</a> and <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/boyssuits.html">boy's suits</a> in sizes from <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/babyboysuit.html">infant </a></span>to the <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/Boys+Clothing.html">bigger kids</a>, that can easily be color coordinated to either match your wedding, or compliment it. </span></span></span><br /><b><br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzrSb3mi1Kn0BYAQ0bxyDbon6F0ErOMk3i98eJtU9FmtNqEdFNETJ4zMtEeCtbHnhKcRnvFXfxxYNh9z3bnH8eyrtlnIH9xrze98WlAAazflnjUJhZ0dWJyPSrB9pjJ4ZWIjgvHDC0fY/s1600/wedinvite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzrSb3mi1Kn0BYAQ0bxyDbon6F0ErOMk3i98eJtU9FmtNqEdFNETJ4zMtEeCtbHnhKcRnvFXfxxYNh9z3bnH8eyrtlnIH9xrze98WlAAazflnjUJhZ0dWJyPSrB9pjJ4ZWIjgvHDC0fY/s200/wedinvite.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Many brides have deviated from the traditional colors, to incorporate bright vivid hues in their own accessories, and it's a perfect way to incorporate those same colors in what the <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/Flower-Girl-Dresses.html">flower girls</a> and <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/babyboysuit.html">ring bearers</a> are wearing. Think outside the box to create a wonderland of eye catching color that will delight your guests, and make for incredibly awesome photos. </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8INbhXU5PuXSx19s6l9xT5zNHNFDLP_CSvtfCcn56vF6UgjmzVrBJ2BfHyMVXQbZXCQJ3yXH9LZ_AE927Cqph4jfuY0EwvP50v_ljvEYIMudGKMvoWvExhU5AI9JtAi183pVMLcLHYQ/s1600/wedboutinaire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8INbhXU5PuXSx19s6l9xT5zNHNFDLP_CSvtfCcn56vF6UgjmzVrBJ2BfHyMVXQbZXCQJ3yXH9LZ_AE927Cqph4jfuY0EwvP50v_ljvEYIMudGKMvoWvExhU5AI9JtAi183pVMLcLHYQ/s200/wedboutinaire.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Brides are learning, that weddings don't have to be formal stuffy events (unless they love formal) and that they can utilize their own personal favorites to embellish this life event as a display of what makes them unique. It doesn't have to stop with the grownups any more. At <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/">Adorable Baby Clothing</a>, we can help make the littlest members of the bridal party, as unique as everyone else.</span></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX6f0OUibgdOfPepOErkrKp_US1yQPTE42ZJ7rZgNgcbxt_HAaB3HM0rjto8b-kf4KR5O83aO2k4Wsh8WjkhTTEzqqTE_nwH8QiOuqvlcwchoc6tNtPL7M-q39z1ARic0ZopramlN96k/s1600/wedparty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX6f0OUibgdOfPepOErkrKp_US1yQPTE42ZJ7rZgNgcbxt_HAaB3HM0rjto8b-kf4KR5O83aO2k4Wsh8WjkhTTEzqqTE_nwH8QiOuqvlcwchoc6tNtPL7M-q39z1ARic0ZopramlN96k/s320/wedparty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We invite you to browse through our <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/">amazing selections</a> of <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/boyssuits.html">boy's suits</a>, and <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/category/Flower-Girl-Dresses.html">flower girl dresses</a> to find the picture perfect outfit just for your little ones!</span></span></span><b> <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></i></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com</span></i></span></span></a></b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-78599443451098213832013-11-27T13:18:00.000-08:002013-12-04T15:50:11.699-08:00Not All the Deals Are in the Malls!<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have you ever wondered who came up with the idea "Black Friday"? It is amazing to me, how the retail world has convinced consumers that this ONE day will somehow magically transform their lives, if they'll only get out of bed in the middle of the night to rush to the malls and buy 'stuff' they just have to have. Sure there are some amazing deals, but then I wonder......what was the real cost, and if it's on sale for this, but the store said before it really cost that, then what did it really cost them, and what is it really costing me? (Sorry my mind just kind of works like that)</span></span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><br /></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Never the less, I thought it was worth posting some of the deals I've seen, and although I don't "do" Black Friday, I know there are lots of you who love this shopping day.....have you noticed though, that Black Friday is now becoming the "black week"....and of course there's "Cyber Monday"......I figure at this rate that in the next few years, every day will be "discount of the year" day......That got me to thinking.....what else is out there that won't make you leave the warmth of your bed in the middle of the night? Thinking "outside the box" these are a few suggestions....</span></span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQf3Dv_Mg1u-frs2ABUSUKJsq5cNU5tJp_XoqCkP2f_QTJ-whIWEHSFzrfie4ZxknemTuQaH9pUiucHv7UcOIIfjyqAwz88kA1F-JydtLXs-nh4FHNzJViId3N-z7tt9K0NYMUchHbaBo/s1600/2013HolidayAd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQf3Dv_Mg1u-frs2ABUSUKJsq5cNU5tJp_XoqCkP2f_QTJ-whIWEHSFzrfie4ZxknemTuQaH9pUiucHv7UcOIIfjyqAwz88kA1F-JydtLXs-nh4FHNzJViId3N-z7tt9K0NYMUchHbaBo/s200/2013HolidayAd.jpg" width="166" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(Shameless Plug)-->At <a href="http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/">Adorable Baby Clothing </a>you'll always get FREE Shipping on any minimum order of $50.00, within the</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> USA. You can also take advantage of the Coupon Code "Thankful" for an additional 10% off any minimum order of $65.00 -- which means you'll still qualify for </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">FREE Shipping! Whoohoo! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dress those little munchkins Picture Perfect for the holidays! </span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ugDlrL4U9MFIqe36RvTjoUef6YbMufiGFekiytEbr6p2VZXvTvh0_5Td9dnNvlJkxh8JVuTtoq6Snjq63Tq0PAbrKwzRSxZKD_p5ruhogMeW2h6OUIE4lGWi_2WCRL_Wx4uW1H-bdBU/s1600/BlackFridayAlligiant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ugDlrL4U9MFIqe36RvTjoUef6YbMufiGFekiytEbr6p2VZXvTvh0_5Td9dnNvlJkxh8JVuTtoq6Snjq63Tq0PAbrKwzRSxZKD_p5ruhogMeW2h6OUIE4lGWi_2WCRL_Wx4uW1H-bdBU/s200/BlackFridayAlligiant.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you're a traveler, and have an <a href="http://view.allegiantdeals.com/?j=fec611707360077a&m=fe97157070670c7a75&ls=fe2611717266017a701776&l=fef71579716703&s=fe5b12717c62007c7612&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe5515787263057a7c16&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=SFB_124970&utm_campaign=20131126_EarlyBird&r=0">Allegiant Airline</a> near you, they really have some awesome airfare deals. the key here is, are they where you are, and do they go where you want to go!</span></span></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7JkL_oqbs17tDq_cjgH98GUCF5ampRP3Lw-fQOUMpRMPCrjkUPBvdMhILWj8SxsNBdWipymkpEi99qGQoWb4jAuwhWzbgf4oiGPUlmiYyeoGeniPmNQG8Enlbimw8joPdstZSkiL4Eo/s1600/blackfridaykidspot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7JkL_oqbs17tDq_cjgH98GUCF5ampRP3Lw-fQOUMpRMPCrjkUPBvdMhILWj8SxsNBdWipymkpEi99qGQoWb4jAuwhWzbgf4oiGPUlmiYyeoGeniPmNQG8Enlbimw8joPdstZSkiL4Eo/s200/blackfridaykidspot.png" width="161" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://kidspot.leadpages.net/kidspotcommunity/">KidSpot Community </a>Join the Kidspot community today and you’ll receive our FREE Christmas flipbook </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">filled with 30+ fun and festive cooking with kids, and craft ideas. Plus you’ll go in the draw to WIN $3,000 cash. This is great because it's free and you don't have to leave home to do it!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/?ref=si_home">Etsy</a> is a great place to find unique, quality items. You can find just about anything that pops in you mind. I've listed a few vendors I've personally purchased from and thought you might find interesting. What I particularly admire, is their creative genius, attention to detail and quality, and amazing customer service......not to mention their prices are great too!</span></span></span></div><ul><li><h2><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/calidreamincustomart"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span itemprop="name">Cali Dreamin' hand painted wood letters and art </span></span></a><span style="font-weight: normal;">Give Joy the idea and watch her create an amazing piece of art just for you!</span></span></span></span></h2></li></ul><ul><li><h2><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/petalbelles">Petalbelles</a> - I fell in love with this shop. Little tiny fairies ornaments, that I can't for the life of me figure out how she does. Just go look! </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></h2></li></ul><ul><li><h2><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoHeyJudy">Go Hey Judy </a>- If you're looking for a truly unique, one of a kind rag doll, then you have to check this out!</span></span></span></span></h2></li></ul><ul><li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SilverSpiral1">Silver Spiral Creations</a> - Beautiful handmade jewelry, you just won't find elsewhere!</span></span></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/BugUnderGlass">Bug Under Glass</a> - This is amazing....real mounted butterflies on real vintage maps of the area they are indigenous to. </span></span></span></li></ul><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQH3EUskqqN927sboxw_3HHXRdzGvKdK9mtkVuBHhjCJ1X6GUt_RzjtIaX7GV2yDpCki5xWCf9_d-2Fp5qyeQk4vBbyxVKDLo1_xeHjVUiWyjlwtdA5j8Kpo2M7-BWsKr_bhKzfSG-50/s1600/blfriford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQH3EUskqqN927sboxw_3HHXRdzGvKdK9mtkVuBHhjCJ1X6GUt_RzjtIaX7GV2yDpCki5xWCf9_d-2Fp5qyeQk4vBbyxVKDLo1_xeHjVUiWyjlwtdA5j8Kpo2M7-BWsKr_bhKzfSG-50/s200/blfriford.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thinking of <a href="https://www.fordeventgiveaway.com/default.aspx?utm_source=yoursouthernforddealers&utm_medium=FBwallpost&utm_campaign=EBCG">buying a new car</a>? I personally don't know anyone who's ever won a free car, but have to admit, the fantasy is a nice one! I also like to support American owned and run companies like <a href="https://www.fordeventgiveaway.com/default.aspx?utm_source=yoursouthernforddealers&utm_medium=FBwallpost&utm_campaign=EBCG">Ford</a>. Here's <a href="https://www.fordeventgiveaway.com/default.aspx?utm_source=yoursouthernforddealers&utm_medium=FBwallpost&utm_campaign=EBCG">a contest for a free car</a>, and at least you can take a look at what they have in their line up. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is just a very small sampling of what's out there! Shop small business this year and you may be amazed at the quality, savings, and so much less stress! </span></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-67227212642778485912013-11-25T14:28:00.000-08:002013-12-04T15:50:11.698-08:00Seasons Change......and So Do We<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHxlpFYu51m-rthAV8V6WlYfIBMITgy1CXZNVHiJn6WBvsJgqLZmjfeFCUAmcyOtGDzRsb-B2IzYPUG_XEsVyG8O_ViSqnqNz-GV-u10KFX97cRoTWIfh-RJodvODEOo9LaFl_AXE4D4/s1600/1aturkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHxlpFYu51m-rthAV8V6WlYfIBMITgy1CXZNVHiJn6WBvsJgqLZmjfeFCUAmcyOtGDzRsb-B2IzYPUG_XEsVyG8O_ViSqnqNz-GV-u10KFX97cRoTWIfh-RJodvODEOo9LaFl_AXE4D4/s200/1aturkey.jpg" width="155" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I was growing up, Thanksgiving revolved about the family being home together. We didn't go out to eat........we didn't wake up at 3AM to be the 5,346th person in line at the mall......we just stayed home. We ate too much of the things we knew we wouldn't get the rest of the year, and we just enjoyed the fact that no one had to be anywhere for any reason. If we were kids, we played outside as long as we could, no matter the weather, until we were called in to eat. </span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To me, that's Thanksgiving.</span></span></div><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That being said, my Thanksgivings as an adult have changed over the years. They've gone from -- </span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">feeling guilty because I lived too far away to get home to see my Mom to....</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My nuclear family of four, that kind of "fell apart" after my divorce, to myself and my daughters trying to create our own new "normal" Thanksgiving traditions. </span></span></li></ul><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">They've grown to include --</span></span><br /><ul><li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">People I met for the first time, because they couldn't get home to their own families, and my daughters brought them home. My house has been so full of people I'm not sure I even got introduced to them all while they were here because I was so busy cooking;</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Grandchildren experiencing a Thanksgiving meal for the first time in their precious lives;</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To being a guest at some elses house for the day.</span></span></li></ul><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjelFNe9UvCchV5LAMSNbv15O1FoF3af4fG_NWEa53T8yQIbB14_Slydx1YQWVqZmLDe0jLghSFkSI4ps0UoCDw7hClhqa21lWmhxaekr4DhvcfKSMw3fJHvbT-2sQBWeP4QH_ElrtyQ0/s1600/blackfridayFour-Seasons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjelFNe9UvCchV5LAMSNbv15O1FoF3af4fG_NWEa53T8yQIbB14_Slydx1YQWVqZmLDe0jLghSFkSI4ps0UoCDw7hClhqa21lWmhxaekr4DhvcfKSMw3fJHvbT-2sQBWeP4QH_ElrtyQ0/s200/blackfridayFour-Seasons.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And, so......the holidays, like the rest of our lives continue to change. That is what life is .....some good, some bad, some you can't remember, but always moving in one direction or another. I think it's important to make your own traditions, but it's also important to recognize life doesn't stay the same for anyone for very long. I love the phrase "everything has it's season". Rather than looking at what has changed, and missing what was......</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqc-UD7ku1pN8nw_QydYJv8eERDo98T6WOPJ0XGlQ1Yjlj1WKs7rdcl9DU7R1zIoqRUxq8Bi2Y5zK8QfYQ7pJPdZy28yufsXKwnzmcFcyA-0l3bygCZHU4t4zWO0zkptaCJ2O42qchS4/s1600/blackfridayexplorers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqc-UD7ku1pN8nw_QydYJv8eERDo98T6WOPJ0XGlQ1Yjlj1WKs7rdcl9DU7R1zIoqRUxq8Bi2Y5zK8QfYQ7pJPdZy28yufsXKwnzmcFcyA-0l3bygCZHU4t4zWO0zkptaCJ2O42qchS4/s200/blackfridayexplorers.gif" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Seize it as an opportunity to begin anew, and create new traditions. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Invite someone over who may not have a family......</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Find an opportunity to give back to your community......</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNyoYP4SHX3TqtOt6UVKX7RWYX49aBeuNok8_oYZCnDQFfmm7KOU-N47x3zW6IXmWcx-3UMzdZqH4P420oMy_XLq69fwIHG_tKr6wK2TycMEt1Fl528mj8cIAFav6EjFv39HjM2SKVOg/s1600/blackfridaytelephone-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDNyoYP4SHX3TqtOt6UVKX7RWYX49aBeuNok8_oYZCnDQFfmm7KOU-N47x3zW6IXmWcx-3UMzdZqH4P420oMy_XLq69fwIHG_tKr6wK2TycMEt1Fl528mj8cIAFav6EjFv39HjM2SKVOg/s200/blackfridaytelephone-cartoon.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Make a list of people you haven't talked to and call them on Thanksgiving......</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Donate an entire Thanksgiving meal to a family who can't afford to buy their own...... </span></span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just know, that in the universe, your life matters. Whether it's filled with a house full of people, or it's just you.......you have a great purpose for being here. Never doubt that, and focus on what you've been blessed with, not what</span></span><br /> <span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">you wish you had. </span></span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtZIMSxaHy_wpZOfDJ36MH9g-n9Hy43FNhfGQnI3QvGjxZQWId4DZlyY7p1oYa3sf1X8lWLN8xKZI3CrKCld2G6KtQo3aRrxpzdODs7H5P_BlmpOscpe6SLyKjhf9Bov1pP38tO-2m4A/s1600/black-friday-crowd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtZIMSxaHy_wpZOfDJ36MH9g-n9Hy43FNhfGQnI3QvGjxZQWId4DZlyY7p1oYa3sf1X8lWLN8xKZI3CrKCld2G6KtQo3aRrxpzdODs7H5P_BlmpOscpe6SLyKjhf9Bov1pP38tO-2m4A/s200/black-friday-crowd1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And if you're really brave......get up at 3AM and stand in the cold dark night air with the other gazillions of Black Friday shoppers, just to buy that special something you know you just can't live without! </span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(I'll be home asleep!)</span></span></div><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814754873677270517.post-62806068339409835582013-11-13T10:42:00.000-08:002013-12-04T15:50:24.425-08:00Thanksgiving Crafts for the Kids<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL1JQOsMqbuPSy6s5fHTEkoGK1UJY0P8zMIuCHr9Opu65VkLgqYrNLoz6-iCxMkptbyDZ5o2cO2xUTcW0DM7ulFN4lJ5am9tSKrjoZddcyw3GskRpV9bHySKWDcnsq8ZeoJF2E9uBGEI/s1600/1ptur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL1JQOsMqbuPSy6s5fHTEkoGK1UJY0P8zMIuCHr9Opu65VkLgqYrNLoz6-iCxMkptbyDZ5o2cO2xUTcW0DM7ulFN4lJ5am9tSKrjoZddcyw3GskRpV9bHySKWDcnsq8ZeoJF2E9uBGEI/s200/1ptur.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of things I remember most about my childhood, was the really neat stuff we used to make in elementary school around any holiday. Thanksgiving was always fun, because I remember my teacher telling us the story of the first Thanksgiving, and then giving us projects to make and take </span></span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">home. Back then (now the Dark Ages) we had those jars of paste.......have to admit, I tasted it more than once, and one of my biggest thrills in life was getting a new box of crayons. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today, kids have so many choices when it comes to crafts. I am astounded when I'm in an arts and crafts store and cruise the isles......you could spend a small fortune just impulse buying supplies. That's why I decided to write this post. It doesn't have to be expensive........just fun. The materials can be basic, and for some you can take a walk through your neighborhood to find.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What's most important is giving your child a variety of materials to work with, talking through some ideas with them, and then helping when they need it......the best part of this, is the time you've spent with them........that's what they'll remember!</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Materials You Might Need (keep in mind you may use some or all depending on what project(s) you'll be working on):</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Glue / Paste</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Crayons</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Construction Paper</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Leaves from your yard</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gumdrops</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tempera Paint (it's water based so washes off easily)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Felt Tip Pin (maybe)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Paper Plates</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pine Cones (put these in a paper bag and microwave for 30-45 seconds to kill any bugs that might be hiding in them!)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Nuts in their shells</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tissue Paper</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Glitter (oh this makes it fun!)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Scissors (be sure to choose what's appropriate for your child)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stapler (maybe)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fabric scraps</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Feathers</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dried Beans or Pasta</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Toilet Paper & Paper Towels Tubes </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Toothpicks</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5rzZqdxw-R7-7UAF6CjeoRAXPqubU0Pmw9AeHNe-oLKxkMeW8XhycFnBLQesGfcrqNrssEdQ06YQ2TKN6Igmlo8ujL3rpkJT-kH32HOxki2RlAOn958D0C37IhQ4Ff1uLtXf2rKjlMI/s1600/1atur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5rzZqdxw-R7-7UAF6CjeoRAXPqubU0Pmw9AeHNe-oLKxkMeW8XhycFnBLQesGfcrqNrssEdQ06YQ2TKN6Igmlo8ujL3rpkJT-kH32HOxki2RlAOn958D0C37IhQ4Ff1uLtXf2rKjlMI/s200/1atur.jpg" width="163" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0EFexMXF_ki_btHBcQZl6vB4qF717a2P1EXMLF2zoopqp7v1S_NDkSWFR1OEGgHIHfDFIZpTxpe3iq35mXWcNUyEYpUElmsH5-TnM6FP6RW3p3AYxgDFvxSSoy_JUnuI-OJloFs_TW4/s1600/1ttur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0EFexMXF_ki_btHBcQZl6vB4qF717a2P1EXMLF2zoopqp7v1S_NDkSWFR1OEGgHIHfDFIZpTxpe3iq35mXWcNUyEYpUElmsH5-TnM6FP6RW3p3AYxgDFvxSSoy_JUnuI-OJloFs_TW4/s200/1ttur.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Construction paper turkey </b> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Depending on their age, they may be able to do this on their own. It helps it you make one first, so they have a pattern to follow. You could substitute the construction paper tail feathers with leaves from your yard, or even feathers if you have some on hand too!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfvmVy5uIPLDqiBTBNy-GiAm632SW5mLovPulfcJFR1gJB_yz1R2oQ8oOUj6WSNHR3hf6pM-bNnS-9FUBeOIeHI-ezuOwjia5scK00F7dtcncrGA6m-EWMosi39OZGCbvsbmtBKibl5g/s1600/1btur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfvmVy5uIPLDqiBTBNy-GiAm632SW5mLovPulfcJFR1gJB_yz1R2oQ8oOUj6WSNHR3hf6pM-bNnS-9FUBeOIeHI-ezuOwjia5scK00F7dtcncrGA6m-EWMosi39OZGCbvsbmtBKibl5g/s200/1btur.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Footprint Turkey </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I loved this turkey! All you need is a piece of construction paper bigger than your child's foot, tempera paint, and fabric scraps (although let your imagination run wild for the tail "feathers"). What an adorable little keepsake. And wouldn't it be fun if everyone in the family did this!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EgwrLmXO3ZvbmeYtUG2bSFzbtCSSXR_lURcDZYjiSPjJ5jiLllEVhzajgvD80ZZ62X6nt0kg-dYvaGSdyw42X_cygfLG_ws-5eOABeO-WKMZbXEtQKFI1HP7kqwB49cboHzrfpLWG6Q/s1600/1gtur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EgwrLmXO3ZvbmeYtUG2bSFzbtCSSXR_lURcDZYjiSPjJ5jiLllEVhzajgvD80ZZ62X6nt0kg-dYvaGSdyw42X_cygfLG_ws-5eOABeO-WKMZbXEtQKFI1HP7kqwB49cboHzrfpLWG6Q/s320/1gtur.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> Hand print Turkey</b></span></span></div><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another adorable keepsake creation using your child's hand as the turkey. They get to draw the legs, eye, beaks, and that flappy thing on top of the turkey's head, and then have them sign it. Let them choose the color of the tempera paint! This would make a great welcome sign if you're having guests over, or even a wonderful personalized gift for family members who may not be able to be with you. Regardless, these are those priceless treasures you'll pull out 20-years from now and remember the time you spent making this with them......and trust me.......it will be one of their treasures when they're grown up too!</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIoH5_v6DCquvlKSYrVbUap-vH-z7qR-s8T746OF5IYmtz6Z8ER2flNw9ek19yzbsxdy_taH6Q2gIM_xYK5TVaalO1q7H84ra3aruUT_yUySrmjubUjmA5IKtSxIj4YBR-UFNdOsfmgk/s1600/1etur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIoH5_v6DCquvlKSYrVbUap-vH-z7qR-s8T746OF5IYmtz6Z8ER2flNw9ek19yzbsxdy_taH6Q2gIM_xYK5TVaalO1q7H84ra3aruUT_yUySrmjubUjmA5IKtSxIj4YBR-UFNdOsfmgk/s200/1etur.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Toilet Paper Tube Family </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This would make an adorable project and you could include all the members of your family! You cover the toilet paper tubes with construction paper, draw on the features of the face, and as you can see, cut out a few extra details to make your Thanksgiving family complete! Your kids will love telling everyone who's who in the group!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKfHFacX8EI22Bj29pgFjOpyGIh-g8e5QXZkXDvzMf0du7bGFgyYgI59Tk1bnl2R8kNlgiQRkUFLWkZkn2WD8aakUkJwAJI4NFVzYVLqrGnrvSnslgQHo0APrxi7_LjAx1yiGaIPNCQw/s1600/1vtur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKfHFacX8EI22Bj29pgFjOpyGIh-g8e5QXZkXDvzMf0du7bGFgyYgI59Tk1bnl2R8kNlgiQRkUFLWkZkn2WD8aakUkJwAJI4NFVzYVLqrGnrvSnslgQHo0APrxi7_LjAx1yiGaIPNCQw/s200/1vtur.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here's a variation of the Thanksgiving family idea. Using construction paper cutouts, create the members of your family and glue them to construction paper. Label each person's name, and this will no doubt bring lots of laughter as you admire the artwork.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Edible crafts!</b> </span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Oh yum! </span></span>You know the kids of all ages will love making any of</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNT9VLLSLIyjzQX4SR8ZUVWR5Si-0l4G4GvzC1L7Tv9CGKrioXlsUXZt30nnigR5IybriKCjoBzbdbQgrg59Y2r6Yzs1hBgIsHQs9WgiXlZEhP_5qdnWlzJLgSE8go5atavdZ8MEoRnA/s1600/1mtur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNT9VLLSLIyjzQX4SR8ZUVWR5Si-0l4G4GvzC1L7Tv9CGKrioXlsUXZt30nnigR5IybriKCjoBzbdbQgrg59Y2r6Yzs1hBgIsHQs9WgiXlZEhP_5qdnWlzJLgSE8go5atavdZ8MEoRnA/s200/1mtur.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">these! So pick your "poison" or "passion" and create away with wild abandon! obviously some of these are a little more healthful than others, but the point is, stimulate your child's creativity, let them prove to themselves they can be creative, and then enjoy the results!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JWuOlrPOVES9RB3w6juvc8UX0dUXuKhtf-W-sU8NqWqFgjq-Dx4STOmWqxydQZM85Y9ZEtf6eQ-f7LqvgFywlczOPplF9kChosz6V7bt0jzZAEBQ8yAVnvkd4QoOVUXSuWY2nvJ9RuM/s1600/1utur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_JWuOlrPOVES9RB3w6juvc8UX0dUXuKhtf-W-sU8NqWqFgjq-Dx4STOmWqxydQZM85Y9ZEtf6eQ-f7LqvgFywlczOPplF9kChosz6V7bt0jzZAEBQ8yAVnvkd4QoOVUXSuWY2nvJ9RuM/s320/1utur.jpg" width="257" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Who doesn't love gumdrops! You'll need large and small ones, some toothpicks, and the creative spirit!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj3x14hTw-qG6BHcFwPPKHpHfzz9DWjEEM-G6i9cxoRGm0pZVwpIeF6NtGClozJkxRNUj0S1RY8lHNa2dti4Gta90mq8LsLHR8XAm5Z6idZPz77e7iT8CYbDD7I3E-brgTxDYUuynnxs/s1600/1rtur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoj3x14hTw-qG6BHcFwPPKHpHfzz9DWjEEM-G6i9cxoRGm0pZVwpIeF6NtGClozJkxRNUj0S1RY8lHNa2dti4Gta90mq8LsLHR8XAm5Z6idZPz77e7iT8CYbDD7I3E-brgTxDYUuynnxs/s200/1rtur.jpg" width="189" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Apples, Grapes, Popcorn & Pretzels! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(Hint--the grapes and popcorn are secured with toothpicks.)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbC9TmxjABc_pIkJtdRkQ597YaHZhMRcQ4FAlhfPnm9E-lkNSWBywTCAp-pO_LqsBuYZbiialGlukJ-bEQY1Os0FSgsalYDdbiP-o26V9qbztf49MYtwKrylfKcV0hSV_Pe533FWPxLE/s1600/1cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbC9TmxjABc_pIkJtdRkQ597YaHZhMRcQ4FAlhfPnm9E-lkNSWBywTCAp-pO_LqsBuYZbiialGlukJ-bEQY1Os0FSgsalYDdbiP-o26V9qbztf49MYtwKrylfKcV0hSV_Pe533FWPxLE/s200/1cookie.jpg" width="200" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Turkey Cookies are always a hit, and actually pretty easy to make. Everything is "glued" together with gel icing! You'll need Oreo Cookies, Candy Corn, Whoppers, Miniature Reece's Cups & Gel Icing.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hand Wreath</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJWm70eWiZ4v8wyUakdWqMM9Ov67XD0GbQ49OPXyDBGbg0o6vMo4EwhzD-Oc65DNds3rOwWlHvz5FMHUGbiM4T0AhLA5ptqrqm-bI-J6QMIYF_OmVd7l8WTGOj6BFwDirLSEOnlXncIg/s1600/1ftur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJWm70eWiZ4v8wyUakdWqMM9Ov67XD0GbQ49OPXyDBGbg0o6vMo4EwhzD-Oc65DNds3rOwWlHvz5FMHUGbiM4T0AhLA5ptqrqm-bI-J6QMIYF_OmVd7l8WTGOj6BFwDirLSEOnlXncIg/s200/1ftur.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What I love about this is the personal touch. If it were me making this, I'd be tracing everybody's hands, and cutting them out to make this wreath. I mean, after all, Thanksgiving is all about celebrating with your family, so why not! Besides, having different sizes of hands would make it really interesting. And, as I was looking at this, I thought, it's great for a door, but also how about putting a candle in the center on your table! Wouldn't that be awesome. Throw in a little glitter....this would make a great centerpiece!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7u7pQZVCE34rXzE01kPkN1QoMPxn9NaugO0F2vXMnpvXYkr4-kZTVbGGuCuX6r8JQgXrxXauS6ziqFkAKTemq49mCg9YZ0ZA0xaDYnZtEsv2BjMk2szObMiyeFincZy7fleWR_ubhHs/s1600/1htur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7u7pQZVCE34rXzE01kPkN1QoMPxn9NaugO0F2vXMnpvXYkr4-kZTVbGGuCuX6r8JQgXrxXauS6ziqFkAKTemq49mCg9YZ0ZA0xaDYnZtEsv2BjMk2szObMiyeFincZy7fleWR_ubhHs/s320/1htur.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here's an precious idea......create a little memory book. The one thing I realized after my children were grown, is I had forgotten their tiny little voices, a lot of the cute things they said, and what they thought about things. That is until I started converting my old movie tapes to DVD's, and going through their creations they made when they were little. This is a great way to create a remembrance of this year, to be treasured and "oooed & awed" over when their all grown up. To make the book, fold one sheet of construction paper in half, punch holes on the folded side, then cut pages to fit and punch those with holes. Secure the pages with ribbon or twine, and let your children decorate the front in whatever way they want, and then fill the pages with things they are grateful for, or funny stories they like to talk about. Whatever they decide to fill their book with, it will surely be a treasure!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_4XgYmV4lel8b8xRcNaO8ooljxBGdjlyFQXiFu0Cg5lbX706S69qzn2VNrjKzFxWNnOlCOT1Dwof1-wGwuNVg6zdrnk9B5_ujjVBQT2x8PSK0S_OqmfaQ9JPC6Y-h8euo-tV_xbGpYk/s1600/1jtur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_4XgYmV4lel8b8xRcNaO8ooljxBGdjlyFQXiFu0Cg5lbX706S69qzn2VNrjKzFxWNnOlCOT1Dwof1-wGwuNVg6zdrnk9B5_ujjVBQT2x8PSK0S_OqmfaQ9JPC6Y-h8euo-tV_xbGpYk/s200/1jtur.jpg" width="165" /></a><b><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pine Cone Turkeys</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you live in an area with pine trees, then this is the time of year to gather them up. And, you know they come in every size imaginable. Just be sure to either bake them in your oven, or put them in a microwave to make sure you didn't bring any uninvited guests in with them! You can see here you can use your child's hand cut out of construction paper for the tail feathers, or simple strips of paper, and again.....let your imagination run wild. There's no right or wrong way to create your turkey! These would be cute scattered around the dining table, and would certainly start some interesting conversations!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhto4ysJIShEw35-fe3DUYOU2_AA7gyOUZ8qwIBLY1nuLGdp6IBYS8CU9Yro700-qZvUPBZ-omAyMg-xhK_lA8wETIT-dD4A71wvVRNwbSFtkenAxukbDSWYlJ2gBROtoZ3hptbPsbs7Cs/s1600/1stur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhto4ysJIShEw35-fe3DUYOU2_AA7gyOUZ8qwIBLY1nuLGdp6IBYS8CU9Yro700-qZvUPBZ-omAyMg-xhK_lA8wETIT-dD4A71wvVRNwbSFtkenAxukbDSWYlJ2gBROtoZ3hptbPsbs7Cs/s1600/1stur.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <b><span style="color: #4c1130;">Headbands</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do you honestly know any child that doesn't love to put on a headpiece? This is a cute example of a headband with a turkey "motif", although the traditional headband is usually the Indian design with one feather. It's so easy to do too! Just measure around your child's head and cut your paper a couple inches longer. I'd advise using a staple to secure the two ends. Before you staple it though, make sure your child is finished decorating it however they want it to look.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just have fun......</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">remember.......</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">it's the time you spend with </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">your children that matters most!</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0