No tricks - just treats! :-]

HAPPY  HALLOWEEN !! :-)
     here are some fun treats for you ;->
                                                                                        
Carve Your Own Pumpkin

Apple Pickin Time

And now a sing-a-long -
    (to the tune of "I Wish I were An Oscar Meyer Wiener")

o/~Oh I wish I were an orange jack-o-lantern,
      That is what I'd truly like to be-e-e,
      Cuz if I were an orange Jack-o-lantern,
      Everyone would look and laugh at me! :-]

      Oh I just became an orange jack-o-lantern,
      Now I am as happy as can be-e-e,
      Cuz now that I'm an orange jack-o-lantern,
      everyone is lookin and laughing at me! :-)

      Oh I hate being a orange jack-o-lantern,
      Why'd I ever wanna be a thing like this-is-is?!
      Cuz now I'm not an orange jack-o-lantern,
       I'm just an orange squashed up mess!! :-(  o/~

 And the adult version of the ole trick-or-treat song -
o/~ Trick-or-treat,
       See-e, I'm sweet o;-)
       I need something choc-o-late to eat!!! o/~

The 2010 "I'm thankful for :" Challenge -

           (I found this picture on-line years ago, no idea where, sorry!)

    In the past, I have talked about how being thankful is an attitude. An attitude that we should adopt. We need to strive to be 'the glass is half full' *  type of people.  Having a thankful attitude creates a far more positive outlook / perspective on life, thus drastic improving our 'coping with life' skills.
     While we 'should' have a "I'm thankful for:" list, that we frequently re-read and continually add to, most of us wait till around Thanksgiving to actually get around to making that years list, or at the least, mentally thinking about one.
     Yes, I just admitted that I too am guilty of not always physically writing my list down. So I decided that for the month of November, I am going to strive to daily take action on that. And then the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of encouraging all of you to join me in doing so too.
     Therefore (according to, and because of [o;-p]), I am hereby issuing a challenge to each and every one of you, whether you have a blog of your own or not.
     For the entire month of November -
~  if your a blog owner - daily post on your own blog something specific that you are thankful for. If you sometimes want to include a picture of the item, your welcome to. It's YOUR "I'm thankful for:" list, do it the way your most comfortable with. You could include it at the top or the bottom of what ever else your posting that day, or you could make it it's own separate posting every day.
~ for those of you whom don't have your own blog: you are highly encouraged to participate anyways!!!!  Daily visit our blog and leave that day's "I'm thankful for:" item as a comment under what we post as being thankful for that particular day. Since you don't have a blog of your own, you can comment under the 'anonymous' category, thou we do ask that you add your name either before or after your "I'm thankful for:".

    Fellow bloggers - both in the spirit of encouraging one another to do this, as well as the usual always wanting others to visit our sites, we will be "publishing" a listing of all of you whom decide to rise to our challenge. Just leave your name and a link to your site in the comment section of this particular posting. We will then come back and edit this posting and add your names and sites at the bottom of this posting. (Hopefully that makes sense.)  For the course of the month of November, we will also feature a special link to this posting on our side bar, so that others can easily access the whole list. 

   Now, about the * near the beginning of this posting - keeping in mind that humor reigns in this household, our eldest son's high school Sr. quote was - "I don't care if the glass is half empty or half full, all I know is I ordered a cheeseburger!!" ;-p 
   I know it's not yet November, but I am V-E-R-Y thankful for humor!!!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The 2010 "I'm Thankful for: " Challenge  Participants:

DeAnna from Coffee On The Table

Cate from Call Me Cate

'my' Kate, via her Facebook page

Martha (MM) from Meandering - Martha

Katy Lin  from The Great Adventure 

When do you actually have 'enough'?

    Most of you have probably heard the old expression, "enough is enough already!". Usually, that line is used in reference to some type of behavior. That is not the type of 'enough' I'm talking about today. Rather, I'm questioning at what point is 'enough' reached, when accumulating different types of 'stuff'.  Here are some examples:
      How many stuffed animals must a child own, for the amount of them to qualify as 'enough'? And, do they need an increased number of them, or a decreased number of them the older they get, to still qualify as 'enough'?
      If a person owns enough clothing that they can wear a completely different outfit* every day for an entire month, no matter what season it is, does that then qualify them as having 'enough' clothing?  Or should it be enough for two months?  And by completely different outfit*, I am not referring to mixing and matching tops and bottoms to come up with a different outfit. I mean totally different outfits.
     Along those same lines, how many pairs of shoes does it take to qualify as 'enough'?  What about pieces of jewelery? Or hand bags? Or coats? Or..... ?
     How many collectibles / nick knacks / do-dad's does it take, for it to be 'enough'? And, at what point does it go from being 'enough', to being, well, to put it bluntly, ridiculous? Is that latter point reached when you walk into a home and yet you begin to wonder if perhaps it's actually a shop? Or does the point of 'enough' come yet further down the road?
     Some people stock pile groceries. How many bags of different types of snack chips does it take to qualify as 'enough'? [Notice I didn't ask about bags of chocolate chips o;-p]
     How many pads of paper, markers, pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. does it take to have 'enough' or be well-stocked for a school year?
     I could go on and on with my 'for instances-es', but I'm sure you've caught on to what I'm referring to.
    And for the record, NO, I am not at all referring to 'hoarders', such as you see on the so called cable TV show, or even often on 'Pickers', for that matter. I'm just talking about "normal people" (whom ever in the heck they are ;-p).
     The real irony with this whole subject, is that the amount of 'enough' is such an individually decided point. The irony is then topped off by the fact, that often the people around you have a totally different perspective of where your 'enough' point should be / or should have been.
      Another for the record - or should that be 'disclaimer' ? o;-)  Yes, I have been pondering this here subject due to going through 'stuff' in our own house. But I am not writing this to try to make a point to anybody in my house, or any other such thing. Rather, that pondering has been topped off by a lot of other peoples 'enough's' - especially as talked about by people other than themselves. Does that make sense?
     But I'm curious, at what point do you think 'enough' of something has been obtained? This 'inquiring mind' would like to know ;-)

I was trying to be helpful ...

      In the past, I have shared tales with you about how sometimes Brain and I can be communicating and yet not - all at the same time.
      Today, I am going to tell you about a situation where I 'thought' I was being helpful, yet was I? And this time, the occurrence had to do with our oldest son, Byron.
      Yes, I am out-of-state at our son, daughter-in-loves and (adorable) grand daughter's home again. ( :-D !!)
      The other day Byron was sleeping during the day, due to having worked the overnight shift the night before. Cyndi was at work. And this grandma was 'sacrificing' and tending to Analyse [pronounced Auna-lease] ( o;-p ).
       'The kids' had asked for my assistance is sorting through Analyse's clothes. So we were in her room starting that there process. We were of course talking to one another. Sometimes, due to her pulling clothes I had just folded and stacked, back off the surface I was doing such on. Such an imp! Goodness. :-p But other times, it was due to her showing me this or that toy, etc..  My clue to when I hadn't responded quickly enough (in her way of thinking at least), was when she would state "GA-A-A...MA!" ;-b!
       A-n-y-ways, we had been in there for a short while, when it dawned on me that we might be disturbing Byron's sleep due to the baby monitor being on. So I went over and turned the part in her room off. From my perspective - definitely being helpful!!! ;-)
        That evening I learned, that when you turn the baby monitor off in Analyse's room, it makes the system start putting forth a static type sound in the base end, which is in Byron and Cyndi's room. You know - static, like you sometimes get on the radio when trying to tune in stations. Or the sound you hear on a cell phone, when the person on the other end is also messing with a bag of chips. Yeah - static!
       Byron said he had woke up due to his brain not being able to adequately register what it was hearing.
        And then, once he figured out what the sound was, he couldn't find "the darn thing!".
       Also in attempting to be helpful, I had tightly closed their bedroom door so Analyse wouldn't wander in there. What I hadn't done, was to first verify where both of their cats were, thus making sure I hadn't locked either of them in there. Yup, you guessed it. One of the cats was not only in there, but had knocked the base of the baby monitor off behind the night stand. And as if that wasn't bad enough, it had also knocked other stuff off on top of it, so that Byron hadn't spotted the monitor base when he looked back there. The big question became, how did the cat knock the monitor off so that the speaker was about a half inch from the wall, and thus the sound was bouncing off of the wall, and yet the other stuff it had knocked off only landed on top of the monitor base, not between it and the wall?!?!!! Gee-sh!!!
      So all in all, two of the things which I had done, thinking that I was being helpful... well... really glad that Byron KNEW that was what my intentions had been!!! (insert rolling eyes here)
       
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
  Seeings how both my home state and the state that they live in, have both had nights recently, where the weather stations have issued "Severe Frost Warning", I figure it's time to again remind you of the 'details' lists for prepping both your home and your car for winter.

    "Preparing For Winter"

    "Winterizing Your Car"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "Market Yourself Monday", are hosted by Sumo, at 'Sumo's Sweet Stuff' (http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/)

~ "Whatever Goes Wednesday('s), hosted by Michelle, at 'Someday Crafts'
(http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/)

upcoming Antiques Show -

    Last night, Brian said that he had heard something about the local Rotary Club sponsoring a huge Antiques Show sometime soon at the Delta Plex.  I knew that that meant he wanted me to look up info on/about it. I also knew that many of you would want me to share the info. with you as well.  So here it is o;-).

      "Rotary Antique Show :

November 05, 2010 5:00pm - 9:00pm
November 06, 2010 10:00am - 7:00pm
November 07, 2010 10:00am - 4:00pm

Vintage, Antiques, & Collectibles Sale A Charitable Shopping EXTRAVAGANZA of fashion, furniture, & memorabilia Featuring 75 antique dealers, sports lounge, & café Friday 5pm-9pm Saturday 10am-7pm Sunday 10am-4pm The Rotary Antique Show Website!


Ticket price is $7.00"


   And on the 'Rotary's' Show site, I found:

Friday Night
Vintage Fashion Show
Live Music

Saturday Noon - 4pm
Appraisals with Caroline Ashleigh
and Siegal Jewelers
Appraisals 1 for $15, 2 for $20

Sunday
Free admission with a case of juice boxes
for Kids Food Basket

All Show Hours –
Gold & Jewelry Buying with Siegel Jewelers
Crystal & China Repair  “While You Wait”
Free Parking
Raffle & Door Prizes

Purchase $5 Discount Tickets Through Oct 15th
General admission $7 at the door
Children 17 & under free
Free Parking

The Rotary's site also had something which would be of interest to lovers of shoes ....  go to their site to see ;-p

Let us know if you go, and what you couldn't leave sitting there o;-)

I LIKE the contents of the package !!!

 The Package arrived today and I have already started using it!!! :-)

..

...

....

     See?!?!!!  I knew I was not the only one whom likes 'details'!!!!  o;-p !!! chuckle, chuckle ...

     Back on Oct. 8th, I had received an email from Alicia Rockmore questioning if I would be interested in doing a product review for Smead (TM). They wanted me to put to use and then do a product review on some of Smead's (TM) new file folders. Yup, right up my alley!!! I asked Brian about it and he said to go for it, as long as we weren't out any money. "What's there to lose?"  So I told Alicia yes and sent her our mailing info..
     For those of you whom aren't remembering whom Alicia is, She is the founder of 'Get Buttoned Up'. I had posted one of her ideas that I had stumbled upon in an old magazine, in this posting. Alicia's 'right hand gal' is Anne Marie. I have had email correspondence with both of them over the last couple of weeks. I still get a wonderful chuckle out of their blog's by-line: "Tips and Tools For Getting Imperfectly Organized". Most of us are that type of organized, huh?!?!!

     Here is a picture of the contents of the package, for your viewing pleasure. ;-p :

   
      Originally when I said I would do it, I had no idea what exactly I was going to use the file folders for. But once I opened the package and started taking pictures of it's contents, the answer came to me. The "financial records" drawer of our file cabinet!! Yes, there were already files in folders in there. This is what the drawer looked like:

     Even though Brian is a good sport and will often go looking for things himself, he has always had trouble finding the right file folder. As have the boys upon occasion, like when they are looking for a vehicle title, or some such.  The new folders have such nice large tabs on them, thus making it possible for you to write larger and clearer, that it should definitely aid them in their searching!!
    Speaking of the new styled tabs, here is a picture of what the little flier instructed about them:

    Instead of each end of the tab having a little piece that slides into the slot on the folder, the tabs have little knob like things on them, which sink into the slots. I had put one tab in the wrong place and at first got frustrated when attempting to move it. It was hard to move!!! But then I chuckled at myself (yes, that happens on a regular basis.). How often have I gotten frustrated with the old style tabs, due to them coming loose while I have a file folder out of the drawer?!?  I bet I won't have that problem with these!
    The flier also stated they were "easy slide tabs". It took me a second to figure out how to get the paper into the plastic tabs. The tabs are sealed at the bottom. With the old style, you opened the tabs up from the bottom and slid the paper up into the top. Hum mmm. But then I attempted to slide it in from the back side of the top. They inserted ever so smoothly!
    Seeings how I strive hard to be totally honest as well as real on this blog, I will also admit this next part to you. While it was easy to slide the paper into the top from the back, I only seemed to be able to slide it in to the end of the paper. That meant the paper was not centered in the tab. I know that for some of you, that would be no big deal. Let's just say it's one of my inconsequential O.C.D. traits o;-p  I tried using the pointed tip of a pen top to move the paper, but it wouldn't fit into the tab. :-(   So I just left them. Well, that is, until way into setting things up, when my fingers felt the paper through the back of the file tab. What?!?  I looked. There is a slot back there by which you can maneuver the paper to where you want it. Yes, mine are now all nicely centered. ;-p

       The package of hanging file folders they sent me, contained red, yellow and blue folders. Previously, I had also been using orange, bright and dark green folders. I both liked the cheerfulness of the multi-colored look, as well as making it easier for me to remember where things were. Such as, the utility bills were in the bright green folder. I shall now have to re-train my brain (who said "that's no easy task"?!!? ;-p). But at least these new tabs are ever so much easier to read!
      And no, I am not just saying that due to my age and how they are now making print smaller than they use to ... !!! Brent just came in and was very impressed with how easy they were to read, and was pointing out the difference between the new size and the old ones to Kayla!!! (I will refrain from saying "so there!" o:-p)
     The new styled hanging folders also have much heavier metal hanging 'rods' in them. It will be some time before I learn whether the new folders are also sealed better where those 'rods' are, or if I again need to staple along the tops of the folders to help keep the 'rods' in place. Time will also reveal if these thicker rods slide out the ends of the folders when the folders are removed from the drawer, as easily as the old style use to.
      Here is a closer up picture of the package of hanging file folders, as well as a link to where you can order your own :
  [The hanging file folders are called "Tuff (TM) Hanging Folders" ]

    The package had also contained some manila file folders. They too have large sized tabs. :-)  I did use a few of them in with the hanging files in our financial files drawer. I am definitely now a fan of the large sized tabs!!! Here is a close up picture of the manila file folders, as well as a link to where you can order some for yourself :
[They had only shipped me the manila ones, but there are colored ones available for you to order]
[The manila folders are called "New Heavy Weight Super Tab Folders"]  



     As you can see in the picture below, they had also included a one pocketed folder, which had contained various fliers. That individual folder will come in mighty handy! Like when I have a clipboard of lists for doing the food for something. Receipts will slide into that pocket ever so nicely, and the folder won't slide lose like envelopes have a tendency to.

     One of the fliers is about 'Smead Organomics'. "The "Go To" website for getting organized."  Here is a close up picture of that flier, as well as a link to their web site:

      Here is what our file drawer now looks like:

     So.... I said yes to reviewing the products, the package finally arrived, and I put it straight to use! And yes, I am impressed with the product! And no, I would not say that if I wasn't!! Honest!!!
     I was also asked to provide a link to Smead's Face book page. Here it is.

:-)  ... :-) ... :-) ... :-) ... :-) ...
check out these postings for more ideas on ways to use file folders ;-)
"Life Files" - great for baby shower gifts, etc.

"2 Calenders And A File Box" - so the whole family can keep track of events

"Non Tax Important Papers To Save"


"Clippings from magazines, etc."


You have now seen our financial files.

And soon I shall be doing a posting about my two types of recipe files ;-)
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"For the Record"  Disclosure :
    Yes, We are being paid / compensated for doing this particular posting.
    First off, all of the filing products were shipped to us completely free of charge. :-)
    Secondly, We will be sent a $20 (twenty dollar) gift card to Target after this particular posting is officially posted on our blog.
   Nice, huh?  ;-)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

(NEXT WEEK) I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "Market Yourself Monday", are hosted by Sumo, at 'Sumo's Sweet Stuff' (http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/)
~ "Whatever Goes Wednesday('s), hosted by Michelle, at 'Someday Crafts'
(http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/)

Blog Theme Day Hosts - If it is a problem that I got 'paid' for doing this particular posting, please let me know and I shall remove my link from your blog theme day. Thanks!

now off of the list v/

       I have done a great deal of pondering over whether or not I was going to do the 'in my mind' proposed postings for this series. Perhaps I should just skip posting about them ... Or maybe I could post them without admitting how long these particular things have been on our 'to-do' lists .... but most likely somebody would remember that I had posted about them going to be done, or needing to be done, (or whatever applies to a particular posting) way back when ....  Then again, maybe if I did both post them and admit to how long they had been on our list, it would be encouragement to others that they too could tackle things which have been on their own lists for a long time .... And around and around the pondering went ....
      And then one day last week our neighbor / friend Chris settled it for me. Brandon and I were at their house - Chris was driving Brandon to get additional parts for his 'in the process of being worked on' truck, and Chris's wife Amy was again being my chauffeur - this time running me to the bank and an attempted grocery shopping expedition.
     A-n-y-ways, Chris pointed out a project he had just finished, and talked about when it was that he had actually started working on their dining room....   Chris, it looks sharp! And thanks for un-knowingly helping me decide on whether or not to post these posting and openly admit about them being on our list for a long time! ;-)
      HOPEFULLY, many of you reading these will be inspired/ encouraged to keep at your 'lists' too!!! ;-)

      [inserted note here - v/ = the closest thing I could make to a check mark! )

      Now off the list - no. 1 -

      Decorating the den. Okay, I see those questioning raised eyebrows. Your asking why 'decorating the den' would be something that remained on our 'to do' list for a long time. In deciding to actually do these postings, I also decided that I am not going to try and 'splain away, or make excuses, for why they remained un-done for so long. All I will say for this particular one, is that in this house, the den is right off of the dining room, and over the years, it has become a great "oh, just put it in there out of the way for now" area. I know lots of you have similar areas, and some of you will even admit to having them o;-p.

     Many years ago now, Brian and I had stopped at an Estate Sale out in an area we seldom traverse ... maybe it was while "Mandy" was living with us and we were driving her back and forth from her special school, not sure. Any-ways, as you have caught on to, I remember both where this particular Estate Sale was, and even what the inside of the house was like. Usually we travel together through such sales. That time, we both seemed to be being pulled this or that way from one another. I remember having gone looking for Brian, spotted him in an area that didn't contain anything which captured my fancy, so I wandered away again. Then I went back to check on him, and then again, and then... what in the world has he found, that's got him so enthralled?!?!!!
     It was this envelope -

      As many of you know, Brian is a HUGE Muppet's fan!!! The Muppet's Show started airing around the same time as when we got married. We use to literally schedule our life around being home to watch that show! (hey, that was before VCR's, etc.!!!  Yeah, ancient history ;-p)
     Inside the envelope Brian had spotted, were six (6) very detailed sketched drawings of three (3) of The Muppet characters. One wasn't that impressive, but the other five... they were indeed impressive! The large brown envelope even included the original mailing label! There was no way we weren't buying them!
      Over time we have also collected lots of The Muppet's movies, and some of their books, as well as this and that thing .... always with the intention of displaying all of them together some how.
      Then a few years ago the boys and I decided that for that years Father's Day, we were going to purchase nice frames for the drawings, and decorate the den with a Muppet's theme.
      We got the frames purchased.... We got all of the misc. 'stuff' into the den... but we never actually got around to packing up the other 'decorations' that were in there, etc.. Thus the project remained on the infamous 'to - do' list.

       I am ever so happy to report that it's now been checked off of that list!!! :-D  With Benson helping me carry out all of the stuff that was in there so I could pack it away for now, and Brandon doing some extreme dusting, and Brent hanging and arranging things for me.... the project got completed!! :-)

       That evening I had the lights in the den on when Brain got home, so he glanced in there while walking by, and then he did good! Brian usually does not get all that excited over things - but he glanced in there while walking by, stopped, backed up, turned and walked into the room while loudly declaring "Oh WOW!".   :->!!!
        Here are pictures of what he spotted -

               (Still need to get a frame for the Life magazine ...)

                    (The Muppet's Christmas Carol is a yearly MUST WATCH in this house!!!)

    (see the 'pink bunny' sitting contently in Kermit's arms, recognize them from our 'profile picture'? ;-p)


         HOPEFULLY,  you too have now been encouraged to tackle something which has long been on your 'to-do' list!   If so, tell us about it!

- * - * - * - * - * - * - * -
For the record - NO, Brian is NOT interested in collecting any and every thing Muppet's related .....

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "2nd Time Around Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Diane, at 'A Picture is Worth 1,000 words' (http://diane1876.blogspot.com/),
~ "Market Yourself Monday", are hosted by Sumo, at 'Sumo's Sweet Stuff' (http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/)
  ~ "DIY Day('s) {Do it yourself day('s)}", are hosted by Kimba, at ASPTL (A Soft Place To Land) (http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/).
~ "Whatever Goes Wednesday('s), hosted by Michelle, at 'Someday Crafts'
(http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/)

Princess Diana

    I was a big fan of Princess Diana. From my perspective, we had several things in common. She was a school teacher, I had started towards getting my teaching certificate (remember, instead I got my Mrs. and Mom degrees ;-p).  Most often, she wore more casual style (aka: comfortable type) clothing, definitely the type I prefer!  We got married around the same time, although her's did receive a bit more attention than mine did ;-p. And we had sons around the same time period.
    That latter similarity provided me a great deal of chuckle, at the medias expense. Oh my goodness did it. At the time, the media made HUGE deals out of the fact that Lady Diana was headed home from the hospital, only so many hours after having delivered Prince William. They presented it as though it really was some feat she was accomplishing. What they failed to consider in, was the fact that at home, she had a private nurse, and a nanny, and a cook, and a house keeper, and a chauffeur, and gardeners, and a secretary, and a laundress, and all kinds of other helpers. But typical media, they were all about the hype. They haven't changed much have they? ;-p
     I will admit that I cried when the news came out that she had died. I cried, a lot!!! While I never have been to keen on her husband, I was a big fan of Princess Diana!!!
     So I smiled broadly when I got up the other morning and found a small flier taped to the microwave. (inserted tip here - the door of the microwave is a great place to tape notes for the family!! For some reason, they always get noticed when hanging in that location ;-p ).
      Benson and a friend had taken advantage of the one dollar admission fee to the art museum the day before, and he knew that an upcoming exhibit would be of interest to me. Thanks for the flyer Benson!!!
     I, in turn, knew I should spread the news to all of you.  Oh, your welcome o;-b.

    "DIANA  a celebration."  "Novemeber 9, 2010 - February 16, 2011"
"This award-winning exhibition showcases the life and humanitarian work of the 20th century's most remarkable women, Diana, Princess of Wales. The exhibition's nine galleries feature more than 150 personal objects including her royal wedding gown, 28 designer dresses, family heirlooms, personal mementos and rare movies."
                  GRAM
                  Grand Rapids
                  Art Museum

                  Presented by:
                  Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation

    From the back of the flier :
Ticket Prices (includes admission fee):
Adult: $20,  Senior (62+): $18,  Student (with ID): $18, Youth (6 - 17): $15, Children 5 and under: free, Tour groups: $15 (10 or more),  GRAM members: $5, Audio tours: $5
   Tickets can be purchases for a specific date and time, but walk-ins are welcome.

Tickets are available online at www.startickets.com,  at GRAM, all Star Tickets locations in Michigan Meijer stores, or by calling 800 - 585 - 3737

Special group packages:  Available for groups of 10 or more, contact grouptours@srtmuseum.org or 616 - 831 - 2931

GRAM hours:
Tuesday - Thursday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m.
Closed Mon.
visit artmuseum.org for special extended exhibition hours.


   PLEASE let me know if you go, as well as if you enjoy the exhibit or not!!!

Time with Reva :-)

    Reva picked me up and took me out this morning. Our first destination was one of my favorite haunts, which I have been missing horribly - 'Somewhere In Thyme', in Grandville.
   The main part of the first floor (*at least use to be) consignment items. The side rooms and upstairs are all 'dealer' booths. I did manage to make it through the main floor (we had gotten there shortly after they opened and thus it wasn't very busy at first, which helped!), then I found a patted seat and sent Reva off to explore the upstairs. She had said that it wasn't necessary, but I didn't want her missing some great find just cuz I was spinning.
    I did purchase two cute things, but due to whom they are for, I'm not saying any more about them just yet ;-). I will however give you a clue. The person they are for, well....her name starts with an 'A' and she is adorable!!! o;-p
    Reva found a dining table and chair set in one of the front window displays, that she really liked. We took pictures so she could show them to her husband. I'm posting the picture because it gives those of you whom are unfamiliar with the shop, a glimpse of what the shop is like.

     Yes, it has furniture, and dishes, and collectibles, and lines, and cute stuff and......

     I also of course had to have a picture of Reva and the neat painted wooden bowl she decided she couldn't leave there.

                                        [Isn't Reva pretty?!!!]

    A couple of weeks ago, when I had asked Brian if I could reserve the camera for today, because I was going out with Reva, he hadn't gotten the connection. I had said, "I'm a blogger and bloggers are suppose to take pictures of  EVERY-thing!  He had shaken his head while chuckling.

     Now, about the "*" by the words "at least use to be". Somewhere in Thyme's owner (Carol) has sold the business. The new owners are changing the name to 'Changing Thymes' and having a grand opening on Fri., Oct. 29th from 10 - 6 p.m. and Sat., Oct. 30th from 10 - 5 p.m.  Their notice reads, "Come as you are or wear your costume! Refreshments and treats provided! Maybe even some tricks."   The store is located on Chicago Drive in Grandville.

    After leaving Somewhere in Thyme, we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Yum! The funny thing was, we both ended up ordering almost identical lunches - their wonderful chicken and dumplings. I had mine with green beans, carrots and cottage cheese, she had spiced apples instead of the green beans. And of course we had their biscuits! :-)  Mine with blackberry jam, hers with honey. Definitely yummy!
    Michael, thanks for allowing your bride go out with me this morning! I enjoyed her company immensely!!! 
    Reva, thanks for continuing to be my friend! You are such a blessing!
    Brian, thanks for allowing me to retain friendships with 'my girls'!!!
    Lord, can you arrange it so we can get together again sometime?  Thanks!

from Brian ;-p

he had posted on Face-book -

" I lost my mood ring today. I don't know how I feel about losing it."

Announcing ....

Our (youngest) son

Brent

is now officially engaged to

Kayla

They have chosen October 15th, 2011

for their wedding day.

The Sound of Music o/~

     I am a HUGE fan of the movie 'The Sound of Music'.  The very first time I saw the movie, was shortly after I had my tonsils out, at the age of 21, due to my then fiance' (now he's my husband ;-) ) bringing over his small portable TV so I could watch it. Oh the brownie points that has earned him!!!
    In Nov., for my belated B-day gift from my husband, I am accompanying my sister to see the VonTrapp (grand children) Family Singers whom are currently touring this country.  I sure do hope they sing some of the songs from the movie! o/~  My heart wants to sing, ever-ry word.... o/~
    On Face-book I am a fan of 'The Sound of Music'. Here is some news from that page - "The Oprah Winfrey Show just shared with us a sneak preview of The Sound Of Music reunion episode on October 29th celebrating the 45th anniversary of this classic movie musical! "
    I am setting my U-Verse box to record that episode!!!!!    Knew you might want to do the same ;-)

Do you get it?

   There is something that occurs on a regular basis, that I totally don't get. You know me, I have of course pondered the whole situation, but I've come up with nothing. Not a good explanation. Not a bad explanation. Nothing!  I'm hoping one of you 'get's it', and that you'll also 'splain it to me.
   What don't I get?  Why they run ads / commercials for a show, in the middle of broadcasting that same show.
   In the middle of an episode for 'Monk', there will be a commercial promoting the TV show 'Monk'. In the middle of an episode of 'NCIS', there will be a commercial promoting 'NCIS'. And on the examples go.
    But I don't 'get it'. Why are they running a commercial promoting a show, in the middle of the show itself ?!?!??  Shouldn't they be running commercials only for other shows? You know, hoping to get you to watch other shows as well as the show your currently watching?
    Again, I totally don't 'get it'.  Do you?
    If you do, would you please 'splain it to me?

(-: Brandon :-)

     As of last night, it is one hundred percent official - our Brandon again has a job!! (-: 
     His new job is working at a local Taco Bell. He's officially on the schedule starting next weekend. AND, he's scheduled for over 35 hours his first week on the job. :-)
      ONLY management are allowed 40 hour weeks. Just like only management can get health insurance. But he found a job!
      True, he's most definitely making less an hour than he had before being laid off at his previous job. But now he is again employed!
      And also true, is the fact that he's making even less than he does working for the caterer. But he was on an 'on-call' basis at the caterer, so the work was definitely sporadic, and thus he could not count on getting pay checks on a regular basis. He should now be able to :-)
      We are proud of you Brandon, for getting out there and finding another job!!! :-D

Happy 10 10 10 day :-)

    TODAY is:
        
         The tenth (10) day of the month

        Of the tenth month of the year (October)

        Of the year Two Hundred and ten  (2010)

        Also Known As : 10 / 10 / 10   :-)

here in Michigan, today is one of "THE Day's"

      Those of us whom live here in Michigan, are divided by whether we live in the Upper or the Lower peninsula (and there are many jokes connected to that!).  We are divided by which of the Great Lakes we live closest to (MI is connected to all five!). We are divided by who does and who does not like our current Governor ( the 'don't likes' being un-able to figure out how she got re-elected for her second term). And we are divided by the "Year rounders" and the "Snow birds" (at the first sign of snow, they fly south till it's all gone again).
     But the biggest divider by far, is whether you are a fan of The University of Michigan, or Michigan State University. And don't ya dare ask "is there a difference?!?" That question is considered, well... just don't. Okay?  ;-p
     Uof M's colors are royal blue and gold. Michigan State's colors are green and white. The stores, resteraunts, streets, are full of people in one or the other color combination today.
     Why espically today you ask? (there-by displaying that you are not from these parts). Today is one of 'THE Day's' here in Michigan. We have two every year. One during the basketball season. And one during the football season. 'THE Day' that they play each other.
     Today, (actually the games starts in less than an half hour) is the day that the two teams (schools) play one another in football.
     As we were starting to drive into a nearby suburb last night, we spotted evidance that all were preparing for today! The local pizza/sports bar had added on a three season room this past year. Last night, one side of the room had blue sports "fringe" hanging from it's ceiling. The other half of the room had the green "fringe".
    Both of the stores we went into, were full of people wearing clothing in support of one or the other team.
   Many of the homes we drove by, had one or the other flag proudly hung out.
   But there were also homes which had both flags flying. That is not that uncommon of an occurance. We personnally know many a family, that on those two "THE Day's" of the year, are divided families. Some even divide their living room with a piece of black crepe paper taped down the middle of the room, on the carpet - where  it's  obvious! ! !
     Here in Michigan, planning a wedding on one of "THE Day's", is about as unthinkable as planning your wedding on Nov. 15th (opening day of deer season!!!). Because even if none of it matters to you, you can bet your sweet bippy that it matters to some of your relatives!

    Last night one of the cashiers asked us which side we were on. Brian and I laughed. Her eyebrow went up as she double checked our clothing (we weren't wearing anything at all sports related). I chuckled and said, "we've always been more into food and music than sports". She kind of got this 'are you kidding me' look. Brian then piped up with, "Yea, I always thought the football team was just there to amuse the crowd before and after the band's perforance. o;-p"   Both of her eyebrows went up!  ;-p Oh my. I smiled and stated, "And our sons played Soccer and Rugby". She relaxed, smiled, and said, "then you really don't get football do you? ;-)"

    Which side of the divide are you on?

from Brian -

copied to here from Brian's Facebook Page:

I don't mind going to work, but that 8 - hour wait to go home is Awful!

Dreamy ... If only .....

     So-o-o, have you seen the new commercial for the Honda Odyssey?!!?
     The scene opens with a couple walking out of a fancy-ish looking building. The couple appear to be around their mid-thirties(?).
     Suddenly everything goes dark, as though the lights everywhere have gone out. Slow-ly lightning bugs start fluttering on and off here and there and over there.
    The couple turn towards one another and you sense their questioning looks.
    The number of lightening bugs increase, as the romantic music starts - o/~ "You ask me how I fe-el, Smoke gets in my eye-es..." o/~
    The scene starts to lighten as the camera moves away from the couple and a full moon comes out from behind some of the tall trees now in the background.
    The music swells as the camera slowly zooms in on a mini van, which looks like it is sitting in a park like setting, on cement in front of the trees.
    Automatically the side passenger door starts sliding open and red rose petals magically start spilling out and blowing forward, while the music continues.
    I would be lax not to mention the street lamps behind either end of the turning van, which just happen to resemble candelabras.
    The tail gate of the van opens. A screen in the middle, near the front of the van, drops down, and displays a roaring fire grate.
    Something (not sure if it's suppose to be a middle glove/storage compartment, or what exactly) opens up AND IS FULL OF CHOCOLATE COATED STRAWBERRIES!
   The camera zooms back (yes, the music is still playing and you can still see fire flies) and in the luggage section of the van, you see a ginormous clam shell. The clam shell slowly opens and you see it's full of nicely nestled small size clam shells, which in turn open, each and every one of them revealing a pearl.
    Somewhere along the way, the camera did a quick zoom in on the couple, well, at least their inter twined hands.
    Then the words showing you the name and make of the van come on the screen.
 
   Whom ever created the commercial, did a humdinger of a job on making it 'dreamy'! Goodness!
    Now, if only everything displayed actually came with/in the van!

    I can very positively state that my nephew Isaiah would be headed to get his bride Breanna one! A van that always had fresh chocolate coated strawberries available for her. Oh yea yes! Even if that meant that Isaiah had to camp out for awhile to be first in line. You know, like some people do for concert tickets, or new video game releases, etc..
    Don't worry Isaiah, you won't be alone. I'll 'sacrifice' and send your uncle Brian B. to wait in line with you. ;-)  And I'm quite sure that Cyndi will be sending Byron to join your little party as well. ;-p

   Funny thing is, I'm ready to move away from driving a mini-van. I want a big 'ole four door, full box, 3/4 ton truck!!! (insert Tim the Tool Man Taylor noise here.  chuckle, chuckle...)
I wonder if any of those now come with chocolate covered strawberry dispensers... o;-)

Jordan's Bridal Shower :-)

      I attended our church's bridal shower for my friend Jordan last night. Yes, as I've mentioned before, Jordan is the daughter of my dear friend 'Jewels'. But Jordan and I are also friends. They are a double smile! :-) :->
    At first I was not going to participate in the game. Why not? Because they were passing out magazines to write on, and then papers, and I figured that it was going to be one of those fill in the blanks type, or perhaps an unscramble the words type. I have never been very good at either one, my mind just doesn't seem to click that way, so passing them up was no big loss. Plus, when you add in the challenges from having vertigo - reading across... trying to think - Pass!
    However, once the game got started, I decided to participate after all. I was just going to use the back of 'Jewels' paper, but then she decided to just let me play. She should have just said "No, you chose not to play", because I ended up winning the game. Seriously! ;-p
   Laurie W. was the overseer for the game part of the shower. After having had us draw a line down the middle of our papers, and put a plus sign at the top of one column and a minus sign at the top of the other; she explained that it was a 'poetic' game.
   Several people moaned. They thought we would have to give poetic type answers, or something. Nope. The game was questions, written in poetic form. Any of you whom would like to use this game idea yourselves, are free to just plain out and out ask the questions.
   There were varying points given (or taken away) for each of the questions.
   Due to some of the type of questions, I think that the game is really a rather 'older' one. Like what? Like you got points if you were wearing pearls. Laurie said that we could have it be pearls on a ring, or on earrings, or in a necklace.  Another one was if anybody had chosen to wear "stockings". Laurie explained to some that that meant nylons. I think it was Sandy H. whom commented, "Don't I get points for choosing NOT to wear any kind of socks what-so-ever?"  ;-p
    Laurie had admitted that they had added some of the lines themselves. While she wouldn't say which ones, we all knew that she had added the one about losing points for chewing gum, and how it negatively affected your teeth. Laurie is an dental hygienists. ;-p
    There was a question which equaled you getting two points per button on your clothing. However, if those buttons were blue, you then lost points. Why? Just because ;-p.
    You got ten points if you had kissed your husband that day. For those not married, you could get twenty points if you agreed to allow those in attendance to find a husband for you ;-p!
    You got points if you had made your bed that day. 'Jewels' commented about how her mom had always said that someday doing so would be important. "It sure took long enough for that day to get here!" ;-P!
    You got points if your toes were sticking out of your shoes. If you were wearing earrings (Laurie said no, you could not multiply the number by each pair of earrings in your ear, or any place else on your body for that matter. ;-p). If your nails were painted. If you were wearing roses (my shirt had lots of roses on it! Honest, I only gave myself the original amount of points!). If you'd made dinner for your family before coming. If you'd been early to the shower. If you knew the date of the wedding. If the couples picture was hanging on your fridge. If you had even one curl in your hair (they said that Jordan's sister-in-law Ashley, could NOT multiply that number by every estimated curl in her hair ;-p). If you were wearing heels. If your shoes were the color black. Etc.
    You lost points if you had a zipper in the back. If you had not fixed your family dinner. If you didn't even know what month their wedding was in. Etc.
    Between the questions and all of the comments, the game took awhile. But the time was so-o full of laughter, that it was really fun!!! And seeings how both Jordan and her mom are known for their laughter, it was also very appropriate!
    'Jewels' had tallied up my points for me, and I won! :-)
    What did I win?  A sort of pumpkin shaped, decorated around the top, woven basket; a pumpkin scented candle; and a magnetic note pad. I had laughed and said, "Hah! The 'boys' won't pull out my tubs of fall decorations for me, but now I have some anyways!" 'Jewels' and Barb Weer. had said, that the note pad was so I could write a note telling my 'boys' to get my decorations out for me. ;-p  I had walked over and given the candle to Elizabeth B., seeings how she had driven me there. You know, shipping fees. o;-p
    Seeing the gifts is always fun!  There were several neat ideas amongst them. A couple of them I am going to post about later. But I will tell you about a couple different ones.
    One was a fabric shopping bag. Inside was a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, along with all of the ingredients (except the eggs I think) for making them. Flour, brown sugar, choc. chips, butter, baking soda, etc.. Very clever!
    Another one contained a can opener, and then lots of cans of food products. Nice!
    My sister always gives the couple a wedding style Christmas Ornament. Jordan oohed and awwed over hers! Brenda found that you can order them on line through Bonner's. (Thought some of you might want to use that tidbit).
    While my 'aunt' Billie wasn't able to be in attendance, she had sent one of her signature gifts. She always gives a beautiful piece of crystal. She believes that every bride deserves at least one thing of beauty in her home! Jordan's was a raised... oh what do you call them bowls?!! You know, the type that you use lady fingers and pudding and cool whip to make  desserts out of, which are so fancy looking in those bowls. Yeah, THOSE bowls. brain....8-/.
    Rhonda N. had overseen the gift part of the shower. For some of the larger size or heavier gifts, she'd walk around the circle letting people see them, instead of people trying to pass them person to person. She of course got dubbed 'Vanna', as in Vanna White from 'Wheel of Fortune'. She tried to play it up, but was told she failed, in part due to not wearing a pretty gown. ;-p
     It was a REALLY nice shower, regardless of the fact that 3/4ths of the way through, all of the sounds and motion really set off my vertigo. Bother!!! But my wonderful husband came to rescue me :-D. I pray that Harold will be as nice of a husband to Jordan, as Brian is to me!

has technology advanced?

     Benson had music playing in the kitchen while he was doing dishes yesterday afternoon. Not a problem. (I mean seriously! After all, he was doing the dishes!!)  When I walked in there and could thus hear it better, I got puzzled. My brain was trying to remember if we even still had one of 'those', while my eyes were scanning the room trying to spot 'it'.
     What 'those'/'it' am I talking about? An "old school" 3 or 4 inch by 5 or 6 inch transistor radio. You know, the kind that had these little antennas that you pulled out of the top to help you get better reception. They had small dials in the front which you used to tune in to your favorite radio stations. And down one side was the on/off switch, as well as the volume control dial.
     Why in the world was I looking for one of those?! Because the music I was hearing sounded like it was coming out of one of those little radios! Honest! But it wasn't. It was in fact coming out of his relatively new cell phone. When I mentioned it to him, he chuckled and replied, yea, sometimes the reception is a bit static-y. So I'd noticed ;-p
     That incidence brought to mind some other situations dealing with technology advancements, which I have truly questioned over the last how ever many years.
     Remember records? [For you younger generation-ers, those are the 'vinyls' that rappers scrape the heck out of. 8-/. ] They switched from records to cassette tapes (yes, I know, eight track tapes came first, but I hadn't intended to go there .... ;-p ) partly because of how the tapes didn't get scratched, and the fact that they were ever so much easier to transport. Heck, the players were even small enough that you could a) install one in your vehicle, and/or b)carry one with you while you were walking down the street.
      Yes, sometimes the little piece of felt like material (know as 'the pad') would come off, but they were relatively easy to re-apply. And sometimes, especially if young children got a hold of them, the tape could be unwound from it's case and make a ginormous mess!!! But overall, cassette tapes were wonderful! ! ! !
      But then they told us that technology was again advancing and they came out with Cd's, which I swear scrape even easier than the vinyl records did. And they definitely retain finger smears easier. And dust mites that you can't even see with the naked eye, can goof them up!! Grumble!
      The whole same situation applies between VHS tapes (which you use a VCR to play) and DVDs (which you need a DVD player to play). But with these two, there is yet another factor that comes in, one that I do not view as a positive factor. For VHS tapes, the VCRs often had a little flap that was suppose to lift in order for you to push the VHS tape in. If that little flap came off, you could still play your movies. But the DVD machine has a little drawer that is suppose to open and let you insert your DVD on to. Do you know how frustrating it is, when that part comes out, and then before you can totally slip the disk in, it snaps closed again?!?!?!!! Yes, I am speaking from experience here, how could you tell?  o;-p
     So I ask you, has technology really advanced?
     Benson's answer was "yes". "Because the picture on DVDs is so much clearer than it was on VHS tapes. And you can get so many more meg-a-bites of memory on a CD than you could a cassette tape. A-n-d ...."
     I on the other hand, am not convinced that it's advancements are really producing that much better of products. They smear, scrape and break, ever so much easier and faster.
     What's your opinion?  'Inquiring minds want to know'  ;-p

"Directory" of wedding postings through '09

     A while back on Facebook, I read about somebody hoping to be planning a wedding soon and looking for in-expensive ideas to use. That got me to thinking about how I often use to share 'details' about weddings we had attended. I decided that I should make it easier to look those up, by making a 'Directory List' of those too ;-).
  
  Here it is:

June 20th, 2005 - (written after Mark & Amanda's Wedding) -encouragement for any and every non-married person to start a wedding notebook!

August 24th, 2005 - some details about weddings I wanted to make sure all of you were aware of.

August 31st, 2005 - how to order personalized postage stamps for your invites and Thank-you's

Sept 28th, 2005 - Amie and Jame's wedding
  (second marriages - including your kids in your ceremony)
  
Nov. 16th, 2005 - "Maggie's" daughter Jodi's wedding
   (red and white satins and roses in a beautiful local setting)

Jan. 22nd, 2006 - small bit about a reception
   
Feb. 1st, 2006 - Angie and Brian's wedding
   (a Christmas wedding)
   (liked the idea of how to signify to wait staff whether you were done with your drink or not)

Feb. 11th, 2006 - Love is more than a 'feeling'

Feb. 23rd, 2006 - a wedding I had a dream about

April 7th, 2006 - recommending a book dealing with marriage.

April 11th, 2006 - links to sites for replacement pieces for china and for engraving silver, etc.

May 15th, 2006 - Aaron and Emily's wedding
   ( a romantic evening wedding, held in the middle of the afternoon!)

May 20th, 2006 - small tidbit about a themed wedding 

May 22nd, 2006 - (last part of the posting) - recommending a movie for ALL engaged couples

May 23rd, 2006 - (second part of posting) - while it is YOUR wedding, don't neglect your guests.

July 6th, 2006 - Lori and Kevin's wedding
  ( We would like to share a couple of observations, personal opinions about weddings)

Aug. 27th, 2006 - Aron and Angy's wedding
   ( an outdoor wedding with true out of doors touches)

Feb. 18th, 2007 - "the silent treatment"

April 17th, 2007 - bridal shower for Rachel

April 27th, 2007 - dishes, etc. for a wedding reception

May 8th, 2007 - first part of posting, about what Todd and his ushers did during his wedding reception ;-)

May 20th, 2007 - two weddings - Aaron & Avery's  and Grant & Melissa's
   (liked how Aaron got to the front of the church, as well as when they cut their cake)
   (liked the idea Grant and Melissa used to entertain their guests while waiting)

Sept. 6th, 2007 - a 'fine line' that comes to play in marriages

Sept. 21st, 2007 - having girlfriends can help your marriage

Jan. 2nd, 2008 - the cupcakes from Craig and Staci's wedding
               (Dec. 30th, 2007 - info. about the cupcakes)

April 9th, 2008 - through 'thick n thin'

June 10th, 2008 - Jacob and Kalee's wedding
      (tons of 'details'!)

June 11th, 2008 - a bridal shower with an interesting game

July 15th, 2008 - dancing at wedding receptions

July 17th, 2008 - Josh and Ashley's wedding
     (tons of 'details', different way to dismiss guests and do a receiving line, plus how to add laughter to your ceremony ;-p)

July 22nd, 2008 - a small blip about a local bridal shop

 Nov. 13th, 2008 - Byron + Cyndi's wedding cakes

Nov. 22nd, 2008 - some prepping details / some actual wedding details for Byron + Cyndi's Ill wedding and Mi reception

Nov. 25th, 2008 - "Mother-in-love"

Dec. 2nd, 2008 - prepping for Byron + Cyndi's MI reception

Dec. 17th, 2008 - Isaiah and Breanna's wedding
   (tons of 'details', liked how the groom picked the men's wear)

Dec. 18th, 2008 - The "WOW!" factor on a budget

Dec. 23rd, 2008 - a young lad's quiet entertainment during the ceremony ;-)

Jan. 22nd, 2009 - Fall + Christmas = mess
        (aka: combining a wedding and Christmas might create havoc, but you will survive ;-) )

Jan. 30th, 2009 - The MI Reception "Schedule"
      (the order of events and the why's)

Feb. 1st, 2009 - "Programs" for the MI Reception

Feb. 3rd, 2009 - how we did "Seating" at the Mi Reception

Feb. 5th, 2009 - "Decorating" for/at the MI Reception
      (pulling off a 'Fall theme' in the middle of a MI blizzard)

Feb. 7th, 2009 - "Food" for the MI Reception
      (what we had planned and why - what actually got served and why)

Feb. 9th, 2009 - how to make "Ice Candles" 

Feb. 13th, 2009 - the MI Reception "All in all"

 April 1st, 2009 - 'Communicating' in a marriage
      (sharing a personal example in hopes of encouraging you too)

May 17th, 2009 - our honeymoon ;-)

May 17th, 2006 - things we have gone through over the course of our marriage
   (To clarify - the first set of things listed as a,b,c, etc., are things which we've been through. The second set totally collates with the first set. So the a. goes with the a. and the b. goes with the b., etc.. The second set shows how God took care of us through all of those things/times. We serve an amazing God!!!)
    (Marriage / life is NOT always easy - but the effort it takes to 'survive' is worth it!)

 ~  Whew, now that this is done, I can do the postings about the three weddings we've recently attended ;-)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

  I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "Market Yourself Monday", are hosted by Sumo, at 'Sumo's Sweet Stuff' (http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/)
~ "Topsy Turvy Tuesday's", are hosted by Ashlee, at 'I'm Topsy Turvy' (http://imtopsyturvy.com/) 
~ "Whatever Goes Wednesday('s), hosted by Michelle, at 'Someday Crafts'
(http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/)