Wedding Traditions

	Wishes to the Bride and Groom – When one of my nieces got married last year, I used this tradition idea at both her wedding shower and then again at the wedding reception. I had beautiful card stock with the words printed "Wishes to the Bride and Groom." I asked everyone to write a wish, blessing or bible verse to my niece and her fiance/husband. I then gathered the cards at the reception, joined them with the ones previously written at the shower, and put them in a toile drawstring bag so that they could read them on their wedding night... well, more realistically, on their honeymoon. ;) It was priceless, memorable and yet another frugal delight that money can't buy. I hope that they will pull those out and read them on every anniversary.
Our New Family – A loving way to start the new couple off in the right direction is to create their first Family Album for them. Collage the first few pages with photos and notes about the bride and groom growing up. Then follow with a few pages of their courtship. Now they are sure to continue with memories of the wedding and their life together.
Piece of Our Hearts – Many brides and grooms laugh or cry their way through their wedding vows, so most guests have no idea what was said during the ceremony. If you think about all the time you spent putting together these sentimental dedications, it just seems natural that everyone should share this precious moment with you. Place a printed copy of your wedding vows on every guest’s seat or as part of the take home gift. This also ensures that you save a copy and that the groom completes his vows more than 5 minutes before the ceremony. Don’t forget to include these printed sentiments in your wedding album as a treasured keepsake
Love Notes – Love notes is a box full of love; a delightful gift to give to new brides and grooms. Let them know how much they are loved by asking the bridal party to leave a love note in the box for the bride and groom on their wedding day. Perhaps the box could be left in their honeymoon suite or packed in their honeymoon luggage. We Were There – (This is for the extremely organized friend...see what I'd do below). Collect signatures from your guests in their RSVP envelopes and have them embroidered onto a white or ivory linen tablecloth with silver, gold or a matching thread. You can display this lovely keepsake at the wedding and bring it out every anniversary to adorn your special candlelit dinner table. This is a wonderful way to remember friends and family members who were present and shared that special moment with the two of you. (Since actually having the names embroidered would be beautiful, yet costly, the same tradition can happen with a gorgeous silver paint pen).

Creative Party Ideas - Coffee Bar

I am quite sure that one of my love languages comes in a hot, brown liquid form.

So when my niece offered a coffee bar at her wedding reception, I think I could have hung out there all night long.
My son and nephew definitely came into their own as they graduated to Hazelnut Lattes, but my poor, sweet mother....

was desperately trying to figure out the "Starbucks" type lingo.
Do you remember the first time you ever tried to order a fancy coffee?
Come on, think back...it really did seem like a foreign language, didn't it? So when my mom took her first sip, was not happy, and then whispered, "why doesn't mine taste like yours?" it was awfully cute.
The gentleman barista could tell we were in deep contemplation as he came to the rescue, and fixed it up just right. Nothing that a shot of hazelnut and whip cream couldn't fix.
All was good in coffee world again. :)
Not only did they offer a coffee bar, but the creative party favor idea that complemented the coffee bar perfectly was a "Create your own blend" coffee table.

On the end of the tables were large canisters of instant decaf and/or regular coffee.
You chose your bag, filled it with the black coffee and then picked your choice of powdered flavorings.

Every guest left with their own perfect blend of coffee to enjoy days later.
I chose cookies and cream (at the request of our children), and can't wait to enjoy it in my special teacup. :)
As I sip my morning coffee, I will spend time praying for the newlyweds and all the beautiful, yet challenging, transitions that come with those first months of marriage.

Again another fabulously unique, yet frugal way to make any type of party extra special.
Try a coffee bar and coffee blend party favors...I know they will be a huge hit!
So what unique things are you cooking up for Tasty Tuesday? (Posted at Kimba's DIY)

As always, link directly to your specific recipe post URL so guests can find it at a later date, and then please link back directly to my blog somewhere in your post.

Deals and Steals

Here are some neat new deals that I have come across recently.

Enjoy - today is Mocha Monday at McDonald's.
My girls and I have been enjoying our free mochas during our last few date nights.
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As a home schooler, I LOVE the library, but I about died when I went to pay for our fines. (Yes, more than $9.95/month.) I just came across this site and I am SO intrigued.

"BookSwim is the online book rental library service lending you paperbacks, hardcovers and college textbooks Netflix-style directly to your house, without the need to purchase! We stock all the latest bestsellers, new releases, classics and more."


I searched and found many great reviews.

	Oprah Magazine "For cost-conscious readers...this site is the best thing to come along since the public library."
	Real Simple "The cost of all those best sellers - or the wait for them to show up at the library - can cramp your bookworm style. Subscribe to BookSwim.com to rent classics and new titles..."

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This is a wonderful recipe resource, and it's free.

EZ to use Recipe organizer. Users can input their favorite recipes and access them easily with just a few clicks of their mouse. With this software, recipe organization is easy as pie!


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As I look out our kitchen window, horses graze in our neighbor's field. This is something so unique, and haven't seen anything like it. I am going to get the one month trial for my eldest daughter.
"Get Pony's Welcome Adventure Package. Includes 2 books, Pony Magazine + 5 Gifts for just $1.00 + $4.95 s&h. PONY is a fun, creative way for your child to learn about horses. And it's for everyone who loves horses, whether they own them or just dream about them! As a member, each month, your child will get a special package, filled with books and gift. "


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CVS Deals - act quickly - lots of 3- day specials through Tuesday at CVS
- Buy 1 Philips Earhook Headphones at $6.99, Get $6.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Free after ECBs
- Buy 1 Caliber Recycled School Box at $1.99, Get $1.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Free after ECBs-
Buy 1 Caliber Filler Paper or CVS Brand Paper (150 sheets) for $0.99, Receive $0.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Free with ECBs
- Buy 1 CVS or Caliber Brand Mini Composition Notebook at $1.99, Receive $1.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Free after ECBs
- Get 1 Paper Mate at $0.99, Get $0.99 ECBs (Limit 2)
Free after ECBs
All week - Buy 2 Johnson & Johnson 1st Aid Travel Kits at $0.99 each, Receive $2 ECBs (Limit 5) Use $1/1 coupons in the 5/17 RedPlum insert or the 8/2 SmartSource insertFree plus overage after coupons and ECBs

Creative DIY ideas for a wedding - cupcake stand

One of the growing new trends in weddings is the elimination of the traditional wedding cake. By going a bit trendy, a bit more thrifty and pouring forth a lot of creative DIY juices, you can make a spectacular statement with a cupcake tower.
I am proud to say that my brother tackled the Do it Yourself (DIY) project of the decade last weekend.
As my niece browsed cake ideas on-line, my brother's "I can do this even better, and save money" juices kicked into full gear.
Yes, my friends, he saw, he sawed, he sewed....he conquered. ;)

Capturing the height, depth and class of this stand wasn't possible with my camera, but it made a beautiful statement.

Thinking ahead on the specific details made it possible to slide the decorative 2x4's in and out to switch out the fabric for a variety of uses.

Yes, the gorgeous bridesmaid dresses were a deep brown to match the cupcake stand fabric.
Yet how wonderful to know that next summer's anniversary party might be accented in greens, and all this hard work can easily accommodate that change. You can bet all the other nieces were clapping in glee when he mentioned that this was built for everyone to use.
But don't even ask, he'll say "no." ;)
We already tried to get him to sell these...

Now if cupcakes aren't your thing, please brainstorm with me for a minute.
I think there could be tons of unique ways to use this...mini dessert plates set around the tiers, flowers, appetizers...what else?

Photo from MarthaStewart.com

All I can say is, "Martha Stewart, move on over..."
Now this, my dear eldest brother, is a very GOOD thing. :)

Posted at: kimbas

Extending our "God Watch"

I watch. I wait. I wonder.
Some call it courage. Some call it foolish.
I call it faith.

Come in and make your heart at home.
That is what (in)courage is all about.
A place where I can feel at home. A place where it's encouraged to embrace the beauty and bedlam of life.
I gushed with you last week about the wonderful opportunity that has been gifted me in collaborating with this amazing group of women.
Well, my first post is up over there, and it's a little nerve wracking.
It's a continuation of my "God Watch" journey, yet it's just the beginning, the end is still being written.
Follow along here as I share more details during the weeks to come.

Here's the snippet of what I have shared.
Six months ago, I wrote a blog post called, “Join me on our God Watch.”
It invited blogging friends to join our family as we entered another “God Watch” period in our lives – my husband’s pending unemployment. Years ago, I coined that phrase for our children as a game, of sorts. It was an intentional way of watching and waiting to see how the Lord would unexpectedly amaze us during a particularly difficult circumstance.

Please hop over and join me at (in)courage for the "rest of the story."

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Since I spent the weekend with the lovely ladies from Dayspring, I begged them to let me share a coupon code with you. It's for their amazing new "Life to the Full" Collection. They agreed.
(You know I just have to get a deal, especially for amazing items that can't be found at yard sales. I'm giving the mother/daughter matching aprons for Christmas. ;).
Use the coupon code LIFEFULL at checkout. This will save you $20 on orders over $60.