Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays beautiful people!!

                                                                                                        From the Mr. & I!

31, 31, 31 Acts of Kindness (part 2)

31 Years, 31 Days, 31 Random Acts of Kindness (part II)

Source

This is a continuation of the random acts of kindness I did during my birthday month. If you missed part 1 you can read it here.

"Never underestimate the impact you may have on another individual and how it can be a domino effect trickling down to more smiles and more kindness." MSR

Remember, the list is not in a specific order:

9.  Paid the toll for the vehicle behind me. 

10. Started a conversation with a stranger. (By the end the of the conversation we were both laughing, and we were able to share some advice. I was happy it went well and she was nice because it could have easily gone in the wrong direction.)

11. Took my parents out for lunch on my birthday and spent half the day with them. (It was about them not me. A thanks mom and dad day!)

12. Located the Big Red Bus so I could donate blood. (First attempt was a fail so I followed instructions and 4 days later I located another bus. Also, a fail so I continued the regimen and went about a week later. After numerous attempts, which was shown in their systems they felt bad and gave me a shirt. But I'm not giving up! You can save a life today!

13.  Donated $31.00 to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and participated in the 5K walk. (I wasn't part of a team or organization, I just signed up as a single participant. I know $31 isn't much but being part of it was a great experience. I was happy to find out other friends were also participating!  

14. I had an evening class once a week; since it was the last class of the day, I arranged the chairs back into position after class so the janitor wouldn't have to do it. 

15. Left a thank-you note with my tip(s). (Forgot the cards on 1 or 2 occasions so I left the cards in my car so I could always have them near by.)

16. While in the waiting area for my sister to come out of surgery, I sat next to a woman who was also waiting for her family member and told her to stay positive and know that it's all in God's hands.

17. Created a snack pack to give to any individual I saw asking for money/food on the side of the road. (I originally was going to get brown paper bags to put the items but it looked suspicious. Along with hot chocolate and granola bars/fruit bars, I added mixed nuts in ziplock bags with a cookie. Some of the bags had toothbrushes, I didn't have enough for each bag. I was lucky to find the gift bags at a cheaper price because of the 50% off coupon I had.)

The front of the gift bags had the message "Smile, because you lived to see another day and remember" or "Hope this brightens your day and remember". The back of all them read "Jesus loves you! :-) The bags weren't given in one day, I took a few with me every time I went out and if I saw a person on the side of the road asking for help then I would hand him or her a gift bag. 

The post is starting to get too long so there will be a part III, hopefully you enjoyed part II and were able to get ideas of your own. Remember, if you do get any ideas of your own or did something similar then I want to hear about. 

Keep smiling...till next time!!!

Press Play

As I was going through my documents to archive a few files, I came across a few videos that I created over the past few years. Aside from the lip-syncing music videos, my most prized videos were the one's involving our wedding. I am still proud of my work. It took patience, long hours and numerous tutorials to get it right. So I figured I can share them with you all again prior to retiring them.

This one was the intro to our STD's (Save the Date's :-):

This one wasn't too much of a headache but it was still a task in its own right. This was done on the MAC without having to use Adobe Flash. This was the first page of our wedding website:

As I look back at more of the videos I created, I realize I might have a new hobby (on top of the dozen others!).

31, 31, 31 Acts of Kindness (part 1)

Blessed to see another year; I decided to celebrate my birthday month giving more than asking, taking and receiving.

31 Years, 31 Days, 31 Random Acts of Kindness 

 

Source

Never underestimate the impact you may have on another individual and how it can be a domino effect trickling down to more smiles and more kindness. My desire to be more positive and give back more made this a pleasant experience for me. Originally, I wanted to do 31 random acts on one day (my birthday) but decided to do it for the whole month. Some of what is listed can be done on a daily or often; it's as simple as smiling more often. I hope you enjoy this list and even add on other ideas!! 

The list is not in a specific order:

1. Treated a friend to the movies (for no reason).

2. Purchased a $5 gift card at Starbucks and gave it to the person behind me on line. 

3. I left post-it notes with the message "Smile, you're beautiful!" in random but visible places. (ex. door of the bathroom stall, near the mirror, on a table, near a cash register, in the fitting room and more...)

4. While at Panera Bread, I refilled the cups of an elderly couple sitting nearby.

5. Instead of the usual "hello, how are you", I had a conversation with the cashier and exchanged laughter. (Of course, there wasn't a line behind me, also I did it on more than one occasion at different grocery/department stores).

6. I let the person in the vehicle behind me take the parking spot I was aiming for. (Did it on several occasions and if you ever go to the mall in Florida, you know parking can be a hassle at times :-)

7. Paid for someone's snack. (Left notes along with cash in a Ziploc bag on different vending machines, mainly on school campus).

8. (Kindness to self) I complained less and looked/ focused on the positive of most incidents, conversation, daily activities and so on. (I'm sure my hubby was happy about that!)

Well, that's it for this evening; I'll post the rest at a later date (after finals). Here's a sneak peak to some of what's on part 2: 

Till next time!!

I Love my Boyfriend!

Any opportunity given to take a trip and I am in. We took that 5.5 hour drive to Key West to enjoy a get-away from the chaos and busyness of life. On our last day in the Keys we decided we should end it with a sunset cruise.

Personal images

It was a beautiful scene and the best part was sharing that moment with my love. Afterwards we opted out of a romantic dinner and wanted to eat out in a more laid back environment. After all we are surrounded by water, why not keep the flip flops on. I thought what better way to end the night, than  to wear a shirt that said it all. Sort of another way for thanking him for the much needed trip.

Yes, I love my boyfriend. Ironically by the end of the night he went from boyfriend to fiance!!

Did I see it coming? No! I don't know how my sister in law was able to hold it all in during the trip. I'm not sure if I would be good at hiding it like she did :-).

What a moment, I will go into further detail about the proposal in another post. 

Sister Thou Art Strong

Update (11/12/2012): I am thrilled to announce that my sister has been removed from the ventilator. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes!

I had planned to post about my birth month activities but as anything in life, things don't always work out as planned. I've decided to write about one of my sister's (Nanie), whom I cherish very much (I do cherish all of my sisters :-). As of a week ago she has been hospitalized fighting for her life.

About 5 years ago, she went to the hospital for what we all thought was a terrible stomachache. Three days later she was on life support fighting for her life and the family was told she may not make it.  Her intestines and part of her stomach was twisted and rotten. I would go into more details but it's hard enough writing this much, in any case, by God's will and as the strong woman she is, she made it through. Life wasn't the same since then, she had to re-adjust to a different routine of life because of the tubes and other medical treatments that became part of her life.

Here we are about 5 years later and it feels like we are back to square one. Within less than 1 week she has undergone 3 surgeries and has been on a ventilator. It's harder for us to deal with because we thought we had overcome the worst.

Well, this post is for my strong loving sister. She made it through before and I know by God's will she will make it through again.  We all love you and praying for your quick recovery, we miss your smile and laughter.

If you read this, I ask that you say a prayer for her!

Thank you!

My favorite picture of her and it holds a dear meaning to me because it was taken days prior to her going into the hospital in November (2007).

This was taken by WFTV during her 4 month of being admitted in the hospital.

Last year  as my Matron of Honor at the wedding (2011)

Read more about Nanie's story here.

30 brings out the 20's!

My birth-DAY is approaching but I have been celebrating the whole month.  As I plan on going into detail regarding what I did for my birthday this year, it was fitting to update on what I did last year.  I had a themed get-together with a good friend of mine. We were born a day apart so we decided to have a combined small gathering.

Theme: 1920's

Here are a few pics from our themed get-together.

The Birthday Ladies!!

Us and our other halves

 2 of the gents

 Sisters

 Had to pull out the UNO cards

Not pictured:

Food

Entertainment

Other game(s)

Rest of the group

Excited to share what I'm doing this year!

Stay focused....

How do I turn my vacation mode switch off?!  Getting tasks done have been a drag because I just wish I was on vacation right now.  How am I suppose to get much done when I keep daydreaming of being elsewhere (beach..sigh!)  Can't wait to post most of my pictures but more than likely I will be posting them on my other blog that will be predominately photos I have taken. Once it goes public, I'll be sure to add the info here. For now, here's what's on my mind: Bora Bora!

Top: sitting outside our bungalow

Source: self

Recent Vacay Faves!

Here are two of my favorite pics from our recent trip to Moorea and Bora Bora! Taken with my DSLR camera.

Plenty

Plenty of catching up to do..
Plenty of blogs to post which means,
Plenty of updates (the old, new and happening), lastly
Plenty of PHOTOS!!

One of the pics from our trip to Bora Bora!

Candy favors..Christening Edition

My nephews Christening was this past Saturday and I had the privilege to create the favors for the get-together that took place afterwards. Well, my sister knew I would take out my glue gun at some point so she told me to do as I please.

For the favors I knew I wanted to give away candy or chocolate, I just needed to decide on the look of the goodie bag(s). I made fabric pouches in the past (here) but wanted to do something a little different. Thanks to Pinterest I came across different ideas and came up with my own version of the candy jars.

To begin, pick out the sort of candy or chocolate you want to use(ex: M&M's, jelly beans and mints), the size of the candy will determine the jar size you may need. Most of the supplies I already had at home but I took a trip to Joanne Fabrics to purchase the acrylic paint and ribbons.

Items used (this can vary based on the final look you prefer):

• glue gun (low)
• ribbon (I used 1.5 in)
• gloss acrylic paint (doesn't have to be gloss)
• paint brush
• x-large squeeze punch (whatever shape you prefer
• scissors
• card stock paper

Here's a visual of the process...

Picked the size of baby jars I wanted to use

Washed and cleaned each jar (no worries mommies,  I put the food in a container for my baby nephews), then cut the ribbons to fit and hot glue the edges to the jar.

Painted the lids

Created this using Word Doc (use card stock)

Then used the puncher  (you can find these in different sizes and shapes)

Hot glued the labels 

Added the jelly beans and voila!

I made two dozens of these jars, aren't they cute?

Hope this was an easy tutorial for you to give it a try!

PoemS for Mom(s)

As cliché it may sound, every day is Mother's Day. As an adult I realize how much deeper my mothers love runs within.  Words can't express how much my mother means to me, from nurturing me to helping me along the way and even now as a married woman she provides her ear, wisdom and meals when I have my tired/lazy days. No words can express my gratitude...I love you mom! (The strongest woman I know).

"There is no love, like a mother's love,

no stronger bond on earth...

like the precious bond that comes from God,

to a mother, when she gives birth.

A mother's love is forever strong,

never changing for all time...

and when her children need her most,

a mother's love will shine.

God bless these special mothers,

God bless them every one...

for all the tears and heartache,

and for the special work they've done.

When her days on earth are over,

a mother's love lives on...

through many generations,

with God's blessings on each one.

Be thankful for our mothers,

for they love with a higher love... 

from the power God has given, 

and the strength from up above"

                                                       (Source)


Why re-invent the wheels; here are other of poems I found online.

Dear Mom

by Anonymous

Dear Mom, I said a prayer for you to thank the Lord above For blessing me with a lifetime of your tenderhearted love. I thanked God for the caring you've shown me through the years, For the closeness we've enjoyed in time of laughter and of tears. And so, I thank you from the heart for all you've done for me And I bless the Lord for giving me the best mother there could be. A Poem For Mom © Champagne S. Baker You are the sunlight in my day, You are the moon I see far away. You are the tree I lean upon, You are the one that makes troubles be gone. You are the one who taught me life, How not to fight, and what is right. You are the words inside my song, You are my love, my life, my mom. You are the one who cares for me, You are the eyes that help me see. You are the one who knows me best, When it's time to have fun and time to rest. You are the one who has helped me to dream, You hear my heart and you hear my screams. Afraid of life but looking for love, I'm blessed for God sent you from above. You are my friend, my heart, and my soul You are the greatest friend I know. You are the words inside my song, You are my love, my life, my Mom. (Source)

Take Me Away Programs!

What is a travel theme without a passport or luggage tags?

The excitement began when I received my custom stamp in the mail (here), then it went on to the assembly of the programs (here). Now you get to take a look at the inserts of the programs, so take us away programs, since it couldn't take us anywhere else but through the wedding outline:

First: United States of Marriage

Personal Photo

Image used:

Second: Order of Ceremony (No image, the usual!)

Third/Fourth: Bridal Party (No image because of the names; privacy)

Note: Instead of using "Bridesmaids" I used the term "Bride Ladies"; Also included my "BodyGuards and "Little Guards" which were my nephews (here).

Fifth: Reading of Ceremony (will show wording in a separate post.)

Sixth: Thank you (will show clearer wording in a separate post.)

Personal Photo

 Image used:

That concludes the passport programs!

***
The other day as we were unpacking a few of our boxes, hubby came across one of the programs and began saying "why isn't your passport in a secure place?". After taking a second look he just sucked his teeth, lol!! With that said, I must say that we must have done a good job :-)

Répondez S'il Vous Plaît

Read the invitation post (here) to get up-to-date about my reasons for creating a website.

From invitations to RSVPs...

In order for guests to RSVP, they had to go to the website given on one of the invitation inserts.

Here is a view of the RSVP screen:

Once guests clicked on the "RSVP here" a pop-up window appeared requesting for a password. After entering the correct password, the RSVP process began. Here is a view:

The above screen was synced to my Google Docs account; as guest RSVP, it was recorded on an Excel spreadsheet, listing guest attendance response and additional information (such as choice of entree).  If guests were attending a second page  requested their choice of meals and additional name of guests. I also requested emails or telephone numbers so I can respond to each guest via e-mail or phone of their confirmation.  There was also a secondary screen for guests not attending to thank them for their reply.

It was fairly easy to track and stay on top of information; as a bonus I was able to provide that same spreadsheet to my caterer. 

That concludes my "Répondez S'il Vous Plaît".