Who says you have to build a party around characters? You can use any theme you like, or no theme at all. Choose party hats, table covers, balloons and decorations in any color or pattern you like. It's a real money-saver when the cups, plates, etc. don't have to match or have popular cartoon images.
Rather than one large shared cake, give each child a cake of their own.
A great party invitation would feature a photo of both kids on the front. She should hold a sign that says, "My brother (or his name) is 4!" and his sign should read, "My sister is one!" Then on the inside, "Get ready for double birthday FUN!" If that's too much work, make simple invitation cards that say, NAME is 4, NAME is 1...
When you look at all the photos after the party, you will see that your children outshine anything you can buy! Let your imagination run wild, and have fun! ... View related article.
I had a neighbor who coated his German Shepherd's ears with a thin layer of brown (medicated) vaseline in the summer. He swore by it to keep the flies from attacking. ... View related article.
Decisions, decisions! It's a challenge to make good suggestions without testing the flow with the last name.
What about Sawyer, which means "woodsman?" Or Kendall, ruler of the river valley? Jovan is Hebrew for father of the sky. Beaumont (Beau or Bo for short) is French for beautiful mountain.
Some personal favorites are Silas (Greek for wood), Brook, Brock, Reed, Sage, Skye, Slade, Sloan, Ross, Garland and Griffin. I raised girls, but if I had ever had a son, I would have named him Bennett, which means "little blessed one!"
What an exciting time for you! I wish you an easy delivery and a speedy recovery! May God's love and blessings rain down upon you. ... View related article.
In a spray bottle, combine 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 cup Downy liquid softener, and HOT water to fill.
Make cuts in the surface of the paper with a small utility knife. Soak the paper all over with the softener mix. This will loosen the glue and you can pull the paper right off. It works like nothing else, so don't waste money on the pre-mixed stuff from the hardware store. The bonus is it leaves your room smelling fabulous! ... View related article.
Your ring is important and special because it is a symbol of your eternal love for each other (a never-ending circle) rather than a status symbol based on how much was spent.
Many couples get caught up in all the glamour (and expense!) of that "one big day" and create a lot of pressure for themselves as well as their families, when the focus should be on the MARRIAGE.
The wedding industry works very hard to convince you that you HAVE to have specific things, and that YOUR wedding must compete with or exceed the lavish events of all your friends, and over and over couples buy into that nonsense.
I applaud your decision to keep it simple and wish you a long and joyful life together! ... View related article.
Natalie, one of the cutest Halloween costumes I made when my girls were little was a dalmatian (I wish I could include the photos, but they are at home and I am not!)
I started with a white sweatsuit and white stocking cap. I bought inexpensive black washclothes (but you could use any black fabric) and cut out "spots" and ears, which I stitched on. They wore their black and white saddle shoes and I painted their noses black. So simple to make, and the girls were warm AND adorable.
The following year I bought one black and one grey sweatsuit and we had a cat and a mouse! Use your imagination. Try second-hand stores for the sweatsuits; black could be a spider, pink a bunny, orange a pumpkin...and homemade costumes are much more fun than storebought.
