Celebrations always seem to include good food, sweet drinks, singing, and dancing! One way to celebrate is to throw a party. Throwing a party can be intimidating. Don’t worry, though. They key is planning. The planning process involves asking and answering lots of questions. Answering these questions helps you think through what you are hoping to see happen at your party. Are you ready? Party Planning Begins with Basic Questions Why are we having this party? What are we celebrating? What is the occasion? This might be your son’s graduation from high school, your husband’s fortieth birthday, or Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection! When? Where? When? Next, we decide the date, time, and location! Choose where the party will be and when. Will it be at your house? Is there enough room at your house? Who or What is the Party For? Is There a Guest of Honor? A special occasion such as a wedding, graduation, or birthday will have a guest of honor. A seasonal party usually will not. If there is a guest of honor, let him/her play a large role in deciding the menu, theme, decorations, and guest lists. If it is a surprise, try to keep the guest of honor’s likes and dislikes in mind. Theme & Decorations What will the theme be? How will we decorate? When my friend, Sarah, had her twenty-first birthday, she had a 1950’s Party complete with root beer floats, malted milk shakes, and cheeseburgers. We all dressed up and it looked like the cast of the old television show, Happy Days, had invaded my house. Choose a theme or at least a color scheme right at the beginning. We have used Western themes (cowboy hats, rope, bandanas, cowboy songs), Hawaiian (pineapples, coconuts, tropical isle décor, island music), Mexican (sombrero, Mexican flags, music), and Teddy Bears (with teddy bears EVERYWHERE!). Different holidays and seasons bring their own themes and colors. Christmas colors are red and green or burgundy and dark green. Easter colors are lavender, mint green, yellow, soft pink, and powder blue. St. Valentine’s Day colors are reds and pinks with lots of hearts, lace, and roses. Thanksgiving colors are orange, brown, dark greens, gold, and beige.
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So many events on your calendar this holiday season. What should you wear? One thing I like to do is to look inside my closet with new eyes. Can I mix a shiny top, pretty blazer, and a comfortable pair of jeans to make a new outfit? Can I add a scarf to a dress or shirt with slacks to create festive attire? Here are some great ideas for different holiday events. The key is to use these ideas as a springboard to create your own outfits with a festive flair. Sparkly earrings and chunky jewelry can add a whole new look. Even adding a pair of holiday shoes can add some sparkle. Have fun dressing up for the holidays! Love, Meredith Curtis Thanksgiving at Grandpa'sDecorating the Christmas TreeThe pilgrims gave us Thanksgiving and the Mayflower Compact. That in itself is enough, but they also modeled for us courage to stand on our convictions, no matter the price. Risking life and limb, they traveled to the New World and, as they say, the rest is history. Did you know that the pilgrims on the Mayflower were actually a local church from Scrooby, England? I am writing this in November with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Planning Thanksgiving menus, trying out some new recipes, and pulling out the special Thanksgiving tablecloth are all things that will happen this week. It's the time of year where everyone talks about pilgrims. Most people don't even know who the pilgrims are and some people think that know who they are, but have their facts confused. I thought it would be fun to talk about the pilgrims today. Maybe you have never heard their whole story. I hope I will whet your appetite today to learn more about the pilgrims. In 1517, when Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis on the Whittenburg Door, the truth of salvation by grace through faith, not works, was rediscovered. The Reformation had begun! These old truths spread like wildfire through northern Europe and made their way to England. As some people studied the Word of God now available to read in English, they felt conviction to worship God in a more simple way, to elect their church leaders, and to live a simple, pure life. This group of people were know as Separatists because they felt they could not worship in the Church of England because of the pomp, ceremony, and fallen lifestyle of some of the church leaders and members so they separated. They formed their own congregation, meeting in Scrooby Manor, the home of William Brewster. Hiding Out in Sherwood Forest Like Robin HoodMy dear friend Aisha just got married and had a lovely ceremony and reception. We had a blast dancing, eating good food, and celebrating their new life together. In another blog, I'll tell you all about the wedding, but in this one, I just want to tell you about the decorations. The lovely Shabby Chic decorations were created and set up by my young friend Marielle. At 17, she is already a gift artist and creative decorator. She turned attic and thrift store finds into lovely treasure that were a delight to my eyes. I am so impressed with Marielle's work that I have to share these decorations with you so that you can do them for your own or a loved one's wedding. I hope these beautiful wedding decorations will inspire you to seek out treasure in your attics or nearby thrift store and come up with some just-as-amazing wedding decor as Marielle did. Happy Decorating! Meredith Curtis As a young homeschool mom back in the early 1990s, I read a book on how to create your own unit studies by Valerie Bendt. I was so excited, but I was too nervous to use unit studies for the whole year. Light-bulb moment! What about starting with Christmas unit studies? I liked that idea and for several years we did "normal school" all year except December. What fun we had in December. We celebrated Christmas in Colonial America one year reading lovely stories, making berry ink, writing with feather pens, trying out recipes from Mount Vernon, George Washington's home, playing "Made for Trade," and writing little stories set in the American colonies. Since hospitality was important in Colonials Days, we studied hospitality for our devotions. We also learned to decorate and set the table Colonial style: symmetrical with pewter, silver, pineapples, greenery, and formality. We ended our studies with a colonial tea where the girls had all their colonial crafts on display. Their friends loved the tussie-musssie, wooden fans, and dolls. Of course, we had to dress up. We gave little booklets to family members for Christmas that year with their stories, poems, and colonial drawings. That year led to more years. One year was cookies with picture books about cookies and Christmas. Of course, we made several kinds of cookies to freeze and later give away. We also made cookie mixes in jars to give as gifts. We had so much fun baking together and our studies included making gift tags, wrapping up plates of cookies festively, and delivering gifts to family and friends. More Christmas Unit Studies"Are you going to cancel the Beach Bash," Julianna asked me again. "I guess I have to. The weather is supposed to be horrible all week," I replied. I consider any kind of weather where the sun isn't shining brightly horrible. "It's supposed to be 80% chance of rain at New Smyrna Saturday," she informed me. I have gone to the beach on the Saturday closest to my birthday every year for the last 18 years. I love the beach and it is so relaxing to be surrounded by my family and friends, hear the waves pound the shore, walk, and talk. It is a highlight of my year. Unfortunately, this year, May was unseasonably rainy! I decided that I would just have people over for cake, ice cream, and games. We could play Headbanz, my favorite game! Julianna, knowing I was disappointed, texted our friend Laura who shot back ten texts. She was full of ideas and hurried off to the party store where she bought a plastic palm tree and parrot, as well as other Luau decorations. When I came home from a book sale Saturday morning, the house had been transformed into a tropical paradise with shells, bright colors, and Luau decor. A slide show of photographs was playing beach music from the Beach Boys. The menu was tropical. Julianna made pina colada smoothies for everyone. I was delighted! We had a blast visiting and playing games. Micah, who is fascinated with anything related to firemen and firetrucks, turned 5 recently. Naturally, his parents had a firefighter-themed birthday party. A red tablecloth with fighter-fighter toys like a plastic firetruck and ax heralded the theme for all the visitors. The simple snacks and drinks were under a large tree on top of a firefighter-themed tablecloth. Games adhered to the theme, too. My husband and I enjoyed the party. We chatted with friends and watched the children laugh and play. As the little ones arrived, their eyes brightened with delight as they saw the decorations. They got so excited as they played the games together. I was so impressed with Micah's fireman party that I just had to tell you all about it and how Sarah did it at such a low cost. Theme & Decorations & FoodI attended an engagement party this weekend and was excited to discover they had a cupcake bar. You can see how pretty the display was in the photo. There were little flags in the frosting bowls and paper topping dishes to inform guests what they were looking at. Guests could choose from vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, just plain cupcakes. The next step was to choose chocolate or vanilla frosting for your cupcake. If you are having your own cupcake bar, you could also use decorator bags of icing so you could pipe the frosting on fancy. Once your cupcake was frosted, it was time for the goodies to decorate. You had a choice of ten different toppings. It's hard to believe that three years have gone by since we welcomed little Rusty into the family--the first grandson on both sides. Mike and I have been friends with Donald and Laura for almost 20 years and were so excited when their eldest son fell in love with our oldest daughter. They got married and started having beautiful babies, our beloved grandchildren. This past weekend, we got to celebrate Rusty's third birthday. His parents threw a birthday party for him in their backyard. They invited friends and family to help celebrate! The kids played games and we enjoyed snacks and birthday cake. A New Bike!Poppi and Lolly (Donald and Laura) got their grandson his first tricycle. A little red trike! He loved it! In fact, Rusty loved all his gifts and had a blast opening each one. It was so nice to see how excited and thankful he was, unaware of the price. He saw value in everything from little cars to a brand new trike. It was so nice to see him playing nicely with his friends and little brother. What a blessing to have a good-natured grandson. Let me tell you about the party theme. Easter is my favorite time of year! I get so excited when we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus who loved and died for us. I just have to worship! Here are twelve of my favorite worship songs. These songs express the excitement and wonder of the Resurrection. I hope you will enjoy singing along as much as I do. Here are 12 Easter Songs for Worship: "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" (Charles Wesley) "Forever" (Kari Jobe) "Victor's Crown" (Darlene Zschech) "Resurrecting" (Elevation Worship) "Christ is Risen" (Matt Maher) "Resurrection Day" (Rend Collective) "My Redeemer Lives" (Hillsong) "Man of Sorrows" (Hillsong) "I Will Rise" (Chris Tomlin) "What a Beautiful Name" (Hillsong) "Because He Lives" (Gaither Band) "Up From the Grave He Arose" (Michael W. Smith) So, set aside some time to worship the Lord this Easter. This songs will be a great start. Enjoy! And Happy Easter! Love, Meredith Curtis I never understood as a little girl why Good Friday was called 'good' because of the torture and suffering Jesus underwent. Once I understood that He endured the suffering for me to pay the price for my sins, I called Good Friday 'good' too. There are more songs than I could possibly share that are special, but here are my very favorite worship songs to sing to Jesus on Good Friday. I hope you will enjoy these songs and enjoy worshiping the Lord who died for you. Here are my favorite Good Friday worship songs: "The Cross Has the Final Word" (Cody Carnes) "This is Our God" (Hillsong) "At The Cross" (Chris Tomlin) "You Saw Me" (Hillsong) "Here I am to Worship" (Chris Tomlin) "Savior King" (Hillsong) "Lead Me to the Cross" (Hillsong) "Nailed to the Cross" (Rend Collective) "How Deep the Father's Love for Us" (Stuart Townend) The Old Rugged Cross (Old Hymn) "Nothing but the Blood" (Old Hymn) "Were You There?" (Old Song) I hope you enjoy these songs and spend some meaningful time worshiping the One Who gave His life for you on Good Friday. Be blessed! Love, Meredith Curtis It's almost that time! The most important celebration on the calendar. The day we remember the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We want to bless you with a gift this season to make Holy Week and Easter morning meaningful. You don't have to sign up for our newsletter, though you are always welcome to sign up here. (scroll down to the bottom of the page) Celebrate Easter Deovtions is 16 days of Bible reading, singing, and a family craft or activity. Starting the day before Palm Sunday when Jesus is anointed by Mary in Bethany, in preparation for his burial, and following the story day-by-day until his arrest, death, burial, and resurrection. The second week of devotions follows Jesus 40 days in His resurrected body until He ascends to the Father in Heaven. If you are looking for a way to celebrate Easter that will draw the entire family closer to Jesus, this is it! Download your free copy of Easter Devotions here. In October, I found a cute little fire car on a great sale at Amazon. Amazed, I scooped it up and hid it in my husband's closet. A month later, I found an adorable police car on sale at Kohl's. One more large gift added to the closet. Christmas rolled around and I couldn't figure out how to wrap them. So, we decided to have a treasure hunt for my two-year-old and one-year-old grandson. We couldn't give clues with words but we could with pictures. We snapped some photos of their crib, the fireplace, and the garage. We printed them on our printer. Then we wrapped up the photo of the crib in a little box. Rusty and Cooper opened the box and headed to the crib where they found another photo taped to the side of the crib. Are you looking for hope this holiday season? Are you hoping for a brand-new start? Do you want your failures and flaws wiped away in one sweep? I have something important to share with you! You can have hope, a brand-new start, and your failures and flaws wiped away in one sweep. But, wait. There’s more. You can start life over with a new heart. The old gone; the new come. “How much does this cost?” you ask. The answer may surprise you. It’s free! There’s no strings attached. No newsletters to sign up for. No comment to leave. No shipping to pay. God’s gift of Eternal Life this Christmas season is FREE. “The wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 3:23). Those who believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord will be saved. “If you declare with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified; and it is with your mouth you profess your sin and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). "What kind of cookies are you making?" Shine asked. "I'll pick up eggnog at Publix on the way home from work," Julianna added, grabbing her purse as she walked out of the kitchen toward the door. Tonight was our annual Decorating the Christmas Tree Night, a tradition started our first year of marriage. We start with a special dinner: Chicken and Dumplings, Ambrosia, and Muffins. Afterward, we do our Christmas devotions. Then, we listen to Christmas carols, eat cookies, and drink eggnog while we decorate the tree. There are treasured ornaments we pull out each year to hang on the tree. Some are handmade. Many are decades old; some handed down from grandparents. |
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