So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Friday, November 27, 2009

4 Impressive Traits of Celebrity Weddings You Can Use

By Aaron Hu

What sets a celebrity wedding from the thousands if not millions of smaller weddings that go on in the United States? Money is an obvious answer, but it is not the complete story. It is also how money is spent that sets apart the weddings of the rich and famous. The interesting thing about weddings is that many of the innovations that are now commonplace were passed down from the rich. For example, wedding favors were a French innovation that was done at the ceremonies of rich French nobles. So even if they are on a whole different level a celebrity wedding has some interesting features that even the average bride can incorporate into her own nuptials. Here are some examples.

Many high end marriage ceremonies for the rich and famous are held at exclusive and unique locations. Madonna got married to Guy Ritchie at a Scottish castle. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston got married at a secluded estate in southern California. Each of these locations was exotic or exclusive. The way that you the average bride can do the same is finding an interesting location in your area. It may be a vineyard, at a golf resort, or at a well known hotel. An innovative idea is to have the honeymoon and the ceremony at the same location.

Food is another hallmark of a high end wedding. Many celebrities hire the services of famous chefs for their weddings. You may know some of them from television. These are chefs that have best seller recipe books are often seen on the Food Network and cook for some of the most rich and well known individuals on the planet. The key advantage of having such well known chefs is high quality dishes and personalized menus. While you may not be able to do something on the same level there are some things that you can do if you have the budget for it. For example, have a well known hotel in your area cater the reception. Meal you get many of the same advantages at a much more affordable price

Entertainment is also another major factor. Many celebrities are either able to pull strings with fellow entertainers or afford their high appearance fees. For example a Russian billionaire once paid Christina Aguilera $2 million to sing at his wedding. Donald Trump, who is known for doing most things lavishly, had a full orchestra to serenade his guests at his wedding to Melania Knauss. So when you think about entertainment for your reception, try to break the mold and have something other than a DJ.

When you talk about high end marriage ceremonies and receptions you also have to talk about the wedding favors and gift bags. When a well known personality gives gifts they are substantial. It may be something like jewelry, perfume, makeup, and electronic devices, or edible favors from exclusive restaurants. The point is that they give a gift that no one would sneeze at. So when you are deciding what gifts to give several gifts. Also if you can give inexpensive but quality make up or electronics, that will be a definite plus. You should also group smaller gifts together in gift bags. This will definitely make a great impression on your guest without having to spend the same amount as a celebrity.

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Wedding Venues Essex, Hundred Of Approved Premises To Choose From

By Jerry Hayton

For a heavenly backdrop for nuptials you need look no further than wedding venues Essex. You want beauty, you have got it, you want tradition, you have got it and if you want culture, you can do no better than Essex County. There are more than 100 legally approved venues, 8 register offices and goodness knows how many chapels and churches.

Register offices, churches and wedding venues have loads of information available online and prospective couples are even able to take virtual tours of these. Making the trip to Essex for the couple and guests is a great excuse for a weekend break, and there is no place better for the newly married couple to start their married life and honeymoon for that matter.

It is the home of a fun and vibrant community and you could pick a better place for a romantic weekend away soaking up the history and culture. This county dates back to ancient Saxon times, it is situated to the north-east of London and is easy to access from anywhere in the UK.

As far as scenery goes, you will find the best of the best, rolling hills, valleys and wheat fields, a 350 mile long coastline dotted with sleepy coastal villages, poppies, legendary woodlands, you name it, Essex has it. If you are looking for a backdrop or theme, you will find it. If pleasure is your fancy, imagine getting married on the longest pleasure pier in the world, you can do this in Essex.

It is becoming more and more popular for couple to choose Essex to get married, and it is the most popular county in England for civil ceremonies. This is due to a change in marriage laws in the'90's, when approved premises became legally endorsed to perform the marriage ceremony. This means that now there are some fantastic locations to get married from you are able to hold the ceremony and reception in the same venue.

Would you like to get married in the tallest Tudor gatehouse, a castle, a historic home or hotel? Leez Priory was winner of the "Wedding Ideas Venue of the Year" in 2007 and 2008. This is one of the fine old family homes whose doors have been opened for weddings and so has Hedingham Castle, be sure and take a look at these two options.

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A Magnetic Sponsoring Review of Mike Dillard's Network Marketing System

By Art Basmajian

It's not enough to know that Magnetic Sponsoring by Mike Dillard works. It is also important to know what it is, and that's one question that will be addressed in this Magnetic Sponsoring review. Hopefully, it can answer some questions on how the system works and what it's all about.

Setting the Stage

In any Magnetic Sponsoring review, you may read about the way the success of your business will actually rely on your work, just as it should. The system will first help you get the correct attitude in doing MLM business, in terms of what to expect and what is predicted from you in order to make your business work. This is why the system is revolutionary, while the system believes in interrelation of the members of the network. It does not advocate the total dependence of the upline on the downline, or vice versa.

Lead Generation

This is the one unchallenged fact that you should usually be conscious of in any social marketing business : size does matter. But it's not only about size, as you'll find out in this Magnetic Sponsoring review ; it is also about quality and functionality. That is why getting the right leads is critical.

The problem is that too many network marketers have come to make recruitment their reason for living, and that's the reason why many new MLM businesses fail. Too much is spent on recruitment : too much money, too much time, too much effort. Mike Dillard will not only teach a way to create leads almost on autopilot, but truly helpful ones, too, that will be of benefit for your business. These are leads that are not just names and contact information, but real prospects for your business.

Getting Your Hands Dirty

This Magnetic Sponsoring review will also tell you about the way in which the system will help you focus all your efforts in developing a business system which will work for you. It's not only about ideas. It is also about applying what you have learned (and will need to find out about the business you are building) and applying it to building your business. The system will teach you ways to find your market and always keep your aim targeted on that target ; thus, you'll be able to build your own niche.

Make Money on Advertising

Another pointless and wide cost that'll be tackled in this Magnetic Sponsoring review is the money that is spent on advertising. Not merely will magnetic sponsoring liberate you from all of the expense of advertising ; it's got a 'funded proposal' that will teach you the way to make adverts that will pay for itself and generate leads at the same time.

Providing a Need

Another thing that you may learn in this Magnetic Sponsoring review is that creating a business isn't just about selling people things. In truth, it's not even about that at all . It's about making something they need available to them in a convenient manner and at reasonable price .

It is also about providing a support system for your clients and customers, and building relations long after cash has changed hands. Finding a product that is required by your market isn't particularly easy, and that's why many enterprises fail. Most of the time, people do need your product, but they are not conscious of your business and what you product can do for them. So it is also about sharing information on your product and your company and how consumers will benefit from buying your product.

The MLM industry is being modified, and you can see how, why, and for the better in this Magnetic Sponsoring review.

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3 Interesting Christmas Traditions From Around The World

By Ellie Evergreen

Christmas is a holiday celebrated by millions worldwide. Since it has become a global holiday different cultures and nations have come up with unique ways to celebrate it. It has helped to transform a primarily Western holiday into one of the great global holidays of the year. If you are a parent who wants to make Christmas more interesting taking a look at how other countries celebrate to get some good ideas. You never know when you may find a tradition that will appeal to you and help your kids learn about the many faces of Christmas. Here are just some of the holiday traditions that you can choose from.

The African Christmas in not the traditional White Christmas that most people in the western world are familiar with. However, it is every bit as festive if not more so than how most European nations celebrate it. In Africa there is a great emphasis on the Church, feasting, dancing, and then presents. The African Christmas starts in reality with the Christmas Day service. In some counties like the Congo it is customary to leave a gift at the altar of the church at the end of the service for the Christ Child. After the service family and neighbors celebrate with a big holiday feast with music and dancing. Gifts are also more practical and while toys can be given, families also use it as an opportunity to get new clothes for children. English speaking countries in Africa also celebrate British Christmas holidays such as Boxing Day.

Brazil is another tropical country that celebrates the holidays in its own unique way. Like many Latin American countries, its holiday traditions are strongly influenced by the Catholic Church to which a majority of this part of the world is adherents. Christmas holidays follows the traditional month long celebration and ends on Jan 6 with Three Kings Day, the traditional Catholic holiday that commemorates when the three Wise Men came to see baby Jesus. In Brazil the build Nativity scenes called Presepios. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve is also considered to be important and is followed by a great Holiday feast. Santa Claus is called Father Christmas and it is believed that he lives in Greenland not the North Pole.

Austria is a European country with some of the world's oldest holiday traditions. For them Santa Claus who they call Saint Nicholas visits children on Dec 6 accompanied by the devil to take an accounting of their good and bad deeds for the previous year. If they have been good they get sweets and toys. On Christmas Eve things are done differently than in the United States. Instead of Santa Claus coming to deliver presents, the Christ Child comes and not only that, he also brings the Christmas tree! Caroling is also a big part of the season in Austria. Actually some famous carols such as Silent Night originated there.

If you want to make a new tradition for your children you can have them receive a call from Santa Claus. This will be a special and magical moment as your children who still believe in Santa get to talk to the Jolly Old Elf himself. You just order the call online and customize it with the good things that your kids have done and what they wanted for Christmas.

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Melissa And Doug Toys - Simple Toys Your Children Will Love

By Ledley Withenshaw

The best toys are the ones your child enjoys playing with. There is nothing like spending a hundred dollars on the latest craze and find that your child prefers the box it came in. With Melissa and Doug Toys your child can enjoy learning and have fun with an engaging toy.

Starting their company twenty years ago in a small garage in Connecticut, Melissa and Doug Toys has grown quickly with great success. This is due in part to their work ethic and because they treat their employees and customers like family. They attribute their immense success to these principles.

Melissa and Doug's first product was a fuzzy book and the company still makes them today. It emphasizes a toddler's desire to read and stimulates sensory skills while touching the three dimensional book. The stories are fun and age appropriate. They have grown considerably since then with many options of educational learning toys for children from babies to young teens. They have an in house design team that focuses on quality of the classic design with educational emphasis.

You may have seen their toys in doctors or dentists offices as well as your local nursery schools. Safety is a large concern when talking about toys for children and Melissa and Doug toys go out of their way to ensure their products are above the national standards in safety.

Melissa and Doug Toys are not limited to in home products. Their arts and crafts supplies are great for school classrooms as well. They also carry a large amount of puzzles and interactive three dimensional wooden games to. Cognitive skills are developed in your minds while having a great time. This aids in the increase of problem solving skills for growing children.

If you are looking for puppets, Melissa and Doug Toys have a wide variety of puppets and puppet theaters to meet anyone's needs. Easy to use and priced affordably they are great for kids and adults alike to put on a show for families or on the big stage.

You can find Melissa and Doug toys at large online stores such as Amazon. Each customer is treated like family and the favor is returned judging by all the business they get from repeat customers who are very loyal. This made-in-America company is a great example of entrepreneurship and role model for businesses that truly value their customers.

Two more Christmas gift ideas that might be just what you are looking for are the Green Machine 2 and the Puerto Rico Board Game. The Green Machine 2 is a big wheel trike that kids just love because they can pull all sorts of stunts on it. The Puerto Rico game will challenge any child 12 and up to think strategically. It will improve their business skills and let them have fun too.

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Allergies And Their Restrictions

By Charlie Monaghan Carter

If like an increasing proportion of the population you are faced with needing to restrict your diet, implementation can be difficult.

Despite the fact that all food that we buy is labelled with the details of its contents, it can still be difficult to avoid certain food ingredients. There are some intolerances that are fairly common such as gluten and dairy and so foods that dont contain them are relatively easily found and the only time its a real problem is when youre eating out. The main problem here is that most of the time, chefs do not understand the full extent of the effects of a particular ingredient on someone who suffers from food intolerances.

It is quite common for a chef to add a little flour to a sauce to thicken it up, believing that the intolerant person will not notice or be affected by such a small amount. And if the sufferer doesnt explode there and then (and usually they dont) then the chef believes that he got away with it and that the person indeed is not suffering from that little amount. What they dont realise however is that the intolerance usually comes into effect as the food is being digested an hour or two later and the effects can then last for days.

This makes it very difficult for people suffering food intolerances as eating out can quickly become a huge gamble. The more foods you are intolerant to, the bigger the gamble and the greater the likelihood that you will accidentally eat something that will upset you. It is not always easy to provide a chef with a list of foods to avoid. The reason for this is that it is hard work to find good food that avoids many common foods, so many people will soon tire of trying to accommodate you. Dont be surprised if your invitations drop in quantity.

Foods that your body has an intolerance to make very hard work for your body to digest, so you should avoid foods that trigger your intolerances at all costs so that your body doesnt have to be put though the trauma of struggling with something. However if you only then eat a few foods that you know are safe, there is a chance that you will develop intolerances to them as well.

For this reason it is important to maintain as wide a diet as possible. This is sometimes difficult if people have many allergies, a lot of the time people will find foods that dont upset them, and stick to them so as to avoid triggering the intolerances. However, you should try to keep eating as wide a range of foods as you can to avoid slowly but surely becoming intolerant to everything.

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Versatile Exterior French Doors Add Beauty To Your Home

By Hazel Wig

Exterior French doors are a great way to create the illusion of bringing the outdoors inside your home. When used on the patio, the doors can be kept open or closed and still give you a great view of the back yard. When used for entry doors, French doors offer an inviting way to welcome guests into your home.

French doors are far more functional than older sliding glass patio doors. Both sides of the French doors will open for easier access as you entertain guests both inside and outside of your home. These doors also offer greater security than most traditional sliders as they cannot be lifted off of their tracks in order to gain access into your home. Deadbolt locks can easily be installed in French doors.

French doors may be made of fiberglass or they can be made of wood. These materials will surround the window panes. The trim can be painted or stained to match any other trim on your home. The interior can be made of a wood that will coordinate with any other wood used for doors in your home.

Fiberglass French doors can give your home a clean new look. The doors readily accept paint in almost any color. Fiberglass is more durable than wood for doors and is especially well suited for extreme climates where there may be large variations in temperature or humidity. They will not ever warp, peel or swell so they can endure what your climate has to offer.

French doors can be purchased in custom sizes as well as looks. The custom doors may cost more, but also offer options which may not be available in the local hardware store.

The price of an exterior French door will depend on size and style as well as the number of glass panels which are included. Many home improvement stores have these doors in stock, but if your local store does not, they can easily order them for you. You can also order exterior French doors from the internet and may even find better prices for them.

If you want to have your doors installed by a building professional, do some checking around and ask for bids on the installation costs. Get at least three bids to save the most on installation costs. Ask the building professional about getting the door at his cost to see if this will save you money over purchasing the door for yourself.

When you install any of the many types of French doors that are available, whether the pre-hung doors or custom made French doors, the installation will increase the value of your home. In addition, you will have a new way to enjoy the outdoors while sitting in the comfort of your home. By installing these magnificent doors, you can enjoy the yard, balcony or deck more than ever before. Now you can enjoy seeing outside on the warmest day of summer or coldest day of winter all from the comfort of your home in air conditioned comfort.

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Vines And Hanging Plants Indoors

By Kent Higgins

Here are some ideas for using vines and hanging plants in indoor planters and gardens of all sizes and types.

For an airy, open screen or room divider, find a grille, or similarly patterned felt material, frame it, and set a planter garden at the base. The garden may be sunken, or simply a shallow galvanized tray with a layer of pebbles to set the pots on. Unless there is enough natural light from a nearby window, install fluorescent fixtures at the top. On ornate grille patterns train plain-leaved plants like scindapsus, cissus, philodendron; for simple geometric designs, fatshedera, nephthytis; if there is sunlight, the fiery manettia.

To divide a small room into two functional areas - for cooking and eating, dressing and sleeping - train a single vine on an open trellis made of plastic clothesline strung in fan shape from plant to ceiling. Use stem-twining or tendril-climbing foliage vines - cissus, serjania - that are content with artificial light, or hoyas if there is sunlight.

Separate living and dining areas, without sacrificing spaciousness, with a raised planter half-wall topped by a garden of colorful foliage and flowering plants. Finished with the same wood paneling, the planter becomes a continuation of the wall; built of brick, or covered with brick-patterned plastic, it receives emphasis and becomes a center of interest. Provide good light from fluorescent fixtures overhead.

Use upright plants in the background or middle foreground. For accent, let a variegated scindapsus or philodendron climb a piece of bark or tree trunk. Let flowering trailers like aeschynanthus or episcias spill over the front.

For milder climates, or summer in cool areas, install twin planter gardens inside and outside a glassed-in entry or foyer, creating continuity between indoors and out. Outdoor evergreens could carry the effect through winter. Group upright plants tastefully, and use a ground cover like ivy to tie the two gardens together.

Add drama and interest to a small entrance hall with a triangular sunken planter - an opening in the floor with a container supported in it - and clinging vines like ficus or nepeta climbing the wall or a piece of driftwood.

Soften a kitchen ceiling line and make it seem higher with shallow, artificially lighted planter boxes on top of the cupboards. Use dangling plants like commelina, chlorophytum, peperomia.

Extra storage cabinets divide kitchen and dining areas, and do it more decoratively with a planter sunk in each end of the counter. Train foliage vines - or morning glories, if there's sun - up trellises at the ends and across the top to unify and frame the effect.

To enclose an entrance and keep drafts out of the living room, set up a Fiberglas panel surrounded by a continuous garden of neon pothos on the floor. Light from the door or nearby windows is sufficient for foliage climbers like monstera, philodendron, syngonium. With good light and sunlight, try clerodendrum or Cobaea scandens.

Make a miniature landscape in any empty nook, like the shelf of a corner cupboard; or build a terrarium-type box to hold it. With fluorescent light and a tray to hold moist peat moss or vermiculite, you can grow all kinds of dainty creepers and climbers like selaginella, piles, cymbalaria.

For indoor planters and gardens located where they receive more than a modicum of sunlight. If the plants will receive little or no natural daylight and sunlight, you can use fluorescent tubes as a substitute.

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