Her First Christening Gown

There is so much excitement when a baby is born.  Before a child comes the new parents plan out just what the child will need.   If this is their first child then the things they will be looking for will include things like a crib, a dresser, a rocker and lots and lots of diapers.   The day comes when everything is moved out of the extra room so it can be painted.   Now days the trend is to find out what the gender of the baby is.  The color of paint will probably be in either pink for a girl or blue for a boy.  When a theme is chosen for the baby’s room decorations will include things at go along with that theme.   Friends and relatives will be invited to a shower for the baby and if the gender is known  the gifts for the baby will be according to that gender.  It seems everyone wants to give the cutest and latest trend of clothing styles to the forthcoming baby.  

Sometimes you will see relatives going in together to get a gift card that can be used to purchase a stroller or swing for the baby.  I once went to a baby shower where the new mother had gotten a gift card and she expressed how grateful she was for it as she was going to apply it to getting the $800 dollar stroller she had seen online.  $800 I about passed out.  That was about $700 more than I had paid to get everything I needed for my first baby.  

I have to tell you I am a grandmother. So some of the things they younger generation is doing to prepare for a baby are totally foreign to my nature.  I also like to see new babies in cute comfortable clothing.  When the time came for me to be getting my first grandchild I wanted to continue the tradition my mother had with my children.  This tradition was to be the one to find and purchase the Christening Gowns.   It was so exciting to see all the styles of gowns available.  When I was having children it seemed like there was not very many gowns to choose from.  As it turned out my mother ended up making some of the gowns.  I myself have chosen to buy the blessing outfit as I have seen some blessing gowns that are truly amazing.  I thought the stroller was an extravagant price…I had no idea just how extensive prices for Christening Gowns could be.    My daughter and I got online to check out what was available.  We found a place that had some beautiful dresses.  They also had all the accessories that would be needed to complete the blessing outfit.  The price for these beautiful gowns was something that was truly within my budget.               

If you are a grandmother like me and want to start a great tradition of being the one to give the Christening Outfit you will want to check out this site: www.dressedinwhite.com/index.php/infants/girls.html.   I also have to say that on the blessing day my granddaughter was happy and comfortable and looked so beautiful in the gown.

Finding help with San Luis Obispo Insurance

               When I was a teenager there were very few things I would worry about.   Oh I had the typical things like school, dating, being popular, getting dates and being able to drive.    Something’s I didn't have to worry about were things like house insurance or health insurance.   I did however have to worry about car insurance.   As our family was not one of the rich families in our town I had to help pay the car insurance.  Being a teenager the very fact of being a “new” driver could have caused our family’s car insurance to go up.  My dad was smart enough to find a great insurance company at San Luis Obispo Insurance.    I soon realized that I would have to be working harder at keeping my grades up so we could get the discount on car insurance they offered to teens with good grades.   I was just ok in school so I really had to set my mind to coming home and getting right on my homework.   Also to pay for the insurance I had to have a job.

  Now I live in a really small community and so the opportunities for a teenager to have a job were not very good.  I had a friend that’s family owned the local pizza parlor.  It was her friendship to me that I got a job there.  I was able to make enough to pay for my insurance and have some left over to spend on teenage activities.    I thought I was so grown up being able to pay for things.  Little did I know how much more responsibility I would have for money issues in the coming years.

                When I got married I realized that the small portion of car insurance I had been paying for was just a tiny bit of obligations that adults have.   I am very grateful to my parents for teaching me the learning process of responsibility.   Now I have a house and two cars to get insure.   My sweet husband did not want to work for someone else all the rest of his life and so he started his own vinyl letting company. 

                Add that to the other obligations of running a household and it at times can get overwhelming.   I found myself returning to ask my parents questions because taught me to be responsible and had some good ways of doing things. One thing I needed to know was how you keep track of all the things that need to be paid for each month.  My dad told me that insurance for things was one of the most important things to do as you never know when some disaster may come into your life.  To have good insurance with a company that can bundle all your coverage’s together is an easy thing to do.  I just had to follow his suggestion and go with the company at  http://www.petersongranthamslo.com/.

This is one of the things that is making my life less stressful knowing that I have good coverage for my home, my car, and a great health policy with my husband’s business. 

Found the best Veterinarian Cincinnati has

           There is nothing worse than to hear the squealing of brakes and the thump and then the cry of a wounded animal.  This sound tends to stop your heart especially when you are the owner of any kind of animal.   The day that this happened to me I would say was one of the hardest days emotionally that I had ever had.   I have the most beautiful white cat with the bluest of eyes that we named “Casper”.  Casper has become so much a part of our family that he thinks that he is totally human.   Have you ever heard the phrase “dogs drool and cats rule”.  Well I can tell you being a total cat lover this would be the truth in our home.   Casper had all the routine things done when he was little such as neutering and de-clawing and of course his shots.    He is an outside-inside cat.  He loves to be outside to explore and usually does not go anywhere but the front yard.  So when he is outside I know when I open the door he will usually be right there ready to come inside.

             Casper has really become attached to me and when I say attached I mean “attached”.  No matter what part of the house I am in he is there.  He will follow me from room to room and either sits on my lap or curls up at my feet.   I love having a cat that is so friendly and cuddly but sometimes I have to race into a room and shut the door before he comes in to have any privacy.   I have never had to go see a vet except for wellness exams and vaccine shots.

           That dreadful day all those “accident” sounds came floating in through my window sent my blood pressures skyrocketing.   I could not get the front door open fast enough to get outside.  There in the street was my beautiful Casper trying desperately to get up and walk.   The driver of the car that hit him was too running over to see exactly how injured he was.   As I knelt down to see how bad the situation was I could see that it was just an injury to his leg.  I could tell that it was broken so I carefully lifted him up into my arms.  My husband was there at my side and together we took Casper to the Veterinarian Cincinnati where Casper had been treated all his life.   When we arrived at the animal hospital they took Casper right into the back room.   The girl at the front desk was so nice as she filled out the paperwork.  I don’t know how she knew what I was saying as my speech came out garbled with emotion.   Just a short time later we took Casper home leg braced and all.    

          If you live in this area I would recommend this hospital for any major trauma to a pet and for any medical care that you precious family pet needs.  You can find them at www.beechmontpethospital.com/services.html.

Choosing the best Optometrist Roseville for my eye exams

             I have raised eight children but I do not remember taking all of them combined to any doctor as much as I have taken my parents.   We were the kind of family that would just get the over the counter things to treat any illness or injury that came along.     I do have to admit we were in the emergency room three times.   I know that doesn't seem normal as I used to volunteer in the ER and saw how many people come back to the ER again and again.  We had the normal checkups for school and sports but that was about all.   I soon found out that when a person gets older their body truly does begin to wear out.   It was not that I ever did not want to take my parents to any doctor but that I was just more aware of how many times and how many hours were spent in the waiting rooms of doctors.   I must say I did get a lot of reading accomplished with all the waiting room hours.  But the best hours were spent in just talking to my parents about people and events in their lives. 

 One time my mother had to go to get her eyes examined.  I thought it would be just a routine checkup and possibly some new glasses.   When my mother didn't come right out and the doctor came out to get me I did then suspect that something more than the normal things in an exam was discovered.    As it turned out the doctor did see something more going on with her eyes.   The OptometristRoseville found that my mother had the beginnings of Glaucoma.   As I told you there were precious times I had been able to just sit and talk to my mother and remembered her telling me things about her mother.   I remember my grandmother being diagnosed “legally blind” but I did not really know if it was just from her age, as my grandmother lived to be 96, or if it was caused by something going wrong with her eyes.   As it turns out the loss of my grandmothers sight had been from advanced glaucoma.   As she was a proud woman and in her time there was not the technology or information of how to catch this early it was too advanced to cure.   My grandmother never wore glasses and so I am not really sure she had the yearly eye exams she needed either.   

As my mother’s problem was caught early by the optometrist he was able to treat and take good care of my mother’s eyes with medication.   My dad was so good at keeping track of all the things that needed to be done each and every day with the two of them.   I remember picking up a notebook at their house with entries each day of what was taken or done for that day.

You can be sure that now I have a yearly eye exam.  If you want my recommendation for a great optometrist you should check the doctor at http://www.wellnessandeyes.com/.

Life is easier with a printable grocery list maker

                   Where is a pen I yelled.   How many times have you heard yourself asking that question? And then where is a piece of paper to write on?  You start turning over all the many things on your table or desk to find just a scrap of paper.   As it becomes an un-daunting task you just give up thinking you will remember  what you were going to write down when you get to the store.    You go to the store get the things you thought you needed and return home.   Dinner time comes and the one thing you needed for that new recipe is the item you were going to write down but couldn't find something to write with or write on.   Or then there is the time you find a pen but the only thing there is to write on is an envelope that is only junk mail so you turn it over and you start making your list.

                    The time comes to go to the store and you go to the table to find your list.  Wouldn't you know it someone for once has thought to clean off the table and your junk mail envelope is gone.   You don’t have time to remake the shopping list so you either just jot down what you think you wrote on the first list or you hurry out the door to the store hoping you will remember what exactly was on your list.   If you ever would have peeked in my kitchen window you probably would have seen a scenario like this.   My children are always asking me what I want or what they can get me for either Mother’s Day or my birthday.  Granted I am no the easiest person to buy for.  This is because I am at a stage in my life where money is not as tight as it was when I was raising children. When I see something I want or something that interests me I usually buy it.  So when one of my children gave me a Printable Grocery List generator I was curious.   How was it that I had not seen this before? 

                 It was easy and ready to use right out of the box.   I could hang it on the wall or on my fridge.   All I had to do was push the button and record what it was I needed to get.   No more tearing my house apart just to find a writing instrument or scrounging the junk mail for something to write on.   When it came time to go to the store I would simply go over to the list maker, push and print a grocery list.  Easy as pie the list would be printed for me.  I would just take that list and go shopping.   What if there was something I wanted but the word was not in the list maker?   Well it has 2500 grocery items capability so I have yet to find any word it didn’t have.  It also has the advantage to add custom items.  My life is so much less stressful when shopping. 

If you are looking to distress the shopping part of your life you should really check one of these out at http://www.smartshopperusa.com/.

Finding the Perfect Temple Dress

When I first got married like all girls from the time we are little the thought of a big beautiful wedding was all we dreamed about.   Mine would be the best one anyone had ever been too.  I remember as a little girl begging my mother to take me with her when she would attend wedding receptions.  My dad was not very social so he was all too willing to let me go.   I remember sitting at the table looking around taking everything in.   I knew from the very first reception exactly what colors and style of dresses my bridesmaids would be wearing.   Little did I know that styles were an ever changing fact.   I would take the mint or candy swirl that they served and keep them for the longest time believing they would stay perfect for ever.   Usually my sweet tooth would get the better of me and I would end up eating it. 

 But the thing I remember above all else from each wedding reception I attended was just how beautiful each bride was.   How could the brides just keep getting more and more amazing?   I grew up in a small city and a time where it was the only thing a girl could do was wear white.    Did I want a dress with a big hoop that stood out like a merry go round.  This was the style of dress my older sister wore and she was the most beautiful bride I had ever seen.    When my sister got married I couldn't figure out why she had 2 wedding dresses.   One dress was not as ornate as the other one and my mother told me that was her Temple Dress.   The other dress with the hoop and slips was for the reception.  Oh how I loved to crawl under all those beautiful white starched slips.  Much to the  frustration of my mother and sister as I am sure my mother had spent many long hours starching the slips to make they stand out so far.

                As my sister was many years older than I was it was a while before it was my turn to be married.   And yes styles had changed.  Gone were the slips and hoops.  But not my dream of wearing the most beautiful dress I could find.   I also would be getting a chance to have two dresses.   A dress for my ceremony and a dress for the reception.  They were equally as beautiful and equally as important to me for the most important day of my life.   My Temple Dress however would be one I would be using over and over so as I carefully chose this dress I was sure to make it the most comfortable one I could find but also easy to take care of.  The dress I chose is so pretty it lets me feel like a princess every time I wear it.  If you are looking for a white dress you should check out the ones I found at www.dressedinwhite.com/

Passing on my Baptism Dress

From the time a little girl realizes that she is a girl she will always want to look like a princess.  That has been my experience as I have raised seven daughters.   Don’t worry I did manage to slip one boy into that mix.   If you ask my son he will say that he always felt growing up like he had 8 mothers instead of one.   It was really easy to hand down clothing having so many of one kind.  I have had some of my daughters that only wanted to wear dresses.  Even when they were two years old and I would dress them in the cutest summer outfits if it was not a dress I would soon find her in her room pulling out articles of clothing from her drawers trying to find a dress or a skirt or simply running around in only a diaper refusing to wear anything but a dress or skirt. As time went on this daughter got married and has two daughters of her own.  She is finding that she too has a little one who is refusing to wear anything but dresses or skirts.  A new favorite line of mine to say now is “Payback is SWEET”.

  I finally learned with that child to start the day off in a dress therefore elevating extra laundry by having her changing all day.    Then there were other daughters who didn't care exactly what they wore except that it had to be “cute”.     The year finally came that my oldest daughter needed a Baptism Dress.   My mother was the type of person that saved everything.  As the special day came closer my mother showed up with the Baptism Dress I wore as a child.  I was so excited to have such a thoughtful mother that would think to save this special dress for me.   So my oldest wore my dress.   As you probably guessed with having so many children the next daughter’s time for a special dress came very quickly.   By letting my oldest wear my dress I wanted to keep the tradition of having that special dress go with that child.   I wanted each child to have special memories of that special day so I began looking for a white dress just for her.   A special white dress that she would be able to hand down to her very own daughter on that daughter’s special day.   And so began the new tradition of taking each daughter with me to pick out a perfect dress.  A dress that would make her feel exactly like a princess.  

 All of my daughters have daughters of their own now and there is something to be said about all the memories that come flooding back when I see my granddaughters wearing their mothers Baptism Dresses.   Since there is more than just one granddaughter in each family the mother of that family is making memories with the other girls by finding great dresses at www.dressedinwhite.com.                  

Oh yes, my only son…..he wore a jumpsuit.

Summer fun staying in a house from LBI rentals

                Every year friends and I try to find some place new and interesting to spend some of our summer vacation.  So this year we started looking around at some of the parts of the country where we have never been or places that we have only been to once.   We all have been asking other friends and co-worker where some fun places they have been.  Also we want to stay within the United States so that our money is spent helping the USA economy and not another country.  Don’t get me wrong I love going to other countries and seeing their culture but ever since the election things on foreign soil are kind of tense now we decided to stay in the US.   One of my friends had a co-worker tell her how much fun they had experienced when they went to Long Beach Island. 

                 In checking that out we found that yes it was damaged in the storm but that area was recovering very well.   They are trying to get the word out that Long Beach Island is “Alive and Well”.   Ok now is the time where we can literally “put our money where our mouth is” as my dad always used to say.  By that I mean that my friends and I are always talking about helping the economy here in the USA and so now we should go somewhere and spend money in an area that would help boost the economy of those who live there.   Money we would spend on a place to stay, places to eat, as well as things to do.  Online is a great place to find things and so we started looking.   We first needed to find a place to stay. 

              We found some excellent help at LBI rentals.   They had some great places that would be just what our group would need.  One of the places to stay was right on the beach.  It couldn't get any better than to stay within walking distance of the water.   A whole two weeks with nothing to do but bask in the sun and explore all the different things.  This will really be so much fun.   I was really excited when I found out there was also fishing available.   My dad used to take me fishing all the time when I was little and since his passing I haven’t had much chance to go fishing.  This was something I would be spending my money on.  

                Any damage that that had done by the storm would not be affecting our stay on Long Beach Island.   The rental company was making sure that we would be staying in a place that was fantastic.  There was an amusement and water parks close by if we wanted to take advantage of those.  However we have those here and probably would prefer to spend time exploring the local culture.   So if you are like me and my friends and want to get this great country growing again consider vacationing within the USA……and check out http://www.lbirealty.com/things.html for a great vacation rental. 

Great vacation home at Long Beach Island Rentals

We all watched in horror last year as Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast of the United State.   The destruction was unbelievable.   So much property was destroyed and so many lives were turned upside down.  As I watched what was happening from my warm comfortable chair within my safe secure and upright home my heart truly went out to those being affected by this hurricane.   Living in the mountain west we do not experience those kinds of storms and hurricanes.  I did however go to the Caribbean after a season of storms and the destruction was horrendous.  So as I listened to and watched what was happening had me glued to the television.  

                A friend and I have been getting together to plan a fun vacation this year.   She has been on the east coast and suggested that we go there this year for our annual vacation.  Going to New York City has never appealed to me as I am really a layed back kind of person.   But I was interested in going and seeing what the east coast had to offer.   We started looking at staying someplace other than a hotel.  The idea of staying in a home or apartment for an extended time sounded better and better.   When going online to check out places to stay we found Long Beach Island Rentals.                

                I was worried that the damage done last year would have that area in bad shape.  Seeing and reading what has been done to repair that area I saw that while it was not all completely repaired most of the area were again ready to invite visitors back.   They proved to be resilient and by going there with what all they had completed and restored what better thing to do with my vacation money than to spread it around in that area to help rebuild their economy and give me some wonderful place to visit that I had never been before.   

They found us the cutest little place on the beach to stay.   This home was only steps to the beach.   It was going to be such a fun place to visit.   I love exploring places and seeing all the quaint things a place has to offer but I also like having time just to hang out and read a good book.   I was excited to find out that close by they had a museum we could go to as well as a theatre.    They also have some water parks and an amusement park but I have those places where I live.  What I do not have is beaches.   Every time I had any question about something to do with where we would be staying they answered my questions promptly and put any reservation I had to rest.   I am so looking forward to going to the east coast where I will just “veg” for a whole week if I want to.   I heard that they have some amazing food here and also a big “Chowderfest”.  If you are looking to get away and have a new adventure you should really check out   http://www.lbirealty.com/ they are amazing.

Safe and Secure with a Home Security System

I find myself “hooked” watching the show Criminal Minds.   I can’t believe how many things can happen to either an individual or a family.   Each night before I would sit down to watch I would walk around my house twice to make sure the doors and every window was securely “locked”.   Even then while watching the show if I heard the slightest noise I would stop and push mute and listen.   I really don’t know why I put myself through all that torture for so long before I came to my senses and got Home SecuritySystems Phoenix AZ.   When seeing all the little ways in which someone could break into my house on the show gave me a lot of anxiety.

                  Now in having found a beautiful house in Arizona I choose to not buy a home with a basement.  I gratefully did not have to check that area.  I don’t know why I did not get a house with a basement because it really would have been a lot cooler with the Arizona heat having a cool place to go.    So I only had to check the main floor because my home was all on the same level.   However I have a 3 car garage, and having to check more area.   So I called a company to come out and tell me exactly what I had to do to secure the inside as well as the outside of my home.    The company sent out some great guys that explained just what securing my home would entail.   As it turned out it was a fairly simple process and one that they would be able to install the system in a short amount of time.   Having this system installed I would no longer be required to go around my house locking the doors and making sure every widow is shut and locked.   While this company’s employees were there they had a good laugh with me as I told them I was now feeling more secure and safe when watching my favorite show. 

One of these guys also told me that Criminal Minds was his favorite show too and wanted to know if I would like to really get the best viewing of this show.   Yes was my answer.   He then proceeded to tell me about the Home Theater Setup and Installation system that they offered.   As they were already there setting up my security monitoring system it would be very easy for them to set up a home theater system at the same time.   Having that system installed you can only imagine what a great experience I am getting now watching my favorite show. 

 I still get scared watching what is happening in each episode but now I am more confident that my home is safe and secure.   If you have a favorite “intense” show you love to watch and want to feel secure you should check out this wonderful alarm system at http://bear2protection.com/index.html.

What kind of cane to get when Gramee gets older

              Gramee is getting older.  She has always been on the go.  From morning till night she never stopped.   From the time her feet hit the floor in the mornings til she climbed into bed at night it was go go go.   I don’t ever remember her even taking much time to sit down for a meal at the table unless my mother forced her to.  She would always be up going from the dining table to the kitchen making sure everything was on the table and everyone was being taken care of.    She would come over to our house to help my mom with whatever needed to be done.    So when I noticed Gramee having a hard time walking I couldn’t really believe my eyes.  I had been away at college so the differences I was seeing was very noticeable to me.   Now you have to realize that Gramee was a very proud woman and this thing was extremely hard on her.  

Gramee tried to hide the fact that she was having trouble walking by either always being at the kitchen sink doing dishes or at the stove cooking.  I think she was in those places so that she didn’t have to move very much and so.  We as a family didn’t catch on at first what was going on.    I sat down with my mother to find out exactly what was happening and what was being done to help Gramee.  She like me had always seen Gramee at the sink doing dishes or at the stove cooking.  Then she began seeing Gramee move from chair to chair, or object to object and she realized that she needed to  find out exactly what was going on.

              Gramee it turns out had fallen a couple of times but didn’t want to burden anyone in the family so she never told anyone.  I guess that is what comes when you have been a widow for 50 years and very independent.   So my mother took her to a doctor to find out what was causing Gramee to fall and not be able to walk steadily.   Well it turns out that it was just a matter of Gramee getting older and things that go on in the brain of an older person.   Thank goodness it wasn’t anything serious and there were certain things that Gramee could do to make things easier and a little more secure for walking.  

              One thing Gramee could do was to get a cane to help steady her when walking.    Now Gramee had a hard time with this at first until my mother got online and showed her a folding cane that she could use when walking.  It then would fold up and fit into her purse when she got to the place she needed to go.  No one walking by her would even know she needed a cane.   She liked this idea and so my mother had Gramee ok the choice of a folding cane from http://www.walkingstickpro.com/ and she has been very happy ever since.    I am glad to know that Gramee isn’t going to fall now.