Blue Monday - Coolin' Off!

Nothing like a cool relaxing dip in the pool on a hot North Carolina day. We were visiting North Carolina on a hot summer day in July. Kyndall (7 months old) thoroughly enjoyed her swim in the "big" pool - kept everyone entertained. Lots of pictures, laughs and good times. Lots of blue in this picture - I love her big blue eyes! I'm not sure who enjoyed the swimming the most - Kyndall or Pappy. Lots of splashing going on! You'll notice the water all over her face - she loved it!

Please visit Smiling Sally for more Blue Monday posts.

Freebies for the Bride!

Who doesn’t like giveaways and contests! Lucky Bride Giveaways offers many giveaways all in one place. Read about them, choose the ones that interest you, follow the link & enter. This is a good way to win items that you may need for your wedding, helping with your budget. And you may find new places to shop or an item that you have been searching for in every place you already know.

If you’re planning a wedding, I know you’ve been looking around for ideas the Bridal Tweet forum has valuable, useful information. You can create a profile page, a blog, connect with vendors, search for a venue, and look at pictures of cakes, flowers, or dresses. You may find an item you’re looking for or the answer to a question or problem by joining in or reading the discussions. Posting pictures and videos allows you to share your ideas with others and looking at someone else’s pictures may spark an idea for your wedding.

Take advantage of all the free advice and information available by searching out forums and blogs. The ones I’ve mentioned are not the only ones available – do a google search and you may be surprised what you find.

Ten Things to Consider When Choosing a Venue.

1. Do you want an indoor or outdoor wedding?
2. If outdoor, does the venue offer a back-up plan for inclement weather, such as an room inside?
3. If outdoor, does the venue provide chairs or do you need to rent them elsewhere?
4. Is the venue large enough to accommodate your guests comfortably?
5. Are tables & chairs provided for the reception or will you need to make other arrangements?
6. Does the venue allow outside catering or do you have to use their food service?
7. If alcohol is being offered - does the venue have this service available or do they allow alcohol on the premises? Are you allowed to provide your own bar/bartender?
8. If it’s an indoor venue and you want a DJ or band – is there enough room for them to set up and the guests to dance?
9. If you want an all night party, you will need to choose a venue that doesn’t want you out by 10:00 pm.
10. Who’s responsible for clean up – the venue or you?

These are some questions you will need to ponder before selecting a venue. The most beautiful, perfect place may not work if it is not large enough or does not have the features that you need. Keep in mind, it is your day and you should have everything you way – but, if it is 100° and you have you heart set on an outdoor wedding your guests may be very uncomfortable. This could cause them to leave early and put an end to the revelry that you have planned. There are ways around this and we will discuss this in another post.

Mrs. Sterlings Pampered Bride Gift Box Giveaway

Getting married? Beginning to feel the stress of planning your wedding, making sure every detail is just as you want? You could probably use a little relaxation and pampering at this point – take some time for yourself, Mrs. Sterlings is giving away the Pampered Bride Gift Box this month.

The Pampered Bride Gift Box includes a Champagne Sugar Bath Bomb, Amber Romance Body Lotion and Evening Primrose Cuticle Butter and a Champagne Lip Balm. All of these items are nestled in a clear gift box tied with a satin ribbon.

The drawing will be June 20th - follow this link to enter http://www.mrssterlings.com/pampered_bride_giveaway.htm.

You may be interested in pampering your attendants or some of your special guests. That’s a great idea! Everyone loves to be made feel that they are special. Your guests will appreciate and remember a gift of bath and body.

Mrs. Sterlings is offering a special right now – The Pampered Bride Gift Box FREE – you pay shipping only of $6.95 and you can still enter to win the free Giveaway Box. This link will take you directly to the special offer http://www.mrssterlings.com/pampered_bride_gift_box_special_offer.htm or you may get to the special offer by going to enter for the giveaway and scrolling to the bottom of the page - click on special offer.

No purchase is necessary, but you must enter for a chance to win The Pampered Bride Gift Box. This link http://www.mrssterlings.com/pampered_bride_giveaway.htm will take right to the page with the form for the necessary information to enter you into the giveaway. Remember the drawing will be June 20th.

Let Mrs. Sterlings create that special thank you for guests and attendants. From wedding favors, bridal shower favors, bridal attendant gifts to welcome gift bags -we can help you create that perfect gift.
Quantity discounts are available. They can be customized to match wedding or bridal shower colors along with fragrance choice. You may email us for details at mrssterlings@netscape.net.

Place an order at Mrs. Sterlings and receive a Complimentary Pampered Bride gift box with your order.

Sailboat Soaps Used as Baby Shower Favors

Many of our customers are using soap favors for baby shower favors, birthday party favors or bridal shower favors as well as wedding reception favors. Terry Smith of Falmouth, MA purchased the sailboat soaps in light blue - scented blueberry for a baby shower. The soaps come enclosed in the recloseable ziptop bags.

We were excited when Terry sent us a picture of the way she used the sailboat soaps. We are happy that she wants to show you her creation. What a fantastic idea she had! A nice tray filled with sand - add the sailboat soaps - assorted sea shells - sea glass (assorted glass pebbles) - and you have an attractive way to offer the favors to your guests.

















Thank you, Terry for choosing our store and for sharing your wonderful creation with us!

Posting our Customer's Uses for our Products

In the past, we have been blessed by our customers sending us pictures of their uses for our products. We have never posted them on the blog, but that is now changing. If you are or have been a customer and wish to have a picture of your wedding, party, shower, or event posted displaying the use of one of our products - please let us know. If you have our email, send it to us. If you have lost our email, post here leaving your email and we will contact you.

One of our customers, purchased the Beach Soap Tub Collection to be used as favors at a baby shower. This favor is enclosed in a cello bag tied with jute rope. She has a unique way of using them and we will be posting it after the shower in May.



























Another customer purchased the sailboat soaps in light blue to be used as favors at a baby shower. Many people are using nontraditional, creative and unique favors as token of their thanks for attending their shower or event. These soaps are enclosed in a resealable plastic ziptop bag - you may wish to attach a header with info pertaining to the event or a thank you header or give them as they are.



































There are many uses for decorative soaps (besides keeping them for yourself to liven up your powder room!).

Looking forward to posting pictures so others may get a great idea to use or may be inspired by someone else's idea.

Happy Saturday to you!

Hope your day is filled with sunshine and fun things to do abound. It has been a while since I've visited the blog. Seems like I tend to get bogged down in every day living and by night the blogging brain cells are asleep. So, just a little update to let you know what is going on in our world and what we have in mind for the future.

Designing new products is high on the list, once we get past the busy bridal season. Not complaining - I love the busy season.

We are no longer on ebay due to the ever rising costs of doing business on their site. A customer called us that had conducted business with us on ebay and was elated to find that we are still in business. I assure you we are going strong! Our website is in the process of being updated - this may be a long process as the webmaster has many things going on. We are offering products on Etsy and Artfire. You may find us on these sites by searching for Delightfullywed.

Our newest work in progress is a spinoff of our main website - Favor of my Heart. We will be offering some unique and elegant favors on this site. It is definitely a work in progess, so if you visit please keep this in mind.

We will be putting samples in the Snowberry Creek Sample Boxes for anyone who wishes to sample some of our decorative soaps.

We are adding decorative bar soap favors to our line-up on the website. You may decide not to give them for favors, but to keep them for yourself. We have many new designs and sizes available. Now to get the pictures and get them posted! I keep a big dose of motivation and a swift kick in the rear to get me in gear!

I going to make an extra effort to post more on the blog and look for interesting places for weddings, honeymoons, and services offered in these spots. I will be on the lookout for any contests, giveaways or freebies for the brides as I know times are tight and we need to save where we can.

Blue Monday - Exploring Ft. Walton Beach

Many people think of lying on the beach in the sand while visiting the coast. We visited in Dec., the week before Christmas. There weren't many people out and about, so we had the beach pretty much to ourselves for walking, sitting, etc. I had always wanted to visit the beach in the winter.

I was not disappointed - we had a wide range of weather during our visit. They experienced a "cold snap" according to a local. It was still quite pleasant to us, although we did wear a jacket in the evening. The wind was a little blustery one day & we had the scary experience of being in tornado warnings one afternoon. But the storms didn't last long and we saw one of the most beautiful sunsets afterwards. I will share them at a later date.

I must tell you of our visit to Wal-Mart. What vacation is complete without a visit to the local Wal-Mart. This just happened to be the day of the storms. As we are leaving the condo, the rain begins. Good thing the umbrellas are still in the car! We take them into Wal-Mart as a precautionary measure....We shop & find all of the essentials (and a few nonessentials) that we will need for our stay. After checking out, we notice a large group congregated in the entrance. As we approach, we see that we will not be able to stand there as it is full and it is raining...raining heavily! Finally we get the umbrellas up & decide to make a dash for it! You've got three women with umbrellas, purses and bags trying to make a dash for the truck....to find that they can't locate the truck! Oh no!!!! The wind is whipping, we are getting drenched...searching rows, upon rows to find the gray truck. My umbrella is caught by the wind. It is turned inside out - fills with water - then the wind catches it - turns it back down and you guess it....water flows like a waterfall over my head...numerous times. The water was very cold, so each time I screeched very loudly! So during the torrential downpour with whipping winds, three women running to and fro..laughing like lunatics and looking like drowned rats have people wondering what they are doing. Finally, we locate the truck! We'll never forget that shopping trip. We made it back to the condo...took off our clothes and put them in the dryer...wondering why we had taken such care to get ready that morning. Sorry no pictures of the three drowned rats!
























Catholic Church


















Calm Ocean

























I think he liked posing for us.





















A bit of a wave.


















Sunset with a hint of blue sky.























Interesting column. Thousands of seashells.


Visit Smiling Sally for more Blue Monday posts.

John Deere Green

We happen to love John Deere Equipment - many farms would not be complete without their John Deere tractor and then you have all of the logging operations that depend upon John Deere for their equipment needs.

We have created our version of the John Deere cake topper - Down on the Farm. These toppers have been quite popular for groom's cakes, wedding cakes, birthday cakes and some people have wanted them to add in with a centerpiece.

If you love John Deere green and need a cake topper for your special day - we hope that you will visit us and consider ours.

We have many country/western cake toppers and favors to choose from. If you want something a little different...just ask. We will be happy to work with you.

Outdoor Wednesday

To continue on with my explorations of the state of Arizona. While viewing the Grand Canyon, I started to look around at the trees and plants growing in this area. We took a walk down a path along the rim of the canyon. No, I did not ride a mule down the canyon & we did not hike it! We arrived at that point too late in the day the first day and the second day was so cold! We visited the last weekend in September. Hubs would have loved to, but the it was such a windy day that we decided to forgo that adventure.

Back to the walk, a leisurely one I might add taken with chattering teeth & wind blowing ninety-to-nothing. I'm accustomed to tall, towering majestic trees and that is not what I was seeing. I'm not sure what this plant is called but it was taller than most of the trees. I was completely amazed by it.
























Each state has much to offer & I love exploring or discovering what is unique to the area. Some things may not be unique but they are things that I've not seen in my home state.

Please visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer to view more Outdoor Wednesday posts.

Blue Monday - Picnic Guest

This little guy joined my husband & me as we picnicked within site of the Painted Desert. He started off quite a ways out, patiently waiting for any crumbs thrown his way. He would swoop down, capture the tidbit & fly off hiding his treats up in the nearby trees. After a bit, he became very brave...getting closer and closer to us. He became so brave that he would land on the opposite end of the picnic table. Such a busy little fellow...flying to and fro storing up food for later. We provided him with many meals!

Please visit Smiling Sally for more Blue Monday posts.

Scenic Sunday - Holy Dove Chapel

I want to share a little chapel that we stumbled across when we were in Arizona. This is the back view - the little door has a cross window. It is on US Hwy 180 that cuts across from Hwy 64 (the road to the Grand Canyon) to Flagstaff. If you are looking for a remote, quaint spot for a small country wedding - this may just be the perfect location. It is beautiful in this area. Be sure to visit other scenic sunday posts.

























































































This is one of the views from the church yard....split rail fence, meadows, mountains...beautiful!

Time to Regroup

I'm been MIA for quite a while. I hope to blog more this year and visit more of my friend's blogs. As many of you may know my family lost a dear loved one in Nov. of 2009 after a battle with cancer. 2009 was a most difficult year, but there were some high points. My dear precious sweet granddaughter was born Dec. 3rd. What a wonderful gift from God! Miss Kyndall Layne has been a joy and a blessing for all of us.

Well, it's a new year, new goals, new beginnings....so I'm going to get myself in gear and see what is going on in the blogging world.