Giving Thanks
Giving Thanks
Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away? What does Thanksgiving mean to you? For many of us it means turkey, dressing, pies and all the other goodies that go along with it. It also means family. But what else does it mean?There is a child's prayer that I used to say when I was little that goes:Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.Do you remember that prayer? So simple and yet when a child says it, there is such complete honesty and trust in it, isn't there?We all know that we are supposed to be thankful for the things that God blesses us with. And of course, we are. But sometimes when we are going through through difficult times in our lives, we don't feel very thankful, do we?Psalms 116:17 says, "To Thee I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the Lord."What does that mean? It means that even in the midst of our fiery trials, we are to give thanks. Tall order sometimes, isn't it?Ephesians 5:18-21 says, "And do not get drunk, with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord:
always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father:
and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ."So this Thanksgiving, let us remember to give thanks to the Father for all that he has done.Even though at times, things look bleak, know that God is always in control.Sincerely,Ruth A. Rusk
Embracing Your Destiny--------------------------------------------------------------------------------email: ann2196@bellsouth.net
Incredibles Kid Birthday Party Idea
Incredibles Kid Birthday Party Idea
Mr. Incredible and Elastiwoman to the Rescue.
The Incredibles based on the hit Disney movie has become a favorite fun kid birthday party theme.
The Incredibles Invitations
Have fun creating a "top secret" message as your Incredibles child birthday party theme invitation.
You might say something like this. "Calling all superheros... The Incredibles need your help!"
"You're invited to help Mr. Incredible and Elastiwoman protect our city from the evil villain, "syndrom" at (insert the first and last name of your birthday child)'s birthday party... And we're celebrating with The Incredibles." "The superhero birthday action begins on (date of party)."
"Our superhero birthday party location is top secret and will be known only to our superhero guests... Only by holding this invitation up and facing it toward a mirror will you be able to decode this secret address message."
(Write the address backwards on the invitation so it will appear correctly when held up to a mirror).
"Our superhero birthday party fun begins at (time) and will end at (time)."
"Superhero refreshments will be served."
"All superhero party guests are requested to RSVP using the secret telephone number known only to our invited superhero guests.(phone number)"
"Every party guest wearing an Incredibles costume will be given a special secret party favor."
Have fun and be creative with your invitation. Your guests will quickly get the idea that this party is going to be special. They won't be able to wait for your birthday party!
The Incredibles Decorations
Yellow, red and black are the main colors for The Incredibles.
Get your Incredibles birthday party theme started right.
Decorate with yellow, red and black balloons, and crepe paper... Put "superhero" signs all over the place. Next to your telephone put a sign that reads "telephone for superheros only." On the door to the restroom put up a sign that reads, "Superhero Restroom."
Have fun, be creative, it's an Incredibles superhero party!
On your front door, attach yellow, red and black balloons and a sign that reads "Secret Location, (name of your birthday child)'s Incredibles, superhero birthday party."
Incredibles Birthday Party Theme Costumes
Costumes are a great way to get everyone into your Incredibles birthday party theme.
There are excellent online party stores and costume stores where you'll find a great selection of costumes including The Incredibles...
Or you can try putting together your own costume... Using yellow, red and black as your main colors, put together your own creative version of Mr. Incredible or Elastiwoman.
Say Cheese
Remember your camera, digital camera and video camera... You're going to want to take lots of pictures and video of your birthday child and all their friends in costume. You'll want to remember how everyone looked in their Incredibles birthday party theme costumes.
Get Your Incredibles Party Started Right
You want to start your party as soon as the first guest arrives... Don't sit around waiting for everyone else, start having fun.
Have a large glass or glass jar filled with yellow and red jelly beans and tell each guest to use their superhero X-Ray vision to guess how many jelly beans are in the jar...
Write everyone's name on one piece of paper and put their guess next to their name... Then just before your party ends, announce the superhero guest with the best X-Ray vision. (whoever guessed closest to the actual number of jelly beans in the jar wins.)
And remember to actually count the number of jelly beans you put in the jar before your birthday party begins... Then write the actual number on a piece of paper and put that piece of paper somewhere safe and where you can easily get to it.
The Incredibles Movie And CD Fun
Set your Incredibles birthday party theme right away by having The Incredibles movie DVD or video playing on your TV as your guests arrive. (You can turn the sound down low or off)... You can also surprise your birthday child by announcing that The Incredibles DVD or video is one of their birthday gifts...
For music during your birthday party games and activities, play The Incredibles movie soundtrack CD. This is an excellent way to keep your Incredibles birthday party theme going... You can also make the CD a gift for your birthday child.
The Incredibles Coloring Book
Depending on the age of your group, you can pick up an Incredibles coloring book and some small boxes of crayons... Take pages out of the coloring book and let your party guests choose pages to color... This is also a fairly quiet activity.
The Incredibles Puzzle
Kids love puzzles and what better way for your guests to get to know each other than working on a puzzle together... Having a puzzle that fits your Incredibles birthday party theme is an added bonus.
The Incredibles Superhero Food and Drink
Even The Incredibles superheros need to replentish their energy after a long day of saving the world from the villainous "Syndrom."
Consider these fun superhero foods
How about a "superhero sandwich?" Let each guest build their own (super) hero sandwich... Keep it simple and put fun superhero labels on everything.
"Power Bread"
"More Power Mustard"
"Red Energy Sauce" (ketchup)
"Power Pickles"
"Total Energy Turkey"
"Super-Sauce Mayo"
"Mr. Incredible Celery"
"Elastiwoman Cheese Slices"
"Raw Energy Raisins"
"Power Packed Carrot Sticks"
The Incredibles Superhero Energy Drinks
Try mixing Ginger Ale with cherry ice cream for a colorful superhero drink.
Punch can be re-named "The Incredibles Super Sauce"
For a fun and creative drink project, let your party guests mix three different and colorful Cool Aid drinks and Ginger Ale into their very own superhero drink... Cherry and Lime anyone?
For extra fizz, let them add pop-rocks...
Your Incredibles birthday party theme is going to be a big hit!
For more FREE kid birthday party ideas visit us at: Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.comMike Dougherty "Grandpa Mike" is a television and motion picture writer/producer/director who is now webmaster on Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.com and a movie based web site Best-DVD-Movie-Club.com
7 Tips on Giving Chocolates to Your Valentine
7 Tips on Giving Chocolates to Your Valentine
Every year millions of people exchange chocolates on February 14th for Valentine's Day. This trend has grown very popular in recent times, especially with the rise of quality chocolates (...and the number of chocoholics). Still, even in these modern times there are a few things you need to consider before you run out and grab a chocolate gift.Fresh chocolates are the best to get
Some of the larger chocolate candy makers make their chocolates for the "busy season" (December through February) as early as summer time. That means that some of the packaged chocolates you can purchase are several months old. Also, some of these chocolates are made with added preservatives which allow the chocolates to stay good longer, but can affect the taste.
To get around this it is recommended you buy from a local chocolatier, candy store, or bakery who can produce a fresh chocolate treat for you (or at least one that is only a day or two old). If you are sending your chocolates to someone far away, check to see if there is a good local place that could deliver fresh chocolates for you and lessen the chance of shipping mishaps.Nothing beats a homemade gift
For a more personal touch you can make your own box of chocolates to give to your valentine. Don't worry if you are not a whiz in the kitchen - even if your gift does not turn out perfectly, it will earn extra points because you made it especially for them. There are many books, magazines, and websites to turn to for help and guidance so you do not have to go it alone. This is also a chance for you to personalize the chocolates an make them extra special by adding your valentine's favorite fruits, nuts, liqueurs, flavors, etc. See the Chocolate Truffle recipe below for a good way to make your own homemade gift.The shape of love
While hearts are often a common theme used for shaping chocolates and gift boxes, you can use any shape that would appeal to your valentine, such as flowers. You can be creative with cookie cutters, stencils, or decorator's icing to give your chocolates extra flair, such as drawing a heart, smiley face, or bow on your chocolates. Also consider the different ways you can dress up the gift box with ribbons, flowers, handwritten love poems, etc.Milk chocolate is not the only chocolate out there
While most Americans favor milk chocolates, don't be afraid of using dark chocolate in your gift; for instance, you can do a mixed selection of 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 dark chocolate. If you are not sure if your valentine likes dark chocolate you might want to go for the mild and sweet taste of semisweet chocolate. If you want to go for intense chocolate flavor then go with the bittersweet dark chocolate.
Generally, the higher the percentage of cocoa, the more bittersweet the chocolate will taste. If you are using unsweetened or baking chocolate, then you will want to mix it with something else, such as cream and sugar, to help bring down the intensity level.Timing is everything
It is important to give the right amount of time towards your chocolate gift. If you are buying the chocolates you need to get your order in early to help avoid the last-minute rush. Some places have a cut-off date that they will take Valentine orders, especially if shipping or local delivery is involved. If you are making the chocolates you might want to try a practice run to work out any kinks that might come up and to help you get familiar with the recipe.
The odds are good that you will do even better the next time you go through the recipe and you can make any adjustments you think would taste good to your valentine. Make sure you can get the ingredients you need from the store since the holiday rush can often deplete the local supply of chocolate, sugar, and other handy ingredients. If you purchase the chocolate early, store it in a cool, dry, dark place, not the refrigerator.So much chocolate, so little time
There are a wide variety of chocolate gifts you can give: chocolate truffles, bonbons (chocolate shell with a creamy center), cake, brownies, fudge, cookies (chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate dipped, etc.), chocolate dipped fruit/nuts/pretzels/whatever, and many others that you can purchase or make, so let your imagination run wild.As a final tip, here is a recipe for making Chocolate Truffles to help you get started:Chocolate Truffles