Delightfully Wed

Blue Monday - Coolin' Off!

2010-08-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-06-29T11:28:00.002-05:00

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.

2010-06-09T12:44:00.000-05:00

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

2010-06-06T14:39:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-29T23:02:00.005-05:00

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

2010-04-17T12:30:00.009-05:00

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!

2010-04-17T12:15:00.003-05:00

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

2010-01-25T00:07:00.010-06:00

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

2010-01-13T23:42:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-13T00:59:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-11T01:07:00.004-06:00

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

2010-01-10T21:39:00.010-06:00

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

2010-01-10T21:33:00.002-06:00

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.

Outdoor Wednesday - The Changing Sky

2009-08-18T15:56:00.012-05:00

My Outdoor Wednesday is featurning a day in the everchanging Arkansas sky.

Be sure to visit Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. There are many links to fantastic pictures this week, be sure to visit and comment.

Senseless Actions Forever Change Lives

2009-08-18T15:22:00.005-05:00

Seems only yesterday that I posted on the blog. But no...I look back and it has been much too long. Life keeps turning, twisting...spiraling at times out of control,
I keep on rolling with it, trying to keep keep up. Things happen...you don't know why...I sit and wonder,if one had made a different choice we wouldn't be faced with this. Sickness, diseases, accidents...seems like my family has had its share lately.

I know that everyone faces these obstacles in life and we will make it through. Some things seem so senseless. Why did someone make the choice to drive while angry & drunk? Don't they realize the lives they forever change. The young teen girls whose mother is taken away while they are much too young. The spouse that is in a daze and cannot grasp the surreal fact that she will never be back. The father that cannot believe he has outlived his daughter...the grandchildren who will never remember their grandmother. People should stop and think before they drink and drive...angry or not. What you do doesn't just affect you...your actions will affect the lives of so many people forever.

Don't be a selfish person, think before you act. Oh, you may say "it was an accident" - maybe so - but it is not an accident if you make the choice to drink and drive. No, you didn't purposely have an accident, but you did purposely take that drink and get behind the wheel. There's nothing wrong with drinking responsibly...but that's the key. Be responsible...stay out of the driver's seat! You're not 10 feet tall and bullet proof...and neither are the people meeting you on the road.

Stubb's BBQ Giveaway ~ Ending Tonight

2009-06-05T08:17:00.004-05:00

I'm from the South and BBQ is what we do! Fire up the grill and get ready! The Cookie Girl is having a fantastic giveaway. But, you need to hurry! The offer ends tonight at midnight....don't miss your chance to win a whole case of Stubb's sauces! This is a BBQ lovers dream! Ms. Cookie Girl gives you several ways to gain more entries....now run over over to her fabulous blogs and ENTER! When you visit her Cookie Girl Creations blog, be sure to take advantage of the cookie recipes she offers....after all...she is the Cookie Girl (Queen). I love the name of her new blog...Frying Bacon Naked She is posting recipes on this blog, too.

To enter the Stubb's BBQ Giveaway visit Frying Bacon Naked.

I've followed all the rules....sure hope I win!

Good luck to everyone and thank you Cookie Girl for such a fanastic opportunity!

ABC's of the Word....Q

2009-06-03T23:47:00.004-05:00

Grey Like Snuffie is hosting ABC's of the Word, please visit her site to view other scriptures.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:8

Outdoor Wednesday ~ Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

2009-06-02T20:56:00.010-05:00

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Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Dreamer, please head on over to view other OW posts.

Nannie lets me dig in the dirt at the edge of the woods, as long as she is outside with me. I'm beginning to tire of digging by myself. Oh boy, here comes Lily...hmmm..wonder if.....

She looks like she wants to play, don't you think?

Now, Lily you must get your head down there a little closer so you can see what you're doing.

Maybe this is what he is wanting me to do...smell the ground?!

This is what he wants....hmmmm...this is lots of fun. I think this is kind of like burying a bone!

Bone! There may be a bone in this hole....that or a mole! Either way....I'm getting it!

Okay, Skeet let's get out of here! Lily's busy digging so we can escape! We're off to the great outdoors....I know how much you love to ride!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Water

2009-06-02T20:34:00.005-05:00

Visit Dixie at French Lique for more Wordless Wednesday posts.

Summer Memories

2009-06-01T22:58:00.008-05:00

Three little girls on a warm summer day,
Asked Grannie what should we do…what game can we play,
Being a wise woman accustomed to young lasses,
She spread out a blanket on the soft, green grasses.
Plopping on their little bellies the giggles ensue,
They roll to their backs gazing at the sky wondering what to do.

Hey, that cloud looks like a bear,
No…it’s a buffalo, I declare.
The hours passed as we watched and pondered,
The shifting, wafting shapes changing as we wondered,
Soft, fluffy, billowy, wispy…floating so high above,
Did they get up there on the wings of a dove?

They had heard of “on the wings of a snow white dove”.
That must be how they got so very high above.
This mystery was more than they could figure out,
Grannie called them to lunch with a shout,
You girls can play again after while,
Skipping, running, jumping to Grannie with a smile.

Enter the "Escape to Hawaii" Sweepstakes

2009-06-01T16:08:00.006-05:00

In Style Wedding Boutique is giving away a Blissful Honeymoon Package to one lucky winner! If you've always dreamt of honeymooning in Hawaii but didn't know where the money was coming from....well, here's your chance.

The lucky winner will receive:

* A trip for two to Embassy Suites Waikki Beach Walk - Oahu's only all-suite resort.
* Two roundtrip tickets via Hawaiian Airlines from a U.S. gateway city
(transportation to the gateway city is not included)
* Five nights of luxe accommodations
* 45-minute in-suite lomi lomi massage for two
* $500 shopping spree at the luxurious Waikki Beach Walk

For more information and to register for this fantastic Honeymoon Package, you may visit In Style Wedding's Bridal Boutique. No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes. The sweepstakes begins at 12:01 am Eastern Time on June 5, 2009 and ends at 11:50 pm on September 3, 2009. To see the complete entry rules, please visit www.instyleweddings.com/bridalboutique.

Here's a link to a live web cam on Waikiki Beach Walk.

This site Go Hawaii will give you some background information on the area. This is Hawaii's official tourism site.

This contest is sponsored by: Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk. You may visit Embassy Suites Waikiki for more information on amenities, local attractions and things to do.

Good luck and may one of my blog reading brides win the wonderful honeymoon package!

Blue Monday - Daydreaming

2009-05-31T23:11:00.010-05:00

This is my very first Blue Monday post. Blue Monday is hosted by Sally. Visit her website to view others who have Blue Monday posts.

After such a rainy May, this day turned out beautiful. I couldn't help looking at the clouds and the way the sunshine makes the sky look so blue. I had my head in the clouds all day.

After looking at the sky, I began to remember the days gone by. The many days as a child, when my cousins and I would spread a blanket on the grass. We spent hours looking at the sky, the clouds and sharing our secrets. Those were the days. We had no problems....the days seemed endless...time stood still.

These memories are even more precious as one of the cousin trio was killed by a drunken driver on Labor Day Weekend 2007. I will always reflect on those days and the precious time the three of us shared. A day of warmth, sunshine, blue sky with scattered clouds brings back those times of wonder, love, trust and friendship.

I imagine her looking down upon us saying, "What do you see?" That was our favorite cloud game. Oh, cheap fun...before the days of video games, cell phones and computers.

This post didn't start out to tell of all of this, but this is what was on my mind and what the pictures bring to mind. Days gone by. Hope you enjoy my cloud pictures. I know you may think I am sad, but I'm not. She was a wonderful person, full of life and love. She was a very forgiving person and would have forgiven the person that cost her the very life she loved. So, in talking of her and the memories I have of those times - I'm not being sad - I'm celebrating her life and our memories. She is in God's Hands now and looking down through these beautiful clouds. I can hear her laughter and feel her love.

Thanks for coming by and reading my post. Happy Blue Monday!

Great Giveaway at Monkey Bizness

2009-05-31T22:40:00.003-05:00

If you like to read, be sure to go by Monkey Bizness. Linda is giving away one paperback book, one hardcover book and 1 handmade cloth book cover. Hurry over and check out the details, she tells which books and gives a description of each...the giveway will be over on June 5th.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-27T00:31:00.010-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-05-26T23:21:00.006-05:00

Outdoor Wednesday