I’m taking my daughter to the Pirates and Princess Party at Disney’s Magic Kingdom for her birthday again this year. We tried it last year for her birthday and it was absolutely magical – despite the cold weather and the rain. My sister and my nephew went along with us, sop we spent a considerable amount of time doing Pirate kinds of things. This year, though, I am taking along one of my best friends and her daughter. The daughter is one of my daughter’s best buddies and is only 10 weeks older.

So, two princesses this time and it should be a BLAST! Gigi is dressing as Aurora and her friend, Cassie, is going as Jasmine. We will go to the party Friday night and then stay at one of the Disney hotels. The next day, one of my friend’s cousins is getting us all free park hopper passes. We will start the morning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and then move onto Epcot for lunch at the Akershus with the Princesses.

A big weekend, yes? I have to admit I may be more excited than my daughter! The weather this year is supposed to be warm and no rain is in sight.

Here is one of the pictures from last year. She was Sleeping Beauty then as well.

I had fun planning my wedding in 2000. We had a small ceremony on the intercoastal waterway, just steps from the Gulf of Mexico. A small jazz combo played the reception and we all kicked off our shoes and just enjoyed the salty sea air. I’m not happy that my marriage ended, but every now and then I think about the fact that one day I might choose to marry again and that would mean I would be able to enjoy planning yet another wedding for myself. That’s a fun prospect.

In the meantime, I spend a LOT of time helping various friends plan weddings. I have become the go-to woman in my social circle for such things. I have the time, the connections and the know-how. I can throw a pretty good party, if I do say so myself. I’m helping no less than three of my friends plan wedding s as I speak. I enjoy the vicarious thrill.

My friend Sarah is planning a simple ceremony around sterling roses, so I’ve been hunting for a very simple invitation that would reflect the feel. I think I’ve found just the thing. It’s a purple folder style invitation with a sheer ribbon. It’s simple, elegant, and just about the same color as sterling roses. I am ordering a sample to make sure. I found the cards at 1st Class Wedding Invitations. They’ve got tons to choose from and I spent quite a while looking through the options until I came to this design. I think it is perfect.

From 1st Class Wedding Invitations

I had a lot of fun before Christmas with Overstock.com’s All I Want for Christmas Giveaway. So, I am tickled pink to see that they are starting a Game O Love on their website, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The promotion is running from January 25th to February 11th and you can register to win gifts for all the loves in your life.

If you go on over to the site now, you can enter your e-mail address so Overstock can send you a reminder when the game goes live.

My personal gift list for Valentine’s Day is a little different than it has been in years past. I am a happily divorced Mommy and my heart and soul are both focused on the love of my life – my daughter. I’m a pushover for giving her things she wants and Valentine’s Day is yet another excuse for me to check another item off her long life of gimmes.

My mother recently decided to learn how to play the guitar and Gigi has seen her grandmother practicing, so she decided she would also like a guitar. She specified, however, that her guitar should be pink. Well, look at what I found on Overstock! A pink guitar with a heart-shaped sound hole. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, wouldn’t you agree? I’ve got it on my list now and it is to be my first Game O Love entry.

I know it is a trite stereotype, but there are just some people who feel like they are always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Well, I’m not sure I fall into that category, because I have already been married and divorced and I am in no general rush to do it again. If the right man comes along, I will address the issue at that time. Until then, I’m a happy single girl.

I am, though, the eternal bridesmaid. I must look darn good in a bridesmaid dress, because I find myself walking down the aisle in front of one friend or another more often than most people. Of course, I have to wonder if this is not because of my propensity for wedding planning. I tend to get pulled into planning weddings for my friends, simply because I am good at it and when it is not my own wedding I am cool, calm, collected, and oh so very organized.

Brenda lives in Hartford, CT. Her wedding is this coming September (my favorite month for a northern wedding) and I’m going to be a bridesmaid. I have also been asked to help with planning, but I really hate to go it alone when I am not right there in the area to inspect the vendors and talk to the people involved. So, I’m using websites like 1WeddingSource.com to find local vendors and reviews for Hartford Weddings, and then I have talked Brenda’s sister into doing the legwork for me to go and check out venues and florists and decorators, etc. I’ve used this website in the past to help me plan a friend’s wedding in New Mexico. Can you even imagine how I would accomplish this if I did not have Brenda’s sister and the internet? Yay for technology and free weekend and evening minutes on my cell phone

The chilly weather here in the Tampa area is supposed to warm up fir this weekend. So, if you want to get out and enjoy the sun, think about attending the inaugural Downtown Art Fest this weekend at downtown St. Petersburg’s BayWalk complex. It goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

And, if you can make it to Tarpon Spring this Sunday, their Epiphany Celebration is not to be missed. The Greek village has the largest Epiphany celebration in the country. Try to make it around noon on Sunday for the procession and young men diving into the Spring Bayou for a white cross. The catcher of the cross is said to be blessed for the year to come. If you love Greek food or Greek music, Tarpon is the place to be – especially on this particular weekend.

These are both kid-friendly events.

Welcome to 2008! I’m hopeful that this year will bring more happiness to my life and more love to my heart ever before. Last night, my daughter stayed up with me to usher in the new year. Bless her heart! She could barely keep her eyes open as she snuggled into me and waited for the year to switch over. It was important to both of us to be up and awake together to see in 2008, and we made it happen.

Like most of you, I am taking today easy. Tomorrow bring a massive “To Do” list full of all kinds of financial stuff that needs untangled. My COBRA administrator is switching, which means two companies are currently demanding payment, lest they report me ineligible. So, I am double paying until I can get the mess figured out. And then, there is a huge punch list of things to do now that the house is finally going on the market. Yay for that. Cross your fingers that we actually have a buyer within the year so I can check off one more way I am no longer tied financially to my ex.

High hopes for the future!

Last February, my sister and I took my daughter and my nephew to Disney for the Princesses and Pirates Party to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. It was amazing. Party events at Disney parks are open only to those who have purchased event tickets. So, everyone that was in the park during the day is shooed out and the party is from 7 pm to midnight. You are actually allowed in the gates at 4 pm with your event ticket, so for about half the price of a regular day pass, you can play in the park for 8 hours. It’s a huge bargain.

The entire event is centered on princesses and pirates, hence the name. We had a blast at all of the meet and greets and watching everyone running around dressed in their costumes. My sister and I did not wear costumes, but Gigi went as Sleeping Beauty and my nephew dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. As with most party events, there were pretty much NO lines for all of the rides, though the meet and greets were a little time-consuming. If you hate huge crowds, a party event is the way to go.

I am doing it again this year, but this time we are going with one of my best friends and her daughter. It turns out my nephew only wants to go if he can skip the princess stuff and that just won’t fly with my daughter, since it is in essence her birthday party. So, we are just going to do this with two little princesses.

Gigi will get to wear a button announcing it is her birthday and every worker at the park makes a huge deal of saying “Happy Birthday, Princess”. The extra attention is a one of the draws for Gigi. She loves to be in the spotlight.

With Cinderella and Prince Charming last year

The coolest part is that my friend’s cousin works for Disney and is getting us a 50% discount at any hotel we want (in the Disney line) and then into any park the following day for free. So, I will buy all of our party tickets and my friend will be calling in favors to get us discounted hotel and a free park. I’m looking online now to figure out where we should stay. One of the value hotels is probably the wisest choice, but I think the Animal Kingdom Lodge would be a blast. I have heard you can often see animals outside your window. I’ve always wanted to stay at the Contemporary Resort as well. I love the modern furniture and the European flavor. When it comes down to it, I imagine we will agree to just book a room at Pop Century, though.

We actually had our entire Christmas celebration Sunday. I do not have my daughter with me for the entire week, so we had to gather family and do things early. We made a traditional ham dinner, complete with yummy candies yams and fresh bread, among other things. We also had pumpkin pie and an amazing praline Bundt cake. I will have to post the recipe for the praline cake, because it turned out SO good.

Lots of gifts were exchanged, but I wanted to give my opinion of just a couple of the gifts my daughter got this year.

Baby Alive
My daughter got everything she asked for, including the Baby Alive she has been patiently waiting to receive for over a year. It was on her Christmas list for last year, but at the last minute she changed her mind and asked for Disney fairies. Those fairies have gone largely untouched this past year. We live, we learn. Anyway, the Baby Alive I got her was the bonus pack available through Toys R US this year. Each of the major retailers seemed to have an exclusive Baby Alive bonus pack for Christmas, but the one at Toys R Us had more bang for your buck, with an extra outfit, a sippy cup, more diapers, food, etc.

The doll was the hit of the evening. Even my almost-16-yearold niece and my kindergarten nephew were begging for time with Baby Alive. I’m pleased with the doll and her functions, aside from a couple of things. Her lip color wore off in the center of her bottom lip within hours and I read online that most dolls lose all of their lip color typically within a week or so. Also, the skin-like soft vinyl the doll’s face is covered with attracts hair and dust. You have to wipe it off with a wet cloth and I find the phenomenon mildly icky. And, the doll “woke up” in the middle of the night last night and asked for a drink. Then she proceeded to sing and ask to play and I finally had to turn the doll off completely for my daughter. Creepy.

Disney Princess Dolls
Gigi also got Pocahontas, Mulan, and Jasmine Disney dolls. That rounds out her princess doll collection. She had been very upset that she did not have any of the “brown” dolls and I was surprised at how few stores, aside from the actual Disney retail stores, carry those characters. I kept waiting for Target to stock them, because I like the price of the princess dolls there, but no dice. They only seem to sell the Anglo dolls. Gigi did inform me that although she considers her collection complete, she really wants new Belle and Cinderella dolls, because she marked them up with pens a couple of years ago. I will replace those dolls, but only once she proves she takes better care of the new ones.

We got these last three dolls at the Disney Store and I am anxious to see how they hold up, because the particular dolls sold there tend to have very poor quality synthetic hair that tangles and knarls quickly. We will have to wait and see.

I talked to my grandmother up in West Virginia today and she was telling me about the flooding in some parts of the state. My dad, who lives close to DC, was telling me about the winter weather there. As much as I love Florida is December (even though it is raining tonight), I miss being somewhere that is more festive feeling simply by virtue of the chilly weather and the impending snow.

I have a very good friend who always leaves Florida for Christmas, but she and her family all head out to Las Vegas. Seems to me that Vegas isn’t any more festive than Florida, but they love the tradition. They stay in some of the nicer discount hotels Las Vegas has to offer and spend more time and money of lavish meals and shows and little bit of gambling. My pint is that leaving Florida is part of their Christmas traditions and I think it’s a great idea.

I would love to make going north part of my annual tradition, but I only have my daughter every other Christmas, so it would have to be bi-annual, I suppose. Looking forward to days of mittens and seeing your frosty breath in the air would add to our holiday anticipation. We actually did spend last Christmas up at my dad’s. The only snow we saw was on the drive through the Maryland mountains between my dad’s and my grandmother’s in the Ohio Valley. We did get to see snow, though, so I should be grateful. It was very cold, very wet, and perfect for snuggling next to the fire. Too bad Gigi got strep throat while we were there. Maybe we can give it another try in 2008.

Our household is smack dab in the middle of a seasonal crisis. I think I may have written earlier about my own personal dilemma in trying to figure out if I was going to tell my daughter whether or not Santa Claus is real. I went with the whole honesty is the best policy mantra and my own daughter laughed at me, rolled her eyes, and informed me she did not believe me. She had chosen to believe in Santa.

So, last week she told me she knows Santa is not real. Yet, she is not ready to fully give up on the belief. She wavers daily. She goes from sagely telling me that she knows Santa is just a story and Mommy brings all of the gifts, to worrying about whether or not Santa received her letter in time. Hence the crisis – Gigi is right at that time where she is honestly trying to figure out what she believes about Santa.

I am apt to help her believe for at least this one more year. In fact, I am thinking that uses a service that sends Letters From Santa might be a nice touch to tie up loose ends this year. You personalize a letter with your child’s name and other details and they get a real letter in mail from Santa. There are different shipping options, so there is still time. I may as well help prolong Gigi’s precious childhood. Kids are growing up all too fast in our current society.

One of my best friends had her daughter’s birthday party yesterday. Last year she and her husband went all out and had a massive party in their backyard with the grill going all of the time, a huge inflatable jumper thing they rented, and enough food to feed the troops.

I remember looking around and remembering that when I was a child, my mom just dropped me off at birthday parties. And, when I had my parties, my friends’ parents just dropped them off as well. When did throwing a birthday party begin meaning you have to feed and entertain two parents for every child? That is what made me decide last year just to take Gigi to Princesses and Pirates at Disney rather than throw a big party.

My friend made a good decision this year, though. She had the party at a huge facility that has three rooms filled with full sized inflatable slides and jumpers. At the ends, the kids sit and eat cake. My only complaint is that they did not allow here the time and space to have her daughter open presents in front of the other children. On the positive side, though, she did not have to get her house ready for 40 parents to stand around eating her food. The kids were fully entertained and supervised by staff. It was limited to two hours and there was no clean-up for her to do. I wish the company had a facility closer o my house. As it stands, I am still hoping Disney does another Princesses and Pirates party in February so we can just do that.

I’m sure there are a lot of things you associate with Christmas and Toys for Tots is probably one of those things. In fact, 2007 is the 60th anniversary of Toys for Tots, the endeavor headed up by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves that brings toys to millions of needy children at Christmas.

More and more people contribute to this effort each year, most by donating a new, unwrapped toy. You can contribute by donating toys at various drop locations in your area, or you can simply use the Month2Month.com e-card site.

Almost sounds too easy, huh? The site makes a donation to Toys for Tots for each holiday e-card that is received. And, the cards are free. It’s effortless on your part, since the site does not require a subscription and actually has cool cards you’d be proud to send.

Pass this information around to everyone in your address book. The more people who send the free e-cards, the more Month2Month will donate to Toys for Tots. And, the more they donate, the more toys will find their way into eager hands this Christmas.

Here's where to find Toys for Tots free eCards

Do you buy yourself a Christmas present as you are out and about buying for others? There have been years I don’t, but for the most part I treat myself to a little something. This year I am choosing a gift for myself that will double as what my daughter will give me. She is only four and cannot give a gift on her own and since her dad is not around anymore to help her do it, I will help her buy my gift. I am looking at mp3 players online today, because I am probably the last person in the US to still not own one. Somehow, that one fab has just slipped by without me.

Last year I bought some perfume I had been wanting and let Gigi pay at the register with my credit card. Then, I let her wrap the gift on her own. It was a nice experience for both of us. I don’t think Christmas is all about the gifts. In fact, I don’t even think gifts are even in my top 10 reasons for Christmas, but I enjoy them nonetheless. As you get older, you find fewer occasions come around that warrant you receiving a gift. So, you take it when you can get it.

It crossed my mind that it would be great to just have Gigi draw me a picture of make my present with her clay and craft things, but I wanted the mp3 player anyway, so this works out just fine.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is one of my absolutely favorite says all year, right after Easter. Well, they actually might be tied.

So, are you starting to wrap up your Christmas presents yet? If so, let me urge to not go with the boring store-bought bows. Make your own. They are simple and inexpensive.

Here is a link for direction on how to tie a perfect puffy Christmas bows. I also have all kinds of other bow instructions on my Girly Things website.

Diamonds have their traditions in our culture. Of course, there is the diamonds are forever adage. Christmas tends to be one of the times of the year that people give diamonds more often than at other times. Just look at the flood of jewelry commercials on TV this month. Most consumers will agree that when it comes to buying diamonds, quality is important. Unfortunately, when you are shopping for diamonds, it is easy to get distracted by the setting.

That’s why your best bet is to buy loose diamonds and then find a setting in which to use it. You can find the quality you want and in almost all cases, you will save so much buying a loose diamond and then going to a reputable jeweler for the setting that you can probably pay for a fun weekend out of town. A&W Diamonds just started DiamondsoftheDay.com. It is a blog offering two specially discounted loose diamonds each day. Plus, it features articles on diamond education and useful facts about Diamonds, Loose diamonds, Wholesale Loose Diamonds, and other diamond topics. You can find exactly the stone you want and work from there.