Archives for December 2017

Holiday Blogging Break Plus Favorite Posts Links

Mother of the Bride, with Christmas inching ever closer, I’ve decided to take a blogging break until after the first of the year. Like you I’m sure, I want to focus on faith, family, and friends over the next few weeks. We need to make the most of our precious time and do what’s really important, don’t we?

While I’m on break, though, I wanted to leave you a list of links to some favorite posts here on the Mother of the Bride Blog. This is not a list of all my favorite posts, of course, but I think you might find these particularly helpful or interesting. There are too many to read all at once, but as you have opportunity over the next few weeks, pop in and check out a few at a time.

Hope you find some help here, MOB, for both you and your darling daughter. Enjoy the posts—and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you back here January 2, 2018!

Introducing The Mother of the Bride Blog!
Wedding Planning Ideas on My Pinterest Page
Christmas Gifts for the Bride
Where to Find Your Mother of the Bride Dress
MOB Dress Shopping Idea: An In-the Meantime Dress
Recommended Book: Bridal Bargains
Great Links for You
Mother of the Bride—Info Source for Gift-Givers
A Fair Trade Wedding Registry: Ten Thousand Villages
Spirit and Soul Refreshment for the Mother of the Bride
Wedding Registry Roundup
Preserving the Bridal Gown
Wedding Invitations: Proofread, Proofread, Proofread
Special Bridesmaids Gifts from Along Came A Box
Hand Painted Wedding Shoes for the Bride
Bridal Shower Cake: A Cupcake Wedding Dress
Wedding Photo Idea: The Corner Shot
Wedding Idea That Sparkles: A Brooch Bouquet
Building a Bridge to the Groom
Photo Idea: Bridesmaids Blow the Groom a Kiss
Wedding Card Box Idea: A Wedding Cake!
Bridal Gowns with Modest Design
Book for the Bride: The Bride’s Instruction Manual
Bridal Portrait Idea: Watching for the Groom
Preparing to Decorate: Reception Venue Visit
Engagement Photo Idea: Frame That Moment!
Craft a Bridal Keepsake Box
A Prayer for the Newlyweds
Parting Thoughts from the Mother of the Bride

*Find my annual Christmas poem over on my home page. Hope you enjoy—and see you in the new year!

*Have you subscribed yet to Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue? If not, sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, just scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Flickr photo by DaDaAce. Creative Commons License

7 December Stress-Busters

December dawned a few days ago, but is it possible during this “most wonderful time of the year” that we’re actually feeling a teensy bit of stress? I’d say not only possible but probable—and not only a teensy bit but a pretty big chunk. A chunk that seems to grow, in fact, as the days tick past on the calendar.

If ever there’s a month where my blog series on stress busters appropriate for each month is needed, December has got to be it. So let’s get right to it. May the following stress busters prove to be an early Christmas present for you, my friends!

December Stress Busters 

  1. Take some time each day—even if just two or three minutes—to sit and gaze at your Christmas tree. Take a deep breath, relax your body, and enjoy your tree—the beauty, the nostalgia that Christmas invokes, and the sense of joy and worship that Christmas trees have a way of inspiring.
  2. Plan for simple meals. Fix one meal for dinner each week that will be enough for at least two nights then throw in a night of take-out and go out to dinner once as well. Give yourself a break where you can.
  3. Don’t just listen to Christmas music—sing along. I’m willing to bet it’s impossible to stay all balled up in stress if you’re actually singing the words to your traditional Christmas favorites. Sing while you wrap presents, do laundry, or bake for the holidays. And sing the carols of Christmas during your personal worship time. It will add a whole new dimension of joy and peace to your celebration of Christmas.
  4. Hire a young teen to wrap your Christmas presents. You won’t have to pay as much and the teen will be glad to earn some extra spending money. And as you reduce your work-load, your stress will shrink as well.
  5. Set aside one night each week to watch one of your favorite Christmas movies. Not only will this give you some extended relaxation time, but it will provide a full-circle kind of contentment as you participate in one of your well-loved traditions.
  6. Enjoy the lights of Christmas—both candlelight and twinkling lights. Candlelight is always soothing but seems to take on an extra measure of beauty and peacefulness during Christmas. And the twinkling lights of Christmas? Get outta here. Be sure to go on a light-looking adventure one night and your stress will get lost along the way.
  7. Read Twas the Night Before Christmas and other classic Christmas books and stories to a child. Stress can’t reign if you’re sharing the magical and wonder-filled joy of Christmas with one (or some) of your favorite littles. And if children aren’t in your holiday picture, read aloud to yourself and slip back in time for some Christmas nostalgia.

So there you have it, friends—some ways to trade your stress for joy and peace this holiday season. And remember, over all these methods and any others you may employ, our best stress-relief can be found in spending time with and worshipping the Savior whose birth we celebrate. Come and adore him and you’ll find your stress melting away!

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1:4

*Which of these stress-busters will you use this holiday season? What else can you add to the list?

Have you subscribed yet to Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue? If not, sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, just scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Flickr photo by Jonathan Stonehouse, Creative Commons License

Winter Wedding Cake: Pinecones and Baby’s Breath!

Mother of the Bride, is your darling daughter planning a wedding this winter or next winter? If she’s getting married in the next two or three months and hasn’t decided on a cake design yet, today’s simple style might be the one she’ll love. And if she’s planning for next winter, add this idea to the list of design options she’ll consider in the coming months.

First she’ll need to decide if she wants to incorporate a winter theme in her cake design. She may not want to choose a cake that’s seasonal in design—and that’s fine. A wedding cake doesn’t have to be dictated by the season. But if she’d like her cake to feature a winter touch, be sure to share this post with her.

One classic and perfect option for a winter wedding cake is to adorn it with pinecones and baby’s breath. The baby’s breath tucked into and around the pinecones will give the appearance of snow and will be perfect set against the backdrop of a pure white cake. The cake shown above is a country chic style, but pinecones and baby’s breath will work with other styles of cakes as well.

So MOB, if your winter wedding bride wants to add a touch of winter’s snow to her cake, suggest this design. And then run out and collect a few pine cones!

*You might also want to read Winter Wedding Cake Idea: Snowflakes!, Blogging Break Plus Favor Help for Winter Weddings, and Winter Wedding Favor: Dancing Socks! 

*Have you subscribed yet to Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue? If not, sign-up is FREE and to the right! (If you’re on a mobile device, just scroll to the bottom of the screen and click View Full Site to find it.)

*Flickr photo by Graceful Cake Creations, Creative Commons License