Happy New Year my friends! I hope you are all well. Have you made any resolutions for this year? I’ve made a bucket list for 2021 but I’m not putting pressure on my self. I do have a few words that I’ve chosen to guide me through the year and one is CREATE the second one is SIMPLE and the third one I’m still working on. 😝 I will let you know when I figure it out. Sometimes words appear with time.
I’m looking forward to Monday because I’m going to venture into more yoga. I hope I have the strength to commit to the classes and also to complete the classes. Last year I completed 2 rounds of 30 Days of Yoga and then when I bent down to pick something up I hurt my back on the right side and I haven’t done yoga since that day. So I pray that I can do it.
I’ve started writing, journaling and I also plan to read more this year. I would like to learn more this year as well. I’m excited and hopeful. I feel that we have to be hopeful and think positive.
I wanted to share a few things that I kindly won on IG in December and that I’ve been enjoying. Before I do did you read my review for Frankenstein by Mary Shelley? Find out what I think about the book here: REVIEW.
First I would like to say thank you for all your messages, notes, cards, flowers and gifts in my father’s memory. I appreciate how you are all helping me through this emotional time. Thank you for reaching out and giving me so much love. I’m so grateful for all your prayers and friendship.
Thank you so much Cat and Humara for the beautiful message and this lovely Angel to help me and guide me. Much love to you both.
I would like to say thank you to the Toronto Star for the tweet on Twitter.
I would like to thank you all my friends for my top nine on Instagram. It really showcases who I am and also what you like to see. Yoga, art and nature. Oh yes and flowers in my kitchen. 🙂 Thank you so much for being there for me and being so supportive. I’m truly grateful. @bestdayblogger
Beretta Farms *Gift Certificate. It was an amazing experience shopping and also eating the food my family ordered. The taste is amazing! Thank you also for the A&W gift card! So amazing! I am so grateful.
Thank you so much Julie for the lovely card and the tea towel is so cute! It’s perfect! “ARTIST AT WORK” I love it so much! I love the decal “Today is a good day”. I’m going to put that on my mirror. I really love what you wrote and I’m truly grateful for your friendship. Thank you.
Thank you to AVON.CA for this Creamy Stick Jelly. You can put this on cheeks and lips. So lovely.
Thank you all for your cards, messages and comments. I appreciate it so much!
Have a lovely weekend and I will see you over on my Instagram account and on my Youtube Channel as well. Much love and happiness! God Bless!
Thank you all for your lovely support. I appreciate it. Thanks for watching my vlogs. It means so much to me. I enjoy making videos and I hope you join me this summer. I’ve already started vlogging and will be uploading a weekly vlog. Thank you for your continuing support. Don’t forget to subscribe to…
Thank you all for your comments under the video. I just went through them. I can’t believe it has been two years. God I am so grateful to be here and to be alive. It is a blessing. Thank you from my heart for all your love and support my friends. You are amazing. God…
Happy May 1st! I am truly excited and very happy to collaborate with leuchtturm1917. They kindly sent me three stunning notebooks, a pen loop and a pencil. I’ve been using Leuchtterm1917 notebooks/bullet journals and art books for 4 years now and I’m very impressed by the quality of the product. Strong and sturdy. Never falls…
Dear July, you have been so hot this month and sometimes so unbearable. Traveling has become a challenge due to a little anxiety but I’m taking small steps and learning how to deal with it. Living is learning. Sometime the battle and chatter in my mind won’t stop and I’m trying to let go more and relax. Sometimes I make up issues in my mind that are not a big deal and this becomes so tiring and exhausting. Sometimes I’m my own enemy. Do you ever get like that? I’m trying to stay off of my phone as much as possible. Lately it brings me stress and anxiety. So more letting go and more being in the moment!
This month I really enjoyed spending time with my family. We went to many lovely places.
Kingston, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake for amazing ice-cream, Science Centre, Toronto Zoo and had incredible Fish and Chips at Captain George’s Fish and Chips restaurant in Port Perry. A very incredible month that also included a lot of swimming!
Kingston Ontario
My husband always says he loves to see me laugh and smile. I need to laugh more often.
Niagara Falls Niagara Falls Rose Gardens
The Falls are so powerful and the rose gardens so beautiful. I love the sound of the Falls. We went early in the morning before tour busses arrive. It was absolutely wonderful. I could of stayed at the Rose garden all day taking pictures.
Yummy Food at Niagara-On-The-LakeScience Centre Cool Lights at the Science Centre Cute Sloth at the Toronto Zoo
July you have been packed with lots of fun and I can’t wait to see what August will be like. I also know that you are nothing like a sloth. You have come and gone so fast. I’m grateful for everything you taught me and so appreciative of each trip and journey taken.
Photo by My lovely husband.
I hope you all had a beautiful month. I would like to thank Joy Mills for buying art from my Art Shop. Joy your lovely art is on the way and I thank you so much for all your support.
The Art Shop will be closed from August 1st to the 12th and will re-open on Aug 13. Thank you all and have a beautiful August!
The lilacs have fully bloomed and I brought them indoors. Placed them in my vase and took a deep breath. They smell so beautiful!
June, you had my anxiety going for a while but I’m grateful you challenged me and I finally got my G1. I also watched my little girl turn 7. I’m so proud of both my girls and love them so much.
My eldest graduated from grade 6 and is heading to junior high and this is making me all nervous and scared but at the same time excited for her. Change is not always easy. It causes this pain in my chest and makes me break out crying with the slightest thing.
The weather is nice now. I like that its hot and love the summer breeze. It’s a comfortable heat. I wish my thoughts would be more zen this month. I want to reach the ocean and I’m afraid that I won’t… I made the plans for vacation and canceled them. I feel that the drive would be too much for my children. I don’t want them to feel tired and stressed. Some find traveling easy. I wish that were me. Not easy but I’m slowly going to eliminate fear and have more FAITH.
Monthly hormones were annoying and I allowed my self to be a little down and eat ice cream and chocolate. Life is not always happy go lucky and perfect. It’s okay to feel down sometimes and just allow your self to feel sadness.
I’m determined and excited to take driving lessons. Very excited. I’ll let you know how it goes.
My eye surgery went really well, it hurt but my eye is healing.
So June thank you for all your lessons and even though some situations were difficult challenging and emotional I’m still grateful. Thank you for the good weather, the flowers, celebrations, family and even my emotional challenges.
I’m happy for each moment and now it’s time to say goodbye and welcome July. Where will July take us? I hope on a wonderful adventure!
Thank you for reading my June blog post. I wish you all a beautiful summer! Thank you!
I wanted to write this article to help bring ease to planning any event. When I was planning my own wedding I had no idea about anything. But I learned so much through my experience that I wanted to share some great tips with you. I also worked with a few caterers and know about food, service and menu ideas. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have in the comments. Included in this post is a quote from my cousin who kindly offered to share her expertise with event planning.
I will first add that If you can hire an event coordinator/organizer do it! It will save you so much stress and also you will enjoy the party and be in the moment. As for me I learned though the process and I’m here to share all the details of how to go about doing things early so you don’t stress. Let’s get started.
PLAN EARLY
Plan a year in advance. I’m not kidding. Some venues are booked a year in advance and also have paper work that needs to be completed. Also food tasting is involved and menu planning. You also have to establish food allergies and guest lists so yes! Plan a year in advance! Make sure all the people involved in making your event happen, show up at the venue at the right date and time. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from others. Team work makes things flow better. You can’t do everything your self.
BUDGET
What is your budget? Make sure you know how much you can spend and budget your party accordingly. Don’t overspend in one area because you won’t have enough money in other areas. It’s all a balance and finding the right people that will give you the best price and quality.
The first most important thing when beginning to plan an event would be deciding your date. Then making a guest list of whom you plan on inviting. Then finding the appropriate venue that will accommodate all of your invited guests. Next would definitely be the theme for your party. Following that I would work on putting the menu together. Those are some of my important party planning tips. -Eve Lacey
SET THE DATE
It is so important to have a date set. Keep in mind not to book a date too close to a holiday like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day because people usually like to do their own thing on those days. If you are planning a Church ceremony make sure that both the Venue and Church are available for you on the date that you select. Book a date that is not close to a popular Holiday.
GUESTS/INVITATIONS
Don’t invite the entire world! Invite people that are close to you and want to share the special day with you. You don’t have to invite everyone you’ve ever known! I personally enjoy receiving invitations that are unique and tie into the theme of the party. It’s like the prescreening event. A hint of what’s to come. A response card is very important and a RSVP date as well. Also add a food restriction area so people can tell you in advance what foods to avoid on their menu.
VENUE & MENU
16 years ago I chose a venue that was used by everyone. It was a Big Fat Greek and Portuguese wedding. If I could go back in time I would use a unique venue that reflects my relationship with my husband and our characters. I would make the ceremony and event in one place instead of two places and I would find a venue that is unique and different. Maybe a building with art and architectural features that stand out like the ROM or ART Gallery. I feel that depending on your theme your venue can reflect your love and passion. I think barn weddings are beautiful and also backyard parties can be so much fun. Get some amazing party ideas on Pinterest! So many things you can pin for your party ideas.
Some venues have catering available in house and some you can bring in your own caterers. Check out the menu in both and also the cost per person. Make sure the venue can take the number of guests you planned for.
Food is very important. I feel that if you feed your guests the right food they are going to be happy. I’m a huge food lover and I’ve worked in a few venues that involve amazing food. The menu is great when they accommodate people that are vegetarian and have allergies. Always make sure they offer you various options. If you are having pasta make sure you offer a white and red sauce. Some people don’t like white creamy sauce and prefer tomato sauce instead. You can also just have an d’oeuvres party or a buffet style party. It all depends on the theme of your event. If it’s a country style party you can have BBQ. It can also be a fusion of two themes! The possibilities are endless!
FLOWERS
Events are lovely in my opinion when they include flowers and candles. I love having flower arrangements because they look beautiful, they set the mood and smell incredible. Before buying candles always ask the venue if that’s allowed. Some venues allow small candles and some don’t allow it at all. The great thing is you can buy candles that are battery operated and still get a beautiful candlelight effect. Depending on your theme the florist can discuss what’s in season and or what will compliment your party. You can choose your colour and flowers just the way you like them.
FAVORS
I personally love sweets and love when there is a little candy, chocolate or cookie as a gift. I don’t like taking centrepieces. I pray to God they stop doing that at Weddings and Baptisms. Especially if they are the tall bloody vases that no one wants. Please stop the insanity! LOL Favors are a lovely way of saying thank you for coming. I personally love treats and sweets.
MUSIC
There are so many amazing DJ’s and the best way to see how good they are is see them in action. You can ask them to see their videos. I would totally recommend listening to the music you want and talking to the DJ to see if they have your music selection. I’ve seen a few DJ’s at events that I really liked. One is GIMMEMAR. She is amazing. The other is Lisa Monet which I saw her do her thing on Cityline Taping. So inspiring!
PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER
Photographers and videographers can be so expensive so I would totally recommend finding the right person for your budget and also read reviews. Sometimes photography students are more affordable and do a better job. Check out photographers from Universities and Collages. Ask friends and family for recommendations as well. If you spot something you like at an event keep that info for your event as well. I love photo booths at events they are so much fun.
THANK YOU CARDS
I personally love a hand written thank you cards. It makes the memories of the event really special and it also makes you feel appreciated that you shared the special day with friends and loved ones. It’s also nice to buy handmade cards from ETSY. Hand made items are so special.
I hope this article has helped you in some way. I truly hope that your event goes amazing and remember that if something doesn’t go your way on that day it’s truly not a huge deal. It might seem it’s the end of the world but people want to see you happy and share time with you. So don’t worry about the small stuff. Enjoy your day and make special memories.
You don’t have to do what everyone else does. Traditional is not bad at all but go for what you like! If you like hand made items go for that! If you want to play your own music at your event totally do that. It’s all up to you. Don’t feel pressure to follow the “norm” what ever that is. I would totally change things if I could go back and do things the non traditional way. But that’s just me. I truly wish you all the best with any event and please feel free to ask me any questions. I’m always here to help.
Dear September, thank you for all the little special details in my life. I like to look at small things and truly appreciate them. I really appreciate even the silence that comes my way. Some people don’t like silence but I really appreciate it. It’s soothing.
I love Autumn, the trees are already starting to change colour. I love Chrysanthemums. Everything around me has beauty. What plants do you like?
I’m a huge collector of Fall magazines. I love them so much. Do you like magazines? I enjoy the articles, pictures and recipes. I love to feel the pages in my hand rather then digital magazines. How about you?
Magazines from Home Depot.
I’m staying hydrated. Very important with the weather changing. I love this water bottle. This is my daughter’s water bottle. We bought this from Kitchen Stuff Plus. (My daughter dropped it and the lid broke. Unfortunately.) Sometimes things happen. It’s okay. Moving forward.
More magazines from Shoppers Drugmart. The America’s Best Pumpkin Recipes magazine is really amazing.
I’ve been enjoying using new lunch containers for my girls. They love them so much. They are from Amazon.ca and they are called easylunchboxes.com
Loved creating new recipes in September.
I’m trying to include more vegetables in our life. Especially seasonal veggies.
Enjoyed apple and pumpkin picking this month. First time for both and loved it so much. Check out my blog post if you like.
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