Tablescaping with Love in Mind

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Good Evening Sweet Friends

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Hope you have had a delightful day???

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Since my last posts have been rather lengthy I decided

to just provide you with some visual fun for today!

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LOVE . LOVE  . LOVE

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These are the pics from our earlyValentine's Day Celebration!

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And this was the first time we christened our new dishes

as well,  so that was fun too!!
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ALL YOU NEED

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IS

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LOVE

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ALL YOU NEED
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IS

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This is one side

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LOVE . LOVE

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This is the other!

I had a small vase with a cluster of white roses and I just

stuck in the container and stuck the red roses all around it.
I usually have a larger centerpc. just to keep on the table,
  but when we have dinner there I think it is important
to have a lower centerpiece so that it doesn't impede
conversation, nothing worse that having to fight with
something to see and talk with the person across
from you.

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LOVE

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IS

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Got the floral container and 2 of these cute lil birds

last week at Michaels, all of $10.00.

I just love them. You know how much I like white!
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ALL

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YOU

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NEED

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LOVE

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I truly love setting a pretty table because I want
my Family to feel Special,  and I also want Friends
and others who come into our home to feel a
sense of Specialness as well!  Because life & people
 can sometimes make us feel anything but.........Special!
So I think we all need to feel Special at times.
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LOVE
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I just love these lil hearts....

I have lil stars and lil autumn leaves as well,  they just

had a lil touch of glitz and whimsy to the table.
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LOVE

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Found these adorable heart dishes for a dollar, so I got

2 and I got white and figured I could use them anytime.

They had red and I kinda wish I would have gotten at 

least one red,  but oh well!!

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ALL
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YOU
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Hubby and I didn't exchange our cards until Valentine's Day!
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NEED IS
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LOVE  ~  LOVE  ~  LOVE
The Beatles song
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well,  that was our table set with Love....

for my 3 favorite Valentines in all the world!!

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Hubby and I had planned to take some pics

of everyone, camera was right on the breakfast

bar as always, and Never thought about again

until they all left!!  lol

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We are so forgetful........

Course, can't say we don't enjoy the moment

cause we DO!  A lil too much I think!! lol

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Can't really speak about Love and leave this out!
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"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy,
it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude,
it is not self seeking.  It is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not
delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.  Love never fails."
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1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday with Susan,
at Between naps on the Porch..........
So go on over and see all the creative things
other ladies have done.  It's a visual treat!!

Have a Blessed Evening 
Sweet Friends,

Love N' Hugs,

Nellie

Welcome to Heart Tips Tuesday and products you might like to try.

Hello Sweet Friends, 

and Welcome to Heart Tips Tuesday,

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Today I'm gonna talk about, and show you basically, what a Mediterrean Diet is!!

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I was able to find a chart that I think will help, as it sort of shows the breakdown, 

 and I will try to add in some specifics.  I think the way we eat is a cross between

 a Mediterrean and a Lowfat eating plan.

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Adopting a strict Mediterranean Diet

Scientific research has shown that the closer individuals can get to the 'ideal' Mediterranean Diet, outlined in the pyramid chart below, the greater the health advantage - in that, the benefit of adopting the whole dietary pattern exceeds the summated health-giving properties of its individual components.

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I am gonna start at the top and work my way down the Pyramid.
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As you will notice,  red meat is at the top of the pyramid, and in
 the mediterrean they only eat beef on average of once a week.
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  We aren't that good yet,  but we have learned to incorporate
more fish and occasionally shellfish, meatless meals with beans
 or veggies, and the use of more chicken.  The reason to stay
 away from beef as much as possible is becauseit is very high in
 saturated fat, that being the nasty bad fat, of course!!


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Personally, I don't like Turkey all that much, I know it's
 UnAmerican!! lol
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I  just like the taste of Chicken so much better, so I put ground chicken 
in my chili, and our Beef Stroganoff sometimes turns into Chicken 
Stroganoff and is just as delicious,  and  Publix even has chicken
 burgers, so sometimes we make those on the grill.
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If you have recipes that call for beef, and you don't think it would be
 horrible give chicken or Turkey a try at least once or twice just to
see what you think.  There are times I just like a certain dish better
 with beef and if that is the case, I will just make it with beef, but 
all in all I have to say, I have been surprised at how good things
are with the chicken.
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Not so with the Turkey, at least for me. You might like it just fine, 
 if you are a person who loves Turkey.


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Just in case you don't know,  they have ground chicken and Turkey
 a tPublix and I am sure most supermarkets.
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They also have Turkey sausage and Bacon.  We eat the sausage 
but we eat regular bacon cause we only eat it on Saturday,  and  we
 microwave it, so we can get most of the grease off it, plus we just
don't care for the taste of the turkey bacon.  The turkey sausage  is
 pretty good tho,  and just for your info, they have it at Cracker Barrel,
if you happen to have breakfast there.
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Also,  my son made us portabello mushroom burgers, and they
 were delicious the first time, he made them. Problem is he forgot
 what he used in the marinade, so the 2nd time they weren't quit as 
good.  So we need to experiment again. 
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Guess he gets that honestly,  I tweak recipes all the time and
then forget to write down the changes and it doesn't come out
the same the next time and I am wondering what I did. lol
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They actually make quite
 a good burger if you put them on a nice wholegrain bun. 
 Great source of protein, as is soy,  I just can't eat it,
 cause soy produces estrogen, and I have fibroid tumors and
estrogen makes them grow.  But if you can eat that is great!
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Now if you are gonna eat beef make sure it is the leanest cuts
 you can get.  London Broil is a good choice, lean ground beef
 is another.  If I am gonna brown the beef, say to make lasagna
 or spaghetti sauce, I will buy a less expensive ground beef
 and then brown it,  and afterward I will put it in the colander,
  rinse it good with hot water to get all the grease out.
 Then I put  it back in the pan,  and add whatever the other
 ingredients are, and finish cooking it.
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It tastes just as good,  it doesn't affect the flavor of the dish
 at all.  I think most people think low fat cooking is gonna
be horrible,  but really we can't tell the difference! 
 So why have all that extra bad fat if you can't really tell 
the difference.  
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I  really think a lot of that is just in our heads, and we
 convince ourselves it can't possibly be as good.
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Honestly folks,  we do not feel deprived. The food we eat
 is good,  the hardest part is just not using boxed things.
But you get used to it,  and when you have the incentive
 we do....it makes it much easier, believe me!  I actually
have found a few boxed items that I can use from time
to time.  I will share those with you in some later post.
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Well, I am gonna stop there for today, and show you a
 few products  you might want to incorporate in your
shopping this week.

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We get these chips at Target and they are awesome.  I used to
buy avocados and make my own Guacamole,  but I had so many
go bad on me,  that once I discovered the wholly guacamole I
 always buy that now, cause I know the avocado is good and I'm
 not wasting $$.   It is delicious as well.  I buy it at Publix.
They have it in mild too, and what I like is their are no
 preservatives and you can just snip the corner off the plastic
 package inside the box, and squeeze out however much you 
need and fold it over and paper clip it.  Next time it is just as 
fresh as the last time.
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Just saw this in my pic file so thought I would post it again.
This is an excellent choice for a meatless meal.  In case
 you didn't catch it yesterday I posted the recipe for this easy
 black bean and rice soup, it is really pretty thick more
like a meal than soup actually, so you could put it on
 a plate and add some 2% cheese, lettuce, tomato,
 scallions, sour cream and some of the above guacamole
 on top and eat it with the chips and you have got a
 wholesome, quick and tasty meal.
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If you have never tried egg beaters they are really great, 
 and make good scrambled eggs and omelets.  I used
some in a cookie recipe I found today. 
I will share it with you soon.
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Grape Juice that has no added sugar, is very heart healthy
 and good for your veins and arteries.  I also just learned
 from my sister-in-law Susie, over at Sister Susies
 that it is a great source of magnesium as well.  I think
you need magnesium for the arythmic functioning
of your heart. Her levels were low and they put her on RX
drugs, and they didn't agree with her, so she quit
the meds and started drinking grape juice and her
magnesium levels are fine now.
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This chicken broth is great to have on hand to make a quick 
soup. They have beef and chicken flavor, and then they have
 the one with less salt as well.
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*
  If your hubby and children don't like veggies they are more
 likely to eat them in soups and stews I have found.  My 
 hubby and children have always loved beef stew, and many
 soups as well. So take advantage of these cold days
to get those veggies down them.


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*
I am cooking "Pasta Fagioli soup" as I am writing,  and it is
 another excellent example of a meatless meal, it has 
canellini beans and this particular recipe calls for ham as well.
So it would have plenty of protein plus veggies.
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I'm not putting the ham in, mainly cause I don't have any,  but
don't know if I would if I had it cause I have  never had it
with ham in it either.  Serve it with a salad or just with some good
wholegrain bread and dip it in a  saucer of olive oil with a lil 
granulated garlic and italian spices in the dish.
A very wholesome winter meal.


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Well, there you have it for this week. *
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Hope you have a Wonderful Evening
with your family,


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Blessings N' Hugs,
Nellie

Would you like a bowl of Black Bean and Rice soup??? Here's the recipe.

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Hello Sweet Friends,

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Hope you all had a Super Sweet

Valentines Day with your Honey or Honey's!

(Honey's being children or other's that you love)

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For those of you who couldn't... I am truly Sorry,

but hope you had a Good day in spite of it!!

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Well,  one of our Honey's is this cute lil

Chijuajua,  our grandaughter dog,  Rosie!

We got to have her for 4 days now,  and we

are loving it,  cause she just is the sweetest lil dog,

to humans that is,  but she becomes Miss Killer attack

dog to any other animal.  I truly think she believes

she is a German shepherd!

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Her mommy is coming to get her tonight, so

we will be dogless again.

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Think I just heard our cat Molly say "YES"  Finally!! lol

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As you can imagine killer attack dog and her don't 

get on too well.  Plus since Joey moved out a few

weeks ago with her daddy,  Molly has totally been

enjoying the run of the house,  and sleeping in sweet

PEACE!

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Can hardly tell what she is.  It was a cold day

and she was in about as tight a ball as you can get!

Could think it was a skunk!!

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This is what she looks like normally.

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OOPS,  Interrupted her nap with the flash!

She really is a pretty kitty,  when she isn't pulling

 her fur out!!  She has allergies and gets hot spots

or something,  It's wierd!

Go figure!!

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We had a lovely Valentine's day ourselves,

went to church and got a very Sweet Surprise,

Scott's girlfiend came to church with him for

the first time,  and the service was great as always.

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After church we went to get a "Chocolate Elvis",

then went and got take out from Olive Garden,

since we had our Valentine's Day dinner with

the kids on Thursday evening.  Came home ate

and took a nap,  then Scott and Megan dropped

by for a short visit,  they had come back from

a nice dinner at a place called "The Garlic",

they said it was really a nice place and the

food was excellent.  For those in the area

it is in New Smyrna.

We are gonna have to check it out sometime.

They ate outdoors and they have an outdoor

fireplace and heaters when it is cold.

So they loved it!!

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After they left we

 we watched a nice Romantic Comedy

called "Return to Me",  it has a pg rating and

I think a lil language, but we have a TV guardian

on our DVD so have no idea what they said.,

but it is really a Sweet movie,  that leaves you

wishing it hadn't ended yet!!

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We had seen it before and loved it,  but it has

been awhile.  We usually watch "You've got

Mail",  we love that too!  but couldn't rent it

at blockbuster this year.  Guess we are gonna

have to check online and see if they have it

and buy it!

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I just made a nice easy breezy soup for lunch.

I think you will enjoy it very much if you like

black beans.  I will leave the recipe since it 

is so easy.  I know all you girls up North that are

freezing would probably love something simple and

warm to eat, to help keep you warm.

I just love soup on a cold day!!

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Black Bean and Rice Soup

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2 - 15 oz. cans of black beans

.

3 cups of water

.

1/2 cup of diced onions

.

1 envelope of  Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

.

1-1/2 cups of instance brown rice, uncooked

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Directions

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Place 2 cans of beans undrained into sauce pan.

Add water, onions,  and salad dressing mix and

stir until well blended.  Bring to a boil on medium

high heat.

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Stir in the rice,  Reduce heat to low; cover,

 simmer 5 minutes.  I let it cook a few mins. 

longer just to be sure.

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Serve it up in a bowl,  add a dollop of light

sour cream,  some chopped fresh tomatoes

and cilantro,  and

ENJOY!!

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20 mins. total time

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Just had a bowl for lunch and it was De Lish!!

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This recipe was on the front of a Good Seasons

Salad Dressing Packet.

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I altered it just a bit,  cause they tell you to put all but

a half can of the beans into the blender; cover and to

blend till smooth,  then proceed with the above directions.

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The first time I made it I didn't catch it was to go

into the blender first,  so just did it with the whole

black beans and it was fine, and it is much easier.

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Well,  Chickies.........................

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Hope you have a Dandy Evening

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I will leave you with one more shot of our

lil Rosie,  just cause I think she is so cute!!

Humor Me!!  lol

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She is excitedly looking at grampy for her doggie cookie!!  lol

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We can never get a pic of her that her eyes look like

that,  if it was red I could take it out with photoshop,

but it doesn't work for gold or whatever color that is.

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Hugs and Blessings,

Nellie

Have a Very Loving Sunday

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

SWEET FRIENDS,

&

 HAPPY SUNDAY TO YOU TOO!

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My verse for today is

John 3:16

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Because Love doesn't get any better than this!

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"For God so loVed the world

.

that He gAve

.

His one and onLy son

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that whoevEr

.

 believes iN

.

him shall noT

.

                    perIsh 

.

     but have eterNal

.

                       LifE"

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Jesus is the true Valentine!

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(Picture compliments of http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/)

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Have a Sweet and Loving Valentine's Day

 with your Sweeties!! 

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Love,  Blessings and Hugs

with Candy Kisses on Top!!

Nellie

Welcome to Thankful Thursday -February 11, 2010

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Hello Sweet Friends

and Welcome to Thankful Thursday

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Hope you are all well and happy today.

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Didn't get to post yesterday cause I was busy making Valentines 

and setting a pretty table for tonight.

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I am playing here!!
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I love doing Thankful Thursday because God is so good to all of us,  and I have

found it to be such a good practice to look for anything and everything to be

 thankful for............seriously it just makes me a much happier person.
It keeps me focused on the good things that are happening in my life
rather than the negative, in fact, it is helping me not to see the negative
as much anymore!!  And that my friends, is a good thing!! lol

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#1

Today 

I am thankful

that I got all my Valentines finished for tonight and I was very pleased 

with the way they turned out.  I can be my own worst critic!! lol

Anybody else like that???

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Thought you might like a peek!  Have been doing my own
greeting cards for about 5 years now.  I completely design 
them by using graphics that I get for free or my own pics
 and write my own words in them.
The first 2 cards on the left are graphics compliments of
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

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#2

I am thankful

that the table is all set and I feel very happy with it as well,
 and my focus tomorrow can be on  food and straightening
 up the house.  If you care to see pictures I will probably
post them next wed. because I am planning on participating
in Tablescape Thursday over at between naps on the porch.
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#3
I am thankful
that my children can come with their friends for dinner
and that we can have this opportunity to get to know
 them better.  What parent doesn't love that!! lol
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#4
I am thankful
that I can and do enjoy my life so much,  cause it hasn't
always been that way for a good many years, especially
when I was going thru menopause.  I truly had a wretched
time of it, and I used to wonder where I went and who
this woman was that I didn't like very much!!
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#5
I am thankful
that Sue over at "where memories are made" is feeling
so much better.
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#6
I am thankful
 for all you dear sweet encouraging
ladies that come by almost daily and leave such
sweet and encouraging comments, but most of
all for the pen pal type friendship that we have!
I just love it!!
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#7
I am thankful
that we are having a simple dinner tonight,  and 
that the Lord has been teaching me over the last
years to make things simple yet elegant.
I think a little elegance makes people feel very
special,  and I love to make people feel special.
It is a true gift and a wonderful thing to feel that way!!
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#8
I am thankful
that I feel soooo loved by the Lord,  because I
can't say I have always felt that way, oh I always
knew he loved me,  but I feel like I have grown to
know it in a much greater way that ever before.
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#9
I am thankful
for all the things the Lord has taught me over the
years spiritually, emotionally, financially, culinarily,(new word) lol
creatively, and on and on!!
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#10
I am thankful 
for holidays like Valentine's day, and of course,
all the others, just because it gives us reasons
to celebrate,  and I believe God loves to see
his people celebrate,  if you don't believe me just
 check out the old testament in the Bible and see
all of the festivals and celebrations that they had.
Plus when I was growing up we didn't celebrate
a lot, my Mom was a single parent and was 
exhausted and many times worked on holidays
to make extra money to support us!! 
God Rest Her Soul.........
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#11
I am thankful
tomorrow is hubbies day to work at home
because with the wind chill factor it is going
to seem like we are in the 20's here in the morning!
So he will be able to be toasty warm and comfy
in his sweats!! lol
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#12
I am thankful
that I am now tired enough to go to sleep since it is 4:52 a.m.
 For some reason I was just antsy and could not sleep,
  so just decided to get up and visit blogs and then decided
 to at least start my Thankful Thursday post, and now it
is finished so I will just post it now and then go to 
Beddie Bye Land!
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Good Night Sweet Folks,
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Thanks for coming by
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So tell me................
what are you Thankful for????????????
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Blessings Dearies,
Nellie