We know sisters who have an unspoken Christmas contest every year: She whose gift makes
everyone cry happy tears wins.

This Christmas, with so many wallets pinched, is the season to dig deep, think hard and hand
out gifts filled with memories. (Lovely recession bonus: These presents almost never come
from the store.)

Your goal here is heirloom status: a meaningful, return-proof piece of your family tree.
Sentimental tears are likely, and you'll be the star of Christmas.

Here are six ideas for history-laced gifts of the heart:

Fashion a silhouette

Hand-cut silhouettes from eras past are stylish collectibles, and the savvy and crafty among
us are now making our own. They're easier than you might think. Have your subject stand
about 2 feet in front of a plain wall or door, turning to the side so you see his or her
profile, and snap a digital photo. (Tip: Have girls pull long hair off the face and neck.)
Try to fill the frame with your subject.
Print the photo on regular printer paper, filling the page with the photo. Photo-printing
shops can help you do this, if necessary.
Trace the outside of your subject with a Sharpie, taking care to capture little details like
small wisps of hair. Cut this out with small sewing or cuticle scissors. Take your cutout
outside, turn it over and spray the back of the cutout with flat black spray paint. Two or
three thin coats do the trick. Allow the silhouette to dry between coats, and frame it.

Raid the photo album

Every family has an old photo that makes everyone sigh - Mom in high school wearing a fur
stole, or Grandpa's days as a firefighter. Borrow a picture from the family album, and have
it reproduced and framed for everyone in your family. Scan it in yourself, or take it to a
printing shop. We recommend Ikea in Tempe for inexpensive and stylish frames that come with
precut mats.

Bust out Grandma's button jar

Did your mom or grandmother save extra buttons? Ours, too - hundreds of them. Sneak into her
stash and turn those vintage buttons into something fun. Etsy.com seller PoorRobin turns old
buttons and pieces of felt into barrettes for little girls. You can also turn them into
button bracelets. For bracelet instructions, go to blog.creativekismet.com and search for
"button bracelet."

Fill a shadowbox

Fill a deep glass-front frame with all those bits your family has been collecting: wedding
ephemera, tiny childhood toys, old military pins, even vintage wedding rings. Imagine that
box of memories deep in your mom's closet. Go get it. Treasures lie within, and recipients
will love having them on display. Mix in a few photos, which you can scan and reduce to the
size you wish. Shadow boxes often come backed in fabric, with pins to secure your memories.
Frames are available at Michaels Arts and Crafts and Target stores.
Other fun things to look for in your memory boxes and frame: Grandma's needlepoint work,
quilt blocks, even knitted doilies.

Hand it down

The wedding china, an old clock, even jewelry: Many families have treasures meant to be
passed from one generation to the next. Why wait? Pass on things to their intended
recipients now, and be there to experience their joy.

Cook up a family recipe book

It's a good idea that has bounced around Christmas to-do lists for ages. This year, do it.
Collect all the recipes that mean something to your family into a small album and hand it
out. Give the recipes funny familial names, type them into your computer, print them and
compile a small book.

Try kolo-usa.com for inexpensive and pretty paper albums sized perfectly for recipes. Small
Kolo albums are also available at some Barnes and Noble bookstores and Aaron Brothers Art
and Framing shops.

SOURCE: www.azcentral.com

To say that someone has "everything" is to look at things from a materialistic view. Older
adults might have all the money and possessions they could desire, and they probably do not
really need or want any more stuff. Shopping for such people is difficult, but shopping is
not the only way to get a gift for someone.

One of the best gifts you can give a senior who has everything is your time. Time is a
precious commodity. Even in youth there never seems to be enough to go around. As people
age, they become more aware of time. Often the time is of lesser quality, as mobility
decreases and children are wrapped up in their adult lives.

Giving the gift of time to a senior is an act of love that can truly be meaningful. A trip
to a favorite restaurant, an outing to a park, renting a movie and watching it with them or
just letting them know they are loved and appreciated can mean a lot more than "stuff" that
adds to their clutter.

You can even spend some time together making a favorite home-cooked recipe that is
reminiscent of years ago. My mom and I always enjoyed some holiday time making Christmas
cookies while sipping cream sherry. That precious time we spent laughing and sharing is one
of my favorite holiday memories, and, in her memory, I still get the cream sherry out when I
am baking.

If you want to buy a gift, here are a few ideas. Gift cards for food are great. Either from
a local grocery store or from a favorite restaurant, it will always be used. Or make up a
basket of all their favorite special jams, pickles, preserves, cookies, teas or coffees.

If your favorite senior enjoys concerts or sporting events, you can never go wrong with
providing tickets to an event they would enjoy. I like the idea of giving them a gift
certificate for a local handyman service. There is always something needing to be repaired
around their house or apartment.

As I mentioned, most of the older adults I know love to spend time with their family and
friends, so spending time with the senior in your life could be the best gift of all this
Christmas.

SOURCE: www.broomfieldenterprise.com

Even among the victims of the downturn, we are still determined to celebrate. In order to
give during this season, some are cutting out vacations and other extracurricular
expenditures from their budgets, but all seem to be simplifying somehow. Here are a few
ideas to keep it simple this season.

Set monetary limits
Try shopping at thrift stores. I’m not talking about buying a pair of shoes for mom that
come with a predetermined scent, but some of the neatest and most unique antiques come from
sweet finds in the thrift shops. If you’re not into used wares, set a limit for yourself.
When you set an exact price limit, it creates a parameter that incites creativity for your
gifts. Set a mutual price across the board with family and friends. When no one can devote
more than $20, you’ll have to think a little harder about the kind of purchases you make.

Exchange the change

Set up a Secret Santa chain with your friends. Have everyone bring a $20 gift to the party
or the Holiday. There are a slew of gift exchange games that can bring the heat of friendly
competition to the living room. Besides, it’s much better to watch your brother open the
glittering snowman cookie jar that grandma brought to the exchange than see him get another
sweater.

Get crafty

I’m not talking glue guns and felt — unless handcrafted tree skirts are up your alley.
Remember how Mom has always kept the noodle sculpture you made for Mother’s Day in the
second grade? While the $50 magazine subscription you bought Mom last year decorates the
coffee table in the living room, the Rainbow macaroni somehow wins out. Take the time to buy
cardstock and craft your own stationery. Frame a significant photograph. Decorate dishes or
personalize a holiday decoration for the tree. Homemade gifts indicate that you’ve spent
time and thought about the individual. Moreover, gifting such things is more exciting,
because the time you spend making them is embedded in the present.

Time, not money

Ever hear the phrase “time is money?” Well invert it. Offer your time, whether it means
gathering your friends together for an evening together or making homemade popcorn garlands
for your perpetually shedding tree. Offer to clean someone’s house or do the dishes for
three weeks. It’s not about indentured service; it’s about spending time with those who are
important. Even if the popcorn is spilled all over the floor and thrown everywhere, you’re
more likely to remember how much you laughed about it than this year’s trendy wrapping
paper. Actually, you’ll probably never forget it if you’re still finding kernels in the
carpet, come March.

Donate your Christmas

I was told the story of a family who matched themselves with one in need and gave their
Christmas gifts away that year. The three children of the family picked out gifts for the
three children in need — one toy and a few of the essentials: socks, shoes, underwear, etc.
They packed up an entire Christmas dinner and stuffed stockings for the other family,
spending Christmas simply with dinner and one another. Another idea is to request that
instead of gifts, the money that would be spent on them be given to a particular charity or
organization of your choice. Surpassing yourself in the giving brings a more spirited
season.

SOURCE: www.mndaily.com

Here are some other cuddle-perfect gifts for baby, preschooler, moms and grandmothers.
Baby Bunch is a gift that looks like a bouquet of roses, but is a small, practical wardrobe
for baby, all rolled to look like rosebuds. The adorable Star Bunting made of soft fleece in
a star shape feels so snuggly, available for newborn to 22 lbs. Red Riding Hood fans will
enjoy the Going to Grandma's Red Hooded Cape in red fleece in sizes 12- to 24-months.
Ease children to sleep with Twilight Turtle. A projector tucked under the turtle's shell
shines a 360-degree view of constellations onto walls and ceilings.

I Love You More Mobius necklace bears the message, "I love you...I love you more," that many
parents recite with their children daily.

SOURCE www.Signals.com

WHITE BEAR LAKE — Some locals know Roberta Johnson by her former career teaching language arts and journalism in the Mahtomedi Public Schools. Others know her by her work coordinating the annual “Write Now!” high school writing contest as a board member for the White Bear Center for the Arts.

But Johnson’s past life involved many other unusual experiences, including teaching a student who later became a celebrity and taking the opportunity to study art as she lived in 11 other countries.

“When you visit a country, you go over thinking you'll learn something about the country,” she said. “But you learn about yourself. You take a little bit of yourself and put it into the country.”

Johnson graduated from Michigan State University in 1969 after earning a master’s degree in education. She went on to teach elementary education in the Lansing, Mich. public schools where one of her students was legendary NBA player Earvin (Magic) Johnson Jr. Magic’s mom was her first-grade room mother.

“I always remember that in first grade he had hands larger than mine, even though I was an adult,” Roberta said.

She had no inkling at the time that he would become a famous athlete, but did track his basketball career in college and through the NBA.

After marrying her husband Gary in 1965, the two moved to Maryland so he could become a psychology instructor at the University of Maryland. In 1970 her life took an unexpected turn when Gary was assigned to teach psychology to U.S. military personnel stationed in Asia. The couple lived subsequently in Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Korea.

“I basically immersed myself in experiencing the culture of each country we lived in.”

Beginning in 1972, Gary was reassigned to Europe, and the couple lived subsequently in Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium over the next two years. Roberta worked as a substitute teacher at U.S. Department of Defense schools in Germany and Japan.

Living in Europe was a bonus for Johnson, an art lover who said she especially appreciated the beauty of European art.

“European art is fantastic,” she said. “But Japan was the most enriching country.”

While abroad, she also took language classes in German, French and Japanese, learned flower-arranging in Japan and Malaysia, learned cooking in China and learned ink painting in Japan.

The couple stayed in Europe for two years before they decided to return to the United States and start a family. They moved to White Bear Lake in 1974 after driving around the metro area looking for a nice place to make a home.

“We just came back and drove to different communities,” she said, laughing. “We fell in love with White Bear.”

In 1978 twin daughters Jane and Margaret, who were adopted from Korea, became part of the Johnsons’ lives.

Roberta wasted no time in getting back into education, and in 1976 took a job teaching language arts and journalism in Mahtomedi Public Schools. She was the supervisor for both the school newspaper and the school yearbook, serving the school district for nearly 30 years.

Upon retirement, she became vice chair of the board of directors for the White Bear Center for the Arts. She said such organizations are more important than ever now that budget cuts have eliminated arts programs in many schools.

“For people who are very creative, it's a way to give back to the community,” she said. “It's like an extension of a community — it enriches people’s lives and gives them wholeness.”

She now also helps coordinate “WriteNow!”, the center’s annual high school-age writing contest. She pulls together a panel of professional writers and judges who choose the winners from categories including poetry, short stories, essays, and one-act plays.

She’s also still involved in journalism, serving as state editor of the nonprofit state newspaper the North Star News, regularly editing several newsletters about education and serving on the Minnesota News Council, a group that provides online forums in which the public can hold each other accountable for the posting of fair and accurate news. She’s also considering writing her second children’s book.

Johnson said one of the greatest challenges in her life so far has been her diagnosis of multiple myeloma in March of 2006. She has since had a stem cell transplant and has been living without chemotherapy for the past five months.

“Every day is a gift,” she said.

by Cassie Sauber
Staff intern
Press.com

If you're anywhere near this place,bring your mom here to relax and enjoy.

Here's a story based on experience by Kay Dibben

WHEN I first visited the Thai island of Koh Samui 21 years ago, it was a lush, green backpackers' paradise with dirt-cheap bungalows beside white sandy beaches.

There were no luxury resorts or direct flights to the island. The few tourists who found their way there had to take a not-so-comfy boat ride from the mainland.

This friendly tropical island was a wonderful place for a cheap, relaxing beachside Thai holiday and my friends and I stayed for weeks.

When I recently returned to Koh Samui, knowing it had been well and truly "discovered" by both well-heeled tourists and resort developers, I was relieved to find it was still simply a beautiful island.

To uncover the true delights of Samui you need to get out and explore its attractions beyond the busy tourist centres and to meet some of the friendly locals.

Jetting in on one of Thai Airways' twice-daily 45-minute flights from Bangkok, I look down on hills still thickly covered with coconut palms. There are about two million on the island.

You can take your life into your hands and hop on rented motorbikes – we were told the fatality rate is high – or, more sensibly, hire cars to explore the island's great sandy beaches. Most have now been discovered and resorts established all around Koh Samui.

While more than 100 are five-star standard, fortunately, the budget or mid-range tourist can still choose from the cheaper deals available.

The island has some terrific restaurants, some of them genuinely upmarket, offering delicious Thai and European food, and there are also luxury massage spas.

Then there is the excellent shopping in the main resort town of Chaweng. It's best done at night when it's not so hot and more sellers are offering their bargain buys in the long, colourful shopping and dining strip.

We stayed first at the beautiful Anantara Resort and Spa at Bo Phut beach, on the quieter northeast end of the island.

The tropical garden, with a lotus pond between the stylish foyer, restaurants and beachside infinity pool, is tranquil and a great setting for evening drinks and the weekly Taste of Siam banquet.

The resort's Australian chef took a break from the kitchen to lead an early-morning 3km cycle tour to the Big Buddha, a 15m-high attraction.

It's an interesting and easy ride through a fishermen's village and past shops, homes and beaches but is best done as early as possible before it gets too hot and sticky.

It was good to see the stunning golden Buddha without hordes of tourists milling around and then ride on to nearby Wat Plai Lam to see a 14-armed Buddha and other statues and temples.

Another great excursion took us to Ang Thong National Marine Park, a group of more than 40 islands about an hour's slightly bumpy speedboat ride away.

We headed off with our Thai guide Smithy and his crew and were soon snorkelling in a spectacular area of vegetated rocky outcrops and mini islands, where sheer cliffs rise dramatically out of the water.

From there, it was a cruise through a series of islands, similar to Phi Phi on Thailand's west coast but without the hordes and stopped at a sandy, tree-shaded beach for lunch.

Afterwards, we visited an emerald green lagoon in the middle of a limestone mountain.

It was well worth the hike up so many steps to a series of platforms with terrific views down to the lagoon, which is fed by an underground stream from the sea. Climb higher and there are 180-degree views over the other islands.

Back on Koh Samui, we spent a day visiting a coconut plantation which encompassed some fascinating experiences.

Re-locating to Centara Grand Beach Resort at Chaweng, a large resort with a wide beachfront, which provided a good base for some serious shopping.

I could not leave Koh Samui without revisiting the little family-run backpackers' hideaway where I had enjoyed such a relaxing holiday all those years ago.

The simple thatched-roof bungalows and its friendly Thai owners were gone, replaced by a boutique resort. The view from the villas, a pool and open-air restaurant was still just as I remembered it: the same white sandy beach, tranquil aquamarine water and large, smooth boulders that provided an ideal spot for watching the sunset.

The writer was a guest of Thai Airways and Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The Daily Telegraph

As local women are excitedly awaiting presents for Vietnamese Woman’s day, what is the “other half” thinking? Luong Manh Hai, actor:

“I don’t wait for ‘special’ days like March 8th [International Women’s Day] or October 20th [Vietnamese Women’s Day] to give presents to my mother and friends,” says Hai, who is well-known for his leading roles in TV series like Tuyet mien nhiet doi (Tropical Snow, 2006) and Bong dung muon khoc (Suddenly I Wanna Cry, 2008).

Hai says he gives the women in his life gifts like clothes or jewelry any day of the year. Bu this year, he says he might do something special for his mom as she’s traveled all the way from Hanoi to visit him.

“Maybe I’ll take her out for dinner or shopping,” he says, adding that he owes it to her because he’s been too busy filming his newest feature, Dep tung cen-ti-met (Beautiful in every centimeter), to spend enough time with her.

The film, by famous director Vu Ngoc Dang, will be released during the 2009 Lunar New Year Season.

Quang Dung, top pop singer:

Known for singing the love songs of Trinh Cong Son, Dung says this year will be a special chance for his family to reunite. As usual, holidays are the singer’s busiest days. In past years, he was too busy to do anything other than send messages to the women close to him, he says. But he has just finished recording his latest DVD, Love Story, which will be released next Valentine’s Day. He says he now has the time to take his family to Mui Ne on Women’s Day.

“It will be a lovely thanks to my mother and my wife.”

Dinh Toan, actor, director of Idecaf Theater and talk show host:

Toan says he never remembers the Vietnamese Woman’s Day because he’s so busy. But he also says that he always calls his mother, sisters and friends to wish them well on International Women’s Day (March 8).

“I’ll be in rehearsal for my new play Con gai nang tien ca (Daughter of the Mermaid) on Vietnamese Women’s day, and most of my costars are actresses, so maybe I’ll ‘have to’ do something,” Toan says with a smile.

Toan’s variety show, Ngay chu nhat cua em (Children’s Sunday) will do a special show for Woman’s Day, featuring ways to cook simple dishes for man who want to treat his wife or girlfriend to a dinner he cooks himself.

Tran Thanh Long, director of Professional Look Model Agency:

As the husband of famous supermodel-turned-actress Anh Thu, Long says Vietnamese Women’s Day this year will be different from last year because he and his wife will celebrate the day at home.

“I often travel with Thu on that special day,” says Long. “But now we have a baby, and it’s too hard to take him to travel around.”

Long says he will take a day off on October 20th to spend time with his family. “I will help Thu cook a special meal for our family and I’ll also surprise her with perfume.”

Reported by Thanh Van
thanhniennews

As Vietnamese Women’s Day has many families planning gifts and celebrations for their mothers, daughters and sisters, Thanh Nien Daily spoke with several former beauty queens about what October 20 means to them.

Most agreed that that true womanhood involves the love and respect of one’s family.

“The perfect woman must be good at taking care of her family and a good mother,” said Giang My, Miss Hung Kings’ Temple 1990.

Now in her late 30’s, Giang My is one of the few beauty queens from the 1990s that still makes headlines as a pianist, a businesswoman and an actress.

Since 2006, she’s been the CEO of GM Television Production House in Ho Chi Minh City.

One of her most well-known television shows was Sac mau phu nu (The Color of Women), which aimed to give a voice to women from all ages and various backgrounds.

“Why do we only honor women on October 20?” My joked. “Everyday should be about celebrating women.”

Ha Kieu Anh, Miss Vietnam 1992, shares the same sentiment. The actress said her happiness lies in her family. Kieu Anh is well-known for her roles in Nguoi tinh trong mo (Lovers in a Dream, 1992) and De muon (Giving Birth for Another, 2005).

The former beauty queen said looks are only 20 percent of what makes a woman beautiful.

Kieu Anh said October 20 was also a day to honor mothers who made sacrifices for the country during the war years.

Thu Huong, Miss Sport 1995, said she must juggle her time between running her company, the Nam Huong Communication and Investment Joint Stock Company, and taking care of her family.

Huong’s company publishes five magazines, including the popular Phong Cach Doanh Nhan (Businesspeople Style).

“Many of my foreign friends say they admire many Vietnamese women because they value the idea of a family and can manage both their careers and motherhood,” she said.

Huong said she buys flowers for her mother, sisters, and mother-in-law every October 20.

Truong Tri Truc Diem, one of Vietnam’s Miss Earth contestants in 2007, said that a woman’s wisdom and perseverance matter more than her appearance.

Jennifer Pham, Miss Asia USA 2006, said she never had a chance to enjoy Women’s Day during her time in the US.

But after returning to Vietnam with her husband earlier this year to work as an actress, she’s excited to participate in local women’s day celebrations.

“Women nowadays have more opportunities to learn and contribute to society,” she said. “I think women share two ultimate responsibilities: society and also family.”

She said self-improvement is the key to being a fully-realized woman.

“I never think I am a perfect woman,” Pham says. “But it’s something I always strive for.”

The five beauty queens interviewed for t his story all said they actually didn’t want anything too extraordinary on Vietnam Women’s Day, just some time with their loved ones.

Reported by Thanh Van
thanhniennews

sandycards

Well I've not managed to join in many challenges this last week but at least I've done the Just Christmas & Birthday Cards one using Linda's fab sketch.

---Looks homemade.Nothing beats a selfmade cards for your mom----


The Birthday card was made using papers from Designs by Krista's Blossom kit, the stamp is In the Doghouse from Elzybells (coloured in with Twinkling H2Os), so I am using this card for the Crafty Creations challenge which this week is "Dogs & Puppies". I finished the card off with paw

----Looking for more inspiration? Try one or all of these links-------

123greetings

dltk-cards

hallmark

The Christmas card was made using lil stamps from Dovecraft Designer Clear Stamps range, I added some punched snowflakes with stars & a gem for Rudolph's nose sorry I don't know where the papers are from as they were given to me by the lovely Kath.

Posted by Tracey
See Tracey's cards: mycraftycorner

What else?

Facts...

The birthday cake is traditionally highly decorated, and typically covered with lit candles when presented, the number of candles signifying the age of the celebrant. The person whose birthday it is may make a silent wish and then blow out the candles. It is also customary for the person celebrating their birthday to cut the initial piece of the cake as a newlywed couple might with a wedding cake.[citation needed]

Birthday cakes date back as far as the Middle Ages when the English would conceal symbolic items such as gold coins, rings and thimbles inside their cakes.[citation needed] Each item was associated with a prediction. For example, a person finding a gold coin in a birthday cake would supposedly become wealthy; a person discovering a thimble would never marry.

Sometimes special candles are substituted for the many individual candles in the shape of a numeral. For example, on the fifth birthday, there may be one candle on the cake in the shape of the numeral five, and on the fiftieth birthday there may be two candles on the cake, one in the shape of the numeral five followed by the other in the shape of the number zero.


So, get out there and buy a cake that personally describe your mom.
Source Wikipedia