Planning your special Wedding!

Some might say that one’s wedding day is the most important day of their lives. It is a union that is only surpassed by the birth of one’s children. The key to a happy and well organized wedding is preparation and organization. That is the goal of this step by step wedding planning guide. Some may think that all the hype about wedding planning is just overplay; however that is not the case. Planning your wedding can be one of the most complicated things to do; especially if you don’t prepare yourself for the long list of things that need to be done.

To get your Wedding or Anniversary party off to a memorable start, how about a special Canvas Wrap collage of your special memories.
Combine three generations if you like -it will make a beautiful conversation piece at your reception!

Step By Step Wedding Planning Guide- The Breakdown

Let’s break down planning your wedding into 3 sections. First we will talk about the budget, location, guest list and theme for the wedding. Once we have a direction on the where; we will move to the when. Those are the first and foremost things that need to be considered and decided before any further steps are taken.

Then we will move over to all the booking and reservations that are involved with wedding planning. This would include aspects like catering, the band and the photographer. The last thing that we will cover in this wedding checklist will be the maid of honor and the bridesmaids; the best man and the groomsmen; the ushers, the ring bearer and the flower girls.

Step By Step Wedding Planning Guide- Section One

The first thing to consider when you begin planning your wedding is the budget. This is usually a touchy subject; as it is traditionally the parents of the bride who will foot the bill. However; now that we have entered the 21st century; just like many other common traditions; the parents are no longer expected to carry all of the financial weight. The funds can come from anywhere; but the most important thing is getting a realistic estimate of what you will have to spend. Once you know how much you can spend; you know how much you can afford.

The next thing on the wedding checklist in this step by step wedding planning guide is the guest list. Many think that this is the hardest part of wedding planning because it has to be based around the budget. Deciding how many are going to be on your guest list does take presentence, to most people, over the location and theme. This is because of how special this day is. It all revolves around how many close friends and family members you want to share your special day with. Some may want to decide the location, theme and guest list all at once; as these will be the major contributors to the overall expense. Either way; the guest list is a crucial factor when considering the realistic budget you have to divvy up for the other aspects of your wedding.

Now the wedding checklist comes to the location and theme. The further ahead that you book the place in which you want to have the wedding ceremony; the cheaper it will be. Some people are very traditional and want to be married in a church; but for those who want to choose another special place; there are many alternate locations to consider when planning your wedding.   Here are some ideas for planning your wedding location:

• The Park
• The Beach
• A Place of Historical Significance
• A Place of Personal Significance
• At A Family or Friends Home
• Overseas

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Once you have decided on the location; the theme is next on the wedding checklist. The theme and location sometimes go hand in hand. For example; if you choose to have a beach wedding; then the theme will most likely be based around a luau of some sort. After choosing a theme to match your budget, location and guest list; you can move onto the more intricate pieces of planning your wedding; like the actual reservations and bookings. (See section two of this step by step wedding planning guide)

The final aspect covered in this wedding planning section is all about the when. Ask yourself: When do I want to have my wedding? There are 12 months every year. Some are warm; some are cool; some are hot; some are cold. You may want to choose a special time of year that is significant to you both when planning your wedding date. This could be a reminder of when you met, based around a special holiday that you shared, or just simply your favorite time of the year.

People come in all different likes and dislikes; meaning the groom may want to have the wedding in the dead of winter; while the bride may want the flowers to be blooming while she walks down the aisle. Coming to a compromise on the time of year to have the wedding is only one of the many compromises that will need to be made throughout the wedding planning stages.

Step By Step Wedding Planning Guide- Section Two

This part of the wedding checklist covers the reservations and booking of all the fine details of a wedding; this includes everything from the caterer to the band; from the wedding location to the photographer.

When planning your wedding; if one thing is not reserved or booked correctly it could throw the whole wedding off course. Double checking and then triple checking again can never hurt. The last thing anyone would want is to show up at their wedding location and there be nothing there set up. For the most part; booking and scheduling your wedding activities months prior to the actual wedding will save lots of money. Last minute weddings always tend to cost more than ones that are scheduled way ahead of time.

This next section basically consists of the more intricate and detailed tasks that are outlined in this step by step wedding planning guide. This is instrumental to the overall flow of the wedding in general. You will need to choose a caterer for the reception meal. The catering company needs to be reliable, professional at what they do and most importantly offer quality of service and great food. Caterers can provide testing samples during your decision stages to assure that the proposed menu will meet the tastes of the bride and groom.   Coordinating the music is usually a pretty easy aspect of planning your wedding. All that is really needed is a musician, band or DJ that can be versatile enough to meet the music likings of the bride and groom. It is important to seek out a semi professional band; as one of the worst things would be if they never even showed up.

You would also want to look for someone who has experience with weddings; as they will need to entertain the guests and keep the mood and events of the reception flowing; leading your guests through a series of predesigned reception events.

So at this point of the wedding checklist; one must first look at the type of music that the married to be couple enjoys together. This same logic applies to choosing your photographer; as this is an important decision because the pictures taken will be wedding keepsakes forever.

Step By Step Wedding Planning Guide- Section Three

This is the final section in this wedding checklist and it covers the wedding party. This part of wedding planning may just be the toughest. Choosing the actual wedding party is very important; not only to the bride and groom; but to the ones who are chosen.

It is a great honor for most to be chosen as a best man or maid of honor; that’s a given; but it is also an honor to just be chosen to participate as a bridesmaid, groomsmen, flower girl and/or ring bearer. This is usually what makes up the wedding party; though additional roles and positions can be added or removed depending on the bride and grooms wishes.

Step By Step Wedding Planning Guide- In Review

Though there are other aspects of planning your wedding that should be on your wedding checklist; this Step By Step Wedding Planning Guide should get you well on your way to making the appropriate arrangements and decisions. The key thing to remember when planning your wedding is the budget. Once you know how much you have to spend; everything else will fall into place!

Carmen Palomo - About the Author:

 Carmen Palomo is a gift consultant for weddings, anniversaries birthdays and other miscellaneous occasions. I am here to share my thoughts on gift giving and I bring years of firsthand experience to those who are searching for the best gifts to give. Read through my many articles to get a better idea on how to pick that next gift for that next occasion.

Creating your Graduation Collage Showpiece

Your son’s or daughters’s graduation party is a special time to celebrate that milestone.  With every graduation party, it makes it even more memorable with collage showpiece.
How do you start your idea, and how much time do you have? Don’t despair.

Think first, of all the graduates favorite milestones over the years. Did she excel in sports, or other activities such as academics, or a traveling camp – every graduate is different. What were her proudest achievments? Start with a few ideas, gather your photos and work from there. For a larger collage, pick a feature photo and work down to younger photos. Most people enjoy an over the years assortment of photos, from past to present. And if you include family members – always use a balance. When it comes time to start your theme, pick out a background that suits the graduates personality best. If it is not a surprise gift, ask the graduate themselves to pick it out – it will be true keepsake if the theme was planned to their liking.

Many graduation parties are based on school colors and/or the graduates favorite colors.  Canvas wraps are a fun and creative way to showpiece those memories, but traditional framed prints are popular too. Be sure to give your framer some time for matting and framing, so your picture is ready in time for the party. Collages make a great conversation piece for a graduation party, and when the party is over a wonderful keepsake for your wall! We are here to help with your collage planning, feel free to call with any questions about your special celebration, or about the website. 402-910-3357 or leave a message in contacts.

Happy Graduation Party!

Those Special Holiday Memories

Well its official, the holidays are once again upon us.
Christmas is a wonderful time to reflect on your special memories.
What does Christmas mean to you and your family?
I would love to hear your favorite story!
Christmas to me is my most thankful time of all. Thankful for my family, and all the sacrifices the good lord has made for us.
This year will bring back many holiday memories.
My son Jackson turns eighteen this year.
He was supposed to be a Christmas baby, but arrived earlier than expected before Christmas.
They always say December babies get short changed,
but not my son. He never complained about his rushed birthday as we moved on to Christmas.
“I can party for the whole month!” he would say with a smile.
He made me laugh.  Always stopped by Santa’s house to say hello. “Santa is a December boy too.” he would always say with pride.

He always loved to help scoop snow with his dad. Hoping he would have enough to build a snowman.

As I look back on those past Christmas memories,
one thing is for sure.
I am thankful for the eighteen years I had with him.

What do you give a boy who turns eighteen for Christmas?
You give them your respect and their freedom to move on.
Thanks for the memories son.

Happy Holidays

Finally Fall is here!

Happy fall to everyone. It’s a wonderful time of year, the weather is perfect as the trees get ready to turn their beautiful colors.
Now is a good time to get a jump start on planning your special gifts before the holiday rush takes over.
October brings a early around the corner rush of the holidays, and before you know it the long lines and  planning that perfect gift awaits you.

Planning a custom collage in advance will offer many benefits. This will give you time to include your families ideas, and develop a well balanced design that includes everyone.
The worry will be behind you , and you can enjoy your holidays with that  gift done and tucked away. And what a special gift you will have for that loved one, when the time arrives.
A custom collage is a great way to cherish your favorite memories and share them with the family.
It will be the best coversation piece that you
will ever hang on the wall!
Please join Time in a Treasure on Facebook and Twitter, were I will keep you informed with updates on specials and new creations.

If you ever have questions or need advice on your collage please feel free to call me. I want your custom collage experience to be an enjoyable one  for you and your family.

Happy Autumn!

Betty Osborn
Time in a Treasure
1-402-910-3357
http://www.timeinatreasure.com 

Tradition in your Hometown

Tradition: the handing down of statements, beliefs,
legends, customs,  from generation to generation,
especially by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has
comedown to us by popular tradition.

Well summer is coming to an end fast. School starts next week, and the time has arrived again for our annual Columbus Days.
I come from a small town much smaller than my present home of Columbus, and I have always been a big believer in hometown traditions.
Every year from August 18th-21st is our Columbus Days here in Columbus, and thanks to our local chamber, every year it keeps getting better. Discover the Food, The Fun and The Music. This is one event me and my family have always enjoyed, and this will be my second year of showcasing my collages in Frankfort Square and meeting people. I will have my new collage ideas, prints and canvas wraps with some great promotions. Stop by and say hello.
This event will become a great tradition for Time in a Treasure.
There are many wonderful events in addition to the market place in the square,the annual Artful Party,  Duck Derby, BBQ Classic, the Bands, the Performaces, Races,  and this year
Miss America is coming to visit too.  I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but one thing I believe in is supporting your hometown, now matter how big or small.
Show up, invest in your community, and you’ll find the rewards will be overwhelming.
Because after all, it’s YOUR hometown.

Happy August
Betty Osborn

For more info on Columbus Days :

http://www.thecolumbuspage.com

How Parental Coaching Can Develop the Necessary Sports Patience

It’s that time of year again, if you and your kids are involved in sports then you have been down this road. I have been coaching my kids tennis on the side for a year now, and I think I need more discipline than the kids.
It is not unusual for parents of athletes to have no, or to lose, patience when it comes to dealing with kids sports performances. Parents cannot understand why their child does not have more success. Having patience with youth in sports is a lot like “keeping it in perspective” a common phrase associated with youth sports. Similar because parents and coaches have it until their own child is involved.

Most parents display patience and perspective with other people’s kids, but with their own children, patience and perspective are lost or non-existent. Subsequently, they display this loss with often-regrettable words or actions. “I can’t believe you did that” or “You are embarrassing me” are parental statements that speak of their loss of patience. Kicking the dirt, rolling the eyes, looking away and ignoring their child are often completed parental actions, when kids do not perform up to their parents’ expectations. Unfortunately, it only takes one or two of these inappropriate words or displays to shape a child’s future in sports. Often, unbeknownst to adults, these negative incidents start to decrease children’s desire to play sports.

Obviously, everyone has different levels of patience but it something that parents can improve upon with the proper sports perspective. Having the best sport perspective can help parents to develop and display the necessary patience so that kids have the positive sporting experience they deserve.

A good, positive youth sports perspective begins with the following understandings:

1. Sport skill proficiency is difficult and gets more difficult as an athlete moves up the sports ladder.

2. Just because a sport skill appears easy, especially on TV, does not mean it is easy.

3. Just because the parent were good at something does not automatically make their child good at it.

4. Players, who choose not to practice, are usually not having fun playing that sport. The lack of fun could be because
a) they are not having success 
b) coaches and/or parents do not know how to make practice fun 
c) they just are not into it for reasons beyond a parent’s control

5. Pushing kids to practice more usually kills any chance that they will like the sport more down the line. Suggesting they practice and helping them understand that good results only come with practice is OK and necessary, though.

6. Players will not automatically be able to do something just because you tell them to or just because you point out what they are doing wrong. Their muscle memory must change through fundamental repetition.

7. Using words that describe the action is better than indicting a player them self. For example, “Your timing is off”–is better than saying, “You will never be any good if you keep doing it that way.”

8. Negative actions and facial expressions are as detrimental as words.

9. People, who display patience when working with kids, generally develop patient athletes who understand it takes time to be successful.

10. Expectations should be reasonable. Watching for and pointing out gradual signs of athletic improvement, even when results are not there, displays the patience that pays off in the end.

11. Long-range goals are better than short-range goals.

Many of these are common sense points that most parents feel like they adhere too. As mentioned, the problem is that most parents do not realize that their demeanor, words and actions change when dealing with their own kids in sports. It takes a lot of will power to change or to adhere to these suggestions.

At timeinatreasure.com we offer several ways to capture your favorite summer sporting memories.
Tennis Court of Life, Golf Course of Life, Vintage Baseball & Softball.
It’s a fun way for mom and dad to enjoy those proud moments, with their favorite sport.
See our galleries for details: http://timeinatreasure.com/gallery.php

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/how-parents-and-coaches-can-develop-the-necessary-sports-patience-3742954.html

About the Author

“Playing major league baseball – sweet; helping kids – sweeter.”
Jack Perconte helps kids and their parents through the challenging world of youth sports. He shares his playing, coaching and parenting experiences in his books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete: How to Instill Confidence, Build Skills and Inspire a Love of Sport. Learn more at
http://www.jackperconte.com

Tennis and Kids

It’s that time of year again for those summer sports!

Parents are always looking for a good sport for their child and more and more parents are starting to turn tennis as the perfect sport for their child.  The benefits of tennis go far beyond simply learning good sportsmanship skills, it also goes deep into learning good skills in terms of eye coordination and even hand eye coordination just to mention a few.

Deciding if tennis is the right sport for your child is sometimes easy and at other times a bit more complicated, but you should always take a cue from your child as you make the final decision. The first step should be deciding if your child enjoys playing with large groups of people such as with football or soccer or if they prefer to play solo sports.

While tennis is more of a solo sport while he/she is competing against one opponent if playing singles or playing with a partner against two opponents, rather than an entire field like many team sports involves.  Your child should be relatively coordinated.  Tennis is said to be the most difficult sport due to the fact that you must hit a moving ball with your racquet.

Unlike, golf where the ball is stationary when you make contact with it.  Many children enjoy the challenge of being able to hit the moving ball while running on the tennis court.  Some take this as the perfect time to get started really improving their skills and technique in order to protect themselves from the ball.    You should also look at the benefits that tennis can provide.  It is a great form of exercise that allows your child to move around the tennis court a very great deal thus providing them with plenty of exercise.  At the same time, it is also possible to practice improved hand eye coordination, teamwork skills and even learn how to make quick decisions as a split second.  A child who has issues making a decision is generally not cut out for tennis, however a child that is able to just jump in and make a fast decision will generally do very well at tennis.

Another benefit of tennis is the ability to have your child practice on their own.  While many sports need a partner to interact with or numerous other people in order to actually practice, you can practice your tennis strokes  by hitting on a solid wall.  A tennis ball and racquet can allow your child to easily practice almost anywhere, even at your home.  This allows your child to have the time to practice that they need which can be a huge help if you are looking for the best sport possible that will not potentially damage your property.

For parents who are looking for a competition sport tennis makes a wonderful choice, you can choose just how many or how few competitions you are comfortable with your child participating in and ultimately they can even play in the Olympics or as a professional if they are skilled enough when they get older.  This can allow you to consider that tennis is a great sport because it has a serious future ahead that is very much possible for virtually anyone to learn.

At timeinatreasure.com we offer several ways to capture your favorite summer sporting memories. Tennis, Golf, Baseball & Softball.  It’s a fun way to enjoy those proud moments.
See our galleries for details.

www.amazon.com/gp/product Raising Big Smiling Tennis Kids: A Complete Roadmap For Every Parent And Coach

www.articlesbase.com/tennis-articles/tennis-and-kids-4587283.html” title=”Tennis and Kids”

What Do I Do With All My Wedding Photos?

When a couple gets married, most people take a ton of pictures. You’ll want photos of everything – the people, the newlyweds, their parents, the dressed up dog in the tuxedo, everything. The question is, what exactly are they for and what are you supposed to do with them all? You could do several things with them, once you’ve gotten them all back from the your wedding photographer that you hired to take them. You can put them in a scrapbook, or add them to an album or a set of albums. You can have the really good ones printed up into cards or onto canvas prints for your home, or even something as large scale as a wall mural made from a collage of photos. Anything you do with your wedding photos to display them is a good thing.

Scrapbooking is a wonderful thing. All you need is some glue or tape to paste stuff in your books, pretty sheets of durable paper and maybe some cool stickers and labels for your pages. Then you put them in whatever order you like, whether it be chronological or by photograph type. For example, you would put all the dinner photos together, and all the photos of the actual wedding party together, et cetera. If you aren’t crafty or making a scrapbook doesn’t appeal to you, you could simply put them together in a set of matching albums. This is a good way to keep them all together and at hand for someone that wants to see them.

If you are interested in keeping your wedding photos on a large scale or perhaps interested in distribution, then you might get some canvas prints from them. Canvas prints are prints of the pictures that are printed onto the same kind of canvas that paintings are done on, and they are a great way to display the pictures that your Philadelphia wedding photographer took on the best day of your life. You can use different websites to do this, and you can order all kinds of things with your wedding pictures on it – coffee mugs, greeting cards and calendars, even blown up acrylic versions of your photo to hang along with your canvas prints.

If you are interested in a long term project, take all of your photos that you get from your wedding photographer and make them into a collage . This is where you take your pictures and combine them all together on the same wall. You can have a nice border if you like, and you can use any of the pictures that you like. A great way to start is to get a larger print of the couple and place it in the middle of the wall that you’d like to start your collage on. Then place different parts of the wedding around it in a circle – perhaps you could group the bachelor party pictures and tie them to the pictures of the best man giving the speech. Either way, this is a wonderful way to display the photos, bluntly arranged on the walls for the whole world to see.

Whatever wedding photographer you choose to use, ask them what they would do with their pictures in your case. They might be able to give you some ideas and be able to point you in a direction that you would have ordinarily thought of to use your photos. There are so many things that you could do that you might already know, but if you needed some help it wouldn’t be a big deal to ask some one. If you don’t want to display your precious memories, you can get an album and if you don’t want them to collect dust, then you can put them out for the world to see. There are a million ideas for photos that are so easy anyone can do them.

Author: David Landes

At timeinatreasure.com we offer beautiful wedding and anniversary templates, to create that custom collage. Floral backgrounds, elegant and wedding cake. our wedding canvas wraps are simple and make a unique gift. And our traditional prints are a beautiful way to showcase your special day into one memory. See our galleries for details.

For stunning Philadelphia wedding photography, visit http://mainlineweddingphotography.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/relationships-articles/what-do-i-do-with-all-my-wedding-photos-4144640.html

About the Author
David Landes specializes in internet marketing – turning your website from a static online brochure to a successful lead generation tool.

A Mother’s Prayer

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there!

Mother’s Day always brings back special memories for me, and my late mother Jackie. My mother devoted her life to her kids, husband, and her church. Prayer was a big part of her life, and she had a great love for sewing and quilting. She could make a complete wedding dress, or just a simple ocassion dress.
I always envied her skill.
She always told me to have patience, and god will find a way to make my life complete. Funny how in today’s time, people forget that so easy.
Jackie especially loved the famous wedding ring quilt, I believe she started one – but her life was cut short several years ago and never finished it.
So I finished it for her, and I added a special prayer too.
A Mother’s prayer is part of the All in the Family series.
The background is quite colorful, and would work great for grandmother’s too.

The power of prayer, I believe that it works.

So here’s one for you mom.

Happy Mother’s Day

Great Graffiti

Great Graffiti makes a great gift for any occasion – for your special graduate or sports team, or family member.
It’s interesting to find out who likes graffiti. When I first started my graffiti series, I aimed at teenagers. Come to find out many adults like them too.
And the fun thing about my graffiti, is I have four backgrounds to choose from. Graduates love the graffiti, but sports works great also.

How to Agree on a Graduation Party Guest List and Graduation Invitations

Here are some great tips for Mom, Dad and the Graduate!

A graduation party is a wonderful event for you and your child. It is a time to celebrate not only their graduation, but their passage into “adulthood” and the continuation of their education if they will be moving onto college or further studies.

Before you order graduation party invitations, sit down with your graduate and agree on who to invite to the party. They will have a list of “must invite” friends and you can supply a list of adults to invite. If you send holiday cards, start with that mailing list. Cross off people you decide not to invite and combine the rest with your graduate’s list. Make sure you have included family and extended relatives too. Don’t forget neighbors, teachers, coaches, co-workers (graduates and yours) and other friends of the family.

If there are people you are not inviting to the party because of distance, it’s too hard for them to travel, or you have people you realize would love to know about your child’s graduation but you don’t know them well enough to invite them to the party, you may want to put them on a separate list and mail them a graduation announcement instead of a graduation party invitation. Also, once you have your final mailing list, make sure you keep it handy to make sending thank you notes much easier.

Coordinate the party date with important people such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, the graduate’s best friends (and yours), restaurant, caterer, photographer, etc. before you settle on the date and time. Make sure the graduate’s best friends and their girlfriend/boyfriend have not scheduled a party for the same day.  Also make sure your graduate gets that party date off from his job!

You may want to consider sending “Save the Date” cards well in advance of your party date (eight weeks or more) so guests can mark their calenders. The end of the school year fills up fast with other graduates’ parties, summer vacations, weddings, so the earlier you can let guests know your plans, the better turnout you will have. For out-of-town guests, you might include names and phone numbers or websites of local hotels and attractions in your area. Remember that your graduate will be busy going to their friends parties and will probably be too busy to spend a lot of time visiting outside of their party time. Don’t schedule yourself too thin, you might be invited to those parties too!

Typically, your graduate will have talked about his upcoming party with their friends, in person and by cell phone, facebook, twitter and other social media sites.  They will coordinate amongst themselves who is having a party and when, and create their own party schedule so as to not miss any of their friends graduation parties. You may decide to have your graduate pass out invitations at school, but if possible, it is better to mail them so  people aren’t forgotten and important adults will be sure to receive the invite. Address the graduation party invitation envelopes to include who is invited such as “The Smith Family” (which would invite all members of the Smith family); “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Jason Smith” (the Smith Family’s graduate); or if you are only inviting the adults, to “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith.” If you are inviting the parents of your graduate’s friends, be sure their names are on the invitation envelope so they will know they are invited as well as their graduate.

When our son graduated from high school, we mailed graduation party invitations to everyone and then created what he described as “The Ultimate Pocket Invitation” for him to hand out at school and during the graduation practice and ceremony.  We worried that we’d have hundreds of kids show up, but we ended up with a wonderful, manageable crowd with several groups arriving and departing at different times, eating a few appetizers, grabbing a bottle of water, then leaving to go to the next party on their list. The adults enjoyed meeting and mingling with a steady flow of our son’s friends and it was fun for everyone.

(ArticlesBase SC #3791053)

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/how-to-agree-on-a-graduation-party-guest-list-and-order-graduation-invitations-3791053.html#ixzz1DnJXu1b4
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Graduation is a special time for the whole family, and don’t forget to start planning your graduation collage at http://www.timeinatreasure.com before spring, so you can have a nice centerpiece for your memories table! See Graffiti Graduates below,

Treasuring your Mementos

Happy Memorial Day!
School is officially out and summer will soon be here.

What does Memorial Day mean to you? I would love to hear.
Many people see it as a day to spend with loved ones,
a picnic or a special outing.
When I think of memorial day, I think of all the loved ones that are gone, and a great time for family traditions.
Such as a favorite recipe, or special picnic spot, kids remember such good memories.

My favorite word for the month – Nostalgia:
A sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.
Oh I believe everyone experiences that during the holidays, and at any time for many reasons.

This is one of my reasons for creating my new category -
A Treasured Memento. All them special items your want to hang onto from that special time. A award, a family document, a essay, maybe a special song. I wanted to give people a way to cherish these and their special photos to into one keepsake collage. What kind of mementos do you have stashed away? Everyone has at least one.

My son Jackson wrote  this essay in third grade on the one year anniversary of 911. September 11, 2002. His essay earned him acclaim in the local newspaper along with other students. Something about this essay really hit home.
Yes it was a wonderful essay for a third grade boy.
But it also made me realize how grateful I am to have accomplished what I put my dreams and hard work into.
I hung onto that essay for nine years. And now I’m looking for that perfect spot on the wall to hang my new essay.
I won’t need to dig it up anymore.

Happy Memorial Day

Betty Osborn

Doubles vs. Singles, oh that Stereotype

The Lighter Side of Tennis……..
by Betty Osborn

Every year the same question comes up. “I sure hope the coach does not make me play doubles” says my teenage son.
Singles is so much better.
At one time in my life, when I was young and foolish, I would have agreed. But now that my tennis game has come full circle, I know better.

Everybody wants  to try to excel at singles, sure, but what young people don’t know is doubles is so much more rewarding.
How did I come to this conclusion? – was it because I had to age and slow down, or am I late in finding out the golden rule?
A little of both. Four people on a tennis court makes for a very exciting and rewarding experience.
It’s true – more people want to watch singles than doubles. And if you watch a grand slam on TV, it is rare to find that doubles match without being there in person.

Today I was at a Tennis Tournament and I watched four 18-year-old boys play an outstanding doubles match. It was exciting just to watch.
I wish my teenage son would have been there, I could have proved my point. Maybe.
For years I loved to play singles, then one day I was fortunate to find a doubles partner, who was a singles player like me. Together, we realized one thing.
Four people on a tennis court makes for a very exciting and rewarding experience. What do I mean?
singles is a lonely game, nobody to back you up, nobody to share the court with, and twice as much ground to cover with narrower lines. No socialization, no teamwork, just you.
If you are talented  enough to survive that is wonderful, but if you go down fast, it can be hard on the ego, and your body as well.
Both are exciting games, but doubles takes more thinking power in the long run. Sometimes it reminds me of a reality chess game, always planning the next move.
Too bad more young people don’t want to play it.

What do you think- doubles or singles?
Would love to hear your story.

Happy rest of summer.

Betty Osborn
Time in a Treasure
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Affordable Family Vacations

Happy Summer from Time in a Treasure!

Looking for affordable family vacations that will not break the bank or cause a protest from the young ones? This is easy to accomplish if you follow these tips.

Find Things Close To Home

Many people look into affordable family vacations without seeing what is close by. Often times you do not need to go very far to feel that you have left behind your ordinary life. Find a place in your state that you have not been to and center your vacation around that. This will save the time and money of flying or driving far. It can also be really fun to find places close by where you can return year after year for family fun and escape.

Choose Lodging Carefully

When looking at where to stay look beyond the cost. Find somewhere that is central to the areas you will be going to, has reasonable food options, and activities for the kids. One of the greatest money saver can be a place with a swimming pool for kids who like to swim. They can swim for hours, with the benefits of being free and burning off restless energy. Some also have basketball courts, free movies, or accessible walking trails. Another option to consider is choosing a hotel designed for business men, where there is a kitchen and larger common areas, such as a regular sized dining table.

Go As A Group

Have friends who are also on the search for affordable family vacations? Go as a group. A great way to do this is to rent a condo or house and agree on who will pay for what This option works best if you know the friends or family that you will be going with, since there is nothing worse than being stuck on vacation in an uncomfortable situation. The benefit to taking this approach is that you may be able to afford to go somewhere that otherwise would not have been an option because of cost.

Look For Packages

Affordable family vacations are often easier to plan with package deals. You can find packages for things like transportation and local attractions. If you will be going to a big city where there are many museums and landmarks, it is worth looking into a deal where one price is paid for admission to a group of them. Some package deals have to be purchased in advance and are limited by an expiration date, so be sure to double check if this is the case before heading out.

Go To See Family

Maybe you have parents or siblings in another state. Even if you have thought of this as an affordable family vacation, you may have vetoed the idea due to it not sounding fun. This does not have to be the case. Instead of focusing your vacation around being with extended family, you can focus on the trip there and back, and only stay for a couple of days. Just let the family members know that you will be in the area and would like to visit for a day or two. Then you can plan for a slow trip out and back, where you can stop at some fun sites along the way.

These are examples of affordable family vacations that exist. There is no reason that affordable has to mean boring, instead it can be just as fun and exciting as an expensive trip.

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Sarah Holt writes for Everything About Travel .com. For more on http://www.everythingabouttravel.com “Affordable Vacations, as well as a free “Travel Secrets” e-book, travel stories and tips, visit http://www.everythingabouttravel.com