All About Thank You Notes

When planning any type of event or celebration, a thank you note is an element that is just as important as the invitation. There are lots of traditions surrounding the writing and sending of thank you notes. It is important to become familiarized with these traditions to help write the perfect thank you note.

When should you send thank you notes?  Thank you notes can be sent for any occasion where guests offered gifts or services. In many cases, such as a wedding if guests brought a gift or simply attended the wedding, it is proper to send a thank you note for the guest being a part of the special event.  A celebration or special event typically takes quite a few people to keep things organized and just simply to get things done.  A thank you note is the perfect time to recognize all that friends and family have done to help make the occasion special.

What should the thank you note contain?  Thank you notes can come in a variety of styles and themes. While some thank you notes will have thank you written across the front, it is traditionally accepted to send a blank card. This leaves more room for personal messages. Thank you notes should always be hand written.  A typed or template thank you message is too impersonal and does not genuinely convey thanks to guests.  Thank you notes should coincide with the theme of the event.  A good idea is to purchase thank you notes at the same time as invitations.  This will save time in the long run and help to keep a consistent theme.

Why are thank you notes important?   Thank you notes are important to show appreciation to guests, friends, and family.  Thank you notes should be sent promptly following the event.  It is helpful for those writing the notes to do so quickly so the events are still fresh in the mind.  Thank you notes give people the opportunity to sit down and write out thoughts on paper to guests and when hand writing letters, people typically are able to express feelings that cannot be conveyed simply by a verbal thank you or a phone call.

Thank you notes are the finishing touch to any event.  Whatever the event, whatever the reason, sending thank you notes should not be pushed aside or forgotten.  It is the guests who help make the event, and it is the guests who shape the guests of honor.  Without the guests, they would not be who they are.

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Decorate Your Home For Spring

Spring is a time of renewal. It is the time of year when people across the country begin shaking off the final dregs of winter, opening their windows, and hanging clothes on the lines to dry.  It is the time of year that many people associate with cleaning but very few associate with home decorating.  Sadly enough there are very few times of year when it is more appropriate to decorate your home.  

During the summer months we clean because the kids (young and old alike) are constantly tracking dirt, mud, grass, and goodness knows what else into the house.  Cleaning in these days is a chore and yet we still manage to bring out the patriotic colors and celebrate America in style.  Goodness knows how with all the extra cleaning that is going on and the nearly double amounts of lemonade and iced tea being consumed daily.  Still we manage to decorate and take great joy in doing so as if some right of passage has been achieved by our home decorating efforts.

During the Thanksgiving and Winter months we clean house because we have no choice.  Friends and family will be coming over and they expect our homes to be well decorated and clean.  This I must tell you is quite the accomplishment with the rush of the holidays afoot and yet somehow we manage to muster up some Christmas cheer when others are around while playing Mr. Scrooge when it comes to running the mop and the broom around our rooms.

Spring is the one time of year in which our cleaning efforts are nothing short of inspired. Yet it is also the spring that often eludes us when it comes to inspiration for decoration. Perhaps we are too tired from all of our cleaning efforts to seek the inspiration to decorate. If this is the case with you, then my hope is that some of the ideas mentioned below will help bring some serious decoration inspiration your way.

1) Flowers. Spring is the time of flowers. They are all around us. Use fresh cut flowers and candles to create beautiful arrangement and centerpieces throughout your home.

2) Candles. While briefly mentioned above they deserve their own spot among the top five to say the least. Candles can be soothing, relaxing, invigorating, inspiring, beautiful, elegant, and simply smell good. Candles are great no matter what time of the year it is.  However, if you select candles in bright spring colors and fragrances you might be amazed at exactly how uplifting these candles can be.

3) Towels. Yes I said towels. In your kitchen and your bathrooms you need bright, bold colors that signify spring, birth, and renewal. These little touches can make a huge difference in not only your attitude about cleaning and decorating but also your attitude about cooking.

4) Fragrance. Most people do not realize that the fragrances we use in our homes are a type of decoration. It makes our noses happy to some degree but also the potpourri and candles are often decorations in and of themselves. Put out bowls filled with brightly colored and lightly scented fragrance balls, dried fruit, and other delights. Gourmet potpourri can be found in all kinds of gift and fragrance shops and is a rather inexpensive way to add a fragrant touch to your home decorating as well as the fragrance of your home.

5) Fruit. Have bowls placed throughout your home filled with fresh fragrant fruit. Not only does this add yet another layer of fragrance to your home but it is also visually appealing and edible. There are three checks in the ‘pro’ column for this simple decorative step and I have yet to find one in the ‘con’ column unless you consider the fact that it must be eaten before it gets too ripe.

For those needing springtime home decorating ideas and inspiration I hope this has helped. If you haven’t found some outstanding suggestions above I at least hope that you will have been inspired to find your own fabulous finds for spring decorating.
 

Save Money With Holiday Sales

Many shoppers love to take advantage of the sales that take place around the various holidays. Yet in most cases, it is the time right after the holiday when you will benefit from the most savings. One exception to this rule is the Black Friday that occurs the day after Thanksgiving.  It is considered to be the biggest shopping day of the year. You can definitely benefit from tremendous savings but you have to be willing to fight the crowds and get up very early to get the best deals.

Jewelry is commonly on sale the weeks before Valentine’s Day. This is because many men buy their wives and girlfriends beautiful bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and engagement rings during this period of time to surprise them on Valentine’s Day.  In the weeks after Valentine’s Day though you can save at least 30% on the same items. Now, I am not recommending that you delay giving your sweetheart their Valentine’s Day gift late to save money. But you can benefit from such sales by getting quality jewelry at a bargain price to give on a birthday, at Christmas, or for any other occasion.

Easter clothing isn’t the cheapest thing to purchase, and the larger your family is the more expensive it will be. Yet right after Easter all of those pretty dresses and little pant suits are very cheap. You can buy them to use for other occasions throughout the year.  They make good clothes to wear to Church and weddings without costing you a fortune.  You can also purchase them for the following year to save you plenty of money.

From the day after Thanksgiving that we talked about through Christmas Eve, shoppers are in a frenzy getting the perfect Christmas gifts for those on their list. It can be stressful and it can cost you a fortune. Many people are willing to pay more for gifts this time of year because it is a necessity and they really are more interested in getting their shopping done. That is until the credit card bills start rolling in!

To help reduce the amount of money you spend on Christmas gifts, try shopping for them all year long when you find sales. How many times have you seen something on sale and said to yourself that would be the perfect gift for a specific person? Take advantage of these opportunities and store all of the items you pick up in one location. This way you always know where to find them. Using this method you can give wonderful gifts to those on your lists without spending more than you have to.

Don’t forget to take advantage of those great sales the day after Christmas as well. This is another opportunity to pickup gift items that you don’t want to pass up. You can even buy items for yourself without feeling guilty. Those perfume gift sets will be at least half off the day after Christmas.  I buy a couple of them in my favorite fragrances so I don’t have to buy perfume throughout the year.

You can take the expense out of shopping if you take advantage of holiday sales. If you plan in advance you will find that the actual sales after the holiday has passed are much better than the sales prior to it. If you enjoy shopping as much as I do then you will be very happy to find out how much money you can save on items you will eventually need to purchase anyway.

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Carpet Cleaning After The Holidays

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Our carpets have to endure a lot of extra foot traffic during the holidays.  We usually have more family and friends come into our home for Thanksgiving and Christmas than at any other time of the year.  Once the holidays are over we are left with good memories, wonderful new gifts…and dirty carpets. 

If you live somewhere that it snows, you may want to wait until after the threat of snow is over before you clean your carpets.  Snow ceases to be clean water when it melts once it mixes with the bottoms of dirty shoes and the great outdoors.  The last thing you want is to have dirty snow on your freshly cleaned carpets.

Although vacuum cleaning can remove a majority of the dry soil, it is also necessary to clean your carpets
on a frequent basis to remove the oily, sticky soil that builds up in the pile as a result of odors and
dirt that is tracked in from outside.   If you can clean the carpet before it becomes too bad, the cleaning chore will be easier to do and a lot more successful.  There is a myth that is totally false, which states that cleaning the carpet before it is necessary will get it dirtier faster.  The carpet of a typical household should be cleaned every 12 – 18 months depending on the number of people living there and the amount of foot traffic on the carpet.

The choice of the right vacuum is important as well.  There are some vacuums that will leave residues behind, which will promote re-soiling and basically defeat the whole purpose of household cleaning. 

Professional carpet cleaners

It is in your best interest to use professional cleaners simply because their experience will enable them to do a much better job than you can do yourself.  The equipment they use has more extraction power than the units available to you, and the carpet will dry faster as well.  They know the cleaning agents to use, and they know the differences in carpet construction and fibers.

Doing it yourself

If you have made the decision to rent a steam cleaning machine and do the job yourself, you should check on several systems before you make a selection.  Most of the units available for rent don’t clean well enough and may end up damaging your carpet.  Therefore, you should always consider the following:

 -  Several rental companies offer cleaning equipment that is similar to what the professionals
use.  The equipment should have enough vacuum power to allow the carpet to dry within 12 hours
of cleaning.  You should always avoid rental units found in retail and grocery stores that don’t have the power to extract the cleaning solution from the carpet fast enough, as it can actually damage the carpet due to over wetting.

 -  Make sure you avoid over wetting the carpet.  Any prolonged dampness can lead to mildew growth and bacteria in the carpet, or cause a seperation of the backing.  A wet carpet that stays this way for longer than 24 hours can develop problems.  You can control this by using proper equipment and the right training.

 -  Carpets that have stain resistant treatments have to be cleaned with products that are formulated for this very purpose, or the stain resistance will be impaired and the warranty will be voided.  Never use cleaning or spotting solutions that contain bleaches as they can mess up the color of the carpet.

 -  Never use any silicone based treatments on the carpet. 

 -  You can help to reduce the drying time by using several fans to move the air around the carpet.  You can use a dehumidifier as well, as it will pull moisture from the air. 

Hot water extraction

The hot water extraction system is highly recommended, as it is considered to be one of the best methods
for carpet cleaning.  Also known as steam cleaning, the process consists of spraying a mixture of water
and detergent into the pile and recovering the water and soil with a powerful vacuum that puts it into a holding tank.  You can use a truck mounted unit or a portable self contained unit as well.  This method is easily one of the best, and is ideal for soiled carpets or pet stains that you have yet to get out of the fibers.

You can buy Carpet Steam Cleaners that do a fairly good job.  The advantages of having your own Steam Cleaner is you can clean your carpets more often and after the initial purchase, it will only cost you the cleaning solution.  Having your own Steam Cleaner will also allow you to clean your carpets as soon as you get a spill, mud tracked in or other excessive dirt.  Being able to properly clean your carpets immediately will keep the deep down soil from being walked on or setting in your carpet fibers until you do your yearly carpet cleaning.

St. Patricks Day Traditions

There are many traditions surrounding St. Patricks Day.  But do you know where these traditions come from? 

On March 17, 431AD, when Patrick of Ireland died, a new holiday was born.  Though the celebrations began in the 700′s as a traditional Catholic Holy Day, over the years St. Patrick’s Day has become more of a secular holiday which marks the beginning of spring.  The official date for the beginning of spring is March 21, which supports the tradition of wearing green.  Green is the color for life and growth and if you desire good luck and on this day, you should “be wearin’ a touch o’ the green! 

The spreading of Christianity and Catholicism to the Irish of the 4th and 5th century is mainly attributed to St. Patrick, who received the name of Patrick while in seminary after his captivity in Ireland. Traditions that originated back in the 7th century have changed the holiday from being strictly religious to a St. Patrick’s Day where “everybody is Irish for the day”. 

Catholics will start the day off at early mass which signifies the beginning of the holiday.  Tradition has it that St. Patrick often used a Shamrock to explain to pagans the concept of the Trinity.  The trinity is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost which Christians know all stem from the same God –  three in one like the Shamrock plant – three leaves from one stem. If you are wearing a shamrock you can claim Good Luck or Blessings!  The tradition of the Shamrock still remains though most don’t know the reason behind it, however most do know it means Good Luck! to whoever wears it or receives it.

St. Patrick’s Day was first observed as a holiday in the United States in 1737.  The US was still under the authority of the British because the Revolutionary War that gave freedom didn’t start until 1776.  So even though many of the Irish had not yet arrived on our shores yet, St. Patrick’s Day was still considered a very important holiday.   Queen’s NY started the first parade in honor of St. Patrick.  As a result, St. Patrick’s Day parades are popular all across the country.  Parades have become a great way to celebrate this day!

Leprechuans or Irish fairy people are also associated with St. Patrick’s festival. In Irish mythology, a leprechaun is a type of elf that is said to inhabit the island of Ireland.  If you need a tad bit more good luck to start your season off, invite a Leprechaun to accompany you throughout the day.  They are packed with good luck – and are kind of cute, to boot!

In recent times, the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Dublin have been extended to a week-long event called St. Patrick’s Festival, encompassing a spectacular fireworks display (Skyfest), open-air music, street theater and the traditional parade. Over one million people attended the celebrations in 2004.

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day would not be the same unless the Chicago River is dyed green. Also, St. Paddy’s Day has little religious or historical significance.  It is essentially a time to put on a “Kiss Me I’m Irish” button, and parade drunken through the streets singing a mangled version of “Danny Boy” in celebration of one’s real or imagined Irish ancestry.

Of course, one of the most popular traditions that goes with St. Patrick’s Day is the drinking of green ale since green is the color of the day! For this holiday, there should be no bar or tavern which does not add some green food coloring to a keg of draft beer and serve mugs of tinted beer to its customers.  And of course Irish cream and Irish Whiskey ought to be available too.  Just make sure the kids get green lemonade or 7UP because St. Patrick’s Day is a day of fun for all ages.

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