2014 National Self Worth Day

I'd like to take a step back today from being a Holiday Junkie and share another project close to my heart.  The Shimmer, Sparkle, Shine Project is the brainchild of my daughter Ciara. I'm blessed to be on the board and work very hard at helping spread the message. Today is a special day, as we host our first Self-Worth Awareness day. So please take a few minutes and see what the SSS project is all about. 

 

The Shimmer, Sparkle, Shine Project would like you to join us, in pledging to Love Yourself

Today, we are spreading the message on 5 college campuses, in 3 states and on Facebook to as many people as possible. But ultimately, it starts with just one person...YOU! 

If you'd like to take the pledge, Like us on Facebook. Share a photo or make a video to share what makes you Shimmer, Sparkle, Shine. If you join us later then 2-26-14, that's fine, our love and message will continue.

And why does the Shimmer, Sparkle, Shine Project do what we do??  To reach as many young girls as possible and let them know, that regardless of what they've been told, now matter how different they are, no matter what size they are, no matter their background, they are worth loving. We want to help them to realize their own individual worth and divine potential.

Hot Air Balloon Valentine

Still need to make a quick

 Valentine for someone special? 

My daughter made this fabulous Valentine

this year and I thought I'd share the idea. 

It's super easy and super CUTE!! 

Shirley Temple and Christmas...A Look Back!

The Hallmark Channel posted this picture this morning to honor the loss of Shirley Temple. It's as cute as cute can be and got me wondering, just how many Christmas movies Shirley Temple did make? I did a quick search and out of 52 movies, I found these 4 that were entirely Christmas themed or had scenes that began or ended at Christmas. 

 Here are the storylines as described on IMDB:


Heidi - "Eight-year-old Heidi is orphaned and her selfish maternal Aunt Dete takes her to the mountains to live with Adolph Kramer, her grumpy, old, outcast, survivalist paternal grandfather. Heidi brings her grandfather back into mountain society through her angelic ways, sheer love, and adorable personality. When Aunt Dete steals Heidi away to be the companion of a rich man's invalid daughter, the grandfather is enraged and sets out to get her back. Back in Frankfurt, loved and adored by everyone she touches except the villainous housekeeper, Fraulein Rottenmeier, she thrives but is inwardly very sad and lonely. No matter what anyone tells her, Heidi, with faith, hope, and the stubbornness she inherited from her grandfather, knows that some day she will be reunited with the him and the beloved people of the mountain's little village."

Bright Eyes - "When a maid is accidentally hit by a car and killed, her young orphaned daughter is forced to live with the snooty couple she used to work for. A custody battle soon ensues between an aviator who adores the little girl and the couple's crotchety Uncle Ned."

Stowaway - "Chin-Ching gets lost in Shanghai and is befriended by American playboy Tommy Randall. She falls asleep in his car which winds up on a ship headed for America. Susan Parker, also on the ship, marries Randall to give Chin-Ching a family."

I'll Be Seeing You - "Mary Marshall, serving a six year term for accidental manslaughter, is given a Christmas furlough from prison to visit her closest relatives, her uncle and his family in a small Midwestern town. On the train she meets Zach Morgan, a troubled army sergeant on leave for the holidays from a military hospital. Although his physical wounds have healed, he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and is subject to panic attacks. The pair are attracted to one another and in the warm atmosphere of the Christmas season friendship blossoms into romance, but Mary is reluctant to tell him of her past and that she must shortly return to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence." 

Seeing these photos, definitely brings back memories of watching Shirley Temple movies as a kid. Being a kid in the 70's, meant very few channels and lots of black and white movies on the weekends. I personally recall seeing 3 of these 4 movies. Especially Heidi. I'm not sure how many times I watched that one, but probably a handful! To think that she retired from film making at the age of 22 is astonishing and has yet to be duplicated. Hat's off to Shirley!! 

Hallmark Hall of Fame...Did it again with Remember Sunday

If you look back at my post, next to Christmas, you'll see I love cheesy, love story movies on the Hallmark Channel. Tonight, although it seems to be a repeat, I watched the movie Remember Sunday. I was a little leery at first, thinking it would be some sort of copycat of 50 first dates, but it quickly stood on it's own. I think I enjoyed it because of the actors and it was a bit quirky. What does quirky mean??? I'm not exactly sure, so I looked it up "something that is strange/not normal but cool".  I don't know why I think of this word, but hey, it's the first thing that came to mind. Maybe because he was a cosmologist before he lost his memory, and she dreamed of being a florist. Maybe it was the rollerskating or the fact that he worked on vintage jewelry? 



Now, to top it off, it wasn't just any Hallmark movie, it was a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. For those of you who don't frequent the Hallmark Channel or catch them on an occasional Sunday night special, that means a night full of Hallmark Card commercials. And to me Hallmark Card commercials = Cry Fest. Most I've seen over and over, so the tears have slowed down a little, but one in particular still does it to me EVERY TIME. Tonight, I was caught in the midst of a cry fest over the dishwasher, when my husband came into the kitchen for a dinner check. A little embarrassing..YES, but I'm not ashamed to say that I miss my daughter and that commercial goes straight to my heart. I've posted it before, but it's worth sharing again.




I highly suggest you catch it if you can this weekend. I know it's Superbowl Sunday, but set that DVR. If not this go around, maybe next time.

Taking it back to the 80's...Wrappin Style!

Can I say how much I love this florescent neon wrapping paper. It's yet another Target products that screamed my name during the Christmas season. It was literally at the end of the isle, in all it's glowing glory, yet I knew others would not appreciate it, as it should be appreciated. I knew, if I waited patiently, I would be that person who gave that orphaned wrapping paper a home, at 75% off.  The pictures of florescent wrapped Birthday packages, this coming year, was very vivid in my mind. 

Today I was able to dive into that paper and put it to use. These are little packages, that will be stored in a closet for the Young Women to receive this coming year, so I had to keep it toned down, in order to store them "efficiently". So the decorations are minimal, but yet I'm pleased. They also had small packs of coordinated ribbon that matched the paper and I was also able to pick up a few of those for dirt cheap. However, I wanted to incorporated black into the mix as well and I really like the combination. I can't wait to wrap a big package with hot pink and a big black bow. I'll be sure to share when I do. 

For those of us who were kids living in the 80's, these color we're a MUST HAVE. I have a very vivid memory of taking my babysitting money one weekend, hoping on the bus by myself, heading to Northglenn Mall, and scouring DEB for the perfect Madonna inspired outfit. I came home with fishnet gloves and all. Those we're the times!  I have to admit, when the neon colors started showing up last year in the stores, it made me smile. So Madonna and The Go-Go's...   I dedicated this post to you!!

Better Homes & Gardens 1959 Holiday Cookbook

On my Confessions of a Holiday Junkie Facebook Page, I shared the cover of this book I picked up at a vintage store. I think my love for these books, stems back to my love of hosting parties. I love to read about the formality of what was expected in years past. Some of it, still pertains to current day, but other topics are just worth a good laugh. 

First up....

What Makes A Party Click?

    To help you roll out the red carpet at your party, we give dozens of ideas on what to serve-everything from snacks to a big holiday dinner or special occasion smorgasbord. 
    We've tried to make things easy for you, the hostess. You'll find many recipes you can fix ahead, others that keep last-minute fuss to a minimum. This will leave you free to chat with guest, enjoy your own party.
     Unless you know your guest well, it's best not to serve anything that's too unusual. As a rule, men like simple food while women take to the "something different". 
     When planning a dinner party, pick foods that can wait. Guests might be late.
     You'll want to make the most of an upcoming holiday. Even just a special dessert-heart shaped cake, Easter Bonnet cookies, Goblin Frosties-makes the simplest meal an occasion. 

Tips for hostess to keep in mind for smooth-running parties 

Careful planning is the secret to successful entertaining

* Invitations-send out one week to 10 days ahead of time for most parties. But plan on two to three weeks during the holidays. 

* Here's how to organize your party if you're new at entertaining. List the major jobs that must be done ahead.  Examples are: What to serve; groceries to buy; how you want the table set; and when to cook the food. Plan a schedule and check off each item as you do it. 

* Serving something new? It's a good idea to try the recipe first-see if you like the flavor, if it suits the occasion. 

* You'll save dish washing if you count smart ovenware and electric skillets that can travel from kitchen to the table.

* Before the party, decide how to split duties between the host and hostess. 

* Budget your time-save a precious hour before guests arrive to relax.

New Shabby Chic, Vintage Feeling Line at Michaels

When I turned the aisle, there it was, the cutest, prettiest, pinkest little line of season decor I'd seen in awhile. I don't have pink, in my home, other then my daughter's room, but I still admire it from afar. It's that shabby chic side of me that comes out once in awhile, wishing I lived in a floral paradise. So let me live in a hypothetical world and say, if I had a cute little cottage all to myself, this is what it would look like inside.