Mother's Day Luncheon

It has been said that one of the worst days of the year to eat out at a restaurant is on Mother's Day, yet it is the one of the most common days to eat out.

Instead of the big crowds and poor service, why not treat mom to a wonderful brunch at home?

Imagine a pretty garden setting with some of mom's favorite foods.

Perhaps a Chicken and Apricot Salad served in individual crystal stemmed dessert goblets, some ginger-kissed steamed asparagus, and lemon-raspberry tea bread. For a special present ~ here's a novel idea. How about a mother's prayer book or devotional book with a jewish, protestant or catholic books spiritual flavor ?

Photo Credit: Adrian Vee & SXC

Antique Bibles

There is something about antique books, especially when those antique books are of a divine nature.

About three weeks ago I received a box of old family books in the mail. Arriving home from bible study, I was greeted by the welcome box.

Nothing quite compares in my mind to holding in my hand a bible that belonged to my father and to my grandparents, who all long ago departed this world for the heavenly realm.

Will I find the same answers, the same solace in those pages as they did?

Did they ever imagine that I would be the caretaker of those materials one day? Unlike my bible, the pages are not written on. My bible is a bit of a dated chronicle, as I have taken to dating the comments, questions, praises and prayers that I've written in the small margins of the tissue paper pages.

When it is time to buy a gift for a friend or a bride and groom I like to go online and search for bibles or other spiritual, christian or catholic gifts.

Photo Credit: Henkster & SXC

What Do You Read Into The Photo?

This gentleman reminds of a famous tv doctor from the 70's. What was the name? Something like Marcus Welby MD, I think.

My take is that after trading in his stethoscopes and his scrubs, he headed out to listen to the pulse beat of the world.

Maybe he's a frustrated musician. But, I doubt it!
He's simply retired and enjoying the leisurely pace.

I think he is a man of much passion. Look at the setting of the photograph! Simply exquisite!

And my goodness ...the heart of someone who would sing into the soul of the flower. I love this photo! One can only imagine how we would serenade his love!

What do you read into the photo? You are welcome to share your thoughts.

photo credit: Antonio Jimenez Alonso & SXC

Extra, Extra Read All About It!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Why I think this little guy is on vacation and looking at his options for the day or perhaps he's still in the planning stages of deciding where to go for his holiday.

One of the first steps after deciding on a destination would be to come up with accommodations.

Maybe he's scanning the Vacation Rentals! I bet he would love to spend a few weeks in Orlando! What do you think?

Photo Credit: Cris Watk & SXC

Finding A Safe Harbor

The Agape Cove Living Blog was originally envisioned as a spiritual safe harbor- a place filled with agape! Agape means love, but not the human love that so often comes to mind. But rather a divine and all-encompassing love.

A love that meets us where we are, amidst all of our brokeness, and can transform us into everything that God originally created us to be.

No matter how broken we are, or how long we have been broken, God can still do the most extraordinary things with our lives! HE is in the business of transformation.
Transforming you and me into everything HE created each one us to be! We are all magnificent works in progress.

If you came to this page because you did a key word search for prescription drug addiction. WELCOME! I invite you to click on the hyperlink and visit the Cliffside Malibu website. May God Be With You! Agape!

Photo Credit: Lorenzo S. & SXC

Grandfather Clock Memories

Do you have a grandfather clock?

While I don't own one personally, there is one that has been in my family for several generations.

The chimes of this clock are profoundly tied to my earliest memories. Memories of holiday meals at my grandmother and grandfathers house, memories of playing old Americana games and memories of being so small that other family members had to lift me up to sit on a sofa in my grandparent's beautifully appointed and decorated living room.

Today when I call my dad's widow on the phone, I often hear those chimes in the background. Chimes and memories that pre-date my stepmothers entrance into our families life. She is the current caretaker of this special family heirloom.

While antiquing several years ago with my friend Joe, I discovered a rare grandfather clock.

Do you have a grandfather story that you would like to share? Please add a post!

Photo Credit: D. Lee & SXC

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Everyone needs a good jewelry store. One of my favorite jewelry stores when I lived in Chicago was Peacock's Jewelry Store. I don't even know if they are still in business.

Another favorite was Baily, Banks and Biddle. Are they still in business?

Of course there is the fabulous Tiffany's in New York. Ah... Breakfast At Tiffany's!

Over the last several years, I've stopped wearing most of my jewelry. These days I wear only a pair of diamond earings and a cross.

The one piece of jewelry I would love to own, would be a simple diamond and gold cross pendant.
Maybe I could find one online at reeds jewelers.

A Resource For Promotional Pens

"Monogrammed Pens! I love the idea! Where can I get some?"

" When I owned Canopy Rose Catering, I would receive monthly phone calls from a company out of Arizona that was in the business of promotional pens. They kept me stocked with a ready supply of calendars, business card magnets and pens. But they don't call me anymore. So I've had to look online for a dependable resource. I was happy to find pensrus.com"

"I'll check them out. Thanks for the name of an Internet resource ."

Monogrammed Pens: A Good Promotional Strategy

Monogrammed pens are a smart marketing promotional strategy for businesses. Unlike other forms of marketing, pens are not tossed in the garbage when they are received. But rather the pen is often used over and over again, countless times. Each time the pen sends a subconscious message, reminding the user of the business.

Keeping your name in front of the buyers is essential. Don't let your competition take over your market share. Give personalized pens to everyone!

Fire Insurance

Death insurance is generally not a subject I think a whole lot about. Being a single woman without children or any dependents, I figure why do I need to pay for death insurance!

When I'm gone_ I'm gone.

I'm far more concerned about eternity insurance or fire insurance. I want to spend out my eternity in Heaven. So I try to live out my current days in a way that hopefully will send me upward to the pearly gates, rather than tossed down into the lake of fire when my time on this earth expires.

Best I can tell... eternity is forever. This time, spent on earth, is but only a yawn in relationship to the bigger picture. Have you ever thought that this journey through our earthly existence is only a "test"? Perhaps we are being tested by the almighty to see whether we have the heart to join HIM in Heaven. For that reason I gladly say, "Lord, your will! Not mine. I want to spend out all of my days in the presence of the Creator."

Florida: A Vacation Paradise

Planning a vacation? Think Florida vacation! From the southern most tip in Key West to the Florida Panhandle cities of Panama City, Destin and Pensacola, with Orlando in the center region, the adventurous vacationer will discover a vacation paradise.

Deciding on a place to stay is easy when you know about moremouse! Come on down and join the fun!

Arrivederci Roma...Hello Florence!

"Arrivederci Roma. Goodbye, goodbye to Rome."

The lyrics sang across my heartstrings as I climbed aboard the train and settled in for the three-hour journey. As the clanging and puffing high-speed Eurail train rolled out of the station, I reached into my travel bag and pulled out the rustic country bread sandwich – the panino I had purchased earlier that morning from an irresistible display of authentic edible hearth-baked masterpieces. It was a great adventure to be traveling across Italy by backpack and rail with dad’s blessing and dad’s financial backing. Even though many years have come and gone since that passage of time when the world stretched wide open with its panorama of possibilities, my memories are as fresh as if they had just been baked.

At the time, my dad’s third wife suggested to me that I should journal my experiences.“Write some travel articles, dear, that you can later put into a book,” my high-achieving stepmother with her freshly inked PhD advised. But instead I gave her prophetic suggestion “the boot” and simply stepped into each day of my Italian adventure with gusto and verve, allowing the experiences to become forever pressed into the pages of my memory bank.

Like any traveler enthralled with a new destination, I reveled in the delight of discovery. I learned that new culinary discoveries are often as memorable as the magnificent art and architecture of the places visited. On that day my panino lunch, enjoyed during the stunning and scenic train trip to the great renaissance city of Florence where I had reservations for a week stay at Tuscany Villas left a lasting impression on my idea of a great tasting picnic sandwich.

(c) 2007 Kathi Dameron

Finding Window Blinds Is A Breeze

Finding window blinds is a breeze when you know where to go.

Why chase around town and burn expensive gas when you can find everything you need right online? Yesterday, I was out-and-about in the daily traffic- ugh! While most of the day was great, it was that rush-hour traffic that nearly un-nerved me. I praised God that the majority of my work takes place right in my home office.

I'm looking for some blinds for my archive room. The existing ones are some sort of metallic substance and are not my taste at all. They looked good and complemented the former owner's choice of wallpaper and ceiling fan, but they really need to be updated.

Shopping For Orlando Vacation Home

Shopping for an Orlando vacation home isn't difficult when you know where to go. Through my work on the Internet I have become acquainted with an Orlando company that makes finding a vacation home a breeze.

Next time I plan a trip to central Florida, I'm going to stay at one of their great sites, located close to all the action.

People and Their Mailboxes

Mailboxes can be seen as an expression of the person who lives inside a home. What does your mailbox say about you?

Does it say you a cheery soul, elegant, stately, short-on-time or a no-nonsense sort of person?

"People and their mailboxes"... this is a theme that could make an interesting sociological study.

Show me a mailbox and let's see if we can get a sneak peak into the personality that owns that mailbox.

Supporting Woman Owned Biz

Supporting small, woman-owned businesses is a smart idea. Women are engaging in such an exciting range of occupations today. From EMI Shielding to running for president of the United States.

But just because a business is run by a woman, doesn't necessarily mean we should choose it above any other business.

Businesses and political candidates should be judged first and foremost on the caliber of the service, product or expertise they bring to the table.

For EMI Shielding, New England Die Cutting, Inc. and Gasket Manufacturing is a premier ISO registered facility. They specialize in Die Cutting, Waterjet Cutting, Laser Cutting, Laminating, CNC Routing and Contract Manufacturing services.

New Diet Challenge

Dieting is a challenge. I've been breezing along, dropping an average of about ten pounds each month. To date I have lost sixty pound. I feel great!

Yet, now with a new project underway, I can see a new challenge arising. Each month I'll be jaunting to a different coastal restaurant as part of my coastal culinary odyssey.

On Tuesday night we jaunted to a most fabulous restaurant in Apalachicola, Florida. The food was awesome, but ever since Tuesday night it has been difficult to get the fabulous taste off my mind.

I wonder if something like hoodia might help me.

Find Out The Truth

When you want to know the genetic truth of a person's heritage, a DNA sample will provide you with reliable data.

Even when the person in question is not present, there are a variety of ways that heritage can be determined.

DNA testing is the solution. Why not go ahead and take the steps to find out the truth.

The Bachelor Party

Maybe it wasn't such a smart idea to have the bachelor party on the night before the wedding. But it was the only convenient time. For it was the only time when all the groom's buddies would be in town.

Made sense. Well sort of, depending on who you were talking to.

The guys thought it was a great idea. The girls thought the whole idea stunk. And the minister... well that is a whole other story!

To say that the late night party that followed the rehearsal dinner was wild, would be a big understatement. There was nothing tame about it, from the dancing girls to the the oyster shooters, it was a wild night leaving the groom and all his men scrambling the next morning for some effective hangover cures.

Blogging Is My Passion

Once upon a time bloggers didn't make any money for blogging. It was just something you did because you loved doing it.

I have found that with just about every career that I have had in my life, my initial start-up began passionately, but without any compensation. The passion was so great that it really didn't matter that I was not being paid for my time.

Before I became an elementary school teacher, I student-taught and volunteered for free.

Before I became a caterer, I threw countless parties for my friends for free.

Before I became a paid writer, I wrote articles for free.

Before I became a paid blogger, I posted blogs for free.

But bills have to be paid and it is good to receive fair compensation for our labor.

That is why when I read a posting last November to get paid to blog, I jumped on the opportunity! Ever since becoming a paid blogger, I see a paycheck every two weeks for doing something I absolutely love to do!

I've looked at some of the other paid blogging opportunities on the Internet, but they don't seem to compare at all to the one I am already working with. I just wish they would send me more assignments, but with over 200 bloggers now, I guess they have to divvy up the assignments a lot more. I liked it when I was their first blogger, blogging for more assignments than I could count.

Can I do it online?

"Kathi, I think you need a computer memory upgrade," the aol phone-support technician said.

"Already? I just bought this computer two years ago," I responded.

"Your processes are too high. They should be about 20 and yours are way over that. Do you have a local computer store that you work with? I would recommend that you take your computer in and have them take a look at it."

"Ughhh! Can I do it online?"

A Sense of Accomplishment

"You must really feel a sense of accomplishment," I said to Lori, my weightloss counselor this morning.

We were talking about the satisfaction that comes in being a part of helping someone to achieve their goals.

Lori is helping me to achieve my goal of losing over one hundred pounds. So far I have lost sixty!

Before embarking on a diet, it is always smart to do your research.

Be proactive and check out plenty of different Diet Review literature.