A Shower for Sandra

Back in March I hosted a birthday party/ bridal shower for Sandra at work.... Sandra is was one of my favorite employees as she always made me the absolute best homemade salsa ever!!!!

I decided to go with pink and zebra as the theme... The picture frame seen above and the candles seen below where purchased at the Dollar Tree and embellished with ribbon, rhinestones and flowers that were all in my scrapbooking stash at home!

I once asked a very popular event planner/florist if he could offer me one tip for hosting/having a fabulous event and he said lights make a world of difference.... And I believed that he was right! Here are a few more close-ups of the candle light....

And for my most cr8tive piece.... An altered bucket.... I purchased the bucket and ladle below from the Dollar Tree and altered it to make a punch bowl/bucket. As you can see I removed the handle and embellished it using the ribbon and flowers from my scrapping stash...


It was a major hit and I am soo proud of it!

Have you altered any common household items only to become a hit at your event? If so what was it and how was it used?

Up next.... do you have your umbrella!

I predict that a few showers are headed your way!

Is it really June 2nd?

I simply can not believe how quickly the time has passed... So many things have been happening in my world that I think that it is almost easier to just pick up where I am now than to try and go back and recap the past few months.

But I love you guys so much that I will not cheat you all like that =)! Instead, I will try and play catch up over the next few days/weeks/months.... LOL!

Up next.... Showers of Blessings!

Chuck-e Cheese's.....Where a Kid Can be a Kid!

A few months ago Mr. Falsetto and I took out our goddaughter, Diamond, on a little outing. Since we live in a somwhat rural area, we are very limited as to where we can enjoy time with our little "sparkle." So we headed off to Chuck-e Cheese's...





Now, I must admit that I was very anxious about our little outing... #1 because Mr. Falsetto and I were getting to take Diamond to Chuck-e Cheese's and it would be her first time going... and #2 because neither one of us had darted the door since it was Show Biz....

Being Show Biz prior before becoming Chuck-e Cheese was not a big deal, but what was a big deal was this:

We both feared this creature and as adults dreaded seeing anything remotely like it! As we recapped our childhood stories about our encounters with these creatures; we laughed so hard that we could not breath and could not wait to share Diamond's first trip to Chuck-e Cheese.

After picking up Diamond, we made quick dash for gas and cash before we journeyed on to Chuck-e Cheese. Upon our arrival, we were overwhelmed by all the families and children who were also out spending time with their loved ones. It did not take long for us to warm up to the crowd and be able to capture moments like this...

We truly enjoyed ourselves and especially our time with Diamond. Once we got back her to home and placed her back into the arms of her loving and wonderful parents... she began to whimper... that blessed our hearts beyond measure... As I am writing this entry, it is still very hard for me to find the words to express how I felt in that moment...

I guess I can just some-up all up by saying that she glimmers everywhere that she goes and because she is in my heart... she glimmers there too...

Crazy for Christ

As I was driving along to work one morning... I saw this...

I looked over to my passenger seat and noticed that my camera was hanging out of my purse... Without a second thought I grabbed the camera and proceeded to chase this truck as if I were a member of the paparazzi...

I was so captivated by this painting and when I got close enough to the read the words; I just rejoiced. They read: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)

I know that I may have looked a little crazy riding down the road chasing this truck trying to get a photo to share with you guys in bloggyland... but if I must be called {crazy}.... I would much rather be Crazy for Christ!

Don't Count Me Out....

Do you have the new Marvin Sapp cd, "Here I Am?" Oh my.... it is such a blessing!!! If you do not have it, I would encourge you to go and grab a copy today...

Although the most popular song on this cd is "The Best in Me," my favorite track happens to be #8, "Don't Count Me Out." I just love the lyrics. He is a very annointed writer, psalmist, artist, and most of all Man of God!

If you are looking for a cd that is uplifting and that will nuture your mind, body and soul... this is the one... it will minister to you right where you are today...in your car, in your home, in your office... this is {such as time} as this type music...

Go out and grab a copy and leave me some feedback :).....

Until next time,

Don't Count Me Out!

Reaching {Out} to the Community: Ministering Outside of the 4 Walls

As I sit here typing this entry, I am propping my eyelids open with some twigs (LOL). Not really... But I have been working off of less than 5 hours of sleep and loads of positive energy! Simply put, my spirit is just overwhelmed with joy and excitement.

Why?

Because tomorrow, my church is hosting it's first outreach for 2010 and I am excited about all that God has done and all that He is doing.


The general itinerary for NBM Outreach is as follows:

• Opening and Welcome


• Prayer


• Praise Dance


• Rap


• Step


• Praise Dance


• Play, “Once My World Ended, My Life Began”


• Altar Call


• Closing Remarks


• Benediction


• Lunch Will Be Served

The reason that I said that it was a general itinerary is that we will defeinitely allow time for the Holy Spirit to move as He pleases to minister to the people. If you read the program carefully, you will notice that there is not a quote "sermon." Instead, the Holy Spirit promoted our pastor to task us with the challenge of writing and creating a skit that will address issues with teenage suicide, premarital sex, single parenting, child molestation, poor grades in school, low self esteem, insecuirty, rejection, poverty, gossip, back-biting, lies, slander, sexually transmitted diseases, and all of many issues that teens face on a daily basis.

It is my belief that this play will minister to the children and parents alike. Not only will it minister to them, but it will allow them to identify with the various scenerios within the skit and to find solutions to their problems by choosing to end their world (way of living and thinking) and to begin their lives for Christ.

So as we break out our of four walls to "reach" out to the community; please pray for God's peace, purpose and power to manifest in our lives and the lives of those connected to us...

God Bless!

M'Shonta

Hollywood Glam: "The Long Overdue Birthday Recaps"

Warning: This post is long and pic heavy, but I promise you this is the brief version!!!!

I promised you months and months ago that I would recap my Hollywood Glam themed 30th birthday party... Just a couple of days ago 2.22.2010 to be exact; it dawned on me that I have been 30 for two whole months and I have yet to recap my party as I promised.

In between all the pageant training, coaching and judging all while holding down a full-time job and volunteering in the ministry... Somehow I have shamelessly failed the test of time... However, I must admit that it has been time well spent.

I orginally planned to recap my birthday detail by detail, but at this point I don't think that it will serve much of a purpose... So I have made the decision to share with you the "Highlights of Hollywood Glam."

I kicked off the day with hair and make-up at Demi-House Salon in Huntsville. Unfortunately, I did not get a before pic of my hair, but I did manage to get a before of my face. Not too shabby... the hair really helps :)!

In between hair and makeup, I made a last minute dash to Bebe's still on the quest to find the perfect purple birthday dress. Yes... the day of my party... And yes... it HAD TO BE PURPLE... My colors were purple, black, silver and white. I already had several at home (7 to be exact), but none of them tickled my fancy like this one... Perfect... And best of all it was on the sale rack!!! Cha Ching! There is nothing like the {perfect} dress for the {perfect} price!

I darted out the door after hair and make-up and headed to my official 30th birthday photo shoot. Side note: the only {new} outfit that I wore for my official photoshoot was the purple dress that I purchased for the party...everything else of oomc {out of my closet}. Even the yellow dress, I bought it after prom season last year for less than $30.00. Here a few shots from the photo shoot. I will not bore you with them...

I am an extrememly proud aunt... and this picture made me just that much more proud to be the aunt of this blossoming beauty. She could not withstand all lights and cameras... she had to get in on the action... {Tear jerking moment: A little diva in the making... I am so proud)!

Next off to the birthday party...

Shortly after I concluded my photoshoot, Mr. Falsetto arrived and wisked me off to the party. We entered the room and I walked the {red carpet} jigging to "Make this a Night to Remember." {singing} I'm gonna make this a night to re-mem-ber....

Next, I glanced at all the beautiful decor done by Something Ele'gant Events and Florals and I smiled within... I was delighted! Mr. Falsetto did well in setting the tone for such a glamourous event! {I hate that I did not get better/more pics of all the decor...it was beautiful)!

After a brief introduction by Mr. Falsetto I proceeded to greet all my guest personally and take a moment for photo opps. Yeah, true Hollywood Glam style. Here are a few of my favo shots of the night:

The Family

Tish and I



Mr. Falsetto and I

Dad and I

The food was delish and my birthday cake was beautiful and truly fit for a "queen." However, Mr. Falsetto put the "icing on the cake" when he sung happy birthday to me....truly making it a night to remember...

After the food, cake, and gift opening... We played an orginial game created by {yours truly}entitled "Hollywood Glam Movie Trivia." It was a hit!!! The only pic that I have of the game cards is the one that she is holding in her hand in the picture below... Can you see it? Ummm... Maybe I will recap that one later along with my "Hollywood Walk of Fame" inspired guestbook in which guest signed their autographs on stars as they arrived at the party. It was also a hit because everyone was a star!!!! Oh yeah and the invites... I will have to do a recap on all paper goods!

And after all the formalities we danced the night away....

What a night to remember.... It was true Hollywood Glam.

"Glamour is something you can't bear to be without once you're used to it."

~Author Unknown