Good Day (27)

I'd never heard of a baby or bridal shower until I moved to the states, and I guess they still don't do them in England.

I had fun at both the baby shower and the wedding reception, and there were cream puffs at the shower, so I was a happy camper. My pregnant niece made out like a bandit at the shower, she got loads and loads of lovely gifts for the baby (due in August).  

It's been a very nice Sunday (except the stinking headache that doesn't seem to want to go away.  

When my son was born, I had an baby shower at work...because I worked nearly up to my time of delivery....I had one by the relatives and close friends..and my hubby got gifts from everyone where he worked...and the Elks Lodge..saw to it that twice, I won "Bingo" there...and my Great Aunt Katerine had passed on and her estate settled and so it was through my mother inheirted an small amount, but it was enough to buy my son's crib mattress. At the time his nursery was done up in Winne the Pooh. Baby items were just coming out with the theme. So I ended up going to an picture framing shop near by and having two different kinds of "Winnie the Pooh" materials inserted in pictures with colorful borders for his wall. I bought the crib, dressing table and chest of drawers myself. Baby Showers really help with the first one and the third one I think...by the third one everything seems worn out again. I often wonder if they at first started from receiving "Chirstening" gowns maybe in the old days....because I can't think of ever NOT having them around either.The little gal I raised weekend and holidays growing up...I bought her an rocking chair and gave her my oak big dresser and her mother gave her an bed unit that was an double bed below and an single bed on top...plus an bassinet. Her relatives gave her an shower for the baby clothes/disposable diapers. She had an lot of young cousins back then...all of them having babies. After my grandaughter was born,  older sister of the gal I raised part time use to buy my dressiest Christmas dresses for her daughter...and next to nil in price. Some of them I think I paid well over an "sum and half" for them and let her have them for $5 each. Four or 5 dresses was usually for me, $100 plus...our "times" were an bit better back then, and I've never been stingy if I had money when it came to the younger ones around here. I use to sew baby clothes you know...way back when. I made my sister in law and entire layfette of marching diapers and little baby tops when her oldest daughter was born...some 10 years or so before I had my son. I've also given my brother my little boy's clothes for his son growing up and here lately to Reverand down the street from us before he moved last summer. He has two boys and one girl so I gave him all my better clothes and warm winter jackets, winter ski clothing and such. I've never been lost to help someone that needs help with little kids. The Reverand, whom moved into his parents house was telling me that if he makes under $10,000 an year he gets help from the church organization...but if he makes over $30,000 he has to pay his own expenses. He has never sold his house down the street either...it sits there "empty"...I would guess he's writing off the monthly expenses of keeping it..... off his church  income perhaps?

Shirley, what would they all do without you??? :-)

Hi POEsters, wishing you a wonderful day even if it is Monday :-)

To most people I am but an "passing moment" in their lives...and conditions were made to help each other....you can imagine how old these clothes would of been had I kept them by now. I was joking with an old school mate at the Goodwill one time when I told  her that I'd keep the items long enough to use them, and give them back so that they could be re-used again...and no one's losing an thing. I can deduct what I buy... when I give them back as an donation you know...and they can sell them, besides giving others jobs... esp the senior citzens.. we all probably still come out ahead in  the long run. .Most baby clothes they out grow before they out use them. We had an baby clothes facotry out here near Lake Oswego...being the second oldest of my mother's family I sen tan huge box of baby sleepers in three different sizes and told her to pass them out for me....and sent my hubby's older sister (one that recently passed on) three more huge boxes for her 23 grandkids.one year. I could do this inpart because of the retail store I worked for and getting thier clearance things new most the time for 97 cents withmy employee discount. They never lost an dmie doing something similiar themselves. to keep the store running also. When they marked stuff down to 70 per cent off they were actually getting to what they paid for them full price...at which they gave them away for donations and took the normal selling retail price in deductions. That is what is going on when you see something beign given "for Free" most the time also. Many young girls swap clothes sizes amoung themselves and never have to buy an thing but maybe an couple of nice outfits for the Holidays.I have company here, I gotta go for an bit....

Hi, everyone. Hope you had a good start of the week. Interesting conversations about the "showers." It's always surprising how different things can be from one country to the next. I'm with Ruth. I can't remember a time when there weren't baby showers and bridal showers over here. There's usually a lot of good food, but they also play silly games, too, which is kind of annoying. And generally someone at each table wins a prize of some sort called a door prize. Do you use that term in England or S. Africa? I guess the groom's equivalent of the bridal shower, which is only for the women, is the bachelor party given by the best man and groomsmen.

I spent a nice day in the mountains with my son and grandsons. Our state flower is mountain laurel and  the mountains were covered in it. Very beautiful. My 10 year old grandson is nearly as tall as me! They grow up so quickly. 

Bridal shower gifts often include some articles of clothing **wink**

Over here, an engaged couple or mother-to-be can register at various retail stores, where they select what gifts they would prefer to receive.  Their selections are entered into a registry, which the guests can access online or at the store and pick a gift of the couple's choosing and in the price range they want to spend.  The scan at the cash register then makes note of what's been purchased and removes that item from the list.  It's really rather brilliant - the couple always get what they want and not 3 or 4 of the same thing.  The stores also have registries for baby showers.  

Registry lists are good for cash gifts only in my opinion...as there are now so many stores that sell the same merchandise and often at different prices. Say for instance an store has the same thing on sale, but if you go to the registry your going to pay full dollar for it. My all time "wedding gift" use to be an set ot tv trays that could be broken apart and used separately, or put together and used as an table. All the stores that sold them, sold the same ones...so if you gave enough of them away...put together by others... you could have an pretty decent sized table for entertaining. You could also line them up behind an sofa, and they looked nice with an table cloth over them...and tall candles.You could take them completely down if you needed more room, you could take them camping with you...and do many kinds of versitle things with them. Young kids just getting started need the deversified arrangements for their living circumstances. They work great for small table top Christmas Trees...two together with an chair makes and quick computer table...they are easy as all get out to move. Priced inexpensively also. So many kids now a days don't stay together. I know one that's been married three times now. She never knows what she may be doing an month down the road any more. She lives for the moment. The artist types can paint them...if you ruin one you can usually replace it singly for not to much money. After that comes trunks. Two end tables made from  an four TV Tray set...and an trunk makes an decent sized end table for an lamp and coffee table...the trunk can store things in it. Once you buy your house...you can go for the really "good" stuff in your life.....After trunks...crock pots. Other then that, money perhaps.  Sets of TV trays are becoming rare these days also for some reason. But if I had some right now, I'd think of nothing of painting them Red/White an Blue for July 4th decor....next day another color. Lot less then some of the wall decor they are selling for $40 I just saw. I think much of this also depends on the wedding and person also. You can pay about that much for those inexpensive tables you HAVE to have an table cloth over... that are "paper" thin also...and fall apart easily... the kind with the legs that screw into the table top and if you take it up or down very much pretty soon you can't get the legs to stay in the top because the threads wear down. Give me an well built sturdy TV Tray set in an holder any day....when I get tired of it...I'll cut off the legs so its short and make it into and toddler color crayon table. Slide thier little legs right under it....rather at home, the babysitter's or on vacation. 

 Putting things aside...my grandson is up the street tonight and my grandaughter is here with me tonight. She's attacked 20 chicken nuggets and has opened an 2 liter bottle of "coke" already. Teenagers. I best get going. to much yaking about giving gifts I guess....I think anything given and received is mighty nice these days....considering the economy.