The Best Thing to Throw at Mardi Gras? Beads of Course!

Beads are to a Mardi Gras Celebration like stuffing is to Thanksgiving, hearts are to Valentine's Day or presents under the tree at Christmas. You just can't have one without the other!

Since beads are the best thing to throw at Mardi Gras parties, events and celebrations, it's helpful to know how to select the best beads since there are such a wide variety available.

Tossing beads into the crowds of revelers has been a tradition since the 1870s. Beads have become highly collectible, so it's a great idea to include several different styles of beads for throwing.

Choose beads by color. Gold symbolizes power, green represents faith and purple reflects justice. Combine all three colors and you have the traditional purple/green/gold color motif most associated with Mardi Gras. Throw beads come in assorted bead sizes as well as differing lengths.

Select elegant and vintage Chechoslovakian glass beads or more inexpensive plastic beads. Molded on thread beads, also called MOT beads, are the most commonplace and the beads are attached directly onto the threading. Hand strung beads are more unique, threaded individually by hand.

Among the most fun and creative choices of throw beads are beads selected by theme. Choose animal themes such as farm animals (cows, chickens, pigs) or zoo and African animals (lions, tigers, zebras). Sports themes are popular for thrown beads, including footballs, helmets, baseballs and basketballs.

How about a fruit and vegetable motif? Beads can feature grapes, apples, berries and oranges. For beads with a tropical flair, choose those with a Hawaiian or Caribbean motif showcasing hula dancers, palm trees, parrots and other colorful tropical birds and flowers.

Pirate themes are always popular and well received, with treasure chests, Jolly Roger flags, doubloons and skulls and crossbones decorating these throw beads.

Fish and sea creatures make for a colorful selection of throw beads. Since music is such an important part of New Orlean's history and the Mardi Gras celebration, why not choose beads that include replicas of jazz trumpets, horns, guitars and saxophones.

Bead themes can also celebrate well-loved holidays, with hearts for Valentine's Day, bells for Christmas, Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day and flags to honor July Fourth and Veteran's Day.

When a Child Goes Before the Parents

In the natural order of things, children are not supposed to go before their parents. That is why it is painful for a parent to bury his child.

"How did my son die?" asked Joe Jackson. This is what parents usually ask after a death of a child. Hearing that phrase can really be painful.

But to come from a father who had been accused of abusing his children, that might have elicited mixed reactions from people: especially when that abuse was believed to be the cause of the inner turmoil that plagued Michael Jackson all his life.

The thing with child abuse is that it rarely leaves the victim. The trauma, the hurt, the scar gets deeply rooted in the psyche of the abused. I have seen the face of this abuse in people who have acquired deep unhappy souls.

There are of course many ways to overcome this kind of trauma. There are people who have made it their responsibility to help these people achieve that inner healing. I know Ateneo de Manila University has a program before that is called "Healing the Inner Child." But it is a long painful battle for the abused person. And no one deserves that kind of life.

When we bind ourselves with another human being, and we are blessed to have children, we must take that responsibility seriously. As parents, we must be careful in rearing our children. After all, we are bringing not a person, but a life into this world. God gives us that privilege.

Sometimes when parenting becomes such a challenge, I offer this prayer:

God, you have entrusted these children to me, help me take care of them. Amen.

We should try not to disrupt the natural order of things.

Cross Stitch - Working With The Needle

Overview

Working with a needle requires both skill and patience. If you know how to make cross stitch with needle and thread you will surely know that the when completed the picture look very beautiful. You must be wondering what cross stitch is about? Well let me walk you through some of the facts and figures of cross stitch.

Cross stitch is a traditional type of embroidery that can be adapted to either simple or complex designs. With the help of a needle and skeins of thread small cross stitches are made on the cross stitch fabric. Initially cross stitch were used to decorate the house linen, as pictures on the walls and to put on clothes for decoration. Even today cross stitch is used for decoration purposes but now the patterns have changed from the traditional to the innovative and stylish.

Know it better

You can take cross stitch up as a hobby. Even children can do cross stitch to show their creativity and utilize their time resourcefully. You can begin with the starters?kit and gradually go up to a more professional looking picture or portrait. Learning cross stitch is not difficult and just about anyone can do it.

Care and maintenance

When working with cross stitch patters and samplers or as a matter of facts any kind of cross stitch one must keep in mind some important instruction regarding the material and the way to start working.

Firstly, choosing a pattern can be a tough job. There are so many in the market that you will easily get confused. Select one that suits your requirement matching with the place or d閏or you intend to use it.
While removing the thread from the skein pull lightly to avoid getting the thread all tangled. Start with darker color and do the light one at last, this will ensure the pattern does not look dirty when completed.

Use a sharp scissors to cut the ends of the thread. This way the stitch will be neat and strong even on the reverse side and always keep a separate succors in the cross stitch box.

Before you get the cross stitch farmed make sure you抳e got it washed or dry cleaned so that the picture is clean and clearly viable when framed.

You can easily show your own creativity with cross stitch by using the cross stitch pattern design software抯 available in the market.

Getting Pregnant Naturally - 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

Deciding to get pregnant is exciting, but it can also be confusing. As you get ready to embark on the journey toward motherhood, you may have lots of questions. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions with answers that are sure to help.

Question #1 - How long will it take me to get pregnant?
There is no definitive answer to this. Some women conceive the first month they try and for other women it takes many months, and, in some cases, years.

Question #2 - How often do I need to have sex in order to get pregnant?
It is best to have intercourse every 48 hours during the time of your monthly cycle when you are most likely to conceive. Too much sex can be detrimental to sperm counts, so that is why 48 hours is an acceptable frequency.

Question#3 - When during my cycle should I be having sex?
Ovulation is the time in a woman's cycle when an egg is released from the ovary and travels through the fallopian tube. It is during the predicted time of ovulation that you should be having intercourse.

Question #4 - How can I determine when I'm ovulating?
If you have regular menstrual cycles, you can use a calendar to determine when you ovulate, which is usually 10 to 14 days after the start of your period. If you have irregular cycles, tracking basal body temperature or cervical mucus is a way of determining ovulation. You can also purchase ovulation kits that test urine to predict ovulation.

Question #5 - How long do I need to be off birth control before I can get pregnant?
You need to be off the birth control pill long enough for you to begin ovulating. For some women, ovulation begins again within a few weeks of stopping the pill, but for others, ovulation begins again within a few months. As long as ovulation has begun, you potentially get pregnant.

Question #6 - How soon after intercourse will a home pregnancy test tell me whether or not I am pregnant?
The home pregnancy tests on the market give conflicting answers to this question. Ultimately, a home pregnancy test will be the most accurate seven days after the day you were supposed to get your period.

Question #7 - Is it okay to be exercising when I'm trying to get pregnant?
Normal, moderate exercise is fine when you are trying to conceive. In fact, it is good to exercise normally. However, extreme and extended amounts of exercise can cause you to stop ovulating, which will definitely prevent pregnancy.

Question #8 - Is it okay to smoke or drink when I'm trying to get pregnant?
It is never okay to smoke or drink when you are trying to get pregnant. First of all, tobacco and alcohol can have adverse effects on that body that will prevent conception. But, should you get pregnant while smoking or drinking, those drugs could harm the baby you are carrying. Stay away from tobacco, alcohol, and all illegal drugs.

Question #9 - What are the best intercourse positions for getting pregnant?
You can get pregnant using any position, but the position with the woman on her back and the man on top is thought to give a greater probability of the sperm traveling up to the fallopian tube.

Question #10 - How long should I wait before seeing a fertility specialist?
Obstetricians will tell you that you should be actively trying for a year to get pregnant before you consider seeking fertility help.

Paper Bag Scrapbook

Are really popular and super easy to make. Grab that brown bag and get your imagination started. With just a few supplies you have around the house you too can create a Paper Bag Scrapbook!

You need to collect the following supplies:

- 2 or 3 lunch size paper bags (or larger, but keep them all the same size)

- cardstock

- scissors

- ribbon

- stapler

- ruler

- hole punch

- a little imagination

How to Make a Paper Bag Scrapbook

1. Determine how many pages your finished project will be. Two paper bags will make eight pages and four pockets. Three paper bags will make twelve pages and six pockets. Four paper bags will make sixteen pages and eight pockets. Five paper bags will make twenty pages and ten pockets. -- Boy, these are getting to be some rather large scrapbooks :)

2. Cut off the bottom of your bags by leaving your bag folded flat and lifting the bottom flap, then cutting straight across. Do this to all the bags used and make sure they are even.

3. Fold each bag in half and set them on top of each other

4. Punch holes on the left side of the stack of bags

5. Use ribbon, lace, pipe cleaners, etc. to tie the bags together thru the punched holes

6. Now it's time to Decorate It! Pull out the button box, sticker box, paint or markers, pipe cleaners, that box of craft odds and ends... the resources are endless. Just use your imagination to set the theme for your paper bag scrapbook.

Paper Bag Scrapbook and more ideas can be found at FreeScrapbookClub.com by Wendy James