Friday, May 30, 2008

Till Death Us Do Part

By Vlady Peters Every bride and groom is into personalized vows. They want to have their little say about what love and marriage means to them and they want the whole world to know. Some of these vows, dragged out of love-filled hearts, are a pleasure to listen to. Others, just dragged out, make painful listening. The profundity is somehow lost in the open air of a wedding day. That a bride and groom might have difficulty in compiling a wedding vow is not to be wondered at. Much higher powers than they have lost a lot of sleep ensuring their appropriateness and completeness. In times past, when a bride and groom were bound to each other as husband and wife merely by stating their intention, I take you to be my husband, and I take you to be my wife, pretty well said it all. But, of course, with time and education, every bride and groom wanted their say. So then it was, I will be you wife, to love and to cherish and do all sort of things for you. Immediately, those who cared, detected a problem. Wasnt will a future verb? Didnt its use tend to suggest that the woman would be the mans wife at some future date, but not at the moment? Sure, the future verb when used at a betrothal which, in those days, was as binding as the marriage itself, was good enough. But during the marriage ceremony the phrase to be used had to be a very define, present tense. In short, unless it was I do take you as my husband, it just might not end up being as legal as it was meant to be. Needless to say, there was a lot of hair-splitting between those in favour of the future verb and those who insisted that only the present tense would do. Those for the future verb pointed out that a lot of other provisions had to be met to ensure the legality of a marriage. In effect, the vow was little more than trimming. Those for the present tense insisted that the vow was just as important, if not more so, than all the other requirements put together. The war of the verbs continues to surface when legal minds get together on the subject of marriage. Couples are asked to consider very carefully how they structure their wedding vows. Well and good all that poetic staff that they want to overwhelm their partner with on the wedding day. Somewhere in the midst of all that fluff, however, there has to be a definite commitment to a legally binding union. Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant authorised to perform marriages in Australia. She also perform general ceremonies such as Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies. To learn more about her as a celebrant and an author visit vlady at http://www.weddings-celebrant.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vlady_Peters http://EzineArticles.com/?Till-Death-Us-Do-Part&id=228652 pa pay day loan payday loans in seattle 3000 payday loan hard money lenders that do business in connecticut
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Keep Your Bird Feeders Filled For The Spring Rush

By Ronald F. Patterson March ushers in spring. Well, for most of us it does. Crocus begin to bloom, spring rains wash away winter crud and put that certain smell in the air. Robins and Redwing Blackbirds return to Michigan.Keeping the feeders cleaned and filled becomes more frequent as activity increases in my yard. I feed and enjoy my birds year round and feeding in spring is just as important if not more so then winter feeding. By the time spring arrives most of nature’s offerings have been eaten. Yes, seeds, fruits, nuts,dead bugs and bug eggs are pretty much gone. With habitat disappearing everyday, we play a bigger role each year in helping our feathered friends. Migrants are coming and going now and the influx of birds keeps my Michigan yard hopping. Returning birds are hungry and weary. By offering food and fresh water you may get a strange visitor like a warbler or two.Some birds like a Rose-breasted Grosbeak may like your habitat and offerings. He’ll find a mate and stay the summer with you. Spring brings mating season. Mating season is a high energy time of year. Chasing off would be territory grabbers and courtship takes time and energy. I like to think I helped along with the romance when I see Mr. Cardinal giving Mrs. Cardinal one of my sunflower seeds. (I’m just an old softy). Take a look at the time and energy it takes to build a nest. What about egg laying, incubating, brooding and feeding all those hungry mouths.Is there a price tag on the entertainment value birds give us? I get a big charge out of watching parents feeding fledglings. By offering food, water and habitat, I’m helping to insure the next generation of avian friends. Sure, some of my friends come and go with the seasons while others stay year round. By offering quality food, fresh water, protection and a place to raise a family I will continue to have birds year round. For me, that is priceless. Many birds have different likes and dislikes, but you can’t go wrong with black oil sunflower seed. Oilers are by far the most wanted seed we can offer to attract the widest range of birds in your area. A bonus with oilers is this…. European Starlings can’t crack them open so they will soon leave your feeders. Offer in a separate feeder some white proso millet or sprinkle some on the ground for the ground scratching birds.Peanuts in special peanut feeders will have the woodpeckers, titmouse, nuthatches, chickadees and other birds hanging around all day. Nectar feeders require more work, but are well worth the rewards. Offer your seed in different feeders for different types of birds. Place your feeders where you can enjoy them. Offer nearby protection for quick get away. Keep fresh water on hand for drinking and bathing.I’ve enjoyed birds in my yard for 40 years and hope to for another 40. Learn more by going to http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/ Ron Patterson is a “Wildlife Habitat Naturalist”, “Michigan Certified Nurseryman” and speaker. He’s been feeding and caring for birds for more then 40 years. With his expert knowledge on plants and habitats, Ron helps others to enjoy birds and garden for wildlife. Ron also writes a weekly newsletter “Backyard Birding Tips.” You can sign up for Ron’s newsletter at: http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_F._Patterson http://EzineArticles.com/?Keep-Your-Bird-Feeders-Filled-For-The-Spring-Rush&id=159622 tax implications on hard money loan interest pay day loans internet canada get fast cash legal bad credit cash advance loans
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Saturday, May 24, 2008

There’s No Time Like the Present

By Vivian Gordon Today certainly is a present and we are to rejoice and be glad in it, because this is the day the Lord has made! Every day we rise to begin anew is definitely a gift from God. We’ve all heard the saying, “There is no time like the present”. When you think about this, it’s true. Each and every one of us is given this day as a free gift to be used in honoring our Creator in everything we do. We are however, given the choice to use this time any way we want. This special gift is very often times taken for granted but so often leaving us empty, wanting more. What more do you want? Do you want material wealth, power, fame or do want true contentment, peace, happiness and joy? Many times we will say that someone is, “living in the past, or living in the future”. Why is it that we are everywhere but here? I believe that God intended for us to use our memories of the past to benefit our todays. We learn from experience, we learn from the past in order to make our lives better. God instructed us not to stay in the past. For one reason, that’s where our sins are. Once we surrender to Christ, we give Him all those past sins, not to mention the present and future ones too. To remember these is not God’s intention because Christ paid the price for those sins and when God says He has forgotten them, then we too must go forward and let them go as well. “As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12 (Amplified) Jesus Himself warns us about not looking to the past anymore because it’s not healthy for our life here on earth or the one for eternity. Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back (to the things behind) is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 10:62 (Amplified) When Jesus asked the man to follow Him, he replied, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury (await the death) of my father.” Jesus replied by telling him to let the dead bury their own dead, but as for this man to go and publish abroad throughout all the regions the kingdom of God”. Luke 9:59 (Amplified) In other words, Jesus is telling us to leave the death of sin and come forward today with Him into Eternal Life and spread the good news to others. Obviously there is no life in sin. Coming forward doesn’t mean that we should run ahead of Him either. We tend to get in a hurry and wish our today away because…”we’ll be happy when…” A life without Christ is not knowing how to be content and happy right now. But this is where our true happiness lies. The reason we will never find happiness if waiting on certain circumstances to happen first is because we are seeking temporal things. The truth is that even when and if we do obtain these material or carnal wishes, we still won’t be happy, because by then some other priority will have taken its place. When God is first in our lives, we then find happiness in any situation. “Do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of it’s own. Sufficient for each day is it’s own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 (Amplified) Christ knew the secret to happiness and He told us not to worry about anything that was not in our control. Face it, there is not much that we can control, so why worry? He knew this would create anxiety and fears, and this is not what God intends for His children. Fear and doubt is a trap that the enemy sets up for us to fall into. Fear and doubt takes us out of fellowship with God and that is exactly what Satan wants from all of us. God wants us to learn from His Words and the examples that are written in it. One example is when the Israelites ran ahead of God falling into traps of idolotry, complaining and doubting that the Lord would actually deliver them. As a result of their disobedience, God turned their wilderness journey into a 40 year trip that should’ve taken only days to complete. They created all their own trouble by doubting God. This holds true today, when our lack of faith and trust turns into a wilderness journey. God will keep us going around the same old mountain over and over until we are ready to submit to Him. This is how He gets our attention. If the journey seems too long, then we really need to search our relationship with God. The true fact is that when our carnal desires take presidence over God, we will always be led down the wrong path. One that is wide and tempting and holds many detours and dead ends. This wide path holds all the sins of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Why not make today the first day of the rest of your “eternal” life by submitting to Christ and living righteously for today? Let Him lead you down the straight and narrow path. Don’t allow the enemy to tell you anything differently. Confess Jesus today as your Lord and Savior and admit that you are a sinner and need to be forgiven. If you say this from the heart, you will soon see a big change in your outlook on life. Live for today, live for Jesus! If you are heading in the wrong direction, remember…God allows U turns! Vivian Gordon is inspired by the calling of the Holy Spirit to write inspirational arcticles. Also has a calling for teaching the news of the Gospel. A creative person, she makes original one of a kind inspirational gifts for any occasion, called “Blessed Memories” Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vivian_Gordon http://EzineArticles.com/?Theres-No-Time-Like-the-Present&id=19543 lts management cash advance cars with zero down and no credit check pay day loan hagerstown no fax no credit check one hour payday loan
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Quick Teen Weight Loss

By Oliver Turner Overweight not only hampers the health of adults, but it is injurious to teens and kids as well. Hence, if you are in the teen ages and feel troubled by those extra kilos around your waist, dont wait any further to embrace a suitable weight loss programs for teens that you think works well for your body. Get the act together today itself! Given below are few invaluable teen weight loss tips, as seen in many of the best weight loss programs for teens prescribed by expert nutritionists, which could help you to take the fight to your foe over weight. Overweight in a very basic level is caused due to excessive consumption of food. Hence the best weight loss programs for teens must have a suggestion to control the daily intake of food, especially fatty and oily victuals. Also take care to avoid milk products, all sorts of junk foods and artificial drinks. Another aspect that most best weight loss programs for teens suggests is to drink lots of water and incorporate fruits, raw vegetables, and fibrous foods into the diet. It is vital in balancing the nutrient content in the body caused due to the reduction in the normal intake (assuming you are following the first suggestion as such). Replace your normal snacks such as a packet of chips or potato wafers with something that is healthier to your system. That is, substitute your chips or other fat and oil rich snacks with something like frozen grapes, cherry tomatoes, baby carrot or low-fat pudding or yogurt, instead. Take few hours every day to workout in the gym or spend some time running or playing your favorite sport. Such physical activities could burn away those extra calories from under your skin. In fact this is the most important step one could find in all the best weight loss programs for teens suggested by experts. But, the most important of all the suggestions is that you must nurture a strong will to follow the diet program, you choose, religiously. Else, no best weight loss programs for teens could help you bring down your weight. Yes, it can be hard work, but the end result is worth the pain you endure during the process. Good Luck! We offer the best online diet source. Check it out on the Best weight loss programs for teens. Find all about the leading diet plans on http://www.leandernet.com/Diets/Diets.php Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Oliver_Turner http://EzineArticles.com/?Quick-Teen-Weight-Loss&id=239023 no fax payday hard money lenders that do business in connecticut no credit check motorcycle pay day max
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Monday, May 19, 2008

Who You Calling A Hick?

By David Leonhardt For the last time, I live in the country, not in the sticks. And I am relaxed, not a hick. Ever since we moved to the country, I get the feeling you city-folk are confused. So here is a primer on what it means to be living in the country. When you walk three blocks from your house in the city, you will be in another neighborhood…and possibly lost. We’ll be approaching our next-door neighbor’s front porch. The neighbors are no trouble at all. Sure they play hard rock heavy metal blow-your-brains out music all evening…but the birds and the crickets drown out the racket. Our neighbor across the road has a sign that stays lit up all night: Bert’s Auto Repair. He no longer does auto repair, but he doesn’t do sign removal either. See? We have a downtown, too. We don’t need streetlights. We already have the stars, thank you very much. What do you mean, “What are stars?” You have gangs in the city. Every now and then, somebody loses an ear, a few fingers or a loved one. Ha! We have gangs, too. Our gangs eat the field mice. Bet your gangs won’t do that for you. Don’t be shocked if you see a free-range skunk waddling across our front lawn on the way over there. We might not have major league baseball, but who says we can’t have a mascot? And our theatre nights don’t cost us much. Most of the crickets and lightening bugs play for free. Sure, I’ll mow the lawn. Remind me next month. By the way, it’s called a septic tank, not a skeptic tank. And yes, Irma Bombeck was right. And so are the weeds. Every Monday morning I go for a hike. I tie up my laces. I put on my cap. And I grab hold of two heavy bags. Then I walk. And walk. And walk. And just when I feel like I can carry the bags no farther, I reach the end of the driveway. Yes, Monday is garbage day. Out here, we ride our mowers and push our brooms. In the city, we hear you do the reverse. You go to the grocery store to get your food. We cut out the middle man. We pick our own raspberries (both black and red) out back. And out front. And down the hill. And over in the woods. We grow our own apples; in fact, the trees might give fruit by next year…hopefully. And when we’re in the mood for chicken, we sit silently at the property line with a hatchet, waiting for a stray bird to accidentally wandering under the fence. Or we drive to town for some KFC. It’s true. The nearest grocery store is seven miles away. But it takes me only seven minutes to get there…which is how long it took me to get out of the condo parking lot when I lived in the city. We don’t need bars. We have bonfires. The action gets pretty hot, especially when we have plenty of wood to burn. And who needs alcohol when you can just stand downwind from the fire? We don’t worry too much about breathing in pollution. There’s not much of that around here. But we do keep our mouths closed when the mosquitoes are swarming. Lady bugs are very pretty, but not when there are 30,000 of them squeezing their way into your walls. If only they ate mosquitoes We have mice. You have rats. Mice are cuter. Too bad they don’t eat mosquitoes. Sure I commute. What do you think we have a staircase for? Don’t get me wrong, the city’s a great place for theatre, basketball and fancy restaurants that serve you itsy bitsy morsels on huge white plates with sweeping splashes of colored sauces. But have you ever noticed how very few depictions of paradise include skyscrapers, traffic lights and hot dog vendors? Come pay us a visit and you can enjoy paradise all to yourself…if you don’t mind sharing it with the chickens, the skunk, the crickets, the mice and the mosquitoes. Excuse me now. I have a mouse trap to empty. About The Author David Leonhardt publishes A Daily Dose of Happiness: http://www.thehappyguy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html Read his personal growth articles at: http://www.thehappyguy.com/self-actualization-articles.html Or his happiness web site: http://www.thehappyguy.com Info@thehappyguy.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Leonhardt http://EzineArticles.com/?Who-You-Calling-A-Hick?&id=19833 mortgage loan bad credit west virginia payday loan hard money loans samples of paycheck stubs for mn
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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Homemade Wedding Favors

By Bonnie Ray Homemade wedding favors are among the most thoughtful guest gifts possible. The effort becomes part of the gifts. You may be interested in making homemade wedding favors but may not know where to start. Here are some ideas… Can you cook? We, everybody likes to eat. So dont be shy about cooking up something. Foods make some of the best homemade wedding favors. Think sweet. Cookies, pies, pastries, candies, and especially any gourmet chocolate, are all delicious and (pardon the pun) sweet gifts. Who doesnt love sweets? Not a good cook? You can still make food gifts. A mint candy wedding favor in a tin is nice. And jars full of dry layered ingredients for baked goods make beautiful, thoughtful homemade wedding favors. You can find recipes for them in gift-food books or online. Alternating light-colored layers (such as coconut, white flour, or white sugar) with dark-colored layers (such as brown sugar and chocolate chips) gives the best visual effect. Surround the lid with a bow to match your wedding shower or wedding dcor, and attach a nicely-printed recipe. Speaking of recipes, recipe books make great homemade wedding favors. You can either assemble, print, and bind the recipes yourself; or, if you need a large number of them, get together a collection of all of your favorite recipes youve collected through the years, and have a publishing company print and bind them for you. This makes a unique, inexpensive wedding favor. While we are on the topic of publishing, there are other published works that you may want to consider using as homemade wedding favors. If you are a poet, you may put together a small booklet of your own romantic poems. Or you can collect romantic stories and poems from the people you are inviting to the wedding or shower and put them together as a collection to make small booklets for your guests. Beyond foods and printed items, there are still plenty of options to choose from if you want to make homemade wedding favors. Make your own gift baskets. Or crafts. Or artwork. Or make something with fabrics- a pillow, for instance. Crochet or knit something small. Your gifts need not be extravagant or perfect. Your guests are likely to be touched to know that you took the time to make them something to show your appreciation. So if you are on a strict budget or simply want your guests to feel special, A homemade wedding favor is certain to do the job. Bonnie Goodwin Ray has more than sixteen years experience in the wedding industry. She is the author of Wedding Planning Made Easier and has become a leading authority onwedding favors. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bonnie_Ray http://EzineArticles.com/?Homemade-Wedding-Favors&id=195135 short term interest only loans paycheck tax calculator bad-credit-personal-loan-source federal sba loans and grants
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