Wednesday, August 05, 2015

An Anniversary




Here are pictures of my preparations for our anniversary.  The hand made guest book and the gerbera daisies (from Safeway, $5.00) make it festive.  And here is where you can get an anniversary book to record details of every anniversary.  You could also try your hand at creating your own book using the lovely papers available today. Ladies who didn't have special celebrations on every anniversary could fill in the page by recording what you did that year and including a card or picture from that year.

I like the color of the undersides of the daisies.  

The guest book was made for me using envelopes for the pages. Cards are inserted on which to record the menus. Guests sign the lined pages on the right.  There are tutorials for this guestbook online.

The envelopes are covered with classic papers.


I use this guest book for ladies Bible class and for people who drop by for a visit.

Mmmmm...these daisies are so soft and colorful; a real delight. I only hope I can find fabric with this worlderful soft texture :-)
So far I have received one card.  People are not sending cards as much as they used to, possibly due to so much electronic messaging. I went to the Dollar Tree and got some 50-cent anniversary cards to display on the mantel.  I will add that picture to this post later. 

This card also had a pretty stamp on the envelope.

Here are some more vignettes around my home. The old high chair in the dining room is a good place to store dolls.

Candle sconces on the dining room walls.

A lady from church sewed this tea cozy for me many years ago, as well as the quilted tablecloth which I have covered with shiny plastic to protect it.

This is a shelf with my kitchen clock, on one of the kitchen walls.

I have always liked picket fences and never had one, so for our anniversary we treated ourselves to these miniature weatherproof picket fences from Dollar Tree.

On the subject of anniversaries, I began recording each anniversary with a special table setting, a new dress, and a photograph of us.  I did very well with this tradition for the first 20 years and then we seemed to be always busy or our schedule so full, or we were rushed with obligations, had other people's special events to attend, etc.  I let quite a few anniversaries go by without much notice. 

 If you are young enough to remember each anniversary I encourage you to make a point of at least getting a photo of you and your husband and keeping a record each year of what all you did that year.  I did not keep up with that, and I wish I had a book with one page for each year.  Even when you have had a bad year, get dressed up and get someone to take your picture, and have a cake-cutting ceremony at your own dining table.

So if you can, keep some record and pictures and don't forget to stop and pay attention to your anniversary. Buy a card for yourselves and something for your home that has lasting value, such as good cookware or a piece of furniture. 

 It is enjoyable to go on a trip but it is not always possible due to time restrictions, so acquiring something you need for your home makes sense. I knew someone who bought an apple tree every anniversary and today she has an orchard.  Another friend adds a structural piece to her yard each anniversary and now she has a swing, an arbor, a pond, a bridge, a potting shed and a picket fence.

Even if the year has been filled with disappointments or sorrows, it is important to show your children and those within your acquaintance that you value your marriage enough to make an anniversary memory. It is a statement about your own respect for marriage, and for the value of anniversaries.

One thing I miss is our parents, because not only did they make a great big celebration of their own anniversaries, but they did the same with their married children. We always got cards and gifts and every anniversary was worth a dollar more.  By the time we had our 25th anniversary they were giving us $25.00 each.  In that time, it was very welcome and we were thrilled to get a dollar for each year married.  I remember once when we had a particularly gloomy year and I didn't want t bother with an anniversary celebration, my mother said, "You better get the cake made, because if you don't, you won't get your twenty dollars!"  I had to laugh and shrug off any despondency because of her child like enthusiasm.






The Dollar Tree yielded two nice classic looking anniversary cards, shown on the left here:

 Each one was 50 cents, and this one, below, had all the color and theme that make us happy: a hot cup of tea and the pretty green background has a carefree summer feeling. You might get more of these for other people. It reminds me of some of the pictures in the old seasonal Ideals books that we used to read.

Although we get e-cards which we just love, I decided to buy this one from Dollar Tree because of the cozy cottage and the fine glitter on it. 





This is such a refreshing card, I cannot stop looking at it so I will post it again, below:


Another nice card, with an interesting glitter glaze that does not come off, found at Safeway by American Greetings, for a little over $2.00.  This anniversary is not going to end real soon because I M making a couple of cards to line my shelf.

20 comments:

Adrienne said...

Happy Anniversary, Lydia.

Alex said...

It's a very good point you make, to mark your anniversary every year despite life's ups and downs...we always have a special meal, even if it is at home. You remember these things fondly.
The gerberas are absolutely gorgeous...only our Creator could make such perfect works of art.
Anniversary blessings to you both.

Unknown said...

Happy anniversary! Thoes are great ideas! I like getting an anniversary present together. My husband and I usually get eachother gifts but that sounds like a great idea to do something like some improvement for the home etc.. I can't believe that lady has an orchard! What a great idea!:) Wishing you many more anniversaries and blessings you come! Christina

Gayle said...

Very sweet ideas. I like the idea of getting something that you both need or want for the home. Lovely pictures, too. Happy Anniversary to you.

Gill said...

It was our 17 th anniversary this year and just for fun I looked online to see what that was supposed to be. To my surprise and delight it is a "furniture" anniversary...and it was the very day my husband finished the installation of a beautiful made to measure bookcase that he had planned , cut and stored away unfinished 16 years ago! How we laughed and were doubly pleased to see it filled with cherished books later that day when I told him how special it actually was.

A. Law said...

Happy Anniversary Lydia.
Thank you for being so willing to take time to share with us.
Your blog is beautiful and encouraging.
I look forward to your posts.
Have a wonderful day,
Aline L.

anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary to you and your husband Lydia. What wonderful memories you must have. Your flowers are really pretty.

My husband usually gets me a bouquet of flowers, pretty card and takes me out to dinner.
I get him a card and try to recreate our wedding cake table by placing our (saved) cake topper ontop of six inch cake. Then placing two champagne glasses, a candle and chilled sparkling cider next to his flowers.
After dinner we enjoy the cake and cider, sometimes looking at the old wedding photos.

Have fun on your anniversary.
Thank you for sharing.
Janet.

Dawn said...

Happy Anniversary to you and your husband, Lady Lydia.

I've just realized we've never had any anniversary pictures. It now seems like an obvious thing to have done like taking photos for a child's birthday each year.

What a wonderful idea to plant an apple tree each year or to get something lasting for the home or yard. My daughter is engaged so I will have to suggest these things to her for when she starts having wedding anniversaries.

Lydia said...

Maybe you could create an anniversary book for them with places to add pages.

amulbunny's random thoughts said...

Happy Anniversary and many more to come.

We've never made big deals of ours since it's so close to Christmas (21 Dec). Our 25th we were at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas and got upgraded to a mini suite. It was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed ourselves. We're not sure what we will do for our 30th. Depends if our daughter is coming home from Chicago.

I hope you have a wonderful fall as it comes this year.

The Radical One said...

You know I felt sad reading this because I've never made a big event out of anniversaries. I wondered once why nobody celebrates anniversaries like they do Christmas, birthdays, etc... and I felt like a fool for wondering such a thing. Anniversaries are one of those things nobody seems to even pay attention to, it is never celebrated. But I think from now on I'll take a picture and make some sort of scrapbook. If anything it can be something to show my daughter when she's older. Memories of a happy marriage between her parents. The only pictures I ever saw of my parents where "when we were together" and "ex husband number two..." Etc... Etc... It would be nice to leave my daughter one day with a whole scrapbook of her parents together. Besides it will be something to look back on one day.

Unknown said...

Happy Anniversary to you and your husband! May God bless you both with good health and many more good years together!

Your picket fence around the garden looks so pretty! I did something similar at one home I lived in and kept the pieces together with tie straps at the top and near the ground then put supports at either end that went down into the ground.

I hope you had a wonderful day! You are an inspiration to so many of us!

Linda said...

I wish you and your husband a very Happy Anniversary. I hope you enjoy many more together.
Your pictures are beautiful. You have a gift for decorating.
Linda

Anonymous said...

For our tenth anniversary, I put together a small photo album of pictures of the two of us - from our dating days through to that tenth year of marriage. I also selected meaningful and special letters, cards and notes that we had given to each other over the years, and tied them in beautiful ribbon. It was a wonderful gift, if I do say so myself. It was so fun to put together, and my husband loved it.

For our recent fifteen year anniversary, my daughter taught me to play the song of our first wedding dance on the piano. I practiced for a month. Then on the day, we gathered around the piano (both my children knew what was coming), and I played and sang our song to my husband. He was very touched. And my children loved it too. It's something we'll always remember, especially since my singing voice is very ordinary! Haha!

Anonymous said...

PS. Happy Anniversary Lady Lydia.

Lydia said...

Mara, it seems to me there might have been anniversary books people could buy when they got married to record anniversaries in. With all the nice scrapbook and crafting materials now, the tradition should definitely start again. And your story is also an example of something that could be done to commemorate an anniversary. Somewhere along the last 43 years we stopped going out and started having our anniversaries at home for the children to help celebrate. I had them take pictures and also prepare the cake and the table and make gifts. That way the who,e family could celebrate,

living from glory to glory said...

Dear Lydia, I just wanted to come to your precious blog and tell you thank you for your wisdom and showing us the value of celebrating an anniversary of a covenant we made with our spouse as God as the witness. It really is a very special thing to always make a special effort to enjoy it and take a few photos and memories!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO A BLESSED COUPLE ...
Always, Roxy

Anonymous said...

Taking an anniversary photo and making a special album/scrapbook is a great idea. Almost everyone has a wedding day album; an album of all our anniversaries is a perfect complement.

Ms.Tierra said...

Hi Lady Lydia!

I'm glad you posted about anniversaries again. I remember reading one of your older article on the L.A.F. website where you have a picture of one of your celebrations. When I first heard of your ideas about home celebrations with the kids I was so inspired with hope that even while being frugal I too could have a grand anniversary. One for the books! Happy Anniversary to you! My 10 year anniversary is upcoming in November and this has always been a landmark for me that I've looked forward to since a newly wed! It's good that you mentioned to celebrate even with problems...it reminds us ladies that things will not always be sunny in a marriage, but that's no excuse not to carry on or even celebrate! :-) God Bless you

ladypinktulip said...

Happy Anniversary dear sister - Kelly Thompson