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.