Happy Valentine’s Day,Mardi Gras,& More
First of all Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! Wow this has been quite a week for us here at OH MISS.! With Gasparilla Parade last weekend, the cold weather-I know our friends up north it has been much much worse. The simple fact is, we live here in sunny Florida and we don’t expect it to get this cold. Most of us are going to have to wait a few more weeks before we will know how much damage has been done to our plants and landscaping.
But to continur on,, we corordinated a beautiful wedding yesterday at the beach. It was absolutely bone chilling cold but beautiful. It was a sunny day and other than the fact that it did not reach 60*, perfect. How could it not be? One of us had our anniversary yesterday and the DJ celebrated his birthday as well. All sorts of reasons to celebrate.
Now along that vein, did you know that besides being St. Valentine’s Day today, it is the start of the Chinese New Year-The Year of the TIger. A chinese custom is for married couples or the elderly to give AngPous (red envelopes) to the younger or unmarried. The envelopes usually contain money. The amount is usually $8.00 as the number 8 is considered a lucky number. They will also wear new clothes that day as to symbolize that they have plenty(or enough to go around) The Tiger is considered to be lucky,vivid,lively,engaging and have incredible bravery. Persons born in the year of the Tiger are said to have these characteristics-courage, vehemence,self-reliance,friendliness,hopefulness,resilience,vanity, and disregard. Happy Year of the Tiger!
Now tomorrow the 15th of February is Clean Monday. This is the Orthodox equivalent to the Christian Ash Wednesday. Clean Monday is the day that the home or living space is thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom, all crumbs and dust are cleaned away.
In New Orleans the Mardi Gras season that has been going on for a couple of weeks now,since the day of Epiphany or Three Kings Day is coming to a close. Most know only of the ending of the season with the parade and Fat Tuesday. Another custom that is held throughout this time is the custom of the King’s Cake. This is a cake that is made witha plastic baby inside and sometimes coins. The person that receives the piece of cake with the baby is supposed to hold the feast the following year. Fat Tuesday is when all the world is a stage and their is music and dancing , reveleryabounds as does the food and drink in a sense preparing for the time of Lent that will begin on Wednesday or Ash Wednesday. This is a time that Christians often give up something that is very meaningful to them-usually in the food category such as chocolate, chips, meat, something in that ilk in keeping withthe preparation for Easter Sunday. This year Easter Sunday will be the same for both Orthodox churches and Christian churches.
Ash Wednesday is this upcoming Wednesday the 17th and begins the preparation for Easter Sunday.
Oh and if you are wondering where the origin of the heart shaped box came from for the chocolates that are given at Valentine’s Day, you can thank Mr. Cadbury who in the mid 1800’s put his chocolates in a heart shaped box. Another factoid that even centuries before the cocoa beans were considered to be aphrodisiac
Again Happy Valentine’s Day, Fat Tuesday, and Chinese New Year!
Gifts for coworkers and others
Happy Saturday Afternoon to everyone!
I just had to share something that I am proud to say I know the creator and the quality of the gift.
If you are in a situation where you need or would like to get something for your co-workers,neighbors or others that are not family or just difficult., I would like to suggest a uniique gift so appropriate to the South and this time of year. The gift is “Peas for Prosperity”. How many of us personally know of someone who has been down on their luck this year and maybe even last. When December rolls around, depression starts to set in for some and especially those who ,let’s face it can’t afford much of a Christmas or Hanakkuh gift.
This gift is made of Black-eyed peas which is a very strong tradition in the South for good luck in the New Year-hence prosperity. Each one comes with cooking instructions and the history. It is a lovely and thoughtful gift and one sure to bring on some conversation. Go to the website www.peasforprosperity.com. You can order your gifts from there. For less than $10 you can’t do much better. The exciting thing is that $1 of every sale and I mean every bag of every sale goes to Second Chance. Everyone deserves a second chance on life and this will help facilitate it.
We will have them soon in Tampa where $1 of every bag will be going to a local charity as well.
So if you think you would like some more prosperity, or some prosperity, or help give a person a second chance go to www.peasforprosperity.com and let them know that OHMISS sent you.
As part of a disclaimer, I would like to state that OHMISS Concierge is not making any money or being paid anything in one form or another for this recommendation.
Holiday Ideas
The sales are gong on it seems every day now. The best prices of the season they shout out. Do you dare to wait until the 23rd or the 24th if that is the case? If and it is a big IF, if you want a specific product or item for the shopping list you may just be better off getting it. If you wait until the 23rd or the 24th, it may not be available or available in the size, color or specifics that you want. Now if you are a gambler and like rolling the dice, you can do what a friend of mine said today-only 16 more days until I go Christmas Shopping! Now granted some of the excitement of the season is going out in the crowds in the last day or so before the holiday to soak up all the ambiance. You can soak up ambiance and get a cup of cocoa, you don’t have to shop. Now if you do find a bargain of a lifetime on those days-go for it. It might be on sale on the 26th for even more off the “original” price but it is a chance that you take.
Let’s say that shopping in the mall or on Main Street is not your thing, you can find so much on the Internet these days. In fact search around and don’t just go to one site. You may just find some bargains out there that you weren’t expecting. There may be limited quantities and watch out for the shipping. The shipping sometimes is more than the article you are purchasing and if you by any stretch of the imagination must return it-yikes it could even be worse. So do your homework. The stores are open 24hours and you can shop from the comfort of your pajamas. Don’t be afraid to look at other sites for your items. You can comparison shop online just as you can in the mall.
Don’t be afraid to go green with your holiday gift giving. Get something that can be planted outside after the season is over or maybe it is a plant that can stay inside with the right light and watering schedule. Do you know that when you have a live green plant in your home it helps produce oxygen? Yep, the plants absorb the CO2 that we exhale and produce O2. Another hint, take your own bag for your purchases!
If you put up a live evergreen tree or even wreaths , after the first of the year, find out where your local area is doing recycling of the trees. They were chop the trees so that they make a fragrant mulch to use in landscaping.
Now let’s say you are a lucky one and received a new flat screen TV 1080p or a new laptop computer, desk computer or even a cell phone. Dont just throw those items away. Your local recycling company will most likely have an electronics recycle day. You can take all your used electronic to the recyle and not pollute the landfills with mercury and other harmful chemicals that are in those screens and monitors. If you received a new phone there are several agencies that would absolutely love to have your old one. Cell Phones for Soldiers,telephones for abused women, men , too. Check out the local agencies including Salvation Army, Goodwill, The Spring, and others. The extra ink cartridges can be recycled as well. Your local Petsmart has mailers for you to use that are postage paid. HP has a recycle your computer program. You can get more information on their website or at your local Starbucks cafe. Speaking of Starbucks, do you know that you can get their used coffee grounds for use in your garden or compost pile? You don’t even have to drink coffee. These are free for the asking.
In the midst of all this, you find yourself unable to get out or have the time to shop like you would enjoy, you can hire a concierge to do it for you. Personal Shopping can be a blessing at this time of year. They can even get your packages gift wrapped either with your own color scheme of paper and ribbon, or have the shops wrap it. Perfect packages in very little time. Now that is a good thing.
The 12th is the first night of Hanukkah. It starts seven days of religious services and gift giving for our Jewish Friends. If you don’t check back until after the 12th-Happy Hanukkah.
December 01,2009
Can you believe it? It is December 1st today. Where has the year gone? It is not like this doesn’t happen every year. It’s not that there were more days in this year-there weren’t . It wasn’t a leap year. So now the mad dash to January begins.
You survived Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Have you finished the Thanksgiving leftovers yet? Hit the food channel for ideas on that one. Did you get in enough watching of your favorite football teams? I hope that yours did better than my husbands teams. Every single one of them lost. Even when it looked like the team was going to win, they lost. He was very disappointed and not a happy camper. Thank goodness he likes the holidays and all the festivities that go along with this time of year.
Now getting back to December 01, that means 25days until Christmas if you count today. If you don’t then it is 24 days until Christmas. Hannakuh begins at sundown on December 11. You have probably received many invitations to holiday open houses and parties by now and are all ready feeling the stress of how am I going to get muy own home decorated this year, let alone gifts wrapped, that is of course if you have purchased them, Christmas and New Year cards to address and mail, not to mention the cooking, baking ,and the list goes on.
Being with family and friends during the holidays makes for memorable times. If you are caring for a parent or older relative, don’t forget to take some time for yourself. You could be doing yourself and your loved one a disservice by not doing just that. It is hard to overcome the guilt when it comes to taking some time but a little assistance now and then is not a bad thing. Holidays helpers are proabbly more affordable than you thought. Having one or two ertrands taken off the drudgery of the holiday “to do” list can be a boone to your enjoyment of the holidays. Not only will you enjoy them more, but those around you will notice how less stressed you are and enjoy the season with you.
Little things such as running to the grocery store, dry cleaners, the drug store or the mall, can save you a lot of stress not to mention the extra time you will have in the day. Maybe you will even have time to do something You want to do.
This is where a good concierge service can be a tremendous benefit. They can provide you with holiday helpers to do these errands, help you do the decorating or plan a party . OH MISS does background checks on all of their associates and preferred vendors. They are licensed, insured and bonded. This alone can provide you with an element of ease and comfort when hiring someone on a one time or regular basis. The party season is starting . Take time to enjoy it.
Friday I’ll be back with some helpful hints on how to take some stress out of your holiday. how to enjoy the parties and still fit in to your favorite Christmas outfit. Until then, live life outsource the rest.
Getting to January
Hopefully by now everyone has adjusted to our adjusted time. Rolling back is always such a wonderful thing. Just having that extra hour even if for one day seems like a luxury unlike any other. Unfortunately what it the magical moment also signifies is the beginning of the holiday whirl, swirl,frenzy and stress.
How can a concierge company help at this time of year? Hiring a concierge firm to be of assistance is similar to what happened in the Ozzie and Harriet neighborhoods back in the 50’s 60’s and 70’s before mobilization of families and jobs. We could ask a neighbor for a suggestion for a referral if we needed something done at our home or where to find a special present that we had not yet located. We could most likely get help from a neighbor to put holiday lights outside our home to make it look festive during the season. You might have even shared ladders and tools then later a beverage and cookies. Now we hope that are neighbors are nice if we even know them other than to wave from the car. Who can we call to get the names of persons that do a good job for a good price? You know the ones who suit up, show up and are on time? What a concept!
Having the services of a concierge firm is like having that neighbor to ask, it is a wonderful resource tool. Not only can a concierge firm guide you to the right people for the right job but they can also oversee that job if you are unavailable.
What about having someone gather all those impossible to find toys for you? Then what is really cool is having them all gift wrapped and delivered before Christmas. No worrying about hiding those special goodies in the closet, the pantry, under the bed, in the garage or attic or anywhere else you can stow something.
Need to get a party planned for the office at last minute? A concierge firm can usually help you get it organized, pulled together with decorating, catering and assistants so that you don’t feel like pulling your hair out. They can even arrange to have your home cleaned before and after. Why not be able to enjoy a party at your own home. Isn’t that a novel concept?
I am reminded of a friend a couple of years back that was very involved in a group of business people in town. This person was so busy at the time trying to keep her feet even close to the pavement, yet she wanted to send out holiday cards to the people in her group. It was over 100 individuals. The quandry was to either run address labels for all of them or hire someone to write the name and address on the envelope.ersonalize the inside of the card, and post. Above and beyond the cost of the cards and postage, this task only cost her $40.00. I can not begin to relate to you the number of people who said to her,”How did you find the time to do this?” or “Wow, you made me feel really special with your handwritten card.” How much is that worth in today’s marketplace? I would just guess that it is a lot more than $40.00.
Another scenario might pop up with out of town guests showing up at the last minute during the holidays. Love to see them but now how do I entertain them? Let the concierge help you get tickets to a show or sporting event. What about reservations to a new restaurant in town or an old one that you really like.
We’ll catch up next time on helpful hints for Thanksgiving whether you are at home or on the road.
If you work for a company or a corporation and would like them to consider having this type of service available to you at work. Let us know. We will offer you 25% off your first out of pocket fee. Special rates for corporate clients for the next 90 days. Give a gift that is useful.
Until then, enjoy this beautiful Florida weather with just a hint of fall as you think of friends and relatives who live up North or in the Midwest that area getting snow remembering “This is why I live here.”