Congratulations January Brides and Fiancées

It's the month of January and many are starting off the new year with  a "Yes" and an "I Do."

If that is the month he popped the question or the season he puts a ring on it we want to say congratulations to you. Now's the time to start planning for the next twelve months be it a wedding or a wish of marital bliss. That said here is a wedding gift just for you. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/502221795917841983/

Take your time reading the articles on this blog and you'll have everything you need to get off to a good start.
Not sure where to start planning your wedding? We wrote the book on wedding planning so you have everything you need to plan a memorable occasion. Find the book at Google Shopping.

Looking for great wedding ideas? Start with the addicting wedding idea presentation boards at Pinterest. You'll find gowns, photo ideas, beautiful cake designs and wedding decor and attire color swatches that bring it all together very nicely. http://www.pinterest.com/bestweddingbook/.

Congratulations November Brides and Fiancees

If you were proposed to this month or were married congratulations November brides and fiancees.

Who doesn't like a warm sticky cinnamon bun fresh out of the oven. A hot brewed aromatic coffee made from roasted coffee beans. A fluffy blanket and a warm body to cuddle on a cold frigid night. A hand to hold and arm to cling to during a noon stroll. This month is all about true commitment and the little things couples do that add warmth, spice and stickiness to their union.  I'm 52 years of age and my wife Brenda is 53. We have been married for 33 years. No previous marriages. We recently celebrated our Anniversary October 25th 2013 surrounded by the most beautiful fall foliage ever.

While we both enjoy event planning like reunions and family night as well as speaking and officiating weddings ceremonies. Brenda is the more outgoing free spirit and organizer. I am the creative one who happens to like to write. I enjoy working on projects and parties with her, but I don't mind spending long hours working alone in the home office. My wife on the other hand is the kind of person who likes to get out and go. That said, we could easily miss spending meaningful time together. To remedy this we make it a  point to call each other each day and ask how the day is going and explain what we are doing and the progress  we're making.

We plan our meals and exchange an expression of endearment before ending the conversation. She calls me Booh. I call her Baah. In addition we don't let anything get in the way of our Friday evening date night. Because we are both frugal we will plan something simple like a picnic and stroll around the reservoir or listen to oldies but goodies in the car with the top open. Or watch a movie or two at home sharing a bowl of popcorn or chips.

Brenda engages in secular work in addition to community work. She said, " I deeply appreciate it when Mark does the cooking, serving and dish washing. It makes me feel that I'm cherished and appreciated and that my share of the work is not taken for granted. Our little dates keep the tenderness, closeness and warmth in the relationship. I love it when he holds my hand even if he's just walking me to the car."

Mark runs an online business and does much in the way of ministering to a local congregation. A work spanning three generations. In addition his parents are dealing with the challenges that come with aging.  He said, "My aging parents have been ill for some time now, requiring multiple operations and ongoing nursing. This can take a toll on a person. I really appreciate it when Brenda accompanies me to visit my parents. She contributes a lot in the way of being empathetic and upbuilding. It makes me feel supported and that I'm not alone dealing with this challenge."

Mark and Brenda are also authors of the book Fimark's Family Reunion Planner Guide and Keepsake and the book My Keepsake Wedding Planner.  Mark says, "Brenda does not know it but she started these book by compiling event planning notes useful templates and documents for her  gatherings. I just added content based on our life's experience.  The fact that we both worked on several projects together makes me feel that we did not come together based on mere attraction put to make two parts a whole. Focusing on our similarities and being empowered by our differences gives us a kind of oneness. I love that about us."

7 Day Wedding Countdown Checklist Bookmark

Fimark's My Keepsake Wedding Planner







A Gift for all you Brides out there.  Here is something you can't live without the final 7 days before your wedding. 

The "7 Days Before The Wedding Countdown Planner Checklist Bookmark" written and designed by Mark and Brenda Askew, authors of Fimark's My Keepsake Wedding Planner.

• Print the checklist and use it as a wedding guidebook bookmark.
• Place it between the pages of task notes.
• Put it on your frig for daily reminders.
• Pin it to your office clipboard.
• Using a magnet clasp put it on your metal file cabinet.
• Insert it in your binder cover. 

• Keep it handy the final 7 days of the wedding.
   
• Review it with your Maid of Honor, family, and friends and make sure they have a copy.
• Pin it to your Pinterest boards, as a reminder.
• Make it your tablet or smartphone homepage digital bookmark and share it.

DIY CRAFTY GIFT IDEAS

The "7 Days Before The Wedding Countdown Planner Checklist Bookmark"  Makes a great gift and can be used as a printable graphical template for many different craft projects. 

• Print it on a commemorative T-shirt.
• Print it on a fabric neck scarf.
• Print it on a fabric hair scarf.
• Send it to all the Brides-to-be you know.
  
• Print on a tall mug (cut in three sections).
• Print on a slim poster board.
• Put in your wedding scrapbook.
• Print and stick to the side of your monitor display.
• Print and tie vertically to your bedpost
• Print and tie to your indoor tree
• Print and hang ornamentally from your chandelier
• Print and attach to the side of a picture frame.

Right-click and save the image to a file.

Keeping Love Embers Warm

Keeping Love Embers Warm

If you're planning you're honeymoon right about now you may be thinking about an exciting, fun and deeply romantic vacation get-away as a good jump-start to married life after the honeymoon. Perhaps, but that depends on how soon the bonding process begins and when both partners acknowledge the need to share common standards and principles in the relationship. This can take some time as important issues often aren't dealt with until the unforeseen test occurs. Still who wants to wait? 
So how do you start the flame and keep the embers burning months and years after the honeymoon? Is there a spark that ignites a fire that melts the very heart of your partner so deeply that even when cooled by stormy weather there stands a strong bond in the very core that is virtually inextinguishable?

Too often couples get so caught up in their jobs, careers and past-times, like all engrossing sports, bands and clubs of the day that they begin to see their spouse as someone who is getting in the way of their fun and begin spending less meaningful moments with the love of their life. This can happen to anyone. At first it's just a casual oversight. But over time hearts break, silence becomes the loudest spoken word and the two drift apart emotionally and spiritually.

Do More Than Compromise
This past Sunday we talked to a very special couple married for over five years. He's contending with a new job and new congregation responsibilities that sometimes leaves them both a bit overwhelmed. That said, we reminded them both to prioritize each other and asked them both to consider this... When they come together for fun, do more than just compromise! Spend time doing things that they both enjoy doing together instead.

Schedule a Date Night 
Ask any truly happy couple what kept them together and they'll tell you that they're still dating. They eat together. Listen to music together, joke and tell stories together. Dance together. But the key to making date night work is not just doing something together as some activities can actually drive a couple apart. So what's the key to an enjoyable date night?

"A Few of Our Favorite Things."
Sometimes we are too tired to think about what we have in common and we settle for what ever comes to mind for a date night activity. We all love the musical called "The Sound of Music." Particularly the part we fondly call "My Favorite Things." It was that moment in time that the family bonded. So it is with a young couple. Everyone likes to eat. Everyone likes music. Most like movies. On date night, share a favorite dessert you both enjoy. Watch a movie you both will like. Select music that has meaning to both of you. If you're at a loss as to what to do this would be a good time to consult the "favorite things list."

Just Released Fimark's My Keepsake Wedding Planner

In our newly written book "Fimark's My Keepsake Wedding Planner" Brenda and I have dedicated 10 pages to this subject including a keepsake list called "A Few of Our Favorite Things." It's a keepsake checklist of the things the couple has in common.

Many years ago Brenda and I were at a cross road in our relationship. We took the time to write out a list of entertainment, literature, music and activities we both enjoyed doing together. We were amazed as we discovered that we had more in common that we ever realized.

Discovering the things both enjoy doing together in the area of music, books, movies, sports, food, etc is something we've learned a couple cannot do without. Our book "Fimark's My Keepsake Wedding Planner" is now available at Amazon.com. http://goo.gl/fvLl2