Archive for August, 2009

I found a wonderful, discounted jewelry box online!

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Getting the products I needed for the ceremony and reception required some thought, but as I turned my attention to getting a present for my bridesmaids, it dawned on me that I had a long ways to go yet. I just couldn’t seem to come across anything that they would really appreciate. I went online and there are quite a few lovely gifts for bridesmaids and all that attend the reception. Narrowing it down was the big challenge. I found some bargains on thank you presents, too. I got a really good deal on a wedding set that had a ring bearer pillow, a flower girl basket, a guest book, a pen, and eight pieces in total. I saved a ton on that. They were a lot cheaper as a set than they would have been if I would have purchased them individually.
I knew my bridesmaids would be thrilled if I got them an elegant jewelry box, and I found just that while I was perusing through the thank you gifts. In fact there were a few nice wedding jewelry boxes that I could choose from. Since I was having such a hard time making up my mind on which one I wanted to order, I decided to move on to the rest of my wedding needs and get back to the thank you gifts for my girls later. I had almost everything I needed for the ceremony, but there was a few more things I needed to pick out for my reception. The wedding favors for relatives and close acquaintances hadn’t been settled on, so I looked at doing that, and then there was also the matter of a wedding cake topper to look into. Bottle openers made of chrome in the form of birds of peace and salt and pepper shakers that looked like a couple on their wedding day were what I went with. Normally, I would have gotten some containers for the chrome openers, but the boxes they came in were so adorable that I just went with those. My man got the groomsmen a neat little multi-purpose tool that had a tiny scissors and a toothpick and all kinds of weird gadgets.
We got a cake topper of pair of newly weds locked in a loving embrace. I almost picked one out that had embossed silver intials and crystals, but after looking through a whole bunch of possibilities, I went with our mini bride and groom. I had put it off while I took care of buying the rest of the supplies we’d need, but it was time at last to select a gift for the women standing up in my wedding. They each got boxes for jewelry, and inside of it was some unique wedding jewelry. What I found for them was a shimmering rhinestone bracelet. It was just perfect for them even though it probably sounds like a bit much. The volume of options in discount wedding jewelry was so great, and so good, that I got them some of that and saved a little cash in the process. The pearl wedding jewelry I picked out to wear at my wedding was from the same spot. There were some awesome bargains on very elegant jewelry items. The groomsmen were pleased with what my hubby got them, and the bridesmaids were thrilled with theirs.
The wedding day was everything that I had fantasized it could be. My single sister caught the bouquet and my brother in law was the winner at the garter toss. Might something come of it? If anything came of it and my sister and his brother end up married, that means my sister would also be my sister in law. You never know!

Fabulous Baby Shower Gifts.

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Baby showers are growing bigger and bigger every year, it seems like there are more and more ideas and themes to choose from when hosting a shower. The adorable little presents that everyone gets for baby showers make them a blast to attend. You have plenty of baby shower gifts ideas to choose from if you decide to throw a baby shower. The internet is filled with lovely little baby gifts and suggestions for those that are planning a baby shower. The day can be everything you want it to be if you get the right supplies and accessories for the party. There are items from place card holders to party gifts.
Looking for a baby boy shower gift? You can help decorate the baby’s room if that still isn’t done with a teddy bear night-light, a wall chart where they can keep track of the baby’s growth, or a cartoon picture album. You can get creative baby shower gifts, like a bunch of diapers made up to look like a cake with baby toys and booties all around it, or perhaps some bubble bath. It’s possible to work almost any baby item out can think into a snazzy diaper cake. Personalized baby shower gifts are always nice to give the mother to be. I’ve always felt that you can’t go wrong with a small box for the newborn’s first tooth and another one for his or her first curl. These lovely little silver plated boxes make great gifts for the mom to have as keepsakes. As with many things, there are ones with blue liner for boys and ones with pink liner for girls. Those small, unique things are what you want to always have a memory of, like the child’s footprints and handprints. Smaller gifts are wonderful, even though a lot of guests will want to give something like a crib or a stroller. You can insist on getting a good present and still find plenty cheap baby shower gifts to choose from. Certain supplies are like gold to a new mom. Clothing for the baby is frequently a popular choice, from socks to hats and anything in between, rather than spending an arm and a leg for a gift. One thing’s for sure: the new mom can use all of them.
Some of the best baby shower gifts are those that are an essential part of everyday life such as a diaper bag, diapers, or even a carrier. The selection of products you can get new moms, that is available on the Internet, is staggering. Don’t forget to give your guests baby shower favors if you’re the hostess. You could get scrapbooks or small picture frames for your baby shower party gifts. You can buy everyone little candies as well, say a box with baby designs that has cream-filled chocolates inside. You have a lot of ideas to pick from when you’re getting a gift for your baby shower guests. When you get a bunch of presents that you’re going to use as thank you gifts, you can also keep some of them out to be given away as prizes for winning the baby shower games you play.
Checking on the web will give you all the ideas and choices you could want for baby shower gifts, no matter if you’re attending as a guest or if you’re the one who’s throwing the shower. I found my baby shower presents online, along with almost all of the items I needed for my wedding as well. No matter what the event, and no matter what your taste in presents, you will be able to find something you’ll like on the net.

Beautiful Most Wonderful Memory Books I Found!

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Sometimes, we wish a day would last forever, and that we never forget those days. Some examples of treasured memories are your baby shower, bridal shower, your wedding, and many others, to be sure. I have wholesale memory books that I really cherish to help my relive those special days over and over again. The photo wedding book of my wedding shower that my sister and my loved ones put on for me contains wonderful moments in it. It was a fantastic night, and there are plenty of photographs to prove it. I’ve got pictures of the lovely decorations they had for my party and all the places we went that night, and all the fun things we did. We really had a wild time and I’ve got super photos to prove it. I’ve even got a couple pictures of the male dancers we went to see. They were really awesome up there on the stage. I won’t soon forget my only night watching men dance like that. They weren’t the Chippendales, but they were really great to watch.
When I chose all the accessories and reception supplies for our wedding, I also made sure I had a memory book for our photos of the wedding and reception. There were an awful lot of photos to fill the pages. In fact I knew to buy a couple of them, so I’d have enough space for all the pictures. I ran out of space in the albums before the pictures were all filed. On certain pages in one of the picture album books were places for the guests we invited to write their names down. Our last initial was on the front of our beautiful personalized memory books, with my first initial to the left of it and my husband’s to the right of it. These books have such a look of elegance with it’s satin ribbon and gorgeous fabric. Fortunately, you can add pages to them if you have to, which of course we did.
I have picture books for every major moment that I’ve lived through. I don’t throw out my keepsake memory books, so I’m sure I’ll accumulate more and more. At the moment, I have books from my baby shower, wedding, and bachelorette party. I have a little girl that’s turning three next week and a little baby boy that is only one year old. Since we knew what we were having each time, I was able to order a pink book for her and a blue one for him. I keep everything from their christenings to their first steps in these books. The baby memory books have pictures, handprints, and birth certificates stored there, too. The shower and wedding albums contain one of the inviations that were sent out for each occasion as well. I could open up a photo gallery with all of the pictures I have stored away.
My husband complains all the time about the space these books take up on our closet shelf, but it’s like this, I want to hold on to all the great and special moments in our lives, and the best way to do this is through pictures. Of course, now I’m going to be shooting home videos on a camcorder that I recently purchased, so I’m focusing on making space on some shelving in the living room. With all the videos I plan to record and all the picture albums and memory books I’ve acquired, not to mention all that I intend to aquire, I’ll probably have to make more room in other closets around the house. What can I say, my recollections of the past mean a lot to me. These are the most precious years in a mothers life and I’m not letting anything get by me.

Awesome Discount Keepsake Gifts

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

I decided that the day I got married was going to be a memorable day for everyone that was close to me. So when I when to pick out gifts, I picked out things that they could remember it by. The gifts I bought were meant to be reminders of what an outstanding wedding day and night we had together. I began by selecting keepsake gifts and moved on to things like a wedding keepsake. There were a lot of wedding items to choose from on the internet, with suggestions of very nice items for both ceremonies and receptions. I was able to find everything I needed for my wedding reception as far as accessories go.
On all of my reception tables were floral centerpieces I had made up at the florist and gorgeous floral scented candles that looked as if they were covered in lace and came with a pretty little ceramic holder. The place card holders, which I also discovered on the Internet, looked exquisite next to the flower arrangements.
The place card holders I decided on were beautiful beaded picture frames that the guests could all keep after the reception. As far as gifts for our guests went, I made sure I gave them all practical favors that would also make great keepsakes gifts. Giving out favors that have no practical purpose always struck me as a useless thing to do. Otherwise, the recipient of the gift will most likely forget about it shortly after they get it. I did my best to make sure that the gifts handed out to our relatives and other loved ones were going to be remembered. Since almost everyone drinks coffee or tea, I got all of the people at our reception a bistro coffee mug. It’s a product that any person can utilize, and the ones I got looked really cool. I bought a bunch of pretty hang tags to put on the boxes they arrived in, but the containers were so nice-looking that I just kept them in the boxes they came in.
I found so much online that I could use for our wedding reception. One super item we picked out was our wedding cake topper. I opted to pick out one that would be significant to my groom and I.
We were playing football together the first time we met, in a friend’s backyard. I got a couple in wedding garb in the middle of a football game to remind us that his first move on me was when he was trying to tackle me. The memories of my wedding day and the day we first met are both triggered by that cake topper. [spin]I was really surprised that I had found such a novel wedding cake topper as this one was, and not only that, I also found gorgeous wedding

An Exquisite Personalized Wedding Guest Book!

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Planning a wedding and reception can be a very hectic and exciting time, filled with so many options on what to choose for themes, decorations, etc. When my daughter was going to be a bride, the most difficult part of helping her out was getting her to decide on something. She had to select the kind of wedding she wanted to begin with, either one with a specific type of motif, or to go with a more standard type of ceremony. My poor daughter examined every option for the type of wedding she would have, and she was unable to select one that was right for her. For her special day, she thought about building the wedding around a lakeshore setting, and then she considered a wedding in an outdoor garden setting. After all the debating, she ended up with the traditional. With that decision finally out of the way, we were able to start planning.
We shipped out the invitations, and we signed up to reserve the church for the ceremony and a reception hall for the reception dinner. She had her gown and the wedding party attire was all taken care of, so mostly what we had to concentrate on now, was the reception supplies and decorations. In addition to finding a wedding guest book and a picture album, there were some other things that we had to pick out yet. A lot of the many wedding photo guest books we found had gorgeous art work on them. There were many gorgeous wedding pens to choose from too, that matched with many of the guestbooks. Our new bride discovered a six piece wedding set with rhinestones that had bows and satin boxes, both white, as we were nearing the end of our shopping. There was a lovely unity candle, ring pillow, flower basket and wedding garter. These satin items were together with a personalized wedding guest book. We were so surprised to find so many beautiful wedding items all in one set for one low price. We also found the perfect wedding album with a place for special keepsakes and scrap-booking pages as well. The wedding album was ideal.
Finally we were down to the cake topper, place card holders and wedding favors. Everything else was taken care of. Our blushing bride picked out a pair of glazed porcelain doves to use as her cake topper. The pair of doves will make an exquisite figurine that will help her memories of the wedding day last a lifetime. Every guest got a place card holder at the reception that was silver and in the shape of a picture frame. She thought it was neat to give the guests something they could actually use after the dinner. She did alright picking out her wedding accessories and reception supplies. The extra cash she was able to hang on to by finding good deals is going to get spent when they go on the honeymoon.
The look and experience of our wedding day was a smashing success with our guests. Their first dance together made us all realize what a handsome couple this really was. The memories of that night were terrific; I danced until my feet got sore, and I don’t regret a second of it. With my daughter married, she may have a baby girl at some point in their lives. When we have her baby shower, I will go right back to the same place to find baby shower favors and supplies. That website has everything you need for just about any occasion you are planning for. As far as purchasing things on the web goes, that is my number one place to look.

Wholesale Wedding Candles

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

There are tons of suggestions for great wedding favor gifts for the people invited to your wedding ceremony and party with you at your reception. You can choose from a variety of picture frame place card holders, whimsical little novelty gifts for beach themes and others, and many more selections of gifts. For our thank you gifts to our guests, we decided on candle wedding favors, because they’re not only beautiful, but they are practical too. I found just the right wedding favor boxes I wanted to use and I also ordered special hang tags for each.
I also bought lovely candle weddings, just to add to the décor of all my reception tables. The candles, decorations, and the gorgeous flower arrangements for my centerpieces really looked fantastic together. When I was looking for favors, I found candles for other occasions too, like a lovely candle wedding favor for someone that’s throwing a bridal shower, and candle party favors for graduations, birthdays and more. It’s not just candles that my online store has, but they do have a heck of a selection of wedding and other party supplies and accessories.
I ordered my wedding guestbook and pen, flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow all together in one very inexpensive set, and they also included a beautiful leg garter to go with it. We saved a little money by being able to get so many of our accessories in a set like that at such a low cost. They carry a lot of discount accessories and supplies, like wholesale candles wedding favors and many other products for ceremonies and receptions.
The cake topper we ordered was really unique and was worth a lot more than what it cost us. They made the wedding couple on our cake topper look exactly like us and it was the talk of the reception. All that was required of us was to turn in a couple of head shots of each of us so they would have something to work with. The wedding cake itself was pretty magnificent too, with three tiers of chocolate perfection and gorgeous red and and pink flowers all around it. The calla lily cake serving set was one that I just absolutely went nuts over and it just looked so delicate lying next to our beautiful cake.
We ordered special champagne flutes for our wedding table that saids ‘bride’ and ‘groom’ on them, and other crystal flutes for our guests, that they were also given to take home. We have no use for 200 champagne glasses, so why not let our friends and family have them as keepsakes? With our guestbook with all the signatures, our gorgeous picture album, our very unique wedding cake topper and so much more, we really didn’t need much else for keepsakes. Our wedding guestbook was in the five piece set we bought and it was a gorgeous claret color, with a place for signatures, gift list and certain keepsakes. The guest book comes in handy for making out your thank you cards, and it’s nice to have a record of everyone that shared that day with you. You want to be able to mention the gift they gave you when writing out your thank you cards, it’s much more personal that way.
Some of our friends and family complimented me on my choice of unique candle wedding favors as their thank you gifts, and told me how much they liked them. I guess I picked out the right gifts. As we were leaving for our honeymoon, many of the guests wished us well and told us they had a great time at our reception. Our wedding day is a day that will live long in our memories.

Getting a graduation party invitation

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

The first thing I did when I decided to give my girlfriend a bridal shower was to put together a list of everything I was going to need for thte shower. At the top of the list was getting a graduation party invitation. Now I’m one of those women that really doesn’t like shopping where I have to fight the crowds, or wait in line for price checks, so I decided to go online and see what I could come up with for the bridal shower. Boy, did I luck out in that department. The prices and selection were both better than I expected. The price I paid on some things were almost criminal. The shower invitations were very high quality with pearl edges and silver writing. They had all kinds of invitation cards, from general party invitations to specific ones, like birthday party invitations.
The place card holders they had were adorable, so I got those, along with other supplies. One of the things I found was a little bridal guest book for everyone to sign and for the bride, to be, to keep a record of every gift she received. One style of place card holders caught my fancy. Pink lilies adorned the place cards I picked out, and each guest received brightly-wrapped candies in a small plastic purse. When placed on the tables at the shower alongside the gifts and things, they looked cool No matter what the reason for the gathering, they have an appropriate favor box to go with it. The boxes I selected had floral designs, and I piled them neatly on a cake platter and set them on the table with all the presents. It was a good-looking way to set it up, and everyone there just came by and grabbed a gift. I picked out a few kinckknacks as awards for winning the bridal shower activities we were going to play, and the thank you presents were sets that had everything you’d need to give a manicure. Some of the other odds and ends I used for door prizes were adorable little bath soaps, make-up mirrors, and novelty keychains.
Party game suggestions abound on the Internet. There was a real funny one called ‘Take It Off ‘ where everyone puts a paper bag over their heads and then the hostess tells everyone to remove one article, and you’d be surprised how many ladies don’t think to remove the bag. This is really a hysterical game to play. There are other mirthful games that we did, like bridal bingo. Deciding to surf the web was an excellent thing to do since I saw all kinds of things I could use and a good portion of them were very affordable. The favors and invitations I bought were a bargain. The things I purchased were well made, and I spent a lot whole less than I thought I would have to, and had a whole lot more choices. This site I found also has wedding invitations and favors, so I made it a point to inform my friend who was getting married about it, since I was sure she would want to know about this place. So, maybe ordering her accessories and reception supplies from here will help her out in the planning and the finances. The bridal shower wouldn’t have been as good without it. The bridal shower was a sensation, and everyone there liked their shower favors, too. Now that the party is over, I’m filling out the guest thank you cards thanking them for attending. Which, by the way, I also ordered online. Next, I’m helping with my friends sons’ birthday party with the help of my favorite online store.

Splendid Mikasa Weddings!

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

I went to a wedding last week where they had mikasa crystal accessories on all of the reception tables. On every table were lovely mikasa weddings and mikasa crystal glasses. What excellent taste the bride has in decorating a wedding and reception tables. The tables just shined with lustre and elegance with all the different mikasa accessories.
They had lovely little place card holders that were the cutest silver doves, with bride and groom placecards on their tails. The elegance of her reception tables were enhanced by the lovely centerpieces she had chosen. For her centerpieces she had lovely pillar candles with a floral garnish surrounding them. They also chose very impressive thank you gifts for all of the guests. Mikasa crystal wedding favors were given to each and every one of us. The favors boxes with the little thank you hang tags was almost as gorgeous as the mikasa crystal favors that were inside.
Five layers of chocolate heaven with chocolate flavored cream cheese on each and every layer was the choice of wedding cakes they had. She topped the wedding cake with a very exceptional wedding cake topper. She found a place online where she got most of her accessories and supplies that make customized cake toppers. The bride and groom on the cake topper look just like the wedding couple and they did this with only a couple head shot photos of the bride to be and her fiance. It was absolutely perfect. I had to find out where she ordered her wedding accessories from, the cake topper would be great for my mom and dads’ renewal wedding for their anniversary.
I think one of the funniest part of this whole thing was when it was time for the garter toss. Watching the looks on the guys faces as the groom removed the garter from the brides leg, was priceless. As the garter flew through the air, they were all falling into each other as they tried desperately to grab it up. What was really funny was that the winner of the garter toss was talked into participating by the other guys and he was a widower in his 70’s. As the old man walked off with the garter in hand he was smiling from ear to ear.
For the bridal toast we all had crystal champagne flutes, that we were also given to take home, with the names of the bride and groom, and date of the wedding printed on them. After the best man said his speech and we toasted the bride and groom, it was time for their first dance together as man and wife. They looked so fantastic up there dancing together. The floor quickly filled up with couples right after the wedding couple finished their first dance. My poor feet suffered the consequences of my all night dancing.
Then it was time for the happy couple to leave the reception and begin their honeymoon, so everyone was yelling good bye and good luck. Hawaii was the honeymoon destination, from what I was told by one of the guests. I’m sure their honeymoon will be just as wonderful as their wedding day was. We all stay for quite a while after the bride and groom left and partied ourselves into exhaustion.
It was only a couple of weeks later that I got my thank you card from the happy couple thanking me for sharing their wedding day with them and for the wedding gift I bought for them. She must have sent out her thank you cards as soon as she got back from her honeymoon. By the way, I did find out how she could afford a mikasa wedding and that fantastic cake topper. I’m ordering what I need for my parents anniversary wedding party today.

Glorious Jewelry Box

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Today, we have watch jewelry boxes, earring jewelry boxes, other types of boxes for jewelry, but years ago, pretty much everything was put into standard jewelry boxes. There are a lot of very decorative ideas for the many different types of boxes. My daughter bought a few for her and her bridesmaids and the party guests. That was just the beginning of what I discovered while surfing the web for gift ideas. All kinds of ideas are on there for weddings in a specific theme, or more standard, old-fashioned types of weddings. Prince Charming and his lovely princess was the theme that my daughter and her fiance went for. They pulled it off in stunning fashion, her with long flowing veil and him with his extravagant tuxedo. It really was a beautiful wedding. A horse drawn carriage with a driver in classical attire swept the two of them away from the church after the ceremony was over.
The reception had small white lights to add with the tulle that was draped above and tall flower vases scattered all about the room. An arch with green plants and red and white roses climbing up an arch stood behind the newlyweds’ table, while the wedding guests had at their tables an exquisite bouquet of flowers with sparkles that shimmered silver. The reception tables twinkled even more with the silver tea light dove place card holders she selected. Flower and crystals adorned the small jewelry boxes that each lady at the wedding got as a gift. All the guys got a key chain with a frog wearing a crown and royal robe on them, which represented the infamous frog prince. The personalized jewelry boxes for the bridesmaids had black velvet-lined interiors and were made of wood and sliver-plated. My daughter and son in law had each of them engraved with the bride and grooms name and date of the wedding. The girls seemed to really like the thank you gift that my daughter picked out. The jewelry box she got them looked very nice, but it was in fact a wholesale jewelry box and I had one like it myself for a long time. Each of the groomsmen received a set of wine gifts and their names etched in a tiny plaque. I felt those were novel thank you gift ideas.
Her wedding cake topper was a really unique little dream castle that really showed off the lovliness of their three tiered wedding cake. My daughter picked out champagne flutes and a cake serving set to tie in with the fairytale-themed cake. I couldn’t believe all the super accessories she got and it didn’t cost her anywhere near what I thought it would cost. We offered to pay for the wedding, since we are the brides parents, but they both insisted they could do it themselves.
I felt the warm tears flow down my face as the two of them gracefully floated around the floor for their first dance. It reminded me so much of the ball the prince had in the Cinderella story. The guys got so rowdy trying to catch the garter, during the garter toss, that they had me laughing to no end. My daughter’s wedding day was as magical as she imagined it would be, and the whole thing was so special. Now they are on a honeymoon she’s always dreamed of. When they return, I want a full description of all the wonderful places they visited while sight seeing.

Best Groomsmen Gifts!

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

A friend of mine told me about a wedding website that had fantastic wedding accessories and reception supplies at a great low cost, so we checked it out. She spoke the truth, everything from wedding invitations to exquisite little thank you gifts for the guests that could save us quite a bit. Along with all the super wedding accessories they also carry groomsmen gifts and bridesmaids gifts. Needless to say, that’s where I did all my shopping for the wedding decorations and supplies.
First of all, we decided to have a winter wonderland theme wedding since we were getting married in December, and I found so much to work with. The winter wonderland wedding bulletins were perfect for our invitations. When I went searching for my flower girls basket and the ring boys pillow I found a wedding set that not only had both those things but also, a guestbook, pen set and a lovely wedding garter too. I thought it would cost a lot more than it did for the matching five piece set. I know, after reading a few wedding articles, that many churches won’t allow the tossing of petals for the bride and grooms departure and many couples have chosen bubbles to be blown as they exit the ceremony. This online shopping site I’m on has little bottled bubbles for just that purpose, with little bubble cards for hang tags, which I placed an order for.
The lovely accessories I ordered were unbelievable. We also ordered our gifts for the bridesmaids, flower girl, ring boy and the rest of the wedding party. My fiance found quite a few gift ideas for groomsman gifts.
The groomsman favors of his choosing were glass mugs that had the word groomsman printed on the mug. Since the groomsmen gift and the rest of the people in our wedding was taken care of, I could shop for favors for our friends and family. There were an awful lot of winter wonderland wedding favors to choose from for our reception. As thank you gifts, I chose glass votive candles with a frosty winter theme, for all of our guests. They each had little silver snowflakes as decoration. They each came in their own little favor box with a silver hang tag.
The little snow ball ornament place card holders I bought make great little thank you gifts too. There was so much for a beautiful winter wonderland themed wedding, like our cake server set, our champagne flutes and even our funny wedding cake topper. Since the cake topper I chose was one with the bride and groom on skis, I decided to make it look authentic by having the baker design the top layer of our cake as a mountain of snow. I had many pictures of our wedding cake taken for my winter themed wedding picture album, it was so adorable. We cut our cake and shared the first piece, then my brother in law gave a little speech as he toasted to the bride and groom, and then it was time for us to have our first dance of the evening. With all eyes on us as we danced, I felt as magical as a princess in a fairy tale.
This reception was perfect, from the beginning to the end and all of our guests truly seemed to be enjoying themselves. The men in our wedding party really liked the wedding groomsmen gifts we had for them and my bridesmaids thanked me for theirs too. We also got quite a few compliments from our wedding guests about the decorations and the lovely wedding favors they received.