Cville Sheblogs » 2012 » March

New & Creative Ideas for Your Wedding Gift Registry

Claire Goodman — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:07:03 +0000

GUEST POST: BY Valerie Dormady

Registries – they’re not just for youngsters anymore. Everyone knows that Americans are getting married at older ages than before. While the young, traditional brides and grooms are still out there, they’re now joined by a much more varied population of betrothed. Who else is getting married these days?

• “Older” younger couples (in 2010, the average age at first marriage was 28 years for men and 26 years for women);

• Couples who have been living together and creating a home for years before marriage;

• People marrying for the first time at 40; and

• People marrying for the second (or subsequent) time.

Many of these modern couples will find that the customary department-store registry does not really meet their needs. It hardly bears stating that a middle-aged couple saying “I do” rarely requires another set of china, but even relatively younger couples often come to a marriage with the contents of not one, but two, well-stocked households. And yet gift registries serve the same important purpose for these newlyweds as they do for the young adults leaving their parents’ nest for the first time. Well-wishers still want guidance on what to give – but choosing helpful, thoughtful gifts for the 21st century couple can be a challenge.

Enter the creative wedding registry. Regardless of age, everyone still wants wonderful experiences. Everyone can use helpful services. And everyone can find room, even in a well-stocked home, for a thoughtfully chosen artisanal object. Examples of items on a creative wedding registry might include:

Cleaning services for the new home or hand-crafted pottery created by local artisans.

Consider a kitchen skills class with a professional chef and a seasonal dinner in the newlywed's home or perhaps a consultation with a landscape designer to create an attractive herb, vegetable or flower garden at the couples' home.

What couple wouldn't love a therapeutic massage or time with a professional organizer to help meld two households' worth of belongings?

Most couples would love to register for these types of gifts, and such a registry would be a fine complement to a traditional wedding registry. Even couples who would never consider a traditional registry would almost certainly enjoy picking out new experiences or services to enjoy. The good news is that the two types of registries – traditional and creative – are not mutually exclusive. Registries for one and all: a modern idea for modern couples. And then their loved ones will be spared that dreaded question: What on earth are we going to get them?

Valerie Dormady writes for the online local gift store, Redbud Gifts. Redbud Gifts is based in Charlottesville, has extensive registry options, and features all of the items pictured above to include in a creative wedding registry.

So, Regarding Weddings….Who Pays for What?

Wedding preacher — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Beautiful bridal bouquet provided by the goom's family

Dear Engaged Couple—

Today I want to initiate a discussion which I hope you will continue with each other and with your respective families. The discussion is about who pays for what regarding your approaching wedding. Several years ago, an acquaintance of mine’s son was getting married. My acquaintance and her husband live in Virginia but their son’s wedding would be taking place in St. Petersburg, Florida. They had not met their soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s family, but they were excited by the prospect. They would be meeting the in-laws when they arrived in Florida a few days before the wedding. We can imagine that they entertained visions of a dinner out together, where they would get to know the “other side” better—sharing stories of little Amy’s forays into mudpie making, and Kevin’s stunning abilities as a peewee soccer player.

Sadly, when they arrived in St. Petersburg, and actually were introduced to the bride’s parents, right away, the mother of the bride (MOB) wanted to know about their plans for the rehearsal dinner. “What rehearsal dinner?” querried my acquaintance. And in her retelling to me she continued, “Really! THEY expected US to be in charge of the rehearsal dinner. Isn’t the wedding supposed to be the responsibility of the bride’s family from start to finish?” The scene that followed was not nice. The upshot of it all was that the MOB and FOB forked over the money and did all the planning for the rehearsal dinner (in TWO DAYS, NO LESS) . We can only imagine what kind of stress was involved for the bride’s parents—finding a venue at the last minute, perhaps engaging a caterer and a florist. Just so you know, the rehearsal dinner generally DOES in fact fall to the groom’s parents. Sad to say the couple has since divorced. I sometimes wonder, did the stress over the rehearsal dinner have anything to do with the breakup?

This, my friends, is a cautionary tale. It is wise to have a sit down talk with all parties involved in the wedding planning—that is, the families on both sides, and yes, that includes steps.

I did some reading in preparation for writing this blog. It is safe to say that tradition still rules—so that the majority of the expenses involved in a wedding are still the responsibility of the bride’s family. That is not set in stone, certainly though. Since couples are waiting later to marry (usually living together first) and therefore often have a sizable income, they often contribute to the cost. And if Mom and Dad can’t pay for something (say that expensive, $2,000 wedding dress that makes you look like you stepped out of a wedding magazine) than for sure, it should be your right to make up the difference between the cost and what Mom and Dad are willing to pay.

Below, I have outlined who has TRADITIONALLY been responsible for which wedding costs. Brides, you may want to prepare your folks for what follows:

THE BRIDE AND HER FAMILY:

Ceremony: church or synagogue space rental, flowers for same, organist, sexton

Clothes: bride’s full wedding attire

Flowers: flowers for flower girl, bridesmaids

Photography and/or Videography

Parties: Bridesmaid luncheon; wedding reception

Ring: Groom’s wedding band

Stationery: Save the date cards; announcements, invitations, programs or bulletins

Transportation: Limousine for bride and groom; for bridal party

THE GROOM AND HIS FAMILY:

Ceremony: marriage license, officiant’s fee

Clothes: Groom’s attire

Flowers: The bridal bouquet, corsages for the MOB, MOG, and GMOB and GMOG; boutonnieres for groomsmen

Honeymoon

Parties: Rehearsal dinner

Rings: The engagement ring and the bride’s wedding band

So, as you can see, the bride’s family has responsibility for paying most of the expenses. However, there ARE ways to cut costs. I’ll be mentioning some of these in upcoming blogs. In the meantime, blessings to you as you continue making plans for your big day! Gay Lee, Wedding Preacher for Hire

What to do in the Charlottesville area this weekend

Francis — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:13:18 +0000

North of Charlottesville, there is a Tulip festival going on and if my yard is any indication of the beauty that is out there, it is sure to be not only fun but a wonderful photo opportunity for fun family pictures. You may as well stop at DuCard Vineyards, while you are up that way.

Also, just in time for spring, the Local Food Hub is sponsoring a Beginning Bee Keeping Workshop. You can learn what it takes to have your own bee colony and have your own supply of honey.

Finally, postponed from last week, the Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club is hosting the Spring Mountain Bike Festival, complete with trail building, guided rides and clinics along with free on-site bike tune-ups. This is free for all and is sure to be a good time. Get a massage after a good ride – it makes the good ride feel even better!

Finally – don’t forget that Sunday is April Fool’s Day. Plan your jokes and remember the day if anything out of the ordinary happens.

Then report back to us immediately! We love a good joke.

2nd Annual Blue Ridge Oyster Festival

Tricia Traugott — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:27:50 +0000

Press Release!

The Blue Ridge Oyster Festival is very proud that the food, wine and beer all come from Virginia and one of the many ways we celebrate this is to debut two wines from 2 vineyards, from 2 counties. This year, Blenheim Vineyards will debut their House Red at the Oyster Festival and Cardinal Point Vineyards will debut their Chardonnay. This year the festival will be held on April 21st with a rain date of the 22nd.

From Cardinal Point –Nelson County

2011 Chardonnay: Featured Release – clean,round, nice vanilla and cream, but not heavy. Our chardonnay escaped any ill effects of the 2011 harvest rains. Aged in 100% American oak, mostly fromPennsylvania.

2011 Rockfish Red: 100% Cab Franc, aged for four months in French oak. The steady rains during the 2011 harvest account for its lighter than usual color, but the great ripening weather before the rains account for the great flavor. This wine has great berry fruit aromas and flavors, which have a nice dry and crisp finish. A perfect warm-weather red wine!

From Blenheim Vineyards –Albemarle County

2011 Red Table Wine – Featured release

The latest version of red table wine is fruit forward and packed full of juicy berry flavors.

Butterscotch and caramel notes that come from some barrel aging support the ripe plum and red cherry. 50% aged in French and American oak for 5 months. 352 cases produced. 46% Cabernet Franc, 36% Merlot,18% Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 White Table Wine

A crisp and refreshing warm weather white, perfect for pairing with oysters and picnic fare. 100% stainless steel fermented and aged, 33% Viognier, 66% Chardonnay. 331 cases produced.

2011 Rosé

A delightfully fruity but dry rosé made fromMourvedre, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Extended skin contact helped create a vibrant and flavorful wine that pairs well with a variety of seafood dishes as well as grilled chicken and vegetable dishes. 280 cases produced.

Featured beer will includes:

Devil’s Backbone Brewery

Starr Hill Brewery

ViennaLager StarrPils (German Style Pilsner)

EightPoint IPA NorthernLights (IPA

Reilly’sRed Ale

BelgianCongo Pale Ale

WintergreenWeiss

Resveratrol Shown to Delay Onset and Significantly Reduce Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Mouse Model

rebecca — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:30:00 +0000

http://arthritishubs.com/wp-content/
uploads/2011/05/arthritis.jpg

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a relatively common inflammatory disease that affects roughly 1-2% of the global population. With increasing age, prevalence of the disease increases, with roughly 5% of women over the age of 55 diagnosed. Whether or not one is afflicted with the disease depends on a variety of factors, including genetics and environmental factors such as smoking, obesity, and periodontal disease. It is thought that T and B cells play an important role in the beginnings and persistence of the disease, resulting in several effective treatments including one with B-cell depleting agents (rituximab) and costimulatory blockage (abatacept).

T cells act to stimulate several cells within the immune system, including macrophages, with then release a whole array of inflammatory mediators, which give rise to joint inflammation and eventual destruction. Currently, medications to combat RA are targeted to reduce inflammation in the joints, including methotrexate, sulphasalazine, and glucocorticoids. However, there are a large number of patients that these types of therapies are not effective against the disease, thus other treatment options need to be explored. There are some recombinant immune-modulating drugs that target many different immune receptors (not just inflammatory cells) are currently under development and study, though long-term effects are not known and the treatments themselves could potentially be very expensive.

Some natural compounds with anti-inflammatory properties are just now being seriously considered as possible therapies for RA. As we’ve learned many times through this blog, resveratrol is one such compound. Known to have antimicrobial properties, as well as cardiovascular protection benefits, is has also been found that resveratrol, which is found in high levels in the skins of grapes and also red wine, possesses anti-inflammatory properties as well. In the rabbit model, researchers have shown that resveratrol can reduce lipopolysaccharide-induced joint inflammation. Also, studies have shown that alcohol itself (not just the resveratrol in the red wine) may be protective against RA.

The study presented today aimed to test the hypothesis that resveratrol could lessen experimental arthritis in the mouse model, and that it does so by modulation of autoreactive immune responses.

Methods

Male mice were experimentally induced with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). After being inoculated with the disease, mice were either treated with resveratrol (trans-resveratrol dissolved in dimethyl sulphoxide) on day 10 (to test prevention of disease expression) or day 23 (to test treatment against established disease). Those mice being tested for treatment against the established disease were first injected at day 23, and then daily from day 23 to day 33. Doses were 20mg/kg, with or without resveratrol. Control mice received injections of dimethyl sulphoxide alone, with no resveratrol. Development of arthritis was monitored until day 38.

Standard immunological procedures were performed to measure T cell levels, as well as other various cytokines and antibodies known to be involved in CIA/RA. In addition to cellular and immunological analysis, histological analysis examining joint pathology was also performed.

Results

Treatment Against Development of CIA and Established Disease

Control mice developed severe CIA at day 21.

o Mice receiving 20mg/kg of resveratrol significantly reduced incidence of disease, the number of paws affected, footpad thickness, and clinical index compared with control mice.

o 15mg/kg of resveratrol had no significant effect on the development or severity of CIA.

o Resveratrol treatment significantly reduced cell infiltration into the joint, synovial hyperplasia and adjacent cartilage and bone erosion compared with control mice.

§ Results suggest resveratrol could prevent the development of collagen-induced arthritis.

Resveratrol-treated mice significantly and rapidly reduced the clinical symptoms of CIA from the second dose on, compared with the control mice.

o Joint analysis at day 36 showed significant reduction of cell infiltration, synovial hyperplasia and bone erosion compared to control mice.

o The therapeutic effect of resveratrol lasted at least one week, without subsequent resveratrol treatments.

§ Results suggest resveratrol has a therapeutic effect on ongoing inflammatory arthritis.

Immune Mechanisms

Resveratrol at the dose of 20mg/kg significantly prevented the development of IgG2a and IgG1 (collagen-specific) compared with control mice.

o This reduction was also found in mice treated with resveratrol once CIA was already established.

Resveratrol at the dose of 20mg/kg did NOT significantly influence the levels of total IgG1 or IgG2a.

o These results suggest that resveratrol selectively controls the collagen-specific B-cell response (in CIA) rather than acting as a general B-cell depleting/suppressing factor.

There were no significant differences in serum levels of IL-2 and IL-10 in resveratrol treated mice versus control mice, nor were there any effects on the cytokine profiles of these mice after resveratrol treatment.
Lymph nodes from control mice had significantly higher levels of IL-17, IFNγ, TNFα, IL-1β, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, macrophage inflammatory protein 1α, IL-5, and IL-13 compared to resveratrol-treated mice.
Resveratrol treatment had no significant influence on levels of IL-4, IL-10, or IL-2 in draining lymph node cells.
T cells from draining lymph nodes in mice treated with resveratrol showed reduced expression of IL-17 and IFNγ.
Resveratrol treatment reduced the numbers of total cells, CD4 IL-17⁺ Th17 cells, and CD4 IFNγ⁺ Th1 cells in draining lymph nodes compared to control mice.

o These results suggest resveratrol may suppress expansion and cytokine production in Th17 and Th1 cells in mice with CIA.

o Resveratrol may also suppress Th17 cell polarization and proliferation.

Conclusions

This study is the first of its kind to show that resveratrol, found in grape skins and red wine, can effectively prevent and treat experimentally induced inflammatory arthritis. Resveratrol, therefore, may be a novel treatment for arthritis, other treatments of which have been dominated by synthetically manufactured drugs. This paper did not examine the actual mechanisms of why resveratrol is successful in treating inflammatory arthritis, though they do make several suggestions (of which I will not go into right now).

The results of this study seem very promising, in that both the immunological and histological analyses appeared to point to marked reductions in both the onset of disease, and also in the amelioration of the disease once established for mice treated with resveratrol at different time points. Of course, this being a murine model, it’s not to say that this result will be comparable in humans. We, of course, do not know the answer to that at the moment, thereby clinical research trials would need to be performed to be certain.

The study mentioned early on that alcohol has been shown to be effective against inflammatory arthritis, however, never do they actually test it in the experiment (though, I suppose that wasn’t the goal of the experiment). Now that we know resveratrol plays a role in ameliorating the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis in the mouse model, I’d be curious to see the next study using not only resveratrol treatments, but also red wine treatments, and perhaps red wine minus the alcohol treatments, to determine which component plays a bigger role, or if the combination of the resveratrol and alcohol has synergistic or antagonistic effects on arthritis development and treatment.

I’d love to hear what you all this about this topic! Please feel free to comment below (html tags will be deleted).

Source: Xuzhu, G., Komai-Koma, M., Leung, B.P., Howe, H.S., McSharry, C., McInnes, I.B., and Xu, D. 2012. Resveratrol modulates murine collagen-induced arthritis by inhibiting Th17 and B-cell function. Annals of Rheumatic Disease 71: 129-135.

DOI: 10.1136/ard.2011.149831

I am not a health professional, nor do I pretend to be. Please consult your doctor before altering your alcohol consumption habits. Do not consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21. Do not drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly!