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This month Soraya LaFleur is our woman of the month. It seems pretty fitting since I found out that December is her favorite month of the year! She is a ray of sunshine at all Celina Ladies and Friends events. I hope you all enjoy reading a little more about her and her family. This is all about Soraya, in her words. I have lived in Prosper for 3 years. Been in North Dallas 4 years. We were tired of the hustle and bustle of New York.   Wanting to go somewhere where peop

It's that time again! Time for gifting all the teachers, caregivers, bus drivers, teachers aides etc. If you are anything like me, it all needs to be done this week and you are still not done! I go through a few stages before I am done. 1. Spend a few hours on Pinterest looking for the perfect craft that you think you can pull off. 2. Buying supplies for the craft. 3. Try to make one, get frustrated, walk away. 4. Consider buying everyone gift cards. 5. Suck it up and star

After a slight delay, it is finally here...our lady of the month post! This month we are highlighting Jacquelyn. Some of you may know here as Dolly from our past Halloween Pokeno nights! Besides her awesome costume you may also know her positive attitude and she her big, beautiful smile. Thank you Jacquelyn for sharing with us! Jacquelyn moved here a year and a half ago with her fiance when he got a job opportunity with Toyota. They moved to Celina and love the friendlin

My kids love a good Christmas Tree Lighting. The one is Celina is their favorite...I mean they saw reindeer, Santa and a huge Christmas tree last year as well as got train rides, hot chocolate and a larger than life snow globe photo! While we will definitely be attending this again we always try to go to as many as possible. Here is a list of all the festivities taking place in the next couple of weeks. All of these are about 30 minutes or less from Celina. November 30th-

As Thanksgiving and Christmas are fast approaching I have a tendency to get all sentimental. This Thanksgiving and Christmas will be our first year in Texas with no family close by. And that is okay because I have met amazing women in Celina Ladies & Friends that have embraced my family. Besides my family, which I am grateful for, I am truly grateful for my girlfriends. If I need to get out of the house I now have women to call that will get me out of the house. They push

We are 12 days away from Thanksgiving day. Last year, when I hosted a student from Europe, this was the holiday she was most excited for! She had only seen how Thanksgiving is celebrated on TV and movies. After explaining the story of the Mayflower and the pilgrims to her we went into the food. Stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, ham, cranberry sauce, mac and cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes and 2 pies. We prepared and baked every single item, even though it took us a f

Celina Ladies and Friends is grateful for all our sponsors. Please take a minute to read about Grace & Heart directly from our sponsor, independent representative Lora Johnson. Thank you for sponsoring Celina Ladies and Friends. My name is Lora Johnson. I am a wife, soon to be grandma, community volunteer, business owner, and mentor. I am an independent representative for a company called Grace&Heart. Grace&Heart jewelry started March 2015 in Suzanne Garrett’s garage in Sa

We are happily bringing back this monthly feature! This month, our Celina Ladies and Friend, lady of the month is Shannon Gill. If you attended our Halloween Pokeno you may know her as the scary pirate! She is warm and kind and makes you feel like you are with an old friend once you start talking with her. We are so glad she decided to share this information with us! Shannon and her husband moved to Prosper 2 1/2 years ago because they outgrew their closets and she "neede

The nights are getting nice and cool. The sweaters have been taken out of the closet and so did the boots and scarves. Growing up in California, October meant it was apple picking season. Load the kids up and pick a bushel of apples even in the cold and then take them home and make them into every recipe you could think of! That is one thing I have not found here in Texas. If anyone reading this knows of an apple farm that I can get to in under 1 1/2 hours please let me

This month is a very important month to bring awareness about checking on "The Girls". Every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. It is scary to receive that diagnosis. While I have been lucky so far in not receiving this news; my younger sister had a double mastectomy in her 20's and a cousin underwent treatment in her 50's and she is currently in remission. Breast cancer does not discriminate and sometimes, though rare, it will also affect men. So what can

Today, we highlight a popular local store, Willow House, which sells clothes, home décor, gifts, school spirit wear, accessories, bath and body items, and greeting cards. Willow House Boutique opened in 2013 in historic downtown Celina, Texas. Owners Craig & Kerrie Turner live in Celina, and they love the small town feel of the downtown square and the local residents. The Turners’ investment in Willow House is more than just providing a unique retail experience—they are commi

Mark your calendars for September 19th! That is the day for North Texas Giving Day. This was started in 2009 by the Communities Foundation of Texas to build awareness and support for local nonprofits. If you go to their website, https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/about , you can search for nonprofits by the causes you would like to support and then choose which will receive your online donation. Last year they were able to raise $48 million that helped fund nonprofits i

Thank you Annie Jack for your continued support of Celina Ladies and Friends. We appreciate everything you do for us! Today, we highlight a popular local boutique, Annie Jack Design & General Store, which offers a wide selection of clothes, home décor, gifts, accessories, candles and bath & body items. Annie Jack Design & General Store opened in 2016, in the historic Nelson Hotel on the square in Celina, Texas. Owner Rachel Baty, who studied interior design at Baylor Univers

Anyone else counting down the days until Fall? Dreaming of cool, crisp nights? Bonfires? S'mores and pumpkin spice? I definitely am! Besides those things I am also anxiously waiting for my Autumn Joy Sedum to bloom so I can see what color I planted and trying to figure out what I can start to do in my Fall garden! Daffodil, Iris and Hyacinth bulbs are whispering "plant me!" But it is too soon! Now is the time to clean up the last of my Summer vegetable garden and start

I have never known heat until I moved to Texas! We are currently right in the middle of what is considered the Dog Days of Summer, a phrase started by the ancient Romans. These days are from around July 3rd through August 11th. These days are usually the hottest and longest due to the way the Earth tilts on its way around the sun. It also is when the star Sirius (the Dog star) which is part of the Great Dog constellation is visible in the Summer sky, thus the name. So w

It's the 4th of July, which means BBQ's and fireworks. I personally have one dog that just does not do well with all of the loud noises. According to PetAmberAlert.com, Animal Control services increase 30% from July 4th - 6th with July 5th being one of the busiest days at an animal shelter. There are things you can do to help keep your pets safe this 4th. See below for some suggestions. 1. Microchipping - Once microchipped it lasts their lifetime. Many police stations

The days are longer, the temperatures are rising and as of a few days ago, it is officially Summer. Besides the family road trip there are a few things that personally mean summer to me. Chilled cucumbers with lemon and salt, my kids catching fireflies. This got me wondering, what are some other things that mean Summer? Here are a few responses I have received from friends and family: 1. Fresh watermelon. 2. Fireworks! 3. Sweet corn. 4. Margaritas!!! 5. Fresh tomatoes and

Lucy's on the Square is a great place to meet up with friends and neighbors in downtown Celina. The fact that Lucy's is in a brick building that is over 100 years old just adds to the feeling of home when you arrive. This was the first restaurant my family dined at when we moved to the area so it will always have a special spot in my heart. Moises and all the staff at Lucy's make you feel welcome the minute you walk in. Once you are seated you can spend so much time chec

When I think of Summertime I see BBQ’s, days entertaining the kids, water activities and the family road trip. Growing up my family summers consisted of camping trips. We would all load up in the back of the Volvo station wagon (no seatbelts, rolling around in the back with the sleeping bags was totally legal back then!) and start the 4+ hour drive. All the kids would then proceed to sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall until the adults drowned us out with their music, whic

Celina Ladies and Friends Lady of the Month for APRIL Congratulations to Haley Metcalf Haley and her husband Tyler moved to Anna in 2017. They choose to move from the hustle and bustle of McKinney to a quieter Anna where they built their first home. They choose Anna because they felt it was the perfect town to start their family! Haley has been very actively involved in the growth and development of Celina Ladies and Friends. Her favorite thing about CLF is the diversity of t