Tag Archives: womens suite

DIY: Veggie Garden Markers

DIY: Veggie Garden Markers

Style & Fashion, ,

I’ve always loved the idea of having a veggie garden.
Tasty, healthy, vegetables
right in my front yard.
Yes please!
 
The only problem is
I do not have a green thumb in my body.
I’ve killed every plant and flower I have ever received.
My husband’s grandma
who is an excellent gardener
says it’s because I give them too much love and attention.
I think she’s just trying to be nice.
 
Anyways, when we moved a few months ago
it just so happened (actually it was totally intentional)
that we moved right next door
to our great friends.
And it just so happens that our friends are great gardeners!

From: www.lubirdbaby.com

What I Wish I knew when i started my business

What I Wish I Knew When I Started My Business: ModernSoapMaking

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What I Wish I Knew When I Started My Business

Are you ready to take the plunge? Have you already and feeling overwhelmed and defeated? Perhaps you just need to commiserate, this article from Kenna @modernsoapmaking will help you with all these and more.  Our favorite advice? Don't compromise your value! 

5. There is a market for everything.The biggest argument I get in regards to charging decent prices that net a profit is that the market can’t bear it. And that is a big ole fat lie. The only time the market won’t bear a price that is fair to you and your business is when you aren’t going after the right market or a specific market at all.If you are throwing your soap out in the wild, hoping and praying that some bloke will plunk down $10 for your soap, you are betting on a chance. You have to nail down a specific market that is right for your products. For most businesses, the opposite direction of flow is made: a niche market is identified and a product is created to serve that niche. For most soapmakers, however, they start off by throwing caution to the wind and hoping someone somewhere will buy their products because they are AMAZEBALLS.

Source: What You Need to Know Before You Start a Soap Business

hot to chocolate souffle

How To Chocolate Soufflé

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Souffle is something I have never tried to bake while always wishing that I could. My first cookbook (actually it was my Aunt's cookbook on semipermanent loan to me) was full of French delicacies. After failing at several recipes, I convinced myself, at the age of 13, that French cooking was far too fussy. That was that…..until now. 

This simple and enchanting tutorial from, TheKitchn, has changed my mind about (some of) French cooking! So what if your souffle falls! It will still be delicious, with the added bonus that now there is room for whipped cream!

I've always found soufflés incredibly alluring and charming in their very simplicity. Eggs are separated into yolks and whites. The yolks get whisked into a rich, flavorful base — in this case, melted chocolate — while the whites get whipped to stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the base, transfer it to cups, and bake. So simple!

In the heat of the oven, the air trapped inside the whipped egg whites starts to expand; this lifts the whole soufflé, giving the finished dish a foamy, airy texture — a nice contrast to the richness of the base.

via How To Make a Chocolate Soufflé — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn | The Kitchn.

Lemon Sugar Scrub

Lemon Sugar Scrub

Style & Fashion, ,

Are you searching for the perfect Mother's Day gift for you MIL or Bestie? Nothing says, "I love you", like a lovingly homemade present. In this DIY from www.iheartnaptime.net, learn to make you very own Lemon Sugar Scrub. It's a good idea to make a double batch, I'm willing to bet you will want to keep some for yourself. 

Want to go the extra mile? Present the sugar scrub with a cute printed "coupon" for an afternoon off so she can enjoy this sugar scrub with a little well deserved "me time"! 

From: www.iheartnaptime.net

5 Benefits of Coconut Oil

Health & Fitness, ,

~5 Health Benefits Of Coconut Oil

1. Weight Loss
Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides that are metabolized differently than fats from other oils. These unique fats may help with weight loss.

2. Strengthen the Immune System
Coconut has a special ingredient, which makes it excellent for fighting microbes, called lauric acid. In the body, lauric acid is converted into monolaurin, which has antiviral, antiprotozoan and antimicrobial properties.

3. Important Minerals AbsorptionThe fats and substances in coconut oil help your body to better absorb calcium and magnesium, which are important for bone health.

4. Great for Cooking
The problem with other kinds of vegetable oils is that when heated they turn rancid. Rancid oil is obviously bad and vegetable oil is responsible for bad cholesterol. However, when coconut oil is exposed to heat, it’s been found to resist mild heat damage. Coconut oil doesn’t turn rancid.

5. Natural Moisturizer
Coconut oil has also benefits when applied to the skin. It’s often used for massage, to knead away tired muscles. It also has great moisturizing benefits, and can be used in the place of any body lotion. Coconut oil also has plenty of anti-aging benefits, and can help protect the skin from free radicals, which can cause skin to look older and more tired.

To see the original article:

http://www.curejoy.com/content/5-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/#PhotoSwipe1417970852676

diy hot air balloons

You Can Do This! DIY Hot Air Balloons from Fabric Paper Glue

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You Can Do This!

These DIY Hot Air Balloons hanging lanterns are so freaking adorable! I know what you are thinking, it looks waaaaay too complicated. The beauty is that it's really not that detailed! The creative genius at FabricPaperGlue.com has laid out her tutorial here. If you make them, you've just got to share pictures of your results! We promise to link any pics shared in the Community to this article so everyone can see!

Gluten Free Make-Ahead Breakfast

Gluten Free Make-Ahead Breakfast

Health & Fitness, , , , ,


There are so many special diets out there nowadays that staying aware of them all can make your head spin. There are also so many different reasons for each, but there’s one thing that all of these diets have in common: healthy eating habits.

My family and I don’t follow a special diet; we simply stay away from heavily processed foods and eat as fresh as possible. For us, this means being able to incorporate variety and, most importantly, venturing out to discover the best recipes from all types of diets – because the same-old stuff hitting the table is boring.

A year ago, I picked up a vegan cookbook to broaden our palates. Wholegrains, vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts were all the things we loved, so we dived right in. Veggie stir-fries, quinoa cakes and nut bars were all delightful (except for the tofu, which did not fly with the kiddo) but there was one ingredient that stood out among the rest: chia seeds. An omega-3 rich seed, these little guys pack a nutritious punch and can be added to practically anything. I would have never known if it wasn’t for trying my hand at a new diet.

Read more at http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/overnight-chia-seed-pudding/#y9iqzST6tfBTTIiT.99

From: www.jamieoliver.com

urban prepping

Urban Prepping, It CAN Be Done!

Ponder this, ,

Urban prepping is not a lost cause and can have many manifestations. Being a prepper living in an urban environment can be disheartening especially when so much of the content available to preppers is aimed at country dwellers. If any prepper sites do address urbanites, it's usually in order to tell us to get the heck out of Dodge! 

Sounds like great advice, but what if you can't (or won't) relocate? In the following article, The Organic Prepper details steps that urban preppers can take where they are!

Stop waiting until you move to the perfect location. Make preparations for the situation you have, not the situation you want.

Source: Bloom Where You're Planted: Prepping to Survive Where You Are Right Now – The Organic Prepper

Why Creating a Blog is Essential For Artists

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When you share knowle(d)ge catering to your target market's needs and wants, you will attract more readers. For instance, if you make paper sculptures and can create a super simple tutorial and share it on your blog, you may attract moms looking for projects for kids.  Or if you design accessories, by giving away a bit of your process, style mavens seeking ideas for accessorizing their latest fashion finds.  Whatever you do, simplifying and showing others step by step how to create something, can bring prospective customers to your work. Sharing DIY crafts for people who appreciate what you do, can help you be found through a Google search – without paying a dime for advertising.

via Artist Blog | 4 Reasons Creating a Blog is Essential for Indie Artists and Creatives | IndieMade.

Vitamin D and Women's Health

Vitamin D and Women’s Health

Health & Fitness, ,

Chances are, you've heard that Vitamin D and Women's Health are closely related. Our bodies can produce vitamin d but many of us don't get enough sun exposure to satisfy our daily requirements. The average woman uses between 3000 and 4000 IU of vitamin D daily. While our skin can make large amounts of vitamin D when lots of skin is exposed and the sun is high in the sky. Your body is designed to get the vitamin D it needs by producing it when your bare skin is exposed to sunlight, the problem arises when our modern lifestyles necessitate that we don't get outside as much as our bodies are designed. Add to that the growing concern over certain sun-caused skin cancers and you have a population running on a deficit of Vitamin D. 

Vitamin D and Women's Health

New research is revealing connections between vitamin D deficiency and a myriad of health concerns, including cancer, depression, osteoporosis, immune dysfunction, diabetes, heart disease, and more. In fact, mounting research documents the impressive degree of disease prevention that can be obtained from higher vitamin D blood levels. Thankfully, more and more conventional practitioners are testing vitamin D levels in their patients these days. Since there are several forms of D, be sure you request evaluat

Source: Vitamin D — the Giant for Bone Health and Disease Prevention | Women to Women

making bread in a bread machine

Making Bread in a Bread Machine

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Bread Machine Baking

Some people(not me) are bread purist. These people will tell you that making bread in a bread machine is cheating yourself of the experience. For these folks, in order to truly experience the peace and satisfaction which comes from baking your own bread at home, you must be hands on from start to finish and they describe kneading bread with adjectives such as, "soothing, therapeutic, cathartic, and zen". 

When I first started baking bread for my family, I wholeheartedly believed this myth. I wanted to do the the best I could and therefore ruled out the bread machine. Baking bread became such a chore that I eventually abandoned it altogether. Now days, while I do enjoy the experience of hand made and home baked bread, I've come to accept that using a bread machine is a compromise that I can live with! Because what I can buy in the store in no way beats what I can produce at home with the help of a bread machine? 

I wasted so much time trying to be perfect, I hope you don't do the same. My current requirements of a "good" bread: Healthy, wholesome and will my family eat it.  And talk about thrifty! Even buying the "primo" organic, whole wheat, non-bro mated flour, the cost is peanuts compared to what I would spend buying a loaf of organic wheat bread every week.Here's the recipe for our current favorite bread machine loaf. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Warm Water (not to hot or it will kill the yeast)

1/3 Cup Warm Milk

3 Tablespoons Melted Butter

3 Tablespoons Sugar 

1 1/2 Teaspoons Yeast

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

2 3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

Method:

Pour warm milk, water, melted butter and sugar into your bread machine bowl. Mix well. Add the yeast, mix and let sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. After 10 minutes add both flours plus the salt. Choose your favorite setting on your bread machine, close the lid and press start. That's it! You're free to do other things and you will have delicious home baked bread in a few hours, enjoy!

 

Reach Your Healthiest Weight

Health & Fitness, , , ,

Why do most diets fail? It's not because we're lazy or lack willpower. Almost every time, the reason diets backfire is because we restrict too much.

When you dramatically reduce your caloric count, your body instantly perceives danger. Your inner alarm system that protects you from starvation kicks in and slows your metabolism. You go into starvation mode and overeat. And inevitably when you stop dieting, you regain your former weight plus some.

Think about what happens when you skip breakfast, work through lunch, and finally return home in the evening. You eat everything in sight, right? You feel stuffed, sick, guilty, and regret ever entering the kitchen in the first place.

Why does this occur? After all, you are a reasonable person. You know you shouldn’t overeat.

via How To Stop Overeating & Reach Your Healthy Weight: A Doctor Explains – mindbodygreen.com.

Make These Diet Choices a Priority

Health & Fitness, ,

It was early 2013 when I got the scare of a lifetime. While on vacation a sharp pain prompted me to do a breast self-exam. I discovered a pea-sized lump.

I immediately made changes to my diet and my lifestyle. I enrolled in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City. I committed to juicing vegetables, eliminated certain foods, and created healthy recipes, crafted with ingredients touted for their restorative and cancer-fighting properties.

via 12 Things I Did To Lose 24 Pounds (Without Trying) – mindbodygreen.com.

Superfoods You Should Eat More Of

Health & Fitness, ,

We have a choice: We can choose to eat foods that feed disease, or we can choose to eat those that feed our health. According to some estimates, 77% of the disease burden and 86% of deaths are related to our diets and lifestyle.

But this isn't about feeling shame for a past of unhealthy eating. Instead, feel encouraged that your body is brilliantly made and resilient. Now, shift your perspective to what you can do in the here and now. When you know better, you do better.

via The 4 Superfoods You Aren't Eating Enough Of (And No, Kale Isn't Included) – mindbodygreen.com.

For Those of Us Who HATE Exercise

Health & Fitness,

For those of us who hate exercise…..

I'm not afraid to admit, I hate exercise. There are so many other things that I would rather (and need to be) doing than spending an hour at the gym listening to bad music while trying to look less awkward. That's why this year I'm committed to NOT joining another gym. Yep! Call me a rebel but I'm bucking the New Year's resolution tradition. Rather than wasting the money (because let's face it, unless you love working out a gym membership is not likely to be used) I'm walking around my neighborhood for 30 minutes every day. I'm saving time too! Think of all the hours spent driving to and from the gym! That's not to say that I will never have another gym membership, just that for me, for now, "going to the gym" is more of an obstacle than a benefit in my health journey. What about you, do you love or hate exercise?

If you need motivation to get up and GET ON WITH IT, this post could be just the thing! In practical and no-nonsense terms, the author lays it on the line. After reading it, I almost felt like taking a walk right then and there……almost. 

6 survival tips for those that HATE exercisingFunky Junk Interiors.

Sugar Detox!

Health & Fitness,

It seems as if everyone is trying out an elimination diet of one sort of another. Gluten-free, meat-free, paleo, plant-based, juice fasting…January is the month where we get to start over, reboot and detox! For those of us who want to be good to our bodies but aren't ready for a full 30 day juice fast, this simple sugar detox could be just the thing!

There are lots of hardcore, carb-cutting, intensive sugar detox programs out there, but if you are looking for an easy-to-follow, won’t-make-you-crazy, gentle restart to healthier eating, you’ve come to the right place.There are just four simple steps.

Please follow the link for the full article. 

via Post-Holiday Sugar Detox in 4 Simple Steps — Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS.

Star Wars Holiday Special

Style & Fashion,

Star Wars Holiday Special? Did you know there was such a thing? This article is helping to unearth one of the biggest bombs in Star Wars history and I am absolutely intrigued! You can safely bet that I will be watching this masterpiece of mediocrity in the near future!

Lucas has rarely spoken about the Holiday Special, but he once opened up at a fan convention and famously said: “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it.” Unlike the controversial digital tinkering with the original trilogy in the 1990s, some things time and money cannot alter or erase.

via May the farce be with you: the Star Wars Holiday Special they want us to forget | Film | The Guardian.

Stamped Friendship Bracelets

Stamped Friendship Bracelets

Style & Fashion, ,

We’ve noticed all our favorite craft stores have started stocking metal alphabet stamp sets. Jewelry stamping is so easy and rewarding — if you haven’t tried it yet, this is the perfect first project.

 

We purchased most of our supplies from Hobby Lobby. Get a pack of suede laces, lanyard clasps, jump rings, stamping blanks, alphabet stamps and a metal stamp block. You’ll also need pliers and a hammer.

From: www.iheartnaptime.net