Thankful Thursday a day late...

I know I tend to complain about our house and how we are ready to explode right outta there, but a lot goes on in this little house and it's all good......well most of the time!  Like everyone else if walls could talk you'd hear some really good dirt on us.

I am thankful for our house especially after the year some of friends and neighbors have had during the flood.

A peek into our home: 

Here's my baby from when I was a baby-

I love her so......but in our house 

I almost cry when I find her like this

 

And mostly I have her hold my jewelry 

In the morning you can find Maggie waking Karl as they have their morning growl! 

And the people of the house

The Teen 

The Butcher...lol. 

The Human Reindeer

The dog that thinks she human - brat!

  

Getting the tree for our house is always fun 

 Picking it up to take home

Picking it up again- off the road after it tried to escape off the truck

who's that guy

Decorating a small home is nice and easy

My homemade live wreath  - haveing live greens for wreaths and garland is my new favorite thing of Christmas- I LOVED smelling them as I got in the door. 

Some of my favorite books/magazines come out at Christmas time 

I really wanted to bring the outdoors in

I love this little guy I bought at the craft fair this year 

 Rob painted a few rocks from the lake sliver for me   

Tree branches inside

These silver pine cones were adorable- Kmart. 

At our house we get donuts ready for Elf on the shelf 

We make Maggie wears bows 

and the dogs get wrapped presents at Christmas 

 

And at night everything looks more magical -

 Our tree all dressed up

An old school project of Lucas' and truck carrying a glass acorn ornament- I love that!  

 Please don't go

 Yes~ very thankful for our home!

  

Veggie Wedgie Wednesday

Here's a great Italian Tossed Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups romaine lettuce - torn, washed and dried
1 cup torn escarole
1 cup torn radicchio
1 cup torn red leaf lettuce
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced in rings
12 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.In a large bowl, combine the romaine, escarole, radicchio, red-leaf, scallions, red pepper, green pepper and cherry tomatoes.

2.Whisk together the grapeseed oil, basil, vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Pour over salad, toss and serve immediately.

Speaking of salads- how about this cool bowl???? 

Rockett St George

Oh and I'm loving this: 

NY&Co.

Oh I'm detoxing for 21 days - you can read about that HERE at PlantFoob.

Age-IN

 Iris Apfel for MAC cosmetics

Every time I'm getting ready for my 6 month blood test; I always think about having cancer come back and how bad I wanna live till I'm old and gray with wrinkles and all that stuff.

I never used think so much about getting old - but now I do- In a good way! 

I look at some older people and they look darn good-

I think to myself what makes an older person look good and I came up with these things:

A good sense of humor and fun- grumpy is old and unattractive- think Betty White

Not too skinny- but not heavy

A great haircut with SMOOTH hair- no frizz

Good teeth- Nice white/bright teeth always look good

A wee tan

Good lips stick and painted nails

Stylish clothes without looking like you are trying to dress like a kid- Show off your own style!

I came across some cute images:

I love seeing different generations together!

Now enjoy this film- I LOVE these ladies- I wanna be them- I Do I Do




Well I came across some less expensive ways to treat yourself to some look good feel good stuff~

How about a Salt Bath?

http://www.elle.com/Beauty/Makeup-Skin-Care/Sea-Salt-Benefits

New York dermatologist Francesca Fusco, MD:
“Ordinary salt is largely sodium chloride, which is very dehydrating,” she says, “but mineral salt, such as Dead Sea salt, is rich in magnesium and calcium, which improve hydration by strengthening the barrier function of the skin.” Indeed, those minerals—in addition to zinc and potassium, other components of unrefined salt—are classified by scientists as “natural moisturization factors” for the way they support the skin’s water balance. “An example I give my patients is that when you sit in a non-salt bath, your skin wrinkles and prunes,” Fusco says. “But that doesn’t happen in salt water because salt reproduces an environment in balance with your skin in which your skin doesn’t leak out moisture.”

Yael Alkalay, the founder of natural beauty brand Red Flower:

“It has a sort of instantaneous effect of taking dead skin cells off the surface of the skin. It does it very gently, leaving the skin smoother and more able to absorb moisture and nutrients.” It’s especially effective when combined with warm water, which increases circulation. “One of the best ways to keep skin youthful, energized, and healthy is to increase blood flow while pulling moisture and minerals in.”

Here you can find some less expensive ways to whiten your teeth and smooth out your locks:

http://www.elle.com/Beauty/Makeup-Skin-Care/10-Beauty-Resolutions-Made-Simple#mode=base;slide=0;

Want to save money and skip the dentist? Crest just released 3D White Intensive Professional Effects Whitestrips. With a higher level of hydrogen peroxide, thicker formula, and fitted shape, these strips are the brand’s most powerful whitening product yet.

Having a solid foundation is key—start with a good frizz-reducing conditioner like L’Oréal EverSleek Intense Smoothing Conditioner, and finish by applying a lightweight leave-in treatment like Phyto Phytodéfrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm (use more or less, depending on how coarse your strands are).

here's a blogger review of L'Oreal

 

Oh Iris enlighten us

 

 

Grey Bedroom

How to Feng Shui Your Bedroom

Submitted by Kate O'Hara on Thu, 2011-07-28 13:48
FROM HER BLOG

Tips on bringing good energy into the place you rest and renew your chi.

For those of you looking to find a balance of energy in your home, here are some suggestions.

1. Position your bed as far away from the door as possible. It is said that Chi tends to travel from the door to the windows and vice versa. With this in mind, keep a path from door to window for energy to flow.

2. Clear your clutter, clear your spirit. Try ridding your space of any unwanted items or clutter. Dont forget to check under your bed! The monsters you've always worried about might just be all that stuff you're storing under there.

3. Take advantage of soft and natural light! It can help you regulate your sleep, if nothing else.

4. For those of you looking for a stronge sense of security in your bedroom, choose a bed with a solid headboard and position it against a sturdy wall.

5. Bedrooms are a place for warm tones. This can still include any color along the color spectrum, so long as you choose a shade with warmth in its undertones. Reds, pinks and flesh tones are particularly popular among Feng Shui devotees.

6. Keep electronics out of the bedroom! Televisions, computers and other electrical equiptment doesn't have a place in a bedroom adhereing to Feng Shui. These items can detract from your bedroom's relaxing and rejuvinating characteristics.

7. Bring the outdoors in, with plants to introduce healthy life to your space.


It is ideal to have a balance of the 5 elements in your home:

1.Wood - This element represents creativity and is represented by the color blue (and sometimes green). Place a plant on the window sill or a wooden headboard on your wall.

2.Fire - Fire brings enthusiasm into a space. Most often in colors of red, pink, and purple, this element can be brought into the mix with accent colors and bedding.

3.Earth - With the earth element comes physical strength. The earth element includes brown, green and sand tones. A fabulous piece of art on your wall is just one of many ways to introduce this element to your space.

4.Metal - Mental clarity is part of the metal element. This is a particularly important element for creating a rejuvinating bedroom. Use gray, white and silver to represent metal.

5.Water - Water stands for spirituality. We love using mirrors in bedrooms, and the fact that this covers our water element is icing on the cake!

To Keep In Mind: Most furnishings accesories represent multiple elements. Resist the urge to clutter your space!

That article is great- BUT I'm such a clutter bug!!! 

And grey isn't too warm- but maybe accent colors will help with that!

The Sun of God

So I had a very interesting Sunday morning last Sunday.  I haven't posted too much on God lately, but I have to share this.  At our church things have changed and at times change is hard and sometimes I feel a bit confused/lost.

Well when I was dealing with my cancer and treatment I had a lot of time to pray and I had some really happy moments- blessings.  I actually believe God was with me and signs would pop up every so often.  When I first found out I had cancer I would go to healing mass and I would see people who I know where in tune to God.......I thought to myself  "Why can't I see/feel what they see/feel?"  So I read the bible and scriptures I was given at mass and when I felt like I would never get IT, I called my pastor and he told me to stick with it-  so I did.

Eventually I felt peace within me REAL peace!  I became so in love with seeing the sun......now my cancer stuff all started around October so you wouldn't think of sunny days, but there were.  I remember a few times crying/praying in my car and then this bolt of sun would appear and I would feel great peace.  I knew it was God, but I never shared that with Rob.  Sometimes it's hard to share things like that because it's hard to believe unless you've felt it yourself.  So I kept it to myself.

Well Sunday morning Rob couldn't sleep so he got up and went to mass at 7:30 in the morning.  We had one of our coldest nights.  Rob came home and he told me something weird happened on his way home from church.  He was thinking about a story my father had told him about church and then the sun came beaming out and it was so bright he couldn't see anything and he thinks he felt something.  He thought it was God- speaking to him.  When he came to me with this story I was so happy.  We sat on our bed and I told him how that had happened to me a few times while driving in my car on days when I would drive with no radio just prayers and tears.  We then discussed what it maybe meant- what was God's message to us.

We came up with this:
God is always with us no matter hard our struggle becomes down here.          


Call to him and he will come.............

Inspiration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even a day trip to the city to see a couple of docs brings on excitement and new obsessions!

illy coffee- I love you!

Iridescent Tile

the amazing things they do

I seen this one in a restroom

at Food Emporium

Walking from building to building I seen LOTS of wellies

Hunter Wellies to be specific

Then as I waited for my Rads Doc I scored a New York Post which featured these

"Pumped Up Kicks"

For sure Hi-Tops will be all over in the city come spring...

Notice anything?

Some have a wedge heel hidden inside like these silver and beige ones- Me like!

Also in the post an article discussing updating your home sparked my interest in

Metallic Walls or Ceilings.  

I'll post more on my appointments- already got my blood test results and EVERYTHING NORMAL!
Just working on getting my Vit D up! 
I'm almost 2 years out.....
Thank you God and St. Theresa!

Rob drove the whole trip- and it wasn't an easy one- I'm so blessed to have him.  We had a good time being together.

Today is Friday the 13th and receiving my blood test on such a day would maybe bring some hesitation/anxiety- BUT being I had my baby boy on a Friday the 13th- It's a heavenly thing for me.
My boy is out of town wrestling today- I really wish I was there-