Friday's Photos - Beautiful Blue

.

.

Some beautiful bedroom photos via the DC Design House designed by Kelley Proxmire.

.

Happy Friday!!
.

__

.

__

.

.

Conscious Food Decisions

.

.

We all need to start paying attention to what we put in our bodies and need to make more conscious food decisions.

.

The clip below is from the film Food Inc. - I recommend that everyone view this documentary and make your own decision based on the facts presented. You can rent this film or go to Amazon.com and purchase a copy for just $9.99. I'm sure you can also see it on YouTube.

.

Fact

.

Americans take 3 million pounds of antibiotics every year.

.

28 million pounds are given to livestock.

.

Food, Inc. is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner. The film examines large-scale agricultural food production in the United States, concluding that the meat and vegetables produced by this type of economic enterprise have many hidden costs and are unhealthy and environmentally-harmful. The film is narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, two long-time critics of the industrial production of food.

.

Food, Inc

Zone 9 Garden

.

.

It's time to start planning and planting indoor vegetable seedlings for my kitchen garden - since I live in Zone 9. Yay!!

.

Did You Know?
A well-planned vegetable garden can turn a $50 investment in seeds and fertilizer into $1250 worth of groceries, according to a cost-analysis study by the Burpee seed company.

.

Above table courtesy of veggieharvest.com

Friday's Photos - Empathy

.

.

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.

.

.

UNICEF is asking that everyone donate $1 by midnight on Tuesday to help raise 46 million needed for Haitian Relief.

.

.

.

.

Hope For Haiti Now - Benefit Concert

.

.

UNICEF
.

Reminder: Benefit Concert Friday Jan. 22@8pm ET/PT - Hope for Haiti Now

.

A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief - 100+ celebrities - broadcast worldwide. The Hope for Haiti fundraiser was organized by actor George Clooney and will feature Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys and many others. .

.

Homemade Lip Scrub/Exfoliate

.

.

Recipe and Instructions
.

Take approximately 2 tablespoons of plain table sugar in a small bowl. Add honey, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a nice, thick, sticky, consistency. I also add a few drops of Olive Oil, but this is optional. Take a bit of the mixture, and start gently rubbing it on your clean lips (I like to use my toothbrush to exfoliate). Rinse off and follow up with lip balm.

.

The Benefits

.

Exfoliated lips are less prone to chapping.

.

Visible wrinkles around the mouth are less noticeable.
.

Lip stick stays on better.
.

No harsh chemicals.
.

Environmentally friendly.
.

KISSING!! Soft lips are better for kissing.
.

Ingredients
.

Sugar - acts as the abrasive and it dissolves so you don't need to worry about "grit" getting in your mouth.
.

Honey - has anti-bacterial properties, is usually non-allergenic, and tastes good.

.

Olive Oil - Moisturizes, protects, soothes, is tasteless in the scrub, and is non-toxic and generally non-allergenic. It won't clog your pores around the mouth either.
.

Lip Balm - A good lip balm applied right after exfoliating will nourish and moisturize the newly exposed skin.

.

(Images Courtesy of Jupiter Images)

"The Green Drink"

.

.

Have I ever mentioned that my kids love "The Green Drink." I make it for them each morning before school. It's quick and easy and soooo nutritious!! I do vary the ingredients now in then based on what in season and I add a little fruit juice to make it more palatable. If you haven't ever tried one of these concoctions - you don't know what your missing. I don't own a Juicer (although I really should look into getting one) - I just mix it up in a blender.

.

Basic recipe for mixing up a Green Drink.

.

2 apples, cored

2 big handfuls of spinach

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

1 celery stick, chopped

1 thumbnail length of ginger root

1 lemon - juice only (use peel slice for zest)

1 medium cucumber

(I also add various different fruit juices)
.

Yummmm!!!

.

All Photos Courtesy of Jupiter Images

Happy New Year 2010!!

.

.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!!

.

All of our decorations are safely packed away - except for the beautiful little holiday clock my mom gave me. It's still chiming out Christmas tunes on the hour. The sound it makes is delicate and sweet and I can't seem to give up those lovely tunes just yet. The pine needles have been vacuumed up for the last time - all ten million of them - and I've made my resolutions. I always love making them each year - even though by the end of January most are history. This time of year has a powerful effect on me and gives me such optimism and a much needed burst of energy!!

.

Happy New Year 2010!!