Unique Gift for The Blogger in Your LIfe

Is there a Blogger in your life, your mom, dad, grandmother or aunt?  Let's review a great gift idea for anyone who spends a lot of time sitting!

If anyone tells you that blogging is easy, they are wrong.  It requires spending a lot of time researching and writing and then re-writing to get your blog or post just perfect.

All that time is spent with your backside down on a chair. You may find that your tailbone becomes sore after a little while.  Concentrating on your subject matter is difficult when your tailbone is screaming for you to get up.   Don't let that become a discouragement for you.  There is relief!

As we get older our natural padding tends to become less cushioned.  It doesn't become smaller, just less dense.  This can lead to sore back-sides and no one I know likes to have a sore derriere.  When you are in the middle of a great blog post, you don't want to drop your line of concentration just because your backside is complaining.  Once you get up, you might lose your train of thought (that's an age related thing too).   Better stay where you are and finish that part of your blog.  But oh, to stand up for just a minute or two!  

Well I'm here to tell you there is relief for sore backsides.  I was complaining to a friend of mine who is wheelchair bound.  Now if anyone is getting a sore rear side, it has to be someone who has no choice but to sit.  So when we were together for coffee, I asked him, "What do you do when your rear end is complaining about being sat on all day?"  After laughing at me, he quickly replied that he has a special cushion on his chair that let's him sit comfortably for the whole day.  

Well I thought that was a great idea.  Let me see what I can find out about this!  Well, I guess I am not alone in thinking of ways to make my backside happier.  There is a whole line of memory foam cushions made just for those of us who spend a lot of time in a sitting position.  Truck drivers, transit workers, school bus drivers, computer gurus, and many more people enjoy the benefits of specialized cushions made just for them.

There are several styles of cushions available and all of them are portable, so you can use them in your car or whenever you know you will be sitting for a while. Taking them to a ball game is a great idea too, those bleacher seats are killers for older people.

Now my other half loves hockey games.  I know from experience that it gets really cold in those arenas.  When we watch our grandkids, sitting on the bleachers is a pain in the assets!  So these cushions would not only make that pain go away, but it will also insulate your posterior from the cold benches.  It's a win-win situation for me, that's for sure.

These cushions are lightweight and most come with a carrying handle.  I know that my backside will be much happier when it spends some time on an extra well padded chair seat.  They are affordable, comfortable and they do the job!  My tailbone has never been happier.

With Christmas coming, this would make a great gift idea for any grandparent, aunt, uncle, or anyone else you know who will spend some extra hours in the sitting position.  I'm hoping that your backside will be happier for knowing about these great cushions!

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Cool Nights, Crafty Nights, How to Get Through the Fall

When Summer gives way to Fall, all of a sudden we find ourselves looking for ways to keep busy indoors instead of outdoors.  It seems the older I get the more I like the idea of hunkering down in the quiet comfort of my home.  Let's Review some ways to make this time productive and fun!

Looking back over the last few months I realize that I did not want to come indoors at all.  Summer was glorious this year, with warm sunny days and warm evenings too!  Alas, all good things must come to an end, especially when you live in the north!

Fall is a great time to get cracking on all those things you wanted to do but didn't.  Fall is also that gateway to all kinds of Holidays that require your time and talents. It's a wonderful time to try your hand at making something crafty too.  Decorating your space was never easier, with themes provided by the Holidays.  So to that end, we will start getting all our crafts in order! Or we will try something new!

Crafting gives our hands a chance to make something unique and beautiful.  It lets us express some of our hidden talents.  We see something we like and we just know that we could do that too!  So when we are indoors instead of running around outside, we can sit and give our hands a chance to make something that we have never done before.

Halloween and Thanksgiving are great times to try our hands at crafty ideas. We could start by  making special goodie bags for the children that visit our door on Halloween night.  If you have a little more time, maybe we could make something a little more personalized for our family who will visit during Thanksgiving.
Both of these holidays can launch us onto a new hobby.

Now unless you are reviving a hobby that you once invested in, I would not suggest that you go all out and purchase all the items you might be needing for a new hobby.  Head to your nearest  Dollar Tree! It's a great place to start a new hobby and you can do it on-line.  You just never know what you will find there that will twig an idea!  There are hundreds of items available that you might be able to use to fuel your creative genius.  From yarns, to paints, beads, canvases and findings, you know you will have a great time picking out the things that will be transformed under your hands.  Don't spend a lot of money on a craft or hobby until you are sure it is something that you will continue to do.  

There are a great number of "How To" books that will walk you through all stages of a new hobby.  Knitting, crocheting, leatherwork, macrame, rug hooking, drawing and so many more hobbies can be learned through the pages of a great How To book!  I've chosen just  a few to get you started.  There are also many You Tube videos that will give you a "working" look at how to make some things.  I guess what I'm saying is that your indoor time during these upcoming cold months can be productive and fun.  You just might find that you have a talent for a certain hobby. 

I have several writer friends right here on the REVIEW THIS REVIEWS team, that are so talented they have their own ETSY  shops, where they turn their hobbies into a small business.  All the contributors here are passionate about some form of hobby!  Greeting Cards, knitting, crocheting, photography it's all covered by our contributors.

If you don't feel inclined to make things yourself,  I would suggest that shopping at the Etsy Mall will help you find something beautiful, hand made and will help to support someone who is working hard to make things beautiful.   

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Halloween Costumes: Important Tips for Everyone's Safety

Kids everywhere are already discussing what they will dress up as for their favorite holiday,  Halloween!  

Let's review some important safety tips so our children/ grandchildren can continue to enjoy this holiday.

Even though the end of September is quickly coming, adults and kids alike are getting into the Halloween spirit.  Everywhere you look there are dozens and dozens of costumes just trying to get your child's attention.  At the end of October every neighborhood will have dozens of Superheroes, Doctors and Nurses, Witches and Werewolves prowling about.  

These are my grandchildren, Miss BoPeep and her Sheep!

               

The excitement of  all the Treats has most youngsters just chomping at the bit to get out on Halloween night.

  

Let's just take a minute to review some important safety tips to keep our children/grandchildren safe during their escapades.

1.  Never ever let your children go out alone and unsupervised.

-team up with some neighborhood parents  and share the role as supervisors.  There are always some big kids that will take advantage or prey on younger children that are alone.  Instead of having fun, they are robbed of their candy and may even suffer some physical injury.

2.  Make sure their costumes allow them to walk without tripping, climb stairs without "face planting" on the next step and just see where they are going.  

3.  If they have chosen to be a witch, zombie, ax murderer or some other very dark creature, make sure that somewhere on their costume there is reflective tape or better yet, a  bright flashlight that will illuminate them in the dark.

4.  Rather than masks, try using makeup to augment their costume.  If you slather them with cream before makeup application, it will be much easier to come off later.  Makeup does not hinder their ability to see what's around them.  Masks tend to slip, dip and drop and the children are more interested in keeping that mask in place, than looking at where they are going.

5.  Keep the children off the roads.  One accident is one too many.  Check your route, and see that you do one side of the road and then cross to the other side.  Cars and kids running amok are not a good combination.

6.  Don't allow any treats to be consumed until they have been checked over.  With food allergies and treats being tampered with, eating on the run is never a good idea.

7.  Have fun and take some pictures along the way!  They will make some great memories in the future.

If you are looking for a great flashlight for your children to use on Halloween night, I would suggest this one:

I like this flashlight because it can be used at Halloween, but it can be used at other times of the year too.
It is an Amazon Choice and has three light settings.  It's a regular flashlight with a powerful beam, it's a reading light with a softer and wider light surface and (here's the reason I really like it) it has a powerful red flashing emergency light too!  That would add just another facet to any Halloween costume out there.

We have three of these in our apartment and they really work well when there is a black out!  So after Halloween, keep these flashlights in and around your home, so that if the power ever goes out, you are prepared.

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How to Make Your Fall Garden Clean UP a Breeze

Fall Garden Clean-up Can be EASY with the right tools!  Let's Review two that will make your work so much easier!

Gardening is a hobby that tugs at my heart, but after a day out there, my hamstrings, back and arms are aching.  Did you know there are some really great tools available that will make the garden clean-up much easier and less labor intensive?

If you have trees in your yard, you know that there will be some clean up required before Ole Mr. Winter rears his head.  If you have trees that produce nuts, pine cones or fruits, there will be even more clean up required.   I'm here to tell you not to get your overalls in a knot!  I just saw and reveled at a new garden tool that I'm sure everyone will want.  No more stooping over to pick up all those "presents" that so many trees give us.

Leaving fruits and nuts on the lawn over the winter months is not a recommended practice. It is much better for you and your garden to get that mess cleaned up in the fall.  You will have a nice clean area to work with come springtime. Many fruit trees, nut trees, and evergreens can harbor diseases and small animals (rodents) and you really don't want that. Nut trees like Black Walnuts will damage your yard as they contain chemicals that prohibit the growth of other plants. Plus you will have to deal with the hassle of cleaning up in spring when it's wet and messy! This makes fall a much better choice. This Nut Harvester, will pick up nuts, acorns, pine cones, fruit that has dropped before ripening, lemons, limes, apples and more. Left in the ground these fruits are a magnet for wasps and other critters that bite! If you have children playing in the yard, that is definitely a no-no. Personally I have gone out to the garden and turned my ankle on an apple that had fallen off the tree. So I know that this is not a pleasant experience.

Walnuts, acorns, pine cones, crabapples, chestnuts and more can be easily removed from the yard before that last mowing takes place.  There is a new tool that lets you roll over all this detris and make it a thing of the past.  Made by the same people that gave you the Garden Weasel, this tool is lightweight, easy to handle and makes stooping down a thing of the past.

If you have a teenager living at home and a golf course nearby, they could get a job collecting golf balls too! Dual purpose and easy to do too.



Now the other tool that I really like will help you gather all the leaves that will be falling soon. This tool will require a little bit of stooping over, but your "Garden Hands" will help make each bend over much more productive.By increasing the size of your hands, you are able to pick up that much more and make the gathering of leaves a job that gets done likety split. 

The other option as far as leaf gathering goes, is to leave them on the lawn and mow them over a few times. Hopefully you have a mulcher option on your lawn mower, so that the leaves are broken up into small pieces that will nourish your lawn as they break down. This option is for gardens that don't have a lot of leaves. If you have trees everywhere, and lots of leaves on the grass, you are much better off to pick those leaves up. Breaking them down into smaller pieces will only smother the grass underneath if the layer of mulched leaves is too thick!  The grass needs nourishment, but doesn't like to be smothered under a blanket of rotting leaves.

Those are my two suggestions for making your Fall Garden Cleanup and much easier routine.  Besides enjoying the crisp fall air, you will get a great level of exercise in before winter hibernation routines kick in. 

Fall is one of the most beautiful times in nature and it's great to get out there and enjoy the sights, sounds and the beauty all around us.  



For more Gardening Reviews you can Check out this link:  Review This Gardening  There are lots of articles from fellow members of the Review This team!

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How to Encourage Curiosity in Children

Is there a budding scientist in your family?  Let's Review some ways to encourage children's curiosity in the world around them.

In our family we try as hard as possible to enkindle a sense of curiosity in our children and grandchildren.  You just never know what exposing them to something they have never thought about might accomplish.  

My other half is a retired Medical Technologist and his fascination with microscopes started when he was about 10 years old.  Swamp water never looked so interesting as it did under the lights and lenses of a simple, yet very good beginner microscope.  

How many of you have seen what a blade of grass looks like under a microscope?  

This picture is taken from Nikon's Small World 2011 Photomicrography Contest.  Dr. Donna Stoltz, University of Pittsburgh

Now that our grandchildren are that age, he has revisited his love for seeing what the naked eyes can't.  He bought himself a new microscope and some slide sets that he plans to introduce to our granddaughters and grandsons.  We do get to spend some time with them when Mom and Dad are out of town.  It's the perfect opportunity to broaden their horizons and spend some quality time with them too.  

There are endless things that children can put under the lens and get a real up close look.  Flower petals, pollens, cat or dog hairs, these are all things that children can see under the microscope.  The amazing thing is that what they see through the lens is nothing at all like what they see with the naked eye.  It takes "seeing" something to a whole new level.  

Children are endlessly fascinated by the things around them and sometimes if you catch them at a point where they are looking for something different, you just might trigger the button for them to learn more and see differently.  

The future of our planet will be in the hands of our children, and we will need some of those children to take an interest in seeing the world from the Macro and the Micro phases.  Maybe one of them will be your child or grandchild. 

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10 Spices That Are So Easy to Grow & Great in Recipes

Whether you are a seasoned gardener or a beginner, there are so many spices that are so easy to grow!  Let's review some of these spices and maybe they might help trigger some creative cooking too!

Gardening is about enjoying what you and the earth can produce.  Nothing tastes as good as fresh from the garden.  That's why many people decide to go out to the country on the weekends to stock up on fresh from the farm goodness.

Having a spice garden is relatively easy and when it really starts to grow, it can become bountiful.  What a tasty treat for all your home cooked meals.  Let's get on to the list of easy to grow and great to enjoy spices that are just a few steps away from the kitchen.

10 of the Most Used and useful spices:

1.  Parsley:  either curly or flat leafed.  Wonderful for dressing up salads, potatoes, stews, and more.

2.  Chives:  Great with stuffed baked potatoes, salads, soups and more.

3.  Peppers:  These can be hot (hotter than Hades) or sweet as in bell peppers.  Some can be used for a meal as a vegetable and others for spicing things up.  Be careful, some of the peppers that are being grown today are so hot, you need to handle them with rubber gloves.

4.  Basil:  There are several varieties of Basil, from large Green Leafed Basil, to Purple Basil and even small leafed basil.  One thing is certain, tomatoes with fresh basil is a little bit of heaven right here on earth.

5.  Dill:  Great for making home made pickles, but also added to salads it adds just a little bit of a different taste sensation.

6:  Cilantro:  This is one spice that you either love or dislike(dare I say "hate").  It depends totally on your own taste buds.  Some people when eating anything with cilantro will taste a "soapy" flavor.  They are sure not to like this spice.  But others find cilantro to be refreshing with a crisp clear taste!  Great in salads and stews, soups and even sandwiches.

7:  Mint:  There are all kinds of mints available and all of them are really easy to grow.  Some might even be considered invasive.  Mints can be used in cooking as well as making teas (hot or cold) to enjoy on a hot summer's day.

8:  Sage:  Pretty in green or purple sage has a very strong flavor that will pack a punch of flavor in your cooking.

9:  Oregano:  Easy to grow and will often overwinter.  A great spice for all Italian dishes from spaghettis to pizza.  Added to soups and stews it adds a lot of flavor with a tangy zesty taste.

10: Rosemary:  this spice is easy to grow and can be used not only for cooking but as a decorative plant.  It prunes really easy and can be used as small topiaries.  This spice is great for lamb and grilled or roasted vegetables.  Taken indoors for the winter months, it will continue to grow without any problems.

This is my list of 10 favorites, but there are so many more and each one will add a dimension to your cooking that you may not have realized yet.  Below you will find a "cookbook" to help you make the most of the spices you grow yourself and the ones that you need to purchase because they just need a climate that we don't have.  Either way, home grown spices will definitely make you think twice about the way you cook and the way you enjoy your meals with your family.

Guide to Using Spices

If you are looking for help in pairing spices to make your recipes pop and sizzle, then I would highly recommend this Cookbook!  I use the term "Cookbook" with a certain amount of caution, it is not so much a "cookbook" as a real guide to using spices in combinations that will make your food preparation and your family's taste buds sing.

With a rating of 4.5 stars from Amazon, and over 1,000 verified purchases (mine included), I know that you will enjoy this addition to your cookbook collection!  As with many books today, there is a "Kindle" edition.  Alas, the Kindle version does not get very good ratings at all. (This decline in ratings I'm sure dropped this from a 5 star to 4.5 star rating) With the Kindle book, there is not the same ability to skip to other pages easily and quickly.   Some books just need to be in a paper version!

This truly is a REFERENCE BOOK  that every kitchen should have.  You will use it more often than you ever thought possible.

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Outstanding and Affordable Nordic Walking Poles, Fitness Made Easy!

Fitness and Exercise are a must for a healthy body and mind.  Nordic Walking Poles can make getting fit a little easier.  Let's Review these walking aids and see how they could fit into your life.

Growing older is not for wimps and those feint of heart, but it's something that everyone wants to do.  As you get older, it seems that keeping in shape and staying fit are harder and harder to do.  Unless you have always been an athlete, as we get older, we tend to slow down.  Not because of an innate desire to do nothing, but rather we might be having problems with arthritis, joint issues and more.  So while retirement and enjoying life is a great thing, if your mobility is not as great as it once was, you just might want to slow down or stop altogether!  

That is not the ideal way to spend your retirement years.  Activity keeps the mind and body stronger than just sitting around watching TV or playing cards.  Oh sure you can have some fun doing those things too, but don't let that become your life and your lifestyle.  Idleness is the devil's playground it is said! And the devil is Alzeimers or worse.  It has been proven that activity keeps the mind and the body in better shape than inactivity.  In the Canadian Government website regarding health of seniors it states, "Research shows that physical inactivity can cause premature death, chronic disease and disability. Health Canada encourages Canadians to integrate physical activity into their every day life; at home, at school, at work, at play and on the way ... that's active living!!"

So what is a person to do?  Well there are all kinds of "tools" available to help seniors keep active and healthy and one of these is Nordic Walking Poles.  These poles are just what they sound like, poles that you attach to your wrists to help you walk better and get exercise at the same time.  Better than just walking alone, these poles help you by encouraging you to walk easier and better.

Nordic Walking poles look something like ski poles, but they are made for walking on all kinds of terrain.  They are adjustable in height and have different tips on the bottoms of the poles to help you when walking on dirt roads, sidewalks and snow as well.  There is NO AGE LIMIT on who can use these walking poles. What I have found with them as I use them, is that it just adds a little bit of stability to every step I take.  Because of that added security, I tend to walk farther and faster too!  Walking is the number one way to keep fit, enjoy nature and the outdoors, and feel wonderful, without being exhausted at the end of the exercise time.  These are all bonuses to me.  Here's a great YouTube Video instruction for you to understand the differences between walking and Nordic Walking!

What makes using the Nordic Walking Poles so good is that used properly, you have turned a simple walk into a cardio exercise.  How is that possible?  Walking poles should be at a height that makes your arms rest at a 90 degree angle to your body.  When you walk,  you use alternating hands and feet to take the steps.  With arms swinging and your step lengthened, you are now working your heart as well as your legs and body.  It is almost like using an "Elliptical" machine in the gym, but your choice of where you walk can be much nicer than staring at a wall in a gym.

The added bonus is that you don't need to pay for a gym membership and the walking poles are very inexpensive.  You choose what time of day, where and how long you want to walk.  Take them with you on a Sunday afternoon stroll through your favorite park or "green space".  They are portable, lightweight and so easy to use. 

From all the reading I have done,  I know that Nordic Walking is a great exercise that can be done by just about everyone and it does not tire you out so much that you want to go home and drop into a chair never to move again.  It is an easy exercise that done 3 to 4 times a week, for at least 10 to 20  minutes, will keep you healthier and your body happier than just sitting around doing nothing!  Give it a try!  My thoughts are that once you start, you won't stop, and that is a good thing for sure. Just two more things that you might want to bring along for your walk and they are a good hat to keep the sun off your head and a water bottle to help you keep hydrated.  With these three items, you are good to go and I bet you will enjoy your walks so much more than before.  

          That's my "other half" checking out his fancy blue Nordic Walking Poles.  Mine are red!

P.S. as with any walking I am assuming that you will wear good walking shoes. (that's a given, right?)  

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It's National Blueberry Month All Around the World

Today is National Blueberry Muffin Day!  Just as these plump little berries are coming onto the market, it is time to get some great recipes, so you can fully enjoy these delicious little treats!  

Let's Review some of the best recipes that are out there on the World Wide Web, for all of us who love to consume this delightful bit of heaven on earth!

Blueberries are one of the best fruits for you!  Full of lots of vitamins and minerals, it has also had a lot of reported health benefits as well!.Blueberries are pretty to look at and taste even greater than they look.  Naturally native to North America, blueberries have been attributed to longevity and strength.  They are low in calories and high in taste!  A great combination for sure. If you want to learn more about the health benefits of blueberries you can check out a link right here!

Let me just give you the highlights!  100 grams of blueberries contains about 57 calories. for those who are not in the metric system that equals about a half cup.  Blueberries are full of anti-oxidants and dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. These dark blue berries even  help lower blood sugar levels and control blood-glucose levels. They pack a big bang for your grocery dollar. Many people feel that blueberries add years to your life and life to your years.  Added to other berries like strawberries and raspberries, the colors alone will make your mouth water.

What's even better is that you can use blueberries in so many different ways.  You can eat them just as they are, like grapes, or add them to a dish of ice cream for a real treat!  Blueberries can even be used in savoury dishes too! They are great in gravies, soups and stews or to add some flavor to venison dishes.   Just make sure you wash them well, just like any other fruit.

Blueberries can be cooked into a jam or jelly, baked into a cake or tart, or frozen for later use.  If you have a farm near you, I would highly suggest that this fruit is one you should go out and pick.  The time for that is right now!  Berry season this year looks like a great one.  We've had the right amount of rain and sunshine so that these fruits should be available without any problems. The height of the season is June through August.

Now let's look at a few ways that you can make the most out of this incredible berry season. Eating blueberries just as they are is wonderful.  Add other berries to make a lovely colorful flan, fruit cups, and mixed berry jams and jellies is a great idea too!  But don't stop there.  Blueberries can also be used in smoothies and making wine!  My personal favorite is Blueberry Muffins.  I like the flavor, texture and look of these muffins!  Yummy for breakfast or as a dessert for the family.  You will find so many recipes that use blueberries in this cookbook! 

Blueberry muffins are so good and easy to make, I just know you will enjoy this recipe!  Sam Monaco, a friend and great cook shared this recipe on his blog "Sam's Place"  I've made them lots of times and I never get tired of the ease and the great taste of these delightful muffins.  Enjoy!  Sam's Blueberry Muffins

By the Way,  just for some added fun, the next time you play a game like Trivial Pursuit, you can awe your family with the knowledge that Canada is the largest exporter of blueberries in the world.  Bet you didn't know that!

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The Best Way to Get Ready, Party Time is Here

In a couple of days Summertime will Officially be here! 

Along with Summertime comes Party Time! It's high season for Graduations, End of School Years, and let's not forget about the Fourth of July!  For Canadians that would be the First of July!

Everyone is looking forward to being with friends and family especially when the weather is warm and sunny!  Let's Review some of the best ways to get ready for all of those wonderful outdoor BBQ's and Holiday celebrations. Summertime is a wonderful time for us to enjoy our company, friends and the great outdoors at the same time.

Party planning can be fun, but it can also be costly.  Dollar Tree is a great place to get all those party needs at a reasonable cost. Red, White and Blue party supplies can be had for the best 4th of July party ever!  Canadians can skip the blue and stick with red and white!  Everything from glasses, plates and cutlery for your table and all of it color coordinated, can be had right here!

Setting a table for an outdoor party is easy when you can get everything you need in one place.  From the decorations to balloons, napkins and snacks.  You can even get mixes and drinks for the kids without any problem at all.  Dollar Tree is a one stop shop for all things party related.

When I have been invited to a backyard party, I like to come with something in hand to add to the table.  I will buy a nice bowl or two and then fill one of  them with my special salad and another with a dessert!  The host and hostess are always happy to see my contribution to the party and they always go over really well.

My favorite salad is easy to make, looks really good and is a healthy alternative!  This comes from a friend of mine who is a Naturopathic Doctor! Take a look and see if you don't agree that it looks delicious.

Picture Dr. Amy Tung Instagram 

Dr. Amy Tung's Baby Arugula, Seaweed & Kale Salad with Roasted Almonds and Fresh Herbs 🌿 .

1 cup unsalted almonds

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 cups kale

3 cups baby arugula

1/2 cup soaked and drained dried kelp

2 Tbsp each chopped fresh dill, parsley and cilantro 

1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

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Dressing: 

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, grated or pressed

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

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Toss almonds with extra-virgin olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes, turn every 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool.

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In large bowl combine kale, baby arugula and herbs. Cover with damp paper towels and reserve.

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For dressing, combine lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk in olive oil.

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Just before serving toss greens with dressing. Serves 6 - 8 people

The other bowl is for fruits that I love to bring along to a backyard get together.  Summer is the season to enjoy all of the abundance around us! There is no better way to enjoy fresh and good for you food than to prepare a large bowl of summer ripe and summer sweet fruits.

My favorites are strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon cubed or balled, melons (honeydew and cantaloupes) cut into strips or cubed, apples and cherries.  Add a special Citrus Honey dressing (by Ingrid Beer) that is just superb!  Just one warning,  do not place this dressing on the fruits until you are ready to serve.  Some of the fruits may become soggy if mixed too early.

Citrus-Honey Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 teaspoon orange zest

• 1 teaspoon lime zest

• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice

• ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice

May your summer be wonderful, may you have many friends and family to share it with you and may you make memories that will keep you smiling for many years to come!  

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Incredibly Easy Ways to Increase Your Level of Fitness

So we are already heading into the second half of 2018 and if better fitness was one of your goals, Let's Review how to do this easily!

Today many jobs have us sitting on our behinds for long periods of time.  Even hobbies that we enjoy can make us less active than we should be.  Most health experts agree that this is not the best thing for our bodies.  So let's review how to make it easier to remember to get up and move!  If we don't use it, we will lose it!  

Being sedentary for short periods of time is fine, everyone needs to relax for a little while.  What our bodies need more,  is to move.  There is evidence that if we sit around too much our health declines.  Not just our physical health, but our mental health as well.  

We need a certain amount of activity in our daily lives, that means moving every day.  Whether you take a walk at lunch time or go to a yoga class after work, maybe go for a swim at the recreation center or a bike ride when you get home, these are all ways to become more active and healthier.

All of these activities will help you become more active!  Find one that you really like!

I must confess, that I had fallen into the very sedentary group for far too long.  It wasn't easy to get motivated to move! Then I was faced with some serious health issues, the choice became one of necessity.  I can get very caught up in the internet, browsing websites, reading blogs and writing my own blogs.  All of these things are sedentary activities.  I used to have a timer that I would set every hour and when the timer went off, it was time to get up and go for a 10 minute walk.  Well that worked for a little while, but then I forgot to set the timer and forgot to set it again and again.  All my best intentions went out the window and the kitchen timer went back into the kitchen.

I moved to an apartment so that stairs were no longer an issue for me (bad knees, bad ankles and bad hips).  One of the most important aspects of moving was to find a place that had a swimming pool that I could use year round.  Where I live that means an indoor pool.  Well, we found the ideal place and call it home now.  The promise was that I would use the pool daily (exercise is easier in water) to help my movements become more routine.  To that end, I found my ideal exercise tool and it can be yours too!

It's called a FITBIT!    There are several different styles of Fitbits and this one is a great one for just about anyone!  The style is very understated and can be worn with just about anything.

Now why in heaven's name would you need a FITBIT? 

FitBits or Activity trackers are an amazing tool that everyone can use regardless of age, sex or lifestyle.  Whether you are an athlete already or whether you have decided to become more active this tool will help you!.

It is a multi-tool for your wrist.  It is a watch that will keep you on time for all your appointments,  It is a heart rate monitor that let's you know how hard your heart is working.  It can monitor your sleep patterns.

It will track all day activities like walking, stair climbing and a total of all your active minutes.  You can receive calls, messages, and other notifications depending on your own personal set up. Many of these digital trackers have these features and more.  

I personally like my fitbit very much, it is connected to my computer and I can look over my weekly activities and adjust as need be.  It has helped me to keep moving every hour for at least 10 minutes.  If I don't walk in a certain period, at 10 minutes before the hour is over, I will get a buzzing vibration on my wrist with the message, You need to walk 110 more steps this hour.  Well believe it or not, I don't ignore this alarm.  I get up and I do those steps.  At the end of the day I know that I have walked a minimum of 5000 steps.    That is the minimum amount of daily activity that is recommended by almost all doctors.

Screen Shot of my FitBit activity.

Once you purchase a FitBit (I'm not sure about the other brands) there is even an online group that you can join for added support and friendship.  

FitBit would make a great Father's Day gift, or a wonderful birthday gift for anyone you love.  If you love them, you want them to stay healthy!  This is one tool that will help along the way.

** I am not a doctor.  Before embarking on a fitness routine check with your medical practitioner.  No advice given here is meant to be medical advice for anyone. 

Always check with your own doctor first.**

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Unique and Beautiful Watering Options for your Gardens

There are two reasons for this REVIEW TODAY! 

1. According to the Calendar of Days,  it is "Water a Plant Day" 

2.  Summer seems to be off to a fine start and I know my garden is in need of a daily drink!

Gardens are a place to rest and relax, to get your hands just a little dirty and to find something beautiful to enjoy!  Some of us have large gardens and others may have a small garden, but one thing is certain, everybody enjoys to see flowers blooming!  The garden doesn't have to do too much to make a weary soul smile. The hardiest of flowers can be enjoyed by everyone.  There is no need to be intimidated by thoughts of exotic plants (unless you want to be).  A pot full of marigolds is a beautiful sight.

Since the time of Adam and Eve, we have nurtured gardens and tried to bring some of them under our control.  With trying to control their growth, we also need to control their watering and feeding.  You can't have one without the other.

Water a plant day brings up some interesting points about watering options for our gardens.  Let's for right now focus on watering cans and manual ways to keep our plants from dying of thirst!  I will leave drip irrigation methods to gardeners who really need that kind of extended watering options.  (Leave me a comment and I'll gladly discuss this with you!)

Water can be heavy, so when you are deciding on a watering can for your needs remember that you will need to carry it!  To that end, I will suggest that a watering can should hold around 2 gallons of water.  Any more than this and the weight becomes difficult to handle.  With my arthritis, I would not want to carry more than this personally.  It's also a good size when it comes to adding fertilizers to enhance the blooming of your flowers.

Now I'm going to show you one that gets a 5 Star rating and tell you why it's a good choice.

This watering can holds 2 Gallons so it's the perfect size. It has a fairly large opening to fill it and also to add any fertilizers. It is made of a light weight resin material that can be left out in the great outdoors without any problems.  It has a nozzle that makes the water fall like a shower on your plants.  The only down side to this watering can is that the nozzle is NOT removable.  This watering can is practical, but not very pretty.  If you are looking for function, this watering can will do the trick quite nicely and it's very affordable.



Now if you are looking for a watering can that does the job, but looks pretty too, there are many more options.  You can find watering cans that your children or grandchildren would love to use.  Any gardener that loves their hobby, loves to share that hobby with their loved ones too!  These watering cans would make playing and working in the garden a really fun time! Check out these lovely options in watering cans and see if one doesn't make you smile too!

Little hands would enjoy the animals that could help them, help you! This is just a little sample of the many watering cans that you can get. I just happen to love the colors and the shapes of these ones. The child in me has never really grown up!

Now here are a few practical things to remember when using a watering can to give your plants a drink.  Plants don't like to be watered with ice cold water, especially on really hot days.  It is a shock to their tender roots.  Fill your watering can and let it stand outdoors for an hour or so before subjecting your plants/planters to their daily drink.  Water your plants early in the morning rather than at high noon.  The plants will be able to drink more and be able to cope with the midday sun easier when they are well hydrated.  If you are using the watering cans to water your planters, you might also look at a schedule for fertilizing these planters.  Check out the labels and directions for your favorite types of fertilizers and use them accordingly.

A closing bit of advice, when you are watering your plants, talk to them too!  Plants do respond by growing much better when they are coddled!  Ask any gardener and they will agree that Watering, Talking, Primping and Pruning will do wonders for anything you are trying to grow!

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Every Dog is "As Good As Gold" : A Review

Can we all agree, every dog is "As Good As Gold" !

I had the pleasure of reviewing a few children's books by author Patricia Furstenberg a while back.  I loved those books with their colorful and quaint illustrations.  The stories were cute as well.  If you want to know more about those books you can read my review right here.

Now Patricia Furstenberg is back with a whole book of poetry that just makes you relax and smile.  Here is my Review:

As Good As Gold is being launched today May 23rd and I'm so pleased to be part of this massive roll out!  This book is light hearted and a delight.  Humans who have had dogs often wonder what their dogs are thinking.  As Good As Gold may give you just a little inkling of what is going on in that mind!  Dogs who are cared for seem to have minds that are always sharp and ready to find the "new and different".  In this book Ms. Furstenberg gives those dogs a voice.  I'm sure when you are reading these words, you will agree, quite possibly, this is exactly what my dog was thinking.

The poems in As Good As Gold, will make you smile and think to yourself, "Ahhh, that's what was going on in my fur baby's mind!"  

I really enjoyed seeing all things from snowflakes and autumn leaves, to other creatures in the garden, through all these dog's eyes.  What we consider normal and everyday for our puppies and our older dogs, may not be so ordinary and normal.  Maybe we could learn from the excitement of our dogs, a new "wonder" in all the things around us.  Like children our fur babies are busy learning about their world.  

How many times do our fur babies find themselves in "trouble" of some sort?  With the heart of an innocent, these poems written by Pat Furstenberg, bring a small modicum of understanding when they get into something they don't understand.  Meeting frogs and birds, snakes and cats, and many other animals in their "world", makes their innocence even more poignant.  Dogs often they get into mischief or mishaps, just because they are curious.  When that happens, maybe we should stop and think, putting ourselves into their paws (so to speak). Reading this book of poetry reminded me to never lose that sense of exploration or learning something new.  Dogs are masters at teaching us to enjoy the simple things in life and the beautiful things around us.

Some beautiful Haiku at the end of the book will make you settle down with a loving sigh......They are the diamonds to keep you smiling long after you are finished reading.  This is a great book to enjoy with children.  I'm so sure that the children will relate to learning new things just like the dogs are doing.  It's a fun and enlightening read.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Clicking on the blue As Good As Gold in this review will take you to the Amazon link where you may purchase this book if you like!

                                                          OCEAN

                                              Undecided water

                                   Moving between sky and sand.

                                            Lullaby, hush, hush.

                                                                P. Furstenberg (from the book)

                                                                                             picture courtesy of Pexels.com

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