February Photo Challenge

At the start of February I decided to take on the challenge presented by Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim. I didn't, at the moment, think that it would be a big deal to handle. BUT as I try to do this daily I find it is a big deal and it is taking me a while to get the photos together. Today I will be catching up starting with #3.  #1 and 2 are located here.

3.  Hands

Comradeship of sisterhood.

4.  A Stranger

You can find that they are very nice people.

5.  10 AM

Pay no attention to the dust on the shelf...teehee

6.  Dinner

Not my dinner....My friend ordered this at the 

Mexican Restaurant where my husband

plays music.  This is called "Vista del Mar."

I had shrimp fajitas. My friend's dinner

looked more interesting!

7.  Button

You see the one I have in mind?

8.  Sun

The sun was hiding. It was cloudy and cold.

9.  Front Door

I just love a red door!

10.  Self Portrait

I received my beautiful teacup from Martha at Martha's Favorites.

Thank you, Martha!! HUGS!

To let you know, I didn't drink from this cup. She's too precious.

11. Makes you Happy

A warm fire on a cold day.

12.  Inside Your Closet

This is Grace Kelly.
She has never been out of this box
in the 20 years that I have had her.
I collect dolls. The thing of it is,
I don't have any place to display them.
SAD...because I have several dolls
in my closet.


13. Blue

My blue kitchen.


Now I am caught up to date with the Photo Challenge at Fat Mum Slim.
She's a great lady. You should visit her.

A favorite blogger of mine is Susan at Tea Diary. Her photos are so unique in style.
I just love her!!  Pay her a visit and tell her that Brenda sent you.

Here's to your health!

Cottage and Creek is having a giveaway! Why not stop by and be her next follower. She's an awesome lady!

Check out her beautiful giveaways.....You won't regret it.  Deadline to sign up is February 14, 2012.

Wordless Wednesday

Art by Brenda

Tea Tuesday - Wishful Thinking

After viewing  your blogs now for a few months, I have started thinking a lot about the benefits of tea and the effects tea drinking has on friendships.  I know for a fact that just linking to all of you and discussing the beautiful tea sets and tea products has actually helped me to make a lot of friends and we haven't even sat down once together to enjoy the cup together. Its just magic what tea can do! As I said to Martha at Martha's Favorites the other day, "Your blog makes me happy that I am a woman." I feel very feminine and lady like....That's a good feeling!!  Clink on the link to visit with Martha. She will make you feel right at home.

I have decided that I do want to start collecting my own sets of tea cups and saucers. So I have decided to start my wish list. I found a picture of this beauty. I think I liked it best because of the color blue. That seems to be my favorite at this time. I also was drawn to the steaming brew...looks so yummy.

And now my very favorite! Drum roll, please....bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmm.....

AYNSLEY!

I don't know really what it is about Aynsley that I like so much!!(?) This beautiful blue rose pattern just really caught my eye. They seem very feminine to me, I guess. This set just looks so pure. I can't imagine having a set this beautiful, but I wouldn't mind at all if I had one. So the wish list has started and I will be on the look out for some beautiful pieces.

I found this sweet tea drink recipe called, "HOMEMADE FRIENDSHIP TEA MIX."  It reminds me of something that my mother use to make years ago. We loved drinking it on cold winter days. It just sort of brought about good feelings.

Here are the ingredients:

      1  8 ounce cup of tang breakfast drink

      1  cup sugar

   1/2  cup presweetened lemonade mix, Countrytime

   1/2  cup instant tea 

      1  apricot jello, 3 ounce box

2 1/2  teaspoons ground cinnamon

      1  teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

   Combine these dry ingredients and store in an airtight container. This recipe makes 50 servings so it is perfect for dividing up and giving away as gifts.  

Put these directions on the gift jar:  

   Use 1 1/2 tablespoons per cup of boiling water.

And of course, TEA is always good for easing stress.  Why not try some Lavender Tea. Lavender goes best with either black or green tea. Decide which one you would like to add the buds with; place the teabags in your pot and boil your water in the usual fashion. Before pouring the boiling water, simply place 1 tablespoon of culinary lavender buds into the pot. If you like sweet tea, then why not place some buds in your sugar bowl and allow them to permeate the sugar with their flavor and fragrance. Stir the sugar so the flavor disperses. Herbalists recommend lavender to calm the nervous system.

Now sit back, relax, and have a wonderful cup of tea.

Here's to your health!


Photos from Microsoft.

Photo Challenge-February

I have found the most fascinating woman and am excited about joining Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim in her photo challenge for February.  So here goes:

Feb 1, 2012; Your View Today

On Feb 1, it rained in my neighborhood. When I got home

from work,  I walked out on the patio and saw the water 

standing on top of this table (that my husband made). 

I loved the reflections of the gazebo in the water.

Here is a video I took also:

February 2, 2012; Words

I took a picture of this from my computer screne.

At this time in my life I can't think of any better words.

Loving your grandchildren can help them find 

their way in this life.

That's it for now.  Please check out Fat Mum Slim. She's an awesome lady.

Here's to your health!

Tea Tuesday Activity

This is a beautiful tea cup and saucer from Aynsley.

It's the Tea Cup of Knowledge.

I have told you before that Aynsley

was going to be my favorite of all tea cups.

This Wise Owl is also from Aynsley.

He looks very beautiful perched there.

After sharing these two gorgeous pieces, I would also like to share a little wisdom I have found out this week.

You think you don’t have any time for exercise? Here’s something that’s exciting….High-intensity interval training (HIIT).  HIIT is based on a simple premise—alternating short, fast bursts of activity with slower paced movement to get fit with very little time and effort.

Recent studies have shown that interval training increases the levels of hGH. HGH is the “growth hormone.” Basically, anything that goes on in your body is in some way tied to hGH. This is why hGH is often called the “fountain of youth.”  Elevated hGH levels are what make you feel young again and EXERCISE is what elevates it!

Dr. Leigh Connealy has stated that 10 minutes three times per week, with brief bursts (10, 20, or 30 seconds) of going “all out” –were beneficial.  I think everyone knows what is meant by “all out.”  Just start off with a normal exercise, say walking. You walk at a steady pace, then for the 10 second interval, you speed up your walk. After the 10 seconds, you go back to walking at a normal pace and you continue to do this throughout your 10 minutes of exercise. Just start with the 10 minutes! You’ll be surprised how much energy this will give you.

Resistance training is also a good idea. Resistance bands have become very popular.  You can find them anywhere online.  Also low weight dumb-bells are good to use.  These will help build muscle. Building muscle is very important especially for those of us that are getting older. First, strong muscles help protect against the frailty that comes with age. They provide support for our bones, decreasing the risk of falls and broken bones.  Second, muscle burns calories more than fat, even at rest.  30 minutes of weight training jump-starts our metabolism for hours afterward and interval training has similar results.  Did you know that aerobic exercise burns calories only while you are doing it?   Hmmmm….

Take is from the wise old owl and the Tea Cup of Knowledge, just get out there and DO IT!

Now to share one more piece with you.

Does anyone remember Carnival Glass?

I got this pitcher back in the 70's with Green Stamps.

Does anyone remember green stamps?

I use to also have the gold color one, 

but I don't know what ever happened to it.

And I use to have the whole set; 

platter, glasses, everything,

but I don't know what happened to them...

I am thankful that I was able to hold on to this one.

I will be joining Martha for Tea Cup Tuesday. She's an awesome lady. Go see her.

Here’s to your health!

Tea Tuesday with Food for Thought

"If tea is to be enjoyed, tea cups will most certainly become involved.

I would draw a line at avoiding the tea because of the vessel."  ~ Unknown

Since many are celebrating the Chinese New Year, I would like to show this Blue Dragon Tea Set that I found online. The Dragon is on one side and a phoenix on the other. It's an artistic depiction of destruction and rebirth, and a unique take on the ancient philosophy of Yin and Yang. This could allow one to reflect back on all the mysteries of life.

This Chinese New Year is the Year of the Dragon!


NOW FOR SOME HEALTH INFORMATION...

Have you ever wondered if you could possibly be a Pre-Diabetic? We know that diabetes is rampant in the United States. My husband is a Type 2. We found this out a few years ago when he had a foot infection between his toes. His foot started to hurt really bad one day, so the next day we went to the doctor and his foot was already turning black. The doctor told him he was a diabetic and that he would probably lose his toe and a big possibility to lose his foot. They did drastic measures to save his foot by giving him high doses of antibiotics by IV everyday for over a month. We got his diet in order and his foot was saved. If you are wondering if you could be pre-diabetic, then by all means see your doctor.

Instead of us waiting for test results or a trip to the emergency room, we should play an active role in our own health. Take an active role in wellness! We could live more simply.

There are so many labor-saving devices (which we are mainly very thankful for them all), they have actually taken away our way of exercise. These everyday behaviors use to keep us active and healthy. Now we are more sedentary and find easier ways to get things done.

My friend Marianne just said to me the other day, "Lawn blowers should be outlawed! Pick up a dang broom and get some exercise for heaven's sake!!"  She was a little annoyed at some activity going on outside while she was taking a nap, but her comment is really actually RIGHT-ON!!  Every now-n-then I do just that. I get my broom and I sweep my side yard. It works better than a rake. But I'm not sure that I could do the whole yard. LOL!

According to research, you may be suffering from pre-diabetes 
if you have any three of the following:

• Most of your excess weight is concentrated around your waistline. For example, if you're a woman and your waist is 35" or more, and 40" or more if you are a man.
• Your BMI (Body Mass Index) is 27 or higher. If you don't know, type in "BMI" in your search engine to find a tool that calculates it for you.
• Your HDL ("goo") cholesterol is less than 50 mg/dL for women or less than 40 mg/dL for men.
• Your triglycerides are greater than 150 mg/dL. 
• Your blood pressure is higher than 130/85 mmHg.
• Your fasting blood sugar is greater than 85 mg/dL.
• Your A1C is higher than 5.5.
• Other possible symptoms may be uncontrollable sugar cravings and feeling fatigued.

Pre-diabetes is your body's cry for help and it can be turned around by diet and activity levels. It's possible to improve insulin resistance and reduce weight according to a recent study. The secret?  Avoid simple carbohydrates (bread, rice, potatoes, and pastas) for two days every week. This study involved women who were at high risk for developing breast cancer, but the results improved weight and reversed insulin resistance by 22 percent for the two days on low carbs and no more than 650 calories total on each day. To me, that's very FEW calories and I wouldn't advise this without a doctor's approval. 

 The other study was at 14 percent with no calorie restrictions (allowed to eat as much protein and good fats as they wanted on the two days). The last study had a result of 4 percent, placed on  a Mediterranean diet of 1,500 calories. All members lost weight, but the best results occurred in the first group.

Other important things to do are to choose the right beverages. Cut out the diet and energy drinks, sugared coffees and most juices. Have instead Green Tea! Growing research shows that drinking two to four cups of green tea daily prevents high blood sugar from damaging various organs in the body. It also increases weight reduction by boosting your metabolism. It's good to be a tea drinker!!

It is said that unsweetened cranberry juice is another smart beverage choice. This drink has already shown to benefit the heart and urinary tract.  In a new study it was found to improve several markers of pre-diabetes women. Using 28 ounces of fresh, filtered water with 1/2 cup unsweetened cranberry juice and drinking it all day has great health benefits.

EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!  You have to move it or lose it!!

If you don't like the thoughts of a routine exercise, then try dancing around in the house. Put on some good music that MOVES you! While you are watching TV, do a few sit-ups on the edge of your couch. MARCH into your kitchen or bathroom and back; or around your coffee table. The other day I did some lunges through my kitchen. I didn't think it was doing any good, but I tell you, I could really feel it the next day and I only did a few. So any little bit helps!

Maybe do like my friend Marianne said, go out and SWEEP your yard!

Here's to your health!!

I am linking with Sandi for Tea Cup Tuesday.