Merry Christmas!

I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS, filled with joy, happiness, peace and love!

Here is one of my favorite Christmas carol lyrics.

Winter Wonderland

Sleigh bells ring

are you listening

in the lane

snow is glistening

A beautiful sight

we're happy tonight

walking in a winter wonderland

Gone away is the bluebird

here to stay is a new bird

He sings a love song

as we go along

walking in a winter wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman

Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He'll say: Are you married?

we'll say: No man

But you can do the job

when you're in town

Later on

we'll conspire

as we dream by the fire

To face unafraid

the plans that we've made

walking in a winter wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman

and pretend that he's a circus clown

We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman

until the the other kids knock him down

When it snows

ain't it thrilling

Though your nose gets a chilling

We'll frolic and play

the Eskimo way

walking in a winter wonderland

Walking in a winter wonderland

walking in a winter wonderland

I hope your day is extra special just like you!

XO,

Dee

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's wishing you a Mother's Day that's filled with every pleasure, And a future that's as happy as the memories you treasure!

 Mothers are the gardeners of wind-blown wild flowers. They water them with happy tears, happy with them many years, even as the hours ring with sweet, sad melodies sighing through their bowers.

I hope you enjoy seeing all the butterfly pictures I took last week.

The only thing that never needs any break to replenish itself is a mother’s love.

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child." by: Sophia Loren

“I realized when you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.” by: Mitch Albom 

“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and 

forgiving.” by: Gail Tsukiyama

(MOTH)

M-O-T-H-E-R

“M” is for the million things she gave me,

“O” means only that she’s growing old,

“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,

“H” is for her heart of purest gold;

“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,

Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”

A word that means the world to me.

"We never know the love of the parent until we become parents 

ourselves." by: Henry Ward Beecher

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow.” by: Maya Angelou

"Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love." by: Stevie Wonder 

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

Wishing you songbirds to welcome each morning, Wishing you flowers to brighten each spring, Wishing you laughter, and sharing and caring, And all of the joy that each new day can bring! 

XO, 

Dee

My Favorite "Eating Clean" Recipes For a Happy Healthy Life

First of all, what is eating clean?  Sounds like washing your hands before you eat, doesn't it? Well, that's not even close, although it's a good idea! Before I go into the details, here are the benefits of "Eating Clean" ..... It will help prevent belly fat, sickness and contribute to a long healthy happy life without medications or pain! Try it for yourself and see. You will be amazed how good you feel, plus the difference you will see in the mirror will amaze you. Not only that, but you will have so much more energy than before. It's almost like your aging backwards, well almost! The hands of time will no longer get you down and you can look forward to your next birthday as if you were a child. There is a reason we age like we do and it has a lot to do with what we eat and how we feel about ourselves and others. So let's get rid of the process foods as much as we can. 

Eat your veggies like your mother said with one twist 
'EAT THEM RAW' as much as possible! 
They hold the key to longevity and superior health.         

                  Picture from-blue planet green living

Did you know that eating raw foods make you feel great? By cooking many of our foods we destroy the very enzymes and vitamins that are needed for a long healthy life. Now I know that we all still enjoy cooked foods. I'm just saying eat more fruits and veggies every day. The more you eat the better you will feel. Just make sure your not eating GMO’s and pesticides.

It's also the bad carbs that are making us Sick and TIRED and it's all due to processed foods. Things like Bread, Pasta, Cookies, Crackers and Cakes are not found in nature. So why do we eat them? Everything we eat lately comes in some sort of package or box. Have you really read the labels on the foods you are buying? Most are loaded with chemicals, dyes, metals and additives. Besides that who needs that much salt and sugar anyway. I know I don't! Those two items alone will make your skin age faster than it should. Did you know it's also aging you on the inside of your body? No creams, ointments lotions or potions will stop the aging if you keep eating 'toxic foods'. Spend the money on what you eat and not some snake oil that claims if will rid you of your wrinkles. Believe me it won’t work and you’re probably wasting your time and money.

Most Americans are FAT for a reason! No it's not that they have no willpower! They have been on every diet and have bounced down and back up in weight with no real results. They feel helpless and desperate and are always looking for that magic pill. Well there is no magic pill I’m sorry to say. It’s all about "Eating Clean". It's that easy! Get rid of processed baked foods, processed sugar, vegetable oils, all corn products even if they say organic, also milk, wheat, barley and rye and the BIG one soy. Eat sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Fish should be wild caught and not farm raised. Try not eating these foods for (3) weeks and see how you feel. The real goal is to eat this way for (6) weeks. I know YOU can do it! Take baby steps if you need to. Do whatever it takes just do it! Use coconut sugar, raw honey and pure maple syrup instead of processed sugar. For oil switch to coconut oil and olive oil. If you still love to bake use almond flour and coconut flour.

 Here are some wonderful recipes I saved on pinterest gluten-free. I should really rename it GUILT FREE! 
The muffins I baked are with almond and coconut flour. The recipe is easy to follow. The recipe is from pop an egg on it - breakfast muffins

(HERE IS A RECIPE FOR BREAD)

For milk switch to almond or coconut milk. Hemp milk is also yummy. I make my own by buying hemp seeds. All you need is a cup of hemp seeds to a cup of water mixed with a high speed blender. Super easy to do and it taste great too. I love adding a banana and romaine lettuce to it for a yummy breakfast. By following these simple steps you will be able to achieve a happy and active healthy life.

(Click here for this delicious low calorie breakfast - Pancakes)

Sweet bell peppers and eggs make a super yummy breakfast!

 For your excellent tasting egg breakfast I recommend using cumin and cayenne pepper instead of the typical salt and pepper.

 Cut up your sweet bell peppers and eat them uncooked. They are nice and crunchy and taste great with your spicy eggs. 

✿A great way to start your day is with warm fresh lemon water or ginger tea before you eat breakfast. Lemons give you energy and will boost your immune system just like ginger tea. ✿

Lemon Water Recipe

One cup warm water, half a lemon, a tablespoon of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Or just warm water and lemon will work. It's all up to you! When I first started to drink the lemon water I added the maple syrup. 

Ginger Tea Recipe

(CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE)

Start loving yourself and stop wishes for smaller hips and a flat belly. Just by changing your eating habits you will see amazing results in no time. Start seeing the world differently. Be kind to others and give back as much as you receive if not more. I promise you will feel like a new person in just six weeks. You will start to feel a different in three weeks but the real changes will be in six. This year go out of your way to help others. This will help with your mood and also your weight. When you’re busy helping others your body will give off endorphins. There is no need to exercise. Just be there for others and remember to eat clean the rest will happen naturally. 

✿ SWEET POTATO SMOOTHIE ✿
Smoothies are yummy any time of day! They give you energy and fill you up. 

You will need one large frozen banana, one large RAW or cooked sweet potato (remove the skin), one cup ginger tea, one cup almond milk, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and one tablespoon shredded coconut. 

Blend in a high speed blender and enjoy!

I hope I’ve inspired you to get off the "Process Food Couch" and get back into life. In six weeks put on last year’s bathing suit. I can guarantee you'll need a smaller size :-)

I am not a doctor, although I did play one on TV and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express :) .... but I'm just sharing what I learned and did to help others change their eating habits. 

 Today’s the day to jump start your health!!! 

 You can do it ت

XO,
Dee

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Spring Easter Egg Decor

Spring break is finally here! Kids are running through our house at lightning speed. They are inside and outside like jumping beans. I think they can't believe spring is finally here. It's the fourth day in the warm seventies. 

Easter decor can be so much fun as it brings out the inner child in all of us. Hand-blown and hand dyed sparkly eggs are always a hit in our home. Who doesn't love to color Easter eggs? 

Cloches and Easter eggs look fabulous together. 

Tissue paper on Styrofoam eggs are always in style. Cut small pieces of colored or patterned tissue paper and use Elmer's glue to apply to your Styrofoam. Now add a little glitter and your eggs will sparkle.

I painted the terra cotta pots with craft paint and sealed them with poly. These will make great place setting markers. I still have more to make before Sunday. 

Here I used plastic eggs and covered them with packing material. Super quick and easy to do. 

Packing Material

The plastic eggs are now displayed in a paper egg carton.

The Easter eggs have a rustic elegance to them. 

 Don't forget to use chalk markers on your mirrors. I love writing messages and drawing kid like pictures. 

I used Chalk Ink Markers. www.chalkink.com/

I will be taking a little blogging break this week. 

 I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Easter!

XO,

Dee
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Quick and Easy Ways to Decorate your Bathroom

Meet Sue Jason, blogger at My Bathrooms

Sue gives great tips on how to decorate a bathroom.

Source

Bathrooms are one of the most important rooms of your house; it is the first place you head towards after you wake up in the morning. Women like to take their time getting ready in the bathroom. It's also the place where they linger after a hard day. So it is a room which should not be neglected when it comes to the décor. Decorating a bathroom can be tricky, with so much to pack into a relatively small space. The main furniture (tub, basin and toilet) will, necessarily, take up most of the available floor space, and storage units, towel rails and bathroom products will also need to find a home in there somewhere! However, it is perfectly possible to arrange bathroom décor in such a way that it is both practical and attractive.

Storage Limits

Source

Make it a deliberate policy to squeeze extra storage into every available nook and cranny. Fitted cabinets can be designed to take up very little space while providing a surprising amount of interior room to tuck away bathroom supplies. Once you have a place to put everything, you bathroom will instantly look more polished and tidier. If you have a large family, provide individual storage caddies to each family member and make them responsible for their own belongings. This also helps bathroom clutter to be dramatically reduced. Corner shelves, or hanging baskets, can be fitted to keep bath time necessities handy but tidy.

Paint and Clean

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Make sure that giving the paintwork a good scrubbing every now and then is part of your cleaning schedule. Bathroom tiles pick up grime and soap residue easily and this can build up without being noticed until the entire room looks grubby and dull. A thorough scrub, every week or so will keep the whole room shining and welcoming.

Accessorize!

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Just as a great outfit still needs the help of a good belt, the right shoes and handbag, so too does a beautiful bathroom needs the assistance of good, attractive and matching accessories to complete the décor. Choose your accessories carefully, making sure that they pick out and emphasize the décor colors and enhance the overall appearance of the room.

Wall Adornment

Source

Do not be afraid to decorate your walls in the bathroom. Wall decals, vinyl stickers and even paint and wallpaper have all been improved and made completely waterproof, meaning that nearly everyone can transform their bathroom walls, quickly and easily without great expense and worry.

Soft Furnishings

Source

Finally, add in a bath table and pedestal mat, curtains and perhaps even a spare toilet roll cover, again, picking up and carrying through the décor theme and color scheme that you have chosen for your bathroom.

Source

With all of the above taken into account it will not be long before your bathroom looks wonderful: welcoming and clean and above all, attractive!

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Thanks for stopping by!
Stop by Alison's at The Polo House to see my dining room.
XO,
Dee

Lavender Eggs - Tutorial

Lavender is one of the most fragrant flowers and my favorite in my garden. I love rubbing my hands on the fresh flowers and leaves. Even after lavender has been cut, the fragrance lasts a long time. Just crush the dried flowers after the scent has faded and the aromatic oils will be released. What I love about lavender is its fresh clean aroma. Scenting the air with lavender will make you feel relaxed with a sense of calm and well being. Lavender is also known for helping treat headaches. If you're having trouble sleeping, lavender is great for getting a good night's rest. You can add a few drops of lavender oil to your pillow or make pillow sachets. Lavender appeals to both men and woman. I love adding lavender oil to my bath water right before bed.

For this project I used styrofoam eggs. You can also use real, plastic, wood or papier-mâché eggs. I liked the size of the styrofoam eggs. If you use the plastic eggs,  I recommend gluing the eggs closed and giving them a light coat of primer paint. 

Let's get started decorating our lavender eggs. You can buy lavender already scented with lavender oil or you can make your own dried lavender. Grosso Lavandin is the most common lavender grown in the lavender fields of France. Provence Lavandin  is one of the most fragrant lavenders. Chose lavender that has just bloomed as it will be the most colorful and fragrant. Cut the lavender stems and hang them to dry in a dark place for a few weeks. It's best to tie the stems with rubber bands as the stems tend to shrink as they dry. A few weeks later your lavender will be ready for this project. Brush off the flowers and save in a glass jar. This will help retain their scent. You can always add lavender oil to it. 

First roll the egg in Elmer's glue on wax paper.

 Now roll the egg into your aromatic lavender flowers. 

  Use an old paintbrush to finish off adding the glue and lavender. 

It does not take long to cover the eggs with glue and lavender. You will notice the aromatic oils from the lavender and the room will soon be filled with the scent.

While the lavender eggs are drying, crush your lavender egg lightly in your hands. This will give them a more unified look and will ensure your lavender is glued to your styrofoam eggs.

I placed my beautiful lavender eggs in a silver bread basket. I added dried red and pink roses and a few dried lavender stems. I also added reed diffusers that I tied with raffia and gold cording to give them an elegant appearance. 

Happy Crafting!

XO,

Dee

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