It's beginning to look a lot like ... a wedding!

Ok this post it late but I had it in draft! Maybe you will like it anyway! I sure hope so!

A Christmas wedding!  Beautiful, fluffy white snowflakes, a crackling fire, a cozy gathering of friends and family.... what a beautiful month to have a wedding! Two of the sweetest, kindest people I know are starting their lives as husband and wife within the next week.  Teej and Ben go together like sugar and spice!

My daughter Danielle and I got a little something for them and I wanted to do something special for the wrapping so I thought I would share it with you.  I think it turned out ok, you know...you learn after the first time! :)

I go to Bible Study with Teej (love that name!) and Ben and so I had asked them to let me take a photo of them after one of the studies.  Being the sweethearts they are, they said sure!

I took the photo and switched it up a bit and made it into a gift wrap.  Maybe it can inspire you to think of new ways to wrap!

I made their photo into a silhouette and left the shoes and part of her headband (can't really see it) in white and black.
They loved it, she thought it looked like something from Disney land princess!  I was glad, they are so special! I also added some sparkle on top!

These roses are just computer paper, cut into rounds the size of margin lids for the large, full rose and smaller lids for the buds.  Then cut a spiral from the outer edge in leaving about 1-2" in the center. Roll from the outer edge to the middle and hot glue to the 1-2" base! It's that EZ! If you need more instructions just let me know, it is one of the prettiest, fastest and available decorations for a package you could ask for and it will work for any occasion!

The reason for the season  

Then of course I had to try a few of the pinterest ideas, no sense collecting them if you are not going to use them!  This is an edible tray made from $1 store candies, you know the kind and at Christmas they have green ones too!  Just snip off the top of the wrappers and place them next to each other in a desired pattern.  It could be a Christmas tree, a Cross, or a random design like mine!  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.  I suggest you put it into a pan as close to the size you want the tray to be, as the candy that is on the outside "thins" out a bit. Let cool and....

 You have a great serving platter!  I have been told you can seal it with a spray and keep it from year to year but it was so inexpensive I didn't want to try that. (Plus you can break off pieces from it and put into your hot tea for a mint tea taste, yummmm!  It doesn't make the food taste like mint and it is studier than you might think!

Another idea I had seen floating around on Pinterest were snowmen tealights! How cute are they! You can purchase 2/$1 tealights at the Dollar Store and I just used a template for the hat I had searched the internet for, printed it off and mounted it with adhesive to black foam core board so it would be sturdy. The backs are just poster board and then ribbon of your choice tied around the neck for a "scarf"! A package of plastic snowflakes to add to the hat, a single sheet of glitter paper for the heart and the hat band. For the arms I just found a printable snowflake online and printed it and cut it apart.  The pieces looked like "twig" arms!  A fun afternoon project!  Tip: Have all your supplies laying out before you start, it will go a lot quicker and be more fun! 
Also be sure on the back white poster board and the blue back poster board to cut out the place for the on/off switch if you want his nose to glow!  Oh yes and I did put a bit of orange marker on his nose, it was just too light.  But it would be really cute with a darker orange!  Add a piece of self sticking magnet to the back and you are done! 

They light up really well! A fun refrigerator magnet for the season! (Not to mention a great night light in case you get the munchies!)

Well, here I am posting Christmas things and it is almost Valentine's.  I need to get with it!
Remember, it's all fun and games until someone comes up with an idea!
then it is ez4u2do!
Hugs!
Debbie

Audi 2014 Big Game Commercial - Doberhuahua

I knew you when...and you were just a baby!

Sometimes things coming full circle feels more like a steamroller.  Time really does have a way of sneaking up on us, one day you look in your back yard and you see an adorable little blonde-haired boy face down blowing bubbles in the kiddie pool with your little girls and his baby sister all giggling with glee and egging him on in his shenanigans.  The next second they are all munching down triangle shaped pb&j, and baloney sandwiches with kool aid looking like soaked rats. Next you are reading the book he has written.  What happened?!  Time, that's what.  It didn't just happen to him you realize while the pride swells up in you at his accomplishment, it happened to you too.

Maybe because it happened to you too you can relate and enjoy the experiences this little blonde-haired boy turned kind-hearted man has written about in his book "Meat In A Seat" The kind young man that will hopefully understand that while you were reading it, you were getting steamrolled a bit and forgive you for taking over a year to write a review on it!

Take the journey of this teenager as he discovers the perils and treasures of driving a big rig along life's highway.  You may be shocked to find that there is a life of crying, laughing and wonderment even inside a truck's cab, because the trip is really in your mind.

Download it now from:  http://www.amazon.com/Meat-Seat-My-Trucking-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00EWPST84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390703979&sr=8-1&keywords=meat+in+a+seat


His mom has been my bud for more years than I am willing to tell you! But I will tell you how very proud she is of him and should be.  All of his family along with friends eagerly wait to see where the journey called life will take him next and will he include us on his trip? I so hope he does.

 His use of adjectives can transport you to the very feelings and places he occupies.  I feel like I know Al and all the characters in the book. I have seen the vast plains and I have stood side by side with Chris as he marveled at the majesty of the waterfall.  I too have wondered if the only imprint I will leave in this world is my backside on a chair.  Well done Chris! Thanks for the journey....I am packed and ready for another!
Loved you then, love ya now!

Mom was reading us the words, but you were taking us on the journey!

Remember, it's all fun and games until somebody gets an idea! Great idea Chris! ...and you're right, machismo can be harsh sometimes, even to ladies!
It is ez4u2do! Love till later,
Debbie

Ziglar Legacy Series with Chris Widener | Ziglar

Ziglar Legacy Series with Chris Widener | Ziglar Zig Ziglar was a great farmer...sowed positive seeds into everyone he touched!
Thanks to Tom Ziglar and everyone for keeping the seed planting going! Sign up and tune in on the 28th for the next free motivating talk!

Able to do it! How to replace the foam on the Caruso hairsetter system!

You find a product you like right? Then they discontinue it or a part of it wears out and you can only buy the whole piece not just the replacement part you need.  That is why God gives us insight.  I recently started wearing my hair curly.  I can roll it on rollers and dry it, take it down and it is as straight as the seams on a 1940's pinup model's hose within an hour.

But if you have ever used the Caruso steam hairsetter you know that this puppy will hold it for hoooouuuurrrrsss even without hairspray! That is wonderful.  Wonderful that is, until the thin foam around the rollers gets too compressed and/or starts crumbling.  Now don't get me wrong, they have certainly been worth the money I paid for them, lasting many years.  The problem I encountered was when I went to buy the replacement foam.

As I googled I found others saying what I just have.  "They are wonderful but my foam has worn out and you can't just replace the foam, you have to buy new rollers!" You can still use your old steam base but the rollers for a small pack is around $15-$20.

So I put on my thinking cap and considered using crafting foam, yes it is in sheets thin enough, but it is not porous enough to allow the steam to get in quickly. (This process only takes seconds to heat 1 roller up so I needed to keep it that way.)  My neighbor said he had some foam tape, but I think the glue of the tape would have been like tar to the steam, keeping it from getting through to the foam. Plus the steam would have made it gummy and it would not have stuck long I suspect.

Then it happened! That repurpose side of my brain kicked in! I thought about it and decided to try my idea! So tonight I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and got the items to try and see if this was a viable solution!  It was thicker foam but it works great! I purchased 1 pack of medium and 2 packs of large regular foam rollers. 

 I then opened them and took the foam off. Then I pulled the endcap off of the Caruso hair rollers (Thank you Lord that they came off! May they always be made that way!) I peeled off any old gunky foam pieces on there. On the medium size (pink) they slid over the post perfectly, no adjustments needed. 

On the large (gray) the opening in the foam roller was too small so I took a serrated knife and at first I made an x in the opening but with a bit of experience under my belt, I found that just an " I" cut works better because it gives a tighter fit!  Now I realize that they are not as long as the rollers.  I usually wrap my hair right around the middle section anyway so for me that is not an issue. But if you want to cover the entire length of the roller, just cut off the necessary amount from another foam roller and it will slide right on top of the other one and stay just fine! :) 

To get the foam on the plastic pole, place the cap side down onto something solid and then slip the foam cover over it like putting on a...well, 1940's pantyhose!  Just snap the cap back in place and you have a new set of rollers!

 The cost?  I paid $1.99 each for 3 bags and I have 8 rollers left over!

Now..what to do with the centers of the foam rollers I pulled out.  (Bonus!)  Maybe a vegetable or herb marker for my garden, or a small photo holder for the refrigerator or a gift tag for Christmas. Do you have any ideas? They come apart. (see the photo).  I would love to hear from you with your ideas for them!

Well here's wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and be mindful of how blessed we are to have our friends and family in our lives.  Never take that for granted and don't forget to tell them that you love them!



Remember, it's all fun and games until somebody gets an idea! :) 
It is EZ4U2DO!

Clicking Can Change Your Life

The $12 Billion Dollar Gluten Free Fad...watch it today only!

This journey finding out about celiac is a winding one.  After being gluten free for a month, today I ate a hershey bar and was in such pain I was carefully watching for a 4th child to be birthed! THAT would have been a miracle!  Fast forward another month.  Missing bread, rolls, pumpkin spice donuts from Krispy Kreme (they are seasonal :( .  I miss sandwiches!  Healthy ones, from Subway. But they are deadly to me.  So in my infinite wisdom, I decide to have some multi-grain bread.  Pain and well, how do you put it delicately? Well, with a one-liner of course! Here goes...If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea... does that mean that one enjoys it? My answer...NOOO!!!!!!

I haven't had gluten in about 2 months and I am light headed, tired and have a flat stomach and no more bloating.  I am listening to The Wheat Belly on CD (book is on hold!).  I have learned the following:
1. Our wheat, like most things, are not our parents or grandparents wheat.  It has been hybridized with soy and mushroom proteins.  (some a bit toxic).  It is now called dwarf wheat. Many people's body's are adapting.  But about 1% is attacking itself from the gluten produced by the new protein and of the 99% left, 1/2 are gluten intolerent, meaning their bodies have trouble with it and it could turn into Celiac if left untreated. (ie: changing your diet, eating gluten free).  The rest are ok and have gut friendly responses to the new gluten. btw you can be gluten intolerant and have no symptoms.  It is free to stop gluten and see if you feel better!

2.I have learned that many people who eat well, and get exercise  yet can't lose weight might want to take gluten out of their  diets. The ones who did this dropped weight easily with no additonal changes to their diets or exercise. They also had the added benefit of losing the "bloating" they always thought were their big belly.  Thus the name of the book The Wheat Belly!

3.I have learned that wheat, and when I say wheat, I mean gluten, all gluten! Barley, malt etc., can now cross the brain/blood barrier and things like autism, schizophrenia, depression and many things like it are affected by the new dwarf wheat.

4.So....I was told to buy gluten free foods.  I wiped out my cabinet and gave way most all of my food because it had gluten.  Even broths can have wheat (they add it to things to make it thicker and make if feel richer so you think you are getting more for your money).  Nuts are sometimes coated in it to keep them dry.  I was told to not even buy foods that say "may be manufactured in a plant that processes wheat".  It is that serious. You know when you unwrap a stick of gum?  It doesn't stick because of the gluten on the paper.

5. So back to the cd's.  I hear it say, "If you are supposed to go gluten free, don't go gluten free with gluten free labeled foods! They contain corn, tapioca, potato , rice starch.  These starches work your body harder than regular sugar.  You might as well just eat a candy bar.  It is good, but hurtful and not good for any of the things you are trying to achieve.  What a shock!  I had by the time restocked with products marked gluten free!  I have put on 2.2 pounds! :(  Now I know why.... Plus like sugar, the starches are making me hungry all the time it seems.   

There is a way to go gluten free and/or eat healthier for lower weight, blood sugar, cholestrol, etc.  Start here, I am headed to watch it now.... I would love you feedback, experiences etc.!
 

I have a lot more but I want to post this link to help you eat healthier and it is only available today! click the link right below to see the 34 minute free education on your health! (or copy and paste)

http://realfoodcon.com/jordan-reasoner/

Jordan Reasoner www.scdlifestyle.com