Keep Your Pearly Whites White!

One of the easiest ways to impress people and make the best first impression is to have whiter teeth. Studies show that whitening or bleaching your teeth can be hard on your enamel. To keep your smile brilliant try these techniques. (These are in no particular order.)

*Clean out your mouth right after sipping teeth-staining liquids like coffee, tea, red wine and colas. If you can't brush right away, swish your teeth with water.

*Cut back on acid-forming foods such as meat, dairy and sweets. Plaque build-up is promoted by these foods. Increase your veggies and whole grains.

*Use baking soda on your brush before cleaning your teeth. You can mix baking soda with a dash of salt and add a little vinegar to make a homemade tooth whitener.
Some toothpastes also contain baking soda for whitening.

*Avoid tobacco use.

*Make regular appointments to get your teeth cleaned. Getting rid of the plaque build-up will make your teeth look whiter.

*Some fruits such as strawberries are excellent tooth whiteners. Strawberries can be rubbed on the teeth or mashed up in a paste and brushed on. Leave on the teeth for five minutes. Rinse well and brush.

* Take care when choosing a mouthwash. Most have alcohol in them, and some even have ingredients such as chlorhexidine that can discolor teeth. Herbal antibacterial mouthwashes are available that kill germs and freshen breath without harmful chemicals

*An apple a day keeps the doctor away- this goes for stains too! Eating an apple gives your body vitamins and minerals and also brushes your teeth and whitens them.

Remember that results won't become visible over night and that patience and consistency are a must!

What's the Scoop on Facial Toners?

Do I really need to use a Facial Toner you ask? Yep, you do! These skin refreshers have two important tasks. Toner removes any dirt or residue left behind after cleansing. The best way to use it is on a cotton pad, not a cotton ball. (It soaks up more of the toner so you end up using more.) Toner may also help restore your skin's natural pH. (acidic) Many soaps and cleansers are alkaline so apply an acidic solution like toner can keep your skin balanced.Toners that contain essential oils can also help with issues like blemishes.

Gathered From The Garden makes an all-natural toner with just a hint of lavender. Check it out at http://www.gatheredfromthegardenllc.4t.com/

How To Make Your Clothing Last Longer

Tips that help extend the life of your wardrobe By Jennifer Tzeses

Everyday wear and tear can leave your clothes looking drab. After all the time and effort spent shopping for the perfect outfit, the last thing you want is to have to put them in a garage sale after just a season or two. Knowing how to properly store and care for your clothes can make for a great wardrobe . Here are some of the tips from Jennifer’s article. To read more helpful tips go to http://www.womansday.com/

*You may think you’re protecting your clothes by stashing them in the plastic from the dry cleaner’s, but letting your clothing stay under cover is one of the worst things you can do. Fibers need to breathe

*Cramming clothes into every last crevice of your closet will only end up crushing your clothes. (Oh boy, I’m glad you can’t see my closet…guess this one was meant for me!)

*Resist the urge to spritz perfume or hairspray as your last step to getting dressed. The alcohol within can stain and take the color out of what you’re wearing, especially if it’s silk.

*Sort your stuff before washing. It works wonders to preserve the color.

*Cottons have a tendency to wrinkle, so it’s a good idea to add a liquid starch to the final rinse to make the fabric crisper when ironing it.

There are some wonderful tips to care for your jeans and more advice on caring for Cotton in this article. Do you have any tips for helping to make your clothes look great longer? Care to share what your closet looks like? Be brave!

Say It Isn't So...Summer Can't Be Over

I can't believe that summer is supposed to be officially over this week. I saw sure signs that summer is alive and well this weekend. Here's my proof:


It's still warm enough to have a picnic lunch.



We enjoyed sunshine, wine, music and good company on the outsidepatio at Woodland Hill Winery.



Still warm enough for a ride.


The grass is never this green in the fall.

Lots of flowers still blooming in my gardens.

How many of you are still seeing signs of summer? Maybe it's because I just don't like our Minnesota winters that I'm trying so hard to hang on to summer. Then again, maybe Mother Nature is feeling the same way I am and she's giving us a gift of lingering summer temps!

365 Days, One Dress

Could you wear the same dress every day for a year? Change it up a bit with accessories? I think I wouldn't last more than a couple of weeks (days, maybe)! But Sheena Matheiken did just that to raise money for the Akanksha Foundation which helps fund education for underprivileged Indian children. Her friend designed a black dress that Sheena has been wearing every day since May 1. She adds layers and accessories to add some variety. To see what she's wearing go to http://www.theuniformproject.com/

Moisturizers are a Must

A Moisturizer is absolutely essential to the skin to keep it healthy, soft, supple, smooth and firm. The most important part of the skin care routine is moisturizing. The skin has the abillity to retain moisture and to moisturize itself. However, various influences can cause depletion of moisture and make the skin dehydrated and dry. With the lack of moisture in the skin over a period of time, the cells of the outer layer become dry and shrivel up. This makes the skin texture rough and crepey. The skin becomes fragile leaving the inner layer exposed to further loss of moisture.

Gathered From The Garden makes a Facial Moisturizer that contains cucumber and aloe along with other great ingredients for your skin. Aloe has long been considered to be moisturizing and healing. Cucumber is a natural source for photolytic enzymes, Vitamin B1 and Vitamin C - all of which help skin problems such as pimples, black heads, wrinkles, and dryness. Sunflower oil is rich in Vitamin E and helps moisturize the skin. Allantoin stimulates growth of healthy tissue while making skin softer. This moisturizer does not contain mineral oil.

Our Moisturizer is unscented $9.00 for 8oz. http://www.gatheredfromthegardenllc.4t.com/

Are You Making Yourself Old?

Here are some instant agers and tips to look younger:

1. Wearing heavy foundation makes wrinkles stand out. Since older skin dries out faster, use a brush and loose powder for foundation. Stay away from anything called “matte”.

2. Clumpy mascara creates a dated look. Try this method: curl lashes, then starting at the base of your lashes, rock the mascara wand horizontally back and forth and roll it out to the tip of each lash. Avoid waterproof mascara since you'll have to rub hard to get it off, which can stress your delicate/aging skin.

3. Blush high on the cheekbones is very dated. For a younger look, put your blush just on the apples of your cheeks.

4. Light-washed jeans. The darker the color, the more flattering the look. Go for a mid-rise waist and boot-cut legs.

5. Anything Boxy or Tight works against your figure. Choose what fits your curves. Ignore size numbers.

6. Trim your eyebrows. Splurge and let a pro do it the first time or two until you learn the tricks. If your eyebrows are the wrong shape, they can actually make you look older and even sadder. You should never wax your brows since that pulls on the skin and will make you look older.

7. Use a light-colored eye shadow to open up your eyes and make them look bigger--but avoid anything shiny because it's artificial looking.

8. If you regularly get only a few hours of sleep at night, it will hinder metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging,

9. Flaunt your figure. Once you hit 40, don't be too covered up. Show your clavicles or some cleavage, but make sure to wear a well-fitting bra for support. If you're letting a little show on top, wear a longer skirt or slacks. You don't want to look trashy. (Trousers that are slightly too big make you look much skinnier than trousers that are a bit too tight.)

10. Touch Your Feet. Reflexology, or stimulating the pressure points on your feet, reduces stress. If you're relaxed, you look younger. To relieve stress instantly, press your thumb into your solar plexus point, located just below the ball of your foot. Hold for one minute and repeat on your other foot.

I’m going to give all of these a try but I’m not sure of my comfort level for #6 or 9! I’ve given away my light-colored jeans and I’ve done reflexology in the past so I know it does work. I’ve had trouble with “clumpy” mascara so I’m anxious to give #2 a go. Which of these will you try?

How Do You Store Your Earrings?

A funny thing happened. I went to the Kashi cereal website (http://kashi.com) to sign up for a free sample and instead found a great thread about how to store your earrings. This was meant for me--mine are sort of organized (well,not really) so I could use some help!

On the site is a "challenge" page. Challenges are small steps you can take toward living a more natural, healthy life it says and the challenge for the day was how to keep your earrings detangled.

The site said,"You can give your ear jewelry a new lease on life by hanging each pair separately—without buying anything new. Hanging will also prevent metals from tarnishing. Today, challenge yourself to clear off a shelf inside your medicine cabinet and tape a piece of strong nylon dental floss across it. Voila! Instant, free earring holder that takes up no additional space."

Other people had great comments about what works for them. One person uses a pill
sorter found in pharmacies. Each “day” is the perfect size to keep 1 pair of earrings. Another person used plastic ice cube trays for earring and necklace storage because they are inexpensive, come in different colors & cube sizes and they stack. Still another person said they hung an unused chain link necklace from a hook on the wall next to their vanity. Each link holds a pair perfectly!

How do you store your earrings? My little granddaughter is going to get her ears pierced for her birthday next weekend. I'm sure she'll have lots of little earrings to store. I'd love to have a great idea to share with her. (I'm not sure the ice cube trays would work for a 6 year old.)

By the way, I never did find where to sign up for their cereal sample but if you sign up for their newsletter you can print some coupons.