18 Everyday Products You've Been Using the Wrong Way

I really had to chuckle when I saw this post on Buzzfeed DIY! Especially the right way to get a tic tac out. (Yes, I usually end up with more than I want.) So take a look and see if you are using any of these products the wrong way. I guarantee you'll get a chuckle out of this post too!

Have a Favorite?

I've been shooting a lot with my macro this summer and thought I'd share a few of my favorites! A very real dream of mine is to see these beauties hanging on bland walls...So, in the spirit of having them showcased, I'll ask each of you to tell me (by leaving a comment below) which image is your favorite and why you love it. In just a few days, I'll pick one random person to have their very own set of fine art print all occasion cards made with my photos!

Ant on a Flower

Blue Bachelor Button

 Brown Eyed Susan

 

 

 

Columbine

 

 

 Daisies

 

 

 

 Purple Flowers

 White Flowers

Zinnia

Coneflower

 

Getting ready to blow out the candle. 

My dad just celebrated his 87th birthday. Pretty cool, huh? It's especially cool since he has gone through open heart surgery, had a heart valve replaced with a pig valve, wears a pacemaker and has many stents in his arteries. In his family of 12 siblings every one of them has had heart issues. You can bet that I'm always on the look-out for ways to keep my heart healthy.

I was happy to see that To Your Health has 5 ways to avoid a heart attack or stroke in their latest issue. Here are some ways to keep your heart healthy:

1. Exercise. I heard somewhere that you should sweat every day. Running sure makes me do this, especially these last hot and humid days. Even if you only are moving for 30 minutes it will help you maintain your weight and keep your heart healthy. It's a great habit to cultivate. I make it a priority!

2. Watch your diet. It really is easy to cut out fats and sugar. Not always fun, but it can be done. Adding in lots of fruits and veggies, cutting back on red meat, limiting alcohol and sodium. You can find a ton of delicious recipes on the internet. Everyday you should be eating foods of many different colors.

3. Quit smoking. 'Nuff said.

4. Control your blood pressure. This is so important to keep your heart healthy. Many times exercise and diet can help with this.

5. Have your cholesterol checked. Like high blood pressure, cholesterol can lead to a number of problems. Make sure to stay under the overall 200 mark and check with your doctor about your options if it goes past that number. There are some ways to lower this without medications.

I'm hoping if I work on these 5 that I will live to be at least 87 but without all of the surgeries and medications my dad has to take. (He is working on the above things too but for him it's trying to maintain whatever heart health he has.) Heredity plays a part in all of this too but I'm hoping it's just a small part.

How healthy do you think your heart is?

Wordless Wednesday

A Tip For Tuesday

You know how you come across tips on the internet that are supposed to make your life easier or simpler or just better? Well, I came across one that sounded so good I just had to try it. The tip was to spray your nails right after painting with cooking oil spray to make them dry faster. So my granddaughters and I gave it a shot.

Yeah, we didn't like it so much. While our nails did dry right away, our fingers were very oily. It wasn't a problem to wash the oil off but they weren't too thrilled with it. I think they decided they'd rather blow on their nails to dry them.

Oh well, you don't know until you try--right? ☺

Passing Down Family Recipes

A lesson from Great-grandma

My family has an old, old recipe passed down from my grandmother and possibly her mother too. We call them Butterhorns. My mother always bakes these for holidays and other special family occasions. I have tried making them but they are never quite as good as hers. My sister Nancy who lives in GA can make them almost as good as mom's.

A few months ago my little granddaughters asked if Great Grandma would teach them how to make Butterhorns. So she bought the ingredients and invited them over for an afternoon of baking. They had a super fun time AND got to eat them fresh out of the oven.

I'm hoping to perfect them some day and to make them with my granddaughters too.  It would be a shame to not continue the tradition. (I don't have a picture of the finished product because they never last long enough to photograph them!)

 

 

 

Butterhorns--an old German family recipe

 

1 cup milk                    1/3 cup sugar                

zest from one lemon    1 cup butter (+ a little more)     

1 pkg. yeast                  1/2 teas. salt

3 eggs beaten               5 cups flour                  

optional chopped nuts

 

Scald the milk and butter. Let cool. Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water with some of the sugar. Add to the milk and butter mixture. Add the other ingredients. Mix well. Let rise until the dough is double in size. Roll out. Spread with more butter, sprinkle on some brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts if desired. (I have no measurements for this part. My mother and grandmother always knew by looking how much to put on the dough.) Let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown.

 

We frost them with a simple powdered sugar frosting when they are cool but they are also delicious unfrosted too!

 

Do you have any old family recipes?

 

 

Flip Flop Wisdom

As a grandmother I sometimes have to bite my tongue. They are not my children to raise even if I think I have better ideas. So when I see my granddaughters spending the summer in flip flops and now going back to school in them, I have to stay quiet.

It's not that I don't think flip flops are cute or like the idea you can get them to coordinate with any outfit. It's just that they are so bad for your feet. I think especially little feet. In our local paper yesterday was a feature article about how hard they are on your feet. They just aren't supportive, they can lead to hammertoes (because of how your toes grip the sandals) and heel callouses can form from repeated slapping of the flip flops.  Most people walk differently in them in order to keep them on. And...you know how much it hurts to stub your unprotected toe!

 Children have new bone growing in their feet. Flip flops do not cushion their heels so repetitive stress from walking in them can inflame the heel bone growth area and cause pain and tenderness. As a former teacher I used to see kids running in them on the playground and riding bikes--just an accident waiting to happen.

So what can you do (or my grandchildren do) to prevent problems?
* Replace old worn out flip flops.
*Leather flip flops are less likely to cause irritation.
*Wear the right size. Your toes and heel should not hang off the edges.
*Give them a break--wear them less. Use them for beach wear, at the pool or around the house.

Maybe if my daughter reads my blog she'll get the hint. Or maybe grandma has to take the girls shopping and help them pick out some different shoes as a treat. Hmmm...