Memorial Day

Big Girls Don't Cry

I was watching the news last night. A story came on about a 95 yr.-old woman who had her necklace stolen right off her neck. Turns out it had been give to her by her husband when he returned home from WWII. The good news is that they caught the thief. But when the police called to tell her about it they told her not to cry.

Why not? Sometimes the most healing, cleansing thing you can do is to have a good cry! Crying releases your emotions, slows your breathing and has a calming effect. I'm sure if this woman had cried, it would have been tears of joy.

What about when your tears are not for joy? Sometimes you cry because you need support. You are letting others know that something hurts. It's good to find a sympathetic ear and unleash some feelings. Talking about what's going on and getting a smile or hug in return can help the healing begin. 

I come from a family of women that cry easily. I used to be embarrassed by it but not anymore. I know it is just a part of me. I've cried at my daughters' weddings, my grandchildren's births and in situations where the tears were tears of anger or fear.

However, there are some things we can all do to control our emotions a little better if we want. Before heading into a stressful situation, concentrate on breathing calmly and steadily. Tell yourself you are not going to cry. Reminding yourself that you are a strong person can help you stay calm. Remember that you can let your feelings out later and have that good cry.

When was the last time you had a good cry?

Wordless Wednesday

It's all about teamwork!

Just Like Jerry Seinfeld

I am really going to date myself here but...
Some times you just have to do what Jerry Seinfeld did...talk about nothing. So here I am basically blogging about nothing! Anyway, read on. I think these facts are fun.

1. Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.Treasury. 
2. Men can read smaller print than women can. 
3. Women can hear better than men. 
4. Coca-Cola was originally green. 
5. It is impossible to lick your elbow. 
6. The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour : 61,000 
7. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 (1-9 forward and backward) 
8. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. 
9. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. 
10. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. 
11. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. 
12. Bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers were all invented by women. 
13. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil. 
14. Father’s Day has more collect calls than any other day of the year. 
15. “Good Night and Sleep Tight” - In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by Ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the Bed firmer to sleep on. 
16. “Honeymoon” - It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a Month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law With all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their Calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as 'the honeymoon'. 
17. “GOLF” – Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus the word GOLF entered Into the English language.

FINALLY~~ At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

Any silly or fun facts to add to our list? Send us a comment with yours...

Are You a "Dirt Diva?"

This newsletter is for all of you Dirt Divas (I like this name for girl gardeners!) and those of you who don’t garden but know some Dirt Divas to pass it along to.   Now if Spring would only cooperate!

A gardener can stay safe and healthy by following these good gardening guidelines:

Warm up. Treat gardening like a workout and warm up first. Stroll through your garden doing gentle stretches or take a walk. Gardening can challenge your joints, so choose a few stretches to loosen and warm your knees, elbows, wrists, and shoulders.

Be nice to your knees. To get closer to the earth, gardeners often find themselves on their knees. Reduce the strain to your knees and to your back by working with only one knee on the ground at a time. Your back should be straight as you kneel, and kneepads provide additional cushion on rough or rocky terrain. 

Take turns. Weed or dig for too long, and the repetition can cause strain. Alternate your gardening tasks to avoid repetitive strain injuries. Mix it up: pull weeds for 5 minutes, and then follow it up with a task that's a bit gentler on your hands. Switch again to digging, and then back to another task. This way, you don't overstrain any one part of your body! Take breaks between tasks to rest or do some light stretches. Sit in the shade for awhile and sip some water.

Handle with care. As a gardener, you use a lot of tools, but your hands are among your most precious. Shield them from harm with sturdy, well-fitted gardening gloves. Bare hands risk cuts, scrapes, blisters, as well as exposure to chemicals, pests, and potential allergens or irritants. Even with gloves, your hands will need a thorough washing-up once you've finished your tasks. The gloves I like best are the combo rubber and cloth gloves found at Wal-Mart.  They keep your hands dry as well as clean.

No tooling around. Tools should make a gardener's life easier, not more painful or dangerous. Gardening tools come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of sharpness, so always use them with care and caution. Choose the right tool for the job, and read and follow all the instructions included with the tool before using it. With stand-up tools - rakes, hoes, or shovels, for instance - select one that allows you to keep your back straight as you work


Gardening is an act of kindness. Yet a gardener's hands are often quite abused. Lavish them with a little well-earned therapy. Shouldn't a gardener's hands be as well cared for as a gardener's garden? 

Hand Soap. Gardening is tough on your hands. So get them some special hand soap made especially for gardeners. It will soften their hands and it will help get all of the dirt out from under their nails and from their hands.  

Heavy Duty Hand Lotion. Any gardener will be sure to appreciate some really good hand lotion. Gardening can be tough on your hands with pruning, weeding and planting. 

Great products to put in an Easter basket or as a Mother's Day Gift! 

How Best To Apply Your Foundation

Here’s a tip that I wasn’t aware of:  if you want liquid foundation to remain usable throughout its lifetime, always shake it well before application.

Then the trick is to pick the right foundation color. For a natural look your foundation should match your skin tone. Test foundations along your jawline. Blend the foundation into your skin to see if the color is right. If it's too light, then test the next shade darker. If it's too dark, then go down a shade until the color matches. You will know the best color because it will disappear into your skin. The goal of foundation application is not to change the tone /color of your skin.

For flawless application start with a clean, moisturized face. A clean face will allow the makeup to smooth and blend easier. Apply moisturizer  and let it soak in at least 3 minutes before applying foundation. (Dry skin will soak up the foundation if not given that base.)

Apply foundation by dabbing a small amount on your face. Start by applying the foundation in little dots on your forehead, down your nose and on your chin and cheeks. Blend the foundation with a brush, sponge or your fingertips. Blend it off on the jaw line and hair line. Make sure it's blended completely to create a natural, flawless look. Using your fingertips will give the heaviest application, a sponge a thinner application. Be careful in the area around your eyes where the skin is super thin. Don't forget to apply foundation on your eyelids and lips. (I’ve never done that!)

To avoid a foundation line around the jaw apply foundation as usual then use a little moisturizer in your hand and blend it down your neck.

On the under-eye area, apply makeup with a finger or with a small synthetic brush or applicator. Pat with your fingertips to blend, using your ring finger or pinkie to minimize the pressure. 

To finish, and for retouching during the day, use loose or pressed powder that is light-textured and contains no oil. Setting foundation with a powder is a must for oily skin; however, if your skin is dry or if you use solid foundation, your foundation will stay in place without powder.  

Liquid foundation should never be applied over your makeup for retouching purposes, because it is impossible to blend well on top of powder, dust, or sebum. 

The smoother your skin, the more natural the foundation will look. So do exfoliate twice a week to get rid of dead skin.

Here We Go Again

Just when we thought Spring might be on the way...