BEAUTY IS A LIFESTYLE THING

Did you know that when a person has to balance themselves by using only themselves to hold themslves up provides muscle and cardio benefits? Think of the plank or sometimes known as the abdominal bridge. The plank originated in the armed services, yoga and pilates. When one does this exercise it promotes intense core and stability in the apbdominal and forearm regions,back and shoulders of the body, along with the glutes,quadriceps and hamstrings. That's alot of body areas to work all at the same time for the same amount of intensity. There are a great many variations of the plank. Let's start at the very beginner methods. *Keep in mind that any plank can be modified for handicap or injury. Begin with 10 seconds of regular straight-arm, or bent arm plank. Everyday add 10 seconds to it. Work all the way up to a one-minute hold. Continue to add seconds to your time or add variations: like shoulder taps, or very tough leg "burpies". Here's a great chart of dif...

I took a small hiatus to catch my breath. Last year was a lot for many of us. This past month I have been immersed in finding my artful self and relaunched a redbubble photography site and set up a jewelry etsy site! I'd love to share them with you. I'll have the links to them below. I have always been a creative person and have always made and displayed art of my own in my home.I loved art as a teen. I am slef-taught as with most things, but I do come from at least three generations of artists and hand-crafters, and of course a little of that rubbed off. I always attend craft fairs,art fairs, and flea markets; because I am one of those people that want to upcycle it, paint it, take a photo of it or write about it! ********** It Would mean the world to me if you stopped by to one of these sites or both sites (please), I upcycle jewelry and use new and old pieces combined to create fun and useful and (affordable)jewelry that is pretty, stylish and will make a statement. Please...

Be You, by being different. Follow all of those dreams. Spring has brought a new air. To me Spring brings forth vitality and for my personal goals; small mountains to climb and new goals to acheive. By being myself I embrace all that I am, even if it's different. Stay tuned right here for new things, I will be launching something exciting and you'll all be part of it! Don't forget to hit that subscribe button; add your email and you'll receive my posts without ever missing them.

I had been collaborating with Novica The Impact Marketplace in the affiliate group of which I belong, this group assists artists in their own homeland make and sell their beautiful artwork. There are so many different types of artwork from sculptures and painting to housewares,clothing and jewelry. I was so excited to do this because number one I care for the environment and so do they. I am an artisan in my own right and that is who the group highlights; it was a perfect collaboration. I was given a complimentary gift to purchase,use and offer my personal review on the item I chose. Today I am excited to tell you that I chose the artist Victor Hugo Lopez. He and his family are from the Central American country of Guatemala. The package arrived and it was gorgeous! My purchase was wrapped beautifully and included a thank you from the artist himself! See the pictures below of the stunning giftwrap and a very special "worry doll" on top. How sweet. Developing a new desig...

In my home Easter is most welcome, to my family it is the harbringer of Spring. I love to decorate for Easter;and I feel revived after a long and dark winter, I'll bet you do too. I think I have finally embraced the time change (if you have that where you live)and am looking so forward to summer and flowers and butterflies, but until then an Easter Tablescape is the easiest way to be creative and set the springy mood. *Remember that I always say shop your home first, and rethink the way your decorate. Use containers or ideas that you never have before, and you'll be surprised what you come up with. I love it when my spring flower bulbs start to pop up, it really gets me excited for lawn chairs, umbrellas and iced tea. This winter was harsh and the bunnies helped to prune numerous shrubs and ate some of my flowers already, while their wildlife buddy the vole was busy underground stealing a lot of my tulips! But here's what we have already. (most of the tulips that a...

Hi my friends! I'm so happy to announce that I am doing a collaboration with Novica The Impact Marketplace. As you may already know I love to support small business and handmade artisans. You also know I love making an impact. I was given a gift card to help spread the word and I cannot wait to share with you all as soon as I receive my beautiful artisan piece. Every piece is handmade with love and pride for these artisans and every piece tells a bit of a story of their ancestral and cultural heritage. ALL ABOUT NOVICA Novica has a mission to spread happiness by improving the life of an artisan and their community by showcasing their handmade art. Novica provides a customer with beautiful gifts from jewelry to housewares and more that can be purchased from the world over, and in turn this global selling and purchasing of handmade art uplifts, empowers, and improves the way of life for the artisan and their community. THE VALUES OF NOVICA Nov...

Well you know we tried it, maybe you have too, but if you didn't you really should! This easy recipe was simply all over the internet; I mean everywhere! That's how it became viral, because even younger foodies were making it too. Our family not only loves to try new things in the way of food,we love eating the new stuff too, so now we were off to the races. We love cheese and for a ketogenic person this is a good thing too. TIPS: This recipe involves using a whole block of feta cheese. Please do not get crumbles of feta it will NOT cook the same way. Grape tomatoes are used in my recipe and these are keto but only eaten in moderation. If you have only cherry tomatoes on hand you can use them here as well. Use only olive oil and the right amount of it because this will help cook the tomatoes to confit (bursting open). HERE'S THE RECIPE *2 Pints cherry or grape tomatoes *3 cloves of garlic chopped or grated finely *1/2 Cup virgin olive oil *1 8 0z block of feta che...