June 9, 2007
Wonderfully simple to do and oh so impressive!
You don’t need a $40 Easter egg decorating kit with pages of instructions to impress your family and guests this Easter – achieve sophisticated elegance with colors taken directly from nature. Simply decorated from a myriad of plants and flowers, you can create a beautiful range of natural colors and textures. Try this technique – it’s simple enough to do with young children.
Ingredients
Gather together eggs, an enamel or stainless steel pot, vinegar, cheesecloth, a rubber band, and plant materials such as onionskins, blueberries, pecan hulls, parsley, beets or dandelions.
Directions
1. To prepare the dye bath, fill a pot with two or three cups of plant material. Barely cover it with water (more plant material produces stronger colors.) Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add water and stir as needed. The dyes can be made several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Strain and heat the dye before using it.
2. Use hard-boiled or blown out eggs. Carefully wash the eggs with soap and water. Allow them to dry. Wipe the eggs with vinegar.
3. To decorate the eggs, moisten small leaves and grasses, one at a time. Press them firmly against the egg. Hold them in place by wrapping the eggs in a six-inch square of cheesecloth or nylon pantyhose. Pull the cloth tight against the egg and secure it with a rubber band. Immerse the egg in a container of warm dye. Some dyes are stronger than others. The process may take only a few moments or several hours. Dyes derived from yellow onionskin, red onionskin, and blueberries all provide quick results.
4. Unwrap the eggs, drain, and let them dry upright.
What a magical and unpredictable process. Each lustrous egg is a unique surprise. Some of our favorites were the results of happy accidents. Enjoy discovering!
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About the Authors: Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes are the co-authors of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out their website that’s jam packed with family ideas, visit http://www.togetherparenting.com
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When asked what gets in the way of communication most often, anger comes up. Moreover, the anger is often related to a perception of a situation that may not even be accurate. That is why anger can be a poison that sucks you in.
Judgment and ridicule can set in. Your breathing starts to change and becomes shallow and significantly faster. This pattern lowers the oxygen level in the brain, which increases the irritability, impulsivity and leads to confusion and behaviours such as threatening, yelling or hitting.
Your brain then starts searching for other reasons to be angry to justify how it feels.
By looking for reasons that can make other people bad or wrong, the mind believes it offsets or even justifies its own actions, thinking and beliefs.
It then sets up vibrations of energy that attracts more of the same and other people of the same nature. Your brain can then literately filter out anything contrary to the raging thoughts that it now feels.
All communication has stopped at this point. The other person is now defensive and on guard against the onslaught of verbal and possibly physical attacks from the other person. They no longer see this person as rational. They give no credibility to anything the other person is saying. In most instances, they are in protection mode and not even paying attention to anything the angry person is saying.
If they get angry them self, it increases the rage and adds more fuel to the fire. They now look for past behaviours that can explain the actions of the angry person. If they remember any previous angry behaviour, it is easy to conclude that the other person always gets angry.
It is important for both parties to take a time out and reflect on what the original issue was and what they wanted to relay. Try to look at, just what are the important issues and what isn’t important. Having give and take in the communication can go far is resolving issues. They could also reflect on how and why the anger built up. What about this issue brought up the anger. How does this relate to any past issue. What are the feelings that I have around this.
In most cases, anger is a secondary emotion. It can mask fear, whether it is a fear of loss or needing control of a situation. Being clear on why you reacted and can go along way in resolving the intense feelings and help you to focus on the issue at hand. Then the communication can proceed towards understanding and resolution.
Maria Boomhower is known as The Master Communicator. She has won awards for excellence in her field. Her background includes supervision, training, video productions, photo journalism and running sub-press centres. Maria also spent several years studying metaphysics and quantum theories, which enabled her to bring in the human aspects of communication and perceptions to assist people in overcoming their barriers. You can find out more at:http://www.falconfreedom.com
Communication Mastery Articles
Grab a copy of:
“Perceptions, discover what you are really seeing & how it affects your belief system.”
“Our brains have a RAS system. It filters out anything that your brain doesn’t consider important. But what if you thought it was?”
The Amazing World of Perceptions
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When Ford decided to redesign the Mustang, they opted to incorporate a retro look, much like what was done previously with the Thunderbird. Fortunately, Ford didn’t look at the ghastly Mustang II series from the 1970s for a template, instead the US automaker drew upon the second generation Mustangs of the late 1960s for their inspiration. Let’s just say that the redesigned Mustang has been nothing short of a sell out hit.
Introduced as a 2005 model, the retro Mustang for 2006 offers only one change: the introduction of a Pony package which is meant to give the car a GT look and feel. Borrowing from the fastback design of the late 1960s, the 2005 model was such a hit that Ford could not keep up with production.
Buyers have a choice between a 4.0L V6 and a 4.6L V8 engine to power the car. With 2+2 seating, 107 inch wheelbase, and a curb weight of just under 3500 pounds, the car cruises down the highway with 210 and 300 horses respectively.
Each engine is mated with a 5 speed manual transmission and a 5 speed automatic transmission is optional for both. 4 wheel disc brakes and optional traction control [standard with the V8] help keep the Mustang under control.
Clothe bucket seats are standard with leather seats optional. All models come with tilt steering wheel, cruise control, power locks and windows, power side mirrors, and air conditioning.
Ford gives buyers a choice between 5 coupe and 5 convertible models with base MSRP starting at $19,810 for the coupe and $24,635 for the convertible.
First year sales of the Mustang were so good that the car sold out by early Spring. In fact, the Mustang dethroned the Chrysler 300 as the hottest car on the market with more than 15,000 Mustangs sold per month. All of this production is from just one factory.
Production for 2006 is certain to be tight and with little incentives available – they certainly aren’t needed – the Mustang is likely to continue to have a long waiting list of customers desiring the sporty coupe. Considering that sales across the Ford division are flat, this is good news for an automaker desperately needing a hot seller.
Copyright 2005 — Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for the Auto Parts Warehouse, a wholesaler of discount Ford parts and accessories.
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Let’s face it your body is a smart machine, if you want to be a champion especially in the sport of bodybuilding you have to continuously push yourself in EVERY way. The only person you compete against is yourself. The only person you have to stay ahead of in the game is yourself. To do this, it really boils down to just two things: master the art of listening to your body and master the art of not allowing your body and mind to adapt to your training and eating programs.
Athletes and the general fitness buffs lose their desire and motives for two reasons: boredom and lack of results. Boredom in the sense than their bodies gets use to a certain pattern of exercising and sooner rather than later adapt to that pattern. When this occurs results do not. When we are not mentally and physically pushed we end up staying at a certain level or worse give up on ourselves. This does not have to happen!
On a personal note, I have averaged five days a week exercising and won many bodybuilding championships by doing half the weight and exercises in half the time that most do. Why? Because of one simple rule; never allow your body to adapt to your program.
However, there are many of you who do the opposite and change things up too soon and too often. You don’t see results in a short period of time so you change it up. At the end of the year, if I would ask you, “What works for you?” You could not tell me, because you are confused with all the things you’ve tried. There is a fine line of when and what to change. Here are some suggestions on becoming a champion in any sport when it comes to mastering the art of adaptation:
1. Design your workout programs in twelve week cycles –
You could also call this periodization training. Your body works in cycles. Any more than twelve weeks and your body and mind get use to the pattern of your training.
2. Have a rest period between programs –
It is very important both physically and mentally to take a break to recuperate. This may be hard to do, but pays dividends down the road. Remember – More is not better!
3. Vary intensity levels on both cardiovascular and weight training workouts –
This continually pushes your body to grow and improve. Monitor heart rates and keep a good flow in your weight training workouts.
4. Set a time frame to your workout session –
This forces you to push yourself and not allowing your body to get in a rut. Do not allow your workouts to become a job to do. Enjoy it!
5. Alternate between machines and free weights –
Your body even gets use to equipment, reps and order of exercises. Change up once a while.
If you want to be a champion, these things must be incorporated into your workout plan. If you are afraid of change, experimenting or failing you will continue on the road of metiocracy. However, if you want to be a bodybuilding champion you must think outside the box!
Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smiths. Best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE book series. Discover the common sense way to lose weight with out dieting. A proven formula the doctor’s DON’T want you to know about. For FREE MINI COURES click here http://www.resolutions.bz
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Nominated for a numerous of Emmys and other critical awards, Northern Exposure is part-drama, part-comedy, a show successfully built on the tried and true premise of a “fish out of water”. During its short five-season run, the show’s rapier like wit and originality earned it a place among some of the best television shows of its era…
Northern Exposure follows the life of recent medical school graduate Joel Fleishman (Rob Morrow) who is informed that he must work in a small town in Alaska in order to fulfill the requirements of his medical school loan. Making matters worse, he’s the only doctor in the small town which is filled with eccentric characters from every walk of life. The wealthy entrepreneur Maurice Minnifield owns the town (named Cicely), and he’s determined to transform it into an ideal vacation paradise. Other memorable characters include pilot Maggie O’Connell (Janine Turner), radio deejay Chris Stevens (John Corbett), filmmaker Ed Chigliak (Darren E. Burrows), and husband/wife restaurant owners Holling (John Cullum) and Shelly Vincoeur (Cynthia Geary)…
The Northern Exposure (Season 3) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “The Bumpy Road to Love” in which Maggie learns of Rick’s extensive past of lovers when a statue is commemorated in his honor. Meanwhile, a disagreement hinders Maurice’s pursuit of Officer Semanski and Joel is kidnapped by a reclusive mountain man and his hypochondriac wife… Other notable episodes from Season 3 include “Jules et Joel” in which Joel gets injured, prompting a visit from his twin brother Jules, and “Things Become Extinct” in which Joel experiences feelings of isolation as he searches for other Jews living in Alaska…
Below is a list of episodes included on the Northern Exposure (Season 3) DVD:
Episode 16 (The Bumpy Road to Love) Air Date: 09-23-1991
Episode 17 (Only You) Air Date: 09-30-1991
Episode 18 (Oy Wilderness) Air Date: 10-07-1991
Episode 19 (Animals ‘R’ Us) Air Date: 10-14-1991
Episode 20 (Jules et Joel) Air Date: 10-28-1991
Episode 21 (The Body in Question) Air Date: 11-04-1991
Episode 22 (Roots) Air Date: 11-11-1991
Episode 23 (A-Hunting We Will Go) Air Date: 11-18-1991
Episode 24 (Get Real) Air Date: 12-09-1991
Episode 25 (Seoul Mates) Air Date: 12-16-1991
Episode 26 (Dateline: Cicely) Air Date: 01-06-1992
Episode 27 (Our Tribe) Air Date: 01-13-1992
Episode 28 (Things Become Extinct) Air Date: 01-20-1992
Episode 29 (Burning Down the House) Air Date: 02-03-1992
Episode 30 (Democracy in America) Air Date: 02-24-1992
Episode 31 (Three Amigos) Air Date: 03-02-1992
Episode 32 (Lost and Found) Air Date: 03-09-1992
Episode 33 (My Mother, My Sister) Air Date: 03-16-1992
Episode 34 (Wake Up Call) Air Date: 03-23-1992
Episode 35 (The Final Frontier) Air Date: 04-27-1992
Episode 36 (It Happened in Juneau) Air Date: 05-04-1992
Episode 37 (Our Wedding) Air Date: 05-11-1992
Episode 38 (Cicely) Air Date: 05-18-1992
Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Northern Exposure (Season 3) DVD.
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