Too often we forgo entertaining because of the mere thought of all of the preparation that is involved. And more is not better. Often we try to out do each other with lavish parties and expensive gifts. Stop and remember for a second what was important from your own childhood. Was it an outing? Baking cookies with your grandmother? Building a snowman with your dad? We need to connect.
This doesn't require more time, just shifting the focus of the time we already have. Here, a casual party and a very simple activity were the catalyst that brought everyone together.To get the entire neighborhood into the Christmas spirit we planned a caroling party. The day before our guests arrived, my kids and I spent an afternoon making decorative candleholders to give to each caroler, to light the way for our caroling expedition. Dad, dressed as Santa, provided our very own photo opportunity. Little ones whispered their Christmas list in Santa's ear.
Grown ups, as well as kids, had their pictures taken in Santa's lap. Adults, kids, and even a few dogs then joined us on our merry way. Our numbers grew as we made our way caroling through the neighborhood. As the carolers returned, we welcomed them with Mexican hot chocolate and ginger spice cookies. This party was a great way to engage everyone in an activity that the whole family could enjoy.
And for a few short hours we were able to turn our attention away from the commercial marketing of the holidays to something much more personal. Recipe: Mexican Hot ChocolateRecipes are one of our most cherished traditions. Passed down from one generation to the next, they conjure up memories of holiday preparations or time spent with a favorite relative. Cooking provides a quiet time to pass on the wisdom of family lore.Ingredients:4 cups whole milk4 ounces Mexican chocolate such as Ibarraor 3 ? ounces semi-sweet chocolate plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon4 tablespoons sugarPinch of salt1 teaspoon vanilla, preferably Mexican2 eggs1. In a medium sized saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until scalding.2.
Break the chocolate into pieces. Add to the hot milk along with the sugar and salt. Stir until melted. Beat with a wire whisk until frothy.3. Add the eggs and vanilla.
Continue to whisk. 4. Pour into 4 mugs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in print, free of charge, provided that each article is: 1.
Printed in its full form with no changes2. Includes an active link 3. A courtesy copy of your publication is sent to the above contact 4. And the byline appears at the bottom of each article,including the authors bio..
Aphrodisiac Dinner Date
Dinner dates with new companions can make or break a budding romance.
First dates can be nerve racking.
Planning the date can be particularly difficult.
Where should you go, what should you do and what would be enjoyable?
You might worry that your date will not like the restaurant, the food or worse yet, the company.
Once the date begins you may sometimes struggle with conversation, feel awkward and suffer from anxiety.
Don't be ashamed, it happens to everyone.The absolute best and incomparable sort of dinner date you can arrange is one that you prepare yourself at your own home.
In this scenario you can be the male or the female, it does not matter.
When a guy cooks for a girl, the woman feels special, elated, curious and very vulnerable because the man is in complete and total control.
And when the woman cooks for her special guy, she gets to showcase any special culinary talents which can serve as a hint...
SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Too often we forgo entertaining because of the mere thought of all of the preparation that is involved. And more is not better. Often we try to out do each other with lavish parties and expensive gifts. Stop and remember for a second what was important from your own childhood. Was it an outing? Baking cookies with your grandmother? Building a snowman with your dad? We need to connect.
This doesn't require more time, just shifting the focus of the time we already have. Here, a casual party and a very simple activity were the catalyst that brought everyone together.To get the entire neighborhood into the Christmas spirit we planned a caroling party. The day before our guests arrived, my kids and I spent an afternoon making decorative candleholders to give to each caroler, to light the way for our caroling expedition. Dad, dressed as Santa, provided our very own photo opportunity. Little ones whispered their Christmas list in Santa's ear.
Grown ups, as well as kids, had their...
SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Acid Reflux Disease
What is acid reflux disease?Acid reflux disease can and often is mistaken for heartburn. But the heartburn symptoms of acid reflux disease usually occur 2 or more days a week for at least 3 months and can damage your esophagus. At the top of your stomach is a muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which normally opens and closes allowing food to enter. It also prevents the acid in your stomach from backing up into your esophagus. The trouble begins when the LES opens at inappropriate times, allowing acid from the stomach to get into the esophagus, where it doesn't belong.
Acid reflux disease can also lead to more serious medical conditions that may require hospitalization. Acid reflux in the throat can cause sore throat. If acid reaches the mouth, it can dissolve the enamel of the teeth. Millions of people have the disease and suffer from its most common symptom - frequent and persistent heartburn. Acid reflux disease can be treated and controlled.How do...
Acid Reflux Disease
Aphrodisiac Dinner Date
Dinner dates with new companions can make or break a budding romance.
First dates can be nerve racking.
Planning the date can be particularly difficult.
Where should you go, what should you do and what would be enjoyable?
You might worry that your date will not like the restaurant, the food or worse yet, the company.
Once the date begins you may sometimes struggle with conversation, feel awkward and suffer from anxiety.
Don't be ashamed, it happens to everyone.The absolute best and incomparable sort of dinner date you can arrange is one that you prepare yourself at your own home.
In this scenario you can be the male or the female, it does not matter.
When a guy cooks for a girl, the woman feels special, elated, curious and very vulnerable because the man is in complete and total control.
And when the woman cooks for her special guy, she gets to showcase any special culinary talents which can serve as a hint...
Tickle Your Senses With Yankee Candles!
How many of us remember as kids creating our own candles from our broken crayons?
We'd have mom or dad help us melt down the crayons on the stove, throwing in every color of the rainbow.
Then we'd carefully pour the melted wax into old cardboard milk cartons.
But, how many of us were able to turn the fun of creating candles at home into a profitable money-making business?
Well, Mike Kittredge, founder of Yankee Candles did just that!
In 1969, when he was 16 years old, Mike melted down his old crayons to make his mom a candle for Christmas.
His neighbor liked it so well, that she bought it from him.
He then had enough money to buy wax to make both a candle for his mom and one to sell.
This was the beginning of a bright future for Yankee Candles.Today, Yankee Candles are the #1 selling brand in the United States.
The "Housewarmers" are Yankee Candles most popular candle.
They vary in size from votives...
Aphrodisiac Expert/Author Checks in for 2005 Valentine's Festivities
"Cooking and seduction are delicious arts that involve head, hand and heart. And great lovers are inspired by passion, as are great chefs," says Diane Brown, an aphrodisiac expert and author of The Seduction Cookbook.
The Fairmont Miramar Hotel Santa Monica follows suit by welcoming Brown as guest chef/cookbook author for their 2005 Valentine's Day festivities. Scheduled for hardcover release in February 2005, The Seduction Cookbook offers tips and techniques for shooting Cupid's delicious arrow straight through the heart of a lover's sensual appetite. With more than 80 heart-melting, temperature-raising recipes that are quickly and easily prepared, one can cook up an evening of romance without spending hours in the kitchen.
The book also contains expert tips and ideas indispensable to making the mood magical: grow an erotic herb garden; learn which aphrodisiac foods really work; set the stage for romance and seduction; bewitch your lover with decadent desserts; and make...
Aphrodisiac Expert/Author Checks in for 2005 Valentine's Festivities
Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants
Imagine a garden filled with chocolate ? chocolate mint; chocolate columbine; chocolate morning glories; chocolate nasturtiums; chocolate daylilies; chocolate foxglove; chocolate sunflowers and much more.Imagination becomes reality this spring at Chocolate Flower Farm where owners Marie Lincoln and Bill Schlicht specialize in growing unusual, rich, dark plants that add a spot of drama and exotic beauty to the garden.
Not just chocolate colored plants but plants in shades of maroon, purple and black and even several plants that smell like chocolate such as Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguiness), Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata) and Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata). What came first, the chocolate or the flowers?
"Our nursery is named after Bill's love of chocolate and my passion for gardening.
I already was partial to dark plants and had quite a collection of them in our gardens, thus we combined our two passions and named our farm Chocolate Flower Farm.
Chocolate > Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants
Alaskan Northern Lights and Landscape Uniquely Captured in Tom Robinsons Paintings
Light and shadow, hot and cold, extremes of color and emotion.
These are the things that will strike you when viewing the paintings of Tom Robinson.
Tom's magical talent with light may have a lot to do with the fact that he has been flying since he was 14 years old with most of his flying time in Alaska from Mt. McKinley to the mighty Yukon. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tom is a registered member of the Cherokee tribe with three daughters, two granddaughters and an Abyssinian cat named "Ringo".
Tommy honors his Native American heritage with his love and respect for nature; apparent in his paintings. Tom Robinson has been a commercial pilot/guide flying visitors and mountain climbers around Denali National Park and landing on the glaciers of Mt. McKinley for 16 years. Since he's so busy in the summer he relies on memories of the sky and illuminated mountains to guide him while painting during the dark days of endless Alaska winters. Although there has had no formal...
Alaskan Northern Lights and Landscape Uniquely Captured in Tom Robinsons Paintings
SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON 
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The Use of Green Tea in Home Remedies
There are a plethora of natural home remedies from brown sugar to eliminate heartburn to corn syrup to control nausea that can be used by those who want alternatives to over the counter medications. More than a tasty, hot beverage, green tea is an important part of home remedies from skin and teeth care to general preventative measures and everything in between. For specific examples to ways to use green tea to get excellent benefits read below.
Green Tea and Skin Care
Chocolate > The Use of Green Tea in Home Remedies
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