Saturday

" Calgon Take Me Away "




 I have a very strong fascination for

"Old Gates and Doors"

My  Pinterest Board is full of these Old World entries into others homes and gardens.

 






 Imagine stepping out on this beautiful veranda on a cool evening.


 Or walking down this dreamy path on a sunny afternoon.






 "Oh, Calgon take me away"


Have a dreamy weekend

((huggs))

Thursday

Margarine Vs Butter ... What do you use ? OH, and my Purple Hat . . .





Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys.


When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.
It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings....



^^(it even looks gross)^^

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?
Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!
Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.
 


And now, for Margarine..
Very High in Trans fatty acids.
Triples risk of coronary heart disease ...
Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

Lowers quality of breast milk

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being  
PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).


Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny micro-organisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to butter them up')!



 
* * * * *

Chinese Proverb:

When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

 * * * * * *

I'll admit Margarine was used in my home for quite a few years, until I learned how bad it was.
Now Butter is the only spread that I buy.  
Although I'm not one to cook with butter or spread it on my toast.  I do love the taste in my mashed or baked potatoes.
I think it's time for those who tell us all the bad qualities of the food we eat to just create a list of the foods that are NOT going to kill us.  It's so hard to keep track!

All of this information has inspired me to never eat margarine again!

" " " " " " "




I'm off tomorrow  with the Red Hat Ladies, on a fun filled weekend to Winter Haven, Florida
I'll leave you with this eye popping post on Margarine.

Will post more on the Pool Party and Dinner Dance that I'm sure should be fun! Lets not forget the pajama breakfast party on Sunday morning.
Oh, it's my birthday month and I had to create a "Purple Hat" for the occasion and it turned out so cute.
Lets see, Pool Party, Dinner Dance, PJ Party the next morning.  Yep, all ready!




This is a charity event and they always turn out to be such fun.
Will  post photos next week.

Ta-Ta

I'm linking up to
Inspiration Friday 




 
(ewwww, ewwww barf on the margarine story)
 

Wednesday

U is for Umbrella, how many do you have?



There is something very stylish about an item found in every home, car, backpack and pocketbook.
  
It's the Umbrella.



We all have one, or two, or in my case (I think) six.  Yes, I have quite a few Umbrellas tucked away in different locations ready for when the heavy rains of Florida hit.

Umbrellas have been seen in works of art.


Miss Jenny Matlock is doing her Alphabet Thursday on the letter "U" 
What better letter than the one that creates the word
"Umbrella"

I know I'd be lost without mine!

When we take a day at the Beach the kiddies need protection from all those UVB rays.



I know if asked, most of us can not name the parts that hold  an Umbrella together.
Look at the diagram below.
Rider Latch? 
I just call it that little thingie that I push to open mine .
Who knew?.





Our Ancestors were thought to be very distinguished when walking with their Umbrella.



The famous have danced with their Umbrellas.




Hotels use Umbrellas as part of their decoration.
Love the way these light up the beach at night.



Speaking of the beach, this is where I could while away an entire afternoon.
Under my "White Umbrella"




Lets not forget the "Umbrella Drink".
In more modern times an Umbrella  graces  flavored drinks that are used to cool the senses and calm our nerves. Think the tiny Umbrella might keep our ice from melting?





Ahhhhh, so nice!


I'm linking up to Jennys


Monday

My Double Hibiscus and Baby Ducks



This has been such a beautiful week for me... The weather was perfect, even with the occasional thunder storm that brought the  rain our area is in desperate need of.
After looking out my kitchen window this morning, I saw the Hibiscus bush was blooming and I took my phone out to catch the shot. Hibiscus only last a matter of hours.

 

I spent the Easter weekend in Palm Beach with my daughter and look what was out her front door.
Yes, this lovely lake is just a few footsteps from her door and there was moma duck with 15 little ducklings in tow.  
(I counted them)



 I ran inside and cut up an entire loaf of bread for these little guys



I'm back home today and had to share the photos
of this wonderful flower.


I gathered the only two in full bloom and added them to my little bud vase that sits on my kitchen window. Seems this bud vase is changed out each day, now that all the spring flowers are coming up.

 

 And lets not forget my first Tomatoes of the season.




 It makes my heart smile to see Mother Nature in all her glory this time of year.

"Have a beautiful week"

I'm linking up to








Sunday

"Turning a Thrift Store Find into Something Special"


I found this sweet little sign in a thrift store.  Sorry to say I forgot to take a photo before I added a few features to it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my daughter just bought her first home and she is beside herself with glee.  She is also bringing her two cats to their new home and this little sign was a simple one painted with the wording  
"A Home Without (Cats) Is Just a House"

The painted cat was simply "Pink" in color with a "Blue" bow. It needed more color so I got out my craft paint and added the tiger stripes and changed the bow to "Red".  Then I added 
"Maya and Tessa's" names.

Although the back of the sign has a hole for hanging I wanted to give it a bit more of a country design so I got out my trusty "Nail Can" and found little screw hooks. You know, the ones that will hold wire for hanging.

 







Added a little Raffia Bow. 
My little .50 cent sign now looks like a million.
(well, almost) 
I took it to Cyndi's 4 days ago as she took me on
a grand tour of her new home.



 Sweet, Cyndi just loved it!



I returned from Cyndi's just a few hours ago... her new home is in Jupiter Farms, just west of Jupiter, Fl and I fell in love with the place... a large ranch style home sitting on 1.6 acres and it's in a neighborhood of horse farms.. simply lovely.  Although I don't ride, I asked her if I could park my horse in her yard
(haha)

My little sign,  it's perfect for what ever spot she chooses to hang it.

As Martha would say,
"It's a good thing"

I'm linking up to