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Saturday, 1 August 2015

MAKE A POMANDER FLOWER BALL

Pomanders, or �Flower Kissing Balls� are gorgeous floral decorations at parties and weddings. It�s name is from the French pomme d�ambre or apple of amber � a ball of perfume. They were carried to protect against infections and diseases by modifying bad smells. Interesting huh? Well, today they�re used as a beautiful, hand-made decoration!


SUPPLIES:

- 4� white Styrofoam ball
- 90-100 pearl tipped corsage pins
- 2 sheets scrapbook paper (I used a pearlized pink for one ball and a matte pale pink for the other in these pictures).
- Martha Stewart hydrangea punch

BEGIN:

Step 1: You�ll need to punch 180-200 of the hydrangea petal shapes, which will take around a sheet and a half of 12�12 scrapbook paper.


Step 2: After the shapes are all punched, curl the edges of the petals upward and to the center. This will give the flowers some dimension when they are complete.


Step 3: Stack two of the flower petals and turn them a bit so it looks like a full flower. Stick a corsage pin straight through the center of your petals.

Step 4:  Push the end of the pin into the Styrofoam ball, the repeat until your ball is covered.


I started mine by making a row around the center and filling in each half a concentric row at a time. Make sure your flowers are close enough that the petals cover the Styrofoam. If you�re going to sit them flat by themselves on the table as I did for my centerpieces, you can leave about 2 inches on the bottom bare of flowers so the balls have a bit more stability. If you cover the entire ball, these would look pretty in a bowl or with ribbons pinned among the petals to hang them.


And that�s it! A very simple project for a very elegant and impressive display.

Sfglobe

FANCY LIGHTS

Everyone loves the mason jar� creating lighting with a mason jar is a hot decorating trend that crosses from modern to rustic d�cor. It�s inexpensive, creative and versatile. Check out these great mason jar lighting ideas to set your small home apart with style.

Tip: The secret for a lot of these lighting projects is using vintage Edison light bulbs. You can find them shop  online


This is a pretty simple project with plain mason jars, a simple lamp kit, and really cool vintage style bulbs. You can really follow well with just the pics.













CREATE A SNOW-KISSED FOREST IN MINUTE

You don't have to be a crafting queen to whip up charming holiday decorations. This enchanting shadow box DIY reminds us of stargazing on a cold Winter night. The best part? You can summon your inner Martha without even breaking a sweat! It's that easy.



Every seemingly handmade element - glam shadow boxes, brush trees, snow (or - ahem - stretched out cotton), copper-wire lights - can all be purchased. Convenient, right? So roll up your sleeves, turn on the Christmas jams, and let the deceptively simple decorating begin!

Popsugar

THE 5 TIPS MANAGE STRESS AND FIGHT FATIGUE

Some stress is positive. It causes our bodies to release adrenaline, which helps us to accomplish assignments and projects, and can even enhance our performance and problem-solving ability. But chronic stress, which is constant and persists over an extended period of time, can be causing a variety of problems including anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system; can contribute to the development of major illnesses, such as heart disease, depression and obesity.
I myself have had such risk, then I go to a psychologist, a doctor and get advice about your situation. Over the first months of implementation of the instructions that I was consulting, my health has markedly improved both physically and mentally. Now I can share what I know to protect and improve my health for everyone. 


1.  Sleep
The human body needs a certain amount of sleep each day to function at optimal levels, to repair and recharge. A sleep cycle of 8-9 hours is recommended. While for most of us 8-9 hrs sleep isa far off dream, the next best thing you can do for yourself is to aim for a consistent sleep pattern, this means going to bed and waking up at the same time regularly to help set your body clock and sleep cycle.


2.  Exercise
Regular physical activity helps address many of the underlying mechanisms that may cause or perpetuate fatigue, including stress, immune function, unstable blood sugars, mood changes, irritability and excess body fat. Exercise can help manage symptoms and improve physical functioning in people suffering from fatigue.

3.  Eat a Healthy Well Balanced Diet
The quality and the balance of food in your diet has enormous impact on your health, eating vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, leansources of protein from animals should see an increase in energy levels, while choosing to eat a diet high in processed, high fat, high calorie and energy dense foods will leave you feeling depleted and often leads to a cycle ofpoor food choices due to the lack of nutrition from your diet. For more information on how to eat a balanceddiet see page 15 of this booklet.

4.  Avoid Stimulants & Excess Alcohol
As tempting as it may be relying oncaffeine, energy drinks and high sugar foods when you are tired and unmotivated is a dangerous cycle, the short term lift will leave your body worse off than before. These tempting stimulants similar to drugs will leave you to come crashing down after a short lived false �up�. The overuse of alcohol will also lead to fatigue affected byyour sleep cycle.


5.  Make Time For Relaxation
We all have stressful aspects to our lives � work, family, finances and illness are the most common causes of our stress. Rather than banish ourcareers, our relationships or our bank accounts the advice is to find ways to sort and manage the stress in our lives. Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation and deep breathing are all widely used forms of activity that positively help reduce stress levels.


Hopefully with this little 5 tips will be useful for you!

HOW TO PROTECT MATTRESS FROM BED BUGS?

The bed bug is a very disturbing insect that feeds on human�s blood. They are brown or reddish in color and always prefer to feed on humans. Dirt and a stinky environment attract them and they usually make the mattress, cushion, and other types of furniture their habitat. In fact, their name suggests that the mattress is one of the best places these insects prefer to pitch their tent. It is therefore, always important to protect your mattress against bedbugs. What are the reasons why a mattress will be harboring a bedbug and what are the things to do in order to keep these insects out of the headboard, head frame and other areas they would love to hide?
Obviously, the most ideal way to keep bedbugs out of your home and mattress is by prevention. Prevention is always better than cure and the best way to prevent them is to observe a proper cleaning routine on the mattress.
Make sure you keep the mattress neat at all times. If there is a spill or other kinds of accidental dirt, take water and a detergent to brush off the stain and leave dry before lying on the bed. This will prevent any stinky smell that may attract a bedbug. Even if there is no accidental stain on the mattress, a regular vacuum cleaning is essential to get rid of dust or other substances that may invite bedbugs into your bed. You also need to wash your mattress at least once in a while to remove any stains that may not be possible during regular vacuum cleaning.

One of the most common methods of protecting mattress against bedbugs is through encasements. Here are some points you need to know about bedbugs encasements:
1. It is a little different from impregnated mattress covers because the latter is not likely going to kill the bedbugs since they require a prolonged exposure to chemicals before any mortality can occur. Moreover, introducing a chemical into a sleeping environment is not advisable, especially to someone who is having allergic issues.
2. Incasing the mattress can also help prevent an infestation of bedbugs. You can incase both the box spring and the mattress in a protective cover which can trap and kill bugs currently staying in the mattress as it will also help to keep bugs out. Encasements can equally make it easier to spot and kill any bedbug staying on the outer surface of the mattress. Encasements specifically meant for the protection against bed bugs are available for sale in most stores that sell mattress and mattress toppers. However, mattress encasements can be used as a preventive measure (proactive encasements) and for elimination purpose (reactive encasements.
3. Once the mattress is encased before it is being used (proactive), it can help detect any trace of bedbugs on time. Bed bugs won�t be able to get inside the mattress once it is encased. The major reason why it is very difficult to get rid of bedbugs from a mattress is because they go inside the mattress and hide where they become very hard to detect. But with the proper encasement of the mattress, the bedbugs will be limited only to the outer surface which makes them easier to detect during visual inspection. Even though they may be still present on the outer areas of the bed, the encasement of the bed makes it impossible to infect the box spring or the interior area of the bed.

4. Reactive encasements can be done when dealing with bug infected mattress. If the bedbug has already infected the mattress, there are things you can do to eliminate them. With an encasement, bedbugs already inside the bed would not have any space to go out in search of human blood. If they don�t see something to eat for a few days, they will definitely die. This will help you minimize the extent of infections you are dealing with and only concentrate on the remaining bugs that are clearly visible outside.
5. In conclusion, newly manufactured mattresses cannot be infected by a bug because they are tightly sealed which create an inhabitable environment for any living thing. But if the mattress is not properly cared for or there is an existing bedbug infection in the home, they can infect the mattress. So, a proper care is needed to prevent the invasion of bedbugs in your mattress.
 

CHICKEN PASTA WITH BROCCOLI

It�s really just a perfect weeknight meal to make you feel like you can go ahead and pin that gold star on your apron for one more dinner knocked right out of the park.

Who can resist a meal that is healthy, flavorful and only requires one measly skillet for cooking? I can not and my family too. Pastas also the favorite food of my children - that was the idea I make this dish. 

Come on, we begin!


Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp (15 ml) sunflower oil
- 3 chicken breasts on the bone, halved and skin and all fat removed
- 2 tsp (10 ml) dried mixed herbs
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 green or red pepper, seeds removed and chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) cake flour
- 1 cup (250 ml) low-fat or fat-free milk
- 200 g broccoli, cut in small pieces
- 2 tsp (10 ml) prepared mustard
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt lemon juice and black pepper to taste
- 250 g fusilli or any pasta shape of your choice

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a pot and fry chicken until golden brown. Reduce the heat and add herbs with water.

2. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked. Spoon out and remove bones. Keep liquid aside.

3. Heat another 1 tsp of the oil in the same pot and fry onions, green pepper and garlic for a few  minutes.

4. Stir in the flour until absorbed. Slowly stir in the cooking liquid until it forms a sauce.

5. Stir in the milk and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

6. Add the chicken, broccoli, mustard, � tsp of the salt and season with lemon juice and pepper.

7. Simmer until the broccoli is just tender, about 10 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add pasta and the other � tsp of salt. Cook until tender and drain well. Stir the remaining 1 tsp of oil into the warm pasta.

9. Stir the sauce into the pasta and serve warm
.
Note Tips: 
1. Use left-over chicken or meat and add in step 6 or use 2 tins of tuna in brine, drained.
2. Pasta bake: Spoon pasta mixture into an oven dish. Sprinkle with � cup of grated Cheddar cheese, preferably reduced fat, and bake at 180 �C until golden brown

Recipe from Nomvula


SPICY SAMP AND BEANS

This dish (also known as umngqusho) needs a bit of planning as you need to soak the samp and beans overnight. This spicy samp and beans will bring a special feeling for people to enjoy. Especially those who are dieting or during weight loss.


Ingredients:

- 1 cup (250 ml) uncooked samp
- 1 cup (250 ml) dried sugar beans
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp (10 ml) sunflower oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) curry powder or to taste
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- � medium cabbage, cut into strips
- 4 spinach leaves, cut into strips
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- Lemon juice and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Soak samp and beans overnight in enough water and drain well.

2. Place in a large pot with bay leaves and cover with 4 cups of fresh water. Bring to the boil,  reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until tender. Add more water if necessary.

3. Heat oil in a pot and fry onions, carrots and curry powder.

4. Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Drain samp and beans if necessary. Add with cabbage, spinach and salt to onions and simmer  for another 10 minutes. 

6. Season to taste with lemon juice and pepper and serve warm.


TIP: Add 300 g stewing beef, fat removed, to the samp and beans and cook together. Follow the  recipe as above and increase the curry powder to taste.

Recipe from Benedict


TUSCAN TUNA WITH TOMATO SALAD - TASTY AND QUICK

Only 15 minutes, you had grill tuna steaks and serve on top of a fresh fennel and tomato salad. The work does not take much time for the busy homemaker. Ok, we're begin!


Ingredients:


- 4,5 - 6 ounces fresh or frozen tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick
- 3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
- 1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted and chopped*
- 1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. In a small bowl stir together 1 teaspoon of the vinegar, the olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Brush on both sides of tuna steaks. Set aside.

2. For tomato salad, in a medium bowl stir together tomatoes, fennel, basil, shallot, garlic, the remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

3. For a charcoal grill, place fish on the greased grill rack directly over medium coals. Grill, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork, turning fish once halfway through grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place fish on a greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as directed.)

4. Serve tuna with tomato salad. Sprinkle with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

Note Test Kitchen Tip: Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet frequently to prevent burning.

Wish you every success with this dish!



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