Substance of Living

Have you ever looked at September as an ending?  After all, school starts in many locations in the northern hemisphere, the fall solstice begins on September 21st.  This is right around the time we say goodbye to summer and start seeing changes in the weather or the turning of the leaves.  I think of September as sort of a beginning and ending in the same breath.  Yes, those things I've mentioned do happen but it's also a time for gathering.  We harvest our gardens and prepare them for the next year.  That's my ending.  The beginning is my birthday, which I celebrate the entire month.  This is also when I evaluate or reflect on the year and set my intensions for the next year instead of using January 1st.  It seems that I remain faithful to my goals.  My new year's resolutions used to be quite lofty - workout every day, get organized, stop eating junk food, etc.  By January 2nd I felt like a failure. September is also the ...

You read that right! Magnetic Eyelashes If you're a bride, part of the wedding party, or someone who becomes teary at weddings, then I think you're going to like wearing magnetic eyelashes.  They stay on, smudge free, and most of all there will be no mascara streaks down your cheeks. Cosyway Magnetic Eyelashes and Eye Liner have officially replaced mascara in my daily morning routine.  No more messy glue, or inadvertent removal of my own eye lashes with other false eyelashes. Reasons I'm so happy to have found these: They're vegan Super light - don't even know they're there Easy to use With seven pairs to choose from, I can go from natural to ultra glam No more smudges or runs from mascara Blends naturally with my eyelashes Maintain their shape Shake the eyeliner tube, apply two layers of eyeliner, once it's dry use the tweezers provided or apply by hand.  They're smudge proof and last all day; through working out, sweating, and even a shower.  I haven...

If you find yourself single for whatever reason on this Valentine's Day, send out thoughts of love and let the self-pampering begin.   Treat yourself special.  After all, aren't you the best person to be around? Whether February the 14th falls on a work day or not, enjoy some quality time throughout this month.  Here are some ways to luxuriate in your independence: Have fun! Make a Cuddle Basket the day before to enjoy during tonight's movie marathon or some good ol' binge watching of your favorite series.  Include items like a new throw blanket, hot chocolate ( here or here ), gourmet popcorn , and some semi-homemade cookies . Swaddle in your blanket and journal or read. Linger in your lounging wear. Dress up and go to a museum. Treat yourself to something at a spa. Try going tech-free; set your phone for emergency or to receive calls only from your favorites list. Go sightseeing in your own city or visit somewhere that's within a day's drive. Cook yourself a ...

Do you remember playing with homemade dough when you were little?  Oh my gosh, my middle sister and I would sit at the kitchen table for hours playing with our dough.  Mom would put a few drops of food coloring so we would have colored dough - like the kind that was available in the stores.  We would use cookie cutters, make our own shapes, blend the colors together to make another color.  We sometimes even saved our creations.  Searching (falling down the rabbit hole) Pinterest one day, I came across  this recipe By Oleander and Palm.  Aren't her ornaments gorgeous in their simplicity? She puts her designs in the oven to dry.  I read in another blog that you can also air dry them.  So I did; and I used this recipe that uses cinnamon !  Oh, they smell heavenly! I used cookie cutters on hand.  Here's the kicker.... patience was my friend.  It took about a week for the dough to thoroughly dry.  I started them out ...

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies DH and I were trying to figure out when Red Velvet anything is not appreciated.  What we were able to decipher is that Christmas, Valentines Day, Birthdays, Parties of any sort, Weekdays, Weekends, in fact any time is appropriate to serve up Red Velvet something or other. We are serving Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies by Duncan Hines with tea this afternoon.  Here's how we did it (of course I had to change up the actual recipe a bit as you'll see in the notes). Duncan Hines Signature Red Velvet Cake Mix Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies Ingredients: (Taken directly from the box) 6 tablespoons Butter 1 cup Powdered Sugar 1 teaspoon Cornstarch 1 box Duncan Hines Signature Red Velvet Cake Mix 2 Large Eggs 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. Melt Butter and set aside. Combine Cornstarch and Powdered Sugar in a shallow bowl - set aside. Combine and mix by hand the Cake Mix, Cooled Butter, Eggs and Lemon Zest...

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil When I was asked to sample and review Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, I knew a special recipe had to be created.  Something everyone would enjoy, something for the holiday season, something new and something easy. These cookies hold their shape, slightly crunchy on the outside with a moist and crumbly interior that melts in your mouth.  Mini muffins were tried and they held up to the test of the cookies as well as the baking time.   Ingredients: 2 cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt 1 cup Brown Sugar 1/3 cup Sugar 3/4 cup Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil (room temperature or slightly melted) 2 teaspoons Vanilla 1 cup Pumpkin Puree (not pie mix) 1 cup Chocolate Chips  Directions: Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Combine wet...

This is a story about miracles, blessings, and the belief in angels. There are times throughout the year that I find myself cynical and sweet stories, such as this - even though it is fictional - restore my heart. Source Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at the McAllister Mall in Saint John. The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl. "Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling. "Your friend? "Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister,  Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly. Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly. Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. W...

Buffet Table Setting as seen on Divine Dinner Party This has to be one of my more politically correct, non-offending party ideas.  You may already know this, but in case you forgot or are new, I'm 99% vegan, my oh-so-fabulous husband is pretty much 95% vegetarian, and our family and friends are probably 100% meat eaters (with a vegetable or two thrown into the mix).  Oh!  I'm also gluten-free.  I'm overstating this but I think you get my point. In the eyes of our family and friends, we are the non-normal ones out of the whole bunch of bananas. It used to scare our family and mostly our friends to come over and eat at our house in fear that they may have to eat seaweed and tofu.  lol What DH and I like to do is come up with a theme for the party / event / dinner and work from there.  So, say we are going to have a Father's Day buffet, a Mystery Murder Buffet, or a Theater Buffet.  Once we figured that out we would decide on a bunch of food...

When the holidays and winter is upon you, do you often think about nesting?  Sweaters, scarves, mittens, warm coats, boots, fires in the fireplace, and of course hot cocoa are all some of the things we do to nest. Another thing we can do to warm up our homes and nest is to cover our dining chairs. Christmas Inspired Chair Covers Santa Hat Chair Cover by Uncommon Designs Red Ribbon with Pine Cone and Greenery Chair Cover by Happy Interiors Poinsettia and Burlap Chair Cover by I'm a Little Hanukkah Inspired Chair Covers Blue and White Chair Cover by Our Little Nest on the Lake White Faux Fur Chair Cover by Seasonal Home Decoration New Year's Eve Inspired Chair Covers Blue, White, and Silver New Year's Eve Chair Covers by Minimalisti Black and White Formal New Year's Eve Chair Covers by Elite Mobile DJ New Year's Eve Clock Chair Cover by Whimsy Decor New Year's Celebration Chair Cover by BHG Ho...