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Sunday, December 5, 2010

It’s a White & Sparkling Christmas

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This year (and last year) we decorated our tree with white, silver and sparkly ornaments!

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I am really happy how it turned out! :)

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We did get a real tree this year but I saved a lot of money on our ornaments.

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I bought MOST of them from garage sales like this Pottery Barn star.

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I also bought a lot of them on clearance from Wal-Mart last year for 50 cents each like this one.

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Others I bought as souvenirs from a family vacation a couple of years ago.

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I am really loving the sparkly ones!!!

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I tried to squeeze ornaments inside the tree so there are ornaments EVERYWHERE!

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I seriously tried to put an ornament on almost every branch.

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The more, the better!  (for me anyway)

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I took some pictures of some of my favorites. 

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I know… I take a lot, heehee!

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I love the words!

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Gracie really likes this one.

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The kids seriously had a BLAST helping me decorate it!!!

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They each have there own special ones too!

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Here are some pictures at night.

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So that is our tree this year.  I actually took a billion more pictures.  Taking pictures were part of the fun but I didn’t want to bore you with anymore pics, lol!

This tree is totally my favorite tree yet!

Yes, I like the real tree!

Yes,  I like the ornaments!

But, I LOVED doing this as a family and making memories!

This is the first year where the kids REALLY enjoyed helping me.  They were so helpful and sweet the whole time.  No fighting or time outs…just singing Christmas music, talking, helping and having fun…ok… and dancing around like crazy, Christmas dancing fools, lol!

Ok, the baby has had to go to a timeout and couple of times since decorating it because he loves to take the ornaments off, lol!

I can’t blame him…it’s just so fun for him.  Actually, he has been good!  He is doing better than I thought, surprisingly.  When Michael was younger we could really only decorate the top of the tree, lol!  He was totally a “Michael”.  (If you have a Michael, you know what I mean. :)  I was warned about naming him that, lol)

Anyway, what color theme is your tree?

What is your family tradition?

I LOVE all trees!!!  If I could, I would love to have a different themed tree in each room of the house but for now I will enjoy reading all your posts linked up to Sarah’s Christmas Tree Party!

I also want to thank you for your sweet comments for my last post.  We seriously had a blast.  It was just one of those perfect days that I will always remember!

Have a great week!

Bonnie

Don’t forget about our December Special,

FREE LIFETIME SHAKLEE MEMBERSHIPS with a order over $70 (member price)

A Get Clean Starter Kit qualifies!

A membership gets you 15% off all Shaklee products and there are no minimums to keep your membership!

Read about my TOP 10 Shaklee products here.

My Website

SUNDAY POETRY: "THE DIVING APPRENTICES"
























(Photo from here.)


Sometimes you watch them going out to sea
On such a day as this, in the worst of weathers,
Their boat holding ten or a dozen of them,
In black rubber suits crouched around the engine housing,
Tanks of air, straps and hoses, and for their feet
Enormous flippers.

                                 The bow, with such a load on board,
Hammers through the whitecaps, while they talk;
Junonian girls, Praxitelean boys, pelted on
By bursting clouds, by spray, eventually heave
The tanks upon their backs, the boat drifts at anchor,

And down they go to the sea floor, by the foggy headland.
At least, you can presume they kick the flippers
And plunge to where the water is more calm. The cool
Instructors must keep eyes and ears
Open. Accidents out there, they happen.

                                        You might imagine scraps
Of cultural débris, a broken pot, a ring, a cogwheel
Come up, clutched in a palm, and interesting,
A wave pattern in it, the blade of a sword,
When a lucky diver breaks again the surface. Time,
Time and again frigate and schooner cracked
Blown against the rocks, holed below the water line.

                                        Even an inscription
Might now be coming up from those green deeps.
Yet the divers do their silent thing. On the sea floor
Expect only the sea, a multitude of sand without an hourglass.
Round somebody’s ankle idly it swarms. A diver
Hangs by a thread of breath in solitude there. Some go down
In all simplicity curious; to have tales to tell;
And who knows, what they learn
Just might, long after this, be usable.

Friday, December 3, 2010

JOIN FREE IS EXTENDED!!!

I am so EXCITED to let you all know that the JOIN FREE special is extended until December 31st!!!!

YAY!!!!

Now until December 31, 2010 purchase any Shaklee products with a minimum combined value of $70 (MN) and we’ll waive the $19.95 Shaklee membership fee!

I know that a lot of you took advantage of this last month, so thank you very much!  I hope you are enjoying your new products!

Shaklee products also make great gifts!!!!!!!  (I give Shaklee to everyone…and they love it!)

joinfree 

I love giving the gift of HEALTH!!!

If you are a long time Shaklee member, you know what this means.

If you are just learning about Shaklee and have not yet experienced the benefits of Shaklee, know that we share this with you because we know what a GIFT Shaklee is.

In Shaklee, we have the gift of better health, which is the greatest gift of all, and yet so easy to take for granted.  We have the gift of living in a way that's consistent with our beliefs, knowing that what we do makes a positive impact on other people, and on the planet. 

Dr. Shaklee said, "You must share your life with others, for the more you share with others, the more valuable your share will become."

I really LOVE all of Shaklee’s products but I made a list of my top 10.


1. Vivix®. Shaklee calls it "a revolutionary breakthrough in the fight against cellular aging." The ingredients in Vivix have been shown in laboratory studies to positively impact the four key mechanisms of cellular aging. In fact, a 30-day supply delivers the equivalent amount of resveratrol found in 3,000 glasses of red wine, and laboratory studies found Vivix to be 10x more powerful in slowing a key mechanism of aging than resveratrol. It's really good stuff!  It is supposed to make you look 25 years younger and live 25 years older.  My husband and I take this stuff everyday!


2. Shaklee Vitalizer™. This is my foundation. In one daily packet I get foundational nutrients I need, including sustained release B and C vitamins, minerals and more, plus probiotics, Omega-3s and more. If you're like 9 out of 10 Americans, you don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, and that means you may not be getting enough of the right nutrients. That's a great reason to supplement what you eat and I really like the way Vitalizer makes me feel!  I actually take
this pack because it is ideal for women because it has extra iron in it.  I also used these supplements as my prenatal vitamins and my doctors were always happy with my reports!


3. Cinch® Vanilla Shake Mix: Soy or Cinch® Vanilla Shake Mix: Whey. I love these shakes for so many reasons. They are rich in protein, I can mix in strawberries, bananas, peaches, whatever and it always tastes great. That's my routine…blender, milk, fruit, cinch shake powder. It's so good. I feel full and stay feeling full throughout the morning. They're great for people watching what they eat. Both feature an ingredient called Leucine which helps retain muscle.  So you LOSE THE FAT AND KEEP YOUR MUSCLE!!! The cinch diet plan actually helped me loose all of my baby weight after my 3rd baby.  I just tweaked it a little because I was still nursing.  My favorite flavor is the Cafe Latte. l also love the Strawberry and Vanilla but I do not like the chocolate.  My sister lost a lot of weight following a modified version of the Cinch Inch Loss Plan.  I showed you about it
here.


4. Basic-H2® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. I love this because I can use it in so many different ways around the house. I clean my whole house with it. One bottle goes a long, long way. A 16 oz bottle creates an unbelievable 48 gallons of super-safe, really powerful, all purpose cleaner. It replaces so many household cleaners so I never had to buy any cleaners at the grocery store. It’s concentrated, so it saves me a lot of
money compared to ready-to-use cleaners. It’s nontoxic, too!  I wrote a post about it’s uses here.  For more cleaning tips, go to my sidebar and click on the pictures.

ProSanté® Hair Care System

5.  ProSanté Hair Care System. It provides one simple, flexible system that can be personalized to meet each individual's unique hair needs in every situation. I use the ProSanté® Revitalizing Shampoo and the ProSanté® Replenishing Conditioner.  Did you know that when you put shampoo or conditioner onto your scalp, the 20 blood vessels, 650 sweat glands and 1,000 nerve endings soak in any toxins?  ProSante products only use pure ingredients.  But what I really love is the ProSanté® Nourishing Scalp Treatment.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that stuff.  This is embarrassing, but a lost A LOT of hair postpartum.  I mean...a lot…right over my forehead especially and after 3 weeks of using only 20 drops a day, my hair was growing back!  It not only made my hair grow back but it was thicker than EVER!!!  This stuff is amazing!  I swear by it!


6. Nutrition Therapy Skin Care System™. This is a great skin care system, for women and men. The exclusive to this is "Vital Repair+ which blocks ALL those skin-damaging free radical reactions and actually allows the skin to keep making healthy cells." For me, I like it because it leaves my skin looking smooth and feeling incredible.  I have been using this stuff for 7 years!!! With just 3 minutes of Enfuselle Nutrition Therapy morning and night, in 28 short days, you'll see your skin age 10 years in reverse - guaranteed. The C & E night cream is so luxurious and makes my skin feel amazing!  I showed you
here how I organize it too.


7. Nature Bright® Laundry Booster and Stain Remover. This stuff is like gold in my laundry room. I use it on grass stains, dirt, even stains on upholstery in the car or home. You name it. It cleans with "natural enzymes and active oxygen" so it seems to keep my clothes bright without fading, but still clean.  I don’t use bleach on my clothes and I have some white shirts that are 3 years old and still look great!


8. Fresh Laundry Concentrate (Powder). If awards were given out for the amount of wash that is done in homes, our home could qualify to be a winner. I really like Fresh Laundry Concentrate Powder. The fragranced version smells great, it cleans very well. It cleans with natural enzymes and biodegradable surfactants, and is very safe in water systems. I love that it is concentrated too.  It also is cheaper than other leading brands which saves us money.  With just a 2 Tablespoons, I can clean a whole load.  (Yes, I use less than what it calls for and it still works amazingly!)

incredivites[5] 

9.  Shaklee’s Children’s Line.  I LOVE their children’s line!!!!  I can’t say enough about them.  Shakleekids Incredivites is the first children's chewable multivitamin in the U.S. with lactoferrin, which helps kids' immune systems stay supercharged.  It is packed with 23 essential nutrients, it's the world's best kids' supplement-with 600 IU of vitamin D to support strong bones and teeth, and 100% of the Daily It has all eight B vitamins and vitamin C. Just two a day and off they play. Now that's incredible!  It contains lactoferrin, a nutrient also found naturally in breast milk and researched for its role in activating components of the immune system.  I also love Mighty Smarts!  It is scientifically formulated with a power-packed blast of 100% natural, ultra-pure DHA. Each great-tasting (like a sugarless lemon starburst) chew provides 100 mg of this essential brain nutrient. DHA has been shown to support a  memory, concentration, and  mind skills. In addition, it promotes healthy eyes and vision. With all that being said, I can tell you first hand that these products ROCK!!!  I can honestly say that my kids have NEVER been sick with more than a cold or little virus.  They have NEVER HAD TO TAKE A PERSRIPTION MEDICATION!!! They have never had an ear infection, strep throat or anything else like that!!!  Yes, we have a healthy lifestyle but I truly believe that these products make a difference in their immune system.

Herb-Lax®

10. Herb Lax. An original Dr. Shaklee formula, Herb-Lax contains an enhanced prioprientary blend, including Senna leaf, which has been used for thousands of years as a natural laxative, plus other complementary herbs.  Ok, I don’t want to get too personal but I LOVE this stuff too!  If you know me personally, you know that I actually love talking about this kind of stuff…I am not sure why…I like to know what is going on with my digestion.  Did you know that everyone has about 3-5 pounds of waste just sitting inside you?  I do not take this regularly but when I do…I feel better, thinner and healthier!!!  I hope that is not too much info but I know I a LOT of others who have tried this product, LOVE IT too!

I hope all of this helps!

Now until December 31, 2010 purchase any Shaklee products with a minimum combined value of $70 (MN) and we’ll waive the $19.95 Shaklee membership fee!

A membership gets you 15% OFF ALL SHAKLEE PROUCTS and there is no minimum to maintain it. Just place your items in your cart and join at check out.

Please let me know if you have nay other questions!

This special does not happen often and this is a great time to save money right before the holidays!

Have a great weekend!

Bonnie

My Website

Carry on Katia!

At last! We've been waiting for this special delivery from Spanish yarn company Katia for ages and it finally came today.
The special knitting tape Ondas has been a hit with both knitters and non-knitters and has been responsible for turning the head of the most stubborn - 'I'm not ever going to knit again' and 'you'll not get me knitting' has been a phrase used by a few HH regulars...and yet some of these have fast become some of the biggest fans of this style of yarn!
You don't cast on in the usual manner instead you insert the knitting needle into the side of the tape. By continuing to knit only into the side of the tape ruffles are formed like this!

So I can, at last make all those phonecalls to let everyone know that it's here, it's finally here!
The Ondas was accompanied by Peru - a blend of 40% wool, 40% acylic and 20% alpaca. It's so soft and squidgy and will knit up as Aran which means that it would be perfect for that lovely new hat pattern that Jane showed me at knitting on Wednesday morning!

If it gets any colder I may have to make a nest in the box of yarn...Nic x

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors’ FAVORTIE THINGS

It has been so fun reading about everyone’s favorite things last week.

I never wrote my own post on that…maybe next year!

Anyway, I was excited to see this written on Funky Junk Interiors.

My favorite thing:
Do you like your whites white but detest that bleach fragrance that always seems to linger? Me too. So when I came across this product, called
Nature Bright Laundry Booster & Stain Remover, I was curious.
I've been using it for some time now and can I just say, the bottoms of my sports socks ARE white and they smell like fresh air, not a swimming pool. LOVE this stuff.

And I really do suggest to start with a kit of some sort. They just work so awesome together!
Shaklee is all about safe health, cleaning and beauty products. And I've yet to try a product I didn't like.

That is AWESOME!!!

If you haven’t tried this stuff, make sure you add it to your next order.  I LOVE IT TOO!!!!

Thanks Donna for writing this!

I am also attaching a short video for you to learn more about SHAKLEE!

Check it out!


Have a great day!

Bonnie

My Website

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

AURORA INTERNETIS


I'd like to spend a winter in the high latitudes and experience as many aurora shows as possible. Sometime in the next three years would be ideal, according to Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Auroras are occurring again with increasing frequency. With the Sun being unusually dormant recently, however, our Sun has become increasingly active and exhibiting a greater abundance of sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections. Solar activity like this typically expels charged particles into the Solar System, some of which may trigger Earthly auroras. As this year unfolded, the above timelapse displays of picturesque auroras were captured above Tromsø, Norway. Curtains of auroral light, usually green, flow, shimmer and dance as energetic particles fall toward the Earth and ionize air molecules high up in the Earth's atmosphere. With solar maximum still in the future, there may be opportunities to see spectacular aurora over the past three years, the amount of Sun-induced auroras has also been unusually low. More personally over the next three years.

























(Image courtesy NASA.)

This amazing composite and its explanation appeared on a 2006 Earth Observatory page:

From space, the aurora is a crown of light that circles each of Earth’s poles. The IMAGE satellite captured this view of the aurora australis (southern lights) on September 11, 2005, four days after a record-setting solar flare sent plasma—an ionized gas of protons and electrons—flying towards the Earth. The ring of light that the solar storm generated over Antarctica glows green in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, shown in this image. The IMAGE observations of the aurora are overlaid onto NASA’s satellite-based Blue Marble image. From the Earth’s surface, the ring would appear as a curtain of light shimmering across the night sky.

Since Norway and Alaska aren't in my immediate travel future, guess I'll just have to enjoy the aurora internetis—open access at all latitudes and in all seasons. Hope you enjoy too. (Credits below.)






























































Credits, from the top:
  1. Credit: Joshua Strang, USAF, Wikipedia.
  2. Photo by well_lucio, at Flickr.  
  3. Photo by Roskifte, Thomas Roskifte, at Flickr.
  4. Photo by Soytnly, at Picassa.
  5. Photo by Samuel Blanc, courtesy Wikimedia Commons
  6. Photo by Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer, on board the International Space Station, courtesy NASA
  7. Credit: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center: "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." 
  8. Photo by Chris Danals, National Science Foundation
  9. Credit & Copyright: Dave Ewoldt (Okarche, Oklahoma), from APOD.  
  10. Photo by Akhmetsafin Ruslan,at Spaceweather.
  11. Photo by Sylvain Serre, at Spaceweather.
  12. Credit & Copyright: Ole Christian Salomonsen, at APOD.

(Aurora Borealis. 1865. Frederic Edwin Church.)

Finally, this illumination by one of my favorites, Frederic Edwin Church. The painting was apparently intended to be a metaphoric omen of the coming Civil War. From the exhibition label at the Smithsonian:

The ship and sled team in this image belonged to Frederic Church's friend, polar explorer Dr. Isaac Hayes. Hayes had led an Arctic expedition in 1860, and gave his sketches from the trip to the artist as inspiration for this painting. Hayes returned from his voyage to find the country in the thick of the Civil War, and in a rousing speech vowed that "God willing, I trust yet to carry the flag of the great Republic, with not a single star erased from its glorious Union, to the extreme northern limits of the earth." Viewers understood Church's painting of the Aurora Borealis (also known as the northern lights) as a portent of disaster, a divine omen relating to the conflict.

***The Best of 2010 Party***

The Best of 2010 big

I know that there is a lot of parties going on this month but everyone loves a great party so I am here to tell you all about one more.

I am REALLY excited about this one!!!

 

It is a BEST OF 2010 PARTY!!!!!!

BOO YAH!!!!

WHY?

Because we all LOVE to PARTY, right?

And…

We can check out everyone’s FAVORITVE POSTS OF THE YEAR…and….SHOW OFF your own!

WHO?

Open to ALL bloggers!

WHAT?

Each day will have a different theme for you to link up your

FAVORITE POST of the year!!!

Monday- Before and After

Tuesday- Twice Owned

Wednesday- Craft

Thursday- Recipe

Friday- Organizing

WHERE?

At HOUSE OF GRACE

 

WHEN?

December Monday 13th- Friday 17th

I am really excited about this!

I can’t wait to read all of your AWESOME posts.

This is a great way for you to meet other bloggers!

The MORE THE MERRIER so PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD and INVITE to your READERS to join the FUN!!!

Here is a button for your blog…

HOUSEOFGRACE

Also, please feel free grab a button,  copy/paste this post to your blog, write your own post about it, and/or add a link to facebook or twitter.

Thanks so much!

I am really excited…see ya there!

Have a great day!

Bonnie

My Website

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