Growing younger day by day

Went to see Benjamin Button yesterday. First of all let me say the only things the movie has in common with the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the name of the main character and the concept of being born old and growing younger each year.

I'm not going to give away any of the plot. I will say that the cinematography is breathtaking. It's a period piece beginning in 1918 when Benjamin is born and ending sometime in the 2000's.

Brad Pitt is great and I don't particularity care for him as an actor. He made me believe he was a little old man who happened to be only five or six years old. He grows younger gracefully. The surrounding cast are believable and help the story develop. Except for one segment of about 10 to 15 minutes midway through the film, but I'll let you figure that one out for yourself.

The downside is that the movie is way too long at nearly 3 hours. It should have and could have been edited down to no more than 2 1/2 hours.

Dee

Perfumes and Scents at home

It's difficult to recreate some of the modern perfumes because they use artificially created scents, bases and stabilizers as ingredients but you can make a variety of eau de colognes, or light perfumes with "raw" ingredients. Use scented flowers, herbs, and citrus peels. You can have beautiful roses in your garden, or receive them as a gift, but if they have little to no scent they won't make perfume.

If you don't have time to make perfume but still want your home deliciously scented use reed diffusers and essential oils. Reed diffusers have about 20 hollow straw like spaces which draw up the scented diffuser oil and then diffuse it into the air.

Any flower that is scented can be used, don't be limited by these suggestions.

Jasmine

Geranium

Lavender

Rose

Four O'clock

Nicotania

Orange or other citrus blossoms

Gardenia

Basil

Lemon Balm

Citrus leaves

Rosemary

Citrus peels, colored part only, leave the white pith

Combine one cup of the petals of your favorite flower, leaves from the herb, or combination of both in a glass jar. Pour in ¼ cup of vodka, the higher proof the better. Shake. Push the petals gently so they're covered by the vodka. Cover the mouth of the jar with plastic wrap. Put in a cool dark place for 24 hours. Strain the petals out of the vodka. Save the vodka. Put fresh petals in the jar and cover with the saved vodka, add enough to cover the fresh petals. Put in a cool dark place for 24 hours. At this point the vodka should have the scent of your flowers. You can repeat the process a few more times to increase the strength of the scent.

Experiment with different combinations of scents. Keep the perfume in the smallest bottle possible. You can find apothecary type brown bottles at craft stores and health food stores.

Dee

What a mess Mexican Food makes

I love to cook and I love to eat. I'm fussy about Mexican food because restaurants tend to glop everything with melted gooey cheese and I'm not particularly fond of cheese. So why not make it myself I thought?

Do you have any idea what a huge mess in the kitchen that leaves? I had masa harina, that's treated corn flour, all over everything. Shouldn't be too hard to tackle tamales right? Tamales are divine little bundles of tender cornflour breading enfolding morsels of meat, onions, garlic, chilies, and oddly enough olives.

So I whipped up the cornflour breading, literally whipped it, because you have to beat lard, that's rendered beef fat, until it's light and fluffy and then beat in the masa harina. That mixture is spread on a wet corn husk. The filling is placed in a line down the center of the mixture and the corn husk folded over the cornmeal breading. The tamales are then steamed for an hour.

Okay in my case it was two hours and they still weren't done. Nasty, greasy, little bundles of watered down meat filling. Oh well.

Had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner instead.

Dee

The biggest jewelry purchase of your life

Will probably be your engagement and diamond wedding rings so make sure you know you're getting what you've paid for. Diamonds are valued on the four C's: carat, color, clarity, and cut.

Carat refers to the weight of the diamond not how big it looks. Differently shaped diamonds can look larger or smaller than other diamonds of the same weight. Carat weights should be exact. A diamond that weights .999 carats will have a proportionally lesser value than a diamond that is 1.111 carats because diamonds over 1 carat are valued at a higher value per carat then diamonds under 1 carat. For example: A 3 carat diamond may valued at 6 times the value of a one carat diamond other things equal.

Color in diamonds means the closer to pure blue white the more expensive the diamond. As the diamond proceeds to a more yellowish cast the less valuable it is. The perceived color can be influenced by the light it's viewed under and the background, as well as the color of its setting.

Clarity refers to the inclusion of any flaws that can be seen under a 10X magnification, what type of flaw and where it's located.

Cut means how the diamond is faceted not the shape the diamond takes.

Know the 4 C's of value diamond valuation and you'll receive full value for your engagement and diamond wedding rings.

Dee

A Spa Experience at Home

You can create a lovely spa experience in your very own home. Spa treatments are great for your ego, your body, and your frame of mind but a little pricey for your purse. One of the easiest ways to reproduce that spa feeling is through lighting and scents. Most spas have subdued lighting in the relaxation and bathing areas. And a brighter light for the technician in the treatment areas. Cleanliness of the facility is crucial but that shouldn't be a problem in your own home.

Put together a collection of candles in colors that compliment your bathroom's décor. Fill the tub with warm water and sprinkle in a few drops of essential oil. Essential oils can be found in health food stores, on the Internet, and in some drug stores.

If you want to relax and de-stress use lavender oil. Basil relieves stress and helps lift depression. If a boost in energy is the result you'd like, try mint, rosemary or sage. Feel free to mix oils just keep them in the same family. Add a few springs of the herb itself if you happen to have some handy. Don't use dried herbs without some sort of wrapping or container, they make a bit of a mess in the bathtub.

Light the candles and step into your scented tub. After a 15 minute soak, pat yourself dry and you’re ready for the evening.

Dee

Decorating for Fall is Fabulous

I'm one of those people who love to change things around for the different seasons. Not just in my wardrobe but in the garden and in the house.

Halloween may not be a fantabulous decorating scheme. I mean black and orange is a difficult color scheme to work with at best. And it's not something I would like for the entire house. But it's fun to take one area and change it to a Halloween theme.

I have neutral furniture and walls, taupe, beige, and black. Sounds boring I know. Without the accessories it is pretty bland. But that's the key, the accessories. I switched out the blue and aqua pillows from summer and substituted in black ones. I already had coral colored pillows and a throw. I removed the shells and fish and added in pumpkins, cute little witches, some fall colored flowers and filled the glass jars with black and orange jelly beans, candy corn, and hard candies.

And there you go: Halloween.

Dee

From 97 to 47 degrees

In less than a week, but that's Arizona for you. Seriously a week ago the high was 97 degrees and last night the low was 47 degrees with a high around 70. It will probably get back up to the 90's before October is finished but the cool break was appreciated.

De

Fall Fashions in 107 degrees

I was leafing through the latest issue of Instyle Magazine for the fall fashions. The good news is color. Lots of color. Rich russets, glowing gold, burnished browns instead of black, charcoal and that green that hasn't decided whether it's really grey, beige or green.

The bad news is that fall fashion means heavy fabrics and while the rest of the country is looking forward to crisp autumn mornings it's still reaches over 100 degrees as the high in September in the Southwest Desert. And the upper 90's is not unusual for October.

Fall fashions aren't wearable here until late November at the earliest and then it seems we should be moving on to winter fashions.

One compromise is to take the colors of fall but not the fabrics. Take the idea of layers but use lightweight cottons, short sleeves, and vests rather than heavy sweaters and long sleeves.

Dee

NOT one of my favorite things

Housecleaning. It is such a pointless waste of time because it never stays done. You dust and a week later you have to dust again. You make the bed in the morning just to unmake it at night. You wipe out the sink and counters after breakfast and then have to do it all over again after dinner.

Now I like a clean house as much as the next person I just don't like cleaning the house. I don't think anybody really does. Except of course the women on the cleaning product commercials on TV. You would think, given the look of absolute adoration on their face, that they would prefer scrubbing the bathroom shower to a day at the spa. And does anybody wash their kitchen floor in a dress and high heels? Is that a mop she's pushing around or is she practicing to be on Dancing with the Stars?

There is one cleaning tool I can't imagine being without and that's my Bagless vacuum cleaner
It gets up the puppy fur, removes dust from the drapes, dirt from the floors, and gets the yucky stuff up and out of the carpet. What did people do before the vacuum cleaner?

Dee

And now for your entertainment pleasure: the Democratic Convention!!!

Talk about boring. Political conventions have to top the list. Listening to the blower goers congratulate each other and rip the opposition is not my idea of a fun evening. And I wish somebody would come up with another finale than the balloons dropping from the ceiling. Maybe they could use bird poop.

So it's another TV wasteland. Okay more of a TV wasteland than usual. Looks like I'll be spending some time at blockbuster. Or maybe not. Maybe I should consider joining one of the online programs that lets you pick out the movie you want and then postal mails it to you in a couple of business days. That saves time because I don't have to drive to the store and money because I don't spend money on gas - these days at $4.00 per gallon every mile you don't drive adds up.

Andrew's review has a comparison of the blockbuster and netflix programs. I had no idea that netflix has nearly double the distribution centers than blockbuster. They don't charge a late fee either.

The downside is that I have to plan ahead. I can't decide this afternoon that there's nothing I want to watch this evening so I'll rent a movie. The other factor is that while I may be in the mood to watch a romantic comedy when I order the movie online, when I receive the movie I might prefer to watch a drama.

Well pretty much anything is better than watching a political convention.

Design on a Dime (or a Dollar)

I love those design shows on TV. One room at a Time, Design on a Dime, Extreme Makeover, Designed to Sell were fun to watch and you could pick up some snazzy ideas for cheap room decor. On occasion there would be an episode where you know they didn't stay within their budget. I'm thinking of a Designed to Sell show where they renovated two bathrooms with new vanities, sinks, shower doors and travertine tile flooring for $2000. That's not $2000 each but both. That was completely unrealistic. Now I know that there are no labor costs in the $2000, but we recently redid our bathrooms and the tile alone was close to $2000 with no installation.

Home furniture can be expensive think Ethan Allan, or budget priced when ordered from assemble-it-yourself catalogs. That never worked for me. I have a mind that puts things together backwards. I tried putting up shelves in the garage and had to nail them to the wall because they kept listing dangerously to the left. What I especially like from the design shows are the alternative ways to use furniture you wouldn't ordinarily think of. For example using banquet chairs in a formal dining room. The trick is to cover the banquet chairs with slipcovers. Another example is using a bench meant for the garden in the entry way.

I'm not a big fan of the cozy chic peeling paint look. I don't want to have to worry about getting splinters when I sit down, so I don't shop garage sales.

I'm also not much of a sewer, I don't have a sewing machine. I have learned that you can make your own window treatments by using printed king size sheets. They already have a pocket for the rod. No sewing required. And if you get tired of the look it's quick, easy, and cheap to change it.

Dee

Let's get cooking

Usually I'm not terribly interested in the Olympics but this year my significant other and writing partner and I decided to do something different. We're cooking our way through the games. We both love to cook (and eat - which is why occasionally you will see posts about weight loss on this blog).

Our first dinner was on the opening night. I picked China. Now for Chinese cooking one does a lot of chopping and for that I've found sharp knives are best, Shun knives do a great job of shredding and chopping; mincing and dicing. No wonder the Chinese gymnasts and divers are all so thin, that preparation for stir frying takes forever.

I do have to wonder if their competitors meet the legal age limit of 15. Have you really looked at the girls? They don't look like they've hit puberty yet.

Back to cooking. For his dinner on Saturday he picked Argentina, probably because Argentina cuisine is heavy on meat and he does like meat. He prepared a terrific stuffed roast. For Christmas I think I'm asking Santa for All Clad cookware because while the roast was delicious the roasting pan was a disaster. As in have-to-throw-it-out-I'll-never-get-it-clean disaster.

The sacrifices we make for good food.

And once more the pundits are wrong

There was an interesting article in one of the business magazines I read. A woman with a start up gaming company was out beating the bushes for venture capital. Now gaming is a popular niche for investors. Think of the billions of dollars spent on Wii, or Xbox for example. Her search for investors should have been a slam dunk. But no.

It seems her gaming company was directed at girl's games. And the VCs had decided that games for girls don't sell well. Gaming is more for boys because of the violence, fighting, and chasing that most games include.

The venture capitalists were wrong. The best selling game of the year, that year, was "Nancy Drew." It turns out girls do play games but hey like the treasure hunting, puzzle, mystery solving types of games.

Dee

Fairy Princess Dresses

I had an interesting childhood to say the least. I grew up in Washington D.C. and spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill, yes the nation's capitol. My parents were involved in the D.C. social scene and in the theater, so they went out a lot. Which meant my mother had quite a closet full of cocktail dresses, hats, shoes, and jewelry.

One of my favorite memories is playing dress up games in her clothes. I mostly did that when she wasn't home, which was a lot. Not that she didn't take care of me, she did, but I was old enough to look after my two little sisters when they went out.

I especially remember a beautiful copper colored iridescent cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline and full skirt. I felt like a fairy princess in that dress. The fashion at the time was tiny waists and full skirts. So just about any dress was fit for a princess. Think Grace Kelly and you'll get he picture.

Now, well, not so much. It's more of a how-much-skin-can-you-show-and-get-away-with game.

Dee

Playing dress up

Anybody remember the series Sex and the City? Of course you do. For one thing it was just released as a movie over Memorial Day Weekend. No, I didn't go see it. My significant other didn't like the TV program so I can't imagine him sitting through the movie.

One thing about Carrie, she had a fashion sense but some of those outfits made me feel she was playing Dress Up Games. Where you go into your big sister's closet, not that I had a big sister because I was the big sister, and put together outfits. The feather boa with the short shorts and high heels. That sort of stuff.

Her ballerina outfit during the opening credits was classic Carrie. I have a subscription to InStyle, although I have to admit I'm more of an OutOfStyle type of girl. Did you know that many of the "stars" have stylists? I know they do for major events but I had no idea that they relied on stylists for everyday wear.

Interesting.

The postman only rings twice

Of course these days he or she doesn't ring at all but leaves the mail in the box down at the corner.

Oh well that's progress I suppose. And progress also means it time for me to look at new cell phones and programs. Is anybody else as confused as I am? Please tell me why I would want to look at a website on a screen that's less than two inches square when I have a flat monitor 17 inch screen upstairs? And then there's email. I have to scroll so far over that I lose track of the sentence before I get to the period. It's difficult to compose email using the phone's touch pad which is completely unlike a computer keyboard.

One thing I do like is that I can have a different ring for my phone so I know it's mine. It's kind of embarrassing to be standing in line at the grocery store and a phone starts ringing. Is it mine? Is it the guy behind me? Is it the manager? Hard to tell when they all sound alike.

So I'm off to Download Free Ringtones and solve that problem. I've always liked Batman maybe I'll get The Dark Knight ringtones. Of course I still have to figure out what kind of new cell phone to get. Definitely not a blackberry or chocolate. I have enough trouble staying away from sweets.

Time Flies

Some days there aren't enough minutes in the hour and hours in the day to accomplish everything I set out to do. I rise early enough, my two dogs make sure of that. When the sun comes up they're ready for the day to begin and that means no sleeping in for me.

We take our walk, I shower and dress, we have breakfast, I sit down at the computer and suddenly it's 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

Mondays seem to be the worse. There is a ton of email from over the weekend. I've been trying to take weekends off from work, trying is the keyword there, so it builds up.

I've taken courses in time management and their suggestions don't make a lot of sense. I can't delegate, we have a small company. Unless one of the dogs learns how to blog (oh wait they do blog there isn't any one to delegate to.

Maybe I just need to get a new watch. If I kept track of the time rather than just using the clock on the computer perhaps I'd put my time to better use.

I like a bargain and I like Movado Watches so maybe I should put the two together and look at Discount Movado Watches. I do have a birthday coming up. Perhaps one with diamonds?

Dee

Cleopatra's Milk Bath

So make like an Egyptian.

Any spa experience isn't complete without a luxurious bath. A soothing soak in the tub can calm nerves and relax the muscles or serve as a wake up call and get the energy flowing. Baths come in many varieties.

Legend has it that Cleopatra bathed in ass's milk so her skin remained incredibly smooth and soft. I haven't seen any asses around lately, the four footed hoofed kind that is so here's an alternative recipe. You will need several springs of fresh rosemary, thyme and mint. You can use dried herbs if fresh aren't available. Use at least two tablespoons of each of the dried herbs. Combine with the peel of one orange and one lemon. Add these ingredients to 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid.

Add the herb citrus mixture to the bath water and at least one cup of dry powdered milk as the tub is filling. You can use up to four cups of powdered milk. Fill the bathtub with warm, but not hot water. Soak in the tub for at least 15 minutes up to 30 minutes. Rinse off with cool water.

Wrap yourself in a fluffy bath towel and pat dry. While your skin is still moist and warm from the bath water apply a rich moisturizer.

Silly but fun

I was at a friend's house and her little girl was staring at the computer screen intent on the images before her, concentrating fiercely and quiet. Let me tell you that child is never quiet. Curious as to what was keeping her enthralled I went over.

She was engrossed in food games. What might you ask are online food games? Well she found a site that gave her a selection of games. One of the most elementary, and the one I started out on, was simply looking at a 6 item shopping list and then picking those items off the virtual grocery store shelves and dragging them to my shopping cart. Sounds simple. You control the speed of the cart by how fast you move your mouse. You can go faster if you don't have to look at the list to remember the items. It also helps to know that produce is way past the clothing aisles so you can buzz past them.

The first two times I played I didn't even finish the list before time ran out. She beat me 3 out of 5 times. Well she did have the advantage of experience.

The games seem simple but they're educational as well. They improve memory, hand eye co-ordination, and reading. Although younger children could play because the audio is supportive and the shopping list is in images as well.

Next time I'm bored I'm going back. I just need a little practice to beat her.

Dee

From Fishing Village to Holiday Hideaway

That's Yarmouth in the UK. It began life as a commercial fishing village netting Herring. As the fish population declined the holiday vacationers increased. And with good reason. Hemsby Yarmouth Holidays' offers weary travelers 15 miles of sandy golden beaches, clean, cold, clear, ocean water, restaurants and a broad variety of places to stay.

Love shopping? Then the shops within ocean view should be appealing. Restaurants offer varied menus and prices for those looking for a long romantic dinner or a quick bite between dips in the ocean.

Did you know that David Copperfield by Charles Dickens is based in Yarmouth? Or that the beloved childrens' tale, Black Beauty, was written by a Yarmouth Native, Anne Sewell.

Greater Yarmouth literally has something for every vacationer. There are festivals throughout the summer from the National Beach Volley Ball Championships to the Greater Yarmouth Festival of Bowls. And let's not forget the Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival in early September.

Children will be entertained by the amusement park, of course the beach, donkey rides, crazy golf and the circus.

Adults will love the cruising on the Southern Belle Passenger Steamer, the night life, and just soaking up the sun on the pristine beaches. Every Wednesday during the summer brings a free fabulous fireworks display.