Inspiration - grow and show, live and love.

Here is a wonderful three minute mini movie by Kate Nowak. She woke up one morning and felt compelled to create this wonderful movie. Brightest blessings!

http://www.blessyoumovie.com/miami/?cm_mmc=MIAMI-_-NL-_-03.17.2010-_-MYBBmov

Every day is a gift.

Are you ready for the new year? How has 2010 been to you? Good year, bad year, or just indifferent? What have you learned this year thru your lessons? Every day is a gift, which is why it's not called the past and it's not called the future, it's the present, living in the now. Are you living in the now? Are you kind, considerate and inspirational? Are you closed minded, negative and cold to others? Time to start comtemplating. Do you know who you are? What would happen if you were told that you only had months to live? How would you change and what would you do? Just a few things to ponder. If you do not like who you are or what you have become, well, it's time to turn over a new leaf - out with the old and in with the new. Time to reinvent yourself.

Here's a little excerpt from Barry Gottlieb: If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Do you have true abundance? I believe true abundance is not measured by what you have; rather, it is measured by what you give. In our culture, it seems that most people are caught up in their "need for greed." Perhaps this is why so many people struggle to find their happiness, and why over 25% of the people in our country suffer from anxiety. We live in a culture where we are taught to judge a person based on what they have, rather than on who they are and what they contribute to society. Barry Gottlieb wrote a book titled, 'Everyday is a Gift.' It discusses his journey in life, one which you may very well connect to in certain ways, and how he transformed into who he is today. It's a real eye opener.

Five important steps/things to remember:

*Gratitude. Every night before you go to sleep, recite aloud at least ten things for which you are grateful.
*Forgive. Let go of the past. Forgive those who have hurt or angered you. Stop carrying this poison around with you every day.
*Love. Be sure to tell those people in your life who mean so much to you that you love them and appreciate them.
*Donate. Go through your closets. Anything you haven't worn or used in the past year, box it or bag it and take it to a place where those who are less fortunate will benefit from your donation. Get your children involved!
*Praise. Make time to praise. Look for and recognize the good in others.

A great gift idea you can make yourself and save money doing so.

Who doesn't like to smell good? If you could be remembered for a certain fragrance, what would your favorite be? Long ago, women would bath in all kinds of fragrant flowers. Some popular fragrances that women loved and men found enticing would be the scent of roses, lavender, jasmine and lilac. Here are a few things to try. Costs next to nothing, easy to do and you can always play around with the receipe and experiment with different items to make it your own or to 'personalize' it.

A Citrus Splash/Body Spray

Ingredients: 2 cups distilled water, 3 tablespoons vodka, 1 tablespoon of each - orange and lemon peel (finely chopped), 5 drops lemon verbena essential oil, 10 drops mandarin essential oil, 10 drops orange essential oil.

Directions: Combine the fruit peels with the vodka in a jar, cover and let stand for 1 week. Strain the liquid, add the essential oils and water to the liquid. Let stand for at least two weeks - shaking jar once a day. Keep in a dark bottle or keep in a cool dark area.

Soothing Body Spray

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon witch hazel, 1 teaspoon lemon extract, 1 teaspoon cucumber extract, 1 cup water.

Directions: Make an after shower spray by combining all the ingredients putting in a pump spray bottle. It will totally refresh you.
**There are laws about vodka so if you are considering giving away to people in different states/countries or selling the product, consider substituting the vodka with rubbing alcohol or witch hazel. Both of those will work just as great.**

Experiment using different types of flowers and herbs. You're sure to find something that you'll love. I like making rose water and spraying it on my linens. I also like using olive oil to make certain oil sprays that I can use after bath/shower to make skin soft and silky. Have fun and don't forget to PAMPER yourself.

Looking for ways to cut taxes?

Here is an interesting article for home owners trying to cut a few costs with taxes. It's worth taking a peek. It's called six tips to make a case for property tax cuts by Brett Graff. (Yahoo!Finance)
Visit http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/111408/6-tips-to-make-a-case-for-property-tax-cut?mod=taxes-advice_strategy

Six alternative uses for your freezer!

And you just thought a freezer was to freeze and save perishable items. Well guess again. Here are some helpful tips that you probably never thought to use your freezer for.

Remove wax from candlesticks - Grandma's heirloom silver candlesticks will get a new life if you place them in the freezer and then pick off the accumulated wax drippings. But don't do this if your candlesticks are made from more than one type of metal. The metals can expand and contract at different rates and damage the candlesticks.
 
Clean a pot - Your favorite pot has been left on the stove too long, and now you've got a burned-on mess to clean up. Place the pot in the freezer for a couple of hours. When the burned food becomes frozen, it will be easier to remove.
 
To view the article in full, please visit the link: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/6-alternate-uses-for-your-freezer-2412274