Thoughts Unveiled Continued

The Earth and Me Go Green

Shelly — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:32:00 GMT

Are you concered about your child being exposed to lead? The recent recalls have left most parents wondering about the toys that are already in the household and whether they contain lead paint or not. If the consern is great in your mind try the new lead test kit out on the market now. You can pick on up at this link… (TEST KIT)

The new treadmill being put to use by all

Shelly — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:59:00 GMT

Capturing the Rose

Shelly — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:23:00 GMT

Ants are amazing little creatures

Shelly — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:20:00 GMT

We finally finished our Millennium Falcon

Shelly — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:31:00 GMT

It took us about two and half months to build. There were so many tiny, tiny parts, but we did it. Time, patience and a bit of Star Wars fun, we had a blast putting all the parts on the paper craft falcon. If you want to build your own version of this paper falcon, click here.

Ever been tied in KNOTS?

Shelly — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:46:00 GMT

At I WILL KNOT, you can learn the basics in knot tying such as the Butterfly Knot pictured above. Knots are really easy and super fun to teach once you know the basics. Check it out and add it to your StumbleUpon list so others can learn how to be "tied in knots" as well.

Let there be Love Today

Shelly — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:18:00 GMT

Making a Heart-shaped Love Cake for your Loved Ones
Materials Needed:

1 strawberry cake mix
Paper Cupcake Liners
Muffin Tins
Marbles
Aluminum Foil
Pink Frosting
Fruit Leathers
Scissors
What you will need to do:

Place the paper liners in the muffin tins and mix the cake batter as the package directs. Pour the batter into the liners. With the marbles and the foil, place a small piece of foil around the marble and shape it into a triangle on one side. So that you have a round bottom and a pointy top to the marble. Place the marble-covered foil in between the liner and the muffin tin side and point the round end toward the muffin tin and the pointy end into the liner. This will help the cake bake into a heart as it bakes.

Bake the mini cakes according to how the package directs and while you are waiting, cut heart with your scissors out from the fruit leathers and set aside. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, frost with the pink frosting and top with heart-shaped fruit leather.

Heart-Shaped Pretzel Valentine's for your Sweet Heart or Sweetie
Materials Needed:

1 cup water, heated, but not hot
2 tbs. sugar
2 pkgs. dry yeast
1 egg
3-1/2 cups of flour
Coarse Salt

Stir together the yeast, sugar and the warm water in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Set aside for about 15 minutes or until foamy. Once the yeast has grown stir in the flour and keep adding till the mixture becomes stiff. Knead on a floured surface and form into a ball. Place it in a buttered bowl and cover with a towel to rise in a warm location. It will double in size and at the time it is ready.

Punch the dough down and roll into a rectangle with a rolling pin and cut strips from the dough. Place the strips on a lightly oiled baking sheet and shape each strip into a heart, then set aside. Meanwhile, beat and egg with a fork and brush onto the heart-shaped strips and Sprinkle the tops with the coarse salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until each one turns golden brown. Give these with your paper Valentine’s Day cards for a special treat for your child's friends.

Exercise for Better ZZZZs

Shelly — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:38:00 GMT

If you exercise during the day it's nothing new that it can add years to your life and help you shed unwanted pounds, but did you know that it can also help you sleep better at night as well?

If you suffer from insomnia, exercising can help you get those much needed zzzs at night even. It's unclear as why exercising helps you sleep better but elevated levels of serotonin and endorphins could be the cause.

Exercising at least for 30 minutes to raise your heart level like walking or even bicycling can help everyone. And doing relaxing exercises such as yoga can also help bring out the much needed sleep that everyone needs no matter what you age.

The Benefits of Bacteria Fighting Herbs.

Shelly — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:57:00 GMT

Herbs like oregano and cinnamon have been shown to help fend off the E. coli infection in humans. Most of these bacteria fighting herbs can be found in the ready-to-eat style of greens sold in supermarkets worldwide.

The Oregon grape root and the Gold seal herb can help fight the E. Coli infection once it has been ingesting into the body. They can also help against other forms of pathogens as well. They all contain a compound called berberine and it helps to stimulate the walls of the intestine to cause it to produce more fluids that contain antibodies.

So the next time you travel to where you think E. coli maybe an issue, carry and bit of Oregon grape root and gold seal tincture with you and take it three times a day.

Finding a Good Hotel has gone to the Dogs

Shelly — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:20:00 GMT

Literally! Moving here to Oregon with a great dane, a Sheppard mix, two cats and a Styrofoam cooler full of goldfish was a challenge when it came to staying at hotels that weren't dives. And with another move coming soon, I thought I would get the low down on pet-friendly, quality stays.

Most hotels or motels will accept pets if they have posted under their lodging search, "Pets allowed" obviously. The best way to know if a quality chain will except pets to call the place you plan on staying. But many "name-brand" chains do except pets because of the amount of people traveling year -around with their animals. More and more people are turning to RVs when traveling because of the "homey" feeling they bring and they can take their pets with them no matter what.

The Surfsand Resort in Cannon Beach offers the very best in upscale hotel stays with the beachfront access and the ability to bring any type of dog or cat you wish to have stay with you for a small fee. That's the most popular form of pet/staying is the fee with your room for ever how many pets you have in your room with you. Jeff and I paid about $350 total during out move here to Oregon for pet fees to have them in the room with us.

If you plan on taking off with your dog and staying in quality hotels, motels or even bed and breakfasts and know where they are located call ahead to make sure you can bring them and so you can budget in the pet fee when you do get there and it won't be a surprise. Nothings worse than having to sleep in your car or having to leave Rover in the car overnight as well.

Who's the Queen of Spices?

Shelly — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:58:00 GMT

I think fresh ground black pepper is the king of spices, so that would make cardamom the queen right? In India, cardamom is used in almost every dish along side cumin. When spices were traded from east to west and still to this day as the trade continues, cardamom is asked for as much as pepper is.

Sir Lanka exchanged cardamom with the Greeks and Romans back during ancient days and it was used to make perfumes and even used for cooking delicate dishes. AS far as India’s relationship with cardamom, it has been among one of the earliest spices mentioned in Indian text and it has been apart of India's religious rituals and as a medicinal herb as well. I can help treat skin and urinary issues and help aid in digestion similar to that of peppermint and peppermint essential oil as well.

So add cardamom to your spice cabinet and start adding it to dishes that call for a bit of the spice. Here is one to help get you started in cooking with it right away.

Cardamom Spice Cookies
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt (optional)

Need a small mixing bowl, a medium mixing bowl, and a well greased pan. (I usually use vegetable or canola oil, but butter would probably be the best and healthiest.) In the medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon together, and stir. In the smaller mixing bowl, put in brown sugar and butter, but be sure the butter is softened, not melted. Beat butter/sugar with beater or by hand (about 35 seconds). Add egg and vanilla in butter/sugar mixture. Beat again for about the same time. Add butter mixture with flour. If you are beating by hand, then beat as you pour into the flour mixture. Beat until all is evenly mixed.

Roll into balls and shape how you want. Put in pan about 1 1/2" apart. Cook on 325 for about 15-18 minutes.

For more recipes visit Epicurious.

A Visit to the Oregon Zoo on Thanksgiving

Shelly — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:25:00 GMT

Baz Sporting his New Booties

Shelly — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:45:00 GMT

I think he likes these better than his coat. Now his little paws will stay warm during the cold snowy weather here in Oregon. These booties also help keep his dirty paws from messing up our furniture. Now if I could just get Meia to keep her collar on, we will be happy pet-parents.

Helping Baz Celebrate a new Year

Shelly — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:06:00 GMT

Baz turned 7 on September 10th. Happy Birthday Buddy!

The Old Crow

Shelly — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:05:00 GMT

This crow hangs out in the field behind our house and the last few days we have had Baz in the house, the crow has been nesting in his dog house. Maybe one of these days I can snap a shot of it inside the house without him flying off.

Canadian Geese Fly Over

Shelly — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:50:00 GMT

Mallards Around

Shelly — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:09:00 GMT

Photographing Wildlife

Shelly — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:31:00 GMT

I think these are a breed of moorhen

These black birds seem to be where the ducks and swans are most of the time. I like them, because they photograph well.

Looking for a good Christmas gift?

Shelly — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:49:00 GMT

Give the gift of Pirates. For the last six months, Jeff and I have come to like an online game called Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a game that allows you to create a like-pirate of yourself and perform certain tasks in order to level up. The best part about the game is this it is all based on locations and people from the actual movie. You can purchase gift cards that allow certain amount of game play. This game is geared toward ages 11 and up and it's a perfect game for young kids, because Disney monitors everything. Skylar loves watching me play his pirate character "Skylar Stormchaser" and he especially loves to fire the cannons on his light sloop at the Navy ships that frequent the seas near Rumrunner’s Island.

Check out the Pirates game gift cards here.

Here are a few images of my pirate "Bess Callehayes" fighting in the game.

Got an Hour?

Shelly — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:05:00 GMT

Here is ways to take that hour and become healthier. Break these time spots up in anyway you can to fit in an hour of health into your daily routine.

10 minutes: Adding just a 10 minute workout to your daily routine can not only make you healthier it can also help boost your mood.

15 minutes: Adding just 15 minutes a day of reading to your routine can help reduce your risk of dementia.

20 minutes: Adding just 20 minutes of treadmill time can help you with your sex life. This activity released a substance associated with increased sexual arousal.

30 minutes: Adding just 30 minutes of brisk walking into your daily routine just five days a week can help reduce your risk for stroke, help guard against breast cancer, and can help help guard agsinst aging-related damage lnked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseas as well.

60 minutes: Adding just an addition 30 minutes to your 30 minutes exercise routine of weight lifting, making it a full hour workout can help make your bones stronger as you age especially in women who have a greater risk of developing Osteoporosis and can improve your bone density in your spine and hip areas.

50 minutes: Adding a treadmill workout to your daily routine for about 50 minutes can produce sweat from your body that can help rid your body of unecessary toxins and can and will reduce your wasitline as well. You will also, in the process, drop about 23 pounds after 20 weeks of doing this routine.

45 minutes: Adding a 45 minute workout to your daily routine can and will help guard your body against developing a cold during cold and flu season.

40 minutes: Adding a 40 minutes workout to your daily routine can help guard agsinst developing heart disease or other cardiovasular diseases. You need to move your body at least 40 minutes or more for about five to six times a weel. This routine can also help reduce stress lelves which have been linked to some forms of heart disease and other illnesses.