Creating a personal Greeting.. simply perfect!
Posted by msterilinn on Mar 14, 2008
Above all else, I am into Family. My entire family is quite secure in the knowledge of my Love and devotion to all things connecting us during our lives here on Earth. I am totally into creativity and personalization when it comes to just about everything, for any occasion or just because, including gifts, cards, calendars… you name it. I always prefer adding a personal touch, as this truly shows my Love, and how important my family and friends are by the mere fact of taking the time to create something special. I am never too busy to give special thought to giving my loved ones, and even those whom I do not know very well, gifts that are truly given from my heart.
Along with these lovely homemade gifts, the perfect form of personalization are Photo Greeting Cards. My particular favourite is the borderless full color photo card as can be created through CardsDirect. These premium folded photo cards are printed on thick 140 pound (14pt) white card stock using state of the art digital color press technology. Upload or email us your high resolution digital photo, and we will print it on the front of the cards in stunning digital full color. The finished product is a full sized 7 7/8″ x 5 5/8″ (Horizontal or Vertical orientation depending on your photo). Inside the photo cards, you can add one of our verses plus your personalized text, or create your own custom verse a choice of typestyles and ink colors at no additional cost. You will receive an electronic proof via email showing you exactly how your cards will look before your photo card order is printed. Lined envelopes are included and can also be custom imprinted with your return address.
Simply perfect!
Going Organic this Valentines Day
Posted by msterilinn on Feb 8, 2008
I truly love Valentines Day. It is a great opportunity to get a bit festive, and express our Love for each other. Even though I do this sort of thing often anyway, it is great to have this theme to go by during our chilly month of February.
As I endeavor to search for lots of wonderful gifts to share with family and friends, I am always mindful of our Environment. When I found a place with fair trade gifts for valentines, I jumped right on it. This is fantastic! Not only did I find Organic Gifts and Natural Gifts, yet I found Planet Friendly, a healthier green alternative to birthday, anniversary, romantic or just everyday gifting. What fun it is to browse through a wide selection of organic gift baskets that overflow with tasty treats, fresh products, natural ingredients and the knowledge that what you buy is helping keep this planet user-friendly for years to come.
Organic Foods…
Produced by farmers who are careful to conserve soil and water, and enhance the environmental quality of the land around them for future generations, “organic foods” use no synthetic or artificial means in their growing process. Farmers also avoid exposure to toxic chemicals or pesticides that can end up in the ground, air, water or food supply. Many believe that organic foods have a better taste and are overall healthier for you since the produce is natural and fresh and levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus tend to be higher in organic foods than processed counterparts.
Planet Friendly carefully searches for products that meet the various needs and desires of their customers. They know that you want healthier alternatives and look for the freshest fruit and widest variety of products to meet all your gifting needs.
As an example, I am totally delighted with the huge assortment of gourmet organic snack foods to be found in their Organic Ultimate Gourmet sampler! Inside a stylish natural basket with drop handles, discover delicious 100% organic snacks such as pretzel sticks, chocolate cookies, ginger cookies, cheddar cheese crackers, a chocolate coffee bar, chocolate-cinnamon crisps, dark chocolate espresso-vivani, banana chips and cherry oatmeal cookies. To complete this spectacular sampler, they also included 100% organic spicy brown mustard, grape jelly and sweet and spicy herbal tea sachets. What a great selection!
How splendid! Just what I need to satisfy my total Valentines Day experience.
Well then, I do hope all my friends and family enjoy a wonderful and Loving Valentines Day!
Delight your true Love with Organic Chocolate
Posted by msterilinn on Jan 22, 2008
Everywhere I look these days, I am surrounded by so many ideas of romantic gifts to enchant and delight ones true Love. Since days of old, the traditional love letter, at times accompanied by flowers and trinkets have served to bring smiles and blushes to lovers all around the World. Naturally, a delicious assortment of sweet and fancy candies are always a favourite treat.
Now, I don’t know about you, but my favourite candy is… you guessed it… chocolate! I absolutely love chocolate in all it’s delicious forms.
And seeing as Valentines Day is a special day set aside for lovers, I would like to share a wonderful idea which is certain to bring delight and enhance those most intimate moments. Organic Chocolate Massage Oil is a perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Totally organic and made with pure chocolate, and including Organic Palm Fruit & Sunflower Oil, Apricot Oil, Light Coconut Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Natural Vitamin E, and Cocoa Absolute, this is a natural gift that is certain to bring sweet pleasure to ones romantic moments, and may be added to your bath as well.
I found this totally romantic gift at Kate’s Caring Gifts, where you will find a wide selection of Earth friendly, and sustainably manufactured gifts for friends, family, and yourself. Oh yes, as an absolute must for the Vegan in your life you may wish to see what you think about Kate’s Organic Vegan Chocolate… yummm!
Well, as you know, I am always on the lookout for these great places to enhance my natural lifestyle, and am truly happy to share. I have made it a point to bookmark this site, and you can be sure I will be visiting often.
Enjoy!
The Chocolate lover in me…
Posted by msterilinn on Jan 10, 2008
Hmmm… let’s talk about Chocolate! Life on this planet would just not be the same if there was no chocolate. When they say chocolate is the food of the Gods and Goddesses, I simply have to agree.
Did you know chocolate is good for you?
The flavonoids in chocolate that laboratory studies demonstrate to have powerful antioxidant effects are called flavanols and procyanidins. These two compounds come from the flavonoid “family” that includes resveratrol, found in grape juice, and EGCG, found in green tea. When people consume these substances in chocolate and cocoa, the antioxidant status of their blood increases.
This rise in antioxidant levels helps protect us from damage to the heart and blood vessels, while it also guards our DNA from damage that can lead to cancer.
In addition, the flavanols and procyanidins in chocolate improve the function and flow of blood vessels and help control inflammation.
The antioxidants in chocolate have generated a lot of interest because studies show that these compounds are more powerful antioxidants than EGCG in tea, which is a strong antioxidant.
A cup of hot or cold cocoa may sound like a health drink loaded with antioxidants, but almost all cocoa drink mixes contain cocoa treated with alkali (also called Dutch cocoa) to produce a darker, richer taste. Unfortunately, this process drastically reduces flavonoid content.
Unless you find a chocolate mix made with untreated cocoa, start with plain cocoa (not Dutch) and add your own sweetener and milk to make a flavonoid-rich cup.
Surprisingly, the fat content of chocolate is not a reason to avoid it. Technically, chocolate contains saturated fat, but the particular type of saturated fat – stearic acid – is unique because it does not raise blood cholesterol.
Studies show that neither dark or milk chocolate is a cholesterol concern in moderate amounts. But keep in mind that other ingredients added to some chocolate candies can change their nutrition impact.
Most importantly chocolate is so very delicious and it makes one feel so good!
So, if you did not satisfy your chocolate urges with that special Christmas chocolate gift, just remember that a rich, dark. chocolate is good for any occasion, or just because. Feel free to indulge to your hearts content! You might have to work out a bit more, yet it is totally worth it, from my point of view.
If you’re looking for romantic Valentine’s Day gift ideas, have you tried Fannie May chocolate gifts? Fannie May stands for premium quality chocolate. Their Valentine’s Day Hearts are traditional on the outside, but the candies inside are anything but ordinary! Nestled inside a heart, a common symbol of romantic love, show that special someone how you feel with these delicious, quality chocolate assortments.
The Ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain
Posted by msterilinn on Oct 31, 2007
Shall we venture forth into the world as the Ancients once celebrated? Let us take a look into the times of old and see how the Celts brought in the new year…
Ancient Origins
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced ’sau-en). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1st. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of “bobbing” for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st All Saints’ Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2nd All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints’, All Saints’, and All Souls’, were called Hallowmas.
Modern Traditions
The American tradition of “trick-or-treating” probably dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as “going a-souling” was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.
The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.
Evolution of a Holiday
As European immigrants came to America, they brought their varied Halloween customs with them. Because of the rigid Protestant belief systems that characterized early New England, celebration of Halloween in colonial times was extremely limited there. It was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups, as well as the American Indians, meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included “play parties,” public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance, and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing Ireland’s potato famine of 1846, helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. Young women believed that, on Halloween, they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings, or mirrors.
In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers, than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft. At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season, and festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything “frightening” or “grotesque” out of Halloween celebrations. Because of their efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.
By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, but community-centered holiday, with parades and town-wide parties as the featured entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, vandalism began to plague Halloween celebrations in many communities during this time. By the 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young. Due to the high numbers of young children during the fifties baby boom, parties moved from town civic centers into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated. Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday.
The Days of the Dead… A Mexican Holiday
Posted by msterilinn on Oct 29, 2007
As All Hallows Eve approaches, I am given to reaquainting myself with the different beliefs and traditions surrounding this time of the year. Today I wish to share how the Mexican’s celebrate…
Los Dias De Los Muertos
Celebrating the Mexican Holiday
The Days of the Dead
Every autumn Monarch Butterflies, which have summered up north in the United States and Canada, return to Mexico for the winter protection of the oyamel fir trees. The local inhabitants welcome back the returning butterflies, which they believe bear the spirits of their departed. The spirits to be honored during Los Dias de los Muertos.
Los Dias de los Muertos, the Days of the Dead, is a traditional Mexico holiday honoring the dead. It is celebrated every year at the same time as Halloween and the Christian holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day (November 1st and 2nd). Los Dias de los Muertos is not a sad time, but instead a time of remembering and rejoicing.
The townspeople dress up as ghouls, ghosts, mummies and skeletons and parade through the town carrying an open coffin. The “corpse” within smiles as it is carried through the narrow streets of town. The local vendors toss oranges inside as the procession makes its way past their markets. Lucky “corpses” can also catch flowers, fruits, and candies.
In the homes families arrange ofrenda’s or “altars” with flowers, bread, fruit and candy. Pictures of the deceased family members are added. In the late afternoon special all night burning candles are lit - it is time to remember the departed - the old ones, their parents and grandparents.
The next day the families travel to the cemetery. They arrive with hoes, picks and shovels. They also carry flowers, candles, blankets, and picnic baskets. They have come to clean the graves of their loved ones. The grave sites are weeded and the dirt raked smooth. The Crypts are scrubbed and swept. Colorful flowers, bread, fruit and candles are placed on the graves. Some bring guitars and radios to listen to. The families will spend the entire night in the cemeteries.
Skeletons and skulls are found everywhere. Chocolate skulls, marzipan coffins, and white chocolate skeletons. Special loaves of bread are baked, called pan de muertos, and decorated with “bones.
Handmade skeleton figurines, called calacas, are especially popular. Calacas usually show an active and joyful afterlife. Figures of musicians, generals on horseback, even skeletal brides, in their white bridal gowns marching down the aisles with their boney grooms.
The celebration of Los Dias de los Muertos, like the customs of Halloween, evolved with the influences of the Celtics, the Romans, and the Christian holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. But with added influences from the Aztec people of Mexico.
The Aztecs believed in an afterlife where the spirits of their dead would return as hummingbirds and butterflies. Even images carved in the ancient Aztec monuments show this belief - the linking the spirits of the dead and the Monarch butterfly.
~*~ Our favorite Holiday Traditions ~*~
Posted by msterilinn on Dec 6, 2006
Our favorite Holiday Tradition is making handmade ornaments and decorations. The decorations are mostly for our own home, yet we love to create new ornaments to give each member of the family. We will search for new ideas and each participate in choosing what to make. To us, these are the greatest gifts and will be treasured for a long time to come…
Another good idea, if one can afford it, is to buy a live tree for the Holidays and then find a good spot to plant it. This brings much pleasure, gives back to the Earth a bit of the pleasure and joy we have been given, and lasting memories as well.
And of course, baking cookies and lots of other goodies to pass along where we may. 
Enjoy!
~
