by | Feb 16, 2018 | Accessories, Fashion |
Spring is almost here and the days have begun to get much brighter and less bitter than the past few months. It is the time that those massive coats go back in the wardrobe and we start to brave showing a bit of wrist once again.
One of the most fun seasons in the year to dress for is the spring because it is all about bright colours and floral patterns. There are thousands of items to choose from and this can make it almost impossible to choose that ideal outfit for the day.
JTwisdom
Go For Color
Gone is the season for white, red and black… spring is about bursts of plenty of colour and happiness. Spring is the season where plants and flowers come back to life and this reflects in the fashion trends we see throughout. Bright accents of colors like pink, yellow and blue can work amazingly with skinny jeans and boots, and if it is warm enough a tea dress is ideal. Pastel colours like mint and peach are also popular at this time of year, and you can find them used frequently in cardigans and t shirts.
Don’t Forget Neutrals
Due to all of the colour you are about to throw into your wardrobe, it is important to also have some neutral clothing pieces to work with and Pair alongside the bright colours. A simple pair of white or grey jeans, a white or black t shirt, even a pair of grey boots can be instrumental in creating the perfect outfit for this season.
Layer Up
Layering is a technique which is used by many people to add multiple textures and plenty of character to an outfit. You will want to dress for the chilly temperatures as well as look stylish during the spring. One way to do this would be wearing a vest, cardigan and leather or denim jacket layered together for an effortlessly stylish look.
Light Fabrics
Once the heat begins to increase a little, you will want to make the most of thinner materials such as chiffon and linen. Light and breezy is exactly what you will want during the spring to cover you but still provide the ability for the skin to breathe.
Patterns
Like we have already mentioned, floral patterns are your best friend during the spring. Flowers are the focus of this season so if you can add a floral touch to your outfit you will instantly scream spring. Think floral skater skirts, graphic tees and even embroidered jackets.
Show Some Skin
You don’t need to instantly take all of your winter clothes and cut off the sleeves or stitch it up higher: but spring is about showing a little more skin. Try wearing three quarter length bottoms or tops, short sleeved t shirts and linen shorts for comfort. You can make the most of the rising heat by letting your skin out to breathe, it will feel much more comfortable and help you to look like the perfect spring fashionista.
by | Feb 12, 2018 | Beauty, Fashion |
If you feel like you see a new emerging wrinkle every time you look in the mirror, it can become disheartening. You might feel like you are aging quickly and you are looking older than your years. Don’t worry, there are ways in which you can slow down the aging process. This doesn’t mean calling up the local plastic surgeon and going under the knife for all sorts of weird and wonderful cosmetic procedures. There is absolutely no need to take such a drastic step. Aging is part of life. However, this doesn’t make the visual effects any easier to cope with. Instead of worrying about the aging process, it’s important that you enjoy life and grasp every opportunity that comes your way.
While you may feel every new wrinkle is a crushing blow to your self-confidence, don’t wallow in the pit of self-pity. It’s time to do something about it. Take a look at these simple ways in which you can retain a youthful glow.
Diet
Although it goes without saying, the key to every aspect of our health is our diet. With an unbalanced diet full of refined sugars, saturated fats and white carbs, we can look bloated, washed out and unhealthy. To achieve a healthier complexion, you need to be eating a more nutritionally balanced diet every day. Up your greens and oily fish portions to ensure your body is full of the iron, omega 3 and antioxidants it requires to retain a youthful glow.
Retain A Youthful Glow In 4 Easy Steps
You need to try and eat the rainbow every day. This doesn’t mean eating a bag of skittles every twenty-four hours. Instead, you should have an array of colorful fruits and vegetables every day to ensure you are giving your body its much-needed nutrients. Red peppers, beetroot, blueberries and bananas each contain vital vitamins and minerals to not only enhance your healthy complexion but also to boost your immune system. You could even add grapes to your daily routine, either with breakfast or as a snack. They contain sorbitol, a natural moisturizer that could stop your skin from becoming dry and flaky.
Exercise
While you might not feel the urge to head to the gym when you see the crows feet around your eyes becoming ever more embedded, it’s vital that you try to stay active. By being on your feet, heading for daily brisk walks and taking part in fun activities such as dancing or aerobics, you can keep the pounds off. As you get older, it can become more difficult to shift any excess weight. Coupled with the odd niggle and pain that may accompany getting older, you need to ensure that you remain as active as possible.
Exercising is a great way of releasing the happy hormone and endorphins into your bloodstream. These are natural confidence boosters. While the wrinkles may not disappear, you may find yourself feeling less bothered by them and more confident in your own skin as you exercise more. Your cardiovascular fitness will increase, you’ll look leaner and fitter, and you will sleep better, leading to fewer bags under the eyes and a brighter complexion.
If dancing isn’t your thing and the gym leaves you in a cold sweat, why not think back to when you were at school and university. What sports did you love taking part in? If you enjoyed netball why not look for a local club? Ladies soccer is becoming more and more popular as thirty-somethings form five a side teams across the nation. You don’t even have to think of playing in a team sport as exercise, but more of a pastime, hobby and having fun. It’s a great way to meet some new like-minded people, make new friends and expand your social circle. This can help boost your confidence and self-esteem and you will begin feeling better about yourself.
Style
Just because you can feel your chin sagging or your laughter lines developing, doesn’t mean you have to surrender to a fuddy-duddy wardrobe to match your mood. Head to the salon and explore a range of hair color ideas to cover your grays. While some women don’t mind seeing the odd sprouting gray hair, others allow it to knock their confidence. If you feel like you’d like to rid yourself of the grays, why not use it as an opportunity to try out a whole new look. If you’ve been a lifelong brunette, why not go blonde or have some fun as a redhead. You might want to change the style that you’ve had for the past decade. While you might be sad to say goodbye to your luscious locks, a whole new hairstyle could reinvigorate your confidence. Think about a mid-length bob, a pixie cut or some bangs.
When it comes to your wardrobe, you may have to forego the skimpier outfits, the shorter skirts and you may have to be a little more modest in your clothing choices, but you can still look stylish and show off your fashion credentials. Dress sharp, go for the figure-hugging attire and be proud of your body. A trouser suit with a pair of kitten heels looks formal yet fashionable. A pair of skinny jeans with a simple black or white top is a classic combination and can be worn at any age. Wear what you feel comfortable in, but don’t go for the baggy nondescript garments that swallow you up. You need to project your personality and express yourself through your wardrobe.
Lotions And Potions
While there are many miracle wonders on the market claiming to reverse the aging process and return your face to the way it looked twenty years ago, these are fallacies. They use jargon and nonsense words to try and bamboozle you with pseudoscience. Instead, select a high-quality moisturizer, cleanser, exfoliator and toner. Each of these essential bits of kit will allow your skin to remain well hydrated, free from dirt, at a good pH balance and cleansed. Find the creams that are right for your skin type. This may not be the most expensive product on the market; simply go with what makes your skin feel most revitalized.
The hands are the part of our bodies that really show our age. You may find liver spots, wrinkles and protruding veins becoming more apparent on your hands. Invest in a good hand cream with added sunscreen to keep them moisturized and protect them from the sun’s rays that can add years to the appearance of your hands.
Getting older is part of life. It’s inevitable. What can be most shocking is the evidence of this on our faces and bodies. While you may have been confident a decade ago, the wrinkles, sagginess and general appearance of you growing older may have knocked your confidence. You need to learn to embrace your age, celebrate the signs of the aging process and accentuate the parts of your appearance that you are happy with. Get a new haircut, purchase some new garments for your wardrobe and enjoy cooking up some new healthy and nutritious culinary creations. Once you have implemented these ways of retaining a youthful glow, you’ll find that your confidence will be boosted and you’ll feel more positive about your age. Remember, age is merely a number; what’s more important is how old you feel.
by | Feb 11, 2018 | From the Heart, Inspirations |
Hello Wonderful People!
Today, we celebrate the birthday of a wonderful person we affectionately call MOMMY BERNICE.
Eighty-one years ago today, Bernice Matilda Schulte was born in Freeburg, Missouri. She is the daughter of Henry and Katie (Linnenbrink) Schulte, She is the third of six children. Her life is filled with many wonderful stories of faith and resilience. She makes me proud to be her son. Here are a few stories for you.
When she was only fourteen years old, her father had gotten sick and was unable to work his job at the local MFA feed store. In order for her daddy to keep his job, she had to quit school and work his job. Her brother would also work with her in the store. While her father would recover from his illness and was eventually able to return to work, she was never able to return back to school. However, she didn’t allow the lack of a formal education stop her. She served her family as a wonderful mother; and raised her children well.
After getting married to my father in 1957, she gave birth to nine children, with me being the youngest. Sadly, four of her babies died only days after being born; and a fifth child died at the age of 37. At one point, she lost three premature babies in just four years. Despite these setbacks, she and my father never lost their faith in God and persevered through the hard times. Ultimately, the doctors found the source of the problem, fixed it and then she was then able to have three successful pregnancies. I guess they stopped after having that perfect baby (me)!
During their marriage, my father dealt with many sicknesses; from bleeding ulcers to lung cancer. Unfortunately, he would lose his battle to cancer and his life ended prematurely in 1987. She once again battled through, raising her youngest children on her own. I know it had to be a tough time for her, but she never would let me know it. And if you ask me, I will say she has done an awesome job.
Later in her life, she has overcome her own health challenges, from a broken hip, a broken ankle, and a fractured back (not at the same time); to macular degeneration and rotator cuff tears. But in spite of this, she still keeps her faith in God and maintains a positive attitude. She has been through so much, but I believe it has made her stronger.
Mommy Bernice is wonderful example of Godly woman who maintains her faith despite the circumstances. She is one who is deeply loved and admired by her family and her many friends. I can definitely say that I have not meet any one like her. I thank God for her and want the world to know all about her. We Love You, Mommy Bernice!!! And, Happy Birthday!!!
by | Feb 11, 2018 | From the Heart |
Greetings Wonderful People,
I hope you are having an awesome day.
I wanted to give you a quick update on the 23 and Me DNA test that my wife and I completed back in early December. The test analyzes the DNA in your saliva to determine your ethnic composition; meaning where in world your ancestor come from. To learn more about the reasons why we took the test, click here!
Typically the test is completed in six to eight weeks. Well, we are still waiting on my test results. Tamaki’s results came back in mid-January, without any problems. However, my test is taking a little bit longer.
Apparently, the first attempt to extract sufficient quantities of DNA from my sample was not successful and that my sample had to be reprocessed. So, now they are reading my DNA with a genotyping chip. During this analysis step, they make copies of my DNA so that they have enough to analyze. Then they place my DNA on their genotyping chip and use a computer to read my genotype at each location that they test.
What this means is that I did not give them enough of a sample of saliva to extract the DNA. They told me that it will be another couple of weeks before they complete my test and the results are sent to me. So, we are waiting, patiently, to find out what my test reveals about my ancestors. We wanted to wait and share the results of both tests at the same time.
We will be back in a couple of weeks (or sooner) with the results.
Until then, Take Care! And enjoy the journey!
by | Feb 8, 2018 | Food |
Hello Beautiful People,
I know you have been seeing everything from hearts to stuffed teddy bears to chocolates for Valentine’s Day. I am wishing everyone a Happy Lovers’ Day, Happy Love Yourself Day, A Happy Be Good To Me Day, a Happy Be the Best You Day! I want to see a smile on your face. Another person doesn’t define who you are, so don’t get caught up in why you don’t have anyone and you are feeling alone. You can’t get caught up in that because you are already pretty terrific because God made only one you and that’s even if you are an identical twin.
I thank God for my husband; but you know what? I never thought I would be married. I never dated because I grew up in a strict household and I never thought that I was that attractive. For me, being married is totally God’s plan.
I wanted to share a Valentine recipe that my husband and I have made. It is delicious and easy. The scrumptious Chocolate Nut clusters are fun to make and you can store them in the fridge in a covered container. Lets get to the recipe.
Milk Chocolate Nut Clusters
Delicious Nut Clusters
Ingredients
24 oz. bag of Nestle milk chocolate morsels or dark chocolate morsels
Unsalted peanuts, cashews, pecans or walnuts
Peppermint Oil (Optional)
Utensils
Glass bowl
Saucepan
Tablespoon
Wax paper for pan
Directions
First, place all ingredients on countertop so that everything at is close at hand.
Put a 1 1/2 inches of water in a sauce pan on the oven burner and bring the water come to a boil.
Melting the Chocolate
Place a glass bowl on top of the saucepan, like a double boiler. Add the chocolate morsels, (I used milk chocolate morsels in this recipe) and begin to stir until it is smooth and silky. You can also add in a few drops of peppermint oil if you enjoy the flavor. If not, can definitely leave it out.
When the chocolate is fully melted and stirs easily, take the bowl out of the saucepan and place on a towel.
Adding in the Nut Clusters
Add in the desired number of peanuts or other nuts and continue to stir. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the chocolate and nuts onto a 9″ x 12″ pan that has been lined with wax paper (parchment paper). Depending on how large you make your clusters, you may need more than one pan.
Place the pan in the refrigerator until the clusters are firm. After they are firm, place the clusters in a secure bowl with cover for storage. Enjoy!
On Valentines Day, enjoy yourself whether you are with the love of your life, with friends celebrating, or a night in watching a great movie reading that favorite book. Be good to yourself and get a chocolate nut cluster with some tea!
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