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Fun Friday Finds

Found this website Delightful.com while on this blog...be forwarned - here are some of my favorites! Today's theme: COLORFUL everyday items.

Eva Solo Smiley Bowls - fun and functional! Just the right amount and somewhere to put the shells.

Maui sunset

Aloha!

Diet Soda - breaking the habit

I found this great article on the internet about diet soda. It really opened my eyes and helped me break the soda habit.

Diet soda — how healthy is it?

by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

It’s hot, and you’re thirsty, and if you are like most Americans the first drink you reach for will be a soda pop — a carbonated soft drink. If you’re worried about your sugar or caloric intake, your choice will likely be a diet soda. Companies have spent billions of dollars convincing all of us that diet soda is the healthier, lighter choice — that all we have to lose is the calories, ergo the weight. And since so many of us are struggling with weight gain, who can blame us if diet soda seems like a dream come true?

But in my experience, it’s actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing, fooling women into thinking they are doing something good for their bodies when they are actually sabotaging their own best efforts.

Diet soda may not have the sugar or calories of regular soda, but it’s chock-full of other health-draining chemicals, like caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sodium and phosphoric acid. This is even more concerning when parents give their growing — and chemically vulnerable — children diet soda in a noble effort to avoid sugar.

And while I admit that diet soda may have its uses in the short term — particularly if you are dealing with a sugar addiction — I encourage you to resist it as your default beverage, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Different studies have been flying around on this subject, but a majority show that diet soda may actually set you up to gain even more weight.

If you really want to do something good for your body and your BMI, exchange that can of diet soda for a cool glass of filtered water. If this sounds like deprivation to you, I can sympathize. Let’s discuss diet soda and how you can begin to give it less of a starring role in your nutrition.

Sally Jean - Soldering for Virgins

A couple of weekends ago I was taking a class called Soldering for Virgins and it was exactly that! It was an all day class and you need all of this time to really learn each of the steps of soldering. You cannot skip over steps or try to make it easier - Sally Jean's way is pretty tested and we all followed along as she broke everything down and came out of there with completed charms!

I am pretty bummed because I am having issues again with iPhoto (totally my fault) I lost all of my pictures from that day. She has a gorgeous studio in the Pearl in Portland and you can see it in her book Pretty Little Things: Collage Jewelry, Trinkets and Keepsakes and in issue one of Where Women Create.

I tried years ago teaching myself how to solder - unsuccessfully. I bought her book and I tried it at a "make n take" one time. But could really never get the hang of it and fearful that I was doing something wrong that tends to be VERY hot. So when Sally Jean emailed me at the last minute to let me know that there was an opening in her class I jumped at the opportunity! (ALWAYS get on the waiting list.) I learned so much in seven hours and had my 'aha' moment soldering: Flux is your BEST friend!

It is also very important to have the right tools, it makes all the difference. Her book that I reference above has a list of recommended suppliers. I am lucky enough to live really close to Cline Glass Company. This place sells everything you would need to get started, they do phone orders.

This is the soldering iron that you will want to buy if you are going to be doing multiple projects. My plan is to make some Christmas ornaments for gifts this year!

Sally Jean's husband Brad is selling pre cut glass on Etsy. This is the prefect way to buy good quality glass that is cut and also has the corners rounded for you.

If you have a chance to take one of her workshops I highly recommend it!

Commit 2 Fit - Life Challenge Seven

We are all seeing some great results! Many of use are seeing more inches lost than weight and some of us are experiencing both. What I love hearing the most though is how much better everyone is feeling and the amount of new energy we all have. I am leaving for my birthday vacation in a few days and not only am I loving the inches I have lost but I am going on vacation not worn out. I am going to be able to start this trip on the right foot starting with day one!

Here are the revised results after week three - great job girls!!!

1. Kim Heggins
2. Melissa Cavanaugh
3. Cindy B
4. Amy Mowbray
5. Tena Sprenger
6. Linda
7. Kyrsti

All the rest of us are below the 29 points (myself included!) but only one point difference. Don't forget to turn in your week 4, 5 and 6 points to me!

Okay here is life habit seven - Choose fruit as your carbohydrate for at least two (minimum) of your meals

Every Monday Matters

13 - Donate Books

How timely this Monday is since we were just talking about summer reads! Since getting my Kindle I have stacks of books ready to donate to the new library they are building here in E. Vancouver.

FACTS

• 61% of low-income families have no books in their homes
• 55% of children have an increased interest in reading when given books at an early age.
• Children with a greater variety of reading material in the home are more creative, imaginative, and proficient in reading. They are also on a better path toward educational growth and development.
• 43% of adults with the lowest level of literacy proficiency live in poverty.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

1. Go through your bookshelves and pull out books that you will NEVER read again or have owned for more than 2 years and haven't read yet. What a great way to DE-CLUTTER!
2. Pack the books in a box
3. Call your local library, school, foster home, or children's organization to see if they need books.
4. DELIVER the books 
5. Pack and mail your books abroad.
6. If you don't have any books at home, purchase some to donate or find an organization that accepts financial donations and will purchase books and deliver them where they are needed.

YOU MATTER
Having access to books is the key to literacy, yet the majority of children in low-income neighborhoods often lack libraries and bookstores. By donating your books, especially children’s books, you can impact some of the 12 million children who don’t have books at home. Otherwise, these children simply won’t learn to read. Imagine if you couldn’t read this book.

Happy 4th of July!

We are getting ready for our bi-annual BBQ and our own private fireworks show in our neighborhood park. It is amazing what people are buying - I always call it professional grade.

Everyone here at the Wessells' household wishes you a safe and FUN 4th of July!

And let's not forget...

July 04, 2009 at 05:00 AM in life in general | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Fun Friday Finds is going to be about books! One of my other passions is reading and over the next couple of months I plan on enjoying it.

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to actually meet Kevin Carroll. While it was a short introduction it will definitely be something to remember!

Kevin is the author of three books: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, What's Your Red Rubber Ball? and The Red Rubber Ball at Work. I had only discovered the first one and he graciously sent me the others within days! I have finished the Red Rubber Ball at Work and when I get back from traveling I will dive into the workbook - I am very excited about exercises that he goes through in this one. The other two I highly recommend for anyone.

There is a section in the Red Rubber Ball at Work called Elements of Purposeful Play - it is broken up into sub sections: look, read, do. Be sure to check out the sub sections for some great links to some resources. One of the books listed is one of my all time favorites It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book

FUN Friday Finds

Fun Friday Finds is going to be about books! One of my other passions is reading and over the next couple of months I plan on enjoying it.

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to actually meet Kevin Carroll. While it was a short introduction it will definitely be something to remember!

Kevin is the author of three books: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, What's Your Red Rubber Ball? and The Red Rubber Ball at Work. I had only discovered the first one and he graciously sent me the others within days! I have finished the Red Rubber Ball at Work and when I get back from traveling I will dive into the workbook - I am very excited about exercises that he goes through in this one. The other two I highly recommend for anyone.

There is a section in the Red Rubber Ball at Work called Elements of Purposeful Play - it is broken up into sub sections: look, read, do. Be sure to check out the sub sections for some great links to some resources. One of the books listed is one of my all time favorites It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book