Saturday Giveaway // Perfectly Placed

Today's lovely giveaway comes to you from Perfectly Placed! One lucky reader will win their Menu Planning Teleclass (a $27 value). This downloadable recording includes:

• How to make a continuous menu that will last from year to year so you don't have to keep making new ones!
• Where to find fast and easy recipes so you can get dinner made quickly.
• How to let the whole family know what the family dinner plan is rather than being asked all of the time.
• How to make a family recipe book so that all of your recipes are in one place and are easy to find.
• How to ensure you have all the ingredients you need for your meals so you don't have to run out last minute and pick something up.
• Detailed hand-out with step-by-step instructions.
• And much, much more!

"We are passionate about bringing women balance in their home, work and lives."

 --Susan Stewart, Owner of Perfectly Placed

Find Perfectly Placed
 Website | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

a Rafflecopter giveaway

terms: All entrants must provide a valid email address and first name along with your comment entry. Please avoid putting your contact information directly into your comment, winners could be posted publicly. Once the giveaway has ended and the winner is chosen, they are contacted and put in touch with the sponsor. New Nostalgia does not handle nor distribute giveaway items at any time. Giveaway items are directly distributed to the winners by the sponsors themselves. If a winner fails to claim their prize within 30 days, they forfeit their winnings and another winner is chosen and contacted via email. All winners are chosen randomly.

Homemade Face Moisturizer

I'm pretty excited about this Homemade Face Moisturizer.  I've been using it for about a week and I'm loving how my skin is looking and feeling.  I especially love that I know exactly what is in it, and that each ingredient is pure and good for the skin.

I recycled a dropper container that is a great reminder to me of the money I am saving by making my own Face Moisturizer.  The face product that was in that bottle previously costs about $30.00!

 The recipe was linked up to my Anti-Procrastination Tuesday Link Party from the awesome Rebekah at Potholes and Pantyhose.  She did a great, month- long series on homemade products, which is where I got this recipe.  She did a price workup of this and a 2.5 ounce bottle is $.75 cents!  Now that's a deal! (Click through for the price breakdown.)

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 Homemade Face Moisturizer
4 Tbsp 100% Aloe Vera Juice (the drinkable kind)
1 tsp Vegetable Glycerine
6 drops Jojoba Oil
1/4 tsp Sweet Almond Oil

1 Container to keep the moisturizer in.

Measure all into container.  You may need to use a funnel.

Before each use, shake well.  This is not a creamy product, it is quite watery.  Apply using a cotton pad or your clean fingertips.  It will take a minute to dry, but as it does, it will absorb and leave you with soft, silky smooth skin!

If you need more moisture, just add a bit more of the oils until you get the level your specific skin type needs.  The above recipe was just perfect for mine.

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Here is some information for each product used in this recipe, from Rebekah's research:

Aloe Vera Gel
here are just a few things it does besides cool sunburn: kills bacteria, virus and fungus.  The salicylic acid in aloe vera also acts as a pain killer.  That explains why it's so soothing for burns.  It also has anti-inflammatory properties.

Vegetable Glycerin
A topical remedy for a number of skin problems, including psoriasis, rashes, burns, bedsores & cuts.

Jojoba Oil
Provides all day moisture to skin. Jojoba oil doesn't evaporate like water based moisturizers can.  It is theorized, but not yet proven, that because jojoba oil is so similar to human skin oil, it can "trick" the skin into thinking it has produced enough oil and thus balance oil production.  It is very stable, jojoba oil does not become rancid or lose antioxidants even after long periods of storage.  It spreads well and is absorbed well. The organic variety is free of pesticides, GMO's and is sustainably farmed.

Sweet Almond Oil
Almond oil is an excellent emollient and moisturizer.  As an emollient it nourishes and softens the skin helping to keep it smooth to the touch.  Almond oil is similar in composition to the oil baby's excrete to keep their skin and hair healthy.  This composition is beneficial to protecting and conditioning your skin no matter your age.  By helping the skin stay healthy it promotes a youthful skin complexion.  Almond oil is frequently used to treat dry skin.  It relieves itchiness, soreness, rashes, dryness, irruption and burns.  Almond oil aides the skin in keeping the proper balance of moisture in the skin which is critical when treating dry skin.

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For an extra special treat to your skin, use this sugar and lemon juice scrub in the video above, then follow up with Homemade Face Moisturizer.  My 3 little lovelies did this with me on a recent "beauty spa day" and I was amazed at how it even made their beautiful young skin glow!

You may also like:
2 Ingredient Homemade Eye Makeup Remover

Stay tuned for what I have been using to cleanse my face!

The Best Of My 4th Of July Pins!

Source: bakersroyale.com via New on Pinterest

Cream Filled Strawberries

Source: allyou.com via New on Pinterest

Decorate the Table In Minutes With This Centerpiece

Source: livinglocurto.com via New on Pinterest

Ice Cream Sandwich Pops

Source: hoosierhomemade.com via New on Pinterest

Safe Fireworks!

Source: google.com via New on Pinterest

Stars & Stripes On Toes

Source: roomtoinspire.blogspot.com via New on Pinterest

Sweet Party Favors

Source: craftingagreenworld.com via New on Pinterest

Eco-Friendly Sparklers

Source: love2dreamdoyou.blogspot.com via New on Pinterest

Sparkler Shield Keeps Hands Safe

Source: chicaandjo.com via New on Pinterest

Star Shaped Patriotic Fruit Salad

There are more...click here to see and follow me on Pinterest

Big Announcement! New Blog Design Coming to New Nostalgia July 1st!

It is an exciting time here at New Nostalgia.  We are long overdue for a facelift to our little home here on the web, and we have been working hard behind the scenes to do just that!  July 1st will be our big reveal day, & we can't wait to show you what we have come up with.  

The new design space will have a very different feel than what it is now.  It will have a much cleaner, more modern & simple feel, but will still be the same New Nostalgia it as always been since it is stuck with ME being the writer!  I am super excited for a new look, and I've been very hands on working with the awesome Robyn of She Makes Hats & She Makes Media. Yes Robyn, my right hand lady who is our sponsorship coordinator and chief coder here at New Nostalgia.  I really don't know what I would do without her.

I know personally when blogs that I frequent change their look, it at times can be jarring and hard to get used to the new design, but once I give it a chance I end up loving it. I think you are going to love our new look, even if it takes some time to grow on you.  I LOVE it! It will be much better organized and my posts will be much better featured.  It also gives us more room to add certain conveniences for you, our readers, in the future.

I am one who loves beauty and loves expressing myself through beauty.  I love that blogging allows me to do this through many different avenues, from photography, to writing, to editing, to making recipes & finally to the blog design itself.  So much fun!!  But, without YOU it would be no fun at all, so THANK YOU for continuing to read and be such a great & supportive online family to me!

Would you like a little glimpse of what the new design will look like?  Then click on over to New Nostalgia's Facebook page, which will give you more than a glimpse of the new us.  While you are there, would you "like" our Facebook page if you have not yet?  It would be great to have another way to be in touch with you!

Also, along with the new blog design comes new sponsor ad sizes and rates.  Ads will have a priority spot in the right-hand sidebar in our new design.  There's just one Large ad size left (which comes with a solo giveaway, and a few more small and medium ad spaces available.  We'd love to have you on board for July so if you are interested and want more information, click here!

Anti-Procrastination Tuesday #105

Goal This Week:

~Car vacuumed and detail cleaned on the inside

~guide oldest (12 yr. old) in shopping, cooking and cleaning up 1 full dinner

Goal Accomplished Last Week:

Sort 2 bins of paperwork left from Home Office Organization

(did you see my Less to Mess-Home Office Organization post?)

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Have you checked out this weeks Giveaway yet?

It is one necklace or 2 headbands from Happy Little Lovelies!

Click here to enter.

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<a href="http://www.amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p32/Amysb1975/3032373667_7c7e803b43-3.jpg" border="0" alt="New Nostalgia" /></a>

Last Week's Most Clicked On Link:

No Bake Energy Balls @ Treat & Trick

Crockpot Freezer Cooking 101 @ Six Cents

2 Ingredient DIY Facial Scrub Cleanser @Jellibean Journals

Carrot Cake Smoothie @ Let Birds Fly

 

<center><a href="http://amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p32/Amysb1975/7393129504_TCNCj.jpg" /></a></center>

Be encouraged, Be inspired, & Get something done!

Mess to Less-My Home Office

Recently, I got a new Macbook Pro.  I have loved every minute I have spent with it, whether it is at a coffee shop or in my bed, I love the convenience of being able to write somewhere other than at a desk!

Something a bit strange started happening as I spent less and less time in our home office.  It started collecting things and became one HUGE "hotspot."  It became the dumping ground for anything that didn't have a specific home.  The desk top became a clutter collector as I was not sitting at it to write anymore.  Before, I would always clear the desktop so I could actually breath while I wrote.

Oh, boy!

Even the closet was starting to become a bit of a mess!  I have decluttered this home office in the past and even wrote about it, which really actually helped the process of doing it again.  I noticed the closet was so much easier to get back in order, and most of our desk drawers were still doing well in the organization area, too!  Progress...

This was midway through organizing. Here is what I used:

~A trash bag

~A bin for 'giveaway to charity'

~A bin (or two!) for paper work that needs attention

~An area for 'things that need a home' (my dining room table)

~A broom

~A duster

~Spotify! For good music while I clean

This is ridiculous.  I have been ignoring paperwork.  It was super helpful to put it all into a bin to just get it out of the way, instead of trying to deal with it at that moment and get distracted from the rest of the office.  I knew I could gradually work on it in the coming days, and I knew my organized office would motivate me to do just that!  I am eager to get a better filing system going around here to help with this paper problem!

Here is the 'giveaway bin.'  I love getting rid of stuff we don't love.  THIS IS KEY to making our spaces more organized.  GET RID OF STUFF.  Less stuff = less mess.  One of my favorite sayings is "you can't organize clutter!" 

Here is what my table looked like midway through.  This is stuff that was cluttering up our office that really belongs elsewhere.

And here is the finished product!  Ahhh..so much better.  We have yet to decorate in here how I envision it, but clutter free is beautiful!

Clutter free closet.  Yay!

This is my donation station.  I got the idea on Pinterest, but theirs is much cuter. Mine is lacking in the cuteness factor,  but has been REALLY useful. I have been looking around for canvas type boxes with lids.  I found some at Target that I love...they were black with white zigzag stripes.  I'm waiting for them to go on sale!  I will then make a small tag to label each bin so we know what goes where.  

In the time it took me to grab my camera for an "after" shot, my daughter had discovered the newly cleaned study and actually wanted to use it for the first time in weeks.  Funny how clear and clutter free areas attract people!  

Ahhh, so much better.  I have stacked paper holders, one for each family member.  It has helped keep the papers that would usually build up on the desk at bay.  I also cleared our bulletin board which also helps for those important little slips of paper.  This whole process only took me about 1 1/2 hours.  Not bad at all! We have ALL used the office much more often now that it went from mess to less. Why or why do I procrastinate?

Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 4 - Purposeful Living

These posts are written by Todd (Amy's husband) designed to model a system of purposeful living.  At least once a month, I spend time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities. 

If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post - Purposeful Living #1.

Correct Priority

Priority #4 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Spouse (Social & Emotional Health)

Goal Setting & Reflection Date

Sunday, February 26

Goal

Invest in the social and emotional health of my wife and strengthen my marriage by reading and discussing two books with Amy in 2012.  The first book must be a mutually agreed upon marriage book.  The second book may be any book of Amy’s choice.  Specific goals include:

·         Mutually choose a marriage book.

·         Amy chooses a book of her choice.

·         Decide how often to read and discuss each book.

·         Develop a plan to ensure relevant discussion and dialogue.

Goal Status

Partially Completed

Thoughts

Instead of a book, Amy asked if we could watch two documentaries that were important to her. I wrote about the watching the first documentary, here, in Part 3. On the second Saturday of May Amy and I ordered in food and watched and discussed the 2nd documentary Forks Over Knives.  I got Chinese food from the mall which, unfortunately, wasn’t all that great.  Amy picked up some salmon, asparagus, rice pilaf & greens for herself from Granite City.   

Project Reflection

My thoughts on the film are below, but most important are my thoughts on my relationship with Amy and why we watched this film together. 

Putting myself in Amy’s shoes with her cancer history, this film would give me a lot of hope and confidence that I was on the right path regarding diet.  There were stories in the film, but mostly this documentary provided lots of research and data to back up its dietary claims.   

As I mentioned in Part 3 of this series, I am proud of Amy for the research she has done in identifying the most healthy diet for her in her fight against cancer recurrence.   This film presents some pretty compelling evidence in support of a plant-based diet.

I enjoyed watching and discussing the film with Amy. 

Forks Over Knives

Film Summary

Forks Over Knives is a 2011 documentary which examines the claim that most degenerative disease can be prevented, controlled, or even reversed by rejecting the traditional American diet of animal-based and processed foods and embracing a primarily plant-based diet. 

Film Ideas & Statistics That Stood Out To Me

The casein study done with rats was fascinating. Dr. Colin Campbell wrote The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health, in which they studies the affects of casein on rats.  Casein is a milk protein that turned cancer on and off in rats.  Rats on a 20% casein diet developed cancer almost immediately.  Rats on a 5% casein diet did not develop cancer.  Rats that did develop cancer saw it reverse in many cases when put on a 5% casein diet.

Reviewing dietary guidelines from the FDA over the past sixty years it is remarkable how much poor guidance it has given. 

The healthiest countries in the world do not consume a western based diet.  Instead these countries consume primarily plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes. 

Processed foods are calorie-dense (which makes them taste good), but lack healthy nutrients which prevent us from feeling full.  Hence we keep eating and eating well beyond what we need.  This is a partial cause of rampant obesity in America.

Processed foods release the same chemicals in our bodies and brains as drugs do.  In a sense, as a country we are addicted processed foods.  This is one reason why it is so hard for people to change their diet and eat more healthy. 

The 20-year “China Study” found 9000 direct correlations between diet and disease. 

Film Reflection

I am betting most people would not enjoy this documentary very much.  It was pretty dry and lacked personality or warmth.

But I really enjoyed it.  I am a facts and figures guy.  I am less interested in your opinion and more interested in the evidence backing your opinion.

And this film is chalk full of interesting and compelling evidence backing up the health benefits of plant-based foods.

Overall, I agreed with most of the claims of the film. 

Link To Foundation Post

Purposeful Living #1

 

Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts

Purposeful Living Series

 

Links To Additional Posts In This Series 

Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 1 

Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 2 

Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 3

Two Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2012-Part 5

Never Alone

{source}



All This Time by Britt Nicole

Just a little song with words that express my heart.

Delicious Strawberry-Kiwi Spinach Dump Salad

There have been times when I was asked to bring a dish to share at a party, and I am running behind with no time to cook.  What to bring?  Strawberry Kiwi Spinach Dump Salad! 

Grab a large bowl and serving tongs, hit the grocery store on the way to your party, cut up your fruit once you get there, then dump it all in and enjoy!

As you can see in the photo above,  it uses Kashi Asiago Cheese crackers in place of croutons.  They soak up the dressing just enough and because they add a cheese taste, you can skip buying cheese.  This makes the salad much easier on the budget and some stomachs!  After the salad sits for awhile, the crackers get a bit soggy, but I've had people say that is the best part!

Strawberry Kiwi Spinach Dump Salad 

(a no recipe, recipe)

1 pkg spinach

slivered almonds

Kashi Asiago Cheese crackers

Kiwi, skinned & chopped

Strawberries, chopped

Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette

Put in a bowl, toss & enjoy!

I recently brought this to a family gathering at my sisters, and it was well received.  My dad was the official grill man of the day.  Why does everything grilled taste better when Dad grills it?

I totally forgot to take a photo of the finished salad, but you can see it back there behind my Fresh Lemon Pasta with Asparagus & Tomatoes.  Feel free to say hi to one of my favorite nephews, whom I promised someday would make the blog.  E--that day has come!  

Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub & A Shaving Technique For Soft Silky Legs

Want to have the softest, silkiest legs ever?  Then make this Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub.  It is awesome!

Now, the scrub is amazing, but the technique is what brings on smoothest legs ever!

I found this idea on Pinterest, from Gluten Free Navy Wife, and it intrigued me enough that I whipped up a batch and jumped in the tub just minutes after reading it.

Here is what you do:

First:

 Mix up your scrub.

Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub

1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1 1/4 cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Lime or Lemon Juice {fresh is best!}

Put all into a jar and stir.
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Second:
Grab your scrub, a razor, & jar of coconut oil.  Fill up the tub and soak for about 5 minutes.

Third:
Use the below shaving technique for the softest, smooooothest legs!

~Shave 1st leg using straight coconut oil.
~Take a palmful of your Homemade Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub & scrub that leg, then rinse.
~Shave your leg again.  Yeppers, you got that right...again.
~Repeat with other leg.
~After your bath, dry off and apply a small amount of straight coconut oil as lotion, or use your favorite lotion.

Additional Thoughts:
~The first time you shave, it will remove the hair.  After applying the scrub which loosens dead skin cells, the second shave removes that nastiness.  Rinse your razor often, you will see why.  Honestly, I was a bit horrified at what came off my legs!

~Why skip shaving gels/lotions and use coconut oil instead?  Well, it is healthy natural product.  I do not get bumps on my legs anymore after switching to natural soap and shaving with coconut oil.  If you think about it, those gels that come in a can and that foam up are full of all kinds of chemicals and artificial ingredients.  When you go and shave, making small nicks in the skin, those ingredients then go right in and cause irritation.  It reminds me of when I was allergy tested as a kid...ever have that done?  They put the irritant that you may be allergic to on your skin, then make a small pin prick- nick, then measure the irritation to determine if you are allergic.  Goes to show that what you put on your skin topically does effect the body more than one would think!

~My fav razor is a Mach 3 Gillette.  I have been using it for years.  Even with all the fancy smancy lady like razors out there, I still prefer my Gillette.  Yes, the refill blades are expensive, but they last forever and I love how close of a shave I get with this razor!  Plus, I have a thing for black and silver...

~I also use coconut oil as a lotion.  Why?  Again, the natural factor.  I love how it makes my skin feel.  I love that I don't have to spend all kinds of money on different lotions full of ingredients that I really don't want on my skin. I love that it is a minimalist approach, no more beauty lotion clutter in my house!  I buy organic coconut oil at Trader Joes.  This link will take you to the brand I used before TJ's came to town, it is a great brand and price on Amazon.

~This scrub is awesome for all parts of the body.  I even used it on my face!  If you get a little on your lips, at least it tastes yummy!

~I keep this in the refrigerator.  These pics are of the scrub just out of the refrigerator.  It is more liquid/oily if it is at room temp.  Coconut oil solidifies at a certain temp, so the consistency of the scrub depends on the room temperature.  It works well no matter what consistency, but you can use less if it is in a more solid state.

~I plan on using this technique often--not every time I shave my legs, but whenever I want to give my skin an extra pampering.  I WILL use the scrub all over quite often, as I love how it makes my skin feel.

Silky smooth!  Click here for 6 MORE ways I use it in my beauty routine.

~I skipped putting lotion on after using this scrub.  I found after I dried off that my skin was super soft and smooth and didn't need it.  In the winter this might change.  I ran around giddy making my whole family feel my super soft legs.  They thought I was a bit nutty, but boy does this scrub make me happy!