Country First

Have you noticed lately that stores are

carrying a lot more Made in the USA labels?

For the last few years, I've searched products

to see if I could buy American. If not, second

choice was Canadian, then Mexico.

Finally, it's not that hard to find

American Made products any more.

All the USA-made products in this post were

purchased at Walmart...

After reading how plastic chips break off into your

food, I replaced all my small plastic cutting boards

with wooden ones.

Next I replaced all plastic storage containers with

these gallon-sized glass Ball jars.

I've found I can paint my own labels on the jars

with chalk paint and it will stay on even through

the dishwasher cycles.

And buying American made products

turned out to be better for our health...

On the Doctor Oz show, I learned that

Extra Virgin Olive Oil from other countries

may not always meet the standards our

country requires.

I switched to California made brands

and have stuck with them. 

If it says Extra Virgin on the label, you can be

sure they've met the strict standards required

by our regulators.

Whichever country you live in, I hope

you'll buy your own country's products

first if you have a choice.

Smoothies To Improve Your Health

Have you gotten on the chia seed trend yet?

We've been adding them to our food for

the last two months, especially smoothies,

which we drink for lunch every other day.

 I try not to add whip to the top, 

but I wanted to make them pretty for you.

There's just no pretty way to show this...

just dump in frozen fruit (we like strawberries

and bananas), liquids (kefir, juice, even cold tea)

and chia seeds, then mix until well blended.

If you like your smoothie sweeter, just add a little

honey. If you like it thinner, add more liquid.

Kefir is a probiotic and honey is anti-bacterial.

If you're germaphobic like me, you'll add both

of these to your everyday foods.

If you don't like kefir, you can add yogurt. 

We've been trying to consume 4 oz of kefir each day

since Dr. Oz told how good it is for you!

Now, I'm not a yogurt eater. I would describe kefir as

tasting like liquid yogurt - ugh - but if you put it in

 a smoothie you can't really taste it.

And, remember, it's really good for you!

 

At first we added just a little of the chia seeds

to our diet, then we bought this cookbook

($11 at Sam's Club) and learned just how

much chia seeds can improve your health...

A tablespoon of chia seeds contain 4 to 5

grams of fiber! In addition to that, chia

seeds add healthy omega 3 oils to your diet,

help balance your blood sugar, add anti-

oxidants to your diet, and can be substituted

for half the fat in baked goods.

So now, we've started putting them in everything.

I even made a stir fry tonight and stirred in five

tablespoons of chia seeds after it was cooked.

The chia seeds don't have any flavor, so they take

on the taste of whatever you mix them with.

If you taste them at all (we couldn't taste them in

the stir fry), I would say they taste kind of like

a nutty tapioca. 

This post is about my opinion only.

I received no monetary compensation for this post.

Chia seeds are available in most supermarkets.

For more information about chia seeds, the

cookbook gives the following website:

http://www.mychiaseeds.com

Thanks for dropping by!

I hope you'll let me know if you add chia

seeds to your food.

Joining the party at:

http://www.cozylittlehouse.com

Garage Sale Finds Last Week

This post is about two of my favorite things.

Old items that were functional and useful in their day,
and products that do what the advertisement says
they will do...

I couldn't pass up these old wash basins and

water pitcher at a garage sale recently.


Less than $10 for all three!

Love the dents and bangs...

I soaked them in "extra power" Dawn detergent
overnight, but there's still a ring. 

I think the wash tubs were used as planters,
the dirt is that caked on.

I should be able to get the stains out at least
a little better with Magic Eraser.

I used up my last one cleaning our stainless
steel sink. Yes, your stainless sink will
shine with this little guy!

Unfortunately, I'm not reimbursed for this
gushing admiration of their product.

I just truly love these things.

Pots, pans, sinks...anything caked on.
The stains disappear like magic!

Yeah, that pun was intended.
Thanks for dropping by!

What I Bought At 3 French Hens

This aged-down tray was one of
the things I bought at

Three French Hens Antiques

I filled it with tarnished silverware:

I have a few things made from the same

tin material that I would like to age

down and put lettering on, so I bought

this to use as an example...

Pretty simple right, but I'm getting old

and I thought it might slip my mind

how it looked so buying one seemed

like a good idea.

Besides I love the shape of it too.

I'm getting ready to move quite a bit of

stuff around in the kitchen.

My goal is to get out the Fall stuff

this week (yes it's mid-July) and start

decorating for the next season.

What??? Too early you say?


I'm not a fan of Summer.


I'd rather have faux pumpkins in the
house and pretend they're growing
...think of it as a "farm-y" look if you
don't like the idea of Fall already.

Believe me, it will be October before

I'm close to being done anyway.

I tend to get distracted with on-going

projects getting in the way...

I think I have:

Attention Deficit Decorating Disorder
"ADDD"

You probably have it too if you're
always moving things around.

Thanks for dropping by!
I appreciate the visit.

Joining these great parties:

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/2014/07/home-sweet-home-178.html
http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net
http://www.cozylittlehouse.com

A Stop At Three French Hens Wildwood MO

We made a stop at a beautiful shop in

Wildwood Missouri a few weeks back.

No photos allowed in the shop, but here's

some from their Facebook site and a link below

so you can look (shop) to your heart's content.

ALL PHOTOS FROM FACEBOOK SITE:

THREE FRENCH HENS ANTIQUES

While there, I discovered a new love...

It's called COLOR!!!

This shop was so vibrant with color.

It made me re-think the direction I have been

headed with all my painting the furniture white.

I should have bought one or two of these...

but I guess that will be another trip.

The staff was wonderful.

The shop's owner was so kind. I loved the way

her walls were done so she took a picture for me

and emailed it to me on the spot!

Hope you'll get a chance to stop by their shop.

They're a little West of St Louis and you can

also buy by phone. 

http://www.threefrenchhensstl.com

Click on Facebook link.

Thanks for dropping by. I'll be back soon

to show you what I bought at the shop.

Sad I Know, But I Grew Them

I love hydrangeas, blue ones especially.

I heard hydrangeas are easy to grow, so two

Summers ago I bought a plant with blue flowers.

Miraculously the plant has survived two winters.

But, after the first winter, the flowers came

back pink.

I bought a product that said it would turn them
back to blue, but that didn't work out...

I've decided to embrace the pink.

But I'm going to buy another plant

with blue flowers and see if I can keep

them blue.

If you have any tips on keeping them

blue, I would love to hear them!

 Meanwhile, I'm really proud of these
sad little shaggy blooms.

I put them in an old blue Mason jar and set
them on my coffee table that's a work in progress.

Here's a peek at my $12 Goodwill coffee table.
I bought it 3 years ago and have been torturing
it every since.

It's only halfway through it's makeover at this
point. I'll be sharing it as soon as I get done.

Thanks for dropping by and be sure to leave me
any tips you have for keeping hydrangeas blue!

Joining the party at:

http://missmustardseed.com

http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/2014/07/amaze-me-monday-67.html

Adriatic Village In McKinney Texas

One of my favorite housing areas in Texas

is called Adriatic Village.

 It's a master-planned community with a
European flair.

 There are townhouses, apartments...

 with lovely landscaping...

 terraces...

a small lake for your boat, or just to
improve your view... 

 and very, very large houses...

 Stone walls with quaint entrance-ways...

 and businesses interwoven into the the
residential areas...

 Even a tower...

 and, tall trees...

I love the idea of master-planned communities,

where shopping, schools and businesses are

within walking distance.

Adriatic Village, McKinney Texas.

If I hit the lottery, you'll find me there!

Thanks for dropping by.