A Cool Beverage On A HOT Day!

Ok, I know I don’t need to say it and it should just be understood, but I will. Boy is it hot outside!! What I wouldn’t give for 78 degrees and no humidity! But we do live in North Carolina, and it is hot and humid in the months of June, July, August, …well for about 6 months out of the year! But enough of that, today, let’s embrace the heat and have a cool beverage! Now keeping a beverage cool is the trick, but I have a great solution! A festive plastic thermal tumbler!
I got a couple of these at etc consignment and they are great! One of the best things is they come in great designs and colors and they are a wonderful gift for anyone having a summer birthday! Also they are reasonably priced! So if you want to stay cool and look cool at the same time! Check out these cool mugs and sip away the heat!

Quotes

Do you really enjoy quotes? Do you have a funny quote, an inspirational quote or a quote about women that you would be willing to share? Quotes encourage us, make us laugh and make us think. Below you will find a few of my favorite quotes and a few funny quotes about women.

Fear knocked on the door, faith answered, there was no one there….. (Author unknown)

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those how mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.  (Dr Seuss)

Today you are you, that is truer than true.  There is no alive who is youer than you.  (Dr Suess)

In my world, everyone’s pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies.  (Dr Suess)

Many promising reconciliations have broken down because, while both parties came prepared to forgive, neither party came prepared to be forgiven. (Charles Williams)

To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee (William H Walton)

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?  (Abraham Lincoln)

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Quotes about women

There are two things that you don’t mess with:  a girl’s man and girl’s chocolate.  (Kalee)

Women complain about PMS, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself.  (Roseanna Barr)

No man knows more about women than I do, and I know nothing.  (Author unknown)

Behind every successful man there is a surprised woman.  (Maryon Pearson)

A woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.  (Eleanor Roosevelt)

If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant’s life, she will choose to save the infant’s life without even considering if there are men on base.  (Dave Barry) 

One of the most difficult things in the world is to convince a woman that even a bargain costs money  (Author unknown)

A foolish man tells a woman to stop talking; a wise man tells a woman her lips look beautiful when they are closed. (Author unknown)

Mmmm Monday and Tomatoes and Feta Salad!

I don’t know about you, but when it is this hot, I am not in the mood for heavy food. I am all about salads and appetizers. The heat just zaps my energy, so here is a recipe that embraces all of those tomatoes that are now falling off the vines, and is super light and easy!

• Ingredients:
• 4 pints grape tomatoes, or any homegrown tomatoes
• 2 red onions, diced
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 pounds feta cheese

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Toss. Crumble the feta and blend into the salad. I served at room temperature, but it also tastes great chilled!
I got this recipe from the food network, but I altered it a little to fit my own taste! You can always add your favorite vinaigrette dressing in leui of the vinegar and olive oil. I encourage you to do the same!

Nothing like Carowinds on a HOT summer day!

That Carowinds Experience

3 boys bouncing off the walls, heat index of 105 and it seemed the perfect day to go to Carowinds!  Less than 2 hours away we hopped in the car at 8am and headed to 11 rollercoasters of fun.  Here’s how we survived one of the hottest days on earth!

1. We bought the refillable sodas, easy to carry handle, refillable for the same price as a soda out of the soda machine.  We probably went through about a gallon of liquid per person during our 8 hour stay.
2. Thank you to Carowinds for providing free water whenever you need!  Many people walked with cups of water, some even using the cups to simply pour over the head.
3. A quick trip to the water park was the perfect diversion when kids get testy about the heat, let them ride a few water rides and once they’ve cooled off, go right back to the roller coasters again.
4. Need a breeze on a hot day?  Hit any of the roller coasters for a trip into the wind to cool you off while raising the heart rate.

Benefits of being at Carowinds on a HOT day?

1. We didn’t wait in a single line, we pretty much walked up to each roller coaster including coming through the doors and into the Intimidator!
2. You lose a lot of weight sweating, so smile during the day knowing that the pounds were MELTING away!
3. Your children will never complain about being HOT again after a hot day at Carowinds, they truly understand the meaning of being HOT and nothing else would compare.

We spent 8 hours at the park, we rode every roller coaster there, including a few favorites several times.  We munched on the pizza, funnel cakes, pretzels and ice cream that comes with an experience at Carowinds and returned to the car sunburnt, hot, but HAPPY!!

Think of Carowinds during the week to beat the lines, the fun is the same, the temperature may be HOT but the memory is priceless.  Ever been to Carowinds during a hot summer day?

E-Hoarder

Are you an E-Hoarder? Do you know what an E-Hoarder is? Today is the day, it is E-Confession Day at FW blog. This is your first step toward E-Freedom: How many “read emails” do you have in your email box right now?

E-Hoarder was a completely new term for me ~ until yesterday. I knew I might have a problem, but who knew there was a name for it! An E-Hoarder has trouble deleting phone texts, emails, digital photos and/or apps. (If you have more than 25 read emails in your email inbox right now, I am sorry to inform you, but you might be an E-Hoarder.)

Is there any help or hope for E-Hoarders? Only if you are willing to admit, you have a problem and only if you actually want help. Below are three steps to begin your walk toward E-Simplicity and E-Freedom!

• Texts:
  Once a week delete texts that you do not need. Try this while watching a favorite T.V. show or when you are riding in a car, as a passenger. (Note: Please do not delete texts while driving!)
• Emails:
  Begin by deleting 25 old emails every day until you have cleared your inbox and daily delete or file an email as soon as you have read it.
• Photos
  When you take a digital photo, delete it immediately if the picture is fuzzy, people have closed eyes or anything else is wrong with the photo.

Do you have any suggestions to help E-Hoarders?

Consider your ways ~ only you can prevent digital overload in your life! One single delete is your first step toward E-Freedom.

Soo Close…..

It is the day after and still my heart is broken. I am a huge sports fan and sometimes, it really doesn’t matter what sport, it is the thrill of the game. I say to myself, if I am this upset over the U.S. women losing, I can’t imagine how the women’s team is feeling. To come so close and then lose is tough, and to play a sport with fickle fans who love you one minute and then forget about you the next, has to be even harder, so close and yet so far!
Of course, I am happy for the Japanese women and what it means for their country. Several of their players almost gave up playing after the tragedy of the Tsunami and they have had to endure a lot of heartache and rebuilding that many of us cannot fathom.
But I am sad for us. I always root for the home team, I mean that what American’s do! The women’s soccer team gave us that feeling of never give up and find a way, and they did this many times throughout the tournament. I think that is why it is the loss is bittersweet, hard to watch as Japan accepted the trophy, but an enormous sense of pride for the U.S.A. and the women who represent it on the soccer field.
So “Heads Up!’ ladies, you did us proud and made us all stop what we were doing and take a few minutes to cheer for our country and show that women can draw in great ratings when it comes to sporting events and leave us with everlasting memories!

When the world says, “Give up,”
Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”

http://www.ussoccer.com/

Jaycee Dugard ~ I will be happy!

Did anyone watch the Jaycee Dugard interview on ABC Sunday night? I watched it Monday morning online and I must say I was speechless as I saw a poised, beautiful, wise, strong, hopeful and free young woman speak about appreciating life.

Below you will find two teaching moments from the interview:

1. Jaycee
After being held captive for more than 18 years, after being raped repeatedly and many other horrors, Jaycee said:

Life is too short for bitterness and rage
I will be happy
Live each day to its fullest, whatever life brings you

2. Jaycee’s mother
Jaycee’s mother remembers the morning when her daughter was kidnapped at age 11. It would be 18 years before she saw her daughter again. That morning, Jaycee asked her mother to kiss her good-bye before leaving for work. Concerned that she would be late for work, Jaycee’s mother left without kissing her. Jaycee’s mother said that she hoped that her failure would be a lesson to all parents: Do that extra thing that might be an inconvenience to you, but it is important to your child.

There were many other teaching moments throughout the interview. I encourage you to watch it online or read Jaycee’s book, A Stolen Life.

In the battle between good and evil . . . good wins!
(Jaycee and her Mom)

A “Berry” Delicious Summer Salad!

Ugh, is it hot outside!! And when it is this hot, I am not in the mood to eat anything heavy. My thoughts always turn to cool, crisp salads. So here is a super-duper, easy- peasy, summer berry salad! I love this salad because it is made with blueberries and they are in season right now! So, don’t blink, or you will miss the ingredients!

Ingredients
• 8 cups mixed salad greens
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans
• Vinaigrette of your choice
Mix all ingredients together and then toss with your favorite dressing! Voila!!! Done! A quick salad to get you out of the kitchen and back to your favorite summer activity!

recipe found at www.myrecipes.com

•*¨*•.¸Facebook Celebration!*¨*•.¸•*¨*

Everyone keeps asking, “How do you do that?”  Therefore, I have decided to share my secret.  Two years ago, I saw a friend write something on Facebook using different symbols to make a wave.  I just loved it and from that point on, I began to copy and paste ”Facebook art”  I liked in a message to myself on Facebook.  Over the past two years, I have gathered quite a collection and now I mix and match these symbols to communicate various celebrations. 

I have collected stars, musical notes (which I love to use when I say, “Happy Birthday”) and several others symbols.  To be honest, I have no idea how the original folks did it, but I have copied and reused these symbols regularly.

Do you know how this is done? I have found some directions on doing this, but it just did not work on my laptop . . . but “copy and paste” works just fine!

I will make a “comment” on Facebook with more “celebration symbols” so make sure you “like” Forsyth Woman Magazine and you can begin your on celebration collection.

Things I love about 4th of July

Happy 4th of July from Forsyth Woman/Forsyth Family Magazines!  What a great country we live in as we celebrate the birthday of the USA.  Here’s a few things I love about the 4th of July…..

The explosion of red, white and blue during this time of year, houses with flags, cars and motorcycles sporting our national colors, down to the lady at the beach with the red white and blue bathing suit!

Moving around the different channels on TV and seeing such a variety of opinions and being thankful that we can express who we are and what we think!  I may not agree with everything everyone says, but we can all agree that the ability to say what’s on our mind is special!

Sandy hotdogs, burnt hot dogs, cold hotdogs, but the hotdog none the less.  Fourth of July celebrations are not complete without our American staple – tofu, turkey, kosher, all beef as long as it’s a hot dog and fits in a bun, I love it!  Add some watermelon, potato salad and ice cream and you’ve got a real celebration!

Pool parties complete with those few friends/relatives that wear the bathing suits that don’t really suit them!  This gives the rest of the party plenty to talk about as they dive for that last shot at the volleyball game!  A little Marco Polo, some time floating in the sun, AND a trashy romance sitting by a lounge chair!

The smell of sulfur and dogs hiding under the bed with the explosion of fireworks.  In the mountains, we can lay on top of a mountain and watch them explode right above our head. I love oohing and ahhing with everyone then holding my breath during the finale with the bittersweet feeling when it’s over – of course, the traffic afterwards trying to get home!

What do you love about the 4th of July?