I am getting ready to move into a new house that we just recently purchased. In the dinning area it has light beige walls and the wall where the window is located is a dark brown. The curtain that is on the dark brown wall has patches of brown, sage, and a rustic red. I think that the colors yellow/gold will accent this beautifully and bring a touch of bright color to the dinning area. There is a light beige floor and and a bar that is light beige decorated with a dark brown tiles. I love the colors it has such a calming effect. I do however want to bring some bright colors into the room.

My kitchen table is made out of a dark wood. My chairs right now are a dark wood with a dark blue seat. Which I don’t really think will match at all. I have thought about recovering my chairs. I was thinking about covering the chairs in a yellow or gold to brighten and accent the dark wall. I was thinking that if I recover the chairs in a yellow/gold that I could place a vase on top of the table and make a flower arrangement of sunflowers. Then on the opposite wall, I could make a spray with sage green eucalyptus and some yellow flowers.

I would like to know what you all think about this. My mother thinks that it is not a good idea (she doesn’t really like yellow, and blue is her favorite color). She has suggested that maybe I should go with a sage green or rustic red. I don’t think this will really brighten up the area. I think that the colors would match very well, but I don’t want the room to be over powered by dark colors.

So, I wanted to get some other opinions before I recover the chairs.

My mother was infuriated when she read an article about what is in her hormone medication, Premarin. You are not going to believe me when I tell you this, but it is horse urine. Yes, you read that right horse urine. I didn’t believe it either. How gross is that? Well I actually looked it up. They not only make it out of horse urine, but the side effects are increased chances of breast cancer, heart disease, and many many other things. Now if you are currently a woman taking hormone medication, you can’t just stop taking the medications. Here is what Sue Bondzeleske B.S., C.N.C has to say. You can read her full article here.

Synthetic hormones are just that– synthetic. They are not the same molecules as the natural estrogen or progesterone found in the body. Current research is finding that it is not advisable for any woman to be on HRT for longer than 6 months due to the eventual side effects. The female body does not accept synthetic hormones. It may seem as though it does at first, but, after many months or years, and constant exposure to environmental estrogens, side effects will appear. Formost of those side effects being increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular problems, candidiasis, fluid retention, elevated triglycerides, stroke, fibrocystic breast disease, and/or uterine fibroids. The problem is that synthetic hormones do not correct any problem; they simply add synthetic hormones to your body. If you stop taking them, or get them out of balance, the side effects ( night sweats, mood swings, depression, hot flashes) are not pleasant. Any time you add a hormone to the body that is naturally produced by the body, the body will stop it’s production of that hormone and the gland will somewhat atrophy. In the case of menopause — as your ovaries and uterus decrease production of estrogen and progesterone due to the lack of ovulation, the production of the hormones gradually is switched to the adrenal glands. If you start taking synthetic hormones, which are extremely potent as compared to natural hormones, your body will not be stimulated to produce the hormones itself naturally. Hence, the reason doctors leave women on hormones for LIFE!! This is also why women who stop taking hormones, for whatever reason, usually have severe side effects (the aforementioned hot flashes, mood swings, depression). It is very important to wean yourself off synthetic hormones while simultaneously taking natural herbs or supplements, or using transdermal natural progesterone cream. Estrogen replacement has been linked to cancer (breast, ovarian, cervical and endometrial). It has also been connected to Lupus (an auto-immune disorder). Research is finding that hormone replacement is not recommended if you have a family history of breast cancer, uterine cancer, or fibroids; if you have “cystic breasts” diagnosed as atypical hyperplasia; or if you have liver or gall bladder disease. Synthetic estrogens can cause changes in liver, because they accumulate in the body. Hormone replacement could cause high blood pressure, fluid retention, and blood clots. Premarin is “natural” estrogen — extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. It is not natural to the human female body. This is extremely potent and may cause metabolic changes in the liver. It should never be used by obese women, those who smoke or have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or varicose veins. 

If a woman does decide to use estrogens, it is always recommended that truly natural ones are used (Tri-Est, Estrace, and Estraderm) and only use the smallest dose every other day. It may also be a very good idea to try natural progesterone cream to balance eventual estrogen dominance which could result from hormone replacement therapy. In many cases, perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms persist even with hormone replacement therapy. A typical scenario might be… the doctor continues to gradually increase the dosage of estrogen, thinking that it is the lack of estrogen that is causing the symptoms, when, in fact it is estrogen dominance that is giving the symptoms. Eventually, due to constant increase in estrogen dosage, PAP smears reveal dysplasia, or hyperplasia, symptoms persist, and the poor misguided human female goes through a hysterectomy…. after which she is immediately put back on ERT. (or HRT, if she had “everything” removed — but that is another misguided therapy we can discuss later) She will no doubt be kept on these hormones for the rest of her life — even though, as mentioned, medical literature recommends women not be on HRT for any longer than 6 months. Eventually, the woman will again start to have hot flashes and various other symptoms, and the doctor will ultimately tell her to live with it. At that point, a very large percent of the women end up at a health food store searching in desperation for something to help make her feel better and to get off the hormones.

This spurred me to do a little more research. I also found that not only is this correct but the Humane Society has also published articles about the drugs and the interactions on women. You can view the full article here. Apparently the pregnant mares are treated very badly to collect the urine. Their offspring are just considered a buy product and after the horse have served there purpose they are sold for slaughter, which is usually what happens to their offspring. Here is some of what I found.

Premarin stands for Pregnant Mares’ Urine (PREgnant MARes’ urINE), PMU for short. It is a drug made up of conjugated estrogens obtained from the urine of pregnant mares – put out in many forms (pills, creams, injections, patches) and is used to reduce symptoms of menopause in women or women who have had a hysterectomy. It is also prescribed to nearly help the risk of osteoporosis (the brittling of bones) and reduce the chance of heart disease in women over 50.

Since the 1970’s hundreds of thousands of horses have been confined for months at a time during their pregnancy, so that their urine can be collected. To obtain the urine used, mares are impregnated and confined for six months of their eleven-month pregnancies, unable to turn around or lie down comfortably because of the small stalls, short chains and urine collection bags strapped to their bodies. This cycle of pregnancy and confinement continues every year until they are either barren or lame and most are then sold for slaughter.

The inhumane conditions extend beyond the limited lives led by horses on the production line – a dark fate also awaits the foals born to these mares. Because the industry values mares only for their urine, the foals are viewed merely as a by-product of production.

Globally, the 35,000 mares imprisoned on farms every year produce as many foals, and at least 12,000 of these young are taken from their mothers prematurely and sold directly to slaughter. A small number of female foals will replace their mothers on the production line

Inspection reports document a number of significant problems. Mares are confined to individual stalls for approximately 6 months of their 11-month pregnancy. These normally active animals are given very little, if any exercise. They cannot interact naturally with other horses. They are usually not given adequate bedding material that would cushion and insulate the cold, hard floors on which they are forced to stand or lie. Observers report that the mares exhibit an abnormally high frequency of leg injuries, and high rates of chest problems. Grooming is neglected and hooves are seldom trimmed. It has even been suggested that the owners of these confined mares often wait too long to seek professional veterinary care for serious illnesses and injuries.

This is just absolutely heart breaking. They are killing horses and their babies for a hormone for women, that ultimately is just going to hurt us more.

Treasure Hunter Piñata Party
Are you planning a pirate themed birthday party? If so, then this treasure hunters pinata party pack is a must have. With this pinata party pack you can make it fun and interesting game for the kids. You can plan a scavenger hunt for each one of the kids to find their very own treasure chest. Then after they have all found their chest you can have them take turns trying to break open the pinata. Give them a birthday party that they will not soon forget. Remember birthday parties are a very important event for children. You want to make it something special that all of the children will remember. You can get a ship shaped cake with some pirates. Then for additional party favors you can get little eye patches, coins, swords and more. Some decorating ideas: purchase little sword shaped tooth picks to place in the hot dogs or sandwiches, ship print plates and cups, black streamers and yellow balloons. Be creative and have fun. Remember a birthday party doesn’t have to cost you a fortune it just has to be entertaining for the children.

More and more experts are saying that three way linking is more affective than reciprocal link building. The only problem is that finding three way links is more difficult to find unless you want to pay a monthly fee. A three way link is a link that provides a one way link directly to your site. Basically, a web master will have two sites (usually one with a high page rank and a new site). The web master will then place a link to your site on the high page rank site and you will place a link on your site directed toward their new site. This is a great concept considering how hard it can be to get incoming links to a low ranking website. One thing to make sure and look for is that the sites that you are sharing links with are relevant to your sites. If you use this technique then your website is sure to get page rank faster.

I currently have a few websites that I am trying to find three way links for, the categories that I am looking at are party supplies, party ideas, shopping, gifts, wedding, wedding favors, toys, etc. If you are interested in three way linking drop me an email at cindy@giftwrapmall.com for details.

This year give Dad and extra special Father’s Day Gift. You can make Dad a coupon book of items that you would like to do for Dad. You can either make a special coupon book by hand or you can even print one out. To make your gift extra special for dad, give him his gift in a special handmade Father’s Day Card. Here are some ideas for Coupons for Dad.

1. Back Rub
2. Big Hug
3. Breakfast In Bed
4. Car Wash
5. Control Of The Remote
6. Doing The Dishes
7. Dusting
8. Garden Weeding
9. Mow The Lawn
10. Movie Night
11. One Hour Of Silence
12. Raking
13. Take Out The Trash
14. Undisturbed Nap
15. Vacuuming
16. Walk The Dog
17. Car Wash
18. Clean Out The Garage
19. Hugs And Kisses
20. Load Of Laundry
21. Clear The Table
22. Make The Bed
23. Go To Bed
24. Be Good
25. Favorite Chair
26. Watch The Football Game

You can choose anything that you think Dad would like for his coupon book. You can be as creative as you like. You can even decorate Dad’s Coupon Book. If you would like, you can even make a great Coupon Book cover out of construction paper or scrapbook paper.

To purchase any of the above items visit Two Gals And A Computer Toy Store.

This favorable dip is great addition to any vegetable party tray.  This is a great dip for any party or gathering.

Items you will need:

• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1 8oz carton of sour cream
• 1 8oz carton of plain fat-free yougurt
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts
• 1/4 cup of peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper

Directions: In a medium bowl combine the spinach, sour cream, and yogurt. Stir in mint, peanuts, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Serve with fresh vegetables.

Cucumber Dip is a great addition to any party tray. It makes an excellent addition to menus for bar-b-ques, parties, and baby showers. This is an easy to make recipe that can be made ahead of time and chilled.
Ingredients:

• 2 cups thick, plain yogurt
• 2 small cucumbers, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped mint (2 Tbs. dried) plus a little for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, beat the yogurt until smooth.
2. Fold in the garlic and scallions. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Fold in the mint, then add the cucumber.
4. Garnish with a tablespoon of fresh chopped mint, if desired. Chill well before serving.
5. Serve with crusty bread or pita bread triangles and raw vegetables. Makes about 3 cups.

Summer is here!  Why not get a craft project to keep your children busy this summer.  These craft projects by Skull Dungery are sure to keep your children entertained for hours.  These unique projects are a new addition to Two Gals And A Computer Toy Store. 

Father’s Day is just around the corner. I have talked to a few guys this year about what there idea Father’s Day Gift would be. Here are the top ideas that I was given. Unfortunately most of the men that I talked to were real evasive. I got a lot of answers of “I don’t know”, “It doesn’t matter” and “Any thing really”.

1. Golf Fee Gift Certificates — Can be purchased at your local Golfing Range

2. Golfing Gear

3. Fishing Gear

4. Tools

5. Electronics

6. Gift Certificate To Sporting Goods Store

7. Movie Gift Certificates

I would love to hear what some of you guys out there really think. If you have something that you would like to receive for Father’s Day let us know, share your opinion.

Hey Kids Here Are A Few Things That Dad Said You Could Do

1. Mow the Lawn.

2. Clean out the Garage.

3. (Age Appropriate) Change the oil.

4. Make a gift certificate for the above chores, that Dad can use as needed.

Vicki says it best in  her post Too Real Uncommon Ways To Celebrate Mother’s Day

Chocolates, flowers and taking mom or grandma out for dinner have been done and over done. Mother’s day doesn’t have to be expensive. Some of the greatest gifts you can give your mother don’t cost anything and yet can be priceless to her.

Check out their post for some more great tips on what to get Women for gifts.  These would not only be great for Mother’s Day, but also birthday’s, Christmas, and Anniversaries.  As you can see women are getting more and more vocal about what we like and don’t like.  Make it special make it something that we are going to be able to remember years from now.