Summer Skin Care

Starting a summer with clean "polished" skin is a positive step towards a glowing tan. Indulge in a deep cleansing salon facial, or give yourself a home treatment. After that you have to follow this step to prevent sun damaging effects:

1. Use a higher factored sun screen or complete block on sensitive "danger" areas such as nose , lips and ears.
2. Your sunscreen should be applied to face and hands everyday - not just on the beach. Get used to including this practice into your normal grooming and make up routine every morning.
3. Never wear perfume in the sun. The combination can cause permanent pigmentation changes.
4. As a tan develops, so too does the skin's need for moisture. Use a supplementary body moisturizer after each session in the sun and after every shower.
5. Hands take a beating all year round and extra sun exposure really dries them out in summer. Keep a good hand cream handy in the home for use when you go indoors and as often as you remember.
6. Get used to wearing a brimmed hat and good quality sunglasses, as well as a sunscreen, for best eye and face protection.

Cakes and Puddings for A Happy Christmas

5th RECIPE: MELT N MIX CHRISTMAS PUDDING

500g mixed fruit
125g dates
125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1.5 cups day-old soft bread crumbs
1 Granny Smith apple
1 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup brandy

      Chop fruit and dates, place in large basin. Melt butter, add to fruit with sugar and eggs, mix well. Stir in breadcrumbs, peeled and coarsely grated apple, sifted flour and brandy; mix well. Boil (or steam in well greased 10 cup capacity basin) for 4 hours. Boil or steam pudding further 2 hours on day of serving.

Cakes and Puddings for A Happy Christmas

4th RECIPE: CHERRY WALNUT CAKE

250g butter   
1 table spoon grated lemon rind  
1.25 cup castor sugar
4 eggs
125g glace cherries
125g walnut pieces
300ml carton sour cream
0.5 tea spoon bicarbonate of soda
2.5 cups plain flour

Cream butter, lemon rind and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, stir in finely chopped cherries and walnuts, then sour cream. Lightly stir in sifted soda and flour into two lots. Divide mixture evenly between two well greased 20cm X 10cm loaf tins, bake in moderately slow oven 1 - 1 hours and 15 minutes, or until cooked when tested. stand 5 minutes before turning on to wire rack to cool. Serve cake dusted with icing sugar. Store cake in air-tight container for up to 1 week, or it can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Unexpected Harvest

Several months ago I threw some orange seeds on to the compost heap in the front yard. Now we have a heap of plants. The fun of this accidental happening is manifold. A bright spot in the garden. Free veggies, the joy of watching something grow, my son even measures one plant's progress and every day  it seems a centimetres bigger. And all this from something that was just thrown away.

The Derwent Valley's Muted Tapestry

A large percentage of the rain that falls on Tasmania flows into the sea along the magnificent Derwent River. Before the river  reaches sea level, it irrigates thousands of hectares of verdant forest and vertile farmlands and provides residents and visitors alike with beautiful scenery.
In 1813, the New Norfolk island settlement, several hundred kilometers north east of Sydney, was abandoned and many displaced islanders were granted land in the Derwent Valley area of the Van Diemen's Land settlement. They built New Forfolk 48 km from Hobart on the Derwent River.
Development hasn't spoiled its rural character and the district retains the quaint atmosphere of a century ago. Many farm properties are built in the style of 1850s. Mellow old homes that sit settings of English trees surrounded by olderly hectares of hop vines, are protected from the wind by tall poplars.
In autumn when the trees are turning to gold, the ever beautiful New Forfolk districts become a sight that you'll always remember.

Treating Nose Bleeds

Any nose bleed that keeps on keeping on requires proper medical attention. It sometimes heralds the onset of disease, and leukimia must be considered, particularly in older person. Fortunately most are due to simple causes. This is usually the case for youngsters. Frequent bumping when at play is the usual cause. The scab may form, only to be dislodged again a few days later. Picking and fiddling with fingers is another common reason in children. During spring and summer when airborne pollens abound, allergies are common. These lead to an itchy nose and the desire to rub the nostrils. Cold and nasal infections increase the blood supply and also the risk of bleeding. Recurrences should be checked out by the family doctor or ear, nose and throat specialist. Sometimes cautery of the offending blood vessel will effect a prompt and lasting cure. It is usually the same vessel each time in small region just inside the nose called Little's Area. Firm, even pressure for 10 minutes using the thumbs and forefinger will usually stop most nose bleeds.

Cakes and Puddings for A Happy Christmas

3rd RECIPE: IRISH FRUIT CAKE

375g raisins
375g sultanas
90g glace cherries
90g dates
60g prunes
30g glace pineapple
60g mixed peel
1 tea spoon grated lemon rind
1 tea spoon grated orange rind
2 table spoons lemon juice
0.25 cup orange juice
0.33 cup whisky
0.5 small green apple
30g walnut pieces
60g ground almonds
185g butter
0.75 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
1.5 cups plain flour
0.25 tea spoon nutmeg
0.5 tea spoon cinnamon
0.25 tea spoon salt
1 table spoon whisky (extra)

       Stone prunes, chop all fruit, combine in large screw top jar with rinds, juices, whisky and peeled and grated apple, cover with plastic lid. Shake jar well to mix ingredient evenly; store in cool, dry place in 3 weeks. Reverse jar each day. Line deep 20 cm square cake tin with two thickness of greaseproof paper, bringing paper 5 cm above edges of tin. Chop walnuts. Beat butter until soft, add sugar, beat only until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Place fruit mixture into large basin, add walnuts, almonds, and creamed mixture; mix well. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Spread mixture evenly into prepared tin, bake in slow oven 3 to 3.5 hours. Remove from oven, brush evenly with extra whisky. Cover with aluminium foil, leave until cold. Remove from tin, wrap in plastic food wrap, then in foil to keep airtight until required.

Saltimbocca

Italian in origin, the name, literally translated, means "jump in the mouth". In other words, a dish that is easy to eat. If fresh sage is available, use one or two leaves for each steak in place of the dried sage suggested in the recipe. Quantities given serve four. Here we go:

4 veal steaks
125g prosciutto or ham de luxe
1 tea spoon dried sage
salt n pepper
90g butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine

Flatten meat with meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle sage over meat, season with salt n pepper. Place ham over veal, skewer the layer together with toothpicks. Melt butter in pan, add crushed garlic and veal, cook until lightly browned on each side and cooked through. remove and place on serving plate. Add wine to pan; cook, stirring, 1 minute or until syrupy, pour over the veal.

What Every Woman Should Know About Men

Women know precious little about the men in their lives. They live with them, love them, fear them, seek their advice, resent their attitudes, watch their diets, bear their children - but they don't really understand them as well as they should. But what is there to understand? Are men and women really so different? Of course they are, it is not that one sex is better or worse than the other. It's simply the sexes are different. If we can understand these differences and learn to use them creatively, all of us men and women alike, will be happier with ourselves and with each other.

• We know that men change their minds more often than women do, they are more vulnerable, they don't tolerate things as well as women do.
• Men have thicker skins and longer vocal chords. Their blood is redder, their daylight vision better, their metabolic rate is higher and more of them are left-handed.
• Men feel pain less than women do. They age earlier, but they wrinkle later. They lose weight more easily, but rich men are fatter than a rich women.
• Men's immunity against disease is weaker. They talk about themselves less, but they worry about themselves more. And they are nowhere as sensitive to others as women are.

Men, it seems, always been different. Does it really matter?
It matters very much. More than it ever has before. Women's relationships with men are in transition along with life-styles, values, and aspirations in this era of technical and cultural dislocation. Both at home and at work outside the home, women are rebelling against what they see as male dominance, male chauvinism, male exploitation, and male harassment.
Men don't see it the same way. what men see is that their power base is eroding. They are no longer undisputed lords and masters. And many of them don't quite understand why.
Once women understands why men act and feel the way they do, she can put what she has learned to immediate use. It is like having a master key that unlocks the mysteries of masculine thought and behavior.
She will not able to change him, but has to realize that he needs her more than everything else in this world.

Cakes and Puddings for A Happy Christmas

2nd RECIPE: BOILED APRICOT CAKE

250g dried apricots
125g raisins
125g dates
125g glace cherries
125g sultanas
125g currants
125g mixed peel
185g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
0.5 cup brandy
0.25 cup apricot jam
3 eggs
1.5 cups self raising flour
1.5 cups plain flour

Chop apricots, raisins and dates, halve cherries; combine all fruits in pan with butter, sugar and water, stir over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar dissolved, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in brandy and jam, cover, leve to stand overnight. Next day, stir in lightly beaten eggs and sifted flours, mix well. Spread mixture into lined (bring paper 5 cm above edge of tin), deep 20cm square tin or deep 23cm round tin. Bake in moderately slow oven 2.5 hours, or until cooked when tested. Cover top of cake with aluminium foil, leave to become cold. Wrap in plastic food wrap (leave lining paper intact), then in aluminium foil, store in cool dark place for up to 4 weeks.

   

Oatmeal Crunchies

I have these recipe, that will spoil your kids. They will love these crunchy oatmeal cookies you make. Here we go:

Ingredients
250g Margarine
225g brown sugar
60g eggs
185g plain flour
1/2 tea spoon bicarbonate soda
1 tea spoon ground cinnamon
60 ml milk
1 tea spoon vanilla essence
250g minute oats
Variations:
155g roasted peanuts
185g sultanas
185g chocolate chips
185g sunflower seeds
2 medium carrots finely grated
sesame seeds for sprinkling
chocolate or glace icing (optional)

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon together, then stir into mixture alternately with milk and vanilla. Stir in oats and variations of your choice. Place teaspoons of mixture on greased baking trays, allow room for spreading. Bake in center of a moderately hot oven at 190°C for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire cooling trays. Ice if desired. Sore in an air-tight container, serve for approx.36.

Cakes and Puddings for A Happy Christmas

Here are some great recipes to enjoy in your holiday season.

THE INGREDIENTS
Eggs: The large 60g eggs are used in all recipes. Have eggs at room temperature when making the cake or pudding.
Butter: Have butter at room temperature so that it is easier to cream.
Sugar: Brown or black sugar can be used in the recipes  which specify brown sugar. Black sugar is darker than brown and, make a richer colour to the cake; black sugar is available from health food stores. Always sift the sugar before incorporating it with other ingredients to remove any coarse lumps.

1st RECIPE: WHISKY PECAN CAKE

250g raisins
125g dates
125g glace cherries
60g mixed peel
1cup whiskey
185g butter
1.5 cups brown sugar
5 eggs
250g pecan nuts
2.5 cups plain flour
0.5 cup self raising flour
2 table spoons whiskey (extra)

Chops raisin and dates, halves cherries, combine with peel and whiskey, cover, stand two days. Cream butter with sugar until just combined, beat eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture might curdle at this stage, but will reconstitute after flour is added. Add creamed mixture to fruit mixture. Reserve some of the pecan halves for decorating top of cake, add remaining whole pecans to fruit mixture; mix well. Stir in sifted flours in two lots. spread mixture into  lined deep 20cm square or 23 cm round cake tin, (bring paper 5 cm above edge of tin), bake in slow oven 3 hours. Sprinkle with extra whiskey when cake is cooked, cover cake with aluminium foil, leave until cold. Re wrap cake (leaving lining paper intact) in plastic food wrap, then aluminium foil, store in cool dark place up to 6 weeks.

Wasting Time?

Tricks to get more done in less time:

1. Don't overdo overtime.One study found that worker productivity sharply declines after 50 hours a week. Make evening plans to avoid lingering.
2. Schedule even the small stuff.Looming little tasks can add up and distract you. But when a call is set, you'll forget it and focus on the project at hand.
3. Take a holiday.After some vacation you'll return with a fresh perspective and ideas.
4. Master meeting drain. Use time between meetings for jobs you can finish. 15 minutes is perfect for answering e-mail.

Little Chef

Many parents designate the kitchen as a forbidden area for kids. However there is no reason they can't help cook, even at a young age. Here are some ways to nurture your little chef.

1. Start early. Children as young as a year old can be taught sounds, colors and shapes using food. As they get older they can perform safe, simple tasks such as kneading dough.
2. Nurture curiosity. They'll want to do everything you do. If you're cracking eggs, they'll want to try it. Don't wait until they are teenagers, when they'll have other distraction.
3. Have fun. Cooking is like play. Dough is fun, if they throw it at each other, it won't hurt.
4. Educate. Kitchens are a great venues to learn about maths. If a recipes make a single serving and you're preparing three, have them adjust amounts.
5. Clean Up. Chef clean as they go. Kids can help by doing dishes or wiping benches as the food is cooking.

Please Thank

Getting kids to send some thank you notes for gift is old-fashioned, right? False, thanking people is a common courtesy. How do you encourage kids to send a note of thanks? Here we go:

• Turn it into an artistic activity. Get kids to design their own notes.
• Set aside a time for the family to write thank you notes. Make it fun.
• Use e-mail if a handwritten note is all to hard. The vehicle is less important than their expression of thanks.

Sharpen Your Mind

If you often find yourself saying, " I know this!" or "It's on the tip of my tongue," It's time to sharpen your mind. Here are ways to pump up your memory and prevent embarrassing flubs:

1. Shake things up. When your brain is stimulated, new connection are thought to form between brain cells. Turn a book or magazine upside down and read it for 3 minutes.
2. Dance. Exercise carries oxygen and blood to your brain. Complex dances strengthen connections between brain cells. Get moving with ballet or tango even line dancing.
3. Take a class. People who return to school have more active brain cells, which help protect the aging mind.

Easy Ways to Boost Immune System

Part 3: It's yours

• Seek some shade. The sun's UVB and UVA rays can reduce immunity by depleting T cells and immune activating skin cells.
• Check your home environment. Lead-based paints and toxic mould from damp carpets may affect immune function.
• Go for a stroll. Walking at a good pace for 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, rouse the immune system and slashes your risks of illness by almost half. And don't forget to wear music gadget while you walk. Cause music may heighten immune function, because listening  can raise immunoglobulin-A levels.
• Join a choir. Singing significantly increased salivary levels of immunoglobulin-A. While more studies are needed to confirm this findings, it can't hurt to warm up those pipes.
• Update your work skills. Feeling unqualified or blaming yourself for career failures may weaken immune function. Revamping your skills and being realistic about what you can control may increase job satisfaction and reduce stress.

Faking When Shaking

Public speaking was the second people's greatest fear behind snakes, according to recent poll. To appear more poised than you feel during talks or toast, try some of this advice:

• Practise in your car, in front of the mirror, or while showering. Worried about your opening? Leave it on a voice mail to yourself. Worried about an unresponsive crowd? Practise at the cemetery, then flee!
• To take the heat off you, make it about the listeners. Tell them what they stand to gain ( the purpse is to help you) Make eye contact, and throw in a question or two to keep them engaged.
• If someone ask you question , step towards them, which look strong, instead of stepping back, which look fearful, or running in circles, which just look strange.
• Plan a graceful escape, not from giving the talk, but from rambling. To conclude, recap a few points, thank the audience, and end.

False Walk

A lifetime of walking wrongly can add up to osteoathritis as you age. Here's how to fix your gait before it's too late:

• Keep your hips level. Watch your hips when  you pass a window. Are they moving up and down? Try to stay straight and level so there is less force on your heels as you land.
• Use your knees. Bend your knees more and use your quadriceps for a longer time to cushion your body weight as you land.
• Use your feet. Step on the outside of your foot; roll to the inside to provide shock absorption.
• Float when you walk. To decrease pain, walk as if you're on clouds. Cushioned shoe inserts and good shoes can help.
• Step lightly. Just the suggestion that you land more softly on your heels can be enough to make a difference.

I Do

Two girls, aged six, were playing wedding. Their mother overheard these vows: "You have the right to remain silent. anything you say may be held against you. You have the right to have an attorney present. You may kiss the bride."