Hi Everyone, I'm Heather Burns, a Certified Herbalist. I have studied herbs and food supplements for 25+ years. My site Vitamania has all kinds of vitamins and herbs, homeopathic remedies and suggestions by health issue. On Squidoo I am a RocketMom, a Giant Squid, and a Squid Angel. My husband is artist Richard Burns and we share our house with 2 dogs and our yard with a tortoise. ... http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/Heather426 Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:47:05 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.squidoo.com/romantic-gifts-for-valentines Some Romantic Gifts for Valentine's Day for You! Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. Yes, I'm a hopeless romantic. I know it's supposedly a commercialized holiday dreamed up by Hallmark to make more money from consumers; and I know all the reasons to lessen its importance as a holiday since it is not in any way related to Christ or any pagan holidays really. But I don't care. Any day that celebrates love is a wonderful holiday! Like a great song says, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love, it's the only thing that there's just too little of..." So long live love! And long live romance. Celebrate it every day, and on Valentine's Day, celebrate it more. All the merchants would have you thinking that it's all about candy, flowers, and jewelry, and while I adore all of those things, it's also a day to celebrate your love in a way that's unique to your relationship. So go ahead and explore your creative side when celebrating Valentine's Day this year...and it's okay to be mushy too. On Valentine's Day you get to be as creative and romantic as you want to be, and it is a day of love, so say it...and don't stop there; show it. Love is a rare thing, well worth celebrating! Here are a few romantic gifts for Valentine's Day ideas to get you started. Happy Valentine's Day! Image: Valentine Rose Art Postage from Zazzle available by clicking here! holidays-and-celebrations Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:35:27 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/romantic-marriage-proposals I'm an incurable romantic, (and I don't want to be cured) so I made this page to help all of you who are looking for ideas for a Romantic marriage proposal. You've found the one, and you've decided to "take the plunge" by "popping the question" of your life and you want it to be romantic...but suddenly your brain has stopped working and you are stumped for ideas on how to ask the object of your heart to spend the rest of her life on earth with you. I am using her because usually it is a man asking a woman. If this is not the case, please simply change all the pronouns to fit your situation. Nothing seems good enough for the love of your life..but you do want this moment to be memorable. Well I have searched the internet to find solutions for you. With all the resources available, there is bound to be the perfect creative idea for the perfect romantic marriage proposal for you to ask your beloved to marry you. Best wishes to you always! Image: Available at Amazon by clicking here Photos and text; © 2010 Heather Burns. All Rights Reserved except where otherwise noted. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. relationships-and-family Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:12:54 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/blue-kitchen-appliances If you are looking for Blue kitchen appliances and accessories, you have come to the right place. I have always loved the color blue, especially cobalt blue. My maternal grandmother loved it, and maybe that has something to do with it. I just loved her blue dishes and her touches of blue everywhere...and as soon as I found out I was getting married, I went shopping for blue and white dishes like hers. That pattern was Blue Danube and it is still around today; I have those dishes and another set of blue and white dishes and pieces of still another blue and white pattern! Besides those beautiful dishes, I have quite a few blue kitchen appliances, because a few years ago manufacturers decided to offer us a rainbow of colors to choose from for decorating our kitchens. Naturally I got all blue! In fact, since I love cobalt blue the most, I got all cobalt blue to match my blue dishes. So if you love blue as much as I do, you are in for a treat, as you can now indulge your blue passion in the room you most likely spend a lot of time in. There are all kinds of blue appliances, big ones like blue stoves and refrigerators, and small ones like blue Kitchen Aid mixers and blue coffee pots and blue blenders, really you can get everything in blue these days. I tried to add everything for a blue kitchen and for your kitchen table too. Or if you are shopping for a person who loves blue, you now have a whole new set of options for your shopping list. Enjoy! If you would like to visit my Blue Store Click Here for the House of Blue It's full of blue kitchen items and blue for your whole house. Image: "Other Worldly Blue" Available from Zazzle by clicking here home-and-garden Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:36:47 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/easy-filled-cupcakes Everything I make is easy, and these easy filled cupcakes are too. Everyone will think you spent hours in the kitchen but I promise, they are easy to make. And don't we all love the surprise of filled cupcakes? Of course we do; that 's one reason why Hostess cupcakes are so popular! Well if you've ever wondered how they got that filling in there, wonder no more. It's a trick, but it's so easy to do we all can do it. And now you can have any flavor you want, not just chocolate.(Although, I love chocolate!) Perfect for birthday surprises, wedding surprises, baby showers, or any occasion, whip up these easy filled cupcakes for a sweet surprise and watch the delighted faces. Enjoy! Image: Pink Cupcakes at Maria's Bakery, Orange, Ca, Used with Permission. food-and-cooking Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:19:07 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/dolphin-gifts I love Dolphins! And I have quite a few in my house...in fact, since I love Angels so much, people might be surprised to find out that I have a whole room devoted to Dolphins, and it is my office! But I think Dolphins are Angels of the Sea, and therefore it is very appropriate that I would love them a lot. Here are some Dolphin Gifts for all the Dolphin lovers out there, and if you are shopping for a Dolphin lover, you will find some great gift ideas here as well. Enjoy! Picture is a Poster by Talbot available at AllPosters.com Click on any Poster to Purchase pets-and-animals Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:04:03 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/star-theme-weddings Since my husband and I like watching stars and the heavens, we chose a star themed wedding. I thought it would be an easy theme, but It's funny that there are not that many star theme decorations when you go looking for your wedding decor. It would have been easier if we had been looking for Star Wars, or Star Trek, or even starfish. Oh sure you can find stars to put on the walls, and you can find star posters, but it's kind of hard to find star theme wedding favors and gifts. And what should you do if your wedding is during the day instead of at night? With no real night sky you have to improvise. Read on for ideas and solutions for your star theme wedding. I wish you endless happiness and hope all your dreams come true! Poster of the Pleiades is available at Allposters.com. Click Here to Purchase The Pleiades weddings Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:51:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-gallery Why an Angel Gallery? I have always loved angels and have collected them most of my life. So when my daughter told me she is having a baby girl soon, I asked her if I could decorate her room in an angel theme. She said yes as long as it's not all in pink! (She knows me) So I went shopping for some angel posters and Angel Art for her walls and some angel sculptures for the house...and some jewelry for when she is old enough for it...well I sort of went crazy. I decided that since there are quite a few angel lovers online, maybe some of them would like to have a place to shop for angel art and angel collectibles. So I gathered some angel art together in an angel gallery for you. Enjoy! Painting is "Angel of the Dawn" copyright by Richard Burns, used with permission. Cards and clothing with this image are available at Heather Zazzles. I have opened an Angel Store with art, household items, posters, sculptures, books, and jewelry. Click Here for the Angel Store culture-and-society Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:44:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/peacock-costumes Why a Peacock Costume, you may ask? Peacocks are favorite birds the world over, loved for their beautiful and colorful plummage...or even if it's white, that plummage is gorgeous! And it's pretty easy to become a peacock for an evening, whether it's for Halloween, Mardi Gras, or just a fun costume party. And what a fun thing to be. Peacocks are partiers, loud, and fun loving. It's funny too, that you don't often see peacocks at human gatherings, so you will most likely be the only one! Here are some resources for you to buy peacock costumes, or to make your own peacock costumes, or if you just want some of the gorgeous feathers, those are here too. Enjoy! All the beautiful peacock posters are available at AllPosters.com. Image: Closeup of Peacock feathers from my travels in Thailand. holidays-and-celebrations Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:59:16 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/valentine-angels Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday, and I'm a little obsessed with Angels so this is a page about Valentine Angels. Whenever I go looking for cupids the most beautiful ones seem to be in the Vintage sections of the card shops so those are the ones I focused on here. But you can click on the product images to be transported to sites with lots more choices. All of the posters are also available. Just click. Image here is from AllPosters.com. Enjoy the Valentine Angels! culture-and-society Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:54:04 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/blue-danube-dishes I love Blue Danube China Dishes. My Grandmother had this China pattern, and as soon as I found out I was getting married, I registered for the same pattern. Blue is my favorite color, especially cobalt blue, and the blue and white pattern on plates just really agrees with my sensibilities. But when I was fortunate enough to travel in the Far East, I noticed a lot of blue and white patterns, some of them very similiar to the Blue Danube pattern, so I decided to do a little research about blue and white china in general. I had seen a lot of blue and white dishes in Europe when I travelled there too, so I was interested in seeing when the trade routes would have brought the China ones to Europe. That turned into a fascinating journey itself. I know a lot of people love blue and white dishes in general and Blue Danube dishes in particular, so I went scouring the internet to see if I could find it on sale. I was able to find many pieces at bargain prices. Since I think mixing them with cobalt blue heightens their beauty, I have included some basic cobalt blue dishes and accessories as well...and some pretty blue art posters. Click on any poster to purchase from AllPosters.com. Enjoy! home-and-garden Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:19:46 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/yorkie-gifts If you are a Yorkie Lover and/or are shopping for Yorkie Gifts, for Yorkies or Yorkie Lovers, this page was made for you. Before I had one, I did not understand the unadulterated craziness that Yorkie lovers possess for their Yorkies. I would see all these banners and bumperstickers proclaiming "I love my Yorkie" and wonder what the big deal was. Aren't they just another little dog? I love my dogs too but I don't have bumperstickers about them, I thought... That was before I got Minnie. (I named her Minnie, as in "Minnie Mouse" because she weighs only 3 pounds as an adult Yorkie, and when I first saw her I thought she looked like a big mouse.) Now I get it! I love my Yorkie too! And I will talk about the breed to any dog person who will listen. Since I love my dogs so much, I like to get gifts for them at Christmas time and on their birthdays. Minnie's is April 1, yes, April Fool's Day! If you knew her you would know how appropriate that is...she has no idea she is small...and keeps us giggling all day long with her little antics. I like to have little items that remind me of her when I'm not home and pictures of her and , well you get the idea...I have gone off the deep end for my little Teacup Yorkie and there is no going back. So here are some Yorkie gifts I gathered together for all the Yorkie lovers and those who need to buy a gift for their crazy Yorkie loving friends. Enjoy! Photo is a one hour old Yorkie, courtesy of Google. pets-and-animals Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:40:35 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/lighthouse-gallery Many people love lighthouses or know a lighthouse lover. All lighthouse lovers like to look at pictures of lighthouses, whether on the wall or in a book, so that's why I created this lighthouse gallery for you! Since modern technology is rendering them obsolete for the most part, lighthouses are now around mostly for show, although some of them are still used all over the world for navigational aid to sailors. They will always be loved for their unique architectural form and their reminder of olden times when they were a necessity. I have gathered a selection of lighthouse gifts here for your gift shopping pleasure. Enjoy! Painting is "Parker Cove." © Richard Burns, Used with Permission. Original is for sale. Read more about Richard further down. The posters on this page are from AllPosters.com. Click on any image to purchase. home-and-garden Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:49:02 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/quick-elegant-desserts Looking for quick elegant desserts? I have a few here, and some resources to find more. There are complicated desserts aplenty in all the cookbooks, but sometimes simple is best. For some reason we all seem to want a sweet ending to our meals, no matter how stuffed we are from the main course. In fact there are those among us who would rather skip the meal altogether and just eat dessert. (me) This spawned the quote: "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first." I really love that advice! But after cooking all that food, do you really want to cook dessert? I know the answer. So let's keep it quick and easy! Here are some quick and elegant desserts to end all your meals in style. Image: Overlapping photos of a food competition. food-and-cooking Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:27:12 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/butterfly-gallery Why a butterfly gallery? I have always been fascinated by anything that flies: birds, butterflies, dragonflies, angels, fairies, spaceships, airplanes,etc. And I guess I am not alone, as all of these are used as symbols in many religions. Butterflies were all over Egyptian Art 3500 years B.C. even, and depictions in the Far East are even older. But butterflies are especially wonderful because they are beautiful to look at, and their life cycle is fascinating too! In fact, maybe it's their metamorphosis that adds to their allure. That from the end comes a new beginning is a very comforting thought. They are also very useful for your garden! Beauty and symbol and utility in one little insect. No wonder they are loved the world over! Because of their universal appeal they make an awesome gift. Here are a few posters, paintings, and items for your home, plus books about butterfles, for you if you are a butterfly lover, or for a butterfly lover on your gift list! I've also included some links to other butterfly pages with cool butterfly stuff, and links to free printable butterfly coloring pages. All the beautiful butterfly posters on this page are from AllPosters.com. Click on any poster to purchase. Enjoy! pets-and-animals Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:10:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/the-heart-of-the-ocean In the blockbuster movie Titanic, The Heart of the Ocean necklace was one of the stars of the movie, central to tying the present exploration to the past and its heartbreaking story. That necklace was not only beautiful, it signified the life Rose gave up for the love she chose instead of the arranged one of her mother. Old plot. Haven't we heard it again and again? But what a beautiful necklace! I wanted it! Well now I can get one and so can you! They make The Heart of the Ocean in all kinds of versions, real stones with diamonds, synthetic stones and diamonds, all cubic zirconias, and all the precious metals are available too: silver, white gold, platinum, yellow gold. So pick your color. Pick your precious metal. Pick your budget. Grab your very own Heart of the Ocean, the legendary necklace of the Titanic's Rose. Image: The Heart of the Ocean Necklace, available below at Amazon fashion-and-beauty Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:35:28 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/lily-coloring-pages If you are looking for Lily Coloring pages, you have found the right place! This is a page full of lilies to color. My granddaughter Lilyana is starting to color everything so I thought I would find her some Lilies to print out and color. Turns out there are quite a few so I am gathering as many Lily coloring pages as I can find on this page for her and you if you want to color some lilies. (All the printables are used with permission of the artists or are in the public domain.) There is also a whole list of links to lots of lilies that are free to print and color. And why not? Lilies are beautiful flowers and come in a delightful variety. I've also included some Lily coloring books to purchase. There are beautiful color books of flowers and lilies that are so gorgeous they would make a charming wall print. I've also included some Lily activity books and games, story books, and dolls, so all the little Lilys and Lillys and Lilyanas will find some of their namesake toys here too. Enjoy! Lily is a Public Domain Clip Art Image. The beautiful Lily Posters are available for purchase from AllPosters.com. Just click any poster image to purchase or browse more Lily posters. Lilyana, this page is for you! hobbies-games-toys Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:46:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-food-cupcakes Angel Food Cupcakes solve the age old problem of how to cut the Angel Food Cake! No need, just peel the liner and voila, Angel Food! Angel food cupcakes are perfect for any occasion! Light and fluffy, they aren't as filling as other cakes and cupcakes, so they are the perfect ending to a heavy meal, or a light lunch. This is a simple recipe made with your own fresh ingredients.You can of course use any icing, but I have included a basic creamy vanilla icing which can be changed by adding food colors. You can also decorate them in a myriad of ways to fit any party decorating theme, from weddings to showers of any kind. Enjoy! And if you would just like to find the best mixer for whipping egg whites, you can scroll down to see a picture of it. Image: Cupcakes at the Macy's Cafe, Orange County, Ca food-and-cooking Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:32:12 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/new-serger-sewing-machines New Serger Sewing Machines for yourself or anyone you know. These are the top rated, best selling, highly reviewed Serger Sewing Machines. These make great presents for Christmas! Threading is easy, motors are quiet and they are built to last. The Lowest prices on new Serger Sewing Machines are right here. Threading has never been easier with the serger sewing machines. Serger sewing machines have Differential feeds for versatility, color-coded threading, and easy tension adjustment. Here you will find pictures of serger sewing machines, examples of thread work and reviews of the best selling Serger sewing machines. Enjoy! Image: Serger Sewing Machine,available below, courtesy of Amazon. arts-and-design Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:13:20 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/top10-christmas-toys Every year several retailers come up with their Top 10 Toy List for Christmas. Well it's almost Christmas 2011, so all the lists are in. Here I am presenting a few of the Top 10 Christmas Toys lists, and all the toys on them for you to purchase. But it's funny, the Top Ten Lists often are Top 18 or Top 15 or Top Something else, so here I will call them the Top Toys Lists only, as I can't keep all their numbers straight. When my children were around, I would let them mark up all the catalogs in different pen colors, one color per child, so I would know what they wanted, and make a gift list from their choices. Nowadays I don't get those catalogs and shop only online except for groceries... so I put this guide together for others like me who need some ideas, since I don't watch kiddie TV so I don't see the ads for toys. Here you will find Dolls, Legos, Electronics, Ride On, RC Toys, a few Classics, a few Suprises, and all the toys on the Top Toys Lists. In each category I have listed the most popular toys for several age groups. I also categorized them by type so you can click on any ornament in the category navigation tool and go to that section of the page. But if you see a toy you like and it reminds you of something else you would like to see, just click on the image and you will be magically transported to Amazon with a search bar to find exactly the toy you want. You know your child best! Enjoy! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Image: Box Celebration at Pixabay.com ~Used with Permission under a Pixabay Public Domain License. Photographer: LuckyLuke holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:41:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/spinach-casserole I got this recipe for Spinach Casserole from a friend in college. She brought it to a potluck and it was so good that we were all eating it out of the serving bowl and it was supposed to be a sit down dinner. I vary the ingredients a little from time to time, depending on if I actually have all of them available when I decide to make it. My family will eat Spinach Casserole any time for any meal and we do have it quite often. We never have any leftovers no matter how much I make. But if I do make a double or triple amount and hide some of it, and no one finds it, I like to use it as a topping on pizza or cook up some noodles and mix them together for a little different take. Also it is great on scrambled eggs. No matter how I serve it, it gets rave reviews! Image: Spinach Poster available at Zazzle.com food-and-cooking Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:17:46 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/magical-meatloaf-sauce Looking for a different and elegant meatloaf sauce? This one will knock your socks off. As a bonus it's super easy too. Here's how I got this wonderful recipe. This a true Meatloaf story. The names have been left out to protect the innocent (and not so innocent~ whoops, wrong story). While I was in college I lived with 3 other friends in a 2 bedroom apartment. We used to share cooking, meal planning, and shopping. One of my roommates was just not the greatest cook. Whenever it was her night to cook we would all find other things to do at the last minute. But one week she announced that she had a wonderful sauce for the meatloaf she was planning to serve. Not wanting to hurt her feelings we agreed to be there for dinner that night and voila...she finally made something we liked. Her sauce was delicious! I called it magical because it made her meatloaf taste delicious and that was saying something! Read on for the simple Magical Meatloaf Sauce recipe and 3 different meatloaf recipes, including a vegetarian one and gluten free ones too. Enjoy! food-and-cooking Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:08:24 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/unique-cookie-jars Unique Cookie Jars are a wonderful whimsical element to add to your kitchen! Think about it...The kitchen is finished and just needs that one little unique ingredient to make it sparkle with excitement! Because, who wants a boring kitchen, not me... I think everyone appreciates a little whimsy here and there. Or perhaps you came here searching for a unique gift for that special someone...or the person who "has everything"..If so, a unique cookie jar is a perfect solution...you can find one that exactly fits their personality and interests. If you don't see the one you want here, click on any picture to be transported magically to a site where you will find many more choices. I have included a few very easy and delicious cookie recipes here...all from my Grandmother's restaurant recipes. Just copy and paste and place inside for a memorable gift. Enjoy! Cookie Jar Image is courtesy of Amazon. Buy it below. home-and-garden Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:41:37 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/schizandra-herb Why am I writing about Schizandra? And how do you pronounce it? (like shhh-zandra~rhymes with sandra) I decided to publish the results of my research about the 10 best immune system boosters because if your system is strong enough, you can resist viruses on your own, and as the old saying goes: "An ouce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." And since Schizandra is a wonder herb that I take every day no matter what, I started with my story of this underrated herbal miracle. But there are a few other simple herbs and vitamins you can use in your everyday life which will help your system stay strong, so I have highlighted them here. When I originally published this page, Swine Flu was just getting started as a potential pandemic. My research had shown that the flu vaccine is actually worse than the disease so I wanted to show a different approach to wellness... and warn of the consequences of the vaccine. Fast forward and the pandemic did not come to pass, but more and more cats got out of the bag regarding the false research, hidden research, and the "side" effects of the shots, so many consumers refused it and guess what? They did not get the flu! Oh my! Now what? The FDA has mounted still another campaign because there are too many of the shots lying around that didn't get used. Meanwhile in Australia, the government health agency issued an alert to stop giving the shots to children, because their studies of the vaccines showed that there were less cases of flu prevented than there were adverse "side" effects. Since the time when I first wrote this, I have opened my own store which carries all kinds of vitamins, herbs and other supplements for health. Please visit Vitamania for all your immune stystem boosters, vitamins, herbs, and books about nutrition and medicinal herbs. You can search by health concern for suggestions too. Image: Schizandra Berries, in my own garden Old Chinese proverb: "The superior doctor prevents sickness; the mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; the inferior doctor treats actual sickness." To read more about why herbs are better than Pharmaceuticals for health, read my lens: Anti Pharma but Pro Herbs and Vitamins. healthy-living Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:08:10 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/chicken-enchiladas Super Easy, Super Quick, Super Delicious, and Gourmet too! Chicken Enchiladas in half an hour! This is another in my series of Quick Gourmet recipes for busy people. As an alternative to the Tomato-Chili version of Enchiladas, this is a different flavor combination: Cheese-White Sauce. It is a staple at our house. We like it spicy hot, so we add chili powder to the sauce. If you are vegetarian, it is delicious using just mushroom soup instead of chicken soup...on Meatless Mondays that is what we do. Easy, Delicious, Fast, Inexpensive, What More Can I Say? Enjoy your Quick Chicken Enchiladas! Image: Hubby took a bite before I got the camera out, sorry! All Posters on this page are available at AllPosters.com. Just click to purchase or browse more choices! food-and-cooking Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:56:21 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-pink-purse Pink purses or Pink handbags, it doesn't matter what you call them, if you are shopping for them , you have found your page. Here you will find Pink purses of all kinds; Pink clutches, Pink shoulder bags, Pink handbags, Pink totes, and since Pink lovers like all their accessories to be Pink, I've included Pink iPod cases and Pink iPad cases to go inside your Pink Purses. I've found all the different shades of Pink for you too, from pale Pink, to dark Magenta, and shades in between, so you you can be accessorized in Pink no matter which shade of it you like most. Enjoy! Image: Pink Purse available below from Amazon.com fashion-and-beauty Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:17:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/roses-coloring-pages If you are looking for roses to color, you have come to the right place. Roses are favorite flowers all over the world. Those thorns don't deter most of us. The smell is just too captivating and the structure of the flower so exquisite. Many artists try to capture the essence of the rose on paper. It's hard. But there are many coloring pages of roses available so all you have to do is color and voila, you have a picture of one of Nature's finest creations. I have listed many links to other pages of free rose printables, and I have included free printable roses right here that were drawn by my husband, artist Richard Burns. There are also lots of roses coloring books you can buy for more roses. Enjoy! Red Rose Postage available at Zazzle.com Click Here to Buy the Roses Postage or Find More hobbies-games-toys Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:16:24 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pink-laptops-laptop-bags-and-sleeves Pink laptops are H-O-T-T right now with teenage girls and younger girls and even grown up girlie girls. If you need a new laptop for any girl in your family, consider getting them one of these best selling Pink Laptops and laptop bags and backpacks for girls. Check out the following Pink laptops that come in sizes ranging from 11.6 inch screens to the full size 17 inch screen laptops. Set yourself apart from the crowd with a hot Pink laptop or Pink laptop cover! But what if you already have a laptop computer and it's not Pink? No worries, you can buy a Pink laptop sleeve or Pink laptop bag to carry it in and have a Pink computer experience too. You can even buy a Pink Skin and turn the laptop you have into a totally Pink laptop. Enjoy! Image: Pink Sony Laptop Computer, available below from Amazon.com computers-and-electronics Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:43:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-blue-bedroom A blue bedroom is a bedroom that you will find calming and relaxing whenever you want to sleep. There are many shades of blue, and they all look amazing in a bedroom! But where do you start when you want to decorate your bedroom? So many decisions to make. What shade of blue? What accent color? Which items should be blue, and which should be another color. Too much of anything can overwhelm, you know? On this page you will find all sorts of blue items for your blue bedrooms, and some advice on how to pull it all together for a smashing Blue Bedroom. Image: Blue Moon Postcard, available below from Zazzle.com home-and-garden Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:09:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/first-sewing-machine-for-kids Get your little fashion designer their own First Sewing Machine for Kids. These First Sewing Machines for Kids are kid safe sewing machines that teach young ones how to sew their own clothing. There are many great First Sewing Machines for Kids to choose from, and here you will find the perfect one to will fit your little seamstress's personality. Image: Hello Kitty Sewing Machine, available below at Amazon arts-and-design Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:18:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/find-expensive-engagement-rings Expensive engagement rings are even more expensive than they should be if you go to a fancy jewelry store. Someone has to pay the rent on those stores, so guess who that is? You. And someone has to pay the commission to the salespeople too. Again, it's you. So if you have decided to get married, and you are looking for a really nice ring, an expensive ring, then you owe it to yourself to do some shopping so you can get the biggest ring you can afford for your beloved. No it's not all about how much money you spend. But it is the ring that your future wife will look at every day and be reminded of your love. So you do want to give her a beautiful ring, right? Here I have gathered some of the most expensive engagement rings I could find online. If you don't see one that suits you, click on any image to be transported to a site where you will find many more choices. The ring pictured is courtesy of Amazon. Enjoy! And I wish you a happy life together! relationships-and-family Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:57:43 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-pink-bedroom A Pink Bedroom is very calming and makes it easier to go to sleep. Scientific studies have now proven this. But in Western culture Pink is the color associated with female infants in general anyway and many a little girl has had a Pink bedroom without knowing a thing about science. It does make me wonder if it could be a contributing factor to the fact that little girls are in general more calm than little boys. Maybe we should be decorating our little boys bedrooms in Pink too! At any rate, many girls never outgrow their love of Pink and want to have Pink Decor in their bedroom. This page has all kinds of Pink for your Pink Bedroom and some ideas on how to decorate your Pink Bedroom. Enjoy! Image: Pink Camo Bedspread and Accessories, from Amazon, available below. home-and-garden Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:01:02 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/artist-sketching-kits Artist Sketching Kits is a page for any one who loves to draw and sketch. Here you will find the best shopping for Artist Sketching Kits for yourself or someone you know who loves to draw. This is your complete shopping guide for Artist Sketching Kits. Complete with everything you need to sketch, these are the best kits for artists who draw. But maybe you don't need the complete Artist kits for sketching. Maybe you just need drawing paper, colored drawing pencils, charcoal drawing pencils, and books to learn how to draw. It's all here too. Enjoy! Image: Provided by nuttakit@FreeDigitalPhotos.net You can see more of nuttakit's work here. Used with Permission under a Public Domain License. arts-and-design Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:39:27 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/flower-color-pages Flowers are one of the most popular subjects to color so here I have gathered a bunch of flower coloring pages for you. Many people think flowers are the most beautiful things in Nature. First there is the green growing stalk, and then, surprise, a beautiful flower blooms! So it's not surprising that flowers are one of the most popular subjects for wall art. But not everyone can paint or draw, or even take a photograph, so flower coloring pages came to the rescue. Now even non artists can have beautiful flower pictures for decorating. Here I have gathered lots of flowers for you to color, and my artist husband Richard Burns has even drawn some beautiful flower images for you! Enjoy! Photo of Chrysanthemums © Heather Burns 2011 (my very first attempt at digitally editing a photo of some neighborhood flowers) hobbies-games-toys Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:35:50 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/cleopatra-costume Wearing a Cleopatra costume is a powerful statement! Cleopatra was a fascinating woman in history, a woman of intrigue, guile, cunning, and the ruler of Egypt. Many books have been written about her, several movies made about her, and her style is still influencing fashion today, 2000 years later. She was such a unique person of history that even today the name Cleopatra only refers to her. Seriously, how many people have you ever heard of named Cleopatra? There was only one! This shows the breadth of her influence and her place in history. Many people like to dress up as Cleopatra and I am one of them. It's easy too. If you don't have a Cleopatra costume, you could literally take a sheet and make one that would do. Style your hair like hers, or get a wig, have fun really piling on the eyeliner and shadow and lipstick, and get out lots of gold jewelry and a gold belt. In no time at all you can be Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. Just don't go near any snakes! Image: Composite of Cleopatra Models, from Totally Costumes, Used with Permission. All Posters available at AllPosters.com. Click on any image to purchase. holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:47:44 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/yummy-chocolate-icing I've always made my own yummy chocolate icing and sometimes I wonder why people buy fake chocolate icing which is what I call the stuff you can buy in a can. True it is quick, but I just don't like the taste of it. Maybe it's all the preservatives they put in it for a long shelf life. It is very easy and fast to make fresh and yummy chocolate icing from scratch, and as a bonus, it's cheaper too. Here's a quick yummy chocolate icing recipe (or chocolate frosting, if you prefer that term) that works for cupcakes, layer cakes, cookies, and if you use a little less milk, it is an outrageous chocolate fudge recipe. Enjoy! Image: Chocolate Icing, in a pan. food-and-cooking Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:04:47 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-posters Lots of people like to decorate their space with angel posters and angel paintings. So I decided to gather some really nice angel art in one place for angel lovers and collectors. Sometimes angel collectors specialize in the type of angels they collect. For example some angel collectors only really like cherubs, and others only like the seraphim type angels. Still others like vintage, or very modern. Whatever you or your angel lover like the best will be represented here, and I have organized them by type to make it easier. There are many more angels available, so if you don't see what you are looking for, go ahead and click on any picture to be transported to AllPosters.com where you can shop to your heart's content for more Angel Posters. Also if you are looking for Angel Gifts or Sculptures, Visit my Angel Store: An Angel Store My Angelica Blog has also moved to the Angel Store. Enjoy! Image: Angel Poster available at AllPosters.com culture-and-society Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:57:05 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/quick-chicken-rice-casserole Quick Chicken Rice Casserole is one of my all time favorite recipes because it is not only quick and easy, and healthy, and gourmet, and it uses only one dish, but it also has endless variations! I have listed the basic Quick Chicken Rice Casserole recipe here, plus 6 more, but really you could easily add more variations by altering the spices. The thing I like best is that it is all in one dish, so easy cleanup! Enjoy! This lens donates profits to the wonderful charity known as The Food For Everyone Foundation. Scroll down to read about it or to donate and to find out how you can create your own page like this to support your own charity. Image: Quick Chicken Rice Casserole, with lots of Basil and Mushrooms, August, 2009. food-and-cooking Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:28:54 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/reincarnation-duel Reincarnation-Fact or Fiction? The concept of reincarnation has fascinated me since I was a teenager, and I have been studying the evidence ever since. I have to admit the idea of it on the surface sounds like a bizarre idea. But so does the idea of an afterlife at all, really, at least to me. In the early days of the Christian Church reincarnation was still a widely held concept, and was only removed later in one of the Pope's declarations. Many other religions hold the idea as a central tenant. What do you think? Where do you stand? Yes or No? Fact or Fiction? Undecided? I think the spirit lives on and that sometimes the spirit takes on new forms. Even quantum physics supports this! So it is my belief. Read on for why, and to express your opinion. Please be civil...you wouldn't want any bad karma, would you? Poster available at AllPosters.com as are all the other images on this page. culture-and-society Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:05:25 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/Richard-Burns-Original-Art All about Richard Burns, Artist. Like many successful artists, Richard Burns was bitten by the art "bug" at a very early age. After years of spending countless hours drawing and sculpting in clay, he decided to make art his life's work while a junior in college. After attending Northern Arizona University, he transferred to Cal. State University Northridge where he majored in art and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978. Painting mainly with acrylics, Rich works to bring his love and appreciation for nature to life through his art. A member of the Nature Conservancy, he has done paintings to benefit various funds and charities founded to raise money to protect the environment and endangered species. He is known the world over for his wildlife art, but along the way, Rich became fascinated by cottages and lighthouses and started adding a great many of these to his collection. He is a prolific artist! This painting is called Harbor Lights and is one of the collection of lighthouses he has done. It is one of my favorites, because of the sky and the little house. I would love to live in this painting. Luckily I have the original in my dining room to admire every day! Some of Rich's original works are available for purchase. Contact me through my bio page for more information. Enjoy! All of the images on this page are © by Richard Burns and in addition many of them are published by Applejack Art. They have lawyers and aren't afraid to use them. Please don't download the images for any reason. Instead, please click on the many links to purchase. Thank you for your understanding. arts-and-design Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:42:53 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/texas-sheet-cake-brownies What do all these recipes have in common? Plenty, as they are all the same basic recipe just called by these different names! (I call it Texas Sheet Cake Brownies.) Depending on where you first tasted it and scrambled to write down the recipe, it's been called all of these things. It's either a cake like brownie, or a brownie like cake, or alternately, half fudge, half cake, and all pure chocolate indulgence... My grandmothers both made this recipe, and all the women in my family on both sides do too. So the recipe is not new, but it is still one of the easiest, FASTEST, and most delicious chocolate cakes you could ever make, and there are no artificial ingredients added, so that means it's healthy, right? We're all chocoholics in my family, so we use the chocolate icing for this recipe and all other cakes too, but some people actually use vanilla icing or powdered sugar as a topping. Gasp, having trouble imagining the idea of icing without chocolate... Anyway, you probably have everything you need to make this cake right now...and if you don't, from now on keep the simple ingredients around and you will always have a quick gourmet dessert in a hurry whenever you need it. I can get this cake done in 40 minutes start to finish... It's delicious warm or chilled. Add vanilla ice cream as a topping and watch people swoon. Enjoy! All iImages available for purchase at AllPosters.com. Just Click. food-and-cooking Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:27:40 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/new-spring-coloring-pages For those of us who like to color it can be Spring all year long. Just get out some crayons, download some Spring printables, and start coloring. Soon it can be Spring time in your room no matter how dark and dreary it is outside. I think that's why a lot of people like to color Spring themed pages. I was born in the Spring and some people say the body has a natural memory of the annual cycle, so maybe that's why, but at any rate, I always feel like my life is having a new beginning in the Spring along with the blooming of all the flowers and the longer days. If that describes you, and you like to color, this is the place for you. There are many Spring coloring pages available for download, and my artist husband Richard Burns contributed some Spring themed coloring pages as well. Enjoy! Photo of Yellow Chrysanthemum, © Heather Burns 2011 hobbies-games-toys Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:27:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/lady-gaga-bubble-dress-costume One of Lady Gaga's most famous dresses is the Bubble Dress. She is surely destined to be a syle icon even if her music is a fad and does not last. (Not my prediction at all, but the public seems to be fickle.) The Lady Gaga Bubble Dress is available for you to make as a costume, just by gathering the parts and putting it together yourself. I have gathered some videos to show you how, and the necessary supplies are available to purchase here as well. But you can go wild when doing your own, and Lady Gaga would applaud this, so it's more fun to add in your own ideas and design your own Bubble Dress. All the stuff you need is either here on this page, or you can click on the pictures to find even more bubbles. Enjoy! Photo is a Mannequin of Lady Gaga in her own Bubble Dress, courtesy of Amazon. Enjoy! holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:24:04 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/star-decorating Stars as decor are a beautiful reminder of the wonders of the Universe, don't you agree? I love following celestial phenomena so it's natural for me to be interested in star decorating. ( I even had a star theme at my wedding!) But it's not just me. Stars are often used as a wonderful decorating theme for nurseries, children, teens, romantic bedrooms, dens and even living rooms. I used to love to go camping out in the country and look up at the stars where you can see thousands of them, away from the city lights. And I still like to take my telescope away from the city to view comets and eclipses. But now I really like sleeping indoors away from bugs and wild animals and unexpected weather, so I don't do much camping any more. I still get to see stars every night though, as I put glow in the dark stars all over the ceilings, walls, ceiling fan, lamps, ends of curtain rods, tops of paintings. When I turn off the light, I see stars everywhere, floating in space just like they do way out there in the galaxies. Here are some star decorations for all your rooms. All the beautiful star posters including this one are from AllPosters.com . Click to Purchase The Pleiades home-and-garden Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:56:03 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pink-jewelry-for-weddings-and-proms Pink Jewelry for Weddings and Proms is a page with all the Pink jewelry you need for all your special occasions. Whether you are the bride looking for Pink jewelry for your big Wedding day or for your Bridal party, or someone shopping for pink jewelry for parties and or proms, you can't miss by being here. There are pink rings, pink necklaces, pink earrings, pink bracelets, and different pink stones for them. Pink diamonds, pink pearls, pink cameos, pink opals and pink cz's are all here used in all kinds of jewelry pieces. If you don't see your jewelry, click on any picture for many more choices. Enjoy! Image: Pink Cubic Zirconia Ring, courtesy of Amazon. fashion-and-beauty Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:38:58 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/dragonfly-art-at-home Dragonflies have always been used in Art, especially in the Far East. They are beautiful insects with gossamer wings that gardeners really appreciate. As such they are the subject of many artistic and decorative elements that you can use for creating the ambiance you are looking for in your home. In some cultures they are considered magical and bringers of good fortune especially in regards to gardening endeavors, so Dragonfly Art is abundant in those cultures. I have gathered quite a few little dragonfly works of art for different styles of decorating, and some posters too. All the posters are from AllPosters.com and can be purchased by clicking on the images. I also added some beautiful printable Dragonfly coloring pages for artists of all ages to print and color. Enjoy! Image: Dragonfly Lamp is from Amazon, available below. pets-and-animals Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:46:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/taylor-swift-guitar Taylor Swift has collaborated with Taylor Guitars to bring you a precious guitar, just like she is, the Taylor Swift Guitar. Scroll down for more information or to purchase. By now I'm sure everyone has heard of the singing phenomenon Taylor Swift. Not only is she a talented singer and songwriter, but Taylor has proven herself to have a rare poise for such a young person. Most recently she swept the Country Music Association Awards, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award. And this year, 2011, she got the Entertainer of the Year Award at the American Music Awards. No stopping her now! She reminds me of Dolly Parton in her ability to mine endless lyrics from her everyday life that are quite charmingly put together. I think we will be hearing from her for a long time. The Taylor Swift Guitar is a beautiful guitar, and it will be a collectible, I guarantee it. If you would like to see the Taylor Swift Singing Dolls, you can click here. Image: The Taylor Swift Guitar, courtesy of Amazon, available below. music Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:03:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/imagine-john-lennon-music Before John Lennon wrote the song Imagine, I'll bet few thought of the power of that word. After he wrote it, the word became a legendary slogan of powerful potential. Such is the power of John Lennon's vision! It's a simple song, and a simple tune, but it's very moving. The words present a utopian vision of the future, and it became his most famous song after he was taken from us too soon. Imagine. One little word that embodies so much possibility, so much promise, so much hope... by imagining we can change the whole world, one little step at a time. I keep a little sign on my desk that says it: simply "Imagine." Of course John wrote many fantastic songs both with the Beatles and afterward on his own, so I have included a few others here too, along with some "Imagine" posters, and some of John's other words sprinkled throughout the page. I lived through Beatlemania, and I had all the music, all the posters, all the books, and all the memorabilia that I could ever get my hands on. I loved all the Beatles, individually and collectively, and most of their songs, but Imagine by John Lennon is still my favorite song of all time. Enjoy! Imagine Peace Sticker available at Zazzle music Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:54:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/expensive-yellow-gold-engagement-rings If you are looking for an expensive yellow gold engagement ring, you will have a very hard time finding one as beautiful as this one! 5 Carats of brilliant diamond in one rock! Her ring will strike people blind! If that is the type of experience you are looking for, better grab this beautiful ring while it's still available. She will say yes, I promise! Just click on the link: Certified 14k Yellow Gold Princess-Cut Solitaire Diamond Engagement Ring (2 cttw, H-I Color, SI2-I1 Clarity) Other Expensive Yellow Gold Engagement Rings are available here too! Just scroll down. weddings Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:12:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/biggest-diamond-engagement-ring-ever Right now on Amazon are the biggest most expensive engagement rings online ever! I was looking at engagement rings to add to my online store, Diamond Engagement Rings when I came across them and I was totally shocked that anyone would advertise such huge expensive rings online. But when I thought about it I realized that even rich successful people shop online now, and even rich successful bachelors might like the convenience of shopping for a diamond engagement ring online and they might be looking for the biggest most expensive ring they can find to give to their beloved. So why not have them available in my store. So now they are. It's still hard for me to think that someone would pay as much for a ring as I pay for a house, but some people have money to burn. Wow, can you believe someone would buy these rings online? Image courtesy of Amazon. weddings Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:46:12 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pink-blankets-and-throws Pink is a wonderful color to use all over your house and an easy way to do this is to use Pink blankets and throws. Adding Pink to your decor will help calm the mood of any room, and is cheerful in a calm way. Pink is even being used in mental institutions and prisons since it calms moods. I like to use it in the Winter time, because it brightens without overpowering the way Red does. And if you love Pink but live with someone who doesn't, Pink blankets and throws are an easy way to have your Pink and hide it too. After all, blankets are usually under a bedspread, and throws can be folded up and tucked away when not being used. Or maybe you just want to throw some Pink pillows around to add Pink to your decor. There are all kinds of Pink pillows, even Pink zebra pillows! Pillows can be changed in a hurry to another color so go ahead and indulge your Pink passion! Pink is often used as a color for little baby girls, so it's easier to find Pink blankets and throws for babies, in fact you can find everything Pink for babies but what if you are grown up and you still love Pink? No worries, I've gathered some beautiful Pink blankets and throws and quilts and some pink pillows to go with them too. And if you don't find the Pink items you are looking for, just click on any item for many more choices. Enjoy! Image: Pink Fur Throw, courtesy of Amazon, available below. home-and-garden Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:49:52 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/vintage-jewelry-1928 If you love vintage jewelry, you probably have already heard of the 1928 Jewelry Company. Recently 1928 Jewlery has opened up its sales routes to include online sales. Yes, you can now buy 1928 Jewelry online, right here, in fact. Or you can go straight to my 1928 Jewelry store online. Some times in history just take on an iconography of their own. The late 1920's were one of those times. Many writers and artists of the time are still famous; the clothing, the furniture, and arts and crafts are too. That includes the jewelry. Like some later decades, people turned to nature for their inspiration and produced intricate patterns to decorate with. Nothing simple, everything curved, detailed, colorful, embellished. This reached its zenith in jewelry design in 1928. Even the costume jewelry was stunning. In fact it never really fell out of favor and became scare once it wasn't being produced. But in 1962, a new costume jeweler decided to bring back the designs of the era and created the line, The 1928 Jewelry Company. It was an instant success and has been ever since. Enjoy browsing some of their newest designs! Photo is a vintage style necklace from 1928 Jewelry Company. Available below. All the Vintage Posters are available for purchase too. Just click on any image to buy or browse more posters. fashion-and-beauty Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:20:51 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-collecting Angel Collecting can take on a life of its own and pretty soon you have a whole house full of Angels. That's what happened to me. It started innocently enough with an obsession for Angel ornaments. I got a new one every year for over 25 years and some of them are stunning little works of art. And then along the way I wanted more of them to place all over the house. So I began collecting Angels in the form of little sculptures which I place in all the plants, and larger ones for tables or in the garden...and I bought a few angel paintings that appealed to me for one reason or another. So I have a fair number of them now, and I thought that other angel collectors or their gift buying friends might like to have a place to find some really nice collectible angels. The ones here are just a few of the ones available at my Angel Store. I also collected some angel art for your walls available at AllPosters.com. Click any image to purchase. Enjoy! Image: Angel of Abundance © Richard Burns, Used with Permission. Available Here: Angel of Abundance Postcard and Postage culture-and-society Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:07:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/guitarart We have always had a lot of guitar art around our house because I am surrounded by musicians: both sons play guitar, and my brother does too. In fact all my siblings play instruments and sing and 4 of us play guitar. So I'm always searching for some guitar art to give as gifts and I recently found these exquisite little Mini Guitars and checked them out. Seems like these little collectible Mini Guitars have become quite a tradition among guitar aficionados. I love them too, and have started buying them for all the guitarists in my family. Everyone loves the Mini Guitars! So I am presenting quite a few of these Mini Guitars, but there is lots of guitar art, guitar prints, guitar posters, guitar sculptures, guitar jewelry, all depicting some artistic vision of the guitar, one of my favorite musical instruments. Enjoy! Image: Gibson Guitar, courtesy of Amazon music Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:43:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/go-karts-fun Go Karts sure have evolved from the ones that I remember my cousins and brother building in our garages. I didn't have any interest in building them, but loved riding them around in the dirt tracks the guys made. Now you can buy incredible Go Karts that look like mini luxury cars! You have options galore too~pedal, gas, electric! Here you will find a selection of styles to hopefully narrow your choices for you. If you don't see anything that interests you, go ahead and click on any image for many more choices. Enjoy! Photo is Ferrari Go Kart by Berg, available below from Amazon. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:54:56 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/buy-pink-luggage Pink luggage is for those girlie girls who must have all things pink even their luggage. So here you will find pink luggage, pink laptop bags, pink carry on bags, pink briefcases, pink backpacks, and even pink camera bags. I have traveled extensively in my life, so I know a thing or two about luggage. All the ones here have been hand picked with travelers in mind. There are some good tips for packing more efficiently too. Enjoy! Photo: Pink Carry On Suitcase, available below, courtesy of Amazon travel-and-places Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:41:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/star-coloring-pages For homeschoolers, teachers, and parents who would like to teach about the wonders of our universe through coloring stars and planets, there are some really beautiful star coloring pages available all over the internet and most of them are free. I have included some free star printables here, and lots of links to other star pictures to color. Even in ancient times, man has always been fascinated by the stars and planets. And more and more discoveries are changing our perceptions of how much ancient man knew about the heavens. At the very least men were tracking the movement of the stars and the planets way before modern men used to give them credit for. We now know that ancient monuments were often built such that on the solstice and equinox twice yearly, the sun would strike a hole in a rock a certain way and the mark it made was recorded to chart the movement of the earth relative to the moon, venus, and the sun. Now we have huge planetariums and gigantic telescopes to track the whole universe, and we still discover new stars and planets and comets all the time. I love that thought... Enjoy coloring stars! Photo of 2 galaxies colliding, courtesy of NASA. hobbies-games-toys Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:10:11 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/thegoldenkey First copyrighted in 1931, The Golden Key has been all over the world and back. By first hand experience, the directions work! But to put this idea into practice is also far more difficult than it sounds, and exceedingly more rewarding. At its essence, performing the ritual of the golden key is a form of meditation. Mr. Fox was a beautiful writer identified with the New Thought Movement that was exemplified by Unity, Science of Mind, Church of Religious Science, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Church of the Divine, and others. His writings were published extensively by Unity Church. The Golden Key is in the Public Domain. "For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37) "Angel of Abundance" © 2009 by Richard Burns, Used with permission. culture-and-society Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:27:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/love-blinks This is the story of how LoveBlinks.com was born. Once upon a time I was reading about how to get traffic to my webpages and lenses and stumbled onto the term "backlinks".It seemed hard. It was hard actually. I am too shy to just start introducing myself in forums. It takes a while before I feel comfortable. But I did some of the things I was told would work, and they actually did help! After I learned more, and friends started pointing out sites where you get backlinks, and revenue sharing like we do on Squidoo, I started noticing that a lot of these sites are really cluttered, and while links there are easy to create, with the new Google way of indexing, I wonder how much value they will be perceived to have. So I thought that in the spirit of curating, a platform ought to present the finished product as an article with intrinsic value of its own. Sort of like Squidoo, but not as involved. No CSS or photos, just short bits of information culled from several related sites forming a *blink* of content. A useful summary of what the sites might offer a reader. So I began to think about how to structure a site to make this possible. And one day I was thinking, "Who could argue with love as a premise?" "I love this because..." Simple, a love blink. Google love from LoveB(ack)links, so that's how LoveBlinks.com was born. internet Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:42:21 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/planet-wasp-17 Wasp-17 is a newly discovered planet as of this day August 12, 2009! Why is it so special? Because it defies the laws of physics that apply to every other planet that we know of in existance throughout the universe...and for another, it is about twice the size of Jupiter! The amazing thing is, planets orbit in the same direction as their star. All planets. Everywhere in the Universe. Except one: Wasp-17! I get really excited about celestial events. Every time an eclipse is where I can see it, I will get up in the middle of the night if need be to do so. If there is a comet sighting possible, I'm making plans to see it, and I'm taking my telescope. There is a constant schedule of meteor showers every year. I mark the calendar for the whole year and get up in the middle of the night and drive if I have to, to see the show. At the height of the best meteor showers, there are "falling stars" popping everywhere all over the night sky at once. It always inspires true awe when I get to see that! I have included the schedule for you below. Well today was an awesome celestial event, the discovery of an anomaly planet! This will have astrophysics professors scrambling to explain how this could have happened for years! Read on for a little more information and some resources for amateur astronomy buffs like myself. All the beautiful posters on this page are available at AllPosters.com. Click on them to purchase or shop for more Star Posters. hobbies-games-toys Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:35:12 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/best-elvis-presley-songs Elvis Presley. What can I say about the King of Rock and Roll that hasn't been said? Growing up he was the only singer that my parents ever let us listen to. My mother loved classical music, and Dad played the violin, so mostly we only heard classical music at our house. Mom and Dad made an exception for Elvis though. For two reasons: One, he was an amazing singer....and two, he was our cousin. Yes, our cousin! On my father's side. We always knew it growing up, and as I said, we were allowed to hear only Elvis sing because of it. My grand aunt and her husband even took care of Elvis's paternal grandparents in Tupelo (Minnie Mae Hood and her husband Jesse) when they were sick. I have the whole genealogy chart in my computer, as one of my other cousins researches all that stuff and sent it to me..., but in a nutshell here is how it goes. My grandmother was born in Tupelo and it was her sister (My grand aunt Ollie) and her husband who took care of Elvis's grandparents, and my grandmother and all her sisters were Elvis' grand aunts too. Elvis and my father shared great great grandparents! So yes, Elvis and Lisa Marie are my distant cousins. My cousin sent this to me in a letter: "I will fill in dates, etc later. Aunt Ollie told me many times she took care of Elvis's grandparents in Itawamba County when they had "the fever." This would have been Minnie Mae and Jesse D. Presley. Remember she was married to a Hood in her first marriage." But even if that were not true, Elvis had the most amazing voice, and he sang amazing songs, and he was an amazing human being by many accounts. It can be hard to remember that with all the negative press about his addiction problems. But his generosity was legendary, as was his devotion to God and family and our country. This is a page of my favorite Elvis songs, Elvis videos, and my story of my memories of Elvis. Enjoy! Elvis Poster is from AllPosters.com available below. music Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:52:05 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/expensive-platinum-engagement-rings If you are searching for an expensive platinum engagement ring, you will find no page with a more beautiful platinum ring. This beautiful ring is made in a style of a bygone era, an era of classical elegance with breathtaking craftsmanship and a stone that will blind her and everyone else! This is a truly exquisite platinum engagement ring, for when only the finest will do. Your beloved will swoon! Links to other rings are further on down. If you don't see the one your want, click on a ring and see lots more choices. Enjoy! And Best Wishes to You Always! Just Click to see more about this 3 carat center stone ring! GIA Certified Diamond Antique Style Platinum Engagement Ring weddings Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:16:14 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pink-cameras-and-camera-bags Pink Cameras And Pink Camera Bags are two of the greatest gifts for women and girls of all ages! Pink Cameras are stylish, useful, and fun! The Pinks come in a variety of shades from Pink to Magenta and in finishes of matte or high gloss. You can even find Pink Cameras for kids who want to start taking their own photographs. Pink Cameras are a great way to surprise your favorite girl on birthdays, anniversaries, or on Valentine's Day. Be sure to pick a case to match and grab a memory card as well. Find the best Pink Cameras and Camera bags for yourself or as a gift for girls and women of all ages! Image: Pink Nikon Coolpix Camera, available below from Amazon.com computers-and-electronics Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:29:19 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/handheld-sewing-machines Handheld Sewing Machines offer travelers a way to mend their torn clothing on the fly. No longer will you have to send your best clothing out for repairs. Mend small tears and do small sewing projects with these Handheld Sewing Machines. And even though I have 2 other full size sewing machines, I still like handheld ones for smaller repairs at home. So quick and easy. The best selling Handheld Sewing Machines are featured for you below. If you are in the market for a new Handheld Sewing Machine, these are a selection of the ones I like best after trying them myself. The following all come very highly rated and recommended by others who have already purchased them too. I hope you find a Handheld Sewing Machine you like! Image: Handheld Sewing Machine, available below, Courtesy of Amazon arts-and-design Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:20:16 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/yummy-cream-cheese-icing Who doesn't love Cheese Cake? Who doesn't love Icing? So how about Cheese Cake Icing? Well it's not the whole cheese cake, but cream cheese icing is like eating cheese cake on top of whatever you put it on, so you get two desserts in one. How could it get any better than that? So cream cheese icing is the perfect way to top all your cupcakes, and who could think of having a carrot cake without cream cheese icing? I know I could not. And, cheese is more healthy than sugar, right? (justification for more icing) Plus like any white icing, you can change the color just by adding some food coloring drops to match any theme. so cream cheese icing is the perfect yummy icing for your dessert. In a pinch, you can use it as a topping on toast for a different breakfast treat too, and I have used it to disguise tablets that I needed to get down the throat of a pet or two. Enjoy! Image: Cream cheese icing on a beater, using my Artisan Mixer, available below. food-and-cooking Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:16:04 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/yorkie-love Minnie is a Teacup Yorkie and I love her to pieces, so that's why I called this page Yorkie Love. Minnie only weighs 3 and a half pounds. She's actually not much bigger than my husband's foot. Whenever people come over for the first time and see her, they just stare and say how old is your puppy? When I say 5 YEARS, they are incredulous. "Are you sure that's a dog?" is what I usually hear. "Are you sure she's not a rodent that barks?" Yes, she really is a dog, a Yorkie Dog. This page is dedicated to her and all things Yorkie. Warning! I'm ridiculously in love with Minnie! Minnie wants to tell her own story, so her version is in blue. Enjoy! In the photo, Minnie just got up from a nap. I think it shows her sweetness. pets-and-animals Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:44:07 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/zombie-love Zombie Love is a Musical Play which debuted just in time for Halloween in October, 2010. Sorry you missed it! But you never know when you might get lucky again and be able to view it when it comes to your town. In the meantime, if you are a Zombie lover, this page is for you! Lots of Zombie love going on here and Zombie gifts too! Zombie movies, zombie clothing, zombie photos, zombie everything. Zombie Quotes are from various Zombie movies and the Musical. Enjoy! So about this play, Zombie Love: Yes, there was a movie, an award winning short film made for a college project. But this new staging goes way beyond the film in all directions. Erik Furuheim adapted this play from the original film and is directing it too. All original music was written by a talented musician and composer, Benjamin Sagan. pets-and-animals Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:42:16 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/south-america-sizzles I'm the Squid Angel of the South American countries of Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina and Peru. ( We need more lenses about these fabulous places!) So I regularly get to visit wonderful places all over South America vicariously. What an amazing, sizzling continent! I'm planning a trip in the fall of 2011, to visit Machu Picchu and Chile. Then later Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil. Argentina will have to wait, but it's on the list too. So my research for our trip allows me the luxury of visiting some amazing lenses about the wonderful sizzling continent of South America. Here I am spotlighting 10 of the best of these lenses from all across South America. As time goes on, I will be spotlighting more of the lenses about the wonderland of South America. Enjoy! Map of South America, Public Domain Image, Library of Congress travel-and-places Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:41:39 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/top-my-little-pony-toys-for-girls Perfect for the little pony lover on your list, the Top My Little Pony Toys For Girls are here. Check out these hot deals on these affordable Top My Little Pony Toys For Girls. Any little girl will appreciate these gifts for birthdays or Christmas. My Little Pony is a timeless classic that never goes out of style among little girls. My daughter had every known My Little Pony available at the time, and I sure wish I had saved them, because now my granddaughter loves them so I'm shopping for My Little Pony toys all over again! Image: Celestia My Little Pony, courtesy of Amazon, available below. hobbies-games-toys Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:16:26 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928-necklaces Here are some of 1928 Jewelry Company's newest necklaces from their vintage necklace collection this year. 1928 Jewelry Company has always been my favorite costume jewelry. Both of my grandmothers loved old stuff and both collected jewelry from that era and when 1928 Jewelry Company first started, it reminded me of my grandmothers' collections. I've always been sort of old fashioned in my clothing style too. Stevie Nicks was my clothing idol.( And singing but I digress.) There is just something about the designs of that era that appeals to me. Plus 1928 Jewelry is not expensive for what you get: Gorgeous vintage style jewelry that is well made and will last. It looks far more expensive than it really is. Enjoy! Photo is a Red Garnet Choker Necklace from the 1928 Jewelry Company. 1928 Modern Vintage Necklaces. Over 100 styles to choose from! Or you can shop for them in the 1928 Jewelry Store at True Romantic. Click Here fashion-and-beauty Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:18:52 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/buy-disney-costumes Disney costumes are some of the most coveted costumes around. Anyone who wants or needs a costume for Halloween or a costume party, or even a birthday themed party is bound to think of a Disney character or two who would be interesting to be for a short time. And if you are a parent helping a child pretend for an evening, you no doubt are familiar with some of the Disney characters they will likely want to be. After all, some of the dreamiest characters of animation are Disney characters! So if you are on the hunt for some costume ideas and Disney costumes are a possibility, here are a few for you to consider. If you don't find what you are looking for, click on any costume image and you will be transported to a site with other costumes for you to choose from. Enjoy! Photo is a Poster available at AllPosters.com Click on any Poster to Purchase holidays-and-celebrations Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:25:51 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/summer-color-pages Here I have gathered some summer coloring pages for your coloring pleasure. My artist husband Richard Burns contributed some free printables too. If it's too hot outside to play, come inside and color! Even if you are not soaking up the sunshine, you can still dream of summer activities, and have artwork for your walls too. Who says you have to be an artist? Beautifully colored pages make fine decorations for walls and are really fun to do too. Enjoy the Summer Coloring Pages! Vacation Postage Image is from Zazzle. Click Here for Vacation Postage or More Summer Art hobbies-games-toys Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:39:26 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/black-and-white-christmas Black and White as a Christmas Decor theme might seem a little strange if you have not seen it, but I can tell you from seeing homes decorated in a black and white Christmas theme that it is quite elegant! After all, Christmas trees come in many colors now, including black and white, so there is no actual reason to confine yourself to green and red. That's so retro, you know? Here you will find all the black and white Christmas items you might need to make your home into a knockout Black and White Christmas! Black and White trees, ornaments, garlands, candles, lights, stars, and other black and white surprises! Enjoy! Image: Snowflake Ornament, courtesy of Amazon, available below. holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:59:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/amascancertest Here's why I am writing about the AMAS cancer test. While researching about breast cancer I stumbled across information about a test for cancer anywhere in your body. As it turns out, it is non-invasive and far more accurate than the tests used to detect breast cancer at this time. Women who catch their cancer early have a much better chance of survival and as two of the most common cancers are breast cancer and cervical cancer, I focused on breast cancer here. But the test is equally effective for all types. Skin cancer and lung cancer are also very prevalent, and for men, prostate cancer is a worry. The great thing about the AMAS test is that it catches cancer evidence before it will show up on any standard tests for cancer that are used commonly now. Radiation is a known carcinogen. I don't have mammograms and I don't think you should either. Take the AMAS test instead. Faster, cheaper, minimally invasive, and far more accurate, especially in the eary stages where it has a better chance of being cured. As of November 2009, the AMA guidelines for mammograms have changed to preclude most women under 50 from automatically having them unless other risk factors are present and your doctor recommends one. One of the reasons cited was the known risk of too much accumulated radiation in the body! healthy-living Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:35:22 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/gas-go-karts For some people, only a Gas Go Kart will do. Maybe it seems more like a real car with the fumes and everything! And for some people, gasoline is easier to deal with than electricity. Just pick it up at any gas station, anywhere. To ride one is to feel as if you are in an old fashioned car! Scroll down to see the most popular gas go karts right now! Photo is a Go-Ped Super Go Quad 30 Gas Powered Mini-Kart, available below, courtesy of Amazon. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:05:01 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/shirley-temple-dolls I was given a Shirley Temple Doll when I was 8 or 9 by my maternal grandmother who told me it would be valuable some day and to take good care of it. She and my Mother loved Shirley Temple and we always watched reruns of her movies. So I did as Grandmother said and kept the doll in a nice box and still have her in pristine condition. She also made me a whole box of clothing for her, all of which was just precious, with handmade lace for trim. I recently ran across the box while cleaning my garage. This started me thinking about the dolls and I started researching online to see if they are still popular. It turns out they are very popular with doll collectors. So if you or anyone you know loves collecting dolls, Shirley Temple Dolls are a nice addition to your collection. Enjoy! Image: Shirley Temple holding one of the dolls created in her honor. Available below from AllPosters.com hobbies-games-toys Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:29:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pink-sewing-machines Pink Sewing Machines are for Pink Lovers who sew, not just kids who sew. Manufacturers get it, we love our Pink items and there are lots of Pink Sewing Machines and Pink Sewing Cases and Pink Sewing Accessories. Here you will find all the Pink Sewing Stuff you want, and videos and other resources to help you sew, especially if you are new to sewing. Enjoy! Image: Pink Barbie Sewing Machine, Available below, courtesy of Amazon. arts-and-design Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:44:05 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/house-of-blue Blue is my favorite color. I like all my rooms to have blue, all my clothes to be blue, blue flowers, and blue electronics. I have a blue kitchen, blue stereos, blue camera, blue decorations, blue bathrooms, and blue stuff in every room of the house. My next laptop will also be, you guessed it, blue. So not too long ago I was shopping online and was frustrated because it took so long to find blue stuff. I really don't want to scroll through all the other colors, I already know I want blue. So there I was making a list of all the blue things I want, and a bell went off in my head, ding, ding, ding, "Why not create a Blue Store?" Without any more introduction, here is my House of Blue Store, open now. Visit by Clicking Here Below is a preview of some of the items in my store. Enjoy! Image: "Other Worldly Blue" Available at Zazzle by clicking here home-and-garden Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:27:54 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/2012-is-it-the-end Do You Think 2012 is the End of it All? There's a lot going on, but I'm not sure... The ancient Mayans' calendar ends in 2012. Some scientists say we are in for major solar flares that may disrupt the power grid and bring our modern computer driven life to a sudden grinding halt. But other people say it is just another in a long line of changes that happen all the time in this huge universe we are hurling through, and that life will go on as usual. I'm an optimist, so I don't tend to think anything major will occur. At least not in the physical sense. The end of a year is always a good time to start thinking about what you plan for the next year, and I think I will be doing that as usual on December 21, 2012...just getting ready for 2013. What Do You Think? 2012~Is it the End? Image: Comet Poster Available at AllPosters.com culture-and-society Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:01:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/kids-rideon-toys Some of the first toys children want after they learn how to walk are ride on toys. Yeah, it starts young, you know? Not content to just walk around and exercise on swings and by playing games, children see the vehicles we all have and, monkey see, monkey do, they want a car too! Well, being too young for a car, they have to settle for bicycles, play cars and trains, and mini recumbent bicycles, which is what all the Big Wheel toys are. But don't worry, they can still get around quite well. And hey, anything that gets them outside to play is good! Here I have gathered an assortment of Kids' Ride On Toys for you, sorted by age group to make shopping easier. Enjoy! Image is a Fisher Price Tricycle, available below from Amazon. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:22:44 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-gifts If you have an angel lover in your life, you are lucky! You always have something you can get them and they will love it! There are just not enough angel gifts in the world for you to ever run out. And Angel gifts are appropriate for so many occasions too. I used to manage gift stores and the Angel section was busy all year round. Here are some days that an angel gift would be good for: Christmas, Valentine's, Birthdays, Baptism, Confirmation, Weddings, Easter, Anniversaries, Engagements, and for Sympathy. I am sure you can find your own reasons to give Angels though. I have gathered some really nice ones here for you, in a very large price range to suit all budgets... and all ages. You can also visit my Angel Store for many more Angel Gifts! Click Here for the Angel Store Enjoy! "Morning Angel" © Richard Burns, Used with Permission. In addition, all the beautiful Angel posters on this page available at AllPosters.com. Just click on any image to see all your options regarding purchasing, framing,etc culture-and-society Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:55:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/mrandmrssmith One of the most sizzling romantic adventure films ever made, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is the movie where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met and fireworks exploded on screen and off. This is a smart adult film and a fun romp. It's a little reminescent of War of the Roses in that it is such a dark comedy it's both sad and hilarious. Angelina is one of the few females in Hollywood who is said to be capable of bringing in big box office results in both action films and romantic ones; here she is in her element in both ways. The chemistry is palpable between the stars, and Brad Pitt is both gorgeous and believable as a soft hearted cold blooded sniper. I have watched this film many times and always find it entertaining. The dialogue is very funny! But all the action happens so quickly and the dialogue keeps pace, so you might find yourself watching it again and again like I have...just to catch all of the funny lines. To me this film is a masterpiece of its genre. So here is my review of one of my favorite movies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. entertainment Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:55:47 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/myherodad It has often been said that any man can be a father, but it takes a very special father to be a dad. My Dad was very special and was always my hero. When I was 2 years old he left to go on an assignment in Korea, and was gone for 2 years. I missed him so much that I refused to talk to anyone but my sister and that was only while we were in our room . But every man I saw who looked like him I would run up to and cry "Daddy, daddy..." My mother was at her wit's end with a daughter who was voluntarily mute. That's the term used to describe such behavior. The day he came home I started talking again. Stubborn, yes...but even then I was already "Daddy's girl". My Father died in 2005 and I still miss him very much. When my sister and I went to fill out the paperwork for the headstone at the cemetery, they asked us what it should say, and we both immediately said "Our Hero." This is my tribute to a true hero of our country and our family, My Hero Dad. parenting-and-kids Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:25:53 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-white-christmas Besides the Wish for a White Christmas in a song, people often wish for a White Christmas as in snow. While those are lovely sentiments, this page is more about decorating your home in a White Christmas theme for the Christmas Holidays. Sometimes people like to do the whole house in white Christmas decorations, and sometimes they like to combine white with either silver or gold as the Christmas decorating theme. All of these ideas work and are beautiful! Here I am presenting White Christmas wreaths, trees, garlands, stars, ornaments and lights! And for your complimentary colored decor of silver and gold, I have found all the Chrismas items for you too. So which ever way you go, all white, white and silver, or white and gold, you're set to go on this page. Merry Christmas! Image: White Tree and Gold Butterfly Centerpiece, My Own Christmas Mantle holidays-and-celebrations Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:31:12 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/elmo-rocks My granddaughter is in love with Elmo. As my daughter says, Elmo is a rock star at her house! Baby Lilyana is a genius at spotting Elmo everywhere we go too, so we often have to stop and check out the newest Elmo merchandising offer. But there is nothing like Elmo himself, from the original Tickle me Elmo to the latest Let's Rock Elmo, and all the Elmos in between, there is bound to be an Elmo your child will love. I've already been informed that my granddaughter wants the Let's Rock Elmo for Christmas, so I already ordered it and if you don't want to miss out, order it early. You know how it goes. You want it. You decide to wait a while. You finally decide you're ready to get it and they are sold out. Remember the Tickle Me Elmo Stampedes? Don't let that happen! Get it now. Photo is is the undisputed rock star of the toddler set, Elmo, available below, courtesy of Amazon. holidays-and-celebrations Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:19:40 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928-bridal-jewelry 1928 Jewelry Company has a whole line of vintage style jewelry devoted to bridal jewelry, for the bride, the bridesmaids, and the mothers of the couple too. One of the accessories that you think about most for your wedding is the jewelry. What theme? What color? How to manage the transition between wedding gown and going away clothes without losing it? or dancing without losing it? Those wedding parties can get a little raucus after all. So maybe it's best just to wear some affordable jewelry and if it gets lost, it's not the end of the world. With 1928 Jewelry you get exquisite style that looks incredibly expensive, but it isn't. Enjoy! Photo is a set of Bridal Crystal Earrings available below. All the Vintage Posters are available too. Just click on any image to purchase or browse more products. If you are still looking for your engagement ring, Click Here fashion-and-beauty Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:30:17 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/hersheys-candy-kisses Hershey's Candy Kisses are an American tradition! First manufactured in 1907 they have enjoyed an enduring popularity and have joined the ranks of other icons of American Culture. I love Hershey's Candy of all kinds, but the little Kisses have always been my favorite! Hershey, Pennsylvania where the original factory is located is a true company town. That is, the town was literally built around the factory with help from the factory and it looks like the quintessential Americana depicted on old postcards of the era. The street lights in Hershey are in the shape of the candy kisses we all know and love. You can tour the factory while you are there, for free even. It's not quite the one in Willy Wonka movies, but it is very interesting. Of course you get free chocolate too! Outdoors is a theme park with rides for the kiddies. We really enjoyed our day in Hershey! On this page are lots of varieties of these famous Hershey's candy kisses and some fun facts and uses for them. Enjoy! All the posters are available for purchase from AllPosters.com. Just click to purchase. The Hershey's Poster pictured here is too. Click Here for the Hershey's Poster food-and-cooking Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:12:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/butterfly-costumes Butterfly costumes are a perennial favorite for Halloween fun, and Mardi Gras, and Carnival, and Costume Parties. Here are resources for you if you are looking for them. Butterflies have always fascinated me, so I made some wings and keep them around for becoming an angel or butterfly or fairy, whichever strikes my fancy that year! So if you like butterflies as much as I do, you probably would like to dress up your little darling in a butterfly costume at some point. Here are a few to look at, and a few books and videos to show you how to make your own costumes if you prefer. I also included some beautiful butterfly art. Enjoy! Image: Butterfly from AllPosters.com holidays-and-celebrations Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:57:51 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/holiday-wreaths Holiday Wreaths~ They're not just for Christmas! I use them all year round, for an easy festive way to decorate and celebrate each season of the year. Not only are they a wonderful welcoming door decoration, they look good on the walls in any room instead of a picture! Here you will find some resources to make your own Holiday Wreaths, and some ready made ones to buy if you don't want to make your own. I've also included a year's worth of wreath posters, wreaths suitable for every season, for inspiration, if you want to make your own. Just think of how much storage space you save if you buy posters instead of wreaths! Roll them up around a couple of wrapping paper tubes. Easy storage. Of course there are some real wreaths available here too. And if you don't see any that really speak to you, just click on a wreath and be transported to a site with plenty of options! Enjoy the tour! Image: Red Poinsettia Wreath available below from Amazon. holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:09:54 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/coffee-can-pumpkin-bread Yes, you really can make Pumpkin Bread in a Coffee Can... My Mother started making these unique "loaves' years ago and gave them away to everyone all during the Holidays. I don't know where she found the recipe but our whole family uses it now and we kept the tradition of giving it away to all our friends from right after Halloween all the way through Christmas. Enjoy this wonderful Pumpkin Bread made from your leftover Halloween pumpkin and all the coffee cans in your cabinet you didn't throw away. How cool is that? Don't worry, if you don't have natural pumpkins, you can used canned pumpkin, and if you don't have coffee cans you can use baking pans. See cooks notes below. Enjoy your Coffee Can Pumpkin Bread! And please read about the charity which I support with the proceeds from this lens. You can do the same! Image: Coffee Can Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin, October, 2009. holidays-and-celebrations Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:30:22 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-costume Angel Costumes are actually pretty easy to make, and they are really nice to have around, as children seem to enjoy pretending to be angels and they are useful for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day Parties. I love angels and have several costumes I use as I always dress up for Halloween and Valentine's Day too! Since angels have always fascinated me, I made some wings and keep them around for becoming an angel or butterfly or fairy, whichever strikes my fancy that year! So if you like angels as much as I do, you probably would like to dress up your little darling in an angel costume at some point. Here are a few to look at, and a few books and videos to show you how to make your own Angel costumes if you prefer. I also included some beautiful angel art. Enjoy! ANGEL OF THE DAWN, © RICHARD BURNS, Used with permission Available at Heather Zazzles Visit my Angel Store: Angel Store holidays-and-celebrations Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:50:46 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/quick-chicken-wine-casserole Quick and Easy Chicken Wine Casserole is a recipe I've had forever...It was one that my college roommates and I all cooked for our boyfriends when we wanted to impress them with our "gourmet cooking skills." I have served it at many small dinner parties too, and everyone always thinks you spent hours in the kitchen to make it. Surprise, you can get everything in the oven in 15 minutes or less and just wait till it's cooked 2 and a half hours later...In the meantime, set the table, chill the rest of the wine, and go get ready. When you are done, so is the Quick Chicken Wine Casserole and the rest of the wine. How easy can you get? Oh, did I mention it's awesomely delicious? It is! Enjoy! food-and-cooking Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:33:20 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pink-guitar Pink Lovers who play guitars, rejoice! There are so many Pink guitars! You can find your Pink Guitar here in fact. You will find all the best selling, top rated, most wanted Pink Guitars available right now, and as new ones are available I will add them here. There are Pink guitars for adults, teens, children, and lefties. I even found a Pink ukulele for beginners. So all the future rockers can indulge their love of music and Pink together. I have organized them by acoustic guitars and electric guitars, and have included children's Pink guitars and even Left handed Pink guitars for lefties. Plus there are all kinds of Pink accessories for your Pink guitar. Rock the Pink! Enjoy! Image: Pink Guitar, courtesy of Amazon, available below. music Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:00:04 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/noodle-casserole This is a basic recipe for Noodle Casserole that can be adapted many ways. I will list some variations a little further down. This is another in my series of cookng lenses dedicated to Moms who work at a paying endeavor in addition to doing Mom duty pretty much 24/7. I am past that, thank God! Not that I didn't love it when my children were around, I did. When I was in the thick of it, I kept a notebook of recipes that were simple, quick, and easy on the budget. I know that there are a lot of gourmet cooks and "foodies" on Squidoo. This series is not for them, Instead this is for Moms with no time, career people with no time, or anyone with no time or desire to spend any significant time in the kitchen. Now even though my kids are grown, In my house, noodles are a staple. Quick, and endless variations. Budget conscious, and everyone likes them. And Noodle Casserole can be varied in so many ways, you can serve it often and no one will think you are repeating. Gotta love the ease of that! Just make sure you have some different forms of noodles around and I even like to mix more than one kind in a recipe. Gives it more visual interest. Enjoy! Image: Noodle Casserole, Oct 2008 food-and-cooking Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:48:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-pink-christmas If you are looking for Pink Christmas Decorations, you have landed on your dream page. Here you will find everything you could possibly need for decorating for a Pink Christmas! Pink Christmas wreaths, Pink Christmas trees, Pink Christmas garlands, Pink Christmas ornaments, Pink Christmas lights, and Pink Christmas stockings are all here, along with all the things you need to wrap all your presents and the Pink wardrobe items you might want on Christmas morning. It wasn't all that long ago when Pink as a Christmas theme was unthinkable, but thankfully that's all changed, and Pink lovers can indulge their love of Pink even during Christmas season. Pink Ornament Postage Stamp is available at Zazzle.com by clicking: Pink Postage Stamp. Enjoy! holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 12:44:35 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/yummy-vanilla-icing You can buy vanilla icing in a can, but it just doesn't taste as good as the real thing. It is very simple to make a yummy vanilla icing for all your cake needs. I like to use a basic vanilla icing because you can change it in so many ways. And it's delicious right out of the bowl too. Tint it with food coloring, or decorate the top by adding sprinkles or other decorations. Or just sprinkle some cinnamon or nutmeg on top for a dressy topping. Enjoy! Image: Birthday Cupcake, JoAnne's Cupcake Studio, 2011 food-and-cooking Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:25:05 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/blue-blue-christmas Using a Blue Christmas decorating theme this year? Here you will find all the blue Christmas items you could ever want! Trees, wreaths, garlands, lights, ornaments, stars, outdoor decorations, gift wrapping, it's all here, and it's all blue! Blue lovers have always decorated in blue, all year long and Christmas time too. But every few years it becomes the fad of the moment to use a certain color for Christmas decorating...and every color gets its fifteen minutes of fame it seems. Well blue lovers rejoice, blue has come back into its prime again! There are all shades of blue items for your Blue Christmas theme, and all kinds of blue decorations to help. And you can mix the blue with white, gold, or silver, it doesn't matter, all the combinations make a truly beautiful Blue Blue Christmas. Enjoy! Image: Blue Star Tree Topper, courtesy of Amazon, available below. holidays-and-celebrations Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:43:17 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/wall-masks This page has lots of masks for the mask lover or for anyone who wants one for an occasion, or for their home decor. And if you don't see the mask you want, click on any picture to be transported to a site with many more masks for your shopping pleasure. I have often thought that the reason we have Mardi Gras and Halloween is so we can all dress up and play just like we used to as children. Both holidays seem to bring out the actor or actress in all of us. In the United States, Halloween is a National holiday, and Mardi Gras is huge in many places. The whole city of New Orleans pretty much shuts down for the week long party there during Mardi Gras, and ...all so we can all get dressed up and pretend to be someone else. How funny when you think about it. In South America, Carnaval is a huge celebratory Holiday and people come from all over the world to watch the show(madness). In Africa and in Native American cultures, the mask is an animal totem, a symbol of the animal spirit within us all and is used in ceremonies. In the Far East it is often used the same way. And all the lands down under also have their celebratory masks. Easter Island in Chile has monolithic ones. Here there are different types of wall masks arranged in sections to make it easier to shop. Enjoy! Photo is Hot Pink Mask available below, courtesy of Amazon. home-and-garden Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:20:54 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/family-ring A Family Ring or a Mother's Ring, whichever name you call it, is an exquisite gift to give any Mom. As the mother of 3 beautiful children myself, I can assure you that any Mom will love a gift that reminds her of her greatest treasures. Jewelry is always a good choice for a gift anyway, but a family ring to remind your mother of her children is a gift she will never forget, and she will think of you every time she wears it. Every family gathering and social gathering will be an occasion to display her beautiful Mother's Ring for all to see. I'm shopping for a Family Ring myself, so I have gathered a lot of choices for you, lots of styles, all the metals. Enjoy! Image: Family Ring, courtesy of Amazon, available below. fashion-and-beauty Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:06:06 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/my-sanantonio I have been lucky enough to live in San Antonio three different times in my life. After high school though, like a lot of teens, I wanted to go somewhere else for college, so I moved 90 miles away to Austin. Every year at Fiesta time I would take a group of my friends to San Antonio to visit the festival and show them around the city, and they would "ooh and aah" so much I began to notice how very interesting and charming the city is. It's funny how when you see it through someone else's eyes you begin to see things you didn't see before. Since then I have taken quite a few people to visit there. My parents lived there for years and I have other family there too, so it's still a place I get to visit often. I am always so happy to see the city come into view in the airplane window! From the air, it is a sea of green trees. Being a river city, it has lots of water, and everything grows...so it's full of old growth trees. Under that green canopy lies a charming bustling old world city. When I read the guide books about San Antonio, they talk about the Spurs and the Alamo and the famous Riverwalk, but there is so much more...so come along for a tour of my San Antonio...and some places they miss. My only caution is to plan to go sometime besides the months of July, August, or September, unless you like hot and sticky humid weather. As the natives there like to say, "God created August so the tourists would go home." Photo is the San Antonio River right in front of Casa Rio Mexican Restaurant . Read about the River and the boat tour and the restaurant further down. travel-and-places Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:17:53 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/lilyana My daughter had her first baby, Lilyana Giselle, and I am over the moon about it. This is a lens about Lilyana, and the experience of becoming a grandmother. All posters available at AllPosters.com. Click on any image to purchase. After Lilyana was born, her mother Tasha and I created a store in her honor: Baby Love. Click here to visit Baby Love Enjoy! "When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other." - Chinese proverb parenting-and-kids Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:39:11 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/adhd-news I raised an ADHD child. It is the adventure of a lifetime, as any parent of one knows...and not always in a good way! I feel a little envious that educators are aware of it now: such was not the case when my son was little and it would have done the most good...but I digress. Since it is well known now, people in many fields have studied it and tried to help and Pharma has certainly contributed to the ADHD industry. I say industry because that is what it became...an industry. Since it is now recognized as a real condition, the pendulum has swung the other way, and it has become over diagnosed in my opinion. You see, I am a grandmother, and I have always been involved in my children's education. I was a volunteer for years one day a week in the classroom so I have seen lots of children, both ADHD, and not. The "not" also runs a gamut...some are quite energetic, some much more subdued, but still normal, (whatever that means.) I also home schooled my ADHD son for a while, so I know how frustrating it is to deal with the education of one, let alone a classroom with one or more ADHD children. My hat's off to teachers who keep trying! But I have met many children who have been diagnosed ADHD and many of them seem fine to me! This is a place where I have gathered information to help parents with the task of raising this type of child, and some of my opinions of what will work and what won't. Make no mistake; raising an ADHD child is challenging and sometimes exhausting. I used to feel like screaming. Forget medication for him, I wanted it for myself! But hang in there. If you don't, your child has a reduced chance of success in life. Their life depends on your commitment. Image is from ADHD Awareness League, Used with Permission. parenting-and-kids Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:08:50 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/rocking-horse-gifts Some toys are just classic, and Rocking Horses are definitely on that list. One of the first toys given to toddlers after they can walk is likely to be some sort of ride on toy, and before there were cars, that ride on toy was a horse, usually a rocking horse! And since the earliest days of man's love affair with horses, people have always make replicas of horses to give to their children, whether from wood like in the old days, or later on, the spring ones, or now, the high tech ones. Riding in and on toys is endlessly fascinating to most toddlers and one of the first things they seek after walking. And we all know babies and toddlers love to rock, so a rocking horse satisfies all their rocking and riding instincts at once! Nowadays there are a dizzying amount of rocking horse choices, from wood, to plush, to spring. I remember we had a spring one around for years and years until the last kid was through riding. They loved that Palomino Spring rocking horse but it did take up a bit of space, so I was glad when they outgrew it. The Plush rocking horses are soft and cuddly so more like a real horse I think. But wood is classic and for purists or those creating certain decors, only wood will do. Here I have arranged them by style for your shopping pleasure. Enjoy! Image: Stork Craft Wood Rocking Horse, available at Amazon below. hobbies-games-toys Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:09:48 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/DailyWord Daily Word is a little magazine and now ezine that is published by Unity Church. It is available online or as a little booklet you can carry with you in your purse. And if you need it to be printed larger, there's a "large print" edition that is still small enough for your purse. It is published daily and is only a few sentences in one paragraph, but it is full of spiritual wisdom and often is exactly the message that will help me that day. It's uncanny! It's always uplifting too! It is non-denominational and appropriate for all ages. I have sent Daily Word to many people of many faiths, and all have thanked me profusely. The print editions have beautiful pictures too! culture-and-society Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:20:27 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/murphys-law-duel Murphy's Law Should Be Repealed. Murphy is too negative. His message imparts negative expectations upon yourself and your projects. His law serves no good purpose. It's time to repeal it! If you agree please help by contributing to the Political Action Committee known as Laugh Therapy where Repeal Murphy's Law products are featured. All profits support laughter worldwide. This is a profit making enterprise, so contributions are not tax deductible, but you can feel good about contributing to such a positive endeavor. One small positive step and pretty soon there's a whole universe of positive vibes. entertainment Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:16:28 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pedal_go-karts Pedal Go Karts are the most popular Go Karts, because all you need is your own power to make them go! Pedal, pedal, pedal your way to fun and fitness. With the obesity epidemic now reaching all the way to children, it's more important than ever for them to get exercise and be out in the sunshine. A Pedal Go Kart is just the incentive they need. And talk about fun! When I was a child we played for hours with our Go Karts! If you are not sure which Pedal Go Kart to get, just scroll down for my recommendation for the best one, and also some other choices. Enjoy! Image: Kettler Aero Pedal Go Kart, available below, courtesy of Amazon. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:05:49 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/best-emergency-earthquake-survival-kits These Best Emergency Earthquake Survival Kits are essential for any family households living in earthquake areas. These Best Emergency Earthquake Survival Kits keep your family safe in a time of emergency. You know the old saying, "It's better to be safe than sorry." Be prepared in case disaster strikes with these emergency survival kits. I live in Southern California almost on top of the San Andreas Fault line, so I know! We have had more than a few major earthquakes since I have lived here, and you never know when it might happen again. Be prepared! And anything you need for earthquake emergencies holds true for all the other natural disasters that can occur. Here you will find the Top Emergency Earthquake Survival Kits and some of the supplies that are in them in case you already have a kit and are just adding more supplies. Image: Emergency Earthquake Survival Kit from Amazon, available below. healthy-living Sun, 04 Dec 2011 12:42:19 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-store I opened my Angel Store. Now all my friends who have been hearing me say I was going to open an Angel store someday won't have to hear it any more! Oh no...now they get to hear me say: I opened my Angel store. Come by and visit. It's got all kinds of Angel merchandise: Angel books, Angel art, Angel jewelry, Angel sculptures, Angel cards, even Angel dolls. So come on by for a visit! But if you landed here looking for Angel Art and Angel merchandise, I have some right here on this page for you too. Enjoy! Image: Angel of the Dawn © Richard Burns, Used with Permission. His art is available at and also at Heather Zazzles culture-and-society Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:03:55 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/swan-gifts Here I've collected some wonderful Swan gifts for your shopping pleasure or for your friends who love swans. If you don't see anything you like, click on the images to be transported to stores with more choices. Here you will find all kinds of Swan Gifts: Swan Jewelry, Swan Posters, Swan Art or Swan Wedding favors , you are in the right place. Especially during the late Spring and early Summer, Swans soar in popularity because they are often used as the symbol of monagamy and undying love for weddings, and Spring and Summer weddings seem to be the most popular. One of my lifelong friends has a pair of swans on her lake and she says it is mesmerizing to watch the birds interact with each other and their young. (She watches them hatch and care for a few babies every spring.) Thus the symbol of them as a monagamous family unit that is caring and loving. Happy Shopping! Image is Quiet Waters ©Richard Burns, Used with Permission (he's my husband) Translation: May not be copied in any form for any reason. Image is owned by Applejack Art. They have lawyers and are not afraid to use them. (They already have) pets-and-animals Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:15:26 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/white-witch If traditional Witch costumes are too scary for you, how about a White Witch costume? You still get to cast spells and conjure up magic potions, you just get to wear white or pastels instead of black. And White Witches go around doing good deeds, much like Angels whom they resemble. Remember Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz? She was a White Witch. I think we would all like to be like her. She wore pink, and that's okay too. Many White Witches prefer pastels rather than white. Here are some resources for you to become a White Witch, complete with some simple spells to cast. Enjoy! The White Witch Button pictured here is available at Zazzle This page was featured on the 2011 Halloween Monster Board Top 100 Costume Lenses. Thank You Squidoo HQ! holidays-and-celebrations Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:44:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/wonderwomanmom Mom moved to Heaven on the 4th of July, 2002. I remember thinking how fitting it was that she left us on that day. Because Mom was a true patriot! She was very proud of her service to our country as an Army nurse, and as an Army wife. My mother was an incredible human being and a fantastic mother. I don't think she had any idea how great she was, nor would she have wanted any accolades. She was very humble and content to just do good works and leave the glory for others. Mom was my first "best friend." She was the kind of mother who would listen and never judge. And she was always supportive of my endeavors. Plus she had complete faith and confidence in me, no matter what I did. She is also the most forgiving person I have ever met. There is no one who can ever take her place! This is her graduation picture, from Nursing School, as an R.N. She was only 20 years old! On Mother's Day I used to send her a mushy card, and flowers, and take her out to lunch, and look at all her pretty crochet ... because she was a world class weaver of magic with yarn...It was always such a great day to be with her, just the two of us. It seemed so seldom that I got to have her to myself. We all wanted more of her! Since I can't do that any more, I decided to write this tribute to her. I still can't believe she's gone.... parenting-and-kids Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:25:18 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/buy-beautiful-stamps-online If you are searching for Beautiful Stamps online, this page will show you where to find them. Once upon a time you could get really beautiful stamps at the Post Office all the time! But for the past few years the Post Office has been cutting back on lots of things and stamps are one of them. You really don't have as many choices as you used to have. But not to worry! Many Zazzle artists have created beautiful stamps for all occasions; in fact, there are so many it could take you all day to find them all. In fact, that is the major reason I created my store, Beautiful Stamps. I spent the better part of an afternoon looking for Baby Announcement stamps and thought "There just has to be a better way." There is! Shop my online store where I already categorized them for you. All stamps are approved to be used for USA postage by the US Postal Service. Enjoy! Photos on the lens are pages in my online store, with all designs © by respective Zazzle artists. arts-and-design Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:58:21 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/Angelpost I've always felt connected to angels since the first time I ever saw a picture of one in a church handbook as a child...and years ago I started collecting angel ornaments, a new one every Christmas. Then as time went on I started buying angel sculptures and artwork. Now I have a whole room filled with angel pictures, and angel sculptures are all over my house too. I am sure my guardian angels have helped me all through my life, and even saved me at times. I've always wanted to have a business centered around them. So on this site I will be explaining some fun facts about angels and maybe giving some information not usually known about them. I also have my own Angelica design on shirts, mugs, totes, and pillows for sale. And there will be celestial images added from time to time via my angel blog. There are also some beautiful videos with celestial images and angelic sounds. Enjoy! Please visit my store for more Angels: Click Here for the Angel Store Image: Angel Print, from Zazzle.com culture-and-society Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:14:35 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-purplechristmas Here I have gathered all the Purple Christmas items that you will need to deck your halls this Christmas! Purple Christmas ornaments, Purple Christmas wreaths, Purple Christmas garlands, Purple Christmas trees, Purple Christmas lights, Purple Christmas stockings, and a few Purple surprises! A Purple Christmas is so regal isn't it? I think even if you don't love Purple as a decor color, it is a rich and wonderful color to use at Christmas, especially if you live in an area that has dreary gray skies in Winter. And you can pair it with red or blue for a truly jewel like Christmas! It stands alone just fine too, or you can mix it with gold or even silver. Whatever your style, there's a Purple Christmas theme that will suit you! Enjoy! And Merry Christmas! Image: Purple Ornament, Courtesy of Amazon, Available below. holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:31:10 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/music-for-your-pets The idea of special music for your pets might seem a little strange, but It turns out that music really does have charms to soothe the savage beast... or at least the little beasts known as your pets. Studies show that they respond positively to classical music, especially the music of Bach! Even better news for owners of pets that are anxious, or become anxious when left at home, is that the right sort of classical music will help them feel reassured and less stressful in your absence. This helps prevent destructive chewing and distress in your pets. I use this method and it works! So a few companies specialize in producing soothing music for your pets. I listen to it myself, and I think it is calming for humans too. Here are some CD's that you will both enjoy! Image: courtesy of Amazon, from a CD below pets-and-animals Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:52:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/music-box-collecting Music boxes make wonderful gifts! I used to help manage a district of Music Box stores and so many customers would tell me how much their music box gifts touched people! It does not surprise me; I have loved them all my life. When I was little, my Father got my Mother one as a gift for their anniversary. It was a disc player, a very fine antique one, and she loved it, but I think I loved it more. It had all these little discs about the size of a modern day cd, and each one had little slots in it . Each one played a different song, and those slots were the code implanted in the discs to tell the harp of the box to make noise. (sort of a simplified explanation) It was my favorite thing in our house, whichever house it happened to be. Later when I had children of my own, my Mother sent that music box to me as a birthday gift. I was so excited and gathered all my children around to hear it. Alas, they were young and their response was, "Ok, yeah, that's great, can we go back and play now...." But since I had a growing collection and they had to listen to them regularly, they started appreciating them for the musical instruments that they are, and began buying me new ones as gifts, so now I have a huge collection of them. My Mother also collected them and left me hers, so I can turn on a bunch of them at once and hear a cacaphony of tinkling melodies all over the house anytime I want. Here are some for you browse for your own wish list or those of anyone on your gift list that already "has everthing." Everyone, without fail, is completely delighted upon receiving one as a gift! You can listen to one while you look, and if you don't see a music box you like, click on any image and be transported to Amazon where you can see many more! Enjoy! Photo is an antique Disc Player Music Box. All the Posters on this Page are Available at AllPosters.com. Click to purchase. music Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:21:19 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/color-it-pink This is a page for Pink Lovers! The color Pink is a combination of Red and White, and the energy in Pink and the response it evokes is determined by the proportions of Red to White. For some reason Pink is considered a female color in Western Culture; but it is very beneficial for males too. Shades of deep Pink, such as Magenta have been shown to be effective in neutralizing disorder and violence, so many prisons and mental intitutions have adopted Pink and Magenta as their wall colors. Color psychologists say Pink provides feelings of caring, tenderness, self-worth, love, and acceptance. In Interior Design class we were told to put Pink in rooms to calm the "mood" of the decor. It seems to foster acceptance and contentment and relaxation. A very pale Pink, almost white, is a wonderful wall color in all rooms for these very reasons. Then there are those of us who love the color Pink so much we want all the clothing, decor, and accessories that we can find in the color Pink to be part of our lives. Since I'm one of them, I have lots of pages about Pink stuff. Enjoy some photos of Pink in Nature and some Pink products plus links to my Pink pages. Photos not otherwise credited are my own. Image: Pink Fuchsia Flowers, Santa Clarita, California, Oct. 2011 arts-and-design Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:13:43 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928-twilight-jewelry Below are some of The1928 Jewelry Company's newest pieces from their Twilight collection this year. The Twilight series has really spotlighted the beautiful jewelry of the 1920's and the 1928 Jewelry Company came out with a whole line of Twilight themed Jewelry. It doesn't matter which team you're on, all the twilight characters would agree that 1928 Jewelry Company has really captured the feel and style of the Twilight stories. I love it too, so much that I added the Twilight line to my 1928 Jewelry Store at True Romantic. Photo is a black onyx vintage necklace, available below. All the posters on this page are available by clicking on the image. Enjoy! fashion-and-beauty Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:48:05 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/fairy-gallery Here I have gathered a whole gamut of fairy art for your shopping and decorating pleasure, thus a fairy gallery. Fairies are a wonderful theme for decorating a home! Of course many little girls have had a fairy theme while growing up, and many teenage girls do too. I used to love Tinkerbell and had pictures of her on my walls. But even some adults love fairies and there are many decorative fairies for your interior and exterior design. I love fairies in the garden to watch over my plants, and indoors to watch over my fireplace mantel. If that describes you, scroll on down for some beautiful fairies and lots of fairy art. Enjoy! Image: Fairies, available at AllPosters.com culture-and-society Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:27:20 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/quick-kids-meals If you have kids, you need some quick kids' meals in your repertoire, because sometimes they want it now! So this is my an introduction to my series of cooking lenses dedicated to Moms who work at a paying endeavor in addition to doing Mom duty pretty much 24/7. I am past that, thank God! Not that I didn't love it when my children were around, I did. But when you are still in that stage, you need Quick Kids' Meals! When I was in the thick of it, I kept a notebook of recipes that were simple, quick, and easy on the budget. I know that there are a lot of gourmet cooks and "foodies" on Squidoo. This series is not for them. Instead this is for Moms with no time, career people with no time, or anyone with no time or desire to spend any significant time in the kitchen. If that describes you, this might just be your new favorite page. Enjoy! Image: An Egg Salad Sandwich using healthy bread and leaf lettuce food-and-cooking Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:22:32 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/butterfly-meadow-dishes Lenox, the maker of countless beautiful China patterns has done it again and produced a design for the ages, Butterfly Meadow China Dishes. Butterflies! the symbol of Spring, new life, beauty from ugliness, the wonders of Nature...Who doesn't love butterflies? So Butterfly Meadow immediately makes one think of a beautiful Spring day chasing butterflies around the meadow! What a happy thought! Well these dishes remind you all year long of the promise of that Spring day in the meadow...when the dew was still on the grass and everything seemed new. All Pictures on this page are available at AllPosters.com including this one. Click on any poster to purchase home-and-garden Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:32:48 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/paper-doll-heaven Now that I have a granddaughter, I was wondering if paper dolls are still popular, and it turns out they are! Here I have gathered lots of paper dolls of all kinds so any interest of any child will be represented. But if you still don't see the ones you are looking for, click on any set of dolls to find more. When I was little, our family moved all the time, sometimes 4 times in a year, due to my Father's job in the Army. So we were not allowed to have many toys because they took up space when we moved. As a result we spent many a day and night doing art work, reading, and playing board games and cards, all things which required very little space. So I had very few dolls, but I had paper dolls, lots of them. My Mother was artistic so she sometimes drew them for us, but we bought them too. I spent countless hours playing with them and figuring out cool outfits by cutting up the outfits given in the books, and rearranging them. When interesting things happened in the news, frequently there would be paper dolls made to commemorate the people and events. That is how I integrated the news into my life. Otherwise it made no sense to my young mind. (Not that it makes any more sense now.) I still think paper dolls are a fantastic activity for young children. They take up little room, and allow all sorts of creativity. And the famous people of today are still being made into paper dolls. What a great way to introduce current events. Enjoy! Photo is the cover of William and Kate Paper Dolls Book, courtesy of Amazon, available below. hobbies-games-toys Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:05:19 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-taylor-swift-doll Taylor Swift Dolls are the newest line of celebrity dolls and they are very suited to her I think. She is like a doll herself. But these dolls are not just fashion dolls; these are singing dolls! Yes, Taylor Swift Singing Dolls! Beyond her musicianship seems to be a very sweet soul. I love that she is a "good girl" and not the rebel wild girl that seems to always get a lot of attention. Taylor makes being a "good girl" seem cool again. She has a lot of poise, and can you say wow! Beautiful! I think these Taylor Swift Singing Dolls are great for preteens and teenagers who still like to play with them. A much better role model than Barbie! You can download her songs below too. If you are interested in Taylor's guitar, click on the link: Taylor Swift's Guitar. Image: Taylor Swift Singing Doll, courtesy of Amazon, available below. hobbies-games-toys Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:01:45 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/jewelry-boxes-and-cabinets Most people like to have a jewelry box or cabinet to hold their jewelry all in one spot. So a jewelry box is a very welcome gift! Some people even need a whole jewelry cabinet or armoire to hold their vast collections. In fact there are so many different kinds of jewelry boxes and jewelry cabinets that the choice can by dizzying. So I sorted them into different types so you can see your choices and match up the amount of jewelry and the type of furniture your intended recipient uses for the perfect gift. If you don't find what you like, click on any picture to be transported to a site where you can view many more. Enjoy! Image: Jewelry Armoire from Amazon, available below. fashion-and-beauty Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:36:44 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-red-christmas Here I have gathered all the Red Christmas items that you will need to deck your halls this Christmas! Red Christmas ornaments, Red Christmas wreaths, Red Christmas garlands, Red Christmas trees, Red Christmas lights, Red Christmas stockings, and a few red surprises! A Red Christmas is so cheerful isn't it? I think even if you don't love red as a decor color, it is cheerful for Christmas especially if you live in an area that has dreary gray skies in Winter. And you don't have to pair it with the traditional green either. It stands alone just fine, or you can mix it with white or gold or even silver. And if you're into vampires, add in black. Whatever your style, there's a Red Christmas that will suit you! Enjoy! And Merry Christmas! Image: Red Boxes Lawn Decoration, Available from Amazon, below. holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 12:46:37 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/buy-lady-gaga-makeup Before I talk about Lady Gaga and how to look like her for Halloween, I'd like to give a little background. You can buy Lady Gaga makeup here but there is more to looking like her than smearing on some makeup. She has an attitude that shines through her every style choice, makeup included. Every few years a new outrageous act seems to come along and grab the world by storm for a while and right now that act is Lady Gaga. She is the latest in that long line of bohemian women who are not constrained by society's idea of fashion or style or performance. Many years ago a woman named Mae West caused a sensation with her sexual innuendo. There was a time when Cher was considered risque because she dared to show her belly button on TV! A while later Madonna took the world stage as much for her outrageous outfits as for her music. Britney Spears also was considered a little wild; some people call her Madonna Light. Pink is in the same class, although not quite as well known. And the two of them just never reached the zenith of the world the way Madonna did. It remains to be seen if Lady Gaga will or not, but right now she is hot, hot, hot. So 2011 Halloween is bound to bring out lots of little Lady Gagas. Here are some makeup ideas so your little darling or you can look just like her! I've included videos so you can see some of her makeup tricks. All your Lady Gaga Makeup kits are here too. Click on any item to purchase or to find more items. Enjoy! holidays-and-celebrations Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:26:27 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/no-bake-chocolate-nut-cookies No Bake Chocolate Nut Cookies! You had me at No Bake and Chocolate, let alone add in nuts! This recipe is perfect for those times when you want something sweet and don't want to heat up your kitchen, or if you want something easy to make that your kids can help with, or you need a quick easy treat to take to a party. And if the kids help, they can take some to their teachers and truthfully say that they made them a special gift! I always made these with my kids while listening to Holiday Music. They could feel like they were part of the big cooking extravaganza that was going on and I didn't have to worry about their getting burned while learning.... Quick, easy, delicious cookies! What could be better? Here's the recipe for the No Bake Chocolate Nut Cookies. Enjoy! Profits generated from this lens go to support Save the Children. Please read about this wonderul group further down the page. This Cookie Recipe was featured on the Cookie Quest Monster Board, Fall, 2011. Thank you Squidoo HQ! food-and-cooking Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:02:56 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/singer-serger Singer Sergers are my favorite Sergers. My first sewing machine was a Singer. My mother and both my grandmothers had Singer sewing machines. I guess I just feel loyal; Singer speaks sewing , you know? But it's not just that. I went to my local sewing store and tried a bunch of sergers to get a feel for how they perform for actual sewing. I tried a whole bunch of brands, and I just like Singer sergers the best. So here I have all the Singer Sergers I could find and I'm sure there is a Singer Serger that will fit your budget and requirements. Enjoy your sewing! Image: Singer Serger, available below, from Amazon.com arts-and-design Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:22:48 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/best-dog-training I have reviewed quite a few training books and video systems for dog training, and wanted to share my opinion of the best dog training so owners would have a good idea of which ones work best for their situation. I love dogs and I feel very badly about all the ones that are being abandoned to shelters or worse, left in foreclosed houses, or just dumped somewhere because the owners got tired of issues with barking or potty training or other unwanted behaviors. There are lots of good books and video trainings to help end these problem behaviors and make dog ownership the fun experience it was meant to be. And wouldn't it be nice to have a well trained dog when company comes over? Even though I love dogs, I don't like being jumped all over and slobbered on and imagine how those that don't love them feel when this happens.It doesn't take much to train them; like people they respond very well to love and kindness and positive reinforcement. Even the most stubborn behaviors can be helped with the right method. For myself, I like clicker training, even though I have seen lots of other ways that work. Keep reading for more information on specific problems and how to address them. The picture is Minnie, my Teacup Yorkie, a spoiled but sweet , adorable little spirit, who has no idea she is smaller than almost everything else. I always say she has NO self esteem issues. All of the cute Puppy Posters are from AllPosters.com and are available just by clicking on them. Buy at AllPosters.com pets-and-animals Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:47:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/quickgourmet Why I made this Quick Gourmet page, when there are real chefs on Squidoo: (What was I thinking?) I know that there are a lot of gourmet cooks and "foodies" on Squidoo. This lens is not for them, Instead this is for Moms with no time, career people with no time, or anyone with no time or desire to spend any significant time in the kitchen, but who still want to eat well. It's gourmet for busy people, thus the name. I hadn't meant to publish food lenses. I love to cook, but quit doing it a while back when my kids left the house. Without the daily necessity of cooking meals, I just sort of quit. There are so many things I like to do and want to do, that I began eating snack foods and cold foods, so I would not have to stop what I'm doing. But I joined a group on Squidoo called Rocket Moms and one of our assignments was to create a recipe lens. While looking through some of mine, I noticed that I have quite a collection of quick and tasty recipes. Voila, Quick Gourmet was born. Here are some of my recipes, tips, and favorite products to make cooking fun and produce healthy, enjoyable food experiences without too much fuss. Enjoy! Photo is a market in Thailand. food-and-cooking Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:47:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/my-travel-bucket-list "The Bucket List" was a movie that inspired millions of people to make a list of all the things they want to do before they "kick the bucket", or die, and it got me to thinking too; Maybe I should make a Travel Bucket List. I have been extremely lucky in my life to travel extensively, and if I never got to travel again, I would consider myself extremely fortunate...but there are still places I would like to go. So I made a list of some places that I would really like to share with my husband before our time on this planet is over, my Travel Bucket List. In no particular order then, here are my top ten places I'd like to see. For each destination I have highlighted a lensmaster whose lens(es) I really enjoyed reading and I think you would too...so here is My Travel Bucket List. Enjoy! All Posters on this page are available at AllPosters.com. Click on any poster to purchase or shop for other posters. travel-and-places Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:00:46 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/willow-tree-angels Willow Tree Angels are exquisite little sculptures that all angel lovers appreciate. Really, how can you resist those cute little wire wings? I can't. And since they are totally affordable little collectibles, the Willow Tree Angels have become my favorite little gift to give (and receive) for all occasions. It doesn't matter what the occasion is, there's a Willow Tree Angel for that. You simply cannot go wrong giving one of these darling little collectible angels as a gift! Image: "Angel of Light" Willow Tree Angel, courtesy of Amazon, Available below. All of the Posters on this page are also available for purchase. Just click on the image. You can also see many more Willow Tree Angels at My Angel Store. culture-and-society Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:41:25 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/george-harrison-songs George Harrison was one of the original Beatles, and has often been called, "The Quiet Beatle." He was more quiet than the others, and seemingly more interested in spirituality than the others. For sure his musical tastes ran differently, into Indian music and sitars. After the Beatles broke up he took the longest to make an album on his own, but it was a masterpiece, just as you would expect, "All Things Must Pass". Ironically, it is the most successful of all the albums ever done by an ex-Beatle! He collaborated with many musicians, notably Ravi Shankar, the master sitarist from India. He and Ravi were so upset by the poverty in Bangladesh that they organized a concert 1971 in Madison Square Garden with all proceeds going to benefit the Bangladesh orphans. Later he performed with the Traveling Wilburys along with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. He also performed often with Eric Clapton who was his best friend. Those who knew him always said he was gentle and agreeable, "a musician's musician." Like all the other Beatles, George Harrison was Knighted by Her Majesty the Queen of England. He had many Grammy Awards and is listed as the 21st Best Guitarist of All Time according to Rolling Stone magazine. Besides his many musical awards, he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009. So George was quieter and shunned the limelight, and he leaves an enigmatic legacy, but he was a genius like the other Beatles! Enjoy! Poster of George Harrison is available at AllPosters.com below. music Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:47:23 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/a-blue-moon Have you ever wondered where that phrase, "Once in a Blue Moon" came from? Well, so did I. Turns out it has a history besides the song. Astronomically speaking, a Blue Moon refers to the phenomenon of a second full moon occurring in a single month. This occurs on a regular schedule, but rarely, thus the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon" means it seldom happens. This has prompted many companies to use "Blue Moon" in their name, as a symbol of excellence. They want to paint themselves as the best of the best, the type of company or product that comes along only "Once in a Blue Moon." I have included many logos and some information about some Blue Moon companies. Musically speaking, a Blue Moon refers to a song that is an old stand by and has been covered by many artists. "Blue Moon" was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934. I have included some of the more famous ones here, and a whole bunch of Blue Moon paraphernalia. If you are looking for information about Blue Moon Beer, it's here too. Enjoy! Image: Blue Moon Poster from Zazzle.com, click here to purchase. home-and-garden Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:20:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/quick-beef-stroganoff I have been making this particular quick and easy Beef Stroganoff since college days, and don't remember where I got the recipe. The recipe card is faded now. It works well for a family dinner, but is also is elegant enough for guests, and either way, I like the fact that it doesn't make a big mess in the kitchen. This quick beef stroganoff recipe calls for cooking it in one large skillet, and you can use an electric skillet...which makes it even easier. Served with a salad, and a fruit dessert, you have an elegant dinner. Just be sure to use nice dishes, and nice table linens, to set a festive mood. Enjoy! Image: Beef Stroganoff, Oct 2009 food-and-cooking Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:20:23 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-biscuits Angel Biscuits are just like their name sounds, light and fluffy and heavenly! They take a little more time to make than the canned variety or making them from a mix, but they are so good that every once in a while I just have to have some Angel Biscuits! My grandparents owned a restaurant, and this is my Grandmother's recipe. She always made everything from scratch with fresh ingredients and love. Enjoy! Image: Angel Biscuits in a pink napkin, October 2010. food-and-cooking Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:06:04 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/coloring-pages-and-copyright There seems to be much confusion on Squidoo about copyright violations when it comes to coloring pages and images. Many people seem to think that if an image is on the internet they can just use it without asking. I guess in the beginning of using the internet, in the haste to download beautiful images, lots of us did this. But most of us didn't use those images to illustrate our articles as if they were our own. That's just not okay. Just like you are supposed to give credit for images on articles, you are supposed to give credit for coloring images. So no, it's not okay to use downloaded images from another site on a squidoo page without crediting the original image and linking back to the site. And especially, you can't post the image on your Squidoo page and invite people to copy/paste it. That is really not okay. Others seem to think that using an image from a site that says it does not permit commercial use is still okay on Squidoo. (Just in case you did not know, SQUIDOO is a commercial site and you cannot use images from sites that don't permit commercial use.) No this is not okay. Even if you give all the money to charity, it's still a commercial use of the image. Then there are those who use images from sites and actually knowingly or not knowingly steal the bandwidth of those sites by linking to the image instead of to the website. So the website owner gets no attribution, no credit, and no exposure for the rest of his site. No, this is not okay either. ( There are a few sites that do permit this.) In fact, all of these things are also against the TOS of the other sites, and also the TOS of Squidoo. (TOS=Terms of Service) Read on for more specifics and to certify yourself as a lensmaster who does not steal. Yes that's harsh isn't it. But copyright violation really is stealing. Bandwidth theft really is stealing. And leaving lenses with copyright infringements sitting there month after month to collect money is stealing from the companies involved, and also from your fellow lensmasters. Yes it's tier income theft. All those lenses with illegal images which are in the top tiers and generating tier income are using up spots which really should not belong to them until they are in compliance with basic copyright law. Image: Squidoo's Logo which I asked for and was granted permission to use, in 2009. See the terms of use here. Every page I have on Squidoo donates to charity. squidoo-community Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:00:03 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928-earrings The vintage style jewelry of the 1928 Jewelry Company has always been my favorite costume jewelry. Probably because it reminds me of both of my grandmothers' jewelry collections. There is just something about the designs of that era that appeals to me. Plus 1928 Jewelry is not expensive for what you get: Gorgeous jewelry with a vintage feel that is well made and will last. It looks far more expensive than it really is. Well now it is available online so I had to gather some together to showcase it. Earrings are perhaps one of the easiest ways to personalize your outfit. Rings bother some people's hands. And if you have a beautiful face or hair and want to draw attention to it, earrings that sparkle are a great way to do so. They are also less expensive than some of the other jewelry pieces. So indulge your earring passion, and your vintage passion all at once, right here! Pictured earrings are some of the newest from the Vintage Earring Collection at 1928 Jewelry Company , available below. All the vintage posters are also available. Just click on any image to purchase or browse. fashion-and-beauty Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:04:26 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-cards Announcing my new line of Angel Cards, called simply, AngelCards. My husband and I are combining our creativity for this project: He painted all the beautiful angels, and I created all the layouts and concepts and chose the fonts,etc. Stay tuned for more, also! Christmas Cards are on their way... Enjoy! May Blessings rain down upon you forever. "Angel of Abundance" © by Richard Burns, Used with Permission The cards are available at Heather Zazzles. Also, you can visit my Angel Store with all sorts of Angel Merchandise: An Angel Store culture-and-society Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:00:10 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/top-gourmet-chocolate-gift-baskets Looking for a quick and easy gift for that chocolate lover on your list? Check out one of these Top Gourmet Chocolate Gift Baskets and they'll sure to have a smile on their face when they see it. These Top Gourmet Chocolate Gift Baskets can easily be sent anywhere for a quick last minute gift that is thoughtful, welcome, and appreciated. Image: Chocolate Gourmet Gift Basket from Amazon, Available below. holidays-and-celebrations Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:17:59 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/quick-and-easy-chicken-curry This basic Chicken Curry is extremely simple, and yet quite elegant. I have served it at dinner parties many times and received many compliments. Just having the word "curry" in the title of a recipe somehow makes it seem exotic, doesn't it? But making a curry dish is simple. It's just a matter of adding some wonderful curry powder in a sauce and serving with some rice. I like to add a few raisins into the rice and add chutney on the side, like they do in India and Thailand and other Asian countries I have visited. I have included some sources of curry powder and chutney too, so no need to even go shopping! Enjoy! Image: Chicken Curry, from MallyDally, Used with Permission under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic) food-and-cooking Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:48:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/TUTdaily No, I don't mean King Tut, the mummy, but the positive enterprise known as TUT, or Totally Unique Thoughts. Just by giving them your email, TUT Daily will send you a totally inspiring uplifting joyful message in your inbox Monday through Friday of every week. It would be impossible to be anything but happy after you read it. Keep reading for an example of the greeting you get every day! culture-and-society Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:03:14 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/winged-costumes Winged Costumes is the name I gave this page because it is all about costumes of winged creatures, real and imaginary. I love Halloween, and dressing up in general! So I have made a few lenses about costumes and how to make them, find them, wear them.... This is a lensography of the ones that have wings, and it's funny but most of mine do! I guess, like Icarus, I just want to fly! All the Beautiful posters are available at AllPosters.com. by clicking any image. This one is Dragonfly Dreams by Ichter. holidays-and-celebrations Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:49:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/buy-chocolate-fountains Lately almost every party I go to seems to have a chocolate fountain instead of dessert. I can see why. It's luscious. It's easy. It's actually healthier for you than cake or pie. You have heard of the health benefits of chocolate, right? And you dip fruit in it. Healthy! Plus it solves the centerpiece problem. I can't think of a more beautiful centerpiece than a chocolate fountain! So I decided to find a chocolate fountain for my own parties, and voila, this page was born. Here is a selection of many colors and sizes of chocolate fountains, with accessories and the ingredients for a perfect chocolate river flowing out of your fountain. Yum! Chocolate, easy, and beautiful! How much more can you ask? Enjoy! Photo is Oster Fountain available below. food-and-cooking Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:16:36 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/wedding-cuff-links Getting Married? Shopping for Wedding Cuff Links? Choose from a variety of Wedding Cufflinks for the whole Wedding Party, including Silver Wedding cufflinks, Gold Wedding cufflinks, Blue cufflinks, Red cuff links; All the colors that you might like are here. Plus there are specific wedding cuff links for the Groom, the Father of the Bride, the Father of the Groom, the Groomsmen, the Ushers, and more. If you don't see any that really speak to you, click on any link and find more. Enjoy, and if you are the Bride or Groom, Best Wishes to you and Happiness Always! Image: Wedding Postage Stamp by Cherylsart@ Zazzle, Click Here to Purchase. weddings Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:10:25 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/expensive-white-gold-engagement-rings If you are looking for an expensive white gold engagement ring you could search a long time before finding a more beautiful and classic ring than the one I have featured here. There are many beautiful engagement rings so it's very hard to showcase just one! But you cannot go wrong with a classic ring ....especially one as beautiful as a princess cut diamond in white gold. Styles may come, and styles may go, but a classic solitaire diamond goes with everything. So if you are looking for a classic ring, this is a perfect choice. You can of course get it with a bigger stone, but 2 carats is a good start! If that's not big enough, just go ahead and click on the ring below or the links below that for other choices. Enjoy, and best wishes to you. May you always be happy. Image courtesy of Amazon. Ring is available below. weddings Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:45:35 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/chocolate-duel And I Say Dark Chocolate Rules! Dark chocolate is healthier! Since it has less sugar, It has less calories...and more chocolatey goodness and antioxidants. That means you can eat more, right? And it tastes better too. I personally like Dark Chocolate Truffles better than just about any food in this universe! Really, I will give up a week's worth of snacks just to have a couple of these little heavenly treats. But they aren't the only dark chocolate I like, oh no, I like it all. Dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses, Dove Bars, Russell Stover, you name it, I love it if it's dark chocolate. I even make my chocolate fondues with dark chocolate. But that's just me. Some people like milk chocolate better, so they get to have their say here too. It's a duel, after all. Still I have a suspicion that more Squidoo Lensmasters prefer Dark Chocolate... Posters can be purchased from AllPosters.com by clicking on the images. Enjoy! food-and-cooking Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:12:48 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/restoring-the-american-dream Long before Ron Paul was a household name, Robert Ringer was at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list, for several landmark books. In fact, two of his books are on the New York Times list of the 100 best motivational books of all time. Mr. Ringer has revised one of his best works: Restoring the American Dream. Originally written and published in 1979, Restoring the American Dream has often been called the original Libertarian Party manifesto....not because Mr. Ringer called it that, just because he so eloquently explained the concept of personal liberty and the principles that are at the core of the U.S. Constitution. It's not an endorsement of the Libertarian Party either. It's just a book that explains our core principles of government that the founding fathers left us. Ron Paul has written a forward to the book, along with Stephen Moore.This is a must read for anyone who values freedom and the American way of life. culture-and-society Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:41:53 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/beautiful-stamps Beautiful Stamps have always been a little passion of mine. I like to decorate everything including my mail. So I have bought many pretty stamps at the Post Office where once upon a time you could get really beautiful stamps all the time! But for the past few years the Post Office has been cutting back on lots of things and stamps are one of them. You really don't have as many choices as you used to have. But not to worry! Many Zazzle artists have created beautiful stamps for all occasions; in fact, there are so many it could take you all day to find them all. In fact, that is the major reason I created my store, Beautiful Stamps. I spent the better part of an afternoon looking for Wedding Announcement stamps and thought "There just has to be a better way." So I created a store of beautiful stamps, all categorized for you already. On this page you will find some of the pages in my store and links to it for many more beautiful stamps. All stamps are approved to be used for USA postage by the US Postal Service. Enjoy! Photos on the lens are pages in my online store, with all designs © by respective Zazzle artists. arts-and-design Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:02:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928-bracelets Here are some of 1928 Jewelry Company's newest vintage style bracelets from their collection this year. Enjoy! 1928 Jewelry Company has always been my favorite costume jewelry. Funny that it was not invented till 1962. But both of my grandmothers loved old stuff and both collected jewelry from that era and when 1928 Jewelry Company first started, it reminded me of their collections. I have quite a few pieces of this beautiful jewelry. As a bonus, 1928 Jewelry is not really expensive for what you get: Gorgeous jewelry with a vintage feel that is well made and will last. It looks far more expensive than it really is. Bracelets are a wonderful jewelry piece, especially if you have long hair and earrings won't show and a necklace will get lost. Just throw on a beautiful necklace to dress up your outfit! Happy Shopping! Photo is Stretch Bracelet in Russet, Available below. The Vintage 1920's Posters are available too. Just click on any image to purchase. fashion-and-beauty Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:20:35 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/repeal-murphys-law Yes, we should Repeal Murphy's Law! Murphy is just far too negative. Do we really want to promote his negative message? Words have power. Besides, his law serves no purpose. It's time to repeal it. These products are to promote my campaign to repeal his law. Who needs it? Besides, where did Murphy get that silly idea anyway? Scroll down to see the hilarious answer. But there are just too many silly laws and we need to start repealing some of them. Murphy's Law is just the first of many. It all starts with the first step. So please join me in my campaign to repeal this antiquated law! Image: Murphy's Law Hat, available below in my Zazzle store. *Design is copyrighted and phrase is trademarked. entertainment Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:52:15 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/naturalwonder I called this page Natural Wonder because there is just so much natural beauty on this planet and I have been lucky enough to travel extensively and photograph lots of those beautiful natural spots. My favorite vacations have always been ones in our national or state parks or other beautiful places. There's just something about getting away from concrete and buildings and masses of humanity that soothes the soul and refreshes. There does not seem to be any stress that won't be minimized by getting away from it all! Immersion in green trees, beautiful rocks, flowing waterfalls, mountains, seashore, even the desert, all make life worth living even after the worst "civilized" experiences. Whenever I need to think, I head for a country road, open the windows and just breathe the fresh air. 20 minutes is all it takes to have a new outlook. Here are some stories and pictures of some of my favorite natural wonders. travel-and-places Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:53:39 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/paul-mccartney-songs Paul McCartney was and is my favorite Beatle. Yes, he was the cute one, wasn't he? But it's always been more than that for me. In a time when rock stars were running around the planet bashing holes in hotel walls and breaking their guitars while having orgies as often as possible, Paul McCartney put his wife Linda on keyboards and his kids on the bus so they could tour with him. He wrote majestic timeless odes to his wife. And he and his family lived out of the limelight on a farm in the country. (in a 2 bedroom house for 4 children, no less) Not your average rock star is he? Paul is somewhat of a clown, and more lighthearted than the other Beatles, more likely to make fun of a silly idea than to preach about it. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have strong convictions. He has been a champion of animal rights for many years, and a spokesperson against land mines for over a decade. He is also the most successful pop musician in history and has been knighted by Her Majesty, The Queen of England. That is why he is now formally titled, Sir James Paul McCartney. I first got to see him when he toured with the Beatles in 1965. I was the youngest person to win a radio contest that promised a bus ride to Houston to see the Beatles. My parents had to sign a waiver and I rode over to Houston with a bunch of teenagers and sat in the bleachers with 10,000 other fans and could not hear the music for all the screaming. I actually did not get the whole Beatle thing for a few more years. Later I got to see him perform with Wings,on the "Wings over America" tour in the 1970's. In 1989 I got to see him twice in Berkeley, and then in the 1990's he conducted a symphony in Orange County, California so I went to see him again. It has always been a thrill to see him, as he is an amazing performer. Image: Paul McCartney Poster is available at AllPosters.com music Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:57:51 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/buy-a-car-on-ebay You might be wondering why you should even consider buying a car on eBay. Here is my story. I love my car! I love the style, the color, the size, the way it handles, everything about it. But most of all, I love my experience of buying it! A few years back I decided it was time to buy myself a new car and wanted to get a really beautiful one, but a good deal. One of my rules is : Never pay retail... So after looking at every car I saw on the road that I liked, I narrowed it down to the Jaguar S-type. Next I did all kinds of research on the price, and the options avialable. Then I went to Kelley Blue Book and priced what was fair market value for what I wanted. Then I reduced that amount by 25%! Kelley Blue Book provides a free online pricing tool and a free car buying guide. There's a link below to this valuable information. Since I had started over in life by myself in 2001, I decided to get a 2001 model. And since I love Blue, I went for Navy Blue. Then I decided on my maximum price, and my maximum number of miles driven for one. Next stop eBay. I went to the eBay Motors site and typed what I wanted into the Search bar, and presto, 3 were available. I picked one and communicated with the seller about how to ship the car and how to pay. The seller and eBay handled all the details of shipping. All I did was arrange how to pay. About 10 days later I went over to a local shipyard and picked it up. If you need financing, they have that too. It was the most painless auto buying transaction I have ever had, and it is still my favorite car I've ever owned. So I totallly recommend buying a car on ebay and will do it next time too. All the beautiful posters are from AllPosters.com.Click on any image to purchase. cars Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:34:25 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/richard-burns-angels Richard Burns is famous for his wildlife and cottages, but as a favor to me, he painted some angels for the book I am writing about these heavenly creatures. Now the Richard Burns' Angels paintings have become quite popular, so we decided to publish the prints and posters ourselves. They will be available soon, but you can purchase his angels on products right now! Just go to my zazzle gallery at Heather Zazzles to look for Angel Cards and Christmas Cards. and visit my Angel Store for lots more Angels! Enjoy! Image: Angel of the Dawn, © Richard Burns "I Give Thanks for This Perfect New Day. Miracle shall follow miracle, and wonders shall never cease." ~Morning Prayer holidays-and-celebrations Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:13:02 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/lighthouse-gifts If you love lighthouses or have a lighthouse lover in your life, here is an array of lighthouse gifts! There are all kinds of lighthouses for your home, in sculptures, posters, paintings, and books. There is even lighthouse jewelry. Enjoy! Lighthouses go back to the times of the Egyptians and maybe before. For sure Alexander had them constructed to aid in his navigation. And the Romans had them constructed in their building glory days as well. And worldwide they symbolize Hope to sea navigators. In a storm they are the beacon guiding sailors home to a safe shore, in the dark, a light in the darkness, in the light, a tall beacon marking safety...to all they say Welcome. It was not until I researched that I learned their architecture has always been dictated by the constraints of holding the lanterns for the searchlight. The formulas to determine the size of the buildings are very intricate. They must accommodate the lights and the strains of the the seaweather on the building; they must be very strong indeed! Not being the engineering type, my husband and I are just intrigued by the architecture of them. We would love to live in one! Rich has been painting lighthouses for many years and we have a few for sale. We will have prints available soon. Enjoy all the Lighthouse gifts. Happy shopping! Painting is "Parker Cove" © Richard Burns, used with Permission. Available for purchase home-and-garden Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:22:16 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/butterfly-gifts This is a page of butterfly gifts of all kinds, for butterfly lovers everywhere. I am posting it right after the devastating earthquake of 2011. Japan is the land of my birth and holds a special place in my heart. Like a butterfly from its cocoon, I hope it rises from the ruin glorious again. This page is dedicated to the survivors. I have always been fascinated by anything that flies: birds, butterflies, dragonflies, angels, fairies, spaceships, airplanes, etc. But butterflies are especially wonderful because they are beautiful to look at, and their life cycle is fascinating too. The idea that from the end comes a new beginning is personifed in the journey of the caterpillar into a butterfly. I think that is their allure really. In the Far East, butterflies are a symbol of good luck in several cultures, and in Japan they are the symbol of young love. Really, who doesn't love butterflies? Besides being beautiful, they are very useful for your garden, and it turns out the study of their wings has led to technological advances! All the beautiful butterfly posters on this page are from AllPosters.com. Click on any poster to purchase. Enjoy the butterfly gifts! This is a charity lens for Save the Children, to help them in their efforts to assist the children of Japan impacted by the devastating earthquake of 2011. Please read about this wonderful charity below. You can help! pets-and-animals Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:55:18 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/tsa-duel Yes, the TSA is out of control! Strong words, I know. But some things have gotten so ridiculous I don't know what country I'm in. Last time I checked, the 4th Amendment protects us from unlawful search and seizure. The TSA head honcho says our 4th amendment rights don't appy in airports and that the new rules are not going away and the American public will just have to accept the new rules (give up our human dignity) "in the name of the greater good." Ron Paul has introduced legislation to ban the ridiculous radiation machines and government sanctioned assault and groping of our citizens. As he puts it, the airlines should be in charge of the safety of their passengers, not government bureaucrats. Hallelujah for some common sense! Israel, which has a far greater threat DAILY to their country's land and people, has a much better safety and security record for its airlines than we do. They don't use government sanctioned groping either. They use PROFILING. Oh gosh, what a horrible word. Use basic police procedures and look for people who match the description of the suspects? Oh gosh, we can't do that for fear of offending just who exactly? The terrorists? I thought so. So instead of profiling, we should assume that all American citizens are guilty until proven innocent even though it was not an American citizen who tried to bomb the plane with his underwear explosive and it was not an American citizen who had a bomb in his shoe. Those were not Americans who flew the planes into the Twin Towers either! So why are Americans being treated like criminals! And the bigger question, why are we allowing ourselves to be treated this way? A TSA guard was quoted as saying that they were told in training to be intimidating in their patdowns and that the goal is to get everyone to use the machines. So that brings up the machines. For people who fly more than a few times a year, the machines are a known carcinogen! According to Medical Science, there is no safe amount of radiation and each exposure is additive. Yet American Citizens are told that they must line up like cattle and submit to these rays of radiation or face the alternative which is abusive groping, otherwise known as Sexual Assault. And of course, the images themselves are virtual strip searches and yes they store the images despite what they said, and yes they can see everything! In the last 2 weeks I have read several personal accounts of true sexual assault at the hands of these monsters masquerading as protectors. They are stripping children and groping them, for God's sakes! I used to fly a lot. But after 2001 the TSA has just gotten completely out of control. First it was the rifling of my mother's underwear suitcase. She was in a wheelchair and blind so I doubt she looked like a terrorist. And then there were the various items that disappeared when I could no longer lock my checked luggage. Then there was the time I was flying through the San Antonio Aiport and the TSA male agent forced me to take off my blouse in full view because he saw my undershirt peaking out the top of the neckline. I tried to tell him it was underwear and I did not feel comfortable . He threatened me with detention unless I disrobed in public so he and his male friends could oogle a mostly naked from the waist up woman. But now it's come to this. Either I submit to a virtual strip search and be bombarded by radiation or I submit to an intimate patdown while risking being subject to true sexual assault sanctioned by a government thug or I don't get to fly? Guess what, I WON'T FLY TILL THIS MADNESS ENDS! Updated 10/19/2011: This week the TSA rolled out highway checkpoints in Tennessee! Coming soon to a state near you. Reached your breaking point yet? Images and Phrases on This Page are Trademarked and Copyrighted. Merchandise available below. culture-and-society Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:06:15 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/best-christmas-toys-for-2-year-olds Here is a selection of the Best Christmas toys for 2 year olds which I put together for people who are shopping for 2 year olds and don't know what to buy. Shopping for toddlers can be hard if you don't have one yourself. My children are grown, so I don't usually hang around with 2 year olds any more, but lo and behold my daughter had a daughter 2 years ago, so now I have a 2 year old granddaughter! Being out of the 2 year old loop, I had to do some research. So here is a list of the top toys for girls and boys 2 years old, based on that research. Drumroll.... Here are the best Christmas toys for 2 year olds! Image: Box Celebration at Pixabay.com Photographer: LuckyLuke ~Used with Permission under a Public Domain Pixabay License. holidays-and-celebrations Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:24:48 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/chicken-artichoke-casserole Chicken Artichoke Casserole is one of my staples for entertaining. It's another one of my Quick Gourmet series of recipes dedicated to those of us who love good food but don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. I used to spend lots of time there myself, but now I want to enjoy other things, so I depend on recipes like this one. If you are looking for a fast easy delicious and not too messy to prepare Gourmet main dish, this one fills the bill. Just cook the chicken ahead of time, or buy it already cooked to make it even faster. Then you can have this Chicken Artichoke Casserole all done in an hour. I like to serve it with rice or wild rice and a crisp green salad with cornbread or sourdough bread. Enjoy! Photo is Chicken Artichoke Casserole up close. food-and-cooking Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:30:40 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/best-pinkvideo-ever Pink was the Star of the 2010 Grammys! She literally stopped the show! Her stunning ethereal performance, her beautiful voice, and a heart wrenching song all interwove in perfect harmony to create a spectacular Grammy moment. The audience had barely recovered from the opening spectacle of Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John's jaw dropping collaboration. After that performance I remember thinking I would not want to follow them....but that was before Pink brought the house to a stunned silence of wonder and awe at her acrobatic feats on the high trapeze while singing strongly through to the end...amid cascades of glitter and water. The song was "Glitter in the Air." She received a standing ovation, not easy to do in a crowd of musicians used to excellent performances. I think everyone was in awe. For Music Musings and to Buy Concert Tickets visit my blog: Music and Tickets music Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:35:51 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/mini-burgers Everyone loves burgers, especially children, and especially these little Mini Burgers. They are very easy to make.. with stuff you probably have around in your kitchen. This is another in my series of cookng lenses dedicated to Moms who work at a paying endeavor in addition to doing Mom duty pretty much 24/7. I am past that, thank God! Not that I didn't love it when my children were around, I did. When I was in the thick of it, I kept a notebook of recipes that were simple, quick, and easy on the budget. This is one of them. I know that there are a lot of gourmet cooks and "foodies" on Squidoo. This series is not for them, Instead this is for Moms with no time, career people with no time, or anyone with no time or desire to spend any significant time in the kitchen. This recipe is great for everyone and is super quick. Have fun eating your Mini Burgers! Enjoy! Image: Mini Burgers ready to eat! food-and-cooking Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:01:20 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/i-love-la For some reason, people love to hate Los Angeles, or L.A., as it's called. And yet as of 2009, more than 19,000,000 people choose to live in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, which includes the whole basin, including Orange County which is next door to Los Angeles County, and parts of Ventura County which borders Los Angeles on the West. Maybe some people besides me love it! The area includes many, many small and large cities all clumped together, so that when you drive, only a sign tells you that the name of the city has changed. Otherwise, it looks and feels the same as the street you were on before the sign declared you are in a different city. And yet, many of those cities and towns have their own character and charm so Los Angeles is really many little communities bound by a geographic location... and an overall vibration. I love it! Here are some of my favorite reasons why I love L.A. Photo of Los Angeles skyline looking North to the San Gabriel Mountains Courtesy of ESPN, used with Permission travel-and-places Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:01:27 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/spring-rocking-horses Spring Rocking Horses are just one of those toys that everyone seems to have around because children of all ages love them. In fact you have to tell the teenagers to stay off of them sometimes. Girls and boys both enjoy them, and for girls they also serve as transportation for their dolls. We had one around for years. All the kids used it, and then it ended up in my daughter's room as a place for all her stuffed animals to sit on. There are many, but I am spotlighting the Radio Flyer Liberty Spring Rocking Horse as it is the most popular Spring rocking horse on Amazon! Enjoy! Image: Radio Flyer Liberty Spring Rocking Horse from Amazon, available below. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:14:20 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/easy-zombie-costume-ideas Well it's almost Halloween, a favorite holiday for Zombies and Zombie lovers everywhere, so it's time to get your Zombie costume ready. Get out the black ragged clothes, grunge, blood and guts and skulls, and all things gory! It's time to have some fun looking for brains, I mean trick or treating. Anyone can buy a costume and throw it on, but Zombies have more imagination than that! So here are lots of Zombie costume ideas with a selection of Zombie masks and Zombie makeup for you to start from in making your Zombie costume....just throw on some black shredded clothing and start prowling. Have fun! Photo is "Zombie" courtesy of PSPauld via Flickr holidays-and-celebrations Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:27:23 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/elegant-chicken-salad I know there are hundreds of chicken salad recipes and many of them are scrumptious. In fact, I love chicken salad no matter how you make it. But this one is a little different and is elegant enough to serve as a gourmet luncheon meal. I have made it many times for lunch when friends or family stopped by and it always gets rave reviews. This is another of my Quick Gourmet series of recipes...for people who are busy but still want really nice meals with a minimum of fuss. You can even buy the exotic ingredients on the web, and the rest of the ingredients are probably in your cupboard already. Plus you can make it ahead and just pull out the plates when it's time to eat. Add Iced Tea, dessert, and you're done! Enjoy! food-and-cooking Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:09:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/my-angelography Here on Squidoo, a list of personal pages is called a lensography and since this lensography is all about angel pages, I called it My Angelography. Since I am a little obsessed with Angels and I have made a fair amount of lenses about them, I thought it would be fun to make a page listing all of them in one place. Enjoy a tour of my angel lenses and some of my favorite images of them from Allposters.com. Click on any image to purchase. Image: "Moon Angel" © Richard Burns, Used with Permission culture-and-society Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:49:19 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/gaga-for-gaga Pretty much the whole music world seems to be gaga for Lady Gaga. She recently swept the VMA's taking home 8 trophies. If you love Lady Gaga you are in the right place! If you want to buy tickets to her upcoming tour, scroll down to the bottom of the page, but go a little slowly and check out some Lady Gaga cool posters and costumes and accessories to look like her for Halloween, or just copy her style. Lady Gaga is quite an unusual person and I have included some of her famous quotes. Oh, and she actually is quite a talented musician which is sometimes easy to forget in the midst of the hoopla over her sensational costumes so I have included her music too! Enjoy! Poster of Lady Gaga is available for purchase below. Click on the poster to purchase. music Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:12:41 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/grandcanyonmovie Grand Canyon is my favorite movie of all time. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan of The Big Chill fame, it is a movie about internal conflicts many face and how they resolve them. It has many subplots because it is an ensemble film and in the end all of the plots intertwine in a way that resolves beautifully. A film for all ages! It could also be said that the whole movie leads up to a love fest with the real Grand Canyon, a stirring bird's eye tour of the canyon accompanied by trumpets and flourishes of the original score which is also uplifting for the soul. The music was by James Newton Howard, a favorite composer of mine. entertainment Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:35:26 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/heather426-pollapalooza Polls aplenty here, for your Polltaking pleasure! Get lots of Squidoo Points and a Trophy! Sometimes you don't want to think or write, you just want to do something mindless. This page is perfect for you if you are in that mood, and as a bonus, you get points, trophies and maybe a level up in the Squidoo Game. I tried to make it fun for you too:) My Polls: Poll Pollapalooza is below. Kim Giancaterino also has polls for you: Pollapalooza Holiday Pollapalooza Food Pollapalooza Television Pollapalooza Jim H has an awesome Rock Music Pollathon: Rock Music Pollathon and JeremiahStanghini started it all with his epic Pollapalooza: Ultimate Poll Lens Have fun answering random questions and getting points. Enjoy! Image: Squidoo's PolltakerPro Trophy, Given for taking 1000 Squidoo Polls! entertainment Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:55:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/hot-cheese-tomato-sandwiches We love Hot Cheese Tomato Sandwiches and enjoy them often. You probably have all the ingredients you need to make this quick, easy, and delicious hot sandwich. To partake of one is to enjoy the taste sensation of a pizza, but here you can have a healthier version since you use fresh tomatoes, fresh onion, and your choice of bread. I love that there are endless variations, and it is so fast to make. This is another one of my recipes from the Quick Kids' Meals series. Enjoy! Image is a poster available from AllPosters.com below. food-and-cooking Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:35:37 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/halloween-color-pages This is a page of Halloween coloring pages and free Halloween printables. Halloween is one of the biggest holidays in the United States and people go to great lengths to decorate, buy and wear outlandish and inventive costumes, and engage in a strange activity called Trick or Treating. Children of all ages dress up in costumes and take bags with them while walking around ringing doorbells and asking for treats. I guess maybe in the old days some people would play tricks on unsuspecting victims who either did not answer the door or just didn't give treats. Since now that's against the law, mostly the phrase "Trick or treat" is just used in fun. But all over the country the tradition goes on. Since some places have had unpleasant incidents, there are now huge parties on Halloween night so people can dress up in costumes and celebrate it in a safe environment. Oh and collect treats. Treats meaning candy mostly. Treats are the key. Since it is a leftover of the old Pagan "all hallows eve" it is associated with witches, goblins and ghosts too. And since it is in Autumn, pumpkins and scarecrows got thrown into the iconography. It's really a strange mixture of a holiday. But I always say any excuse to party is okay! Since it is such a huge holiday, there are many free coloring pages to print and color available. I have gathered quite a few for you here. My artist husband Richard Burns has contributed a few also. Enjoy! Halloween Postage is from Zazzle.com Halloween Cat Postage available at Zazzle.com~Click Here holidays-and-celebrations Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:36:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/anti-pharma Since I often write about the harm that pharmaceutical companies do, I am sometimes asked why I am so anti pharma. Here are some of the questions and statements that I hear the most often.* What is my problem? (I know too much!) Why do I think I have the right to say these things? (I care.) They do research and it can be trusted. (Sorry, no it cannot be trusted. See more below.) Synthetic medicines are better than the plants that God or Nature gave us. (Hello, better than God? How arrogant can they get?) They are able to duplicate what God or Nature gave us. (Tests prove otherwise. See more below.) They have our best interests at heart. (Results prove otherwise. See more below.) Doctors know best. (They know what they were taught. Pharma gets 80% of the ad space in Medical Journals, and 100% of the listed protocols for disease in Medical texts.) * My observations apply to U.S. Pharmaceutical Companies and the U.S. Allopathic Medical System only. I am writing this page to address some of these questions and concerns. Image: Typical Medicine Cabinet in America (my neighbor's) culture-and-society Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:55:59 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/best-electronics-gifts-for-babies Best Electronics Gifts for Babies is the page for you if you are looking for Christmas and Birthday gift ideas for babies. It's a shopping guide for you and your baby. Get the best electronics toys and gifts for that little baby you love. If you don't have a baby but are shopping for one you should consider one of the best toys from this list. Electronics for babies are affordable, fun and interactive. The world has changed, and even babies are in on the electronics craze. They will need to be prepared...so get your baby one of the Best Electronics Gifts for Babies. Don't worry, these little toys are baby proof and user friendly for babies! Image: Fisher Price Smart Phone for Babies, courtesy of Amazon, available below. hobbies-games-toys Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:49:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/tour-my-bookcase In the old Victorian mansions such as this one, a whole area had a library for all the family books, not just a wimpy bookcase. It was often in the round area of the house. Whenever I visit anyone, anywhere, I always browse through their books. Library, hotel lobby, friend, acquaintance, doctor or dentist's office...it doesn't matter. Of course I ask for permission but no one ever refuses. I think you can get to know a lot about a person by perusing the contents of their bookcases. Do they have lots and lots of books? Do they have a few cherished ones? What are the subjects? How do they arrange the books? Are they messy or haphazard, or are they methodical? And relevant to the age of the person, what have they chosen to keep after a lifetime of experience? Or if they are parents, what do they choose/allow for their children? So here are the contents of my own particular bookcase...and you will know more about me after your tour is over. Enjoy! Painting is "Victorian House" by Richard Burns Used with Permission squidoo-community Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:59:11 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/owl-gifts On this page I have gathered an assortment of owl gifts for all the owl lovers. The posters are all available too, at AllPosters.com. Just click on any poster to buy or shop for other posters. My husband and I are really interested in birds and he takes lots of photos of them and uses them as ideas for his paintings. This painting of a Snowy Owl is his latest bird painting, Snowy Owl on a Fence. Since Harry Potter is such a popular book and movie series, owls are again in the spotlight, as the holder of ancient wisdom, and the bringer of news. Even in ancient times, owls had an aura of mystical energy about them. Enjoy the owl gifts! Image: Snowy Owl on a Fence, © Richard Burns, Used with Permission. pets-and-animals Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:05:16 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/Heather426 Inquiring minds have been asking me to write a page about myself so I finally got around to it. This just poured out in one long stream of consciousness. I think my life has been very interesting and hope you will enjoy reading about it. Everyone has a story. This is mine so far. I call it my "therapy lens"... because I felt so great after I wrote it. Enjoy! "I was born under a wandering star, a wandering, wandering star." ~Lee Marvin squidoo-community Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:50:26 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/dogs-need-name-tags My dog Minnie wrote this page about Dog Name Tags. Please read if you love dogs. Hi, I'm Minnie! I'm a teacup Yorkie...meaning I weigh less than 5 pounds. In my case I only weigh 3 and a half pounds, but my slaves say I make up for it in personality disorder, whoops scratch that last word. Anyway, once when Mommy opened the door I ran outside and she didn't notice. I am so little that happens sometimes. Well anyway a few minutes later the phone rang and sure enough, I was found by some men outside working on the water meter. Thank goodness Mommy had a current name tag on me! I'm so lucky that she doesn't want to lose me so she made sure my name and her phone number were visible. She would be heartbroken if I got lost! So now I'm on a mission to get name tags on all dogs. It's important! Dogs need their very own dog name tags! Please, buy a doggie name tag! ( my slave said to say please...) pets-and-animals Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:45:45 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/an-elvis-presley-christmas It's never too early (or too late) to start planning for your Elvis Presley Christmas! So let's get started. There is more than one way to decorate for your Elvis Presley Christmas so I am going to present a few of them with some selections of products so you can achieve the look you are going for. One way you could do this is to use all Elvis Presley products. Christmas ornaments, Christmas stockings, and all sorts of Christmas trinkets are available with an image of Elvis Presley. So then all you have to do is choose your color scheme and start getting out all your Elvis Presley stuff to decorate and pretty soon you are ready for your Elvis Presley Christmas! Of course you could also choose colors that Elvis himself would have liked and decorate in one of those color themes. In this scenario you might tone down the number of Elvis products and concentrate more on a musical theme, using Guitar Christmas Ornaments and stockings, for example, and play Elvis music. Elvis loved black, even dying his hair black. And he loved red too. He really was flamboyant in his design at Graceland, and I think he would have loved a Black and White Christmas, or a Red Christmas, and definitely a Blue Christmas. So whichever way you want to do your Elvis Presley Christmas, you will find some ideas here. Don't forget to play the Elvis Christmas album. Enjoy! Elvis was my cousin. You can read my story about him here: Best Elvis Presley Songs~Elvis Videos Image: Guitar Christmas, available at Zazzle.com by clicking here holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:40:27 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/bichon-gifts One of my dogs is a Bichon Frise and since I got her I have fallen in love with the breed and become a Bichon fanatic, like all the Bichon Frise owners I know. Bichons are the sweetest, merriest, smartest, funniest little dogs! They do not have any enemies! Adults, children, cats, rabbits, tortoises, other dogs, and Halloween ghost and goblin decorations, they're all potential playmates to a Bichon! Mine is always happy, always playful, and does not have a mean or agressive bone in her entire 11 pound body. Since I love her so much, I like to get gifts for her at Christmas time and on her birthday, November 25, and for all the holidays that we celebrate. After all, she is a member of our family! And I like to have little items that remind me of her when I'm not home and pictures of her and, well you get the idea...I have gone off the deep end for my Bichon and there is no going back. So if you love a Bichon or know someone who does, read on for some information about Bichons and find some great Bichon gifts! Image: Poster from AllPosters.com. Further down you can purchase it. pets-and-animals Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:58:28 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928-rings The vintage jewelry of 1928 Jewelry Company has always been my favorite costume jewelry. Both of my grandmothers loved old stuff and both collected jewelry from that era and when 1928 Jewelry Company first started, it reminded me of their collections. Now their gorgeous jewelry is available online. 1928 Jewelry is not expensive for what you get: Gorgeous jewelry with a vintage feel that is well made and will last. It looks far more expensive than it really is. For instance this ring is only $24! Here are some of 1928's newest rings from their collection this year. Enjoy! Shop Rocker Glam Jewelry styles at 1928.com! Photo Is Antique Blue Cameo Ring, available below. It also has matching bracelets and necklaces. All the 1920's posters are available too; just click on any image. Click Here to Shop at the 1928 Store fashion-and-beauty Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:21:36 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/green-cupcakes-and-frosting Green cupcakes are very easy to make because all you have to do is add green food coloring to a basic white cupcake recipe and voila, you can have green cupcakes. But maybe you don't care if your cake is green as long as the frosting is green. Even easier! Just add the green food coloring to your white frosting mix and swirl it through. Green frosting. Pretty. So now you can have green cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day or any Spring or Summer festive holiday including children's birthdays. There are lots of birthday themes that would be enhanced by green cupcakes. Enjoy the easy Green Cupcakes recipe from my grandmother's recipe file. She owned a restaurant and made everything from scratch with love. Image: Green Cupcake Sticker available at Zazzle. food-and-cooking Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:28:23 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928jewelrycompany The 1928 Jewelry Company was started in 1962, oddly enough. You would think it was started in the 1928 era right? But no, it was started later because jewelry from that era was becoming scarce. People loved it and hung onto it instead of selling it at garage sales and estate sales. Plus the 60's were an era when dress became more bohemian in nature, much like it was in the 1920's. And now Vintage 1928 Jewelry has been getting more popular every year, because the craftmanship is wondrous on this jewelry. 1928 Jewelry is not expensive for what you get: Gorgeous jewelry with a vintage feel that is well made and will last. It looks far more expensive than it really is. Here are some of 1928 Jewelry Company's newest items from their collection this year. Enjoy! Image: Vintage style Crystal Topaz Drop Pendant Necklace, available below. All the Vintage posters are available too, just click on any image to purchase or browse more posters. You can also go to the Store to shop: Click Here fashion-and-beauty Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:42:07 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/chicken-surprise You may wonder about a recipe called Chicken Surprise. Well I made up the recipe, and the name, for this little concoction that all children seem to love. Here is the story of Chicken Surprise. When my kids were very small they loved mashed potatoes. They loved them so much that while eating they would put the potatoes all over their other food. One day I came home with 2 little hungry toddlers and looked in the refrigerator for inspiration. The only thing staring back at me was a bowl of left over mashed potatoes. Next I tried the pantry and all I had was soup and canned fruit. Obviously shopping was overdue... A bell went off in my brain and I heated up the potatoes, heated up some cream of chicken soup, piled the potatoes on their plates and used the cream of chicken soup like a gravy and poured it all over them. Since you couldn't see the potatoes, I called it "Chicken Surprise." They loved it, mostly for the name, I think. That worked so well I put the fruit over some frozen orange juice and called it "fruit surprise." After that we had lots of surprise meals, and I learned that kids will eat anything with the word "surprise" in the title. (Parents, take note) Read on For Even More Quick Tips to this Chicken Surprise recipe. Image: Chicken Surprise Enjoy! food-and-cooking Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:30:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/smores-pie S'mores Pie? Yum, you had me at S'mores! Are you like me and love the classic s'mores from your childhood? Now you can have that chocolately goodness in a pie! No need to wait for a camping trip any more. S'mores Pie. Easy, fast, delicious! Enjoy! Image: One piece of S'mores Pie, the only one left to take a photo of. Note to self: Hide the pie next time. This recipe and lens was featured on the Fall 2011 Pie Quest Monster Board. Thank you Squidoo HQ! food-and-cooking Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:31:00 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/wood-rocking-horses I think every family with children probably has had a Wood Rocking Horse at one time or another. Many families keep theirs long after the last child is gone too. They are nice accessories that fit into many decors. And so they are considered a traditional Christmas toy gift and a true classic children's toy. After all, horses were here long before cars, and people have always made replicas of them to give their children. Here I have highlighted the most popular Wood Rocking Horses right now. I am spotlighting my personal favorite one that reminds me of the one my own children had and which we kept around for years. Enjoy! Image: Stork Craft Wood Rocking Horse from Amazon, featured below. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:13:20 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/cactus-jelly Cactus Jelly? Really? Yes, really. From the prickly pears on cactus. It's tasty too! Autumn is the time of the prickly pear harvest. Where I live they are ready in September or early October, perfect for a fun Fall activity, making Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly, but I always just call it Cactus Jelly. Since cactus grows abundantly where I live, and most people just let the fruit rot, I ask the neighbors if they mind if I pick them. No one says no. Those little stickers are quite irritating! It's a really easy and fun thing to do too, and then you have jelly for all your holiday meals. Most people won't have heard of it, so now you have an exotic ingredient on your menu. Besides toast, prickly pear jelly is wonderful on many meat dishes, and as a topping on sherbet for dessert. Here is your simple recipe. The hardest thing about it is picking the fruit. Hint: Wear gloves! Enjoy! Prickly Pear Cactus available from Zazzle.com, Click Here food-and-cooking Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:47:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/fairy-gifts Here I have assembled a group of fairy gifts for the fairy lover in your life. Many fairy lovers like to have images of them on walls, so interspersed are posters of fairies which you can purchase by clicking on any of the images. Fairies have always fascinated children and some of us who probably never quite grew up. There have even been controversies surrounding them: their existance as anything but a myth, part of the lore of Northern England and the Netherlands, and indeed the origin of the fictional stories known as "fairy tales" was the subject of inquiry, scientific and otherwise for many years. The sisters who claimed to have photographed them confessed to their "doctoring" of the photos...so that seemed to end the controversy in favor of their being simply fictional beings. And yet historical genealogists have uncovered evidence of a species of humans who were extremely short in the very regions of England and Northern Europe where they are in the folklore. So the mystery may never be solved about whether fairies were real or not, but their legend and their images live on. In any case, there are legions of fairy lovers, and here are lots of fairy gifts for them. Enjoy! And if fairies aren't your thing, scroll down for more gift stores. Image: Fairies from AllPosters.com culture-and-society Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:36:02 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/popular-toys-for-4-year-old-girls These are the most Popular Toys for 4 Year Old Girls this Easter. I have a little granddaughter now so I try to keep a mental note of the type of toys she will be growing into. It's important to choose the best age appropriate gift for that special little princess (or not so princess), don't you think? So what I do is watch other children at toy stores for their reactions. Based on my research, I am sure that your little girl will fall in love with these gifts. These are the best selling, top rated, most Popular Toys for 4 Year Old Girls for Christmas! (and Birthdays and Easter too) And yes, I give toys for Easter... so much better than all that candy that will spin them into a sugar frenzy! Enjoy! Image courtesy of Amazon, product available below. hobbies-games-toys Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:01:36 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-brine-a-turkey Brining a turkey is more a preparation technique than a recipe. No matter how you end up cooking a turkey, if you brine the turkey first, It will produce a turkey that is savory, moist, and will leave your guests wondering how in the world you did it, even if you have never cooked one before. Of course that's a double edged sword. Ever since I started cooking my turkeys this way, all the holiday dinners end up at my house. Seriously, this is the juiciest, moistest, tastiest turkey ever. Read on for simple instructions for how to brine a turkey. Enjoy! Image is a poster available at AllPosters.com holidays-and-celebrations Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:58:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo-review My Squidoo Review is a page I wrote very soon after the Progress Bar was introduced to Squidoo. I love Squidoo! But I had to write this page. Since Squidoo has introduced a completely arbitrary test of a complete lens and it is in your face every time you open the lens, I started thinking about how Squidoo would like it if the goalposts were suddenly moved down the field and 100% suddenly became 92%. If their Alexa Rank 180 suddenly became, you know, 333 or something over night and they couldn't fix it themselves without relying on other sites on the web. And then I thought about my Squidoo journey and decided to do my evaluation of Squidoo. Guess what it is? 92%. That's what arbitrary ratings will do for you! Don't you love it? Read on for my Squidoo Review. squidoo-community Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:12:14 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/2012-a-wrinkle-in-time As 2012 approaches, more and more programs and books are focusing on what all the prophesies and predictions about 2012 are and what they might mean for our planet. Many of them are doomsday predictions, but as always, Mike Dooley takes a positive approach to the possible changes in the time and space continuum. You wouldn't expect anything else from the creator of TUT, as in Totally Unique Thoughts...and as usual he is thoroughly entertaining while he writes profound thoughts. Read 2012~A Wrinkle in Time~ and worry no more about it! Photo is The Milky Way, available below. culture-and-society Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:08:49 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/1928-pearls-and-cameos Below are some of 1928's newest Pearl and Cameo vintage style jewelry pieces from their collection this year. 1928 Jewelry Company has always been my favorite costume jewelry maker, maybe because when I first started buying jewelry for myself, it reminded me of my grandmothers' collections. Oddly enough, the company started in 1962 , a little known fact. That's because the founders recognized that jewelry from the 1920's era was scarce. Collectors hung onto it. So the founders filled the void of the longing for jewelry that is detailed as opposed to sleek. Decorated, ornate, arty are all words that describe the jewelry of that era. I especially love cameos and pearls both. So the 1928 Pearls and Cameos Jewelry Collection is right up my alley. I also love that 1928 Jewelry is not expensive for what you get: gorgeous jewelry with a vintage feel that is well made and will last. It looks far more expensive than it really is. I love it so much in fact, that I started my own 1928 Vintage Jewelry Store. I guess you could say that the 1920's era just fascinates me! Enjoy! Photo is a set of cameo earrings available below. All the posters are available too. Just click on any image to purchase or shop for more Vintage posters. I have chosen some that show the fashions and jewelry of the era. If you would like to see the complete collection of 1928 Jewelry Company, Click Here fashion-and-beauty Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:50:47 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/plush-rockinghorses Rocking Horses are such classic toys, and I think Plush Rocking Horses are awesome! Since they are soft, they are more like a real horse, and kids can relate to them better. We had one around for each child. They really don't get tired of them. For playing Cowboys and Indians, for playing Ranch, for playing Circus, or even playing Adventures of Archeology, a plush horse just comes in handy. Mine went through all their phases with them, and my daughter even used hers to place all her dolls on. Here I have gathered some of the most popular Plush rocking horses right now. Enjoy! Image: Plush Rocking Horse from Amazon, available below. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:12:31 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/bakedrice I've always baked my rice, and it always seems to amaze everyone when they find out that they are eating baked rice. Nowadays you can buy a rice cooker to have your rice done automatically with "set and forget" technology, but what if you don't have one, or plan to get one? There's still an easy way to cook your rice perfectly every single time...do what I do and bake it. No more guessing when the water will have evaporated and checking the pan...no more sticky mess glued to the pan that now needs soaking before you can wash it. Just perfect fluffy rice the easy way every single time. For fun I added a few variations. Enjoy! food-and-cooking Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:44:37 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/scary-spiders If you are afraid of giant scary spiders you might be frightened by the contents of this page! Remember, I warned you. But if you love giant scary spiders when decorating for Halloween, you will be really happy you landed here. To me spiders are pretty scary even when they are small, and when Halloween comes around and people start decorating with those giant scary spiders and spider webs I really don't want to go near those houses. What if one of those is real? Ick. I don't know why but spiders really frighten me. I guess I'm not alone, as psychologists even have a name for fear of spiders: Arachnophobia. So just to scare all of us arachnophobics, the Halloween decorating manufacturers have come out with even more huge scary spiders. Yikes, I may have to leave the country and visit someplace that doesn't celebrate Halloween! But there must be people who love spiders as there are lots of them. Here is a selection of them for your Halloween decorating pleasure. Enjoy! Scary Spider Window Shades for Halloween Decorating, available below from Amazon. This page was featured on the HQ Halloween Monsterboard, Best Halloween Decorating, 2011. Thank You Squidoo HQ! holidays-and-celebrations Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:50:24 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/moving-to-chile I have been moving and travelling since I was an infant. But our next move is daunting even for me. My husband and I have decided to move to Chile, South America. Since we live on the Western edge of the United States in North America it will be a little harder than your average move. It seems that manmade lines on the planet mean we have to do all kinds of bureautic paperwork to be allowed to move from one side of the line to the other. We just want to live on some land and have a little garden. How come it costs so much time and money to get the required documents to be allowed to do this? Unbelievable. So I thought I would share some resources and the steps of our preparation for what we are calling: The Big Move. A lot of the steps are the same no matter where you are moving. You'll find some amazing facts about Chile here too. Enjoy! Photo is Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile. Image is Available at Allposters.com travel-and-places Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:43:41 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/lady-gaga-tickets If you are a fan of Lady Gaga and want to get tickets to one (or more) of her upcoming performances, you have found the right place. You can find tickets to all of her upcoming concerts, and purchase them right here. If more performances are added, the tickets for those venues will be available here too, so bookmark this page for updates. While you are here you can also listen to her music, and buy music, posters, and t-shirts. Poster of Lady Gaga courtesy of Amazon and is available by clicking on posters further down the page. Enjoy! entertainment Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/bubble-wrap-fun Most everyone loves bubble wrap for keeping your valuables safe while mailing or moving or traveling. But bubble wrap is so much more than package protection! When my children were little we used to use it for a great fun afternoon! Just pull out all the bubble wrap you've saved and start popping. And for more popping sounds, put it on the ground and stomp on it. I'm sure if you give it a try you will find it therapeutic! For even more fun, use different sizes so the sounds are different. And if you have musician children like I did, they will even try to make songs out of the pops. Video below will give you lots of ways to pop it that you might not have thought of. So start popping for fun and therapy! Image courtesy of Amazon where you can buy lots of bubble wrap on sale. See below to purchase. entertainment Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:02:52 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/secret-life-of-dogs If you are a dog lover I am sure you will find the The Secret Life of Dogs a fascinating documentary. Scientists and behaviorists have recently stepped up their research on the amazing species known as dogs, and their interaction and communication with humans. Yes, researchers have been working overtime to study the most domesticated animal on our planet and "man's best friend." Some of the experiments have completely changed what scientists previously thought about them. And now more than ever dogs are helping mankind with health research. Since scientists have mapped the genomes of dog and humans, they can use what they learn from dogs in the quest to help human health. This lens is to showcase and share this fascinating piece with all my dog loving friends on Squidoo. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I have presented it 2 ways. The full documentary was broken into 6 parts so I have presented those here, and provided a link to the full documentary all in one piece if you just want to sit back and enjoy it all at once. It's a little over an hour long. Enjoy! Photo: My 2 sweet dogs, Minnie and Queenie pets-and-animals Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:04:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/matchpointmovie After some of the movies that have been coming out of Woodyland lately I was surprised(astonished, really) by Woody's latest entry in his long list of little tales that experiment with the idea of a random universe where criminals often "get away with it." Match Point, like the other similiar tales, is based on the tiniest of chance happenings and the changes those can cause. Using Tennis as a metaphor for life and even to explain those coincidences, Woody showcases his latest muse, Scarlett Johansson in a challenging role, that she handles with her usual aplomb. The movie also deals with the age old idea of Class vs. Goodness in supposedly High Society, and exposes some of the fallacies behind that idea. Image: Scarlett Johansson Poster from AllPosters.com entertainment Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:38:46 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-ornaments Angel Christmas Ornaments are wonderful for decorating at Christmas and for Angel lovers like me, they are nice little decorations year round. In fact, that's how the addiction started for me! Every year I would get another Angel Ornament until over 20 years had gone by and I had a really nice collection. In the meantime, I had started collecting little Angel scultures too. Now I group different sizes of Angel Ornaments in groups and display them year round. And I hang them on lamps, and curtain rods, and I place them in plants to watch over them. You don't have to go overboard like I did though...Just get a few Angels to add to the rest of your ornaments if you want. Here I have gathered some of the finer Angel Ornaments together for the casual shopper, or the true collector. Enjoy! You can find many more Angel items in my Angel Store holidays-and-celebrations Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:53:21 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/t-squid-in-canyon-country I love my home in Canyon Country so when Jaguar Julie asked me to participate in the Journey of the Traveling Squid, I thought, yay, that will prompt me to write about my hometown. There is one little problem with Canyon Country. It's one of four little cities that occupy the Santa Clarita Valley, just North of Los Angeles, California. So the whole area has an identity crisis in my opinion. You see, each little city, Newhall, Canyon Country, Saugus, and Valencia, had their own fire departments, police departments, etc and their own particular identity. But in 1987 all of the cities incorporated into one as a new city, Santa Clarita. I don't think it made any difference to the average resident though. The old city signs still exist to mark the boundaries, and all the locals still use the old city names. I had lived here for 2 years before I understood why all the multiple signs. So for clarification, I live with my husband and one son left at home, and 3 pets in Canyon Country, in the Santa Clarita Valley, just North of Los Angeles, California. The Traveling Squid box arrived here on a beautiful sunlit morning in early August, 2010. Photo is the lower portion of my back yard which climbs at a 58 degree angle starting just above this part of the yard. It's impossible to climb without cleats to grab the dirt! travel-and-places Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:29:47 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/moody-blues-question The Moody Blues are a Rock band from England who are still rocking after all these years. In 1970 Beatlemania was still a worldwide phenomenon but the Moody Blues came along with a different music and a sound which really spoke to me. The Vietnam War was starting to become very unpopular and the song "Question" said some of the things that people were starting to talk about openly. It was one of several songs that became anti-war anthems of the era. But for me the song always meant way more than that . I was raised by two Army parents who were in the system and mostly just did whatever the powers that be told them. The Army, the government, doctors, bosses, teachers, priests, whoever. Unless something or someone threatened their children, they did as told or expected. I should have turned out just like them, right? But I didn't. My parents gave me permission to read anything I wanted, and I devoured books, and ideas. And like Robert Frost, I took the less travelled path. I still question authority today. And I still think about the first time I heard The Moody Blues singing "Question" while I drove up Texas Street in San Diego, with speakers blaring. They inspired me to create shirts and merchandise with a slogan of that era, "Question Authority," which I am featuring here. So turn up the speakers and enjoy a Rock and Roll classic while shopping. I hope you enjoy the music and the merchandise! Photo is Water Bottle with the Moody Blues Logo, available at MoodyBluesToday.com music Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:03:05 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/mika-music I am writing this page about Mika to introduce him to my U.S. friends. Since he is a UK musician, and has not been on American Idol or any other talent show, his genius has not made it across the pond as much as it should have. But last season the last episode of The Good Wife featured my favorite song of his, Any Other World, and his fame skyrocketed! So now more people are aware of him, but in case you don't watch The Good Wife or listen to contemporary British Rock music, I wanted to showcase his amazing voice and talent. He is rumored to have a voice range of 5 octaves! Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. It sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped him win a BRIT Award and receive a Grammy Award nomination. Two years later he released his second extended play, Songs for Sorrow, of which limited edition copies are now sold out worldwide. In 2009 Mika released his second studio album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. His latest is Right Time, Right Place, available here. I have highlighted some videos of his most popular songs. Enjoy! Image: Cover of his album, Life in Cartoon Motion. He and his sister designed it, and she drew it. The album is available below. music Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:13:15 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/christmas-songlist My favorite thing about Christmas is the music! There are so many beautiful Christmas songs! Here I am presenting my favorite ones, my Christmas Song List that we used to keep for when we went caroling. Yes, my children and I loved to sing, and we went Christmas caroling together around the neighborhood. I wish they were still around and we could still share this fun activity! Enjoy some beautiful Christmas Music! I have included Christmas albums and downloads and videos to watch while listening. Image: Christmas Village, © Richard Burns, All Rights Reserved. Please do not download. You can purchase Richard's Art at AllPosters.com and Art.com as well as on my pages about him right here on Squidoo, and in my Zazzle Store. Just visit Beautiful Art from Richard Burns or Richard Burns Angels or Heather Zazzles to browse his Art. holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:49:09 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/Heather426-purplestars Are you shopping for Purple Stars? Or are you looking for Squidoo Purple Stars? Either way you have come to the right place. On Squidoo Purple Star Awards are coveted because they are a badge of excellence. In real life, Purple is a regal and popular color for all sorts of items, from clothing to jewelry to accessories to decorative merchandise of all kinds. I've gathered some beautiful purple star items here for your shopping pleasure. Stars and the color purple, how could you go wrong? Enjoy! And if you see a lens you think is just "wow!" nominate it for a Purple Star award by sending an email to Purplestar@squidoo.com. All the beautiful star posters on this page are available at AllPosters.com. Click on any image to purchase. home-and-garden Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:13:41 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/VickyCristinaBarcelona In Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which I will refer to from now on as VCB, Woody Allen repeats a formula he used in "Manhattan" whereby he tells a story against the backdrop of a beautiful city and the film is actually an ode to that city as much as anything. The music, the scenery, the mood, all work together to function as a very effective travel brochure. My son said he had no desire to vacation in Spain till he saw this movie, but it changed his mind. The story is charming, and the characters are funny and interesting, but the star of the film is the gorgeous city of Barcelona itself. And as always Woody chooses fantastic music to integrate into the story that sets the scenes in an auditory way along with the visual. I was tempted to watch it again immediately just for the scenery and the music. entertainment Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:27:22 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/fairy-costume Fairy Costumes are an old standby for Halloween. What little girl has not wanted to fly around and have mystical powers? I love Halloween and Mardi Gras, and costume parties in general, and it's fun to be a fairy for a little while...just to pretend you could do so much good, you know? Children often need to be one for various drama activities at school too. Everyone wants to do good in their heart of hearts. Fairy costumes are relatively easy to make, but if you are not in the mood to do that, here is a selection of costumes for you to choose from, and if you don't see what you want, click on any picture to be transported to a site with many more choices. Enjoy! All the beautiful posters on this page are available at AllPosters.com Just click on any poster to purchase... holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:54:36 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/my-costumography I have quite a few Costume pages on Squidoo because I love Halloween! and Mardi Gras! and Masquerade Balls! and Costume Parties! Maybe it's because I love to have a reason to dress up in a different costume and become someone or something else for a short while. Even though my children are grown up and gone, I still dress up every year to hand out the candy and check out all the little children in their cute little costumes for Halloween! Maybe I never quite grew up, but it is one of my favorite holidays. As for Masquerade Parties, any excuse to put on something I would never wear in "real life"...and that is the key...is fun to me. It allows a fantasy life for a little while and you can play it any way you choose. I have sometimes chosen to dress up as people or characters I would never in a million years want to be in real life! Just for the shock value... So I made a few costume store lenses for shoppers to have a place with their niche costumes all gathered in one place... This is a complilation of all of them, thus a "Costumography." Enjoy! Photo courtesy of Amazon, used with Permission holidays-and-celebrations Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:02:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/easy-holiday-decorating Here are some of my easy holiday decorating ideas. So many people get stressed by all the holiday fanfare. Don't let decorating be another thing adding to that stress! Holiday decorating does not have to be expensive at all, or fussy, or take very much time. When my children were little I redid my whole house for them, meaning I put away all the breakable stuff and made it kid friendly. So all my decorating had to be unbreakable and able to take abuse and easy since I had no time. I had decided early on that I was not going to spend my time with them saying "no" about inconsequential stuff and worrying about a few pieces of glassware. That included holiday decorating too. But now they are gone, and I still don't fuss with decorating. "Keep it easy" is my motto. These are some ideas I have used and still do. Rather than buy all kinds of figurines and knickknacks for all the seasons, I just stick to easy basic decorating but it still creates a fun atmosphere around the house. I've included some recycling tips for your old decorations too. Enjoy! Image: Red Poinsettia Wreath; Click here to read more about it: 18" Glittered Red Velvet Poinsettia Christmas Wreath holidays-and-celebrations Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:37:05 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/calligraphy-lettering Calligraphy is not dead! Even though hardly anyone writes anything by hand any more... For some reason which I cannot fathom, I was blessed with a gene which allows me to write with beautiful handwriting. It has always been as natural as breathing for me, so I was attracted to calligraphy from a very young age. I was always the student picked to write group cards, do the writing on group projects, and write the stuff on the blackboard when the teacher didn't want to. And I really liked writing the letters on my family's homemade Christmas cards to all our friends. But even if you don't have that natural affinity for calligraphy, it is easy nowadays to come up with beautiful lettering for all your projects by using fonts that others developed. Here I have included letters that others have made available for your free use, and a whole bunch of books and tools for your calligraphy projects. Enjoy! Photo is my Queen Anne Desk, at one of those rare times when you can see the top of it. (Cleaned just for you!) I think the circle on the right lower corner is part of an orb. It wasn't in the camera lens when I took the picture. But it showed up when I put it into Gimp to lower the resolution. *Later down I have a link to an excellent page about orbs. arts-and-design Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:45:03 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/chile-is-hot Chile, South America, is fast becoming a destination for tourists because people are discovering that it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and it is a First World Country with all the amenities that North Americans and Europeans are used to. I am the Squid Angel of the Neighborhood of Chile, so I am spotlighting some of the best lenses about this amazing country. One lensmaster , TDP, really stands out in this neighborhood. Any one of his lenses could be lens of the day. And there are quite a few. They are all breathtakingly beautiful and painstakingly crafted travelogues. Thank you for making them! There are other beautiful lenses about Chile too, so I am listing 8 that I feel best represent this magnificent country. Since my husband and I are moving to Chile, I added my page about it too. Enjoy! For a list of Chilean lenses, visit Squidoo Topics~Chile Photo of Chile Peppers is available at Art.com as are the other posters on the page. Just click to order. travel-and-places Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:32:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/no-cook-ies No Cookie, as in No Cook-ing, is my kind of recipe! It all started because my first child loved to lick the bowl back when I actually baked cookies. Being a child, he whined for more cookie dough. So I started saving more and more of the cookie dough for him to lick from the bowl while the cookies baked. And then one day it hit me. Why cook any of the dough? He liked it raw. I liked no cook-ing, And then I reasoned that since I wasn't baking the dough anyway, why add baking soda or baking powder? And since I did worry a little about the raw eggs, why bother with them either? Voila, cookie dough was really getting to be easy! From then on cookies became "no cook-ies" and the next two kids grew up on "no cook-ies." The last one was 5 years old before he knew that other moms baked their cookies. I told the kids that cookies in the store were baked so they would last longer but real homemade ones are raw. I swear little kids will believe anything! Now they sell cookie dough ice cream...so you can see I was way ahead of my time! Enjoy my simple No Bake Cookie Recipe or No Cook-ies, for a quick and easy and delicious "cookie break " anytime! Image: Peace, Love, and Cookies Postcard from Zazzle.com, Click Here to Purchase. This Cookie Recipe was featured on the Cookie Quest Monster Board, Fall, 2011. Thank you Squidoo HQ! food-and-cooking Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:01:30 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/top-computerized-sewing-machines In the market for a new Computerized Sewing Machine? Brother Sewing Machine Company makes some of the finest Computerized Sewing Machines on the market. Computerized sewing machines offer the best features in sewing machines. Get the stitch selection on an LCD screen., Up to 60 pre set stitch selections are built into the program on these top selling Computerized Sewing Machines by Brother. There are other computerized sewing machines available below too. Enjoy! Image: Brother Sewing Machine, available below, Courtesy of Amazon arts-and-design Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:35:24 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/my-giftography I have built a collection of gift stores and wanted to list them all in one place, so here is the collection~My Giftography. On Squidoo a collection of lenses by a lensmaster is called a lensography...so I just extrapolated the name to focus on gifts. I used to manage gift stores and from that experience learned that many people have an idea of the theme or niche that they want to buy in but not the exact item yet. So organizing stores and websites by theme makes it easier for customers to find what they are looking for . I have collected some wonderful gifts in many niches and arranged them in stores to make it easier to find really unique and special themed gifts for the hard to buy for person. Enjoy! squidoo-community Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:09:02 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-stamps For Angel Lovers, Angel Stamps are the perfect way to decorate letters and cards. I have a store of beautiful custom postage stamps, and many of the stamps are angel stamps. Visit my store to see some of the many designs available for Christmas and Valentines and all year long. All the stamps are approved for use by the U.S. Post Office. If you would like some beautiful Angel Christmas Cards, or Angel Greeting Cards, click on the link. Angel Christmas Cards Visit Beautiful Stamps today. More Stamps are at Heather Zazzles All the designs are copyrighted by respective artists. culture-and-society Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:08:38 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/peacock-gifts If you love peacocks, or know someone who does, here are a few peacock gifts to consider giving. I love them and have lots of them myself. So I gathered a huge selection of peacock art, and Peacock trinkets of all kinds, amazing peacock gifts for Peacock lovers everywhere. Enjoy! In one of the office complexes where my Father worked for many years was an enclosed garden paradise. In that little garden were many deer and Peacocks! They had been there for so many years that all the workers and families of the workers had their favorites and some of the Peacocks had hatched babies there who also grew up inside the walls. I don't think there was any formal keeper for them...for sure there were not any cages. They just loved it and stayed. I used to want to go early to pick up my Father so I could walk around and watch those birds and perhaps get a glimpse of one of the males in full display because it was just magnificent to watch! In my travels I have seen them often too. In Hong Kong I saw a pair of pure white ones ...many Oriental cultures value the peacock for its beauty and have gorgeous depictions of them all over their culture. All the beautiful posters on this page are from Allposters.com. Click any poster to purchase! Enjoy! pets-and-animals Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:07:52 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/chickenzucchinibake Chicken Zucchini Bake, Chicken Zucchini Casserole, which one is it? Well I've seen it written both ways with the identical ingredients and directions, so I gave up trying to decide and will leave it to you. Either way, it's fast, easy, delicious, and budget friendly. I've even taken it to a pot luck dinner and gotten rave reviews, so I guess it's good enough for company too. Serve with some pasta or rice on the side, add a crisp green salad and some corn bread for an interesting menu that will serve 6. This is a super easy chicken recipe! Enjoy! Image: Quick Chicken Zucchini Bake, Oct 2010 This is another in my Quick Gourmet series of lenses for people who don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Scroll down to see more of them. food-and-cooking Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:30:26 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/bichon-love Queenie is my Bichon Frise, the sweetest, merriest dog you will ever meet. Queenie is a perfect dog! She has the irrepressible energy of a Lab, and she's totally sweet and empathetic. She never barks unless she sees or hears something or someone near our house. Then she lets us know! But mostly she just makes little sounds when she wants something. Her cutest one is when she is hungry. She puts her paw on my leg to get my attention, and then says "yum, yum,yum,yum." Of course I crack up laughing all the way to the pantry! She speaks those words very clearly. And some people say dogs are dumb...We actually have to spell the word "walk" and "going somewhere" or "trip" or "car" so both of the dogs won't go haywire whining and begging to go. Queene is very docile. She puts up with all the stuff Minnie does to her with no agression whatsoever. (Minnie is her Yorkie sister.) In fact, she watches over Minnie like a little mother. Anytime Minnie wants something or God forbid, is outside and wants in, Queenie runs to tell me. And if she hears a hurt animal on TV, she runs over to investigate and whines for me to help. She's also the official greeter of our family. Everyone who visits is greeted with her dancing on her hind legs and jumping up and down,as if to say "hi, oh boy, you came by to see me? Yay, let's party!" This goes on until they pet her. Then she settles back into the sweet docile creature that she is. If another dog comes near in a menacing way, Queenie just lays down . And if another dog is friendly, Queenie is in heaven. She lives to play. Yes, loves it too, but lives is more like it:). Queenie has never met anyone or any animal she did not want to play with. Life is one big party to her! This is a lens about her days and all things Bichon Frise. I'm ridiculously in love with Queenie, can you tell? Queenie wants to tell her story too. Her version is in blue. All photos are my own. Posters are clearly labeled and available by clicking on them. This Page was a finalist in the Squid Paws Contest for 2010 and was featured on the Monster Board. Thank You Squidoo HQ! pets-and-animals Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:23:42 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/electric-go-karts Electric Go Karts are the most popular Go Karts because of the ease of use and environmental aspects. No fossil fuels, yet you can go a long way, since you have battery power. Sometimes peddling just gets old and then it is nice to have the electric power as back up! And as gasoline gets more and more expensive, electric go karts will be more and more popular. Here are a few of the most popular electric go karts available right now. Image: Razor Ground Force Electric Go Kart, available below, courtesy of Amazon. hobbies-games-toys Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:06:41 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/stevie-nicks-fleetwood-mac Stevie Nicks is probably the best known member of the world famous band, Fleetwood Mac. Of course she has a solo career all her own but like several members of the band, has continued to perform and make recordings with them. So her story and the Fleetwood Mac story are very intertwined. Fleetwood Mac are a unique band, with a beautiful sound, and a unique way of creating that famous sound. All of its musicians are multi talented : they all sing, write songs, and play instruments. To me, the band is much more than the sum of its parts, but even so, Stevie stands out! Yes, she is beautiful, and yes, she has a very strong and unusual sounding voice, but it's her lyrics and her spirit that help her soar in the musical realm... and which set her apart from all other rock singers. Her songs are poetry set to music! Stevie has a way with words in interviews too, so I have included some of her quotes. Stevie Nicks Mug is Available at Zazzle, just click here... music Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:50:19 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/91351/canyon-country-ca Canyon Country is a wonderful community located on the Eastern side of the Santa Clarita Valley, North of Los Angeles, California. Sometimes it can be confusing when you are looking for an honest businessman or a great little restaurant, especially if you want to find one that is not part of a corporate chain. People far away in an office somewhere don't care about you or your community, but a local business person who lives and works in the community does. This is a listing of some of the best businesses in Canyon Country. Support Local Business, the backbone of America. Photo is looking West towards the mountains at Castaic Lake. travel-and-places Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:39:24 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/thanksgiving-canon Here I am presenting Thanksgiving Canon for your listening pleasure on Thanksgiving or any day you feel like singing a praise song! The notes of Thanksgiving Canon are on a musical scale that is very pleasing to the spirit at the cellular level. Science now proves this. So if you listen, you will feel better. The Thanksgiving Canon is an old standby and we sang it as a round, ending in a sustained Amen when I was in choir growing up . When I went looking for a video of it for you, the best ones were from the Girl Scouts. How funny, but understandable, as we sang lots of wonderful uplifting songs in my Girl Scout troop. But I did not know that the Girl Scouts have their own CD's now! So had to spend an afternoon listening to some of their renditions of some old Camping favorites. I've included them too. And I found other Thanksgiving music for your Thanksgiving dinner enjoyment too. Enjoy the Thanksgiving Canon and Happy Thanksgiving! The Stunning Image: Autumn Leaves, by PixelAnarchy See more of PixelArnachy's work here. Used with Permission under a Pixabay Public Domain License. This lens was featured on the Fall Harvest Fest 2011 Monsterboard. Thank you Squidoo HQ! holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:55:11 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/squidangelica One of my first lenses on Squidoo was Angelica. For as long as I can remember I have been interested in celestial beings...and I have had many angelic encounters. Not very long after I made my Angelica lens, I was "blessed by an angel" which was my introduction to the beings here on Squidoo known as Squid Angels. From that minute on, I knew I wanted to be one. Giant Squid was a goal, and I was truly excited to receive that honor, but my most important goal on Squidoo was to be a Squid Angel. On October 13th, 2009 I woke up to the announcement that I had been blessed to become a Squid Angel so my ultimate Squidoo dream had been fulfilled! So this is my lens on the experience of being a Squid Angel. It is also a lens dedicated to the charity known as Soldiers' Angels, a wonderful charity founded to help the soldiers and families of soldiers who have done so much for our country. Both of my parents were in the military so the proceeds of this lens go to support Soldiers' Angels, a charity I am sure they would have supported. squidoo-community Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:38:29 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/planting-a-million-trees-for-michael Michael Jackson was not only a fantastic musician and performer, but also a visionary humanitarian of monumental proportions. We didn't get to see his last tour live, but the footage of the rehearsals was thankfully preserved and turned into This Is It! now available on Blu-ray and still in the theatres. One of my dearest friends, Trisha Franklin, has started a drive to plant a million trees for Michael in honor of all he gave to us musically and in his humanitarian and environmental efforts. She has set up a website and a facebook page to encourage everyone to give to a great cause that plants trees all over our planet for $1 per tree! Isn't that incredible? $1 a tree to help all the earth's citizens now and into the future! Please visit her site to see how you can help: AMillionTreesforMichael.com Image: Available at AllPosters.com music Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:53:15 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/my-chefography What is a chefography anyway, you might ask. On Squidoo a list of inter-related pages is called a lensography, and since this is a list of recipe pages, I called it my chefography. ( Haha, that is funny. I'm not a chef.) And it's really funny to me that I have so many cooking and food recipes on Squidoo! It is probabaly the last thing I would have thought of doing. But as part of Rocket Moms we were asked to publish some recipes and I realized that I have a huge collection of healthy, great and QUICK recipes from lots of travelling, recipe swapping, and cookbook collecting. Quick is the key word here. So I decided to gather them together for your ease of locating them and this is the result. I will be adding more as time goes on, so check back for more updates. Image: Apples in a Basket, 2009. All the other beautiful images on this page available at AllPosters.com. Just click on any image to purchase. food-and-cooking Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:21:58 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/angel-christmas-cards Angel Christmas Cards are my favorite Christmas cards, and they are among the most popular world wide. Here I am presenting many varieties of Angel Christmas cards including some with images of my husband's paintings of Angels. I know many people don't send Christmas cards any more, preferring to send e-cards or to simply skip the practice altogether, but I think that is a mistake. Christmas cards are little works of art. Send Christmas cards! I have presented a variey of styles and colors of Angel Christmas Cards but if you don't see the ones you want, click on any of the links and you can find many more. Enjoy the Angel Christmas Cards and Merry Christmas! If you would like Angel Stamps for your Angel Christmas Cards, just click on the link. Angel Stamps Image: Angel of Abundance, © Richard Burns, Used with Permission. holidays-and-celebrations Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:30:08 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/meandsquidoo This is the story of my Squidoo journey. I was looking for a way to make an income online and every once in a while I would be reading ad copy for a product and would see a reference to Squidoo pages as a means of getting free traffic. I thought "Squidoo page" was some sort of geek jargon for a type of computer page and I liked the quirky sound of it, but thought it was something I would have to learn about later, if ever. I love dogs and was looking for some dog products to promote when the creator of one of the products suggested Squidoo again. So I ended up here... and made a page about how to train dogs properly...so they don't end up in the pound. I added about 4 different products to the page, I think, so you can see, I did not know anything about a landing page at the time or keywords or any of it. I was just writing some of what I know and posting some helpful information. I like funny stuff so I added a funny sequence of pictures and all of a sudden I started getting visits and comments on the lens. It seems people on Squidoo have a sense of humor! Once I saw the response I decided to make a lens about one of my favorite subjects: Angels. I wasn't selling anything, just trying to make a dazzling lens about one of my first loves. It was only 4 or 5 modules and I knew it was far from done, but was just experimenting and liked what I was able to do. After that I tackled a subject dear to my heart since I am so allergic to soy and I created a page about the dangers of soy so I could help educate and alert people to its dangers. By this time the addiction had set in, because people kept visiting and commenting on my lenses and joining my fan club. This was a surprise and delight so I started looking at other lenses and seeing all the beautiful pages and commenting on theirs and people started writing to me, so I started making more lenses on things I am interested in. And the rest, as they say, is history. Therefore I Squidoo Mousepad by Heather426 See other Therefore i squidoo Mousepads Phrase is copyrighted and trademarked! Do not Copy! Products available below. squidoo-community Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:10:33 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/heather426-rss-squidoo On Squidoo, a list of lenses is called a lensography. Once you get over about 25 lenses it becomes convenient to have a lensography as a way to find your lenses. And when you have over 200 like I do, it becomes a necessity! I cannot tell you how many times I have been looking for a lens and it takes so long to find that I get frustrated. Well you can create a list for yourself very easily by using a tool provided at Squidutils.com. I have done so here, and will give you the link later on so you can do the same thing very easily. Mostly I made this for myself, but if you are here I hope you enjoy the tour. I have included some favorite quotes and art. squidoo-community Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:05:37 -0600