Sunrise
Among the refreshing and balancing fragrances for waking up in the morning are tangerine, orange, rosemary, eucalyptus, lemon, lime, jasmine, rose, pine, and lavender. Lavender is a great weekend waker-upper.  As we head into the weekend, why not give some lavender a try. It is a beautiful essential oil.

Avoiding Road Rage
In the car, lavender is an excellent balancing oil, it can energize without being too stimulating. Rosemary is a good concentrating oil; it can help you find your car in a crowded lot at the end of the day.

Getting Going
For those of us who experience some anxiety at the beginning of the work day, geranium is a fragrance that promotes a feeling of calm. Peppermint is a great way to refresh and energize when lunch is still another hour or so away. A combination of lavender and rosemary will help us to concentrate in a relaxed way.

The 4pm Blahs
When the blood sugar crashes, it is a good idea to breathe in lavender, rosemary, or a combination of both, depending on your own preference.

Homeward Bound
Cinnamon is a nice fragrance for the ride home. It will hold us over until dinner, relax us, and refresh us.

Back at the Ranch
Have you ever thought of unwinding with the fragrance of a vanilla-scented candle or incense? This is a favorite fragrance among children. Tangerine and rose are lovely for this welcome home time. After dinner, some jasmine will help everyone relax and get ready for sleep.

Adults Only
Ylang-ylang and sandalwood are known to have aphrodisiac effects—in case anyone is interested.

While traveling to New York several times

There is a wonderful article I want to share with you about the special benefits of the CUCUMBER…

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day. Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffinated soda or coffee and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror. It will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your flower beds or garden? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumber along your problem area for a few minutes. The phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the Collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding a headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders, and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and viola, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don’t have time for a massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finished a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemical will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks, or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want clean. Not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!

*Originally published in the New York Times

I have spent the month of January keeping up my exercise as usual and eating well

If you really want beautiful skin, do the same things you do to strengthen your immune system, control your weight, lift your mood and live longer and better.

One of the most profoundly effective ways to create an attractive glow for your skin is by consuming vegetables and fruits filled with carotenoids.   Caroteniods, which include carotene, give red, orange and yellow fruits their color, and also can be found in green vegetables. Often these wonderful foods can actually make your face look healthier than being tanned.

Your body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which prevents cell damage and premature aging. Spinach and green leafy foods provide lots of Viatmin A too.

Exercise is another very important factor for beautiful skin, and can reduce the aging process.

The benefits of nuts – especially almonds – have to do with antioxidants. Vitamin E helps your skin hold in moisture.

Citrus Fruits contain Vitamin C which helps your body’s production of collagen, which is the protein that forms the basic structure of your skin. Vitamin C helps to tighten your skin.

Nearly everything we put on our skin is absorbed into the body. These are some great natural things for your skin: organic shea butter, Virgin coconut oil, palm oil and aloe vera juice.

I wanted to share these tips with you, so you too can experience the natural fountain of youth.

Did you know that eggs are not only a source of high-quality protein,but may also play an important role in optimum health.

Eggs are packed with 14 essential nutrients that benefit both your health and your activity. There are an impressive 12 grams of protein found in two large eggs. Protein is found in both the yolk and the white. Eating the whole egg will provide you with the egg’s full potential.

Protein provides lasting energy that stays with you longer. That is because protein helps you control the rate at which food energy is absorbed. Eating protein rich foods keeps you feeling full longer.

Eggs are very versatile, you can poach them, hard boil them, shred them in

The Little Prince was very talented as an artist, but because of the comments made about it by others, he lost much of his confidence. He was very lonely and one day came upon a fox. The little fox was not tame and the Little Prince was curious. For several days, each day, the Prince and the fox met at the same time. They made a decision to get to know each other. During that time, there became a level of trust and the fox and the Prince became friends. They opened their hearts to each other and discovered a whole new world of friendship.

It is a beautiful story and I share it with you as we all start the New Year. With lives so busy and fast–paced, there is sometimes a feeling of overwhelm.  Have you felt that way?

Do you have time to form to a new friendship?
Do you have time to take a fitness class?
Do you have time to spend more time with your family?

From the story of The Little Prince there is a lesson. Spend time doing the things that are most important to you. By spending the same time each week, over time it will blossom.

EXERCISE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Perhaps this will give you an idea of how you can plan something and feel very grateful about it:

For example, five mornings at 6:00, go to the track and walk for one hour. Over a period of several months, you will be in better condition physically. Working out early in the morning is the best time of day for burning fat before eating a full breakfast. It gives some quiet time for gratitude to start the day. Walking gives freedom to listen to music or just to be. By tracking the exercise over several months, you will see the results. It is a health-fulfilling journey that is easy to follow to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Delivered some trays of fresh baking for the holidays, it is so special to do for those who have been a part of my life for many years.

I am continuing my walking at the track and am now walking four hours a week.

Today the sun is shining, and although the weather conditions are still extreme, it feels so much brighter with a bright blue sky and the sun shining.

As I watched the football game with the warmth of the fireplace, television, and comforts of home, there were thousands of heart-warming fans bundled up in frigid temperatures for the game to cheer on the Calgary Stampeders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the final game on Sunday afternoon.

My yoga class was cancelled, but I knew that I wanted to start my day with a workout. I asked my husband to start my car, as I packed up my indoor runners and water bottle with my electrolyte drink in it and set off to the track at Mount Royal University. I also took my time, driving very cautiously. It is such an amazing facility and very few people use it. So I enjoyed my forty-five minute walk thinking about so many things that bring a feeling of gratitude, satisfaction, and knowing that 2011 is such a special year ahead for my business, my family.

It’s a year to look forward to – a milestone year-married forty years, how can that be, turning 60, how can that be, ten years cancer-free, and IT’S Me Annabelle Inc., a business five years old, my passion, my way of making a difference in the lives of others. It’s a year to celebrate having my executive assistant take on more responsibility. It’s a year my grand-daughter will have her first birthday and all my children and grand-kids now are together in the same city.

Do you ever have a dream of something so far beyond your comfort zone?

Disneyland on the small stage in between rides, so many years ago, there was a singing group, The Supremes performing. Still remembering the voice of one of the singers and her beauty, Diana Ross was her name.

As we begin Breast Cancer Month in a couple of weeks, last night with More Today Than Yesterday was an evening of music to nourish the mind, the body and the soul. Diana Ross was exceptional with her many songs including Survive!

Thank you to all who attended!

Singing in the round in the Corral was healing, and up close with Diana Ross, such a legend, a talent and an icon. It was a concert, but more than that, we welcomed with open hearts many from all walks of life.

Standing, singing, dancing throughout the performance, a very warm Calgary welcome and it was acknowledged from the stage when Ms. Ross said, “You are a very loving audience.”

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE, our sponsors, our supporters and new friends.