Happy Easter! Planning for the day? Take a gander at the Easter Sunday checklist to be sure you are totally prepared for the holiday!
Start a new tradition – If your family is religious, you can start a new tradition for a blessing entering us into the new season – my family has hard boiled eggs cut into quarters or pieces blessed by a priest and before brunch we stand around the dinner table and from oldest to youngest we eat a piece of the blessed eggs then say a prayer to bless our meal and give thanks

Have your easter baskets prepared – Make your Easter baskets the night before, label them to be sure you remembered all the cousins, nephews and nieces

Flowers for the adults – Give the adults in the family fresh cut flowers or potted flowers instead of Easter baskets

Dishes prepared – It’s a tradition for many to eat a feast of meat on Easter sunday being that good friday has a no meat rule, bring the dish or dessert you prepared for the meal – something in the spirit of the Easter holiday

Dress in your Easter Sunday best – Even if you celebrate Easter in the morning or afternoon, it’s a great opportunity to dress up in formal casual attire for a dignified meal

Easter Activity – If there are kids in the family or even for fun-loving crafty adults, dye eggs, create a easter egg hunt, scavenger hunt or make cut-out bunny masks – you can even venture to the mall or a location to take photos with the Easter bunny – if you really want to get into the spirit you can have a member of the family dress up like the easter bunny it brings joy especially for the little ones!

Two days before Easter and you want to make something simple, fast and scrumptious for the holiday. Below are a few quick recipes to make this Easter extra special and extra delicious.

1. Bunny Cruisers

4 days until Easter Countdown: Bring a new treat to the table this year with Italian Easter Cookies that come with hand rolled dough in a basket shape with an egg in the center – they are delicious and very adorable! Although my family is Ukrainian, my aunt comes from an italian family and it was always a treat to have these at the table come Easter time.

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5 Days until Easter countdown! There are many ways to change up the style this year from your typical Easter baskets to something a little more interesting – try your hand at thread easter baskets

What You’ll Need: 

• Crochet thread
• Fabric stiffener such as Stiffy
• Bowl
• Plastic wrap
• Tape
• Disposable bowl or cupcake tray
• Balloon
• 1/4 Yard coordinating fabric
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine

Line your disposable bowl with plastic wrap. Tape down the edges of that plastic wrap to the bowl.  Cover the table you are working on too.

Inflate a balloon in the shape you want the basket to be – egg shape, round, whichever you choose.  This is the size of your basket so be sure to inflate to the size you want.

Drop your string into the bowl and fully cover it in stiffy.  Be sure the string is saturated, but not in a pool of Stiffy.

Wrap the end of the string around the top of the balloon to get started.  This will hold that first piece of slippery string in place until you can get enough in place that it will hold itself.

Continue wrapping your egg until you’ve got complete coverage.  You’ll want to add more Stiffy along the way when you get to string that isn’t saturated.

Set your basket in a bowl or cupcake tray to dry for 24 hours.  Half way through the drying process, turn your egg on its side so the bottom can dry.

After the egg has had plenty of drying time, break out a pin and pop the balloon inside.

If you can, pull the top out, but if not, grab it once you cut a hole.

6 days until Easter – Aside from all the delicious food you’ll be having – there are a few ways you can make your easter table look even more festive this year, adding a little charm and delight to the Easter holiday spirit.

Lamb Shaped Butter – simple and smooth edible decoration

1 week until Easter! Countdown begins today with some classic easter dishes and fun activities for the whole family!

Glitter Easter Eggs

Maybe you run into your ex on the street or maybe you are out and get a important call that requires you to be there right away, perhaps you are on your way to an event or an interview and you woke up late – there may come a time when you are in a rush, below are a few quick, easy and helpful solutions you can use when you need to think fast!

Want to brighten those cheeks up and don’t have any blush handy? Gently pinch your cheeks (not to hard or else you could bruise!) then using moderate to light pressure quickly tap where you pinched and the surrounding area – the pinch stimulates the blood vessels in your cheeks and the tapping disperses them creating instant rosey cheeks!

Bad breath and no time to brush your teeth or pop in a piece of minty fresh gum? If you carry perfume or cologne with you, spritz a little on the top of your hand and with a flat tongue lick the area on your hand where you sprayed – the alcohol in the perfume neutralizes bacteria (associated with bad breath which often times cakes up on the tongue) and instantly freshens your breath – yes, it may be bitter and it isn’t the most pleasant taste but it gets the job done

Another solution with no time to brush your teeth – Use a tissue, napkin, paper towel or a cloth (anything you have on you or can find quickly) and rub your teeth with it, it removes any build up on the teeth, taking off that furry “tooth sweater” you can feel with your tongue when you rub it across the surface of your teeth

Oops! Auntie Flow just visited and you don’t have a pad or tampon? No worries! Find the nearest restroom, use a roll of toilet paper and wrap it multiple times around your panties like a makeshift pantyliner – it’s a temporary solution until you can get to a pharmacy or convenience store

No time to wash your hair? If your hair looks greasy or needs a little lift to the roots, use baby powder or talcum powder and apply it the palm of your hands and run your fingers along the roots of your hair and scalp using a scrunching motion with the tips of your fingers – the powder soaks up the oils without overly drying out the hair. Stay along the roots and avoid putting it on the ends of your hair as this could potentially make your hair look frizzy and dry – talcum powder is typically white so if you are a brunette be sure to comb or shake out your hair so there isn’t any visible white residue left behind

Another solution if you can’t wash your hair – if your hair is frizzy, smells unpleasant or needs a little shine to it – you can use a hand cream or lotion and squeeze a little into your hand, rub your palms together and apply it to the ends of your hair – another temporary solution as lotions are conditioning for the skin similar to the way many hair products such as oil and shower conditioner condition the hair for hydration and moisture

Eyebrow hairs look a little wild or out of place? Take a toothbrush to comb the hairs in place and then apply chapstick or vasoline (petroleum jelly) to them as most are sticky and will temporarily keep the hairs from sticking out and in place

There are several ways to make extra cash you can do in addition to your main job, many of which you can do in the comfort of your own home and you can fit them around your schedule and lifestyle –

Pet Sitting – If you live in a house, preferably with a yard, there are websites such as Rover.com where you can host dogs (similar to a kennel) when dog owners need a place for their furry friends to stay for the day or overnight – you set the rate and get paid for caring for their animal.

Thrift Stores Finds – You can find a lot of treasures at thrift stores for way less than their original cost – clothing, shoes,  jewelry and accessory seems to sell the fastest on websites like etsy.com and if you have a good eye for fashion – take nice photos of your finds (make them look desirable!) and create an online store on a third party platform or build a website to sell your thrifty treasures. You can also use websites such as letgo.com and offerup.com where people in your area will see what your selling and will come directly to your house to give you cash in hand and pick it up- no travel on your part necessary.

Vending – Find out what street fairs, year round flea markets, farmers markets or vending opportunities are happening in your area – if you have a hobby you enjoy such as baking you can sell your goods for a few hours on the weekends to make some extra loot.

Blogging / Product Reviews – If you have a particular topic or hobby that interests you, look for websites online in that arena – find their contact information and offer to write product reviews and blog articles for them – there is a chance you can get some freebies (which you can later sell if you want!) and you can get paid to write about things you enjoy – if they are hesitant to pay you can lower your rate per article – remember its extra money – don’t undervalue yourself but also remember its something you can do in the comfort of your home if you choose and when you choose.

Thinking of adding extra rooms or an extension to your home? There are better additions to improve the quality of our home and of our lives than simply adding more space. Below are some luxury additions we can make to our home that will increase its value, improve our health and give us more of a reason to love where we live!

1. Building an indoor or outdoor personal sauna – Saunas are rooms typically built of wood where hot rocks are contained to heat the room to high temperatures where you can sit or lay down to sweat. Saunas can improve cardiovascular issues and improve circulation. They increase heart rates similar to a light cardio work out and they are excellent for shedding any water weight gain and removing toxins from the body.

2. Installing jacuzzi jets in the bath or adding a whirlpool– Jacuzzis are typically very high temperatures where fast moving jets pump out water rapidly creating a cyclical force that surrounds you. The high temperatures and pumping of water can improve circulation, massage sore and aching muscles and is known to help reduce cellulite.

3. Sensory deprivation tank – These are definitely on more of the expensive side but the benefits are exceptional. Sensory deprivation tanks look similar to extra large bathtubs with a lid on top – sort of like a futuristic pod. They contain high levels of magnesium sulfate in the water which allows you to float – similar to the dead sea. Such a high level of magnesium sulfate can help relax muscles and help reduce tension in the muscles, spine, bones and soreness throughout the entire body. The lid on top puts you in complete darkness as you float. If you acquire noise canceling, waterproof headphones, you can add an even greater element to the mix. Now, light, sound and density are removed from the experience – excellent for deep meditation and slowing the heart rate down which can help reduce anxiety, energize and increase mental clarity.

4. Light Therapy bed – When buying or building your own light therapy bed – its important to be sure the light waves being emitted are the right ones for your specific use. It’s important to do thorough research and to know the length of time that is best to spend in such bed. Light therapy beds are used for a variety of health reasons. They are known to treat seasonal affective disorder, depression, circadian rhythm issues, jet lag, a multitude of various skin problems including eczema, acne and psoriasis. In some cases, they are used for primarily beauty reasons – such as darkening the skin but can also be used before a vacation to prevent sunburn if your skin has not been exposed to sunlight for a long time.

Just like steaks, burgers and seafood, grilling vegetables takes some prep work and a keen eye to make sure everything is cooked to perfection.

The difference between vegetables and meat when grilling is that meat is more of a hands off approach to be sure the meat cooks all the way through and that it is both tender and juicy – vegetables require a little bit more attention when grilling to be sure they are evenly cooked on all sides without being under cooked, a little crisp is better on a vegetable than an under cooked vegetable.

Below are a few hand selected vegetables that your veggies will be grilled to perfection and to make sure whatever dish you are serving will be the most well-made and absolute tastiest it can be.

Corn – remove all husk except the innermost layer and snip off the silk – cook 8 to 10 minutes, turn every 2 minutes

Onions – cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (simply cut in half on most medium to large sized onions) parallel to the equator and place on a skewer – cook 10 to 12 minutes, turn one time about 5 to 6 minutes in.

Asparagus – cut off tough ends half way down the stalk and then bend the bottom half of the stalk until it breaks – cook 5 to 7 minutes, turn at about 3 minutes

Tomatoes – For round and plum, halve cored tomato along the equator and gently squeeze out the seeds but keep the tomato jelly intact, for cherry thread onto a skewer through the stem end of the fruit – cook 4 to 5 minutes for plum tomato, for cherry 3 to 4 minutes – turn twice about 1 1/2 minutes in.

Mushrooms – For portobello mushrooms, wipe the caps clean and snap off the stems, for button and cremini use a skewer and thread through the caps and stems so they don’t rotate when flipped – for portobellos cook about 8 to 10 minutes, for button and cremini, cook about 8 to 12, turn mushrooms for either every 3 minutes

Green Beans – Rinse with water but leave wet, don’t dry – cook for 6 minutes, turn at 3 minutes

Peppers – Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the core and the seeds and the ribs (white stuff on the inside), cut each half in third length wise – place on a skewer if you’d like – cook 7 to 9 minutes and turn once at about 3 to 4 minutes

Eggplant – Slice the eggplant cross wise into 3/4 inch rounds and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turn at about 4 to 5 minutes

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