Fall for Outdoor Entertaining This Autumn
Aaaah, autumn! It's the perfect time to entertain outdoors -- most of the bugs are gone, the sun isn't scorching even though it's warm enough to enjoy an afternoon or evening al fresco, and there's a bounty of good things to serve for an outdoor meal. Because the days are shorter in the autumn, outdoor entertaining in the fall calls for special attention to lighting and temperature. LightingThe earlier sunset will afford you an ideal opportunity to bathe your outdoor space in evening lights. Use soft light, but use plenty of it. Try dozens of votive candles in jars and glasses to protect the flame from the wind, hurricane lamps, or kerosene lanterns set on low.
Create cozy seating areas and equip each with a glowing light source. HeatingThe method you'll use to chase the chill from the night will vary depending on your climate and your outdoor space. If you have a yard (and community by-laws allow), a campfire is a wonderful informal party setting. In smaller gardens, consider self-contained fire pits or a chimenea. For a more formal affair, you can install a propane-powered heater.
These units are available in a range of heating powers and prices. Or, drape attractive throws or quilts on each chair for your guests to wrap around their shoulders to ward off the night air. Of course, you'll want to take advantage of the wonderful colors and textures of autumn in your decorating scheme and table settings. ColorAutumn's colors are deep and rich -- russet, crimson, burnt orange, gold, dark green, and the color of hay. Use these hues repeatedly in tablecloths and settings, flowers, centerpieces, and even the food.
Scoop out pumpkins and other squash and fit them with containers of water to make vases. Mass potted mums in vivid colors. Use orange Chinese lanterns, bright rosehips, stems of red or orange berries, or chilies. Wrap vibrant maple or sumac leaves around votive candleholders or napkin rings. Sunflower heads can be strewn on the tabletop, or left on the flower stalks in a container.
TextureThe textures of fall are earthy and rustic. Especially play these up if your gathering is informal -- a corn roast, a bonfire, a jeans and sweater evening. Use burlap or rough cotton to cover your buffet table, and dish towels as napkins. Weigh down your tablecloth with apples or pears hung on rough twine. Or use rattan placemats and wicker baskets.
Terracotta pot saucers make great paper plate holders. If you're hosting a fancy sit-down outdoor dinner, use the subtler textures of hydrangea blossoms and colored leaves on a linen tablecloth. Try bringing your indoor dining table outdoors for the evening-it will add unexpected elegance to your setting. Paint gold lettering on small gourds to use as place cards. Grace your table with late-blooming roses in crystal vases.
Whether you hold a harvest hoedown or a stylish sit-down dinner party for eight, fall for outside entertaining this autumn!.
Debbie Rodgers, the haven maven, owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Her latest how-to guide ?Attracting Butterflies to Your Home and Garden? is now available on her web site. Visit her at http://www.paradiseporch.com and get a free report on ?Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor space?.3 Tips For Giving A Great Gift
I know that trying to find just the right gift for somebody canbe like going to the dentist at times. Ok, maybe that's alittle bit dramatic. But when people ask me about what theyshould get someone for whatever the occasion, they are somtimesin a panic. This is what I tell them.1. Be OriginalIf you can imagine, you can be "original" .
It really isn'tthat hard. You know how teachers are always getting those stereotypical apple and school related gifts? (You people know who you are.) Ok, enough. Teachers have feelings too. No, really. (I'm nota teacher but I have friends and family who are and this is whatthey tell me.)This is a prime example of "un-originality".
(Can you imaginegetting 24 primarily identical gifts at Christmas time?) What'sa teacher to do?Want to win some brownie points? Get he or she something thatthey can use and enjoy.Let me help to stir those creative juices.a.Gift cards or certificates for - Pedicure, Manicure, MovieTheater, Ice Cream Shop, Movie Rental...
3 Tips For Giving A Great Gift
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The GI Diet Explained
The latest 'hot' diet to hit the market is the 'GI Diet' or 'Glycaemic Index' diet. Used by stars such as Kylie Minogue and Helen Porter, the GI Diet was invented in 1981 by Dr David Jenkins and is actually well respected by qualified nutritionists too, so it's not just the latest 'celeb fad' diet.Dr Jenkins based his ideas on his observations into how different carb-rich foods affect human blood sugar levels in diabetics. What he found amazed him and us here at www.supadiet.com too - namely that there are some starchy foods that affect blood sugar levels dramatically, while some sugar-heavy foods actually have little effect. This is, of course, in direct contrast to all the perceived medical wisdom. The culmination of Dr Jenkins' work is a scale called the Glycaemic Index, ranking foods on the basis of how they affect your blood sugar levels.Starting with glucose which has a GI of 100, the GI scale goes all the way down to zero.
... The GI Diet Explained
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Healthy Eating Tips for Healthy Living in 2005
Healthy Eating for Healthy Living in 2005Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. American's are living longer, however, the goal of many is not to simply live longer, the goal it is to live a longer and healthier life. Simple everyday fruit can help.Recent studies have indicated that the antioxidants in fruit provide a whole host of health benefits: the anti-aging power of blueberries and the joint pain relieving properties found in cherries to name a few. The multitudes of health components found in fruit are truly a gift from Mother Nature. Here are a few everyday fruits for healthy living in 2005: Cherries ? The Supercharged Fruit:Are cherries truly fruit for a healthy you? Recent studies have revealed that cherries offer an assortment of health benefits including the ability to offer natural relief from joint pain caused from gout, arthritis and joint inflammation.
The wonder of the cherry is the anthocyanins. According to research from Michigan State University tart...
Healthy Eating Tips for Healthy Living in 2005
Fruit baskets > Healthy Eating Tips for Healthy Living in 2005
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the most frequently lethal cancer in the United States.
Among all causes of death, lung cancer ranks second after heart disease for males, and third after heart and cerebrovascular disease for females.
In 2002 alone, over 150,000 people in the United States died of lung cancer.
Cancers form when certain cells in the body grow and multiply in an uncontrolled fashion.
When such uncontrolled growth affects lung tissues, a lung cancer forms.
Lung cancer is classified into two main types- small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
An estimated 80 percent of lung cancer patients have non-small cell lung cancer.
Smoking or inhaling second hand smoke, environmental exposures such as asbestos and radon gas, and a family history of lung cancer increase the risk of an individual getting lung cancer.
However, some lung cancers arise in the absence of these risk factors.
Factors that...
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