Pet Gifts

Alrighty, so I figured out my perfect Christmas blog idea as you know and this week it begins! For the next five weeks until Christmas we’re going to give some gift ideas based on our homemade Christmas cards. We’ll match up one of our Christmas cards (picked randomly) with someone to give it to (also randomly picked). The gifts we choose will match our handmade card that we have picked for the week. 

First up (out of my fancy brown paper bags), I drew Pets and our Dark Green Penguin card. 

Pets are so much fun to find Christmas gifts for because they love whatever you get for them. They are a part of the family just as much as anyone else, so I think they deserve a present Christmas morning and I think lots of other people agree with me. I have three pet birdies, two are budgies and one is a canary. They each have their own homemade Christmas name ornament hanging in the Christmas tree and they have a joint stocking (since bird presents are tiny, haha). Check out these ornaments that you can paint and personalize for your pets as well as these stockings for your pets. 

I have one like the angel for some of my pets, but any ornament will do as long as it has a flat surface for writing your pets name on.

 

Hope you like the pet gift ideas that I found on Etsy, Amazon, and the Petsmart website! They are either very green or very penguiny like our card.

Samantha

http://www.amazon.ca/Vision-Plastic-Water-Small-Birds/dp/B0017JJTZK/ref=sr_1_5?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1416519423&sr=1-5&keywords=bird+green

http://www.amazon.ca/Vision-Bird-Perch-Green-2-Pack/dp/B0012DOXGG/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1416519446&sr=1-4&keywords=bird+green

http://www.petsmart.ca/bird/food/cat-36-catid-400005?ab=bird_c2_foodhealth_featuredcategory_1_ca

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/207611575/new-holiday-christmas-happy-penguin-dog?ref=sr_gallery_31&ga_search_query=small+pet+penguin&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

http://www.amazon.ca/Plush-Penguin-Squeaking-Assorted-Colors/dp/B00P3TW07E/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1416519478&sr=1-2&keywords=bird+penguin

http://www.amazon.ca/Smiling-Penguin-Rubber-Squeaking-Toys/dp/B00P3TZAOO/ref=sr_1_5?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1416519521&sr=1-5&keywords=bird+penguin

http://www.petsmart.ca/supplies-training/toys/top-paw-pet-holiday-trade-snowman-or-penguin-bungee-dog-toy-zid36-5220173/cat-36-catid-100118?_t=pfm%3Dsearch

http://www.petsmart.ca/supplies-training/collars/martha-stewart-pets-bow-cat-collar-zid36-22940/cat-36-catid-200080?var_id=36-22940&_t=pfm%3Dsearch

http://www.petsmart.ca/featured-shops/black-friday/martha-stewart-pets-holiday-penguin-or-mouse-cylinder-cat-toy-zid36-5221622/cat-36-catid-800854?_t=pfm%3Dsearch

http://www.petsmart.ca/supplies/habitat-decor/national-geographic-trade-rainforest-basking-platform-reptile-ornament-zid36-21506/cat-36-catid-500027?var_id=36-21506&_t=pfm%3Dsearch

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/205604408/crochet-frog-costume-for-guinea-pigs-or?ref=sr_gallery_38&ga_search_query=small+pet&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/172587030/lilys-pretty-penguin-cuddle-cup?ref=sr_gallery_18&ga_search_query=small+pet+penguin&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/208390669/cosy-sleeping-sack-penguins-with-yellow?ref=sr_gallery_3&ga_search_query=small+pet+penguin&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

  

http://www.petsmart.ca/

http://www.amazon.ca/

https://www.etsy.com/ca/

Rose Oil Salve and Moisturizers

“Healthy, hydrated cells are the key to ageless skin and a healthy body.” – Dr. Howard Murad

So the brain games worked! I finally remembered my amazing blog idea which I will start next week as Christmas gets closer. 

Today we’ll take a look at that rose oil salve that I mentioned a few weeks ago and some other good moisturizers to combat the winter dryness. The cold weather has begun here and with that comes very dry and chapped skin/lips. My skin tends to dry out very quickly once the cold weather begins. I was told by a dermatologist that if you have mild to moderate dryness use a lotion, moderate to severe dryness use a cream, and if you have severe and sensitive skin use an ointment for relief. 

 I have a pretty good moisturizing routine going, haha. If you’re looking for a good face moisturizer, try Ponds Dry Skin Cream; I use this every morning. I’m old school. I use Vaseline on my lips to prevent chapping, a little under my moisturizer and foundation to prevent facial dryness during the day, and I also put it on my feet and hands (especially around the cuticles) at night. I use Aveeno’s Daily Moisturizing Lotion as my body lotion. I’m a big fan of Aveeno since it’s mild and good for my sensitive skin. After my showers in the winter, I always put on baby oil while I’m still damp; this works amazingly to lock in moisture and then once it’s absorbed, I rub on some lotion. I’ve noticed that at night time I need to use an ointment on my face because it dries out fast; some tend to be a bit oily but it’s better than having red, bumpy, dry skin in the morning. 

One more thing...remember to exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! This is the first way to combat dryness all over.

Here are a few more good lotions, creams, and ointments to give a try this winter.

If you are adventurous here is the recipe for the Rose Oil Salve that I am going to try with my newly made rose oil. The oil turned out just right after four weeks of sitting. It has a mild rose smell and I can’t wait to give it try in this recipe!

Rose Petal Salve

• 3 ounces (100 grams) of rose petal infused oil
• .5 ounce rosehip seed oil
• .5 ounces (15 grams) of beeswax pastilles
• optional: several drops of rose essential oil (or you can use geranium (rose) for a less expensive, but still rosy smelling option)

Measure all of the ingredients by weight on a small, inexpensive scale, but for salves, you can also measure the oil in a glass measuring cup with ounce markings until total oil reaches 3 1/2 ounces. Next, add your beeswax until it pushes the oil up to 4 ounces.

Add the oil and beeswax pastilles into a heat proof container. Set it down into a pan containing several inches of water. Gently bring the temperature up to medium-lowish heat and let the container stay in the makeshift double boiler until the wax is melted. 

Pour into the containers you’ve chosen and you’re done!

Memory

“Happiness is good health and a bad memory.” – Ingrid Bergman

Oh dear, the other day I had an amazing idea for a blog post and I totally forgot it. I was getting ready in the morning and an idea popped into my head and before I had the chance to write it down...it disappeared and hasn’t come back to me since. I’m determined to remember it and blog about it next week, so we’ll see.
 

This week in honour of my bad memory, I’ve decided to find ways to improve memory.

I found a pretty good website that gives some tips on how to improve your memory, so here is some helpful advice that I’ll give a try plus the link to the website that goes into further detail things that you can do to improve your memory. 

Don’t skimp on exercise or sleep

•         when you exercise the body, it exercises your brain

•          when you’re sleep deprived, your brain can’t function, so get lots of rest

Make time for friends and fun

•          boost your memory by having healthy relationships

•          laughter is good for the brain

Keep stress in check

•          don’t stress, meditate instead

Eat a brain boosting diet

•          omega 3s, keeping calories low, limiting saturated fats, eating more fruits and veggies, green tea, eating complex carbs, and drinking red wine (in moderation of course) all help with brain memory

Have a brain workout

•          when choosing a brain exercise, make sure it’s new, challenging, and fun

•          try mnemonic devices

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/memory/how-to-improve-your-memory.htm

Here are some links to brain game websites that are fun and challenging.

http://www.lumosity.com/

http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/

http://braingames.nationalgeographic.com/episode/0/

http://www.fitbrains.com/

And last but not least, a link to the Discovery Channel’s “10 Ways to Improve Your Brain” article.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-ways-to-improve-memory.htm