Make a Difference Monday!
I will start with a big giant Thank You to all our family & friends that have been such a great help lately! It is never fun when life tosses you that little unexpected curve ball. And it is also true that you never appreciate your good health enough! I am happy to be feeling so much better and am very grateful for all the prayers, well wishes, understanding & help I received!
I noticed something when I was feeling so terrible-that nothing makes you feel better than helping someone else. A burden shared is a lighter load right?
We here at BMC have decided to participate in Make a Difference Mondays! It is a great idea really, and you can pick whatever works for you. The idea is simple…do something for someone else, without expecting anything in return.
Ideas are as endless as your imagination…Carry in groceries for an elderly neighbor, pay for the order of the car behind you at Starbucks, help a frazzled neighborhood mom to an hour of peace by inviting her kids to play with yours for awhile, visit the local nursing home during your lunch hour-be that visitor someone there is desperate for.
Whatever idea you choose to use, you will spread unexpected encouragement in a regularly rough day, and you cannot help spilling some of that happiness on yourself!
Let me know what you think. What ideas do you have?!
Peppermint Oil & Headache relief.
Well, if you are like me and get those stress headaches now and then, relief is a must! Since life can’t wait while you curl up in a ball in a dark corner, here are some natural options that can have big results!
Peppermint Essential Oil is a great natural option that provides wonderful relief!
Check out our All Natural Essential Oil Candles (try the Peppermint Thyme for headache releif and to de-stress).
Visit the blog Here We Are with Luci for fantastic tips on how to lead a better, brighter & easier lifestyle.
Blue Moon Candles featured in Pirates Magazine!
This quarters Pirate Magazine features Blue Moon Candles. Our Candles were reviewed by the infamous & completely Gorgeous Scarlett Harlott!
Pieces of Eight Pirate Candles by Blue Moon Candles.
Pirates magazine
What are ye waiting for?!
Go Subscribe NOW!!! 
Glow Green & Bright with Blue Moon Candles!
Here at Blue Moon Candles we believe passionately in Candlelight. We also believe in taking care of ourselves, as well as being responsible with our earth.
Most of us realize how important it is to lead a healthy lifestyle by watching the foods we eat and the products we use. However, most people never think about what goes into the candles they are burning in their most sacred of spaces, their very homes.
We have collaborated on these candles with Luci Weston of Here We Are with Luci. She is the editor-in-chief of “The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Better, Brighter, Easier Lifestyle on our way to Running the World!” - If you are not already a reader, I highly suggest you give it a look-fantastic information to be found there!
Each of these Pillar candles are handcrafted crafted in All Natural Organic Soy Wax. Container Candles are All Natural Apricot Wax, and feature drop in refills so they never need to be empty! We use only 100% unbleached organic Cotton or Hemp Wicks.
There are 3 Essential Oil Blends to choose from~
Mint&Thyme;~ great for alertness&mental clarity, as well as stress relief. Sweet Orange&Ginger~ energizing, warming and comforting. Bergamot & Grapefruit~ great for anxiety & stress relief, mentally uplifting. As well as the option to remain fragrance free of course. All of our essential oil Candle blends are Phthalate free.
Each candle has 3 small polished green Aventurine stones inside.
Once your candle is finished burning you can collect your stones.
Did you know Aventurine’s name was derived from an accident? Sometime during the 18th century, Venetian glass workers were preparing molten glass when copper fragments accidentally fell into the glass producing a glass with sparkles. The name Aventurine comes from the Italian “a ventura” which means “by chance”.
Folklore, Legend & Healing~ Aventurine has been used as a lucky talisman and is a popular stone for gamblers. Legends say that it is an all-purpose healer, used to reduce stress, develop confidence, imagination and improve prosperity. A legend from ancient says that aventurine was used to improve nearsightedness and to increase the wearer’s creativity. Many believe that aventurine has the capacity to calm a troubled spirit and bring about inner peace.
It is funny how things work out sometimes. Serendipity, a ventura, 3 Candles, 3 Fragrances, 3 stones, 3 word names-Blue Moon Candles & Here We Are…3 also carries the meaning of abundance & success; the triads of “sun, moon, stars” and “water, fire, wind”.
Get your Eco Friendly Green Candles today!
Becoming more Patient with those around you.
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do you find yourself losing your patience? Do you lose patience with your family? Friends? Enemies? Do you ever show them patience? What about those around you? Are you snappish? How do you do in traffic?
Patience is my goal this week, and something I am working on. My Grandfather always said “patience is one of the most important qualities for a person with good character to develop.” I think he was right.
This life and this economy are stressful times. Anger can really contribute to stress. If that is so, then what is the anti-anger? Patience! “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. “Mother Teresa
These are some easy ways to cultivate patience.
Think of the last time you got angry. Ask yourself is your anger helping? Making the situation any more bearable? Probably not. Sometimes it is our perception of a situation that makes us angry.
Try to look at the bigger picture, instead of only how you were wronged. Perhaps the person that offended you did so unintentionally. Perhaps they are coming from a tough upbringing, or did not benefit from the same opportunities you had. Instead of getting angry, try to react with patience. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Mother Teresa. Buddha taught that your enemy could be your greatest teacher.
Looking at the situation logically will help you realize that no one is drawn to an angry person. I know for me, I want my positive attitude to attract others, not repel them.
Anger takes loads of work. I had a coworker that would routinely get angry and stay that way for days! That is so much work to carry around that anger, simmering…for days. Patience is really the easier option. All you have to do is not do something-allow yourself to be angry.
Think of how one angry outburst can stay with you for years. I am sure we all have a memory of someone angrily speaking to us, or of witnessing an angry scene. That one moment can leave it’s mark for years. Do we really want to become that person? I know I don’t! Patience takes work and it is not easily cultivated for some…but it is a virtue! (moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.)
What are some things that easily anger you?
What are some ways to work on not becoming angry?
What helps you relax?
Some *Very* useful websites I enjoy…
It’s a busy world out there! While juggling my busy life, I value and love things that entertain, simplify & improve! These sites are places that I frequent-my hangouts if you will, and I thought you might benefit and enjoy them as well!
DaFont.com~ Tons of fonts organized by style, free to download & use. *I am a Font addict*.
How Stuff Works~ HowStuffWorks explains hundreds of subjects, from car engines to lock-picking to ESP, using clear language and tons of illustrations. I love it!
Musicovery~ Discover new music based on your mood, this free webradio lets you browse music styles and epochs. I use this while working in my shop pouring Candles-I set the mood I am in, and Musicovery does the rest. It is a great way to sample things and find new favorites too!
Technorati~ Technorati was founded to help bloggers succeed by collecting, highlighting, and distributing the global online conversation. See Who is saying What right NOW!
Twitter~ Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. *warning* More than a little bit addiciting!
What should I read next? ~Enter a book you like and the site will analyse our database of real readers’ favourite books (over 65,000 and growing) to suggest what you could read next.
DeviantArt~Where Art meets application – community of artists and those devoted to art. Digital art, skin art, themes, wallpaper art, traditional art, photography, poetry / prose. Art prints & applications.
Survey Monkey~ SurveyMonkey.com is a revolutionary tool to create and publish custom surveys in minutes, and then view results graphically and in real time.
Only 2 Clicks~ Bookmarking website that lets you store and categorize websites so that you can get back to websites in only 2 clicks. With Only 2 Clicks you can access your bookmarks anywhere anytime…even from your iPhone.
Online Conversions~ Convert just about anything to anything else.
Customer Service Manager~ Resource for Customer Service Managers & Professionals, improve your customer service, free customer service articles & advice.
Rhyme Zone~ A rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, spell checker, and word finding tool for poets, writers, musicians, and language enthusiasts. *Includes a Shakespeare quotes section as well as famous document seach.
Do you use any of these resources? What are some of your favorite online resources?
~Spooky Catacombs!~
Mission Inn for the Holidays
The Mission Inn, Riverside California has always held a special spot in my heart!
As a young girl I was entranced with the idea of getting into the Spooky Catacombs below. After several attempts so far I have been unsucessful, but someday I hope to get inside! The catacombs have been closed to the public for several years, but next year Ghostwalk Riverside will be giving VIP tours. If there is any way at all, I plan to be there!
If you get the privlidge of actually going to this Inn, you will understand why it is so captivating.
Many famous interesting guests drawn to the inn included industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, actress Sarah Bernhardt, escape artist Harry Houdini, educator Booker T. Washington, blind and deaf writer and lecturer Helen Keller, aviatrix Amelia Earhart, auto tycoon Henry Ford and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. The inn was also a favorite of the early Hollywood movie colony as well as World War II fliers at nearby March Field.
If you ever get the chance to go, it is a must see, especially during the holiday season.
Spooky Kisses!
Lisa
Interview with Donna Maria Coles Johnson of the Indie Beauty Network.
This is the 1st of a 3 part story series, featuring 3 different Women of Substance…
~Women of Substance~
Featuring Donna Maria Coles Johnson.
Donna Maria Coles Johnson
If you are like me, you are always interested in what makes someone a success? How can I learn form them and incorporate some of their secrets into my business & life?
It is a rare find indeed when you meet just such a woman that has excelled not only in her business but also her personal life, and she is ready and willing to encourage and mentor others. In Donna Maria’s case hundreds of others!
Read on to see what Donna Maria has to say:
Lisa Kasper: What kind of business do you operate?
Donna Maria: The core of my business is the Indie Beauty Network (http://www.indiebeauty.com). From this core emanate numerous additional businesses and activities such as producing and hosting the Indie Business Radio Show (http://www.indiebusinessradio.com), hosting (along with my husband business partner) the Media Is You training conferences (http://www.themediaisyou.com) and a video production company (http://www.indiebusinessmedia.com). Everything revolves around the Indie Beauty and Indie Business brands, which are my trademarks.
Lisa Kasper: What prompted you to go into this line of business?
Donna Maria: I learned how to make my own cosmetics about 15 years ago. I left well paying jobs, and then returned to them, 3 separate times, all the while knowing that my passion was for women and the things that empower us and make us appreciate our beauty. Since I am professionally trained as both a journalist and an attorney, it seemed natural to create an organization to provide business building services and encouragement to people who make and sell beautiful products for a living. I closed my cosmetics business to launch the Indie Beauty Network. It is one of the greatest joys of my life.
Indie Beauty Network
Lisa Kasper: What is your Mantra/Mission?
Donna Maria: My mantra is: Enjoy your life, build your business, have your way.
Lisa Kasper: What do you feel sets you apart from others in your industry?
Donna Maria: My complete dedication to serving my members. Also, I produce results. While I’m not perfect and don’t do everything right, my members and business partners tell me that partnering with me is enhancing their lives and their businesses.
Lisa Kasper: What are you doing to promote your business?
Donna Maria: Connecting with and helping as many people as I can. I use social media a lot and have recently increased my travel schedule to enjoy more speaking opportunities.
Lisa Kasper: Has your business grown this year? By what percent? Do you project growth for next year?
Donna Maria: Business has more than doubled over the past 12 months. I project even more growth next year.
Lisa Kasper: What is the market group that you target?
Donna Maria: Women and families who desire to earn a living using their talents and gifts in a small family business.
Lisa Kasper: What drives you to do what you do every day?
Donna Maria: My love for women and their families, especially those in business. Ten years ago, my dear friend Robin was trying to escape an abusive marriage. She had started a Mary Kay business and had found a new place to live. Before she could get out, her husband killed her.
When I helped Robin’s parents sort through her things, I found a drawer full of the handmade toiletries products I had made for her over the years. Robin could never throw anything away, and there they all were. Some like new, others half used and sort of smelly. But all made with love. They were in a drawer where she also kept sacred cards and keepsakes from her children.
I know there are millions of other women with children — not all in situations like Robin was in — who are are trying to create a better life for their children. Robin drives me. She lives inside of me. And when I get tired or overwhelmed, I remember her and her struggle and I become more determined that women from all walks of life can achieve their dreams and surround themselves with people who will help them do so. Thank you for asking.
Lisa Kasper: How do you get it all done?
Donna Maria: I don’t.
Seriously, there are baskets of unfolded clean laundry in the upstairs hallway, the dishes need to be washed, my daughter’s hair needs to be braided, I need to figure out what to cook (or buy) for dinner and my dear husband needs some attention, and yet, I also want to answer your questions because you’ve been waiting so long. I’ll prioritize all of these things. I’ll get done what absolutely must be done. Then I’ll get a good night’s rest, wake up tomorrow, go to church and do it all over again.
Lisa Kasper: What is your biggest accomplishment?
Donna Maria: It hasn’t happened yet.
Lisa Kasper: What would you tell other women to encourage them in the workforce?
Donna Maria: Own a business of your own, even if you have a traditional job.
Lisa Kasper: What would you change if you could go back 10 years?
Donna Maria: Nothing. That’s not because I did everything right or made no mistakes. It’s because it’s a useless thing to think about. I prefer to think about how I will change the future.
Lisa Kasper: And for us because we are nosey…what is your favorite fragrance???
Donna Maria: Pink grapefruit essential oil always makes me smile.
If you could ask your own question, what would you like to ask Donna Maria?
The Vivid world of Fragrance…
A Report from Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In The Remembrance of Things Past, French novelist Marcel Proust described what happened to him after drinking a spoonful of tea in which he had soaked a piece of madeleine, a type of cake: “No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through my whole body, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me,” he wrote. “An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses…with no suggestion of its origin…
“Suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was of a little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings…my Aunt Leonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea….Immediately the old gray house on the street, where her room was, rose up like a stage set…and the entire town, with its people and houses, gardens, church, and surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being from my cup of tea.”
Just seeing the madeleine had not brought back these memories, Proust noted. He needed to taste and smell it. “When nothing else subsists from the past,” he wrote, “after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered…the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls…bearing resiliently, on tiny and almost impalpable drops of their essence, the immense edifice of memory.”
Proust referred to both taste and smell—and rightly so, because most of the flavor of food comes from its aroma, which wafts up the nostrils to cells in the nose and also reaches these cells through a passageway in the back of the mouth.
Our taste buds provide only four distinct sensations: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Other flavors come from smell, and when the nose is blocked by a cold, most foods seem bland or tasteless.
Both smell and taste require us to incorporate—to breathe in or swallow—chemical substances that actually attach themselves to receptors on our sensory cells.
The average human being, it is said, can recognize up to 10,000 separate odors. We are surrounded by odorant molecules that emanate from trees, flowers, earth, animals, food, industrial activity, bacterial decomposition, other humans. Yet when we want to describe these myriad odors, we often resort to crude analogies: something smells like a rose, like sweat, or like ammonia.
Our culture places such low value on olfaction that we have never developed a proper vocabulary for it. In A Natural History of the Senses, poet Diane Ackerman notes that it is almost impossible to explain how something smells to someone who hasn’t smelled it. There are names for all the pastels in a hue, she writes—but none for the tones and tints of a smell.
Nor can odors be measured on the kind of linear scale that scientists use to measure the wavelength of light or the frequency of sounds.
Coming Soon- The Memory of Smells….
10 Ways to prevent Breast Cancer.
This is a post from Dr. Mommy- Dr. Daisy Sutherland D.C.- you can check her blog HERE. I found it very informative & I hope you will too.
Breast Cancer Awareness month is this month, the month of October. With that said I wanted to share some tips that can help reduce your chance of developing breast cancer.
There is a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in your life, but hopefully with this plan the odds will change. Although there are many drugs on the market and much research is being done, the odds of a woman getting cancer in her lifetime aren’t shrinking.
It seems that diet has a lot to do with the handling of this disease and it is something we can definitely control. Diet has be proven to be the most effective way to reduce your risk. There are many other suggestions such as exercise but today we will focus on 10 simple ways you can change your diet and start protecting yourself today.
1. Reduce your Fat – Limit your fat intake by 20 percent of your overall caloric intake. Research has proven that a diet high in fat will increase the risk of breast cancer. High fat diets have also been proven to produce chemicals in the intestine that bacteria convert to carcinogenic estrogens. These estrogens can then be stored in the fatty tissue of the breast, making the cells in the area more susceptible to cancer growth.
2. Choose Crunchy Veggies – Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, turnips and cauliflower. It is best to steam them or eat them raw to best preserve their cancer fighting nutrients. These types of vegetables contain sulfurous compounds called indoles, which have shown to help eliminate estrogen from the body and prevent it from triggering the growth of breast cancer.
3. Increase your Fiber – Get plenty of fiber from foods such as vegetables and fruits, legumes and whole grains. The fiber tends to interrupt the metabolism of estrogen and decreases the blood levels of estrogen. The high levels of blood estrogen in the body are close in relation to higher risk of breast cancer. High fiber diets have been shown to reduce the risk of of breast cancer by up to 54 percent.
4. Try Seaweed- Try eating seaweeds such as kelp and nori or consider taking spirulina (blue algae) and chlorella in a glass of juice daily. High consumptions of kelp may explain the lower incidence of breast cancer in Japanese women. Kelp and chlorella have shown to have anti-carcinogenic effects.
5. Soy Secret – It is smart to eat soy products such as tofu, miso or tempeh. Soybeans and other soy products contain a plant estrogen called genistein. This plant estrogen binds to receptors in the breast, making it impossible for potentially cancer causing forms of estrogen to connect with breast cells.
6. Shop organic – Buy organic foods such as fruits, vegetables, meates, dairy and grains when ever possible. Organic products do not contain pesticides that have been linked to breast cancer. Dairy products and meats that are certified organic do not contain any growth hormones, such as bovine, a chemical usually fed to cows. This chemical has been shown to promote the growth of breast cancer cells.
7. Eat Fish – Eat at least 3 servings of cold water fish a week. Some cold water fish are tuna, salmon, halibute, cod and sardines. If you can’t eat fish you can take fish oil capsules or vegetarian supplements. The omega-3 oils inhibit the effects of compounds known as prostaglandins. Prostaglandins have been associated with inflammation that will suppress the immune systems’s ability to identify tumors. A higher consumption of fish and fish oil has been found to reduce the cases of cancer.
8. Choose the right oils – Avoid canola oil, safflower oil, sesame oil and margarine. It is best to use virgin and extra-virgin olive oil when cooking. Flaxseed oil is also very wise to use as long as it is not heated; can be added to foods already cooked. Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat has been linked to lower rates of cancer. Trans fats also called hydrogenated oils mainly found in margarine have been linked with high rates of cancer.
9. Add phytonutrients to your diet – Introduce nuts, legumes, seeds as well as fruits and a variety of vegetables to your diet. These particular foods contain phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are plant compounds that protect against cellular damage and prevent cancer growth. Cooking with herbs such as dill, which contains a phytochemical called limonene, is important for breast protection and rosemary has antioxidant and anti-tumor properties.
10. Mushrooms – Mushrooms have medicinal properties. Some medicinal mushrooms include the Japanese variety of shiitake and maitake. Studies have shown that maitake mushrooms actually stimulate the immune function and prevent tumor growth. The ingredients in maitake mushrooms do not kill the cancer cells directly, it activates the immune system protecting against breast cancer. Shitake mushrooms have also been found to boost the immune system.
