Cucumbers ? In the spirit of New Year's

I came across this information on cucumbers, not sure where I got it but it has some good info on the benefits of the cucumber.  Who would have ever known, right?  So I wanted to pass it along, if you've ever heard of any of these tips before or you have some tricks of your own I would love for you to share.

• One cucumber contains most of the vitamins the body needs such as:  Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5,  Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus,  Potassium and Zinc.
• Cucumbers are great for a "pick-me up" if you want to stay away from coffee or pop because they have Vitamin B and Carbs that can provide that little boost you need.             
• No gum or mints after that delicious meal you ate with tons of garlic?   Take a slice of cucumber and press it with your tongue to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds.  on the top of your mouth for 30 seconds use a cucumber to eliminate bad breath.  It's the phytochemicals that kill the bacteria in your mouth which cause bad breath.
• If you were out drinking past your bedtime and think you might be in for a bad headache the next morning then eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed.  It appears that cucumbers contain the sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes necessary to replenish any nutrients the body lost allowing you to wake-up without the headache.

Dangles

Long, cascading earrings are so much fun, their gorgeous, sexy and perfect for bringing in the New Year this coming weekend.   I’ve always worn long dangling earrings with the exception of a short period of time during the 90’s.  At the time I thought my taste had changed but looking back on it “the grunge” influenced a  lot of what I was wearing so who knows.   A few years later the Chandelier Earring was born and I had dangly's again with a lot of pretty detail.  So as New Year's Eve approaches I went in search of some beautiful earrings on line and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.   Now if only money were no object.  What's your favorite type of earring?

New found respect in ....

I have a new found respect in The Rhinestone, I have to admit I never held Rhinestones in high regard until reading this story by Lettie Teague... 
Romancing The Stone - http://on.wsj.com/fHkbzk

Topaz Tuesday

So in playing around with a new tool I fell in love with and was looking at a few of my favorite finds and accidentally posted these beauties ahead of time.

It's not Tuesday, it's Sunday so I figured I would just leave and share with you.

Our Zumba Instructor and her nightmare

So at Zumba the other night just before the class started she said she had something to share with us about her friend who also happens to be one of the Instructors at the gym so so we're all familiar with her, to protect her privacy I'll call her "Our Alternate Instructor".  The unfortunate news was that "our Alternate Instructor" had been a victim of domestic violence.  She continued to say that although it seemed that she was now over the worst she was in need of a lot of emotional support.  Needless to say this was heartbreaking news and affected some women in the class more than others not sure if maybe from past experiences I don't know that's just my guess.
Anyway, hearing this was a shocker for me, I was dumbfounded, it was so hard for me to grasp and process.   It was disturbing and I kept thinking Why? and how bad was she hurt?   Can you imagine the fear she must have been experiencing during the horror of this attack? "Our Alternate Instructor" does have a young son but luckily he was not a witness to this nightmare.
I remember doing some research in college on the statistics of Domestic Violence and one of the facts I've always remembered learning was that we all know or come across someone that is in an abusive relationship but we just don't know it.  Frightening!!  This has prompted me to do a little research on Domestic Violence in this country and I'll post my findings for you on a later post.
Fortunately "Our Alternate Instructor" has recuperated enough to go back to work, with the emotional support of her friends and family I'm hopeful she can start the healing process. Do you know or have any statistics on this issue?  How much do you know about Domestic Violence?  Please let me know.

Topaz Tuesday

Did you know that Ancient Egyptians used to believe that the Topaz was colored by the golden glow of the mighty Sun God Ra, which gave it the power to protect the faithful against harm.

A Topaz can be Amber gold of or a pinkish/orangey color and any other color in between.  Very rare Topaz stones are a pale pink to a Burgundy color and are considered to be Precious Topaz.

The Blue Topaz is more readily available, most likely treated in color however if you ever come across a naturally blue colored topaz, it is considered a rarity.

Creating a website

So I've decided to bite the bullet and get a website for Jewelry Designs By MISA.  I was hoping to find a small local company to help me with this but the quotes I've been getting are a little over my budget.  My other option was to purchase one of those DIY template based websites you can purchase from the major hosting companies but that was not going to be an option.  I have a big issue when a technical product is sold with the term "user friendly" all over it and "you can create your own website in one evening" no this was not the case at all.  
The last time I worked with this product I pulled my hair in frustration and yelled at my screen from start to finish and it was not created in one evening.

After doing a lot of research I've decided to use a similar product with a different company.  I believe this experience has to be better than the last one several years ago how soon it will be up and running will depend on the other tasks I've scheduled for myself during the few days off I have scheduled at work this extra busy month of December.
Will keep you posted obviously.