Good News

I am always searching the news for "Good News" stories, and I happened to come across three stories on CNN.com I wanted to share with you.  They all have a video attached, so enjoy!  Just click on the links to see more.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/25/health/beauty-queen-weightloss/index.html?&hpt=hp_c2

From big and beautiful to slim and trim.  An inspiring story of a young woman who changed her lifestyle and became a beauty queen.  What a great story about eating healthy and fighting obesity.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/10/25/florida-94-year-old-fights-fire.wpec

A story about Rose, a 94-year-old resident of a retirement home that became a hero by spotting a fire, calling for help, and attempting to put it out.  She doesn't look 94 to me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcNoMnKjrY

Halloween lights adorn this house, and are synchronized to the Party Rock Anthem.  That's pretty cool.

Have a wonderful day!

~ Angela Gentile

The Most Beautiful Things

"Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; 

peacocks and lilies for example." -- John Ruskin

When I was young, my grandparents were caretakers of a large estate (J. A. Mathieu, Fort Frances, Ontario).  There was a variety of wildlife that lived on the land, and the most magnificent of all, for me, were the peacocks.  Their large size, their magnificent colours, and their shrill call (that sounded like the word "Help!") made quite the impression on me.  The brilliant blue colour on their neck feathers was complimented by the blue "eyes" on their large tails.  We would hunt the property for these long feathers that had fallen out of the peacocks' tails.  We would put them in a vase and display them like flowers.  To this day, I still enjoy displaying peacock feathers.  I love the colours.  In fact, my favourite colour is "peacock blue".  

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Photos by Angela Gentile

The Optimist Creed

Image from:  Optimism Affirmations 

Promise yourself...


...to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.


...to talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.


...to make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.


...to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.


...to think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.


...to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.


...to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.


...to wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.


...to give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.


...to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.


...to think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.


...to live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.


By Christian D. Larson 
1912


Have a wonderful, optimistic day!


~ Angela Gentile

Dinner & a Show

The other night my husband made a reservation for "Dinner and a Show" at Fort Whyte Centre, Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.  We had a choice of entres, and the dinner we had was a spinach salad, stuffed pickerel with potatoes and vegetables, and a desert.  The "show" was just outside on the deck. We watched the birds come in and land, at sunset.  There were a few geese (it is near the end of the season now) and ducks, and there were thousands of gulls.  They filled up the sky.  It was incredible.  Very relaxing way to spend an evening.  The meal was very nice, and we lucked out with a cool but mild autumn evening.

From the Buffalo Stone Cafe website:  "Savour a delicious three-course meal featuring Manitoba-inspired cuisine and fresh vegetables from our own FortWhyte Farms, prepared by the Buffalo Stone Café. Our lakeside restaurant offers the perfect view of the setting sun and the spectacular nightly descent of thousands of geese on to our lakes.

By reservation only! Call (204) 989-8370 

Fee: $40 (includes taxes and gratuities)
Wine and beer service available"

Baby Spinach Salad

with sundried cherries, fresh berries, Bosc pears and Saskatoon berry vinaigrette

served with fresh baked focaccia and grilled flatbread.

Stuffed Pickerel Fillet

served with shrimp, scallops and roasted red pepper mousse.

 Dessert

Raspberry cheesecake or chocolate mouse torte.

 Thousands of birds filled the sky at sunset.

 The beautiful colours of sunset.  

A lonesome goose awaits nightfall.

 A lonely goose, with thousands of birds in the background.  

They fill the water and the sky, while the sun paints the sky 

brilliant colours of orange and yellow.

 Night is very near.  The birds are settling.

What a nice way to spend an evening.  The program runs every migration season, middle of September to middle of October, Wednesday to Sunday.  The beginning of October is the best time to go if you want to see a lot of geese.  For more info, check out this link: http://www.fortwhyte.org/buffalostonecafe.


Have a great day!


~ Angela Gentile

Six Steps to Kool Hair

Hair dyed with Kool-Aid

Want to know a very inexpensive way to dye your hair a cool colour?  My daughter wanted to try dyeing her hair with Kool-Aid (also known as Dip Dye).  After a little research on the internet, she was able to successfully colour her hair a deep pink colour.  The trend spread like wildfire around her school.  She dyed the underside layer only but there are other ways to do it. All you need is one package of Kool-Aid.  Here's how we did it.

How to Dye Your Hair with Kool-Aid:*

1.  Boil 1.5 cups of water.

2.  Add one package of Kool-Aid drink powder mix to the boiling water and stir until dissolved.

3.  Transfer the boiling coloured water to a smaller cup.

4.  Take a section of hair that you want coloured, and tie back the rest.  Very carefully, immerse the hair to be dyed in the cup. BE CAREFUL - IT WILL BE HOT!!

5.  Keep the hair in the hot water for 15 minutes.  Then rinse hair with very cold water from the tap until the water runs clear.  This will close up the cuticle.

6.  Blow dry, style and enjoy!


*Cautions and Tips:

Photo from: Little Eden

- The HOT WATER IS DANGEROUS, so use with caution and have an adult present.

- It will stain a plastic cup, so use a ceramic or glass cup.

- Initially, it may stain your clothes or pillow case so maybe use a dark towel to protect your fabrics.

- It will be PERMANENT colour.

- If your hair is light blond, and you use blue, your hair will turn green.

- If your hair is dark blond, you may want to use a brighter colour (like red - Fruit Punch)

- If you hair is very dark, you won't get much of a result.

- You can try dyeing just the tips, or one streak.  Get creative!

Have fun!

~ Angela Gentile

Mr. Girl

Photo from:
http://www.jetwithkids.com/blog/do-we-really-need-to-travel-with-a-stroller

I was browsing in a store the other day, and there were two little kids with their mom shopping in the same area of the store as myself.  The kids were sitting in a double stroller (similar to the picture above).  I had given them a warm smile, because they looked so cute.  They were even giggling at one point.   The girl was about 3 years and the boy was about 1.  He was holding a sippy cup in his hands.  Their mom was looking at some books on a shelf, with her back to the children, and suddenly I heard something hard and plastic fall to the floor, close to my feet.  I looked down, and saw that the little boys cup had fallen onto the floor.  I turned back to what I was doing, assuming that the mother would pick up the cup.

A few seconds later, I heard in a very small, sweet female voice,

"Mr. Girl, he dropped his cup".

My heart just melted when I heard this faint, polite plea for assistance.  I willingly bent down to pick up the cup and returned it to the little boy, smiling at both of the children.

Their Mom noticed what had occurred, and smiled back and said, "Thank you".

That's the first time I have ever been called "Mr. Girl".  It was so sweet.

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Even Dogs Love Hugs

Have you had your ♥ hug ♥ today?

Feel free to hug someone you care about, today - and every day.  Even my dog loves hugs.

Have an awesome day!

~ Angela Gentile

Forever - A Capella Cover by Mike Tompkins

Here is another great cover by Mike Tompkins, and all the sounds were made with his mouth.  I really like this version of Forever, by Chris Brown.  The song is upbeat and fun!



You can check this video out on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvoNfiNo1DA

Have an awesome day!

~ Angela Gentile

Fréya Art and Design - Simple and Sweet.

I came across this great artwork by Fréya  and it's just wonderful.  It's simple, optimistic and has a primary, almost childish feel to it.  There are a lot of great products - such as prints that can be framed, baby gifts and greeting cards with really nice messages on them.  Artist & poet, Fréya Eté creates work with a purity of vision and a forever optimistic view of the world. Her quirky, heart warming and thought provoking pieces are much loved and sought after and held in many public and private collections around the world. (taken from her Etsy profile: http://www.etsy.com/people/FreyaArt?ref=ls_profile)

Check out the Fréya Art and Design website here:  http://www.freya-art.com/

 
I am sure you'll find something you like.  Here are a couple more of my favourites:
 
 

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

It's A Girl!

One of the sweetest joys in life is the much anticipated arrival of a new baby.

A new baby has come into my life, and I am overjoyed!  My brother and his wife have given birth to a beautiful little baby girl.  Although I have a lot of nieces and nephews on my husband's side, I have never had one on my side of the family until now.  This baby is different because I am related to her, by blood.  Funny how I see a resemblance of myself in her.  It is so exciting to have a new family member.  I am one proud Auntie and I love her to pieces already (and I haven't even met her yet).  I have seen pictures and we have video-chatted on Skype, and I'll get to meet her in person really soon.  I went shopping for baby clothes, and it is so much fun picking out little outfits for her.  She makes me happy.

Here are some of my favourite baby sayings:

Children reinvent the world for you. - Susan Sarandon

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. - Elizabeth Stone

Babies are such a nice way to start people. - Don Herold

A baby will be much more work than you could have ever expected, but it will bring you much more joy than you could have ever imagined. - Angela Gentile

I'll leave you with this - Top 10 Funny Baby Videos on YouTube:



Enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWHpcKXt-qQ&feature=related

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

A World of Happiness Through Dance

Dancing is an expression of happiness all over the world.  Take a look at this video - it will make you smile!

"Happy People Dancing on Planet Earth"

Find the original post here: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080722.html

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile