Every time I get my teeth cleaned, the hygienist reminds me to floss in a kind way. A year ago, she asked, “Have you been flossing regularly?” I felt my fact turn red. While I did floss, I couldn’t really say it was a regular practice.

She said that my gums had receded some, and that while I did a good job brushing, that only cleaned the outer surface of my teeth. “Flossing cleans the tight space between your teeth,” she said. I knew that, but what I didn’t realize was the importance of cleaning my teeth at the gum line.

The hygienist explained that this is where stubborn tartar develops and plaque builds up. This causes inflammation and an infection in the gums. The bacteria from this infection can actually get absorbed in my bloodstream and lead to problems including heart disease. Why floss? A heart attack can happen even in healthy people!

While part of me wanted to think the stuff she told me was scare tactics, the logical part of my brain said she had nothing to gain from telling me these gory details.

I came home with a renewed commitment to floss with thoughts of platelets meshing with bacteria to create a blood clot! Plus my father-in-law lost his two bottom front teeth at age 52 because they became loose and fell out from – you guessed it – not flossing!

That emphasized flossing benefits in a very personal way.

Glide slides easily between tight teeth without shredding.

One of my problems is that my back teeth are so close together, I have a hard time getting the floss to slide between them without shredding or breaking. The hygienist recommended Glide dental floss. It’s what she uses in the office, and it is thicker but flat and it glides between my teeth in one piece.

Using the Glide dental floss has made it much easier to get the job done. When I went to the dentist this time, my gums were fine and the hygienist bragged to the dentist that I was doing a good job taking care of my teeth. 

Photo credits: meddygarnet, Amazon.com

A recent study shows significant evidence that eating a Mediterranean diet full of olive oil, nuts, and even wine, can significantly reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Find out what heart-healthy foods are included in the diet.

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Today’s link round-up has tips for keeping squirrels off your produce, redoing your husband’s man cave for Father’s Day, cool drinks, and more.

The Scrap Shoppe Blog offers tricks to keep squirrels out of your garden.

Father’s Day is coming up and if you’re hoping to do something elaborate for your husband, try taking some inspiration from the man cave makeover at Don’t Disturb This Groove.

Town and Country Living shared the best spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce.

Will Cook for Smiles made a tasty (skinny!) piña colada float.

The Moody Fashionista made chocolate dipped potato chips that look good for a party or a special treat to have around the house.

Chocolate Chocolate and More shared another cool summertime drink—the Little Debbie Swiss Roll milkshake.

I Love to Create Blog shared a DIY wooden henna bangle project, which is the perfect colorful accessory to go with all those pretty skirts and sleeveless tops in the spring.

Photo credit: Gary Yankech, Micaiena, and @joefoodie

Birds are singing, trees are budding and the snow is finally melted. It’s time to pack up those sweaters and boots and pull out the shorts and flip-flops.

Spring brunches are on the horizon and there is nothing I love more on a warm spring weekend than rolling out of bed and having brunch on the deck. There’s something about the breeze blowing through the trees and the sun peaking through kissing my cheek good morning that makes my coffee taste so much better.

We usually try to keep brunches simple: fresh squeezed orange juice (bought at the co-op. I don’t necessarily want to wake up and go into full-on manual labor mode), fresh fruit, crisp bacon, a French toast casserole (which is really decadent but quite easy and can be prepped the night before), but if we’re feeling really ambitious, we make eggs benedict.

It sounds so much more difficult than it is.

Ingredients

• 3/4-cup white-wine vinegar
• 8 large eggs
• 8 slices Canadian bacon
• 4 English muffins, split and toasted
• Hollandaise sauce (Recipe Below)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring vinegar and 14 cups water to a boil over high heat; immediately reduce heat to a low simmer.
2. Crack each egg into an individual bowl, checking for shells.
3. Working in two batches, gently drop eggs, one at a time, into simmering water and poach for 2 minutes.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
5. Repeat process until all eggs are cooked. Let water continue to simmer.
6. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook Canadian bacon for one minute on each side; remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
7. Return eggs to simmering water until heated through, about 1 minute.
8. Place each toasted English muffin half face up on a plate.
9. Top each with a slice of Canadian bacon and a poached egg.
10. Top poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce and garnish with chives if you so desire.
11. Serve immediately with fresh fruit.

Hollandaise Sauce:

• 4 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 pinch ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1-tablespoon water
• 1-cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2-teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Fill the bottom of a double boiler partway with water. Make sure that water is not over full or it will boil over.
2. Bring water to a gentle simmer.
3. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1-tablespoon water.
4. Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while whisking yolks constantly.
5. If Hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water.
6. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated.
7. Whisk in salt, then remove from heat.
8. Place a lid on pan and turn heat down to keep sauce warm until ready to serve.

This eggs benedict is creamy and simple and delicious. It will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. My 5 and 8 year olds love it. They are fascinated by the whole poaching process and the Hollandaise sauce is a household favorite; equally as fabulous on asparagus at dinnertime.

What’s your favorite brunch entree ?

Photo Source: Jon Mountjoy

It always amazes me what walks the runway at fashion week. The Orange County Fashion Week was no different.

A few of the outfits looked like fashionable Klingon-ware with a mix of blacks, reds, ankle-length sleeveless coats, leggings, and pinkish-purple platform ankle boots. Not the type of thing I’m looking for on the racks.

Another floor-length gown looked like a one-piece swimsuit with a very sheer skirt sporting black ruffles from the knees down. Many of the other floor-length gowns had cutouts somewhere along the midsection with plenty of sheer fabric and lace incorporated in the design. Sometimes half of the skirt was…well missing.

One classic white gown included panels of satin and lace creating a form-fitting but elegant dress.

While these outfits tend to be created for aliens or social elites, I always look beyond the extremes to pick up on the fashion trends we can expect to see in ready-to-wear fashion. For instance, I saw a lot of accessorizing with thin waist belts at the OC Fashion Week of 2013, and the other trend I noted is the popularity of green and blue combos.

Designer Noelle Nicole gets an award in my book for showing designs everyday people might actually wear, including a blue and green halter jumpsuit. She had a few three-piece short sets for those who want to live on the wild side of fashion, too.

I admit, I’m not really an upscale urban fashionista. I’m a down-to-earth mom who likes something new to wear from time to time, that’s fashionable, comfortable, and can be washed and dried. Am I asking for too much?

Photo credits: SharonaGott

If there’s one product you buy for Spring, make it a gorgeous make-up palette. Urban Decay never disappoints in this category, and this season the brand is showcasing two fresh palettes with 16 brand-new shades. Lorac’s palette is convenient as a clutch, and NYX makes creating a smoky eye a cinch.

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I grew up on the Muppets and they will always have a special place in my heart. I was giddy when the Muppets came to movie theaters in 2011 because they don’t come on television anymore and I was really excited to share the Muppets with my little girls.

The Muppets are a part of my childhood that I really wanted to share with my own daughters. Next spring, a new Muppets movie is coming to theaters. I’m really looking forward to it, even if it is a year away.

Disney’s “The Muppets …Again!” takes the entire Muppets gang on a worldwide tour,  performing and selling out theaters all over Europe. But, as always, craziness and chaos follows the Muppets.

They find themselves caught up in an international crime caper headed by Constantine, the World’s Number One Criminal, who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Kermit, and Constantine’s evil sidekick Dominic, Number Two, who is played by Ricky Gervais. The film also stars Tina Fey and Ty Burrell.

With doppelganger criminals and a sidekick named Number Two, I’d say the jokes will be a many. It’s an all-star cast with all the Muppets we’ve grown up loving and some of our new favorite comedic geniuses. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Can you?

The Muppets … Again!  will be in a theater near you on March 21, 2014.

Photo Source: Disney

I have been reading about the so called “secret” menus that numerous restaurants have. From Panera to Starbucks, apparently there is an entire universe of foods and beverages that I knew nothing about.

For example, I love In and Out’s food. I really am not a fast food type person, but I will eat there. One of the things on their secret menu is a burger “protein style” which means it is in a lettuce wrap. Well, dang. That’s my favorite way to get a burger!

Many of the websites have their secret menus listed – and even if they don’t, doing a search using the restaurant name and the words ‘secret menu’ will definitely come  up with some interesting information.

At first, the idea seemed kind of weird. I mean, why have a dish that you don’t advertise? How will people know to buy it? As I thought about it, I realized that it creates a feeling of intimacy for the customer. He is part of the inner circle so to speak. People like that. They like it a lot.

The dishes on the secret menu are often items that customers requested over time. Eventually a light bulb goes off, someone sends the idea to corporate, and a secret menu is birthed.

I decided to check it out for myself. Here are some restaurants with some of the off the menu items they offer.

Panera

Panera offers a dish they call Power Bowls. You can get them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner as long as you let the cashier know that you are ordering from the hidden menu. Power bowls are great for gluten free and low carb diets because they are one of the few items Panera serves that don’t contain bread.

• Power Breakfast Egg White Bowl -Roasted all-natural, Antibiotic-free turkey, egg whites, warm baby spinach, roasted peppers, and basil Pesto.
• Power Chicken Hummus Bowl - All-natural, Antibiotic-free chicken, with cilantro jalapeno hummus, baby spinach, cucumbers, diced tomatoes & red onions finished with fresh squeezed lemon & fresh chopped cilantro.

McDonald’s

McDonalds has a number of interesting items. Unlike Panera, McDonald’s hidden menu looks like it is created by a greedy cardiologist.

• Land, Sea, and Air Burger - Big Mac, a McChicken and a Filet-O-Fish in one sandwich topped with french fries. Should we burst their bubble and let them know that chickens don’t fly?
• Pie McFlurry – You guessed it. A McFlurry with a hot fried pie blended right in.
• Neapolitan Milkshake – Layers of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla shake.

Starbucks

Yep, Starbucks has one, too. Technically, they will make anything you can dream up – here’s some inspiration.

•  Twixt Frappuccino
• Cake Batter Frappuccino
• Banana Cream Pie Frappuccino

Chick-Fil-A

• Blueberry Cheesecake Milkshake – Just get a vanilla shake and a blueberry cheesecake and ask them to blend it.
• Your kid can trade in his kid’s meal toy for a small ice cream – for free.
• Buffalo Chicken Sandwich – This is a regular Chick-Fil-A sandwich with a spicy Buffalo sauce.

Seriously, reading through the various menus, I started getting a craving for some fast food for lunch. Have you tried any of these or know of other secret menus? Let us know!

photo credit: silkolive via photopin cc

I haven’t. Not really. In fact, the stuff I get usually ends up being worth even less than what I paid. My garage sale fairy is obviously a lazy drunk.

Every once in a while you hear about someone who has beaten the odds and found something amazing – maybe you see it on Antiques Roadshow or read a news report. Then of course, you have to fight that five minutes of jealousy, questioning your existence, and kicking walls.

It can’t be just me.

One family became part of that elite group of people, those humans that have become millionaires overnight. Garage sale gold.

One family has had a treasure right under their noses for several years without knowing it.  At some point, they brought home a pretty glass bowl from a garage sale. It was the perfect addition, situated on the mantle over the fireplace and, for three bucks there was no need to worry about heat, smoke, or the cat breaking it.

There it sat for a couple of years until someone decided that it really should be looked at.

Cha-Ching!

The bowl turned out to be a 3,000 year old relic from the Northern Song Dynasty and it was worth a bunch, according to Sotheby’s. The auction house was impressed at their garage sale skills and promptly put the bowl up on auction.

2.2 million dollars. Yes. That’s the amount the bowl sold for.

I really don’t care for garage sales. I understand the concept of one man’s junk is another’s treasure, but in the area I live, you would have to be a homeless person to find any treasure in the stuff that you find at them.

Do you find great stuff at garage sales?

photo credit: colros via photopin cc