Want a fun weekend project? Dress up your terra-cotta pots! HGTV Magazine has some DIY ideas.
Add a Decal
Paint the pot with paint and let dry. Apply a face decal to the front of the pot, following the package instructions.
Stencil a Pattern
Attach the stencil to the pot with repositionable spray mount and pieces of delicate-surface painter’s tape. You may have to cut the stencil into a couple of pieces to help it adhere to the rounded surface. Fill in the stencil with paint. Let dry slightly, then remove and reposition the stencil pieces. Fill in, repeating until the entire pot is covered. Let dry.
Layer on Fringe
Starting at the bottom, hot-glue rows of fringe to the pot, layering each additional row on top of the previous one as you go.
Ombré It
Working from the top down, divide the planter into three equal sections — use a pencil to lightly mark dashes around the circumference. Spray-paint the top part. Then spray-paint the middle section with a different color, slightly overlapping the area you just painted. Repeat for the third section with another shade. Let dry.
Wrap It With Rope
Starting at the bottom, wrap rope (we used cotton clothesline) around the pot, securing with hot glue as you go. When you get to the top, wrap a few rows on the inside, too. Then paint a pattern on the rope. Use painter’s tape to mark off the design you want to paint. Lightly outline it in pencil, remove the tape and fill in with paint. Let dry.
Looking for an easy but healthy addition to your diet? You might want to try blueberries, and here’s why.
Blueberries: Why You Need Them In Your Diet
Now more than ever, we need to take good care of our bodies and follow a healthy diet as much as possible, what with pandemics and viruses coming here and there. Unfortunately, while there are literally no cons in following a healthy diet, it’s easier said than done for most people since a lot of them end up abandoning it or failing altogether.
But that doesn’t mean that we should stop trying. Taking little steps is a good strategy when it comes to having better health, and one such little step we can take is adding blueberries in our grocery list.
Small, unassuming, relatively cheap, blueberries are actually a healthy diet addition. Here’s why:
Full of Antioxidants
They may be small, but they pack quite a punch when it comes to antioxidant content. In fact, blueberries have more antioxidants than almost any other food, which your body can then use to fight free radicals and reduce the risk of many cancers and diseases.
Bone Health
Additionally, blueberries are also a good source of vitamin K, which works alongside calcium to ensure your bones are healthy and strong. In addition, vitamin K also plays a role in maintaining blood circulation and contributing to heart health.
Mental Aging
Per studies, eating blueberries has also been shown to help improve brain function in older individuals, even helping delay mental aging by over two years. Blueberries do this via their antioxidants, which help fight the free radicals that accelerate our brain’s aging processes, resulting in cognitive impairments.
Blood Pressure and Heart Health
The same antioxidants we just mentioned can also help lower and regulate our blood pressure, which in turn makes the 24/7 job of our heart a little more easier. In fact, research shows that regular intake of anthocyanins (the main antioxidant in blueberries) can reduce heart attack risk by 32 percent.
Weight Loss
High in fiber and water, blueberries are also a great weight loss snack since they only have 40 calories per half a cup.
By Jan Cortes for Medical Daily; Photo credit: Daniella Segura
Note: An article dated some years ago. Vegas today is wide open.
This new reality will be when Nevada begins easing lockdown restrictions and the city, slowly, reopens. Fletch Brunelle, the vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Tourism Bureau (LVCTB), insists the essence of Vegas will be unchanged. “We will still be about adult freedom,” Brunelle says. “But we want guests to get their experience and stay safe at the same time.
The sheer scale of the city makes Vegas’s reopening trickier than elsewhere, though. Here, crowds are as much a part of the city’s DNA as the neon signs. Fifty thousand visitors dropped into Caesars Palace daily before the pandemic, Caesars says, with 10,000 lingering on the casino floors alone. Last year, the city’s 156,000 hotel rooms enjoyed a near-90 percent occupancy rate, according to the LVCTB. To control crowds, entire swaths of Vegas will be drastically reimagined in this first phase of reopening; other elements will remain closed altogether.
The most visible adjustment will be at casinos, though, which account for roughly 40 percent of Vegas’s total tourism dollars. Now required to cut their capacity in half, a number of gaming tables and slot machines will be removed. Only three individuals will be allowed at blackjack tables at any one time, dealers will wear masks, and players will not be allowed to touch their own cards. Casinos will also be introducing sanitizing technology like Elite Chip Care, which uses an antimicrobial cleanser to keep chips germ-free for sixty days.
As for the city’s massive events—well, those won’t be back anytime soon. In addition to restricting crowds, the current phase of the Las Vegas reopening bans all live entertainment, from Cirque du Soleil shows to concerts from the likes of Gwen Stefani and Afrojack. And there is no set date for when they may return. “We don’t know when it will be possible to host large scale events again,” said a spokesperson from Ceasars, where Mariah Carey is usually a star attraction. Pool parties and all-you-can-eat buffets, another Vegas show pony, are also on hold. At the restaurants that do reopen on June 4, such as the upscale Restaurant Guy Savoy inside Caesars, tables will be removed and repositioned to cut capacity to 50 percent, and online or disposable menus will become mandatory. And though, technically, the main drag through the city—the Strip—will be open, crowds won’t be allowed to gather (and the buskers that draw them will also be banned under the live entertainment restrictions).
Despite the unique challenges of reopening Las Vegas, there’s a heightened sense of urgency. According to LVCTB, the leisure and hospitality industry is the number one economic driver in southern Nevada, and creates more than 40 percent of the region’s jobs. Last year, the city of Las Vegas raked in $58 billion in tourism dollars. (Los Angeles brought in $27 billion from tourism during the same time period, according to the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.) The now-mandated cuts in capacity mean an inevitable cut in profits. And while there is some talk that casinos will soften the blow by upping minimum bets, the tourism board has yet to share concrete details on how they plan to make up for such losses. “(For now) it’s about guests enjoying experiences they have not been able to have at home,” says Brunelle of LVCTB. Like so much in this uncertain era, it sounds like we’ll have to wait and see.
Note: FYI, a busker is a street musician or act of some kind.
After closing to visitors on March 22, the Florida Keys are fully open.
Naturally, there are plenty of people hesitant to resume traveling amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has already caused many travel restrictions and the closure of popular tourist destinations. The lack of tourism is financially devastating many businesses in the travel industry, so many destinations such as the Keys have decided to cautiously reopen to visitors.
In an interview with TravelPulse, the president of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, Stacey Mitchell, reassures travelers that the safety of tourists, locals and employees will be the Key’s top priority.
In fact, it is because of safety concerns that the Monroe County TDC decided to reopen on June 1 rather than a popular tourism time period like Memorial Day Weekend.
While many businesses are eager to make up for lost time, Mitchell made it clear that businesses that are hesitant to reopen at this time are not required to do so.
“The private sector can determine when they feel comfortable reopening or not,” said Mitchell.
Additionally, hotels, restaurants and stores will continue to enforce social distancing to both employees and guests and have updated their cleaning procedures and disinfecting measures to ensure that COVID-19 will not spread. However, visitors will not be expected to wear face masks.
Luckily for travelers, many of the activities that draw visitors to the Keys such as snorkeling and scuba diving allow them to follow safety guidelines.
As Mitchell pointed out, “The lifestyle [in Monroe County] is conducive to activities like riding a bike and when you’re under the water scuba diving, you’re basically socially distancing!”
Unlike other areas in Florida, Mitchell is not worried about the beaches in the Keys being packed with overzealous guests as the Keys’ beaches tend to draw more watersport enthusiasts than sunbathers.
“The Florida Keys aren’t really known for our beaches. We’re known for our nearshore waters, but not for traditional beaches like you’d see in California or the Jersey Shore. We have great water access for watersport activities and our natural resources are conducive to practicing social distancing measures,” said Mitchell.
“People who come down here want to go snorkeling, they want to go scuba diving, they want to go fishing, they want to go paddle-boarding, they want to go kayaking out in the mangroves. Because we have such interactive marine resources, our visitors aren’t apt to just lie on the beach like a traditional beachgoer. There’s just so much more to see and do.”
As June blossoms with sunshine and longer days it’s an incredible time to journal about new beginnings, self-care and positivity.
There’s a warm buzz in the air, school’s out for the season and everything just feels more relaxed. However, the end of June also signals the halfway point of the year. June is a great time to step back, reflect, let go of bad habits and focus back on your goals.
If you have never done it, here are some journaling benefits:
A daily journaling practice:
boosts your confidence
improves your self-esteem
makes you more creative
helps you manage anxiety and depression
helps you sleep better
lowers your blood pressure
Here are 30 journal ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.
June journal ideas
June 1: Time to review what happened last month. What were your 3 happiest achievements in May?
June 2: Reflect back on last month’s 3 most difficult challenges? What lessons did they teach you?
June 3: Think about the month ahead and your 3 biggest goals for June?
June 4: Also, about the month, what are your 3 biggest worries for June?
June 5: Describe the last time you were too hard on yourself. How could you have shown yourself more kindness?
June 6: What are 3 forms of self-care you can do this month to help you value yourself?
June 7: Describe 3 restful things you can do in the evenings instead of scrolling your phone or watching TV.
June 8: Is there a bad habit that’s keeping you from living your best life?
June 9: What parts of your life need a reset or a new beginning?
June 10: Describe 3 things you love about summer and enjoy the most about this season?
June 11: How could you make your home more comfortable in this warmer period?
June 12: Write a list of 10 simple things that make you really happy. Can you add more of these things into your life?
June 13: Review your morning routine. What’s working well, but what needs to change?
June 14: The 10 things you’re most grateful for right now. Write in detail and let yourself feel the emotion of gratitude.
June 15: When was the last time you compared yourself to others. What makes you so unique and special?
June 16: Review your evening routine. Can you do something in your evening to help you unwind?
June 17: What drains your energy in your everyday life? How can you stay more grounded in stressful situations?
June 18: Describe how you can show more appreciation to a loved one in your life.
June 19: Write down 3 positive affirmations that you need to hear right now. What comfort and reassurance can you offer yourself?
June 20: Describe something you can do to save yourself time this week and make your week easier?
Today is the first day of summer!
June 21: Take a walk in nature and document the sights, smells and sounds of summer. How has nature around you changed from spring into summer?
June 22: Describe your social life. What’s going well or not so well?
June 23: If you had an extra hour in your day, how would you spend it?
June 24: When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? How can you remind yourself that you are enough?
June 25: Do you have any favorite summertime memories from childhood? What did you love most about the summer when you were growing up?
June 26: Is there any negative self-talk keeping you from fully appreciating your life?
June 27: How can you manage your self-doubt and build more self-confidence?
June 28: Can you spend more time outdoors this summer? How can you strengthen your connection to nature?
June 29: Describe 3 of your favorite moments of this month. What will you remember most fondly about June?
June 30: What are your three biggest goals for July?
The brutal killing of one black man has morphed into mass demonstrations all over America. That’s not such a bad idea at all. However, Dr. King is probably spinning in his grave at how his non-violent approach to racism has been corrupted into a sporting event of looting, burning and violence. Is this the justice for George we were expecting. No, justice was hijacked so stores could be emptied, business’ set on fire and grudges against police and society in general could be acted out.
If that’s not heartbreaking enough, here is the gut-kick. This past weekend, 27 people were killed and 92 shot all unrelated to the protests going on. This is black-on-black violence that white America doesn’t want to hear about, let alone protest against. I wonder why they chose to ignore this every weekend event when tv camera’s aren’t present. Where are the mass protests ?
